Wait! I'm not a Demigod, I'm a Gamer!

Chapter 18: Capital

It has been a couple of days since the pair have left the village, heading north towards the royal capital. Sam continues the history lesson with Yuuya as they trek through the woods. Thanks to their lessons, Yuuya learned that the human territory was called the Kingdom of Akruya, named after the first human created by the Goddess. Their ruler, Queen Beatrice Anastasia Pandaramn, was the one hundred and eighth ruler of the human kingdom and a direct descendant of the first human ruler which is proved by the royal mark on her neck. Apparently, anyone that has royal blood in their veins will bear the mark meaning that only the queen's children will have the mark, but not her spouse, King Theophilos. The queen was a kind and wise ruler who is not afraid to put her foot down even towards her own family if times called for it. The royal capital, where the royal family lives, is where the head of the Adventurer's Guild lies, the only place where adventurers can get a license to accept quests. Adventurers who don't have a license won't be able to complete quests or receive the quest rewards, plus will get a huge fine, it's to prevent amateurs from doing any dangerous stunts to receive high rewards. There were other associations at the royal capital, but Yuuya wasn't interested, focusing solely on the Adventurer's Guild. In order for them to receive an adventurers license, they would have to pay five silver coins, which they have plenty of, and take both a written and physical test. The written test will compose of monster knowledge, medicinal herb identification, and civilian safety while the physical test will be a mock battle against a veteran adventurer. The pair will have to take the written test on their own, but luckily they can take the physical test together seeing how they will form a party, even if it's just the two of them. "How do you know all this? I thought you said you never gone past the Escal forest boundaries." Sam turns back to Yuuya, seeing him climbing over roots as he answers, "One of the hunters back in the village told me. He used to be an adventurer before he retired." Yuuya nods and walks alongside his friend, holding his hand when a root almost trips the man. "Okay. How much longer before we get out of the forest?" Sam continues to hold his hand as he takes a deep breath to calm his nerves. "Very soon...Ah! There! You see?" Yuuya looks towards where Sam was pointing at and notices the tress suddenly thinning out till only a large field could be seen, the sun shining down brightly no longer being blocked by all the leaves and branches on the trees. Once the pair push past the last of the trees, they gasp at the scenery, no longer surrounded by trees and shade.
Before Yuuya steps out, Sam pulls him back gently to draw his attention. "Wait Yuuya! It's best to put on your disguise from here on, a lot of people use this road." Yuuya nods and activates the necklace to hide his ears and tail. After putting on his disguise, Yuuya steps out again this time not being stopped by his friend and follows the road. They walk for a while, occasionally meeting some travelers that they would converse with, sometimes buying some stock from them or trading monster cores. When night came, they camped on the field next to the road. It takes them five days before they finally see the entrance of the royal capital. Tall gray stone walls tower over the pair as large rusty gates raised up, allowing people to leave and enter as they please. A couple of men in shiny metal armor with swords on their hips and clipboards in hand stand at the ready as they have people outside the entrance line up. Checking identity cards and cargo, making the disguised beast-man nervous. Yuuya stands besides Sam as get in line waiting their turn, he turns his head towards his friend. "Psst! Sam! I don't have an ID. What are we gonna do?" Panic is seen in his eyes as Sam rubs his shoulders in calming manner. "Calm down. It'll be fine. A lot of people who come here are from neighboring villages and they don't have identity cards either. This is really for those who have weapons and cargo. Look-" Sam points towards a couple of men in leather armor, a giant axe on the back of one while the other is holding a spear. They flash their identity cards to the knights, which they nod and allow the men to enter with no issues. "See? Those guys are adventurers. They have adventurers licenses. That's how they can enter with their weapons visible. Same goes for those with cargo. They'll have merchant licenses." Yuuya nods, slowly relaxing. "We don't have any kind of license so we'll have to explain our situation to them. It'll be alright." Yuuya relaxes further still not letting go of his hand. Their turn finally comes, making the poor disguised beast-man tighten his hold. "Card please." Requested the knight closest to them. Sam clears his throat before he speaks. "We don't have any sir." The knight nods and writes down in his clipboard. "State your visit then." Again, Sam answers, "We're here to become adventurers." The knight looks up from his clipboard to stare at the pair, his eyes show how unimpressed the man was of the pair as he sees Yuuya gripping onto Sam's shirt. "Alright, you can enter. Be safe." Sam thanks the man and gently pulls Yuuya with him.
