Landing

The breeze was cool. It passed by the treeline in a field, rustling about. The tree canopy lets through enough sunlight during the day. Various kinds of vegetation littered the ground, bushes and grass alike. Calls of wildlife echoed through the forest and the clearing. Chirps of birds, the rustling of rabbits through the bushes, and the strange, violent popping sounds.

Out of thin air, a bright light engulfed a part of the forest followed by a small explosion and a thud. In the middle of the commotion, lay a young man of medium build. His clothes and hair are dirty from falling into the soil. He groaned.

He shifted to a sitting position, his vision adjusting to the scene before him. Frantically, he looked at his hands. To his relief, they weren't missing or anything. They were perfectly normal, if not a little bit dirty. Then he jerked his head around and called.

"Avery?! Greg? Jessie?! Cass?" He shouted. No one answered. The trees rustled in the wind. He panicked. He remembered that they were in a room, together. Then suddenly everyone started to fade away. Lastly, a voice said to 'follow the symbols'.

Currently, Ark has no clue what will happen or what to do. He was alone. In a forest.

Standing up, he dusted off the soil from his arms and clothes. If he is alone then there is no point staying in the spot that he was in.

Looking around, he decided to pick a direction to go and went. Ark started thinking about what Greg said. That he was transported into another world. Of course, Greg was a nerdy friend of his but he can't help but think that Greg is right.

The atmosphere of the world seemed strange, to say the least.

After walking for a while, he realized that he was deeper into the forest. The air became ominous, almost quiet. It sounded as if everything fell into silence. Ark became cautious. Usually, this is where a horrifying monster comes in and eats the person.

Ark crept within the brush, his movement slow and careful. Dried leaves and twigs littered the ground he walked on, giving out the sounds of crunching and cracking. The sound of rustling made Ark jerk his head to the right. Suddenly, Something caught his leg and he found himself flying through the air with the world upside-down. Ark screamed.

A snare!

A voice sounded from the bushes. "Sounds like someone stepped on our trap." The voice was gruff and menacing. "Took us all morning setting that up!"

Ark turned his head to the right, or left? Upside-down is confusing. Through the vegetation, a tall man appeared followed by a young boy trailing behind. The man wore a rugged, blue shirt and leather pants. Tied around his hip, is the hilt of a shortsword. The boy wore a simple shirt and leggings.

As the two walked closer, Ark spotted the man holding something that looked like a small dagger. He panicked.

"Please don't hurt me! I was just passing through." He held his arms high, or down.

The man just chuckled. "Boy, you might have ruined our trap, but I'm no savage." He proceeded to cut the rope connected to the snare. "Besides, there are more lethal traps around here set up by other people."

"Oh." Ark gulped.

The man hacked at the rope, setting Ark free with a loud thud. He reached his hand to Ark, who was sprawled on the ground. With that, Ark was once again back on his feet.

"The name is Gover, by the way. This little boy behind me is my son, Erv." He pointed to the boy hiding behind him. "We earn our living as hunters. Well, me and one soon-to-be-hunter." He finished, glancing at his son proudly.

"Ah, you can all me Ark." He said. "Thanks for letting me out of your trap."

"No problem, I'm just glad you didn't step into the other traps as I said. Other hunters love to go overboard with theirs."

Gover looked at Ark carefully. "Say, you aren't from around here are you?"

"Oh, you are right. I... umm... travel from place to place." Ark lied. No one would believe him if he said he got transported from another world. The whole concept sounds crazy enough.

"Place to place? Usually, people like you bring a caravan or somethin' like that. You have no adventuring gear too. Aruvun is a big, big place." Gover pointed.

Ark had to lie again.

"Well, you see. Some thieves... uh... got to me a while ago. I lost everything I have."

Gover looked shocked. "That is unfortunate. Thieves occasionally go to this forest to steal traps. Since some of these are steel-grade traps, they sell well on the Iron Market." Gover thought for a moment.

Ark could only act sad. For now, he had something that can cover up his lie.

"Say, you could report this stealin' to the Adventuring Service in the next town over. I could lead you there. It's very near." Gover suggested.

"I think I could manage," Ark said. He doesn't need to report the lie that he created, however, he might need supplies to survive in this world. Once again, he has to lie.

"I mean, I didn't lose anything important. Just a big bag filled with... um... paper and... scrolls." Ark explained. He doesn't have the fortitude to keep up with this lying game. " I would need supplies again though."

Gover lit up. "Ah, you can buy some from the supply store. If you wanna go to the town, just head east right there." He pointed a way through the forest. "You'll come across a road, just head north and that should take you there. Do you need someone to take you there?"

Ark put his hands up. "I think I am good."

"Okay then. Don't worry, I don't think thieves will target you again since you have nothing on ya'." Gover chuckled. "Now then, I'll head out now. C'mon, Erv. We need to catch some lunch."

