Ep. 89 Delocard Part 3

Morning arrived with the persistent chirping of birds outside our inn window. After washing up, we headed downstairs for a simple breakfast—porridge and bread, cheap and simple unlike last night's indulgence. With our bellies satisfied, it was time to visit the Adventurer's Guild.

The morning streets of Delocard bustled with activity—merchants setting up stalls, residents hurrying to work, and street sweepers clearing yesterday's debris. We followed the winding roads toward the guild, and when we finally reached our destination, my jaw dropped.

The Delocard Adventurer's Guild was massive—even larger than the one in Dawnscross, which until now had been the biggest I'd seen. The structure sprawled wide across its lot, rising three stories tall with ornate stonework and gleaming windows. A steady stream of adventurers flowed in and out despite the early hour, their armor and weapons glinting in the morning sun.

"It's so big and fancy looking," Maya whispered in awe, her eyes wide. Her expression quickly shifted to a wry smile as she nudged my ribs. "I bet we're about to make some good money."

Rowan and I chuckled at her enthusiasm as we approached the tall, heavy oak doors carved with intricate designs of legendary heroes and beasts. They swung open with surprising ease, revealing the guild's main hall.

Like most guild buildings, the interior resembled a tavern—long tables filled with adventurers talking, planning, and recruiting. The familiar scent of ale, sweat, and leather permeated the air. At the back wall hung the request boards, displaying lower-level jobs for low ranking adventurers like us.

We made our way toward the boards, and the stares came quickly. One by one, heads turned in our direction, and whispers followed. I was used to this reaction—three kids dressed in battle-worn gear approaching the request board was an unusual sight. But I knew their interest went beyond our age.

Soon the whispers grew just loud enough to catch:

"Three kids, one with red hair... it's gotta be them."

"I've heard of them before. They've been going from town to town taking jobs. They even took down a Nightmare Slug and a Goblin Chieftain."

"What? No way. They're only kids."

"I heard the one with red hair is especially terrifying—a one-in-a-million talent."

"Yeah, they call her the Flame Princess."

That last comment nearly made me burst out laughing. I caught Maya's sidelong glance, her eyes narrowed in fury as she glared at me. It was my fault the nickname had caught on, after all. 

We'd become surprisingly well-known across the guild network. Three kids completing an absurd number of jobs was certainly unique, but the attention was sometimes annoying. Plus, I'd rather not make a name for myself with the Order still out there, lurking in the shadows.

We ignored the gossip and continued toward the request board, but our path was intercepted by an older man with short gray hair and weathered features. I stopped, examining him questioningly.

"Can I help you, sir?"

He looked at me with pleading eyes. "Y-yes, yes you can. I overheard some people here say that you three were accomplished adventurers, yes?"

I gave him a suspicious look before nodding slowly. "I guess you could say that... What of it?"

He clasped his hands together as if preparing to beg. "You have to help me. I was traveling to this town in my cart and, like an idiot, decided to take some back road through the forest west of town to get here faster. What I didn't know was that the forest was infested with monsters."

His voice trembled slightly as he continued, "My horse was killed, and I barely escaped with my life, running through the woods... But my cart and everything I own is still out there. Ive came to the guild first this today hoping to find someone who can retrieve it for me so please you have to help get it back for me, please!"

I sighed, considering his story. "What's in it for us?"

I would have loved to help this man out of simple kindness, but practical concerns came first—we needed to eat, after all.

"I-I'll give you fifty silver coins from the stash in my cart," he stammered. "Please, you just have to help me. I have nothing besides what's in that cart."

Fifty silver coins? That was far more than any normal job would pay. Plus, the desperation in the old man's eyes was beginning to tug at my conscience.

I glanced at Rowan, whose face remained impassive as he shrugged, signaling that the decision was mine. But when I turned to Maya, she was looking right past me, her eyes fixed on the old man with unusual intensity.

"We'll do it," she said adamantly.

I stared at her in surprise before letting out a sigh that melted into a smile. Turning back to the old man, I nodded. "Yeah, we'll help you."

His face broke into a relieved smile. "Thank you, thank you! You have no idea how much this means to me." He shook our hands vigorously, then pulled out a crumpled map, doing his best to show us where his cart had been abandoned.

"I'll wait here for you. Please be careful—those woods... they're not natural."

Something in his tone gave me pause, but Maya was already heading for the door, her mind set on the task. Rowan and I exchanged a glance before following her out into the morning sun.

As we left the guild, I couldn't shake the feeling that this seemingly simple retrieval job might be more complicated than it appeared. The darkness inside me stirred slightly, as if sensing trouble ahead.

But that was a problem for later. Right now, we had a cart to find and an old man to help—and perhaps, fifty silver coins to earn.