"The stage is set, and the conditions met. It's time for the hero to make his grand appearance!"

With a resounding slam, the doors the the Adventurer's Guild burst open, and light shone forth, heralding the entrance of the fabled Koji Darklight! Everyone's head turned to face him, and the upcoming hero was met with rounds of applause!
...
Or, well, that's how it was supposed to go in his head. Instead, when he had slammed the doors open, everyone turned to him with a look of confusion. Not... Quite what he was expecting. Oh well, they would learn in time.

Undeterred by the lack of any grand response for his splendid appearance, Koji confidently strode forward, up to the receptionist at the front desk... Who, well, seemed to still have a look of confusion on her face.

"Er... Yes, hello? May I help you?" she asked, still unsure of what to make of the situation. Koji laughed softly, his hand covering his mouth making the action just slightly less apparent.

"Yes, you may help me. I, Koji Darklight, would like to register as an adventurer in this fine establishment! Even the strongest of monsters shall bow at my feet after I am done with them!"

Shouting the last statement out loud, Koji struck a pose with a flourish, brandishing his two crossbows theatrically as he waited for a response.

The receptionist simply blinked her eyes before holding up a finger and bending behind the counter. A soft giggling could be heard along with the rummaging of paper before she came back up, as straight-faced as ever.

"Okay. Well, just fill out this paperwork and return it to me, and we can have your guild card ready soon after," she responded, handing him a stack of twenty or so sheets of paper alongside an inkwell and a quill pen. "There's a seat over the-"

"What in the name of Trevyan is this?! A contract with the devil?"

"...No, sir. It's just a contract and some forms asking for your infor-"

"I cannot simply bow my head to the demon lord! Ah, but such is the fate of the tragic hero, is it not? Fallen to darkness to save the world? Very well, then! I accept this deal, and so may my fate be sealed henceforth!"

Sheathing his weapons, Koji took the stack of papers (and inkwell and quill pen) and hurried on over to the table the woman had pointed out, carefully reading the documents for any sort of possible fraud, corruption, loopholes, or other such things to be expected from such an unjust deal.

The trade business was remarkably easy, once you figured out the very basics. Why anyone would choose a different profession to earn coin was beyond the honest merchant, considering how simple the process to becoming rich was.

Step 1: Procure rare items.

Felicia surveyed the wares put on display. At the moment, she had nothing more than a simple, old tablecloth with which to lay rest her valuable items, but that was fine. Magical artefacts and holy relics didn't exactly need satin backdrops to be infinitely regal in their splendour! And while her stock was admittedly small at the moment - the one downside to selling rare items; they weren't exactly common - their sheer value would more than make up for it.

Step 2: Location.

Now, who was going to make the most out of ultra-powerful weapons and armour? Surely not the kindly old man running a lovely little bakery! Obviously, the answer lay in adventurers, the most common of customers! With their kind patronage, and the knowledge that any steep cost would balance out with the item's sheer effectiveness, Felicia was confident that an exchange could only be a win-win situation for shopkeep and customer. Why anyone would ever be dissatisfied with her products was a mystery to her. That holy blade was for slaying demons, not rock-hard golems!

...Regardless, with the first two steps flawlessly executed there was only one more thing needed: Presentation!

Sure, Felicia wasn't exactly the owner of a sprawling market district, but her impeccable sense of dress and upkeep, as well as the quality of her displayed goods, was surely not up for debate. Her fine suit was all the visual evidence one needed of her legitimacy! Standing tall and proud, next to a sign with a poorly scrawled 'open for business' declaration, Felicia cheerfully awaited the surely-bustling business she would soon receive. After all, setting up shop opposite the guild hall had been a wonderful strategy in the past! Hands resting upon the umbrella's grip, Felicia watched for any approaching customers, ready to sell the hell out of her wonderful relics.

And so, today was the day. The beginning of the quest that the girl would undertake in order to prove herself, prove herself worthy of carrying the Anthellon family name! Her lineage could be traced back to countless warriors on both sides of her family, and so there was no way she would not do all she could to make herself a worthy part of it. Besides, what better way to show her fighting prowess and skill, to display the way that her training had honed her abilities, then to venture out on a quest? It only made sense in the girl's mind. Her side ponytail bouncing as she walked, she noticed that a merchant had set up shop outside of the guild.

Maria smiled. That was quite clever! She couldn't claim to be an expert on business, but there was no way that she couldn't figure out the strategy there. Adventurers would, naturally, require supplies. And setting up a shop outside of the Adventurer's Guild would ensure a steady stream of customers. You could keep prices low so that you wouldn't overcharge those in need, and still turn an excellent profit. Or so she assumed, at least. Naturally, if the merchant(who was quite finely dressed, Maria could not ignore) was charging ridiculous prices, her opinion would rapidly change on that matter.

And so, the girl with the tan hair approached the stand, passing a few people as she did. Was it not ideal to stock up before attempting to do any adventuring? Of course it was. She had supplies, yes, but a wise adventurer knew to take all opportunities they could in order to gain them. Provided they wouldn't spoil or something. That would just end up kind of gross. However, when Maria came to a halt in front of the stand, she noticed something was, well... not quite right.

