A small village full of life placed at the center of a valley where a tranquil river flowed by it. Farm lands and grazing cattle just to the side of the road where workers spend their days.

Coraline had not seen such a place before. Her life was always at ballrooms and parties. Surrounded by nameless people. She lived a sheltered life, and everything around her was a new experience. Something she would cherish until the end of her days.

This village struck her with awe. Humble homes built with strong lumber and streets paved in stone. As they rolled into the village, Coraline couldn't help but notice the fragrant, freshly baked bread. And despite being a common sight, the young girl couldn't help but be amazed by a local fruit stand. Despite the owner having an argument with a customer. Perhaps it was because she was from a wealthy family, but Coraline felt as if the owner had a reasonable price for a couple of apples.

Children would trail behind them. All stared with curiosity and wonder. They kept announcing their presence as Difesa drove deeper into town.

"Adventurers! Adventurers!"

It was adorable in Coraline's eyes. How these children expressed excitement just because of strangers entering their town.

It wasn't long before Difesa pulled on the reins and his steed halted by a large building. A longhouse where a group of villagers gathered at the entrance. Difesa and Victoria quickly dismounted the wagon and unloaded their cargo. Meanwhile, Coraline and Lucinda gazed upon the village and all it could show.

Though their emotions were at different ends of the spectrum.

The young squire was filled with awe and amazement, while Lucinda expressed some hint of disdain at everyone around them. Especially the children that pestered the party with questions after questions.

"Hey, lady!"

Coraline looked down to see a boy in blue.

"Did you kill any dragons?"

"Oh, no. I'm still a squire, really."

The boy scoffed. "That's lame! You're lame."

She didn't know if she should be offended by that comment or simply wallow in her suffering after being judged by a mere child.

"How about you go eat dirt, you brat!" Lucinda said.

"Make me!"

"Ignite"

An open flame appeared on the palm of her hand. This was enough to scare off the boy, who ran off undeterred.

"I remember why I hate kids," Lucinda shook the fire away. Despite not getting the point across with the kid, the other children had run off as well due to her little trick.

"Thanks, Lucy…"

"No problem, we rookies gotta stick together. So, what exactly is our mission here?"

"We are dropping off an order of medicine to this village," Coraline explained. "Though, this kinda feels boring."

"I know, right. I wanted some action, but oh well." Lucinda then held a disgusted look. "These streets are so… unclean. Do they not have proper workers for these?"

"Come on, it ain't that bad!"

"Every step we take, there's always a leaf crinkling under our feet. And the smell… I wish I had learned a few spells to change that."

From her satchel, Lucinda produced a small ornate pink glass orb. Coraline recognized that this was a perfume bottle. Not just that, the squire knew what brand it was and how much it would cost you.

Lucinda squeezed on the flexible ball and a burst of mist came. One unlucky villager who was passing by got caught by it and suffered by coughing out his lungs. It seemed that it was the first time he was exposed to something you would mostly find in the city.

"Ugh, peasants."

Coraline saw the blatant prejudice but couldn't call it out. She met plenty of people like Lucinda and knew it wouldn't be easy to change their mind.

So instead, Coraline opted to change the subject. "You know… While they were taking me to the capital, a bunch of orcs showed up."

"Those filthy green skins?" This wasn't the reaction Coraline wanted.

"Yeah, they were chasing after some merchant, a skeleton called Johan."

"Oh, Johan! I've met him before. Certainly a nice fellow. But what exactly did he do to incur the wrath of some orcs?"

"He scammed them," The answer was short and straight to the point.

Lucinda sighed. "Of course, I could never trust Johan to stay on the right path in life. But he has his reason, I assume."

"You see, Johan wanted to free some slaves from the Thousand Fang, and you already know how that went."

"The Thousand Fang? Dear me, out of all the orc clans he could've angered, and he chose one of the major factions. It seems that Johan is as brainless as I presumed."

"It was scary, to be honest. My first time seeing orcs and they all were armed to the teeth. Good thing Difesa was around, he was the one who fought the leader in a fist fight!"

Lucinda arched her brow. "And how exactly did that help? Don't tell me, Difesa won the fight so the orcs had to honor his victory by leaving Johan alone."

"That's how it went down, yeah."

"Well, it's a fascinating story. But be careful, those Thousand Fang value their slaves greatly because it is where most of their gold comes from, being dominant in the slave market on Koruk Uzgobog. No other clan could steal their position away without a war. And I'm sure they're holding a grudge on you and the others."

Coraline felt her blood run cold from the information. The idea that some orcs are waiting until she's vulnerable for vengeance was a frightening thought. But that can't be right, they aren't exactly the stealthy type; being big and loud.

