"So let's see if we can find your record." The guild clerk said turning and walking to a large circular filing cabinet.
She went around till she found a drawer marked "O". She then rummaged through till finally after several minutes of searching pulled out a manilla folder. On the front in big black letters read "Otter".
"Here we go, if you don't mind going back through and making sure all the info is up to date." The clerk said smiling
Otter taking the folder walked with Owl and Puppy to a table. Taking a seat it wasn't hard for Otter to see the curiosity of Owl and the excitement of Puppy. Scanning the document he made some minor changes like his weight on file was 242, and he weighed a much thinner 172. Also, he added that he was a medic and medical researcher. Other than that the rest was the same. He hadn't realized how long he'd lived in his house. The file was almost five years old and not much had changed for him. Once he was done making changes he looked at the girls and sighing handed the file to them.
"Wow, you're A-Rank like us, that's so cool. No way, you completed 50 S-Ranked jobs. That means you should have been promoted to S-Rank. Why weren't you?" Puppy asked
Otter's face darkened and he seemed almost like he was lost in a memory. Owl quickly changed the subject to a different part of his file.
"Puppy that's enough, his past is his past, and we should respect him to leave it in the past. Now, I would like to know why in the relationship status you put complicated with a frowning face?"
Otter's mood shifted to more of a bemused expression, but he shook his head to say I'd rather not answer. Owl wasn't happy, but Puppy gave her a look that said time to take your own advice, and leave his past in the past.
The reason the guild asks this is in case something happens they know who needs to be notified. Also, many royals and nobles choose to play adventurer, and while it's far from fair. If they're family is high enough rank they get top notch resources. In the form of rescue teams and priority jobs.
Otter put the papers back in the folder and returned it to the clerk. After she verified it everything was in order. She reactivated Otter's status as an adventurer.
Owl then walked up to the clerk and said "I'd also like to retire the party Golden Harpies, and then file the papers for creating a new party." The clerk looked at her for a moment in shock. This clerk had been here for the creation of the Golden Harpies, and she knew how important this group was to Owl. However, after looking at the situation, and putting a few dots together figured out the plan.
"Right away! Just give me one moment!" The clerk said cheerfully. She returned a few minutes later and handed Owl a stack of papers. "Just fill these out and your new party will be official."
Owl hated paperwork, to be honest she hated anything that wasn't drinking, eating, or cracking skulls. So, this time she passed that duty onto Otter.
Otter, while less than enthused to do it either. Still, he picked up the quill and started the process.
"Ok, party name Necromancer's Harpies. Party leader… I guess Ow…" Otter was stopped before finishing by Owl.
"Hold up there buddy, I'm not leading this team. To be honest the only reason I became the leader of the Golden Harpies was because I lost at straws. None of us knew how to lead, or the work it took to be a leader. This time though it's different. I vote we make Otter the party leader. You agree, don't you Puppy?"
Puppy laughing responded "Absolutely, he's cool under pressure, logical, and based on his file has leadership experience."
Otter was the vice-captain of his previous party. He really didn't want the responsibility, but decided not to protest after thinking about it. If he wanted to make sure what happened to his previous party doesn't happen again. Being the party leader was the best way.
"Ok, then it's settled, I'll be the party leader for as long as you two will allow it." The rest of the paperwork went by fast enough, and after turning it in they were an official party.
"So captain, what's our first job gonna be?" Puppy teased
Otter and the girls walked up to the job board. It was a massive cork board overflowing with papers of different requests. The guild tried to keep it organized by rank. The E-Ranked jobs on the far left, that moved to the right to D, C, B, A, S. They were looking at B-Ranked jobs. This would be their first job, and since they'd never actually worked together wanted to take something easy.
Otter came across a job request from a town called Motta. Otter had been there before and liked the town. He'd never want to move there, but still found it to be a sleepy town with decent people. As he grabbed the paper off the board and turned to his new teammates he took note of their adventuring gear. Owl wore a white sleeveless button down, with a mint embroidery that ran down the front like green rain. Black skin tight pants, and mint canvas shoes. He also noticed she'd painted her nails mint. He wasn't positive, but he was starting to think she liked the color mint. Puppy wore a red sleeveless that was zipped to just above the cleavage. Otter tried not to stare, but had to admit he appreciated the gifts she was bestowed with. She wore a white skirt that Otter was positive would be head turner, and red booties. She too had painted her nails though hers was red.
