“Have a good day,” the clerk told him as he stared at him, obviously expecting him to leave.
Atlas took the hint and exited the building. As soon as he touched the road, he looked around.
Where to go now?
Turning to his right, he spotted the sign for the Registrar’s office. He fumbled around in his belt pouch and grasped the letter he received from the High Marshall. He’d totally forgot about it. Decision made, he walked into the office.
A young woman approached with a slab of wood in her hand, “Welcome, sir. Can I help you with something?”
“Yea. I’m here to turn this in,” Atlas said as he lifted the writ and presented it to her.
She grabbed the letter and examined the front. Her eyes grew wide.
“The High Marshall gave you this? Were you a winner of The Great Hunt?”
“Yep, I was in one of the winning parties.”
“Well, this writ allows you a position in the city if you choose,” she began as she flipped through papers on the slab of wood, “Currently, we have four positions open. Constable, Overseer of Commerce, Master of the Trade Guild, and Master of the Wood. Do any of these sound to your liking?”
Atlas considered the options. There isn’t enough information to begin to decide on this.
“What do these positions entail? Do they require me to become a permanent resident?”
“No, sir. We understand that a Reborn commonly travels and moves from place to place. When you end your time here, you merely request a transfer to the next city. We send you with a new writ to allow you a new set of options in the next place.
“Regarding what they entail, the constable is exactly that. You are the head of law and order in the city. It’s your job to deal with disputes and justice. Overseer of Commerce organizes the manufacturing and the imports and exports of the city to keep trade flowing and the city earning money. Master of the Trade Guild is a similar position, but the primary purpose is to look out for the best interest of the trade guild members and not necessarily the city. Finally, Master of the Wood has the priority of protecting the forest and surrounding area similar to the constable. It’s their job to respond to threats and monsters along the trade routes, and to keep the roads clear and safe. Each position comes with different perks.”
So, they have responsibilities, but the perks could be worth it.
“What perks are there for the Master of the Wood?”
She flipped through a few more pages on her board before scanning the contents.
“The Master of Wood is given a stipend of 5 silver a day. In addition, they also have access to a work order system that allows them to send out assistants to complete tasks for rewards. These vary depending on the task.”
Easy silver per day and all I have to do is answer the occasional call for help? That’s not too bad. The tasks she mentioned sound like they could benefit me as well.
“I’ll take the Master of the Wood position.” Atlas confirmed.
“Wonderful choice,” she told him as she shuffled the papers around again. She motioned for him to follow her to a desk as she pulled out a sheet of paper with writing on it. The paper looked like a standard form the city used and she quickly filled in the position of Master of the Wood and then his name before she handed him the quill and pointed at the line near the bottom.
Atlas scratched his name on the paper and she took the quill and nodded. She dug through a pocket and produced a metal emblem. Another clerk walked over with a lit candle and allowed some wax to drip on the bottom before she quickly pressed the emblem in. A notification popped up.
You have been named Master of the Wood for Nirithan.
Do you wish to access the control panel for the position? Yes/No.
Atlas ignored the message for a moment while he turned his attention back to the woman.
“All done. Anything else you need?”
“Where’s the closest inn? I need to find a place to stay since I just arrived.”
“Oh, I’m sorry. I forgot about that. The position actually includes lodging. The home for the Master of the Wood is near the southwestern gate. If you came in from Ixala, that’s the gate you probably entered. The house actually borders the outermost wall. It’s only a few spots away from the gate itself for easy access,” she said as she turned and waved another clerk over, “Jimmy, can you get this man the key for the Master of the Wood’s house?”
“Yes, ma’am,” he said as he scurried to the back of the building. He dashed through a door and they waited for less than a minute before he emerged again.
“Here you go,” he said as he handed the key to Atlas.
“Thanks.”
“You’re welcome to stay in that residence as long as you remain the current Master of the Wood. If you have any more questions now or in the future, come find me and ask.”
“Will do,” he told her and left the building. An alert popped up on his interface.
You only have 4 hours of game time left!
Knew it had to be getting close. Guess I can log out as soon as I get settled in the house.
He traveled back down the streets, and through the crowds toward the gate he’d entered. A tall sign on the edge of the main square showed a map of the city. They depicted it like an airport map and the zones were color coded. He was in the administration portion of the city. Near to him was the Trade District. All the profession masters would be there. He considered stopping by now but didn’t want to get caught up in a project and run out of time, so he kept walking.
The house in question wasn’t too hard to find. It was three houses from the gate off of a side
