Aragami

  —-----

  The first visitor to his new living arrangement arrived a couple of hours later. He was just in the middle of brushing off Fido, when he heard a knock on the door of his room.

  Aragami and both of his dogs stopped what they were doing and locked their eyes on the door. The door slowly opened and a scaly head carefully peeked inside, scanning the room for its occupants. It was easy to tell the exact moment the being spotted them, as its eyes widened and its head ceased any movement for a couple of seconds before they exhaled and made the final step inside.

  Connected to the head was a body of a red Raakteig female, dressed in a long, purple robe, that ended just above the ground. She had a satchel hanging from one of her shoulders and a couple of books held in her lower arms. She looked very nervous. All her eyes flicking between himself, his dogs, and the door, searching for any excuse to get out of the undesirable situation she found herself in.

  Finally, after about a minute of panic, the Raakteig slumped her shoulders and closed the door to the outside before marching over to them with what he assumed to be a determined expression.

  She stopped about three meters away and nervously waved at them before speaking.

  “Hello. I am Maria.” She said, slowly. Her tone was crisp and her words clearly understandable. Her eyes were all over the place, jumping from him, to his dogs, to his hammock and back to him.

  Aragami smiled gently, making sure NOT to show his teeth, and thought of words to say what he wanted. The necklace around his neck glowed slightly and the now-familiar feeling of new words popping into his mind washed over him.

  “Hello Maria.” Aragami said using those new words. The Raakteig visibly winced as she heard his voice. “I’m Aragami.”

  —------

  Maria

  —------

  Maria was surprised when she received a summons from The Guild. After all, why would an organisation such as The Guild require the services of a teacher? But, her curiosity got the better of her and she came to the Guildhouse to see what this was all about.

  The Guild was kind of infamous in the eyes of the city folk and, as Maria walked through the main doors, she could see why. The room she entered was essentially a tavern with every single patron armed. The floorboards, as well as the tables and chairs, bore deep scratches from dropped weapons and armored figures alike, while the once pristine white walls had entire sections of stone foundation exposed for all to see.

  This was not a place for normal people to be and the stares of everyone present clearly indicated this. She saw the scoffs forming behind tankards of beer and the eye rolling of most of the mages there.

  Maria steeled herself and walked in between the tables to the massive counter opposite to the door. She did her best to look confident and not to make eye contact with anyone there, staring straight ahead. Fortunately for her, most of the occupants were seated to the sides of the room, so she only had to walk by a couple of the ‘Adventurers’ as they liked to be called.

  As she arrived at the counter, she rang a bell to summon an employee to report to and waited patiently. The patrons didn't bother to shush their voices, so she heard every single derogatory comment about ‘bookworms’ and ‘squishy civies’. It was common knowledge that even the least able adventurers were stronger than the farmers, so townsfolk didn’t really stand a chance in comparison.

  The door to her right opened about a minute later and out came a young Zhaariin, the same race as this branch’s Guild Master. She had a bloodied apron roughly tied around her waist and a tired look in her eyes. “Hello miss. My name is Rhonda. How can I help you?” Rhonda asked in a tired voice, her eyes flicking from her to the back of the room and back.

  “Umm…” Maria hummed, thinking of what to say. “I received a summons from your Guild? Something about bringing my teaching materials?” Maria was sure she sounded ridiculous. Why would The Guild need a teacher?! But the reaction of Rhonda only served to confuse her more.

  “Oh! Someone actually came?” The Zhaariin perked up. “Guild Master will be glad to hear that! Please follow me.” Rhonda beamed at her, trotted out from behind the counter and led her to a side door.

  “The Guild Master?” Maria asked as she walked by. “This is a request from the Guild Master?”

  “Yup.” Rhonda trotted past her and led the way further inside. “Guild Master Zaanta needs a teacher who has experience teaching someone who knows almost nothing about the local languages and cultures.”

  “You found some foreigners?”

  “I guess you could say that.” Rhonda nodded. “However, I am afraid I can not tell you anything more, since I don’t know.”

  Maria seriously doubted that Rhonda didn’t know more about the situation, but she kept this thought to herself. Rhonda probably had her own reasons not to tell her more.

  They ascended a set of stairs into another hallway and walked to the other end, before Rhonda stopped in front of a certain unmarked door. “A fair warning.” Rhonda looked her in the eyes. “Please, only talk when you are asked to. The Guild Master’s guests are…temperamental.”

  Before Maria could ask what that meant, Rhonda had already knocked on the door and walked inside. Guild Master Zaanta was sitting behind her desk, reading some documents, while several members of the town administration sat in front of her with scowling expressions.

  “Miss Zaanta?” Rhonda piped up, drawing her gaze. “A teacher from the city has answered your summons.”

  “Summons?” Zaanta frowned for a second, before seemingly remembering. “Ah! Of course! Of course! Please sit down, miss…”

  “Maria.” Maria bowed slightly, before walking over to the offered chair.