Otter had slightly altered his clothes as well. He wore a white oversized shirt, a black long coat, black pants hemmed to sit just above the ankle, and black loafer style shoes. His long black hair normally tied in a bun, was sitting messy in a ponytail. He was having a bad hair day, and being rushed by two girls. Who also had to do their own hair wasn't helping. He looked at his black nails and chuckled to himself that they definitely stayed on theme.
"So girls, how about this job?" Otter said, handing them the white wolf request.
Owl looked it over while Puppy asked "Motta? Never been there, how about you Otter?"
"Yeah, it's been a while, but I've done a couple jobs there."
Owl handed the paper back to Otter before sighing and saying "Fine, I guess we can take this job. Though I hope you know it's beneath us. We should be taking at least A-Ranked jobs."
Otter gave an exhausted look, and retorted "I agree that we have the combined strength to do them, but we also have no chemistry. We've never worked together and know little about each other. Plus, we don't know how each other moves. Well, you two know one another, but you don't know me and I don't know you."
This explanation seemed to make sense for Owl. She thought about it for a second then nodded her agreement. At that moment the wooden doors of the guild flew open. Revealing a portly young man of about sixteen. He wore extravagant white clothes. His shirt, pants, and shoes were a blinding white. On top of that he was adorn with jewelry of gold, silver and platinum. It didn't take a prodigy to see he was of noble birth. Otter could feel his stomach begin to hurt from the stress. He hated nobility, and really anyone with large sums of wealth. They all had superiority complexes, and usually little reason to justify it. This young man looked to be much the same. He was followed by three large men that Otter recognized as well known adventurers. The one directly behind the kid was Marcus. Otter had done a few jobs with him as both a solo and with his former party. He was a chill guy who used logic and reason over emotions and feelings. He looked exactly as Otter remembered him. Long spiky white hair, big tree trunk muscles, and a scar over the bridge of his nose. He was easily six-nine and north of three hundred pounds. His clothes had changed though. He use to wear a red long coat white cloth, long sleeves underneath, brown pants and boots. Now he wore a black suit and tie with a white button down. He truly looked uncomfortable, and like the suit would explode if he sneezed.
The other two Otters had never met, but knew of through reputation and story. The one to Otter's left facing them was named Mongo. He was a massive man that made Marcus look small by comparison. Mongo's long messy green hair looked like a patch of kelp got stuck to the top of his head. He also wore the same outfit as Marcus and the other guy, but Mongo had the arms ripped off. This made sense since his arms practically were the size of boulders. He stood at north of seven feet in height, and conservative estimates would say he has a hundred pounds on Marcus. He was known for being a mindless brute who was best equipped to do kill jobs, or at least jobs that didn't mind if the target was alive or dead. Next to Mongo was a smaller man named Styx. He was about Otter's height and weight, which compared to his two companions made him look even smaller. His neat side combed grey hair and sleepy eyes. Made him look like an old man who's just done with everything. He was also the only one to look normal in his suit.
He knew Marcus used body enhancement magic. He was pretty sure he'd heard that Mongo used earth magic, and Styx used shadow magic. They were all A-Rank for a reason, and that made seeing them with that kid even more confusing. They each could solo A-Ranked jobs. That kind of power meant their services were not cheap. In this world there's two types of power. First is solo power, that means that you as an individual are strong. The other is party power, that means that you're A-Ranked because the party is. Basically Solo was a party of one and Party was a team effort. These three were all solo's.
The kid reached the counter and loudly shouted "You desk wench, come here immediately."
The clerk who had been previously helping Otter's group took a quick calming breath before turning around with a big smile and saying "Coming! How can I assist you?"
The pompous brat decided it would be fun to swing his dick around a bit. "I hope that wasn't attitude I heard in your voice. You do know who my father is right?"