At all.

Frowning, she reached down and picked up one of the items, holding it up before looking at the merchant, disapproval plain on her face.

"This is literally just a lump of charcoal tied to a string," she said, holding up the dangling piece of junk, "What possible use could this have?"

It was a rather dull morning in the guild. At least for Nyla. Most of the adventurers had left already and left the stragglers to hold down the fort. No matter how much Nyla tried no team would take her. They all thought she'd just get in the way. Thinking she couldn't be seriously or get distracted by a butterfly. THAT ONLY HAPPENED ONCE! Sigh~. It was a rather defeating feeling when no one would give them a chance. She was busy pouting off in the corner when it suddenly happened.

The door to the hall flung open powerfully; Nyla peeking up at the doorway. There she saw a young looking boy stride in heroically. She found the whole display rather amusing, stifling a laugh into her hand. In the distance she watched everything unfold with unblinking curiosity. Then it hit her. If this boy was going to become an adventurer this was her chance! He had no idea of her past missteps! It was all turning up Nyla!

Waiting until he sat down with his stack of papers Nyla stood. Adjusting her white sundress and taking in a deep breath of confidence and holding it in. As if the longer she held her breath the better chances she would have of convincing him. So she began to walk over to the table where he sat, looking over his papers. She got about half way there before she immediately turned around and came back to the table she was originally at.

"Dang it! He's gonna see right through it! Stupid confidence failing me!' She quietly scolded herself. Her face smushed into the table top, having been defeated by her own insecurities. Suddenly then Kuzie popped out of one of Nyla's pockets. Crawling up her arm and leaping onto the table it began to push its head into the side of Nyla's head. As if nudging her forward. Nyla's lifted her head to look at Kuzie. Seeing the triumphant gaze in the little rodents eyes sparked something in Nyla.

"You're right Kuzie! I can do this!" She assured the blue and white squirrel she had got the message; Kuzie nodding happily to see his tactics work. Nyla quickly spun away from the table and made a b-line towards the new comer. Kuzie frantically realizing that Nyla forgot to bring him he quickly scurried across the table top and leapt after her. Just barely catching the brim of her sundress Kuzie quickly climbed the fabric up to her shoulder, were he perched himself.

Nyla stopped at the edge of the table the newcomer sat at. She was silent for a moment, waiting until the boy noticed her. She had a whole speech laid out. How she was going to convince him to let her join with her confidence and warriors spirit! But then the boy looked at her and her nerves were all hitting the big "ABORT MISSION" button inside her. So she completely scrapped her plan and went with plan B. Beg.

Nyla quickly bowed her head. "PLEASE LET ME JOIN YOUR PARTY!?" She practically yelled out her plea. Kuzie shaking his little fuzzy head in disbelief.

Earlier:

Ignorance is bliss. Although there is a predominant threat looming everything embodying light, people have grown used to these halcyon days. But in their defense, the party of darkness isn’t exactly taking the initiative in their campaign and is progressing at a sluggish pace. Thus, naivety is free to thrive without any constriction. Falsch, too, was a member of the populace which has chosen to live in a monotonous manner. It’s not like he’s on the fast track to sizing himself up with the demon king. In fact, if any one of us officers were to suddenly make an appearance, his only choice of action would be to cower and bet his life on a hero.

Beams of light permeated the sheet of cloth covering him. In defiance, he rolled around on the wooden surface trying to get out of the rays’ reach, but unfortunately retreat was not an option. Falsch groaned as he hurled the blanket off and sat up from his bed. It would’ve helped if the apartment owner decided to invest in windows, yet she would have needed a heart to think caringly of her income. Not that he could really blame her, since she was currently prospering in comparison to the adventurer, without even lifting a father. Screwing people over for a higher rate was something Falsch wished he had the finesse to do, unfortunately, he was only gifted with the mindset.

After following through with the morning motions, the young adult was fully outfitted and ready for yet another day chock full of excursions. Aaaaaaaaaand life-threatening experiences. But that’s all just part of a healthy balance diet for what were essentially underpaid floaters. Once he felt the affirming click of his scimitar relaxing itself in its sheathe, he stretched out one more time. With a sigh of surrender, he set out for whatever was in store.

Now:

And what was in store, one might ask? Begging. Claiming. Bolstering up one’s own ego. Common events that unfold before adventurers, usually by -ironically enough-, adventurers. Falsch was passively enjoying his cup of coffee when a newcomer was directed to the table he was sitting at. He instantly stared daggers at the receptionist, who in response could only offer up a perturbed smile. Then again, after that exhibition, anybody would be unsettled. Luckily he was able to mute out such lunacy, but seeing an adventurer with more pride-filled phrases than monsters killed was a pretty frequent sight. The only thing more unsettling than that performance was the fact that the kid already got a bite. Without delay, Falsch scrutinized the two and began to analyze them both. ”The newbie’s got some… acceptable gear. But he’s got his head far too high up in the clouds. Even a stock slime might be able to dispatch him. As for the girl… My klutz-ometer is getting some pretty high readings here. She doesn’t seem to have any accessories or weapons, so I’m guessing a mage of some sort? Her magic must be substantial, if she’s able to channel it without a medium… Wait, why what's with the squirrel?” All the while Falsch was calmly sipping at his drink when the girl suddenly asked if they could party up.

