First Day

[Unknown Location]

“Magnus, Magnus, Magnus...tell me. What do I have to do with you?”

“I-I’m sorry Boss, I’m sorry to have disappointed you”

The man standing in front of me was walking back and forth, his spear grinding the stone pavement leaving a clean groove behind it. The sound I had heard many times before was even scarier from this close. I was avoiding eye contact but I could feel his amber pupils looking at me.

“I give you an important job, your first chance to make a name in the Skulk, and you fuck it up so badly”

He forcefully lifted my head with the blade of his spear under my chin. When I saw that weapon for the first time I felt lost in its beauty. I could still feel the pain from the scar it left over my eye like back then.

“Something unexpected happened”

“Your Brothers found you naked and tied up in the middle of the forest” the others behind my back started laughing, after a glance from the Boss everyone fell silent “What exactly led you there?”

“One of the goods managed to escape from her birdcage and when I went to collect her a boy took her side and defeated me”

“A boy?” Boss got close “Who?”

“I don’t know...maybe one of the villagers”

It took me more than 5 years to avoid wetting myself from fear while looking at his eyes. Just his presence made our goods faint. His face was the same as back then when he rescued me and others from the streets, we always asked ourselves why he didn’t age. He was truly a monster.

“So this...boy managed to knock you unconscious and steal everything you had? While also taking the girl?”

“Yes”

“You could have said that one of those Killer Bunnies attacked you thinking you were a female bunny and it would have made more sense” the spear stuck in between my legs. “What about the sword I gifted you?”

“He took that as well”

Boss clicked his tongue and moved again through the room, sitting on his throne. Lots of jewels, weapons, and gold laid around him. He wore countless bracelets and necklaces that were worth at least a couple thousand Karses all together. His desire for stealing and making money to buy even more stuff was massive. During all the years the other guys and I lived with him, we all understood why he was called Greed

“This might delay our plan a little bit. Magnus, what do you intend to do now? I don’t want to get rid of one of my favorites here”

“I-I will retrieve both the girl and the sword. I’ll send my squad to search for them in the villages around Lyria”

“What if he already entered the city?” Greed asked. If the boy was trying to help that girl it was the simplest solution.

“I am wanted for multiple crimes there. If he wore my clothes entering the gates, he would have been arrested on the spot” I got lucky for once.

“Good. Now move Magnus! Don’t disappoint the Skulk again”

He opened his hand and the spear flew towards him. Greed sitting on his throne felt so powerful at that moment, I had to stay by his side at any cost. I could let myself free of this anger on the other goods back at the outpost. That boy...if it wasn’t for him, I would be Greed’s left arm. He had to disappear.

“For the Skulk!” I shouted, followed by the ones behind me.

Greed sat on his throne watching his men walking away. His treasures shone in the light coming from a crystal chandelier hanging on the ceiling. He tapped the back of his spear on the floor relentlessly while thinking of a solution.

“Gods, I hope The First doesn’t get angry hearing this…”

[Rei, Full Moon]

I finally woke up when a ray of light decided to stab my eye. I had left the window open the night before and the sun was coming in already. I got up with my eyes still closed.

“Why didn’t I hear the alarm? I hope Haru doesn’t yell at me for waiting outside”

I didn’t recognize the room I was in. The view outside the window was unfamiliar and the clothes I was wearing were definitely not my pajamas. A twinge in my head woke me up completely and the events of the day before came back to my memory.

I had died and reincarnated, yadda, yadda, yadda. I knew that story already. Roxy was waiting for me to begin my slavery. The girl I rescued was safe, I had a place to stay and food to survive.

“Knock Knock” a loud noise came from the other side of the door.

The handle began twisting but I had locked my room. Another loud knocking.

“I’m coming, I’m coming. No need to break down the door”

The room became chilly and I could see crystals forming on the floor.

