I stomped to the quest board, my head red with embarrassment.
Of course I noticed the other hunters laughing.
The quest board only held a dozen quests and to my dismay there were only two quests for bronze ranks currently.
I sighed and checked them out.
Deliver 10 Catun carcasses Time Limit: 3 days Location: Tide alps Reward: 4,500 Zenny Gather 15 rare Midnight cup mushrooms Time Limit: 5 days Location: Tide Grasslands Reward: 7,500 Zenny I pulled out my notebook, it was simple and leather bound, but I had copied every note my parents made in theirs and even tried to draw copies of paw and claw marks.
Dad’s notes had fewer information about gathering quests, but Miss ‘has to embarrass me at the guild’ Mom had quite the knowledge about them.
Of course I reserved a few pages for my previous gaming knowledge, but I never bothered doing any low ranked gathering, as it was faster to gain rank with killing monsters.
Especially if you repeated a quest to slay Zenrades, a smaller variant of Zengards that appeared in small packs and were similarly intelligent.
They looked more like classical raptors and weren’t dangerous enough to be called drakes.
My eyes moved to the Catun deer quest.
Another annoying one.
3 days for 10 Catun wasn’t much and if you got one down the rest always fled.
For melee-only hunters it wouldn’t be feasible without laying traps and those cost money I didn’t want to spend, even if my family was well off thanks to my parents max ranks.
I grabbed the mushroom quest and walked back towards the earlier guild employee, my mom not standing there anymore.
Nervously I looked around the hall, still walking towards Sue and saw her chattering with a group of middle aged hunters.
“Welcome to the hunters guild, how may I be of service,” she greeted me with the same smile as earlier.
“Umm do you always have to say that?” I asked her maybe a bit awkwardly and she nodded.
“So tell me Miss Aria, how can I help?” She inquired again.
I presented the quest to her, “I’d like to gather those mushrooms.” She looked me over and towards the almost empty weapon racks near the canteen, “you’re unarmed, do you want to rent a guild weapon?” I checked my belt pouch.
Sure, I could afford to rent a weapon, but with the saved up 20,000 Zenny I had right now, I could simply buy said guild issued weapon at the smithy’s.
Zenny came in different variants from bronze coins up to adamantite, with the latter being worth 1,000,000 Zenny and since towns and villages all shared food with each other, you only needed them for merchants who sold rarer things like candies, imported foods and hunter supplies.
“I think I’ll pass and rather drop by the smithy’s before heading out.
Is that okay or do I need to own a weapon first?” Sue the guild employee smiled at me professionally, “normally it needs to be verified, as there have been cases of reckless hunters attempting gathering without anything to defend themselves.” She paused for a second, her eyes moving towards the canteen, towards my mother.
Then she continued, voice a bit quieter than before, “but since you’re the daughter of the lightning princess and Firestorm Norlan, I’ll allow it.” “Thanks!” I showed her a wide smile, my prominent canines showing.
“You’re welcome, but don’t forget, the quest has a time limit starting with acceptance of the quest,” Sue replied.
Then continued on, “don’t forget to bring supplies with you, you never know what could happen.” I held up my notebook looking almost too proud of myself, “not a problem!
I got mom’s notes.
This’ll be a breeze!” Especially since the grasslands are only an hour long walk, I added in my head, then continued, “and our home’s on the way towards the village exit anyways, so I’ll grab supplies from home.” I turned to look for mom, but she was now engrossed not only in arm wrestling against one of the middle aged hunters, she was winning.
Even from across the hall I could see he almost popped a vein and yet he stood no chance at all, mom’s arm didn’t budge at all.
I put my head in my hands and let out a sigh.
After another long sigh, I waved at the guild employee, my back already turned, “see you later Miss Sue.” After leaving the massive guild hall, I quickly strode towards the smithy’s, reaching the entrance, just to get almost blown away by the heat.
It was sweltering hot, even outside the building, thanks to its open forge.
I turned towards the smithy’s shop and entered.
Inside it wasn’t much better.
The heat of the forge next door could be felt even inside the shop and I hoped the displayed weapons and armors weren’t too hot to touch.
I moved around the different weapons on display, most of them were made of reinforced steel, with the bigger bastard swords being more than 2 meters tall.
I walked past their long swords in search of one handed swords and shields.
