The "shame board" was located near the city entrance, in a very, very visible spot, so that people could leave requests that the adventurers' guild couldn't take. Galf had made his way there, fumbling in his pockets where he had barely one copper coin and two buttons—not even enough to buy a dagger. He had to get his sword back, but first he needed money to eat.
A city guard, standing by the gate, saw Galf approaching the shame board.
"Back again, Galf! Didn't you say you were going to destroy a goblin nest?"
Galf glanced at him sidelong as he searched for a mission on the board.
"Well, you know me, I have to help the people like a good citizen. It can't all be glory and epic battles."
On the board were requests like "Help me cut my dog's hair," "Let's paint a house together," "Teach me to dance before the festival," "Underwear model wanted," "Gravedigger's assistant wanted."
"Well, I'm glad someone's interested in doing these missions. Our lady Lumiaris will appreciate it."
"That's what I think too..." Galf mumbled, ignoring the fact that he'd narrowly dodged the underwear model job.
"Ah... Galf, take this quest. It's from Master Voks of the carrot farm."
Taking the small piece of parchment, Galf read the contents aloud:
"Lost donkey wanted..." "I guess a mission like this can't go wrong."
"It's not the most glorious, but they pay enough."
Galf thanked him and then headed out to the cultivated fields. To shorten the route, he decided to cut through the cemetery, and as he passed the outskirts, he came across a person with a grimoire covering their face.
"Hey... are you alright?" Galf crouched beside the person and picked up the book, surprised. "A grimoire!" He frowned. "Bah... cheap tricks." He continued to examine the grimoire while waking the woman. "Wake up already. Are you drunk?"
The woman groaned before opening her eyes. "Why do you wake me, fool? Can't you see a powerful necromancer is taking a break?"
"A break? Has inhaling decomposed bodies atrophied your brain?"
She sat up, complaining. "Hey, you scoundrel, what are you doing with my grimoire? All my secrets are in there, give it back!" She stretched her arms, trying to reach Galf, but fell exhausted to the ground.
"Are you alright?" Galf asked again, but only heard groans and the woman's stomach rumbling uncontrollably.
"Food, please..."
Galf frowned as he rummaged in his bag, taking out his last loaf of bread and offering it to her. "Eat this."
The woman snatched the bread quickly and ate it shamelessly. "I won't pay you with my grimoire, give it back now!" She held out her hand.
"I don't want it, it's just cheap tricks." He held out the grimoire, but couldn't let go.
The woman grabbed the book with her remaining strength. "Give it to me!" Both pulled on the grimoire at the same time. "Didn't you say you didn't want it? Give me back my grimoire, thief."
"I'm not a thief, I'm an adventurer, bread thief!" he retorted without letting go of the book.
"Who are you calling a bread thief, grimoire thief?" She pulled with all her might, but barely managed to move the book toward her.
"Grimoire thief? Shameless. You ate my last bread, you have to give it back."
"Damn you..." She extended her hand a little further. "You're going to taste the power of a true archnicromancer."
"Archi... what?"
"Ah... archnicromancer!" she shouted. "Receive my powerful magic. 'Touch of Death!'"
Galf's eyes widened as he saw the dark mist emanating from the woman's hand. "Damn you!" he screamed, as his body went numb and his muscles contracted, preventing him from letting go of the grimoire. "What did you do to me, you wretch?"
"Let go of my grimoire, you scoundrel!" She pulled the book again. "Let go!" she screamed again. "'Touch of Death!'"
They spent a long time between "touches of death" and Galf's cries of cramps, which prevented him from letting go of the grimoire, until both fell exhausted to the ground.
"You thieving scoundrel, they sent you from the magic tower, didn't they?" Necky asked from the ground, paler than ever. Exhaustion had accentuated her already enormous dark circles.
The grimoire rested on the ground between them.
Galf smiled.
"I'm the best. I resisted your powerful magic until the very end!"
"I see you finally recognize my power," she added, exhausted. "I'll have to praise you, formidable warrior, no one has resisted my power for so long. But I'm not giving you my grimoire."
"I don't want it, but you can pay me another way..."
"I don't do those kinds of favors, you degenerate."
"I don't mean that. You can help me with a mission."
She tried to sit up, but she was too exhausted.
"Then no problem, but you pay for the food."
"It's a deal then," Galf added.
It took them both a while to catch their breath, but after a while they were able to continue on their way to old Voks' carrot farm.
"What's your name?" Galf asked, peering toward the farm.
"I am the powerful Archnicromancer Necra Gravesoul, you can call me Necky," she exhaled, exhausted. "Don't you think the road is a bit long?"
"Almost there." Necky had complained the entire way, but she followed closely despite her complaints. "What were you doing there in the cemetery?"
"Resting after a long day of spiritual recycling."
"Spiritual recycling? That's the first time I've heard of something like that."
