An Adventurer's Heart

by Tao Wong

  “Morning there!” Daniel calls out, and the group of Adventurers turns to him. The middle-aged, slightly potbellied mace wielder he spotted eyes Daniel for a moment before grinning and waving to Daniel.

  “You’re the youngsters from Karlak,” the older gentlemen replies, smiling.

  “Yes. I’m Daniel.”

  “Lin. This is Ingrid and Jorge,” Lin indicates his older companions, a redhead in an old but well-maintained suit of chainmail and a darker skinned, spear-wielding companion in turn. “You heading to Ilquin too?”

  “That’s right. The quest pays very well,” Daniel says.

  “Definitely. It’s why we do it. I’m impressed you managed three days in the sewers though. Most groups give up after the first.”

  Ingrid shudders at the mention of the sewers and Daniel finds himself rubbing his nose, the smell coming back to him once again. He is not surprised that the group knows of their exploits, Adventurers had a tendency to gossip worse than housewives. After all, learning as much as you could about the monsters and levels you would face could keep an Adventurer alive.

  “Which Dungeon do you run otherwise?” Daniel asks, curiosity filling his voice.

  “None,” Jorge answers for the group and seeing Daniel’s surprised look, he continues. “We’re questors.”

  “Huh?”

  “We don’t run Dungeons anymore, Daniel. We focus on quests only,” Ingrid quickly explains, her voice surprisingly high pitched for such a rough looking woman. “We gave up on all of that dangerous delving a while ago. That’s what questors are - Adventurers who only do quests.”

  “Oh…” Daniel falls silent then frowns. “But we were told there weren’t enough quests being taken up.”

  “Not at your level,” Lin chuckles. “Just because we’re retired doesn’t mean we want to do fetch quests or the sewer.”

  “Is this dangerous then?” Daniel frowns, recalling that Asin had appeared at his door this morning with the quest already taken.

  “No, not really. It’s a longer quest since it takes a few days for the harvest to be brought in, but overall, it’s a pretty easy quest. The biggest danger is the Spotted Deer which are running, and those are easy enough to scare away. At least for us Adventurers,” Lin pronounces, and Daniel nods slowly. “Ever met the deer before?”

  “No.”

  “Har, alright then. Come on; I’ll tell you about them and the quest…”

  “Smell good,” Asin says, walking over to peer at the meal the experienced Adventurers are making. Lin laughs, waving her to take a seat as he flips the pan, sending the thin slices of meat into the air before catching them.

  “That’s quite a compliment coming from Asin,” Daniel says, shaking his head as he sees how fast the group has set up their sleeping area. He and Asin had just finished setting up their own camp and were in the middle of gathering wood, and these three were already cooking.

  “Join us then,” Jorge says as he brings back a pot of water which he hangs over the fire. The moment it is hung, he moves to the waiting vegetables which he begins to throw in. “Lin always brings more than enough.”

  “You’d pack more too if you ever got stuck in a snowstorm on Pare Peak like I did. Ended up chewing on our leather vests just to eat something!” Lin replies, a slight smile twisting his face. “Of course, that’s when I learned that Derin Lizard brains are quite good.”

  “Don’t corrupt the kids, Lin,” Ingrid says, dropping her bundle of wood. “Right, if you add your pile to ours, we’ll have more than enough for tonight.”

  Asin nods with alacrity, leaving Daniel behind as she accedes to the invitation. After a brief questioning, Daniel moves away too to bring along the meat he was to cook and watches as Ingrid slices and spices the meat with deft strokes. Asin prods at the spice, sniffing at the spices with interest as she deposits the wood.

  “Why were you on Pare Peak?” Daniel says once he is situated comfortably and out of the way of the smoke from the fire.

  “A quest of course. This young nobleman wanted an escort to find the Yeti.” Lin rolls his eyes, “Hired two whole parties for three weeks and paid good coin for it. We ended up stuck there for two months when we were snowed in. Luckily, the quest was paid by the day. I bought a pair of enchanted swords from that quest.” Lin smiles, dark eyes remembering past glories before he sighs, “Those broke half-a-year later fighting a stone golem.”

