Chapter 3.2

Where the Amber Sky gave off the homey sensation of a warm, energetic tavern bustling with activity… well the activity certainly remained the same, but the mood was far different. Syr would compare the atmosphere to more of an institutional one. The interior in fine whites and blue accents, giving a pristine, clean feeling to the entryway and foyer beyond as they entered. Counters and boards that were natural yet sleek in form, crowded yet orderly as Keeper1s went about their business and groups of the resident Freelancers looked over their jobs.

The same activities yes, but Syr found the mood was far more businesslike. Where The Amber Sky was filled with as much casual chatter as it had been business talk, the conversations Syr’s ears pricked up on were far more direct and clinical in tone. There was some light banter to be found, but it was clearly of much more personable nature rather than coworkers making friendly small talk. Everything else was entirely focused on reports from those at the counters or discussing job details as people looked through their Decks for the information on them.

“Well, this is quite the familiar feeling,” Syr hummed, her ears drooping as she sighed. “It’s like being back in the College. Wonderful.”

“Ahh don’t worry, it only looks all stiff and pristine… though they’re sure as Gehenna not as rowdy as Amber Sky. No flying chairs this time.”

“Oh, so is that what happened over at that rowdy joint when you got back?” As the two were moving from the foyer and into the wider central room, both ended up almost jumping when that voice spoke. And as the owner chuckled, Syr noted the scent of flowers as well.

On initial impression one almost thought the new arrival to be a Dynor, but it became quite clear that wasn’t the case when Syr took note of the wolf ears atop the arrival’s head and the bushy tail swishing out from around his waist. A man standing a bit taller than Soren, his fair face a shade darker than the half-Alf’s, his mess of long black hair making a natural frame for his sharply shaped ruby eyes. Syr even caught fangs peeking out from his lips as he snickered.

He was dressed in blue and white attire Syr vaguely recognized as Far Eastern in nature, the Alf assuming from the nation of Yamato by the layered tunic and loose pants.

And as if to match the ears, a bushy tail swished out from the man’s waist, which confirmed what he had to be to Syr.

“A Henyo?” breathed the Alf, the new arrival giving a chuckle.

“Surprised Miss Alf?” snickered the wolfish man. “We’re not common folk to see, so I can understand your surprise. Not a lot of Henyo who leave Yamato. So, feel free to be impressed!”

“Oi,” Soren cut in with a quick elbow jab to the other Freelancer’s side. “Pardon the wise ass. This is a friend of mine who’s a member here.”

“Always a pleasure to meet someone Soren runs into,” said the Henyo, giving a slight bow of his head. “And do forgive the bit of rudeness. I just happen to get a bit of amusement out of mystifying people since we Henyo are so rare outside of our homeland. I’m Tenzo Ito, an onmyoji from Yamato. A pleasure.”

“Syr Fleyldis, from Vanira,” Syr bowed her head in return, recognizing the gesture. “I’ve heard a bit about Yamato’s onmyo arts, but never seen them. They’re quite different from sorcery, from what I know.”

“Oh ho, quite so. Buuut, I’m sure this isn’t a stop out of curiosity for foreign magicks. You must be a newcomer trying to find the Guild that suits you,” Tenzo laughed when Syr’s eyes went wide. “Don’t worry, it’s an easy tell! Newcomers always end up doing the rounds of the Guild District with a veteran to find which Hall will best suit their intended activities. It’s not unusual to see in the least. Still… definitely a Richie going by that jacket.”

“I’m going to keep hearing that a lot, aren’t I?” Syr sighed, her ears drooping as she hung her head. Soren gave her a reassuring pat on the shoulder.

“It’s just part of the culture,” chuckled Soren, the trio finding a table in the foyer of the Hall. “Take it as a friendly bit of hazing.”

“Hazing that’ll last until someone warrants a thunderbolting through a wall,” commented the Alf, chuckles coming from the other two. “Anyway, how about rather than continuing to crack smart remarks at my expense, we get to business, yes? As you’ve guessed, I’m a prospective Freelancer looking to start work for… reasons of my own. From the basics I know, among the Guild types I know a Guardian guild won’t suit me.”

