Barda had a tough decision to make. On the one hand, there was Markell and his family. They had been nothing but supportive the entire time he had known them. They had been his anchor in the new world that he was in, and whether he liked it or not, as long as he lived in that region, his life was tied to them. Short of taking their last name, he had become one of them.
On the other, there was the invite. This was worth consideration since even Markell was willing to let him go. Many had advised him to and he was inclined to accept. To everyone who knew him, this was an opportunity that he could not pass up.
To join an adventurer team was a dream for many young men in the area. To receive the invite from an adventurer team by the commander herself transcended many's aspirations. Yet Barda had received both. Lady Ellen had made the invite herself.
To join an adventurer team, one had to become an adventurer. In this world, Barda understood that adventurers were like mercenaries, but with a little something more added. One could become a random mercenary, but to recognized as an adventurer, one needed an official certification.
There was an Adventurers' Association branch in all major cities and towns. A city could not be termed as important or major if it lacked an association, and unfortunately, Crance City-state did not have, making it a backwater city.
All adventurers with proper certification could become adventurers, and with it, they could enjoy benefits in the association. They had access to some of the resources available in the Association, as well as networking.
The most important benefit was that an Adventurer could pick up quests from the association. These quests were submitted to the Adventurers' Association by people in need of adventurers. They would pay beforehand, but the Association would hold the money in escrow until completion.
People such as miners with monster problems, or armies needing to supplement their ranks with more would post jobs there, and willing adventurers could partake. The Adventurers' Association acted as a middleman. The advantage was that it was trusted by either side, but was rather pricey. Only those who commanded substantial wealth could make requests, but at the same time, only recognized adventurers could pick such jobs.
It had taken 2 days of deliberating. In truth, Barda knew what he wanted, but he still kept the facade that he was indecisive. On the surface, he knew it was expected to be a difficult decision, so he played his part.
Joining the adventurer team did not mean that he was leaving the Markell's, so very well couldn't pass up the opportunity to grow. The adventurer team offered him everything he wanted without him having to sacrifice too much. He hadn't been planning on being a blacksmith for life.
The morning when he was to leave, the family gathered for breakfast as usual. There was an unusual air of sadness. They had grown very attached. It felt now as though they were losing a part of themselves, even though it was only for a little while.
Goodbyes were made, and Barda grabbed his baggage and left. To Meena, she couldn't understand how someone could have had such a huge impact in their lives even though they'd only known him for barely a week. She could still remember their first meeting as he vied for the position. She smiled to herself when she remembered she'd tried to shoo him away.
As she watched him go off towards the wall, an overwhelming sense of sadness crept in her heart. She could only whisper, "Come back to me." She didn't notice her mother standing behind her, nor did she see the look Anna gave her as she watched his receding figure.
"I didn't think you'd take that long, we were almost leaving without you." The beautiful warrior said as Barda walked towards her. Getting over the wall had been easier than he expected. Firstly, there weren't a lot of people crossing over, and secondly, just throwing around the name Miss Ellen had been enough to open doors.
This made Barda wonder who exactly his soon-to-be commander was. Eliciting praises and admiration from commoners was easier, but commanding the same kind of respect among elites was truly an achievement. Whoever she was, she was not so simple.
"It was a major decision, Commander," Barda answered with humility.
"I see you brought your bow?"
"Yes, commander." Barda wondered whether her only interest was the bow, but if that was the case, then she could have just made an offer to buy it. He didn't know that she had tried to, but Markell had refused, saying that it was part of who Barda was.
"I am not your commander yet, not until you become an adventurer. Sadly, there isn't an Adventurers' Association branch in this city, but worry not, we are on our way to Fulah City. Get ready, we leave in one day." She then dismissed him and went on to handle other administrative tasks.
Barda went to learn all he could about the adventurer team, and what he benefits he would get from it.
The team was named Dark Flames Team. It was comprised of 134 members, 23 recruits (counting Barda) and 5 subordinate teams. As far as teams go, this was top-notch.
As the commander, Lady Ellen ruled over the entire with an iron fist. she had built it herself from scratch, and she never once sold any of her shares. Not that she needed to since she hailed from a wealthy family. With their support, she could meet any financial needs as she developed her adventurer team.
Barda had been shocked to learn that she was a fire mage, hence the name of the adventurer team. Her strength didn't just stem from magic though, she was well trained both in melee and long-ranged fighting techniques, which she integrated with her magic to produce disastrous results. All this Barda had picked up from various people, many of whom he didn't even have to meet, given his super senses.
"You the one with the bow?" An odd-looking fellow came over to Barda. He looked tall but what stuck out about him was how slender he was. Give him some ragged clothes and dust, he'd look like the classic beggar. His face was not at all inviting either, but neither was he off-putting. Everything about him felt off. Barda didn't let it show, so he simply acknowledged who he was.
"Good, I am Batoo, and I will be your chaperone until you learn your way around the team. Come to me for anything," his speech was lackadaisical, "I almost forgot, get ready, we leave in 2 minutes."
This might have seemed like a test to most, but for Barda who had a change of clothes, a knife, a bow and a quiver of arrows, no matter how late the notice was, it wouldn't baffle him. He grabbed everything he had to his name and ran after Batoo.
By the time the 2 were coming out of the building, the team was gathered. There were 43 people gathered, 10 of them on horseback. As a recent recruit, Barda joined the footsoldiers.
On this the 8th day since he entered Crane City and made contact with Markell and his family, he was leaving it again. It had been an interesting week, but it had paid off.
The trip was uneventful. In these parts, the Dark Flames Adventurer team was well known, so no one sort to bring them any trouble. Barda chatted with Batoo and a few others he had come to know, learning more about the inner workings of the team and what was expected of him.
However, with just a day of travel remaining before they got to Fulah City, Lady Ellen gathered everyone. She then had Batoo and a few others set 3 targets with varying lengths from each other. After it was done, she called Barda and simply said: "Show us what you got."
The Dark Flames Adventurers were excited. Many cheered and jeered, welcoming the entertainment. Barda understood why. He was about to become an adventurer, part of a team. As such, they needed to know just how capable he was, and since his preferred weapon was the bow, then he must have been pretty good at it.
Those that knew his and had interacted with him wished him good luck. Barda was the first real unknown to them. Most that join had had successes and fame, a concrete background and such, but Barda had none of that. What's more, he had received a personal invite from Lady Ellen herself.
Many saw him as nothing more than an upstart social climber who only had luck to rely on. Everyone was eager to see Barda and the bow's perfomance.
Barda debated within himself on what was the best course of action. He could choose to demonstrate ordinary bow skills. Even his average shooting was better than most people's best.
However, he quickly disregarded that idea. In his previous life, he had been a spy, forever keeping secrets and hiding. Lying had become second-nature to him, but in the end he ended up betrayed. Part of the reason was the number of secrets and lies he kept, and the other were the secrets and lies he had uncovered as an intelligence guy.
Now that he had been reborn, Barda was ready to become someone different. As a spy, he knew that in such a group, the only way to rise the ranks was by showing strength, and that was what he decided to do.