"Of course, it's an 'art' that only a few necromancers master," she said, crossing her arms with superiority.
"I see..." Galf thought it was best not to ask for more details. "Well, magic is nothing more than lights and tricks, what does it matter?"
"What insolence! Do you want to receive a deadly touch?"
"Don't even think about it! Everything hurts because of you."
"Kikikiki, you tasted a bit of my amazing power," she laughed, adjusting her tattered cloak.
They reached the farm shortly after, amidst Necky's complaints and Galf reminding her that they were almost there. As soon as they crossed the farm's threshold, old Voks came out to meet them.
"Good morning, young ones, what brings you to this farm?"
Galf stepped forward, while Necky took the opportunity to sit on the ground to rest.
"We came for the quest you left on the notice board."
"Ah... the shame board."
Galf looked away. "Yes, that one."
The old man looked at Necky, who seemed about to collapse.
"Is your companion alright? She looks like she's about to faint."
"Don't mind her, she's a bit crazy," he immediately replied.
"I'm melting!" Necky exclaimed, sprawled on the ground as the sun beat down on her relentlessly. "Old man, give us water and food, the journey has been long..."
Galf gave her a small kick, trying to make her shut up.
"No problem, come into my cabin. I don't have much, but there are plenty of vegetables and water."
Old Voks led them to his cabin, where they ate and drank more than they had in weeks.
Necky, celebrating the best meal in a long time, exclaimed:
"Don't worry, old man, this Archnicromancer will fulfill your request."
"Right," Galf added. "The request says you lost your donkey."
"Rather, I lost the corpse of my beloved 'Don Garras.' I had left Don Garras in the pasture, grazing, since he had completed his working season and was too old to carry loads, so he spends his days off eating good grass."
"A great life," Necky remarked philosophically.
Galf elbowed her to behave in front of the client.
"The thing is, when I went to look for Don Garras, I found that he had died of old age. I wanted to give him a decent burial, after all he did for this farm, so I went back to prepare a good spot in the cemetery, but when I returned for his body with other farmers, it was no longer there."
Galf looked at Necky, suspecting she might have done something with him.
"Hey, don't look at me, it wasn't me. All my experiments are... eh... ethically questionable but within the law."
"I would appreciate it if you could find Don Garras's body so I can say goodbye properly and give him a good burial. I can't pay much, but..."
"How much?" Necky retorted, interrupting him. She cleared her throat. "How much are we talking about, old man?"
"Ten coppers, that's all I can pay."
Necky jumped to her feet.
"Alright, old man, suffer no more, this powerful Archnicromancer will bring your precious donkey back!" She dramatically slammed the table, satisfied with the food and ready to return the favor.
Galf seconded her.
"Don't worry, Don Voks."
"You can start where Don Garras died. On the edge of the forest, near here."
And so, Necky and Galf began their search. They left the farm with full stomachs and the promise of money, something they hadn't seen in a long time.
"You seem enthusiastic about the mission."
"Of course, simpleton, magical components aren't cheap, and a mage of my caliber needs money to afford them."
"Well, I also need money for a new sword."
"Then let's do this once and for all, I already feel my strength leaving me."
When they arrived at the spot old Voks had indicated, Galf found tracks that something had been dragged.
"The marks lead into the forest," Galf pointed out, trying to follow the marks with his eyes.
Necky clenched her fists. "Ruffians! Who can be so infamous as to play with a corpse? Such blasphemy is unforgivable!"
Galf looked at her seriously.
"Are you serious?"
"Hey, don't look at me like that, I'm not that ruthless. My corpses are free to use, I'm not going to steal a owned corpse."
"I don't know why I find it hard to believe you."
They followed the trail to the edge of the forest where they lost it. Then, luckily, they ran into a couple of hunters who were coming out of the forest.
"Excuse me," Galf asked.
"What's up, folks? What are you doing so far from the city?"
"We're looking for a donkey, or rather, the corpse of a donkey. Have you seen anyone dragging one around here?"
The hunters looked at each other, somewhat nervous.
"Not a donkey, but during the night we saw a shadowy figure pass through this area and disappear into the forest."
The other hunter continued. "We don't recommend going that way, who knows what you might encounter."
Galf thanked them as they left and Necky tugged at his arm.
"What's wrong with you?"
"You heard! It could be a shadowy creature, a demonic beast. Come on, we're wasting time here!"
"Yeah, sure, Don Garras could be in danger."
"Don Garras?" she looked away. "Of course, Don Garras... but we could also capture the beast. Imagine, a dark beast within my grasp! My name would be written in history, those ungrateful people at the magic academy would see me differently."
"Yeah, sure... let's go," Galf added. At least he should take advantage of Necky's newfound enthusiasm.
They advanced into the forest and as they got deeper, they found a trail of straw and some half-eaten carrots.
