The Lumines Kingdom - Guild

The man's voice quivered as he spoke, his eyes filled with despair and worry. His companions tried to offer words of encouragement and support, but it seemed to fall on deaf ears. He trudged ahead, his feet heavy with exhaustion and disappointment. When they reached the front desk, he slumped onto it, his body weight seeming to drag him down. His head hung low, and his hands shook as he tried to process the situation.

"Still no luck in finding my brother," he muttered, his voice laced with defeat and sadness.

His friends tried to reassure him, but their words sounded hollow and insincere to his ears. The weight of the situation seemed too heavy to bear, and he felt like he was drowning in a sea of uncertainty.

"He didn't even tell me what he was questing for. Some big brother I am," he added, his voice tinged with regret and self-loathing.

The receptionist's pleasant smile vanished as she attentively listened to the man's troubles. While she didn't want to appear inhospitable, she was hesitant to allow them to linger at the front desk, potentially blocking other adventurers from completing their quests.

The group of adventurers stood out from the rest in their leather armor, which was now replaced with iron plates in strategic areas. One had a sturdy plate over their chest, another on their broad shoulders, a third on their muscled legs, and the last had gauntlets that were adorned with sharp spikes. Their gear was a testament to their experience and the dangers they faced on their quests.

When they entered the tavern, it was apparent that they had been out in the wild for quite some time, with muddy boots and dirt-streaked armor. The brown mud on their boots was still wet, and the stains on their armor suggested a recent, full morning search. Despite the exhaustion in their eyes, the leader's grief was palpable, and the group of adventurers seemed to be in a state of distress as they searched for any information that could help them find their missing companion. It was clear that they had been through a lot, and their search for the lost adventurer was far from over.

The group's frustration was palpable, and the weight of their worry was clearly visible on their faces. They had been searching for days, and their efforts had led to nothing but dead ends. The iron plates on their armor were caked with mud and sweat, evidence of the exhaustive search they had undertaken that morning.

As the adventurer turned to the receptionist for answers, her sad smile only added to their despair. It seemed that they were at a dead end with no clear direction on where to go next.

"Excuse me, have you seen a group led by a man named Felix? We've been searching for him for days."

The receptionist gave them a sympathetic smile. "I'm sorry, I haven't seen him. Did he take a quest from us?"

"We don't know," replied the adventurer. "We've searched the entire area and found nothing. It's like he and his party just disappeared."

Another adventurer chimed in, "Maybe it wasn't an official quest. Perhaps someone hired him for a job?"

"It's possible," said the first adventurer. "But we don't have any leads to go on."

The group fell silent, their frustration evident in their expressions. "We've been searching for days," said the first adventurer. "We can't give up now. There has to be something we can do."

The receptionist looked at them kindly. "I'm sorry I can't be of more help. But I'll keep an eye out for any information that might be useful to you."

"Thank you," said the first adventurer with a weary smile. "We appreciate it."

The suggestion of an unofficial request brought a glimmer of hope to the group, but it was quickly extinguished as they realized that they had no leads to even begin their investigation. The hopelessness of their situation was evident as they cut their discussion short, their search for the missing party seeming more and more futile with each passing moment.

Their eavesdropper gets disturbed as he feels a presence approach his table. Another servicing receptionist had returned with huge bowls that looked too heavy for her to carry with each hand. She tended to her hands once she finally was able to set them down on the tables, but her servicing smile never went away. Especially when she received, yet another coin for her endurance. "Here you are two, enjoy." She leaves them to their meal, but not before she takes the two empty jugs away and plans to bring them back full again.

Yasuline had taken such a liking to the drink, she selfishly asked for the other and gulped it down. She was debating on whether to not fill her half-full stomach with a thick meal. But the inviting aroma of the bowl made her stomach rumble, wanting some actual food inside it. The ceramic bowl was brimming with a viscous liquid and savory sauce that clung to every morsel. A medley of tender meat and finely chopped vegetables floated in the pool of flavor. The dish didn't look as fancy as the meals she usually ate at the castle, but since it wasn't made by the palace chefs, she was excited to enjoy every bite.

