An explosion tore through the darkness.
Shizori jolted awake on cold, wet dirt, palms sinking into mud.
This isn't my bed. "Where am I...?"
A violent gust slammed into her from the front.
She flinched, shielding her face.
What was that?!
When the wind died down, she looked up.
A man stood directly in front of her, his back facing her.
His clothes hung in bloody shreds.
Hhh... ngh... hahh...
Dozens of wounds scattered across his arms, back, and legs.
Thud.
He fell to his knee, leaning heavily on a massive sword lodged deep into the ground, barely holding on.
Did he... shield me?
She looked around.
Is there no one else around?!
To her left she saw injured people laying down in the mud, weapons shattered.
She whipped her head right.
More injured people on the ground, blood pooled in dark patches.
"HEY!" Her voice cracked. "ANY OF YOU AWAKE? PLEASE... S... SOMEONE!"
Tears rolled down her cheeks.
She looked back at the man.
"RUN! Save yourself!"
He didn't move.
Slowly, he turned his head, just enough for her to catch the corner of his mouth lifting into a faint smile.
His lips started to move.
Then a bright flash swallowed everything.
Shizori snapped awake in her tiny inn room, still nighttime, the only light a sliver of moonlight through the cracked shutter.
Sweat soaked her blanket.
Her heart raced wildly in her chest.
Tears streamed freely down her face.
"What... was that?"
She sat up slowly, pressing her guild tag against her chest, fingers trembled.
That smile... and what did he try to say?
She shook her head.
"Just a nightmare... had to have been... right?"
Time slipped away in restless silence.
The first rays of daylight shone through the cracked shutter, bright, warm, brushing against Shizori's face.
Her eyes fluttered open, heavy and slightly swollen.
She groaned softly, burying her face in the pillow.
"So tired... just a bitlonger..."
But something tugged at the edge of her mind.
I feel like I'm forgetting something... something urgent.
Her eyes snapped open.
"GAI!"
She bolted upright, blanket tumbled to the floor.
"I overslept!"
She scrambled out of bed, bare feet slapped against the cold floor.
If I rush, I might still make it in time!
She washed her face and frantically dragged the brush through her tangled hair.
The nightmare still haunted her, the blood, all the bodies, that man, and that quiet... smile.
But she shoved it down hard, as she shook her head.
I don't have time for daydreaming.
Not now!
She grabbed her staff and burst out the door, rushing to the adventurers guild.
She ran through the streets, dodging people and carts left and right.
Hopefully I'm not too late...
Out of breath, cheeks flushed and a little sweaty, she arrived in front of the adventurers guild.
She scanned the area.
Oh no... did he already leave...?
A hand tapped her shoulder from behind.
Eek!
Startled, she spun around.
"I started to think that you might not show up."
That scared me...
"G... good morning, Gai. I'm sorry for being late."
"No problem. You ready?" Gai smiled at her.
Shizori nodded quickly.
"Let's get you everything that you'll need to go out on quests. Do you have a backpack?"
"No... this is basically all I have."
Hmm.
"So we have to start with the essentials." He tapped his chin.
"I know! Follow me."
"I'll show you a good store, that sells everything, from quality armor, weapons, to backpacks."
"Basically everything a new adventurer needs." He turned and started walking.
I hope it's not too expensive... Shizori thought, hurrying to keep up.
After a short walk they arrived at a store.
It looks fancy... tall glass windows?
She looked up. Even a polished metal sign above the door, showing crossed swords in front of a shield?!
"This is the place." He said as he held the door open. "I buy all my gear here."
Ding-Ding.
Stepping inside, they are greeted by a tall, middle aged man.
He wore a white shirt under a tailored black vest, his silver-streaked hair swept back, and brown eyes.
"Gai, it's been a while." He said with a smile. "Do you want to take a look at the new weapons we got in stock?"
"Maybe next time. Today I'm here to help her," Gai glanced at Shizori. "get ready for her first quest."
The store owner's eyes shifted to Shizori. "Who's that friend of yours?"
"I'm Shizori. Nice to meet you."
"Gerhard, Likewise." He gave her a polite nod. "Looking for gear? Anything in particular?"
"Let's start with some light armor." Gai said. "What's in stock right now?"
Gerhard walked over to a row of armor stands. "This is what we currently have."
"I'd recommend this, for a beginner." He gestured to a leather set.
