Page 5 of World of the Forgotten (World of the Forgotten #1)

The Guild

I turned the small gold coin over in my hand as I walked, glancing down at it occasionally.

On its surface was an embossed rune and on the other side was the logo of the Royal Scouting Brigade.

Kai had brought one back from the barracks for each of us the night before.

Apparently, it was our ticket into any guild we wished.

The only problem was, we didn’t know what they were or which we should choose.

Thanks to Kai again, we had information about what was available to us.

It seemed there were seven guilds in total, each specializing in a different form of combat.

There were Fighters, Berserkers, Knights, and Monks.

But there were also Clerics, Druids, and Mages.

Each had their own unique abilities and skills that could be learned as long as the guild member had enough gold to pay for the training.

Our runic gold coins would get us into the guild and supply our initial training that came with a single skill. After that, the rest was up to us.

With seven choices and only five members to our group, we were faced with a difficult decision. Which five would we pick? And which two would we abandon?

Kuro, before he even knew what they did, chose to join the Knight Guild.

Nothing anyone said after that moment would change his mind.

However, we spent the entire rest of the night talking through our choices with Kai.

Thanks to his information gathering, we were able to form a relatively balanced scouting party despite our lack of members.

In the end Rhia chose to join the Monk Guild, Mira the Mage Guild, and Kai chose the Fighter Guild for himself.

I, knowing I wasn’t much of a fighter, chose to join the Cleric Guild.

Being a druid or a mage sounded interesting, but it was much more combat magic driven than I liked.

As the group’s cleric, I would basically sit on the sidelines and heal.

My job would be to keep them alive while they would do most of the fighting.

And any job that was far from the front lines sounded like a perfect job for me. I wasn’t exactly the brave type.

I was so caught up in my daydreaming about what I’d learn at the guild that I didn’t notice a man step in front of me until it was too late. With a muffled cry, I ran right into him, sending us both toppling to the stone path below in a tangle of limbs.

“I’m so sorry!” I sputtered, scrambling to disentangle myself from the stranger. As I looked up, I found myself staring into a pair of piercing blue eyes. The man’s face was angular, with high cheekbones and a strong jaw. His dark hair fell in soft waves around his face, framing it like a halo.

“You should be,” he said roughly, his voice hardly more than a growl. He stood up gracefully, not offering a hand as he stared down at me. “You must be new to the city. Newbies never watch where they’re going.”

I nodded, feeling the heat of embarrassment rise to my cheeks as I scrambled back to my feet. “Yes, I just arrived a couple days ago. My friends and I formed a party. I’m trying to find a guild so I can get my first skill.”

He rolled his eyes. “I don’t care.”

“The Cleric Guild,” I added, showing him the coin in my hand despite his lack of interest. “It’s probably the only one I’m…” My voice trailed off as my eyes tilted upward. Until that moment, I hadn’t noticed one very odd detail about the stranger.

He had wolf ears.

“You…” I said, pointing upward. “Your ears…”

“What about them?” he growled, baring what looked like a pair of fangs. “You gonna say something about my tail too?”

“N-No! I just?—”

I stammered, taken aback by his aggressive response. “I-I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to offend. I’ve just never seen anyone with... with...”

“Animal features?” he finished for me, his tone dripping with sarcasm. “Welcome to Cindersea, kid. You’ll see plenty more like me around here.”

I blinked, trying to process this new information. “So, there are others? With different animal ears?”

The wolf-man sighed, his ears twitching in irritation.

“Yes, we’re called Animaru. It’s an advanced form of druid that you obviously haven’t bothered to learn about.

Some have ears, some have tails, some have both.

” He dusted his hands off, as if he were finished with me.

“There’s your free lesson. Now, if you’re done gawking, I have places to be. ”

He turned to leave, but something made me call out. “Wait! I’m Oliver. What’s your name?”

He paused, glancing back at me with those intense blue eyes that sent a shiver down my spine. Was I scared of him? Turned on? Maybe both? I felt like I was suddenly learning a lot of things about myself all at once, things I hadn’t thought of since I woke up on the other side of the portal.

