Chapter 6 - The Chronicles of Zurax

The magical healing had fixed my wounds and the effects of blood loss, but I felt mentally drained. The sight of sunlight was throwing me off: I had already been up for a full day in my own world before dealing with everything in this cave. Despite that, I still felt more aware of my immediate surroundings than before. Another benefit of the Rogue class? Will it feel stronger when I’m rested?

Part of me wanted to take it slow, and avoid being caught off-guard again. The rest of me wanted to get the fuck out of the cave. Fortunately, my concerns were (for once) unwarranted.

“Come oooon!” Ves yelled from outside, leaning into the cave. I picked up the pace and stepped into the sunlight.

And damn, it felt brighter than I expected. But once my eyes adjusted, I saw that the cave was part of a rocky hill, surrounded by dense forest. A well-worn path led from the cave’s entrance off into the woods, as far as I could see. I was grateful that the trees were there to block out at least some of the sunlight.

What felt especially great was being able to take a deep breath of fresh air. I’d been jogging in my local park for a while, but I hadn’t made it out to a real forest in years, and forgot just how nice the air could be. It was cool outside, which was comparitively warmer than the cave. I wondered if the armor might start feeling uncomfortable after spending some time out here.

It hit me just then that I hadn’t discussed any kind of plans with Ves, beyond leaving the cave. I’d already been feeling like I was taking up too much of her time and energy - literally, in the case of her magic healing. Normally, I wouldn’t have a problem just asking for help, but this was such an alien situation for me.

Ves was stretching, her eyes closed and a content smile on her face. It made sense that she would especially enjoy the sunlight. “Hey, Ves, thanks - thank you for all your help. I seriously don’t know what I would have done without you.”

She waved it off. “What? No, I didn’t do anything. Thanks for your help with the rat queen, though. And especially for helping me find the guild coin!”

“I seriously would have died without your healing. I don’t know if I could ever repay that.”

Ves cracked a small smile and tilted her head slightly. She seemed lost in thought. After a few moments, I cleared my throat. “Uh, anyway, any suggestions where I should go next?”

She snapped out of her reverie. “Aren’t we going back to the village?”

It felt easiest to just act absentminded and agree. Ves set off on the path, and I followed.

“Any suggestions as to what a guy from another world should, uh, do for probably the rest of his life?”

Ves shrugged. “Guess I assumed you were going to continue being an adventurer. It’s gotta be easier than learning a trade and settling down in a totally unfamiliar place.”

“...Huh. That actually sounds really cool.” I tried to sound casual, but I think my excitement shone through a bit. “Also sounds like an easy way to get killed in a totally unfamiliar place. Is it difficult to join a guild, or a party, or find a partner, or what?”

“Joining a guild is easy. Most aren’t choosy, but joining one doesn’t mean you’ll get assigned to parties and actually get to do anything, y’know, lucrative.”

“Well… seeing as I lack even the basic knowledge that your average beginner might have, I’d be lucky if a guild grouped me with their worst parties.”

Ves smirked. “Yeah, but you’d be safe while you’re stuck at the guild hall on permanent cleaning duty.”

I scratched the back of my head. “Sounds like I’ll need to find someone nice enough to take me on as… an apprentice, or something.” Maybe there’s a Big Adventurer, Little Adventurer program I could join.

A sly smile formed on Vestele’s face, making her look even more cat-like than before. “Jeremy… are you trying to ask if you can partner up with me?”

My face felt a little warm. “Like I said, you’ve already helped me out a lot. I didn’t want to assume that you’d do anything else once we reached the village.”

“Uh-huh.” She seemed to be trying to avoid her smile turning into full-on laughter. Her eyes inspected me from top to bottom. “But sure, let’s give it a shot. It’s not like it can be any worse than being on my own.”

“Maybe I’ll surprise both of us. I felt different when I killed that last rat. Who knows what kind of potential I have with my class?”

“I’m not worried about you. Except for, you know,” she motioned at me, “not knowing anything about anything. I–” Ves appeared to be choosing her words carefully. “You should be more worried about working with me.”

