Exiting the tavern, he heard the church bells chime six times. Somewhere behind him, a rooster crowed into the mist, and a wagon clattered to life in the distance. The road was slowly filling with peasants who worked the fields, cleaned the stables, or performed any number of lowly jobs.
This was in stark contrast to what he was used to in Vaelmir, the central continent, where only a few slaves were running about at such times.
The sun was shining down, but the cold air still snapped at his exposed face.
He pulled at his hood, trying to cover himself from the elements.
He continued along the dirt path toward the guild. Eldenreach was a small town nestled in the northern mountains.
The furthest town north in the northern kingdom. Its population numbered in the low thousands. The town was relatively small with only around few hundred buildings, no cobblestone roads, just dirt.
Gabriel could walk from the main gate south of the town to the northern gate within one thousand strides.
As he got closer to the guild, his stomach began to growl.
He slipped his hand into the compartment of his potions belt and began to rummage through it.
Pulling out a small pouch, he loosened the string. Three copper coins stared back at him.
"I'll see if the guild has any bread left over from yesterday", he muttered.
He placed the coin pouch back into the compartment and quickened his pace.
With every step, he surveyed his surroundings cautiously until finally, in the distance, he could see the guild.
The guild itself wasn't big by Gabriel's standards. It was the size of a modest house in the capital of the central continent. But in Eldenreach, it was one of the biggest in town. Beaten only by the lord's manor and the 'Army' barracks. The doors stood three metres tall, made from thick redwood harvested from the nearby forest.
The handles were heavy iron hoops attached to either door. None of the guild's attendants could open them, only the guild master could.
An iron hooped knocker was placed in the centre of the left door.
Gabriel approached the guild door.
Knock! Knock! Knock!
The sound of the heavy iron knocker hitting the door echoed around.
From behind the door, Gabriel heard faint whispers.
"Is it him again?" the male voice sighed.
"I'm sure we have to open earlier each day", he continued.
"Every morning, right after the church bells", the woman said in a hushed response.
"What do we do? The Master said to get him when he arrives".
"Why?" the man raised his voice.
"I'm not sure, just go and get him", the woman retorted sharply
"One moment", she shouted through the door politely.
Gabriel had heard the whole conversation.
He continued to glare at the door, waiting for it to open.
Duff… Duff… Duff… He heard heavy footsteps approaching the door.
It creaked open.
A giant filled the doorway.
"You're getting here earlier every day", the deep voice boomed, half-amused.
"No, the same time every day", Gabriel muttered back.
Hanitz, the Guild Master of Eldenreach, was from the giant's race. He towered over Gabriel, standing about three metres tall. He had long black hair down to his shoulders and a beard that dwarves would be jealous of. His face was starting to show his age, with wrinkles appearing around his eyes and forehead.
Gabriel wasn't exactly small himself. He stood at just under 1.9 metres, which made him taller than most men in the central continent, though merely average in the North.
Hanitz chuckled, "Come in, fresh bread and oats are being made".
"I haven't even had my first meal yet".
Gabriel nodded slightly and proceeded to follow Hanitz inside the guild.
Gabriel walked into the open guild hall. There was a counter on the far right of the hall and a bar on the left, tables dotted all around, enough to seat thirty people. The smell of last night's spilt ale was still thick in the air.
On the right-hand wall, just beside the guild counter, was a wall filled with contracts. If an adventurer didn't already have one, they could go to this wall and pluck a contract off and complete it.
The contracts on the wall were all open. The first to complete it would get the bounty.
This led to a lot of fights breaking out within the guild until the Guild master enforced the rule. When you see a contract you want to take on, take it off the wall and register it at the counter.
A simple rule that saved countless tables and chairs in the guild.
They would range from herb gathering to monster hunting. Each contract was placed in a section that mirrored its rank. The F-class section was located at the bottom left. This section was the fullest.
Next to it on the right, the D-class section with four contracts.
Above the D- and F-class sections was the C-class section with only one posted.
No A- or B- Contracts were ever posted on the wall.
"Let's sit over here", Hanitz led Gabriel to a table closest to the guild counter.
"Ennu! Come here, girl". Hanitz shouted over the young elf guild attendant who was busy sorting out contracts behind the counter.
"Y, Yes, Master?" she replied nervously.
"Get me and the lad something to eat and drink".
"Do you want ale?" Hanitz nodded towards Gabriel.
"No. Water", he replied, somewhat shocked.
It's still the morning, Gabriel sighed inwardly.
"Get some water for the lad, and I'll have an ale".
"Yes, Master", Ennu replied instantly
Hanitz chuckled at Gabriel. "She's a little nervous, but she's a good girl".
Gabriel stared blankly back.
"I've got a contract for you", Hanitz's face turned serious.
"I need you to hunt down two Ironstinger scorpions on the left-hand side of Frostmir Mountain. They are nested in the bowl just before the goat's path".
Gabriel had a rough idea of the location Hanitz was talking about. Around a week ago, he had hunted a Dunefoxes near the area.
"The pay is three silver coins".
Three silver coins for two Ironstingers? Gabriel thought, his mouth slightly ajar.
Normally, one Ironstinger would only net a bounty of 3 coppers.
Hanitz continued seriously. "We have had reports of a lesser vampire being spotted in the area, spotted somewhere east of the goat's path, not too far. They are tricky little things, and I expect there will be a chase. The last thing I want is for my adventurers to end up running after the thing into another monster den".
Gabriel nodded slightly at Hanitz.
Ironstingers are big, but slow. I don't think a farm kid would be caught by them, but a bunch of adventurers storming into one's nest, without expecting it. Something might happen to one of them.
I need to prepare some traps and potions. I need to get a map of the area and see which is the best vantage point to ambush them. What bait do Ironstingers react to?
Have I got any potions? I have three bottles in my belt. One healing potion and two poisons created from Dunefox venom.
His thoughts began to wander.
"Lad, Lad!" Hanitz raised his voice.
Gabriel snapped back to reality.
"Are you accepting the contract?"
Gabriel nodded slightly.
"I need to prepare. When is the party starting the hunt?"
"Need to prepare? They're Ironstingers. Ennu could kill them", Hanitz replied, his lips curling towards his ears.
"Then send Ennu", Gabriel replied sharply.
They both stared at each other. Neither blinking.
"Ha, Ha, Ha", Hanitz couldn't control himself. His chair rocking side to side.
Ennu approached the table with two drinks.
"Ennu, go and get a sword from the training room, you're going to hunt an Ironstinger. Ha, Ha, Ha".
The young assistant almost tipped the drinks over whilst putting them down.
"What!?" Her face had turned pale. She began trembling.
"Ha, Ha, Ha, just go and get the food, girl".
"You almost made poor Ennu drop-dead, lad. Speak to her after we finish the food and get the details."
A few moments later, Ennu came back with the food. Still as pale as a wraith. Gabriel and Hanitz both finished the lot. The latter talked nonstop through the whole meal, and the former politely acknowledged or nodded the whole time.
Gabriel bid farewell to Hanitz and walked over to the guild counter.
The guild assistant gave him the report on the Ironstinger and the Lesser Vampire. She also provided a map of the area on Hanitz's orders, still trembling from the joke the giant had played on her.
The adventurers would begin the hunt when the church bells chimed 5 times.
Gabriel decided he would begin his hunt when they chimed three times. This would give him the time he needed to reach the location and dispose of the monsters.
He had the remainder of the day to prepare.
Even though they were only F-ranked beasts. He wouldn't take the risk. Knowledge is power, and for Gabriel, preparation was 90% of the fight.