Finn and Darwin walked behind Cristel, who was guiding them and giving them a quick tour of the shops that had been most helpful to her since she first entered the pink alley.
Passing a stall that was just a tent and a few items, such as jewelry and paintings, Finn stopped to look at a photo of what appeared to be a giant phoenix soaring through the sky.
Cristel and Darwin, curious about what Finn was seeing, approached and also looked at the enormous phoenix.
"Oh, it's just this photo," Cristel said, recognizing the picture.
"Have you seen it before? Is it real? A real phoenix?" Finn asked, seeing the bird engulfed in flames.
"Something like that… there have been many sightings of that creature in the eastern lands. Many say it's a phoenix that escaped from its homeland, while others say it's the Suzaku itself, one of the four divine monsters that protect a great civilization in the lands of the Far East," Cristel said, looking at the imposing firebird. "Although it's unknown which of the two it is, it is known that these photos are real. That's why it's caused such a stir here in the Underrealm."
"Incredible… Do you think I could ever ride one?" Darwin asked, looking at the enormous firebird. "Just imagine, me arriving at a battlefield riding a phoenix while raising my lightsaber in the air," Darwin said, drawing his sword and imbuing it with his light magic.
"First, what war are you going to join? Second, if it's a phoenix, you won't be able to ride it; they're barely bigger than eagles. And third, what are you planning to do with that sword? Dazzle them to death?" Cristel said as she took the sword by the tip and dispersed Darwin's magic.
"Oh…" Darwin lowered his head in disappointment.
"Although you would have looked cool," Finn said, imagining himself making the same entrance.
"Then why are phoenixes so beloved and desired? What's the point if you can't ride them?" Darwin suddenly asked.
"Mhh… according to what I heard, phoenixes have several special abilities, such as using their tears or saliva to heal any type of poisoning or mortal wounds, teleportation, protection against fire, and a supposed blessing that grants you unique abilities, abilities never seen before," Cristel stated as she walked back to show them the rest of the place. "They say they were the first beings to be created by the Seed of Life, the great tree that gave life to almost all races. It is said that the tree created the phoenixes to be the purest and most faithful creatures that could exist, and that is why the phoenixes are the only creatures that can be completely trusted, because if you manage to become friends or companions with one of them, they will never betray you or leave you."
At Cristel's words, Darwin thought for a moment, as something didn't add up in these statements.
"Wait a minute. If no one has ever managed to befriend or partner with a phoenix, how is it possible we know all this?" Darwin asked, confused.
"According to the ancient murals, around 300 years ago, several ancient murals were found, including one that talked about the existence of phoenixes and their history," Cristel clarified.
"So, apart from that photo, no one has seen a real one?" Finn asked this time.
"No, or at least not for 200 years. There's a legend about a dwarf who encountered a phoenix, which guided him to a mountain full of all kinds of minerals and gems. Now that mountain is home to the dwarves," Cristel said, standing in front of a sinister-looking tent. "Well, putting that aside, we're here."
"We've arrived where? To certain death?" Finn asked, not wanting to enter the shop.
"Don't be so exaggerated. This shop is the best place to gather information and take on unofficial quests," Cristel stated. "This is the Under Guild."
"Unofficial quests? Does the guild approve of this?" Darwin asked curiously.
"Of course they do. Who do you think gives most of the quests here? The Kingdom isn't the one that approves," Cristel said, entering the shop.
Finn and Darwin followed her inside, where they could see that the shop had some sort of expansion spell inside. It had a large room full of tables, a kitchen, a reception area, and a second floor with several blackboards with quests on them, along with a door that led to an inn where adventurers could stay.
At the tables, there were several adventurers talking among themselves in a friendly manner, but unlike the guild adventurers, these wore a small patch on their arm with the logo of the guild they belonged to.
"Do we have to put on a patch too?" Finn asked.
"You already have one, sweetheart," Cristel replied, showing a patch on the left side of her chest. "It goes on automatically as soon as we walk in."
"Really?" Darwin asked, searching through his clothes until he found a patch with the Freewalker logo on his left arm.
"It's true..." Finn confirmed, looking at his patch.
Cristel smiled at Finn and Darwin's curiosity, but then quickly turned her attention to a conversation taking place in the corner of the room. All the adventurers were listening and occasionally offering their opinions.
"So we're not the only ones who are having goblins behaving strangely," said an adventurer from the Blacklion guild.
"Something like that. Their problem isn't just goblins, but several monsters," said another adventurer, removing his vest and shirt to reveal the claw wounds on his chest.
Finn and Darwin had already stopped admiring the patches and had begun to listen to the adventurers' conversation.
"A damn griffon, isn't it?" Another adventurer asked, looking at the wounds.
"Yeah… The bastard took me and my team by surprise right after we finished a hunting mission in the southern lands. It was all in the blink of an eye. One moment we were walking, and the next we were all lying on the ground, wounded," the adventurer said, while his team showed their wounds as well.
An older man holding a huge sword with an Imperial gem silently removed his cloak, showing where his left arm was supposed to be.
"I did see the griffon coming towards us and managed to cast a magical barrier over us, but the bastard cut through it like it was made of paper," a woman in her twenties said, lifting her long skirt and revealing a prosthetic made of steel. "It ripped my leg off like it was made of butter."
