Brian called for the best members of the guild. Amanda, Ayaan, Cvetko, Duman, Meizei, Roseline, and finally Faro.
Amanda was a beautiful fire mage. With her long curly brown hair, green eyes, and voluminous figure, she had the style which many men would drool over. Ayaan was a stoic no-nonsense fighter with average height and short black hair. Cvetko is a middle-age wind mage with a slender figure featuring sunken cheeks and dark gray hair. Duman was a very large boned man and was an arbalest, towering over everyone in the room. Meizei was a female earth mage slash warrior with a toned body and a red ponytail. She had a rugged look on her face as if she had gone through a lot. Roseline was a powerful water mage with just about average appearance. Finally, Faro was a guild receptionist with blond hair and blue eyes. He was the shortest among everyone. He was also the youngest, being a fourteen year-old boy.
“Alright, guys, before I continue, what I am about to tell you is probably the choice of your life,” Brian declared after standing up from his desk. “There is a good chance that you will lose your life over this. Therefore, if you are not prepared to sacrifice your life, please leave now.” Then he looked at Faro. “Kid, you have to stay, though. You haven’t got a choice.”
He pointed at himself, looking confused. “I don’t?”
“No, a long story, but you can’t leave.”
The others looked at each other, looking equally puzzled.
“Boss, what’s this about?” Duman asked.
“I cannot tell you much. What I can tell you is that you will risk your life.”
“Boss, we’ve always risked our lives for our jobs.”
“True, but this one’s different.”
“How so?”
“I can almost guarantee that not all of you will come back alive. It’s that hard.”
While the others looked confused, Roseline seemed to have gotten the message.
“I will stay,” she declared firmly.
“I don’t know what’s going on, but I am also going to stay,” Duman declared. “It sounds like an adventure of a lifetime.”
“If he is staying, then so am I,” added Meizei. They were a couple after all. This left Amanda, Ayaan, and Cvetko.
“Tell us a bit more, Boss,” Cvetko said with scanning eyes, looking rather disinterested.
“Yeah, you are doing a terrible sales pitch for sure,” Ayaan agreed. Meanwhile, Amanda had her arms folded in a way to emphasize her breasts. She wasn’t trying to seduce anyone; it was just a force of a habit.
While Brian wanted to let out as little as possible, he did feel that Cvetko had a point. They were going to risk their lives. “Alright, you win. You will be going after a dragon.”
With that, everyone’s eyes went wide with the exception of Roseline.
“You’ve got to be kidding me,” Duman said.
“I cannot say anymore. Now decide.”
“Sorry, Boss. I’ve got my savings filled up and I am about to retire in a few years,” Cvetko said with a shrug. “I am sure that the payment will be good, but I am set for life. I am out.”
“I don’t have a problem with that. But please leave the room.”
“Yeah, I will.”
With Cvetko walking out, Amanda and Ayaan were left. Brian really didn’t have any hard feelings for him to walk out because his reason was perfectly valid. The man worked for his whole life as an adventurer to have a sizable savings to retire comfortably. Asking such a man to possibly sacrifice his life was a tough call, especially when the man’s mind was clearly on the sunset.
“What say, you two?” Brian asked.
“I can’t leave the kid alone,” said Amanda as she walked behind Faro and rested her breasts on top of his head. “If he is going, I have to go. He needs his mom.”
“Miss, I am not -”
“Shut it,” she retorted softly.
Brian’s attention moved to the last one in question. “Very well, Ayaan?”
“How much are we talking about here?”
“A lot as in spending the rest of your life in luxury as well as glory.”
“Glory?”
“You can be knighted or perhaps more. It really depends on the outcome.”
“I suppose this comes from the Duke.” said Roseline, to which Brian nodded affirmatively since he wouldn’t be able to make up a workable lie, especially against a smart person like her. Besides, no one would have the authority to commission a mission like this. It wouldn’t take a genius to figure it out.
“To make you feel better, the Duke has given us an airship to move around.”
“Hah! Our own fucking airship!” Duman exclaimed with glee. “This sounds quite intriguing.”
Ayaan looked still undecided. As a pure warrior, it was a role Meizei could fill. Thus, nobody was really hell-bent on trying to convince him. He looked to be going back and forth until he spoke at last.
“I want a title. I will need to think about my last name.”
“That can be arranged.”
When a commoner was given a title, he would need to choose a last name. This was generally how a new noble family would start. They would be given a list of last names common to their local culture and make sure that he wouldn’t come up with a last name that was already taken.
“Then I am in, boss. I’ve always wanted to fuck a noble woman. I am tired of sluts.”
Amanda rolled her eyes upon hearing his remark with a subtle sigh.
“Alright,” said Brian while rubbing his hands. “Right now, I am in the process of acquiring an airship. So, there isn’t practically anything for you to do other than preparing. If you have anyone to say good-bye to, then perhaps do that. If you’ve got some unfinished business, finish them now. And Duman.”