"If anything, I'd have to cast some wards around if we camp out in the open. The Thousand Fang are experts in ambush tactics as well as stealth."

That can't be right, they are brutish creatures. She had seen an orc the size of a grizzly bear. It'd be easy to spot them. Maybe she'd lose sight of some goblins, but surely not an orc.

"Let's talk about something else," Difesa said as he returned from his task.

"Oh, are we done? I'd like to return to the city as soon as possible." Lucinda said.

"No can do, it ain't over yet." Difesa fished out a small book from a pouch on his belt. "We've delivered the medicine, yeah. But we need to pack up a large order of food to take back to the guild."

"Oh my goodness, how long will it take?"

"Good news, we've gotten here early. Bad news? We got here too early."

Coraline was confused by that statement.

"The village hadn't gathered up the goods, much less started. We will have to wait until they finish. So until then, we have some time to train."

Chapter 3: A fine beginning

The children cheered as Coraline was thrown against the ground, and her clothes stained green as she grounded the grass beneath her.

As quickly as she fell, Coraline pushed herself back to her feet and charged at Difesa. Only to trip over his extended foot.

When their training began, Difesa had not taken a single step forward or back. He stood out in the open armed only with a wooden sword and his signature shield. This only embarrassed Coraline more as she was losing to a man who didn't put any effort into this fight. Though it was simply training. No point treating Coraline like a true foe.

Despite it being obvious that she couldn't win, Coraline persisted and attacked once more.

She was not alone in her suffering as this happened. A few feet away was a fatigue ridden Lucinda. Gone were her feminine pink robes, replaced with a fitting set of clothes for training her stamina. Victoria was the one who oversaw Lucinda's progress.

"This is… humiliating!" Lucinda struggled to breathe as she attempted to perform standard exercises. "Did I really… have to change attire? I look like a peasant!"

Victoria scoffed at the sorry display. It was as if she was watching a whining child. "If you still have the energy to complain then you aren't done yet! Now run to that tree and back!"

A small bit of convincing was needed to motivate Lucinda, so Victoria threatened the sorceress by giving them a peek down the rifled barrel of her pistol.

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"Ugh, this is far more than what I asked for." Victoria said.

Back with Coraline, she was once again discarded like a piece of litter. And just like before, the children cheered.

All she had to do was move Difesa just an inch, but he had his left foot planted down like a foundation of a home. No, if anything, Difesa was like an unshakeable fortress. And she was a measly worm. There was no competition, only a foolish attempt at battling a wall.

This was the Wandering Shield. A man who was untouchable in the eyes of those lesser than him. The title symbolized the idea of a stalwart defense. But she knew that this wasn't his most prominent feature. The shield served both as protection and assault.

Whenever she made an attempt to strike, Difesa brought the shield and deflected the attack. Only to use the shield again to push her back.

She felt the weight of it. The thing was heavier than the set of armor he wore with great pride. Yet he carried it as if it weighed less than her.

The only ones Coraline believed that could pose a threat to Difesa were Uloth and Victoria. Those were the only people she could think of. And those two were perfect examples. Coraline best aspires to be as strong as them if she wanted to feel even a fraction of Difesa's power.

With one final roar, she charged toward her target. Her short spear flew out of her hand. A desperate attack used in the name of pointless victory. But this caught her teacher off guard.

As quickly as the spear flew, his shield arm shot up to his face, and the weapon bounced off the solid surface. Before he even knew it, he felt himself move an inch. Feet still planted on the ground, he stood there dumbfounded as someone did their best to topple him down. Coraline had her arms wrapped around his waist. Grunting and growling like a wild beast as she attempted to push him down.

She looked just about ready to bite him as well.

Difesa chuckled.

His knee buried into her stomach which then launched her a good few feet away. Pain surged through the young girl as she was left writhing on the ground.

"Outstanding, kid! You actually did it, you moved me by an inch!" He applauded. Even the children cheered for her.

Coraline could consider this her very first achievement.

"I can't feel my legs…"

"You mean these legs?" He kicked said limbs and she recoiled. "Come on, I didn't hit you that hard."

"I… I want to take a break."

"Sure! It's almost lunch, so let's get some good food from the inn! Victoria! Wrap it up with the mage and let's get going! I'm buying!"

Much to the dismay of their audience, the party had to end their training with two tired individuals. Coraline and Lucinda could barely stand up. Both felt their aching muscles crying out to them. Blaming them for the torture they inured. But it was all worth it. In the end, they would be strong enough to take on the harshest of training. Well, that was how Coraline saw the future. Lucinda on the other hand, wanted to avoid physical training for the rest of her life.

