As Aria listened to James' recounting of the past, she studied his features. Suddenly, a memory sparked within her. Aria had helped countless people, but she remembered each and every one of them. James had been much younger then. His face now bore faint battle scars, but she had indeed helped him once before. As James concluded his tale, his facial expression shifted, revealing a humbled man with nothing to hide.
"I'm sorry for dragging you here to listen to my story," James said, his sincere tone a departure from his usual demeanor. "I have looked for you everywhere. Honestly, I'm amazed that after all these years you still look the same, apart from the color of your hair. But I could never mistake those warm emerald eyes." James mentioned his observation. "I wanted to repay you for giving me a second chance, but most importantly..." James bowed respectfully. "Thank you." His genuine gratitude was evident in his voice and actions. Aria could only feel warmth and joy for someone who had gone to such lengths to express their gratitude.
James then raised his head, his eyes serious once more. "I want you to know that there are those who still believe in you, despite what the Alliance has declared," he sincerely proclaimed. "Your secret is safe with me," he added, assuring her of his discretion. Just when Aria thought James was finished, he broached another topic. "There is also something I'd like to discuss with you. It's about the hidden seal inside the catacombs."
A wave of worry washed over Aria as she realized James had discovered Calanis' sealing chamber, contrary to his earlier claim. "I'm sorry for lying about it earlier. I wanted to throw off those who were watching," he explained. Aria was now eager to hear what James had to say about it.
"I saw the sealing chamber empty. I learned it was supposed to contain a powerful entity. The Elf Queen of Sylvenspire has kept this chamber a secret, but now I believe she knows the chamber is empty," James revealed. Aria listened intently as he issued a warning. "Be careful of the Elf Queen; she is not the forgiving type." With that cautionary tale and revelation, James Llarme bowed once more to Aria and took his leave.
Aria, feeling the weight of her accusation now more than ever, took a few moments to reflect. She needed to tread carefully. But she also considered what the Hero Arlan might do. He was a true hero, a brave and compassionate warrior who helped every single person in need whenever he can. Aria felt that aiding others was the essence of her existence, the shared will of the Hero and herself. So, Aria steeled herself, refusing to let the weight of the world slow her down. With her renewed resolve, she headed back to the Adventurer's Guild Hall to find Dorothy, who must have been waiting for her for some time.
Inside the Guild Hall, it was already dark outside as the sun had set. Aria searched for Dorothy while waiting on a bench, observing the adventurers bustling about. The Adventurer's Guild must be swamped, she thought, with adventurers coming and going every minute. Hours passed, and still, Dorothy was nowhere to be found. Aria decided to approach one of the receptionists in charge of missions and inquire about Dorothy's status.
"Excuse me," Aria politely addressed the receptionist, "I'm looking for an adventurer named Dorothiel Aephine. Has she returned from her mission?"
The receptionist checked her records and replied, "Ah, Miss Dorothy, right? According to our records, she hasn't come back from a rank C quest in the Blighted Town."
Aria recalled the information Dorothy had shared earlier. Non-adventurers were not allowed inside the Blighted Town, and only adventurers ranked Bronze and above could accept quests there. She remembered the different adventurer ranks, ranging from Tin as the lowest to Copper, Bronze, Steel, Silver, Gold, and Platinum, each reflecting the strength and skill of the adventurer. Additionally, quests were divided into six ranks: E, D, C, B, A, and the most dangerous, S.
It seemed that Dorothy had taken a C-ranked quest to survey a newly discovered cave in the Blighted Town. Aria inquired further, "Could you please tell me more about the nature of her mission?"
The receptionist put on her glasses, retrieved a piece of parchment, and read aloud, "Rank C Mission: Survey the newly discovered cave found in the Blighted Town." She continued, "It seems like a relatively easy mission, as long as they move stealthily and avoid combat."
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However, Aria remembered that Dorothy had mentioned she would be back today. She asked the receptionist, her restlessness evident, "Is she on this mission with a party?"
The receptionist responded in a professional tone, "All missions and quests should be accepted by a party of four to five members. Otherwise, they cannot accept the quest."
Aria pressed further, "Can you tell me who she went with?"
"I'm sorry, but that information is classified," the receptionist regretfully refused her request.
With no other choice, Aria resigned herself to waiting for Dorothy's return. However, the receptionist provided some additional information upon seeing Aria's anxiety. "Every quest has a time limit. If the quest is not completed by the specified date, it is automatically considered failed. In such cases, we can assemble a search party to find the missing adventurers."
Aria was grateful for the information, but it only heightened her anxiety. She took a deep breath, trying to calm her nerves, and asked the receptionist one final question. "How many days did her quest specify?"
The receptionist double-checked the parchment and replied sincerely, "Two days."
Aria realized that today was already day one, so if Dorothy didn't return tomorrow, she would take action. Feeling a sense of urgency, Aria headed to the Guild Inn to secure lodgings and rest for the night. Little did she know, the situation warranted her worry.
