Part 1

The man, a tall and tanned-skinned fellow with a slight hunch of the back and a chaotic red mane as hair, cocked a grin as wide as his face. Scars covered the right half of his face, some even going down to his neck and beyond, two teeth were missing. His and his three companion’s clothes were dirty with sand, sweat and what seemed to be dried-up blood, yet it was still easy to discern that they were fine clothes. Unlike most others, their clothes had no mismatching patches or length adjustments.

Bulky belts in reddish leather were tied around their waist and, hanging from them were weapons of all sorts. One carried two bastard swords, one a set of knives, another one had a bat-looking weapon, and the last one carried a long scimitar. Their cloaks prevented me from seeing if they had any other hidden weapon, though I doubted it from how they flaunted those at their waists.

“Not gonna answer, greenhorn?” Croaked the red-maned man in the front, the boss of that merry band, as he closed in on me.

“S-sorry, I’ve been rude-” I said apologetically, making a big show of a bow and speaking with a slight stutter “- It’s my first time seeing real adventurers!”

“Kekeke, the guy’s got good eye, eh boss?” Chuckled a lanky man with brownish hair and black eyes.

“Right, right, he’s got a good ground. A good eye will bring you far, kid-” Continued the red-maned man with refound proudness “- So, yer aiming to be an adventurer, eh?”

“Yes sir, My name’s Robert and this is my sister, Janice-” I answered as I placed a hand on Julie’s shoulder and squeezed hard to get her attention. A knowing side-eye was all I could offer to make her understand the situation, hoping she would catch on “- We’ve come here from the north. Rumor is there’s plenty of work around these parts”

“Quite the long journey, ain’t it? Where are you from?” Asked the boss.

“A small village named Ah-Nebel, we stuck together with a band of merchants coming into town. Got lucky theory were good folks”

“Never heard of no village called Ah-Nebel, you guys?”

“I think I do-” Replied a bald man with a dotted tattoo on his head “- I think it’s somewhere north-east, near the coast you know”

“...Bah! Doesn’t matter-” Scoffed the boss, relieving me of the looming threat of being discovered as a liar “- Have you already registered with the guild? Got a party?”

“No sir-” I replied moving my hand slowly towards my waist where my sword was. Subtly, I was looking around the room. Most of the patrons had already left, leaving meals and drinks on their tables. A telltale sign that those men in front of me were people not to deal with. Nonetheless, only one man, an old fellow with long white hair and facial features covered by the shadow of a way-too-big fedora, stood motionless in his seat “- I was planning on registering after this. As for the party, I wouldn't dare to impose on anyone. I’m still a greenhorn, as you seniors said, I think I’d just be a burden”

“Right, HAHAHA! Better fuck off and get some meat on ya before you can actu-” Started to say a bulky man with a chainmail covering his chest before getting shut up by a sonorous slap from his boss.

“Where the fuck is your respect, Gordon!?-” Shouted the boss “- These guys traveled the whole continent to find work and ya shit on their troubles just like that. I wanna beat the shit out of ya just for saying that… Sorry about that, kid, but folks here value a man based on his strength. It’s a shame to say this, but you should get familiar with this treatment”

“Thank you-” I replied meekly “- I-I’ll keep your words in mind”

“I like your attitude, so listen here. Our party’s a bit short staffed ya see. I can see that you are a swordsman. One more sword would do us good, and you could gain some experience on the job. What do you say, wanna join us?” Asked the boos extending his hand toward me.

“Can I really?-” I asked faking the most teary-eyed expression I could do. A cold feeling ran down my spine as I felt the pressure of a stare on the back of my head “- I’ll a-accept! I won’t be a burden, I swear!”

The innkeeper gasped in surprise and the intensity of the stare seemed to intensify. I rapidly glanced to the side and, for but a brief moment, I could feel the old man’s dark red eyes glancing into me. Julie was the same, her expression was one of pure shock and surprise. As I was about to try and signal her to loosen up and go along with my act, the red-maned man leaned on my ear and whispered with a wicked tone, our hands still clutched together in a handshake.

“Of course, you’ll understand that this opportunity doesn’t come free…-” He said as the guys behind him smirked wickedly and licked their lips, their eyes fixed on my sister.

