Two hours later.

Lambert ended with finding some extreme shortcomings for overly gifted kitsune. Basically Kyra was left with only one last step to do. And now she was checking harness of her horse.

“Leave from the east gates. On the first fork chose the left road, and after that always turn to the right. You should reach lamberjacks village before the sunset. Golden Helms operates from there, at least that was the plan. You have a map, act on her own judgment. You will do it a lot after all so start early. What else? When you got there...”

Lambert meticulously repeated everything. Not a small number of hunters and even adventures died because of Guild’s negligence and he had a reason to be extra prudent.   

“Here we are,” branch’s head noticed hurried elf. “You sealed it? Splendid. Give it to her.”

Reyna dutifully handed fresh new letter to Kyra.

“And you give it to Golden Helms.”

Kyra nodded and soared to the saddle. She took a death breath, gazed once at the Guild. She tried to look as earnest as she could, bit corners of her mouth wavered.

No, it was impossible after all.

“Yes! Go, Perchy!”

She was smiling. She was shining.

Perchy was galloping.

“What a lively kid,” sighed Lambert after a minute.

“Yes she is.”

Reyna affectionately took the man’s hand.

“M-m-m. But why does she hide her age after all? It shouldn’t be only to mess around.”

“What? Seriously, Lambert? You don’t get it?”

Elf stepped aside to critically look at her partner. He felt something and immediately started to fake innocence. 

“You really!” Reyna snorted. “It’s a girl thing, dear. Just leave it at that.”

----------------------------------------

Kyra reached the right village before the sunset, just as Lambert said and without any surprises. The village was called Rocksteam and woodmen here were procuring valuable aspen trees from the near plateau. They rafted wood to Ozryn, which was basically the transit point between populous province of the south and wild forests and mountains of the west, where a few settlements appeared in the last decade.

Wilderness was both rich and dangerous, hence the local Guild’s branch, let it be so long small, still managed to bring in quite a number of hunters and adventurers.        

Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.

The village was ringed with a piling wall. Kyra stopped before the gateway and proudly waved to sentry with her adventurer sign. The sign was round, shined nicely and comfortably lied in the palm of her hand. It was yet to be officially sealed by Lambert’s ‘record’, but for a time being would suffice.

The sentry swore – something about the damn Guild and poor children, definitely – and let her in with a return hand wave. Then Kyra dismounted her steed and asked around while bearing curious gazes. At least they weren’t that curios since she hid her tales and ears under the cape.

Newly-fledged adventurer was lucky – Golden Helmets just returned from a three-day patrol and she was pointed to their general direction.

“I swear I’m starting to miss goblins. Most they can do is to try cut your bowels open, which is a fair play in my book. You meet goblin face-to-face. Goblin won’t wait in the bush to gnaw out your ass. Goblin see you – he run out and try to stub you. Nice and easy. These yipping bastards, I’m sick of them…”

Yep, this is the place. Kyra resolutely knocked the door.

“Oy, will you shut it? We have guests.”

Door was opened wide with a squeak.

“Well-well isn’t this new?”

It certainly is. You are my first dwarf!

After some awkward coughing and self-explanations…

“The letter says so, Dhulgrir. She is ours now.”

“I don’t remember you can read elven scribbles, Robe.”

“It’s in Imperial.”

“And not a code?”

“Just read the damn letter yourself!”

“I won’t take in my hands anything from prick-eared witch. It’s poisoned. Or cursed.”

“I’m perfectly fine, you know?”

“She wants us to think so. It would affect only dwarfs.”

Finally, women couldn’t take it as she rolled her eyes and backed. Dwarf nodded.

“I won.” He said and turned to Kyra who was trying hard to hold her jaw still.

“I’m Dhugrir Heavyheart. I’m the chief here. Since we cannot defy Guild’s order without sufficient reasons, I reluctantly welcome you to our party.”

I really can’t see how serious is he. His face like a stone.

“This is no joke. Do you think lots of us adventurers will happily nurse some useless rookie ballast who knows nothing about the real world?”

So he is serious, well that much I expected. But what’s with his beard? It’s smaller than I thought. Against canons.

“The letter says she is a disciple of the Shadowsinger,” the woman from before gleefully cut in.

“Okay, so maybe not so useless,” Dhugrir continued without battling an eye. “But still a rookie.”

Why master is so celebritish? Now you disturb my first adventure. What next? Some hoodlums will try to mess with me but will shit themselves right after? Leave my hoodlums alone!

“From now on you are Foxxy.”

Wait, what? This is not a nickname I want to have. Even ‘Shadowsinger’ is better!

“It’s Kyra.”

“Too long for a name. Why do you people take so unsuitable names?”

“Then what about Dhulgrir?!”

“Great name.”

There was so much wrong going on here Kyra didn’t know where to retort.

“’Dhulgrir’ means ‘dwarf’, so he has an issue with names.”

“Not at all.”

I see… wait, he is calling you ‘Robe’ because you wear one?!

“This noisy woman is Robe. The one sleeping over there is Giant. Rogue will return soon enough.”

He is!

“Nice to meet you, Foxxy.”

Oh come on.  

“Now the cornerstone of our work. Usually you would have one fifth of loot or any other kind of income we get as a five-man party. But that’s for real full-pledged members. You are a rookie and rookies pay half of it back as an educational fee. So your share will be one tenth. If you agree, we make a contract and seal it with our ‘records’.”

“And if I don’t follow the rules, I can retire right now?”

“You need to be smart to have a future in our line of work. Exactly. We adventurers have rules for reasons. You pay your fee; we teach you do things right.”

Kyra nodded firmly. 

“I agree.”

Robe clapped her hands.

“Good. But we start tomorrow, right now all I want is to mimic this one,” she gazed at the sleeping man. Dhugrir grumbled approvingly.

“I’m good with that. Spent most of the day in the saddle.”

“M. Sorry, before I pass out I just need to know. What’s the deal with the two tails?”