First Steps in Aldam

Aki didn’t give Haruto much chance to hesitate. The moment he stepped off the carriage, she ran up to him, bobbing up and down on her toes. She glanced back and forth between Haruto and Daddy. Bolto waved as he pulled away, and Haruto returned it.

"You look even worse than you did last night." Aki said. She leaned in before jerking back, holding her nose. "You smell worse too. Would you like to try one of my instant wash potions?"

"Whoa now! Don't be testing anything on him." Daddy said, jumping to his rescue. "Maybe you can take him to get something to eat."

Daddy dropped a few coins into Aki's hand. "Alright, Daddy." Aki said, grabbed Haruto's wrist with both hands, and tugged him into the street.

"I'll be back around later on. Get him some clothes too. The ones he has are ruined." Daddy shouted after them as they disappeared into the crowd.

The village wasn’t massive, but it was very much alive. The buildings were all unique, themed, and decorated to suit the residents' niche. You could tell what kind of job the owner had at a glance of the front of the establishment.

The sounds of a blacksmith hammering nearby rang out through the chatter of villagers. The smells of different food establishments drifted on the wind. The people in the streets pointed at Haruto, whispering to each other about the fight the night before.

Aki spun in front of him, walking backward with her hands on her hips. “So what are you in the mood for? Look left, bakery. Look right, grilled meats. If you want fruit, we have it.”

Haruto hadn't eaten for two days now. He used his last lunch break to jump in front of trucks. A waterfall began to fall from his mouth and onto the System's unconscious form. He didn't know what kind of food they had in this world, however.

"Can you pick something out for me?" Haruto asked, eyes shining with thanks.

"One cut of fulbo coming up." Aki pushed him toward a building with a large frothing mug-like decoration and scampered off.

Haruto leaned weakly against the wall as his stomach roared in anticipation. Music leaked through the cracks of the establishment and into the street. The sound was familiar, yet otherworldly.

Haruto looked in through the window and blinked. The place was small and crowded with farmers and guards off-shift, but up on the little stage were familiar undead figures. Electric Graveyard, absolutely shredding.

When they spotted Haruto in the window, the music cut off mid-riff. The guitarist pointed his bony finger at him. He beckoned him to come in and talk to them. Haruto pushed his way through the door, and the tavern cheered at his arrival.

“There he is!” The zombie-like drummer shouted, spinning his bone drumsticks.

“Our boss man himself.” The bassist said in a smooth baritone.

Haruto froze. “…What?”

The ghostly singer slid over to him, placing one sensual finger under his chin. “My name's Nyx. I told you I was rooting for you. Electric Graveyard is now your personal band. Anywhere you go, we go. Anywhere you fight, we play.”

The tavern erupted in whoops and whistles. Mesmerized by her beauty, Haruto giggled like a child. Aki slapped Haruto on the back, making him choke on his own embarrassment.

“Here's your food. Would you rather eat with her?” She asked, glaring at him.

“I didn’t ask for a band!” Haruto screamed, raising his hands like he was under arrest.

Haruto grabbed Aki's hand and pulled her to an empty table near the bar. She placed down their food, while Nyx rejoined the band, and they began to play something softer. Haruto looked at the juicy cut of meat wrapped in a thin tortilla-like bread and back at Aki.

"Eat. Just know that you'll be working it off later." She said suggestively, grabbing two glasses of water from the bar.

Haruto placed the System on the table and took a bite. The fulbo was juicy and had the taste of beef, yet it stretched and pulled like melted cheese. It was delightful, satisfying, and surprisingly easy on the stomach.

"What happened to the little guy?" Aki asked, referring to the System.

"It got knocked out when I fought the king..." He said, shoving the food into his mouth.

Aki's eyes went wide, and then so did his. He froze once again, mid-bite. He slowly began to chew again, holding his hand in front of his mouth and changing the subject.

“I guess I'll be needing to make money soon. Is there an Adventurers Guild or something?” Haruto asked.

Aki stopped mid-step, staring at him. “Why would adventurers need a whole guild?”

“You know,” Haruto said, making a vague box shape with his hands. “For people to post odd jobs. Then the adventurers come and take the requests. Kind of like a temp agency...”

Aki cocked her head, her potion-like eyes shifting like liquid. “An Adventurer gains bonuses to exploration, and that's it. Why would they do odd jobs?”

"No, anybody can be an adventurer, regardless of their job." Haruto blinked. "It's a collective that does random requests for the citizens."

Aki stared at him as though he’d just eaten his own eyebrows. “So basically… It's a place where people go to beg for job scraps?”

A farmer at the next table leaned over. “What the heck are you talking about?” He barked out a laugh. “What, you expect a Fulbo Breeder to plant crops? Or a Woolermelon Farmer to fix a roof? What kind of fool wastes time not doing the job they earned?”

Even Nyx chuckled between lyrics, her voice drifting across the tavern. “That sounds like a story from another world. Useless in reality.”

Haruto crossed his arms, sulking. “It's a normal staple of the isekai genre...”

The laughter around the tavern carried on. As he sulked, Haruto felt a sharp pain in his stomach. He couldn’t shake the feeling that the room had tilted slightly sideways. His breath became shallow, and he rapidly glanced around the room.

For a moment, he swore he saw a small figure in the corner of his eye. It was short, stiff-limbed, and watching with button-black eyes. When he looked, it was only a stool tipped on its side.

“Don’t pout,” Aki teased, sliding his mug of water toward him. “This Adventurer’s Guild... is a cute idea.”

He rubbed his eyes. “...I’m just tired. That’s all.”

Haruto shoved the last of the fulbo into his mouth, chewing even though his stomach had twisted tight. The tavern roared with another round of laughter, the band shifting into a brighter melody. Everything looked normal again.

And then, on the table between them, the System sounded a digital whir. Its eye blinked and filled with static before rebooting to its normal self. It jumped into the air, glowing with terrified light, screaming.

“His job is Prism Hero!” It said, looking around at its new surroundings.

"What the heck does that even do?" Haruto said, finishing his water. "You know what? It doesn't matter. That's not helpful anymore..."

"Haruto..." The System looked from his glass to his face. "Didn't anyone tell you not to drink the water when you travel?"

Haruto's stomach twisted again as he felt the pressure build in his lower regions.