Caban Oxwell was fighting for his life.
This was perfectly normal.
After all, it’d be weirder if he wasn’t.
He was an adventurer, and finding himself in terrible situations he rightfully deserved to be in was more or less what he expected. While others woke up and were threatened by a hearty bowl of porridge, he woke up and was threatened by a fruit sli nudging him for whatever was still in his pouch.
If he was lucky … which today he was not.
“Aaaaaaaaaiiiiiiiiieeeeeeeeeee … !!!!!”
Sowhere in the forests east of Marinsgarde, a maidenly shriek filled the air.
Anyone nearby would likely believe that a princess was crying out for help.
Except that in this particular case, the princess was a full-grown man deeply regretting his life’s decisions. Because when anyone found themselves being chased by an enraged bear, that usually ant they did sothing to deserve it.
Sprinting with all his might, Caban did his best to zig-zag his way through the dense undergrowth, hurling himself from one tree to the next.
All it did was make the sounds of snarling and the crashing of a moving boulder co ever closer.
He ran until he could just about hear the snapping of jaws and the drooling of saliva, before leaping onto the thickest tree before him.
In a desperate scramble, he climbed with enough fervour that not even an animal fad for its ability to climb as well could hope to catch him. Or so he desperately hoped.
Glancing down, he paled at the earnest attempt at sampling his ankles.
He climbed higher at once, until he heard the thud as the huge creature returned to the ground. But that didn’t an it had left.
Although it could seek easier prey, the bear was angry for a reason.
Entangling vines from an illegal poaching trap had caught around its body, the barbed thistles maddening it with poison ant to stop a smaller animal.
Now appetite was only second to rage, the bear would likely remain in the vicinity until the human tired or the poison fully set in. And between the two of them, Caban was reasonably certain who was going to lose first.
Thus, he carefully studied the creature below him, before taking a deep breath.
He released himself from the tree, sorsaulting as he dropped down.
And then–
“[Shortcake Cut].”
He drew his sword.
In a single slash, the faint cutting gales unleashed by his blade severed the entangling vines, forcing the barbed harness to unravel from multiple points.
Caban landed deftly on his feet, then held his sword up, his eyes narrowed as he held his ground, ensuring the sunlight was reflected upon the blade.
The bear clawed the dirt in response, although mostly to trample at the vines.
Then, with a growl and a wrinkle of its nose, it swiftly turned around and retreated.
Caban almost allowed a sigh of relief to escape.
Sadly, he wasn’t quite out of danger yet. The biggest danger wasn’t the bear.
It was her.
“Well done,” ca an approving voice from the side. “That was delicately handled, Mr. Oxwell. It isn’t often that an adventurer can keep their nerve before such an enraged creature.”
After listening to ensure the bear had truly left, Caban sheathed his sword.
He then flashed an easy smile, shalessly pretending that he hadn’t just perfectly mimicked a screaming mandrake–even if that was the most likely thing to impress Arionia Maylep.
Leaning against a tree with her arms crossed was the Silver Aurelia herself.
Sohow predicting where the bear would catch up with Caban was the least of her achievents. As an S-rank adventurer, she was at a level of fa far beyond what most could achieve, and yet what was most remarkable about her was the fact she hadn’t reached it through the usual politics.
Arionia had carved a path of silver and steel through her foes, upholding the Guild Code throughout. She was as close as possible to a knightly adventurer, her silver mail glinting beneath her long cloak.
And she was an older woman. Caban’s fad weakness. As well as bears.
“Thanks,” he said, awkwardly rubbing the back of his head. “Gotta do my best. Not often I’ve a legendary adventurer judging my every step. And hopefully not my sounds.”
Arionia smiled, indicating she probably was.
“This shouldn’t be anything new to you, then. You had Thomas Lainsfont as your sword instructor. I dare say he’s more well known than in this kingdom.”
“Yeah, except I never found out who he was until after he’d knocked down enough tis.”
“Oh? … Then how did you know to approach him?”
“Well, I just figured he was a wise barkeeper with a mysterious past. They usually have things to teach. Especially the ones who keep a really fancy sword beneath their counter.”
That drew a laugh.
Caban was glad. It wasn’t actually a joke.
Other than Thomas, he’d bothered enough mysterious people with the gruff exterior that he could give sagely advice to people twice his age.
Of course, it’d help if he offered so to himself as well.
“I’m glad Thomas was able to find it in himself to teach you, then. I believe that helped to keep the adventuring fla alive. I imagine you’ve heard he’s back in the fold now.”
“Yeah, I have. Got a letter from him. Granted, it was mostly a reminder for to not accidentally drown while rescuing a cat from a well. But he did ntion the Golden Hogs were back together and that he’d set up shop with his family on that weird island I keep hearing about.”
“News worthy of a smile. Sadly, I suspect my hopes of traversing the northern tundras with him again won’t be realised. Family is the death of long distance travels. But to know he’s simply moving forward is enough satisfaction for .”
