“ ‘Lance Ainsworth, 17 years old, a swordsman. Enlisted 7 years ago as an apprentice. Received 4 years of training before becoming a certified adventurer.’ Do you want me to read the next line in your perfect profile?”

I laughed awkwardly.

I had returned empty-handed from the labyrinth. In the end, I couldn’t find that thief again. I had searched everywhere and even asked around the inns, but no one had reported seeing “a blond girl in black.”

“Rick, please stop.”

“No, I’ll read it: ‘Current total debt: 10,000 Imperial Coins’!”

The words resonated through the room. And now I needed to face this unpleasant situation. I was sitting in a small office, the one I reported to every day, and the guild officer behind the desk was Rick Adalwin, my former teacher and a long-time friend. Despite our friendship, I didn’t expect him to go easy on me.

“Rick, you didn’t give me a chance to explain.”

“You’ll explain all day long, but it won’t change a thing!”

I swallowed hard and felt my white collar tightening around my neck.

“You made a promise,” Rick said. “I thought you were serious.”

“I am serious! I will pay you up to the last coin, but you’ve got to hear me out first.”

Nothing annoyed me more than these misunderstandings. Rick was a good guy, an experienced adventurer who had retired to support youngsters like me. But he would’ve been even better a person if he had given others a chance to speak.

“Fine, fine, I’ll hear you out. Go ahead, Lance. Did a goblin steal your purse, or was it a mermaid this time? Oh, I know, it was a harpy! I haven’t heard that one in ages.”

“Well, I know I have a history of…”

“Coming up with excuses, yes, and running from debts, yes…”

“But this time, I’m innocent. I focused on my mission, collected the valuables, and headed back home. I played it safe and didn’t mess around. But I met this girl on my way back…”

I told Rick everything, and he nodded after every single detail. It seemed that he finally understood my ordeal. I finished my tale, and a compassionate look appeared on his face. He placed his hand on his head, sliding his fingers through his brown hair. His dark eyes seemed almost teary.

He stood up, adjusted his guild uniform, and walked around the desk. Stopping next to me, he placed his hand on my shoulder and bent over. Would he offer a few words of consolation and tell me that I was off the hook?

“I don’t believe a single word of what you said,” he whispered into my ear and gave me a sharp look. Then he grabbed me and raised me in the air. Rick was nothing but strength, a mass of brawn and muscle. I knew he wouldn’t be convinced, but I had to try. After all, I was telling the truth.

“Look at me, Lance. Some people are saying that you’re waiting for the guild to shut down, that you want your debt canceled, that you’re hiding your daily loot from us. Is this how you’re thanking the guild for all that it’s done for you?”

Rick said the few words that I didn’t want to hear. My pride was injured, and my blood boiled, flushing my face bright red. He did more harm in these few seconds than the blond thief had done with her elaborate ruse.

“This place has been my home for years. The guild master took me in when I had nowhere to go. Do you think I’d take advantage of the guild’s situation?”

Rick let me down, averted his eyes, and walked away. He stopped at a window that overlooked the busy street. The wagons and carriages were speeding by in the colors of sunset. Azuria, the city of the Sixth Labyrinth, was bustling with life, but the people seemed to be racing somewhere far away, somewhere the guild could never reach.

“I’m sorry. I just can’t get myself to accept what’s happening,” Rick said. “I received the final confirmation today. The Exploration Guild will disband in seven days... one week, then nothing. Everyone is abandoning the place, and I thought you were doing the same.”

My eyes were downcast, and I struggled to find suitable words to say. I wasn’t the only one haunted by the ghost of debt; the Exploration Guild, the place that made me into an adventurer, was buried under a mountain of loans. I didn’t know the details, but I gathered from fragmented conversations that the total sum reached hundreds of thousands of coins.

“Didn’t the guild master say he’ll keep the guild alive?”

“Yeah,” Rick said. “But it’s impossible now.”

“The merchants… They refused to help us?”

“They said the guild was a failing business.”

“But the guild gave all of us a chance,” I said. “The best adventurers learned under Master Azemir’s guidance.”

“Master Azemir made little profit in the past three years. The guild has to disband, and its facilities will go to the creditors.”