BOOM

The door unhinged itself and flew through my room crashing into the wall in front of it. Pieces of wood began raining down on me as I noticed a big Ice crystal attached to the other side of what remained of my door.

“Rise and shine Rookie! You have money to make” Roxy entered my safe place, her gun still fuming “When Chevy said you didn’t want her to wake you up I decided to trade places. How can you refuse an angel's voice first thing in the morning??”

My soul was leaving me. I decided to apologize to the waitress later. Roxy threw a folded piece of paper to me, sitting on the floor scared. A map of the city was poorly drawn and a few red circles were scattered around it. The city of Lyria was perfectly round, divided in 4 by a road that took the shape of a cross. A river flowed through creating a smaller circle in the center and separating the slums from the rest of the city. A series of characters were written under each red circle, probably saying the name of places.

“I drew that myself” continued Roxy “The red things are the shops you need to visit today. I placed orders in each of them and I want you to grab those and bring everything back by the sunset. Everything is already paid so just say that I sent you and it should be fine”

“Got it” I stood up “Where are we now?” I asked

Roxy pointed his barrel at one of the red circles “We are here, the thing written under is the name of my Inn”

I now understood some of the characters and remembered those were the same on the sign out the main entrance.

“I didn't tell you before, but I want you to help Chevy with the orders tonight. Is it ok?”

“Can I say no?”

“Of course you can’t. Now move! It’s already late” and Roxy exited the room as if nothing had just occurred.

I grabbed my sword and shoved the map in the pages of my notebook. Checked if the Guild’s Brooch was still pinned on my belt and headed out for my first day of work.

The streets were full of people, the stores were open and some of them had a long line of people waiting already. The closest of the red circles was directly on the fountain plaza. Seeing it under a different light the square was simple but astonishing at the same time. The golden statue was shining in the morning light creating an aura of power around it. The whole plaza was set up to host an enormous market, my first destination.

Trying to match the characters to the sign I finally found the place I was looking for. An old man ran a grocery store and after giving him the explanation of being Roxy’s porter he delivered me a small wagon with boxes and barrels filled with everything the Full Moon needed.

“Am I supposed to carry this around?” the man nodded.

I braced myself and began being the bull pulling the cart. It had two wheels which made my work a little bit easier. I had to stay alert and avoid running over pedestrians.

While traveling towards the next circle I glanced at the rest of the market. The shops were countless and everyone sold different and unique things. One was selling the big lizards I had seen before and I got to know that they were called “Feather Drakes” I had hoped for a more exciting name.

Shops selling weapons, armors, various dusty books, and even potions. Many sold sweets and food. Two buff dudes were cooking meat with fire magic, wearing only an apron with a crowd of ladies screaming from excitement in front of them. You could find everything you needed there. If I ever had the possibility to save some money I would have come here to buy some stuff.

The next stop was a carpenter who helped me load on the cart new stools and tables for the inn. Seeing how last night I could hear mercenaries smashing stuff at each other this was a daily routine. I asked if he could have added a new door to the next order and understanding the situation I was in, the man told me to stay strong with tears in his eyes. Poor man.

My journey continued through various shops. A fisherman who was indebted to Roxy, just like myself, gave me five fish the size of my body to bring back. An ex-mercenary had left the carrier to start sculpting Guild’s Brooches and had made a shop for custom designs. A lady tailored a set of waitress uniforms with the Full Moon logo.

Everyone I went to had connections, debts, or was just scared of Roxy. She was a renowned figure in Lyria and many people on the streets told me to greet her once I got back. Under all that desire for money, she was a good person.

I arrived at my second-to-last stop for the day. It was a small house deep in the slums. White smoke came out from one of the two chimneys on top. The place was even hotter than the rest of the city. The anvil sign hanging on the door led me to think it was a blacksmith. I left the full cart outside and entered the shop.

A man was hammering a piece of incandescent metal beside a big forge. The fire was crackling inside and I could see many more ingots waiting their turn. The man noticed me browsing around the shop and immediately went to his counter, taking off his gloves and eye protection.

