"Blargh!" came the sound of guild member.
"Hey if you're gonna spill your guts out! Take it outside!" a guild member shouted. The guild hall was in a chaotic, post-celebration haze. Empty mugs and half-eaten plates were scattered across the wooden tables. In one corner, a couple of rowdy adventurers were still singing, their voices off-key and loud, while others groaned at the noise, hoping to drown out the ringing in their ears.
In the other corner, were other members of the guild recovered from last night's festivities preparing to go questing for the day.
In far back was a sulking Leif "I can't believe your going on a quest without me!" Leif grumbled as they browsed the guild hall's quest and recruitment boards.
Rin looked at his friend, his tone ever stoic but tinged with concern. "Hey, you shouldn't be out questing yet."
"I told you, I'll cover our expenses until you're better," Rin offered calmly.
"Hey! That's why people spread weird rumors about us! You don't need to worry about me, alright? Worry about yourself!" Leif jabbed a finger at him accusingly.
Rin sighed. "Are you still upset about me accepting high level quest without you? I told you, you still need to rest."
Leif huffed. "You don't know that—I could still handle more F-rank quests!"
"Really?" Rin gave him a poke, and Leif crashed to the floor in an undignified heap.
"Like I said you should stick to G-Rank quest in the meantime, nothing too hard." Rin smirked.
"You insanely strong damage dealer! Don't look down on me!" Leif barked from the ground.
"It's hard not to because your on the floor." Rin smirked, turning back to the recruitment board.
"You traitor!" Leif accused glaring, "You ditched me just so you could climb ranks faster!"
Across the hall, a veteran guild member sipping soup sighed. "There they go again"
"What are they arguing about this time?" asked another guild member.
"Quests" the veteran member answered enjoying the soup.
"They sure argue like a married couple." the other guild member commented.
Rin looked back at Leif "It's good money and you know I need the extra money as much as I can. It's the least I could do for my family as a C-Rank adventurer."
Leif's scowl softened, and he sat up, embarrassed. "Geez, alright, I get it. You didn't have to get all serious on me."
"Then it's settled, you stick to G-Rank quest for a little while until you fully recover. I'll get going now." Rin then leaves to join the party quest.
*****
After a few days of Grunt work doing Guild chores so he can eat and running errands for merchants. Leif was looking at the guild board again. Rin hasn't returned from his D-Rank quest yet. "I can't believe I'm back to grinding at G-Rank quest again." Leif sighed heavily.
A looming shadow approached him and without warning, Leif was lifted off his feet by a burly man "Leif! Thank Deu you're alive!" the Guild Master boomed, his grip firm enough to rival a Tazmanianbear's strength.
Leif squirmed, trying to pry himself free. "What the heck! Let go of me, you old geezer!"
"Guild Master Bridge, please put Leif down," the vice-master, Lyra, said in passing, clearly accustomed to the Guild Master's antics.
"Welcome back, Guild Master, Vice Guild Master," Flora, the guild attendant, greeted them warmly.
"Hello, Flora. Here are a few new quests to post. Did we get any private guild quests today?" Lyra asked, organizing a stack of parchments.
"Yes, we received a few yesterday. These are the ones the Guild Master approved." Flora handed Lyra a stack as Leif wriggled out of Bridge's hold.
Flora handed Lyra a couple more stacked parchment paper. "Here are some guild activities that happened while you were away." Lyra dutifully scanned through the log.
"Leif, you approved Rin going on D rank quest without you?" Lyra asked a bit surprised in her tone.
"That wasn't me! It was Rin's stupid idea!" Leif protested.
"Well, you better stick to G-rank quests in the meantime. Don't push your progress too fast." Lyra sounded a little disheartened but still maintained a business-as-usual tone.
"I'm sorry Leif, I approved that quest. When you returned Rin told me you were dying and you might not be able to go questing for a long while." Bridge on a completely different topic tried to explain. He was now sobbing, despite his appearance the Guild Master is a softie, especially to his lower-ranked guild members.
"If you're so sorry, you shouldn't have approved it at all!" Leif snapped.
"And I shouldn't have approved you taking that F-Rank Quest with a Rootling!" The master continued his one-sided pity party, "It was outdated, and the Rootling had leveled up to be an E-Rank monster so you shouldn't have gone with that quest!"
"What?!" Lyra was baffled at the news. As an A-class Damage Dealer herself she was a force to be reckoned with. She slammed her hand on the table the entire guild hall fell silent. "You let them go on an outdated quest? Aren't you supposed to check on those weekly?"
Bridge instinctively held Leif up like a shield. "I was... busy with another guild task," he said meekly.
Lyra's eyes narrowed. "What guild task? I do most of the Guild Master work around here, even though you're the guild master."
"The Guild Master was out celebrating a B-Rank quest completion. He ordered the food and beer at O'Padfoot Tavern. Here's the bill from that gathering." Flora, ever helpful, chimed in with an innocent smile. Unaware she was only digging the Guild Master's grave deeper.
The color drained from Bridge's face as Lyra's fury grew. "You were out celebrating?!"
