CHAPTER 12: A GUILD

"Where are we going today?" Ghost asks with a bit of curiosity in her voice.

I forgot that I didn’t really say anything about us going to the guild today since it was still something I was considering. It’s the best chance at getting information on the dungeons so we’d have to go anyway.

I’m willing to bet that it’s just as crowded there if not worse. A lot of people are capable of being hunters around here so it wouldn’t be that surprising.

"We need to check out the guild Velgrade

since they should have directions on where to find the dungeon." I answer with a bit of confidence.

It’ll definitely be interesting to see how many of them actually take me serious since I definitely look like a junker. There wasn’t really much for me to change into that would hide it better.

Maybe I’ll get luck enough for them to ignore it since I’m taking in a dungeon quest in the first place. Most would think I’m foolish for taking on the quest before thinking about my occupation.

"Hmm, I don’t really know much about this guild or guilds period." Ghost says with a bit of confusion in her voice.

"They aren’t anything crazy to think about right now, just follow me." I reply as I pick up my bag.

I brought ghost back down to the main lobby and out the door without any issue. People were all throughout the streets just like yesterday but I couldn’t let it get to me.

"The guild building should be over that way right?" Ghost asks while pointing towards the direction of the building.

"Yes that’s exactly where we are going." I answer her while beginning to walk that direction.

After just a few moments of walking we had made it to the front of the Velgrade Guild building. Velgrade stood like a monument carved out of defiance.

A towering structure of blackened steel and reinforced concrete, nestled dead in the heart of Central Ashvalis, where the dust of the outer area never seemed to settle. It looked like someone had ripped the bones of a skyscraper from the old world and reforged it into something better.

Massive metal ribs jutted from the walls, some decorative, some very much functional, reused weapons from monsters and fallen guilds alike. A giant broken sword, rusted and weathered, hung over the arched main doors like a reminder: "Only the strong walk in. Only the worthy walk out."

Stained banners flapped from high iron poles, bearing the Velgrade emblem — a fanged crown wrapped in black flames... faded but never torn. The front plaza was patrolled not by guards, but by guild hunters showing off. Their armor looked custom-forged, reinforced with monster bone or cyber plating, talents flickering subtly around their hands, eyes, or weapons.

Above the main entrance was a holographic board displaying missions, ranks, and names. Some names glowed gold. Others? Crossed out.

The walls of the building had battle scars, not polished beauty. Bullet holes. Slash marks. Claw dents. And somehow, that made it more amazing to see.

This was definitely a guild building after all, I couldn’t believe that it actually was this impressive to see up close. It makes sense that a lot more of the building would be functional, including a damn sign with everything displayed.

After taking in the whole look of the outside it only gave me a weird feeling about what the inside could be like.

"Well no reason to waste any time, we should head inside." I suggest while walking up to the door.

Upon opening the door to the main hall it stretched wide, with a ceiling so high it vanished into the shadows. Jagged support beams hung like ribs from above, and dimstrip lights buzzed overhead, half-flickering, half-dead. The only light that really mattered came from the mission boards... glowing digital slabs built into the far wall. They streamed data constantly: monster bounties, territory claims, some sort of party deployments, and even kill counts.

This was definitely a lot more than I expected of a damn guild but I never went into one of the buildings before.

Benches and tables filled the space like a war camp. Some made of stone and others welded from scrap. Scars from knife fights, bullet holes, and burns littered every surface. Hunters lounged there, all kinds: sleeveless brutes with glowing eyes, cloaked casters leaning on rune carved staves, tech-enhanced psychos fiddling with weapon mods. Some drank. Some slept. Some even stared at me the moment I walked into the hall.

"Maybe it’s best we get whatever we came here for." Ghost suggests while sticking close to me.

I don’t disagree with Ghost about getting what we need but I’m definitely not scared of anyone in here. They can give whatever looks they want, at the end of the day it doesn’t change anything for me.

I’ll still be a talentless guy while they all awakened something special within themselves.

"The reception area is probably our best bet." I respond while leading the way.

I bring ghost with me over to the main desk where a woman with a fairly nice suit on seems to be waiting on the other side. She has long blonde hair that extends past her shoulders and seems to have blue eyes, some sort of pissed off expression on her face, and a special pin on her chest.

At least she’s got a decent rack... No, why am I thinking like that all of a sudden?

"What do you need?" She asks with a bit of an annoyed tone to her voice.

"Directions to a dungeon." I answer bluntly.

There’s no reason to play games with this since we don’t want to get stuck traveling in the dark. I’m already going to be taking a pretty big risk as is... Entering the dungeon with no specialty whatsoever is already suicide.

"I don’t think I’ve seen you around before." She says while ignoring the answer.

"I’m not usually inside here often, can you please just give me the directions." I reply while trying to keep a respectful tone.

I watch as she pulls out a map and lays it out in front of us. "You’re going to head out the Western exit and follow this road for about an hour or so, you’ll find the entrance to the right of the road." She shows us on the map as she speaks.

"Thank you." I reply with some appreciation in my voice before we walk away.

"If you’re going to kill monsters make sure you come back with some sort of proof. We can’t reward you otherwise." The girl speaks loud enough for us to hear.

I have no intention of returning back to this damn guild if I can avoid it. They’ve always been such a pain in the ass and I don’t really like how they act in here.

"I guess we got a walk ahead of us." Ghost says with a bit of disappointment.

"Yes we do." I reply with disappointment in my voice as well.

It’s not a fun walk after all.

We left Velgrade’s guild building and made our way for the Western exit, it didn’t take very long for us to get there. Luckily no one decided to follow us and we were able to start our long walk without a problem.

Guess this should be interesting, I’ve never seen a dungeon before either.