The chest contained Copper Coin x10, Torch x5, Minor Healing Potion x5, and a Leather Armor Set, which contained a leather vest, pants, leather boots, and a pair of leather wrist-bracers. I equipped them as we walked, happy to see the gear appeared on my person when equipped from my inventory.

  Kleyn walked over to the large boards adorned with several parchment mission postings.

  “You can see mission availability on the boards at either end of my desk,” Kleyn said, pointing to the board to my right. “This board has missions that rank from Zinc to Iron—”

  “What are the ranks between?” I blurted.

  Kleyn exhaled. “Zinc is the lowest-grade mission. New adventurers begin one rank higher, at Copper. Zinc missions are simple enough to be completed by a child, such as finding lost pets or weeding patches of garden — any simple task a citizen could submit a work order for. Copper is next, then Brass and Iron.” He pointed to the other board.

  “This board is for higher-tier missions, beginning with Bronze, then progressing to Silver, Gold, Electrum, Platinum, Starmetal, and finally Ascendent. There has not been an adventurer of the Ascended rank since the death of Galthar Yunetide, the hero that perished while killing the last known Elite Ignis Dragon, Sreakithlekor. It is said the dragon was larger than this guildhall. That was four hundred years ago.”

  “How many Starmetal-ranked adventurers are there?” I asked.

  “Less than a hundred in the world.” He continued without a pause. “You can accept a mission up to your rank, or up to a rank higher if you are partied with other adventurers of your rank. If you party with an adventurer of higher rank you can accept missions up to their rank, though technically, they will be accepting the mission on your behalf.”

  Kleyn paused, making sure I was still paying attention. I nodded, and he continued.

  “It is possible that you clear missions unbeknownst to you while adventuring, so it is recommended you look at everything you can, and always stop by the Adventure’s Guild first before selling your loot elsewhere. You will obtain a better rate for most things sold at the guild than elsewhere. Proof of kill is required for all kill missions to be completed. Payments and rewards are based on the rank of the mission.”

  I looked over the missions, my eye flicking from one to the other as I skimmed the details. Several Zinc listings for missing jewelry. More than a dozen.

  “Is it normal for there to be this many missions for missing jewelry?” I asked. I saw my friends returning from the crafting area. Arlo was laughing and clapping Abernathy on the back. “And why are they only Zinc?”

  “No one had bothered investigating, and as such, they had remained listed as unrelated missing items, a simple, Zinc-level mission, as most instances result in the lost items being somewhere in the home, or never found.” Kleyn huffed. He seemed done with the conversation, but dutifully continued.

  “They are not popular amongst adventurers. That being said, I agree. There have been more requests than normal lately, with one or two trickling in every day. But they will remain that way until someone looks into them.”

  I focused on all of the parchments for missing items. After a few seconds of focus, a secondary image of the parchments was superimposed over them, and shifted out slightly before merging into one. I received a notification.

  New Quest! Investigate the lost jewelry. Current Zinc-level mission. Level may rise depending on outcome of investigation. Reward: Copper Coins x5.

  “Wow, no wonder people won’t take them, that is a lot of leg work for two-and-a-half ales,” I laughed. I accepted it anyway; someone needed to help these people and I didn’t know how long Cahl would be gone. It would keep me busy after our party mission.

  I looked over the board some more, and my eyes landed on a Brass mission as the rest of the party arrived. I laughed again, reading the description.

  “What’s up?” Hannah asked as they approached.

  Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.

  “I think I already completed this mission,” I said, pulling the parchment from the wall and showing it to them. It was a mission to hunt a rogue giant spider in the northern woods along the cliffside coast.

  “That is Brass level!” Abernathy spluttered, his voice tight with fear, “and you killed it?”

  “Yeah, but it was close,” I reminded, “Remember, I told you about the fox?”

  “Oh yeah, wow,” he cooed.

  I handed the parchment to Kleyn and pulled the spider’s corpse from my inventory.

