CHAPTER VIII

He woke up at early dawn, preparing for the busy day ahead. After doing some light stretches and breakfast in the dining hall, he goes outside to the already bustling street.

First priority, money. Ensuring one's life hood is just as important after all.

Making way to the main street, he takes the winding stairs above. There's one booth which is already manned by a woman. Supposedly, it's the only place where you can register as adventurer in the city.

"Ad astra abyssosque! Welcome to adventurer guild, what can I do for you?"

Rin doesn't understand but it feels eerie to talk to the woman manning the station. She introduced herself as Katheryne, maybe it's just a quirk, but something's wrong with her but he couldn't put it why.

Ignoring that, he stated his intention.

"Registering, is it. I understand, please fill out this form and carefully read the contract agreement."

He took the paper the receptionist presented. It's just the regular agreement; upholding the law, responsibility, et cetera. There's nothing out of place in the contract and he can agree with the term which mostly warns you not to commit crime and the such.

It seems there are two categories of adventurers in the guild, commissioned and non-commissioned. The former was employed directly by the guild and are required to do the designated task according to each of their department such as collecting information or surveying an area. In short, they're direct subordinates or staff of the guild. While the latter are people like him who does odd-job and takes the commission and complete it.

Rin fills out his name and other tidbits of information.

"Congratulations on registering. So, Rin is it, would you like to take commission right away?"

"Yes, I plan to do that. Anything you can recommend, Katheryne?"

"Yes, how about filling some of the odd jobs in the city? Cleaning, fetching, delivering, we even have some employers looking for a part-timer. Rin is new to Mondstadt right, I think it would be wise if you familiarize yourself first with the local area."

"You have a point. I don't know how long I will stay in this city."

"I know you're strong enough to take subjugation quest and I can tell you're no beginner in this field but acclimatizing to the local climate is also important. It's good to gather a few favors early on."

"And that's based on what?"

"Fufu, it comes with the Job, Rin." Katheryne said with a small laugh.

In the end he relented to her persuasion skill. Katheryne gave him a few commissions; Delivering package, cleaning and rearranging a warehouse, dismantling a stall are a few things he'd taken. Good thing he didn't wear his uniform, instead opting for the buttoned shirt and suspender he bought yesterday knowing he would do mostly menial labor.

On the way out as he was about to turn, he bumped into the young man he'd met last night.

Uh… It's Bennet, right. He had a hard time to remember people's name.

"Yo old man! So you registered already?"

Rin nodded in response.

"Ah, don't tell me Katheryne is pushing those odd jobs no one takes?" Bennet said in whisper as jabbing him in the ribcage, he slightly turned his head to the woman in question who was already talking to another adventurer.

Rin nodded again.

"Tough luck. Well, no one often takes them; it won't do us guild's reputation very well though."

"Do you work for them?"

"Ah I was raised by the guild, so I owe them one and have been sticking with them ever since. Have to pay the debt somehow you know. Though I have some free time as of today, so I think I will take some commission."

Bennet… Rin thought. How sad your life is to not only befriend an old man but also to not have anything else to do in your holiday.

"Somehow, I really hate that look of yours, Old man." Bennett smiled wryly.

"Don't worry Bennet. If I meet a nice girl, I'll be sure to introduce her to you."

"What's with that reasoning!"

He left the exasperated young man behind while waving, "See you around!"

…

…

Walking around the city, he traced various landmarks to serve as a guide-post as he maneuvered around.

Sure, Katheryne gave him the addresses and meeting points where he would meet his client, but he never thought the winding path, hallway and stair serves like a labyrinth of sorts. At least it feels like one for him who was this new.

Ah, there it is. Rin thought as he came upon the building matching the description.

"Excuse me, is this an angel's share? I'm here for the commission." Rin approached a man nearby who seemed to be talking with another in front of the building's door.

"Oh? Are you here for the commission we requested?" Rin nodded at the man's words, "Good timing." The man said before beckoning to the fellow in front of him, "Then since the porter has arrived, we can begin to unload the wagon."

