The Adventurer Pt. 01

They called me a freak. A monster. Some whispered I was a demon's child, because my parents were unknown (let's be real, they probably abandoned me or something). Some whispered that my eyes, which were red in color, were a sign I was a demon. Even when I began displaying some potency in solar magic--a branch of magic relying on sunlight, which was one of the opposites of demonic magic--people still condemned me as a demon.

I have had priests of various gods and Imperial Witch-hunters and even entire mobs coming down crashing my door, sometimes with politeness, but usually without.

But it was alright. After a total of around three or four burned cabins, I found a new home. The (notoriously tolerant) Adventurer's Guild accepted me as a neophyte when I was fourteen. For five years, in the eastern city of Easthaven (our ancestors sucked ass at naming cities), I trained and went on various tasks alongside senior members, ranging from cleansing rat infestations to guarding caravans to... well, that's most of it.

Today, though, I received a letter from the Guildmaster telling me to come to the Guild. A strange occurence, but usually a good one. Or a horribly bad one.

"Oh, Darryl!" the old receptionist Dorothy called me. She was a retired Adventurer and had been serving as the Guild's receptionist for--if the rumors were to be believed--nine decades (some others claim ninety decades). Of course, this made absolutely no sense whatsoever if she were human, but any question about that had been replied with a cheerful laugh, so no one bothered to ask nowadays.

"The Guildmaster is waiting," she said.

"Thanks."

I headed straight for the Guildmaster's office in the second floor. Guildmaster Erika was one of the most influential persons in the whole Kingdom. She was tall and her scars did not help present a prudish image. Her left eye was almost always covered by an eye patch; it was said that she lost it in a battle against a medusa, after which she tore off the medusa's eyes, one of which she transplanted into her own empty eye socket. Yes, the medusa's eyes. The ones that can turn people into stone. That was hiding under her eye patch.

Needless to say, even the most snobbish of Dukes or even the Imperial Grand-wizard respected and feared her, though her ever-present smile did not help present such an image. "Ah, just the guy I wanted to see," she said. "Here."

She handed me a shiny, sparkly badge made of silver. "... A member's badge!"

"Yeah, congratulations."

I took a long look at the badge. Made of silver, with the Adventurer's Guild seal on it. With this thing on me, I could now take bounties on my own. My lips formed upwards.

I became a full member of the Guild!

"Now, now, don't think about being a 'full' member yet."

"What? How could you--"

"Mind reading. A little trick I learned from a Drow," Guildmaster Erika said. "It's always unpleasant when I have to talk about this, but, well, you have to give back to the Guild for the price of your training and equipment, and in your case lodging as well."

"I guess that makes sense."

"Yeah, for you the costs come out to about 250 gold coins," she said.

"Fair," I shrugged. Drats--how do I repay that?

"We'll take 20 percent of what you earn from a bounty," she said. "We'll do that until the debt is repaid. Fair?"

"Of course."

"Well then, welcome as a member of the Guild! You can go explore. If you want to go on a mission immediately, ask Dorothy."

Well, I was 250 gold coins in debt, so I decided to head to Dorothy. I had nothing but a horse, a small carriage, a sword and a shield, and my ability with solar magic and swordfight, so I had to be very careful about which tasks I could take.

When I met Dorothy, a familiar face turned to meet me. "Oh hey Darryl!" the figure said. He was Erich, one of my teachers. He was an elf-a sizable minority in the Kingdom. A bright light shone in his eyes as he saw my badge. "New kid on the adventuring block, huh? Always nice to see my students succeed."

"It's thanks to you, too, Erich," I said. "By the way, where have you been these past few months? I haven't seen you much."

"Oh it's the usual stuff with the Royal Family," he said. "I don't understand why they need to call me all the time for research on solar magic. I thought that was the Imperial Wizards' job!"

"Can't complain about the pay though, can you?" Dorothy asked. "Even the ten percent the Guild received was a lot."

"If I want to wallow in a lab for months, I wouldn't have joined the Adventurer's Guild, would I?" Erich grumbled.

"Alright," Dorothy coughed. "You're here for a mission, yes?"

"Yes," I said. "Preferably one that is close from here with good pay."

"Everyone wants that," Dorothy said. "Yes... this one. A necromancer is on the loose in a decently-sized village near the border with the Elves. Reward: 100 gold coins."

"Whoa, that sounds good!" I said.

