Later that day, Nickel took the auto-carriage to the Adventurers Guild branch in Tralken.
It was your typical Guild branch. The lobby was a combination of business and leisure.
The right half of the room was a bar and dining area, where adventurers made plans, drank, and boasted of their exploits. It was a rather rowdy area, one that Nickel preferred to steer clear of.
The left side had several counters set out from the wall, each manned by a guild receptionist. The monster part exchange, where adventurers could sell the parts they'd gather, was also located there.
At the back of the room, right next to the service counters, was a door that led deeper into the branch.
Nickel walked over and took his place in line at Emma's counter. There was only one person ahead of him, a human man, arguing with Emma.
"What do you mean you won't accept them?!" The man sounded indignant.
"Mr. Jombi," Emma began, "You know perfectly well why."
She held up one of the cores resting on the counter. Even with Nickel's untrained eye, he could tell it had already been drained of mana.
"Do you think I was born yesterday?" Irritation crept into Emma's voice. "Did you think I wouldn't recognize an empty monster core?"
Mr. Jombi sputtered.
"How dare you? I would never try to cheat the guild!" He put on an offended air.
Nickel could tell he was lying, of course. As if the empty core wasn't obvious enough, his newly heightened senses allowed him to hear Mr Jombi's heart beat faster.
Emma and the cheat argued for a minute or so more, before Nickel grew tired of waiting.
Nickel placed his hand on Jombi's shoulder. "Why don't you just take the loss with whatever dignity you still have?" .
Jombi turned right around, his finger raised, prepared to tell off the young man for interfering.
He stood at only 160 centimeters, however, so all he saw once he'd turned was a broad chest. His eyes slowly lifted to Nickel's face.
His eyes widened.
After several seconds passed, with Nickel simply staring down at him, Jombi let out what he probably hoped was a dignified 'hmph' sound.
He quickly turned back around, gathered up his empty monster cores, and, without another word to Nickel or Emma, fled from the guild building.
Emma let out a sigh, rabbit ears drooping.
"Thank you, Nickel." She looked tired. "Would you believe that's the third time he's tried that at this branch?"
"Really?" Nickel exclaimed.
'What a brave guy.' he thought. 'Brave or stupid'
"Yes!" The rabbitfolk girl said emphatically, her ears waving through the air. "I keep telling Mr. Declan to ban him, but he won't listen. 'Autonomy above all' he says. Why do we have to suffer for Jombi's autonomy?"
She sighed again. "But anyway, what can I do for you today, Mr. Nickel?"
"I'm here to register as an Adventurer." Nickel smiled slightly, keeping his excitement inward. He didn't want to show just how ecstatic he was.
"Congratulations!" Emma smiled widely enough for the both of them. She reached beneath the counter. "Please, allow me to register you."
From below the counter, Emma pulled out a metal sphere, placing it on the counter.
This was the Guild's method of recording an adventurer's status. By placing your hand on it, it would create a connection between the system and the guild's database.
The database would automatically create a profile for you, which contained your age, Pathfinder Rank, and progress on the Path of Ascension. This profile would update in real time, thanks to the connection with the system.
"Please, place your hand here." She gestured to the orb.
Nickel did as he was told, putting his right hand on the sphere. He felt something be pulled from him into the sphere, before being returned.
As Nickel removed his hand from the reader, Emma pulled up his new profile on her tablet and quickly read over it.
After a few seconds, she seemed to notice something. Her eyes widened. Emma rapidly looked between Nickel and the screen several times.
Taking a shaky breath, she turned the screen off, setting it down on her desk.
She looked towards Nickel. No, she seemed to be looking past him, avoiding direct eye contact.
She gave a slight bow. "Please excuse me for a moment."
Before Nickel could even ask what was wrong, Emma ran off.
He glanced over and saw Emma exiting the receptionist area, quickly passing through the door that led deeper into the guild.
Nickel looked around, bewildered.
'She must be surprised about my Rank…'
A minute later, Emma came back into the lobby alongside another receptionist. The new receptionist moved behind the counters, coming to a stop at Emma's.
"Emma will lead you to the Branch Head." the new receptionist showed a strained smile, gesturing toward Emma.
Nickel's brow furrowed. "Thank you?"
He made his way to Emma.
Before he could ask her what this was about, she turned on her heel, and began leading him through the Guild.
They passed several doors, walking down a long hallway. They took a turn and moved up a flight of stairs, then a second. Emma led Nickel down another hallway, and came to a stop before an ornate door.
Emma gestured with one hand to the door, the most serious look Nickel had ever seen her wear on her face.
"The Branch Head will see you now."
With that, she fled back the way she came with the speed of… well, of a rabbit.
'This is definitely about my Rank.' Nickel reached for the door handle.
Opening the door, he entered a well decorated office. There was a coffee table between two short couches. The wall to his left was taken up entirely by a bookshelf, while to his right the wall had several trophies hanging, made from monster parts.
On the other side of the table and couches was a long wooden desk. Sitting behind it, illuminated by the large window looking out from the room, was the Branch Head.
Branch Head Declan.
He was a tall elven man, long red hair tied into a braid that rested on his shoulder. He wore comfortable clothes, by adventurer standards, at least. Cloth and leather armor, very little metal.
Declan was an imposing force. A Rank 5 4th circle Pathfinder, he'd been the Head of this Branch since before Nickel's father had been born. He'd watched his father grow up, and then he'd watched Nickel grow up as well.
And when Nickel's parents were declared dead, the Branch Head had delivered the news personally.
Declan smiled, light glinting off his sharp canines.
"Well, kid, it seems you have the same knack for trouble as your father."