  “I am sorry, miss Maria, we sent out a summons to every teacher in the area, so we didn't know who to expect.” The Guild Master smiled at her nervously. “You see, we have found ourselves in an unusual situation and, to resolve it effectively, we are in need of someone with your skill set.”

  “I figured as much. There are not many reasons why you would look for a teacher, of all professions.” Maria nodded. She was acutely aware that several town administrators were thoroughly scrutinising her from the side.

  “You are correct. We want you to teach a certain individual about social norms, speech patterns, and everything else he might need to know so he can live here. We will, of course, pay you for your service, including a significant danger pay, due to the nature of the student.”

  "Danger pay?! Are you not selling the situation too cheap, Guild Master?!” One of the administrators called her out.

  Maria felt a knot form in her throat. ‘Danger pay? Too cheap? What is going on here?’ her eyes locked onto the Guild Master, who sighed exasperatedly and turned to the administrators with a cold fury in her eyes.

  “I have told you to keep quiet if someone enters my office. Education of our future members is in your best interest. Unless, you want yet another brain-dead idiot with a big sword to wander the streets of your city.”

  “You are endangering our residents by withholding information! It's in our interest that they make informed decisions! There are laws that even The Guild must follow!” The official retorted, but Maria got the feeling that this was less about her being informed and more about the city having authority over The Guild.

  This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

  “And those same laws state that we are allowed to reveal the information gradually, in order to not overwhelm the candidate!” Zaanta punched the desk of her table with so much force, Maria could feel the vibrations on her scales.

  “This is your second and final warning! Either shut up, or leave my office!” Her violent outburst momentarily shocked the official. It was clear he didn't expect her to react so violently, so he just sat back down and sulked.

  Zaanta glared at the official a little longer, before turning back to Maria. It was clear Zaanta was trying to calm herself before talking to Maria again. Maria appreciated the gesture.

  “As I was saying.” The Guild Master continued, in a placating tone. “We would like to use your expertise in teaching our new recruit.”

  “If I may ask.” Maria nervously shuffled in her seat. “What is this about ‘danger pay’? Is this new recruit dangerous?”

  The Guild Master took a second to think over her answer before sighing and looking her in the eyes.

  “You could say that anyone in our Guild is a dangerous individual. All of us are armed most of the time and, generally speaking, we are stronger than most of the population. So, someone WE are trying to recruit is bound to be quite strong and/or dangerous.”

  This frank statement caught Maria off-guard. She was expecting the Guild Master to behave the same way most officials do, dodging her questions and diverting the conversation. It was then she realised the Guild Master detested such behavior as much as she did. Maria had to respect that.

  “What is the nature of the danger he presents? Is he violent? Moody? Or does he come from a tribal society?” Maria inquired, pulling a notepad from her satchel.

  “That is the problem.” The Guild Master sighed, sinking into her chair. “We do not know. He seems to be from quite a developed place, but he doesn't know any of the common languages around here. We have no idea about his species, abilities, or mentality.”

  “There is one person who could help us with that, but she is currently unconscious in her room. Her companions are taking care of her as we speak.”

  That was kind of troubling. Maria had dealt with teaching a rare species before, but to teach someone of a new species who didn't know any of the common languages? She was not sure she would be up to the task.

  “We won't ask you to commit yourself to teaching him everything.” The Guild Master pulled Maria out of her thoughts. “We just ask for you to help him learn the language and some basic societal norms. He's already received a language-learning artifact, so all you need to do is practice with him.”

  Maria looked up, surprised. “That makes things a lot easier.”

  “Yes, I suppose it does,” The Guild Master nodded. “However, there is one more thing you’ll need to know, if you are still willing to accept the job.” Her expression was serious, and Maria shifted uncomfortably. She stared the Guild Master in the eyes for a full minute, before she realised it was her turn to say something.

  She took a deep breath and checked her notes once again, looking for all the information she had right now. ‘The student is male of an unknown species, unable to speak common, but equipped with a translating artifact. Probably highly skilled in combat…’ “You said he is dangerous, correct?” Maria asked.

  “Yes?” The Guild Master nodded.

  “But you also said you don’t know his abilities.”

  “That is correct, yes.”

  “So… How do you know he actually IS dangerous?” Maria asked, carefully observing the Guild Master’s face.

  She didn’t expect her to smirk. “Tell me, Miss Maria, how much do you know about our Guild?”

  “Your Guild?” Maria asked. “I am afraid I know just the basic information. You are a small branch of a larger organisation. You were founded to keep the local monster population in check, as well as to be a fast-response force in the event of a dungeon breakout.”

  “That is correct, but not what I wanted to know,” The Guild Master stopped her gently. “What I wanted to know was if you ever heard about any of our members specifically.”