"You see? That wasn't so hard now was it?" Comforted the human as Yuuya slowly lets go his shirt as he gasps at his new surroundings. Tall buildings covered in brick overshadowed the surprised beast-man as he spins around to look at everything in sight. Shops and stalls lining up the streets as people walk around, chattering along the way as they shop. "Holy cow...This is amazing!" Yuuya is a blur as he zooms around, admiring everything from fruit products to shop windows showcasing weapons and jewelry. "Sam! Look! Look at this! This is so pretty! I've never seen such shiny gems. Oo! Look at this! What is this? It smells delicious!" Sam tries to catch up to the excited man, laughing at his enthusiasm. "Wait up Yuuya! I'm coming." He finally catches up to his friend when he stares longingly at some meat sticks, the vendor smiling at the idea of new customers. "Welcome! Would you like some meat kebabs?" Yuuya snaps his head, stars in his eyes as his stomach growls in hunger. "Meat kebabs? That sounds so good! Can we get some Sam please?" Yuuya asks in a slight whining tone that mimics a little kid asking their parent for a new toy. Sam nods, his stomach also growling in anticipation, "Sure. I could eat. How much?" The vendor smiles wider, "Ten copper per stick. I'll make it twenty-five if you buy four now." If Yuuya's tail was out, it'd wagging all over the place as Sam pulls out twenty-five copper coins. "Sounds like a deal to me. Thanks!" The vendor nods and hands the men their food, two for each. Yuuya chomps down heartily on the meat and moans at the savory flavor. "Mmmm! This is so good. Thank you sir! We will definitely come back!" The vendor laughs at the compliment and waves to them as they walk away. The pair continue to walk around, looking over the many stalls, enjoying their time. Sam can't help but smile as Yuuya marvels over all the shops' displays, having this feeling to buy everything his friend wanted just keep that smile on his face. Thankfully, Yuuya doesn't ask for much, the meat kebabs satisfying him for now and weapons never catching his eye, looking inferior to his own set. Yuuya continues to look around until he spots a book in a window display, slightly glowing in the sunlight. The book looking old and very ordinary, showing no sign of containing any form of significance. His gamer sense tingles the longer he looks at the book, remembering times he had to find special artifacts in plain sight. Sam stands next to Yuuya, curious about what caught his friend's attention. "Yuuya? What are you looking at?" He follows his eye line and see the book displays, believing he's staring at the giant book covered in gems. "You want to get that book?" Yuuya nods and walks inside, catching the shopkeeper's attention. "Welcome! Can I help you find anything?" The woman asks while putting her own book down. Yuuya walks up to the woman and points to the book in the window. "How much for that book?" She follows his finger and sees the books on display, also believing he wanted the gem covered book. She smiles at the thought of a huge profit. "That'll be fifty gold coins." Sam's eyes widen at the massive price, mentally going over how much money they had. Luckily, Yuuya figured out what she meant and shook his head. "Not the shiny book." He walks over and points closer to his target. "This one." The woman's smile downgrades a little while surprise fills her voice. "That one? Oh, well that one is one gold coin." Sam snaps his head towards the woman. "A gold coin? For that old dusty book?" The woman nods as she walks over to where Yuuya stands and picks the book up. "Yes. This book contains the history of an ancient race: kitsunes." Surprise fills Sam's body, looking at Yuuya wondering if he knew. Yuuya simply stares at the book, his gamer senses telling him it was important. The beast-man walks over to his friend and leans into his ear. "How much do we have?" Sam blinks owlishly at him and mutters quietly, "Uhh about two hundred and seventy copper coins and eighty-six silver coins." Yuuya clicks his tongue while thinking, "Not enough. Hmmm I wonder..." Yuuya looks at the shopkeeper. "We don't really have that kind of money. Can we trade instead?" The woman thinks for a minute then shrugs her shoulders. "Okay, sure. I'm not really attached to this anyway." Yuuya turns around to avoid her stare as he mentally goes over what he has that are valuable while Sam turns around with him. Sam whispers while going through his bag, "We don't really have much to trade. We can't give her monster cores, that has to go through the Adventurer's Guild or Monster Association. We need the maps and camping gear if we're gonna go on adventures." Yuuya thinks quietly as Sam lists off each item they had that was important to keep. "Okay, we can't give her any of our camping gear...how about something from my stash?" Sam was fully aware of Yuuya's black space, the unlimited supplied of magic gear. "Maybe. Nothing too strong. We can't afford to catch the Magic Tower's attention. They'll poke and prod at you, remember no one has that ability except you and fairies." Yuuya remembers the lecture Sam gave him about his black space, shivering at the memory of swearing to keep his ability hidden. "Right...I think I have some jewels from dungeons, I never got to exchange those back in the day." Sam thinks for a moment and nods. "That should be fine, as long as they don't have too much mana in them or could do anything crazy." Reasoned the human, thinking about his Healing Amulet that he still wears around his neck. Yuuya nods and motions Sam to pass his bag. He opens the flap and summons his black space, thinking about some gems and jewelry he received as prizes. Amazement