  Putting the cooked meat aside, Lin accepts the newly seasoned slices onto his pan while Ingrid says, “Two swords! I used to have a set of fully enchanted plate. Had to sell it to pay for all the healing potions we needed after a bad delve when we needed to heal Quinn, our Mage. Healers are a damn scam.”

  “You’re telling me. I ended up being a questor because I needed to sell off all my equipment just to cover the bill to regenerate my foot,” Jorge adds, shaking his head. “Though I guess I could thank him too.”

  “Definitely thank him, if that’s why you became a questor,” Lin follows up before waving them closer to him. “Right, the first batch is ready, get your plates.”

  The group stops grousing for a time as they work through the bread and meat that is provided, Lin occasionally returning to the pot to stir and taste the vegetable soup. As everyone begins to finish up, Asin turns to regard the experienced Adventurers, “Why questors?”

  Lin pauses, spoon halfway to his lips before he lowers it. Jorge sighs, rubbing at his beard when Asin asks her questions.

  “You normally don’t ask that. It’s considered rude,” Lin said.

  “Why?” Asin prods, scratching at her ear as her tail waves lazily.

  “Most other Adventurers consider us failures,” Ingrid explains. “In fact, most won’t even speak with us.”

  As Asin opens her mouth to ask why again, Daniel kicks her in the foot. She glares at him but says nothing, turning back to her soup. Lin watches the unsubtle interaction, and his lips twist in amusement before he says, “I was a guild leader once. Just a small one, we only had about forty members. Then we had a few bad months, a few of our parties were lost, and others were poached. We eventually disbanded and then, well, I hadn’t done that much delving since I became a guild leader, and I realized I wasn’t interested anymore. So, I just started doing quests.”

  “I couldn’t get past the eighth floor no matter what I tried,” Jorge speaks up, looking at his bowl of soup as he adds his own story. “I was always the one making the mistakes, always the one holding the team back. They eventually decided to cut me loose after I lost my foot and I couldn’t find another team to join permanently. I worked quests when I didn’t have a group or in-between delves and eventually, well, I just stopped trying.”

  Asin and Daniel look to Ingrid whose lips purse before she says, “No.” Disappointed, the pair turns back to their meal. Later, when Ingrid has left, Jorge murmurs to the pair as they leave, “She lost her party in a bad delve. Never tried again.”

  Daniel nods in thanks and invites them over for breakfast the next day in turn. As he walks back, he cannot help but think that being an Adventurer has more paths than the single one that he initially imagined and that for many, those paths ended in heartache.

  True to Lin’s prediction, the next few days pass without incident. Watching from his assigned spot, Daniel wipes rain away from his eyes before scanning the surroundings again, stopping on the farmers as they finish up the latest field. Barely a dozen in number, the workers had cleared three fields today just by themselves, even while working in the pouring rain. In fact, the greatest delay was in storage as carts struggled along the muddy roads to deliver the produce to the warehouses.

  Once again, Daniel smiles as he watches the farmers work. He was always amazed at how so few Farmers can produce such a large harvest - though realistically, it is no different than how experienced Miners can churn out significantly more ore than beginners. If not for the need to continually train the next generation of workers, youngsters like him would never be given a signifi
cant role in mining operations.

  “Deer,” Asin says, her hood pulled tight over her head as rivulets of water drip down around her. As she speaks, she points, and Daniel wrenches his gaze away. In the distance, he sees the Spotted Deer herd run downwind of them, each motion a thing of beauty. They glide across the ground but veer off suddenly as the smell of old and rotten blood carries its way to them. Daniel relaxes and then reaches for his water bottle, feeling the lukewarm water wet his throat.

  “So… this is the last day it seems. We’ll probably even be able to get back before the evening falls if we hurry,” Daniel says.

  “Mmmm…” Asin purrs.

  “What I’m saying is that we could enjoy a soft bed, warm water, and a hot meal if we decide to.” Daniel tries again as he pulls his own cloak tighter, feeling the chill from the rain carry to his bones.

  Again, all Asin does is purr.

