"How many Disciples does it take to best an Apostle? Three to be equal, four for the advantage, and five to be sure." - A common saying among the Adventurers.
Simon had one goal that day; to follow his first clue to Tommy's whereabouts and try not to die in the process. It had been three days since his first performance, and he had settled well into his role as the inn's bard. Word had spread among the citizens in the Western District, and each night the inn had seen a steady increase in customers. Without his phone, his stories had become the only thing he could rely on. After finishing a three-night act of the Lord of the Rings, Simon felt that his performance was starting to become stale without music. The itch to play had begun gnawing at him like it hadn't in years. However, his savings were painfully low and insufficient to purchase a lute. He had to resign himself to the poor man's instrument—whistling.
Whistling along to the song "Young Folks," Simon pushed thoughts of buying an instrument aside as his destination came into view. Nima had provided him with poor directions, but she mentioned that once he saw a building standing taller than any other in the northern district, he would have found it. The four-story tall building was built from tan bricks and had large windows reflecting the afternoon sun.
A few days ago, he had heard a rumor that reaching the bottom of the Dungeon would grant a person an answer to any question, gift, or blessing from the imprisoned Titan. Simon had no idea what a Titan was or why it was imprisoned, but he suspected it was related to Greek mythology. Despite days of listening to rumors and asking if anyone knew a person named Thomas Wright, this was his only real lead.
Once he reached the building, he followed a group of adventurers inside, reading the inscription "Guild of Tenalan," marked on the door. Immediately, he was greeted by a bustling atmosphere as adventurers mingled around the large hall. The interior consisted of tall columns intermixed throughout the spacious entrance. In the middle of the hall, multiple parties inspected gear or equipment, ate and drank, or conversed with each other. He also noticed people gathered around a large board, examining posters and announcements, likely for quests or bounties.
Past the back wall were several large windows that showed a large training arena where warriors and mages practiced. "I can’t imagine training in this heat," he thought. Blasts of magic occasionally shook the windows, but the sound of training was mostly muffled. Feeling a bit lost amidst the bustling crowd, Simon decided to wait in line at the reception desks near the front. The line slowly moved forward as adventurers stepped up to a counter, leaving him to be next.
"Next!"
Unsure of where the voice came from, Simon moved to the only empty desk and looked around in confusion. "Did I hear that right?" he wondered. Confused, he looked left and right, trying to locate the person who had called for the next person in line.
"Excuse me, I'm down here," said a soft voice below him.
Looking down, Simon gaped at the small fairy sitting primly behind a smaller desk on the counter. The receptionist was about the size of a doll but appeared even smaller behind her miniature desk. She wore a green dress that matched her eyes, and her long blonde hair cascaded down to the floor. With her hands neatly folded in front of her, she looked up at Simon expectantly.
Embarrassed by his oversight, Simon stammered, "I'm sorry, I didn't see you there. You're so... I mean, my name's Simon, and it's my first time here."
"It’s nice to meet you, my name is Bessra. First off, what can I help you with? Do you want to register with the Guild, post a quest, or sell any essence?" said Bessra.
"Actually, I wanted to enter the Dungeon. It’s my first time, and I wanted to go today… why are you looking at me like that?"
The fairy had a picture-perfect customer service smile, but once he mentioned the Dungeon, her smile cracked. What replaced it was a wide-eyed appraisal of him as the fairy looked him up and down in concern.
"Sir, you know that the Dungeon is incredibly dangerous. Adventurers almost die in there every day." His answering nod seemed to push her into more of a panic. "You don’t even have any gear on you. The gold isn’t worth dying for."
"What’s so dangerous about it anyway?" asked Simon. He knew once he signed that contract, he’d have to face danger at some point. The fairy’s response was certainly not helping him remain positive about his first clue. "I’m not going for gold, I’m wanting to reach the bottom."
"Have you been living under the lake? Only the copious amount of monsters wanting to slay any fool trying to invade its home.” Bessra's eyes traveled up and down his figure again, this time in shock. "And you wanted to reach the bottom floor. Please, don’t joke with me, sir. Only the strongest or craziest adventures make it all the way down.”
It seemed his words weren’t getting through to her. Simon decided to convey his seriousness by giving her a pointed look. Her resistance didn't last three seconds before she caved, getting up from her desk in a flutter of wings. It must have worked because Bessra groaned, her wings spreading as she began to fan herself.
"Oh Gods, you're serious. Why can't the sane ones ever come in? Do you have a high rank, at least?" pleaded the fairy, running her hands through her long hair absentmindedly.
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"Um, I don't know what a rank is. I’m a bard, if that helps," Simon sheepishly replied, unsure if that would make matters worse. It did.
Her facial expression in response to his answer was actually quite cute if it weren't for her obvious exasperation. "Okay, okay, Bessra, calm down," she muttered to herself, fanning her wings harder. "Simon, was it? I don't know what Titan's curse you've received, but I have to warn you. The potential profits and the chance of receiving a wish or glory are great, but you're very likely to die."
"I’m used to dying. What kind of dangers are we talking about?" Simon asked, internally enjoying the way she looked at him when he teased about dying. It’s the small things in life. Besides, he feared having unfulfilled regrets more than the fear of death. He wouldn’t let the danger of the Dungeon scare him away from finding his friend.
