Chương 75: The Maiden Contract

Cal pushed through the oak doors of the Adventurer's Hall that evening, Corinne half a step behind him. Hunting parties clamored as they returned from the wilds, the clatter of tankards and tales of the day's events filling the air. Through the high windows, the crimson light of second dusk created a ruddy, low-contrast gloom. The air was rich with the scent of roasted meat, stale ale, and the metallic tang of blood from fresh trophies at the appraisal counter. Corinne's whisper came in a breathless rush.

"I can't believe this is happening, it's actually happening, I've been waiting for this my entire life and now it's real and I'm going to do it properly, not like some of those idiots who just waltz in and—" Cal smiled at the stream of excited run-on sentences, while his mind worked through the evening's plan. Movement caught his attention. The scarred woman from the night he was christened an adventurer—the one who'd bought him a drink after his return—sat at a table near the wall, sharpening a long knife.

Their eyes met and she gave him a respectful nod. He returned it. Corinne's chatter cut off mid-sentence.

"Do you know her? She looks tough!" He chuckled.

"We… shared a drink once." They crossed to Felicity's counter. The quartermaster looked up from her ledger, her intense brown eyes taking them both in with a single glance. The corner of her mouth quirked upward as she set down her quill.

"Corinne." Warmth threaded through the professional tone.

"I was wondering when you'd finally walk through that door." The innkeeper's daughter laced her fingers in front of herself. When she spoke, her voice carried a gravity Cal hadn't heard before.

"I wish to formally register with the Adventurer's Guild." Felicity pulled an old ledger from beneath the counter and opened it to a blank page.

"The registration fee is one gold. You'll need to complete your first contract before the Guild issues you a permanent, spirit-bound badge." Felicity noted Corinne's payment in a small register, then reached beneath the counter again and produced a simple bronze disc on a leather cord. The emblem of the Deadfall Village Adventurer's Guild—a Sitka spruce—was stamped on its face. However, this one was inert and lacked any of the swirling mists that denoted a real member. The intern badge.

Access to the mailroom, and highly expendable.

"This is your temporary marker. It grants you access to F-tier contracts and identifies you as a Guild affiliate." She slid it across the counter.

"Don't lose it. Replacement costs twenty silver." Corinne picked it up with both hands, her fingers tracing the emblem as though it might disappear if she looked away. Slipping the cord over her head, she tucked the badge beneath her shirt and pressed a palm to her chest where it lay.

"And you, Mister Valorn?" Felicity smirked as she addressed him with his new name.

"Just here to accompany her today." Cal gestured toward the contract board.

"Though I'll be taking a contract before I leave." Felicity nodded, then turned back to Corinne.

"Tier and location organizes the board. F-tier contracts are on the left side. Red tags indicate combat-focused work. Green tags are harvesting and foraging. Blue tags are escort or guide jobs." She paused, her voice dropping slightly.

"Read every word of the contract description. The Guild doesn't post death traps, but some jobs are harder than their pay suggests. If something sounds too good, it probably is." Corinne swallowed.

"Yes, ma'am." She moved toward the board with Cal trailing behind her. As she read, silent words formed on her lips, one finger hovering inches from the parchments while Cal pored over the contents and let his Impartments map the landscape. Zarven was buying, and the backlog of contracts—not to mention the increasing payouts—proved the market was starved for silverbloom, a common reagent for Healing Potions.

The bottleneck was tactical: feral goblins appeared to have migrated to some creek beds near the eastern trade road, nesting directly atop the prime harvest zones. I wonder if my work at the quarry displaced them? Cal watched her for a moment, then reached out and tapped a contract near the top. The parchment was wrinkled, the ink faded.

"What about this one?" Corinne leaned in, her eyes tracking across the words. Contract: Mistweaver Spider Silk Type: Foraging Tier: F (High-Red recommended) Location: The Webwood Thicket Objective: Harvest 10 meters of intact mistweaver silk Pay: 15 gold Posted by: Rahul Rousseau She read it twice, her brow wrinkling.

"No." Cal raised an eyebrow.

"The pay is excellent."

