FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

[center][b]The World Was Destroyed, and I had to Fight for the Right to NOT be the Main Character[/b] Chapter 10 I missed Half the Tour[/center] Inside the office, Tamika jumps on a table and spreads his arms. “Welcome to the Gladiator’s guild!” Those already there quiet and stare at him. I’d feel embarrassed for him, but he seems to be soaking it in. “We are who people come to after a hard day’s work. We are those they will spend their day of rest with. They come to watch us fight, so they can dream of being warriors. They come to listen to our music, our songs, our plays, so they can dream of better things. They come to our comedies so they can forget the harshness they endured. They come to our beds because there’s no better lover than a gladiator.” I expect laugher at that claim. It doesn’t come. I want to say it makes sense. Just about everyone here is part of the guild, but even Runihua and Yamiltary don’t. At the very least I’d expect the Quirr to mock Tamika at every occasion. “If you sign up with us,” the Capine continues, “I can promise you that you’ll have great times through the hardships of learning the required skills to fit in whatever branch of our guild you decide you belong. I will encourage you toward the arena and combat, but you aren’t required. We have actors, troubadours, acrobats, storyteller, singers.” He looks at me. “Writers for our plays. And of course, lovers. That’s one section which isn’t exclusive, because we expect all our members to be able to please whoever comes to them for sex. But if you make that your focus, you will learn things that will drive your partners crazy with lust.” He grinned. “I often regret not going that route. But hey. It’s not like I lack in offers. We fighters are in the most demands when it comes to taking someone to bed.” That gets reactions. Boos and others claiming their branch of the guild is the most sought after. It leaves Tamika smirking like that had been the expected reaction. There is definitely something of a performer to that man. “Feel free to mingle. Ask question of anyone. Unlike with the merchants, we don’t require you to make your decision right now. Just know that we expect you to be serious about joining. So ask questions. I understand this isn’t like where you are from.” That gets another reaction. One of confusion. Don’t they know we’re refugees? Or is it that the guilds are so widespread they can’t imagine someone not knowing about them? He drops from the table. I take a chance and walk around, looking for something specific. I find the stack of papers on a table with four people discussing one page. They notice me. “Can I see?” I motion to the papers. A woman Gueck hands me the page she’s holding. “You have an interest in becoming a playwright?” The question itself tells me this isn’t going to work, and before the other aspect registers, the meaningless symbols on the paper suddenly make sense. An actor’s directions, the setting for the scene. Directions to have backdropped moved. Tamika sits on the edge of the table. “Found something that interests you?” “This isn’t what I wrote.” I hand the page back. “Than—I appreciate you letting me look at it.” I mean. I could learn, I guess. I’m not an old man anymore. I have time. But I know nothing of the mythology those stories will be based on. I could probably invent science fiction. Not that I know if they’d understand it. Do they have a concept of planets around other stars? Way too much work. And I already decided what I want. I can look into writing once I have my cottage away from everyone else. Until then, that is the focus. Yeah. And how much success do I have staying focused? Karl is talking with a Loppin woman who is barely dressed. And the little she wears seems designed to enhance her womanly features. She’s not…. Look. I’m gay. I don’t really have an ‘appreciation’ for the female form. So, none of her features feel exaggerated to me the way movies back on Earthy like to portray sexually promiscuous women. But the way the strip of clothing push her breasts closer certainly make is difficult not to notice them. How they wrap around her hips to show just how round they are. Karl is certainly reacting to her. Surprisingly, Miss Sexual Bitch isn’t talking with any of them. She’s by the door, eying all of this with clear disdain. I don’t look away quickly enough when her gaze passes over me, and I see her expression shift to hate. I’m going to want to keep my distance. Even the Gueck guy is speaking with some, and he’s the only other one that pings my ‘noble’ radar. He looks to be belting out a few notes, and they seem to be appreciative. I have to remember this isn’t one of my stories. Even people I want nothing to do with are going to have depth. When Tamika gathers us, we mostly look satisfied with what happened here. “Runihua, if you’ll guide us to the next guild?” “Follow me,” she intones at the door. “We are heading for the Healers’ guild.” * * * * * * That guild is in a much smaller building. Which makes sense, I guess. It’s not like healers put on productions. The inside also isn’t what I expect. I thought we’d see something like a medieval hospital, or a clinic. Beds with sick people on them. People caring for them. Maybe see magic used as part of how they are healed. I’m kind of curious how magic works here. Not that I have any aspirations to that. This looks more administrative than anything else. Runihua speaks with an Urden, who joins us. “Greetings. The Knight tells me that you come to us from far away, and that you need education on what my guild does. As the name states, we see to the healing of the sick. We have healing houses spread throughout the city. Every city. We also have representatives in the smallest of communities. We will not let any of the Maker’s children fall to illness or injuries if it is within our power to