[Right… of course, it was gonna be this way… plan B it is then]

“- How about a night, eh? That sister of yours looks so beautiful with that pristine skin and *gurgle*”

His eyes went wide as my sword cut through his throat and trachea. Blood gushed from his wound as he helplessly tried to cover it with his hands, his eyes darting from me to the bloodied blade of my sword now resting defensively in front of Julie. His companions were in shock, incredulous at the scene happening in front of them. Only when the man’s body hit the floor and the puddle of blood that formed splashed all over did they furiously react.

A flurry of curses and insults began flying as each of them unsheathed their weapons and brandished them against me. I slid to the front and right, pushing my once again shocked sister out of the way and preparing to meet my three assistants altogether. Julie stumbled backward, falling flat on her ass and hitting a table whilst doing so. Thanks to that I had enough space to maneuver. I side-stepped to the right, evading the bat-like weapon that crushed the wooden planks as it hit the floor.

I moved to meet the lanky man, both his hands were armed with curved knives. One of which aimed at my throat and the other at my waist. I changed my stance, grabbing my sword with both hands at the same height as my mouth and moved in with a lunge. The lanky man, seemingly the faster of the three, was too close to dodge and thus had no option other than raising his knives in a cross and blocking my lunge. I took advantage of that and, with the hand that left the hilt of my sword, I struck the man’s stomach.

As I was about the swing my now free sword, I saw the long scimitar from the corner of my eye. The third man had moved on my side and was trying to swipe on my neck while I was distracted. I parried using the flat of my blade and aiding myself with a hand on the opposite side. Nonetheless, the hit was heavy and I was forced to backway one step. The chainmail-wearing man was fast on the attack, luckily he wasn’t as precise. The swing of his bat aimed at my waist ended up hitting my calf, sending painful echoes all over my skeleton.

I fell on one knee, feeling the strength leaving my body. The scimitar was the next to come but it lodged itself on the floor as I rolled in between the bald man’s legs. I bit my lips sharply, feeling the pain but choosing to ignore it. I rose in a semi-squatted position and swung my sword in circular motion, cutting through the back of the bald man’s knees. The lanky man was running towards us, having now recuperated energy after the punch in the gut.

His angry expression turned into shock as I stood up and plunged my sword through the now kneeling man’s neck as he screamed his pain. From one side to the other, the bloodied blade sticking for all its length out of the man’s neck. I had no time to dwell on the weak feeling in my injured leg. I let go of the sword, too deep to unlodge, and grabbed the heavy bat on the ground. Using both hands, I parried the downward swing of the scimitar and, making full use of its weight, I pushed it aside causing the scimitar-wielding man to lose balance.

The next instant I was upon him. My knife stuck in his throat and his eyes wide in shock and fear as his last bloodied words gurgled in his mouth. I extracted the knife and pushed the body down as the man helplessly tried to clutch onto me and, in his last instants, at his wound. With my intentions clear, I strode towards the last remaining man. His knees were shaking violently and his mouth gaped in shock, his eyes screaming denial. In a sprout of clarity, the man looked around at his dead comrades, me, my sister, and the others in the room. The instinct to survive overshadowed anything else and the lanky man began to run as if he was chased by a mad dog. I tried to follow but I found myself stuck in place. A pair of arms were grabbing me tightly.

“Please, stop Raphael!-” Screamed Julie in-between tears “- Stop killing people!”

In any other circumstance, it would have been easy to overpower that feeble strength, but with my now injured and tired body, it was far too great of a feat. Without being able to finish my job properly, the lanky man escaped from the inn, dashing out of the door without looking back.

The pain and frustration built up to a boiling point. Without any regard, I shouted my rage with an animalistic scream as I freed myself from my sister’s grasp.

“WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?” I shouted angrily at her face.

She backed off, looking around as if to look for who I was shouting to. Her face was the very picture of “not understanding” as the words she wanted to pronounce choked on her throat. Her eyes were red and swollen with tears as more and more of the translucent liquid marked her face. I grunted at the sight, feeling guilt for being the cause of it but forcing myself not to care.

With no little effort, I rose to my feet and began to rummage through my fallen enemies' belongings. It was a shameful act, especially with someone looking at me so intensively like the innkeeper but I had no leisure to give in to shame. I took their weapons, their coins, and whatever valuable I could find such as rings and chains. In doing so, I came across an emblem sewn on hard black leather. It was an eagle surrounded by seven curved swords in bright red, green, and white colors. All three carried an emblem like that on their person.

“Innkeeper-” I said, calling the shocked woman to attention as I showed the three emblems “- Do you know something about these?”

