As the Town Guard descended the stairs from the mansion, Mayor Coleman emerged behind him. The mayor wore a fine shirt, waistcoat, and trousers that looked every bit as expensive as Becka’s dress, though these were primarily white with blue trim. Coleman was even taller than Glenn, though his slim form and somewhat sinuous walk had always reminded Glenn of a snake. No one liked the Mayor, really, which made it a mystery as to how he kept getting re-elected.

All Glenn could imagine was the people of Wolfpine were eager for Mayor Coleman to reach Level 16 and leave for greener pastures. Yet Coleman had only progressed to Level 12 in his three years as a Mayor of Wolfpine—it was difficult to Level Politician in a zone as low as Grassea—so it wasn’t like Coleman was doing anything incorrectly. Leveling in a town this small was simply slow going.

Yet it was the Town Guard leading the way who held Glenn’s attention. The Mayor must have called the man off the gate to escort him to this Quest turn-in, probably to make himself look more impressive. The man wore full [God Armor], with a God-Blessed shield on his back.

The dark-colored metal of the guard’s [God Armor], forged from rare ore found only in the realm of the Gods, drank the midafternoon light in a way that was both menacing and powerful. Glenn had seen Adventurers wearing all sorts of armor in his time, flashy and gaudy and colored, yet while [God Armor] seemed plain by comparison, it also looked like it meant business. No frills here.

The oversized [Guardian Mace] dangling off the guard’s hip sported mashing squares that looked like they could crush a wagon. While guards used that mace as a one-handed weapon, it was almost as big as a two-hander, a sign of a Town Guard’s unusual high Strength. One swing from that mace could crush any Monster foolish enough to approach Wolfpine’s walls.

Even more impressive, a faint blue light flashed with each step of the Town Guard’s armored sabatons. Glenn knew the guard to be wearing [Fleet Boots], a God-Blessed Item available only to the Town Guards that protected Balarel’s many small settlements. A man or woman wearing those could cover five paces for each step they took, easily chasing down the fastest of monsters.

And that shield! Gods, the Town Guard’s [Guardian Shield] was something to see. It was round and wider than Glenn’s chest, also made of the same light-eating metal as the armor. A golden spiral sun representing Celes, Goddess of Resurrection, was painted upon it. It looked indestructible.

Glenn remembered to fall to one knee and lower his head as Coleman and his Town Guard approached. He heard a dress rustle as Becka did the same. Glenn almost risked a glance around for Zack, but he knew Zack had made himself scarce by now, perhaps even using [-Shadow Walk-] to traipse off without a sound. They’d spoken long enough ago that its cooldown had refreshed.

“Rise,” Coleman said, with an annoying and audible mixture of casual frustration and light boredom. “Thank you both for coming. Your deeds last night were truly spectacular.”

The words were nice, but the tone was all wrong. Coleman recited them like a child forced to apologize to a shopkeeper for stealing sweet rolls from his bakery. Coleman didn’t sound like he meant any of what he said, and that made Glenn sad. He’d hoped his first audience with the mayor would be more impressive, or at least mutually respectful.

Yet he shouldn’t have deluded himself. His mother, his father, and every adult he’d ever spoken to about Mayor Coleman had all offered the same poor opinion of the man, so why had he entertained that his own interaction would be any different? To the town of Wolfpine, he and Becka were now heroes, but to Mayor Coleman, they were simply another annoying task on a busy day.

Glenn rose at the same time as Becka, who didn’t even wobble in her difficult sandals. He met Coleman’s eyes and found nothing waiting for him but boredom and a small hint of disdain.

Mayor Coleman stepped forward and unfurled a brown parchment. Despite the mayor’s obvious disinterest, that parchment drew Glenn’s interest like a gleam of light in the water. The paper was fine and thick, and the inked words were penned in an elegant hand.

Glenn allowed himself a small smile as he recognized his father’s fine penmanship. As a high Level Scribe, Hal Redwood was a master of the quill. Knowing his own father had written the text of this official Quest made the fact that he and Becka had completed it together even more special.