Erv, who was hiding behind him the whole time, just nodded timidly. Gover and Erv waved at Ark before disappearing in the brush. Ark sighed.

"Now to find that town." He muttered. Following Gover's exact directions, he wandered his way through the forest. After a while, He came across a path of battered stone and dirt. A road!

Ark proceeded to head north as Gover directed. It wasn't long before Ark encountered further signs of civilization. A lampost and a run-down wagon beside it.

Ark continued on walking on the road. Not too long, he could see buildings in the distance. He could spot a wooden gate anchored to two stone posts. As Ark walked closer, He saw people walking around, doing their day-to-day tasks.

As he got close, people didn't mind him being there. They just continued on. Ark didn't know anything about this village. Luckily, the village was littered with signs and directions. Shops, stalls, and... magic core renewal services? Ark had no idea what that is.

As he walked around, he felt some people staring at him and murmuring. He looked like a strange adventurer in strange, otherworldly clothing. Choosing to ignore the burning sensation from the stares of the townsfolk, he moved on.

He finally came across a sign that rung a bell. 'Adventuring Service'. It was the one Gover talked about. Ark wasn't about to report his 'crime' but that wasn't all the sign said. 'We also cater to people seeking new adventures!'

Bingo!

Looks like the place would also help newbie adventurers. The problem Ark had was he isn't a 'newbie'. He is more of a 'no-bie'. He had no idea how to do adventuring. But he entered all the same.

Opening the door, rung a bell that lets everyone know that he entered. Immediately, a cheery female voice cheered.

"Welcome to Adventuring Service, Adventurer!"

Behind the counter stood a girl slightly shorter than Ark. He wore a standard dress that any other villager would wear. A star-shaped pin complemented her gray bangs. A name tag was plastered on her dress. It read 'Ivy'.

"I'm Ivy! How may I help you?" She smiled. Ark looked around. The place looks empty and yet it didn't feel like it. The girl's energy practically emanated everywhere.

"Oh, Hi. I... um... am a newbie adventurer? I would need some help getting started." Ark shyly asked.

The girl tilted her head. "Newbie? I'm sorry but, you don't look like it. Usually, newbie adventurers have at least a dagger or a backpack or maybe even a pouch or-"

"Okay, I get it." Ark blurted, cutting her off. Ivy smiled.

"Well no matter, you might be one of those newbie newbie adventurers. The ones who start fresh."

Ark smiled awkwardly. "Yes?"

"Well good news for you. We have a starter kit selling for only 15 copper coins." She said while rummaging under the counter. Ivy pulled up a hilted dagger, a leather satchel, and what looks to be a small pouch.

Ark panicked. Of course, he needed money. Everything needed money. He could escape death, but not taxes.

"I got... nothing on me right now." He said. Ark expected the girl to be angry at him. That, why would he be here without any money. But instead, the girl smiled again.

"Well, I have even more good news for you! You see, here at Adventuring Service, we also give out quests to adventurers."

"Um, how does that help me."

"Well, to those who haven't started yet, picking a D-class quest will yield you a free adventuring kit! A kit better than a starter kit!" she exclaimed, beaming.

"So you are saying... If I choose a quest-"

"A D-rank quest."

"Yeah, a D-rank quest, I can basically get a kit to begin my adventure?" Ark asked. He was at a loss for words. This was a really lucky situation.

"Yep. You have nothing to be worried about. D-rank quests basically running errands for the townsfolk. So much stuff goes on in town, people usually need an extra bit of help." Ivy explained.

"So where do I start?" Ark asked. Ivy point to a large board beside the counter. It was covered with a lot of quests.

"D-ranks are the ones marked with green, C-ranks in yellow, B-ranks in orange, A-ranks in red, and the rare S-ranks in purple. Just pick any D-rank that is doable for you, and put it on the counter. I'll just head in the back for a moment to get your kit." Ivy explained, before disappearing through the door behind her.

Ark looked overwhelmed. He stared at the board and took in all the quests posted.

'A-rank, Clear a large Ambrite boulder, Stone Affinity required.'

'B-rank, Produce 10 barrels-worth of Vegetables, Nature Affinity required.'

'A-rank, Eliminate parasitic Heretic Oaks from the Northern forest, Destruction-class Affinities required.'

Ark was bewildered. Affinities? The higher rank quests needed what seemed to be Elemental powers of some sort.

He dug deeper through the board. Quests were posted after one another. He didn't want to pick a D-rank quest yet. He was curious what strange, higher-rank quests are there.

He kept digging until something caught his eye.

'A-rank, Capture wanted Elementalist, Avery, Containment-class Affinities required.'

Ark was shocked. Avery? Here? In this world? For a moment, he breathed a sigh of relief. If Avery was here, then the other would be too. He took one more look at the quest page. This time, he was truly shocked and confused.

'Quest posted: Two years ago. Quest status: Irrelevant.'