"I don't know where you're from, but the Guild's sole purpose is to protect the city from Titan spawns invading the surface. Adventurers flock to the Dungeon to profit from the Titan essence, but also because if we don't manage the Dungeon's population, it will overflow. It's dangerous, and several aspiring Adventurers die because they didn't take it seriously or ventured too deep in search of profits. The monsters only get stronger the deeper you go, and the upper-tier ones are dangerous enough already. Only a group of Disciples or maniacs ranked Apostle or above ever reach the bottom. Do you understand what you're getting yourself into?"
Bessra lit up as she talked about the Dungeons and the role that Adventurers played in it. She was clearly passionate about her job, but something behind her eyes spoke to the dangers she mentioned. I wonder how many Adventurers she’s seen die? She must care about protecting them, or she wouldn't have gone to all this trouble to dissuade him.
"I know I’m inexperienced, I don’t have any weapons or gear, but despite that, I have to reach the bottom. Please, help me!" he pleaded, bowing his head to her. His head was lowered for a few seconds, so he was unable to spot the fairy flying closer to him.
Something soft tapped his head, and when he looked up, he saw Bessra fluttering before him, a piece of paper in her hand. "I can't stop you from going in, but I can help prepare you for what lies below. Promise me you won't do anything foolish once you're down there."
"Deal!" Simon exclaimed, relief on his face. Extending his pinky to the fairy, she scoffed, and with her nose in the air, she shook it. "So, what's the next step?"
"Now, it's time to get you some proper gear. You wouldn't last five seconds with what you have now."
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"Bessra, look, I’m sorry," said Simon, to the fairy on his shoulder who had her arms crossed, facing away from him.
"No, your apology isn't accepted. How could you fail to mention that not only are you a novice, inexperienced, and a bard, but you’re poor too!" Exclaimed the fairy.
This back and forth had been going on for a while after Simon had finished signing all the paperwork. When he pulled out his coin pouch to pay for the signup fee, she had all but fainted. His meager savings weren’t going to allow him any decent equipment. Bessra had, of course, accompanied him to a local arms shop where they had haggled for gear.
Despite having a considerably lighter coin pouch and a moping fairy on his shoulder, Simon felt like a proper adventurer. He was able to purchase a sheathed dagger, leather bracers, a backpack, and a worn green cloak. "Back to being dirt poor," he thought. Bessra flicked his ear, catching his attention as he was adjusting his bracers.
"That's them!" Bessra exclaimed loudly next to his ear, pointing towards a group in the dining hall. Making a cone with her hands, she yelled toward a green orc sitting at the table. "Hey, Gadar, I've got a newbie for you."
The green-skinned man seemed to roll his eyes but waved them over anyway. As they approached, he noticed that they were a diverse group of adventurers. The orc who had waved him over had long braided dark hair with long tusk-like teeth protruding from his mouth. Another tall purple-skinned man with curled horns ignored the table as he read a large book. A blonde-haired tan woman rubbed a sun-shaped necklace, and what had to be a halfling nervously strummed an old lute. So this was an adventuring team. Bessra had mentioned earlier she'd get him to join an expedition so he could get a taste of the Dungeon. But these adventurers didn’t seem all that enthusiastic once he arrived at the table.
"My name's Simon. Bessra mentioned I could join you for an expedition into the Dungeons," I said, deciding to confront the awkwardness head-on. To my dismay, the group collectively groaned at his introduction.
"Bessra, you have to stop sending the new ones our way. The coin from the Guild is nice, but we can't go deeper with them around. No offense, kid," said the orc.
"Gadar, you still owe me for last time. You nearly got suspended for the last brawl you got into. I need you to watch over him. I'll call it even, and you'll get your protection coin," Bessra replied, folding her arms across her small figure in an attempt to look intimidating.
"Fine, fine. We were just about to leave. Simon, was it? I'm Gadar. This is Calista, our healer, Remus the mage, and the coward is called Barrin. Hahaha, he's our bard. The only use he gives us is behind the back line, playing his little tune," Gadar said, standing up and grabbing an axe and shield from the table.
What's wrong with playing music? Does he expect this guy to smash heads with his lute?
"I'll be in your care," replied Simon, but to his dismay, everyone except the halfling ignored him as they got up and followed after Gadar. The only one to stay behind was Barrin the small bard who had been called a coward. He was about 3.5 feet tall and had curly brunette hair that was cut short. Curious about their rude treatment, he asked the small bard, "Are they always like that?"
"Yes, unfortunately. We better hurry before they start yelling again," replied Barrin, who was already scuttling after them, moving fast. Leaving Simon behind with his small companion.
“That went well. Can I really trust these people down in the Dungeon?” asked Simon, to Bessra, who had remained quiet during their introductions.
“You can trust the coin the Guild’s paying them. Outside of that, watch out. Everything should be okay.” said Bessra, now flying in front of him, wings moving so fast he could only see a blur. Poking his nose with her finger, she got close and looked him in the eye. “Don’t do anything stupid, just follow their lead and come back safe. We made a promise.”
“Hey, stop that. I can’t let your advice go to waste, I’ll be back before you know it.”
Waving goodbye to the fairy, he followed his temporary party out the door. It was time to explore his first clue.