1 The Stubborn Scholar

"Listen closely to what I am about to say, Fei".

A sweet but domineering voice could be heard across the vast expanse of the two-story hut. The owner of the voice ushered her daughter closer to her.

"Never venture further than the city's outskirts," she said.

The look on the woman's face shows how serious she was.

"Why is that, Mother?" the small girl asked while tucked under her favorite beige-colored bedding. Her cerulean-colored eyes sparkled with curiosity, seemingly demanding an immediate response from her mother. Her mother, in her late twenties, sat beside her. Gently, but firmly, she held her daughter's hands. Her face, illuminated by the dim light of the bedside lamp, showed her dark-colored irises and an expression of reluctance and regret.

"Is it because of the monsters?" she asked innocently. "My playmates said that monsters are outside the city".

"Just listen to your mother and be a good girl," she said. "Do that and your father will surely be pleased when he returns."

"When will Father return?" asked the child. Her lips now pouted, showing how much she missed her Father. "I miss him already."

"I miss him too ... every day," her mother replied in a somewhat subdued tone. "Now, be a good girl and go to sleep. It's way past your bedtime."

Although reluctant, the child managed to respond with a subtle nod. Her mother kisses her on the forehead and bids her goodnight.

With the lights out, only the child was left in her room. The tranquil darkness was quiet, eerily so. Only chirping insects can be heard from outside her bedside window. The girl sat up from her bed, and stared far off into the distance, into the area outside the city walls.

"Please be safe," she muttered.

~~~

The raucous clatter of several footsteps, as they thundered their way around the city, could be heard reverberating even through padded walls. The shouts of the city folks herding customers towards their establishments, the smell of burnt food, and the occasional drunkard slumped on the side of the road are common in the city of Ancdam.

The Ancient City of Ancdam is the oldest of the few remaining human settlements of the Kingdom of Drethia, a medium-sized kingdom that serves as the forefront of humanity to the Northern Province, a vast expanse of a yet-to-be-fully explored region that suddenly emerged in the world more than a hundred years ago.

Its sudden appearance caused the fall of the various northern empires and kingdoms, such as the renowned Magical Kingdom of Magted, The Empire of Vlad-Encvil, and even the Ethereal City of Fres Valen. At the same time, this new region brought even greater despair to humanity as monstrous life forms that are not of this world burst forth, threatening to overrun the surrounding areas in carnage and onslaught.

If not for the brave people of Ancdam, this invasion may have spread further southwards. Since then, Ancdam has become the forefront, the Frontier City, humanity's final bastion against this enigmatic threat.

Dealing with this new threat opened up a new venture for the populace. People specializing in requests involving the subjugation of these strange beasts banded together, forming the Ancdam Adventurers Guild. No matter the form, requests involving monsters would eventually make their way to the Guild's reception desk.

"Sorry, Ms. Fei, but the Guild cannot accept your request,"

A female guild employee handed a request parchment to the girl Fei. Receiving the parchment, the look on Fei's face was crestfallen, like one would expect from someone whose request wasn't approved of. Clenching her hand while holding the piece of paper, she leaned over the receptionist's desk.

"May I ask the specific reason why my request cannot be accommodated?".

Of course, requests getting rejected are commonplace in the Guild. However, simply taking a "No" for an answer at face value without proper explanation does not sit well with her.

Adjusting her glasses, the guild receptionist read once more the contents of her request:

+++

Ancdam Adventurers Guild Request Form

Requestor: Fei Guillard

Reward: 5,000 silver coins (+1,000 silver coins per extra day)

Quest Duration: Five (5) days

Objectives:

* Accompany the requestor to Presling Grove and back within the time indicated.

* All materials obtained from monsters encountered during the duration of the quest shall be divided equally between the requestor and the requestee.

-- - nothing follows ----

+++

"I do believe that anyone who will accept this request would be sufficiently rewarded", after reading once again the contents of the request, the receptionists noted.

"If so, then why-!" Fei exclaimed, her voice shrill with frustration and disbelief, but was interrupted midsentence by the receptionist raising her hand as if to say "Please wait".

"In terms of monetary compensation, this might be the best quest for those who are looking for an easy income. However, the risks of the mission outweigh the compensation rewards. Simply put, this is way too dangerous for the adventurers that are currently available at the Guild." she said. "I'm sorry, but there is no one available that can entertain your quest," the guild employee said as she tidied up the paperwork that had been slowly accumulating atop her desk.

"In the first place, it would take a single day to reach Presling Grove, and that is if there are no mishaps or any monsters encountered along the way. Then, you would need to fend for monsters of rank D and above. There are also reports of new species of monster sighted in the area and is currently being assessed by Drethia's risk assessor, basically making the area off-limits for the time being", she added.

"Even though I'll only be observing the monsters?" Fei asked.

"Even then", was the immediate reply.

Dejected, she made her way outside the Guild. What the receptionists said was true. It was way too risky for any adventurer to venture to Presling Grove on very short notice, even with the news of a new monster species in the area. However, the very notion of a new species triggers her scientific side even further. A famous scientist once said that "the  pursuit of knowledge is more valuable than its possession". Of course, being rejected by the guild stings, but it wasn't like there were no other alternative options. With this new goal, her every step regained vigor, bringing her toward her next destination.

A few moments later, at the City Guards garrisons ...

"I'm sorry, young lady, but we cannot accept your request", was the short reply of the captain of the guards.

"Ehhhh... why wouldn't you?"

Frustrated by her second rejection of the day, she can't help but ask for the reason. Oblivious to her circumstances, the captain of the guards replied curtly.

"The role of the City Guards is to protect the citizens of Ancdam. However, this duty binds us to exercise this role only within the city walls. We can only send detached units for requests in nearby areas. However, the difficulty rating of your requested destination would require at least 4-5 men from my unit".

An average City Guard is at least D-ranked The loss of four to five of these men would have a huge impact on the city's defenses in times of emergency. Rankings are based on a factor of 10. The lowest ranked, the F-rank, would need at least 10 people of similar rank to be considered equal to a person of a higher rank. Since normal citizens are considered F-rank by birth, a single D-ranked soldier is comparable to at least a hundred citizens.

"Though we would like to honor your request, we are to prioritize the citizenry above all else".

"... I understand. Sorry for taking your time, Guard Captain". Fei, realizing that this is another dead end, escorted herself outside the garrison.

Seeing that she is now out of ear's reach, one of the city guards approached the captain.

"She sure is a strange one, that girl. I've heard that she always asks the guild for escort quests. There are even rumors that she plays with the corpses of dead monsters".

The captain simply shrugged his shoulders. Lifting his massive arms and stretching for a yawn, he said to his subordinate.

"She may be an oddball, but her works contribute to keeping the peace of this city, nay, the entire kingdom, perhaps."

Bewildered, his subordinate asked, "Her work? Isn't she just a weirdo that likes studying monsters?".

The captain looked at his subordinate's eye, a faint glint could be seen in those pupils of his. With a wide grin, he replied.

"Exactly, an oddball that dedicated herself to studying monsters. A monster scholar."