The announcement caught Damion completely off guard. A sister. He had been an only child on Earth and for fifteen years he’s been an only child here on Nerotath. He had no idea how to be a big brother and the idea of him being one suddenly left him unsure how he should feel.
On the one hand he was happy for his parents. Damion knew he was not exactly a normal child, and at times had caught his mother worrying over his oddities. And on the other hand, he was worried he would do something that would screw up his new little sister for life.
“That is so wonderful,” Damion finally said after a long moment of silence. “Have you picked out a name yet?”
“Not yet. We only received confirmation from the doctor this morning,” Sharon told Damion.
“Oh, but you know for sure it will be a girl?” Damion asked.
“Yes, the doctor was sure. We’ll have to get a bigger house to make room for the baby though. Are you okay with that?”
“If that’s what you think we need,” Damion answered scratching his head. “If I start working as an adventurer I won’t be home as much and if I get into a magic academy like Ms. Teft says I will when I’m 18, then you won’t really need more room.”
“But if we don’t get more room, you won’t have a place to stay when you come home to visit,” his mother countered.
“I didn’t think of that,” Damion admitted. “Just do what you think is best mom.”
The family celebration and discussion went on late into the night. Caleb and Sharon were quite insistent on a larger house, even going so far as to promise Damion his very own library as long as he promised regular visits. Despite the long talk when Damion finally headed to bed nothing was decided. In the morning Damion headed out to the Adventurer Association to meet Ms. Teft and select a suitable mission.
When Damion arrived at the Adventurer Association he did not see Ms. Teft, so he decided to go inside and look around while he waited for her. When they were at the Association before, all Damion had time to do was register and take the test, he barely knew what else the facility had to offer.
Inside, Damion saw the familiar counter in the corner for licensing, the same female clerk on duty. Damion’s eyes roamed over the inside of the Adventurer Association, not really searching for anything, but trying to take everything in. The majority of the room was taken up by what appeared to be a bar area. Quite a number of people were sitting at the tables there eating and drinking.
Another area seemed to be a lounge, filled with comfortable looking couches and chairs. There were several groups of people in the lounge, each of the groups appeared to be having deep discussions.
Opposite the lounge and bar was a staircase and Damion wondered what was up there. Offices perhaps? Damion was not sure how many people the Association actually employed here in the City, but it was a four-story building, so they had quite a bit of room.
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Along the wall between the lounge and the bar areas were a half dozen terminals and Damion guessed these were the computers that handled missions. Damion walked over to the terminals, noticing that the eyes of a few of the patrons in the bar and lounge followed him. Most likely they were curious why someone so young was in the Adventurer Association.
At the terminal Damion saw it had a place to place his adventurer license so Damion took his out and placed it on the reader. The terminal jumped to life, displaying what Damion assumed were the missions he was eligible to take. There were more than a dozen missions on the list and Damion quickly began to skim through them and singled a few out.
Mission: 1607-12-408 – Type: Escort – Start Time: 1607-12-20 09:00 – Destination: Bufort – Reward: 1 Silver
Mission: 1607-12-421 – Type: Escort – Start Time: 1607-12-29 09:00 – Destination: Bufort – Reward: 1 Silver
Mission: 1607-12-422 – Type: Solo Hunt – Start Time: N/A – Target: Fire Scorpion x 5 – Location: Benault Forest – Reward: 2 Silver
Mission: 1607-12-427 – Type: Group Hunt – Start Time: 1607-12-30 09:00 – Target: Aerico x 25 – Location: Benault Forest – Reward: 10 Silver (Split)
Unbeknownst to Damion as he was browsing through the missions, Ms. Teft came up behind him. It was not until Damion had narrowed down the list that she spoke up.
“I approve of your selections,” Ms. Teft said, startling Damion.
“What does the ‘10 Silver (Split)’ mean?”
“That the total reward is 10 silver to be split between everyone in the group.”
His first question answered, Damion asked another, “How far away is Bufort?”
“About 400 kilometers to the east.”
“What about Benault Forest, where is it?”
“On the border of the Green Zone on the way to Bufort. You cross through the forest on the way to Bufort. The road that cuts through the forest is fairly safe, but the start of the forest is the start of the Yellow Zone Bufort is in.”
“How come the start times are different for the escort mission?” Damion asked.
“That is a weekly escort mission for a caravan of traders to Bufort.”
“Should I go ahead and take the one that leaves tomorrow?”
“The choice is yours, but you might as well. The escort mission is usually taken by F Ranks like yourself that want a free ride to Bufort.”
“You mean the escort mission won’t have any beasts to fight?” Damion asked, concerned he would be missing his chance to work on his new quest from the Magic System.
“It could have quite a few, or none at all,” Ms. Teft answered. “The road is frequently traveled, but there is a reason the caravan posts the mission every week. Always remember, no matter how routine the mission is, make sure you stay alert. Beasts can show up when you least expect it.”
Damion made a mental note of Ms. Teft’s advice as he touched the terminal screen to select the next escort mission. Once the mission was selected the terminal gave him more details. The route the caravan was planning to take popped up, along with instructions on where and who to report to in the morning at the east gate of the city.
“The caravan usually stays in Bufort for a couple of days before returning. When you arrive, make sure you check in with the Adventurer Association to take the return escort.”
“You mean I’ll be alone in the city? Where will I sleep?” Damion asked suddenly nervous.
“The Adventurer Association has free rooms for their members. You can use the time to sightsee if you want, or you can hang around the Association and wait for the escort mission to return home.”
“What if I want to take another mission while I am in Bufort?”
“You have that option too, just make sure it is a quick mission so you don’t miss the escort mission back. Otherwise you’ll have to wait for the return trip the following week or it is a long walk home.”
“Any advice on how to tell my mother that my first mission will keep me away from home for several days?”
“You are on your own for that, kiddo,” Ms. Teft said as she gave Damion a pat on the back.