We sat around the table for what felt like thirty minutes. The topic slowly evolved towards Egester and eventually to Steven’s origins.

“I’m from a small city called Shamont. It’s way north in the mountains of Eastrath.”

“Was it snowy all the time?” Isabelle asked.

“Mostly yeah, I still can’t get used to how hot it is here.” He wiped his brow. His whole body was drenched in a thick layer of sweat. His weight definitely didn’t help him there.

“Did you live there your whole life?” Aaron asked.

“Yeah, my first cousin married into the royal family so I got some decent gear, made it a good place to live and level up.”

I looked across at Aaron and he nodded his head. I had been under the impression that residents of Yetera weren’t able to level. It was an unsubstantiated assumption though. And I couldn’t pursue it, as we never revealed the fact we came from another world.

I wasn’t sure why I was under that impression. Maybe because I couldn’t fathom anyone who had the alternative of leveling choosing to be poor, or living as a merchant, or just being a regular citizen: leveling was fun and battles gave me intense experiences like nothing I’d ever felt on Earth.

Steven was born here. A natural resident who could also level up and acquire skills. What were we though? What was the purpose of sending us here? There was no way to answer without revealing our own origins. It was impossible to know what reaction we would receive if that information was revealed.

The hostility Steven had previously shown towards Aaron swiftly disappeared. His royal background was the reason for his ego and ‘elusive’ attitude. It was also the reason I mistook him for someone important when I first saw him in the alleyway.

“Excuse me.” Guillaume interrupted our chattering. “Your other appointment has arrived. Shall I send them in?”

“Yes, thank you.” I answered.

The official returned a moment later with a figure following behind him. I couldn’t make them out until he moved out of the way.

It was a woman around our age. She cupped her hands in front of her and tilted her head downwards. Her eyes darted everywhere around the room but refused to look directly at us.

Her hair was golden blonde and a bit more than shoulder length. She was small, even for a girl. She looked fragile, like a gust of wind would cause her to fall over and scatter in the wind.

“Hello, why don’t you come and sit down?” Aaron said.

“Ah, uhm.” She mumbled and looked around as if asking approval from an authority. Guillaume simply nodded at her and then disappeared.

“Nice to meet you. I’m Aaron, the group’s Archer. This is Isabelle our Acolyte. This is Joseph our Mage, and this is Steven our Tank.” Aaron pointed each of us out.

“Nice to meet you. My name is… Kimmi.” She was soft spoken. “oh, I’m a Thief.”

“Can we see your equipment?” Aaron asked.

Apologetically and hesitantly, she started to put her gear on the table. I glanced over everything briefly but focused my attention on what I considered the most important for a melee damage dealer.

Serpent’s Fang: AGI +3, VIT +3

The fang of a venomous snake. Its sharp tip drips a poisonous liquid.

Scalpel: AGI +5, STR +2

The blade is incredibly sharp. Good for making precise cuts.

I noticed Steven looking at her with big, star-struck eyes. I shook my head and realized this was probably going to be our new Thief. I wasn’t sure what people found interesting about this type of overly demure behavior, but it just wasn’t for me.

“This is all of it,” she muttered. She was definitely missing some miscellaneous magic items, like potions, and the overall quality wasn’t as good as Steven’s, but she did have two nice weapons. It was passable.

“What does everyone think?” asked Aaron.

“Definitely, very definitely,” Steven blurted out.

“I’m okay with it,” Isabelle said.

I hesitated for a moment, “I guess.”

“Alright, that’s settled. Welcome to the party.” It seemed I was the only one having second doubts about her joining. I was worried she would run away from monsters and cause problems. She was level twenty-one though, so it shouldn’t get to that point.

“Since everyone is here we should talk about our next steps.” Aaron unfurled Steven’s map over the table and we bunched up. “We should decide on our next destination.”

“Arturii is the place to be… but...” Steven paused.

“Why Arturii?” Aaron asked.

“It’s basically the central hub of North Maledith. All the biggest guilds main bases are there.” We all took a minute to look at the map.

“If it’s the central hub then shouldn’t it actually be more around the middle of the continent?” I asked.

Steven looked at us like we were aliens. “The monster levels start to climb really quickly when you head west. Arturii has a great balance.” He spun the map around and took control. “Look right here,” He pointed. “This is Tanyros.” It was a small city, south west of us in the opposite direction to Arturii. “Look at the average level range of monsters there, and then look at Cape Tou.”

The level range of mobs around Cape Tou was mostly 18-23. Tanyros was just a bit west and the level range went from 26-32. The distance was probably only a day or two of traveling.

“And now compare that to Arturii.” Arturii was north and a bit more west. “The west exit of Arturii has the level range of monsters at thirty-seven to forty-six. If you walk only another day west that jumps to almost sixty-five.” Steven said.

