A Soft Beginning
The Silverhaven Adventurer's Guild buzzed with noise and motion as the midday sun filtered through stained glass windows high above. Candles flickered in brass sconces. The thick scent of parchment, wax, steel, and leather filled the air as adventurers gathered around the tall wooden quest board bolted to the center of the main hall.
Selena stood before it, clutching her new guild badge in one hand and staring at the wide range of quests pinned to the surface. There were crumpled posters with drawings of fearsome beasts, handwritten notes about missing caravans, requests from nobles for escort work, and more than a few that had ominous "DEADLY" stamps in red ink across the bottom.
Her eyes darted across the sheets until one relatively plain parchment caught her attention. It was tacked low to the board—clearly beneath the notice of most seasoned adventurers.
WANTED: Slime Culling Near Western Fields. Colors Vary. Low Threat. 2 copper per core collected. Quest Type: Beginner | Client: Town Guard
Her face lit up with a small, nervous smile.
Selena: I choose this one, she said, looking back at Red.
The black-armored swordsman stood a step behind her, arms crossed. He said nothing, only giving her a slight nod.
Selena peeled the quest notice from the board and walked up to the main desk, where the receptionist from before, Sophia, was scribbling in a thick ledger. Her golden hair was tied in a high ponytail, and she looked up at Selena with an arched brow.
Receptionist Sophia: Rookie's first?
Selena nodded, holding out the quest paper.
Selena: Yes. Slimes.
Sophia's lips twitched.
Receptionist Sophia: Cute pick. Just don't let 'em hop into your boots. They're clingy little blobs.
She pulled out a fresh parchment and handed it to Selena. "
Receptionist Sophia: Take this permit outside the city gates and show the guards if they ask. Bring back any slime cores you collect. Welcome to the grind.
Selena turned back to Red, who had silently been watching from near the wall.
He pushed off and walked beside her, nodding once toward the door.
Selena: Let's go!
Outside the gates of Silverhaven, the city gave way to open, sun-drenched fields. The paved road unwound like a gray ribbon through tall grass and distant groves of trees. The air was fresh and sweet, filled with the scent of wildflowers and windblown clover. Birds wheeled above, and the occasional butterfly drifted past Selena's shoulder.
Her breath caught as she stepped past the last stone of the outer wall.
Selena: I've never seen it like this...
Red glanced at her.
Selena: I mean, I've seen the sky, yes, and trees through bars, but not like this."
She spread her arms out slightly, turning in a slow circle.
Selena: It's so open.
They walked together in silence for several minutes, the road gently sloping down toward a set of rolling hills speckled with glistening blobs.
Selena squinted.
And then her eyes widened.
The slimes were everywhere
tiny, jiggling balls of translucent goo, each no bigger than a melon. Some bounced lazily through the grass. Others napped in puddles of morning dew. There were pale blue slimes, sunny yellow ones, soft pinks, and bright green blobs that squeaked like bath toys when they bounced too hard into each other.
Selena: They're… adorable
Red: Don't get sloppy.
Selena took a few steps forward, drawing her dagger as she approached a nearby blue slime that jiggled with what seemed to be curiosity.
Selena: Okay...
she whispered, holding her dagger in both hands.
Selena: This shouldn't be hard.
She swung.
The dagger passed straight through the slime with a wet squish, and got stuck.
Selena: Eh?!
The slime shuddered, then slurped upward, climbing the blade like a curious child pulling itself up a ladder. It landed on Selena's hand with a plop.
Selena: AAAAAAAAAH~~!!!"
She flailed wildly, shaking her hand. The slime launched off her wrist like a launched jelly and hit her forehead with a wet smack.
Red stood a few paces back, watching without a word.
Selena finally peeled the creature off and dropped it gently in the grass.
Selena: Okay.. she panted. New strategy!
She eyed a pink one and tried to stab down this time.
It bounced just as her dagger struck, causing her to tumble forward, flat into the grass with her dagger sinking harmlessly into the dirt.
Selena: Ow…
Three hours passed.
Selena tried everything
swinging, poking, even trying to trick the slimes with a decoy apple. She became coated in slime residue, her tunic damp with grass stains and jelly globs, but she never stopped trying.
Finally, she discovered something vital
if you lured the slime onto a flat stone and struck downward fast enough, the creature burst with a squeaky pop, leaving behind a soft, glowing core.
Selena: YES!
she cried, holding the first core aloft like a treasure.
Red, still leaning against a tree, gave a rare smirk.
Red: Nine more.
It was sunset when they finally returned to Silverhaven.
Selena was covered in splotches of blue and green, her hair mussed, a satisfied smile on her face as she held a small cloth pouch of slime cores close to her chest.
Selena: Ten! she declared proudly.
Red raised an eyebrow.
Red: And only one in the boot.
She blinked.
Selena: Oh~~!
A tiny pink slime was still wriggling inside her left boot, its little face squished against the leather. She yelped and wobbled on one leg, shaking the boot until it finally plopped out and bounced harmlessly into a nearby bush.
Back inside the guild hall, the noise had lessened with the approach of evening. Selena marched up to Sophia's desk and set the cloth pouch down with a triumphant grin.
Selena: Mission complete!
Sophia untied it, peered inside, and gave a small nod.
Receptionist Sophia: Well done. First quest completed. Ten cores, that's twenty copper.
She placed two small silver-tinged coins onto the counter.
Selena picked them up slowly, her fingers trembling.
It wasn't much.
But it was hers.
Red stepped beside her as she turned to him.
Selena: I did it.
Red: You learned, and earned.
Selena: I was a mess.
Red: at least you didn't quit.
Selena smiled, cheeks flushed with pride and embarrassment. Her first day as an adventurer had been chaotic, sticky, and mildly humiliating, but also liberating in a way she hadn't imagined.
And as the sun dipped low and the torch lamps flickered in the streets outside, she walked beside Red toward the inn
her first coin in hand, the road ahead finally her own.