That old hag had decided to hike up his apartment fee, and his pocket was gradually lightening by the day. ”Alright Falsch, try to be nice.”

”Why the hell do you have two crossbows?” Oops. Welp, that did not go according to plan. Was totally not expecting for his voice to be so blunt, or be so audible from the other end of the table. Falsch quickly gathered himself and cleared his throat, ”Sorry, let me rephrase that. Have you tested whether you can accurately utilize both bows at once to optimize your damage output? Or do you use them interchangeably?” There, that sounded more formal and cordial. He glanced between the two of them, taking a moment to read their expressions before continuing on, ”You guys need a vanguard, and as long as you choose a quest with some pocket money as a reward, I can fulfill that role. Besides, one of you appears more inexperienced than the other -I hope-, I could possibly toss a few tips your way. So, what do you say?”

A song echoed through the alley, it's echoing off the walls of the city to create an ethereal melody that all led back to one person. One man, a lone adventurer sitting on a box in the alley. All his possessions, what little he owned, was on his back. He wore a hat woven from straw, sandals made of scrap leather, a kilt of hide, a ragged scare, beads over his chest, and a mask to hid his face. On his back was an axe, on his belt a knife, and in his hands a lute. He played his lonely tune for just a moment before grabbing his things and left, leaving his audience curious about the mysterious musician.

And with any luck one of them would be willing to seek him out to join their party, cause it's been three months and Orchid is broke as fuck. He had barely enough money for dinner tonight. It was so cold in the stables that his tongue was stuck to the roof of his mouth. His gear were being held together by string and the will of the gods. Only Triple Harmony was still together, and likely the only thing worth while on his person. Hell, Orchid was almost certain that it was more valuable than he was. He hasn't been able to get a job with any of the local adventurers and no one is willing to pay him for his music. Because he doesn't look like some sort of pretty elf, no one wants to hire him for a night show or even just for a song. Too many in the city know that he's mainly a bard by trade, and so they pass him off for other, more attractive folk. Despite having a fairly decent record as far as adventuring goes, he was simply overlooked by better competition.

Trudging his way back to the guild Orchid was wondering if maybe he should just give up this whole bard thing. Go back home to his mother and maybe try to ask her for a job. Maybe he could get arranged to marry a pretty and rich elf who'd take care of him and always give him money. "Haaaah... Yeah... And maybe Eris would come and give me a kiss." Kicking a apple core into the river next to him, Orchid soon entered the guildhall and saw all the other adventurers there. Men and women of various occupations and experiences who knew what to do to get the job done. But Orchid didn't fit in their plans. He wanted to do something different and because of it he doesn't fit in anywhere. It was almost cliche. What he really needed now was a newbie who didn't know how this world worked, so when he goes about asking for help but inevitably finding no one, Orchid could come up to him and offer to protect the kid out of the goodness of his heart. Then the kid would end up being some sort of great and heroic figure who would lead Orchid to fortune and fame. But now he was really being stupid.

Shuffling towards a table Orchid sat down. A barmaid soon came over and asked if Orchid would like to place and order, in which he ordered fried cabbages. It was the cheapest thing he could get that he's grown to like. As he waited for his meager meal, Orchid heard a girl desperately asking some stranger to let her join his party. This kid had two crossbows, one red one blue, and a white mask. The girl Orchid somewhat knew; she was also fairly new and known for being as coordinated as a fish on a stick. Her type wasn't new and most have been forgotten by now, but the fact she desperately was asking to join this kid meant two things: She was in the same boat as Orchid was, and that this Kid didn't know her. Which made Orchid realize this may be the break he needed.

Some cat-eared kid was talking to the girl and the new guy, but Orchid ignored him. He came off as some sort of scammer to Orchid, so he was certain he could overshadow him. Being an orc taller than two of these kids combined would also help. As he walked over Orchid channeled his Minor illusion to give himself a flashy entrance. Minor things; dust being kicked up to look as though each step carried great weight. A breeze that moved his hair in such a way that made him look almost heroic. Light shining on his body as if he decended from the heavens. Also to cover any unsightly stains he may have, since he hasn't washed in a week either.

"Heh. From the looks of things, you're in need of some help. Well look no further; if it's courage you need, someone to mend your wounds, hand with an axe, and tough enough to take on dragons, then consider yourself blessed by Eris. Cause he's come to find you; my name is Orchid, and I'll be joining your party!"

Over the past few months, Smith had been aimlessly wandering across the lands searching for a town. Of course, all she found were farms and bandits. Though, a few weeks ago, she had gotten directions to Lerot from some disgusting old fool. She thanked the man by only stealing his sword, and leaving the rest of his possessions in place.

She did eventually reach Lerot, convincing a nice young man to let her stay at his house for a few days, which may or may not have included threatening to steal away his wife. Of course, Smith couldn't resist secretly having her way with the man's wife at least once. What he didn't know wouldn't hurt him, right?

