Chapter 1

I am in trouble. The money I had did not last as long as I had hoped. Now I, Marianne Hayes, am about to be homeless unless I find a job soon. So far, though, it is not going that well. I have spent the last three days going around every place I could find and asked for work, but no one would hire me. They ever slammed the door in my face or told me to get off their property. There were a few friendly people, though. A few people took their time to try and understand me before they asked me to leave. Some of them even gave me tips on places looking for staff. Unfortunately, even those tips proved useless. Now I am left with no other choice.

I was starting to suspect I will have to go there for work eventually. Even the people that yelled at me said I should go there. I was just hoping that I would not have to. The Adventurers Guild is a place where anyone can work. Even someone like me, but the idea scares me. All that fighting dangerous monsters is just something I could never see myself doing. I have heard stories even when trapped in the prison of my former home about countless Adventurers losing limbs or vanishing without a trace. But I have no choice. Taking a deep breath, I grab what little I have and leave the inn.

If I am going to be an Adventurer, I need to purchase some things before going to the Guild. But first I need to hand in my key. Hopefully, the Guild has some easy quest I can do right away so I can put a roof over my head tonight. Locking my room with a loud clicking sound that I have awoken to many times during my stay here as guest come back late at night. Apart from that loud clicking sound from the locks, my stay here was not so bad. The food was tasty, the rooms were clean, and the owners were friendly, even helping me out as I searched for work. Stepping down the stairs, the old lady who runs the place smiles as she sees me while her granddaughter, who is slightly older than me, stops sweeping the floor as I approach.

"I hope you manage to find some work today," The old lady smiles warmly.

Her name is Sue, and she has been the kindest person I have ever met. She might be the most thoughtful person to ever live. At seventy years old, she should be relaxing and enjoying herself, but after her son's death, shortly followed by her daughter-in-law's untimely end, she stepped up to run the inn until her granddaughter is ready to take over.

Sue's grey eyes are bright and always makes me feel warm and safe whenever I look into them. She gives me a gummy smile as she puts down the quill in her hand when she sees me approaching before quickly moving to tuck a strand of her long grey hair behind her ears. I like Sue. I am going to miss her if I cannot find the money to stay here again tonight.

"I'm sorry we can't let you stay here for free," Sue sadly says as her smile momentarily fades before coming back twice as bright as before. "But you are a smart lass. I'm sure you will be fine and come back to us again tonight."

I nod my head and do my best to smile, finding confidence around Sue.

"Make sure to look after yourself out there," Sue tells me. "Adventuring is dangerous work, but I believe you will make it as one and return with stories to tell."

I nod my head again as I hand over my room key.

"Good luck out there," Sue ruffs up my hair a bit, and I must duck away from her. "Make sure to come back to us soon."

I smile in reply, trying not to cry. Sue has treated me as if I were her own flesh and blood. I hope I can come back here tonight with enough money in my pockets to stay the night.

"Make sure to return safely," Sue's daughter tells me, giving me a quick hug. "I look forward to hearing of the adventures you have been on."

Sue's daughter, Alice, is the type of person I never thought existed in the world. Bright, cheerful and hugging people without a moment's hesitation at first, Alice scared me. When I first entered the inn, she quickly swept me off my feet into a tight embrace. Hugging me, rubbing her cheek against mine like she was a cat. Alice carried me right to her grandmother, asking to keep me as if I were a pet while exclaiming how cute I was. To say I was scared would be an understatement as Alice nearly suffocated me with her ample chest before Sue could save me.

I smile and nod at Alice as she leans against to wall after releasing me. Unlike Sue, Alice has shoulder-length red hair and bright green eyes that look like the emeralds I swear in my mother's jewellery. She is taller than me and so much stronger as I have seen her carry whole barrels of beer by herself. If only I was as strong as Alice. Maybe then I would not be so scared of going to the Adventurers Guild for work.

"Even if you don't have any money, you can still stay with me," Alice smiles and giving me that goofy look I have unfortunately grown used to seeing. "I can get you a little bed to sleep in and plenty of food and water. We can even go for walks to the park, and I promise I will take good…."

