More than two weeks had passed since the Adventurer Guild opened registration in the Royal Capital, and the first signs of change appeared in places Sage rarely visited.
The Bent Spear was one of dozens of taverns where mercenary companies had recruited Warriors for years. By late afternoon, recruiters normally occupied the largest tables while independent Knights and Mages listened to offers over ale.
Yet that afternoon, three recruitment tables stood almost empty. One recruiter had spent nearly an hour speaking to nobody, while another watched two young Knights finish their drinks and leave after saying they wanted to visit the Adventurer Guild before accepting anything.
At a corner table, four independent Warriors were discussing exactly that. None had grown comfortable with the strange new word Adventurer yet, but all four had visited the Grand Complex.