The clerk, panicking a little, responded "Of course Sir Bacon, your father is the Marquess of Rottensguard. He is in charge of Oarstin, Beckongrad, and our city of Lamested."
It took everything Otter and the girls had not to laugh at the Marquess son's name. Sir Bacon seemed pleased with her groveling, and moved onto his reason for being here. "I demand you give me and my party the headless knight job in the Insomnia Mountain's."
The whole guild gasped at the request. Most nobles will only do A or above jobs if they have contracted a small army, and none ever take S-Ranked jobs. This was an A-Ranked job, and if you want to be very specific it's a high A-Ranked job. Not the type of mission a person of his status would ever take on. Especially with only three adventurers having his back.
The same thought seemed to cross the clerk's mind as she nervously looked around for someone to help her. She knew this portly boy couldn't handle this job, and if he gets killed its her head.
"Are you sure about this young lord? Even for the most experienced of A-Ranks this is a tough job."
This comment did not go over well with the young noble. "Are you comparing me to some gutter trash A-Ranks? You should know your place, lest it get you executed."
The clerk flinched, and filed the paperwork without any more protest. Her eyes gazed at Otter for assistance, but he knew he couldn't help. He didn't even know their magic yet. Which in hindsight was probably something he should have learned prior to making this party. Since they both said they're combat types he has some ideas.
Sir Bacon looked at Otter's crew and focused in on Puppy and Owl. "You two over there" Owl and Puppy confusedly pointed at themselves. "Yes you two, come here."
The girls approached cautiously and stopped but a few feet from the noble.
"Mmm, yes, you two will do nicely. Congratulations, you're now officially apart of my party. Feel free to praise me for my generosity."
Otter couldn't tell why, but that really pissed him off. Before he could stop himself he stepped in between the noble and the girls.
"Sorry little piggy, but these two are mine. Go roll around in some mud and quit bugging us."
The guild was so quiet you could hear the creaking of the wooden building. Nobody moved or even dared to breathe too strongly. The noble's kid was in complete shock. Otter on the other hand walked to the counter and asked another clerk to file that he and the girls would be taking the white wolf job.
It took the clerk a moment to catch herself before hesitantly taking the paper and filing it. Once Otter got his copy he turned and grabbing the girls wrists he walked them to the door.
"Hold it right there you damn ingrate. Who the hell do you think you are talking to me that way?" Sir Bacon bellowed
Otter paused, but before he could respond Marcus spoke up "I can answer that sir. His name is Otter and for the past two or so years he's been a medical researcher, doctor, and the leading expert on necromancy. Prior to that though he was known as the Dark King. He's an A-Rank who should have been promoted to S-Rank a long time ago. I've never met the two girls, though I know that their names are Owl and Puppy. They are also A-Ranked, and must be pretty strong if they convinced Otter to come out of retirement. Especially after…" Otter cut him off.
"Enough! Marcus it was good seeing you, but let's leave the past in the past. It's irrelevant to my story today. As for why I'm back… I found these two interesting and decided to join them. Nothing more and nothing less. Come on girls lets go."
"I didn't say you could leave welp!" Sir Bacon screamed "I will tell you when you can leave. Now I don't give a damn about you or your story. The girls though are of interest to me. So, unless you have…" Puppy interjected quickly
"You can't have us, we are Otter's wives!"
If the room could get quieter I did so after that. Everyone, including Owl looked shocked. Marcus looked impressed at Puppy's ingenuity. He could tell she was lying, but since he considered Otter a friend he wasn't going to say anything.
The noble asked shakily "I…Is this true?"
Otter gave the girls a look asking if this was ok. Puppy shot back a definite, and Owl's was more of a fine if it gets us out of this mess then fine. "Yes, these are my wives and I thank you to not bother us further." With that they turned and left the guild.
The trio made their way to Motta, and on the way Otter used the chance to learn more about his team.
"So, you guys know my magic, but I don't believe I've gotten to learn yours."
