The Ace Adventurer

“I’m not sure if it was a product of whatever freak training regimen he went through or if he was always this way,” Dee said. “But there are only two things going on in that brain of his. Fighting, and his desire to help others. See how he’s been tunnel-visioning the poster he’s holding? You’d have better luck leaving the country than getting him to care about anything else.”

Soul, still in a state of denial, swiped the poster from Hero’s hands and began reading away. The quest went into detail about a group of bandit bikers from Fort Dusk who were camping out and disturbing trade along the road to Peregrine City, the capital of The Baening. Indeed, it was dangerous to leave such a large disturbance roaming free, especially considering how starved for resources the east is compared to the other regions.

Unfortunately, however, unlike traders from the four major cities, the traders of Egelhorn did not produce enough to afford their own guard for both city protection and trade. That’s why they outsourced the work of dealing with the dangerous actions of monsters and bandit camps to adventurers who happened to be travelling through. Soul realized that the girl may have been on the mark.

“But…” he shuddered. “He said he’d teach me… how to fight like him.”

“He said?” Vi laughed, returning to straightening her hair out. “Really? Like, with his voice?”

“W-well…”

“Hero doesn’t talk. We’ve never heard him say even a single word in our three years of adventuring with him. I’m sure he does want to help you, but it’s going to be hard to do that with him being the way that he is. Hey Hero, were you lying when you said you’d teach him?”

Hero nodded, taking the poster away from Soul in order to continue reading it.

“Plus, when he’s like this… who knows if he even really agreed to do it?”

Soul fell onto his butt and groaned.

“But… I finally found someone who knows how to defeat the orcs…”

Vi knelt down next to him and patted his head twice. “There, there.”

Dee, who had been silently following the exchange, turned to the distracted Hero and then back to Soul.

“Why is it that you want to defeat them so badly? I understand that you must have been through a lot, but revenge isn’t something worth dedicating your life to. Take it from me. You’re better off starting a farm on the coast somewhere.”

“No, it’s not revenge. This is different. They’re planning something, you guys. I just know it… I…”

Soul’s eyes, whose pupils were so dark that not even the morning sun that had illuminated the guild’s wooden floors could draw the black out of them, had softened into a dismay that was worse than that of the drunken Hero from earlier. It was then that the sister’s demeanors changed. Vi tilted her head over to look the boy in the face.

“Listen, kid, we’re sorry, okay? It sounds like you’ve been through a lot, but… don’t you think you should just be thankful that you’re free now?”

“How can I be thankful?!” Soul yelled. “You guys don’t get it!! There was a person who met with the Orcs! He’s stronger than all of them! He beat the guys beneath Akendorf without even trying! And he… I… I need to stop them! I need to get stronger! I…!”

Vi sighed with a smile.

“If you really think that, then why don’t you go learn from Hero’s master then?”

At the olive branch, Soul’s head perked up. “His master…?”

“He’s a little up there in years, but we’ve heard that he’s still very much a great teacher of the blade.”

“You can’t miss him. Since he’s a master, he wears a black gi,” Dee added.

“Ugh, shut up already,” Vi snapped. “Anyway, it might be hard for you since he’s highly sought after as a teacher, so…”

“Where should I go?”

At his renewed vigor, Vi stood up and stretched her body.

“Do you know where Dawn’s Rock is?” she asked. “It’s the capital in the east, you just head over to where the sun rises…”

“I know where east is, you monolingual cretin.”

The moment of shock that had overwhelmed Vi’s expression at the sudden jab was short lived as she quickly found herself leaning in to shake the downed Soul around by his neck like a ragdoll. He found it difficult to breathe, which only embarrassed him as Dee found herself chuckling at the whole ordeal.

“Anyway,” Vi said, wiping the sweat from her brow as if the child abuse from earlier were only a cathartic fantasy. “Once you get to the city, head to the Dojo near the north coast. It’s the big gated one that looks like some kind of imperial palace from Paramune. Once you’re there, hmmm. I guess you could say that Hero sent you to see Master Umeshu.”

“North… Gated dojo… Master Umeshu… North… Gated dojo… Master Umeshu…”

“His training is rigorous even for adults though,” Dee said, staring up at the ceiling while tapping her cheek with her index finger. “He might not survive it.”

“I’ll survive,” Soul said.

His voice was sturdy as a bull. He had already decided that he would succeed. Vi found herself smiling, then snapped her fingers.

“Dee, give him traveling money.”

“What? Why me?”

“Well for whatever reason, I’m kind of low on the good stuff at the moment.” She eyed her sister.

“Fair enough, this was originally yours in any case.”

Dee reached into her purse and handed him a single gold coin, which he graciously accepted with both hands.

“This will get you food and board for a few nights at the Rock. But if you get accepted into Master Umeshu’s care then it won’t be necessary. Everything is provided so long as he acknowledges you.”

