Kas Mare walked into the guild master's office and closed the door.
"You wanted to see me about a job?" She asked, resting one hand on the hilt of her sword and the other on the door frame. Her brunette hair was tied up in a bun and she was wearing her well used leather armor. Kas kept it well maintained despite the years of use.
"Something like that yes," The wrinkled man said, "I'll cut to the chase. Do you know where Bronton is?"
"Bronton? Yeah, I've been there a few times on guild work. You know this, Torrion." She said with annoyance.
"Yes, yes," He stammered, "Of course. We received a contract from the duke earlier this week. It seems that no one has heard anything from Bronton in six months, give or take. All envoys and scouts sent over never return. It's the same story in the surrounding towns. It seems that no one can get word from Bronton."
Kas sat down in the chair across from the guild master and reached for the contract he held out to her. He continued as she read it.
"We sent some hands of our own to investigate, and also lost contact. They haven't returned yet, although granted they may not have had much time to return. It is a two day journey."
Kas set the paper back onto the desk and crossed her legs. "Five thousand marks?"
"It is a large sum of coin, my dear," Torrion said, "but I share in the Duke's concern about the state of Bronton. It's not an important trade hub, but it is the closest village to us and there are good people who live there."
"Who did you send?" Kas asked. She may have been the most capable adventurer's guild member, but she knew and cared about all of her guild mates.
"We sent Glenmor and Tashka as a team."
Glenmor and Tashka were very competent. It was concerning that they hadn't already reported back. Kas bobbed her foot as she thought about it. She knew what Guildmaster Torrion wanted from her. Five thousand marks was a lot of money indeed, worth several standard contracts. It was a half year's earnings, just for a quick jaunt over to see what was going on?
"I'll take the contract." Kas said, grabbing and rolling up the paper. She stood up and walked to the door.
"I knew you would," Torrion said, "Report back as soon as you can. The reward is only about finding out what has happened, if anything. I'd make the local guildhall my first stop if I were you. See if Kaegan has anything to say."
Kas nodded and closed the door behind her.
...
"Leaving so soon?" A younger woman bounded up to Kas and asked through her grin. "You
just
got back!"
"It's good to see you too Tyra," Kas said as she paused in the guildhall's door. "Yes, I'm leaving while it's morning. Got another contract." She held up the rolled paper and started to turn. "Be good while I'm gone and I promise I'll teach you that trick I used to slay Narob when I get back." In truth the trick was simply overwhelming the ogre and stabbing it in the gut, but killing Narob had earned her a great level of fame and prestige.
"You say that everytime! And you always leave as soon as you get back! Let me go with you. I promise I won't get in the way." The red headed girl begged. Kas sighed. Tyra was only a couple years younger than Kas's 29 years, but she hadn't grown as much. She was taking low level contracts when Kas signed up nearly a decade ago, and she was still taking low level contracts. Find a lost cat. Move some crates. Occasionally run a notice or letter across town. They didn't pay much and they didn't teach you much. In contrast, Kas's fame had exploded all over the duchy. When someone had a serious problem, they called on Kas.
"I don't think so. This could be dangerous," Kas said and walked out the door, knowing that Tyra would follow her. Indeed she did, and Kas sighed again.
"Well, what is the contract?" Tyra asked as she grabbed for the parchment, but Kas effortlessly kept it away. Not dissuaded, Tyra moved around to block her path. "It can't be too dangerous, right?" Tyra batted her eyes up at Kas.
Kas rolled her eyes, but thought about it. It was just a short four-day round trip. Not likely to encounter many bandits or dangerous wildlife on the road to Bronton. And maybe it would be good experience for the younger woman. Kas did have a fondness for her, almost like how an older sibling cares for the younger. She knew that Tyra, like many, looked up to Kas as well. It would be the highlight of her year to go on a contract with her, no matter how tame it was.
But why send me then?
Kas thought. Something weird was going on, but it was probably just a closed road or some other mundane problem. It was unlikely that a dragon had showed up and was just waiting on hapless adventurers to show up and feed it. And besides, Kas had killed a dragon before. Well, helped kill a dragon.
"Okay, fine. You can come with me." Kas had barely spoke the words when Tyra jumped forward and hugged her, squealing with excitement.
"Okay! I have to go get my gear! I'll be right back!" She shouted over her shoulder as she ran back into the guild.
"Five minutes!" Kas shouted after her.
...
