The four adventurers slumped around the same table by the stage that had hosted much more cheerful versions of themselves only a week before. The smell of food drifted on the air, adding insult to the injury of empty stomachs and emptier pockets they each felt so keenly.

A few minutes later, Lizzie joined us, carrying four large tankards of ale for the weary travelers. She set them in front of the party, but none of them moved. Aelisra put her head down on the table in exhaustion instead.

“Wow, rare is the day when that trick doesn’t put smiles on glum faces,” Lizzie said.

Raina sighed. “We can’t afford it, Lizzie.” That earned her a frown and a raised eyebrow from the proprietress.

“Consider it on the house. Does that change your attitude?”

As soon as the words left her mouth, Aelisra had snatched the tankard and was gulping it down greedily. She was followed by Terrowin and Raina, though Cithrael just stared at it sadly.

Lizzie smiled at the elf. “Well, at least you aren’t that desperate, my lovely elf friend. I’ll be right back.” She took the last drink and rushed off, earning our elf companion several curious looks. He shrugged.

“Human alcohol and elf blood don’t mix,” he explained.

“What, is it poison or something?” Aelisra asked.

“Something like that,” was the ranger’s only response. A moment later, Lizzie returned with a new drink and gave it to Cithrael. He took a gulp and set it on the table.

I trotted over to sniff the drink. To my surprise, he’d been given regular water. That was not normal from what I’d heard. Magically purifying water so it was safe to drink was no easy business. Much of it had trace amounts of mana in it, which was not easy to remove, making water was one of the most expensive pieces of our travelling equipment.

Cithrael eyed me curiously. I eyed him back. After a curious exchange of silence and slow blinks, he pushed the tankard towards me. I put my ears back and shoved my head into the cup. It was big enough that I could reach the cool liquid within and took a good drink of my own before sitting down next to Raina.

“So, first things first. Let’s see your contract,” Lizzie began.

Slowly, Raina pulled the unsigned sheet of paper from her pack and slid it to the pink-haired bartender.

Quest Completed. Experience Gained.

Level up to Level 9

One Attribute point available

I jumped back with surprise. After our failure to get the signature, I’d expected silence! Instead, Amsiii had granted us our reward…did that mean that we might still be paid? We could get something to eat that wasn’t hard jerky? Maybe…we could get fish?

Looking around the table, I wasn’t the only one who was startled by the message from Amsiii. Every single person, even Cithrael, looked around the table with silent question, wondering if everyone had received communication from the strange and mysterious entity who dictated so much of our lives.

“I’ve seen that look,” Lizzie said softly, looking at the unsigned contract. “If I had to guess, you had resigned yourselves to an incomplete job and no reward, correct? Why don’t you tell your story from the beginning.” Every human at the table began to speak at once, making Lizzie roll her eyes. “One at a time, please.”

A silent exchange nominated Raina as the spokesperson for the group. She took a sip of her ale before clearing her throat.

“We completed the quest as described, ma’am,” she explained. “When we arrived, there were three patches of fire sprites burning the fields. We dealt with two of them, putting out their fires as we went. The last swarm merged into a greater sprite, which we also dealt with. We put out the fires, as the job described, but when we went to the client, he refused to sign it.”

“Did he say why?”

Raina nodded. “He claimed that regrowing the fields was part of the job he paid for.”

“Which is ridiculous!” Terrowin cried indignantly. “You’d need someone of at least level 100, and with an Affinity Title to regrow crops at that pace!”

“And more importantly,” Raina continued, glaring at the knight for his interruption, “it wasn’t in the description of the job. Still, he refused to sign.”

Lizzie sighed. “Probably thought he could get away with not paying since you’re trial adventurers.” She rolled up the contract and stuffed it in her pocket. “I’ll have an enforcement team rounded up and sent to the Ascot farmstead. Once they do a-”

“You can’t!” Aelisra shouted. “There’s a monster in those woods. She’s too dangerous!”

“She?” the proprietress suddenly became serious. “Perhaps you should continue your story.”

Raina obliged, telling the tale of our encounter with Qelona. She described in perfect detail our encounter, from the attack on our campsite to the sprint through the woods. With each piece of the story laid out before Lizzie, the woman became less and less jovial.

