Chương 6: My First Adventure Begins!

The carriage touched down in a wide grassy field, and Gloria stepped out into the open air, her eyes locking immediately onto the gaping maw of the cave sitting unnaturally in the middle of the meadow. Bar hauled his massive double-headed axe out from the storage compartment with a loud metallic scrape and slung it over his shoulder, shooting her a grin as he called out, "What, chickening out already? Or are you frozen in your tracks, oh mighty Gloria?" Gloria turned toward him slowly.

"Why should I be afraid of anything?" She tilted her head slightly.

"Within this entire world, there exists not a single thing that can cause me defeat. What reason do I have for fear?" Bar barked out a loud laugh, though his eyes narrowed as he stepped closer.

"The world's a big place, lizard. Bigger and meaner than you seem to think it is." Rali came around the side of the carriage, his twin rapiers now strapped to his waist, and let out an amused chuckle.

"I don't know about your power yet, but that attitude certainly fits name of the Conqueror. Try to keep it realistic though. It sounds cooler when it's believable."

'… Please, I just wanted to tell them not to worry about me. Why are you adding extra stuff to what I'm saying, Gloria???' she screamed internally, only for her body to do an almost indignant huff in response to her own attempt at modesty. Before she could spiral even further into her own thoughts, the elf driver climbed down from his high compartment using the side ladders before hopping the last bit to the ground and dusting off his hands.

He straightened his uniform, cleared his throat a couple of times, and swept his gaze across the group with an obviously prepared speech.

"Alright, listen up! Most of you are Gold-ranked, so I'll keep it short and let you fill in the newbie on anything I skip. This is still technically a Bronze quest, which means no guild associate is coming along to hold your hands or make sure you do things by the book. Anyone from the guild can jump in whenever they feel like it, and the notice stays up on the board even if you all come crawling back empty-handed."

He paused to pull a small pipe from his pocket, lighting it with a quick snap of his fingers and taking a slow drag while eyeing the dark cave mouth in the distance.

"I'll be waiting right here for the next hour and a half before I'm cleared to head back. Finish early or decide you've had enough, just come find me and I'll fly you home. If not… well, it's close enough to the city that you'll manage on your own. Good luck in there, and try not to die." The Archer was the only one who was still right next to the carriage, but upon hearing those words, they performed an elegant jump, which landed them right next to Gloria.

A large, elegant bow was slung across their back, while a full quiver of arrows rested at their hip, the fletching visible beneath the edge of their cloak.

"I assure you, none of us will die." The Archer said.

"And there is no need to worry about the timing. The newbie and I will be moving together, and I give you my word that we will return before your departure." The elf driver gave a short nod at the hooded figure's words, clearly relieved to have at least some assurance that the group would return safely. He climbed back into his compartment without another word, leaving the four of them standing in the open meadow.

The Archer stepped closer to Gloria without hurry, and for a few long seconds they simply looked at one another, the silence stretching between them until Gloria felt the strange urge to fill it with something. But before she could, someone beat her to it.

"Is something wrong? Why are you standing still when you just heard we have such a small timer on our hands?" Rali called out to them. The Archer turned their head toward him.

"We are waiting for you to go in first." Bar's face twisted immediately.

"Like hell we are! We came to this craphole together, and we're gonna stick together!"

"Bar… Try to use your head for once. Gloria has no weapons on her, and I am an archer. It is safe to assume she is a mage. That makes you two, who are both warriors, the logical choice to go in first. Besides, we are not in a party. I see no reason why we should be forced to move as one." Bar opened his mouth, but whatever retort he had prepared died before it could form. The logic was simple enough even for him to understand, and he knew he would sound like a fool if he tried to argue against it.

Rali, however, caught the one detail that did not quite fit. Stolen story; please report.

"That may be true, and while I agree with most of what you said, I would be remiss if I did not correct you on one point. Our new friend Gloria is at least on the level of physical power as Bar. Those large claws are not fooling anyone. She is obviously a warrior herself." Gloria let out a quiet sound of amusement. The idea that anyone would look at her and see a frontline fighter was so far from the truth that it almost hurt to hold the laughter in.

Compared to the average player of her level in the old world, her physical capabilities had always been mediocre at best. Everything that had ever made her dangerous had come from the other side of the scale.