Well, once Smith had done enough dicking around, she left the couple to their own devices, and headed down to the adventurer's guild.

Smith made her way through the hustle and bustle of Lerot, eventually finding the building she was looking for. Before she could make her way to the door, she was forced to stop by some sort of an egotistical moron, who was yelling about his "grand entrance" as he charged through the guild's doors.

"I didn't think humans could be this stupid." She muttered to herself as her hand found its way to her forehead. Her right hand eventually gave up it's place on Smith's face, resigning itself to the handle of the sword that hung from her waist. The demon returned her focus to the adventurer's guild, which she walked through the doors of as she began to notice the strange, yet ever so familiar looks, of the people around her.

It was pretty obvious to tell that Smith had some sort of connection to demons, given the horns on her head, so the reaction of some of these morons was expected. Some of the fools started to raise their weapons, but many more fools had something else raised. How could a bunch of fools resist a charming young succubus, anyway?

Smith paid them no heed, and moved towards the receptionist.

"Ca...Can I help you with something, miss?"

"I would like to register as an adventurer." The receptionist's face took on a look that was somewhere inbetween suprise and relief for a second before reverting to her previous calm expression.

"Oh, alright. Here, please fill out this paperwork and return it to me, and we will have your guild card soon after." Smith was handed a pile of papers, as well as ink and a quill pen. Smith took the pile to a nearby table, which happened to be next to where the idiot who slammed open the guild doors was sitting. The idiot had seemed to gather a reasonable crowd, which included a catboy, a walking green bean, and a rather cute looking girl. Smith hadn't had any fun in at least 8 hours, and this girl seemed like a nice catch, so Smith decided to go after her. The problem was the 3 amigos next to her.

The 4 of them seemed to be talking about partying up. This was good, Smith could ask to join in as well, but then she would be in a party with a bunch of dicks. She was left no choice but to steal away the cute girl. Smith, from her seat at the table, turned towards the girl, leaned forward slightly, and spoke as if she was the embodiment of friendship.

"Hey, I'm probably going to be needing a few party members, and you seem pretty capable. Why don't you party with me instead?" She kept her focus pointed at the girl, completely ignoring the triad of meat-heads around her.

Ah, good, a customer so soon. Always an excellent forecast for the day's profits! Felicia flashed her most charming smile at the young lady gracing her... well, 'shop' may be too generous a word, but regardless, the honest merchant welcomed her happily.
Unfortunately, this customer did not seem happy with one of the items on sale. The girl regarded an artefact with sheer disapproval, and had somehow mistaken it for a lump of charcoal. Sadly, this was not an uncommon occurrence.

"I assure you, madam, this is no mere charcoal on a string," Felicia spoke with confidence, lightly gripping the dangling artefact, "granted, the appearance would say otherwise, but I have it on very good authority that this is actually a device used to manipulate time."

Felicia was a firm believer in not doubting the words of all of her business partners. How were you supposed to make any sales if you nitpicked one or two details about the item in question? The finely-dressed seller could accept that such a rare and powerful treasure was unlikely to end up in the possession of a shopless trader... but who would go to the effort of lying about it in the first place?

"From what I have been told, each swing of the Chrono Pendulum advances time by one second," Felicia advised, "as such, it may be wise not to swing it around carelessly. I heard that if the Strand of Time were to break, bad things could happen."

The strand, of course, being the perfectly normal string that was cursed to support the useless charcoal for all eternity.

"Of course, after you buy it, whatever you wish to use it for is entirely not my business!" Felicia chirped, all too ready to make a sale.

Maria stared blankly at the merchant girl who was trying to pitch what was, once more, literally a lump of coal on a string. As some kind of time manipulating pendulum. That... was not how anything worked. At all. Oh, she could buy that a magical artifact could seem unimpressive, but this was just ridiculous. 'Advancing time by one second'? 'Something bad would happen if the string were to break'? That was one of the most nonsense things she had ever heard. Who even did this? What kind of desperate con artist woke up one morning and thought this was a great plan?

She swung it back and fourth, faster then the seconds past, staring blankly at the tophat-wearing girl. She had a feeling that wasn't going to prove anything, though.

And so, instead of attempting to display how stupid what the girl said was with that method, she carefully took the charcoal, untied the string(it was barely even tied at all, it was like a four-year-old had done it) and laid both pieces of the... 'pendulum' down.

"It's a lump of charcoal and some string. You are trying to sell a lump of charcoal and some string."

Koji held up his left hand as someone came up next to him out shouted in his face, his attempts to complete the documentation after reading it over temporarily stifled by such a loud noise. With a dramatic stroke to finish his signature, Koji placed the pen and ink to the side before turning to the girl, bringing his right hand in front of his face with a pose as he looked at her. Good, good! Even before he was bound to this place, people were already seeking his aid!

"Haha, so it begins! Very well! I sh-" he began to say before being interrupted by a animal-eared boy around his own age. Okay. Well. That was rude. But more people meant that people were already flocking to him! Yes! Success!

