"Sewer rats," Algol grumbled as he walked alongside Spica.
"What's the matter?" she asked gently, noticing the downtrodden look on his face.
He rubbed his chin. "It's nothing. It's just... I'm supposed to become this great hero, and here I am on my way to kill some sewer rats."
"A great hero? Is that your dream, to be like Rigel?"
Algol grimaced at the mention of the name and muttered, "Rigel…"
"Huh?"
"I used to go to the Magic Academy with him."
Her eyes lit up. "You did?"
Algol nodded. "Yeah. We were friends at first, but then... we slowly drifted apart. We had a falling out, and as much as I hate to admit it, it was mostly my fault. I kept playing around, and he wanted to study more. And look where it got us—he's Capella's hero, and I'm just some bum in debt to my landlady."
"In debt?"
"Yeah. I make money by taking quests, usually low-entry ones like what we're doing. When I started earning, I wasted it on drinking, sleeping with hookers, and playing cards…" He paused, his eyes hinting at the sadness within. "Then the late nights messed with my sleep schedule, and my energy is always low, so I can't perform magic. That means no quests, which means no money, which means debt to the landlady."
"Oh," Spica said, genuinely feeling for the man in front of her.
"And the landlady's daughter, Eris—she and I were close, but after the landlady found out what I was doing with my money, she painted a bad picture of me. Now they both, who I also had a good relationship with, avoid me like the plague."
Spica could see his lip quiver slightly, and it looked to her as if he were about to cry.
"I don't really have any friends or family. That landlady and Eris were everything to me. It really hurt to have that damaged. It's like I'm a stranger to them now."
Algol felt himself getting emotional, and this wounded his pride—showing his feelings to not only a stranger but to a woman, at that.
Algol lifted his head and smiled. "But that's all okay," he said, putting his fist to his heart. "I'm going to become a hero!"
Spica, initially taken aback, smiled and giggled. "Yeah, and I'll be your heroine."
"Damn straight, we're the protagonists!"
---
The two eventually arrived at the sewer, where a sign stood in front that read, "Adventurers Only."
Algol took a deep breath. "I used to come down here with some random adventurers, and afterward we'd split the reward and go our separate ways. But I was too much of a coward; they mostly did the work."
They approached the manhole, which was halfway open. Algol slid it aside and reached into his pocket, grabbing the flashlight they had bought from a store on the way.
They climbed down inside, and as they did, they heard the scurrying and squeaks of the rats.
Algol shuddered.
Reaching the bottom, Algol shined the flashlight around.
They stood in greenish water, but it wasn't high—just enough to make a little splash.
Ahead of them stretched a long passage.
Algol gulped. "Well, I guess it's time."
"I-I guess so," Spica said softly.
Algol walked ahead, and Spica followed closely behind him.
Suddenly, a rat the size of a cat came charging toward them.
Algol reached for the sword at his hip, raising it above his head. The rat jumped at him, and Algol slashed it across its wide-open chest.
Blood splattered across Algol's face as the rat landed in the water with a splat.
Algol was breathing heavily, his knees shaking.
"I don't think I can do this," he whispered to himself.
Spica caught this and said, "No! Don't say that!"
Algol looked back, his face visibly frightened.
"You want to be a hero, right?"
Algol just stared at her. "I don't think—"
"No! None of that negative self-talk!"
Algol was shocked; the timid Spica had suddenly become bold.
But then he noticed she, too, was shaking.
It seemed she was saying this to hype herself up as much as Algol.
Algol sighed. "Well, that's one down, nineteen more to go." He felt a shudder at the number.
---
It was a fierce two hours, with Algol overwhelming his body with fire magic while Spica used her energy to replenish his.
By the end of it, Algol was fully energized, and Spica was worn out.
With the trash bag Algol had in his pocket, he went around collecting twenty rat bodies to put inside the bag and carried the heavy load while walking back and climbing up the ladder to get to the top.
Once they emerged, the brightness of the sun was blinding to them both.
It took them a while for their eyes to adjust, so they sat on the side of the road until they felt ready to go.
Both of them reeked of sewer water, and they were dirty and wet. Spica's robe was extremely drenched, and Algol could see the outline of her breasts, which, while not full, was still noticeable.
Both of them breathed heavily, reflecting on the quest they had just accomplished.
Algol's body was still rushing with energy. As he had been down there cutting and lighting the rats on fire with his magic, he felt increasingly brave. Now, he was feeling giddy with energy.
As previously mentioned, Spica felt drained.
"I might... pass out…" she said.
"Huh? No, no! I have to carry this bag of rats. I can't be carrying you too."
But it was too late; she slumped over onto his shoulder, snoring softly.
"Tch," he said, sucking in his teeth. "I'll just tell them you died or something."
Algol gently moved her head and laid her down on the ground, lifting the bag of rats and beginning to walk away.
But the further he got, the more he felt a nagging emptiness in the center of his chest.
He sighed and turned around.
As he returned to the area, he saw a shady man approaching the unconscious Spica.
The man's eyes were bloodshot red, and a hoodie covered his head.
He reached to grab at Spica's buttocks, and Algol snapped, "Hey!"
The man looked up and scurried away like a rat.
Algol picked up Spica and placed her on his other shoulder, carrying them both to the Guild.
---
Instead of taking the money for himself, Algol split it two ways—he gave Spica five hundred and kept five hundred bills for himself.
He left Spica sleeping at the Guild building and headed toward his house.
---
Upon arriving, he was immediately confronted by his landlady. "Where the hell have you been? Get out! Get out!"
"Wait, wait," Algol said hurriedly, reaching into his pocket.
He offered her the five hundred-dollar bills, and she snatched them from his hands, beginning to count them.
She gave a slight, "Hmph," and walked away into the kitchen on the left.
As she walked away, he noticed Eris peeking in from the right, where the living room was.
He waved and smiled, but she neither waved nor smiled back; she just stared at him, and he caught a slight glare in her eyes.
Algol sighed inwardly and walked upstairs to the bathroom.
He took off his gear and clothes, then turned on the shower.
"I have three hundred dollars left," he grumbled to himself. "Guess I'll head out tonight and drink myself to sleep."
---