Chapter 3 - Leif & Rin

"And then?" Rin, a C Rank multi-weapon adventurer asked. 

Leif, a battered G-Rank vanguard with scrapes and bruises argues back "And then you should have stayed behind me, I'm a tank after all." 

"Alright, I'll do it next time." He said blankly and was about to hand out the quest parchment with the requestor's thumb mark which proves the completion of a quest.

Leif grabbed hold of the parchment stopping Rin from submitting it, "Just because I was slightly injured doesn't mean you should submit the request. I'm the party leader, I'm supposed to turn in quest completions."

"Okay here you go" Rin gives it to Leif with no further argument, used to Leif's roundabout ways and stubbornness. There was no arguing with Leif once he set his mind to it. "Just so you know, I don't think you're just injured. l think you're severely injured."

Leif ignores Rin's comment and hands the quest completion to the guild attendant. "What are you talking about I'm the greatest tank there is!" 

"Congratulations on completing your F-Rank quest!" The guild attendant smiled, handing over a small pouch. Leif accepted the reward with a grin. An awkward silence fell in the room as Leif declared himself the greatest tank despite only being G-Rank as an adventurer. 

But neither Leif nor the guild attendant minded the awkwardness. The attendant then added "The total reward for this quest is 50 silver. Would you like to donate 10% to the Guild orphanage?"

"Yes, please," Rin replied eagerly.

"Wait a second, Rin! Are you crazy? That's 5 silver coins!" Leif exclaimed, his eyes wide with disbelief.

"It's just 5 silver," Rin replied calmly, unfazed.

Leif's voice rose in indignation. "I've had it with you, you stupid bumpkin young lord! Do you even understand how much we need this money?"

"I don't have a title though, my family does. It's my brother who is a Baron but he barely has enough money to pay cover his Fief and imperial taxes." Rin shot back, maintaining his steady tone.

"You're going to ruin our chances to rank up! You're completely out of touch with the cost of living in this city!" Leif's face turned red with frustration.

"But what if we just deduct 5 silver from my share of the reward?" Rin suggested, trying to find common ground.

"I should just kick you out of my party, do you know how much equipment, food, and lodging will cost while I'm recovering?" Leif complained, his anger boiling over.

"That's why I said we should stick to G-Rank quests since you're still a G-Rank tank. It's more efficient that way" Rin countered matter-of-factly still calm.

"We'll never rank up if we go with your plan!" Leif shot back.

"But we end up spending more on supplies and taking longer to recover!" Rin insisted, his resolve firm.

At a nearby table, a veteran guild member, accustomed to their bickering, smirked as he overheard the argument. "There they go again."

"What's the fight about this time?" another guild member asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Money, as usual," the veteran replied, chuckling. "They argue like an old married couple."

"Is it because you don't like the orphanage you stayed at?" Rin revealed tilting his head trying to make sense of Leif's outburst. "We can choose a different one." Rin browses through the list of charities on the guild attendant's parchment.

"That's not the point! We need to be smart with our money! Put that feather down" Leif insisted, grabbing Rin's arm and dragging him away from the guild attendant.

"Come back again!" the attendant called after them, a bemused smile on her face.

As Leif and Rin stepped out of the Guild Hall into the lively streets of Arvandale, the warm sun bathed the cobblestone paths bustling with merchants and travelers. The air was thick with the scent of spices and baked goods from nearby stalls, adding to the vibrant energy of the City known as the City of Guilds.

"I told you Rin we should be smart about our money!" Leif protested. "We can't spend it on frivolous things."

Rin raised an eyebrow, smirking. "Frivolous? You mean the mountain of meat you keep ordering after every quest?"

Leif puffed out his chest. "It's not frivolous! I need muscles to enhance our defense. Gotta bulk up, you know!"

Rin only shook his head, glancing at his battered friend. "No point arguing while you're in this state, anyway."

They passed the towering guildhalls adorned with colorful banners, and Leif's eyes lit up at the sight of weapons and artifacts on display. "Look, Rin! We should get new equipment with that 50 silver reward. Check out that shield!"

A merchant called to them, waving over a lightweight iron shield. "You lookin' for a sturdy shield?" This one is a basic iron shield reinforced with thin iron strips, it provides minimal but reliable defense against monster attacks. Simple and affordable, it's ideal for veteran adventurers like yourself!"

Leif puffed up at the compliment, "Ah! Gee old man you sure know a veteran when you see one!" Rin's voice etched with skepticism cut in the background "Can you even lift that thing?"

The merchant winked. "Yours for only 30 silvers," he offered, eyeing Leif's eagerness.

"Come on, good sir" Leif changed his tone, he sounded cheeky and polite "Why don't you give me a veteran's discount for keeping the city safe and all."

"For a fine adventurer like you? Let's make it 25!" the merchant replied.

"How about 15?" Leif said a smile curving on his lips.

"You drive a hard bargain—20!" steam of excitement comes out his nose.

"You heard that Rin! Only 20 silvers with veterans discount!" Leif couldn't hide his excitement.

"It's worth 20 silvers, you know," Rin said looking at the price tag hidden from Leif's view, looking at his friend and the merchant with mild frustration evident on his usually stoic face. The bargaining theatrics of city life were exhausting for a bumpkin aristocrat like him.

