The Adventurer

The snow melted and the flowers sprang out of the dirt. The gentle rains bring food and healthy fields. The bright sun shines above Azalea Village. The streets are crowded and the market is filled with many farmers and people trying to sell. The shops on the streets are filled with customers. There are alchemy shops that sell potions such as: healing, poison, speed, strength, and so on and so forth. There are butcher shops that sell meat and buy monster organs and different parts of their bodies. Rarer types of monsters sell for a lot more. The scientific research labs buy bodies for a fortune, if captured alive.

"Hello, Mr. Ski," David called out, opening the door, "I got some goblin livers for you."

"Thank you, David," Frank Ski said, grabbing the bag of livers.

Frank inspected the livers. He places them on a weigher and nods his head. He opens a locked drawer and takes out three gold coins and two silver ones. The butcher places them on the table and David graciously takes them. The adventurer drops the coins in a pouch and tucks it under his armor.

"Thanks again. See you next week." David said

David leaves the store and heads to the Adventurers Guild. Inside is filled with adventurers, young and old. There are several tables with maps and various books. At the front desk is the Guildmaster and a woman wearing a cloak. Behind them is the wall full of quests that is overflowing with papers.

"Hi. How can I help you?" The Guildmaster asked

"I am new here and need to join." David said

"It will cost 50 gold to become a member of the guild. You will be starting at the bottom of the ranks. The Copper Rank. After doing quests you gain reputation. If you don't complete the quest, reputation will be lost and you could lose ranking. After Copper, comes Silver, then Gold, then Diamond, then Platinum, and finally the highest ranking is Obsidian.." The Guildmaster said, "My name is Brandon Smith and this here is my wife, Lynda."

"Nice to meet you, I am David Corty." David said, handing him the gold.

"Wonderful! Here is your Copper tag. Make sure it is visible at all times. Most Adventurers hang it around their necks. You also should look for other people to join your squad or you join theirs. A normal squad is made up of four or less. Rarely do you see one with five or more." Brandon said.

"How much does a request cost? And are there any lone Adventurers like me?" David asked

"They cost five gold, but the reward is much more. And for your second question, there are many new Adventurers just in this room. Look for their Copper tag or if you want you could try to join a group in higher ranking, but they might not accept." Brandon said

"Thank you. Could I have a request for a Copper?" David asked

David traded the gold for a request from the Guild Board. He opened the letter and began to read the request. The request was very simple. Find and kill a Goblin Chief. It will give him the chance to earn 50 gold and a reputation boost. David was excited, and he was confident that he could handle this job. He was going to get out of the slums and rise through the ranks!

"That's a good start, David. Now, where are you headed?" Brandon asked

"To the Goblin Village just South of here." David replied

"Good luck." Brandon said, waving.

"Thank you!" David said, leaving the Guild.

As he was leaving he noticed a Copper Adventurer looking around the town all confused. He looked like he could fight and had a good suit of armor on. He had interesting hair and was rather tall. David awkwardly approached the wandering stranger.

"Hey! Are you alright?" David called out

"Huh?" the man looked at David and yelled, "Please help me!"

"Calm down. What do you need help with?" David asked

"I need help fighting a wild boar!" the man said, panicking.

"That's it." David said

"Yeah… What do you mean?" he asked

"That seems pretty easy. Hey, why don't we form a squad? What's your name? Mines David Corty." David said

"I'm Ash Flame. Nice to meet you. What kinda request did you get?" Ash asked

"I have to kill a Goblin Chief." David casually said

"WHAT!?!" Ash exclaimed, "THAT"S FOR A COPPER!"

"Calm down Ash! People are looking at us." David said, "Let's go to the edge of town."

"Alright, can we do my quest first?" Ash asked

David Corty and Ash Flame set out into the forest to find a wild boar. Boars are quite popular for hunting because of their thick hids and for their tough tusks. Hunting wild boars and other wild animals are the default requests for Copper rankings. Monster hunting ones are more difficult for a Copper, but there are some. Each rank has easy and difficult requests. The Guildmaster determines which ranking the request goes in.

After mindlessly wandering through the forest but there is no luck. They sent up a small campfire and rested for a bit. They roasted lamb chops that they bought on the fire. After enjoying the meal after walking for the majority of the day, they begin to have small talk.

"Where are you from, Ash?" David asked

"My father's life is interesting but I was born at Vypor, a small village in the Empire. My mom is from Dusk. What about you?" Ash said

"I was born and raised here. My mom and dad are from the fallen Tower and wanted to get away from the kingdoms. Once I turned eighteen, I became an Adventurer." David said.

"The Towers… I want to go there when it is clear of monsters." Ash said, "And Light, too."

"Me too. I want to be a part of the expedition group that clears the Towers of the monsters. I also want to help fight back the scavengers in Light." David said

"Did you hear that?" Ash's voice broke

"Yeah… I did." David said, reaching for his sword.

The brush began to shake and sticks broke. The moonlight provided no light due to the tree line. The Adventurers muster their bravery and stand up and take a deep breath and ready their swords. Ash slowly sneaks behind David. David slowly takes a step forward and swings into the bushes.