help.” “How do you get paid?” Arnold asks between bites. I kid you not. The guy’s still eating. No idea where he’s keeping all the food, but every time I see him, he’s putting something in his mouth. “Remuneration is not the focus of what we do.” “Yeah, sure. But you’ve had to pay for all of this, right? This didn’t just grow out of the ground because those Makers of yours wanted you to have this building, right?” Definite lack of imagination with that guy. Magic exists here. The Urden looked to Runiahua for an explanation, and she whispers something that has him frowning. “The Seat sees to it that my guild can operate. That we can ensure everyone receives the basic care needed for them to thrive.” “Ah!” he says that like he just caught the Urden lying. Again, I get lawyer vibes off him. “So you do charge to anyone who needs more than that.” “Only if what they wish done is frivolous.” “And who decides what’s frivolous?” Arnold demands. “You’re from the US, aren’t you?” I surprise myself in saying. “What’s it to you?” I sigh. “How about you get with the rest of the world? Just about every country but yours on Earth had Universal Health Care. How is it so strange that a world which has magic, would be able and willing to offer healing and not charge for it?” He snorts. “That’s not human nature. People are greedy. You put them together and they’ll always look for ways to extract every penny from those under them.” “No humans here,” I counter. Other than him, clearly. “We, of the healers,” the Urden says with controlled neutrality, “are not of the merchants’ guild. We are not focused on our purse. We see to the health of those around us and count on Sloth to see to it we will have what is needed to keep going.” “That’s bullshit,” Arnold grumbles. I glare at the man. Oh, I would so love to see what your attributes are like, Arnie. I’m betting your greed is so much higher than anything else. Then something happens that startles me and, of course, it fades away. For a second there, I swear I saw a list of attributes before him. It’s gone now, and don’t ask me to remember the numbers. I glare again, but he notices me, and I hurry to look away. I’m going to have to try this again when he isn’t paying me any attention. We don’t spend much time here. The Urden woman in our group speaks with the man who explained things, but the others just stand there, like me, waiting to move on. Unlike the Gladiator’s guild. This is clearly just one thing. When she’s done talking Runihua leads us to the Mages’ guild. * * * * * I keep trying to recreate what happened with Arnold was we walk to the guild without luck. The mages’ guild is nothing like I envisioned. You tell me mages, and I think towers. You tell me a group of them and I think giant, sprawling buildings with towers. Universities of magic, if you will. This was a squat building taking the entire block. The shield is only sparkles, which, I guess, says magic. Inside, it’s a mix of a secretarial pool out of the sixties and a high school end of the year exam. Yes, that needs a bit of explaining. Way back, before computers, companies had rooms of secretaries whose job was to make all the copies of the text they needed copied for their…everyone. That meant big rooms with as many desks as possible and people writing—they used typewriters, where everyone here writes by hand. The high school exam part is that everyone here is trying to sneak a look at what their neighbor is writing, while protecting their own text from being looked at. It wasn’t as widespread during exams, but at least once during each, the teacher would catch someone cheating like that. Runihua returns with an older Gueck woman. “Welcome to the Mages’ guild. I am Mistress Ariuru of Al Khumloj. What you are seeing is our initiate class. They are leaning their basic spells, while also raising their attribute of envy.” I raise my hand. “The Knight tells me that none of you have training in magic, therefore—” “That is false,” our Gueck guy says in disdain. “I am a master caster. My Envy is at twelve.” “I see,” she says, not sounding impressed. She motions to the students. “Please demonstrate your competency.” “Excuse me?” he asks, offended. Tamika notices me, but all he does is smirk. Thanks a lot, buddy. “In this guild, boasting will get you little, other than helping students train their envy. I have no need to be envious of you.” Her tone drips with mocking. “Therefore, please demonstrate your competencies.” “On them?” “Surely you are sufficiently competent to not injure them greatly.” With a huff, the Gueck gesticulates and finishes with a flourish. Nothing happens. One of the student snickers. The Mistress gestures over her shoulder, and the student reacts as if he was slapped. Kinda harsh, if you ask me. “You will learn,” she says, as the Gueck motions again. “That I appreciate results, not claims. Your attribute is as high as you stated, therefore I will accept you within my class, but know that I will expect you to put in the work.” I’m considering calling out when Runihua call me to her attention. She looked at me and raises a thin eyebrow. “You, I will accept because you have been touched. That is a mark—” “Not happening,” I say. “What I want to know, is how involved is learning magic here? I saw an Urden do what she called a ‘get away’ spell. It seemed rather easy.” “That was not a spell. That was barely an invocation. Cantrics are the least of the magics you can learn within this guild. They are so small that just anyone can learn them with only applying themselves a little. Learning here, by the time you have grasped a handful of them, you will be worthy of being an initiate and truly begin your studies.” “Like I said. Not interested, but than—I appreciate that you answered me.” She seemed put off, but then continues. “If anyone else has questions, please approach and I will answer them. I stay back. If cantrips are so basic