The warm glow from the rising sun made its way through my eyelids. It was a new morning and the start of a new day. I was not going to go through any more detours. Today was when I was going to join the army and finally be able to unleash my full potential for the whole kingdom to witness.

So I thought. After my small lunch at the pub, not to mention being denied ale by the barmaid, I was also denied from joining the army for "Being identified for disturbing the peace by yelling profanities and running around the streets half naked" which was indeed something that did happen yesterday but didn't think was anything too important. Didn't even write any of that down. It was all innocent fun. It wasn't like I hurt anybody. Okay, I admit I groped somebody and I yelled something along the lines of "Sieg Sheedhied" over and over. It really riled up the people back in the village and they definitely deserved it for treating me like a nobody. Unfortunately, I didn't know any better when being in the Capital and now I am left without anything and sort of stuck here. I can't possibly go back to the village ever since I told everybody to go shove it up their asses. I didn't write that part before because I thought it wasn't important but there it is! Who the underworld thought any of this was going to happen? Not me. Should've known I was always down on my luck and that hasn't changed here.

But in the darkest hour there is always light at the end of the tunnel. Remember the 3 other passengers who were on the carriage with me? I happened to bump into them when I was taking a stroll and thinking of my next big strategy. It turned out not only did they remember me but they also formed a mercenary group. Apparently mercenary groups are currently in high demand to take out rather common threats that aren't getting taken care of since, well, every able-bodied person is occupied with Sheedhied. Mercenaries don't work under a flag, so it's said. They were in the village at the time taking a job dealing with a pack of wyverns and visiting a friend who was there. Not bad, but I don't understand why I wasn't hired for it too. Were wyverns too difficult a task for me to handle? Doubt it. Can't blame the villagers though since I never dealt with wyverns before. I don't believe there were even wyverns near the village. Did the plague have that sort of power?

I managed to tell them about my misfortune, the rejection from joining the army and not having anywhere else to go since the village had high expectations for me. Of course I didn't tell them any unnecessary or unimportant details regarding it. They sympathized with me and decided to let me in their group to earn money and do things that needs to be done. They were looking for another member too. I naturally accepted and looked forward to doing anything to get my name recognized help the kingdom in any meaningful way possible, and earn money to buy more ale treat myself from time to time was a bonus I was not going to miss.

The first of the 3 was Walter, a skinny tall man who seemed to be in his thirties. He claims to be especially good at bows, daggers and sneaking around which is useful "In many different places" and winked after saying that.

The second was the really plain looking guy, Gregory. He seemed to be close to Walter's age but not as tall. He prefers to use a lance and told me it was because it feels the best when standing straight and looking ahead with it in his hand. I believe he was trying to be philosophical.

If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

Last but not least was the token elf of the group, Rowan. This dude was shorter than I was and looked nowhere older than me. With that being said elves age and mature differently than humans like me so he might be around granny's age for all I know. The handshake he gave me was quite rapid and it was hard to catch everything he said to me from the speed of his mouth and tongue. What I caught was that he keeps himself to using magic because he isn't as physically strong as the other 2.

And so we, as a group, visited an armory as they got themselves upgraded weapons with the reward from the last job. I didn't need any more swords or wands since I was already good as is and I had to use the money for something else they're more than reliable. Gregory had to ask me twice if I was really able to handle myself with what I got. I'm sure as the underworld I can kick almost anybody's ass with what I got now.

Next we bought food from the marketplace to eat for dinner. I can't believe all they bought were a couple of fruits like apples and bananas and vegetables. Even Rowan was getting upside due to Gregory's lack of chocolate and other sweets which have the ability to boost our mental capabilities being on the shopping list. (Note: Gregory is the person managing the group's finances.) Gregory said sugar was bad and would cause underperformance, which of course wasn't true. I used my own money to buy chocolate for myself though. Will probably share it with Rowan when the time comes, and if I feel like it. All this rich cocoa was meant to be enjoyed in a company.

Afterwards we were to travel to a town which is located west from the Capital. Word is that there are some really high paying jobs in that area. Of course the other 3 are already familiar with it. Everything's new to me but there's no challenge I can't best. They're called challenges and not impossibilities.

We took a horse carriage of a traveling merchant duo going into the area. We were lucky to get a ride for cheap since most traveling services can get expensive and tamed flying creatures aren't found close to the Capital. Safety laws apparently.

The ride was a great experience for my public speaking skills. I told the other 3 of my great fights against the threats of the village yet received very little praise due to the threats being perceived as too common. They all seemed to enjoy listening to me but their smile sagged a little as I continued. Perhaps it was because I went on for far too long. Better take that into consideration.

In the dark and the comforting peace of night we managed to arrive to the town without any issues. The town was fairly inactive save for some who prefer to remain awake under the moon. It seemed to be mostly populated by manimmals, particularly the dog kind. Had to write that down since I barely ever met manimmals. My village was made up of humans so I never had much experience with these people but from what I know they usually have lower intelligence than us humans but are known to have greater physical capabilities and enhanced senses depending on the mammal they're related to.

Walter took the lead as we reached the town's inn for the night. The adventure was happening tomorrow. My time has come and my name to be written in history. It was hard to hide my excitement. A whole new chapter in my journey! The 3 decided to rent a room for themselves which left me to myself but I didn't mind. I just met them today, or yesterday was it. It's not like there's a chance I might stab them in the back, which I won't of course. I didn't make a big deal of it and got my own little room here. I remember seeing a bar not too far from here so I'm definitely going to get some ale now, but I will make sure not to do anything too wild.

Signed, James Noah Smith