“Oh? Oh! Y-yes…-” Answered the woman seemingly snapping out of her shock “- That’s the symbol of the “swords of the Lord”...I guess you don’t know since you are new around here. The swords of the Lord are seven adventurer parties that work for the Lord. Officially it’s seven but rumor has it that they are much more and… and you just killed one of them”

“...Will he retaliate? The Lord of this place I mean” I asked tentatively, already knowing the answer.

“Yes… and because that dumb girl- Ehm, I mean your sister, let go one of them I’m sure they’ll spread drawings of your faces all around town” She replied glaring at Julie.

“Fuck!-” I cursed, slamming my fist onto one of the corpses for good measure “- What did you think? Are you even thinking before acting, Julie?!...*Sigh* It’s pointless to get mad now… Will you have problems, innkeeper?”

“If they find out I’m still hosting you? Yes” She replied plainly, making her intentions clear.

“Then here-” I said throwing one of the adventurer’s pouches full of coins her way “- for the trouble we caused. We already paid for the room so we’ll use it but we’ll be out of your air before dawn. I’m sure they’ll give you no problem with that”

“... Will you be alright?”

“Let’s hope so” I answered grabbing Julie by the wrist and quite literally dragging her up the stairs and back into the room.

There, silence fell between the two of us. I ignored her teary and pleasing eyes as I set to move the wardrobe in front of the door for extra protection. I was mad at her, furious even. Because of her stupidity and morals, our already difficult mission had just turned outright impossible…on the very first day. Now posing as an adventurer was going to be extremely difficult. I sighed loudly at the thought.

“...Sorry” Julie said meekly as she squirmed in the corner of her bed.

“Sorry doesn’t cut it-” I said with militaristic sternness, my tone as emotionless as I could “- Do you think before you act or are you so stupid that the idea of consequences didn’t even cross your mind?... I told you when we started this journey, didn’t I? Everyone is our enemy, I’m your only ally. You’ve lived a sheltered life…we all did. What you saw today is the norm. I’m sure you didn’t hear the guy whispering but he asked me to spend the night with you…rather, he wanted to force me to let them spend the night with you”

“...”

“And now? Now they know our faces, even my name if the guy heard you shouting it…This city has just become one fucking dealy cage...One that I can’t even escape since I’m bound by vow. All because of what? You got sad because I killed some trash? Wake up, Julie…*sigh* Be useful and start making a rope out of the blankets. We’ll flee in the middle of the night so get some sleep right after you are done”

“I-in the night?-” She asked tentatively, her voice choked by sobs and on the verge of tears “-D-didn't you say w-we were leaving a-at d-dawn?”

“I did-” I replied as I began trying the blankets “- But I also don’t trust the innkeeper…and the old man…he just disappeared after the fight was done…Anyway, just tie the blankets and sleep. I’ll wake you up once we have to go”

In the next hours, I watched as the sun slowly sunk into the horizon and my sister muddly cried herself to sleep. Part of me, the brotherly one, wanted to just sit next to her and stroke her hair to calm her down, but my rational part thought it better to let her learn the lesson. From the window, I watched as people dispatched from the guild, all dressed in black with the golden sigil of the adventurer’s guild sewn over their chest, came and went to dispose of the corpses and hear the testimonies. The blanket rope was tied firmly around one leg of the wardrobe, ready to be thrown out of the window for a fast escape.

Unlike how I imagined, making a run before night came wasn’t necessary. The innkeeper seemed to have lied in our favor or feigned ignorance. Either that or they were setting a trap in the morning. I was at least glad that things didn’t seem to escalate at the moment.

Nonetheless, I never let my guard down. Always sitting with my back to the wardrobe and an ear on the wall, measuring every footstep that reached my ears. In that sleepless night, waiting for darkness to engulf the town and the lights of the nearby building to die down, I took the chance to finally meditate. An ordeal I later found to be extremely challenging due to my restless state of mind and fatigued body. Needless to say, when true night came, I made very little progress in regards to refilling my mana circuits.

The night was cloudy and the mood rested behind a curtain of soft grey. We made our escape then. Throwing the blanket rope out of the window and jumping the few meters that the rope couldn’t reach. Then, careful not to make any noise, we began running away from the inn and towards the outer ring of the city. A high-sounding synonym for “slums”.

Part 2

A week passed since the incident. Luckily for us, the Lord seemed to care little for the group that I killed so no wanted posters were spread around. That being said, there were still patrols of guards and adventurer parties hunting us down, so me and Julie had to lay low. Thankfully, thanks to the money I stole from them, we were able to live without the need for work.

