There were birds chirping and dying embers crackling as he worked to suppress the last vestiges of the fire from the night before. His body hurt in ways that he would never have imagined, had it not been happening to him. He was certainly out of commission for his old apartment couch anytime soon but at least he wasn't dead. Not yet, at any rate.
Kael sat up, sitting with her knees tucked into her chest as if she was peeking over the rim of a cup. Her sharp gaze scoured the forest, and a quite grazing wolf could appear at her feet at any time.
"Morning," Ethan croaked, stretching.
Kael glanced back and nodded over her shoulder. "Morning. You're a heavy sleeper."
"Yeah, well, it's not every day I fight glowing-eyed wolves then collapse in a cave," Ethan said, picking up the crude spear leaning against the wall. "Any sign of trouble?"
"Not yet," Kael said. "But we shouldn't stay here. I saw smoke rising in the distance earlier—all could be a village or camp."
"Smoke?" Ethan sat up. "That's great. If there are people, maybe we can get some answers."
"Or we could just walk into a bandit camp and get ourselves murdered," Kael shot back.
Ethan winced. She wasn't wrong. "Well, sitting here isn't an option either. We've got no food, no water, and I'm pretty sure this place has more than just wolves running around."
Kael sighed, standing and brushing dirt off her pants. "Fine. Let's check it out. But if it's a bandit camp, I'm blaming you."
Ethan smiled. "Deal."
---
They walked through the woods, alertly looking about them. On that morning, light crept over the forest, filtering through crowded gloom, casting shifting patterns on the ground. Ethan's nervous awareness became finely attuned to every rustling leaf, every distant birdcall.
"Stay quiet," Kael panted, her voice cracking with urgency. She moved with the fluid ease of an experienced huntress, each step light and calculated. Ethan, on the other hand, almost impaled himself on his spear by stumbling over a root.
"Sorry," he muttered, earning a glare from Kael.
An hour of careful trekking yielded the source of the smoke. To Ethan's relief, it wasn't a bandit camp-it was a small village.
A rickety wall of wooden planks encircled this settlement, barely high enough to keep the wolves out. Wooden houses with thatched roofs were scattered across a central square where a fire pit emitted tiny wisps of smoke.
At the entrance to the clearing stood two men in leather armor, their spears close at hand and aimed directly at Ethan and Kael as they approached the settlement.
"State your business," one of them barked.
"We're travelers," Ethan said, trying to sound convincing. "We wandered into the forest and saw the smoke rising. We hoped to find some provisions-or at least some answers."
The guards glanced at each other.
"Thrill seekers?" he asked in a gentler tone but still tainted with distrust.
"Something like that," Kael said, moving forward. "We're here, but to do no harm."
The first guard snorted, then stepped aside at last. "Fine," he growled. "But don't make any row, or you'll answer to Captain Dain."
"Got it," Ethan said hastily, nodding once.
As he walked into the village, it was almost like they were transported into a whimsical old RPG-suddenly, all around, villagers bustled about, hauling sacks of grain or tended to the livestock. A blacksmith hammered away at a glowing horseshoe and a batch of children played near the well.
"This feels," Ethan said barely above a whisper, "surreal."
Kael only scanned the area for any potential threats, that's all.
They were stepping forward to head the way of the blacksmith when Ethan's vision was blurring and a notice appeared.
___
New Quest Available:
Speak with the Village Elder
Village Map, 100 XP
One of those simple wooden huts on the far side of town was the village elder's home. Inside, it was filled with the scent of herbs and parchment. An old man sits at a cluttered desk at the village elder's home. His beard seems as long as the floor is deep. Old eyes, sharp and calculating, looked him up and down as if sizing Ethan and Kael up.
"Ah, travelers," said the elder, his voice rough as dry leaves. "Welcome to Graymere. I assume you're here to register as adventurers?"
Ethan blinked. "Register? Is that. really necessary?"
The elder chuckled. "Necessary? No. But advisable. The adventurer system lets you accept quests, gain coin, and advance your standing within the realm. Without it, you're nothing but travelers, easy pickings for bandits and beasts alike."
Kael looked at Ethan, raising an eyebrow. "What's the thought?"
Ethan thought for a moment. If the adventurer system is anything like everything else in this world, then it may open up several new features-or at least make things a bit easier. "I think we should do it."
The elder nodded approvingly. "Wise choice. Put your hands on this crystal."
He pulled out a giant, glowing stone from under the desk. The surface undulated faintly, buzzing softly.
Ethan went first, placing his palm against the crystal. A warmth spread through his hand as words materialized before his line of sight.
-----
------------------------------------------------------------
Debugger Registration Complete!
Name: Ethan Cross
Class: Debugger (??? Level 1)
Rank: F
------------------------------------------------------------
"Debugger?" Ethan muttered to himself. He looked over at Kael, who'd placed her hand on the crystal.
Adventurer Registration Complete!
Name: Kael Velmora
Class: Ranger (1st Level)
Rank: F
---
Kael furrowed. "Ranger? Sounds. pretty accurate, I guess." She looked at Ethan. "What's your class?"
"Debugger," Ethan said. "Whatever that means."
The elder raised an eyebrow. "A rare title, indeed. Debuggers are said to possess abilities that transcend the rules of our world. You would do well to tread carefully, young man."
Ethan swallowed hard. "Good to know."
"Here," the elder said, passing one of them a small bronze token. "Your adventurer badges. Take these to any hub or guildhall, and you will get quests and access to resources."
Ethan looked at the token. It was plain but sturdy, engraved with his name and rank. "Thanks," he said.
And he smiled faintly. "You should be able to find the Adventurer's Hub in town, the town center," he says. "Go see the guildmaster there, and start yourself off. Mind yourselves, though - Graymere may be a little village, but it's full of perils. Be on your guard.".
It was a boisterous place where the sound of clinking mugs and hums in conversation were punctuated by bursts of laughter. Over the wall on one side, a large parchment-covered quest board displayed its buckets and hustings: slay monsters, gather herbs, protect caravans.
Behind the counter was a tall muscular woman with short, cropped black hair and an expression to match her name tag: Lyra—Guildmaster.
"You two look fresh," Lyra said her voice rough but not unkind. "New recruits?"
"Only just registered," Ethan said holding up his badge.
Lyra smirked. "Good. We can always use more bodies. Take a look at the board, but stick to F-rank quests for now.". No need to get yourselves killed on your first day."
Kael raised an eyebrow. "Any recommendations?"
Lyra pointed to a section of the board that was marked off with green tags. "Start herb-gathering quest. Easy and will bring you a couple coins."
Ethan sighed and looked at the quest.
---
F-Rank Quest: Gather Healing Herbs
Objective: Get 10 bundles of Redleaf Herbs in the forest near us.
Reward: 20 Silver, 50 XP.
---
"It seems we are going to go flower picking," Ethan said to Kael, turning to him now.
Kael rolled her eyes. "At least we won't get mowed down by wolves this time. Alright, let's go.".
As they stepped out into the hub, Ethan felt a spark of hope. At least for the first time since he came to that world, they actually had direction—and maybe just maybe an actual chance to survive.