"Understood," Reinhard agreed with a cheerful smile.
He picked up the dull copper plate and tied the leather thong around his neck. It clashed horribly with his attire. Against the pristine white of his knightly uniform and the gold-embossed scabbard of the Dragon Sword, the cheap metal looked like a stain. Even Felt grimaced looking at it. But Reinhard wore it without any thought or anything related to that matter.
He turned back to the counter and picked up the second plate.
"Here is yours, Lady Felt," he said, holding it out. "The quest board is over there on the wall. If I am not mistaken, we simply select a request from the parchment sheets posted there."
Felt frowned at him, not because of the task, but because of his baffling optimism. She snatched the plate from his hand and shoved it deep into her pocket. There was no way she was wearing that ugly thing.
"Don't call it a 'quest board'," she grumbled. "That sounds fancy. It's a chore board. That's all this is. We just signed up to be errand boys for lazy people. But... it's not like we have a choice."
She spun on her heel, her ragged yellow scarf whipping around her neck. "Let's go."
She marched toward the massive wooden board on the far wall, her steps small but aggressive. Reinhard fell into step beside her, matching her pace perfectly.
They walked in silence for a moment. The reality of their situation hung between them, lost in a different world, separated by time, penniless, and starting from the very bottom.
Reinhard walked beside her. They still had not discussed the reason for how they came here or how they ended up in this place, focusing instead on earning enough money for housing and food.
The two silver coins she carried went into the registration fee, even though that amount could have covered several days of lodging and meals.
She reasoned that they would need to register sooner or later in an unfamiliar place, so she considered it necessary.
They could have stolen what they needed, but she dismissed the thought the moment it surfaced. One glance at her knight told her exactly how he would respond if she ever voiced such an idea. She abandoned it entirely and came here with Reinhard, with no intention of letting things escalate.
"Look at 'em," a raspy voice drifted from a nearby table, loud enough to cut through the ambient noise. "The pretty noble boy and the little kid"
"I give 'em two days," another man guffawed, slamming a heavy, scarred fist onto his table, making the ale mugs jump.
Felt's shoulders tensed. Her red eyes narrowed into dangerous slits, shifting toward the source of the voice, a bald man with a jagged scar running from his ear to his jaw. Her hand twitched instinctively toward the hidden knife in her boot.
"Ignore them, Lady Felt," Reinhard whispered. His voice was soft, melodic, yet it carried clearly to her ears through the din. He didn't even glance at the hecklers. His stride remained unbroken, his posture relaxed. "It is just words. We should not focus on unnecessary things."
"Whatever," Felt hissed back through gritted teeth, forcing herself to keep walking. "But I'd love to lighten their pockets before we leave. Teach 'em some manners."
Reinhard chuckled softly, as if she had suggested stopping for tea and cakes. "Please do not, Lady Felt."
They reached the quest board. It was a chaotic mess of parchment sheets pinned haphazardly over one another. The paper was yellowing, the ink faded on some, bold on others.
"Alright, let's see what we got," Felt muttered, scanning the board. She paused, realizing for the hundredth time that the letters looked like chicken scratch to her. She sighed and elbowed Reinhard. "Read them to me."
"Of course, Lady Felt," Reinhard smiled. He began to scan the notices, his eyes moving quickly.
"Here is one," he began. "Herbalist needs 'Blue Moon Grass' from the forest edge. Reward: twelve copper coins."
Felt stared at him, her jaw dropping slightly. "Only twelve? That's it?! That won't even buy us a decent meal, let alone a room! Do you know how rundown inns we will get in those? And the owners act like we owe them our lives just for a bed full of fleas! Believe me, I've stayed in them for the last few days."
Reinhard paused, his eyes turning to her. "Few days? Lady Felt, you have been here for days?"
Felt looked up at him, confused. "Yeah? Aren't you? You said you couldn't pay the toll, so that means you just got here."
"I arrived in this city today," Reinhard confirmed, his brow furrowing slightly. "In fact, I found myself in this unknown place only a few hours ago. I have no memory of what happened prior."
"That's..." Felt chewed her lip. "Same thing happened to me. But I've been here for three, maybe four days."
She glanced around at the crowded guild hall. "Let's talk about the weird time stuff later at the inn. Too many ears here."
Reinhard nodded solemnly. "As you wish. Shall I read another?"
"Yeah. Find something that pays actual money."
Reinhard scanned the board again. "Lady Felt, it appears all the Copper Plate tasks are similar. They are low-risk, low-reward chores designed for safety."
"Just read 'em," she groaned. "I'll pick the least terrible one."
"Very well. 'Help needed. Grandmother lost her laundry in the wind. Retrieve four shirts.' Reward: five copper coins."
Felt waved her hand dismissively, not even dignifying that with a response.
