Aurelia scarfed down her chicken stew and bread quicker than everyone else at the table. She felt like she hadn’t eaten all day, even with her brief stops during the dungeon to roast the various meats in her inventory. Maybe it was the flavor and carbs she was actually starved for. Either way, Justin, Zen, and Belle watched as Aurelia used a piece of her bread to scrape the remaining broth from her bowl.
“So let me make sure I got this correctly,” Aurelia began after her food had been cleared away, “Belle is a song maiden, which is some sort of support class, Justin is a ranger, and Zen has a warrior class which specifically uses axes?”
Her tablemates nodded in agreement and Belle said, “Yeah! And you’re a mage, but I already knew that since Marge used her identify skill on you.”
“Wait, you met Marge?” Justin looked at Aurelia in confusion.
“Uh,” Aurelia looked to Belle for help.
“Oh, that’s a long story, we can tell you guys later,” Belle saved her from answering.
Belle’s comment made Aurelia realize she hadn’t even tried using her identify skill on anyone yet. Looking at Belle, Aurelia activated the skill. A blue notification box appeared in her vision.
Name: Belle
Age: 21
Race: Human
Rank: Knight
Class: 1/2
Main Class: Song Maiden
Level: 8
Health: 200/200
Mana: 500/500
Stamina: 350/350
Aurelia then used the skill on both Justin and Zen. She received all of the same information that she had with Belle, confirming both of their classes, but also finding out that they had the peasant rank rather than the knight rank. Aurelia had a feeling most people in this village would only have the peasant rank. The two friends also only had one class available in total.
Zen wiped his face with his sleeve, cleaning the broth off his chin. “Okay then, we can wait to find out more about,” he waved his hand between Belle and Aurelia, “whatever this is. Do you guys want to meet up at the adventurers guild tomorrow? Ottie must be having the time of his life with the news of the dungeon, but surely he will still have time to get us registered as a team. Maybe by then, we will know more about the dungeon, and whether our first official business as a team will be to tackle the dungeon. If you want.” He started scooping more stew into his mouth.
Belle and Justin both jumped in, expressing their agreement and listing off possible suggestions of what they could do together as a team. Aurelia listened silently as she was once again facing the dilemma of what would happen if she revealed herself as the dungeon master. Would it help or be more of a hindrance in interacting with others? Either way, she didn’t feel like broaching the subject with her new team. Aurelia sat at the table for the next half an hour, learning more about Rainy Hollow and about the three people around her.
Belle, Justin, and Zen had grown up in Rainy Hollow, though Belle was the only one who hadn’t been born here as well. Belle wouldn’t say more about her upbringing, but Aurelia got the feeling it hadn’t been an easy childhood. Justin’s parents were both hunters for the village, and he had grown up going on hunting trips in the nearby forest. For that reason, he was the second highest level in the group at level ten. Zen was the son of a baker and a chef, which made it seem odd at first that Zen had become an axe warrior, but it turned out Zen’s uncle also held the class. Zen had apprenticed with his uncle for a few years, which had helped him both gain appropriate skills and eventually the class. It would have been next to impossible otherwise for Zen to gain the class. One normally needed the knight rank and an axe skill to get the class. Zen had been personally mentored by someone with the class at the adept rank, helping him immensely.
Aurelia spoke little, letting the others carry the conversation. She felt too tired to add anything of use, sometimes letting her gaze wander over the crowded tavern. She would occasionally use her identify skill on random people around the room. Aurelia observed that the vast majority of people in the tavern were under level ten, with the next biggest range being between ten and twenty. Only five people in the room were over level twenty, and they all looked to be at least forty years old. Ivan was a level 26 innkeeper with another older man as the highest leveled person in the room, being a level 31 blacksmith.
As Lia filled their mugs for the third time that night, the door to the tavern opened, and three people walked in. Aurelia only knew something was different when the entire tavern turned to observe the three. The man leading the group made Aurelia pause, until she realized he was the one yelling outside the dungeon. The other two newcomers had also been there, along with Zen and Justin.
Conversation around the room had stalled for a moment when the three young adults had walked in, but it was now roaring with sound once again. Aurelia leaned forward, asking her table a question, “So, who are those guys?”
“They are Hollow’s Warriors, the only adventuring team based out of the village,” Zen began, “Their leader is Robin Gray, he’s one of the sons of Lord Gray. He has the paladin class and I’m pretty sure he is close to level 25.”
Aurelia identified Robin, and saw Zen was right. Robin was a level 23 paladin, and had the lord rank. She identified the second man and the girl as Zen continued his explanation.
“Eagan and Maia are his teammates. Eagan is a fire mage and Maia is a ranger, just like Justin.”
Using her skill, Aurelia could see that both Eagan and Maia had the knight rank, and both were level 21. The group walked up to the bar, and villagers moved out of the way in order to make room for the three. Ivan approached the adventuring team and began speaking and pouring drinks for them. Everyone in the room seemed to have one eye on the team, and Justin said what they were all thinking. Well, all but Aurelia.
