How I Met Your Monster #20

Shasta

Profile:

Shasta, 33

Quest Giver

Likes: A good cup of mead, gold

Dislikes: Some adventurers. You know who you are.

Bio: Look. It's simple. I spend all day at a pub handing out a beginner's quest to would be adventurers. They do the quest, I give them the reward. Repeat. It's been awhile since 'they do the quest' has been done, and I'm honestly just tired of the same day in, day out stuff. So hit me up.

AD

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The Drunken Quail Pub & Eatery was pretty much as I expected it. It was dark and dingy, with hooded figures spread out sparsely at broken tables. A thick layer of dust covered the majority of surface, further punctuated by the fact that I could see the imprint of my shoes behind me as I walked. I looked around and saw Shasta sitting at the bar alone, loudly complaining to the bartender.

"I mean, I'm getting desperate here. I signed up to do that blog guy's interview in either the hopes that I'll find something better to do than be here or the off chance adventuring starts up again."

The bartender clocked me coming in and pointed a finger in my direction. Shasta lazily turned her head in my direction. She would have stood out if she hadn't become a permanent fixture of the place. Contrasting well against the dark establishment, she bore long flowing yellow locks and bright blue eyes. She was pale, and nursed a tumbler in her hand. With the other, she threw me a peace sign and craned her head quickly in a way to tell me to come and sit.

"Hey there. I'm Shasta. Nice to meet you."

"Nice to meet you, Shasta. I'm Silas." I order a drink from the bar, "I couldn't help but overhear and already have a couple answers for some of my more common questions. If you want to do more than just sit here and hope a new adventurer comes in, why don't you find something new?"

She sighed, downed a shot, and put the glass back down. "Hope, I guess. It's a little stereotypical, but being a Quest Giver isn't just a job. It's an actual facet of my identity. I mean, it's what makes me not human. The way it used to work 'til recently was that I would just know a quest. It's pop up in my mind. Someone would come in, clear it, and I could summon the reward. Rinse and repeat. Easy peasy."

"But then adventuring is going downhill."

"Exactly. Some of the big time adventurers are still doing the damn thing, which is great. But I'm a Quest Giver for newbies. No newbies means no completed quests. Which means no new ones. All of a sudden, my identity has taken a hit."

"I've been there. Minus a few commissioned pieces, I wasn't able to be a journalist for awhile. I didn't know what to do with myself."

"You ever think about adventuring?" A spark lit up in her eye for a second.

"Actually, yes. I wanted to be one when I was younger. But I was talked out of it. I'm guessing that talk is being passed down to lots of kids with wild dreams."

She sighed, "There's still so much to be explored. There's still evil. There's still magic and power. I just don't get it."

"Is there anyway you can accept the quest?"

She looked at me, then back at her new drink the keep brought over. She swirled it around in the glass. "I can't lie and say I haven't thought about it. But aside from being a conduit, I've got no other magic ability. I'm shit in a fight. I wouldn't do too hot."

"I mean, it's a newbie quest though right? Talk a few people to go with you, take it on as a party. You would get experience, better weapons, maybe some more magic. That's how growth works, right?"

Her eyes lit up again, but her voice carried concern. "I don't know. I can't ask any of these sad sacks to do it. Jim there won't leave his bar, and I can't blame him. The other guys are about as effective in a fight as a wet noodle. But you said you were interested in being an adventurer once, right?"

"Well, I mean, sure. I learned how to use a sword a bit."

"That's perfect. You also have met a lot of people doing this weird blog thing. I'm sure some of them are bound to want in on an adventure. What do you say? I'll even tag along. If it goes well, great. If not, but I still survive, I'll just go back to square one. What do you say?"

I mulled it over for a bit. This blog has been keeping me busy, but actually getting into the thick of it and meeting some of these creatures in a more natural setting might change things a bit. I could fulfil both of my wishes of being a journalist and an adventurer. Shasta looked at me hopeful, and I looked back at her. I grabbed my drink that had been sitting on the bar and chugged it down without taking a breath. Sitting the glass back down on the table, I nodded.

"Yes. Let's do this."

"Sweet. Now here's your quest:"

QUEST RECEIVED Jim, the owner of the Drunken Quail Pub & Eatery has been having a bit of a rat problem. They've been getting into his stock and causing one heck of a mess. Get rid of the rats and Jim will be eternally grateful.

Rewards: 125xp, $200, 10% discount at QPE&P

"Wait, seriously? A rat quest? Here?"

"Yeah, they've gotten a bit big though. I've had that quest ready for about eight months now. We can do it now unless you need to prepare."

"Well, I don't have a sword."

Jim grabbed a bar from behind the bar and handed it to me. It was heavy in my hand, but the familiar feeling of it brought me back to classes when I was younger. I looked at Shasta who was grinning wildly and smiled. She squealed and the two of us took off for the store room.

I'd like to say it was an easy quest, dear readers. And in a way it was. But I'm technically a level zero human, and Shasta was correct in her description of her abilities. After getting chewed on a few times and getting incredibly worried about the feeling of wooziness that came upon me, I got luck and managed to skewer a couple of the rats. The others fled and Jim said he would patch up the walls after closing so they wouldn't be able to get back in. All in all, it was simple and nothing some ointment can't fix.

To keep it short, it was exhilarating. Until next time.

-Silas D.