153 Guilds Association (1)
The National Guilds Association building.
This structure reminded Skullius of the Capital Knights building in Eofel but it was bigger and better.
It didn’t look like a building made just for show as the thick grey walls had a certain weight to them, of age and… success.
The steps that led into the building made Skullius feel like it was a sacred place as many powerful individuals walked up and down, in and out of the establishment proudly.
Skullius walked into the wide and tall structure and saw an expansive space that could almost be classified as classy, with a professional reception opposite him a distance away and what looked like a mini restaurant far off to the side with the men as well as women seated down while eating being barely visible.
A large board to his other side could also be seen, where many folks were huddled in groups as they took a look at pieces of paper that held written requests for requests.
The property setup for any settlements in Pelian was to have small cities overlooking different portions of the same region they were located in while a large city overlooked the entirety of the region, cities and all.
The National Guilds Association was an organisation setup to create work for those that wished to do work outside of the Capital work setup.
These people were called Mercenaries.
Their job was basically clearing Clusters and hunting down dangerous monsters while any other form of hired work that leaned into assassinations and such was prohibited.
Skullius looked to and fro while trying to figure out where to go first. He hadn’t planned adequately and one wrong move would get him killed, especially with UNCoddled searching for targets.
“Hey, get your ass out of the way, idiot!”
A hoarse voice boomed from behind Skullius and he turned.
Behind was a group of twelve tall, thick men packed into black shiny armours, all glaring at him with fierce eyes.
Skullius quickly moved to the side without a word and watched the men walk with heavy steps into the building, their entrance garnering no small amount of attention.
“Oh my Suzamete! Look there! It’s the EdgeKings Guild!”
“Tsk! Those bastards finally returned huh?”
“Why are they always so… angry?”
The men walked over to the large board that had the requests stuck to it. Most of the other Guilds moved aside for the prominent Guild as they feared offending them.
However, one particular group of seven with a mix of beautiful women and men of different structures didn’t move as they continued browsing through the requests.
The man at the forefront of the EdgeKings Guild members frowned even deeper than he had been before, his face looking as if it would sink further into his skull.
“Still hoping to overtake us by attempting more Clusters, Jarek?” the man said with a thick hostility detectable in his voice. His deep hazel eyes looked threateningly at the young man who glared back at him.
“You bet. I refuse to believe that such an unbalanced crew of mutts like you can be called one of the best Guilds in this region! Just you wait till we dethrone you from the number three spot!” the young man from the opposite Guild replied, making the EdgeKings Guild members grind their teeth visibly.
They were the easiest bunch to rile up.
“That’s right. Neither you nor that womaniser, Tulnas know what it means to have a proper Guild. You focus on one aspect and neglect others. You’re bound to fall soon,” a blonde beauty who didn’t wear armour like the rest in her Guild said with a smug looked on her face.
The surrounding Guilds began chatting among themselves over the current squabble between the third and fourth strongest Guilds in the city.
“The Ravenclad Guild sure have guts. I hope they don’t get beaten up after provoking those behemoths.”
“Right. They are playing with fire, though I guess their achievements don’t shy away from the EdgeKings’ by much. Where did the Ideal Ark go all of a sudden? All these Guilds are now fighting over their position as the best Guild, try as they may to deny their identity as one. Did they get wiped out in a Cluster or something?”
“Why are you asking me, you bastard?!”
Skullius merely listened while walking with his head hung long. With the ‘entertaining’ confrontation between two large Guilds, his presence went unnoticed and uncared for as he headed to the reception where he saw some people getting served.
‘Things are tense here,’ he thought before focusing at the four receptionists that served various people. ‘What I’ve discovered in the past days has to work right? As long as someone doesn’t have the intent to benefit me, they’ll be fine right?’
This was Skullius’ thought.
While he was apprehensive about asking for information, his experience with Elita who interacted with him quite a bit without getting offed by UNCoddled had given him a bit of hope.
There was no way he was going to keep this up without information.
‘I just have to find a sockethole who will answer me without the intent to help me. Someone who hates life. That seems about right.’
Scanning over the faces of the seated receptions behind one large desk, Skullius saw two smiling ladies, one that didn’t have a particular expression and one who showed annoyance.
‘That’s the one! Definitely! A uhm… a female sockethole!’
Skullius walked up to her line and waited to be served like the rest.
His attention and anxiety was broken when the clamour and chatter behind him was disturbed by a new group that entered the Guilds Association building.
“Look, look! It’s them! The second strongest Guild!”
“What’s with every major Guild just happening to be here at the same time?!”
“Kya! It’s them! The Harem Guild!”
Excitement, jealously and anxiety flooded the National Guilds Association building as one man surrounded by bevy of beautiful women walked in with one of the most epic of entrances a man could ask for.