  “Are we going back tonight?” Daniel cries out exasperatedly, and Asin lets out a chuckle, looking up at him from where she crouches, her tail waving lazily in amusement.

  “Yes.”

  “Good.” Daniel nods firmly, stretching. “So, you’re good then?”

  Asin nods and then shrugs after a moment. “Foolish. Over now.”

  “I still think Tevfik liked you for yourself you know,” Daniel adds, but seeing the glare Asin shoots him, he then shuts up. Soon enough, the work is done, and Daniel heads over to wish goodbye to the other Adventuring parties and the Farmers before the pair head back to the city. Asin pauses for a moment, staring back to Daniel before she flashes him a grin and takes off, loping forward at speed through the mud, Daniel growling softly as he hurries to keep up with her. Damn cat.

  “Daniel!” Niko waves to the youngster as he walks in, cold and grumpy at having lost the race back. Asin had out-paced him very quickly and never seemed to look back, so all that Daniel could do was follow after her, alternately jogging and running. Having finally made it back to the inn, Daniel only wants to rest in his room and so ignores Niko, heading upstairs.

  He is pulled short by Niko’s hand on his arm halfway up the stairs, the older swordsman looking serious. “Daniel, I just need a moment. Please.”

  Daniel frowns and then nods, recalling how the other Adventurers had helped them. He owed Niko at least the courtesy of listening to him. In the dining hall, Daniel quickly orders some mulled wine to warm his body before he turns to Niko, waiting for him to speak.

  “I know you’re upset we hid our intentions from you. I just wanted to explain it to you,” Niko said. “You see, well, finding an unaffiliated healer is incredible. Even someone who only has Minor Healing can make a difference in a party’s earnings over the long-term, and if you ever learned more powerful spells, you could make a major difference on a day-to-day basis.

  “Few parties ever advance beyond an Advanced Dungeon without a healer in the party. Even including the priests though, there just never are enough of them to go around. Finding a healer that’s unaffiliated is a big thing for a small guild like ours.”

  “I’ve figured that out,” Daniel answers grumpily.

  “I still think you should join a guild, even if it’s not ours. There’s no reason for you to be working a dungeon like Karlak, earning a few silver every run when you could be in a real dungeon. With a guild’s help, they could outfit you with proper equipment and ensure you got the right training.”

  “Out of the goodness of their hearts?”

  “Of course not. You’re an investment, and they’d expect you to use your skills for the good of the guild. But it’s nothing more than what you offered to do in the bath house,” Niko points out.

  “Oh, you found out about that eh?” Daniel grimaces and Niko nods.

  “And I know what you did for the travelers too. You’d just be using your gifts for other Adventurers instead.”

  “You’d treat me like a Healer though.”

  “That’s what you are. We’ll protect you and make sure nothing happens to you. The worst thing you can do is have your Healer killed!” Niko adds, shaking his head.

  “Right, right,” Daniel sighs and drinks down his wine, standing up. “Thank you for that, Niko. I’ll… think about it.”

  Niko nods, disappointed. As he stands, he offers Daniel a patch from his guild, saying, “If you change your mind, just show this at the reception of our guild hall and state my name. I’ll leave word to keep an eye out for you. And Asin.”

  Daniel nods again, putting the patch away in his pouch as he heads up the stairs. A part of him can see the advantages, the way that joining a guild could make up for his Gift and meet his dreams. However, it meant he would be treated as a precious commodity, a healer that could never be injured. No longer would he be allowed to risk himself in dungeons that might be a little too difficult for him or fighting bosses. Daniel would be a healer, and healers never fought in the front.

  Still, this offer would let him make up for lost time. Daniel knew he was old for a beginner Adventurer, old to have just started on this journey. While Levels and experience could help stave off the effects of time, time still always won.

  Lying in bed, Daniel stares at the wooden boards that make up the ceiling, his thoughts going in circles.

  Chapter 11

  “No, it’s left,” Daniel insists, glaring at Asin. “Who’s the one with the Mapping skill?”

  Asin glares and points down to the left before adding, “Been there.”

  “I know we have, but the instructions lead us down there. We must have missed something!” Daniel reiterates, and Asin shakes her head firmly.