With just one spoonful, her legs kicked excitedly under the table as a burst of flavors danced in her mouth. "Mmm, this is so good!" she exclaimed with a grin, her mouth still partly full of food. The White Reaper quietly started to dig into his own bowl. Meanwhile, the group at the neighboring table seemed to be getting louder with their conversation.

They had finally moved themselves to one of the tables set. The table had been set with ale for each of them, about two of them drank, the other just cooled their hands by holding the drink, and the depressed brother didn't even acknowledge the drink that brushed against his hand.

The atmosphere of the room shifted as they discussed the rumors. The air felt heavier and more tense. The leader looked up from his mourning and stared at the adventurer who brought up the disappearances.

"What do you mean, 'those disappearances'?" He asked, a hint of fear in his voice.

The adventurer looked uneasy, as if he had said something he shouldn't have. "I mean, the ones where adventurers go missing without a trace. It's been happening in other countries for a while now. There are rumors that it's some sort of curse."

The other two adventurers exchanged worried looks. "Do you think that's what happened to your brother?" one of them asked.

The leader's face turned pale as he contemplated the possibility. "I don't know," he whispered, "but we have to find him. We can't just sit here and do nothing."

The group fell into silence again as they contemplated their next move. The weight of the rumors hung heavy over them, but they knew they couldn't give up the search for the missing adventurers, including the leader's brother.

"I guess we have no other choice, we should think about going down to The Labyrinth."

Possibly overhearing the only important word to them, another adventurer from another table shouted up at them. "Woah there, you're seriously not planning on going to the Labyrinth, are ya?" His blurt caught the attention of the others in the lobby. Even Yasuline who wasn't even giving her attention to anything but her meal and now refreshed mead turned her head off her table and looked on at the people murmuring. Cheeks full of her meal. She definitely stood out compared to everyone that was in the guildhall.

"Yeah, we might have to if we are going to find his brother."

"His brother went down to the labyrinth? Why would he do that?" Another adventurer asked.

"Probably because of the rumored treasure hoard, no less. We get those kinds of people all the time." Someone, not even from their table, threw out a inconsiderate comment, the first group of adventurers wanted to rebut the claim, but others kept voicing out their own opinions.

"Yeah, but with the White Reaper out there, who would wanna go to the labyrinth and hunt for some rumored treasure?"

"Name one adventurer who wouldn't want to find the Adventure King's treasure and establish their domain?" That comment opened the floodgates to the various adventurers talking about what they would do with a vast amount of treasure to sell. Just as quickly as the talk was about the dangers of the labyrinth, it went into sharing dreams. Yasuline was left annoyed as the open conversation became dull to her. And her empty bowl and minor stomach ache didn't help her attitude. An attitude that was growing unhinged from the effects of the three jugs of mead she had.

The servicing receptionist returned to the only table who wasn't contributing to the discussion, picking up the picked-clean dishes. "So, how did you like my cooking?" She asked.

"A-mazing!" Yasuline says with a huge smile on her face.

"Glad to hear it. Not so bad on my first try. So what brings you two here anyways? It's not everyday I have to newcomers come here just for my cooking, ya know."

Yasuline hesitated before responding, her mind racing with different options. She considered revealing her true identity as a member of the castle but quickly dismissed the idea. Instead, she opted for a more innocent response, "I was just feeling a bit peckish and wanted to see what kind of food the adventurers were eating," she said, attempting to put on a charming smile. Yasuline's nerves got the better of her, and she couldn't tell if she was successfully pulling off the expression. To her disappointment, the receptionist's face remained neutral, giving away no indication of what she was thinking.

"I see. It's nice of you to visit us, we've only been getting regulars here lately. Even since the town had been attacked, people haven't been moving about as much as they do around this time. Sales have been pretty down lately, even from the norm and we had to cut hours from some of our own volunteers. And considering the panic, not many people are open to hiring right now. My own cousin..."

After sensing that if she didn't change the subject now, she would be stuck having to listen about the rivalry between the guild house and the other locations in the capital, "So what's this labyrinth that they were talking about?" Her voice was a bit lisped as she asked.