"It must be a powerful macabre beast," Necky said. "If it needs food, then it must have a powerful presence."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes, I can already feel its magnificent presence. Let's go, it's close, I can sense it!" She bounced through the forest, full of excitement. "Hurry up, you fool!"
They moved faster, and upon reaching a clearing in the forest, both were stunned to see Don Garras calmly grazing in the middle of the clearing. They approached carefully so he wouldn't run away, whispering to each other.
"Wasn't he supposed to be dead?" Galf asked as they advanced.
Necky shushed him with a solemn gesture.
"It's him. The donkey is the creature of evil, I can feel it."
"Don Garras?"
"Yes, I can feel him. He is a manifestation of advanced necromancy, I smell it in the air." Her eyes gleamed with excitement as they approached the donkey, who was eating grass without perceiving their presence.
When they were close enough, Necky took out her grimoire.
"We're going to capture him. For the sake of 'art,' I must get my hands on him." She wiggled her fingers, full of anticipation.
"Are you sure?"
"Trust this Archnicromancer."
They approached, trying not to alert the donkey, and when it was within reach, Necky used her magic.
"Communion with the Dead!" she declared with an air of grandeur.
A black cloud covered Don Garras, and the shadowy vapors quickly dissipated.
Don Garras, who had been calmly eating, dropped the grass from his mouth and looked directly at them with eyes that gleamed with a dark red light.
Necky approached the animal with a satisfied expression.
"There. He has completely fallen under my magic."
"Are you sure?"
"Of course. Look at him, the donkey is completely controlled. Approach without fear," the mage added.
But as soon as she was about to touch him, Don Garras began to bray violently.
"Didn't you say he was under your control?" Galf began to back away.
Necky took a step back with less certainty.
"Well... I guess I was wrong... a little."
Don Garras's brays filled the forest clearing, as a dark aura began to surround him. The earth trembled slightly beneath his hooves.
Galf began to get nervous, seeing the donkey's sinister gaze.
"Necky, I think we should kill him again."
"Are you stupid? How are you going to kill a dead man?"
"What do you suggest then? Aren't you the expert in undead?"
"Can you run?"
"Of course," Galf replied, as Don Garras pawed the grass with one of his hooves, as if preparing for a demonic charge.
"Well, it looks like we'll have to run."
Don Garras charged at them.
"Run, run for your life, you good-for-nothing!"
Both rushed back the way they came, with Don Garras hot on their heels, his red eyes glowing like embers.
"Don't you think an archnicromancer should be able to defeat a donkey?" Galf retorted without stopping running.
Necky was starting to feel the exhaustion.
"Shut up, insolent! Can't you see I'm giving my all?"
"Well, you're not much help."
"I've done more than you!" she panted, exhausted. "Failed adventurer!"
"Failed? This is a strategic retreat! Don't you realize?" he said this just as he tripped over a root, causing Necky to fall on top of him.
They both rolled on the forest floor, screaming in terror as Don Garras approached, his red eyes glowing menacingly.
Galf, entangled with Necky, begged her to do something.
"Do something, already!"
Necky, with her face pressed against the ground, raised her hand and mumbled with her last ounce of strength:
"Release Corpse..."
They only felt a heavy thud against the ground.
Galf opened his eyes and saw Don Garras lying inert on the forest floor. He sighed with relief.
"It seems we're safe... this time."
"So it seems..." Both laughed, tangled, tired, and bruised.
Exhausted and covered in bruises, they dragged Don Garras's body back to old Voks' farm, who saw them coming from afar with tears in his eyes.
"My dear Don Garras!" The old man cried, touching the corpse with emotion. "Now we can finally give him a dignified farewell!"
Old Voks, full of satisfaction, handed them the ten coppers as payment. Galf and Necky decided to omit the part about Don Garras being possessed by dark energies and finally returned to the city.
At the adventurers' guild, the hubbub of a hard day's work ending was normal, and both Necky and Galf had worked very hard that day. On the table were two mugs of watered-down beer, which was all they could afford, and eight copper coins.
"I guess we did a good job," Galf remarked, staring at his mug of beer, something he hadn't tasted in months. His mouth watered.
"Well, I did almost all the work, but you're somewhat right." She picked up her mug of beer and brought it closer to Galf with a faint smile. Although her deep dark circles betrayed her exhaustion, her bright eyes showed satisfaction. "Cheers to our first adventure!"
Galf toasted gladly for the first time since he had become an adventurer.
They were doing this when Justine, the guild assistant, approached their table with her arms crossed.
"Were you the ones who made a donkey speak in a demonic tongue? The Inquisition wants to speak with you..."
Galf and Necky looked at each other and, at the same time, took a large swig of beer.
"We're screwed, right?" Galf whispered.
"Just a little," Necky replied, smiling with satisfaction.