"Too good," Erich sharply said. "Villagers don't normally raise that much money. The necromancer must be quite strong."

"Apparently, the money was raised from the Mayoress' private wealth."

"What a great mayoress she is then," I commented. "I was a bit afraid there was the possibility they would just not pay after the job's done."

Dorothy laughed. "Nothing crosses the Adventurer's Guild," she said. "Alright, you wanna take it?"

"Hmm... okay, yeah. I think I should be up to it." Solar magic incorporated fire and light, two main anti-undead weapons, and I was quite good at it.

"Well, if you're up against a necromancer, take these. On the house," Erich said before handing me three bottles of chalk-colored water. "Holy water. Lit them with your fire and they explode."

"Uuuh, thanks, but I'm pretty sure holy water is slightly gold in colour, and they definitely don't explode."

"It's a new invention a bunch of friends and I made," he said. "So it's a bit of a trial product, really. We've proven it effective against zombies and skeletons, but let's see if it works on the necromancer themself."

"Well, I'd never refuse aid. Thanks a bunch, Erich."

"My pleasure. And do tell me stories when you're back-first time adventurer's stories always amuse me." Erich left.

"I'll arrange your supplies," Dorothy said, "they should be ready by tomorrow morning."

"That's great, thanks Dorothy. I guess I'd walk around town for now."

Considering that Easthaven hosted the headquarters of the Adventurer's Guild, one would think it was a large, industrial one. However, the Guild chose it precisely because it was not too large, and far enough from the centres of other powers, like the Church or the Crown. It was a relatively small city, but quite busy nonetheless.

My first stop from the central of the city was the Slaver's Guild in the western part to visit a friend--Amelia, a human slaver who had been so since her youth. I met the amber-haired young woman when I was assigned, alongside Erich, to protect some of the Slaver's Guild's materiel shipment.

The Slaver's Guild's building was, well, not exactly a building, but rather a collection of cells, small offices, and training grounds. I glanced and saw a small group of slavers coming with a slave they probably just captured--a bandit, from the looks of him. Slaves seemed to never be in short supply--bandits and vagabonds were aplenty, and those daring enough may enslave them. Orc raiders in the northern parts of the Kingdom, when defeated, were often enslaved as labor; those who fell in debt would sell themself as a slave; treacherous nobles made good prizes; and for those truly foolish, the powerful inhabitants of the mystical Elven Forests to the east were a target as well.

"Darryl! What errand have they got you running today?" she asked with a grin. She looked at my badge for a few seconds. "Alright, correction, what errand have you got yourself running today?"

"I'm about to take down a necromancer tomorrow," I said. "The Guild's still sorting out my supplies."

"A necromancer, huh? I see," she said. "You know, a fresh shipment just came in today. You wanna take a look? I can give you my employee's discount."

"Yeah, well, I'm broke," I said. "But maybe later."

Amelia chuckled. "Well, talk to you later. I've got to feed the slaves."

"Alright then, see you."

Compared to the rather secretive and perhaps even dark Slaver's Guild, the merchant district was much more lively and vibrant. The merchants sold food and clothing and other assorted items. Traders from the Elven Forest peddled rare potions and amulets (foreign magic was viewed with scrutiny by the Imperial Wizards, but given that Elven magic was significantly more advanced than human magic, there was some leeway). Wealthy Drow merchants came with peculiar flying contraptions (I've been told these small, cone-shaped things were called gyrocopters) and sold metalwork. Still, everywhere, hidden from plain sight, laid a number of Imperial Agents--these spies were employed by the Crown maintained order, verified slaves, and upheld the law. Guildmaster Erika told me how to identify them long ago--they wore silver robes with black stripes, and would often masquerade as a parlor magician of a circus troupe.

And these Imperial Agents were most ubiquitous in the southern part of the city, a hive of brothels and pleasure houses. Both slaves and freefolk worked here; most were alleviating their poverty or paying the price of a crime, but there were always those high-priced courtesans and exotic sex slaves.

I passed through a small barracks of the militiamen before returning to the Adventurer's Guild. A great night's sleep later, with my carriage and horse ready, I departed Easthaven.

The roads to the northeast were dirt roads which were poorly maintained. Villagers here had learned to defend themselves, as the guards employed by their lieges were few, sparse, and often badly equipped. Nevertheless, I managed to get through the journey relatively safely. The summer sunlight was warm but not overtly scorching. Still, the journey was not very short and when I reached the village--at night--a horde of villagers were running away.