Soul studied the coin he had been handed for a few seconds. He had never held a gold coin before, but here he had just been given one as casually as one might offer someone a handkerchief. He internalized the guidance he was given as he analyzed the unfamiliar precious metal in his hand. It took him a full minute to remember that he was standing before three people, then turned back up to face Dee with a burning red face. “A-are you two Master Umeshu’s students too?”

“No.” She looked away. “People like us aren’t allowed there.”

Something about Dee’s phrasing had disturbed Soul. What did she mean by people like them? Was it because they were women, or was there something else? He had been in the middle of pondering how to respond to the comment, when seemingly out of nowhere, a middle-aged man appeared from behind the group.

“Hey boy, are you trying to take that quest on?”

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He was wearing a small hat that fit his hairless scalp like a glove, a blue, sleeveless robe that he had worn open enough to reveal his hairy, muscular chest, and brown leather pants that hung sharply down his legs.

“We sure are,” Vi said, leaning down to wrap her arm around Hero’s neck as he looked up at the man. His expression, at least as Soul saw it, appeared to turn sullen as he stroked his grainy beard.

“Two women, a child, and… this little man? Oh no no, I’m afraid this quest may prove too much for you all. Apologies, my friends, but might you consider returning that poster to the board over there?”

“I’m sorry, who are you?” Vi asked.

“Ah, apologies. I am the trader who put in that request this morning.” The man flexed his biceps then winked at Dee and Vi. “I once worked as the bodyguard of some very important people in Peregrine City, hence my magnificent physique.”

Vi picked at her ear with her pinky. “Oh, is that right?”

“Indeed. I’m hoping that by vanquishing the vermin who attacked me on my way to the capital that I might be able to recover my wares. I was in possession of goods ordered for some very important clients back in the city, you see. But considering that there were about two dozen of them, I highly doubt that you four could handle this alone. Even my magnificent self had trouble with them, you know?”

Soul wondered if the bikers would still loiter around in the same spot a day later when they’d already stolen his valuable wares, but it was a calling card of the bikers, as he had learned while traveling with Akendorf, to stake out secret hiding spots in between towns to steal for extended periods, so it wasn’t impossible. However, the bigger issue was that he was being lumped with these great adventurers seemingly out of nowhere.

“U-uhm, I’m not with them,” Soul admitted, looking away.

“Oh, is that right? I offer you my apologies then, my little friend. However, this other little friend inspires just as little confidence as you do. To be frank with you all, I was hoping to secure the patronage of the man called ‘Hero’ who I’d heard slayed the Orc Champion before my arrival last night. Would any of you happen to know where I might make his acquaintance?”

“Oh, really?” Vi looked down at the poster Hero had been studying earlier. “Oh, a bandit quest? Those hills are nearby, aren’t they? We’ve gone past them a few times between here and Peregrine.”

“That should be simple enough. Does it say what their affiliation is?” Dee asked.

“It mentions Bikers so they’re probably gang members from the Fort.” Vi pulled away from the small man and tapped his shoulder playfully. “Piece of cake for you, huh Hero?”

“Hero?” Now the trading merchant, who had been bewildered by their discussion of the quest despite his assertion, had widened his eyes. “This little guy?”

Vi grinned. “Hero, show him your adventurer’s card.”

Hero, staring dopey eyed at everyone around him, reached down into his pocket and handed the merchant the rectangular card that contained an outline of Hero’s face engraved into the make, along with basic information about him from his birthdate to his physical features. Judging by the diamond make, it was obvious at first glance that Hero was a legendary adventurer.

Soul could only look on in awe. He had never met a diamond-rank adventurer before. He had heard from the tales people often told that they were the greatest adventurers on the entire continent, and that it was an honor bestowed only onto a select few. The number of diamond ranks in Vulturia was somewhere around one hundred. And the fact that Hero’s name was engraved into the card’s body was proof enough for him.

“A brat like you…? You took down the Orc?”

“He’s not a brat!” Soul spoke up, finally offering him eye contact. “He saved me!”

Being glared at by three different sets of eyes concerning his distrust of Hero caused drops of sweat to come seeping out of the traveler’s forehead.

“Tch, I won’t believe it ‘til I see it for myself.” The man began walking towards the exit with a brisk stride. “Follow me, ‘Hero’. If we’re going to go find those vermin together, then I’ll need to see your strength for myself. If you’re planning to back out then do it now. I’ve fought plenty of powerful opponents in the colosseum before.”

Vi and Dee looked over at each other as the man’s voice faded into the background, then shrugged as if it were par for the course.

“Come on, let’s get it over with champ,” Vi said, gently tapping his back once more then walking out.

“Don’t worry about it, I’m sure it’ll be over quickly,” Dee said, following her sister in tapping Hero’s back and heading outside.

Soul, the only one left standing with Hero, looked into his face after the impudence he had been met with by every single one of them. But all he had been greeted with was the sick face of a man who’d had far too much to drink the night before. His idol had been so infallible in battle, and yet the perfect image Soul had concocted in his head was slowly being shattered before his eyes.

“Don’t let it get you down master. C’mon, let’s go clobber that guy.”