"The pay is high because the risk is incredibly high for a novice." The matter-of-fact tone held no room for argument. She pointed to a line near the bottom.

"Mistweaver spiders hunt in packs and their bites cause rotting disease. The silk itself? Touch it, and they swarm you." She looked at him.

"It's a fool's errand. Or someone who's desperate."

"Good." Corinne blinked, then her tension broke as understanding dawned. She punched his arm lightly, her scowl dissolving into a grin. Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. They returned to scanning the board in comfortable silence and Cal's eyes drifted to a parchment near the center, tagged green.

Contract: Silverbloom Frond Harvest Type: Foraging Tier: F Location: Eastern Creek Beds Objective: Harvest 20 intact silverbloom fronds Pay: 5 10 15 20 silver, repeatable Posted by: The Verdant Phial Perfect. The heavy doors at the hall's entrance swung open, drawing Cal's attention. Kamari strode in first, his broad shoulders silhouetted against the blood-red glow of Cinder setting behind him, followed by Amina's light steps. Jorik moved like a coiled shadow at her flank while Senna and Bryon brought up the rear.

The veteran at the wall sat up in her chair. At the bar, a younger adventurer set down his mug and watched. Kamari found Cal immediately. He crossed the floor, his team spreading out in a loose formation behind him.

"Cal Valorn." Cal inclined his head.

"Kamari." The warrior's attention shifted to Corinne, who had frozen mid-reach toward the contract board. His expression softened, and he dipped his head in a shallow bow.

"Miss Hearthsong. Congratulations on your registration." Corinne's mouth opened. Closed. She managed a nod. From a nearby table, a low mutter broke the hush.

"That's Kamari's crew. The ones who cleared that contract in the Rotting Hollow." A tankard paused halfway to a mouth.

"I heard they hunted a nurse log basilisk for three days. Didn't sleep. Just pushed until the thing collapsed from exhaustion." The reply came quieter, laced with a different kind of awe.

"And the half-elf... that's the one who beat Lady Draha." Kamari straightened, his hands clasped behind his back.

"The Guild maintains an old tradition, though it's not often followed here in Deadfall. When a novice shows promise it is customary for a veteran team to offer escort on their first contract. It is... an investment in the Guild's future. And a mark of respect." Corinne's eyes widened. Kamari shifted his attention to Cal as he continued, "I meant what I said on the trail that day. We failed to offer this courtesy to you." Cal's mind drifted to the walk back. The rhythm of boots on soft pine needles.

Kamari striding along beside him, the dirt of Rufan's grave still staining his gloves." Meriel was our conscience," the veteran had said, his voice rough with shame." When she died, we wanted to step in. But your father... his rage was a weapon we didn't know how to fight. He drove us away, and we let him." Cal met the big man's stare in the present.

"You're here now." Kamari relaxed a fraction. He turned back to Corinne, his tone gentling.

"We would be honored to escort you on your first hunt, Miss Hearthsong. For a young woman who fought so well in the Reaping Tournament, and as a debt owed to Meriel that we could not repay to her son." Corinne stared at him. Quiet reverence had claimed the bubbly energy that carried her through the door. She looked at Cal. He gave her a small nod. Corinne turned back to Kamari and squared her shoulders.

"I... yes. I accept. Thank you." Kamari's expression warmed.

"Then let us choose a contract worthy of your first outing." The group moved to the board. With his eyes already examining the listings, Jorik stepped forward. His finger rose and landed decisively on a single contract, tapping it twice as Corinne leaned in to read.

Contract: Feral Goblin Type: Culling Tier: F Location: Eastern Trade Road Objective: Slay 5 feral goblins, retrieve thumb claws as proof Pay: 75 silver Posted by: Adventurer's Guild Looking from the contract to Jorik and then to Cal, her posture shifted as resolve hardened her features.

"This one." Cal nodded, his internal monologue already racing ahead. Excellent. One trip, two contracts, and I didn't even have to suggest it. Keep Corinne safe and fulfill Zarven's request. Two birds with one stone. He stepped forward and plucked the silverbloom contract from the board.

