She marched for the guild, a light bounce in her step. "Let's see what that's worth. I should have done this earlier."

As she made her way there, her ears picked up on some of the gossip. "The grablins are even more agressive than usual. You can't step outside the gates without trouble." Daisy's ears perked at this.

A second speaker stepped into the conversation. "Heard a girl went missing from the group. They're looking everywhere." She could feel their eyes on her, but she didn't look.

One of them was watching Daisy directly. "She's a big mouse, right? I bet she would know."

Daisy turned around to face them. "What?" She put her hands on her hips. "You can't just talk to people, you have to talk behind their backs?"

The first raised her hands defensively. "Pardon her, we're just not used to mice being so, hm, large?" Her eyes darted between Daisy's stature and her obvious assets. "No offense intended."

Daisy leaned closer. "I'm still learning about these parts. I've heard rumors of grablins, but never seen one in the flesh. What are they really like?" She gestured to draw them into the conversation.

That fist one's face twisted with obvious distaste. "Awful things! They'll grab you and do whatever they have in mind, and it's never pleasant."

The second nodded. "And those rumors you hear? They're all true. All the worst ones, true." She rubbed at her own shoulders. "I can't believe someone went missing. I hope she's safe."

Daisy scratched at her densely furred cheek. "Excuse my ignorance, I'm used to going into dungeons. What are the rules with adventurers and problems outside of them?" She swayed her tail. "Are there rules?"

They exchanged glances, confused. The first finally managed. "What? Well, if you're asking about a reward, you could check at the court house, or any tavern. Wanted posters tend to go up in either place. Other than that, you're free to do what you want outside of town. The laws of the town only go as far as the walls."

"Thank you for the clarification." Daisy bowed her head, then turned away. She walked with a slow pace to think, letting her feet carry her to the guild. Once inside, she was glad to see the line was empty. She hurried up in a little jog to the counter. "It's been a while."

The clerk blinked up at Daisy. "It has, hasn't it? You look a lot less lost than the first time you wandered in here. What can I do for you today, miss?"

Daisy set her hands on the counter and leaned against it. "I've got a dungeon to report."

That seemed to excite the clerk. He fished out some paper and a pen, then looked at her with eager eyes. "Tell me about it." He listened as Daisy gave him as much information as she could, including its location. The clerk frowned at the last bit of information. "That is odd. We have no records of this dungeon, but it should have been reported by any who traveled through. It's far too close to just be missed."

She tapped the end of her quill on her counter. "We'll send an investigation team. When they get back with the proper rating and measure of the dungeon, we can reward you. Where can we find you?"

"I live at the university." Daisy gave a little bow of her head. "Ask for Daisy or Elina." She turned away and headed for home herself.

Once Daisy was gone from the guild, she started planning her next move. At least until she felt something on her rump. She swatted and hit the questing hand of a man. "Hey. Ask before you go reaching." She had no problem with being touched, but she didn't know him. The stranger looked to be in his late twenties, wearing what appeared to be the leather armor of an adventurer. He stammered as he realized how she swatted his hand. "Do you grab for any lady you happen to see?"

He took a step back, shaking his head. "My apologies." He held up his hands defensively. "I just thought..."

She poked his chest. "Seriously, that's messed up. What's wrong?" The guy wasn't a bad looker, but she wasn't swayed by it. "I'm not here for your pleasure."

He rubbed the back of his head. "Sorry, I just thought you were, um..."

She rolled a hand. "Thought I was what?"

"A succubus." He shrugged, though he didn't look away. "You've got that going on."

Daisy's eyes widened and she blinked a few times. "That is one hell of a mistake to make, pal." She snickered at the idea. "Where I'm from, succubi have a lot less fur." She pointed to the hovering sign over her chest. "And have way less obvious signs of warning."

The stranger bowed his head again. "I didn't mean to mistake you. I'm sorry." He backed away, headed for the door.

Daisy waved as he fled. "Later, grabby." She shook her head, turning away from the door to find Jaspur in her way. "W-what? Um, hi?"

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Jaspur crossed his arms, tail lashing behind him. "What was that about?"

Daisy rubbed at her cheek. "Someone grabbed me. I told them off." She looked at Jaspur's face, then the door. "They apologized, so whatever. Nobody was hurt."

He put a hand to his chest. "Do you need help? I'm a law keeper here." His eyes were narrowed with anger.

"I am fine, thank you for your concern." She paused a moment. "I actually thought you'd try to blame me somehow."

The feline shook his head, not letting his anger fade. "I am not happy with you, but it is no reason to let an injustice go unpunished." He stepped around Daisy and out the door, following the other man.

