The Four Adventurers and the Clockwork Beanstalk (1)
1401 Words
It's now the first of Oraclemonth, 1019 CE.
After reminiscing my days at the Royal Academy, it's time for me to undertake another serious quest.
My limbs are still sore from all that walking and carrying things from exhibition to exhibition back at the now-concluded school festival. But at least they're recovering.
After a simple breakfast consisting of chocolate oat porridge and tonic water, I immediately head towards perhaps my favorite place in town: The adventurer's guild.
The place is teeming with activity as usual, with fellow adventurers peering at the noticeboards showing several quests.
I once again greet the guild mistress, Mary Grace Carughnunen.
“Good morning.”
“Good morning to you too, Mr. Deschantes.”
“I think I'm in a mood for a quest that has... a greater difficulty level.”
“You're quite the ballsy one, eh? But remember... your highest completed quest difficulty is 7. If you're taking up a quest that is of a higher difficulty level than that, you can run the risk of getting killed in action... and that's the last thing all adventurer's guilds in this entire kingdom want.”
“I'm still taking up on this. I've already prepared myself beforehand, anyway.”
“Well then, you have my word. Here is an available list of quests whose difficulty levels are 8 or higher.”
Between quests that involve hunting the most ferocious of monsters or exploring the most haunted of dungeons, one catches my picky eyes.
“These Seeds”
Quest ID: 1019-1578
Quest Difficulty: 8
Party Requirement: At least four persons required to start this quest. No class requirements.
Quest Brief:
One day, I was tilling the field outside town when suddenly, a bunch of seeds fell from the sky and hit my head! Luckily, I was unharmed. But what puzzled me is that I've never seen these seeds before. Plus, they're kinda weird-looking – they have gears or whatever. I just don't know, I'm not really that well-versed in machinery, sorry. Anyway, I've asked my fellow farmers if they knew anything about these seeds, and they also said they had no idea about them, because they've never seen these before, either. Knowing that the seeds I now carry have an inherent risk, I decide I will leave them in the hands of more capable people, i.e. adventurers. Therefore, this is the mission I will give you, oh brave ones: Solve the mystery behind these strange seeds I carry. Meet me at the town of Pum Quoc, Dinggiff Prefecture.
“OK, I'll take up this quest.”
“Very well, Mr. Deschantes. Please step into the portal... and... I wish you all the best. Nothing more.”
“Thanks.”
Once I step into the portal...
...another chapter in my long-storied life as an adventurer begins.
Pum Quoc, Dinggiff Prefecture.
This is a castle town that is five kilometers away from the town of Isiazeal, Matutum Prefecture. In fact, the town is built this way because it acts as the border town between Matutum and Dinggiff Prefectures.
And it's a literal castle town.
Basically, the castle is home to much smaller units that people can live in, in exchange for monthly rental fees.
There is a maximum of 75 housing units that families, couples, and single persons can live in.
For structural stability reasons, no further housing units will be built inside the castle, as per local law.
Of course, the highest floor of the five-floor castle is home to the town mayor's official residence.
In front of the castle are the mandatory shops for weapons, armor, and items, all built using the same structural integrity as the castle itself.
And of course, who would want to forget the adventurer's guild?
I immediately find the adventurers' guild, with the all-too-familiar sign and all.
Once I step inside the building, there's a considerable amount of adventurers.
Among the adventurer crowd is a group of three adventurers and one who's presumably a farmer.
I approach the group, and the farmer greets me.
“Hello there, Mr. Adventurer! Are you the one who will complete the group that will do the quest for me?”
I immediately answer...
“Yes, I am.”
“Then please present your adventurer's identification badge.”
I follow his instructions. Once he confirms my identity and the quest I'm currently in...
“Alright! Now the group's complete! And yes, I forgot to introduce myself. I'm Louis Joachim Cou'thegvac, an organic vegetable farmer and a native of this town. Nice to meet you, Mr. Deschantes. Now to introduce your three reliable companions for this quest. Please introduce yourselves, too.”
The three adventurers step up to the plate, stating their names and specializations in their own unique ways.
The first is a brunette woman with a thick breastplate, a chainmail armored skirt, and two sheathed swords (falcatas, specifically) held on to the skirt via a reinforced belt.
“I am Luningning Amistoso, a dual-wielding swordswoman. I may not have a shield, but both my blades serve as one. I'm glad to see someone like you, Sir Walter.”
The second is a brown-haired man with a taciturn attitude. Nevertheless, whenever he is instructed to pay courtesy to someone, he is obligated to do so out of respect. What strikes most about him is that beneath that robe of his, he has lots of thingamajigs strapped around his chest, waist, and legs – those things that should clearly belong in a research facility and not on a healing spell-caster like him.
“Sergei Santupapar here, a cleric with a penchant for gadgets. Please don't mind me.”
The third and final one is a funny-looking mage. I say “funny-looking” because he always wears a red mask with a ridiculously long nose. I'm quite curious as to what's the real face behind the mask, but I don't want to press him any further out of respect.
“This is Aloysius Gasparog, your friendly neighborhood mage... and also a native of this town. If you're wondering why I always have this mask on, it's because it gives me so much power... so much magical power that I can roast any monster with ease. He he he.”
Uhh... last I checked, there are no masks that enhance the wearer's magical power.
Unless it's cursed.
But let's see.
After knowing who my companions will be, I give them firm handshakes while also giving a nice “Nice to meet you” greeting.
Louis then cuts in.
“So, to round out the specialization thing, Mr. Deschantes, can you please tell me what yours is?”
I enthusiastically answer...
“Simple. Improvisation.”
“You mean... you make weapons out of ordinary things?”
“Not just that. I can also do this.”
I immediately summon a kris.
The three show their amazement in their own little ways.
Louis then says...
“Nice. I've never seen such an adventurer with that kind of specialization before. I think I've picked the right guy to fill in the gap... so you'll act as the leader of the team. Any objections?”
Based on the looks on the three's faces... there are none.
“Very well. I'll leave you all with the seeds as promised. Just... please furnish a report about what the seeds actually do, OK?”
The four of us nod in agreement as I'm being given a pouch containing the seeds and an enclosed instruction manual.
“So... break a leg, everyone!”
We bid goodbye to Louis the farmer as he leaves the adventurer's guild to go back to his job.
I take the initiative and take the manual from the pouch.
“Make sure the seed is planted on an open field,” the manual simply says.
I ask the team...
“An open field, huh? So, Aloysius, since you're born and raised here, can you tell me the perfect open field where we can plant the seeds without inconveniencing everyone else?”
“Yup! I have the perfect spot for that! East of here, there's a place called Caldito Valley that has a wide-open field, with a small river flowing in between. It should be the place for planting the seeds!”
“Great. We'll leave as soon as we're ready.”
The three say...
“We're all ready!”
“Let's then go!”
- Writer