It wasn’t easy but we changed inn every night, escaping from the window in the middle of the night on most occasions. A precaution really. We used different names in every inn and every shop, hiding our faces with makeup, hoods, and dust if necessary. One time we were newlyweds, the other orphans, the next we were merchant apprentices. Thus, with much difficulty and no little cost in bribes, we were able to gather intel on the city. Though we just barely scraping the surface.

During the night, I would sometimes sneak out of the window and scour the city, writing down the number of patrols and the frequency of the change of guard. The town’s barracks were also a frequent aim of mine. More than once I tested the time it took for the guards to react by throwing rocks at the sleeping soldiers.

Then there was the intake of swords, armor, spices, food, and drinkable water from trades. Information that cost us several days of food and inn rooms, but was also crucial to determine the real weight of the town’s troops. Using our merchant’s apprentices disguises, we were also able to gather information about the Lord of Blackwall. A count of Belza named Ethan Vernet Brahet. A man in his forties, fat and with an insatiable hunger for slaves.

Rumor had it that he was neither a mage nor he had talent with the sword but deep pockets and good connections were his weapons. He wasn’t a fair lord, as he despised the vast majority of the natives of that continent and would often be present in trials just to judge in favor of those from his motherland and rich contributors. The parties he threw at his mansion were famous for debauchery. In a few words: an awful lord.

Yet he seemed to have a firm grasp on the city. But an awful lord, to have full control of his city, must have either of two things: good, loyal soldiers or some higher power backing them up. Lord Brahet seemed to have both of those things. In terms of backing, the Crown of Belza was surely behind his monetary might. To them, Blackwall and the entirety of the desert continent were unclaimed lands full of dungeons and mines. Not to mention Blackwall being a center of commerce. Regarding a good military though, things seemed more complicated.

While the town’s guard was surely capable of doing their jobs, both their training and overall numbers were too poor to be used as an absolute iron fist to keep the city in check. The power he used to keep order had to come from somewhere else, but that information seemed hidden, even in rumors. That’s why the slums became a treasure trove full of information for me. As useful as they were treacherous. On the seventh night of our stay in Blackwall, I finally got to hear the reason why the lord held his power so firmly.

I was sitting at the counter of a shabby bar with squeaky floors and filthy walls filled with mold and untold liquids. From the higher floors came sounds of moans and other such sounds and, as many more men took the stairs up, they became loud enough to deafen the chatting and merry sounds coming from the bar. Clearly, the bar was also used as a brothel. Nothing surprising for the slums though, there were dozens of those around.

The thick scent of cheap alcohol disgusted me. It reminded me of my old self, of the room filled with empty bottles and beer cans. I would have been vomiting if it wasn’t for the smelly cheese I had ordered to suppress the alcohol. An hour had passed ever since I sat there, changing spots every once in a while to listen in on a conversation here and there. Who I was waiting for was a woman I had met the night before, a prostitute I realized as I set foot in the bar. She was easily corruptible, it was enough to show her the golden ring I stole from one of the adventurers and promise her the rest for her to set up a meeting.

One of her usual clients was a member of the same party as those I had killed. A big spender in alcohol with a wide mouth when drunk but a cheap tipper when it came to women. She made it clear how little fond of him she was, thus her eagerness to share information. She promised to give me the intel I needed in exchange for the jewelry, intel she was getting whilst I was busy fighting against the puke.

Only half an hour later did the man in question waltz into the bar, drunk and staggering in his steps but with a smile as wide as a child’s. With mastery worthy of a professional dancer, the man made a pirouette right after slamming a couple of coins on the counter and grabbed a bottle offered by the barman as he finished. He then bowed deeply with great twirl of his fancy hat, eliciting shouts, laughs, and claps from the whole bar. Another pirouette led him straight in front of the stairs and up, beyond my sight. I sighed, settling myself as comfortably as I could on the stool and waiting for the whole ordeal to finish.

Surprisingly, not even twenty minutes later, the man came down from the stair. His belt slightly unbuckled and a joyful hop in his step. Two minutes later, the woman I was waiting for, Serena, came out from somewhere behind the counter, most likely some sort of service exit, and exchanged a few words with the barman. A sideway glance was message enough for me to understand. I paid for my tab and left the building.