Puppy was the first to answer "Well, I use wind magic and Owl uses fire magic. Sorry, we got so preoccupied with the party stuff I guess it slipped our minds to tell you." She finished with a laugh
Otter took their powers into consideration as he formulated a simple back plan. He figured they had their own way of fighting, but if they didn't create something that took all of them into account. They would never be able to rise to S-Rank. He figured Puppy would be on board and open to adjusting the battle formation. Owl on the other hand was another matter entirely. She was as stubborn as they come, and she could be obstinate when she wanted to. He knew that to get her on board he'd need to show her why they needed to change.
Still lost in thought, Puppy spoke, breaking him from his planning. "So, did you know the guy guarding that prick?"
"Oh, yeah, his name's Marcus, and back in the day we took some jobs together. He's a cool guy, but I didn't know he was freelancing. Admittedly, after I retired from adventuring I lost touch with a lot of people."
Freelancing is when an adventurer chooses to work for a company, noble, or non guild affiliated client. Otter took a few of these jobs, but it's way riskier than guild work. The company or noble could put you in a position that raises the chances you get seriously injured or killed. As for non guild affiliated clients they can not pay you, some have even killed the adventurer to avoid paying. Overall, it's not for naive or weak people.
"What about the other two? What do you know about them?" Owl asked suddenly curious
Otter thought for a minute then responded "I don't know much about them. The big one's name is Mongo and the other is Styx. All three are solo A-Ranked. From what I've heard Mongo is a mindless brute, who's brain is just a bicep. Styx from what I heard is incredibly intelligent. His shadow magic is powerful, but weakens during the daytime. He uses his high intelligence to find ways around that weak point. Still, apparently even in the daytime he's still a tough kill. I can't say I know much more than that."
Owl seemed impressed by Otter's information gathering skills. For Otter this is a basic necessity for being a high ranked adventurer.
Puppy was engrossed by the scenery. Apparently, they hadn't gone this direction. Otter couldn't figure out why, but sensed it was a touchy subject. He decided to drop it and not push any further.
"Hey Otter? This village we're going to, what's it like?" Puppy asked not looking away from nature
Otter thought about it for a minute then responded "Motta is a sleepy Village full of weirdos and workaholic's. The people aren't bad or anything, they're just hardworking, everybody knows everybody, peaceful town. That just happens to be next to an old hive mine."
A hive mine is the term used for a failed mineral mine. It gets its name due to the fact that the reason the mine failed was because it became a monster spawn point. Since the village is out of the way. Not many adventurers are willing to go out and exterminate the monsters for them.
"So, obviously we have to defeat this white wolf, but what if we slay other monsters in the mine? Do we get a bonus or anything" Owl asked, her eyes dripping with greed.
Otter looked back at her for a moment before responding. "You know I never realized how greedy you were. Still, yes there are bonuses for any monsters killed in the mine. Not that we will be able to take advantage of it. This White Wolf isn't something we can take lightly. We still don't have great chemistry and timing."
Owl glared at Otter, but Otter didn't budge. He may have a habit of acquiescing to avoid an awkward situation, but on this he knew he couldn't back down. This was something that could decide life and death.
Puppy seeming to realize Otter's reasoning, or maybe having already thought of the same thing said. "Owl lay off, Otter has a point. Even when we had perfect chemistry and timing. People got hurt and…she still died."
Otter looked back at Puppy, but her eyes pleaded with him not to ask any questions. He had a past he didn't want them to know. So, he could understand, and turned back around and kept walking. They walked in silence for the next half hour.
The grassy fields and clear sky made it a comfortable, and even enjoyable day. However, the internal struggles raging inside the trio threaten to break them before they even started.
Otter tried to refocus on the mission, but with every second a flash of the past pierced his ever weakening psyche.
"OTTER HELP!!!" "Vice-Captain please!" "Your men are dying! Don't you feel anything?!"
Otter tried to shake it off, but the flashes persisted. Each one stronger and louder than the last. He could feel his breathing quickening, and all the sound around him began to fade away. Soon all he could hear was the pounding of his heart. Each thunderous boom echoed in his head like drums. The world began to spin and his steps were unsteady. He couldn't see, he couldn't hear, he couldn't think. All he could do was break.
"Otter!!!" Owl and Puppy screamed in unison after watching Otter collapse.