“Do you guys think they have an update on the dungeon? Like who claimed the dungeon?”
“I don’t know, Justin, but we waited by the dungeon entrance forever. Nobody came out and there were no other signs of anyone nearby. Maybe whoever it was got themselves killed somehow,” Zen glanced at Robin and his team contemplatively.
Belle opened her mouth to speak next, but stopped when the sound of Ivan exclaiming in shock echoed around the room.
“What?!” The whole tavern paused as Ivan practically yelled the word. “Both the Baron and the Duke are coming to Rainy Hollow? Tomorrow?!”
“What did he say?”
“Both the baron and the duke?”
“Are they going to try and take the dungeon from Lord Gray?”
“What does this mean?”
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“This can’t be good!”
Voices overlapped each other as the villagers reacted to what Ivan had said. Aurelia wasn’t sure what it would mean for a baron and duke to come to the village, but from everyone’s reactions, she expected it wasn’t good. Even Justin and Zen had their mouths agape, shocked by the news. Robin was trying to calm the room, shouting for everyone to be quiet.
“Will all of you just calm down?! There is no need to panic, my father has everything under control. We will update you all as needed, but with both the duke and the baron coming to Rainy Hollow it would be prudent for you all to stay on your best behavior. Nobody wants a repeat of the Harvest Festival incident.”
There was a murmur of agreement at that last line. As the crowd settled down, people began to go back to their own conversations. A few approached Robin to try and get his attention.
“I can’t believe it! Duke Gladys hasn’t visited Rainy Hollow in over a decade!” Belle exclaimed.
“Yeah, and even Baron Redford only stops by once a year for taxing day.” Zen said.
“Is it really such a big deal?” Aurelia asked.
Justin nodded, “Oh yeah, it's definitely a big deal. I don’t know if the duke and baron have been in Rainy Hollow at the same time, ever. Our village isn’t that important to either of them.”
“Until today that is!” Belle added.
Aurelia didn’t have the context to fully understand what was happening, but she decided she had endured enough excitement to last a lifetime, and needed a rest. She turned to Belle and said, “I need to go to sleep, could you show me to my room?”
Belle looked like she wanted to go on another rant, but after seeing the look on Aurelia’s face, only nodded and ushered Aurelia away. “See you boys, tomorrow!” Belle yelled over her shoulder.
After finally getting her door unlocked on the second floor of the tavern, Belle wished Aurelia goodnight, and Aurelia was left alone for the first time since leaving the dungeon. Too tired to care much, she shoved her satchel, knife, and money pouch into her inventory, then followed with her boots and unlaced corset. Once done, she collapsed onto the twin sized bed in the corner of her room and fell asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow.
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Aurelia awoke to the sound of chirping birds outside her window. She sat up in bed, eyes bleary with sleep. When was the last time she heard birds in the morning? Her apartment at home was surrounded by too much infrastructure and not enough trees to attract birds nearby. She looked around her room, then remembered where she was. Her heart sank in her chest, as she remembered what had happened. She had been sucked through a portal, dropped into a new world, endured a tutorial dungeon, was robbed and kidnapped, then ended up joining a team of prospective adventurers.
She pressed her palms to her eyes, then began to rub them, wishing it had all been a dream. But, as she heard the birds chirping and heard the sound of a bustling village rather than the noises of earth, she had to admit this was all real.
Aurelia swung her legs out of bed and for the first time since entering her room, she analyzed her surroundings. The room was small, barely fitting a twin sized bed, a small wardrobe, and a square table that held a pitcher, a water basin, and a washcloth. Excited at the prospect of cleaning herself, even just her face got her excited, so she moved in front of the table. After washing her face with the provided water and basin, she dried off her face with the cloth. Aurelia wished she had a mirror to look at herself with, and decided she would try to go shopping today for a few things. She then tried raking her fingers through her hair, but didn’t have much luck with the mass of knots. She settled with pulling her hair back into a messy braid, tying it with a piece of fabric from her old shirt.
Looking down at her leggings and shirt, she noticed that they still looked clean and presentable. She brought up her shirt near her nose and cautiously sniffed the fabric. It didn’t smell like anything to her. But, when she lifted her arm up, the odor coming off her body made her crinkle her nose in disgust. Aurelia wondered at what people did around here for baths.
After putting on her corset and boots, Aurelia walked out of her room and downstairs. There seemed to only be one barmaid on duty, with the common room holding maybe twelve people total. She guessed going out for breakfast wasn’t that common around here. The barmaid taking orders was one Aurelia didn’t recognize from last night. She was short with tight black curls and seemed to bounce around the room.
Aurelia sat down at an empty table and waited to be served. Now that she was seated, she realized she had a waiting notification in the corner of her vision to look at. It was a skill level up notification. When she opened it up, she saw that the only skill she had leveled up was her identify skill, going from level six to level seven. Aurelia guessed the level up was because of all the people she had identified last night in the tavern.
