The Adventurer's Guild is, in contrast to The Silver Turtle Inn, busy beyond one's imagination. It's loud; its patrons are rowdy; it's jam-packed with tables and chairs, a bar, and a huge bulletin board. Nobody welcomes us when we walk through its doors.

Some people are dressed head-to-toe in full plate armor, while others wear leather goods that have seen better days. Alcohol flows freely. A small crowd is forming around a table where two men are about to arm-wrestle. Izumi is beside herself; I'm just trying to keep sane.

We make our way to the bar and receive a brusque nod of recognition from someone I can only assume is the fantasy equivalent of a waiter.

"Two of your cheapest meal sets, please," Izumi says, grinning wider than I’d expect from someone ordering garbage.

Again, there's a nagging feeling in the back of my mind, like I should understand the reason for this order.

The man accepts our payment with a grunt and disappears. Izumi starts to drift over to the bulletin board.

"We can check it after we've eaten," I tell her, pulling at her arm to bring her back towards an empty table.

It occurs to me that I don't even know if we'll be able to read what's on it. Between her basic skills and my complete illiteracy, what are the odds that a friendly adventurer will read us the posted information?

"But this is the part where we pick up a quest—"

"Izumi, we have a quest. We're going to defeat the Demon Lord."

One adventurer looks our way when I say that, and he raises an eyebrow when our eyes meet, but nobody else seems to pay attention. It must be a common sentiment. Or it's too loud to hear anybody properly in here. I'd take that as the answer just as easily.

The waiter-of-sorts brings us our food with the same grumpy attitude he's been showing all along, but we thank him nonetheless. It's a very Western meal: an awful, chewy meat of some kind with a stringy vegetable to accompany it. Izumi eats it with gusto, while I'm much slower to acquire a taste for the food of this world. She's had time to acclimate, I guess.

"Now can we go to the quest board?" Izumi asks through messy mouthfuls. "I've finished eating, see?"

"You inhaled it."

"I'm a growing girl."

I look at my half-eaten plate. "So am I, but—"

"Lighten up, Hiyori," she says softly.

My initial reaction is combative. I don’t appreciate how everyone here is so cavalier about everything. I suddenly remember the Demon Lord's ire – the bitterness that he never finished high school, that he spent the best years of his youth surrounded by strangers in a strange land. I think I understand him a little better now. But that still doesn't excuse what he's done.

"Okay." I sigh. "Let's take a look."

We muscle our way through to the quest board. Incomprehensible script decorates beat-up parchment.

Literacy skill unavailable, I note without surprise. Tip #2: Gain proficiency in a skill by practicing it over time.

The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

I guess it doesn’t hurt to believe that it won’t be impossible.

"Rat infestation..." Izumi mumbles, moving from page to page. "Goblins... Missing daughter of a noble! That one sounds good, doesn't it?"

"No, that sounds horrible."

"A good quest."

“What’s good about it?”

"We take on important quests, the royal wizards notice us, they invite us in—"

"We can't just walk in and ask for an audience?"

"One does not simply walk into the castle, Hiyorin."

As she reaches for the parchment, her hand brushes against an adventurer's fingerless glove. It's the same young man who was watching us before. Upon closer inspection, he doesn't look much like the people of this world. He looks Japanese.

Glare...

Rather than acknowledge this, Izumi fixes him with a stare that could turn a man to stone. He falters, and she takes advantage of his hesitation to snatch the... quest? I think. I'm pretty sure owning that piece of paper means you've agreed to perform the deed on it and that's what they're fighting over.

"What the— That was mine!" His voice is deep and his speech is coarse.

"We could always party up," Izumi offers.

"I don't party up with strangers."

Their words are basically complete gibberish. I'm at a loss.

"My name's Izumi. Nice to meet you." She offers him a hand to shake. At his blank stare, she continues, "Now we're not strangers."

"Mamoru. Not interested," he growls, but he looks little unsettled.

“You’re not from around here, are you?” I finally chime in.

"Gee, you noticed?”

I can almost feel electricity crackling in the air between the three of us.

“Hiyori,” I introduce myself. “Summoned from Earth—”

“Liar.”

"I’m sorry?”

"To defeat the Demon Lord?" he asks. “Yeah, that’s my job. Quit muscling in where you’re not needed.”

“Nobody’s muscling.” Izumi emphasizes the word by deliberately pulling the quest paper from Mamoru’s hand.

"Give that back,” he grunts. “Besides, they said they only summon one hero at a time.”

"And you believed the people who kidnapped you?" I cross my arms. I can feel my axe at my side, a brutish contrast to his sword. "Your friends weren't the ones who summoned us. The Demon Lord did."

"...to defeat himself?"

"To... date him,” I correct him awkwardly.

Mamoru laughs sharply. It’s more surprised than mirthful, though. "You really had me going for a minute there. You even look like you're from my world. There's no way the Demon Lord would summon a bunch of girls, let alone set them free after a date."

"Have you met him?" I ask, rolling my eyes.

“What do you think?”

Sinensis always sends the heroes away into town. And this guy's armor, though recently polished, has remnants of slime caked on it. He's our mysterious traveling companion. I know it. He must be in the capital city to gain more skill to fight another day.

“I think you have.”

"I have no reason to lie," he says.

"Nobody wants to accept their enemy's shown them the kind of mercy Sinensis is capable of."

Gross. I sound like I'm on his side again.

"He let you go, just like he let us go. You got a free ride and a sack of gold." I shouldn't feel so smug, and yet. "Izumi. I do believe I've found our... what did you call him? Kill-stealer?"

Her eyes widen as the pieces fall into place for her, too. "You jerk! Do you know how much I could have practiced on those monsters?"

"Calm down," he says, raising his hands defensively. "People are starting to notice. If you really want to take the quest, just take it. It's of no consequence to me. I'll just find something better."

"A girl is missing and you'll find better?" I interject again.

I can't believe how callous adventurers are. They're so carefree with the way they talk about these quests and great deeds, it's disgusting. Even Izumi worries me.

"I was summoned here for one reason," he insists.

"To be a sore loser?" Izumi taunts.

"To be the hero that stands above—"

"Oh, shut up."

Izumi moves so fast, her scarf makes her a red blur as she shoves Mamoru. This is getting out of hand. A few others are starting to form a crowd around us and I swear I hear the sound of gold exchanging hands. Are they betting on this?

I put my arms out and start to position myself between the two idiots. The crowd jeers.

"What's going on over there?!" A young but firm voice pierces the commotion. "No fighting amongst party members!"

There's immediate silence. We can hear every hoof-toed footstep of the creature that approaches. Dressed in a slick, dark blue American police uniform that contrasts his honey-orange skin, standing maybe seven feet tall, is what I can only imagine is another demon. He swishes his whiplike tail back and forth.

Demon (level 6)

"We're not party members," Izumi and Mamoru answer simultaneously.

They glare at each other.

The demon frowns. "Then you're under arrest."