“It’s not fair.”

I didn’t understand much about the world of business. I went into the dungeons for the adventure. There were six labyrinths in the world and a seventh mentioned in legends. Who would care about petty money when these unexplored frontiers existed? The merchants valued immediate success and didn’t invest in the future. Master Azemir involved himself with them to keep the guild alive, but they were the poison that forced its last breath out.

“Can’t Master Azemir start over?” I said. “He’ll have our support.”

“I told you, Lance, adventurers are abandoning the guild. Some even opened shops to accept quests. They moved on, and Master Azemir is old.”

“But…”

“The guild is history.”

Rick’s last words shocked me anew. Why am I so powerless? I was losing my home, my school, a place full of bittersweet memories. And I couldn’t do anything about it.

“What’s done is done,” Rick said. “Go now. I won’t assign you any other quests for this week. Consider your debt canceled.”

No, I can’t just sit down and do nothing.

“Rick, I told you I’ll repay my debt.” I stood up with determination. “The money can make a difference.”

“Give it up. 10,000 coins won’t save the guild.”

“But I can’t say goodbye like this. I made a promise to the guild master.” I shook off my powerlessness. If I didn’t act now, there wouldn’t remain any proof that I loved this place. “There must be new clients, new quests. Give me your toughest, the one with the highest reward.”

“Says the adventurer who just got duped,” Rick laughed and returned to his desk. “Well, my years of watching over you have taught me one thing: regardless of your failures, you’ve got mettle.”

“Do you have a quest or not?”

“Do you think I memorize them?” Rick sighed and opened a records book. “I’m checking if there are any high rewards.”

“Hurry up.”

“Since when have I started working for you?” Rick paused. “Ah, here’s one.”

“Show me.” I went around the desk and pushed him aside.

“It arrived today. The difficulty hasn’t been assessed by the guild master yet.” Rick pushed me back and took hold of the records book. “You’re not going inside the labyrinth this time. Ashenbrook... There have been disappearances around the town of Ashenbrook. The client’s name is not mentioned.”

“Maybe the client disappeared too.”

Rick held the book closer to his face, reading, “Missing travelers… Overturned wagons… Reports of strange lights at night…”

“Sounds like an Aberration to me. One of the monsters escaped from the labyrinth and found its way to Ashandbooker, or whatever this place is called.”

“Ashenbrook… It’s a possibility, but Aberrations are usually killed as soon as they leave the labyrinth. The reward is… 50,000 imperial coins! What in the world is this?”

“Rick, Rick, Rick, this is our chance. There’s no need to wait.”

“This bounty is too high for an Aberration’s head.”

“Maybe it’s a mega-Aberration, shoots beams and stuff.”

“Lance…” Rick gave me a sharp look again.

“I’ll donate all the reward money to the guild.”

“Are you sure you can complete this quest?”

“Yeah, I will investigate, find out what’s happening, and confront the Aberration. It’s as simple as that,” I said with gusto. I may have been too trusting, but an Aberration couldn’t trick me.

“Fine,” Rick said reluctantly. “Head to Ashenbrook, and I will contact you through your gear and update you with more information whenever it’s available.”

“One last thing, Rick.” I drew my sword and placed the blade at his neck. “Don’t tell the other adventurers about this quest. I don’t need competition.”

“Don’t worry,” Rick smiled with sweat sliding down his cheeks. “I bet you’ll fail even without competition. This time it will be a redhead, not a blond thief.”

“Well, I’m off.” I sheathed my sword and ran out of the room.

“Won’t you rest for the night?” Rick shouted.

“I’ll sleep in the wagon on the way.”

“What if the Aberration attacks?”

“It’ll have to wait till I wake up!”

Rick shouted another reply, but I was already far from his office.

Leaving the Exploration Guild’s headquarters, I decided to hitch a ride to my new destination. I hurried through the noisy streets and reached the city gates, where many caravans were about to depart. After several turndowns, I finally boarded a trader’s wagon that followed a route through Ashenbrook.

What the blond thief did still irks me, but this is more important. One last achievement for the guild… My efforts will remind people of what Master Azemir’s students can do.