fills Sam's eyes, still not believing the existence of this ability. A few bright colored gems, a pair of earrings with light blue jewels intertwined with silver metal that have a cool feeling, and some stud earrings land in his hand. Yuuya shows them off to Sam, waiting for his approval. Sam eyeballs the gems wearily, their glow giving him an uneasy feeling. "Are any one of these a magic item?" Yuuya nods and points at each item. "These gems can detect certain magic types like this red gem can tell if someone or something has fire magic while this yellow gem can detect incoming storms. The stud earrings protects the wearer from physical attacks and these light blue earrings give off a cooling effect, works great in the summer!" Sam sweat drops as he listens, "None of these things exist in this world! My Goddess give me strength." "Okay. Let's hold off on the gems...She's gonna freak out at their glow. Put the stud earrings back, no one has magical items like that..." That only leaves the light blue earrings. Yuuya puts the gems in his pocket and hides the stud earrings back in the black space. They both turn around and walk over to the counter. Yuuya puts the earrings down and says, "What do you think of these?" The woman's eyes widen at the shining earrings and gently picks them up. She takes a few minutes to inspect the item before nodding her head. "Add fifty silver coins and you got yourself a deal." Yuuya turns towards his friend, silently pleading him with big puppy eyes to give her what she wanted. Sam sighs and reaches into his coin pouch. "Fine." Yuuya squeals and hugs Sam around the neck, rubbing his cheek against his. "Ooo! Thank you Sam! You're the best!" Sam's cheeks blush at the contact and compliment as he clumsily hands the smirking woman the coins.
The men exit out of the store, Yuuya clutching onto his new book with glee while Sam looks around for an inn. "The sun is going down. Time for us to find a place to rest." Yuuya snaps his head and pouts, "But what about the Adventurer's Guild?" His puppy demeanor drawing a chuckle out of Sam. "Tomorrow, I promise. It's too late to register today." Yuuya sighs sadly as Sam rubs his shoulders comfortingly while guiding them to a nearby inn. "How about some food? I hear the best cakes are in the capital." Hearing the prospect of receiving dessert, Yuuya smiles brightly at Sam and grabs his hand. "Really? Then let's go!" Sam laughs as he's being dragged inside. A woman with short black hair and dark brown eyes in a dark maroon dress and tan apron looks up at the newcomers, smiling sweetly. "Welcome to the Moonshine Inn! My name is Grace. What can I get you boys?" The pair walk up to the counter, Sam clearing his throat. "We'd like a room please." Yuuya gently nudges his side, silently reminding him of his promise. "Oh! And some food please." The woman nods and writes in her book. "Okay. One or two rooms?" Yuuya holds his hand with his pointer finger up, "One please." The woman smiles cheekily and writes in her book more. "Okay and for how long will you be staying with us?" Yuuya looks at Sam, wondering what they should say. Sam answers, "Uhh we're not sure. We plan to be adventurers so maybe for like a week?" He replies with a question at the end. Grace nods and continues to write, "Okay. I'll put you down for a week, but you're always welcomed to extend your stay if you need to. It'll be two silver coins per night. We offer discounts to adventurers so best of luck to you two!" Yuuya smiles brightly and nods his head. "Thanks! We appreciate it." His positive energy makes the woman chuckle as she grabs a key under the counter. "Follow me." The pair follow Grace as she leads them up the stairs, passing by a few doors before stopping at one near the end of the hallway. "Here we go." She unlocks the door and raising her arm to showcase the room. "This is all yours." Sam walks in as Yuuya gasps at the room, finding the space incredible despite being no bigger than the room he stayed in at Sam's place. Finding the idea staying at an inn in a fantasy world more exciting. "This is amazing! Thank you Grace!" The woman blushes lightly, not used to people complimenting on this dingy room before, and smiles at his cute behavior. "Of course! Let me know if you need anything. Dinner will be served soon so you're welcome to come down once you've settle in." The men nod as they put their bags down while she closes the door after putting the key on the desk. Yuuya flops on the bed, starfishing with a happy smile. "This is so cool! Ahhh I could get used to this." Sam chuckles as he pushes the bags in a closet. "You sure do get excited over the littlest of things." Sam flops on the bed besides Yuuya, finding the bed more comfortable than the ground during their camping times. They lay there for a few minutes, not saying a word as they relax and decompress. Sam looks over at Yuuya and asks what has been plaguing his mind, "Hey Yuuya, why did you want that book so badly?" Yuuya turns to look at his friend, thinking before answering, "I'm not really sure. I mean I just took one look at it and it just...called to me. I just got this feeling that I needed it. I don't really know how to explain it...I'm sorry I can't give you a clearer answer." Sam shakes his head to clear away the negativity. "It's fine. I was just curious. It could be useful. People have kinda lost hope for the kitsunes so it makes sense that books about them wouldn't be so important these days..." The atmosphere slowly saddens before Yuuya sits up suddenly, exclaiming, "Well! I'm starving, shall we go?" Sam sits up slowly and nods, "Sure." Yuuya gets up, his back facing Sam which has him missing the worried glance from his friend.
