The following morning Sparrow was up earlier than usual. She had an extra spring in her step as she got ready, brushed her teeth, tied her hair in a bun, and ran out the door. The idea of an adventurer her age being in the village was still strange to her and she wanted to know more about him and the life he's lived. She was curious and intrigued, they were the same age but had lived such different lives. But those feelings quickly disappeared as she approached him. Her sprint slowed to a jog, then a walk, and finally she stopped about three metres from Lucas' chair.
Lucas was hunched over using a knife to hack away at the bodies that lay at the village entrance. Blood spurted onto his armour and hair as the knife clutched in his hand went up and down. Sparrow was no stranger to blood or butchery as it was a normal part of farm life, but this was unfathomable to her. Looking at her past she considered herself blessed to have never seen such a sight before. She slowly inched closer. Lucas looked up and wiped the sweat and blood from his forehead with the back of his palm.
"Hiya, how are you doing on this fine morning?" Lucas asked with a smile.
"Uh, alright" Sparrow replied a bit shakily as she watched him work.
Lucas realising that his actions may be upsetting her, gestured towards one of the bodies with his knife "Don't worry they're very dead"
"Right yeah. Uh I think I have to go help my parents with something"
"Before you go, I'll need your help in a bit. These guys have bounties on them that I now need to collect, but I can't leave the village"
"So uh what do you need from me?"
"Well, I can't leave the village and the heads need to go to the guild"
"Right?"
"So I need you to take them"
"Wait... Nononono I can't do that"
Lucas getting up from his position "You have to" he started walking towards Sparrow, wiping the knife blade on his trousers before replacing it in its sheathe "These heads will start decomposing in a day or two, which will make it impossible to claim their bounties, and I can't leave the village. So you have to deliver them for me"
Sparrow was very uncomfortable with the idea of handling decapitated heads, but she accepted that Lucas couldn't leave the village, and she couldn't prioritise her own discomfort over the safety of the village.
"But why me?" she asked in one final desperate appeal.
"Because you hired me, you're the best option"
She released a deep sigh of acceptance. She couldn't refute his last reply. "Okay, I'll do it"
"Great" Lucas said as he pulled three burlap sacks out of one of the pouches on his belt.
Sparrow couldn't understand how they would fit in there, but thought that was question best saved for a later date. She walked home and prepared the family horse for another trip into the city.
"Where are you headed?" her dad asked as he walked out onto the porch.
"Good morning. Lucas asked me to take some stuff to the guild for him"
"Why can't he take it himself?"
"Well, he said he has to stay here to protect the village"
Donald sighed "I guess that makes sense, are you okay to go on your own?"
"Yeah, it's only a couple hours. I'll be back by the afternoon"
"Alright, have a safe trip"
"Thanks"
Sparrow made started her journey into the city once again, stopping briefly to pick up the packages from Lucas.
"You'll need to hand these in at the desk"
"Okay"
"and take this" Lucas said as he pulled a thin chain off from around his neck; a small, bronze, sheild-shaped pendant hung from the chain "hand this to whoever is at the desk today and they'll know to hold the bounties for me"
"Okay"
"Have a safe trip"
"Thank you"
*
The trip into the city felt shorter than the day before, she felt less anxious about going to the guild because her task today was more straightforward. She made sure to cross in front of the castle again as it was her favourite part. The guild was as lively as it was the day before, a constant flow of patrons, loud cheers, and songs telling the tales of legendary adventurers and the history of the Chaos era. She tied her horse to a bollard outside, untied the heavy sacks and made her way inside. The one Lucas called 'Barty' waved her over to the desk as she entered, she felt a bit awkward jumping ahead in the queue but did it nontheless.
"Ms. Sparrow, it's good to see you again"
"Hi, good to see you again"
"How can I help you today? I hope Lucas is working out well, we are no stranger to complaints regarding his actions"
"Oh no, he sent me in to collect a bounty"
"Ah that's good news. Do you have some form of identification for the bounty?"
With a solid HMPH and a THUMP Sparrow dropped the three sacks on the desk.
"He gave me these"
Barty opened the bags and a look of digust crossed his face.
"Subtle. I'm sure we could work with these. Would you mind waiting a moment while we identify them?"
"Of course, take your time"
After a few minutes 'Barty' returned with a pouch that jangled as it swung.
"And here is the reward: 50 silver coins. I will need some identification so that we can record who the money is going to"
Sparrow presented the chain with the pendant "Lucas gave me this"
"Ah his adventrurer's emblem, this will work. We will hold onto this and the bounty, we will also hold onto any future bounties for him to collect at the ened of your contract. Is there anything else I can do you for you today?"
"Oh no that's all, thank you"
'Barty waved and smiled at her "Thank you for coming and I hope you have a wonderful day "
Sparrow replied "Thank you, you too" as she left the guild hall.
She started her journey back to her village. 'It was a bit annoying having to make a trip all the way to the city and back just for a couple minutes in the hall' she thought as she was riding out of the city 'but holy shit, he made 50 silver after one night of work??!!?!?! That's almost as much as some families make in a year, I mean granted it was collecting bounties, but still. Maybe I should also become an adventurer, what could I do with all that money? Maybe I can buy a castle? not a big one like in the city, but it'd be cool to have my own castle, I could own a couple horses, maybe some cows' her thoughts followed this train for the whole trip back to the village. She thought it would be good to ask Lucas about becoming an adventurer when the opportunity presented itself.