  “Your members? I am afraid I won’t be able to name a lot. Let’s see… I have heard of your party, so you, Miss Tiina, the Barrier Mage, and Miss Ghanna, the Battering Ram. Then, there would be the Red Crest party, so Sir Laanter, Miss Telar, Miss Kiria, and Sir Quenn.” Maria counted on her fingers, pausing to think of anyone she might have missed, but dropped her hand after the seventh name. “Unfortunately, I probably won't be able to name anyone else, since your Guild is not exactly one of my research priorities…”

  “That is fine. You named most of the important members.” The Guild Master stood up and walked around the table, gesturing for her to follow.

  “You said you have heard of Ghanna, my companion.” She said as she opened the doors to the hallway.

  “Yes. I have not only heard of her, but I also got the chance to see one of her matches back in the day.” Maria responded while following the Zhaarin out of the office.

  “Well, Ghanna actually lost to this recruit in a duel.” Zaanta said and Maria had to do a double take.

  “Pardon?”

  “Ghanna lost a duel to the one you will be teaching, if you decide to accept our deal.” Zaanta confirmed. “Although… Ghanna couldn't use Magic to fight the way she usually does, so we can cut her some slack there.”

  “H…How?” Maria was at a loss for words.

  “Well… Ghanna decided that attacking a pair of Hound pups was a great way to blow off some steam. Unfortunately, she chose HIS puppies, so Aragami defended his pets.” Zaanta stopped in front of a stone wall with a Magic formation drawn across its surface. “He saved both of them and now they refuse to leave his side.”

  Zaanta tapped the wall a couple of times and Maria watched with her mouth agape as the formation activated, allowing her to see an unknown being playing with a pair of what appeared to be large wolves. They were trying to bite at his fingers while he appeared to be trying to touch them between the ears? Their movements were so fast, she had trouble keeping up, even from the elevated vantage point.

  She observed the room for a solid five minutes, the Guild Master patiently waiting by her side for her answer. The creature that played with the hounds had similar body proportions to a Raakteig. The only difference she could see was the lack of scales and only one pair of arms and eyes.

  “What do we know about that species?” Maria asked, her eyes never leaving the creatures down below.

  “Basically nothing.” The Guild Master said calmly. “Our working theory is that he got summoned here by something, but your guess is as good as ours. If you gain some new information about him, the Guild is willing to exchange money for that knowledge.”

  That got Maria's attention. She had a stable job and wasn't exactly starving on the streets, but getting paid for teaching and gathering information at the same time? There had to be a catch. But, she probably wouldn’t figure it out until it's too late.

  “One last question.” Maria turned to the Guild Master, who looked at her with a question in her eyes. “When and where do I start?”

  “Do you accept the position?” The Guild Master asked her in surprise. “I was sure you would run away screaming after seeing the Hounds.”

  “They are scary. I won't deny that.” Maria turned back towards the magic formation. “But isn't that exciting? I have an opportunity to describe a new species, as well as observing the behaviour of Hound pups. Do you know how many people attempted this and failed miserably?”

  “We are the ones who deliver these beasts to the researchers in the first place…” The Guild Master smiled at her. “We'll prepare a contract for you to sign. Let's head back to the office and after that is taken care of, you can start your first lesson with Aragami.”

  As it turned out, the paperwork took longer than expected, mostly because of the city official's meddling in the contract and criticizing its conditions. In the end, Guild Master Zaanta had to throw them out of her office, because they couldn’t come to an agreement otherwise.

  After signing the last page, Maria returned the writing utensil back into the cup and leaned into the back of her chair. “Hooh! I hate bureaucracy!”

  “Trust me. You are not the only one,” the Guild Master agreed as she filed away the paperwork. “You are lucky you don’t have to deal with it in your everyday life. Had I known that this position required so many forms and formal stuff, I’d have remained adventuring with my group.”

  “I had a similar motivation for not taking the job teaching at the academy.” Maria laughed bitterly. “They tried to rope me in, saying they’d provide me with lodging and food in exchange for teaching their noble students. As if they’d listen to a commoner like me. I’d be executed in a heartbeat for offending someone.”

  “Oh wow. I didn’t even think about that. Offending nobility is not something we have to deal with. All our quests and missions are handled through the organisation. We are just its labourers, which are expected to be rude commoners.”

  “Don’t tempt me! I might join The Guild if you keep dangling that carrot.” Maria laughed.

  “It might not be so bad, you know?” Guild Master Zaanta said, getting Maria’s attention. “We could use someone to teach our newbies about weaknesses of different beasts, as well as the basics, like reading and counting. You would be surprised how many commoners can’t do that.

  “Interesting.” Maria weighed the offer before shaking her head. “Thanks for the offer, but I’ll have to decline for now. I’ll just go and teach this…Aragami some basic knowledge and if I am satisfied with your Guild’s attitude, I’ll reach back out to you.”

  “That is completely understandable.” Guild Master said with a slight smile. “Now, shall I show you the way to your new student’s accommodations?”