The Gig

Warming sunlight washed over the dawn sky alighting everything under its eternal gaze, one of these beams pierced the thin window veils over Robina’s window to usher in the new day. Her first night in a strange new place. She slowly opened her eyes when she felt the light on her face. Sitting up for a stretch, she looked around the room unsure of where she was at first. "I guess it wasn’t just a dream…I’m actually in a new world.” As she prepared to leave her room she smelled something delicious wafting up to the second floor, “I could eat.”

Downstairs, a few patrons had already made their way to the dining area, and a few more were walking in. Margo spotted her, “Hope you slept well miss! Breakfast will be done shortly, feel free to grab any open table!” Ever the cheery hostess, Margo had a way of adding a little more light to the peaceful morning. Most of the tables were currently unoccupied because of the slow trickle of guests in the early morning, but it was quite clear that this was a popular destination.

Not too long after she had sat herself at a table Kennedy strolled in. He was carrying satchel slung over his shoulder, it looked like it had some weight to it. Robina waved him over. He greeted Margo on his way to the table, and before sitting down he put the bag on the table between them.

“Morn’n lass…” he scratched his head, “I forgot to ask yesterday, but what’s your name?”

“Robina,” she looked at the satchel “so, what's in the bag?” He glanced at it, and pondered for a moment.

“Curious one, are ya?” he smirked, “I suppose I’ll tell you but you’ll have to hear my proposal first.”

She nodded, still itching with curiosity. He pulled a parchment out of the bag, and slid it over to her. There was a drawing of the little monsters that she’d run into the day before, it read “Eloko - Threat Rank: E - Recent reports indicate they have been attacking in groups of 5 or more, last seen on the outskirts of Nzete Moke. - Adventurers are advised to hunt with comrades. - Reward per elimination: 5 Silver Aurins”

Robina was surprised that she was able to read the poster, the markings were definitely different than her own world but somehow she could fully understand it. “I thought you called them something different? Do these things have more than one name or something?” she pointed at the poster while asking.

“Oh that, lass? ‘Biloko’ means more than one of ‘em.” He gestured back to the poster, “you see that price? You already took one down, so far as I care you deserve to get paid for the hard work.” Kennedy pulled out a short sword from the satchel. “I noticed you weren’t armed, so I asked the guards if they confiscated your weapon. That ol’ thing will serve you no more, lass, but this is a fine edge.” He laid the weapon in front of her, It was in a sturdy leather sheath. “So, you’ve already seen a bit of adventure... What’d you say to lending me a hand in taking down a few more of the rotten things?”

Robina looked down at the weapon, ‘Fight more of those monsters? How much is that reward even really worth?’ her face showed her uneasiness. “I…”

Kennedy gave her a sympathetic look, “Sorry lass, maybe this was a bit much?” He began reaching for the sword, but Robina laid her hand on it first.

“Look… I don’t even really know how to use a sword in the first place, I just swung really hard.” She looked at the dark haired man, “Can you show me a thing or two?”

He smiled, “Of course, lass… err.. Robina. It’s a bit of a habit, heh heh” He leaned back in his seat, crossing his arms and looked at her very seriously “You’re plenty strong enough to give me a hand, that’s for sure. They’re not too hard to handle for most fresh faced adventurers, and with me there it’ll be a breeze.”

The steady trickle of guests had finally filled up most of the seats, Margo came out of the kitchen with a cheery look on her face and a big serving platter. She made her way to Robina’s table, “Breakfast is served!”

As the two shared another meal together, Robina asked him questions about where they were. He told her that Nzete Moke was an old fruit farming village, and few traveled so far south to lend them aid when they made requests like the one he presented to her. Her questions left him perplexed, he wasn’t quite sure how such a sheltered girl was made to travel to such a remote place in the first place.

“I do a lot of freelance work, as it were. Mostly for the Río Zorro Adventuring Company. The Biloko have multiplied their numbers recently, so we’ve been getting more requests to hunt the things. They’re generally afraid of the roads, because adventurers travel them regularly but we can use that to our advantage.” He took a swig of his drink, “Any more burning questions you need answered, or do you want me to show you how to swing that thing?”

Robina stood up to finish attaching the sword to her belt, “I’m ready when you are. And… thanks for everything.”

The pair made their way out of the inn and back into the streets of Nzete Moke, their destination was a training ground that was used for both adventurers and guards alike. The streets were filled with life, and many of the people seemed to recognize Kennedy. He seemed to be popular with the locals, even a few of the children ran up to him on their walk over. Robina was still uncertain if she could trust him but without anyone from her old world to help her, she had no choice but to keep moving forward even if it felt risky.