"Ahem. As I was saying, I sh-"

This time, a rather large green-haired man came to interrupt him. Gods damn it all, did these people have NO way of reading the mood? Not that he as complaining about the rather spontaneous formation of the party, but still!

"...Anyways... I s-"

And before he could get the next set of words out his mouth, the young archer was interrupted once more, this time by a woman with horbns who seemed to be trying to steal away the first person to request his help. In front him, no less!

"...Okay. Fine. Guess I'm doing this the hard way. You, who insulted my skill with my weapons: gaze in awe! And you, creature of the night who tries to spirit away those who seek my aid: let this be a warning to you!"

Very clearly irate at this point, Koji stood up and, in one swift motion, pulled out a few small coins and tossed them into the air, high above the (probably demonic) girl trying to pull the one with the squirrel away. Drawing his bows and spinning them theatrically for good measure, Koji shot each of the coins out of the air, the bolts eventually colliding with one another to land headfirst onto the ground right behind the two in question, the coins falling on top of their heads. With a wide smile and his confidence regained, Koji struck a pose and shouted with renewed vigor.

"Sear this moment into your memory, for I have given you ample warning! If you wish to be so rude in front of one such as me, then be sure to have a good reason for doing so!"

While he seemed to be confident as could be, however, Koji was shaking a bit inside. Those last shots were one in a million, and the recoil from the guns made his shots land perfectly like that. Everything ended up going perfectly right, which meant that if he was going to boast again, he'd probably have to try for... A bigger target. Hopefully.

Allisa was humming a cheerful little tune as she walked along a path. The day had been good so far. She had a nice rabbit seasoned with herbs and other plants for breakfast, and she had completed a kill quest for a troublesome animal that had been killing livestock. Now she was on her way to the Adventurers' Guild to claim her reward. As she walked, she wondered what she would spend her money on. Probably more arrows, to be honest. She felt like she was running low on them. She really wanted to save up for that bow she had been eyeing in one of the weapon shops too.

As Allisa walked up to the entrance to the Adventurers' Guild, she noticed a small shop set up nearby. There was a person wearing a rather impressive outfit, who appeared to be the shopkeeper, and there was already another adventurer checking out the goods. Curious, Allisa walked over to the table to see what was for sale. "What's going on here?" Allisa asked as she examined the wares. The items for sale, however, were... not very appealing to the eye. If Allisa didn't know any better, she'd think that it was just a pile of trash and knick-knacks. The other adventurer was calling it just that as well and was attempting to prove it as well, messing around with a string and a piece of charcoal.

Still, Allisa chose to give the poor shopkeeper the benefit of the doubt. "Now now, let's not be so quick to judge. Maybe there really is some good stuff here, like... uh..." Allisa said as she continued scanning the items for anything of value. Her gaze soon landed upon a knife, and she reached over to pick it up. "Like this knife!" Allisa said, holding it up, then swung it around a couple times. The blade, however, soon separated itself into two pieces, the tip flying off into space. Allisa looked at the now-clearly broken blade, noting the remnants of what looked like honey or tree sap on the inside of the blade to try to make it look like it was never broken. Allisa blinked a few times, still staring silently at the broken knife in her hand.

Felicia's face was rather neutral as the smaller girl untied the string from the supposed charcoal, betraying no emotion or reaction. Sadly, having her goods damaged like this wasn't a new phenomenon either, and it was never fun trying to recoup the costs. Why did people have to be so destructive in their desire to be right...? It was quite a shame.

Another customer had arrived, and Felicia gave the young woman a welcoming smile, not wishing to put her off with an argument, "Oh nothing big. Please, don't worry yourself!"

At least this customer was a lot more understanding, and understood the value of her goods. She picked out a knife in her small collection, swinging it in the air. Felicia raised a hand cautiously, "ah, careful, that weapon ha-"

Her explanation was cut short by the weapon in question displaying its unique ability. With the broken top half gone from view, the merchant let out a slow, heavy sigh.

"...has the ability of long-range battle capability," Felicia finished, raising the tip of her hat to wipe at her brow, frowning slightly. Well, it had been unintentional in the second customer's case, but she was still two relics down with no pay. How was she supposed to make a living like this?

"I apologise, but I will have to request reparations, due to the damage to my stock," she informed the two women, "up front, preferably, but I can arrange a contract if you need to pay in increments."

"..."

And one of the knives had snapped in half from being swung around a little. This woman was potentially the worst con artist that Maria had ever heard of. Did she think people who see her outfit and be so struck by how fancy it was that they'd ignore how shoddy all the items she was selling were? It was pretty ridiculous. And now she was demanding reparations for the damaged items, even though Maria could see from here that the knife had been glued back together and that it had broken under barely any stress.

"..."

Maria picked the lump of charcoal and the string back up. Swiftly, recalling just how it had been wrapped, she tied it back around the charcoal in the same loose, haphazard fashion that she had first seen it, complete with a knot that looked like it would come apart at any moment. She sat it back down on the table.

"There. See? Just a lump of charcoal on a string. If it was the... whatever you said it was, it wouldn't be so easily fixed, now would it?"