“Welcome to the ‘Gods’ Forge’, how can I help you?”

“Roxy sent me here” I said as I moved closer to the blacksmith.

“So you’re the new rookie from yesterday! I saw you in the plaza...dude, you have some balls” he gave me a pat on the shoulder “I’m Larce, nice to meet ya”

His arm was very muscular, he was about an inch taller than me. He had black eyes and dark brown short hair under a bandana tied behind his head. I could see his muscles under the blacksmith's uniform from where hanged tons of utensils. His goggles were now on his chest, fogged by the heat.

“So, what leads you here in Roxy's place? She’s usually the one going around the town for supplies”

“I’m in debt with her and before I can get my mercenary license I have to work for her” that story hurt every time I told it.

“How much are we talking about?” Larce was excited to hear my answer.

“A little over 25k Karses”

Larce fell from laughing. Most of the items on the counter followed him on the ground making a ruckus. He was holding his belly from the laughter. I decided to help him up and pick up the stuff that fell.

“You must have some damn potential dude” he added “I envy you”

“I’m only a Springer”

“That doesn’t mean anything. There’s plenty of people that can kick ass even without magic. You just have to get strong! Since you are already here, do you want some weapons or armor?? I can give you a discount since we’re friends”

“I’m good with this...I guess” I tapped the sword on my hip.

Larce stared in silence for a second. He seemed to be in a panic. Did the sight of my sword scare him?

“Can I take a look at that? Where did you get it?”

I handed him my sword. It was in good hands. I told him about my adventure in the forest and how I stole the sword from the guy.

“This hilt...this is some good work. Is this a catalyst? No, the magic circle is different. I feel like I’ve seen this somewhere. Could it be?... Nah those were gone ages ago…”

“Is everything ok?” Larce was lost in thought. The intricate design had captivated him too.

“Yeah, yeah. Do you mind if I polish the blade for a sec? It’s so dull you couldn’t cut bread with this. Don’t worry I’ll do it as a token of friendship and future purchases”

“Go ahead, thanks” Larce disappeared behind the back of the forge.

While waiting I started checking out the merchandise on display. Swords, knives, daggers, and any kind of weapon could be found there. Each and every one had its unique design and you couldn’t see two that looked the same. The details in each piece were extremely well done and it felt to be in a museum of some sort rather than a blacksmith shop. Armors were displayed on the other side and varied in materials, colors, and designs as well. A series of strange-looking weapons caught my eyes. Next to a bunch of staffs there were a couple of swords and a rapier made differently from the others.

“Those are an experiment of mine” Larce was back “I’m trying to make catalyst into weapons...It’s a bit of a challenge since the material used in catalysts is not fit for combat”

He took one of the swords and the blade became enveloped in fire. The whole weapon was gleaming with light coming from an artificial magic circle on the hilt. The fire started getting smaller and smaller till it was put out. Lance then tried to slash an armor standing there and the bladed cracked in half.

“They become too weak after using magic. The only one that’s somehow working so far is this, but nobody wants to use it” he took the rapier from the wall. The blade was as crystal as Claude’s sword and the golden hilt was shaped after a rose, the knuckle guard was one of the flower’s leaves.

“Here you go by the way” Larce gave me my sword back “I did my best and it’s sharper now. The metal used for the blade was forged badly, you have to keep in mind that it can chip easily. If it suffers a great force it might even break”

That was not good news...I had to get better equipment soon. Larce also gave me a sack with kitchen utensils and a small box.

“What’s in here?” I asked

“It’s a new prototype for Roxy. Since the catalyst she uses now is a bit old” I checked inside and found another golden gun. It was more complex and detailed than the one I had seen pointed at my face.

“Anything else?”

“Nope, we’re good. Thanks for coming dude”

I waved at Larce as I got out and put the sack on the cart. It was filled with enough stuff to build a house from scratch. I had to visit the last place on the map hoping to get back to the Full Moon in time.