"That's enough, dear you don't want to scare Maria off, do you?" Once again, I am saved by Sue. Alice seems to get like this whenever a cute girl walks in. according to Sue, Alice has a habit of trying to keep them as pets. "I hope to see you again, Maria."

We smile at each other, and I nod as I leave before Alice tries to catch me in some kind of net again. Even remembering that night sends a shiver up my spine. I only left my room to relieve myself, but somehow Alice found me and caught me in a giant net. I was lucky that Sue heard the commotion as saved me. Sue ended up having to save me a lot during my short stay at her inn.

My first stop is Bricks Armoury. It is a shop that sells weapons, armour and other items that used to either take a life or save your own. This is also one of the places that I went to seeking work. I hesitate a moment before entering, remembering how the owner screamed at me and chased me out of his store. Out of all the people who threw me out of their places of business, he was the worse. Nervously I step inside.

The smell is the first thing that strikes me. Even a second time smelling it, I still struggle to cope. I do not know how quite to describe it, but I know the smell is coming from the dissection centre next door. It smells like every kind of animal and monster curled up and died within this store. I hope they do not smell this bad when I kill them.

A bell rings as I enter the store. Rows of weapons greet me, and it is a little scary seeing so many sharp and pointy weapons just lying around. Pieces of armour are displayed on stands to the sides of the room. Several Adventures stare at me as I enter. Just like last time I came here, I am the centre of attention. It does not take long for the stores owner to spot me. According to what I have heard, Brick is a good blacksmith, but he does not appear to be very friendly as he shoots a glare my way as soon as he spots me.

"I thought I told you to get out!" Brick yells, slamming his fist on the stores counter, making me jump.

I fight the urge to flee. I need to buy some things here. Summoning every ounce of courage I can muster. I stand my ground. Lifting my coin purse, I shake it hearing my coins clink together while pointing at the weapons on display. Brick seems to get the message and does not appear to be getting up to chase me out any time soon. I sigh in relief when I see Brick settle back down. A big strong man like him is the last person I want to anger. He still watches me with cold blue eyes while sweat rolls down his bold scalp.

I do my best to ignore him, but that chill from his gaze is hard to miss. I walk through his store, trying to find the cheapest priced items. I had to sell that jewel I took with me to pay for all this stuff, but I did not get that much money for it. I only have a few coins and a lot of things to buy. I cannot afford to purchase anything too pricey.

Unfortunately, the only items I can find within my budget are not very well maintained. The leather armour I select is full of repair marks showing where it had been resewed and where extra leather was stuck on. At least it fits. I think after putting it on. It may not look good, but it will do. I move on to my weapon. It is the only thing I am not going to cut costs on. I walk right up to the newer looking weapons a quickly find a spear that will work with my size. I do not have any experience with weaponry, but someone told me that spears are easier to use, so I hope they were right. Taking my weapon and armour to the counter, I find Brick still is unhappy with my presence.

"Fifty gold," I am sure he is overcharging me. When I was looking at the price tags, it only came to forty-five gold. I do not argue, though and frown as I hand over the coins. "Pleasure doing business with you."

I leave the store as quickly as I can before he finds some excuse to throw me out. The same Adventurers that watched me enter stare at me leaving. I am glad my new armour is light and easy enough to move in that I can make a quick exit. The weight of my spear will take some getting used to, but it is not enough to make me worry I might drop it. Now then. On to my next stop.

Graves Travelers Store, another store that sells goods to Adventurers and a place I also went to in search of work. At least the owner of this store was one of the few people who were kind to me. I can remember the owner giving me food when my stomach rumbled and the names of places looking to hire new staff. This time I do not hesitate to enter and even find myself smiling.

"Welcome… oh, it's nice to see you miss Maria," The young man behind the counter smiles as he jumps over it to greet me, only to stop when he sees my new purchases. "I take it you couldn't find any work."

I shake my head, confirming his suspicion.

"I'm sorry," I am glad he is concerned for me, but I hate being the reason why his smile fades. "I hoped that a nice girl like you wouldn't have to take on Adventuring."

I grab his arm and smile, trying to convey the message that I am okay with this, and he should not blame himself. He does not smile back, but he seems to come to terms with what has transpired to me. He looks at me before regaining his composure.

