After a few minutes of struggle, he finally managed to touch the ground of the Gold District once again. Passing by the Gold Districts Georgina’s location caused a small amount of nausea for him, but that wasn’t enough to distract him from the message painted on the front door of the jewelry shop next door.


    Paying someone like Jordan to kill slick rats meant that his money and points were not going to other, more skilled adventurers who could deal with other problems.Ever since the rift to the elemental plane opened outside of the city, along with other issues throughout the districts, people have been clamoring for them to funnel its resources into paying high-level adventurers more and to delegate the smaller tasks to civilians that can make use of technology or alchemy to do the job.


    No low-level adventurers meant no future high-level adventurers, and that would make business difficult for Everwatch.Jordan could empathize with the scared citizens having to witness these problems that are out of their control and being upset.


    Entering the guild, Jordan was met by the usual avoidance of eye contact, though this time it felt less personal as he did smell like a large dead rat.He made his way up to Mays''desk and placed the jar of ears on it, noticing her slightly wince at the sight of his “trophies”.He was sure May had seen her share of monster body parts in her day, but it takes a long time to be numb enough to not react to a jar of greasy ears.


    “Wow, you’re getting faster at these Jordan.You wrapped that up in less than three hours, they didn’t give you too much trouble I assume?” She asked in her usual whisper as she picked up the jar with a napkin and gave it to one of the other guild workers who took it into the back room.


    Normally this quest would be a full day''s pay for 3 hours of work, this time of course being an exception pay-wise due to the dorm quota.Receiving the normal pay would be pretty good though, considering minimum wage would require an extra 5 hours of work for the same money.This allows the guild to seem generous, but the proof of success components the adventurers turn in, such as the ears, are sold by the guild to local shops.Along with the equipment they sold and the pricey skill training classes they offered, the Guild could definitely afford what they paid Jordan and then some.


    She and Jordan both knew her job was to make him get as much work done as she reasonably could, and they both knew Jordan still had visible brain matter on his armor.


    As I wash the grease and guts off myself and consider my life decisions, I’ll contemplate whether I’ll come back to work today or ever” Jordan said in a sarcastic tone with a hint of truth to it.The vacant look in his eyes was all it took to convince May of his sincerity, and she entered his quest as completed into the system.


    We’ll see you next time” May said, giving a flawless customer service smile while also clearly only breathing through her mouth.Jordan thanked her and as he made his way towards his coveted shower, a figure in a grey cloak slammed into his legs, knocking the wind out of him as he slammed on the tile floor.The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    He kicked his legs out to get his assailant off him, and as he rose to his feet he looked at the man for the first time.He was a young birdman, probably early 20’s, and Jordan screamed.Partially because of a traumatic event involving a seagull he had as a child, and partially because he had never seen a Tengrathi in person before.


    Jordan was still caught off guard and a little upset at being tackled out of nowhere, but it was clear this guy was not trying to threaten him.


    Management asked him to stop but I think it’s funny so I let him” May said from behind Jordan.


    Let’s just say work is difficult and I can’t afford the most filling meals off of this awful pay.I just need to sit down and collect myself.” he said sitting on a nearby bench with a sad, slightly squawky voice.Jordan felt empathy for him at that moment.He was fortunate enough to have roommates who were generous with their takeout, or he would have gone to bed hungry a few nights to make ends meet.He walked over to the bench he was sitting on as the Tengrathi man continued talking.


    I can’t take any quests today so I’ll rest up at home once I get my wits about me” he said, clearly still shaky and unstable.


    I don’t know how to make adult friends so I think that’s what this is” Jordan said.The people in Jordan’s life had always said he was a little more blunt than necessary.“What’s your name?” He asked.


    “My name’s Bryn, nice to meet you,” he said cautiously.


    Bryn looked confused, but he eventually followed after him.He partially wanted the food, but this man was so strange it piqued his curiosity.The pair began walking to Hasty Nelson’s, the grab-and-go convenience store version of the Adventurer supply store.


    It was a simple, unpretentious place where you could escape the judgment of the city for a moment.Being one of the few places he could afford what they sold, it felt as if he belonged there, a rare feeling to him in Zephtal.He grabbed 2 of the chicken-flavored instant bowls and checked out at the front register, receiving a raised eyebrow from the clerk as he smelled Jordan’s stench.They filled up their bowls with hot water and sat on the sidewalk in front of the store.


    He looked over at Bryn who was staring at the bowl.


    It’s not as good though” Jordan said.


    “Tengrathi are birdfolk born of the god Korvan, we have a godly bloodline and are not at all related to chickens,” he said in an offended tone.


    Before Bryn could say anything else, Jordam dug into his meal viciously.Before too long, Bryn also begins eating.He paced himself politely for about 10 seconds before also ravenously devouring his chicken bowl.Once the pair finished their meals, they basked in the glow of their full bellies.


    What class are you?” Jordan asked.He assumed Bryn was a monk, or perhaps a caster who used a wand since he didn''t see any weapons.


    “None, when I came to Zyphtal 4 months ago, I immediately went to Everwatch to be onboarded.After they did their tests, they told me I was incompatible with the Adventurers Boon Skill”.Jordan let out an involuntary “oof”, to which Bryn nodded in agreement.


    This skill lays the foundation of what an adventurer can do because it is what allows den to be channeled.Den is the magical power adventurers use, and a common misconception is that casters like wizards and druids are the only ones that use den.


    The use of a skill consumes some amount of den, and the Adventurers Boon is what allows someone to utilize their den in accordance with their skill.Without it, den cannot be channeled, which means no class, no skills, and no way to get stronger.