“A corrupted…” she whispered. “It’s been over twenty years since we’ve had to deal with anything like that in Aldar. The last one took the prowess of Lord Erik and a team of specialized heroes to take it down.”

“It was horrible,” muttered the paladin.

“I’ll gather a scout team to try and get more information on what we’re up against,” Lizzie said. “Try to determine what level it is, what magic they’re infused with, that sort of thing.”

“Don’t bother,” I said, turning to Raina. “Qelona is level 29 and infused with forest magic.”

“She’s lev-” For some reason, Raina stopped herself before finishing. I cocked my head in confusion. Unfortunately, Lizzie had noticed the witch’s outburst and narrowed her eyes.

If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

“Aye, lass? What is it?”

“It’s…n-nothing.”

Without warning, the woman’s pink hair turned dark blue, and she stared at Raina with a palpable intensity. When she spoke again, her words were soft but with a threatening undertone that betrayed the gulf of power between us.

“If you know anything about this monster, child, I need to know. There are lives at stake.”

Raina looked away, unable to hold the retired adventurer’s gaze. Her hands trembled around her tankard, and she couldn’t resist submitting to Lizzie’s will.

“H-her name is Qelona. She’s level 29 and corrupted by the magic of the forest.” The words tumbled out of her mouth. As soon as they were out, Lizzie relaxed. Her hair turned pink once more and she smiled.

“You’ve got the inspection ability, haven’t you, love?” she asked softly. Every eye turned to my summoner.

Raina looked away, unsure of what to do. How could she reveal that it was actually me who had braved the First Dungeon and received that particular ability? Aelisra was already suspicious of my ability to wield mana on my own. What would she do if she found out I had triumphed over a dungeon?

“It’s alright, love,” Lizzie whispered. “That is an exceptional accomplishment, but I can see how you wouldn’t want to draw attention to yourself for it. I thank you for trusting in us.”

The pink-haired proprietress pulled a small stone tablet from a bag on her belt and began to write on it with a stone pen carved with arcane sigils. The party watched her with great interest until she was finished. Then she tucked the tablet away.

Quest completed. Experience gained.

Level up to Level 10

Soulbond upgraded.

Corruption Resistance II upgraded to Corruption Resistance III

Level up to Level 11

Two Attribute points available.

Once again, shocked faces turned to one another. Finding no answers, we all turned back to Lizzie who was smiling.

“I just registered a quest with the Engine for the discovery of a potential threat to Aldar. You likely just received experience for it,” she explained.

“Level eleven…” Aelisra whispered in awe.

“Now, that said, every quest has two elements. That which appeases the World Engine won’t always work for the guild, which is why both your current outstanding quests will be investigated fully before I can give the rest of your rewards.” Lizzie stood, then smiled at us all. “I do, however, expect that I’ll be able to provide you with armbands once both lines of inquiry have been investigated. Raina, if you would come with me, please?”

Raina seemed to shrink in her seat. I sighed. As a hench-human, she crumbled much too easily, getting stuck in her own head and panicking over things that didn’t need to be such a big deal. She needed support, and what’s more awe-inspiring than being supported by the greatest being in all the known universe?

I stood and sniffed her nose. A moment later, I rubbed my cheek against it, marking her with my scent. She was my human. That elevated her excellence enough to be more than any of the rest of these lesser beings. She had nothing to fear.

“Will you come with me?” she whispered.

“Did you think I’d settle for being left out of the conversation?” That made her laugh. She stood from the table and scooped me into her arms without warning. I squirmed, but it was in vain. “No! I didn’t want! Ugh…fine.” I settled into her arms, still annoyed that I couldn’t lounge on her shoulders instead.

Lizzie led us to a door behind the bar and down a hall. These were the kitchens, if the smell of food and sound of clinking pots and pans was any indication. However, we didn’t stop at any of the doors on the sides of the hall. Instead, we continued to the back where a thick black door stood. The barkeep opened the door and beckoned us inside.

“The guildmaster never uses his own study, leaving me to do all his paperwork,” she explained. “Please, have a seat.”

