Ryder sprinted back up the inn’s steps and into his room, slamming the door.

Durge jolted awake, “For fuck sake! Every time!”

Ryder was heaving and bright red.

“What is your ailment now?” Durge asked, mumbling into his soggy pillow.

“I- uh- I-”

The stomps of heavy boots rang up the stairs.

Durge groaned. “I guess this is it.”

Repeated bangs pounded on their wooden door.

“Get the fuck out of here, you tourist cunts!”

“Just a second,” Durge muttered.

Repeated banging and curses were said past the door. Ryder had his belongings ready but Durge was still getting his boots on.

When he was ready, Durge swung the door open, sword in hand, and pointed it under the innkeeper’s chin.

The wrinkled man was fuming but held his tongue.

“Can I assume we’re not getting any oats for breakfast?” Durge smugly said, leaving the establishment.

“You tourist bastards!” could be heard throughout all of Maria.

The duo mindlessly walked down the open streets until they paused under a red canopy and gazed at their surroundings.

“So why are you so clean?” Durge nodded.

“I took a bath earlier- and there was this woman who—

“Woah now, don’t tell me you got dirty in a bathhouse of all places for the first time.”

“Shut up! She was a mage!” Ryder said.

“Oh, was she now? She do anything to you with these spells of hers?” Durge snickered.

Ryder shoved Durge, “You go over there and look! You stink like horse anyway.”

Durge rubbed his hands together, “Then I guess it’s time to get charmed by this mage of yours.”

The sun was still hidden behind the dreary sky as Ryder waited on nearby steps. The people of the city still trudged through and bartered, only now with a softer disposition.

Ryder went through his belongings, organizing and passing the time. He set his items beside him: Durge’s dagger, a lantern, and a leather satchel holding 27 gold and five silver coins.

He scanned over the lantern, it was made of metal with slits and abstract shapes carved on it. The chamber inside was hollow, he’d have to fuel it with any combustible materials he found on his travels until he could justify spending his coinage for a candle.

After some time, Ryder looked up and saw a squeaky clean Durge crossing the street. He was shaking his hair like a wet dog.

“Well, I didn’t see a mage that would scrub my back,” Durge said.

“Maybe she turned invisible.”

Durge pondered for a moment, “Now that would’ve been something.”

“C’mon, let’s eat something,” Ryder implored.

With clean bodies and rumbling stomachs, Ryder and Durge wandered down the rainy streets, trying to find a tavern to satisfy their hunger.

“Why do some of these signs say ‘feathers preferred’, ‘scales unwanted’, ‘furs welcome’?” Durge asked.

“I think it’s about—”

Ryder stopped as he saw a feline, an avian, and a lizard beast enter a bright tavern.

“Hey, we finally found somewhere to eat!” Durge rushed ahead, pushing past the three beasts.

Ryder walked inside to see Durge eagerly placing food and drink orders at the counter. He didn’t even count his coins before placing a handful on the bar and finding a table.

Ryder sat down at the wooden table near the front entrance window.

“Durge.”

“Aw man, I’m starving! I can’t wait!”

“How many coins do you have left?” Ryder asked.

Durge shook the cloth pouch. Few jingles were heard.

“Enough. Let me eat in peace.”

Durge crossed his arms and leaned back in his chair.

Ryder leaned against his propped elbows and peered outside the window.

The glow of the lanterns that squeaked above added to the ambiance of the gloomy day. Low muttering could be heard but nothing distinct. The tavern was decent for its size and was decorated with trophies of exotic animals and unique paintings.

Food finally arrived, carried by an ambiguous-looking orc. Steam came off the plates that presented a golden-glazed mutton with vibrant peppers and pillowy rice. Their wooden tankards swirled with a viscous dark brown liquid.

Ryder couldn’t lift his two-pronged fork and knife before Durge scarfed half his food down.

“So how do you get work in this Questing thing?” Durge said with his mouth full.

Ryder was carefully cutting into his mutton. “I believe the Guild Hall assigns tasks to everyone, but you must be the first to accept them.”

“So you just have to get lucky,” Durge said.

“Right,” Ryder said, taking his first bite.

Ryder gazed outside while chewing.

“Do you think we should wait for Kincaid?” he said.

“Kincaid? Ryder, he sacrificed himself to save us.”

“It doesn’t feel right to just keep walking on.”

“Well, I know for a fact he wouldn’t want us waiting for him and bleeding our coins.”

Durge wiped his mouth with his sleeve. “Tell you what, let’s go try this Questing thing out, and only pick tasks that are close by,” he said, chugging his ale.