"I take it you came here for supplies to start your new job?" I nod my head. "I'll set you up with a discount. I'm sorry I can't do more."

I look at him again, hoping to convey my feelings that he has done more than enough for me already, but I cannot tell if he understood. I watch as he goes behind the counter. Grave is a nice man. He told me he had been working in this store since he could walk and joked about how he could take stock while other kids his age could barely count to ten. He looks handsome with short brown hair and brown eyes when he smiles, but unfortunately, all Grave is doing right now is frowning.

I quickly go about getting what I need. I know Grave is giving me a discount, but that does not mean I will take advantage of him, so I do not go for anything too expensive. I find a backpack that looks like it has been passed down through a few owners looking just as well maintained as my armour and a sleeping bag in a similar state of repair. The final two items I collect are a small water canteen and a new pair of boots that are better suited for travelling than the shoes I am currently wearing. Reaching the counter, Grave seems shocked by my selection, but I assure him with a smile that I am okay with everything that I placed on the counter.

"Are you sure about this?" Grave asks still surprised by what he sees. "We have newer stuff in the shop."

I nod my head and smile. He checks their price tags slowly and casting glances at me as he checks the items I want to buy. Grave takes his time before he turns to me again.

"That will be thirty gold,"

Now it is my time to gasp in shock. Thirty gold is a ten-gold discount and much more than I expected. I do not know if I can take this deal. It must be written on my face because Grave gives me a look that says he will not take no for an answer.

"Thirty gold is a good price," Grave assures me. "The only thing keeping me from going lower is the fact I will be losing money on those prices."

I am still unsure if I can take this deal, but reluctantly, I hand over my coins. I tell myself it is not so bad, and this is just balancing out the money I lost to Brick overcharging me. Still, it does not make taking the deal any easier.

"Thank you for your business," Grave smiles. "Stay safe out there and come back again."

I smile before I leave. I hope I can come back here. Now though, I must go to the Adventurers Guild and sign up. I cannot put this off any longer. As scared as I am about becoming an Adventurer, I must sign up if I do not want to stave. Or I could go back home and wait to be married off.

The building that houses the Adventurers Guild stops me in my tracks. It is enormous, easily towering over the other buildings in the main square. Even the city hall looks tiny standing next to the Guilds building. The stone wall looks thick and covered in the Guilds banners consisting of a blue background embroidered with a golden map and sword. I had hoped I would not have to enter this place. Taking a deep breath, I step forward, finding countless eyes on me.

A topless man wearing nothing but shorts and muscles looks entertained to see me. He is hairless and covered in scares while a large sword hangs from his back. His female friend smirks as she sees me. Wearing armour that looks more like a bikini than something for the battle filled, she seems to be struggling not to laugh as she sees me approaching the Guild.

"Fresh meat," They both laugh at their joke as I walk past them.

I ignore them and find more people staring at me as I enter the building. Groups of people chatting in a small, well-kept way, people from a dirty bar in the corner and staff members from behind their desks. All of them stop what they are doing, go quiet and stare at me. I am starting to wonder if I am strange looking or something with all the looks people are giving me. I try to ignore them as I begin to move again, but their stares and the whispers starting up are hard to ignore.

"Another newbie,"

"She's cute!"

"How long do you think she will last?"

"Maybe we should try and recruit her as a mascot,"

"She will be dead within a day or two,"

"You should talk with her. She looks like your type,"

With a mixture of comments of all sorts, I make my way to the front desk, hoping they stop staring and talking about me soon. The Adventurers Guild is a large place with plenty of people standing around just talking. I was expecting and hoping that the building would be empty, but it seems Adventurers do not start work as early as I thought. At least there is no line for the front desk, so I do not have to endure their staring as I wait.

"Welcome to the Adventurers Guild. How can I help you?"

I stare wide-eyed at the giant Lizardfolk women. She is so tall that even sitting down, she towers over me. Her eyes are soft despite the scared, harden face she bears. Her body looks better suited to the battlefield with strong, powerful muscles and a scary-looking axe at her side. If it were not for her friendly voice and kind smile, I would have run the moment I laid eyes upon her. I take a deep breath as I reach into my pocket. I prepared for this. Sue was kind enough to let me borrow a quill and some paper for this moment. I take out a small piece of paper that has everything I need to say written down.