Soul marched forward with determination in his step, and Hero followed behind him without looking up at where he was going. When the two of them left the building through the double doors, Soul found that the three who had left before him were nowhere to be seen.

“Huh? That’s strange, where could they have gone?” Soul asked.

Hero’s gaze scanned the area for a second before he quickly returned his eyes to the job poster in his grasp. Whatever interest he might have had in locating his travelling companions and the strange man from before had been overwhelmed by his fixation on that piece of paper.

“Hey, Hero… are you sure we shouldn’t go out to look for them?”

Soul’s concern didn’t seem to move Hero whatsoever. He’d had a purpose in allowing his focus to be absorbed by the man’s request, a purpose that apparently surpassed his desire to meet with the man himself.

“Hero!”

At the sudden shout, though he hadn’t taken his eyes off the paper, Hero turned to his left and began trekking down the Egelhorn street.

“O-oh, oh! Wait for me!”

Soul followed behind him, taking large steps to catch up to his pace. The two of them walked on in silence as Soul took note of how peaceful the town appeared to be in comparison to when he’d first arrived. Having accompanied Akendorf for his other two raids, he recalled the destruction that was left in the wake of the orc’s rampages once his challengers had been thwarted.

Following the same path without Akendorf was like an entirely different circumstance, however. While the townsfolk had cast him a few strange glances due to their recognition of him as the orc’s translator, they appeared to be relieved for the most part that they could carry on with their normal lives after the scare of the day before.

That the humans here managed to escape such a fate was only due to Hero’s ability in the field of battle. And yet, none of them seemed to so much as recognize him as he held his head in the poster. It struck him as odd considering their reactions when he walked alongside Akendorf the day before.

Soul’s image of Hero was being tarnished. He got sick just like everyone else, he was made fun of by his friends like everyone else, and he was even doubted and ignored by strangers. Soul thought that this was in stark contrast to how Akendorf was treated on the coast with the Mezereths, who honored and respected him at every turn. He thought that if Hero had decided to cut any of their heads off for slighting him, then it would have been just and fair.

Eventually, the two of them came upon a dark alley in the row of buildings on the same side of the street as the guild. Hero stopped and turned to face it, still staring at the job posting.

“W-wait, I’m sorry! I won’t doubt you three anymore! Let me go, please!”

The sight Soul was greeted with when he turned along with Hero, one which inspired abject horror within him due to its abruptness, was one of the travelling merchant’s now reddened visage stricken with fear, his blue jacket hanging upside down past his now exposed bald head. Soul couldn’t exactly decipher what it was that was keeping the man hung up in the air, as the building’s shadows obfuscated most of the scene. Had they tied a rope around his legs and slung it over something to pull him up? And how did the man wind up getting caught by such a clunky method of bondage? No, it had to be a trap, Soul thought. They lured him into a trap.

“Really? So you’ll take us to get rid of the bandits?” Vi asked, leaning in close to his face with a grin.

“Y-yes, I’ll do it. Just… please!”

“Hmm, I don’t know Vi,” Dee said, her face also coming in close. “I have the strange feeling that we should simply take whatever he has left and run off on our own.”

“NO! Please! I apologize! It was rude of me to doubt you, just… I had no idea you were magic users!”

Soul took a step back when he heard the phrase. Magic users? In The Baening? At first the contradicting thoughts had caused him to second guess the man’s claim, but he recalled how they’d read the job posting with no assistance from the receptionist earlier. The only barrier to performing magic in humans was the ability to read, and literacy rates in The Baening were low, and it was universally agreed on that less than one in twenty people could read. Most statisticians put the figure at around two percent.

He stared over at Hero, who he now realized hadn’t actually been reading the job posting but was in all likeliness simply admiring the drawings on the poster and using them as a means of deciphering the message.

“Even if we are magic users, Hero’s still the one who defeated the orc, do you understand me? He’s a little brother to us, and we’re not going to let anyone mock him like you did,” Dee said.

“No one but us, anyway,” Vi said with a grin.

“Okay, okay! I’m sorry, okay? Just let me go!”

Vi stepped back along with her sister who she looked over at for approval. Once the nod was granted, she snapped her fingers and allowed the merchant to fall to the ground.

“Ow.”

Hero made his way over to Vi, who was still wearing a satisfied smirk at winning over the man.

“Oh, thank you Hero.” Vi grabbed the poster from Hero’s hand then crouched to slapped it onto the downed merchant’s burly chest. “Then, we’ll be in your care for the time being.”

Just how many of the Mezereths would have gone out of their way to stand up for Akendorf if he had been dishonored in such a way? To them, the respect they had given the orc was only worth the lengths he would go to earn and defend it. And this situation had finally illustrated to him the difference between Akendorf and Hero.

It wasn’t that Hero wasn’t respected. No, he was loved. The relationship that these three shared was far deeper than anything Soul had ever witnessed between the warriors of that hellish orc camp. The beauty of the bond between Hero and the two girls had produced the first smile he’d worn since the moment he escaped monster captivity. His spirit was finally beginning to accept its place among humanity.