It was barely daybreak, yet the town square was crawling with adventurers sharpening and polishing their equipment while forming parties.
Keefe had instructed Stein to complete missions and earn fifty spiros. Stein was hoping he could join one of these parties today. Perhaps they would be eager to play mentor and accept newbies.
A boy in a brown sack approached one of the groups and started talking to the adventurers. They merely spared him a glance before turning away, uninterested. He tried other groups, but they all gave him the cold shoulder.
Yeah, these guys did not care about mentoring newer adventurers.
"Good thing I spent two Spiros on a set of old clothing," Stein thought. Alas, that also meant he was down to five Spiros. If he didn't earn more today, he'd be penniless the next day.
The grim thought didn't stop his lips from stretching into a small smile. It was good that things were tough for him. Stein always appreciated a good challenge.
He wasn't like the beggars he had seen the previous day, nor was he like the adventurers now before him. No, he was better, way better than any of them, including their best.
As Stein walked into the midst of the gathering, some of the adventurers spared him glances. They were probably curious about seeing a new face. An interesting thing Stein had noticed in Razaaham was that everyone spoke English.
There were a wide variety of races, Asians of different colors, white westerners, and blacks, yet they all spoke English without an accent. This was probably the system's doing. To alter the language of hundreds of thousands or even millions of people in real time was an insane achievement.
The first party Stein approached was a group of five that looked about his age, four boys and a girl. Stein had picked the bunch because only one of them was armed. The tallest boy awkwardly held onto a short sword.
It was an old, used thing with chips along the blade here and there, and the boy did not even have a sheath for it. He just carried it in the open. They seemed like newbies. Stein was hoping to begin with a simple gathering mission.
"Hey," he raised a hand in greeting.
The adventurer with the sword did not reply. He turned away, exchanging a look with the others before turning back to Stein. "What's your Path?" he demanded. "We need a hunter."
"I have no Path yet."
The adventurer sighed. "Okay, what level are you?"
"One."
A frown crept into his face. "We don't offer leveling services." he waved Stein away.
"Wait," Stein sighed. This was not going well. "I was hoping I could join your party for some gathering missions."
Once again, the boy turned to the others. This time they all broke down with laughter.
"Gathering, he said." Another boy quipped." What happens when we get ambushed by monsters?"
The boy with the sword nodded vigorously. "Who's going to waste time explaining how the Oasis works to some Pathless newbie?"
"Look," the boy began after he had calmed down a bit, "go to the temple, pray to the sun god and acquire a Path. No one is going to take a level one Pathless adventurer on any mission."
Stein tried to approach another group and was stopped with a raised palm.
"Where's your weapon?"
"I don't have one," he said awkwardly.
"I'm sorry, but we don't need bait here," he waved his hand, sending Stein off.
Stein ruminated about his words as he walked away. Bait?
A change in the atmosphere of the square drew his attention. It was a party of five adventurers, three girls and two boys, in neat brown coats or splendid armor. The Adventurers Guild.
Stein frowned, didn't they only party with themselves? What were they doing here where free adventurers gathered.
They received stares and murmurs as they walked into the square, but no one dared challenge them. Instead, adventurers in their path moved away, making way for them. They stopped at the center of the square and began to look around as though searching for something. Someone.
One of the guild's adventurers noticed Stein. He was a golden-haired boy who appeared to be a year or two older than Stein. He stood tall and fearless, his eyes and gait spoke of confidence. The boy pointed at Stein, then flicked his finger at him.
Stein felt a flash of irritation at being summoned in such a crude manner, but he bit back his pride and approached the boy. Stein could almost feel the eyes of the boy's companions roll over him as their faces twisted in disapproval.
One of the girls, unable to control her dissatisfaction, turned to the boy. "Lance," she spared a scornful look at Stein, "he's scrawny." She did not bother lowering her voice.
"He'll do," the boy Lance said dismissively.
Another boy in their group casually patted him on the shoulder. "Gosh, you do suck at picking bait."
Bait? A pang of worry shot through Stein.
"Quick, go carry our bags," Lance said as Stein arrived. "You'll have the honor of serving us today."
The girl's disgusted look remained as she pointed at him, "level and Path."
Stein cleared his throat. "I'm afraid I'm still at level one. I'm just gonna go." He turned to leave amidst gasps and shocked expressions for some reason.
Lance stepped into his path.
"Who said you could leave?" His voice was cold. "Even a level One should know some manners."
Stein rolled his eyes inwardly. Who did these guys think they were?
"I asked you a question," Lance took a step closer.
Stein almost laughed. What was he gonna do? Hit him?
A hand cut into the space between them. It was the second girl. She had long auburn hair tied into a pony tail. A sword was strapped to her waist while steel armour covered her chest.
"He's just a newbie, Lance. He doesn't know how things are run." The girl regarded Stein with a stern expression. "Quick, apologize to the captain."
"Captain?" A soft chuckle escaped Stein's lips.
The square went dead quiet.