Reinhard continued scanning until his eyes lit up slightly. "Ah, here is a possibility. 'Escort a cart to the nearby village.' Reward: twenty copper coins."
He tapped the paper. "Lady Felt, I believe this is viable. It is a simple escort mission. The village is not far, perhaps an hour away. The requestor is currently in the city and needs to return home."
He scanned a lower section of the board and pointed to another paper. "Furthermore, on the return trip, we can complete this request: 'Collect Ghost Mushrooms from the forest edge.' Reward: forty copper coins. If we combine them, we can earn sixty copper coins in perhaps two hours."
Felt did the math in her head. Sixty copper. It wasn't a fortune, it was barely pocket change for a them, but it was enough for a hot meal and a roof over their heads for the night in a good inn too.
"Sixty, huh?" She grinned, revealing a sharp canine tooth. "Not bad for today I think. Alright, Reinhard. Let's go be bodyguards and mushroom pickers."
Reinhard beamed. "An excellent choice, Lady Felt."
"To be honest," Felt admitted, tapping her chin, "I wasn't really expecting anything but we got what we got so let's just be happy. Sixty copper plus whatever else we find? I think it's good. Let's take it before someone else grabs it. This is probably the best pay we can get at Copper Rank."
"Agreed," Reinhard said.
He reached up and gently tore the two parchment sheets from the board. With Felt leading the way, they returned to the counter where the weary receptionist was organizing paperwork.
"Excuse me," Reinhard said politely. "We would like to accept these two requests. The escort mission to nearby Village and the collection of Ghost Mushrooms."
The receptionist glanced at the papers and nodded, stamping a logbook. "Very well. Just remember to get a proof from the owners that you have completed the quests, a signature or seal usually works. Then you can submit it here and take the rewards."
She leaned forward slightly, her expression serious. "Be aware: if you try to submit fake proofs and we get a complaint, you will be heavily punished for fraud. The Guild takes reputation seriously."
After a moment of thought Flet ask, "Hey lady, if we run into bandits or monsters and take care of them, do we get something for that as well?"
The receptionist paused, then added, "…if you kill a monster near the city forest, you can get rewards for that. Just remember to bring back something that can serve as proof of you slaying the monsters. And please, be safe."
"Thank you for the information," Reinhard thanked the receptionist.
As they walked away from the counter, Felt's eyes lit up with greed. She tugged on Reinhard's sleeve.
"Did you hear that, Reinhard?" she whispered excitedly. "If we kill monsters on the way back, we get extra rewards! It's like killing three birds with one stone. Damn, we can just stroll outside, kill some stronger monsters, and get big rewards without even having to worry about finding quests!"
Reinhard offered a gentle counterpoint. "And who would believe that we killed them, Lady Felt? On the contrary, they will suspect us of fraud. We are only Copper Plates, remember?"
Felt's dreams of instant riches shattered instantly. No one knew Reinhard here. His words, or hers, for that matter, were worth nothing. Who would believe them? They would think they were running some kind of scam.
"But..." she muttered, a new thought forming. It was a matter of if we were actually doing it. They can't ignore solid proof, can they? If we bring back the whole body of a big monster... they can't refuse that.
She looked up at her knight. She had a very reliable courier with her, after all.
"You are kind of right," Felt grinned, her confidence returning. "But… They can't ignore solid proof. Let's go, Reinhard."
Of course, it all depended on whether they could even find a monster valuable enough to matter, rather than street vermin or something equally worthless.
With the smile of an evil mastermind, Felt started walking frantically toward the exit door. She was marching straight through, eyes fixed on the outside world, not looking at the man who came right at that moment to enter the building.
She pushed the guild doors open with her shoulder, stepping out into the evening light without looking up.
CLANG!!
It wasn't a soft bump. It was the sound of a small body hitting a solid wall of steel.
Felt gasped as the impact knocked the wind out of her. She bounced back and began to fall, nearly hitting the cobblestones.
"Lady Felt," Reinhard said, his hand moving instantly to catch her balance at the last second.
"Hey! Watch where you're going, you big lu… " Her insult died in her throat.
Towering over her was a mountain of black metal.
Standing in the doorway was a warrior clad in full plate armor, dark as the void, with golden markings. He wore a flowing red cape that looked more expensive. Strapped to his back were two massive greatswords that looked heavy enough to cleave a horse in two.
Behind him stood a woman of beauty, her eyes cold and sharp, looking at Felt like she was a bug that had just crawled onto her shoe.
It was Momon, the Dark Warrior. He had registered only yesterday, and was returning now with a quest he and his partner had just completed.
Momon looked down at what he had knocked over. He saw a little girl, maybe thirteen or fourteen years old, and a man helping her up, clad in a white knight uniform with an expensive sword on his hip.
….
A/N: Don't forget to comment and power stones…