She gestured to a desk at the center of the room. Raina sat down and finally released me to crawl onto her shoulders. As far as studies went, this one was fairly sparse. Only a single tiny bookshelf stood in the corner. The rest was covered in maps and weapons, save for the desk itself, which was kept clear for use. I had no doubt in my mind that Lizzie was the one who kept that part clean, not the mysterious guildmaster.

“Now, I get the distinct feeling that you have more to your story than you let on,” Lizzie began. “I won’t pry if you don’t want to, but I’m here to listen should you want it.”

“Yes, ma’am,” Raina kept her eyes pinned to the desk rather than meet the barkeep’s eye.

“Tell me, what level am I?”

My witch gripped the fabric of her skirts. “I…uh…wouldn’t know, ma’am.”

“Did you not inspect me?”

“I…uh…no.” then she backpedaled. “I mean, yes, of course. It would be silly not to?”

“Then what level am I?” A smile still graced Lizzie’s lips, and yet her intense interest was clear.

“She’s level 41,” I provided. Raina repeated it back to the barkeep.

“Interesting.” Lizzie pulled a piece of paper from the desk and began to write on it. The tension in Raina’s shoulders only grew until I felt as if I were sitting on a statue rather than a person. Finally, the barkeep spoke again. “I’m no diviner, but I’d wager you don’t have the inspection ability yourself, am I correct? Is it the cat?”

Raina looked up in surprise. “Y-yes, ma’am. Malzy is the one who was challenged by the First Dungeon, not me.”

“Is he a souled familiar?”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“Which would mean you’re an absorption caster, like as not,” Lizzie concluded.

“It’s not illegal,” Raina responded softly.

Lizzie smiled. “I know, and I don’t judge as others might. One of my old party mates was a damned good witch who used absorption. It’s a misunderstood art.” Then she turned to me. “Now, since you’re the one with the ability, I’ll make this offer to you, instead.”

I perked up. No one besides Raina had ever spoken to me before…not expecting an answer, anyway. Hopping onto the table, I gave Lizzie my full attention, wrapping my tail neatly around my paws as I sat.

“Inspectors are extremely rare and valuable,” she began. “If you register with us as one, you and your party will be entitled to a wider variety of jobs that could use your skills. Many of these are dangerous, but they’ll come with higher pay and greater experience than those available to other adventurers at your level. We also provide a small bonus for registration, just as incentive.”

She pushed a piece of paper towards me. It was much like the registration contract Raina and I had signed to become trial adventurers, only describing the additional privileges afforded to inspectors.

“I didn’t realize that the ability was so highly regarded,” I purred to Raina. The witch translated, and Lizzie laughed.

“Inspection is a legendary skill achieved only through great struggle. Many consider inspectors to be gifted by the gods to have survived their ordeal in the First Dungeon,” she explained. “Nations have killed to have a single inspector in their employ, which is why I’d snap you up first on behalf of the Adventurer’s Guild. You’d be free to leave at any time, of course, but so long as you’re with us, you can take no politically-minded action without the approval of the guild. We’re a neutral agency that spans across borders, and those with special assignments must act with the same spirit of neutrality.”

An interesting proposal, and one that I was keen to hear more about. After all, if maintaining neutrality was the only stipulation in exchange for greater jobs, greater rewards, and more opportunities for power…it seemed like an obvious choice. I cared little for the nations of the world. I didn’t even know most of them.

I pondered the options, settling lower and tucking my paws under me as I did. Finally, someone had recognized my magnificence, and were offering commensurate reward. Even if Lizzie chose to dictate the jobs we took, which the contract said nothing about, this was a chance to integrate ourselves into the guild…which no doubt came with unforeseen benefits we could use later. And that didn’t even address the tangible rewards.

An idea began to form in the back of my mind. I’d been a greater demon before coming to this world…probably…more than likely...and though Amsiii had stripped me of that power and put me in the body of a cat, maybe this was my opportunity to build up my might once more? I could regain all that was lost.

And besides, if it proved a worthless exchange, I could always leave. But, if it did prove useful…

It could be the first steppingstone towards proving just how exceptional I was…everyone would know the name of Malzifrax, I was sure of it.