"Undead! Undead! Run! RUN!"

I quickly detached my horse from the carriage. I pulled out a bottle of holy water, injected it with some fire, and hurled it at the zombie throng. A faint boom followed as the bottle exploded. Holy water sprinkled all over the zombies, draining the necromantic power that fuelled them. I charged with an outstretched blade as my horse sped up.

What little cohesion the remaining zombies had broke as, behind me, a line of militiamen charged with long pikes. That night was won by the living. The zombies were cremated to prevent further reanimation. Everyone was tired, so the villagers slept in their houses, some of which were lightly damaged, and I set up tent.

The next day, the villagers had gone to repair the damages and erect a palisade. I met the Mayoress in the village hall. The Mayoress was a redhead human woman in her late thirties with freckles on her face. Her body was a little plump.

"Ah! You must be from the Adventurer's Guild!" she said. "Please, sit. I'm Natalie, the village's new Mayoress after the previous one fell against the necromancer--gods bless his soul, he was a good man. And you?"

"You can call me Darryl," I said.

Natalie smiled. "I have to thank you. Without your timely intervention, I doubt this village would even stand here."

She chuckled. "As they say in the outskirts, 'a bribe of 100 gold coins will bring the Crown's knights in 8 months; a similar payment will bring the Adventurer Guild in 2 hours."

"Well, that's a slight exaggeration, but I'm here nonetheless," I said. "I need information about this necromancer."

"Oh, right. Certainly," Natalie said. "This necromancer began appearing a month ago. Since then, he has destroyed a small village."

"You're telling me a whole village were destroyed and nobody raised the alarm?"

"Well... I'd hesitate to say that is--was--a village, more like a collection of huts," she said. "Anyway, this village became aware of the problem when a few refugees went here, and a small number of hunters and guards went missing. The undead attacked a week ago, an attack that we repulsed, though the old mayor died in battle."

"So you've been the Mayoress for a week only."

"Yes. And because of that, frankly, I have very little information except for what I just told you--I've been swamped with bureaucratic work. I suggest you ask around: we have lots of farmers and hunters, and the guards might see something, and the refugees might tell you a thing or two. If you need lodgings, we have an inn."

"Alright, thanks for the help."

So my investigation began. I went knocking on one of the hunter's home. "Excuse me," I said.

The hunter opened the door. He was a tall and intimidating man, whose hair was scant. "It's you! Molly, get some food, he's here, Molly!"

"Ah, I was just--"

"No, no, no, I insist! You must have lunch with us! Molly, lunch, Molly!"

What began as a simple lunch turned into a pretty crazy feast as practically half the village population barged into the house. "Saw him coming in with a horse, exploded some water, and the zombies went down--kid's a real madlad, rushed into the zombies like that--"

"Toast! Toast to the kiddo!" one hunter interrupted the other, and they gulped down their third or fourth glass of whiskey.

Before they became too drunk to talk, I coughed. "Thanks lads, but I'm actually here to investigate," I said. "If you have any information on the necromancer, or just anything suspicious, please say it."

An elderly farmer grunted. "Ah Margot, don't you bore the kid with your old 'my sheep goes missing' tale again!"

"It wasn't a tale!" the farmer half-raged. "I'll tell you boy, I'll tell you. My village is now destroyed, but back then I lived most near the forest. Weird things there, my sheep went missing one by one. All missing. Never came back."

"When was that?"

The farmer fell into deep thought. "Three... three months ago."

"Necromancers often perform sacrifices to bolster their own power. Sheep isn't a prime target, but a weak or new one would often prey on livestock," I said. "It's likely the necromancer took the sheep."

"Told you! Told you!" he said triumphantly to some of the others.

"Anything else?" I asked.

They mumbled for a while, before everyone shook their head. "Okay... do you cremate or bury people here?"

"A bit of fifty-fifty, I'd say," one said. "We're guarding the remaining graveyards day and night."

"Good, we can't afford any more undead around," I said. "Alright folks, thanks a lot."

I expected as much from the farmers and hunters. Maybe I should have gone to the guards--but first, the day was late and I wanted to rest.

The tavern was certainly not the best, but it was cozy. The lower floor was full. "Whatever's your recommendation, please, and a room for the night," I said. The old innkeeper nodded.

"On the house," he said when I took out my coin purse. "Without you, there wouldn't be an inn here. Would you mind eating in your room?"