Daisy laughed as she resumed her steps. "Maybe he isn't so bad." She strolled home with a little pep in her step, but she couldn't help but think about the missing girl. Was this the adventure calling her?

She decided it was, so once she was back at campus, she took a direct route towards where Theo and Cedric had set up. They were both working on something when she arrived. "Hello boys." They weren't too busy for a brief round of hugs. "I heard there's trouble, outside the walls. Some girl got grabbed. I'd like to help her, get some good neighbor points in instead of just being 'that curvy mouse' around town."

The other two exchanged glances. Theo spoke first. "That isn't a dungeon. We wouldn't get class credits for it." He shrugged. "If you feel like you want to go out and help her, we can come with you. Just..." He rubbed at his neck. "That is dangerous, you know? Out there." He made an expansive wave at the world. "In a dungeon, you mess up, you end up mutated in some uncomfortable way. Outside that, you're really risking it all. A bad day outside the walls will end in death."

Daisy nodded. "And what if she died?"

Cedric tapped a foot. "We don't have to risk our lives for this. This is a quest for a professional soldier. Or a paladin, or a knight of some order."

She put her arms around the two, pulling them closer. "With you two at my side, I trust us more than a lot of soldiers, a paladin, or a knight, maybe all of them combined. Nothing can beat my family." She nuzzled each of them, tail lashing. "We can handle this. And if it's too much, we can leave."

Theo tapped his chin with a finger. "I guess we could see what we're up against? If you're really sure about this. You want to be an adventurer, and that means helping people who need it."

Cedric laughed nervously. "Some adventurers never help people, but I like being one of the nice ones. If you're sure, I won't let you go alone." He smiled nervously between them.

Daisy released them from her arms and stepped back. "We do this together. Let's see what we can find about this missing girl, and where we can go from there." She gestured for them to follow as she headed out, the two boys close at her side.

***

After asking around a bit, Daisy and company learned the name of the girl that went missing, along with where she had last been seen. It was the first time Daisy had ventured from the town when not aimed directly at a dungeon. "I wonder how often adventures do this? I mean, they probably do this sort of thing all the time, right?" She looked between her companions. "This is just how adventuring goes."

Theo coughed into a clenched hand. "Not exactly. Outside of towns, the laws become faint suggestions, at best. The smarter adventurers stick to where the money's coming from."

Daisy perked an ear. "How often do adventurers actually get killed?"

Cedric tapped a finger into the air for every point he made. "Some are lost to dungeons, Some get lost on their way towards or back from one. Others get killed for one reason or another. Especially sad adventurers give up, walk up to a monster that catches their fancy, and invites them to do whatever they want."

Daisy stopped dead, almost making the others stumble into her. "Really? They just ask to die?"

He laughed tensely, rubbing behind his neck. "Not exactly die. A lot of monsters won't kill you, they'll just make you join them, or worse. One way or the other, you'll become what they want. Once you're what they want, most don't want to hurt you anymore, why would they?" He shrugged and then looked around at where they were, ears twitching.

Daisy patted Cedric's shoulders. "I think it's sad that people give up. I don't want anyone to die, not like that." She fired a big thumbs up. "I decided ages ago that I'd never finish that way. I'm holding strong to life until the ride stops or I'm tossed off it."

Theo looked over his shoulder, then down the path. "Some people can't take it, Daisy. They give up and accept their fate." His tail lashed. "Let's hope we find her before she makes that decision?"

Cedric swallowed heavily. "Or, um, before they make that decision for her. Grablins are not nice monsters, I hear." He looked around them again, fingers drumming on his staff.

Daisy glanced down either direction of the path, checking for any sign of life. The trees swayed and leaves whispered in the faint breeze. A spot of color caught her eye and she crouched down to inspect it. "Hey look." She brought up a scrap of cloth that might have belonged to a shirt at some point. "Think it belongs to her?"

Theo took the cloth from her, holding it up so he could get a good view of it. "This is torn. I would say yes, it does." He turned in place, holding the cloth up as if it were a guide. "I know a spell to help us." He tossed up the cloth and clapped his hands with magic swirling around him. "Find our target!" he announced, pointing towards the scrap as it fell.

The scrap of cloth quivered as it drifted to the ground, then pointed in a direction, floating in the air. "She's that way."

Daisy cocked a brow at that. "You have a spell for tracing people?"

Theo colored as he shrank back. "Girls, specifically. It works on any of their clothes. Useful skill, yes?" He smiled nervously.

Daisy poked him. "You are so bad." She turned to follow the cloth. "Lead on." She had no idea what a grablin even looked like, but she did know how she would react to seeing one. She slammed her hands together with a feral grin, imagining the moment.