An Angel

When Jack heard a knocking sound, a wave of flower scent suddenly invaded his nose, compelling him to twist his neck toward the door.

Suddenly the world around him turns ethereal, blurred, leaving only a gorgeous woman around twenty-two years old with crystal green eyes that put the best emerald to shame, walking past him in slow motion.

Her long silky golden hair, flowing down beautifully like a mystical waterfall refracting the morning sun. Some rest in front of her pointy ears while a few more are tied to the back, holding the remaining wonder from a sudden gust created by the moving door.

Her flawless body curves perfectly matched the sky blue adventurer's guild uniform, making her look modest yet intoxicating. Rosy lips amidst her snow-white skin could bewitch any man who would forever crave for the forbidden fruit.

Jack was stupefied by her beauty. Only his neck was moving, following wherever she went when everything else seemingly paralyzed, including his opened mouth and eyes. His mind was too busy admiring the passing angel to realize how stupid the expression he was making.

Suddenly, Francis' kind voice rings like an alarm clock and wakes Jack up from his reverie. Realizing that he was acting like a horny ape in mating season, Jack hastily hid his pinkish-dark face behind his hands before rubbing them hard, hoping such an act could turn back time or at least relieve him from the embarrassment.

"Arquene. Please prepare a badge for our new friend here, Jack Walker."

After receiving a piece of paper from Francis, Arquene nodded and walked briskly toward the door. Without the two men knowing, her emerald eyes secretly observing Jack via her peripheral vision.

A blush suddenly appears below her eyes, and the pink hue keeps lingering even after she leaves that room.

Seeing Arquene blushing in front of a man was a rare sight, even for Francis. As far as he could remember, this is the first time.

She was nicknamed the 'Frozen Maiden' among the guild staff due to her cold and indifferent attitude towards men and women, including her co-workers. Outside of official business, she was never seen smiling even once.

Francis was always worried because Arquene seemed to have no other friends besides himself and guild master Tigreal. Knowing that Jack can trigger her reaction piqued his interest. It seems the young man in front of him is not as simple as he thought.

Ignoring Jack's awkwardness, Francis said. "It will take a while, so I will tell you about our guild history."

Francis leaned back and clasped his hands together before speaking in a solemn tone.

"Adventurer's Guild was founded three hundred and sixty years ago by three legendary knights, William Pendragon, Auriel Taurendil, and Gildore Mountainfall, to end the long-lasting war between kingdoms and bring peace to Palonia.

"They gather people with the same ideas to join the guild, and in short five years, they manage to rise up in power, clogging the cog of war. For a brief time, Palonia enjoyed their time of peace.

"But the hatred that accumulated by their ancestors for thousands of years was still there. Amidst the peaceful life, a terrifying and thunderous storm silently brews.

"Five years later, an Aristocrat of Salamis Kingdom, the weakest among the seven power, can't bear the loss of all his sons at the previous war. He sought vengeance by sacrificing his remaining subject to call forth a pure-blood Demon to plague the land. Contaminating humanity's safe haven with their army of darkness.

"That act sparked The Second Great War.

"In times of crisis, humanity casts aside their differences and fights as one. Heroes rise and fall like fireworks, fly up so fast before exploding beautifully and then disappear on the battlefield. Through blood and sacrifice, one hundred and fifty years later, they finally achieve their victory. But at a great cost…

"After the war, adventurers were forced to return to their hometown and rebuild what was left of it. Only those who didn't have a place to return to or lose everything stayed. This made the guild grow stagnant for almost five decades.

"And when the Kingdom of Antiokia began their conquest of Palonia sixty years after The Second Great War, Adventurer's Guild was forced to become a neutral party.

"We only could watch when Antiokian Army burn the Salamis Kingdom and enslave their people. Or when they team up with the Avantheim Kingdom to attack the Sacred Forest, home of the Elfen race, to claim the Tree of Life for themselves.

"Auriel Taurendil left Alexandrium along with all her comrades to defend their home.

"Superior long-range attack and overwhelming terrain advantage made Aruvinndell remain strong amidst the bombardment of the armies of the two kingdoms. No matter how much both of them throw their army into the battlefield, no one ever sees the base of the Tree of Life or even the City of Enlnor.

"The war lasted for a year and a half without a winner. Antiokia and Avantheim lost three-quarters of their army when Avantheim barely one-third. The Elves managed to defend their home with a low casualty, but their number was few from the beginning.

"So after the war ended, they shut themselves off from the outside world, attacking anyone that dared to trespass their Sacred Forest, even adventurers.

"Adventurer's Guild loses one of their leaders and becomes crippled. Until years later, Tigreal Pendragon became our Guild Master and rebuilt it from scratch.

"Under his leadership, Adventurer's Guild bloomed and surpassed its former glory. Now, we are leading in terms of transportation, communication, administration, business, combat power, science and technology, even social structure.

"We have branches that spread all over Palonia. Our products are sought after by many traders, and we also amass knowledge from all over the world. Alexandrium becomes the center of economy, business, and knowledge."

Francis was burning with passion when telling Jack about the guild's history, unconsciously using his hand to describe what he said. Especially the last part.

After the story finally ended, he cleared his throat and returned to his amiable self.

He extended his right hand toward Jack and said, "Welcome aboard! Jack Walker."