He was right. The west side of Arturii was 37 to 46 and the east side was just 25 to 36. The level ranges were incredibly accommodating for new and mid-level Adventurers.

“So what’s the issue?” Isabelle asked. “Can’t we just make Arturii our destination then?”

Everyone turned to Steven for the answer.

“Well, that’s what I originally wanted to bring up.” He paused, “the Adventurer’s guild has been sending out notices for over a month now.”

“Notices about what?”

“Missing parties. Whenever a party takes a mission and departs, the Adventurer’s guild keeps track. If you fail the mission; if you complete the mission; or if you just don’t return—that sort of thing. They keep it for ranks.”

“So what exactly is going on then?”

“Parties have been taking missions out of Arturii and disappearing. It’s not uncommon for parties to wander too far or get lost and end up wiped out. The issue is that it’s happening a lot—way too much. Even worse is the Adventurer’s guild hasn’t given a reason. The fact they don’t know says a lot about it.”

I know Aaron, Isabelle and I were all thinking the same thing, “What’s the Adventurer’s guild?”

“Are you from a different planet or something?” Steven asked. “The Adventurer’s guild is run by all the top guilds jointly.” He paused. “Wait… are you not registered?”

I looked at Aaron and Isabelle for an answer, “No, we’re not registered.”

“We should get you registered then. Cape Tou is too small for them to have a building here but they’ll have at least a single representative we can get you recorded at.”

“Any special requirements?” Aaron asked.

“You just have to pay five thousand Zeny and provide all your details.”

“And what are the benefits?” Isabelle asked. She liked holding onto her Zeny.

“The Adventurer’s Guild runs pretty much everything…” Steven paused. “Eastrath doesn’t have enough Adventurers to warrant something with full continental presence like the Adventurer’s Guild. Most cities run their own mission halls and that’s it. The Adventurer’s Guild… is like a mission hall for all of North Maledith. Does that make sense?”

It actually did make sense. It was called the Adventurer’s Guild but it sounded more like the ruling council of North Maledith. If all the top guilds had members seated on an organization that ran all the Adventurers, who else could hope to rule?

Steven was proving himself to be incredibly knowledgeable. “So how do you know all of this? You just arrived here recently,” I asked.

“Mostly from retired Adventurers. When they move back to Eastrath they always find a royal family to attach themselves to. It’s a mutual relationship. They enjoy luxury while the royal family borrows their influence and abilities.” I nodded and he continued. “I heard stories as a kid up until my late teens.”

“Let’s talk about registration tomorrow. We should go back to discussing our route and destination.” Aaron steered us back on track. “What do you think our options are?” He looked to Steven. This is why I liked Aaron as a leader. It didn’t hurt his pride to take advice from anyone, especially when he was the less knowledgeable one.

“We can head south and travel to Tanyros. There’s a famous area called the Elysian Fields on the way. We can travel through there and then work out of Tanyros for the time being.”

“…I heard that place is bad news.” Kimmi mumbled out while twiddling her thumbs.

“What’s wrong with it?”

“The enemies aren’t… they aren’t always the same.” Her timidity was hindering her from communicating effectively. I was getting a tad bit annoyed. I glared at Steven.

“Ahem, it’s only a little weird.” Steven said. We all looked at him suspiciously. “Alright, it’s very weird. People gave the Elysian Fields a nickname—”

“—the Land of Fallen Heroes.” Kimmi said.

“Yes, the Land of Fallen Heroes. There are no monsters there to fight, but there’s a peculiar phenomenon that happens sometimes. No one knows why, but occasionally you run into the ghosts of Adventurers.”

“Like real ghosts?” I felt Isabelle grab the hem of my robe.

“Yeah… the issue is that every encounter is… random.” He paused. “The Elysian Fields have been around for hundreds of years already. The amount of people that have perished there are uncountable. Most are lower level than us, but there have been outliers.”

“Like?”

“There have been reports of level seventy-plus ghosts appearing.”

“So you just die then? NEXXXTTTT.” Isabelle blurted out. She wanted nothing to do with it.

“No, no, no, that’s what’s so peculiar about the Elysian Fields. Each ghost has a different temperament. Some will fight you to the death. Some will just ignore your existence. There have been reports of ghosts asking for favors and even giving massive rewards.”

“Okay, scratch that for now. What about a route directly to Arturii?” Aaron asked.

“Well, we can visit the Magma Caves and the Marsh Pond on the way to Arturii if we go that way. The only issue is we aren’t quite high enough level yet.”

“What level are they?”

“Twenty-five minimum. We MIGHT be able to handle it but it wouldn’t be easy by any means. Also, if the little lady doesn’t wish to visit the Elysian Fields we can take a detour around it to get to Tanyros.”