The men go down the stairs and enter the dining area, seeing only a few groups of people with their food, laughing as they eat. After dinner, and some well deserved dessert that Yuuya nagged about, the men go back to their rooms to get ready for the night. Yuuya forces Sam to look away, still shy, but not before Sam got to glance at the mark on Yuuya's chest briefly. The mark still puzzles the man, thinking back to when Yuuya collapsed and was unconscious for a month. He remembers when he was helping Yuuya change his clothes, feeling embarrassed at the fact that he felt like he was taking advantage over the helpless man. His embarrassment forgotten when he saw the strange mark on his chest. He gently traces the dark lines, marveling over its unique design and wondering if this was the cause behind his shyness. Sam shakes his head at the memory, cheeks slightly dark, and continues to change. The men sleep peacefully, Yuuya finally able to let go of his disguise. In the morning, Sam discovers Yuuya is an octopus in the morning, clutching onto his clothes in his sleep. After some repetitive nudges, the beast-man finally gets up, allowing both men to get ready for the day. They grab some gear and head down the stairs for some breakfast, thanking Grace on the way out after eating. Sam leads Yuuya towards their true destination: the Adventurer's Guild.
They open the doors and see the reception wide and massive, looking to fit almost a thousand people inside. On one side, they see a few reception desks with some receptionists standing behind, helping a few people. On the other side lays a giant bulletin board stretching from one side all the way to the other end, coving the entire wall with requests and commissions. At the opposite end of the entrance lays several tables, many occupied by people in various clothing, loudly talking with mugs of drinks that Yuuya can tell from afar were alcohol. Sam looks around nervously while Yuuya smiles brightly and thinking, "This. Is. Amazing! It's just like the game! How cool is this!?" Yuuya drags his weary friend to an vacant reception desk where a woman in a green and brown dress uniform greets them. "Hello! My name is Amanda. How can I help you?" Yuuya drums his fingers in excitement. "We would like to be adventurers please!" A few men who heard him laugh mockingly. "Do you hear that? He wants to be an adventurer. Bwahahaha!" Several people laugh with the man, making Sam frown disapprovingly. Yuuya simply ignores them, fully intending to give Amanda his attention. Thankfully, Amanda smiles and ruffles under the counter for the proper documents. "Very well. I just need you two to sign some forms and we can get started on the registration process." She hands them a couple of papers that want their info. Yuuya sweat drops slightly until a hand grabs his arm, drawing his attention away from the form. Sam smiles encouragingly and hands him a pen. "It'll be fine. Just follow my lead." Sam helps Yuuya fill out the form as Amanda supervises, finding the pair adorable. Luckily, Yuuya was able to give his name and age, using Sam's village as his hometown. However, when the form asked what magic attributes he has, causing him to panic. "Sam, what do I say?" The last time he showed multiple magic types at once, he freaked out everyone. Sam takes a moment and says, "Just choose three and go for it. Try to stick to those three while we're here." He pleads towards the end. Yuuya nods and thinks for a minute, deciding on light, wind, and fire. Giving him unlimited options when tough times come. Once they finished their forms, Amanda takes a quick look and smiles brightly at Yuuya. "Wow! This is impressive. Very few people have this many magic types, especially with light." Sam glares discreetly at Yuuya, who whistles nonchalantly. Amanda continues to file the form before motioning the men to follow her. "This way please. You'll have to take a written exam before moving on to the physical." Yuuya gulps nervously as they walk upstairs. They take the test in separate rooms, Sam finding it very easy while Yuuya had no idea what to do. The test was just as Sam described it. It asked about monsters, their weak points, special plants, poisonous plants, what to do in certain scenarios. Sam passes with flying colors, internally thanking his dad's hunting friend for all the lessons. When Yuuya steps out, his face looks like his soul was sucked out. Sam gives Yuuya a worried looked. "You okay?" Yuuya sighs sadly. "I don't think I passed..." Sam pats