"I am sorry to disappoint the both of you, but the Archer is quite right. My physical strength is overshadowed a dozen times over by my magical one." The Archer's head turned toward her. Even with the hood in the way, Gloria could feel the shift in their attention. There was surprise there, as if they had expected many things from her but not this particular one. Rali's smile thinned. To him, the claim sounded like nothing more than a weak attempt to sound mysterious.

A Bronze-ranked adventurer claiming to be a mage of any real worth was already difficult to believe. Claiming to be overwhelmingly so was simply laughable. Bar, on the other hand, let out a short bark of laughter. He shifted the weight of his axe on his shoulder and looked her up and down while speaking what his partner was thinking.

"Haha, right! Maybe I would believe it if you didn't have a bronze medal on your hip." Rali had been about to speak when Bar turned his broad back on the rest of them without another word.

"Come with me, stick man!" He said over his shoulder, already starting toward the cave.

"We can do what we planned just as well if we go in first!" Rali glanced once between the two groups, before he shook his head and followed after his companion with unhurried steps.

"Well, what can one do with such a companion? I pray we meet again inside. Best of luck to the both of you." Gloria paid their exchange little mind. Her attention had already drifted to the way they moved. Bar had started walking several seconds ahead, yet Rali closed the distance in only two smooth strides, falling into step beside him without any visible effort. It was a small thing, but she found herself noting it all the same. A long sigh slipped from the figure beside her.

"Forget about this quest. We should probably return to the city right now, newbie." The words pulled Gloria's focus back. She turned her head toward the Archer.

"And what reason would we have for such a decision?" The Archer held her gaze for another moment before answering.

"Because those two are a troublesome combination. Bar comes from Kas, where it's tradition that whoever defeats another in honorable single combat earns the right to claim the loser as their lifelong partner, with no room for refusal. He never left that custom behind. In fact, he actively hunts for opportunities to invoke it, seeking out powerful women whenever he finds someone he's interested in."

'Ewwww, I remember that part of the map. Hated pretty much everything about it except that one cool capital city.' Before she could dwell on the thought any further, the Archer continued.

"But he's an oaf. Intimidating, sure, but he never forces anyone into a fight. Everyone who accepts his challenge knows exactly what losing means. I'm not worried about him. Rali's the one you should be watching." A flicker of unease passed through Gloria at the thought, though none of it reached her face.

"And what is he, then?"

"Rali's an adventurer now, but he used to be an assassin. He's killed hundreds of people for money. They say he left that life behind, and maybe he did, but someone doesn't spend years making a living like that without it leaving a mark. I don't care how long he's been retired. A man like that is dangerous to stand too close to." Gloria was a bit stunned.

"Those are some rather heavy accusations you are making. If Bar's custom is truly accepted by his own people, and Rali has left his old life behind, then why warn me away at all?" The question seemed to catch the Archer off guard.

"Because 'accepted' and 'right' aren't the same thing. And because some habits don't retire. I'm just telling you to be careful of them." Gloria had heard every word, yet her eyes had already returned to the two men now walking ahead of them. From what she could tell, neither Bar nor Rali exceeded the strength of what would have been low-level threats in the world she once knew. At most, they might have reached the power of someone barely past level two hundred.

It seemed impossible that such men could be responsible for the kind of crimes the Archer described.

"I am thankful for your warning, fellow adventurer, but my objective remains the completion of this quest." She began walking forward without waiting for a reply. The Archer's voice rose behind her.

"Are you insane? I just told you what they are and what they do! Did you not listen to anything I said?"

"Yes." she stopped in her tracks.

"I heard every word you spoke. And I am choosing to set them aside, just as you have chosen to set aside mine. As you have clearly forgotten, my name is Gloria Superba. And fear has no place beside this name." The Archer took an involuntary step back, as if the sheer scale of her declaration had pushed against them.

"Stubborn fool…Are you truly certain you want to do this? I cannot stop you. I came along to keep you from falling into their hands, but I cannot promise your safety once we are inside."

"Waste not another thought on my well-being," she said, her voice calm and unshaken.

"If danger finds me within those walls, it will learn soon enough that I am not so easily claimed."