“So, you want to know whether you should join with Mercs like Soren…” mused Tenzo, “Or work with us smart-aleck Invests. Wakkata?”

“…hm?” the Henyo chuckled at the Alf’s confused stare.

“It means ‘I got that right?’ in Yamatan. I’m guessing you don’t speak it, eh?”

“Well… aside from Alfish and Common, I can speak in various Fae languages and… Draconic,” Syr pressed her fingers together as the Freelancers gave her curious looks at that last mention. “That one was for… other reasons besides my studies back in Vanira. So… no, unfortunately Yamatan is not among my linguistic catalogue.”

“Eh, can’t blame you for not. Not like you see a ton of Yamatans out and about anyway, the tongue hasn’t spread a lot. But let’s do what you said and get to business. You need to know which Guild type is better suited for your needs, and we can provide the answers to your questions,” Tenzo gestured between him and Soren as he spoke. “So, ask away!”

“Alright… so, as I understand it, say… in regard to the investigations of things like ruins and other derelicts from before the Dark Ages, the task of the initial dive is done by Mercenaries, who are usually more equipped to handle unknown threats… where then it’s the Investigators who handle the follow-up delves, finding unknown rooms and extracting artifacts. Yes?”

“Ehhh, it’s bit more complicated than that,” said Tenzo, tilting a hand back and forth. “We tend to use joint teams for the initial dives into a place. Mercs keep the nastier sorts away, Invests clean thing ups and open up the stuff in the way if the Mercs ain’t got the tools. More efficient that way. But for follow up checks…”

“Those tend to be handled by the Grand Guild itself,” Soren continued. “It’s something of a case-by-case basis though. Say… if we’re talking Ascian-era ruins from say, the Dynor kingdoms of the time, those are usually safe enough to be managed by the group that found them to begin with. Now say… if we’re talkin, I dunno, Ascian ruins shoved somewhere nobody would look or smack in the middle of the Frontier regions, management of investigation trips are a bit more tightly controlled because of how many unknowns go into finding one of those places.”

“Fair enough…” and yet there was a hint of disappointment in the Alf’s voice. “Considering the technology that is usually in those ruins, it does make sense there would be tight regulations on exploring them… especially considering the war twenty years ago. I doubt anyone wants a repeat of what incited it.”

“Of anything the aftermath of the war made regulation on Ascian relics even tighter,” Tenzo remarked. “Well… relics that ain’t the Ars Machina anyway but that’s an entirely different conversation.”

“You’re talking about the people born from the Cradles, right?!” Syr shot to her feet, her hands slamming to the table in her burst of energy. “They’re another of the biggest mysteries from the empire! More advanced than any kind of auto-mech made today, living beings with their own souls despite being ‘born’ through entirely different means!”

“… ohh she’s that kind of newbie,” Tenzo mused, Soren rubbing the back of his head. “You must’ve spent a lot of time around those uh… what were they called again? Those folks the Alf’s have do uh…”

“The Recordkeepers,” said Syr, still electing not to sit down. “Alfs, be them Vanalf, Saeralf, or Svartalf, who’s jobs it is to record history as it is. No bias, no coloring of events from the perspective of one side versus another. History as it truly happens… which as you can imagine means the blank space that is the entire Ascian Empire has driven some almost mad trying to learn the truth of.”

“Wouldn’t there have been Alfs who were alive during those days?” Soren said, Syr nodding. Tenzo also took a clear interest in the topic shift.

“And that’s what makes that historical gap so infuriating to them. The eldest Recordkeepers know they were around during the Ascian’s reign, and yet that’s all they can recall. And anything we’ve managed to dig up from the ruins scattered across the world are barely helping us piece anything together since the data is either to corrupted or we just can’t crack it… a shame Descendants are so hard to find, since they’re the only ones who can even activate their technology.”

“Yeah… rare as hell,” Soren looked to the side with a stilted chuckle, Tenzo giving a poor whistle.

“… are you two playing something off?”