Fuck... Mara thought as she woke up in the middle of the night with a hangover.
"This headache is terrible..." She said, keeping her breathing steady as to not vomit all over the place.
She sat up slowly, taking a look at her surroundings. She was in a bedroom, with her being on the singular bed. The room is primarily made from wood, with there being a small nightstand with a lantern on it.
The bed was pretty comfortable and soft. "Where did everyone go?" She stood up, humming quietly to herself as she slowly opened the door.
Ahh. We're at an inn. She thought as she moved slowly through the halls. She eventually reached outside, sighing quietly.
"My normal life... It was boring, and it kind of sucked, but I feel like that's what made it interesting... Not to say this isn't." She said to herself.
"You're up this early?" Fox said, stepping out of the inn with some PJs she managed to get a hold of. They were quite modern and black in color, so she was content with it. It consisted of a black long-sleeved shirt and some thin pants.
Her long orange hair was a mess, having just woken up.
"Yeah, just trying to get over this hangover, really." She said, massaging her temples as Fox patted her back.
"Do you like Mareth?" Fox suddenly asked as she gave Mara a curious look.
Mara blushed brightly and snapped her head to look at Fox. "W-what did you say?!"
"Just asking if you... Y'know, like the guy. We're in a new world; life is short." Fox said, staring up at the sky.
"You know you kissed him at the bar last night? You put your drink into his mouth. It was kinda funny." She giggled.
Mara blinked and sat down on the pair of steps behind her, covering her face.
"It's alright. We have our embarrassing moments. If you really like him, just take things slow and don't rush it." Fox said, her eyes widening as she noticed three moons in the sky.
"Look, there are three moons!" Fox said, pointing up at the sky.
Mara looked up at the sky, her eyes widening. The first moon was the closest, looking pretty similar to Earth's moon.
The second moon was further, having a thick atmosphere and having a brown hue to it.
The final moon, the farthest but the largest, hung in the sky in a dazzling yellow. It had a much thicker atmosphere than the last one.
"I used to go stargazing; looking up at the stars often gave me a sense of peace and wonder. Now there's a lot less light pollution; I can have that feeling again." Mara said, a small smile creeping on her face.
"Before I wanted to be a judge, I wanted to be an astronomer. Things changed when I saw how cool it looked to be in the law field. I still admire the stars, though. The moons only reignite the love I had for it." Fox said, smiling.
"Yeah. Ready?" Mara asked, as Fox nodded.
"Yeah, we should head back inside and get some rest." Fox said as Mara stood up, nodding.
The two then went back inside to their rooms, heading back to sleep for the night.
The next morning, the party was downstairs eating breakfast. All except for Emopa.
"Anyone seen Emopa?" Fox asked as everyone basically shrugged.
Emopa went to the guild hall, with Termin sitting down and just writing down some stuff.
"What can I do for you, Mr. Abomination?" He said, putting down his pen and leaning back in the chair.
"Is there any way I can bring the rank of the guild up quicker? Possibly to at least A rank?" Emopa asked, leaning forward on the desk.
Termin looked around at the other receptionists and people around before standing up. He wore brown slacks. "Come with me."
Emopa followed him into the backroom and into another separate space. In this room, there was a board with various locations, photos, and strings with thumbtacks as holders to connect them.
"What's all this? You a conspiracy theorist? Also... This world didn't seem like the type to have cameras." Emopa said, rubbing his chin.
"It doesn't. Mana isolation exists. Just in case you don't know what that is, it's simply that mana can exist at all times. Past, present, and future." Termin said, stepping to the side.
"Mana exists at all times? How does that make sense?" Emopa asked, tilting his head.
"Don't worry about it. ANYWAY!" Termin yelled
"Since mana encompasses all things in this world, you are able to freeze it in place, but only across a limited area. You can analyze it and print it on a piece of paper." He said, chuckling.
"Wow, okay... So what's all this then?" Emopa asked.
"All the illegal shit the kingdoms are doing. Talus, Mockia, Clorisfield, all of them." He grinned.
"Slave trade, illegal imports of certain plants and drugs, illegal imports of weapons, assassinations... You name it, they've done it." Termin said, tapping a photo of a cave surrounded by trees.
"This is a cave I've been meaning to explore. Mockia is trying to get their hands on a Tremor Spider egg, but it's proving to be more trouble than it's possibly worth." He said, pointing at Emopa.
"That's where you come in. I don't know it's rating, but it would definitely be an AA-ranked dungeon at least. So, you're going to kill that spider, bring me some of it's parts, and bring me that egg." Termin slid him a map.
"I'll boost your entire guild to AA+ rank if you do this for me. I could do it myself, but I have some business to take care of. What do you say?" He asked, extending a hand to Emopa as that same, unsettling grin formed on his face.
"You know what? Sure. I'll take it." He said, shaking the man's hand.
Termin looked relieved, nodding in approval. "Great! I'll be waiting." He said, as he sent Emopa out of the room.
As Emopa left the guild hall, he checked the map. It wasn't too far from here, only about a few hours journey.
"Emopa," The Father's voice called from Emopa's subconscious, "I don't like that guy. He gives me the creeps. Just watch out for him, alright?"
"Father, you're being paranoid. He's just a receptionist who was probably an Otherworlder like me. Not everyone is fit to fight." Emopa said, beginning to make his way to the place.
"I know, but did you hear him? He basically said that he's able to handle it himself, but he has his hands full. I think he's capable of fighting." The Father said, sounding a bit indifferent now.
"And? Why would I need to watch out? I have no ill will toward him, nor should he." Emopa said as The Father audibly sighed.
"If we're going by this world's ranking system, then he's probably higher than an AA-ranked person."
Emopa groaned, "Alright, fine. I'll be more cautious around him."
After a few hours of travelling, nothing eventful happening, Emopa reached the entrance of the cave, an ominous aura surrounding it.
An ominous aura sent chills down Emopa's spine, but he steeled himself and entered.