"It's good to build camaraderie within the guild." He stepped back as Lyra stepped closer. The guild members present in the hall either began tiptoeing away or shrank back a little, fearing they might incur the Vice Guild Master's fury.
"I'll deal with you later" anger sparked in Lyra's eyes. "Flora, get me all the updates from the last month! I need to recheck this dummy's work." She stormed to the Guild Master's Office.
Flora unfazed by the Vice Master's fury trailed after her still with a composed smile. "I'll prepare the correspondence right away Vice Master."
Lyra stormed off, muttering, "If I left this guild to that dummy it would be in ashes in a week!" Her voice echoed as she slammed the Guild Master's office door behind her.
The onlookers collectively sighed in relief, thinking that they survived without incurring the Vice Master's wrath.
Leif gave Bridge the side-eye. "Nice work using me as a human shield."
Bridge winced, looking genuinely apologetic. "She's scary when she's mad."
"Hey, she's your wife! And an A-Rank damage dealer, for crying out loud!" Leif exclaimed. "I'm no match for her!"
"You!" Lyra marched back into the hall, finger jabbing towards Bridge. "Take over for Flora."
Bridge put on his best charming smile. "Don't you need me to help sort out the updates, dear?"
The door slammed in his face. "Don't you dare leave the reception unattended!"
"Yes dear," Bridge muttered, resignation settling over him as the Guild Master of Boundless was, for the moment, demoted to guild attendant.
Turning to Leif, he tried to cheer up. "Anyway, Leif, I saved something good for you. Real G-Rank, grunt work, easy reward!" He pulled out a parchment paper from his pocket.
Leif raised a skeptical brow. "It's not one of those 'aristocrat in need of a handsome knight' gigs again, right?"
"No, no, nothing like that!" Bridge waved his hands. "I met the quest poster myself. He's actually a good friend"
"Yeah? Did you check the requestor's background? Like this old lady in that one quest, you made me do."
"Come on that quest was easy, finding a lost cat?" Bridge cheered.
Mildly frustrated Leif recalled "In the end, the old lady had memory loss, and her cat had been dead for a long time! I searched for over seven days, and I still haven't received payment for that job because the old lady forgot to pay the guild and eventually passed away."
"Well, this one is just a simple muscle-only request. Come on have I ever steered you wrong before? "
"How about that time you made me go to the middle of nowhere to do nothing because you fell for an aristocrat's lousy prank quest?"
"You're making me sound incompetent. At least that job paid well. Look, just check this out I think this is perfect for you." He thrust the parchment into Leif's hands eager for Leif to accept the quest. "It's not everyday a G-Rank quest would come your way that has food, lodging, and silver coins as a reward."
The Parchment was for a G-Rank quest. It asked to help prepare the land for plowing. Leif thought it might just be an old farmer trying to clear his land and it might not be so bad.
*****
When Leif arrived at the requestor's house. The house stood alone on a barren patch of land, the dry soil showing faint signs of care with shallow furrows and a few hardy plants clinging to life. Its weathered wooden walls and patched thatched roof bore the marks of years of resilience, standing firm against the harsh, unyielding landscape.
Dark windows stare out like empty eyes, and the creaky door hangs ajar, so Leif calls out "Hello? Anyone home?" his calls are met with silence. "It's Leif from the Boundless Guild. I'm here to answer the quest you posted at our guild." He explained to virtually no one.
"Dang it, that old geezer!" he muttered, kicking a loose stone. "What's he thinking, accepting quests from someone living out here? I bet it's another prank quest. I hope he didn't accept this on credit again."
Just as he turned to head back, the fading light caught his eye. "It'll be dark soon," he realized, unease creeping into his thoughts. "Walking through back in the dead of night wouldn't be wise. I could stay in the the house; surely the old man wouldn't mind, he did request for help."
He pushed the door further open. "Excuse me," he announced, stepping into the dim interior. "Since the door was open I let myself in, and it's getting pretty dark out. It's Leif again from the Boundless Guild responding to the quest you posted in our guild."
The floorboards creaked beneath his weight, the air thick with dust and the scent of damp wood. Just as he began to adjust to the gloom, a low growl rumbled behind him, sending a shiver down his spine. He turned to find two glowing eyes locked onto his, and before he could react, a creature lunged, pinning him to the ground and knocking the breath from his lungs. Instinctively, he raised his shield, feeling the impact of its claws denting the metal, the creature's hot breath brushing against his face, growls deep and murderous.
"Sera? Is that you, what's the matter?" In the darkness, he heard a soft gentle voice. Leif's heart raced; he assumed it must be the requestor. "Stay back! Don't worry; I'm an adventurer from the Boundless Guild. I'll protect you!" he declared valiantly.
"Ember, light the room please." as soon as the girl said this fire started blazing from the fire pit and the singular oil lamp in the room. Leif now saw the creature he was facing he tilted his head up to see the other person in the room.
The girl had a look of fear in her glistening deep blue eyes, Her raven-black hair cascaded around her fair skin. Despite her ragged clothes, she had a sweet and elegant demeanor about her.
"Stand back!" Leif grunted as he tried to force the Lupinara's paws off him but it would not budge. In his mind, he was thinking that he had to push this creature back and away from the house. But how?!