"This young man will take you from here onward. Then I'll hear the result, good luck!" Saying so, the mustached man went back inside.

He follows the rather polite young man to the back of the building. A wagon was parked beside it, there were a couple of horses tied to a pole and fed with hay grasses.

"Hmm? The inside is surprisingly larger than I expected." Rather isn't this too much, he thought it would be just a little luggage but the content of the wagon is worth loading a small warehouse to the brim.

"Is this the first time you've seen something like this, Mister Rin?" The young man called as he handed him a barrel full of what's probably wine and other sort of beverages according to the smell, and brought them back inside the cellar down the stairs below the tavern.

"Technically. Does this work the same as a magic pouch?"

"That's right. Although there's limitation in how large the object you will store unless it's something made from master alchemist and enchanter or a unique vision ability. As such, it is necessary to have this kind of carriage for merchant or businessman."

"Incidentally, do they also use this in a room or building?"

"Not often, and only rich people could afford and maintain something as costly as that. Even the magic pouch has its expiration date."

"I see. You're surprisingly knowledgeable at this, young man."

He wonders how long his magic pouch will last. Hopefully not within days or a couple of weeks. It will be painful when it accidentally burst while he was out there.

"Haha, please don't praise me. This much is common knowledge."

Roughly a few hours later, they'd finally finished unloading and arranging the barrel inside the cellar. With his strength it was easy to do his task as the young man would list where he should place a certain brand to a certain casket or storage area.

"Sigh. Finally, I finished 3 hours earlier than I expected. It's thanks to Mister Rin."

"How long does it normally take?"

"Longer than it should be. You don't want to know how many of these barrels would end empty by the end of the day. There should be one more staff member helping me but he's currently sick for three days now, it was a life-saver when you accepted that quest."

"I see. I'm glad to help then."

The young man merely smiled as he took a drink from his canteen.

"Oh, you already finished? Good job then." The owner came down and greeted them, he brought them a few refreshments, "Truthfully I was a bit hesitant to hire adventurer since carrying and transporting wine is not something that should be taken lightly, but I can see your meticulousness in that."

"Here's your commission payment as agreed upon." The aged-owner handed in a bag of mora which he promptly stored to his card, "Also, I'm ashamed to ask this, but can you do one more errand for me?"

It's not forbidden to take commission outside the guild, and it was never stated anyway. Rin just nodded his head, "Ah don't worry about it. It's just a trip to the Knight Headquarters. I want you to take this wine casket and give it to the grand-master, I wanted to return her a favor. I'll give you something extra and a free round on the house, how about it?"

"I have no problem. Coincidentally, I have another errand commission, so I might as well I take it."

"That's good then." The owner nodded in satisfaction and handed him the casket along his reward up-front. The owner surely put his trust in Rin.

"Please exert caution, it's extremely fragile, and I'm afraid an exposure to open air might spoil its taste so please deliver it soon."

"I will. Now I'm taking off. See you around."

"Yeah."

Rin left the tavern, and left him outside the streets.

"Mister Rin is surprisingly easy to talk to, honestly, I'm afraid he might snap me in half with his extreme visage."

"Hush, don't say that now. You still have another round cleaning the table, up you go young man."

"Yes, yes, you old owner."

…

…

Outside the street.

He pretended to never hear that. Rin is seen walking towards the good hunter.

"Ah, if it's Rin, you're not with Klee today?" The girl waiting behind the counter greeted him.

"I certainly hope not, she's in her confinement room now. Poor girl. Oh, speaking of which I'm here for that errand commission."

"Oh, certainly. I was a bit nervous since the Traveler hasn't come back yet, but thank god, you did take the commission."

"The traveler?" He tilted his head at the mention of the young girl and her fairy-like companion. To this hour, he's still not certain what exactly a Paimon is.

"Right, she often takes this commission as her daily round trip or something. It's a pity she refused to work as part-timer instead. That's where you come in to fill the spot in her absence."

"So, what do I have to do?"

"Since it's almost lunch time, I want you take these take-out orders to the knight headquarters. Here's the name list."