Oh, things were surely getting interesting. And by interesting, he meant progressively annoying. With every new appearance, Falsch’s abdomen only became more and more concave. Not only did the giant sack of green potatoes completely refuse to acknowledge his existence, a living coat-hanger sought to spirit away their only mage. ”Yeah, she definitely intends to whisk her right off her feet, and right under the bed sheets without a doubt.” He mentally commented. And what was with that look in her eyes? Those pupils full of feigned kindness, surely a facade for condescension. He was half-tempted to peruse the demon’s capabilities, but found it borderline impossible to stare at her for more than a second. Mostly because of the uncontrollable urge to leave his eyes glued to her indefinitely. Sure, she was a belle, but there’s no way she could obtain the undivided attention of every single person in the establishment. It took more than just good looks to draw a notable portion of the adventurers from their alcoholic beverages. Something was off about her, but Falsch felt if he was to investigate further, he too would be entranced.

His savior turned out to be the person he least expected. Bolting up in armor made of innocence, and with a mind absent of dirty thoughts or any form of mature attraction, the newbie who drew them all together like this professed that his abilities were top-notch once more. In one fluent motion, he threw away precious coinage and shot them away with his naivety. Unfortunately in this case Falsch had to absolve and hand it to the kid. Of course, he wasn’t going to compliment him that easily. The cat-eared adventurer gave a slow, almost sarcastic clap at the display. ”I’ll admit it, you’ve amazed me. It’s a rare sight to see an adventurer throw away money, even to ramp up their own bravado. But, I guess you deserve some credit for making those shots. Most monsters move faster than the average coin not even in freefall, but hey, at least you’ve technically got a few kills under your belt?” Falsch shrugged with a wry smile stretched widely across his face, which almost seemed to extend far beyond the corners of his mouth. He paused to sip at the last of his coffee, and after gently setting down the cup, waltzed over to the somewhat jolly green giant.

”And you, my axe-bearing… is acquaintance too much? Let’s just accept the fact that we’re on the same plane of existence, sounds good?” Falsch had picked up that the Orchid too intended to exclude him from the party. Rather than returning a favor, he decided to forgo the antagonistic approach and constricted the orc in ropes of kindness and friendship, ”Anyways, I’m sure with your help in addition to mine, we probably have a higher possibility of success with harder quests.” Yes, pawn them both off to kid as an inseparable package. ”But in all seriousness, and I truly mean in all seriousness, we could really use a tank. I can go for weak points and cover for where you falter. And I’m sure with Koji firing from the rear and our mage, we can be a fairly coherent unit.”

Once Falsch had wrapped up his monologue, he wanted to hold out his hand to Orchid to seal the deal, but felt that the orc would “accidentally” incapacitate him and decided against it. Now it was time for the last, and frankly the most detrimental hurdle. Instead of taking the demon aside, he simply stared into her eyes, unwavering in his resolve. These sort of situations required thorough thinking, the utmost foresight, and undying determination. Fulcrums like these were the center of historical events. From these points, a myriad of alternate futures could blossom and erupt. Thus, he would have to proceed in the most conscientious manner.

”YOU HELP US OUT, YOU GET THE BOOTY.”

The mental message hopefully bridge the gap between the two. Falsch solemnly nodded and then announced to nobody in particular, ”Oh yeah, my name is Falsch. Falsch Amorum. Adventurer. Nekomimi. Meow and stuff.”

Orchid looked over to the next newcomer, someone who looked and smelled of demon blood. She reminded him much of a succubus. She didn't seem to pay him nor the newcomer much mind, instead wanting to whisk away the nervous girl. Orchid personally didn't care if she was going to join the party or not, but his heroic spirit (Not to mention natural predisposition to smaller, gentler girls) made him come to the girl's aid. "This girl is already spoken for, you horny lass. Butt maybe you'd like to join us instead? Fun for the whole party." As he said this Orchid notably stood between the demon girl and the other girl.

As Orchid did so, the newbie felt the need to show off. He took out his crossbows and shot a coin in the air, and doing pretty well at that. But Orchid knew what he was doing and frankly, it wasn't that impressive. Likely it was just luck that allowed him to make such a shot, and Orchid was tempted to dare the kid to do it again. But there were other fish to fry. The rude loudmouth decided to speak out, not only putting down the new kid's efforts, but gave Orchid a lot of backhanded compliments. Orchid was no stranger to arrogant douches like him, and would brook none of his nonsense.

"Kid, a good team recognizes each others talents and abilities, makes up for their weakness, and improves their strengths. This pussy cat here won't be good for that, I can tell. But you, me, and maybe one or two others? A dream team right there. I can see that you're not just some young gun shooting off the handle, so why don't you and I partner up and get some work done? I even know a few jobs we can tackle that'll give us a challenge, and more important good loot."

Fashionably late and over-bearing. Two words that always have been used to describe Elysia. Having slept in a little longer that morning, Elysia entered the guild hall. Several annoyed looks were cast towards her by some she had been in a party with in the past. But this didn't seem to bother Elysia at all.

She probably didn't even notice the ill looks.