A cold shiver ran down my spine as I spotted a pair of dark red eyes peering into me. The old man from the incident’s day came promptly into mind. And yet, as I tried to move to meet the man, a patron fell from his chair, distracting me just slightly. When I turned back to where the old man was before, he was gone. His chair was empty and no plate or mug was on his spot. I shrugged, deciding that the alcohol fumes and the lack of sleep were playing tricks on me.

“‘Right, let’s get to business-” Serena said as I reached the back of the building. A tiny, little alley smelling of piss and other bodily fluids “- You are cute and all but way too dangerous to be my type. You’ve got many eyes on you, pretty boy, did you know that?”

“Kinda figured that out for myself, but thanks for the heads-up” I wittily replied.

“Got the jewels?” She tentatively asked as she attempted to stretch her hand.

“First the info, then the gold. Those were the terms”

“Can’t blame a girl for trying-” Serena replied using a match taken from a little box hidden inside her bra to light a thin, long cigarette-like object. A slightly reddish smoke rose from the tip of it as the woman took a breath “- The guy’s not very high on the food chain, but not low either so the info is credible but incomplete. I trust this won’t affect the pay?”

“I don’t expect the names of the women the lord beds. I just need a lead to know who is aiming for my neck” I replied swatting away that smoke.

“The swords of the lord, know them?-” I nodded at the question and she continued “- Well, the guy’s one of them, same as the people killed a week ago. I assume it was your handy work. Or not-” She chuckled as she saw me tense and jiggle the sword on my hip as a sign “- I don’t care either way…Info on them is scarce. In name, they are a group of adventuring parties recognized by the Lord for their efficiency, courage, and blah, blah, blah. Bullshit. They are just on his payroll”

“So it’s not just in name-” I mused “- And what’s their role?”

“Their role?-” She laughed a sad laugh “- Anything. The higher you go on the chain the more personal the job becomes. That guy said that his group has been gathering slaves…kids, to be precise, from some villages near an oasis northwest. But it’s common knowledge that the low parties, the new ones, are used to extort from shops, bars, and brothels…darker and more…precise jobs are rumored to be taken care of by some of the original seven”

“Original seven?”

“The old parties. The seven swords of the lord are a group that was working for the old lord, before his son took over. The original seven are those seven parties that first gathered around the old lord and still work. Some have died out, others are stronger than ever. Don’t know much about ‘em”

“That’s all?” I asked sternly, knowing damn well that it really was all she knew but I still had to keep the act up.

“Yeah, that’s all tough guy. If you want to know more pay a visit to the guild, if you’re good enough they’ll come to you” She scoffed, turning her head away in fake disdain while still keeping an eye on me from the side.

“*Sigh* Fair enoug. Here-” I said untying a poorly-made pouch from the back of my belt and showing it to the woman “- Your pay as promised, though I’m not that satisfied with the result”

Serena grabbed the pouch like a greedy cat, with sparkling eyes and all as soon as she opened it and counted the rings and necklaces inside it. A little giggly laugh escaped her lips as she tried one of the rings on her, a silvery one with a golden inscription. Noticing her childish behavior in time before going further, she coughed and resumed her collected demeanor.

“Thaaank you, kind sir. A pleasure doing business with you…but, you know-” She said in a silky purr “- If you are not yet satisfied, we could, you know, find other ways”

She was close, almost purring in my ear with soft whispers. Her hand traced circles across my chest as she stressed every word with seductive intent. It was a sudden change in her behavior and I was too on guard to not notice how she was stalling for time. I let her keep whispering sweet and sultry words in my ear as my eyes darted from one side of the alley to the other, then I leaped back, surprising her as I jumped over some boxes and onto a nearby roof.

“Sorry-” I said squatting down on the edge of the wall and chuckling at the sight of four men hiding behind both corners, armed and ready “- I’m not really in the mood to be stabbed in the back tonight. Maybe tomorrow? Are you free?”

The four men, suddenly alerted by my voice and the loud sounds coming from the alley, rushed in but found only the woman. When she signaled them of my position was already too late. I heard them shouting orders as I ran away from the bar and into the tiny, streets that composed the slums. The black cloak on my back hiding me in the shadows of the tall buildings.

Part 3

My body was more tense than I thought it would. After the first couple of days, I began to think little, even enjoy, the rat chase held against me. Especially thanks to my nightly outings, the focus seemed to have shifted from “a man and a girl” to simply “a man”. It was reassuring to know that my sister would be slightly safer. Safer, at least, than the place I was currently in.