As they entered the inn, they were greeted by welcoming smiles and friendly farmers. They were generous and kind to them. Enough to get them a table despite how crowded the place was. And somehow, Difesa's grandfather was there already.

With everyone settled, they ordered their meals with Difesa and Victoria having some ale. A local favorite at that. Seemed like this little village also supplied neighboring towns with beer and ale. They had plenty of resources to go around. So it was no wonder that the Adventurers Guild was ordering a big supply from them.

Not only that, it was one of the closest settlements to the city.

They spent most of their time exchanging stories. Finally, she caught a glimpse of who her team was. Well, some of it. Difesa and Victoria were strangely vague with their stories. Somewhat inconsistent as well.

Was this something she needed to learn to be an adventurer? Strange indeed.

The longer she thought about it, the more it made some sense. There were plenty of adventurers with mysterious pasts. Or perhaps, it was to teach Coraline to stick with her story, her disguise. She had somewhat forgotten that she wasn't Coraline Gladius, but Caroline Difesa. If she wanted to avoid the attention of her family, then she would need to stick to the story.

Soon, the group would return to their wagon where the townsfolk had packed up all the supplies the guild ordered. Difesa thanked them for their efforts and climbed up the wagon. They waved goodbye as they could finally head back to the city.

Lucinda was absolutely thrilled to return as well. Coraline wanted to stay at first. But she knew there was still work to be done and a deadline to be met.

As the town grew distant, it started to blend amongst the scenery. The blurry, homely, and kind village. It almost saddened Coraline that they had to go.

In truth, this was the first time she ever visited a village, and wished she could've seen more of it. Her life back in the Manor was dull and bleak. Nothing but books to entertain her. The guards barely spoke in her presence in fear of angering her parents. It took some convincing before the workers gained the courage to talk to her. She was absolutely happy that Marian treated her like she was human and not some valuable doll. Like her parents did.

She tried not to think of home. For now, she would let her dream come true and become a true adventurer. There were far more sights to see in the future. She was sure of it.

"Well, this was an amazing quest!" Difesa said. "Relaxing too! See, Coraline? This is what it is like to be an adventurer! The places, the people, heck, even the animals! All kinds you'll find in the great vast world!"

"Yeah, even though we didn't do much, I actually enjoyed it!"

Both Victoria and Lucinda were indifferent with the knight and his squire. The dragonwoman scoffed to express her opinion.

"And! You did great in training. Look at you, just a few days and you're already stronger than you were before. Well, to be fair, you were quite weak."

"Why did you only start training recently?" Asked Lucinda. "Aren't you two a family of warriors? I've heard the deeds of many Difesa. Especially the famous wizard, Sir Bartholomew the Iron Skin. So it doesn't make sense that you weren't given a blade when you were old enough."

Before Coraline could even answer with a lie, Difesa answered first. "Well, Coraline is a late bloomer. That's because her mother left when Coraline's father died. She wasn't keen on her daughter following tradition. Wanted more of a quiet life in the city."

He went silent and gave Coraline a short glance. It was clear what he wanted from her, so Coraline faced Lucinda with a hardened look.

"I wanted to be an adventurer all my life." She told the mage. Her fist clenched over her heart. "Mom hated the idea. Everyone thought I was just a frail little girl who shouldn't see the outside world. And I had enough of that. So I snuck out before my parents found out about my plans. Thing is, I don't know a thing about what's outside. So…"

She paused for a moment.

"So I looked for someone who'd help out, and that's my cousin, Difesa! He promised that he'd help out with my dream. And I'll tell you now, Lucinda! I will be an adventurer! No matter what!"

Everyone was silent. Under his helmet, Difesa wore a smile. Victoria watched with only a slight bit of interest. As for Lucinda? She was in awe of Coraline's resolve. Unlike the mage, the squire had figured out her dream and wanted to make it come true. Coraline left everything behind just to be here.

"So…"

Coraline awaited Lucinda's comment.

"Your mother remarried? You did mention your parents yesterday as well."

Coraline nearly choked on her spit as she was caught off guard by the question. She now realized she made a slip and said "parents" in her semi-lie.

She looked away, embarrassed. "Yeah…" That was all she could say.

"I must say, Coraline, didn't think this whole adventurer thing mattered so much to you. I'm only in it for the money, and you're just so ambitious. Being a mage, graduating from Stormbane College, all I got is my magic skills. I honestly think of anything else other than finishing. Maybe… maybe when I finish at Whitefall, then the two of us can work together at the guild!"

"That'd be awesome!" Coraline beamed.

As the two planned out for their future, Victoria moved up to where Difesa was. Then pretended to gag before both chuckled amongst themselves.