  “Will this work for proof of kill?” I asked, plopping it on his desk.

  “Get that thing off of my desk!” He shouted.

  I quickly complied, picking up the corpse and stowing it back in my inventory, grinning like the Cheshire Cat. “This way, please.” He looked down at the bloody smear the spider’s corpse had left on his desk with a sigh, as he led me to a large counter nearby.

  “Place your kill here,” he said, indicating the counter. I did as instructed. “Now place the mission parchment here.” He indicated a small open box next to the counter. I placed the parchment within. A green light flashed from the box and the counter simultaneously and both items disappeared in an acrid puff of smoke. A small bag of coin, four minor healing potions, and a small brass chest appeared where the corpse had been on the counter.

  “Rewards are given in exchange for the proof of kill and the mission parchment. It is automated; the magic infused in the parchment will identify the corpse and confirm it matches the mission.”

  “What if the monster is unknown when the mission is given, but later discovered?” I asked.

  Eldwyna nodded in agreement. “That is a good question,” she said.

  “Your adventurer’s medallion is more than a symbol. It takes in information and updates the mission accordingly.”

  “My mentor said there is a lot of complex, powerful magic that went into the founding of the Adventurer’s Guild.” Eldwyna said.

  “That is correct. As time goes on, the infusion of magic into different aspects of the Adventurer’s Guild, much like the rest of society, becomes increasingly more complicated and advanced.”

  I inspected the brass chest, which was a Brass Chest of Arachnophobia. I hesitated for a second, imagining a horde of spiders skittering out of the opening as I lifted it.

  “Come on!” Hannah said, “I’m excited to see what’s inside!”

  I opened the lid and the chest vanished, replaced by a bundle of ten small silk pouches. I examined them.

  Small Satchels of Enwebbing. Thrown item.

  Detonates on impact, discharging sticky, thick web solution in a small radius. The web is strong, difficult to cut or tear, but susceptible to flames and acid. Deteriorates after an hour.

  "Whoa!” Abernathy exclaimed as we all inspected the satchels. “I could do some cool things with those!”

  I placed two in my inventory and handed the other eight over to Abernathy. “That would be awesome, if you don’t mind! Tinker away!”

  “Cheers, mate, I’ll see what I can do. But there is a chance some might get damaged. I would hate to ruin them.”

  “No worries if they do, just do what you can with them. I’m sure you will whip something awesome up!” I clapped him on the shoulder and he smiled.

  Kleyn cleared his throat. “Please lay your adventurer medallion on the counter, Chanter.”

  My stomach twisted. My mind raced as I tried to figure out what I had done wrong to be getting kicked out of the guild so fast. What would I do? I presented the medallion and laid it on the counter.

  “Did he do something wrong?” Arlo asked — he sounded angry.

  “No,” Kleyn assured. “Watch and see.”

  The medallion shone with a brief white light and shifted into a brass hue. I gasped.

  “Since Chanter completed a Brass mission alone, he has ranked up. We do not allow individual members to accept missions above their levels, but this does happen on occasion. Completing a mission above your rank alone indicates you have the strength to advance to the next rank. Congratulations.”

  “Thanks!” I grinned, palming the brass adventurer token. Congratulations rained down upon me from my friends. The cheering was interrupted by Elsetha.

  “Aha!” she exclaimed, pointing to a copper mission parchment on the board. “Here is the mission you were talking about, Arlo.”

  We all gathered around and read the parchment. It was a mission to investigate rumors of undead in the underground mausoleum beneath the city. The dead were kept there, and were warded against becoming undead by sigils and magical barriers. If there were undead on the loose, it indicated a breach in the barrier that needed to be investigated.

  Arlo sent out party invitations. I accepted and saw the quest notification.

  New Group Quest. Investigate the crypts below the city. Locate and mend the magical barrier. Eliminate any undead. Rewards are provided individually. Your Reward: 1 Copper Delver Chest, Silver Coins x10, 1000 experience points, Minor Healing Potion x3.