Ground Rules

*Ping*

The sharp noise startled Leo awake. Fighting to open his eyes Leo notices he was no longer in the dungeon, but in a bed under a roof. “Guess we made it out…” He groggily said. His body didn’t feel in pain like he expected, that was a good sign right?

At the center of his vision he caught the red system screen once again.

[Update Complete! Purification 100%]

“Open system.” He scanned for any changes on the stat screen. Level 15, Awareness +5, and a couple of new skills in the skill tab were the only immediate changes he notice. Slowly raising up he finally looked around the room he was in. It seemed to be an inn form Bellen judging from the window. Zentella was asleep on a chair in the corner.

Leo felt bad that she probably had to carry him out of the dungeon on her own. He then turned to see on the nightstand many bottles of potions empty. Quickly he went to the spacious bag and tried to recall more to realize that they were in fact, all the ones he had on hand. His loud groan of annoyance caused Zentella to stir.

Walking up she nodded at him, her worry for him not showing on his face. “You’re awake.”

Leo just stared at Zentella. Here was this trained assassin prodigy able to take down four grown adults on her own and she had no idea that she just wasted their healing potions. An act akin to a little child who only recently found out about medicine and thought using all of them on him would make him feel better faster. What was he to do? “Okay Zen… I think we need to talk.”

“About what?” Her face stone cold as ever, but Leo could feel her genuine curiosity.

“First of all, thank you for getting us out of the dungeon. But if we are going to make this team work then I’m going to need you to follow some rules.”

“Rules?”

“Yes,” Leo sighed as he reached for one of the now empty bottles, “One: Only use one on me if I’m knocked out. If I’m awake I’ll do a judgement call. Remember I can still provide healing magic.” A simple nod was all she gave. “Two: Listen to my instructions during a fight. Unless you have a better strategy and tell me about it, just follow along.”

“Ok.” She said. It seems she was blaming herself for getting him hurt.

“As for three.” Leo then looked at her softly trying to say this in the in a tone to not betray her trust. “Don’t kill anyone. But since I know you just want to help out and that’s where your strength lies, only limit it to bad people when I ask for that kind of help ok?”

“Understood.”

Leo relaxed as he saw her receptive of his current rules. She was his responsibility now, but he wasn’t going to shackle her. He wasn’t skilled enough in this world yet, the fight with Barns proved that. He was a fool for thinking that with the system and the past party’s skills would be enough in this world. To think they could take on a dungeon with him having the mission of collecting shards that could, on their own, make a golem was naive. Not wanting to bring the mood down Leo turned to Zen. “Anything interesting happened while I was out?”

Zen thought for a moment before saying, “The guild girl didn’t look happy when I brought you out.”

XxXx

Sophia was tired. She had just had her new strange charge come crawling out of a cleared dungeon worse for ware. Her second charge was an assassin that she just witness shove potion after potion in a passed out person’s throat nearly drowning him. Not to mention she still wasn’t over her motion sickness. Finally she has to be a liaison between the guild masters after helping out at Bellen’s Adventure Guild as a receptionist.

It really did seem like a good idea at the time to to snipe a automatic C-rank adventure that came back with retrieved adventure tags that were part of the party of the Saint. So why was it already becoming a headache?

Still, this was just a challenge. She liked a good challenge because when there was a challenge there was a good profit around the corner. So she did what she came to do; drop off a letter from Guildmaster Nicholas to Guildmaster Verdona.

Verdona was someone not much older than Sophia. A mage with great power with a serene beauty about her with her skin tight dress and flowing black hair under her mage hat.

Sophia had a vague idea of what the letter was about. It more than likely had to do with the Saint’s party’s death and the fact of Zentella’s existence. Once Verdona finished the letter she used her magic and burned the letter to ashes before she acknowledge Sophia.

“Anything else that I should be aware of?”

Sophia bowed before saying, “Adventurer Leo Salazar claimed to have been summoned from a different world and is searching for the summoning catalyst used for summoning the Demon King.”

Verdona nods, “And the girl?”

“She doesn’t speak much to me. The most she had told me is is that ‘The Crimson Eye’ is watching her.”

Verdona sighed, “So the girl confirmed as much huh… The catalyst. Has your adventurer shown you proof of any pieces in his possession?”

Sophia shakes her head, “Both of them simply claim that his body absorbed the shard giving him the ability to use a magic he calls ‘system’ that cannot be seen or traced. Zentella has a gift to see mana and confirmed as much.”

Verdona sighed again, “I’m getting too old for this.” She then begins to rummage through a drawer pulling out a piece of paper, “The old coot told me to use him since he caries that party’s skills, but he sounds too green. Here.” She then passes Sophia a request with a drawing of a Demi-Human wolf-eared girl child. “See if he can locate this child, we finally got a lead and have confirmed a secret thieves guild in Bellen. They probably have her and were going to sell her to that slave trader you arrested. Hopefully they haven’t left yet. If your adventurer can handle these thieves.”

“We graciously accept this commission.” Sophia says taking the paper.

Verdona just waves her hand, “Just find her before her clan does. I don’t want trouble in Bellen because a few bad apples snuck into the cart. Make sure your adventurers don’t cause a scene.”

“Don’t worry,” Sophia smiled not fully prepared for what will soon transpire. “I promise they can take care of it without a hitch.”