Isabelle stuck out her tongue and made a face at him in response.

“How many days?” Aaron asked.

“Only a day detour to avoid it. Oh, I forgot to mention one thing. Tanyros is a great starting location. It will delay our travel to Arturii but it isn’t without benefits.”

“Are you suggesting something else is there besides levels?” I asked.

“Tanyros is popular among lower level adventurers because good Zeny can be made there. There’s a gem mine located south of the city. The majority of what you find is cosmetic but you can also find valuable gems for crafting.”

I couldn’t help but think about the glowing gem that dropped off the Golden Thief Bug, “Like rainbow colored ones?” I asked.

“No—wait. You’ve seen a Rainbow Facet?” He asked excitedly.

“Uhh, maybe.” I couldn’t be sure if that was what it was called. “What is it?”

“You can add sockets to gear and place Rainbow Facets in them. Depending on their properties they give benefits to all sorts of classes. They are extremely rare, and expensive.”

“Can we find them in the Tanyros mines?” Aaron asked.

“Absolutely not.” He shook his head. “Rainbow Facets only drop from boss monsters. The rare gems you find in the Tanyros mines are simply for Enchanting or Gemcutting. I say that, but even enchanting gear can be expensive and not a commodity every adventurer can enjoy.”

Isabelle seemed to warm up to the idea once Zeny was on the table, “So about how much can you make in these mines? I’m not saying I want to go… just hypothetically.”

“Well… it’s all based on luck but… The cosmetic gems range from five hundred to five thousand Zeny depending on how good they look.”

“And what about the Enchanting and Gemcutting materials?”

“Ten thousand to a hundred thousand Zeny.”

“Such a large variance?”

“Yeah, the stone determines the potential enchantment. Obviously, not every enchantment is as valuable as the top ones,” he said. I could see that.

It seemed to me that delaying our visit to Arturii for a detour to the mines was a good idea. “What do we need to if we want to visit the Tanyros mines?”

“We can do the work ourselves, but I recommend we hire helpers. Despite it being relatively safe you don’t want to go down alone. Those that can’t find a party to go with typically sell their labor.”

“Hired workers?”

“Yeah, we pay them a flat amount per day or a cut of the profits, depending on what we negotiate. They carry the supplies and do the work. All we need to do is protect them while they do so.”

“So there are monsters in the mines.”

“Well, yeah. It’s called the Tanyros mines but it’s still a dungeon.”

The prospect of making money and leveling at the same time was too exciting to pass up. It seemed from their faces that everyone else welcomed the idea.

“Let’s take a vote.” Aaron said. “Raise your hand if you want to go.” Steven, Isabelle and I raised our hands immediately. There was some hesitation from Kimmi before she raised her hand. Aaron was the last one. Not because he wasn’t interested but because he reserved his judgment until the rest of us voted.

“Seems we’re all in favor,” Aaron said. “What gear do you think we need to prioritize?” He looked at Steven.

“Most of what we need can be bought in Tanyros. For now we should secure some camping equipment and the required food. It’s around four days from here if we move our way around the Elysian Fields.”

Guillaume suddenly came back and interrupted us, “I’m sorry but the next group needs to use the room. Is it possible you can take your business elsewhere?”

“Oh, sorry.” We weren’t exactly using it for party hall matters anymore. Our party was now organized and full. “Thanks for your help, Guillaume.” Aaron said. We all got up and took to the streets.

“Let’s talk while we head to the Adventurer’s hall representative. I think he’s at the north entrance. Do you each have five thousand Zeny?” Steven asked. I nodded my head in response and the others did too. The free trip Lady Briele provided had really saved our time and wallets.

“How soon do you think we can leave?” Aaron asked.

“We can leave by tomorrow. It shouldn’t be hard to find what we need in the remaining daylight hours.”

“We haven’t been here long.” Aaron said.

“I know some people. As long as we have the Zeny I can secure our food and equipment.”

Cape Tou wasn’t large by any means. It was a short, five-minute walk to the hall.

“Hi there, I’d like to get my three friends registered,” Steven introduced us.

“I need your names, level, and class.” The guy at the desk inside the guild entrance was curt in his response. Aaron approached first followed by Isabelle and then me. It seemed Kimmi had already taken care of her membership before.

Even after providing our details, we weren’t registered. He needed to send the information to Adventurer’s headquarters in Arturii. Only after that would there be some record of us. That information would be sent out and then all the cities on North Maledith would have our information. It was one big network that connected the majority of the continent.

After leaving the building, Steven counted off the gear we’d need on his fingers. “I know where to get it all,” he said.

“Do you need us to go with you?” Aaron asked.

“No need. Give me five thousand Zeny each and I’ll gather what we need. Pay for another night at the Broken Sword for me. I’ll be a few hours.”