"And I think I got the worst of it," said another woman, also in her twenties. Removing her long cloak, she revealed her armor and mask, where her missing right arm could already be seen. Then she removed her mask, revealing how her right side was completely deformed and a hole where her eye should have been. She then removed her breastplate and shirt, leaving her torso completely bare, revealing that the griffon had ripped off everything from her right breast to her arm. And finally, she lifted her left pants, revealing a prosthetic leg. "I was the last one he attacked. Unlike the others, I was able to dodge the first attack and even managed to give him a slight cut, but that only made him angrier." The bastard swiped quickly, tearing off part of my face, then bit down my right side, even tearing off my breast and some ribs, but that wasn't enough for the beast. Once I was down, he grabbed my left leg and rocked me from side to side until my leg was ripped off. I survived by pure luck that day; if it weren't for Anna's healing and fire magic, I would have quickly bled to death.
"That griffon was simply too much for us, we didn't stand a chance against it…" the adventurer said, closing his hand in suppressed fury. "It was supposed to be a simple C-class mission," the adventurer said, and his team simply hung their heads in shame.
"No one blames you," Cristel said, raising her voice. "You said it yourself, you were unaware of the griffon's presence in the area. Besides, you're C-class adventurers, and you had no business being against a B-class beast. It's a miracle you made it out alive."
"That's right. How the hell didn't the southern guilds report there was a griffon in the area? Don't they have scouts?!" Another adventurer shouted angrily.
"No… They're all dead," the adventurer replied. "The last one died two weeks before we took on the quest…"
"Tch, typical. All explorers are the same…" another disgruntled adventurer said, followed by several settlements of other adventurers. But before he could continue speaking, he was interrupted by a loud bang on the table across the room.
"SILENCE! You're not going to speak ill of the explorers, especially not in my presence!" another adventurer shouted.
The adventurer was elderly, around 40 years old, with a scruffy black beard and a few gray hairs. One of his eyes was green and the other was closed, with a huge scar running down his face. He was wearing a dark green hood with full armor made of magic steel. This was Rodrick, a retired royal knight now turned independent adventurer.
"Do I need to remind you how we got to this point?!" Rodrick asked, causing many adventurers to lower their heads in shame. "If it weren't for the sacrifice of so many explorers, humanity probably would never have become what we are today! It's because of them that we discovered how to make potions, it's because of them that we know the weak points of a griffon, it's because of them that we now have so many books and knowledge that were hidden around the world! So don't insult a single explorer again!"
"I didn't know explorers were so important," Finn thought.
"I nearly shit myself," Darwin thought, seeing Rodrick's imposing figure, still seated at his table.
"Sorry, I just thought…" the adventurer tried to speak again, only to be interrupted again.
"You thought, what? That they should fulfill their duty without at least dying?" Rodrick asked again, watching as the adventurer lowered his head again when he saw that Rodrick had guessed what he was going to say. "If you think your job is so easy, why don't you become explorers yourselves?" Rodrick asked, making everyone quickly look away, making him understand that no one wanted to take on that occupation. "I thought so…" Rodrick said, taking a sip of his beer.
Cristel sighed, rubbing her tired forehead at the tension that had built up in the Under Guild in such a short time. She then walked to a table, followed by Finn and Darwin, and sat down to wait for everything to calm down a bit.
"Who is that guy, Cristel?" Finn whispered.
"That's Rodrick, an important Class A adventurer and former royal knight," Cristel answered.
Rodrick finished his beer and slammed the glass down on the table with great force, drawing everyone's attention again.
"You two should stop worrying about the other kingdoms' problems and start getting everything ready to leave in two days," Rodrick stated, causing everyone to nod in agreement except for Finn and Darwin.
"Leave? To where?" Darwin whispered, looking at Cristel in confusion, but Rodrick still heard him.
"How the hell don't you know about the mission yet?!" Rodrick asked angrily, looking at Darwin, but Cristel quickly answered the question.
"It's because they're leaving on another mission in two days. They'll cross the bridge over the great cliff to the forest on the other side," Cristel replied, holding Finn and Darwin by the shoulders.
"A mission across the cliff? I don't remember ever seeing a mission like that."
"Yeah, me neither."
"I only know of a few missions, but they're ordinary, nothing important."
The adventurers began to murmur among themselves, but not Rodrick. He knew what important mission needed to be carried out on the other side of the rift.
"Are you talking about that mission?... are they?..."
"That's right. Recently named by Master Rohan," Cristel stated before Rodrick could finish speaking. "They haven't been in the guild long, but as you know, they have a lot of potential."
"Yes… I saw their work with my own eyes" Rodrick affirmed, looking closely at Finn and Darwin. "It seems some adventurers still have hope, not all of them are lacking in balls…" Rodrick stood up and walked toward the entrance of the Under Guild. Before leaving, he looked again at Finn and Darwin. "Once you two finish your mission, find me. I have another mission for you two."
"That's what they'll do, sir!" Cristel responded quickly, watching Rodrick leave.
'This bitch keeps accepting missions for us!!' Finn thought, worried, not knowing what kind of mission Rodrick would give them.