anyone can learn, I figure I can ask people who use them how they went about learning them. Maybe there are non-guild groups that teach them. Among those I’d interacted with, only Britania and George spoke with her. The Gueck mage noble glared at her like his inability to do magic here was her fault. He’s in for a hard time if he doesn’t get over himself. Miss Sex Bitch also keeps her distance, but with her, the sense I get is like she’s afraid of the Mistress. When those with questions are done, we are led outside again. The sun is lower than I expected. Mid afternoon, at a guess. Not having a watch—that’s a portable time keeping piece—is going to make things interesting. I did say that we were somewhat time obsessed on Earth, right? “Alright, and those are the guilds,” Tamika says. “As Sylvester pointed out yesterday, we can’t force you to join one.” “But,” Yamiltary says, “be warned that your prospects will diminish without joining one.” Tamika sighs. “I always hate it when I have to agree with a merchant. You’ve been dropped here without anything.” He raises a hand to silence the objection. “Your cheat powers are really nice, and with the right backing, you are going to build a comfortable life with them. But those aren’t things anyone here knows anything about.” He looks at me. “On your own, what you can do has just as much chances of scaring people away as drawing them to you. And I don’t know how your worlds were, but here, when people get scared, they can become violent. We have monsters out there. It’s too easy to be considered one, and treated as such. So I encourage you to consider joining one of the guild. If you don’t know which one you want. Join mine, I promise you a good time, if nothing else.” “Actually,” Karl says. “Do we get a trial period? Can we try a guild to see if we like it? If we fit in it? I mean, I picked Loppin for the sex, and I thought that meant the Gladiators, but when I asked. You guys don’t have a sex department.” “No.” Runihua says. “Absolutely not. The guilds demand dedication. We are not a place to join if you are not certain of your intention.” “What Runihua means,” Tamika says, and she glares at him. “Is that under normal circumstances, we would expect you to know what you are getting into. You would have been raised hearing about us, meeting us in the street. For us, gladiators, you would have come to the arena, you would have seen plays, watched performances. You’d have asked about the other guilds, and you would have grown up figuring out which one, if any, was for you.” He looked at the Lyvelin. “But even you have to admit these are not normal circumstances.” She, and somehow, she made that look reluctant, seemed mollified. “To address your concerns, Karl. We don’t have a sex division, because we don’t need one. We are attract all the sex we’d ever want. Everyone in the kingdom knows that if sex is on your mind, look for our shield and you’re going to get the best you’ve ever experienced.” “But I’d have to learn something else.” “Is sex its own guild where you came from?” the Capine asks. “Depends how you think about it,” Mark answers. “Although it’s not considered legal to sell sex in most places.” “Why would you not monetize sex?” Yamiltary asks. “Did your world not remunerate those who worked?” Tamika and Runihua share her reaction. And Mark seems at a loss on how to answer. Okay, but with an attribute called Lust, keeping the Jeep charged up can’t be as hard as I thought. You know. If I can get over myself and not cock block myself each time. “I will speak to my leader,” Tamika says. “I’ll explain your concerns, and I’m confident we’ll be able to make something work.” “I too will speak to mine,” Yamiltary says, “and I am certain a satisfactory contract can be negotiated.” “I…cannot,” Runihua says. “The gladiator makes a valid point, but you saw my guild. We are strict. We demand dedication. I sympathize with your plight, but my leader will not. I will be sorry if this turns you away, as I see promise with my guild for many of you. But I will not lie to you regarding what you will expect. Try the other guilds. If you find a comfortable place within them, then so be it. If, in the end, you find their lack of order and dedication not to your satisfaction, come find me and I will welcome you within the Knights.” “Do I understand you correctly?” the Lyvelin woman said. “That unless we chose a guild, you are abandoning us to your world?” “No,” Tamika says. “No, of course not. You have a place to stay at the meeting house for as long as you need. Food will be delivered daily. Although, for those of you feeding your gluttony, you will want to join a guild. The merchants will pull of us supporting this now that it’s done and they’ve given their pitch.” “Don’t speak for me, Tamika.” He grins at the Quirr. “Oh? Does that mean they can expect other banquets?” “No, but I’m quite capable of explaining my situation.” “Then please go ahead.” She rolled her eyes. “Unlike what the Gladiator likes to imply. That you like it or not, you are all investments for us. Therefore, we expect to see returns.” She glares at me. “Although we can’t know what those will look like. Even his guild expects something out of this.” “But we won’t hold you hostage to get it.” “I am not—” she glared at the Capine. “The more I invest in you, the more I will require in return. That is simply proper business. Pulling my support now is as much for you, to keep you from owing my guild more than you can repay, than is it for me. If this seems harsh to you, I can only say that it is how our world is.” “So,” Tamika says, “you know where the guilds are. You know where you’ll be sleeping until you decide what you’ll do. Now, you are free to go as you please. If you have questions, ask for me at my guild. Unlike a merchant, I’m not going to charge for my answers.” “Just remember,” Yamiltary added. “That you always get what you pay for.”