Caban agreed with the sentint.
The more ti he spent being chased by bears, the more he realised how much of a loss Thomas Lainsfont’s retirent had been to all who relied on him.
But just as important was that man’s own sense of happiness.
He rarely spoke about the family side of him ... or really anything personal at all, but the sombreness was clear whenever he saw the fathers and daughters in his bar.
Whatever had happened, Caban was glad things had worked out.
“Well, now he’s back, I should probably ask him for advice on climbing the good old ladder. If I have to start climbing trees, I’d like to pass the first ti round. Gotta say, I heard the B-rank trials were tough, but I didn’t expect to be poking a bear’s den.”
“Then be proud that poking was all you did. Had you done anything else, I would have failed you on the spot. As I said, that was most delicately handled.”
Caban nodded in appreciation.
Not all would have done as he did. And for good reason.
When dealing with requests related to dangerous wildlife, it would be all too easy to use his sword as a woodaxe, hacking and chopping until all the trees had turned to kindling.
But adventurers were neither poachers nor hunters, even if they too often forgot that. They were rangers with fewer qualifications, and that still ant respecting bears as creatures with a valuable role in maintaining the health of whichever forest they inhabited.
Even if they did have very large teeth.
“Well, I’m glad you think that. I’m not sure how many points I scored, but I did the best I could.”
“Indeed, you did. I couldn’t have handled it myself better.”
“Great. So does this an I passed?”
“Hm?” Arionia tilted her head slightly. “Of course not. The B-rank trial hasn’t begun yet.”
“... Eh? I thought you said you were judging ?”
“I was. As Thomas’s student. I wouldn’t have detoured on my way back to Granholtz just to supervise anybody’s B-rank trial.”
Caban nodded … his back firm even if the rest of him begged him to slouch.
“Oh. Right. In that case, I’ll do my best to et your expectations. Again.”
“You shall. Because in order to enter the senior ranks, you’ll need to pass a more suitable trial.”
“No problem. Hit with what’s next. Is it an even angrier bear?”
“No. It’s a chira.”
Caban paused.
“A chira.”
“Yes.”
“You an those winged monsters with the heads of a lion, a ram and a serpent? The things that are extrely lethal and hard to kill? Especially to C-rank adventurers?”
“Correct. You know your common bestiary. That’s good. There’s a young one roosting deeper in the forest. We’ll need to subjugate it before it matures, otherwise it will destroy the entire habitat.”
The Silver Aurelia patiently waited for him to agree.
This was what he signed up for, after all. It even said so in the guild handbook sowhere. A distinct risk of fighting creatures with multiple heads. And that was fine.
Because the truth was that he’d been through worse.
Perspective was a wonderful thing, and few things offered a bigger dose than a giant stone titan in a goblin cave trying to squish him.
But a chira that could breathe fire, spit acid and impale all at the sa ti … that was fairly close.
“Right, right.” Caban nodded … then coughed slightly. “It’s just that, well, even young chiras are technically an A-rank threat, and I’m sort of doing the B-rank trials.”
“The difference between an A-rank and B-rank commission is how much support you require. Obviously, I won’t let you do this alone. I’ll be there to help here and there.”
Caban stared.
At the woman who diligently watched and did nothing as he was chased while screaming.
For at least 30 minutes. Maybe more.
“I see … and you’ll definitely help, right? As in, with your sword?”
“Of course.” Arionia uncrossed her arms, then patted the hilt by her side. “Although I doubt it’ll even be needed. Mr. Quinsley was right. You’re the spitting image of Thomas in his youth.”
Caban really wasn’t sure if Thomas in his youth had ever killed a chira.
Still, he blinked in surprise.
“Oh, he said that?”
“Not in actual words. But he hinted at it. You aren’t one of his, after all. Although I assu he’s tried poaching you in the past.”
“Probably. But I’ve a good relationship with my guildmaster. Plus I’m not really into the politics side of things, you know?”
“An excellent outlook to have, and one I hope you continue to hold, especially once Timon attempts to poach you again. I’m glad I volunteered for this. That was a most curious technique you wield. [Shortcake Cut], was it?”
Caban winced slightly.
In truth, he was starting to regret not naming it sothing more professional. But a sword technique’s na needed to be one that paid tribute to how it’d co about.
His had co from witnessing a princess cutting a shortcake.
A princess who was also an adventurer.
An adventurer who was also S-rank.
And so the pain began again.
“... Yeah,” he said simply, as he forced away all the confusion and overwhelming suffering in his head. Just like he always did. “I learned it from soone even better than Thomas.”
Arionia humd slightly.
“Is that so? … I read the report, actually. About the Marinsgarde incident.”
“Ah, right.” Caban paused. “Because I haven’t. Do I look bad?”
“Not at all. You really didn’t feature much, after all.”
A sigh of relief ca in answer.
All things considering, that was definitely the most happy outco.