Ryder nodded.

After the duo finished their meals, Ryder got up and gave Durge his still-full tankard.

“You go digest, I’ll go ask the barkeep where the Guild Hall is.”

Durge belched and raised his cup.

He leaned back with hands on his stomach as he gazed outside the window. In the reflection, he could see Ryder chatting with the same orc who brought their food. The orc towered over him, one of their biceps was as large as Ryder’s head.

Durge overheard their soft conversation, the orc’s voice was delicate.

“You’ll just take a right at the posthouse and keep going until you see a large two-story building. Can’t miss it.”

“I appreciate the help,” Ryder said.

“Pleasure is all mine, you come back if you need anything else,” the orc added.

Ryder walked past Durge and gestured to follow him outside.

Durge chugged Ryder’s ale. He shivered and shook his head.

“Lead the way,” Durge belched.

As they walked down the streets and around corners, Ryder felt increasingly uneasy. His heart was pounding and his brow was sweating.

“I hate this.”

Durge looked inquisitively, “What do you mean?”

“The build-up! I just want to get there already and be turned down already.”

“Who says they’re turning us down?”

Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

“We don’t have any experience and we don’t have any equipment! You think they’ll accept some kids who don’t even have armor? I don’t even have a sword on my belt!” Ryder exclaimed.

“I’m sure plenty of people have walked in with nothing. I can already imagine some poor farmer signing up to seek revenge on the goblins that stole his grains with only his pitchfork and straw hat.”

“And I don’t even know what’ll happen when we get denied! I haven’t had any time to think or plan or—”

“Relax. If we get turned down you can shovel horse shit for the rest of your life at that one guy’s livery.”

“I’m going to go find my own waterskin to purchase real fast,” Ryder anxiously said before running off to a nearby shop.

Durge groaned and waited until Ryder returned from a distant water well. Although the day was dreary, Durge felt fairly happy. Whether it was from the two mugs of ale or the freedom he now had, it was a joyous day for him.

Water dripped from Ryder’s chin when he eventually returned. He took a deep breath, held it inside of him, and then exhaled smoothly.

“You ready now? Durge asked.

Ryder shook out his arms, “Let us proceed.”

They continued walking. Now out of the market district and into the more elegant and bureaucratic part of the city, They noticed well-dressed and armored individuals more frequently than before.

Ryder gulped, “This must be it.”

There they saw a large two-story half-timbered building with stained glass lining the outside walls. It was surrounded by green fields and a few trees. Leading up to the double oak doors was a simple stone path.

The feeling of eyes staring at Ryder’s neck never left when he walked towards the doors, even when he turned to see no one watching him.

Durge pushed the heavy entrance doors open with Ryder directly behind him.

Once inside they both were amazed at the interior. The hanging chandeliers, the multicolored glow from the stained windows, the portraits of legendary adventurers and monsters, and the thin white carpet that led to the front desk.

Durge saw a cheerful blonde woman smiling at them from behind the front desk.

He walked over to her.

The eyes left Ryder’s mind, lost to the beauty of the Hall. He eventually saw all of the tables and benches, as well as a balcony area. Luckily for him, the entire building was empty, spare for the two uninterested groups near one of the back walls and the one clerk behind the counter.

“Are you here to commission a quest?” the clerk smiled.

“Oh uh, we’re here to join this ‘Questing’ thing, if you guys are still offering,” Durge said.

The clerk tilted her head. “Oh, you—”

Ryder rushed in front of Durge and gripped the counter. “Yes, we’re here to become adventurers… If you’ll accept us of course.”

She giggled slightly. “Of course! We’re always accepting new members to help us complete the quests that our patrons commission us for. Do you two know how questing works?”

Both Ryder and Durge mumbled and mouthed something about “quests”, “adventurers”, and “killing things.”

“Well that’s not all of it,” she said. “There are three types of quests, Slaying, Dungeoneering, and Succoring.”

Ryder raised an eyebrow.

“Slaying should be obvious, you will go out and either exterminate some type of creature or slay an evil individual who has a bounty,” the clerk explained.

Durge smirked.

“Dungeoneering is more complicated, here you will explore caves, excavate treasures, or possibly research mysteries inside ruins.”

Ryder perked up.

“And Succoring is the more general category of quests that don’t fit into the other two types. These types of quests vary greatly, they can either be aiding an elderly woman shop for her afternoon meal, or you’ll be guardsmen for roaming caravans.”

Durge shrugged but Ryder still seemed interested.

“So where do we accept a quest?” Ryder asked, looking around.

“They would usually be on the board to your right, but sadly right now we have none to offer.”

