The small town of Mountainend was often neglected by adventurers, mercenaries, merchants, and all sorts of people who were trying to become wealthy or advance in tiers. Although it was also a town on the border of the bountiful forbidden forest, it lacked the proper apparatus of an adventuring hub.

The miserable situation wasn’t a result of the absence of ambition nor the vision of its leader, but rather an unfortunate bad location. Still, the town mayor was confident that one-day Mountainend would prosper. Thus, he established a policy to attract and keep adventurers in town. Anyone with an official adventuring card of a recognized guild could get a refund from living and eating expenses at town hall, up to a reasonable price, of course.

Unfortunately, the policy brought little to no result since it could only attract those who didn’t have enough money to survive in other adventuring towns. In fact, that was the exact current situation of the ‘golden trio’ party. One year ago, the three adventurers traveled from south to Riverend Town in the hopes of wealth and power.

The same history was repeating all over the continent, youngsters driven by heroic passion or desire for power would leave their families and journey towards the borderlands. Few would actually fulfill their dreams, most would fit in the grinding adventuring system, becoming ladders for the ascension of others and constantly fighting to step above their peers. And that wasn’t the worse, some wouldn’t even fit into the system, either because they didn’t qualify for it or just because they refused to submit.

The golden trio was a party of dreamers. They were ambitious but refused to take advantage of others for the sake of progress. So, they didn’t fit in the low-tier stage of Riverend Town.

Coincidently, when they were looking for outer-guild opportunities in town, they met a nice half-beastkin mercenary who spared them a word of advice. Though the suggestion seemed unreliable considering the well-known situation of Mountainend, they decided to give it try. It was either that or slowly starving in Riverend.

Cyrus was particularly excited about the prospect of getting free food and lodging. So, when they arrived at Mountainend, instead of visiting the mysterious bookstore, he dragged the party to an Inn. Even though they heard about the town's predicament, seeing it was shocking. How could a borderland town be so quiet and empty? Couldn’t they even attract a few adventures?

Still, the food was acceptable and the beds comfortable, so they couldn’t complain much. An entire day passed before the three adventurers found the courage to look for the bookstore. They were so tired of living on scraps and being despised that good treatment was rejuvenating.

“Hey, Hakon. What do you think about this bookstore? Is it a magic emporium or some kind of guild?” Iris asked annoyedly. She was trying to cut down Cyrus' blabbering about the free food.

The foxkin carefully observed the human pair before answering. How could they be so unlike? The height wasn’t that different, Cyrus was a little taller but neither could be described as tall. Their features were similar, both blond, hazel eyes, and light brown skin, with the male being a little darker. The striking difference lay in their personality. Iris was kind and smart but often acted like a child. While Cyrus was just lazy and too honest, sometimes even a little dumb.

“From what the mercenary said, it should something like a store that sells magic scrolls, but different from magitech…” He answered tactfully. Like most of his kind, he was more reserved and didn’t like guessing.

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The trio continued to exchange opinions as they moved out of town and towards the forest. The landscape was familiar and followed the standard for this region. It didn’t take long for a big building to appear in sight. The group didn’t hold high expectations for the bookstore, but there was always a hope that it would be like the woman said and change their situation.

***

Anne was busying herself with the restoration and cataloging of the books brought by Ceres when the most wonderful thing happened. Three brand new potential customers walked in. She took a deep breath and adjusted her emotions before offering a greeting to the strangers.

The three visitors looked around curiously while moving forward slowly. As a trained bookmancer, Anne made use of the extra time to study them. A bulky man walked ahead of the group, probably a warrior. Following him was a confident petit girl using a pale red robe, a mage definitely, maybe a primancer. Behind them, a foxkin walked a little more carefully, slowly watching everything in the bookstore. The red furry skin and golden eyes added a wild contrast to his restrained demeanor.

An interesting combination, she thought. Foxkin were usually distrustful of humans, they rarely joined parties and could be dangerously cunning. Anne made a mental note to proceed slowly with that one. The fast examination didn’t change her welcoming smile, nor did the conclusions diminish her confidence in converting them into customers.

The bookmancer served three cups of tea and asked the visitors to sit. The ritual was a little awkward for new guests, but her smile and calmness eased the situation. She waited for them to take a sip, before asking:

“Are you going to the forbidden forest?” The question seemed standard, but it could give her a lot of information about the group. So, she observed them attentively.

“No, we…” Cyrus answered instinctively.

“Thank you for tea. We’re not going today, but soon.” Iris interrupted.

The warrior looked down embarrassedly and didn’t insist. Anne didn’t mind the rudeness and just nodded. The interruption coupled with the man’s reaction told her something. It seemed that the party was having problems with adventuring. They should have come for help, but help could only be given if she knew the problem.

“I see. I’m not an adventurer myself but I always found it fascinating. It’s an important part of our society, it supports trade and development. However, it has changed a lot recently and it’ll keep changing. The organization and tasks used to be centered on the guilds in the cities, but with the recent access to the forbidden forest, the game and rules changed.” The bookmancer said without any pretense. Seeing that she had caught the attention of the group, even the careful foxkin, she continued:

“Ten years isn’t long enough to settle the forces in the borderlands. Every border town is developing its own system for exploration, but it’s far from being over. Places and people are different. Sometimes, it’s not a matter of succeeding but finding the right place at the right time.” She stated before drinking the tea. The words were too vague and way worse than what she would like, but nothing better came to mind.

Even so, the insight somehow resonated with the party, which improved their impression of the bookstore. It had been a gamble, Anne chose to use those words to see if she could reach the group and keep the conversation going in a good direction.

“Riverend Town is not a good place… We stayed there for a year but…” Iris said hesitantly. Admitting failure, even to a stranger, was too difficult. It’s like finally accepting their fate. The mage drank more tea and continued:

“We worked for one year and yet, none of us advanced to bronze tier. Everything is so expensive there, we even have to pay to use the better routes. The low-tier jobs at the guild don’t help much and only pay in copper. The other low-tier parties are turning to robbery to advance instead of doing it properly. We refuse to do it.” The mage felt emotional and barely suppressed the storming feelings.

“Well, is better to stay firm to your convictions. Your chance will come, I’m sure of it.” Anne said and smiled. It was time to work on her craft.