Kargerran departed to start his duty day at the Lotrot military compound. Rob had brought down one of their blank journals and a black ink version of Lena''s pens and gotten a sketch of the path from their inn to the Adventurer''s Guild before the arassas took off. They followed Kargerran''s advice to take their arms and armor with them, as well as anyone or thing that could add to their show of strength.


    "After all, you should know better than I how many bodies of would-be usurpers the tribesmen have been dumping in the dungeon," he had said.


    Jason had nodded back with a resigned grimness. "That we do," he said. The parandrian tribesmen surrounding Lotrot held dungeons as sacred places of karmic recycling. The majority of the people dumped in Lena''s dungeon had been noncombatants, or at best the dregs of society. Not a single one had given the dungeon a soldier class design or anything more combat effective than [Brute] or [Mage].


    That was why they had Rostem and Tahmina perched on their shoulders while Adam strode along beside Rob. They got looks, but aside from some merchants calling out their wares, no one approached them.


    The hawker for a new [Bonesmith] answered Rob''s curiosity over how everyone maintained such bright smiles. Dental hygiene was still an issue for modern first world nations on Earth, but seemed pretty well handled in Lotrot. Rob had wondered if it might be related to mana-based healing, and in a way, it was.


    "Teeth fixed! Teeth fixed! Come see the Bonesmith! Reasonable rates! Scales chipped? Come see the Bonesmith!" The hawker, a young gidatuar with an impressive parade ground voice hollered out that verse a few times before adding, "New shop just opened! Establish yourself on the new Bonesmith''s client roster for a life time of preferential service!"


    That was, until he saw the shadow wolf, screeched like a chicken spotting an ax wielding farmer, gathering himself for a leap — only to promptly faint.


    All eyes swung to the panicked gidatuar at his screech, then swept over the street looking for danger. Rob placed a possessive hand on Adam''s head, as much to demonstrate that Adam wasn''t aggressive as well as to show that he was under someone''s control.


    While a lot of eyes lingered on them, most continued their sweep. After all, if the wolf were dangerous, it would have been attacking, not huddling up to an elf and looking for the source of the gidataur''s panic with them.


    Even as they looked for danger, a trio in City Watch grays stepped forward. One, a wolf kin, went to the fainted gidataur, while the other two began a variation on the "move along, nothing to see here" routine of city police work the universe over.


    A forth guardsman, a slender arassas, spoke in the body-shaking bass range of female arassi as she stepped nearer to Jason. "Please continue along. Gidataurs have a racial fear of shadow wolves, and it would be better for the boy if your wolf wasn''t in sight when he comes back to his senses."


    "Yes, ma''am," Jason said, and they quickly moved along.


    <hr>


    The Guildhouse for the Adventurer''s Guild stood several stories tall in the middle of a gated compound. The gates were wide open, and no one seemed to be stationed at them, which made it a little less weird to stop and admire the construction.


    The walls were worked stone, similar to the city walls. Unlike the city walls, these were only five meters tall and two meters thick. Like the city walls, there were arrow slits near the top and murder holes in the archway framed by a double set of gates, one to each side of the wall. Geometric abstract art adorned the walls, mainly composed of variations in the shade of stone used in the wall''s construction. The walls themselves were quite smooth.Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more.


    "Think they''re ready to repel invaders?" Rob quipped. Jason snorted and nodded.


    They walked through the entrance arch and headed to the central building. According to Kargerran, that would be their public administration building, and a receptionist would be able to guide them through the process of recruiting the people they were looking for.


    Arrayed around the central building were the somewhat familiar shapes of ancillary office buildings and more utilitarian facilities. A few well armored people moved toward a building just to the left of the central building while another pair entered one of the more warehouse-sized buildings.


    As they got closer, they sighted the sign Kargerran told them to look for: a scroll with a wooden dip pen poised over it. That was the entrance for petitioners, what the guild called their clients.


    They barely stepped into the room before a gnome woman harrangued them. "Companion pets must be collared on guild property! And your team is in the wrong place! This is the Petitioner''s Office, not the Adventurers!"


    "Actually, we are here to discuss posting a petition, and we are not adventurers." Rob flashed an irritated grin at the woman. She was pretty much what he had expected a gnome to look like, wrinkled and with eyes that dominated her face. Her skin had interesting patterns of red and brown streaks and her canary yellow hair, pulled back in a neat bun, showed off her lack of ears.


    She took the correction with grace, dropping some of the exasperation from her expression. "My apologies for snapping, then. We''ve had an influx of adventurers from other regions and the change in routine has been an adjustment for all of us. However, companion animals must be collared. I''m surprised you were permitted to walk through the city with your wolf uncollared, to be honest."


    Jason said, "You make it sound as if these collars are something special."


    The gnome''s expression changed again, this time to round eyed alarm. "Please tell me that you have some means of magically controlling that wolf and you''re not just relying on *training*!" She practically spat that last word, as if it were a disgusting concept.


    Rob kind of wanted to tease her, but Jason spoiled the fun. "He''s under a magical contract that puts him under my authority."


    The gnome''s alarm turned to curiosity. Before she got a chance to start interrogating them, Rob asked, "So, where would we get these collars, and can we put in our petition seeing as we''re here already?"


    Heavy clopping footsteps drew the gnome''s attention to a archway on their left.


    "That won''t be necessary, Grascile." A growly tenor voice preceeded the appearance of a bipedal blend of deer and bear. The lower half of the man borrowed its shape from the deer part, though unlike deer the dew claws actually extended back enough to act as additional surface area for the foot. All over, the man entering the room was covered with the thick, shaggy hide of a bear. His head, with the exception of a pair of grand antlers, resembled nothing so much as a bear''s head. That included the fuzzy round ears set to either side of the top of his skull. He wore leather chap-style pants and a long leather vest over an unbleached linen tunic shirt. When he spoke again, the stubby fangs of a bear flashed in his mouth. "Jason Kline, Roberto Garcias, to what does this humble office owe the honor of your presence?"


    Jason smiled, keeping his lips closed. "Val''Melnroe, it''s a pleasure to see you again. Rob and I have been tasked with going out into the wider world and reporting our findings back to the Design Lead of the Studio of Capricious Dreams. We are seeking a guide and some additional guards for the journey and were directed here."


    "An honor, in deed. First, do you have other animal companions?"


    Jason said, "We left our horses at a stable by the inn where we''re staying while we''re in town."


    "Horse …. " The parandrian stag''s gaze grew distant, distracted as he repeated the unfamiliar word. Then he nodded, his focus return to the room. "A low threat beast of burden, non-monstrous. Good. Grascile, please procure the appropriate collar forms for our guests'' companion creatures. They need not be active, merely demonstrate that the creatures are controlled." His gaze turned back to them. "Please, right this way. We can discuss your needs in my office."


    The gnome looked like she was trying to swallow lemons, all pucker-faced and surprised, but merely said, "Yes, Assistant Guildmaster."