The sun had barely started rising when Aric opened his eyes. The small room he shared with Kail was quiet. The wooden walls glowed faintly with the morning light. Aric sat up and rubbed his eyes, his body still a bit tired from yesterday.
Across the room, Kail was still asleep, curled up in his blanket like a cocoon.
Aric stood up and walked over. "Hey. Wake up," he said, nudging Kail's leg with his foot.
"Mmh… five more minutes…" Kail mumbled.
Aric raised an eyebrow. "If you sleep more, I'll go without you."
That did the trick. Kail sat up quickly, his hair messy. "I'm up! I'm up!"
Aric sighed, shaking his head slightly. He's still young, he thought, but at least he's eager.
After getting dressed and grabbing their gear, the two left the inn and started walking toward the guild. The streets were still quiet, a few shops just opening.
"It feels weird," Kail said, breaking the silence.
"What does?"
"Waking up and going to a quest like this. Sharing a room. Kinda makes it feel real. Like I'm a real adventurer now."
"You are," Aric replied. "You've taken quests before. This is just another one."
"Yeah, you're right. "
They reached the guild and stepped inside. The building was already busy with adventurers choosing quests or reporting in. Kail walked up to the quest board and looked around.
"Let's do this one," he said, pointing at a paper. "A B-rank quest. Says a group of demons who drop rare materials when killed has been spotted in the mid-rank area of the Demon Forest."
Aric read the paper. "Four mid-level demons. Kill them and bring back their horns as proof."
"You think it's too much?"
"You'll never grow if you keep doing C-rank quests," Aric replied. "Let's go."
They got the quest approved by the guild and started heading out of town toward the Demon Forest.
The forest path was quiet, filled with the sound of birds and wind rustling the trees. As they walked, Kail swung his sword a little.
"So… how long have you been an adventurer?" Kail asked.
Aric paused. "Five years."
"Woah… I've only been at it for a few months. You've probably seen so much stuff."
"Enough," Aric said shortly.
Kail didn't push more. Instead, he focused on the path ahead. After some time, they entered the lower area of the forest.
The low-rank zone was filled with weaker monsters. It was the only way to reach the mid-rank zone, so they had to pass through it.
A group of goblin-like creatures appeared from behind some bushes.
"Here we go," Aric said.
Kail stepped forward. "Let me try."
The goblins rushed them. Kail fought with focus, slashing one down and dodging another. He moved well, but one goblin got past him.
Aric stepped in and blocked the blow, then quickly took it down.
"Thanks," Kail said, breathing hard.
"You need to watch your sides."
"I will!"
They kept moving, fighting a few more monsters on the way. Each time, Kail got a bit better. Aric only stepped in when needed.
He's learning, Aric thought. Still rough, but he's not weak.
After almost an hour, they reached the mid-rank area. The trees were taller here, the air thicker. They slowed their pace, eyes scanning everything.
Then they saw them. Four demons, standing near a small rocky clearing. They were tall, with red skin and long horns.
"They haven't noticed us yet," Kail whispered.
"We'll split them up. I'll draw two away. You handle one, and I'll come help with the last."
"Got it."
Aric dashed forward, throwing a small knife to get their attention. Two demons roared and chased after him. The other two stayed.
Kail charged toward one, blocking its claws and countering with a strike. The demon was faster than he expected, and he barely dodged a second attack.
Aric led his two demons away, then turned and fought. His movements were sharp, controlled. He wasn't going all out, just enough to keep them busy.
Kail was struggling but didn't give up. He gritted his teeth, blocking a heavy punch that made him slide back.
"Need help?" Aric called out, his own fight still going.
"No!" Kail shouted. "I can do this!"
He dashed in again, slashing at the demon's leg with his sword fused with light magic. This time it hit. The demon roared and fell to one knee. Kail didn't stop—he followed up with a stab through the chest.
"Got one!" he yelled.
The other demon turned toward him, but Aric appeared behind it and finished it with one strike.
The last two were already weakened. Aric and Kail fought together and brought them down with some effort. It was easy for Aric but he held back enough to be at the same level as Kail.
Kail fell back onto the grass, panting. "That was… a lot."
"You did well," Aric said, wiping blood from his blade.
They collected the demon horns and cleaned up a bit before heading back.
By the time they reached the guild again, the sun was high. The receptionist smiled when she saw them.
"Welcome back. Finished the quest?"
Aric placed the four demon horns on the counter.
"Impressive," she said. "Here's your reward—80 silver coins."
They split the money and left the guild.
"I'm starving," Kail said, holding his stomach. "Let's get food."
Aric nodded. "Fine."
They found a small food stall nearby and sat down. It smelled great—hot meat skewers and soup.
Kail dug in fast. "This is the best thing I've ever eaten."
"You say that every time," Aric said, eating more calmly.
Kail grinned. "Still true though."
They sat quietly for a bit, enjoying the meal. The day had been long, but they had fun. They had won.
"Hey," Kail said, chewing. "Thanks for letting me fight more today."
"You need the experience."
"Still, thanks. I'll get stronger. Just watch."
Aric gave a small nod. Maybe you will, he thought. You've got the talent for it.
The sun was setting now, casting orange light over the town.
"Let's go back," Aric said, standing up.
"Yeah. Tomorrow's another day."
They walked back to the inn, full and tired, but a little stronger than before.