It was getting close to nightfall, as the sky turned to an orange glow, bringing the two to make their way towards the outskirts of the town where carriages waited.
"Oh, I forgot–ah, nevermind," Emma huffed while walking beside him.
"What is it?" He asked, taking in the soft breeze.
"I've never been in a two person party before for an expedition. No less with a guy…I wonder what my boyfriend will think?" Emma wondered out loud, crossing her arms.
"Boyfriend? Well, there's nothing to worry about," Blake said playfully with his hands raised.
"Hrm, you're an odd fellow, Blake. That's fine though!" Emma said, giving him a playful slap on the back before running ahead to the carriages.
"Hey!--Urgh," he shouted, finding the childish antics of his companion exhausting.
The fee paid to the carriage driver was only a single gold coin, which surprised him. Though the estimated time it'd take to get there made it clear that it was hardly a speedy method of travel, seeing as it wouldn't be until the next morning they'd arrive.
He sat in the back of the carriage, across from Emma with only the smooth, wooden floorboards as a suitable seat.
"So, why're you set on Emerald Mountain anyway?" Emma asked, keeping her knees tucked close to her chest.
"Why're you?" He deflected the question.
The girl scoffed, "It's a requisite for my rank up, to scale Emerald Mountain and make it back. If I do that, I'll finally be "Gold" rank."
"Rank up?" He repeated.
"Mhm! What rank are you, anyway? You said you were a newbie, so I'm guessing copper," Emma asked.
Truth be told, he didn't know anything about how the "adventure career" worked, let alone the fact he didn't even sign up to be one. He felt around his body, patting his legs and chest to see if he had anything on him, finding a solid sensation in the pocket of his coat.
As he reached under his coat, a golden emblem was retrieved, carved to resemble a knight's shield, "--Hm?"
"Wait–you're a gold rank?!" Emma said in surprise, getting up close almost enough to kiss the badge.
Blake played it off, not knowing what the object was until she confirmed it, "Yup."
The red-headed archer seemed both to have a new respect for him, and simultaneously frustration as being lower ranked than the supposed "newbie."
'This must've been Kaleb's rank. He must've been pretty capable,' he thought.
He tucked the adventurer badge back into the pocket of his black, open coat, looking towards the barely-parted curtains at the back of the carriage as the sight of the town became more and more distant.
"It'll be best to get some rest. It'll be awhile before we get there anyway," Blake suggested, stretching as he leaned against the uncomfortable side of the carriage.
"Good idea…I've been running around all day, I'm spent," Emma said with a yawn before pulling the hood of her cloak over her head and laying herself down.
It was definitely a far cry from the comfort of a bed for Blake, having to somehow fall asleep while feeling every little bump the carriage experienced on the road.
'This'll be a good opportunity. Some real action will send this system to the moon,' he thought, letting himself fall to slumber.
A sharp impact caused him to open his eyes as he found his entire body nearly being brought up by a rough bump the carriage had gone over.
"What the–?" He sleepily remarked, finding that his red-haired companion had been woken up in the same fashion.
It must've been a long while that he slept, as past the curtains of the carriage, the sky that had been dipped orange with the coming of night was now a cold, calm blue.
"Morning already?" Emma mumbled with a yawn like that of a cat.
As he pulled the curtains aside, the new scenery presented itself; luscious fields and colossal trees of red wood. In the center of it all, a mountain stood, reaching for the heavens; it sprouted what appeared to be emerald crystals, as large as the great trees.
"Alright, this is as far as I go! Emerald Mountain is here," the voice of the gruff carriage driver up front shouted to the passengers.
He quickly woke up at the sight of the mystical monument of the world, hopping out of the transport along with the archer. There wasn't even a minute spent idly by the carriage before it took off back from where it came, as if the surrounding area itself was too much of a hazard.
"This is it, then? It's larger than I expected," Blake remarked, feeling minuscule at the sight of the fantastical mountain.
Emma nodded her head, excitedly pointing up at the summit too high to be seen, "We're going all the way to the top!"
"Yeah," he halfheartedly responded as he thought of all the hiking that awaited him.
Before they moved along, he took the fully-stuffed travel pack and handed it off to the archer, who gave him a confused look.
"What's this for?" Emma asked with a raised eyebrow.
Blake pointed at her, specifically at the rather pricey bow she held, "Until I consider that bow paid off, you're the pack mule."
"Hey, that wasn't part of–ugh!" Emma argued, finding the black-coated swordsman already walking away, "Wait up! You're totally not a gentleman, you know!"
The path to the foot of the mountain was directed by a wall of redwood trees that led them forward. He led the way, feeling the brisk, morning dew beneath his boots with every step.
As he looked towards one of the trees, a noise met his ears, like an agile creature scampering through the bushes.
"Hey, do you hear that…?" Emma asked, glancing around nervously.
"Yeah," Blake answered quietly, keeping calm as he placed his hand near the handle of his sword.
The rustling continued, from multiple directions around the two. He carefully drew the sword from its scabbard, holding it upright with both hands as its weight still felt new to him.
Back-to-back, the two watched as the noises continued before something leapt from behind the trees: a green-skinned, short, but devilish fiend.
"Goblins!" Emma shouted, releasing an arrow.
The projectile pierced straight through the leaping creature's head with a grotesque squelch, though more followed without wasting a moment. There were a half dozen of the grimey fiends, sticking their elongated tongues out and shouting wordless noises.
'--This is really happening! I'm fighting goblins–I've never even swung a sword before!' Blake thought, watching the unruly pack close in.