“I need to move a bit faster now”

I started pulling the cart with everything I had, returning to the center of Lyria. The sun was beginning to set on the horizon over the walls of the city.

“It’s been a day already. I wonder where the girl is” I had to visit her one of these days. Maybe being a porter for Roxy might guide me to her.

I reached my last location in just under ten minutes. It was the biggest building I had seen that day. It was twice as big as the Full Moon. A gigantic book statue was resting on a marble column outside the building. It was the city library.

A girl waiting at the entrance saw my Brooch and led me inside. I was shown the way to a private room on the third floor. The guide knocked at the door announcing my presence.

“Let him in” a voice came from inside.

“Good afternoon, I was sent by Roxy here” I tried to be polite to the figure in front of me.

“No need to be so stiff, we’re comrades after all” the lady sitting behind a table showed me a Guild’s Brooch on her hat.

Her eyes were hiding behind a pair of glasses and green hair popped from her pointy hat. She wore a tight purple dress that emphasized her body. A scarlet staff rested on her hips while she was holding a thick book in her hands. I was lost in her charms

“Here’s your package” she pointed at a wrapped box on the table taking me back to reality “Tell Roxy to give them back in two months”

“Yes ma'am” I spoke without knowing.

I grabbed the package with both hands since it was heavier than I expected. Did books weigh that much? The lady winked at me as I left the place, returning to read her book.

“I forgot to ask her name” it was truly unfortunate.

Maybe I would have had the chance to come back in the future. She seemed nicer but at the same scarier than Roxy, I felt an aura of danger around her that my body couldn’t shake away.

Having completed my job I decided to slowly return to the inn.

“I’m back, where do I put the cart?” I asked as soon as I entered the Full Moon.

“You were faster than I imagined, this is perfect” Roxy showed me the way to the back storage room and helped me unload. “How was your first day?” she asked.

“I met a lot of people...It feels like you sent me to places just to spread the word that you had a personal porter”

“That is half true. I just showed you where to get the basic necessities for a mercenary while exploiting you” she threw me a sack of flour “This goes in the kitchen”

“So you do admit I’m just your pet”

“Oh wow! Look at the time” Roxy changed subjects' “You need to help Chevy with the orders tonight, remember?”

Roxy and I left the storage heading back to the main room. Chevy was already cleaning the tables and receiving orders from the early customers. I started to help as best as I could. Working all night through I learned by heart every item on the menu. Following how the morning route was to help me in the future I figured Roxy wanted me to be a waiter to start learning how to write and read from the menus. I figured out that the characters were just a different alphabet and knowing the word I could kind of decipher how to write it down. When the night ended I asked if I could borrow one of them to bring to my room.

“These are also yours” Roxy put on the table the package I got from the library “I had Clara choose the best ones for you...go ahead, open it.”

The package contained a dozen different books. All the covers had drawings that helped me figure out the contents. I could read some of the titles. “Sword Combat - Volume 1”, “Bestiary” and also “Maps and Charts”

“How much do I owe you?” I was prepared to see my debt go only higher.

“I told you that with time and experience you can become a great mercenary. Since you have to start on square one this is just insurance for the perseverance of my gold mine” she was direct about it, not even sugar-coating it.

“Thank you” I repacked the books to ease the transport “I’ll begin reading them now. What I can understand at least” we both laughed.

I had to change my opinion on Roxy. She was scary, manipulative, and deceiving but she seemed to care a little about my well-being. I waved goodnight at Roxy and Chevy and got to my room.

“So her name was Clara…I have to write that in my notebook. The other things as well...of course” I said as I got up the stairs. 

Hey! Ecspo here. Hope you liked this chapter!

Since this is my first serious work and also my first work in English I would very much appreciate any tips, critiques, comments of any kind. Tell me if the chapters are too long, short, or whatever, it would mean a lot to me.