“Sky,” he grunted after a moment’s hesitation. “And don’t go thinking we’re friends now just because I told you my name.”

I nodded quickly, not wanting to upset him further. “Of course not. I just... I’m new here, like you said. I don’t know much about this place or the people in it. I’d like to learn more, if you have the time.”

Sky’s ears twitched again, but this time it seemed more out of curiosity than annoyance. He studied me for a long moment, his piercing gaze making me feel exposed and vulnerable. It made parts of me stir that I hadn’t yet had the chance to address.

“You really are clueless, aren’t you?” he finally said, his tone softening slightly. “Look, kid, Cindersea isn’t exactly a friendly place for newcomers. You’d do well to stick with your guild and your party. Nobody else is gonna give you the time of day.”

I felt a pang of disappointment at his words, but I couldn’t deny the truth in them. Still, something about Sky intrigued me, drew me in despite his gruff exterior.

“I understand,” I said, trying to keep the dejection out of my voice. “But maybe... maybe we could talk again sometime? I’d love to learn more about the Animaru, and about Cindersea in general.”

It was a long shot, and I knew that. But I felt so drawn to him. There was this strange pull in the pit of my stomach, a fluttering feeling that made me want to be near him and took my breath away at the same time.

Sky’s tail twitched, and for a moment I thought I saw a flicker of interest in those blue eyes. But then his scowl deepened, and he shook his head.

“Listen, Oliver,” he said, my name sounding oddly pleasant in his gruff voice. “You seem... annoyingly decent. But trust me, you don’t want to get mixed up with someone like me. Stick to your Cleric Guild, heal your friends, and stay out of my way. Being too nice in this world gets people killed.”

I watched Sky walk away, his dark tail swishing behind him as he disappeared into the bustling crowd.

My heart was racing, and I couldn’t shake the feeling that we had a connection.

Despite his warnings, I found myself hoping our paths would cross again.

It was odd and sudden… but I couldn’t help the warm feelings swirling in my chest.

Shaking my head to clear my thoughts, I resumed my journey to the Cleric Guild.

The cobblestone streets were alive with activity, filled with people of all shapes and sizes.

Now that I knew to look for them, I noticed a handful of other Animaru among the crowd - some with feline ears, others with scales glinting in the sunlight.

There was quite a variety amongst them, but not very many of them in Selas.

I found myself wondering if they were rare or maybe there just weren’t that many druids.

The more I thought about it, the more I realized Sky was right.

I really didn’t know anything about Cindersea or its people.

I hoped the Cleric Guild would help with that because the RSB guards didn’t seem to want to speak with any of the newcomers for longer than they had to.

As I approached the guild hall, a sense of nervous excitement washed over me.

The building was impressive, its white stone walls adorned with intricate carvings of healing hands and holy symbols.

At the peak of the building was a tall golden statue of a male figure, his hands wide as if he were about to take off and fly.

Robes flowed around him, rushing back like a gust wind had caught him.

Finally peeling my eyes away, I ascended the steps until I came to the front door of the guild. I took a deep breath, clutching my gold coin tightly, and pushed open the heavy wooden doors.

The interior of the Cleric Guild was even more impressive than its exterior.

Sunlight streamed through stained glass windows, casting colorful patterns across the polished marble floor.

The air was thick with the scent of incense and herbs, creating an atmosphere of calm and reverence.

It reminded me of a church, although, as I thought about it harder, I wasn’t sure why.

I knew what a church was, but when I tried to conjure up what they looked like or what gods were worshipped there, I drew a total blank.

With a shrug, I stepped further into the grand hall. I noticed several robed figures moving about, some carrying books, others tending to small shrines along the walls. Their movements were graceful and purposeful, exuding an aura of quiet strength.

“Welcome, newcomer,” a gentle voice called out, startling me from my observations.

I turned to see an elderly woman approaching, her silver hair braided intricately and piled atop her head.

Her robes were a soft blue, embroidered with silver thread that sparkled in the light.

In her left hand was a tall, elegant metal staff with a rough cut blue gem the size of my head hovering over the top without touching anything.

It glowed faintly, and I knew it had to be magic.

“I am High Priestess Elayra. What brings you to our sacred halls?”