"I'll take this one as well." After reviewing the documents and making a few notes, Felicity walked down and handed them to the clerk at the end of the counter—the same man with the ink-stained fingers and bored expression from Cal's first contract.

"Standard jobs go into the ledger," she explained to Corinne.

"Maiden contracts and high-risk acquisitions require the Hall's witness." The clerk dipped his stamp in the inkwell and cleared his throat.

"Contract 912," the clerk announced. His monotone voice cut through the noise of the Hall, silencing the nearby tables.

"Target: Feral Goblin Pack. Threat Designation: F. Objective: Culling." He paused, his eyes looking at the bottom of the page.

"Bounty: Seventy-five silver. Contract accepted by Corinne Hearthsong." The stamp came down. Thump. The sound echoed in the sudden quiet and Corinne stood motionless, biting her lip. She was officially an aspiring adventurer now. Felicity addressed Cal.

"The silverbloom harvest… Zarven's people have been posting this one for weeks. Why are you taking it?"

"Supply and demand," Cal said simply. She searched his eyes and sighed.

"Well, I suppose you know what you're doing." She stored both contracts, then slid a small leather pouch across the counter.

"Standard-issue collection bag. If you need it." Cal declined the pouch, having his own equipment. Kamari glanced toward the high windows, where the red light was deepening to purple.

"The day is done, and true night approaches. We will meet at first light tomorrow." Corinne shook her head before he finished speaking.

"No." Every eye turned to her. She straightened.

"I need at least a full day to prepare properly, now that I know what I'll be facing. I won't step outside the gate as a liability." Kamari studied her for a long moment, then smile slowly.

"Very wise, Miss Hearthsong. The Eastern Gate. Dawn. Day after next." Corinne exhaled, her shoulders dropping slightly.

"Thank you." The veterans departed in a quiet file and the hall's atmosphere shifted back to its baseline hum. Corinne stood at the counter, staring down at the badge she'd removed from her shirt. For a moment, the boundless optimism that defined her faltered. Her hand began to tremble, the smile faded from her face, and her breathing quickened into something shallow and uneven. Cal saw it. The instant where doubt crept in. It reminded him of one of his own firsts.

He stood in their kitchen again, where the scent of fresh coffee warred with the faint smell of burnt toast. A beast of gleaming chrome and baffling buttons, the new espresso machine produced a small puddle of water that spread across the counter from a seal he had clearly installed wrong." Crumb," he muttered. Evelynn laughed from the doorway, leaning against the frame with a dishtowel over her shoulder as her green eyes sparkled with amusement." You and your folksy little curses.""

It's not a curse," he grumbled, wiping at the spreading puddle." It's an expression of mild frustration."" Right. Like 'Holy mackerel, Ev, this thing is a monster!' or 'Crumb, I forgot to take out the trash.' It's your brand, honey: wholesome exasperation." She had pushed off the doorframe then, her hand finding his while they looked at the machine." First steps are the hardest, but you'll figure it out. You always do." He let the memory fade with her parting kiss on his cheek, the truth of her words remaining.

He looked at Corinne. Stepping closer, he placed a hand gently on her shoulder.

"First steps are the hardest," he said, echoing his wife.

"You're not taking it alone." Corinne looked up at him, her fingers tightening on the bronze until the trembling stilled. After taking a deep breath, she gave him a small, grateful nod.

"Yeah. I know. I just can't believe it's finally real." Cal squeezed her shoulder once, then let go, and gestured toward the Hall's doors.

"Let's get back. Tomorrow will be here before you know it." As they pushed out of the Hall into the cooling air of second dusk, Cal glanced toward Jakob's Magnificent Market, obscured somewhere in the distance. The day's events had forced his hand, and his trip to the merchant demanded attention. Yet the late hour meant delay. I need those stones. I'll burn through my bankroll to secure the Willpower for spellcasting, savings or no savings.

Alchemy remains the only path to craft the meridian liner elixirs and regain full use of my Stamina, and I can't be so dependent upon external means of recovery—I need to be self-sufficient. He fell into step beside Corinne, matching her pace toward the inn. First light. I'll be at Jakob's door before he even brews his tea.