Life in the Big City

Olivia stood from her seat to greet us. As she stood, I was able to take stock of her and see how she physically compared to the impressive stats I had just seen when inspecting her.

Her 180cm (5'11") tall was adorned with a rather average-looking set of adventuring gear. She wore a blue long-sleeved shirt and a tan pair of pants under what looked to be standard leather adventuring armour. As my eyes took in the non-visible magic, I could tell that the armour was anything but ordinary.

She wore a chest piece that my HUD told me was crafted from drake skin, but my male instincts pointed out was containing a rather impressive chest. Her armoured leggings, vambraces, greaves, and boots were all made of the same drake skin as her chest piece. Though all made from the same material, they had varying enchantments upon them. Hewn into the material of her armour were several types of protection enchantment: physical attacks, magical attacks and status ailments. There were also some enchantments on the armour that enhanced physical abilities, such as speed and strength. Her feminine curves and defined muscles, not well hidden by her armour, and surprisingly youthful face gave her the vibe of a cool single aunt.

She looked about twenty years younger than the age the status screen had divulged. She struck a demure pose with her left hand propped against her hip and her head gently cocked to one side. "And who might this powerful, handsome young man be?" She asked, clearly aware of the answer but not wanting to miss the chance to get her one-liner out.

Not wanting to miss the chance to retaliate with my own cheesy flirtatious introduction, "My name is John, but I am a bit confused... I thought I was supposed to meet Olivia, the Guildmaster, not her daughter." I let a wide smile cross my face as I observed the Guildmaster in front of me. I saw a split second of surprise flash across her face before she immediately regained her hard-earned composure. She smiled back, letting out sharp, bark-like laughter. "You are a smooth operator, aren't ya?"

Olivia closed the distance across the room and took my hand in a firm handshake. As we shook hands, her left hand reached up and gripped around my upper arm as she gave my bicep and tricep a couple of squeezes. After retracting her hand from my own, she grabbed both sides of my head as she tilted my head side to side and back and forward, palpating and examining with the practiced hands of a medical examiner. Now standing behind my back with her hands dancing across my back, the Guildmaster continued to speak. "I see from this note you brought that you are a promising talent. We need more of those around here. I have a couple of quests lined up for you once you are done your quests."

Now that she had made her way back around to my front, she tapped her own Adventurer tag against mine, bringing up a holographic interface she quickly read through. "So you still need to make your last letter delivery to the Stoutdraft girl. And you finished the supply run... Wait, what are all these notes from the town's head?" She shot an inquisitive glance at me, prompting me to tell the tale of our defence of Boardoe.

I delivered a report of what we had encountered, making sure it was evident that the town's leader had been unaware of the additional threat. The town's ignorance as to the more significant than reported threat means that the Guild can sequester any additional award costs from the national government rather than the burden falling to the town. The responsibility of payment is essential as the quest was initially a D-level quest, but due to the number and difficulty of monsters we faced, we will be rewarded as if though it was a B-level quest.

"Here is your rewards. Very well done, you two!" Smiled Guildmaster Olivia, tapping her tag once more against my tag. I watched as we were awarded one gold coin, ten times as much as the original quest reward, and our rank jumped from D to C. "I thought we had to complete a task from a Guildmaster to receive a level up?"

Patting me on the shoulder and looking a bit exasperated that she would have to explain, "What you two did would be impossible for a D rank team to do, and we can assess any quest completion as a task. So I will be using this surprise challenge as the explanation for my choice to level you two up." I nodded at her explanation. I struggled to pay attention, though, as a notification popped up telling me I had an achievement completion while she had been talking. The achievement appeared in a new spot in my HUD.

I would have to take a look at it later. "For our other quest, do you know where the final letter recipient lives?" Pulling out a map, Olivia explained to me that the smithy she worked at was several streets away and that due to the late hour, it would be closed to the public. She also opened her desk and grabbed a piece of official letterhead. Quickly scribbling onto it, Olivia wax sealed it and handed it to me. "Io!" She called loudly to summon the girl, "I shall get Io to take you to the Guild affiliated hotel next door, hand the front desk attendee this letter, I have sequestered a room for your usage during your stay, so feel free to stay in town as long as you need. And come see me when you are done the other quest, as I have a few quests I would like you to consider." Just as she finished explaining, Io knocked on the door and entered with permission.

