NOVEL SIMPLE Hot Potato Job – Chapter 184
Back in town a couple days have passed and a new building can be seen standing just a few doors down from the town hall and what a building it was. If the town hall had that rustic hunting lodge look with all the bones and woodwork, this thing took it to the next degree. Though just on size alone it already drew attention to itself.
So far, all the system buildings had taken up about the same footprint. This new building claimed a three-by-three space for itself, even if the building proper was only about the size of a two-by-two plot. Not that the extra space was wasted. Walls surrounded the building itself, being just a smidge taller than anything else nearby. Not that they hid the building proper though, it was a good three stories tall.
Though back to the walls which matched the building’s shape, that of a hexagon. While everything else in town had taken on a wood and bone aesthetic, the walls mixed in a good quantity of stone with only the crenelations at the top being mostly free of the stuff. Then, at each corner, was a proper guard tower that rose up to the height of two stories tall.
Inside those walls was an impressive building, which yes was hexagon in shape, but it didn’t match the orientation of the outside walls. No, the building’s corners were to the wall’s sides. And speaking of those corners, unlike with the wall building’s corners were each made from one large leg bone.
While that might sound big, it doesn’t fully give the display justice. See, those leg bones were at least half buried into the ground so the three story height was just what you could see. Though they aren’t the only bones of impressive size. The gate through the wall and both doorways leading into the building are framed by the lower jawbone of some predator.
About the only thing that breaks with the rest of the style, is the gate itself. While the main part is made of wood, the reinforcements very much aren’t. Instead of bone or wood, the bars are constructed of metal that has a blue-ish tint to it. There isn’t a lot of the metal, but even without any observation skills a person would get the feeling of them being an unbreakable defense.
Suffice it to say, the adventurers guild looked pretty awesome and that is without taking into account the workers that came with it. Sure, there are the usual office worker types, sitting behind the counter. More than just them, though, the adventurers guild came with some defenses which also matched the theme. Up on the walls at any time you could find two parties of orcs, half wielding composite bows and the other half crossbows.
Those guards seem to be on four-hour shifts, with them retreating to the guard towers and vanishing while the next shift comes out the opposite side. Though they could just be the same orcs moving around as they seem to take great joy in not answering any questions shouted their way. And they are ignoring the people as they do react to the questions, just not with answers.
A good thing the people behind the counter are more responsive to questions, though not by much. Without a local acting as the guild leader, they aren’t allowed to do much. Which brings us to the current scene with all 13 of the people who just days before, had defeated the kobold boss. They all qualify to take up the position but everyone seems to be playing hot potato with it.
Ace looks around, it had been almost five hours since they started discussing this and still no progress had been made. “Okay, everyone shut up. Doctor, you won’t be taking the position because we need you dealing with our healers. I, of course, had already decided this as one of the first things, but for some reason it keeps getting brought up. Along with that, I can’t be the guild leader either for similar reasons. In fact, everyone who has a lead position in the town is out. That means Kelly and the Barrais are out as well. While this is all smoke and mirror, I don’t want the guild leadership to also be town leadership.”
Sammy shrugs, “I already said I wanted to take up the position of head guard.”
Jack snorts, “Yeah, but I also said I would be up for it!”
Ace claps, “Shut up. We’ve done this bit already at least twice. Sammy, your sword and board so you get to be head guard. Jack, while you are just as qualified we wan’t someone with a shield to represent the guard. I know it isn’t fair, but that’s life. So since no one else wants the position, Sammy is out of the running. Anyone else?”
Jim raises his hand, “I’ll be in charge of the scouts.”
Ace shakes his head, “The scouts are a part of the guard.”
Jim shrugs, “Then I can handle expeditions. The forest is sort of my thing.”
Ace smiles, “Now that you mention it, you do seem to be the exploration type.”
Jim nods, “Yep, I’ve probably explored more of the area than anyone else. Being in charge of the exploration would just make sense!”
Ace nods back, “Then we are in agreement, you get to be the guild leader!”
Jim freezes up, “What?”
Ace shrugs, “Exploration basically falls under the heading of adventure.”
Jim shakes his head emphatically, “Very much no. I can’t really be in charge of adventurers when I’m out exploring.”