Nothing was ever called ‘the incident’ unless it was sothing nobody wanted to be associated with.
“Probably for the best,” said Caban, nodding wholeheartedly. “I never realised how much trouble saving a cat would be. But in the end, Pepper got ho safe and Marinsgarde got a new trade in moss cakes for it.”
“True, it was an exceptional outco to what was well and truly a ss. But such is the mark of an adventurer to make the most out of a poor situation. It's no surprise that there was a positive conclusion when so many were involved.”
“Well, I’d probably argue there were too many adventurers involved in this one … especially since we were the cause of it all.”
Arionia gave little reaction.
That made sense. A fellow adventurer being quasi-possessed by a cursed artifact and trying to take over the world was the sort of thing that was just another tick on the long list of things a seasoned adventurer had seen.
“Things happen,” she said with a tiny shrug. “Those who delve into the depths are those who suffer the gunk at the bottom.”
“... Is that an actual saying in the handbook?”
“No, it’s one of mine. But it’s true. And the only way back is to learn how to clean it off more efficiently. Or in Liliane Harten’s case, to start over with a new uniform. I admire her for her work ethic. There was no reason for her to forfeit her rank and begin anew. She’s already reached D-rank, for one thing. If you’re not careful, she’ll overtake you and you’ll be forced to team up with her once again.”
Caban gave a small laugh. A very small laugh.
“Well, I’ll look forward to it. I’m sure she won’t imprison in a bar a second ti. The kingdom could always use more high-ranked adventurers. It’d be a sha had she given up.”
“True … in which case, I wonder why you’re not where everyone’s looking. Almost all the kingdom’s adventurers are in Reitzlake.”
“Sure, but all that ans is that everywhere else is short staffed. I guarantee there’s more than one upset bear wandering around. Don’t get wrong, being noticed is nice. But I want to be worthy of myself, not just to any guildmaster. That ans if I want to beco stronger, I need to go where I’m needed. And trust when I say I need to beco a whole lot better than what I am now.”
The Silver Aurelia studied him, her keen eyes scouring the truthfulness of his words.
He’d not said anything wrong, of course.
He never cared much about ranks and still didn’t. But when it ca to bettering himself, that was sothing he’d never stop striving to achieve, no matter how often he stumbled.
After all, it was the minimum requirent if he wanted to catch up to a princess’s shadow.
True, it hurt his head hurt like a single sip of Goblin Surprise whenever he thought about how a young princess in a garden had sohow ended up as an S-rank adventurer ... and yet that was all the more reason to stay his path.
Even now, that girl was probably delving through so wasteland, cave or dungeon instead of enjoying herself in the festival as she rightfully should.
If a princess could rid herself of her comforts, then so could the son of a farr.
That’s why Caban would continue going forward, sword in hand.
… And also why he was definitely not going to continue with his B-rank trial.
He wasn’t the best decision maker. But he also wasn’t the worst. And being eaten by a chira was the type of mistake that would severely impact his personal growth.
Arionia Maylep was ridiculously strong. She was in the realm of heroes. Caban was not.
The mont he agreed to fight a chira, he knew without doubt that Thomas Lainsfont would appear out of nowhere just to smack him around the head.
“... So with that said, I think I’m going to have to apologise,” he said, raising his hands. “I’m many things. A surprisingly good bartender among them. But while I might throw myself at a chira if Pepper needed saving, I don’t reckon I’m at the stage where I can bet crowns on myself surviving. That sort of opponent is more than I can handle. I don’t even know if my sword could cut off a single–”
FWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOSH.
All of a sudden, Caban was blown off his feet as a literal gale struck him.
For a mont, he wondered if the Silver Aurelia was dissatisfied enough with his answer that she’d sent him backwards with a sweep of her sword.
However, as he raised himself and blinked, what he saw was that she alone had remained steady even as the rest of the forest violently shook around her.
All that moved were her lips, twisting into an amused smile.
After all … as Caban spied the great silhouette already vanishing into the distant sky, he knew that this was just another thing on the great checklist of things all adventurers would eventually see.
Very eventually.
Perhaps just before they instantly retired.
“... Um, Miss Maylep?”
“Arionia is fine.”
“Arionia, was that a … ?”
“A dragon, yes.”
Caban slowly nodded, as only he could.
“I see. A dragon. In the Kingdom of Tirea.”
“Specifically, an ancient green dragon. Wonderful scales. A beautiful shade of jade.”
“An ancient green dragon. That’s … well, that's a new one.”
“Indeed, I’m told they have little reason to leave their lairs. But I suppose that like so many others, they too see worth in this kingdom. How curious, though. It appeared to be carrying a stack of books.”
Caban paused, wondering if he was supposed to do anything. Whatever a dragon wanted to do, it would be long finished before he could even finish gawping.
After a few monts, he decided on the sensible course of action.
After all, anything he couldn’t handle, a princess most certainly could.
“Right,” he said, as his perspective changed once again. “Let’s go deal with a chira.”
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