We each passed Steven the Zeny and he disappeared into the crowds.

There was an absolutely bustling tavern on the way back to Broken Sword, “Shall we have dinner?” Aaron asked.

“I’m a bit hungry.” I said. It seemed everyone else felt the same. We were placed at a small little table off in the corner. Despite that it was hard to hear our own thoughts. There must have been over a hundred rowdy adventurers drinking and laughing inside.

“Kimmi, where are you from?” Isabelle yelled through the noise.

“Ah, uhm… from a little place called Cury on Eastrath.” She paused. “You’ve probably never heard of it before…”

“What’s it like?” Aaron asked.

“It was a fishing village.” She used the word ‘was’ instead of ‘is’. Isabelle didn’t seem to notice.

“So you were a fisherwoman growing up?” Isabelle asked. She seemed interested in that prospect.

“Well… no, I wasn’t. My pops was a fisherman. I just helped my mom around the house.”

“Do you have any sibli—”

“How come you used the word ‘was’?” I cut Isabelle off, feeling there was a lot more to the story that wasn’t going to get asked if I didn’t speak up.

Kimmi first answered Isabelle, “I was an only child.” Then she turned to me, “My hometown doesn’t exist anymore.”

“What happened?”

“When I was thirteen bandits raided the entire village before burning it down.” She talked as if there was no emotional aspect to the story. It was a sort of cold speech that made me think she was repressing her feelings about the situation. As if the village being raided and burned down was a fact that had nothing to do with her.

“I was playing in one of the nearby fields when the raid happened. I had no idea there was even a problem until I smelled the burning. At first I thought the villagers were having a barbecue. But the smell of smoke grew deeper. It wasn’t the typical light and pleasant smell. The smoke was thick and dark and filled the sky.”

“Did you know where your parents were during all of this? Did you find them?” Isabelle asked.

“I don’t know. They were at home I think. When I realized something was wrong I rushed home. The village was burning all over. People were running while screaming only to be chopped down by machetes and swords. I froze.” She paused and everyone waited in silence for her to continue.

“I was scared. I didn’t see my parents anywhere. The area my house was in was fully engulfed in flames and the smoke billowed into the sky. I just ran away and didn’t look back. I didn’t know what else I could do.”

“There was a city we would regularly trade with nearby. I remembered going with my father a couple times while growing up. I convinced myself I knew the way. Maybe it was to comfort myself, to assure myself running was the best option, that I would be okay if I fled.”

“Long story short… I had no idea where the city was. I got terribly lost. I wandered for two weeks alone. Luckily it was the rainy season and I had water. I was hungry but managed to survive off the little plant life I was familiar with. Eventually a merchant found me.”

“So a merchant found you and took you in then?” Isabelle asked. “Did you live with them since you were thirteen?”

“No, they didn’t take me in. In fact they treated me like a burden and simply dumped me off. I’ve been homeless since I was thirteen and for a while lived off the scraps from taverns just like this one. When I was sixteen I managed to join Adventurer groups as hired help. I slowly built up a foundation of EXP and at eighteen was high enough level to join those groups as a member.”

Her story sounded like something out of a movie, a dark movie. My negative feelings towards her from earlier slowly melted away. What I couldn’t understand was her shy temperament. How could someone who had to fend for themselves since thirteen act in such a way? Shouldn’t she be strong? Outgoing?

While telling the story, her voice wasn’t shaky at all. She came off like a different person while talking about it—completely normal.

“I spent two years climbing the ranks and saving Zeny. I was twenty when I managed to save enough to secure a spot on a zeppelin. That was several months ago.”

“That… sounds horrible.” Isabelle fumbled out. We were all entranced with her story. So much that we managed to drown out the surrounding patrons completely.

“Are you four ready to order? Oh, you don’t have menus yet. Sorry, we’re pretty busy tonight as you can see. I’ll be back in a few moments while you take a look.” A waiter passed each of us a pamphlet.

I suddenly didn’t feel that hungry after listening to Kimmi’s story. Life on Yetera would take getting used to.

“What should we get?” Aaron asked. The names of the food on the menu were meals I’d never heard of before. The three of us were stumped through and through.

“The Roda legs are pretty good…” Kimmi said.

“Roda legs?” Isabelle asked.

“Oh, it’s a frog… a big frog… kinda. It tastes sort of like chicken.”

“Doesn’t sound like much,” I said.

“Their legs are bigger than chicken thighs.” And that was enough convincing. We ended up all ordering some Roda legs and fried potatoes for dinner.

We stayed to talk a bit later than expected. Luckily Broken Sword was still mostly empty and reserving Steven’s room went without a hitch.

He arrived several hours after us. “I got everything,” he said. “Tomorrow we depart for Tanyros.”