Pre-Debut

PH1RE'S P.O.V

"Are you serious? An actual request, to us? It's been so long!" Gwyn exclaimed, her voice full of excitement.

"Aww, but I won't be able to go. I'm busy with—" she began, but was quickly cut off.

"Who cares about that!" Bryn shouted, jumping to his feet, his face lit with excitement. "I'm finally gonna be able to stretch my legs after all this time!"

"What kind of quest is it?" Gwyn asked, trying to shout over Bryn's celebratory noise.

"Beast subjugation," Maya answered with a grin. "We need to protect the town until the folks there can finish building a wall. No idea how long that'll take, though."

"Oh!" Gwyn said, her eyes lighting up. "You guys should take Leo with you. He'll be a huge help!"

She clasped her hands in front of her, a familiar gesture whenever she was excited about something. I wasn't sure if she was more thrilled about the quest or about sending her giant fire-breathing lion along with us.

"So, that's me, Maya, Bryn, Leo, and... Ethan, you coming?" I asked, glancing over at the figure slouched in the corner, who had been unusually quiet.

"Yeah, yeah," Ethan muttered, lifting his head with a lazy grin. "Someone's gotta keep you kids in line, right?"

"And who's gonna keep you in line, Mr. Light Fingers?" sneered Maya.

"Hey, I've gotten better at denying those impulses. Besides, neither of you have seen Bryn when he's off his leash," Ethan said, pointing to the cyan-haired boy.

"Honestly, I'm more worried about the town than the beasts," sighed Gwyn.

"What are you guys talking about?" Bryn asked, only to get a joint "Nothing," as a reaction from both of them.

"Okay. So, when do we head out?" Bryn asked, bouncing on his feet, clearly itching to get started.

"Tomorrow morning," I answered. "We're supposed to leave at first light, so Lydia suggested we all go to sleep early tonight."

"Rest, huh?" Bryn said, making a show of thinking on it. "But who needs rest when you've got this much energy!"

The rest of the evening was spent finalizing everything we'd need for the quest. Gwyn's enthusiasm was infectious, and soon even Ethan was taking the preparations seriously, much to Maya's amusement. After what felt like hours of Gwyn lecturing us on how to act in front of clients and Bryn's constant boasting about how many beasts he'd take down, we finally got a moment to breathe.

"Alright, let's call it a night," Ethan called out from the corner, already stretching as he prepared to head to bed. "We've got a long day ahead of us, and I don't want to hear any complaints about being tired tomorrow."

With that, we all headed to our rooms, readying ourselves for the big day ahead.

---------------------------------------------------

The next morning, the air was crisp, and the forest surrounding the guild hall was bathed in the soft light of dawn. Bryn, Maya, Ethan, and I gathered outside, fully geared and ready to set off on our journey to Nidus. Leo was already waiting by the gate, his massive form looming over us like a protective guardian.

Gwyn stood by, looking both excited and a bit disappointed that she couldn't join us. "You guys better come back with some great stories!" she called out, waving us off. "And take care of Leo! He's a little sensitive!"

"Don't worry, we'll keep him safe," Bryn said with a grin, giving Leo a playful pat on the back. The lion huffed in response, but it was clear he was ready for action too.

I tried not to think about how the townspeople would react to seeing a giant fire-breathing lion, but it was hard not to imagine the chaos that might ensue. Still, I kept my thoughts to myself, not wanting to dampen the mood.

"Let's get moving," Ethan said, adjusting his pack with a yawn. "The sooner we get to Nidus, the better." His usual laziness was showing—he clearly wasn't used to being up so early.

With a final wave to Gwyn, we set off, the path ahead leading deeper into the forest. The excitement built with each step, but so did the weight of uncertainty. I couldn't shake the feeling of unease lingering from the day before.

Questions swirled in my mind—whether I was ready, how I'd handle a real battle, and whether all the training would be enough.

But I'll just grit my teeth and move forward.

