The fatigue in Rayne’s bones was absolute, but he forced himself to follow the group as they headed back to Torid. Beside him, two adventurers carried a man on a stretcher, and another toted a saw on their shoulder, its blade still dark with blood from the limb they had amputated with it.

  Rayne felt a shiver run through him. Somehow, he had managed to make it through the initiation, but it had not been easy. With each step they had taken, the enemies in the ruin had grown stronger. The kobolds who inhabited the back end of the dungeon were incomparable to those they had dispatched at the front, at least twice as strong, if not more, and several initiates had been cut down as a result. Others had seen the writing on the wall and dropped out, preferring to keep their lives rather than risk continuing any further.

  Of course, for some, the increased difficulty had not posed any problem at all. They had continued to slaughter any kobold that dared to stand before them. His eyes flickered towards the front of the group where the noble pretender walked. Moving as if the death of the man beside him had nothing to do with him.

  It felt unfair to blame the noble—Leon, he recalled—but it was the truth. Among all of the candidates, Leon had stood out the most. Although the Katiine with the dual blades had been pretty good herself, Leon was the true star of today’s show, and everyone had known it.

  For reasons unknown to Rayne, the dead man had attempted to emulate that performance. Perhaps he had wanted to stand out, or maybe he had been jealous of the attention showered upon Leon. Whatever his reasons, he had stepped forward to sweep away the kobolds, and had immediately been forced to confront his own lack of talent. Leon had brute strength and his ability to wield the greatsword to rely on. The dead man had nothing of the sort, and as a result, he had been overwhelmed.

  With only four even less talented initiates to back him up, his fate had been sealed. By the time the adventurers had arrived, it had already been too late. For the first time today, the kobolds had scored a kill, and it sent ripples of fear through the minds of every initiate.

  In a way, it had been a good thing. The atmosphere among the initiates—who until then had been treating the kobolds as easy prey thanks to the dominating performance of several parties—had immediately darkened. Although a few other initiates had gotten injured or dropped out after sustaining injuries, the would-be noble’s would-be imitator had been the only one to die.

  Glancing at the corpse one last time, Rayne shook his head. It was a sobering reminder of just how dangerous adventuring actually was. Not only that, it was a perfect reminder of why Issa was so against him doing this. Even if the money was good, the risks were high, and any day could be your last. If he wanted to come home each day, then he would need to make sure never to overestimate his own skills as this poor fool had.

  The thought of Issa caused Rayne to stand up straighter. Adventuring was dangerous, but he was doing it for her. In order to support his sister, this was the life he must now lead, and there could be no looking back. From today onwards, he was a clerk no more. Although it had been far from a cushy life, it had been a safe one, and he had taken that for granted.

  Well, no longer. If he did not want to wind up like the lifeless pile of skin and bones on the stretcher beside him, he would need to get stronger, and he planned to do just that. He just needed to figure out how…

  “Rayne, right?”

  Distracted from his thoughts by a sudden voice to his left, Rayne looked sideways to find a pair of fluffy triangular ears at eye level. Slightly below that sat a pair of eager yellow eyes, slitted like a cat’s, which looked at him with interest.

  Suddenly remembering his manners, Rayne nodded. “That’s me. You’re… Syra, correct?”

  A grin lit up the beastgirl’s face. “Yup! After we got paired up together, I started watching you. You’re not bad, you know that?”

  With a surprised look, Rayne accepted the compliment. “Thanks? Although, I’m afraid you must have me confused with someone else. Not bad is the last thing I would call my showing today.”

  Syra shook her head. “Combat-wise, sure. You suck with a blade, and I can tell that those hands of yours have never held anything bigger than a kitchen knife. But I was in your party, and I saw how everyone performed today. Every single person who got paired up with you had their best round of the day. Even that guy posing as a noble.” She punched his arm playfully. “Good fighters are a copper a dozen, but those with a brain are a lot rarer.”

  Rubbing his arm where she had struck it, Rayne regarded her. “Fair enough, but if we’re talking standouts, it surely has to be you or poser, right? Both of you were amazing today.”

  Rather than blushing at the praise, Syra took it in stride. “Yeah, but I know I’m good. And poser probably thinks the same of himself. We’re the obvious stars. You’re the diamond in the rough.” Dropping any pretense, she stared intensely at him. “Which is why I’m here to scout you. Form a party with me. With your brains and my general awesomeness, we’ll break through into the bronze-rank in no time.”

  This threw Rayne for a loop, and he held up a hand to forestall her. “Wait, wait, wait. What do you mean ‘break through into the bronze-rank’? Aren’t we already bronze-ranks now that we’ve passed the initiation?”

