Kael spent the rest of the morning doing something he hadn't expected.
Waiting.
He sat outside the Adventurer Guild with his sword resting beside him, watching people come and go.
Every few minutes, he looked toward the road leading into Greenwood.
Nothing.
He sighed.
"Why did I agree to come early?"
"Because you were told to."
Kael nearly jumped.
He turned around.
Lyria was standing behind him, holding two cups of tea.
"You really need to stop sneaking up on people."
"I wasn't sneaking."
"You were."
She sat beside him and handed him one of the cups.
Kael accepted it.
"Thanks."
Lyria looked toward the road.
"Still waiting?"
"Yeah."
"You look nervous."
"I'm not nervous."
"You're tapping your foot."
Kael looked down.
His foot was, in fact, tapping against the ground.
He stopped.
"I was thinking."
"Sure."
Kael gave her an annoyed look.
Lyria smiled.
"You'll get used to it."
"Used to what?"
"Working with other adventurers."
Kael took a drink.
"I've worked with people before."
"Not like this."
She turned toward him.
"You trained alone for most of your life. Even your recent quests were mostly solo."
Kael nodded.
"That's true."
"Having someone beside you means you have to think about their safety too."
"I know."
"Do you?"
Kael looked at her.
"I won't rush ahead."
Lyria smiled.
"Good."
A few seconds passed.
Then Kael asked,
"What is she like?"
Lyria raised an eyebrow.
"Who?"
"My partner."
"I don't know."
"You don't know?"
"She isn't from this guild."
Lyria shrugged.
"All I know is her name, rank, and the fact that she's been an adventurer for two years."
"What's her name?"
"Serena."
Kael repeated it quietly.
"Serena."
Lyria nodded.
"Bronze Rank. Twenty years old."
"Two years of experience."
"Exactly."
Kael looked toward the road again.
"Then I'll have a lot to learn from her."
Lyria smiled.
"That's the right attitude."
A carriage appeared in the distance.
Kael straightened.
"Is that her?"
Lyria stood.
"Probably."
The carriage rolled into the village and stopped near the guild.
A young woman stepped down.
She looked around twenty years old, with long dark red hair tied into a loose ponytail. Her eyes were a deep brown, and a few strands of hair rested against her cheeks. She wore light leather armor over a dark shirt, sturdy boots, and a short sword at her waist.
She carried a travel bag over one shoulder.
Her appearance wasn't flashy.
But there was something about the way she walked.
Calm.
Confident.
Like someone who had spent enough time outside the safety of a town to know when danger was close.
The woman looked toward the guild entrance.
"Adventurer Guild?"
Lyria raised her hand.
"You're Serena?"
The woman nodded.
"Yes."
"I'm Lyria."
They shook hands.
"The Guild Master is waiting for you."
Serena nodded before looking toward Kael.
Her eyes paused on him.
"You must be Kael."
Kael stood.
"Yeah."
She looked him over.
"You look younger than I expected."
"I'm seventeen."
"I know."
She glanced at the bronze plate attached to his belt.
"Bronze Rank."
Kael nodded.
Serena smiled slightly.
"I heard about you."
Kael immediately felt uncomfortable.
"What did you hear?"
"That you became Bronze Rank unusually quickly."
She looked at his sword.
"And that you helped kill a hobgoblin."
Kael shook his head.
"The others did most of the work."
Serena gave him a strange look.
"You're giving away credit."
"I'm just telling the truth."
She smiled.
"Fair enough."
Lyria cleared her throat.
"You two can talk later."
"The Guild Master is waiting."
---
Inside the Guild Master's office, the three of them stood around the map.
The Guild Master pointed toward the eastern forest.
"Mistwood."
"Three hunters disappeared three days ago."
Serena frowned.
"Three?"
"Yes."
"Any survivors?"
"None found."
Kael looked at the map.
"Where were they last seen?"
The Guild Master pointed toward a marked trail.
"Here."
Kael studied the area.
"That's near the old hunting road."
"Correct."
Serena folded her arms.
"Any monster sightings?"
"None confirmed."
Kael frowned.
"Then why is this a Bronze Rank quest?"
The Guild Master looked at him.
"Because the hunters weren't beginners."
He tapped the map.
"All three had experience."
Serena's expression became more serious.
"How experienced?"
"One was Iron Rank."
"The other two were ordinary hunters who had lived in the forest for years."
Kael frowned.
"So something strong enough to take them down may be inside."
"Possibly."
The Guild Master pointed toward another location.
"There is also something else."
"Several villagers reported seeing lights in the forest at night."
Kael looked up.
"Lights?"
"Blue lights."
Serena exchanged a look with him.
"Magic?"
"We don't know."
The Guild Master folded the map.
"Your job is simple."
"Find out what happened."
"If possible, find the hunters."