After a few hours of walking, we made our way to the closest waypoint city and got as close to Nidus as we could.

It took another day of walking with each of us taking turns riding Leo but eventually we reached the trees began to thin, and we caught our first glimpse of Nidus.

The town was nestled in a valley, surrounded by tall stone walls that were still under construction in certain areas. From a distance, it seemed quiet, but the closer we got, the louder it appeared to be.

"Halt, right there!" one of the guards called out, stepping forward. "State your business."

"We're adventurers from the Red Ravens," Ethan said, pulling out the letter of request. "We're here to help with the beast outbreak."

The guard glanced at the letter, then at Leo, before nodding slowly. "Right... you're the ones they called for. Come on in, then. But, uh, keep the lion under control, yeah?"

Bryn snorted. "Leo's the least of your worries."

The guard gave Bryn a doubtful look but said nothing as he led us into the town. Inside, the atmosphere was tense. People moved quickly, sticking to the shadows and side streets. It was clear the beast attacks had put everyone on edge.

"Doesn't exactly scream 'safe,' does it?" Maya whispered, her eyes scanning the town.

"Yeah, Leo's definitely not helping," I muttered in agreement.

We were led to a large building near the center of town, which looked like it served as a town hall. Inside, a man in his late fifties was waiting for us, pacing back and forth with a worried expression. He had the look of someone who hadn't slept in days—dark circles under his eyes, his clothes slightly disheveled.

"Ah, the Red Ravens," he said, stepping forward to greet us, though his smile didn't quite reach his eyes. "Thank you for coming. I'm Mayor Grantham."

"We're here to help with the beast problem," Ethan said, getting straight to the point. "What's the situation?"

Mayor Grantham sighed, running a hand through his thinning hair. "It's bad. Beasts, magical and non-magical, show up almost every night and attack the city. We're capable of defending against the non-magical variety, but we've experienced casualties due to the sheer number of both types attacking. This forest and town are rich in mana, but the beasts are more aggressive than usual, and we've lost a lot of men trying to fend them off. We started building a wall to keep them out, but every time we make progress, they attack again and set us back."

"Any idea why they're attacking like this?" Ethan asked.

The mayor shook his head. "We don't know. We've tried investigating, but venturing into the forest has become especially dangerous."

"Interesting," Ethan frowned.

"The people are scared. Please help us," the mayor pleaded.

Ethan remained silent for a while, all of us staring at him. "All right, we can't afford to drop this quest anyway," he said, smiling.

"Thank you—" the mayor began.

"But first, we've been walking for a long time. We'd like a place to rest," Ethan added, cutting him off.

The mayor looked taken aback for a moment but quickly nodded. "Of course, of course. I'll have rooms prepared for you. Please, take this time to rest. We'll discuss the plan in detail later."

With that, we were led to a nearby inn, a small but comfortable place with wooden beams and the smell of fresh bread wafting through the air. As soon as we settled into our rooms, exhaustion began to catch up with us.

Maya flopped onto one of the beds, groaning. "Ugh, I'm ready to sleep for a year."

"Don't get too comfortable," Ethan said from the doorway. "We'll need to scout the area before nightfall. Get some rest while you can."

"Bryn, I'm going to need you to go into that forest tomorrow. Take Leo with you. Find anything out of the ordinary."

"Seriously, you mean it?" he asked, stars in his eyes.

"Don't get too crazy—avoid engaging as many creatures as you can. Although stealth isn't your thing."

"You got it," he said with a salute.

"As for you two, I'm going to need you to protect the men working on the wall. Is that all right with you?" Ethan asked.

"You can count on us," I said, mimicking Bryn's salute, while Maya gave a thumbs-up.

"What are you going to be doing?" Maya asked.

"I figured I'd check out the town."

"Lazy," she grumbled.

"Hey, I'll have you know customer service is half of being a good adventurer," Ethan said, yawning.

"Get some sleep—you're gonna need it tomorrow."