his back, trying to comfort the depressed man, before Amanda returns with their test papers in hand. "Alright. Let's head down to the training hall. There you will take your physical test." She leads the pair down the stairs, past the laughing adventurers, and through large wooden doors. Sam and Yuuya gasp, seeing a large arena type room with large boulders spread out across the field. Benches climbing up to the ceiling to give the audience a chance to see the entire arena wherever they sit and a tall wooden wall surrounds the entire arena. In front of the arena stands a tall and proud man with short, spiky, dark brown hair that had a strip of dark yellow in the front. The man was wearing black pants and tight blue shirt that showcases his muscles with a giant great sword on his back. His arms covered in scars while a tattoo that resembles lightning stretches across his neck. His gray eyes look up at the group as he smiles brightly while waving his arm. "Hiya! So you're the newbies that want to be adventurers huh?" He walks over to the pair, the smile never leaving his face. Amanda gasps softly, drawing Yuuya's attention. "Does she know him?" Amanda stutters for a second before asking, "S-sir! What uhh what are you doing here?" The man laughs before patting her back. "What? Am I not allowed to test the newcomers too?" She shakes her head before responding, "Oh no sir! That's not what I meant. It's just this seems to be a little unnecessary to have the Guildmaster handle a simple physical entrance test." Yuuya's and Sam's eyes widen at the fact. "He's the guild master!?" They think simultaneously. The man just laughs and holds his hand out. "Well I was curious okay? A man such as myself can be curious over a couple of newcomers. Anyway, my name is Gunter. As you already know, I am the Guildmaster and your instructor for your test." It's Sam's turn to gulp while Yuuya smiles brightly as he takes the offered hand. "Really!? That is so cool! Thank you sir! My name is Yuuya and this is my friend Sam. We're gonna be adventurers together." Gunter chuckles at his excitement, finding him so naively adorable. "Nice to meet you two." Gunter repeats the gesture to Sam, who takes it hurriedly and sweat drops at the hard grip. Once they let go, Gunter claps his hands loudly, "Alright! Shall we?" Yuuya nods and walks with him while Sam trails after them, his heart beating faster and harder.
Hearing their Guildmaster was gonna test a couple of rookies, several veteran adventurers come into the training hall, cheering from the sides. "Yeah Boss!" "Take them down!" "Show them what it means to be an adventurer!" More cheers continue as Gunter stands a few feet away from the pair. "Alright now this is how it will go. You have five minutes to either stay in this arena or you can try to take me down yourselves in order to pass. Survive or win." Yuuya nods in understanding while Sam shakes slightly. "If I beat you two or kick you out of this arena before the timer runs out, you fail. Understand?" Yuuya raises his hand as a certain thought crosses his mind. Gunter chuckles and points to him. "Ah yes! The one with the red hair." Yuuya clears his throat and states, "What if someone dies by accident?" Sam snaps his head and gives Yuuya a crazy look while the audience whisper amongst themselves. Gunter's eyes widen slightly but answers, "Well I doubt that will happen. I'm actually more cautious with my strength than I look." Yuuya continues, "But what about you?" Several adventurers roar in laughter, finding the idea of a newbie able to take down their leader hilarious. Gunter, Sam, and the receptionists are the only ones not laughing. "If you do kill me, not only will I pass you, you will also get to be the Guildmaster. What do you say?" Yuuya thinks for a moment and nods. "Okay. Not that I really want to be Guildmaster." He mumbles towards the end. Another thought crosses his mind and once again, Yuuya raises his hand. Gunter chuckles and answers, "Yes? Do you have another question?" Yuuya nods and puts his arm down. "Can we use magical items? My sword is one." He motions to his sword, Tyrhung, around his hip. The Guildmaster thinks for a minute and nods. "Magical items are fine, as long as they don't cause immediate death." Yuuya nods and gives Sam a thumbs up, able to keep his protective charms on. Gunter looks at Sam, waiting to see if he too had any questions. Sam shakes his head and steps closer to Yuuya. Gunter nods and pulls out his great sword. "Alright then. Let's begin."