“Yeah?”
“Can you craft a personalized crossbow for the kid?”
“A personalized crossbow?”
“Something small that can be equipped on his forearm.”
“Boss, something that small isn’t going to be powerful. It may just be barely enough to kill a goblin. There is a reason why I am using an arbalest. I am not carrying the thing around just to show off.”
“Hmm, can you not make it more powerful while retaining a small size?”
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Both Brian and Duman looked at Faro whose head was partially embedded by Amanda’s bountiful volumes. Her forearms were resting on his shoulders; she was essentially embracing him from behind. He didn’t seem to mind his current awkward predicament too much.
“I suppose you are trying to give him a role, yes?” Duman asked.
“That’s right.”
“Can I train him personally then? I will try to find him a role.”
“Fine, I will leave him to you. Do know that I want him to remain on the airship at all times.”
“Hmm, so, that is why you want him to use a crossbow. He does have some experience with it. I suppose I will see what I can do.”
The major difference between a bow and a crossbow was the required training time. Using a bow, archery, required far more time. Faro, wanting to become useful as soon as possible, opted to get himself trained in a crossbow. He wasn’t wrong since it would have taken years to develop his archery enough to be useful. In contrast, Duman specialized in arbalests because he realized the limitations of a bow. A bow, no matter how powerful, wasn’t going to penetrate the skins of great bears. This was the primary reason why there were no archers among those Brian picked. Archers would never make the cut since they wouldn’t be useful in actual combat encounters. At the same time, the role of an archer was badly missed in a party. This was why Kamil’s presence as one shone especially well during their collaborations. His magical archery had the benefit of a bow, faster firing and accuracy, and the raw penetrating power that exceeded Duman’s arbalest. He was able to fulfill a role that was needed but no one else was suited for a high-level adventure. And, with that, their meeting was concluded.
“Kid, come with me to the backyard,” Duman said while everyone else was walking out of the room.
“Yes, sir.”
Faro didn’t think he’d be trained for combat again and hadn’t actually done any workout ever since he was rushed back to Ceres for a recovery. In his mind, his days as an adventurer were over. Thus, he was mildly surprised to be trained once again. Since he limped severely, jogging to train his stamina wasn’t really an option. Therefore, Duman made him lift weights. Besides, he would need to train upper body muscles anyway to be able to manipulate a stronger crossbow.
Roseline, meanwhile, was trying to get information on dragons, especially its anatomy. Of course, that was easier said than done because she had nothing. She searched throughout the guild archive and came up empty-handed. She couldn’t even find out what it looked like, which she considered the most basic information. Her next destination was the public library in the central market, and she had zero expectations that she’d get anything. Lo and behold, she was right; there was nothing of use in the public library. With her hand on her waist, she heaved a long frustrated sigh, looking at a lone bookshelf that was maybe one fifth full. Yes, a lone bookshelf in the entire hall that was virtually empty. The books there were romance novels, cooking recipes, and a few biographies of historical figures.
“I am sorry,” Marat apologized. She felt compelled to since Roseline was one of legitimate visitors to the library. A library was meant to be a place of knowledge, and she felt she failed. So far, the public library had acted more like a gathering spot for children and wives. She didn’t mind such a development because her first priority was getting traffic to the library. In hindsight, the real purpose was mostly neglected. However, it wasn’t really her fault, either, since she had no powers to do anything on her own. The demand for books was very low. The cooking recipes were rented out regularly, but other books were rarely rented. Roseline was the first person ever to visit the place seeking knowledge.
“It’s fine. I had no expectations.”
Somehow, her statement hurt even more for Marat. Sagging her shoulders deeply, she sighed. Her reaction made Roseline panic a bit, unsure of why someone would be so utterly disappointed.
“It’s not your fault,” she said as she tried to comfort her. She wasn’t wrong, either. It was clearly not Marat’s fault that the library was devoid of ancient knowledge. In fact, the Lux library wouldn’t have been much of a help, either. The only ones who had seen the actual dragons would have been from Estana. Barely anyone, if any, survived from the North. Of course, whether those refugees were present in Ceres was another big question. Still, it was worth a shot, and Roseline put up posters at the guild and the market, letting people know that she would be paying some iron coins for any information regarding the dragons.
About a week passed. Brian had successfully purchased an airship. Just like before, he purchased a used one. However, he purchased the latest iteration which cost three gold coins. This wouldn’t have been allowed under normal circumstances, but Kamil issued a decree to make it happen. The last gold coin was being used to reinforce the airship along with a new type of weapon Duman was working on. The airship had just been transferred to them a night ago.