  “Wow, you really don’t know anything.” Syra regarded him sympathetically. “All we’ve earned today is the right to take on commissions. But we’re not adventurers yet. In order to earn the bronze-rank badge and the right to call ourselves adventurers, we need to complete twenty-five basic commissions. Do that, and we become proper adventurers and can start to take on the good missions.”

  Feeling his head begin to hurt, Rayne sighed. “The good missions being those that actually pay proper wages, I assume?”

  “Bingo.”

  A sigh escaped Rayne’s lips. “Perfect. Just perfect. Well, thanks for letting me know, I guess.”

  Syra tilted her head. “You got money problems?”

  With a terse nod, Rayne indicated yes, though he did not elaborate, and thankfully, Syra let it go.

  Offering him a slight shrug, she looked forward to where the walls of Torid could be seen in the distance. “Well, not to try and take advantage of you or anything. But partying up with me could be your ticket out of poverty, or whatever reason you have to need money.”

  “What makes you think I can’t accomplish that on my own?” Rayne demanded.

  Looking him up and down, Syra chuckled. “No offense, but I saw your bladework. Even if you do turn out to have potential, it’s going to be rough for you to go it alone. But with me, that’s all solved. I can take care of combat, and you can help with the more brainy things. Between us, we make a perfect pair. Split all the profits seventy-thirty, and take every job we can get our hands on.”

  Rayne pretended to consider it for a moment. “You’re willing to give me seventy percent?” He shrugged. “Well, no reason for me to turn that down. You’ve got a deal.” He thrust his hand out for a handshake, causing Syra to look at him strangely.

  The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

  “No. I get the seventy.” She gave him a hard look. “Although I suspect you knew that. You can’t fight. Why would you get the larger share?”

  He gave her another shrug. “You approached me. That means I have something you want. Which means I have leverage. So of course I should be the one to get the higher percentage.”

  “Wait, wait, wait.” Waving her arms, Syra took a step back, then pinched the bridge of her nose. “Sixty-forty,” she said at last. “Sixty for me. Forty for you.”

  “Fifty-five, forty-five. I’m the fifty-five,” Rayne counter-offered.

  She looked as though she wanted to shout at him, but suppressed it. Mustering a smile, she stretched out her hand. “Fifty-fifty. Final offer.” When Rayne appeared to hesitate, she pressed on. “This is as good as you’re going to get. You’re good, but you need someone with actual battle skills if you want to do anything as an adventurer.”

  It was a good offer, and one that tempted him sorely. But if Rayne had learned one thing in the past six years of surviving without parents, it was that there was no such thing as a free lunch. And that giving in too easily made future negotiations harder.

  Folding his arms, Rayne lifted an eyebrow in challenge. “In that case, why would I not just go and ask Leon to join me? If what I need is the strongest sword, then surely he’s the best option, no?”

  A snort escaped Syra’s lips. “The poser? I mean, you can if you want. But if it was me, I’m not sure I’d even make it to bronze-rank before the desire to strangle him overcame my sense of reason. But if you really want to…”

  At this, Rayne finally broke. Giving her a smile, he offered his hand, which she immediately shook. “I’ll be in your care.”

  “Glad to see you finally see reason. I have to say, I didn’t expect you to take so much convincing. It hurts my pride a little.”

  This got a laugh out of Rayne. “Can’t make things too easy. That was one thing my father always emphasized. If you make it easy, you’ll be taken advantage of. Always fight for what you’re worth. And like you said, I’m worth a whole lot.”

  “Easy now.” Giving his arm another punch, Syra shook her head. “Sheesh, you give a guy one compliment and it goes straight to his head.” Shaking her head a little longer for effect, she grew serious. “Just a warning, but I have aspirations. I have to become a silver-tier adventurer as soon as possible, and I’m willing to do just about anything to achieve that. If you’re not able to help me with that, then I’ve got no use for you.”

  Rayne nodded understandingly. “Don’t worry. I won’t slow you down. So long as the money keeps flowing, I’ll be there beside you. That much I can promise.”

  “Then we’re agreed.” Sticking out her arm once more, Syra shook his hand a second time. “Meet me at the guildhall tomorrow two hours before noon. Twenty-five commissions is a lot, but between the two of us, I think we can knock them out pretty quickly.”

  During their talk, the forest had given way to fields, the walls of Torid offering shelter for the many farmers who ploughed the land just beyond. From here, they were only a few minutes from entering the city, but surprisingly, Syra seemed ready to take her leave. With one last reminder to meet at the guildhall at ten bells tomorrow, she was off, bounding over the fence and across a field with a grace that Rayne found almost unnatural.

  Left alone with his thoughts once more, Rayne’s mind turned to a more immediate problem than his rendezvous with the graceful beastwoman tomorrow. Namely, how he was going to hide the day’s activities from Issa. Praying that the guildhall had a shower, he followed the rest of the group through the gates and into the city. Kobolds were scary, but kid sisters were even moreso.