The duo looked disappointed.

“But don’t fret! You two are just early and the weather is keeping people indoors, by midday we’ll have plenty of quests and plenty of adventurers at that,” she giggled. “I recommend sticking around like those groups over there if you want to be the first ones to get a quest.”

“See, I told you,” Ryder whispered to Durge.

“Oh! But you two have to be registered before you can accept quests. I’m sorry I didn’t mention it beforehand,” the clerk slightly bowed.

“No, it’s alright. I figured we’d have to apply and sign like any other job,” Durge assured.

The clerk wryly smiled, “Well, it’s no ordinary job, I’m afraid registration has a fee of 10 gold per member.”

The duo grimaced at first before huddling together.

“It cost less than a night at that shitty inn,” Ryder said.

“My neck still hurts from those pillows,” Durge added.

“Do you even have that much, oaf?”

Durge fingered through his coin pouch and smirked, “With one extra.”

Ryder shook his head. “Wait,” He turned around to face the clerk, “Is it lifetime access?”

The clerk smiled, “You’re in it until you’re out.”

Ryder turned back around, “It’s well worth the value.”

“What if we hate doing it?” Durge asked.

“Then goodbye 20 pearls.”

“Fine, let’s do it,” Durge said.

The duo turned around and spoke simultaneously, “Deal!”

Durge was the first to register, the clerk pulled out a long piece of parchment with ink. Most of it was her writing silently, she barely asked Durge any questions.

Ryder was eager and looked at the empty quest board, he envisioned hundreds of sheets pinned to the wall, ranging from becoming a king’s bodyguard to slaying a countless number of dragons.

When he wasn’t dreaming of his destiny, Ryder admired the building again. He noticed a well-stocked bar and a small shop on the other side of the Hall. He walked over, and although it was near the two different groups, his fascination compelled him to explore.

The bar was unmanned but he didn’t dare presume that drinks were free to any passerby, so he casually eyed the labels on the bottles of poison and moved on. He noticed there was a small hallway leading behind the bar that had multiple stoves and counters, but a set of batwing doors blocked it.

Ryder continued exploring the Hall, the only thing of interest was the shop closed by a metal gate and stairs leading up to the balcony. A sign hung next to the stairwell read Glorious Adventurers ONLY. He turned around and saw the dormant adventuring groups staring at him. He gave a nod but they stared at him with squinted eyes and disapproving expressions.

Ryder hastily walked back to Durge who was finishing his registration.

“What’s with the exclusive balcony?” Ryder asked.

Durge was slowly signing his name, “It’s for higher-ranked adventurers only.”

“That’s right, Durge!” the clerk gleamed.

“There are ranks?”

“There are! It’s to signify to others how well experienced you are at questing and proves to the Guild Hall that you can take on more… precarious quests,” the clerk said. “Plus, people usually like ranks because it symbolizes a sense of accomplishment!”

“Or they just like seeing a number go up,” Durge added.

“What are the ranks that I’m hoping to accomplish?” Ryder said, irritated.

“Well, from the highest rank to the lowest, there’s Diamond, Platinum, Sapphire, Ruby, Emerald, Gold, Silver, Iron, Bronze, Brass, Copper, Talc—” the clerk took in a deep breath, “And Clay, which is where you two will be starting.”

“Where’s the Glorious rank?”

The clerk perked up, “Oh! You become ‘Glorious’ when you reach Gold rank. It’s a title that comes with many benefits if you reach that far… the balcony area being one of them.”

Ryder pondered for a moment while Durge handed the parchment back.

“And what determines how I rank up, completing a set number of quests?”

“Actually… we aren’t allowed to disclose how we increase the rank of our members, otherwise it would ruin our methods. I am only allowed to reveal that doing quests that are set at your rank threshold or above is the best way to gain a higher rank while doing quests below your rank threshold may not even benefit you within our Glory System- the system that determines if you rank up or not.”

Durge leaned one arm against the counter, “Can’t cheat the system if you don’t know what it is.”

“Precisely,” the clerk smiled.

Durge handed a quill to Ryder, “Your turn, I’ll be waiting outside.”

The clerk pulled out another piece of long parchment and wrote behind her desk.

“What’s your name?” Ryder asked the clerk.

She smiled but quickly covered her face to hide her giggling, “Rose.”

Ryder smiled, “How long have you been working here?”

“Around five winters now, I started right after my sixteenth birthday.”

“Hey, we’re the same age!”

Rose giggled, “Now I don’t have to ask you that on your registration.”