I couldn’t tell if Ves was threatening me or just being modest. “What do you mean?”

“I don’t know how obvious it is to you, but I’m a terrible Healer. I never expected to get any class, but this one, least of all.”

The painful healing spells, the inability to maintain her magical light while casting something else… it all started to make sense. “What do–” I stopped in my tracks. “Actually, first of all, I’ll repeat this as many times as I need to: you saved my life. Your magic could hurt twice as much and it would still be worth it. It’s amazing!”

She stopped walking and rolled her eyes. “Not like you have anything to compare it to.”

“I wouldn’t be here to argue about this if not for you. That’s all I’ll say. I thought I’d be on my own once we left the cave, so the idea of you having my back in this world, and especially in fights, sounds great.”

Putting a hand on her hip, Ves stared at me for a few seconds, then continued walking ahead of me. “I guess I already agreed. And leaving you on your own is a guaranteed death sentence.”

This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

Staying quiet for a while felt like the best decision. As a pleasant bonus, it was easier to hear birds chirping. Damn, this is idyllic.

I felt calmer than I had in ages, both physically and mentally. It would be too easy to forget that there were creatures like the cave rats in this world, and most of them were surely much more powerful

After only ten minutes, I could see the village up ahead. “Is that it?”

“Told you it wasn’t far. Welcome to Perrenbrook, and get ready to learn why I wanted to become an adventurer, despite… Anyway, we’ll go to the village hall first, and drop off the tail and the coin. Then we can get something to eat.”

“Food sounds nice, but I’ll see how I’m feeling after turning in the items. I’ve been up for a while and could use some sleep.”

Ves turned and gave me a curious glance. “...Yeah, okay. I’ll have to figure out where you’re gonna be sleeping.”

“At this point, my only real preference is ‘indoors’, if possible.”

Perrenbrook was almost exactly what I pictured when thinking of the word “village”. Rustic homes, unpaved roads, folks farming on the outskirts, the occasional clopping of horses being ridden, and a smell that - while not absolutely terrible - made me glad that games had yet to tap into that particular sense.

Overall, it was a quaint, charming place. I had known people, particularly some at various jobs who were close to retirement, who would have given anything to live in a village like this. As for me… I started to think that I should get comfortable with the idea of living here, or somewhere similar enough. While I never expected to become an actual adventurer, maybe one of the benefits would be to visit new locations and find something that felt just right.

We crossed the brook that gave the village its name, and were officially within the village proper. There weren’t many people out and about now; most of them were probably busy working indoors or in the fields. Of the few I saw, one had pointy ears that made me wonder if they were an elf, another appeared human, and there were two I saw at a distance and couldn’t tell if they were human children or another, shorter, humanoid species.

Ves led me to the village hall, which was a bit larger than the other buildings surrounding it. As we entered, she explained that the village hall also served as the local post office and Adventurer’s Network. “The Network is like a middleman between people who need help and adventurers. They manage rewards for completing quests, and can help put adventurers in contact with other adventurers.” I was very familiar with the concept from… the vast majority of games I had played.

The building was quiet, other than the ticking of a clock on the wall. Wonder how busy this place gets. Maybe it gets kinda crazy here whenever the mail arrives.

We approached a counter, but only found an empty chair on the opposite side. Above the counter was a list of various services related to the mail service (it was much more expensive to send a message by magical means than by horseback) and the Adventurer’s Network.

Ves called out “Hellooo,” after which I could hear shuffling footsteps, but couldn’t see anything. Then there were faint sounds of effort, and I gradually saw a diminutive, wrinkly, green being as they slowly climbed onto the chair. They had only the faintest traces of wispy gray hair on their head, and were wearing dark maroon robes. I knew immediately that this had to be a goblin… or that I was about to learn about the mystic energy that binds everything in the galaxy. Either way, I was excited.