  Wracking his mind in order to come up with what was going to have to be his greatest strategy of the day, Rayne entered Torid. As the gates slammed shut behind them, he felt a feeling of relief and accomplishment wash over him. Having safely returned, his first adventure was now finally behind him.

  Somehow, he had done it. Defeated the kobolds, survived initiation, and even found his first party member. He had officially taken his first step into the world of adventurers, and done so without embarrassing himself.

  With a soft smile, he returned his armor to the guild and grabbed his clothes from the locker. There was a bathhouse in the back of the guildhall, and he used this to scrub off the dirt and grime from the ruin, taking care not to make himself too clean lest Issa wonder why he had bathed before coming to get her.

  Finally finished, he headed out, ready to face the biggest trial of the day: his little sister.

  ~

  Issa was waiting for him when he arrived at the gates of the Academy, and she pushed off against the wall, running to meet him with a huge smile on her face.

  “Brother!” she greeted, skidding to a stop just in front of him as she launched into a hug.

  With a grunt, Rayne felt the air leave his lungs, and he let out an involuntary groan as muscles sore from a day of adventuring were squeezed tight. Forcing himself to respond, he gave her a squeeze in return, then pushed her away before she could attack any more of his aching muscles.

  “Hey, Issa,” he replied. “How was your day?”

  “Great!” she replied cheerily, settling in beside him as they began to walk back home. “Turns out I aced that test from last week, and Professor Hanah was saying that everything we covered will be present on the midterm, so that means my preparations haven’t been in vain.”

  Her arms swung wildly as she talked, her entire body animated as she relayed the events of her day to him. Rayne could not help but smile. His sister’s enthusiasm was infectious, though his mood was dampened when she asked him about his own day.

  “Oh, you know how it goes,” he responded evasively. “Some days are harder than others. Gotta fight for everything these days. But it all works out in the end.”

  Issa seemed to accept this, but she must have sensed something in his tone, for she put a hand on his forearm. “Are you sure that everything’s okay?” Her eyes were large, and she gazed imploringly at him. “Because I can help, Rayne. You know I can. There’s no need to shoulder everything yourself.”

  Wrenching his arm away with a little more force than he had intended, Rayne shook his head. “I’m fine, Issa.”

  His sister looked hurt, and Rayne felt guilty. Casting around for a conversation topic, he seized upon the first thing that came to mind. “Hear any more rumors?”

  With a pensive look, Issa shook her head, her hair falling in waves around her as she did. “Nope. I spent the entire day in class or studying. There was no time to talk with anyone.”

  As Rayne made a noncommittal noise, she suddenly came to a stop.

  Confused, he looked at her, only to see her examining his face closely. “Can I help you?” he asked, concerned that he had been found out.

  “One sec, you’ve got some dirt on you.” Reaching up, she licked her thumb and then used it to rub at a spot on his forehead. Only after a few seconds did she finish, standing back to admire her handiwork. “How did you manage that?” she asked as they resumed walking.

  Rayne shrugged, doing his best to appear nonchalant though his heart was racing as he came up with a response. “I dropped some papers on the ground today. Must’ve gotten some dirt on my hands picking them up, and then when I went to rub the sweat off my brow.”

  With an understanding nod, Issa looked forward. “It’s been so hot recently. The classroom was super stuffy today which sucked.”

  “They didn’t have the magical cooling on?”

  She shook her head. “They did, but it still wasn’t enough. Professor Iain says we need to upgrade the system. But apparently, they’re waiting on a shipment of new mana crystals from the north. Until those arrive, we’re stuck dealing with this interminable heat.” Sneaking a glance at him, she smiled. “However, I suppose I can’t complain since we have some cooling after all. I bet it’s way worse in your office.”

  “You don’t know the half of it,” Rayne promised.

  She giggled. “And thank the gods for that. Now tell me, brother, what fantastic meal shall we enjoy today?”

  Rayne pretended to put on a thoughtful expression. “Well, I was thinking of beginning with a scrumptious course of potato, carrot, and scallion stew. Afterwards, we’ll wash that down with—”

  “No bread?” she asked, her eyes wide.

  “I’m afraid they were all out when I arrived,” Rayne lied. He had no idea whether or not the baker had sold out or not. But with the new price of bread, and having not worked today, they could not afford a loaf, and even if they could, he had not been to the market today. “Maybe tomorrow.”

  Issa sighed. “Ah well. In that case, I suppose I’ll have to settle for my brother’s world famous stew for the twelfth day running.” Grinning at him to show that she was joking, she raced ahead. “Come on, brother! Any longer out here and we’ll melt into the cobblestones!”

  Forcing strength into his tired legs, Rayne overtook her in an instant. Turning, he stuck out his tongue in an obvious challenge, a smile on his lips as the two siblings raced home in the evening heat.