Lamina snatches a quest posting from the board. It is a simple one, cleaning up a clogged river. Adventurers are the problem solvers of this world. From major threats like a dragon, to minor issues like a lost pet, adventurers are expected to deal with them.
As an E-rank adventurer, Lamina can only accept quests that are less glamorous. She knows she has to start somewhere, so she doesn't let this bother her. To her, this is still a much better job than working as a seamstress or a barmaid.
The next day, Lamina walks up the grassy hills to the spot where the river is supposed to be blocked. Some broken pieces of wooden planks and a cart wheel are blocking the flow of the river.
"It must be some merchants dumping their broken cart here." Lamina thinks to herself. She brings up her staff, a crafted cedar branch with a blue gem at the end of it, and chants a short spell.
A strong torrent of water comes out of the staff and shoots towards the debris. The blockage is scattered and broken on impact with the blast. With a few more manipulations of the water in the stream with her magic, Lamina gets the rest of the trash out of the water.
She returns to the guild after half a day of work. A rough looking adventurer is blocking her way into the guild. He puffs a cloud of smoke in Lamina's face as he speaks in a hoarse voice, "Hey, missy, back alone from your quest, eh? Why don't you team up with ol' Rob? I'll take good care of you." He locks his eyes on Lamina's large boobs.
"Get out of the way, creep, I want nothing to do with you." Lamina sneers at him.
"Huh? You gotta learn to respect your seniors in the guild." He brandishes a short sword, pointing it at Lamina.
She lets out a sigh as flicks her wrist and ice freezes over the man's hand. He flinches as Lamina kicks him right in the crotch. Lamina pushes the man, who is wheezing in pain, aside and enters the guild.
"Is all well and good, Miss Lamina?" A cheery female clerk asks. "It is just the creep standing outside, June. I am here to hand in the quest." She plops the quest poster onto the counter.
"Sorry you have to experience that, Miss Lamina. Not all adventurers are as well mannered as you are. Please wait as I fetch you your reward." June goes under the counter to fetch the bag of coins as payment.
"Why aren't there any good looking guys here? It's either downtrodden middle aged men or creepy old guys." Lamina complains, leaning on the counter.
"It's just how it is around this area. I heard that there are quite a bit of handsome knights over at Penimis working as adventurers. It's just our luck that the hot guys don't come to country side towns like ours." June passes the bag of coins to Lamina while she rants.
"Maybe I should go work there instead, huh?" Lamina pockets the bag of coins.
"I am sure they only accept D-rank or higher adventurers over there. You need to complete a few more quests to rank up before you go.." June hands a small stack of quest posters to Lamina. "Have a look at these, grab a party member or two then maybe you can handle them."
Lamina takes the posters and sits down at one of the tables. She quickly reads through them.
"Deal with bandits. Kill a monster bear. Assist in gang investigations."
She thinks for a while, flipping through the posters. "I can handle a couple of brutes. I don't need any help from those pathetic looking guys." She psychs up herself as she brings the bandit poster with her.
The bandits' suspected lair isn't too far out of town. It is a bit closer to another village nearby than the town. Lamina travels for about half a day and reaches a vantage point that has a good view of the lair.
It is on the side of a mountain, probably an abandoned mineshaft. Lamina can see a burly looking man with an axe, sitting in front of the entrance of the mine. It must be one of the bandits, Lamina thinks.
The poster mentions about 5 to 7 bandits. Thinning their numbers one by one will be Lamina's best Bet. She continues to observe the man as night falls. The man starts to doze off as Lamina moves downhill in silence, closing in on the mineshaft.
She pulls out her staff and chants a spell quietly. An icicle flies through the man's shoulder. Just before he can scream for help, Lamina rushes in and waves her hand in front of his mouth. His mouth is then frozen shut by a layer of ice. He pants in pain as Lamina casts another spike of ice through the man. He lays limp on the ground, lifeless.
One down, few more to go. Lamina enters the mineshaft with confidence. The commotion outside doesn't reach the bandits hiding out in the mine. Lamina spots two of them playing cards on top of a crate, not knowing Lamina's presence.
She is sure that she can pierce one of the bandit's hearts in the range. She could probably be quick enough to take care of the other one. She reads her staff and chants quickly, the ice spike flies through one of the bandits.
As the body of the bandit thuds onto the ground. His ally shiftily pulls out a metal wand. Lamina is taken by surprise to see a magic user within the bandit's ranks. She pauses a bit before she snaps back to cast another spell.
Before she can finish her chanting, the bandit mage mutters and a glob of slime covers Lamina's mouth. The mage dashes towards her and sweeps her off her feet. He kicks Lamina's staff out of her hands as she falls.
Lamina is completely taken aback as her butt lands on the rocky ground. The mage binds her hands behind her back as he undos the slime that is gagging Lamina.
"Brave of you to just come alone, girl." He takes off the black scarf that is covering his face. He has blonde hair and a weary but pretty face. He continues, "I bet you think your magic is so strong that you can take on an entire group?"
Lamina scoffs at him, not replying. She sits there in her normal outfit, a dark semi-transparent robe with a revealing cleavage and small lace undergarments under it.
He reaches out his hand and grope one of Lamina's boobs. "Quite a brazen outfit you have here. Are you sure you want to travel alone like this?" He teases her cloth covered nipple. Lamina's nipples can't help but to get a bit erected.