"If they're dead, recover their belongings and confirm their deaths."
"Do not take unnecessary risks."
Kael nodded.
Serena did the same.
The Guild Master looked directly at Kael.
"You're the less experienced one."
Kael nodded.
"Serena will lead."
"Understood."
Serena glanced at Kael.
"Is that alright with you?"
"Of course."
"Good."
She smiled.
"You might be easier to work with than I expected."
Kael smiled back.
"I'll take that as a compliment."
"It was."
---
They left the guild shortly after.
Kael carried his pack while Serena walked beside him.
For a while, neither spoke.
Eventually Serena broke the silence.
"So."
Kael looked over.
"So?"
"You really trained yourself?"
"Yes."
"Since five?"
"Yes."
She looked surprised.
"Why?"
Kael thought about it.
"Because I wanted to become stronger."
"That's it?"
"Mostly."
Serena smiled.
"Most kids want to play."
"I played too."
"What did you play?"
Kael thought back.
"Wooden swords."
Serena laughed.
"That counts as training."
"It wasn't training at first."
"But?"
"I started taking it seriously."
Serena nodded.
"I understand."
After a short silence, she asked,
"Can I see your sword?"
Kael looked at her.
"My sword?"
"Yes."
He drew it halfway.
"It's just an ordinary iron sword."
Serena examined it.
"Not bad."
"You maintain it well."
"I clean it every day."
"Good."
She handed it back.
"Your stance?"
Kael raised an eyebrow.
"What about it?"
"Show me."
"Here?"
"Why not?"
Kael sighed.
He stepped away from the road and drew his sword.
Serena watched carefully.
"Basic stance."
Kael nodded.
"Again."
He adjusted his feet.
She shook her head.
"Your weight is too far forward."
Kael looked down.
"Really?"
"Yes."
"You'll have trouble recovering after a missed attack."
Kael changed his stance.
Serena nodded.
"Better."
Kael looked at her.
"That's something I never noticed."
"That's why you need experience."
She drew her own sword.
"Try attacking me."
Kael hesitated.
"Here?"
"Don't worry."
"I won't hurt you."
Kael smiled.
"Alright."
He stepped forward.
His sword moved toward her shoulder.
Serena blocked.
Clang!
Kael immediately pulled back and attacked again.
She parried.
Then stepped to the side.
Her sword stopped against Kael's neck.
He froze.
"Dead."
Kael lowered his sword.
"I didn't even see that."
Serena smiled.
"You focused too much on attacking."
"I was watching your sword."
"You should watch my body."
Kael looked confused.
"My body?"
"Your opponent's shoulders and hips tell you where they're moving before the sword does."
Kael nodded slowly.
"That makes sense."
Serena sheathed her sword.
"You have good fundamentals."
"You're not weak."
"But you're inexperienced."
Kael smiled.
"I know."
Serena looked at him for a moment.
"You don't seem offended."
"Why would I be?"
"Some people don't like hearing that."
"I'm trying to get stronger."
"Then I need to know what I'm doing wrong."
Serena smiled.
"I think we'll work well together."
---
By late afternoon, the trees of Mistwood Forest appeared ahead.
The road became narrower.
The sounds of the village disappeared behind them.
Kael's hand moved toward his sword.
Serena noticed.
"Feeling something?"
"No."
He looked around.
"Just being careful."
She nodded.
"Good."
They entered the forest.
The trees were unusually dense.
Sunlight barely reached the ground.
Kael noticed something almost immediately.
"No birds."
Serena stopped.
She looked around.
"You're right."
Neither spoke for several seconds.
Then Kael saw something on the ground.
He crouched.
A footprint.
Human.
Fresh.
Serena came closer.
"One of the hunters?"
"Maybe."
Kael pointed farther ahead.
"There are more."
They followed the trail.
The footprints continued deeper into the forest.
Then suddenly...
They stopped.
Serena crouched beside Kael.
"Why would they stop here?"
Kael looked around.
"No sign of a struggle."
"No blood."
"No broken branches."
Serena frowned.
"Then where did they go?"
Kael stood slowly.
"I don't know."
A faint blue light suddenly appeared between the trees.
Both of them froze.
Serena's hand moved to her sword.
Kael drew his own.
The light flickered once.
Then twice.
And disappeared.
Serena whispered,
"Did you see that?"
Kael nodded.
"Yes."
A cold wind moved through the forest.
Then, somewhere deeper among the trees...
A man's voice whispered.
"Help..."
Kael's expression changed.
"Someone's alive."
Serena tightened her grip on her sword.
"Let's find him."
The two adventurers moved deeper into Mistwood.
Neither noticed the faint symbol glowing beneath the leaves behind them.
The same symbol that had appeared on the pendant of the hobgoblin.
And this time...
It was glowing blue.