"Made from the finest Giant Boar hide, reinforced with light steel plates, tough, lightweight and has good protection."
Giant Boar?! Her eyes widened. The D-rank monster? That has to be expensive... no way I can afford that...
Gai ran a hand over the leather. "Seems solid. How much do you want for it?"
"5 silver." Gerhard said. "Reinforced set like this doesn't come cheap."
Shizori froze, her face went pale.
5 silver?! That's 50 copper coins... that's how much a week at the inn costs...
"How about we lower it to 4? A little regular customer discount." Gai smirked at him.
"One second." Shizori quickly pulled Gai aside.
She whispered, voice tight. "I can't afford that, I don't have that much."
"Don't worry." He whispered back with a warm smile. "I'll cover it."
She shook her head, cheeks flushing. "I appreciate it, I really do, but I can't accept that."
"Let's just stick to the essentials I'll absolutely need for now.."
He sighed. "Fine... Then let's start with a backpack."
We spent a while browsing through all sorts of backpacks, from fancy high end ones to the cheapest ones, that barely even qualified as such.
I could only afford the latter...
They also picked up a waterskin and basic rations from a nearby stall.
She checked her wallet.
So I spent 2 copper on the backpack, 3 copper on the waterskin and rations... that leaves me with 3 copper coins.
I really need to earn more soon!
Gai glanced at her, noticing her worried expression as she counted her money.
Their last stop was a stall that sold potions and herbs.
She looked around the stall in awe. "So many different potions."
"After all, they are necessary for all kinds of occasions." Gai pointed over to the right. "They even have herbs to brew your own potions with."
She took a closer look at a red potion. "Is that a healing potion?"
He nodded, stepping closer to her. "Yeah, parties use them to substitute not having a healer, while parties with healers or mages usually focus on having mana potions, the blue ones."
He's so close... She blushed lightly.
"No wonder they are so expensive, 1 low grade healing potion costs 1 copper, and it doesn't even heal deep wounds..." She muttered.
He chuckled. "Just don't get hurt then."
Hmpf!
"Or, I'll just use my heal." She responded with a smug grin, puffed out chest, and hands on her hip.
"True, true, but you should still get a few potions, just in case, you never know what might happen." He said while picked out different potions.
She shook her head. "I... I'll manage without for now. My magic should be enough."
"Are you sure? That's quite risky."
She nodded. "Yeah, I'll just be extra careful."
"Fine, then let's head back to the guild to accept a quest."
"Hopefully there is still a good quest left." She said.
Side by side, they headed for the guild.
He treats me so nice, despite my hair...
She felt her cheeks reddening and warming up.
"It's still quite early, there should still be quite a few quests."
She stopped, looking right at him.
Hmmm?
He stopped as well, turning towards her. "Everything okay?"
"T... Thank you for everything so far, Gai." She bowed.
"No worries, we adventurers should of course help each other." He said with a big smile.
"Oh, before I forget, I have a little gift for you." He rummaged through his bag.
She tilted her head to the side. A gift?
He pulled out two low grade mana potions and handed them to her.
"Take these. Consider it a welcome to adventuring gift from me."
Shizori blushed and protested. "I can't accept..."
He cut her off with a soft smile.
"You can pay me back by taking care of me during the quest. Deal?"
"B... but..."
"No buts, you're a healer!"
"We can't have you running out of mana on your first real quest."
She just nodded, her cheeks bright red.
Back at the Guild they both stood in front of the Quest Board.
"What kind of a quest should we take?" She asked.
Gai checked quest after quest. "Considering our supplies and that it's your first quest..."
"I'd say we should head out on a gather quest." He tapped his chin.
"Which one, the Moonbloom petals one?"
"No, let's do this one." He showed her the quest paper. "But it would require us to camp outside."
She read through the quest.
[Ebonroot Harvest E-Rank Gathering Quest
Recommended for E-Rank parties or higher.
Gather 10 Ebonroots.
Commonly found deep in the northern parts of eldenbrook woods towards the mountains.
Reward: 3 silver
Bonus: 2 extra silver, if all the roots are in perfect condition.]
"The northern parts... will it be dangerous?"
"Don't worry, nothing we couldn't handle. At most boars, wolves or poisonous thorn vines, all E-Ranked monsters." He responded with a smug grin.
"That sounds a little scary, are you sure we can handle it on our own?"
He nodded. "I can handle a giant boar by myself, a few wolves won't stand a chance against us."
