The evening sun bathed Aramode’s streets in a warm golden glow as Tolu made his way home.
Merchants were closing their stalls for the day, children chased one another through the narrow streets, and the rich aroma of roasted meat drifted from nearby food vendors.
For the first time...
He walked these familiar roads as an adventurer.
His hand rested unconsciously on the small leather pouch hanging from his belt.
The bronze coins inside clinked softly with every step.
It wasn’t much.
But they were the first coins he had earned with his own hands.
A smile found its way onto his face.
The little bell above the shop door jingled as Tolu stepped inside.
Rows of everyday goods lined the wooden shelves—clay pots, rope, lantern oil, sewing needles, dried spices, soap, and simple farming tools.
Behind the counter, Uncle Aremu was arranging a few sacks of grain.
He looked up.
"There you are."
His eyes quickly swept over Tolu.
Dust covered his boots.
His clothes were stained with patches of dried slime.
A small scratch marked one forearm.
Aremu smiled.
"I’ll take that as proof you survived."
Tolu laughed.
"Barely."
"You fought dragons already?"
"Worse."
"Slimes."
Aremu pretended to gasp.
"My poor nephew."
"I hear they’re terrifying."
"They are."
"They’re ugly."
"They smell."
"And one nearly bounced into my face."
Aremu chuckled.
"I knew becoming an adventurer wasn’t as glamorous as the stories."
Tolu reached into his pouch and placed several bronze coins on the counter.
"For the house."
Aremu frowned immediately.
"No."
"You earned those."
"So did you."
Tolu gently pushed the coins closer.
"You’ve been feeding me for years."
"Buying my clothes."
"Paying for everything."
"The least I can do is help."
For a long moment, Aremu simply looked at him.
Then he sighed.
"You really have grown."
He picked up only a portion of the coins before pushing the rest back.
"We’ll share."
Tolu smiled.
"Deal."
After washing away the day’s dust with a bucket of cool water behind the house, Tolu finally felt human again.
The aches in his arms reminded him just how much swinging a sword differed from training with one.
He changed into a clean tunic before joining his uncle for dinner.
A simple meal waited on the table.
Steaming yam.
Vegetable stew.
Grilled fish.
To Tolu...
It smelled better than any feast.
For several minutes, neither spoke.
They simply enjoyed the meal.
Finally, Aremu broke the silence.
"So..."
"Was Ore as bossy outside the city as she is inside it?"
Tolu nearly choked on his food.
"She is not bossy."
Aremu raised an eyebrow.
"No?"
"No."
"She merely..."
Tolu searched for the right word.
"...has many opinions."
Aremu laughed so hard he had to wipe tears from his eyes.
"That’s one way of putting it."
Tolu couldn’t help laughing as well.
The rest of the evening passed with stories from the day’s training.
The slime that nearly hit him.
The herb he almost picked by mistake.
The instructor’s stern lectures.
By the time the lamps were extinguished, both uncle and nephew wore tired but content smiles.
Morning arrived with birdsong filtering through the open window.
After a quick breakfast, Tolu slung his sword over his shoulder.
"I’m off."
Aremu nodded from behind the shop counter.
"Be careful."
"I will."
"And remember."
"If something feels beyond you..."
"...there’s no shame in coming home."
Tolu smiled.
"I know."
Stepping outside, he closed the door behind him and made his way toward the Adventurers’ Guild.
The city was already awake.
Smiths hammered glowing steel.
Bakers pulled fresh loaves from their ovens.
Merchants arranged colorful displays before their shops.
Soon the familiar stone building of the guild came into view.
Its great wooden doors stood open as adventurers entered and departed with practiced confidence.
Tolu adjusted the strap of his sword and walked inside.
Another day.
Another opportunity.
The familiar murmur of the Adventurers’ Guild greeted Tolu as he stepped inside.
The hall was already busy.
Veterans studied high-ranking commissions posted along the western wall while newer adventurers crowded around the beginner boards, hoping to claim an easy request before someone else did.
Tolu made his way to the Novice Commission Board.
Sheets of parchment covered nearly every inch of the large wooden board.
Slime Extermination – East Meadow
Reward: 2 Bronze per confirmed core.
Greenleaf Mint Collection
Reward: Market rate by weight.
Escort Merchant Cart to River Crossing
Reward: 45 Bronze.
Drive Wild Boars from Farmland
Reward: 70 Bronze.
He quietly read through each one.
"Nothing unusual today..."
He reached toward the Slime Extermination commission before his eyes drifted to a sheet partly hidden beneath another notice.
Curious, he pulled it free.
The parchment looked no different from the dozens surrounding it.
The ink had faded slightly, suggesting it had been hanging there for several days.
It read:
Investigate Repeated Ground Tremors
Location: Old Stone Hills.
Objective: Determine the source of minor tremors reported by travelers.
Reward: 30 Bronze upon verified report.
Tolu frowned.
"Ground tremors..."
It wasn’t much of a reward.
In fact, it paid less than spending a full day collecting enough slime cores.
He glanced at the location again.
The Old Stone Hills.
He paused.
"If I remember correctly..."
He muttered to himself.
"They’re only a little beyond the eastern hunting grounds."
Close enough that he could still hunt slimes and gather herbs on the way back.
He scratched the back of his head.
"Thirty bronze for taking a look..."
"It wouldn’t hurt."
A familiar voice interrupted his thoughts.
"Talking to the mission board now?"
Tolu turned to find Ore standing behind him with a teasing smile.
"I was beginning to think adventuring had finally driven you mad."
He held up the commission.
"What do you think?"
She read it before shrugging.
"Tremors?"
"Probably loose rocks."
"Or a badger digging under the road."
"Maybe."
"The reward isn’t great."
"No."
"But it’s on the way."
Ore nodded thoughtfully.
"We could investigate it after we’re done hunting."
"If we don’t find anything..."
"...we’ve only lost a little time."
Tolu smiled.
"That’s what I was thinking."
He pulled the commission from the board and carried it to the reception counter.
The elderly clerk accepted the parchment without so much as a second glance.
"Old Stone Hills investigation?"
He flipped through a ledger and made a neat entry beside Tolu’s name.
"No one’s taken an interest in this one for a while."
He stamped the commission with the guild’s seal and handed it back.
"Good luck."
Tolu thanked him, tucked the folded parchment into his satchel, and rejoined Ore near the guild entrance.
To everyone else in the bustling hall...
It was just another low-paying novice commission.
No one spared it a second thought.