"Sure." He takes the long-piece of paper. The girl disappeared inside the restaurant before shouting at him, "Uhm, Rin, can you help me with this!?"

"Hehe~ It's too heavy for me."

It surely is. Although it's not much of a problem for him. The food was neatly arranged inside a large basket, and he carried it effortlessly while holding the wine casket in the other hand.

"You make it look very trivial, Rin."

"This much won't be a problem." Inwardly, he sincerely hopes his back won't give in to the temptation.

The girl smiled, "I can see that. But please be mindful of the stairs, god, I don't want to know how painful it must be."

Rin merely nodded at the suggestion. On the way, it made him think that he's been excessively polite to people around him… He's not sure what to make with the sudden change of habit. In the past, he would laugh boisterously, and as much as it pains him to admit, he was someone who never knew when to stop and was particularly insensitive to people's feelings.

He fears that he will miss something inside him. Then again, he was not someone who dwells on such trivial things, if anything he's still as practical as ever. Maybe it's just an unfounded fear.

"Oh, aren't you Rin from yesterday?"

The same guard who asked him for his ID standing beside the knight headquarters door called to him.

"Yes. I have some errands for the grandmaster, do you think she's busy right now?" Rin said, "Also a delivery from the Good Hunter."

"A gift for the grandmaster?" Rin nodded and hoisted the casket he held in his left hand. The guard snapped his attention to the knight at the other side of the door, "Oi wood, can you take the casket to the maid inside!"

"Yes!"

Rin handed the wine to the rather plump knight who hurriedly entered the building.

"There you go. Also, for the food, can you head to the training ground? Just hand it to the guy training there."

"I understand."

"Yes, thanks for the hard work."

Rin left the guard alone to his duty, heading to the training ground just beside the headquarters. It's not excessively large as he would think, maybe enough to fit a tennis court, possibly due to limitations in land and space.

He saw a few other knights brandishing their swords, be it the one-handed variant or its largely bulky counterpart, slashing it towards the straw dummy target. Curiously enough he saw a maid, judging from her overall attire, to train alongside them.

Maybe they have knight-maid corps or something similar, no matter how odd that sounds in his mind.

"Excuse me, I have a delivery from Good Hunter!"

He called out and got his attention from the knight who seems to be coaching the knight-maid.

"Oh, just place it on the bench over there. I express my gratitude to Sara."

He knows it's the name of the waitress whom he talked about earlier at the restaurant. Rin simply nodded and left the basket on the bench.

Rin was about to leave when the knight called out to him.

"Can you please wait a minute." Rin stopped and turned, finding the knight to be in front of him, seizing his figure up and down. "You're… are you the one who returned our little Klee yesterday?"

"If that's the case?"

"Haha, please forgive my rudeness. My name is Kaeya, pleased to meet you." The brown-skinned man smiled and introduced himself. Truth be told, his attire seems to be in-line with those pretty boys who often plays in nightclub rather than a fierce knight defending the land. Or so Rin thought from his impression, then again, he knows that if someone wore a rather distinct outfit and had unique appearance then he can guarantee they're special in some ways.

"It's Rin. The feeling is mutual. Then?"

"Ah, let's call it nothing but my curiosity, but little Klee is very happy in boasting about your prowess during last night's dinner, you see. It's very hard for Klee to open up to someone much less to a stranger she just met within a day. I can't help but want to know who her supposed savior."

"Judging from your words, I take it you want a spar or something similar?"

"Hahaha, never once thought someone would read me like an open-book, but yes that is correct. Would you mind, Rin."

It came with a pregnant pause. Rin mulled it within a few seconds.

"Unfortunately, I still have some commission and errand I still haven't done yet. Job call you see." He shook his head.

"Fumu, I understand. Then how about I make it a worth-while for your time, Rin." Kaeya grinned, reading exactly through his intention.

"Fine. A few minutes wouldn't hurt to sate your curiosity. I'll remember your words, Kaeya."

"Hahaha, spoken like a true adventurer. Now come."

Kaeya invited him to come in the middle of the training ground, nothing more than a large circle of marble. Probably to set a boundary when someone spars.