I was in a large room full of people of all social statuses, from those that would pass as beggars to the clearly wealthier ones, merchants and buyers, people in need, healers, and appraisers. Just by looking around from that corner of mine, I could easily gauge the sheer intensity of the melting pot that shook with the echoes of the many voices filling the busy room. The walls were made of a greyish material, similar to stone but less durable, with fittings made of wood and metal. Chess-tiles-like flooring decorated the otherwise plain room, showing only a few banners hanging from the ceiling and walls. Tables and chairs of mediocre quality were disposed in a random fashion across the room, only keeping a few meters of free space from the end of the room where the clerks were.

The clerks behind the desks were all busy, five of them were present at the time, all discussing with one client or the other. I was on the first floor of the adventurer’s guild, the very place where those who hunted me came from. The fear of being found out was sending electric shivers down my whole body every time I would meet someone’s stare. And yet nothing seemed to happen. My adrenaline was spiking for absolutely no reason.

[Guess I’ve done a good job with this costume, uh?] I thought as I glanced at my face reflected on the nearest shiny metal plate.

More than half of my face was covered in bandages, leaving out only the unmarked bits of skin. My scar, especially, was hidden under several layers of bandages so that, even if somehow the bandaging came undone, I would not be discovered. My skin was dirtied with dust, from head to toe, in an attempt to cover up my paleness while I died my hair red just to be sure. I couldn’t help but admire my handiwork. I never expected that much ingenuity from my old me.

“NEXT!” Shouted the high-pitched yet clearly tired voice of a clerk in the right-most corner of the room, very close to me, pulling me away from my own thoughts.

“That’s me!” I replied faking a coarse voice, as if I had not drunk a drop of water in hours.

“Welcome to the adventurer’s guild-” The girl, a band-skinned thirty-something with tired and bored, dark green eyes and neck-length auburn hair. She had long nails painted in a bland, yellow color, most likely in an attempt to imitate gold and a set of silverly earrings on her left ear. Her makeup was halfway through being soft and heavy with the clear intent to arouse interest in the other party. Her eyes were clearly checking my worth as she spoke “- My name is Cahila and I’ll be in your service today. What can I help you with?”

[Alright-] I thought, taking a deep, internal and imaginary breath [-let’s start the show!]

“I-I-” I began speaking whilst faking a meek character as realistically as possible. Squirming in place and tightening my shoulder to my chest made me feel so pathetically embarrassed but alas was necessary “- I’m here to become an adventurer!”

“Oh, so you decided to become one too, boy?” The woman voiced with a smirk.

“Y-Yes-” I said vehemently “- I have two younger brothers back home and doing odd jobs around town d-doesn’t cut it anymore… I’m prepared to become an adventurer!”

“Well, it’s true that adventurers earn a lot more money-” The woman replied tapping her chin, seemingly genuinely concerned for me before cocky a slight, yet clearly mischievous smirk “- but it’s a dangerous job, you know. It’s nothing new that people die while working. More than half actually”

[What is this woman trying to do?-] I thought, listening to her explaining in overexaggerated details while being an adventurer was dangerous [- Is she trying to shoo me away from the guild? I don’t understand]

“- and just last week, some young adventurers like you died from a bandit ambush. It really is a scary job. That’s why you should always have a good party to have your back…and a good party always comes from good connections around these parts, boy”

[Ohhh, I see where this is going] I snorted internally in displease at the woman’s nasty attitude.

“T-then-” I replied meekly “- How can I get good connections, miss?”

“Ohh, don’t you worry about that! You see, I have a good eye for people, and you, boy, are clearly someone with great talent!” She chirped, making a great show of elated she was with her hands.

“You really think so, miss?”

“Oh, I know so! Tell you what-” She said, gesturing me to approach closer so she could whisper in my ear “- I can be of help to you regarding the good connections. As a clerk, I know a looot of good folks that I could party up with you. Just…you know, everything has its price”

“B-but I-I don’t have any money” I replied, suppressing my embarrassment as I showed the best performance I could muster of puppy-eyes.

“Don’t worry, boy. I get your situation, you have to care for your poor, poor, little brothers, no? Then how about this-” She said now cocking a painfully clear smirk “- Every once in a while, I’ll ask you for a favor, just like friends. In return, I’ll help you around with the party. Deal?”

“Yes! Yes!-” I replied jumping up with joy “- Yes miss, deal! Thank you very much!”

“Haha, don’t worry about it, boy! Now, let’s get you registered with us and you can start your life as an adventurer!” The woman said as she licked her lips.