She cleared her throat. It wasn't a simple clearing of the throat like, "Ahem." It wasn't a shy, "A-ahem," either. Oh, no. It sounded something along the lines of:

"AHHHHHH-HEM!"

The demon folded her arms in front of her dress, her usual haughty demeanor crossing her expressions.

"For those of you who do not know," she began, trying to get anyone's attention (but at this point, people who knew Elysia already were ignoring her), "I am Elysia Corentine, summoner extraordinaire and modest elite demon. Yes, I know. How could such an amazing person such as this not currently be in a party? It's almost heartbreaking!" She feigned a sad look before adding:

"But this skilled summoner," she showed off her magitek gauntlets, "And masterful tinkerer, can be yours! Yes! Even the peasants of this guild could possibly have me, Elysia Corentine, in their party. I would take up a bidding service for my services, but just a modest, large recommendation of your party is enough. Thank you all for your time."

She then added, under her breath, "I mean thanks for not much. You should be dying to have me travel with you..."

Nyla looked around a bit curiously as one after another began to show up asking to join the party. A pout began to form on her lips. Fearing that her admittance into the formation of the party would be over looked and she was be cast aside. Though one of the last arrivals had gotten her attention. Maybe because the girl was placing her entire attention on Nyla. She looked at the girl, maybe a bit too intently. She was often off put by horns, viewing them as something dangerous, but some reason this girls didn't bother Nyla. Nyla was beginning to feel a bit, what's an appropriate term.. Captivated. Yes, captivated just by looking at the girl. She felt herself hesitantly inches closer; Kuzie noticing and being unaffected began to tug at her hair as if to hold her back. Nyla innocently swatting at the Squirrel to cease.

Before she knew it a hulking mass of green stepped in between the two and broke Nyla's line of sight. That simple act seemed to sever the charm. Shaking her head and filling a bit dizzy she tried to process what had just happened. 'Was that girl using some kind of charm spell?' The ditsy girl tried to reason. Now that she was no longer effected she could listen to all that was going on. Apparently they all seemed intent on keeping Nyla in the party, which was welcome news. It would have been a nightmare trying to find another group. But then again there was that girl... Nyla peeked around the green man once more to look at the girl. She could feel herself getting drawn in again, but this time she quickly snapped away and hid herself behind Mr. Green once again. Shaking her head and clearing her mind of those dizzying thoughts.

Smith's plan had started to crash and burn with the first of the three amigos attempting to show off his skills. She didn't particularly like being referred to as a "creature of the night", especially by such a rambunctious cretin. The demon watched as the boy threw money away, absolutely dumbfounded by what she was seeing. So not only was this kid a moron, but he was also a wasteful moron.

Smith was about to speak, but stopped herself as soon as the catboy opened his mouth. It felt as if he loved the sound of his own voice, letting out his thoughts in an endless fashion that was sure to grate on one's ears eventually. This asshole had no fucking filter. Smith refrained from interrupting him, and instead chose to let him get all of his inept comments out. And then..

"YOU HELP US OUT, YOU GET THE BOOTY."

Smith was dumbfounded, agitated, and amused all at once. She couldn't tell if this kid was a genius, or really dumb. Either way, she felt like toying with him. Apparently, this boy's name was Falsch, though Smith decided to refer to him as Catboy instead. Catboy was now on the receiving end of several glares from various adventurers. You see, when you yell a statement that essentially accuses a hot young woman of prowling for "the booty", you tend to become the subject of pure, unadulterated hatred, especially when that hot young woman is also a succubus.

The green giant had started to speak as well, but Smith was more focused on the crowd which had begun to gather around the table.

"HEY, BUDDY!" Some large man in the front of the crowd yelled at Catboy. "Whadd'ya think yur sayin' bout dis gurl 'ere? You assume she be some sorta horny monster, when she ain't done nuthin' to support dat thought. Scumbags like you make me sick." Smith watched as another, smaller man joined in.

"You guys are pathetic. Accusing her like this." The small man seemed to blame all 3 of the amigos for Catboy's words. "I bet you three were just trying to get some, yourselves, attempting to push away someone who was simply trying to protect another girl from the clutches of evil so that you could have that other girl all to yourselves. What I'm saying is, you're just defending that girl in some sick, pathetic attempt to score!" Smith almost laughed at his lack of self awareness.

"Alright boys, alright, I think they've had enough. Go back and drink your drinks, and leave these guys alone, I'll be alright." Smith gathered her thoughts as the mob went back to their own business, each man keeping at least one eye on Catboy. The succubus stood from her seat, and examined the three amigos and the cute girl from a different angle for once. She started to speak to each of them in sequence, starting with the grand moron himself.