The receptionist's eyes widened as she looked at Yasuline in disbelief. "Huh? Have you never heard of it?" he asked, clearly surprised. "I thought it was pretty well-known. It's the massive abyss that's under the lands of Lumines. The Lumines Abyss, they call it. They're highly dangerous because no one knows how old they are and what stuff is hiding down there. Legends say that the abyss was once home to an ancient civilization that fell into ruin a long time ago. Only one person was able to explore the roads down there and used it to hide all the treasures he had collected from his many adventures. People have been trying to find his hoard for centuries, but no one has ever succeeded." She shook his head in amazement.

"The Adventure King." Again, another of the adventurers lounging around the lobby was intruding on the conversation. Yasuline has to wonder if that's all they do here when there's nothing to do. A glance at a board that only had two or three papers on them with words or one of them with a sketch on it would suggest that were the available quests for now.

"He was a real man. He is the symbol of what all adventurers strive for. Powerful, confident, and born to lead."

"I heard he was able to take down a draconian berserker in a one-on-one duel."

"I heard the stories where he was the leading man during the raid of the Hellfire Gang's Depths."

"Almost everyone heard those stories, but I can never get over the bits of his fights. Like that Giant Snake of the Titanic. I'm surprised the guy he was escorting didn't get swallowed alive."

Feats and stories were being through left and right on this person they would only refer to as the Adventure King. Yasuline felt like she heard someone of these before. Likely from one of the story books of the adventurers in the library, but the fuzziness that clouded her mind prevented her from truly remembering.

Trying to cut the conversation into the main topics before they once again drift into something about their feats, "So where is he now? Still adventuring?"

"Oh, he retired long ago."

"A shame too, but time affects everyone."

"Oh, that's too bad. So who's the next Adventure King?"

"There was only one. And if you're talking about who's the next adventurer who was as good as him, no one comes to mind."

"Hmm, the closest one would be that wandering man who keeps saying he wants to become a champion down in Galaxia. But other than that, I don't recall anyone special."

"...Yet."

The comment was so quiet that it was almost a murmur, yet it was still audible enough to make some of them pause and look around to find out who said it. Yasuline stood up with a serious expression on her face, let out a sigh, and then proclaimed, "Not yet, that is. You're looking at the future Adventure Queen!"

A pause after that, and some began to laugh. Yasuline looked so cute when she puffed out her cheeks like that, just like a little kid! The Guild's crowd all burst out laughing, except for the White Reaper. He just calmly sipped his drink while gently holding onto the princess' hand. Likely trying to keep her from causing a scene.

"Are you even an adventurer? You didn't even know who the Adventure King was!" That kind of comment would have made her flush red if she wasn't already.

The receptionist then began to loudly clap, signing everyone that the fun time should be wrapping up.

"It's nice to have dreams after all. One shouldn't laugh at them." Almost giving off a motherly vibe, she began to pat Yasuline on the head. Like a pampered child, Yasuline smiles at her, "Thanks, you're right."

"Sometimes dreams don't come true though." A voice breaks the silence. It was from the one adventurer who was searching for his brother.

"Easy there, big guy." One of his companions says, placing a hand on his shoulder. While everyone was distracted, it appeared that their leader was dousing drinks repeatedly. The air around the table reeked of alcohol.

"Sometimes, you just gotta work even harder than you think to get your dream to work. It took a long time for me, but now, my dream is starting to come true!" Something about the adventurer's comment seemed to have sobered up Yasuline as she debuted his comment immediately. When she spoke about her dream, she clutched the White Reaper's hand who was still keeping to himself by finishing his drink.

"My dream was adventuring with my brother. We were going to leave Lux together and now he is gone before we can."

"You still could."

"Didn't you hear how he disappeared? We spent two whole days looking for him and the others."

"Didn't you mention that he could be in the Labyrinth?"

"Yeah, and?"

"If you want to make your dream come true, why not look for him down there?"

"But it's too dangerous. The risk is too great. If he is not down there, we might end up disappearing in the search instead."

"I'll go."

"Huh?" Almost everyone responded the same way.

Yasuline repeats herself, "I'll go down to the Labyrinth and find this guy of yours."

"That's impossible. Only the Adventure King managed to explore the Labyrinth unscathed."

"Until today," She corrected him, "Like I told you, you're looking at the future Adventure Queen!" At that declaration, Yasuline pulls out her new sword and holds it, pointing it in the air. Despite the confident look on her face, No one seemed to believe her, except for one.