After receiving her level ups, Aurelia could see the benefit of higher leveled skills. There was reduced mana costs, increased strength, and with her spatial storage she even had increased capacity to store things. Aurelia wondered now how she should go about continuing to level up all her skills. Was fighting monsters the only way to level up skills? That couldn’t be right, as some of her skills had nothing to do with fighting. Aurelia also had the feeling most villagers didn’t have to fight to level up their non combat classes. She would have to ask someone about that later. Her train of thought stopped when the short waitress came up to her table.
“Hi there! My name is Harmony, what can I get for you?” the young woman asked Aurelia.
“Uh, I’m not too picky. I’ll have whatever you recommend,” she smiled back at Harmony.
Half an hour later, Aurelia left the tavern looking to explore the area around her. She had her money pouch tied safely to her belt, next to her dagger, and her wand was once again hidden in her corset. The tavern faced the rising sun, on the busiest street in Rainy Hollow. Aurelia hadn’t seen much of the town the day before, but now she had the opportunity to see the bustling energy of a morning in the village. Farmers were heading out to their fields, shopkeepers were opening their doors, and people were out and about.
Aurelia wasn’t sure where she should go. She never found out where Belle, Justin, or Zen lived last night, and wasn’t sure how she could contact them. That’s when Aurelia spotted more of the messenger children who were carrying letters and packages to and fro. A familiar yellow strand of mana caught her attention, and she followed it down the street. A minute later she stood in front of what looked like a produce shop. The wooden building had a large opening facing the street, and Aurelia could see crates of fruits and vegetables lining the inside of the shop.
As she stepped inside, Aurelia spotted the owner of the yellow strand. Freddy stood in front of a counter, handing off a letter to the shop owner. The woman behind the counter gave Freddy a pouch of coins, thanking him for his help. Freddy put the pouch inside his messenger bag, then turned around, beginning to exit the shop. The boy freezed in place when he saw who was standing behind him.
“Hey Freddy! Could I ask you for a favor?”
The boy blinked up at Aurelia, “A favor?”
“You aren’t busy are you?” Aurelia looked between Freddy and the questioning gaze of the shopkeeper.
Freddy walked forwards, looking warrily up at Aurelia. “I guess not, what do you need?”
“Well, before we do anything, I want to see if I can get some of this produce.”
Freddy watched as the shopkeeper helped Aurelia buy a variety of fresh fruits and vegetables. Most everything Aurelia bought was familiar to her, like apples, oranges, lemons, peppers, and even seasonings like basil and mint. Not wanting to show off her spatial storage skill, she accepted the produce in two crates. Thanking the woman, Aurelia and Freddy walked back to the tavern, each carrying a crate. Aurelia led Freddy up to her room where they dropped off the crates. When Freddy was out of sight, she put the two crates of food into her inventory. Aurelia knew that the meat in her storage had stayed fresh, so she expected the produce to also keep better in her storage.
After exiting her room, Aurelia led Freddy back down to the common room. “So here’s what I was thinking, I have a variety of things that I need to buy today and I need you to take me to the best people for the job. For your help, I’ll pay you a couple of silver. How does that sound?”
Freddy didn’t take long to agree and he seemed excited as he led Aurelia back out onto the street. Over the next two hours the two walked around Rainy Hollow and Aurelia was able to buy everything she needed. She bought blankets, soap, extra clothing, cooking equipment, and even a hairbrush, discreetly putting everything in her storage space. The last stop they made was to a small house on the other side of Rainy Hollow. Belle opened the door with a smile and Aurelia felt relieved to see her new friend. After sending Freddy off a few silver richer, she joined Belle inside.
“Hey Aurelia! I’m glad you found me, I was just making sure I had everything ready to get our team registered.” Belle had a backpack near the door, bursting with supplies. “Also, there is a fee to register with the adventurers guild, are you okay to pay your own fee?”
“How much would that be?”
“It will be five silver per person. I figured it might not be a big deal when you gave Freddy some silver. You know you paid him a month of his usual pay in a day, right?”
For some reason that surprised Aurelia. She had a better idea of what things cost after her shopping spree, but she didn’t realize three silver was equal to a month's pay for a messenger boy like Freddy. She had gotten that much money from one cave mole in the dungeon. Aurelia guessed that was one of the reasons dungeons were so important. “It’s no problem. Maybe by paying him well that will convince him to help me rather than try stealing my stuff again in the future.”
Belle laughed, “Maybe, but who knows with those boys.” She went into her bedroom and came back out a moment later with a money pouch that she stuck into the pocket of her dress. “Ready?”
The two girls walked outside and headed towards the center of the village. “I spoke to the boys, again, last night after you went to bed. We agreed to meet at the adventurers guild at noon, as we all had chores we needed to get done first. We should hopefully be done before the duke and baron get into town.”
“Sounds good to me!”
Aurelia was still unsure about her future in this world, but she was glad to start taking steps in a direction that would hopefully lead to answers. First things first, become an adventurer.