The Brass Lantern was tucked into a side street two blocks from the Guild. Cozy, warm, smelled of baking crust and slow-cooked meat. Three copper per pie.

  Elias bit into his second one, gravy rich and beef tender. "This is really good."

  "Told you." Tom talked around his own mouthful. "My mum knows the owner. Bread for meat, trade arrangement."

  Keya had her notebook open beside her plate. Eating and writing simultaneously. "Three pies, nine copper total. If we do this after every quest, we need to budget for it."

  "You're calculating pie expenses?" Tom grinned.

  "Food is significant overhead. Guild data says F-ranks spend forty to sixty percent of income on food and lodging."

  Elias did quick math. Half of fifty copper. "That's a lot."

  "It's why most share rooms." Keya didn't look up. "I'm in a boarding house, Crafters Quarter. Fifteen copper a week for a shared room, communal kitchen. Much cheaper than an inn."

  Tom nodded. "I stay with my aunt above her shop. Free rent, help with inventory sometimes."

  They both looked at Elias.

  "Wayward Wanderer," he admitted. "Five copper a night. Private room."

  Keya's pencil paused. "Thirty-five copper a week. You could save twenty at a boarding house."

  "I know. Planning to switch once I'm more established." He paused. "For now, having my own space helps."

  It was true, mostly. Mrs. Hemmel reminded him of home. She made sure he ate, didn't stay out too late. Worth the extra copper, for now.

  "Fair." Tom shrugged. "My aunt's always looking for reliable tenants. Offer stands."

  "I'll keep it in mind. Thanks."

  They finished their pies in comfortable silence. Evening crowd filtering in. Workers, off-duty guards, craftsmen arguing about wood grain.

  "So." Elias set down his fork. "Tomorrow. Another quest?"

  "Absolutely." Tom leaned back. "Fifty copper in an afternoon? I could get used to this."

  Keya consulted her notes. "Available F-rank: package delivery, rat extermination, merchant escort to a nearby village."

  "Not rats." Tom made a face. "Had enough of rats in rogue training."

  "Escort sounds interesting." Elias. "See more of the area."

  "Pays less," Keya noted. "One silver total, split three ways. Thirty-three copper each."

  "But two days of travel." Elias shrugged. "Builds reputation. Sergeant Marks said that."

  This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

  Tom grinned. "Listen to you. Reputation. Farm boy's becoming a real adventurer."

  Elias threw a wadded napkin at him.

  They agreed to meet at the Guild at dawn, check which quests were still available. Fatigue was catching up. Two hours of Keen Eye, walking, crouching, harvesting. His legs would complain tomorrow.

  "I should head back." Yawn escaped.

  "Same." Keya closed her notebook. "Review my notes before bed."

  "Of course you do." Tom stood. "I'll stop by Mum's bakery, see if she's got day-old bread for tomorrow."

  ---

  They split outside the tavern. Elias walked lamplit streets, dodging evening crowds. Silvercrest at night was different. Quieter, louder. Music from open doors. Vendors calling about hot chestnuts, roasted meat.

  He almost activated Keen Eye reflexively. Caught himself. Interesting. It was becoming second nature.

  The Wayward Wanderer was warm. Mrs. Hemmel looked up from her ledgers.

  "Back already, dear? How was your first quest?"

  "Good." He couldn't stop smiling. "Really good. Completed it, got paid, everything went smooth."

  "I'm glad. You look tired. Long day?"

  "Yeah. The good kind of tired."

  "Best kind." She smiled. "Stew left if you're hungry. But I suspect you already ate."

  "Meat pies at The Brass Lantern."

  "Tom's recommendation. That boy knows all the good spots." She nodded toward the stairs. "Off to bed. Rest up for tomorrow."

  His room was small, simple. Bed, table, washbasin, trunk. He hung his pack, set his sword in the corner, sat on the bed and pulled off his boots.

  His legs complained.

  He lay back, staring at the ceiling. Still smiling. One quest complete. Money earned. A party that worked. Skills improving.

  Tomorrow, he'd do it again.

  ---

  Morning came too early.

  Muscles protested. Two hours of crouching apparently added up. Downstairs, Mrs. Hemmel had breakfast ready. Porridge with honey, hard-boiled egg.