"Hello, my name is Marianne Hayes, but you can call me Maria,"

"I would like to register as an Adventurer,"

"I can't talk, so please be patient with me,"

The woman stares at me after reading my message. I hope she does not think I am joking and ask me to leave like so many people have in the past few days. I will surely suffer several broken bones if she were to throw me out with her strength. The woman's gaze keeps switching between the message I handed her and me, but thankfully she smiles and seems to believe what I have told her is true. Handing me back the piece of paper, she smiles at me and seems a lot less scary than before.

"If you want to register, you will need to fill out this form," She smiles, handing a document over to me. "As well as this liability waiver stating you accept the risks involved with Guild work and the Adventurers Guild is not responsible for any death or injury resulting from Guild work."

I nod and smile as I take the document along with the quill, she offers me. The paperwork I can handle no problem. My parents made sure I learned how to read and write before turning me into their servant and trying to marry me off. The form itself is simple enough, with only a few personal questions. However, I leave the next of kin part empty, but that does not raise any suspicion or questioning from the receptionist. I sign the form at the bottom before doing the same with the liability waiver.

Now I am back in silence as the receptionist checks the paperwork for any mistakes. I can hear that people are still talking about me, and some are even taking bets on when I will die. I hope I will not have to work with those people. Finally, after what feels like an eternity of me wishing I could tell everyone to shut up and stop staring, the receptionist finishes her checks and clears her throat.

"Okay, Maria, you are almost done. I just need you to place your hand over this crystal," She places a purple crystal on the desk with a card underneath him. "This will complete the registration by assigning your card and checking if you have any Abilities."

Abilities. Special powers given by the gods. Everyone is born with one, and most people never gain a second. However, there are some rare cases where people have multiple Abilities. I was never told what mine is, and to be honest, I do not think my parents even taken me to the temple to have me checked like other babies. Feeling equal part nervous and excited, I place my hand over the purple crystal. It glows, and my hand tingles, but I do not move it away. After a few seconds, everything stops, and the purple crystal dims.

"That's it," The giant receptionist smiles, taking the card from beneath the crystal that now shows my name and face on its surface.

The receptionist looks at my card in silence, but I am starting to worry when that card reading goes on for longer than it should. The situation becomes a mirror image of when I handed her my message as her glance starts to switch between myself and my card. I hope there is not a problem with my card. I try to assure myself that everything is okay, but the more time that passes by, the more worried I become. Finally, I let out a sigh as the receptionist shakes her head before handing me my card.

"I have never seen this before, but your Ability has some hidden information," She stares down at me. "I have heard about this but never seen it myself."

Is that bad? I am starting to regret coming here. I hope it is not a bad thing. I hope I do not get into trouble over this. Looking down at my card, I read the information myself. My Ability is called Heart, and it increases my strength and speed under certain conditions. Still, what those conditions are, I cannot say as they are hidden. I hope I can find out what they are soon and tap into this Abilities power.

"Now then, I take it you are not already a member of a party," I nod my head as I slip my card into my pocket. "Then I need you to fill out this form now so you can be placed into a party." She hands me a single form, this time with simple questions. "Just write your name and strengths, and if a party is interested, they will pass on a message, and we will contact you."

Filling out my name was the easy part, but my strengths… that took a little bit of thought. In the end, I write down that I can sew, cook and forage for food. My parents gave me a book when I was a kid that told me all about plants and how to find those that are er edible. The knowledge I learned from that book helped me save money on buying food as I could simply forage for food at the edge of the forest just outside the city. I am sure all those things will be helpful for any party, but then I go on and add the spells I can use. I can use two basic light magic, and I can create water. Hopefully, a party will consider me and see that I can provide valuable skills to their party.

"Oh, you can create water through magic," The receptionist comments when I hand her back to form. "I'm sure many people will be interested in you, but can you think of anything else to write down? Most parties have no need for people with your other skill sets." I shake my head, and the receptionist thinks for a moment. "Hopefully, the fact that you can create water will attract someone."

