Chapter One:
Virelle
Two figures dropped down from the back of an old wooden carriage—
boots landing, soft puffs of dust rising.
The taller one wore worn studded leather,
scratched and dulled from travel.
Mud crusted her boots and streaked up her trousers.
A round shield hung at her back.
The smaller adjusted her forest-green robe, edges damp and frayed.
Dust clung to her leggings and satchel.
A pale blue glove wrapped her right hand.
They stepped forward together, stopping just short of Virelle's gate.
Jane dragged a sleeve across her brow.
"Finally—
...we got here,
right?"
Hanna tugged her cloak again, eyes fixed on the iron bars.
"I hope so...
eight years,
two months,
three days."
She pulled out a folded map.
"Looks smaller
on the map."
Jane leaned in,
one hand resting on the sword at her waist.
She turned the map,
right side up.
"...Oh." Hanna blinked.
Nudged her glasses back up her nose.
"Well…
still smaller."
They walked a few more steps.
Hanna avoided some pedestrians,
then held Jane's arm.
"Do you think the Vault will accept us?
We're just teenagers."
Jane pulled Hanna a bit closer, avoiding a carriage passing close.
"I'm a
Vanatari.
And
you're a brilliant mage.
I hope they're smart enough
to say yes."
Hanna smiled, glancing down.
"Brilliant, huh?"
Jane smirked.
"One of us
has to be."
As they passed a crooked shop window.
Hanna slowed.
Her head tilted slightly,
scanning every item on display.
Dusty potion vials
A dented lantern
A glowing com—
...a travel cloak
silver-threaded,
rune-stitched at the hem.
"That would've helped last night." She gave a tiny pout.
Jane muttered.
"A roof would've helped more."
They both laughed, low and heavy.
The kind of laugh that comes from not sleeping well for days.
Hanna leaned forward,
eyes wide.
She nearly pressed her nose to the glass.
"One full purple?" she whispered, then yelped.
"That's like fifty greens!
We could eat and sleep for almost six months with that!"
;
Jane's smile faded.
Her hand slipped into her pocket.
Fingers closed around three greens,
two full,
one half.
Through the glass reflection,
Hanna caught Jane—
still,
looking down.
Hanna bumped softly into Jane's shoulder.
She intertwined their arms.
"I know.
Just looking."
She pulled Jane gently,
then they started to walk again.
"Don't worry.
When we finally get into the Explorer Vault.
I'll buy you
a full gold armor set,
with a matching tea set."
Jane touched her chin.
"Really?
Can I have a cloak too?"
Hanna gasped.
"Of course.
A pink,
sparkly
cape.
You'll love it."
They laughed again.
Jane leaned slightly into her.
"Thank you."
Hanna glanced at Jane smiling.
Behind them,
the cloak swayed
gently in the shop window.
The street stretched wider ahead.
Stones shifted under their boots.
The sound of hammers faded behind them
as they passed shaded stalls and half-swept steps.
Right.
Then another.
A sharp left.
And passed through a narrow gap between buildings—
that barely deserved to be called street.
Jane slowed, scratching her head.
Her gaze held on a cluster of worn buildings ahead.
"Are you sure
that says Vault
on your map?"
Hanna flipped the parchment with both hands,
lifting it up ahead.
She almost made them trip after covering their sight.
"Of course.
One more left and we're there."
Jane raised an eyebrow—
Outside the building, grand oak doors stood closed, the guild banners flapping lazily in the breeze.
Laughter spilled through the cracks,
clinking mugs,
off-key bards singing
about beast-slaying.
Jane squinted at the faded sign nailed slightly crooked above the frame.
"Explorer's Vault...?"
Hanna bounced beside her, wide-eyed.
"This has to be it!
Look at those carvings,
swords,
maps.
It's perfect!"
Jane's eyes moved slowly.
She looked left.
A few food stalls.
Small storefronts with faded signs.
Then right.
Even with daylight,
the end of the street looked darker.
Shadows pressed into the alley walls.
An old cart leaned against the slope,
wood cracked, tarp sagging.
Jane narrowed her eyes.
Something inside shifted—
In a sharp twist,
her neck snapped back,
Jane's eyes locked hard on the wooden doors.
"Okay.
We're already here.
Let's give it a try..."
They pushed the doors open.
Hanna stepped in first,
boots tapping against a floor of worn wood and stone,
smoothly polished by years of foot traffic.
Her gaze lifted.
Then swept the room.
To one side,
patches of marble caught the light,
like bone under dust.
Armor displays stretched wall to wall,
gleaming under glass.
Each suit had a polished nameplate,
sparkle-light curling across the edges
like fireflies stuck in a loop.
A vendor shouted something about enchanted boots.
Further in,
a cat in goggles launched from one wooden beam to another,
chasing flecks of light reflected from swords and shields,
carried by people passing below.
Jane stepped in behind her.
Slower, quietly.
Her eyes moved,
just once.
;
Hanna took a few slow steps forward.
Near the sign-in book,
a vase of glowing mushrooms rested on a velvet pedestal.
She drifted toward it,
hand already lifting
Jane gave Hanna a soft poke to the ribs.
"Don't touch that."
Hanna stopped mid-reach.
"But…
they're shiny."
Jane didn't look.
"Exactly."
Just beside the pedestal, a glowing board pulsed.
Bold letters scrolled across the surface in steady green.
BEGINNER-FRIENDLY DUNGEONS!
A perky clerk appeared beside it,
waving a laminated flyer like a roadside banner.
The flyer's text shimmered, bold and glowing.
Adventurer's Vault
CLEAR TEN CAVE RATS! EARN THREE GREEN TEKKE!
Jane stood frozen, then shook her head.
"...Nope.
Wrong building."
Hanna frowned.
"But it said Vaul—"
Jane was already walking out,
talking between steps.
"That's the Adventurer's Vault.
Ours is...
down the alley.
Probably behind that
corpse cart."
Hanna hurried after her,
spinning quick bows in every direction.
"Sorry,
sorry,
sorr—"
She straightened, eyes following Jane outside.
"Wait.
A corpse
cart...?
What do you mean by tha—"
She stepped through the doorway.
The doors swung shut behind her.