Side Story Jezabel POV: Paradigm Shift (1)

"Jezzy, we're all ready to go. Let's get moving."

"I told you not to call me that, Marcus." I shoot him a fierce grin, warning him not to piss me off. A lot is riding on our expedition today, so everything needs to go perfectly.

"Relax for a minute; everything's going to be fine," Marcus says as he rubs my shoulders.

"How can you say that when we've never fought a Gigalepus?"

"It's just a big rabbit. How hard can it be?" I reach over my shoulder and grab one of the hands massaging me. A quick squeeze is all it takes to teach him a lesson.

"Owowowow!" Marcus cries as his legs buckle from the pain of having his hand crushed.

"What did I say about not taking this mission seriously?"

"I got it. Please, let go! I won't be very useful with only one hand!" I sigh as I lose my grip, and Marcus quickly pulls his hand away. "I'm just kidding. You know we're all taking this seriously."

"Would you two quit flirting and get in?" Steven groans from his position on top of the carriage.

"Yeah, hurry up!" Jean chides us from the window of the vehicle.

"I'm ready. Let's go," I say as I throw my pack on the carriage's roof. We all met in the dungeon around the same time four years ago. They were newbies, just like me, looking for some help. I may not have been a veteran, but I'd put in more than my fair share of work in that dungeon by the time we all met. I showed them the ropes, and soon, we worked like a well-oiled machine. Marcus held the front with his big shield and a one-handed axe while Jean and Steven acted as support. They both used bows, but Jean specialized in healing spells, and Steven used electromagnetic magic.

"Onward to adventure!" Marcus shouts as the carriage finally begins moving.

"Shut up, you idiot," I say as I elbow him in the kidney. Jean giggles at our antics from the other side of the cabin. The carriage can only fit four people comfortably, so Marcus and I occupy one side while Jean sits on the other.

He and I have gotten closer ever since I woke up in his bed last year after a party. The look on his face was priceless. He kept apologizing, but I told him it wasn't a big deal. Since then, I've snuck into his room a number of times when I'm feeling pent up. Our job is stressful, and it helps to have a release.

Marcus rubs his side and smiles at me. I'd be lying if I said my heart didn't flutter a little every time he did that, not that I'd ever tell him.

"Stop smiling at me, dumbass. We need to get ready for the mission." I bark.

"Hey!" a voice leaks in through the walls of the carriage to grab our attention.

"Stop!" I yell at the driver, and we slow to a standstill. The door to the cabin bursts open, and Guild Master Lucius sticks his head in.

"I'm glad I caught you before you left. What are you thinking, taking on this mission?"

"I think we spent the last month preparing for this, and we're ready for the challenge," I explain.

"They shouldn't have even issued this mission to you. It's too much for adventurers of your rank."

"We're a Platinum-ranked team, and it's a Mythril-ranked mission. It's not unusual for adventurers to take a mission one rank above their standing, we've done it several times in the past, and you never said anything."

"That's different. The gaps in strength get wider as you rise through the ranks. We don't allow adventurers to take Mythril-ranked missions or higher unless they have the corresponding rank. On top of that, you only became Platinum ranked recently." Lucius steps inside and sits on the seat opposite where I'm sitting.

"What do you mean recently? We've been Platinum ranked for almost a year now!" I shoot back at him. Despite my best efforts, I can feel myself getting frustrated.

"Most people spend five to ten years at that rank before maybe reaching Mythril. Honestly, very few people even make it that far. By the time you reach Gold rank, you should be able to make enough to retire in just a few years," Lucius explains.

"That's not good enough. I don't want to be one of those deadbeat adventurers that sit at the bar all day drinking and reminiscing about 'the good old days.'"

"Maybe you don't, but what about your team? Do they have the same ambition? Do you plan to drag them to their graves just for your satisfaction?"

"They want to go to the top with me, isn't that right?" I ask as I look over at my two teammates in the cabin. They don't respond immediately. My heart drops in the ensuing silence. Eventually, Marcus breaks the horrible stillness in the air.

"Actually, we've been meaning to talk to you about that," he says while looking down and rubbing the back of his neck. He can't even look me in the eyes. "I know you want to keep adventuring, but… I think you'll have to find another team to help you get there."

"What?" My heart shatters at this revelation. I'd always thought we'd climb to the top together, standing side by side. Jean looks at me with pity in her eyes and nods. Steven holds his head down into the open door from his spot on top of the carriage and nods. I feel like I've been betrayed — ambushed by all the people that have supported me over the years.

"Well, we've made more than enough to retire at this point, and we'll have even more if we sell all of our equipment," Marcus continues, "I… we think it's time to settle down. We don't have to sit at the bar all day; we can travel, find a new profession, or even keep working at the guild doing something else; something less dangerous."

"I think it's about time you think of doing the same, Jezabel," Lucius cuts in to give his opinion, "You've made quite a few enemies on your way here, and they'll only get more troublesome as you rank up."

"That's why I have to make it to the top; then no one will be able to tell me what to do!" I counter, but Lucius just shakes his head.

"Power brings responsibility, and I don't think you're ready for that. Do you think the guild will just let you do whatever you want? As you get stronger, they're going to apply more and more restrictions on what you can do. On top of all that, you're growing too quickly. It isn't normal for people to progress as fast as you have."

"Then what's the point of all this? What have I been working for?" I cry. All the years of pain and injustice crash down on my chest, force-stopping my breathing. It's as if my whole world has turned sideways.

"I think that's what you need to figure out next," Lucius replies quietly. His cool, somber voice brings me back down a bit. I steady my breathing as he continues. "You have your friends, and you still have your sister to think about. Where does she fit into all this?"

Silence fills the cabin as everyone waits for me to collect myself.

"I'm going to buy a house if you and your sister want to live there…" Marcus starts, but his voice soon trails off. I chuckle and sniff back my tears at his proposal.

"And then what? We get married and have kids? You get fat while I stay home and yell at you for staying out too late?" I ask sarcastically.

"I don't know, maybe we just hangout for a while. Nothing is set in stone. We have the rest of our lives to figure out what we want to do; whatever it is, I just want to do it with you." I cover my flushed face with my hand as Marcus spills his heart out.

"You're so lame."

"I thought that's what you liked about me?" He smiles.

"You kids always cheer me up," Lucius cuts in. I'm sure he's uncomfortable sitting around listening to us talk like this. "What do you say we all head back to the guild and cancel that quest contract?"

Our Guild Master stands to leave, but we all remain seated.

"I don't think we can do that," Marcus says what we're all thinking. "We've never failed a quest, and I don't plan to start now."

"We've been planning for this mission for weeks now. I don't think I'll be able to live with myself if we don't at least try," Steven adds. I smile as I look around at my teammates all grinning at me.

"It looks like I'm not gonna be able to change your minds." Lucius sighs. "Good luck out there. You'll need it."

"Onward to Adventure!"