Suddenly, her eyes went wide.

Difesa's grandfather wore a scowl, something Coraline was familiar with.

"What do you smell?" Difesa asked, his voice deeper than usual.

"Blood… Stop here!" The wagon came to a halt.

Without a moment to take in the sudden shift in the air, Victoria bolted out of the wagon and landed on the road. A forest on one side and an empty field on the other. Eyes darted around before they landed upon a hill in the distance. She squinted, the frown on her lips parted to reveal her fangs.

In a flash, Victoria sprinted toward the hill armed with her blade.

But when she reached the top, she found nothing. Her instincts screamed loudly. It told her that something was deeply wrong. Blood. Still lingered in the air.

She rushed back to the wagon and told everyone about her findings.

Confused, the two rookies could only watch as Difesa and Victoria tried to make sense of it all.

"What's happening?" Lucinda asked.

"No clue. The last time this happened, a bunch of orcs showed up."

"Could it be… by blood, she meant that there are cruel people around?"

"Excuse me!"

A man suddenly appeared as he approached them. He came from the forest, and it was clear he had returned from a successful hunt with his bounty over his shoulder. A large deer, still bloody from the looks of it.

"Or maybe she was smelling him?" Coraline thought.

"Could you kind people point me back to the village? I got lost tracking this prey down." The stranger said.

"Oh, it's just down the road." Difesa pointed.

"Thank you, kind traveler!" The hunter turned to leave but was stopped by a hand upon his shoulder. "S-sir?"

"No one believes your act," Victoria said. Right before she slammed the hunter into the ground. "You're a lousy actor!"

"Coraline, shield up!" Difesa instructed.

If she was as slow as a snail, then she would've met her end then and there as an arrow bounced off her buckler.

In turn, Lucinda raised her staff toward the forest.

"Paralysis"

A bolt of light shot through the thicket and a loud scream was heard.

"How many more are there!?" Victoria asked as she pressed a foot against the hunter.

"J-just him!" He answered as he felt his bones being pushed into him.

Difesa wasted no time and retrieved the assailant. Before the two rookies knew it, Difesa had tied their attacker and the hunter to a tree.

Victoria scoffed. "Bandits, should've known by the stench."

"Alright you two!" Difesa crouched in front of the bounded bandits. "Were you two planning to steal from us?"

"Yes…" The bandit answered quickly. Which only made Victoria and Difesa suspect something was at play.

They were carrying precious cargo. Too small for the guild, but enough food to last through winter if given to a small group. So the temptation to steal wouldn't be surprising.

And seeing as their plan was only two guys with one acting as a distraction, then Difesa was left to believe that something was amiss. An interesting detail was that there wasn't even any information about bandits in the area. So this all came out of the blue.

"Where's your camp?" He asked. But there was no answer.

"Ignite"

Lucinda pressed the burning flame into the archer's face. Despite being paralyzed, the man felt the intense pain.

Coraline was shocked to see her do such a thing unprompted.

"That's enough Lucinda," Difesa said. "I think he knows what's coming if he doesn't talk."

Once again, Coraline was shocked. Difesa didn't say anything. Simply implied that he would do a similar act of torture. It made her sick to her stomach.

"Now, if you don't want to end up like your friend, you'll tell us everything you know."

It wasn't long before the bandit cracked. Fear motivated the man to tell the truth, or else he'd face a painful end. A bandit camp was located deep within the forest. A total of thirty bandits, counting the ones they've caught. This was troublesome.

There was no sign or warning, and no information about them. But from what their little prisoner explained, they came from the north. So that solved that mystery. The only reason Coraline and her party caught wind of them was because these two tied at the tree were supposed to observe them. No interaction. Just watch them leave.

Again, it was a mystery why they'd just let a good cargo walk away. If their number was as accurate as the bandit confessed, then the supply would've gotten them through winter.

"The village…" Lucinda said as her gasp cut through the silent air. “These bandits are after the village!”

Difesa snapped toward the forest, hand wrapped around the shaft of his sword. "Gramps! I'm heading out!"

"You're not going alone, are you?" Victoria asked, not out of concern, or else that would betray the tone of her voice. "Come on, I've been itching for a proper fight."

He laughed. "Someone's gotta watch the kids, honey!"

"We aren't kids!" Coraline argued. "We can help!"

"Nah," Difesa said flatly. "This is dangerous for you."

"Or, hear me out, they can get some experience. Listen, they're still fresh. But by the looks of it, Lucinda has some combat experience. As for Coraline? Well, what is better than the present?" Victoria said.

Difesa took a second to ponder. "Alright, she's right. Coraline needs to get a feel of the battlefield other than just training. Arm up and get ready to fight."

