New Era

It was year 1,000. Officially, 950 years have passed since the Great War, marking a new date on the calendar, and starting a new era.

In the midst of a town, there were roads built for travelers and wagons, Market stands on the sides of every street, warehouses, and large Inns for visitors, and most of the time, adventurers. The smell of ale filled the air, tickling the noses of innocent travelers who wandered across this town.

Streets were made of stone, and the buildings were built of brick and wood.

This place is renowned for brewing the famous Dalvan Ale made from a magical river that flows through the town, known for having the addictive pixie dust, rich minerals that are gathered from the mystical stones in the river, and the fragrance of apples and berries found across Britana, although rare.

Adventures claim to come here for the jobs, but in truth, they come for Davlvan Ale, one of the best drinks in the world, according to King Arthur himself.

"Damn, looks like they're out of Goblin Hunting quests, huh?" A large, bald man, wearing heavy iron armor, without a helmet, spoke out loud, sighing to himself as he faced the Request Board. "I should've come sooner. I knew those bastards were gonna take the easy quests, just to make easy gold. I bet all of this is to get some Dalvan Ale." The adventurer continued to search the Request Board, looking for any simple quests. Brushing his beard in thought, he managed to find one out of the hundreds. "Oh, this should be good!"

Pulling a quest labeled as "Novice" from the board, he read it, excited as ever; "Slay a horde of undead south of Dalvan town?!" His expression turned grim, crushing the paper in his hand. "What the hell?"

He turned around, scowling at the other adventurers. "For the love of Gaia, who in their right mind is gonna take on a quest like this?! This isn't a novice quest, this is meant for Adept Adventurers!"

His outburst gained the attention of other adventures as he walked towards the Front Office of the frontier, slamming the quest on the desk. "Hey, Guild girl, explain this?! Why in the name of Gaia is this quest labeled as novice? You think killing a bunch of undead is some easy task to do?" He leaned forward, frowning. "Well, do yah?!"

The Guild Girl tensed up momentarily before sighing.

"May I see your Adventurer Card, please?"

"My Adventurer Card? Why in the hell do you need that?! Don't change the subject, answer my question!"

"Sir, I am not obligated to answer any questions until I have proof that you're in the Adventurer's Guild."

"Why don't you think I am?!" Asked the shouting baldy.

"I know the Adventurers here, and yet, I have never seen you once step foot inside this Guild. Either you show your card, or I will call for the Dalvan Guards to apprehend you."

"Tch. You lousy bitch!" He scowled at the woman, slamming his fist against the table. "Go ahead and let some poor Adventurer die on that quest, it's not my problem." Turning around, he walked past a smaller girl wearing a wizard hat that was bandaged at the top. Her attire consisted of a black coat, robe, and boots, with red trimmings. She had a black choker around her neck and stockings that went up to her thighs. She wore a belt around her waist, and an eyepatch on her left eye, with an ancient rune in the middle.

Her appearance caught his attention at first, but he ignored it and continued onwards, until—

"I have his card right here."

She spoke to the Guild Lady, handing her a card... with his face, and Adventurer Rank on it.

Turning around, he was baffled, unable to muster a word.

"Oh, are you a companion of his?" Asked the receptionist (Guild Lady).

"Yes. We go on adventures together."

"Oh, I see, very well then." She looked at the card, reading his name out loud. "Hermfry Agadel, you may return to me and file your complaint. It seems your friend here has found your Adventurer Card."

"My... friend?" Hermfry looked at the mysterious girl, lost in his mind, and asking himself questions. "My friend... huh?" He continued to stare... and stare... unable to figure out who she was.

"Uhm... Mr. Hermfry?"

But the call of his name brought him back. "Oh! R-Right." He shook his head before approaching the Guild Lady, placing both hands on the desk. "The Quest that was on the Request Board was labeled novice, and it deals with the undead. Why is that?!"