"Are you alright? You seem to have an ego large enough to cost you money, no offense." She quickly moved on to Catboy, who was as rude as they come. "I don't think I've ever encountered someone as rude as you, but you do happen to be quite amusing." As Smith said this, she leaned in, putting her face rather close to his, while delicately caressing his chin with her hand. "I might just keep you around." She quickly moved back, her tone and mannerism instantly switching from flirty to much more judgmental and serious. "But, seriously, you need to stop judging people and assuming things so easily. Just because i'm half succubi doesn't mean i'm always thinking about sex. It's people like you that make it really hard for me to get anything done without people wanting sex out of me. People always see the succubus part of me, and never the human half. I'm just a girl. I asked her-" She quickly pointed at Nyla "to join my party because she legitimately looked capable, and I didn't really know how I felt about you three. But, now that i've seen a little more of each of you, I think I've got my idea of you three in order. That guy seems a bit crazy, a bit reckless, and a bit of a mess." She said, pointing towards Koji. "Catboy, you seem rude, but rather amusing. Not exactly sure what you can do combat-wise, but at least you wont bore me to death." And then there was the big green guy.

Smith slowly stepped towards the hulking mass of a green bard. "And you..." She playfully poked at the orc's chest with a single finger, and acted as if she was impressed by the firmness that was returned against her touch, "Ooo, nice." She stepped back and looked up at him. "You seem like a nice guy, I guess." Smith took a deep breath and walked up to Nyla.

"I'm really sorry about all of the misunderstandings. I'm not a bad person, I just can't really turn off my natural charms. Being a succubus isn't all sex and rainbows." Smith's thoughts had begun to blur together. She didn't really remember what things were honest, and which were lies. "Anyways, I should introduce myself. You can call me Smith." She reached out her hand to the cute girl who she stood in front of.

Smith's glorious plan was rudely interrupted by a loud, obnoxious demon who ran into the guild trying to goat people into taking her in to their parties. As soon as Smith got a good look at this demon, she immediately hid behind the large Orc. Beatrice knew her. This girl was, for lack of a better word, one of Beatrice's past demons.

No, no, no! The past no longer mattered. Smith was no longer Beatrice. Still, that girl would know Smith's face as that of Beatrice, and would immediately shatter the image that she had created for herself.

"Okay, I'm definitely good with partying with all of you, but whatever you do, do not, and I repeat, DO NOT let that demon join our party. There are very few people in this world who have egos so large that any other traits or skills they would otherwise have are completely useless. That girl is the epitome of uselessly egotistical." Even if Smith had seen even slightly ingenuine before, this moment threw all of that out the window. She was clearly serious with her disdain for Elysia.

Koji's internal worries quickly turned to indignation as he was all at once ridiculed, mocked, and reprimanded. What, could they not see that he clearly had the skill to back up his claims? _{Even IF that was sheer luck just now...}

But that last comment from a bystander really... IRKED him. And, honestly? While the man in green and the girl from earlier were perfectly fine with him, the other two... Well, needless to say, their first impressions weren't exactly the most helpful. After all, how could insulting the future leader of the group lead to anything GOOD? Even he had that much common sense!

"...Hrmph. Well, before I can address any of your issues, I must turn in my contract! Leave me at peace as I mull this over, else I make a choice that ruins us all equally!"

Pulling his mask over his face to hide it, Koji moved to hand in the paperwork at the front desk, almost beginning another one of his usual dialogues before someone entered and cleared their throat... Quite loudly. Half annoyed at being interrupted AGAIN for no good reason, Koji silently thanked the receptionist instead of launching into another lengthy spiel before turning to face the source of the interruption. What he was met with, however, was beyond what he could have imagined.

Someone with a sense of grandeur almost as big as his own! Truly, this must have been a fate ordained by the gods! After all, who could understand him better than someone cut from the same cloth? Completely ignoring the annoying demon woman who had chosen to off him just a few moments earlier, Koji, his face now much less red, approached the self-proclaimed summoner with a smile on his face.

"If I may, madam, but surely you may find such an invitation from one such as I! Yes, I know the pain of being ignored as you have far too well, so I shall extend my hand in aid. Let this be my request to you, from whom I know naught but a name; join me in my journey across these perilous lands!"

Allisa was unsure about what to do now that the shopkeeper was demanding compensation for damaged goods. Allisa didn't mean to break her wares, even if it was already broken. The swordswoman seemed to "fix" her "broken" object and began to argue about it. Allisa merely placed the broken knife back onto the table and flipped open her pouch where she placed her spending money. She then took out a small handful of coins and began counting them, then placed them in a neat pile on the table.

"Here you go. I hope that's enough," Allisa said, then she ran off into the Adventurer's Guild. Allisa was smart enough to realize that the items that shopkeeper was selling were just pieces of trash and junk, but she felt a bit sorry for the poor girl. It seemed like if that was all she was doing to earn a living, she must not have been earning very much. Allisa then realized that she had forgotten why she came to the Adventurer's Guild in the first place. It took a few moments of thinking, but Allisa eventually remembered; it was to turn in that kill quest she had done earlier.

Once she had collected her reward, Allisa then began to head over to the quest board to get another job. As she did so, Allisa noticed quite the commotion nearby. A number of people had gathered, but what made them really stand out was how different they all seemed to be from each other. Allisa had noticed them just in time to see one of them, a human from the looks of it, making some grandstanding speech that Allisa could barely understand. Something about... an invitation, and a journey, or something like that. In any case, it didn't seem to concern Allisa, and she continued on to look at the quest board.