Ace’s smile becomes wider, “But you wouldn’t have been able to do that, anyway. You did volunteer to be in charge of exploration, not go on them. Plus, it only makes sense for you to be in charge of the adventurers. Of everyone here, you’re the one who can stand up to me, at least from the viewpoint of those outside of our inner circle. You’re just going to have to face it, for at least a little while you will be stuck in town.”
Jim turns to the others, “Anyone else want this?”
They all laugh and Bill responds that, “All of this arguing was about dodging the responsibility. None of us particularly wanted to be even more closely tied to the system stuff. It isn’t that we don’t trust it, but rather we don’t know enough. So yeah, you get to test this ‘working for the system’ stuff out for the rest of us.”
Ace nods, “Now don’t keep us waiting. The guild receptionist over there is waiting.”
Jim glares at the others but ends up sighing. He had thrown his lot in with the town and this was just taking one more step on a long road of them.
Jim turns to the receptionist, “Well, looks like I lost the bet so I’m going to be in charge here now.”
The receptionist wipes one of her antenna and laughs, “Normally people are fighting to be the master and here I am, a poor little termitekin and you’re all fighting so as to not be my master.”
Jim rolls his eyes, “You stood through that entire argument and know very much why none of us want in on this. While a position like this is fought over, we have other things to fight at the moment. This world is new to the system and we need to be out there raising our levels, grinding our skills, and walking our paths. There is no room for someone to sit on his butt and push pencils.”
The termitekin spreads out her four arms, “Look at this place. You think your job is going to be sitting in some office? You’re out on the frontier and rules tend to be enforced at the point of a sword. While I’m sure things are alright out there right now, give it a few years and you’ll wish for a quiet office job.”
Jim nods, “I’m not delusional. Out there is a bunch of trouble just looking for a place to happen. Much of it is going to find our little town and settle in. I want to be out there to make certain it doesn’t get here in the first place.’
The termitekin goes to say something but Jim shakes his head, “Yes, I know that this position will allow me to do more. Maybe if I had a decade to prepare for this, I could do more by myself. That isn’t the case. So sticking around here and using my political power like a lever will show greater results. Instead of going out and stopping one problem my time is better spent directing ten people to stop ten problems.”
The receptionist giggles, “At least you don’t have a hero complex. That’s a common one if the usual politics aren’t involved. After all, who else would be diving a dungeon before it gets figured out?”
Jim sighs, “You definitely don’t have to worry about any heroes in our inner circle. We’ve fought for our position here and while some of us might have that classic hero story going on, we are grounded by some harsh realizations. Oh, and before I forget, how would you like me to refer to you?”
The receptionist smiles, “I was wondering when you would ask. As I already mentioned, I’m a termitekin which normally comes with a lot of baggage and a general lack personal identifiers. Seeing as I’m working for the system and not my hive that didn’t exactly pan out. So of course when I was given the ability to name myself by the system I was completely serious about it.”
She pauses, “That was a lie. I’m a free thinker so my name is Frink. I don’t know if it translates into your language quite as well as it worked in mine, but it is incredibly obvious I smooshed two words together and which words I did it with.”
Jim shrugs, “It isn’t quite that obvious but I can see it. Anyway, do I need to do anything or am I just now the leader?”
Frink gestures towards the stairs behind the counter. “If you would follow me, we can go through all the paperwork upstairs in the staff offices.”
The rest of the group watches the receptionist and Jim go up the stairs. From there, though, only Jim knows what happens. In fact, not even Doyle has a clue as the adventurers guild apparently has some wards in place to prevent his kind of spying. A totally reasonable thing if frustrating.
Ace was going to wait around for Jim to come back. Was being the key word. After the first fifteen or so minutes, he decides to just have someone come get him once he gets down. A good choice as Jim doesn’t come down till five hours later. After coming down though, Ace might as well have not bothered as apparently Jim had to sign a few system enforced non-disclosure agreements.
What Jim could tell him though was that the guild was open for business. Though for the moment, that mostly means dealing with things like forming parties. There aren’t even quests available yet as it will take some time for the system to decide what exactly should be offered.
Of course, that isn’t how things will stay. It is just that for the guild to offer more, quests need to be done. Not that it is a pure grind fest where more quests completed automatically equals a better guild. Rather from what Jim could gleam it takes into account all kinds of things like quests taken, abandoned, and completed. There are even things related to how many are being completed within a certain span of time and the quality of each quest completed. Suffice it to say, things aren’t going to be easy if the town wants to unlock the good stuff.