The goblin slapped their hands onto the counter, making me flinch. They leaned forward, their big, bloodshot eyes squinting. Just as I thought they were going to demand that we leave at once, the goblin reached into a pocket and placed a pair of tiny pince-nez glasses onto their equally-tiny nose. When the goblin spoke, the last voice I expected to hear was a sweet old lady’s.

“Oh, Vestele, so lovely to see you. Are you already back from your quest?”

“Hello, Mrs. Zurax. Yeah, we’re all done!” Ves looked at me and pointed at the counter. Once I registered what she was suggesting, I took the huge rat tail off my shoulder and placed it down. “This should be enough proof, right?”

Mrs. Zurax adjusted her pince-nez and looked at the tail. “My, yes. You did a lovely job, dear. The reward was… oh… what was it… twenty coppers, that’s right.” She slowly, excruciatingly, climbed down her chair and shuffled towards a large safe on the back wall, between some shelves filled with books and parchments.

The elderly goblin reached into the neckline of her robes and pulled out a key that was kept on a chain around her neck, then her shaking hand moved it towards the lock. It took her a couple of attempts to get it in. Finally, she turned it and the safe creaked open just a couple of inches. Mrs. Zurax reached inside, and I could just barely hear her counting. “One… two… three… now where was I… oh yes… four…”

I instinctively reached into a pocket to get my phone, but as soon as my hand was on it, I remembered that it would be useless here. Oh my god, even doomscrolling would be better than this.

Once Mrs. Zurax was finished counting, she reversed the arduous process, locking the safe and climbing back onto her chair. A sack containing the coins was placed onto the counter. “Here you are, dear. Oh!” She leaned forward again. “What happened to that sweet aevrana girl?”

Ves looked uncomfortable. “Well, you see–”

“And who is this tall, handsome Rogue?” I awkwardly pointed at myself. “Yes, you. Please, come closer.”

Making sure to avoid looking at whatever expression was on Ves’s face, I stepped closer to the counter.

“Oh, yes.” Mrs. Zurax hummed in approval. “Why, if I were three years younger…”

“This is Jeremy.” Ves had absolute joy in her voice. “He was separated from his people, so I’m going to help him out.” I made the mistake of looking at her and seeing that mischievous cat grin.

Mrs. Zurax chuckled softly. “My, my. I’m sure you’ll help him quite a lot.”

I wanted nothing more than for this experience to end. Thinking of some way to at least change the subject, I remembered the other reason we were here. “Oh! Uh, we also wanted to turn in an identification coin.”

“Hey, yeah!” Ves took out the coin and placed it on the counter, then slid it towards the goblin.

“Oh my… does this mean some poor adventurer died in that cave?” We told her about the body of the young man that we found. “Such a pity. But, you know, I don’t recall anyone else accepting the rat queen hunt.” She picked up the coin and held it close to one eye. “Sterling Seekers… now that does sound familiar. Let me check.”

I realized that this “fantasy world” was actually some kind of ironic hell as Mrs. Zurax began the process of slowly climbing down her chair again. Was I rude to a DMV clerk in the past?

She shuffled back towards the shelves. I had to do something to move this along. Using the same loud-but-friendly voice I had to use when speaking to my grandmother in her later days, I asked “Is there anything I can do to help?”

Mrs. Zurax turned back to me and winked. “Don’t tempt me… but it’s against Network rules to let anyone behind the counter.”

Ves, biting her lip, nudged me with her elbow. “Yeah, Jeremy, you know better!”

“...I’m going back to the cave.” Snickering, Ves grabbed my arm to hold me back. I pulled myself free and continued to the door - I just wanted to step outside until this was over. However, the door swung open suddenly, nearly hitting me.

“Deepest apologies, my good man! Oh, I don’t believe we’ve had the pleasure of meeting you!” The voice was deep and commanding, yet friendly. It belonged to a man who was at least four or five inches taller than me, and looked like he stepped off the cover of a classic women’s romance novel. His shiny white smile contrasted with his warm brown skin. The large man was clad in gleaming golden armor that matched his shoulder-length, wavy hair… on top of which was a pair of black horns.