Freya

My name is Freya, an adventurer who’s travelled through most of the continent of Horinn and decided to give Tal’Horde a try. I left home at quite a young age, determined to become a top-class adventurer, like the ones told in legends.

After a mess of events, I wound up in a town between the two continents, where I just escaped a rather dicey ordeal in a dungeon.

Atlas, my traveling partner and soon-to-be registered familiar, was waiting for me outside town, so I had to make sure to hurry. My body was still quite fatigued, so even walking around felt like a chore.

I rushed through the cobbled street towards the merchant's building, where Harvey worked. It’d been over a day since we accepted it, but from the sounds of things when we spoke last, he didn’t expect us to make it back alive.

I know it sounds harsh, coming from my friend and all, but in my line of work, it’s actually quite common. Adventurers die all the time; it’s nothing new.

I strode up to the wooden door and delivered two quick knocks as I proceeded to shove my weight against it. The door gave way, and a heavy beam of light crept into the room.

“Guess who it is!” I faked a burst of energy I didn’t have.

Harvey raised his head from the counter where he worked on an armoured plate and stared at me with widened eyes. His mouth hung open as the words seemed to have trouble coming out.

“Freya, you’re actually alive…?”

“Don’t sound too surprised,” I responded somewhat bitterly. “Not just alive, either. Do you recognise this?” I flashed him a shard I snatched from the gemstone we shattered in the dungeon. Since dungeon cores were the best evidence for these kinds of quests, I made it a priority at the time to keep one.

He looked even more perplexed than before. “I don’t believe it… You actually pulled it off?!” He looked ready to hug me from the excitement of it all. “You might actually have a future as a half-decent adventurer, after all.” He replied, jokingly.

“Only half decent? With words like that, I might just have to find myself a new place for business~” The words hung in the air for a moment, then Harvey cleared his throat and spoke out with a tone I knew wasn’t for jokes anymore.

“Freya, you’re not going back to being a guide, taking small jobs, are you?”

Harvey bent behind the counter and pulled out a small leather pouch, which he placed over the counter. It was more than double the pay I usually saw from completing quests; I could barely believe it was mine to take.

I swallowed. The words played back in my mind, right after they left his mouth, and circled on repeat a few times before I could even think of a response.

“You’re one hell of an adventurer, I know it. The only thing holding you back is that you’re not being serious about it. I’m sure you could keep coasting by on odd jobs if that’s what you want, but if you want more, you only need to apply yourself some more–”

“Pfft!” My mouth moved before I knew it.

Harvey never gave compliments out randomly, only when he was truly impressed by something or someone. I never thought he’d speak about me like that, but it came as backhanded, at best.

Quite honestly, it was something I’d thought over many times myself, but never bothered to act on. I enjoyed the easy life, and sure, I thought about becoming a top-tier adventurer one day… But thinking like that only leads to disappointment. I refused to be disappointed again! Never again.

I forced out a laugh to cover my uneasiness, waving dismissively, “Thanks, Harvey, but I can’t see myself as one of those meatheads running into danger just for some coin. I prefer the coasting life.” I answered back with a relaxed tone as I walked out of the room.

“Right.” He deadpanned, eyes averted away from me with disappointment. “Good luck, Freya.”

Before completely leaving, I waved back to Harvey and kept my attention on the door. I couldn’t bring myself to see his face a second longer, or I wasn’t sure what I’d do.

I stepped into the evening air, unsure where to go or what I was feeling. My body hurt, but I didn’t care. I pushed through the fatigue in my legs and stiffness in every step, almost with ease.

Is he right? Am I wasting my time? I played through that very thought over and over again as I left town and headed into the forest.

I always wanted to be an adventurer like the ones in legends, but my body’s too weak for that. I’d only get myself killed… I couldn’t help but think back to the dungeon incident. Every time I was knocked down or nearly torn apart by those trolls. I’d only be a burden on Atlas.

I wasn’t too far from our meeting spot, and the sun had begun its descent onto the horizon. A beautiful golden glow lit up the sky and every cloud with an array of colours akin to magic. I stopped in my tracks and took in the sight, almost distracted from my thoughts.

I got excited to see him, to see Atlas. The gentle giant seemed to amaze me at every chance that came along.

If it were with him, couldn’t I be an adventurer?

“An adventurer, huh?” The words almost felt silly as they left my mouth.

The idea was scary, maybe because it felt real for a moment. I clutched the coin pouch against my chest and felt the embrace envelop my hand as I drifted into thought.

“I want…” The words were stuck in my throat. I was afraid that if they came out, there’d be no way to take it back. As if something terrible would happen if it couldn’t happen. “...an adventurer. One worth remembering.”

The wave of relief that followed left me weightless.

I took off in a near sprint towards the clearing, excited to tell Atlas. To tell him that I shared his dream of wanting to be an adventurer. To tell him that I wanted us to travel together and make names for ourselves in every land, with every race imaginable.

I arrived at our meeting spot, but there was no hulking figure made of white stone. I spun on my heel and observed the space around me for any traces of him, but nothing remained.

“Atlas?” I called out to nothing.

The admission that was built inside me shrank to something so insignificant that it vanished with ease.

I stood at the centre of the clearing, where my partner should have been, utterly alone. As I turned to leave, I noticed a set of carvings in the tree opposite me.

I slowly crept towards it, more conscious of the pain in my ankle than ever. Carved into the tree with shallow markings was the word, ‘Sorry’.

I stared blank-eyed at the word and wondered if I should even return to the town or keep going, but my train of thought wouldn’t focus on anything. I balled my hands over my staff and clenched my teeth so tight I was afraid it’d break.

“Coward…” the words slipped out raw, on the verge of tears.

I pressed my head against the bark and let it rest while my thoughts ran rampant.

So, even you think I’m too weak to bring along, huh? If that’s the case, then maybe I should just quit and stick to being a half-decent guide…

I shifted away from the tree, and the coin pouch dropped to the floor.

I’ll catch up. My hand squeezed over the pouch as I lifted it up to eye level. Even if it takes me another ten years… I’ll catch up to you and fulfill my dream.

My teeth locked for a moment as I reeled back my shoulders and aimed my voice out to the evening sky, “I want to be an adventurer!!!!”

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________________________________________End Of Volume 1_____________________________________________