The Smartphone Saga: A Distracted Journey of Spells and Signals

Chapter 8 - Part 1: Get Up --- Goes Around Arc

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Author's Note:

Hey, this is starting a new Arc. This one is shorter so I figured I'd experiment with a twice-weekly publishing schedule Wednesday-Saturday. Let me know if this is better for you than the mega chapter on Saturday. Thanks!

-Mani Fisher

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The Guild was filled by both morning people and the people that had gotten to morning by the other way around. Half a dozen drunks slumped on tables in the back while a crowd occupied the rest in keen attention. Fifteen or so grizzly men and women had formed a line in front of two overworked receptionists, one of which being Jane from yesterday.

Oh good. Jasson thought as he got in the line for Jane. I can apologize. Wow. This is gonna be awkward.

There's nothing worse than making up after messing up, especially when the argument was with someone beautiful. But it does get easier (if more creepy) when said beautiful person isn't able to run away. Jane couldn't turn him away or abandon her desk while Jasson approached, only look murderously at him in the way of a coffee-less cashier. Her brown eyes glinted, ordering Jasson to 'not push her' with an unspoken professional politeness. It was too early in the day for a whining brat of a man, and there was a long line to get through.

On top of that, the Mountain behind the door had smiled at Jasson with tombstone teeth. A disconcerting experience for anyone smaller than a grizzly bear. The Mountain had searched Jasson's soul with a grinning gaze, and Jasson felt that little muscle in his lower half quake in terror. Someone had told Jasson that the Mountain's name was Grog, which fit the size but not the intelligence. How could he think of the Mountain as Grog while his soul was getting a full virus scan?

Finally, it was Jassons turn so he stepped up to Jane's desk and said "Hey, I-"

"Do you have a quest to report completion on?" Jane said, "Or are you here to waste my time again."

Jasson took a breath and said "I wanted to ap-"

"If you have no official business with the Guild I advise you leave until you do," Jane said, looking past Jasson, "Next!"

No cap, was I really that rude yesterday? Jasson thought. Why is she so mad at me?

Wandering disheartened, Jasson found a mostly occupied table in the back. Sitting between a couple of passed-out drunks as he scrolled on his phone, Jasson felt overwhelmed. What was he supposed to do now? Just ignore what had happened and keep looking for quests?

The Guild was still busy, even after the thirty TikTiks Jasson had watched in line. If anything, Jasson had gotten ahead of the crowd. A rush hour full of adventurers who did not wish to be near cleanliness, never mind godliness. This meant that, despite the beautiful morning weather, the air inside had grown thick with airless heat and rank humidity. As if Jasson was in an overpacked Gym class. The windows were flung wide as humidity condensed on the cold mugs of ale nestled in the hands of rowdy men. Air crystals in the Chandeliers did their slovenly best to move the sticky mass as lightly washed men and women fanned their faces.

The Quest Board, an extra-long corkboard filled with a dozen flyers, was mildly bustling with adventurers at the moment. These adventurers perused the quests like a dad puttering in the garage, looking for something to do more than something to make money with.

No real urgency, Jasson thought, yet there's so many people here. Why? I wish Petra were here.

Petra had explained only a couple of things. She and Clara couldn't officially register with the guild or spend a lot of time there. It was too risky so they'd stick to using a mediary, which was common enough practice for criminals from other lands. Hopefully, the Guild wouldn't be too suspicious and the twins could avoid discovery. So Jasson needed to go to the guild every day and grab high-value quests, hopefully getting ones that would be enough to start construction. Winter was coming after all.