Well he is D-Ranked after all, so if he thinks we'll be fine...
She nodded at him. "Okay, let's do that one."
Together, they walked over to the counter where Hilde was sorting through papers.
"Hello, Hilde."
"Oh, Shizori, already back from your shopping trip?" Hilde asked with a warm smile.
"Yeah, we bought everything I'd need for now." Shizori showed her the backpack and everything inside.
HeHe.
"I see, so you are ready to tackle your first quest?" She chuckled with her hand covering her mouth.
Gai placed the quest on the counter. "We want to accept this quest."
Hmm.
She put her hand to her chin. "Recommended for E-Ranks and above... are you sure you want to take this one?"
"Absolutely, with me she'll be save, I'm not D-Ranked just for show after all." He boasted with a wide grin.
"You better make sure she comes back unharmed." She glared at Gai. "Or else... I'll personally take care of you."
Shizori chuckled. "Thank you, Hilde."
Hilde leaned forward and whispered. "Also, there's a rumor spreading about the monsters in the northern parts, they seem to be acting weird lately. It's still unconfirmed though."
"Weird, how?" Shizori asked.
"Apparently some monsters left their usual habitat, we still have to investigate it further."
"We'll be careful." He said.
"Thank you for the info, Hilde." She bowed to her.
After that, they both set out north, heading straight for the Eldenbrook forests.
"I can already see the beginning of the forest." She exclaimed, pointing ahead of them.
"Yeah, it's been mostly a stroll so far, once we enter the forest, the real adventure begins. We'll need to be on high alert."
Gulp.
She nodded, putting on a smile, clenching her staff.
You got this, Shizori! Time to show what you are made of.
"Just follow closely behind me and make sure you don't get lost."
They followed a narrow dirt path, leading into the forest.
"Aren't the Ebontrees deeper in the forest?"
He nodded at her. "It's just easier to get further north by following this path first. Makes it also easier to fight back if we get attacked."
Attacked?! A shiver ran up her back.
"You mean by monsters?"
"Not necessarily, if we get unlucky, we might face bandits that are waiting for prey." He smirked at her. "Scared?"
She shook her head with her eyes closed, staff clutched tight to her chest.
"Good." He focused back on the path.
The mountains kept getting bigger and bigger.
"This should be far enough north, lets head deeper into the forest from here and look for the Ebontrees."
She nodded and they started making their way through the tall grass. Gai cut it down with his sword.
Her voice trembled. "Luckily, we haven't encountered anyone or anything yet, huh?"
"Yet... better keep your guard up."
Deeper, the forest opened up more, big, thick trees spaced out surrounded them.
Shizori looked around with wide eyes, mouth opened wide.
"Are all those trees Ebontrees?"
He shook his head.
"No, those are Ebony trees, they look almost identical as Ebontrees. Look for ones that have a white~ish bark."
They headed deeper, looking around.
Snap-Ruuustle.
Bushes ahead snapped and rustled, something was watching.
Gai raised his sword toward the sound.
"Get ready and stay behind me."
She gripped her staff tight, holding it in front of her.
She stepped right behind him, her heart hammered.
Two wolves emerged, sleek black fur, amber eyes glowing, fangs bared in low, rumbling growls.
Grrrrrrrr.
One circled left, the other right.
"Smart, cutting off our escape." He said, waiting patiently, sword steady.
S... so this is real combat... She trembled lightly.
The first wolf lunged.
Gai met it mid air.
His blade slashed upward in a clean arc, steel met fur and bone with a wet crunch.
Blood sprayed across his shoulder.
With a sharp yelp, the wolf twisted mid air, kicked off his blade, and landed hard.
"Not deep enough.." Gai muttered.
Before he could finish, the second wolf charged from the right, claws raking toward his side.
Gai pivoted, blocking the slash, steel clanged against claws.
The first wolf leapt again, jaws wide, aimed at his throat.
I can't defend aga... His mind raced.
Shizori moved without thinking.
She swung her staff downward, striking the wolf mid leap.
It yelped and crashed to the ground.
Gai kicked the second wolf back, dashed forward and brought his sword down in a brutal arc.
The blade carved through its neck.
The wolf twisted once, then collapsed, dark blood pooled beneath it.
As he finished the first wolf, a third wolf burst from the shadows, straight behind Shizori.
Oh no... Her mind raced I can't dodge this one...
