Eldris could see writings and labels in an unfamiliar language on some of the buildings. Luckily for him, he was able to understand them perfectly. He knew this must have been the god's doing.
"Come to think of it," Eldris thought to himself, "I've been talking with these people in the forest and they understood me, even though I knew nothing of their language. I'm absolutely certain it wasn't English."
After following them a considerable distance and crossing various streets, they finally stopped at a large building with massive doors where people constantly streamed in and out. Strangely, the number of people entering and exiting the building seemed impossible given its exterior size, which made Eldris intensely curious about its interior.
The building bore a prominent symbol of a man holding a heart aloft toward the sky. Bold lettering above the entrance declared: "THE HUNTERS ASSOCIATION."
Lira entered the building with her companions and soon returned with a man in official-looking attire.
"Is this him?" the man asked.
"Yes," Lira confirmed. "He's the one who saved us and helped defeat the beast."
"You mentioned being part of a travelers' group," the man said to Eldris. "I've been waiting for you for nearly two weeks now. One of your former group members gave me a message to deliver. They said if a young man claiming to have survived the forest after being abandoned by his group should appear, I should tell you they're sorry. That it wasn't meant to happen - just a poor survival decision made in panic. They asked you to accept these 500 lim coins as a token of apology. They admitted it seems small, but it's all they could spare."
As the man spoke, Eldris simply responded, "Umm... So that's it then? They think five hundred lim coins will compensate for what I endured in that forest? What if I hadn't encountered Lira's group? What would have become of me then?" He pointed angrily at Lira and her companions.
"Eldris, please just accept it," Lira interjected. "I know five hundred lim isn't adequate compensation for your ordeal, but understand that out of your entire former group, only one person came forward to make amends, even if discreetly. Also know that part of why we entered that forest was to search for you, though we believed we'd only find your remains. Yet here you stand alive. Let go of the past and focus on the present. Since five hundred lim is indeed too small, accept this additional thousand lim as our gratitude for helping us survive."
Eldris, who had been putting on an act, nearly broke character when he heard the amount mentioned. He quickly composed himself and said, "Okay, I'll accept it. But know that it's only because of you - not because I've forgiven them or forgotten what happened." He extended his hand to receive the money.
After accepting the payment, Lira asked him a question. "So, Mr. Chrille, what will you do now? You survived alone in the forest for nearly two weeks, and you said you were part of a traveling group. Is your home nearby?"
"No," Eldris replied in a tone mixing sadness and anger. "I have no idea what to do next. I've been with traveling groups since childhood, but after what happened... I don't think I can travel with others again. I may never journey like that anymore."
Eldris didn't consider himself much of an actor, yet somehow, as questions kept coming, plausible lies simply formed in his mind. It felt like he'd been struck by some sort of inspiration for deception.
"Why don't you stay with us for now?" Lira offered. "As you can see, we're not travelers. You can remain with us until you find your footing."
Eldris nearly grinned at the perfect opportunity. "Thank you, I truly appreciate your help." He accepted quickly, certain he could learn valuable information from them.
"Great, then my job here is done," the messenger said.
Eldris then made a request: "Could I ask a favor? The spark from the beast's body - may I have it?"
"You can't have it," Lira replied, "but you can buy it. The price is five hundred lim coins."
"Isn't that a bit much for just a little spark?" Eldris protested.
"Oh, it's 'just a spark,' is it?" Lira countered. "What you don't realize is that the spark is the most valuable part of any magical beast. Their prices are determined by the creature's danger level and power. I shouldn't need to explain how deadly that beast was. Normally I'd charge fifteen hundred lim for it, but given our history, I'm giving you a discount. So, are you buying or not?"
"I'll buy it. Here's the money," Eldris said.
"I'm afraid we can't complete the transaction immediately," Lira explained. "We need to take the carcass to the Hunters Association first so they can properly extract everything without damaging the spark or the body further. Our battle already reduced its value with the wounds and burns we inflicted. Any additional damage during processing will be the Association's responsibility, so we'll entrust it to them to preserve maximum worth."
"By the way," Eldris asked, "do you have anything else for sale? I might be interested."
"I have a few other sparks - maybe four or five - but they're not for sale. I do have some weapons if you're interested."
"Let me see the weapons first," Eldris requested.
Lira then produced an entire pile of weapons seemingly from nowhere, drawing them from a ring on her finger.
Eldris stared in disbelief, momentarily forgetting about the weapons as he blurted out, "How much is that ring?"
"That costs one thousand gold lim coins," Lira informed him, "which is considerably more than the one thousand copper lim you currently possess."
Eldris felt a sudden urge to steal the ring but knew he wouldn't survive the attempt. Not to mention how furious the G.O.S. (God of Sand) would be.
The realization hit him hard - he was dirt poor. "How can I earn money here?" he asked.
"You can make money by joining the Hunters Association," the messenger answered. "You can sell goods through them for a fee, though they'll take their own percentage depending on your agreement with them."
"Alright," Eldris said. "After you finish your business with the Association, where should I meet you to collect my spark?"
"Don't worry, Mr. Chrille," Lira assured him. "I'll give you your spark - after all, you'll be staying with us."
"Oh right, I almost forgot about that arrangement," Eldris said. "Okay then, goodbye for now."
Eldris walked toward the Association building. Upon entering, he was stunned to discover the interior was vastly larger than the exterior structure suggested - perhaps a thousand times more spacious. He nearly turned around to confirm he hadn't stepped through some magical portal.
The interior was breathtaking, decorated predominantly in gold tones. Five impressive statues stood at intervals, each depicting a warrior holding a sword pointed skyward. The ceiling was made of some transparent material through which the outside sky remained visible.
His gaze swept across the huge hall filled with people. Receptionists attended to various adventurers at multiple counters. Among the crowd, Eldris noticed many individuals with unusual physical traits - some had tails, others horns, and some displayed other peculiar characteristics.
Eldris felt certain these were all humans. The god had clearly stated this world contained only humans and demons, and he knew these couldn't be demons - any demon caught would be executed immediately. An entire room full of demons would be unthinkably reckless.
However, the god hadn't explained why some humans had these mutations. "That annoying god," Eldris thought, "always leaving out crucial information."
Approaching a recently vacated counter, Eldris addressed the female attendant. "I'd like to purchase some monster cores and browse your weapons. What's the procedure?"
The woman looked at Eldris, who despite wearing cleaner clothes now, still bore visible dirt stains. She showed no reaction to his appearance - such sights were common in her line of work.
"Yes, but first, may I see your Hunter ID?" she asked.
Eldris considered lying but decided against it. "I don't have one."
"I'm sorry, sir, but we can't conduct business without Hunter identification," she replied.
"Isn't there any alternative?" Eldris pressed.
"Unfortunately not," she said. "This is Association policy - I have no discretion in the matter."
"Alright then, how do I join the Hunters Association?"
...................................................................pls read and vote for me.