Tyra yammered excitedly for the first couple hours of the journey, and Kas was beginning to regret her decision to bring her along. Around noon she began to shut up, the novelty of the adventure wearing off and the dirt packed road beginning to wear on her. Kas had explained the contract to Tyra as they walked, and Tyra had wondered aloud what kind of monsters or demons could have taken over the town. Kas let her talk. She didn't believe it likely that anything had taken over the town, but she was prepared for the worst. You didn't get far into the life of an adventurer without being prepared for things you believe to be unlikely. She had her usual kit, consisting of her fitted studded armor, pack of provisions, her hand crossbow, and of course her enchanted sword, Sera. The sword was her prized possession, worth more than most cities had in their treasuries. The king of Cintra gifted it to her a few years ago for helping rescue his son from a band of criminals. The craftsmanship was exquisite, and the enchantment allowed her to cut through nearly any material. It was truly a princely gift; one she has used to further her fame and wealth over the years.
"What is that?" Tyra gasped, bringing Kas back to the moment. She pointed ahead at a group of armed men standing under a tent on the side of the path.
"It's a guard checkpoint, nothing to worry about." Kas said as she fished into her pack for her guild license. The license permitted free travel through the entire duchy. Regular citizens would have to pay a travel fee. It was a way to fund keeping the roads clear of bandits and other wildlife. The guards held up their hands in a "stop" signal as Kas and Tyra approached. The guard saw Kas's face and grinned.
"Well, well, well, if it isn't the Steel Maiden herself. On your way to Bronton?" He said, taking their permits from them.
"Yeah, heard that there's been some trouble that way. What would you and your men know about that?" Kas asked.
The guard huffed and handed their documents back. "Not much. Just that a lot of people have gone through the checkpoint here but none of them have returned." He spat into the dirt. "But you, the Steel Maiden herself? I'm sure we'll be figurin' out what happened soon."
"Good luck," One of the other guards said, his eyes glanced down to her chest. Kas ignored it and went through.
A few minutes later, when they were out of earshot, Tyra asked "Did you see that guard staring at your boobs? What a creep." Kas had of course noticed. She was pretty used to men, and sometimes women, looking at her body. She knew that she was regarded as beautiful, and she'd heard the songs about her. She always dressed modestly; in fact, she was rarely seen out of her armor and in regular clothing. She couldn't help that even under the boiled leather cuirass her breasts were obviously large. When unrestrained by the hard leather, her boobs were so pronounced that she couldn't walk down the street without attracting glances from nearly all men. It embarrassed her, but she never let it be known.
Kas cleared her throat. "That was the only checkpoint on the road to Bronton. We should reach the town by tomorrow afternoon." Tyra seemed to take the hint, and they continued their journey until evening fell. The nights were cool, but not so cold that it was uncomfortable. Indeed, the climate in the duchy was perfect year-round, even in the heart of summer like it was now. Kas told Tyra that they should make camp soon while they still had light, and so they ended up sitting by a small campfire just a few meters into the forest off the path.
Tyra watched as Kas performed her nightly ritual of carefully preparing a floral tea. It was one of the small pleasures that she allowed herself while on a contract. She noticed Tyra staring and pulled out a second teacup, smiling to herself. She had to admit that the company wasn't all that bad. So many nights saw her alone by a fire in the wilderness, and so few nights in a warm bed surrounded by her friends and guildmates.
Do I even have friends at this point?
She thought, pouring the steaming tea for the both of them. Tyra was a friend, even if Kas herself was a poor friend in return.
"Here you go," Kas said, handing the cup to Tyra, "it's hot, so be careful."
Tyra eagerly took the cup and held it in both hands. "It smells so good, thank you!"
Kas sipped her own cup and smiled at her. "You should get some rest as soon as you're done. I'll keep watch."
"I can keep watch!" Tyra exclaimed. "I'm here to help! You can't stay up all night!"
"I insist. It's okay." Kas said, finishing her tea and carefully putting the cup to the side. "I enjoy the night, and I'm used to it."
"That's horrible, let me help!" The younger girl said.
Kas unsheathed her sword and set it across her lap. "I will let you take second watch then. I'll wake you up then, so try and get some sleep in the meantime." It was a lie. She simply didn't trust the girl to be able to keep watch. It was unlikely that anything would happen this close to the road, but they were close to Bronton. The fact that she didn't know what was going on was beginning to disquiet her subconscious. She told herself again that it was probably nothing, and they would find out tomorrow in any case.