The woman closed her eyes, gathering her thoughts. "The Undead as of late have been running rampant across Britana. They're showing up more than usual in the realm of Gaia, spreading unwarranted chaos, and raiding villages near the town of Dalvan. As of now, we've lost a good portion of adventurers who fled from Britana and moved to other parts of the world, away from the madness. Our population is steadily declining with each day, so it is hard to find any Adept Adventurers who can take on these quests... that is why... we've resorted to these actions."

Balling up his fists, the bald warrior slammed it against the desk once more. "You're resorting to getting people killed?! Where the hell are the Adept Adventurers!? Surely they can deal with quests like this!"

Shaken up by his words, she looked at him with disheartened eyes, saying, "They're fighting as we speak. The Adept Adventurers are doing all that they can to keep the undead away from Dalvan, just so we can live in peace."

"Tsk. Damnit, so we don't even have enough Adept Adventurers to clean up this mess?!"

"Yes, indeed. As you can see, we're in desperate times, and desperate times call for desperate measures."

He closed his eyes at her words, huffing a sigh.

"At this rate, Britana is gonna fall to those Bonemen."

"I say we take the quest."

Hermfry side-eyed the smaller woman, lifting his brow in question. "Take the quest? Are you mad? The undead labeled on that quest can slaughter an army of men by themselves."

"What's the matter, Hermfry? Are you scared?"

"..." Brushing his beard in thought, he turned to face the small wizard. "Alright then, tell me, what rank are you in the Adventurer Guild?"

"You should already know that. After all, we've been working together for quite some time, with your beloved, Brunhilda."

("Oh, that's right. She's the one who magically created that Adventurer Card and gave it to the Guild Lady. Just what the hell is she planning? Looks like I have to play along with her games.")

Snickering, Hermfry said, "Brunhilda... eh? Yeah, sorry bout that, my mind is just all over the place. Alright then, let's take the quest, I ain't afraid of a bunch of undead."

"Hmph. That's more like it." Said Brunhilda.

"A-Are you sure you're willing to take this quest, knowing the possible consequences?!" Asked the Guild Lady.

"Eh, why the hell not." Hermfry lifted up his forearms, shrugging. "I got no choice. After all, Britana is my home, and King Arthur is one of the best rulers in the realm of Gaia. I'll be risking my life for a good cause."

"Ufufu, how noble of you." Said the laughing, and snarky Brunhilda, covering her mouth.

"Mmm... right." Hermfry faced the door and proceeded forward. "Anyways, we got no time to be wasting. Let's travel South of Dalvan quickly, I'm not trying to deal with any Fiends."

"This adventure would take a few days, so it's inevitable to deal with fiends."

Brunhilda and Hermfry left the Guild, walking into the streets of Dalvan Town. They walked side by side, quiet as a church mouse, until Dalvan asked; "Who the hell are you?" His expression was stern as he continued to look ahead of him.

"Didn't I tell you already? My name is Brunhilda. You have cotton in your ears?"

He snickered at her comment.

"You're real funny."

"Am I?"

"You're hiding answers. I want them, now. Enough games."

"Games?" Brunhilda stopped in her tracks while Hermfry continued walking, but once he noticed her rooted in place, he also stopped and glanced behind him.

He gazed upon Brunhilda... who stood there, confused.

Her confused expression made him widen his eyes... baffled.

"I'm serious, I'm just Brunhilda."

"Wha-?" He looked at her, twisting his face into confusion.

"Pfft, what? Are you hiding something!? Did you think I was some type of mercenary?!"

Sweat trailed down his cheek, crossing his arms. "N-No... not at all." He looked to the side, embarrassed.

("She's not some mercenary? Then who the hell is she? And why did she choose to follow me? Something's not right. Even though she seems carefree, I have to keep my eyes on her.")

"Anyways, are we going or not?" Asked Brunhilda.

"Of course... let's get a move on."

"Right behind you."