For Lief, becoming independent at 16 when he left the orphanage and earning his own money through quests made haggling with merchants feel invigorating. He reached for the reward, but in a swift motion, Rin snatched it away. "I think we should get you checked by a healer first."

"No way! Healers cost way too much. I'll just get a comfy bed and rest for a few days," Leif insisted. "We should save our money for equipment. The better equipment we have the faster we finish high-reward F-rank quests. Don't worry; this noggin's tough!" Leif said enthusiastically, tapping his head confidently—until the third tap, he suddenly froze, and everything went black.

----- 

Leif's eyes fluttered open, still blurry from sleep, but the faint scent of wood and leather welcomed him back to consciousness. He found himself in a familiar room.

"What am I doing in the Rusted tankard?" He and Rin would rent this place if they had enough money after their quests. The Rusted Tankard costs about 5 silver for an overnight stay here. On other days, they would normally stay out on the outskirts of the forest and camp to save money.

The small room had a single narrow window that let in dim light, and the drafty walls were worn. Leif lay on his straw-stuffed mattress and turned his head to see Rin's bed was empty, but the pulled-back scratchy wool blanket showed that Rin had been there.

He surveyed the room to see any signs of Rin's wear about, he saw the chipped washbasin had been used. There were splatters of freshwater on the cracked mirror that hung over the small dresser where it lay a top.

Leif surveyed the room for any sign of Rin's whereabouts. 

"Ah! He's not out," Leif thought, spotting Rin's bow and arrow on the sturdy, well-worn table in the corner. Rin's traveling coat draped over the single worn-out chair. 

The door creaked open. "Good! You're awake!" Rin stepped into the room the floorboard's creaking and placed a bowl of soup and buttered bread on the table.

Leif blinked in surprise, pushing himself up despite his body's protest. "Man, did I pass out or what?"

Rin's tone was matter-of-fact. "You've been unconscious for five days due to a fractured skull."

Leif's eyes went wide. "Five days? Wait, does that mean... we've been paying to stay here for five days?"

Rin started to respond, "Yeah after I got you to a healer—"

But Leif cut him off, alarmed. "A healer? Why would you do that?!"

Rin looked at him, confused. "Was I not supposed to? You had a fractured skull."

Leif grimaced, mentally tallying the amount they spent "How much money do we even have left?"

"Just enough," Rin reassured him, shaking his head at Leif's reaction. "Ten silvers."

"Ten silver? From the 50 silver we earned?" Leif asked, horrified.

"No," Rin corrected. "From our entire party savings."

Leif's jaw dropped. "Our savings? We had at least 600 silver stashed away! Where did it all go?!"

Rin tilted his head guiding his friend to sit up "The healer alone cost 300 silver—your injury was bad. I also renewed our guild membership 115 silver, I bought medicine to speed up your recovery it was expensive too, and I stocked up on some provisions and a healing potion."

Leif shook his head, still disoriented. "You should've let me die. We'd still have money."

Rin gave him a knowing look. "You sure got your priorities backward." He handed Lief the spoon.

It tastes bland, is there any meat?" he asked almost on the verge of tears as he tried to eat some of the soup. 

"That's the best meal we can afford. This is why our party should've stuck to G-rank quests, instead of that F-rank subjugation."

Leif groaned, looking around with a mix of exhaustion and disbelief. "But where are the provisions anyway ?"

Rin tossed him a bag crafted from dark leather with faintly glowing silver runes along its seams, "A bag? How could fit storage supplies in here?" Leif opened the bag and to his surprise "It's a magical storage bag! I told you we didn't need this!"

"Listen, this item is important. I got myself one too." Rin showed him a smaller one like a belt strapped on his waist. "In our last quest, I realize that we're too slow to react to danger in the forest or too slow to reach our destination cause we both carry large packs around." Rin pulled out his from his pouch demonstrating how easy it was to pull out arrows and throwing knives.

"I told you it helps with my strength training." Leif reproached while easily dodging the throwing knife heading in his direction.

"At least your reflexes are fine," Rin observed. "You can do strength training in a controlled environment but not in life-death situations. Plus why don't you check what else is in the bag"

Leif did as he was told rummaging in the magical bag"What!? It's the shield from yesterday!"

"I still think you can't carry it." Rin watched enjoying Leif's renewed energy.

"You know what this calls for? Taking on higher level quests now that I have a better shield!" Leif excitedly held the shield and its weight outbalanced him, making him fall on the dusty floor. 

"I already have a new quest, I accepted to join a subjugation mission in the Whispering Forest with other guild members." Rin continued gathering things on his new bag. 

"You accepted a mission without my approval? I am the party leader you can't do that! We can't go on a subjugation mission in the whispering forest" Leif said rising from the dusty floor.

"We're not going, only me" Rin said handing Leif a few silver coins, "Here make sure you don't starve while I'm away."

"Are you out of your mind!? What do you mean?" Leif asked in disbelief, excitement over the shield faded from his face.

"What do you mean, what do I mean?" asked Rin looking at Leif's confused face.