"Any weapons of choice? I wouldn't put it past you if you're a catalyst user." Kaeya asked.

His weapon of choice in melee is a knife, a quick one to the wrist would be proven fatal as he's somewhat familiar with modern techniques from his time as soldier. Of course, he's proficient in swords to an extent as it's a bladed weapon all the same and he has unlimited blade work anyway to compensate for any shortcoming.

"Just give me Spear." Kaeya nodded, respecting his weapon of choice. The man grabbed the handle of a training pole and throws it to the large old man.

There was no flair at all, and the people around had surrounded the two, observing the match between the traveler and the knight captain.

The referee shouted start.

Rin chose to go offensive first, preferring to overwhelm the opponent as decisively and quickly as possible. Unfortunately, his opponent is somehow one who plays sly and his feet are nimble to boot.

Kaeya dodged most of the pole that came his way before closing in to give the old man a few jabs.

The fight drags out. None of the duo are able to decisively gain advantage of each other.

Rin plays straight and forward; he swings with power as every breeze can be felt from Kaeya who avoided within a hairbreadth.

"Oh, I shouldn't underestimate you at all. Rin. Come with all you have!"

Kaeya's playful smirk grows even larger as Rin merely grunted. The knight captain was dancing around him, exploiting the obvious hole Rin gave him as the man pointed at him with the tip of his wooden sword.

Quickly as it came, Rin closed his stances to the counter, leaving Kaeya dumbstruck with how fast Rin responded as feeling the man had done that with intention. Rin's mind is sharpened, slowly incorporating Emiya Shirou's suicide fighting style into each of every swing of his pole.

Kaeya decided to draw, and stepped back aside when he was feinting to poise a strike, and immediately furthered the gap between the two.

Rin is like a massive fortress, unyielding and unfaltering in each of his strokes. On the other side, Kaeya, is epitome of the opposite of Rin, whereas Kaeya rely in speed to whittle down opponent strength with quick agileness and deceit.

Or how that should be.

However, Kaeya laughed a little when it was him who got tricked to attack the obvious opening Rin gave to him. Each and every man he'd met is prideful in their craft and moreover their life, he never met such suicidal technique if Rin is indeed applying it in battlefield.

Not even he dares to do such a thing as it means one single mistake, one single slip, means the end of him. Unless the user has a vision that is suitable to defend, and he doubts the man has one in the first place, the account of Klee says he can summon swords out of thin air.

Only geo vision could do something absurd such as creating something with solid matter. Coupled with his suicidal style, Kaeya can only infer that Rin hid his vision behind him. Sure he often faked a technique or feinting when fighting, but it's not to that extreme degree.

Already from their duel, Kaeya has grasped Rin's personality and quirk, it was his intention all along. As long as the other party is good, then Kaeya won't mind.

Usually he would gather information around them first before confronting them through "accidental" meetings with him. Not every man and woman have good intention when approaching the Knights, more so when they are from outside Mondstadt and befriend the gullible Little Klee.

There's no shortage of them. He can see Rin is not one of them.

The referee announced a draw when the time had dragged out more than it should have been. The peanut gallery can only muster ooh and ahh at the insightful display.

"Oh, never expect I will lose track of time." Kaeya said when he lowered his sword, "It seems you managed to surprise me one after another, Rin."

"As long as you are satisfied, Knight Captain." Kaeya merely laughed. Rin heard it all from surrounding who his opponent was.

"That was good, exhilarating event and a good lesson. You have my thanks, Rin." Rin nodded and was granted a hefty sum of mora from the exchange alone.

"Are you sure?" Rin asked, counting the zero at the number.

"Worth your trouble?" Klaeya said with a slight smirk as he crossed his arm.

At that Rin can only grunt in agreement, and Kaeya just chuckled harder. A hundred thousand on his first day is more than he can expect after all.

He bid his farewell to the Knight captain and the rest of the knight, and went in his merry way to finish other commissions Katheryne handed to him.

A sense of pride is rekindled within the old man.

After all, a man still has to work. No matter how measly it is.