Of course his father hadn’t mentioned his part in officially writing up Debra Whitetalon’s Rescue Quest. Hal Redwood had wanted it to be a surprise, perhaps to counterbalance the disappointment that was Mayor Coleman. Glenn’s father was a wise man.

Coleman spoke in his bored, placid tone. “Last night, one Debra Whitetalon officially submitted a Quest that any able-bodied person venture forth from Wolfpine, locate her daughter, Azalea, and return Azalea safely to Wolfpine. This Quest was then accepted by one Rebecka Coldbreaker, with one Glenn Redwood subsequently added as her Adventuring partner.”

Glenn stared at the parchment in wonder. He’d never seen an official Quest parchment before, as the Pantheon forbid anyone who was not an Adventurer, Politician, or Scribe to view the actual parchment. Even the Townsfolk who submitted the Quest on rough paper never saw the final product, but Glenn was seeing it now. The purplish ink almost glowed in the midafternoon light.

“Azalea Whitetalon returned safely last night,” Mayor Coleman announced to practically no one, since the only people in this square were Glenn, Becka, the Town Guard, and himself. “Therefore, as the appointed leader of the town of Wolfpine, I judge this Quest properly completed in the eyes of both the Pantheon and myself.”

Yet were they alone? Zack might be here somewhere as well. Zack was quite good at finding places to conceal himself. He’d had that skill even before he selected Shadower as his Class.

Mayor Coleman offered the parchment. “Rebecka Coldbreaker. Glenn Redwood. You claim to be responsible for returning Azalea Whitetalon safely to Wolfpine. Do you now swear, in full sight of the Gods, that you completed this Quest, understanding you will be smote for dishonesty?”

“I so swear,” Becka said, practically in time with Glenn.

He smiled sideways at her. She smiled back. For a moment, they both forget the mayor.

“Sign here,” Coleman said flatly. He handed the parchment and a feathered quill to Becka first.

Glenn was delighted when the tip of Becka’s tongue emerged from her mouth, lightly tapping the side of her open lips as she signed her name with the quill. She was gorgeous when she did that, and also completely unaware it happened. The moment she finished signing, a quiet moan escaped her lips. She must be absorbing the experience the Gods offered for completing the Quest.

Glenn ignored the incredibly distracting sound and focused on what was expected of him. He was here to complete a quest, not gawk at Becka—no matter how jaw-droppingly gorgeous she was in that [Noblewoman’s Dress]. After taking a moment to gather herself, Becka handed him the parchment and quill. Though her face remained flushed, she winked impishly.

Glenn took the quill, took a breath, and opened his Status Sheet so only he could see. He wanted to see this with his own eyes. He wanted to see and feel his first completed Quest as an Adventurer.

Once he was ready, he signed his name.

====

Quests can only be created by Townsfolk. Townsfolk must pay a significant fee to the town coffers to create a Quest and also contract a Scribe, another Townsfolk Class, to officially record the goal of the Quest, its reward, and who may undertake it. Once an Adventurer or group of Adventurers accept a Quest, no other can undertake it, unless the Quest itself is made as available to all.

Adventurers can share Quests with other Adventurers, but only if that Adventurer meets all stipulations for taking the Quest directly from the person who commissioned it. The status of a Quest is only available on the Status Sheets of those who have undertaken it. Finally, only a Town Mayor or subservient Politicians in larger towns can officially mark a Quest as completed.

The amount of experience required to gain each Level increases exponentially. While high Level Monsters offer no more experience than low Level Monsters, Quests are the exception. The higher Level a Quest is, the more experience it offers, with experience bonuses if one’s Level is significantly lower than the Quest in question. As such, completing Quests is all but required to reach higher Levels.

Yet given how expensive Quests are to create, they remain rare and sought after. In higher Level zones, Adventurers compete fiercely for available Quests. Higher Level Adventurers sometimes even return to low Level zones to solo difficult Quests, ensuring that even Elite Monsters and other large threats in early zones are eliminated before they cause too much harm.