"Io, take these two to the Hotel. I have given them a voucher. You are excused for the rest of your shift, but please answer any questions these two have once they have settled into their room." "Yes, ma'am." Io bowed before leading us out of the office and back to the first floor.

We followed her as she made small talk and led us to a small hallway next to the bar area of the Guildhall. Passing through the hallway, we found ourselves entering the rear of a much nicer dining area. A few of the tables were occupied with diners eating their dinners. We, however, cut through to the main lobby of a grand hotel. It had marble floors and walls, soft leather furniture and polished brass accoutrements throughout. Definitely a classy place. As we walked, Io explained to Luna and me that only C-rank and higher adventurers could stay here, or artisans and merchants affiliated with the Guild.

Reaching the front desk, the clerk stood up to receive us. They were a middle-aged man in a tidy suit with slicked-back silver hair and a monocle fitted on his right eye. "Miss Io, I believe. A letter from the Guildmaster, I see." Not escaping his sight, he noticed the letter I held in my right hand. I handed him the letter, which he cracked the seal on and read the contents. The whole time his expression remained perfectly neutral. After finishing the letter, he clapped twice, which summoned several maids from a doorway behind the front counter.

Three women came out; a blonde, a brunette and a black-haired woman. The blonde had a short pixie cut, while the two others had their hair done up in neat buns. All three were very attractive and wore enough makeup to enhance their beauty without caking it on and drawing the guests' attention. All three were wearing what looked very similar to victorian era maid outfits, with ankle-length skirts. The main differentiator from the Earth outfits was that their outfit included a small lace headband that clipped into their hair rather than the traditional maid headwear.

"These two are important guests of Madamoiselle Njorsten. Take them to the executive suite and make sure they want for nothing. "Yes, sir." The three young women chorused, each curtsying towards us.

"I am Alice." "Belle." "Charlize." The brunette, blonde and black-haired girls introduced themselves, respectively. "I am John, and this is Luna. And if you do not know her, this is Io from the Guild staff, she is taking care of us during our stay, and she has permission to visit our room."

"Yes, Master John," The three girls curtsied in acknowledgement.

"Lead the way." I gestured for the girls to lead us. Alice, the brunette, seemed to be a few years older than the other girls. She was maybe twenty years old, and the other two looked to be around seventeen or eighteen. She also appeared to have seniority over the other maids present as she led the way while the other two took the luggage from Luna and followed behind.

The three maids had exemplary posture even as they carried the bags. Climbing the stairs behind Alice, I was a bit disappointed, as that very poise led to minimal sway in her hips for me to enjoy from behind. And generous hips they were, I could make out their soft curves even through the thick pleated skirt of her uniform. Luna, noticing my perverse gaze, deftly reached over and flicked my ear. Though I was worried she might be upset, I was able to spot a grin under her hood.

Reaching the fourth floor, Alice showed us to our extensive suite. It consisted of a large bedroom, kitchenette, tearoom, and private bathroom. Alice guided myself and Io to sit down in the tearoom where she prepared some tea for us, while Luna went with the others to the bedroom to put down our bags. I could then hear her detailing what they could do to make my stay more enjoyable. The girls seemed impressed by Luna's intense devotion to my happiness.

I sipped on my tea while I watched Io delicately enjoy her own while glancing around at the splendour of the room. "Alice, is the dining room still serving dinner?" Standing to the side of the room, she politely responded, "But of course, They stay open until the last vestiges of the sun, in case there are any late travelling guests. Would you like me to inform them that you will be there?"

"Yes, please let them know that the three of us will be there for dinner after a bath." Curtsying once more, the three maids all left the room.

"Three of us? Bath?" Io looked confused. "Of course, I would love to treat you to dinner to thank you for your hard work. And for the bath, you ladies can go in first. I will go after."

"You aren't going to join us, Master?" Luna asked in a low voice as she pulled Io up out of her seat and towards the bath by her hand. "I would not want to cause the young maiden any distress with our normal bathing routine," I explained to Luna.

"Maybe next time, though." I winked at Io, her face glowing red in response.

I barely caught her mumble, "I might be ready... next time..." I chuckled to myself as the two beautiful girls disappeared into the other room.