I hope so too. If this does not work out, I will have no choice but to return home. Return home and marry some man I never met so my parents could make some money. Hopefully, the receptionist is correct, and the fact that I can create water through magic will attract some party's attention. It better be soon because I do not have anywhere to sleep tonight or money to buy food. I could go foraging again, but the plants around here you can eat are not very tasty.

"Oh! I know!" I jump as the receptionist suddenly cries out. "There was someone else in a situation like yours. Why don't you form a party with them?" I quickly nod my head. It is still early, so hopefully, they might be willing to take on a quest with me today, so I could at least buy something to eat. "Great, they should still be around the Guild, so I take you straight to him."

The woman is even taller once she stands up. She must bend under doorframes and even makes some of the men look small next to her. I follow on behind her, trying not to get hit by her long tail, which swings from side to side.

The Adventurers Guild building has even more rooms than I thought. It has places for dissections, meetings, selling goods and many more within its stone walls. We pass by so many people that I lost count of how many, but all of them stare at the receptionist and me. I must look like a child standing by her.

"There he is," The receptionist picks up the pace to a light jog, and I have no choice but to follow as she spots her target. "Hey, Lucas!" She calls out as the person in question is about to leave the building. "Can I talk with you for a second?"

A young man about my own age stops and turns our way. He has short brown hair with a matching set of beautiful eyes. He is only slightly taller than me, and the leather armour he wears looks to be in just as bad condition as my own. On his hips is a short sword, and on his back a backpack. It seems like we went to the same places on the same budget as his backpack looks like it could fall apart any second as well. He watches us approach but only pays any attention to the receptionist. It should not be surprising considering how tall she is, but I wish he would at least acknowledge that I am here as well.

"Hey, Srass," He replies, having to crane his neck to look up to meet her gaze. "Do you need something?"

Srass, so that is her name. I turn to her and hope she has not forgotten that I cannot speak. I need her to explain things in my place.

"Well, I have the solution to your party problems," She says, pushing me forward. "Maria here just registered today and is looking for a party, so why don't you two form one together."

He stares at me for a moment, and I struggle to meet his gaze, worrying he might turn me away. He looks strong and just as new to adventuring as I am, so hopefully, he will agree with Srass's suggestion. When I finally look up again, I see a soft smile on his lips, and he slowly extends his hand to me.

"If you are willing to form a party with me, then I will be happy to do as Srass suggests," He says, and I slowly take his hand and nod. It is rougher than I thought, and as we shake, I can see several minor scars on his fingers.

"Oh, Maria can't talk, so don't worry if she is silent," Srass tells him, and I nod when he looks at me for confirmation.

"Okay, I guess we will have to find some other way to communicate," He smiles.

"Why don't you two take that goblin slaying quest that you were asking about earlier?" Srass suggests. "No one really likes killing goblins, so it should still be there, and you can start to figure out how best to work together."

Goblins are evil creatures that bring nothing but disaster wherever they go. They eat crops, slaughter livestock and murder children. They are not extraordinarily strong, so adults can easily kill them but actually clearing out their nests is something no one wants to do. I hate the thought of entering the goblins nests. I heard they smell foul, and they are hard to navigate, but there is a chance to find a few coins among the mess. I hope we do not see any bodies in there. I hear they sometimes drag children into their nests before they kill them.

"The nest is close by, so you should be back before sunset," Srass explains.

"Do you feel like taking this quest?" Lucas asks, turning to me.

I nod my head. As much as I do not want to do this, I need the money. Lucas seems up for this quest as well, and maybe the rumours about how lousy goblin nests are is an exaggeration. Srass appears happy to see we are both up for this quest. She gives us a quick explanation of the quest.

The nest we have been sent to clear is not extremely far away from the city, and the pay for the quest is low, but it will allow me to eat tonight. But before we can leave, we have some more paperwork to fill out. We must sign a quest acceptance form and fill out another form to register our party. At least it does not take long, so we had enough time to still do the quest. Lucas handles most of the paperwork, and we agree he should be the party leader since I cannot talk. It only takes us about ten minutes to fill everything out before Lucas turns to me with a smile on his lips.

"Ready to head out?"

I nod my head and follow his lead. Around us, I can still hear people whispering about me, but I am starting to grow numb to their harsh comments. Maybe once I completed a few quests, they will shut up.