"Quick Step!"
He threw himself in front of her, sword raised just in time to block most of the claws.
The wolf's claws raked across his arm, red lines bled through his sleeve.
Agh!
"GAAIII!"
He shifted right, dashed forward, and swung from the side.
The wolf leapt back to dodge.
Gai adjusted mid motion, blade rising high, then brought it down in a crushing overhead strike.
The wolf tumbled, rolled, and lay still.
Shizori rushed to him, her voice trembled.
"Show me the wound!"
He exhaled as he showed her the bleeding arm.
"Don't worry. It's not that deep."
"Not that deep?! Look how much it's bleeding..."
Her head sank. And it's my fault...
"It's okay, after all, I have you with me." He smirked at her.
"Still... you got hurt because of me..."
He interrupted her. "As a front liner, It's my job to make sure that you don't get hurt."
She pouted, her cheeks flushed.I bet he says that to all the girls...
"Hmm..., sit down, I'll heal you."
As Gai sat down, he held his arm out towards her.
It's even deeper than it looked at first glance, hopefully my light heal will be enough...
She hovered her staff above the wound, closed her eyes, started to focus, and channeled her mana into the staff.
A light glow appeared at the end of the staff.
"Light heal."
Her face scrunched up and sweat formed on her forehead.
"What's wrong?" He raised an eyebrow.
The glow on her staff brightened, the wound started to close up.
As the wound closed completely, Shizori collapsed to the ground, exhausted, sweating, and breathing heavy.
"Sorry, I need a second... I used up a little too much mana." She weakly smiled at him.
Eh? His smile turned into a wide grin.
"If there only was something that we could do about that..." He scratched his chin.
"But someone said they'd be fine with just their magic..." He smirked at her.
She glared at him, eyes narrowed, and cheeks puffed out.
"I know. I know... You where right, happy now?"
Haha.
"Well, thankfully, I did buy you those two mana potions."
Her eyes widened. Oh yeah, I already forgot!
"So just drink one, rest up for a bit, and in the meantime I'll get the magic stones from the wolves."
After she recovered, they kept on making their way deeper into the forest.
"Hey, aren't those the Ebontrees?" She asked as she pointed forward, at a small group of trees.
"Yes, finally we found them, now we just need to harvest the Ebonroots, have you ever harvested any?"
She shook her head.
"Not yet, is it hard to do?"
"If you don't do it the right way, you might damage the root, and if you harvest too much, you might kill the tree."
She froze, her face paled.
"K... kill the tree? Damage the root...?"
"No need to panic, I'll teach you how to do it."
They approached an Ebonroot tree, Gai knelt in front of it, and she stood beside him.
"First you need to dig along the tree and find the roots." He put his finger at the base of the tree, following it along.
"You don't want to cut them off at the ends or right at the tree."
He dug out a root.
"It makes it easier to cut it off clean if you dig out the whole root and not just above it."
She nodded.
"What are those pale green and gray patches on the root?"
"Oh, it seems like you have a keen eye for this, good job noticing those."
Hearing that compliment, a smile tugged at the corner of her lips.
"Those patches are mold, you definitely need to avoid those, mold like that will ruin any elixir... or worse."
As the sun began setting they harvested all 10 Ebonroots.
"Good job, you learned quite quickly how to harvest the Ebonroots."
Shizori wiped sweat of her forehead.
"All thanks to you showing me how to do it properly."
She looked up at the sky.
"The sun is setting, should we head back through the night?"
"Too dangerous at night. We stick to the plan, camp here, and head back at dawn. I don't want to risk anything ambushing us in the dark."
"True, but where should we set up our camp?"
Gai looked around. "Over there is an open area, let's set up camp there." He pointed over to it.
They headed over, Gai quickly started a fire before the sun fully set, and they both sat down on fallen tree logs around the campfire.
Shizori leaned her staff against the log, took out the waterskin from her Backpack, and took a sip.
"How about I make us a soup?"
"A soup? Out of what? We only bought jerky for rations, no?" She asked, eyebrow raised.
"We did, but I have some vegetables I bought before with me. It's not going to be the best but better than just jerky."
She looked at the jerky. Hmm, it looks so dry and tasteless... but with a nice vegetable soup...
Grumble.
Her stomach growled quite loudly at the thought, her face lit up like a tomato.
"I guess your stomach already made his choice." He chuckled lightly. "It won't be amazing, but I can guarantee it'll be tasty."