He then approached the old man. The old man was simply on top of the wagon. Face careless as ever.

"Gramps, I need you to keep an eye on those two and the shop. We will be back. Oh, help yourself with some snacks if you'd like. But please don't touch our cargo."

"Will do, kid." He lazily opened one eye to stare at Difesa. "Don't get the girls hurt. And you, Coraline! Keep Lucinda safe."

The party soon departed into the forest. The bandit they've caught thought he had a chance to escape, but the old man had snuck up on him. Now they were face to face. Gramps was as silent as the wind, and this man knew that Gramps was no one to mess with. Especially with the dangerous aura he exuded.

It was a long walk. The sun was still in the sky, which helped light their way through this forest. Victoria was already armed, eager to cut loose with her hammer and sword.

Coraline wondered if she was ready. This would be her first actual combat. Her training back at home was almost pointless, merely an opening to what Difesa had in store for her. Their training was actual help. She could swing her spear, stab and poke even, but she was a far cry from a warrior. Her skills were somewhat laughable, yet good enough to keep Lucinda safe. Gramps believed in her. So she would give it her all.

Voices could be heard as they neared the camp. Victoria slowed to a brisk walk. Even went ahead as Difesa and the rest stopped.

“Listen, this will be dangerous. So keep close to me. Protect each other. You are never alone.” He pressed both hands on their shoulders. “If you need help, run to me.”

With that, Difesa pulled out his sword and wore his shield. The young adventurers at his tail, they followed Victoria's lead as she picked up speed. Before the bandit camp even knew, Victoria entered the clearing. A makeshift fence proved useless as she hopped over it. Flames spat at the nearest bandit. They ran off in a panic, which allowed the flames to spread.

As this happened, Vyrloss stood her full height as she felt her scales tingle. A beautiful grin adorned upon her lips as she listened to the adventurers that lingered.

“Have you heard? We got a few new recruits to the guild.” One said.

“That's kinda sad. Last year we had only one. Guess adventuring has lost its appeal. So, who's the new rookies?”

“Some guy called Val, one of those magic users from the college. And Difesa. No, really, another Difesa. He got himself a new squire, but honestly, she looked a little too green.”

The adventurer cocked a brow. “What do you mean?”

“She was out there practicing, and boy was it pathetic. Nearly clipped Gramps when her spear flew out of her hand.”

“You sure she's related to him? I doubt even a toddler from his family would make a mistake like that.”

“What's this I hear about a squire?” Vyrloss smiled even wider as someone else joined the conversation.

A woman who wore plate armor that sparkled under the light. Gold accents decorated every piece. A red cape with a symbol flowed behind her as she marched over to the two men. Her face would've been as perfect as a porcelain doll, if it weren't for the massive scar that ran over her left eye and ended on her cheek. Speaking of eyes, hers showed a raging storm from within. Accompanied by the deep scowl of her lips.

“Elizabeth! Nothing! J-just a bunch of rookies. We were just talking about them, that's all.”

“Don't lie to me, you said Difesa has a squire now!”

“H-hey, we just heard what we heard. We don't know anything.” The other man said. Both backed away in fear of the woman.

“FINE.”

The two then ran, which amused Vyrloss.

“Can you believe this!? Difesa got a squire before I did! How did this even happen!?”

“I do not know.” A woman answered as she walked past Elizabeth. Elizabeth followed her to the quest board as they continued the subject. “Perhaps you were far too busy lately, and should've looked for one. Now you see that Difesa acquired his squire.” The woman sent a sharp glare at the knight. “Now you complain like a spoiled brat.”

Elizabeth stuttered back a step, eyes widened in fear and shame. “Y-you’re right, I'm sorry, Captain Louise.”

The knight now known as Louise, only gave Elizabeth a short nod for her apology. “Now then, we must pick out a quest-”

“Master Vyrloss?”

Vyrloss looked away from the two knights and greeted a small kobold. “What do you need, my little wyrm?”

“Emergency quest! Bandit camp spotted due north of the village Zezen! Quest commissioned by the Wizard King!”

“Is that so? Hm, how fortunate that Difesa and his party agreed to deliver supplies to that village. Quite the coincidence.” She purred. She wondered how peculiar fate was. A fascinating thing.

“A problem, master,” The kobold fidgeted on the spot. “There is no reward for this quest until dawn…”

She narrowed her eyes at the small creature. “I see no issue, my little wyrm, simply post it on the board. We still have plenty of quests to receive.”

She knew that there was no point. But fate had brought her the quest, fate had a grand plan it would seem. And Vyrloss was quite curious about how it would end.