The day before, after Dorothy leaves Aria to take the examination to become an adventurer, she visits the weapons and armor shop. Upon entering the place, she is greeted by the old beardless dwarf blacksmith and his young elf apprentice. "Good day, Dorothea!" the dwarf blacksmith greets her, grinning all the while. Dorothy gives a tired sigh as she replies, "For the last time, Borris, it's Dorothy, and if you can't remember that, just call me Dorothiel." Dorothy remarks, her day ruined a tiny bit. But the young elf was more courteous. "Please, don't mind him, Dorothiel. Ah, you look even more beautiful than the last time," the young elf apprentice expresses his affection. Dorothiel ignores him and proceeds to check the shop's displayed wares. "What did I tell you, Algar? Stop being such a creep to our lady customers! Now go and make inventory upstairs!" Borris the blacksmith scolds his apprentice. But Algar is not fazed by the scolding as he goes up the stairs, smiling at Dorothy.
As soon as Algar leaves, Dorothy confronts the blacksmith. "Do you have it?" Dorothy inquires. "I have never seen these diagrams before, but it's not entirely out of my depth," the blacksmith Borris replies as he takes out something from under the counter and places an object wrapped in cloth on top of the counter. "I made the modifications like you asked," he adds. Dorothy unwraps the cloth on the object and reveals a piece of equipment—a small crossbow attached to a leather bracer. "I made the modifications from the original design. By adding four more bowstrings, it can shoot up to five times before reloading," Borris explains as Dorothy equips the bracer on her left arm. "This special cartridge you designed will carry five bolts," Borris adds as he gently places five empty cartridges on the counter. Putting empty syringe bolts in the cartridge, Dorothy tests the weapon by shooting at a target dummy a few feet away from her. An empty syringe bolt flies straight to the dummy's head, followed by four more in quick succession. "How is it?" Borris asks. "Not bad," Dorothy replies with a hint of a smile as she places the gold she owed the blacksmith. Borris nods as he takes the gold, but then he asks, "How about the other one?" Borris refers to another item Dorothy ordered. "Just keep it safe for me. When she's ready, I will come for it," Dorothy replies. Then she extends her open hand to Borris. "I need you to give me back the blueprints; they belong to my friend," she asks. Borris takes the parchment containing the blueprints and hands it to Dorothy. "How did you come by such innovative designs?" Borris' eyes grow curious. "Like I said, they belong to my friend," Dorothy replies in an unassuming tone and leaves the shop.
Dorothy returned to the Adventurer's Guild to select her mission. She went straight to the mission board and read the remaining tasks. She studied each one and noticed that all high-ranked tasks had already been taken. However, one mission caught her attention. She removed the parchment containing the mission details from the board and brought it to the receptionist. "I'd like to undertake this mission," Dorothy said, placing the parchment on the counter. "Certainly," the receptionist replied, taking the parchment and reading it. "Rank C mission to survey the newly discovered cave in the Blighted Town." She stamped the parchment and asked Dorothy, "Are you going with the same party members?" Dorothy looked around and asked the receptionist, "Are they all here now?" referring to her party members. "Yes, they're in the waiting room right now," the receptionist cheerfully replied, pointing Dorothy to the waiting room. "Then, please register us for the quest." Dorothy requests the receptionist. "Certainly, Let's see... A silver ranked party composed of one Plague Healer, one Spearmaster, one Enchanter and one Tinkerer." The receptionist stamps the parchment again and bid Dorothy good luck. Dorothy thanked the receptionist and headed to the waiting room.
Inside the room, many adventurers were waiting at tables in groups. Dorothy spotted her party members and headed to their location at the westernmost part of the room. As she arrived, she was greeted by her party. "Dori, I'm hungry," a young dwarf girl with a bun-styled, hazel-colored hair and black eyes exclaimed as she slouched on the table. "Thank the goddess you're here. I hate babysitting these two," a young adult female human mage with blue eyes and short, curled blonde hair remarked. Dorothy cast her eyes to the last party member, A long, red-haired adult female beastman with wolf ears who seemed to be taking a nap, her tail wagging slowly and her weapon covered in cloth leaning beside the table. Dorothy handed the dwarf girl a sandwich and ordered, "Eat that on the road, Ruda. Julia, Iris, let's go." Iris, the beastman spearmaster, yawned and rubbed her purple eyes as she lazily got up and took her weapon covered in cloth. Julia, the human enchanter, and Ruda, the dwarf tinkerer, also got up. "Where are we going?" Iris asked lazily, still sleepy. "Where else?" Dorothy replied eagerly. "Again? I could never understand your fixation on that infernal town," Julia complained as she dragged herself, following Dorothy reluctantly. Ruda happily ate her sandwich as they all left the Adventurer's Guild, heading towards the Blighted Town.