“See, I make your life easier already,” Ryder said, flushing. He quickly turned his back and leaned against the counter with his elbows.

“Alrighty, my part is all done. Would you like me to read it to you and you answer the questions? Or would you like to read it and fill it out yourself?”

Ryder almost instinctively said to fill it out himself, but he chose to have her read it. After all, there was time to kill, and Ryder didn’t mind hearing her pretty voice.

She comically rolled her eyes, “What’s your name?”

“Ryder L-O-V-E-L-L.”

“Lovell, huh.”

Ryder gave a sly grin.

“Alright, Mr. Love, do you have a next of kin—”

“Actually, can I see the paper?” Ryder hastily said.

Ryder’s scholarly nature to look at the parchment with his own two eyes took over him, he felt weary not having the paper in his own hands.

She handed over the sheet and he immediately read over all of it, his eyes scanned the paper multiple times like an actor studying his script before his theatrics.

“Damn, there’s a fee if you fail?”

“Correct,” Rose leaned in close, “I am not supposed to mention this, but whoever you put as next of kin will be indebted to the failure fee if you die or go missing on a quest.”

Ryder thought for a moment, he truly didn’t have any other kin. He vaguely remembered hearing about cousins or aunts, but Locria was the only one ever in his life.

“Emperor Pallingratz it is,” Ryder said and wrote on the sheet.

The clerk snickered, “You are not the first to do that.”

“So I give you a name and kin and I’m registered?”

“I still require the 10 gold to process the registration,” Rose said.

“Oh, right,” Ryder handpicked his best-looking coins for her.

“Now I will assign you with a Star Identifier and then you will sign at the bottom… then you’ll be done.”

“An identifier?”

“It is something unique only to you, we don’t want anyone to tarnish your rank by claiming to be Ryder Lovell, now do we?”

Ryder chuckled, “I guess not.”

Rose pulled out a humongous leather book. The front cover that Ryder glanced at seemed to be an astronomical map. He stood on his toes and saw hundreds of lines of text and hundreds more inked out.

Rose was still combing the lists and flipping through pages before she chuckled. “I knew there was a name left.”

Ryder tilted his head.

“Your star identification will be Love-1053,” Rose said.

Ryder jokingly scoffed but grinned the more he thought about it.

“Thank you, Rose.”

“If you want it on a tag to wear on your neck, it’ll cost one gold,” she added.

Ryder thought about it for a moment but decided against it.

“Just sign here and now you’re a registered adventurer, Ryder, may you serve the Guild and your deities proud.”

Ryder signed and playfully bowed while walking backwards. When he opened the door he paused and gazed at Rose.

She shyly looked down.

When she looked back up she was startled when he started quickly approaching the desk.

Ryder was squinting at her and pondered for a moment, “Well since we’re returning later, anything else we should know about before we take on a quest?” he asked.

Rose slightly scoffed before thinking.

“Don’t be afraid to party up with other adventurers, always bring back proof of completion, and don’t accept quests you can’t finish!”

Ryder chuckled, “Don’t worry, I’d rather not pay the 10 gold for failing. See you around, Rose.”

“Come back soon!” Rose said cheerfully, accompanied by a smile.

Ryder headed outside and breathed in the damp air, the sun was starting to peek through the clouds.

Durge was leaning against one of the walls, half asleep.

“What will you do with that one gold of yours?” Ryder asked.

Durge groaned, “Give it some friends by stealing the rest of yours!” Durge playfully reached for Ryder’s satchel.

Ryder jumped back, “I don’t think my 17 and a half gold will make much of a party!”

Durge and Ryder walked around Maria’s streets, looking at the nearby vendors and surveying the land before noon arrived. Durge bought food for the day, including three loaves of bread, a pound of shredded dried meat, and a half dozen fruits- lenks included.

“You can do a lot with a gold coin,” Durge said.

“When we’re not spending 15 of them at disastrous inns,” Ryder retorted.

“Better used towards a 15-gold straw pillow than a rusty dagger in your chest if we slept outside.”

“Hey!”

“Whoops. What’d you spend yours on anyway? Besides that rusted chainmail you’re wearing?” Durge asked.

“This is all I could afford, now I’m like you were before and only have one gold to my name.”

“I know just the place to spend it and wait the day.”

Looking back at the tavern they previously ventured into in clear daylight, Durge saw the posted sign near the door that read Delicate Drink, with a symbol of a spilling tankard.

The crowd was livelier, cheerful music was playing, and Ryder winced at the familiar ale that arrived at his table. But he grew a smile, raised his mug with Durge’s, and clanged them together before they both cheered, “To new adventures!”