"Not at all, thank you."

He handed me a key. "The rightmost room on the second floor," he mumbled.

The room was around half the size as my own house that I rented back in Easthaven. I disrobed immediately, changing into a more comfortable outfit of simple tunic.

I laid down there, motionless. I couldn't believe how much had changed since the past few years. Once I would have been driven out from such a village by the sin of my red eyes, but now I was welcomed warmly. All thanks to a badge.

A knock was heard on the door. "Excuse me."

A pretty tavern wench came up to me. The topless woman was blonde and her hair was long and wavy. Blood was rushing to my cheeks.

"Oh, you're blushing! What's up, never seen these before?" She jiggled her sizable breasts.

"Certainly not when I'm expecting food," I quipped.

She sat down with my dinner: thick, fat sausages and bread. I ate quietly-while stealing view of her dangling breasts. The woman observed for a few moments.

"You aren't leaving?" I asked.

"Do you want me to?" she asked back impishly.

"Certainly not," I said, grinning.

"Of course, you're a young man after all," she said. "This is what you like, hm?" She took off her short skirt. Her pussy was unshaven and rather loose.

"I hope you're not too snobbish to enjoy a village whore," she said with a sultry smile. "I don't normally give out freebies, but you are an exception."

I put down my plate, which still had a few sausages on it, and gulped down some water. My lust was growing and I couldn't control it.

"Alright," I said, dropping my shirt. I immediately sucked on her nipples.

"You never gave me your name," I said as my fingers slithered down her sensual thighs.

"Monica, you can call me Monica," she said. "And you?"

"Darryl."

"That's your real name?"

"Yeah."

"That's unusual. People often use fake names," she said. "Don't you have a reputation to protect?"

"I'm a 19 year old new Adventurer who just got promoted. I have no reputation to protect," I chuckled.

"Mmmh," she moaned softly as two of my fingers played inside her inviting, dark-ish pussy. Her body was quivering slightly. "You're quite gentle... people would usually go straight for the fun."

"For me, this is part of the fun," I said.

"Oh, thank you," Monica said. "But I'm supposed to be service you, not the other way round. Let's get these pants out of the way." The blonde prostitute took off my pants and underwear.

"Oh! Oh dear," she said, licking her lips. "Quite a thick sausage you have here, hehe!"

We silently slided into a 69 position, with her on top. Her scent was almost intoxicating. My tongue licked her clit lustfully whilst one of my fingers burrowed her anus. Monica was also hard at work, as her skillful fingers enveloped themselves around my cock and her tongue licked the tip.

There was nothing but muffled moans for a few minutes. I fondled Monica's large asscheeks while continuing to please her wet pussy. She in turn took on my whole shaft in her mouth, the tip of it grazing against her throat. Her body spasmed and my face was flooded woth her love juices.

"I'd like to finish my dinner first," I said. I took the few remaining sausages, now cold, and jammed them into Monica's pussy.

"Mmh! Mmh!"

Monica pushed back the sausages, soaking it in juice. I ate them.

"Tasty," I said.

Monica's tongue wrapped my cock, and her hot breath made me unable to resist. "I'm coming!" I warned.

Hot cum shot into her throat. Monica drank all of it before her mouth released my now limp cock. She threw herself on the bed. "That was quite a lot," Monica giggled. "But I hope you have a second load ready to fill up my pussy!"

Laying down sideways, Monica opened her pussy with her nimble fingers. I rubbed the tip of my cock against her hairy oyster a little before her folds consumed my cock. I gently moved my hips whilst Monica lunged and kissed me. Our tongues licked each others' while my cock pushed deeper and deeper inside Monica's accomodating pussy. She came, her juices flowing from her hole.

"I'm coming!" I gasped.

"N-not inside!"

I pulled out and ejaculated on her voluptous breasts. "Ahh...."

We spent some time cuddling and teasing each other. "If only you could buy me from Natalie," Monica said.

"You're a slave?"

"Yeah," Monica said. "Used to be a small time merchant. Business failed and I fell in debt. The rest needn't be told."

"Honestly, I'm a new Adventurer, I've got no money," I said. "This is my first independent bounty--but don't tell the others, I don't want them to feel uneasy."

"Even if you had the coins, Natalie wouldn't let me go. I'm her cash cow." I wondered whether the bounty promised--one hundred gold coins--was from Monica's labors, and the answer to that, I found, was probably yes.