Face bright red, she just nodded.
Clatter.
Gai pulled up his backpack, took out a pot, and placed it over the fire.
He filled the pot with water and sliced up his ingredients directly into the boiling water.
First onions, then carrots, potatoes, cabbage, and lastly mushrooms.
Gulp.
Wow, he brought so much with him?! Her mouth watered from the scent of the soup.
"If you want to, we could also add the jerky later on."
Her stomach growled even louder. "I did not expect to get to eat a full blown vegetable soup out on a mission."
"A good meal out on an adventure helps boost morale and just tastes better." He said with a warm smile while he stirred the pot.
"You really know a lot, huh? How long have you been an adventurer?"
"Well, I started 10 years ago when I was 16."
16?! So even younger than me?!
"Why did you choose to become an adventurer?"
"Well, I wanted to become a knight at first, but I needed quick money, so it was the best option."
Shizori's gaze drifted to the ground. Quick money huh?...
"What about you? Why did you choose to become an adventurer?" He asked.
"I... also need quick money..."
"For what?" Gai wondered while pouring her soup in a wooden bowl.
He handed her the bowl.
She took the bowl and held it with both hands in her lap.
It smells quite good.
She stared deep into the bowl.
"Well... that is kind of... hard to talk about..." She responded, her voice low.
"For now, time to eat and rest up for tomorrow."
She nodded and took a sip of the soup.
Her eyes lit up.
"It tastes so good! Thank you, Gai."
"It's the least I can do for my valuable new friend." He smiled warmly, though a faint, sharp tug at one corner of his mouth lingered.
She took another sip, this one bigger.
"You're not eating?"
"I will, in a second."
Thud!
Huh?
The bowl slipped from her grasp, hitting the ground. Soup splashed across the dirt.
She stared at her empty palms.
What...?
Her brows drew together.
"Gai... I feel... strange..."
She flexed her fingers, slowly, experimentally, but they moved like they belonged to someone else.
A strange heaviness crept up her arms, pooling in her elbows, turning them soft and unreliable.
What is going on? Did I use up too much mana earlier?
She blinked.
The firelight smeared at the edges of her vision.
She tried to focus on Gai, his face blurred for a heartbeat before sharpening again.
Why is he smirking like that?
"G-Gai...?" Her voice barely a whisper. "He... lp... m..."
Everything around her seemed to tilt.
She pressed her palm down to steady herself, only for her elbow to fold inward.
Something was wrong.
Very wrong.
She slumped sideways.
I can't feel anything... I can't move my body... am I dying?
"Finally..." Gai sighed, stood up, and stretched his back.
Finally?! W... what does he mean?!
"God, it took ages for that poison to kick in, so much for instantly." He spat on the ground.
"It won't kill you, after all, I can't have my precious merchandise die on me like that." He said as a big grin spread across his face.
Merchandise...? W... What is he talking about? Did he do this to me?!
Her mind raced, heart rate quickened.
HAHAHAHA.
"Easiest catch of my life!"
Gai slowly stepped closer, sat down beside her, and laid a hand on her shoulder.
With a gentle but firm push he rolled her onto her back.
Her limbs flopped, and her head lolled to the left side, away from the fire.
He brushed her slightly parted lips, her breath faint and irregular.
Is this real? Or did I pass out, and this is all just a nightmare...
His caressed her hair.
"Though this DISGUSTING hair of yours will definitely lower what I'll get for you."
...Nightmare... yeah... it has to be...
"I have to thank the gods for sending me here!"
He licked his lips.
"Time to check out what else you have to offer..."
He placed his hands on the sash holding her robe together.
"Don't worry, I won't hurt you."
My first adventure...
My first friend...
Or so I thought.
I really am cursed.
Faces crowded around me, twisted, cussing, threatening, screaming...
Old woman shrieked.
"Cursed Hair!"
Laughter, sharp and cruel.
"Child? That's no child. That's a thing wearing a child's skin."
Faces I've known my whole life...
What did I do to deserve this?
The Gods really hate me.
I wish I wouldn't have been born.
She tried to look at Gai's face.
He smirked... eyes dark with lust, locked onto her body.
Her gaze slid back to the forest, bushes rustled and moved.
Is this really it?
Please... just let it end quick...
Tears welled up, hot and unstoppable, sliding slowly down her face.
I can't anymore...
P... Please...