  “No miss. Nothing there. Right.”

  “Asin!” Daniel growls again, and Asin sniffs, holding up a finger. When Daniel subsides, the Catkin continues.

  “Try once.”

  “Aaargh! Fine.” Huffing in defeat, Daniel shifts the pack he carries once more. When he does so, the scratching coming from within the backpack makes him shiver again. Asin looks over as well, her hearing picking up the noise. “Not doing this again.”

  Asin nods firmly, shuddering. Delivery quests within the city itself were rare – after all, there were numerous cheaper options. When this quest came up, Daniel had snatched it up quickly as a way to see more of the city. How were they to know that the special delivery was for a box of Umben Beetles.

  Umben Beetles were flesh-eating monsters that would swarm the nearest host, burrowing into the flesh and laying eggs where more of their kind would grow, eventually crippling and killing its host. When that happened, the Umben Beetles would exit and find a new host, continuing the cycle. They were also considered a noble delicacy, the creatures carefully cultivated across numerous hosts for the exotic, layered flavors their hosts imparted on the Beetles.

  Daniel is brought out of his thoughts by a gloating Asin who points to where the sign of a crossed fork and lamp are painted above the restaurant’s name ‘The Fork & Lamp’ are painted. Daniel looks once more at the directions and growls, “It says left!”

  Before Asin can answer an angry, balding man throws the door open, shouting, “You’re late!”

  “The directions we were given were wrong!” snaps Daniel and the man snarls.

  “I don’t care about your damn excuses. Filthy, money grubbing Adventurers. I should complain to your Guild!” snaps the man, reaching out to grab the box from Daniel. Daniel almost holds it back before remembering he wants the box off his back as soon as possible and hands it over. Without another word, the bald man stomps back into his restaurant, already screaming at his employees.

  “I hate city people,” growls Daniel and Asin wrinkles her nose, eyeing the restaurant. After a moment she shakes her head, gesturing for Daniel to lead the way back. They were unlikely to be served well if they went in to dine right now, which was a shame in Asin’s view. After all, the Fork & Lamp was considered one of the premier restaurants in the city. Sighing to herself, Asin follows behind Daniel as they head back to the Guild Hall.

&n
bsp; “How about this one?” Daniel asks, holding up a quest note asking for guards. Asin reads over the note, shaking her head and points to the pay rate. Two silver for each Adventurer was very poor. Instead, she taps on another and Daniel reads it aloud, frowning. “Alchemist looking for participants in their experiments. Must have high Constitution.”

  Asin nods firmly, and Daniel eyes her doubtfully. She lets out a huff and points to Daniel before growling softly, “Heal.”

  “Oh! Oh….” Daniel frowns, tapping his fingers. Well, it was true that they could probably survive the experiments with his healing and Gift but still… At Asin’s insistent pointing at the bottom of the quest that indicated the rewards which were for each potion they decided to take, he finally relents. “Fine, fine.”

  Grinning, Asin bounces off with the quest marker to get it assigned to them while Daniel continues to peruse the rather extensive list of quests.

  “A Catkin!” The short human grins, pulling on Asin’s arm as he leads her to a chair. “This should be…” Daniel and Asin wait, the man turning after a time and spotting the young Adventurer and waving him to a seat too.

  “So, let’s see…” Muttering to himself, the man tugs at his ear as he walks between rows of potions. Each is marked with tape and a series of numbers and letters. Finally, the human picks and brings across two pinkish red vials. “Take this and drink when I say so.”

  Pulling a notepad from a nearby seat, the Alchemist jots a series of words down before looking up at the patiently waiting pair. “Well, go on then!”

  Asin chuffs out, her tail flicking in irritation before she sniffs at the potion again. It didn’t smell wrong at least. Downing it quickly before she can think of a reason not to, she turns to look at Daniel who is more gingerly sipping on the concoction, a part of his mind holding his Gift ready just-in-case. The Alchemist peers at the pair, watching them for adverse reactions.

  Nothing happens for a few minutes before the Alchemist nods, smiling. “Good, good… why is that purple?”