“Man, this looks sleek,” he remarked as he proudly looked over at their airship that was parked in the backyard of the guild. Unlike earlier airships where the balloon part and the ship part were clearly separated, this latest iteration of airship had both parts tightly integrated, making the ship resemble something like a fish in shape. The shape allowed the ship to fly faster with less air drag, consuming less wind crystals as a direct result. Maneuverability had also increased massively. In Cezary’s own words, the latest iteration of airship was “a piece of art”.
“Sir, the inside looks like a hotel as well!” Faro remarked with an excited voice. He was taking a look inside.
“Well, shit, this airship wasn’t built for transportation for sure,” Duman said to himself because it was covered with armor plates. “Aerial combat…, a new era, eh.”
The most significant difference from previous generations of airships was the fact that the pilot’s cockpit was located in front, allowing the said pilot to be able to manipulate the ship in a way that wasn’t simply possible when the cockpit was located in the rear. Additionally, the bow of the ship featured two integrated ballistas behind protective shields. On the surface, it had two holes on it, and the two ballistas sat behind it. Duman was correct. This airship was built for combat. He wouldn’t need to do much to reinforce the ship.
“Hey, kid!”
“- Yes?”
“You be the pilot.”
There was a short moment of silence and then Faro’s shout came. “Ah?!”
The reason for it was simple; Faro wasn’t going to be helpful in combat. He wasn’t very useful when his leg was fine. He wasn’t going to be useful when his leg was crippled. Brian attempted to find a role for him, but it was clear that Faro wasn’t meant to be a combatant. Additionally, Brian told only Duman why Faro had to be included and that he wanted the kid to survive. In such a case, letting him become the pilot was probably one of the safest routes for him for survival in addition to being able to claim that he was a part of the team. He could hear Faro’s limping, and it was getting closer. Soon enough, the kid popped his head out of the hatch.
“I think I may have misheard. I thought you said -”
He interjected. “You heard me right. You be the pilot.”
“I don’t know anything about -”
He interjected him once more. “You learn. Learn fast because we haven’t got the time.”
“Go gentle on the kid, will you?” Amanda entered the backyard, waving her hair. “He is a member of the party now.”
“Oh, this is new. You are here? Never seen you step into the backyard once. Done saying farewells to your lovers?”
She scoffed. “I am more surprised that you are letting Meizi tag along. I thought you cared for her.”
“She is coming because we both care. If either of us is to die, we would at least see how we died.”
“Both of you could die,” she retorted.
Risk versus reward, it was a concept very well known to any seasoned adventurer. The higher the risk, the more the reward. It was as simple as that. For Duman and, to an extent, Meizei, reward wasn’t everything. He had always wanted a grand adventure before settling down, and she shared some of his passion for the goal. It was how they ended up together in the first place. With Meizei hitting thirty in some years, Duman had decided to settle down before she would hit the magic number and start a family. He talked to her about his plan, and she agreed. Then the perfect opportunity arrived, the hunt for a dragon. He felt that nothing was going to beat that; it was to be his grand adventure. Of course, he was well aware of the extreme risk as well as the fact that both could well die.
“Of course,” he replied candidly. “But then somebody has to do it, doesn’t it?”
“Doesn’t have to be us, though.”
“Think positively, girl. If we make it back, we will be set for life.”
Amanda couldn’t argue that point. She was interested in acquiring a title like Ayaan and marrying a nobleman because she, too, was quite tired of one night stands. In some ways, she shared a similar dilemma as him.
“I have to admire your enthusiasm. To be honest, I am a bit scared.”
“There is no shame in that. Nobody wants to die.”
Faro was listening to their conversation as Duman comforted Amanda on this rare occasion. The two were never really on friendly terms. They worked alright professionally but they never got along off work. In fact, they rarely conversed once off work. It spoke volumes about how dangerous their upcoming adventure would be, and Faro listened quietly from where he was. He had his eyes downcast and was leaning his back against a wooden wall of the interior. He recalled the moment where his knee was crushed and was on the verge of death. It was a close call although he really didn’t feel like he was about to die. There was a lot of pain, and he passed out, only to wake up to see himself back at home. Perhaps, his youth played a part, but he never really felt like he almost died. Listening to their conversation, he came to a realization that death was a real possibility on this impending journey. Yes, he was told so before by Brian, but it just didn’t feel real, until now. Taking a deep breath, he massaged his crippled knee. It felt like a rock with a lot of dead tissues. There was no longer any pain but stiffness whenever he tried to bend his knee. He did wonder whether he should really tag along for a moment but soon shook his head. He may have failed on numerous opportunities but wasn’t a fool not to realize the reward hanging over his head. If he stayed on as a guild receptionist, he would become a nobody. If he survived this ordeal, he would become somebody, perhaps not a hero but somebody in a hero’s party.
“Something like that,” he whispered to himself. “I know I will never be the main character. I am content with becoming a hero’s companion.”
Soon, he gently slapped both of his cheeks and limped his way toward the cockpit. It was time to learn how to fly an airship and “fast” as well.