  "Eat up. Adventurers need their strength."

  The Guild was already busy. Tom waited outside, chewing bread.

  "Morning! Keya's been here since dawn. Analyzing the quest board."

  "Of course she has." Elias smiled.

  Inside, Keya stood before the board, notebook open, scribbling.

  "Good, you're here." She didn't look up. "Escort to Riverside Village is still available. Also new posting: warehouse guard duty, twelve-hour night shift, forty copper each."

  "Pass on overnight." Tom shook his head. "Need my beauty sleep."

  "Escort then?" Elias.

  Keya nodded. "Most efficient for skill development and reputation. Merchant hauling textiles. Two-day round trip, thirty-three copper each, low danger rating."

  ---

  Helena at the quest desk smiled. "Back already? Dedication serves you well." She stamped their Guild cards. "Merchant is Master Hemmel. East gate, two hours. Don't be late."

  "Hemmel?" Elias perked up. "Like the innkeepers?"

  "Cousin. Regular runs to the villages, cloth and thread. Reliable client, pays on time."

  Two hours to prepare. Elias returned to the inn, packed, told Mrs. Hemmel he'd be gone two days. She fussed over supplies, spare shirt, food.

  "Thomas is a good man," she said of her cousin. "But tight with coin. Don't let him short you."

  "I won't."

  ---

  East gate, on time. Master Hemmel was heavyset, impressive beard, shrewd eyes. His wagon loaded with wrapped textile bundles.

  "You're the Guild escort?" He looked them over. "Bit young."

  "F-rank certified." Keya crisp. "Qualified for this protection level."

  "If you say so. Riverside's twelve miles south. We'll make it by evening if we keep pace."

  The road was well-traveled, winding through farmland and occasional forest. Hemmel complained steadily about taxes, weather, dye prices. The comfortable grumbling of a man who actually enjoyed his work.

  Elias kept Keen Eye active at low intensity. Practice. He could maintain it longer now, strain barely noticeable.

  "See anything interesting?" Tom walked alongside.

  "Deer in that treeline. Hawk circling. Another wagon a mile behind us."

  "Show off." Tom grinned.

  ---

  Midday stop. Hemmel shared bread and cheese. Horses rested. Keya updated her notes.

  "Do you ever stop writing?" Tom asked.

  "Knowledge retention is important. Documenting quest execution and party dynamics."

  "We're your research project?"

  "Observational study."

  Elias smiled. Tom teased because he cared. Keya's note-taking wasn't obsession; it was how she processed the world. Both exactly who they appeared to be.

  ---

  Afternoon passed without incident. They reached Riverside Village at sunset. Smaller than Millbrook, clustered along the broad river.

  Hemmel had business with the local weaver. The party found the village's only inn, The Willow Tree. The innkeeper spotted their Guild tags and offered a discount.

  "Always happy to see adventurers. Makes folks feel safer."

  They shared a room to save copper. Three beds against different walls. Camping, but with a roof.

  "Not bad." Tom flopped onto his bed. "My feet are killing me though. Twelve miles is a lot of walking."

  "Could have ridden on the wagon." Keya.

  "And look like lazy guards? No thanks. Walking builds Endurance."

  Elias sat on his bed, pulling off boots. His Keen Eye had lasted nearly six hours of intermittent use today. A week ago, impossible. Progress was real, tangible.

  "Tomorrow we head back," Keya said. "Hemmel wants dawn departure. Payment when we reach Silvercrest."

  "Easy money." Tom yawned. "I could do this all the time."

  Elias thought about what came next. F-rank was fine for now. Learning basics, building experience. But eventually they'd need harder challenges. E-rank dungeons. Real combat. Things that pushed skills.

  For now, this was good. Walking beside a merchant's wagon, watching countryside, earning honest pay. Not glamorous. But it was the foundation.

  He lay back. Tom's breathing steadied into sleep. Keya's page-turning by candlelight.

  Day two as an adventurer. Not so different from day one. Different from day zero, when he was just a farm boy with dreams.

  Tomorrow they'd walk back. The day after, another quest. Slowly, step by step, they'd become what they set out to be.

  Real adventurers.