By the time JP staggered back into the village, night had already fallen. Lanterns glowed faintly along the square, powered by sputtering magic stones. Compared to the bright Luminleafs in his satchel, they looked pathetic—dim bulbs about to burn out.
But right now, light wasn't his concern. His stomach was.
Inside the guild hall, he dropped the basket of herbs onto the counter with a weary thump. "Quest complete."
The receptionist checked the bundles, ticking off each one. "Greenleaf Herb, ten bundles. Accepted." She dropped two copper coins into his hand.
JP turned them over in his palm. They were small, heavy, and nowhere near enough to live on, but to him, they might as well have been gold bars.
"Two copper…" he muttered, smiling faintly. "First paycheck in another world."
The receptionist gave him a look. "Don't spend it all on ale."
At the inn, the smell of stew nearly made his knees buckle. He slammed one coin down and ordered the cheapest bowl. The innkeeper ladled out a thin broth with a scrap of meat floating in it.
JP didn't complain. He devoured it in seconds, every spoonful a blessing. The second coin got him a chunk of stale bread. He ate that too, savoring every bite like a feast.
When he asked about a room, the innkeeper shook her head. "Three copper a night."
JP froze. "Three?"
She crossed her arms. "Food and board aren't cheap, traveler. Two gets you dinner. Come back when you've got more."
For a moment, JP stood there, clutching his empty pouch. He'd earned his first coins, but already they were gone. No bed, no roof. Just exhaustion gnawing at him.
He sighed and turned away. "Guess it's the guild benches tonight."
The guild hall was quieter now. Most adventurers had gone home or upstairs to rented rooms. JP curled up on a bench near the hearth, using his satchel as a pillow. His eyelids drooped, but before he drifted off, a voice interrupted.
"You're new."
He cracked one eye open. Across from him sat a slim figure, hood pulled low. The firelight revealed a sharp jawline, smooth skin, and eyes that glimmered faintly—too faintly human.
JP sat up, wary. "Yeah. First day on the job. Didn't exactly strike it rich."
The hooded figure chuckled softly. "Few do. Most quit before their second quest."
Something about the voice was melodic, almost musical. JP's gaze drifted to the stranger's ears—hidden, but the hood shifted just enough for him to glimpse a pointed tip.
An elf.
But elves were supposed to be rare, secretive, even hostile to outsiders—or so the whispers in the guild hall earlier suggested.
The stranger leaned closer, lowering their voice. "You handled yourself, though. You didn't collapse out in the fields. That says something."
JP smirked. "I almost did. Starved myself half to death just for two lousy coins."
That earned him another chuckle. "Then perhaps you could use… an ally."
JP studied them carefully. He didn't know their name, their motives, or why an elf would be hiding here in human lands. But for the first time since he arrived in this world, someone was speaking to him not as a stranger, but as a potential comrade.
"Name's JP," he said finally, extending a hand.
The elf hesitated, then clasped it firmly. "Call me Lyra."
And just like that, JP had his first friend in another world.
He didn't know it yet, but Lyra would become far more than a chance encounter. She would be his first true ally in the adventures—and battles—to come.