"How are you guys not sweating?"
Stein squinted up at Raazaham's swollen sun. It was easy to overlook how much the canopies and narrow, short streets of Peltra minimized the heat in the city. The moment one got back out, it was hell once again.
"Enchantments on our clothing," Veteran said. "It's a necessity here. I suggest you buy some with your first payout."
"Definitely." The word barely got out of his dried throat.
"Here." A sweet voice reached his ears. Morgana held out a metal flask to him. Water.
He grabbed it and muttered a thank you. The flask was just about to touch his lips when someone coughed loudly.
"Indirect kiss," Axe said, grinning at him. He laughed as Stein froze, the flask hovering inches from his mouth.
"Relax, I'm joking," he said. "Or am I?."
"Axe, grow up!" Morgana frowned at him. Then her eyes returned to Stein, but so did the frown. "Well, what are you waiting for?"
Stein pressed the tip of the flask to his lips. There were adventurers in the city begging for a sip of water, and here he was hesitating when offered free water over some nonsense.
When he returned the flask, Morgana pressed a sheathed dagger into his hands, her green eyes looking up at him.
"Just in case," she whispered. "No one should go into the Oasis unarmed."
Stein nodded, placing the dagger inside a pocket.
The Oasis was a dark green line on the unending carpet of brown. It was still about half an hour away, but it already appeared as large as a city. There were also other parties headed toward the Oasis, most on foot and a few on carriages pulled by some weird giant insects.
A column of light suddenly descended from the heavens, blocking their path. Stein took a step back, his hand reaching for the dagger he had just received.
Ludacra was the first to notice Stein.
"Relax," she said. "It's just one of you."
Stein looked around and saw the others appeared happy and not concerned at the column of light blocking their path. Now that he observed it, he saw the similarities between it and the light that blocked his view when he first arrived at Raazaham.
"Right in our path." Morgana could barely contain her excitement. "It must be fate, right?"
Veteran grumbled as he turned away from the light. "The guild is already here."
Stein followed his gaze to see a party of adventurers approaching, dirt-colored cloaks and brown coats. They'll arrive in a minute or two.
"Fuck." Axe's face grew somber. "We wouldn't let them just take whoever it is, right?"
"It's just one person." Veteran turned away. "Thousands come every day. What difference would one make?"
Morgana stepped forward, fingers curling into fists. "This one is right in front of us, Hans. We can't just do nothing."
Veteran remained silent for some seconds, then sighed. "They wouldn't back down without a fight. Hopefully it's just an amateur scout party."
Veteran fell back to their rear, preparing to meet with the guild's adventurers. Axe followed.
Stein drew forward as the light faded. This had been him less than twenty-four hours ago.
A silhouette appeared first, too slender. A girl. The light faded further, revealing pale skin, sleek black hair, and narrow almond eyes. Stein blinked. She looked fragile, almost doll-like.
How would someone like that survive in Raazaham? The girl swayed on her feet, her dazed gaze darting around until it landed on him. Then she stumbled forward and crashed into his arms.
Stein froze, unsure of what to do.
"Is something wrong with her?" Morgana drew closer.
"I don't know," Stein said, trying not to think about how cool and soft she felt. Though Axe giving him a double thumbs-up and grinning wasn't helping.
The girl finally pulled away from Stein."I'm sorry." Her voice was soft and melodious. "I don't have my contacts."
She held her hands out as she glanced around."This sucks. And why is it so hot here?"
Stein glanced at Morgana and found her looking back with a distraught expression.
"Hey, new girl." Morgana approached her. "I'm Morgana. What should we call you?"
The girl glanced in her direction, muttered to herself, then said, "Lee Yurim."
Morgana nodded. "Yurim. You do know where you are, right?"
Yurim scoffed. That nerd goddess told me everything."
Solovay?
"Listen to me, Yurim." Morgana grabbed her shoulders. "Right now a powerful organisation is coming for you. They try to recruit all new adventurers. You must decline the invite."
"Why?" Yurim folded her arms, squinting at Morgana.
"Because..." Morgana hesitated. "They aren't what they seem like. They call themselves a guild, but they are more like a gang that bullies and harasses others."
Any hint of hesitation was gone now as Morgana's voice kept rising.
"They run a monopoly on the best supply deals and attack anyone who threatens their control. If you aren't a part of their guild, you might as well be dead for all they care."
Morgana's face was red and her chest heaving as she concluded.
Yurim stared blankly at Morgana.
"That just makes me want to join the guild even more."
"What?" Morgana gaped at her. Ludacra just chuckled.
"Yes," Yurim said firmly. "To do otherwise would mean to subject myself to what was it? Bullying and harassment. The way I see it, the guild is only a problem for those who aren't in it."
Stein blinked. That made perfect sense. Had he judged her too soon? At first glance she appeared to be some pretty rich girl who had lived a luxurious sheltered life, but she was clearly more than that.
"Hand her over at once."
Stein turned to see the scouting party from earlier. They were all craning their necks to get a better angle at Yurim and making shameless comments like:
"Whoa… she's so pretty."
"Look at her."
"Stunning."
Yurim's face turned sour and her lips pressed into a thin line as she folded her arms.
The leader of the scouts stepped forward and drew his sword at Veteran.
"Let her go at once. Holding a girl captive—what awful things are you planning?"
Yurim frowned "I'm not a captive, and I'm doing quite alright here, so you may leave."
Morgana let out a sigh of relief
The scouts froze, the leader's sword faltering as confused murmurs spread in their midst. Just when Stein thought the issue had been resolved, the sword leveled at Veteran again.
"You must have scared and threatened her into saying that."
"What?" Yurim looked bewildered. "I'm not scared."
The leader of the scouts didn't seem to hear her as he flashed what he probably thought was a charming smile at her.
"Don't worry, miss. The Adventurers Guild will save you from these thugs."
Yurim rolled her eyes, letting out a quiet sigh.
"Fall into formation," the scout leader ordered.
Two scouts fell back, drawing their bows and nocking glowing arrows. The other two moved to his side, one on either flank.