I moved past the other row and found glaives and daggers.
Weird.
Deciding it was best to ask, I turned towards the counter, “hi, uh…
Do you have any sword and shield sets?” The shop employee, a young man I haven’t seen in the village before, shot me a bored look and yawned, just to point towards a dusty corner, “only what ya see.” “Thanks,” I replied and checked the set.
It was old, but at least new, with the sheath bearing a small 1st Exploration badge.
I only knew it from my father’s old Lance, but recognized it nonetheless.
The shield looked like old reinforced steel, but something about the color was a tad off.
I drew the blade out of the sheath.
The blade had the same weird tint the shield had.
I wondered if reinforced steel could somehow get bad in this world, but that wouldn’t leave a bluish sheen in the metal.
So I turned back towards the shop keeper, “should the blade have that blueish sheen?” His eyes moved towards the blade, still looking bored, “ya dense?
That’s layered malazite.
It’s a reinforced 1st Exploration standard sword and shield set made with reinforced steel and lesser drake leather for the grip.
Costs ya 19,000 Zenny.” He stated matter of factly, but it felt like he insulted me too.
“Isn’t that a bit steep?
It’s not even maintained,” I look a bit smug and pushed more.
“The normal guild set should be 15,000, no?” “Ya really are a dense one!” He fumed.
“It costs more because it’s reinforced with malazite!
Do I to spell that out for ya?” “Don’t call me dense!
Rudeeee!” I slammed the set onto the counter and almost yelled at him, fuming.
“Ya buying it, or ya continuing gettin on ma nerves?” “Fine, I’ll take it, but you’ll give me a maintenance set with it.
Same price.” I told him.
Sure I’m still fuming, but wasting quest time ain’t worth it and pull my belt pouch open.
I watched him grab a small box with maintenance supplies off the shelf and lays it down next to the weapon.
“That’s 19,000 Zenny for ya.” I quickly got 19 silver coins out of my pouch and paid.
Then I holstered my new, but dusty sword and took the shield by its arm straps.
I left the rude smithy employee, to get home to prepare the last few things.
Now I had a weapon to clean too, so I’d have to hurry as the sun was already halfway up.
When I went back home, I saw mom was back and currently cleaning some rugs we usually had in our yurt.
As I got closer, she noticed me, “welcome back sweetie, did you forget something?” I held up the dusty shield and sat down on the bench in front of the yurt and opened the maintenance kit.
It contained only the minimum, but it’d work.
I moved the shield aside and took my sheathed blade, making quick work of any dust, then oiled the metal parts and waxed the leather.
Engrossed in cleaning the sheath, I didn’t notice mom sitting down next to me.
I drew the blade and removed the old oil.
Out in the sun, the bluish sheen looked gorgeous.
After a wipe down with a few droplets of oil, the bottle being only half full, weird, I finished.
As I sheathed and holstered my sword, I noticed mom sitting next to me, “it’s a beautiful blade you bought.
I was worried you’d rent one of those used up rookie blades at the guild.
So I was ready to give you mine for a while.” She pointed next to me and I saw a stunning rapier with rose adornments around the guard.
Next to it a black shield adorned with similar red roses.
If I remember correctly, they were made out of ultra rare parts of a Mad Arachne, a truly ferocious arachnid.
It was a monster I never fought back in the game and I knew I wouldn’t want to fight one now.
Mom continued, my shield laying on her lap, fully cleaned, “but you got yourself a fine weapon.
I didn’t know 1st Exploration weapons were still sold.” “It was the only one they had and the guy at the smithy said it’s reinforced with mazalite.” I stood up to prepare a water skin and mom followed behind.” “You know I had a similar set back when I was a rookie, too and just arrived on this continent, way before even the expeditions started.
It was way back before I met your father, when I just arrived from the old world,” she stood next to me as I drew some water.
“Ahh that really brings me back,” she still held my shield, I strapped the water skin to the side of my backpack.
“To think I would now be able to watch my daughter go on her first quest.” I was finally done with preparations and looked down at the shield in mom’s hands, “thank you for cleaning it, mom.” She turned the shield in her hands, turning the arms straps towards me,” don’t mention it, Aria, I’m your mom.
It’s normal to help my sweet daughter.” I slipped my arm into the straps and tightened them.
It was time to finally start my first quest!