Get a partner for a nearby bounty.

"'Local farmers harassed by vermin,'" the other boy reads, frowning at the sheet of parchment. "How unhelpful can you be?"

"They did put in a pretty precise location," you remind him. "At least we won't be wasting time looking for somebody to guide us. Might want to ask around for details on the problem before we attack, like, a dragon, or something."

"'Local vermin,' remember?" Sef says again. "They can't be that bad. Besides, it's low ranked and there's two of us. And I can actually use a sword. Er, no offense meant."

"None taken," you reply dryly. "But you're going to jinx us, talking like that. We really should take this seriously. Even giant rats can kill a man if he's unprepared. Happened a couple times in my village."

He shrugs. "I'm pretty sure the guild does _some _investigation before letting newbies take them on. But... okay, what if we go in slowly and scout it out _before _we spend days asking the cotton-brained idiots around here for information? Can we compromise on that?"

"Sure," you sigh. You don't want to make him mad enough to do the thing alone; you need the money. "I guess we stick to the right, then?"

Sef checks the map again. "This thing's tiny, but I think so. These crossroads here - that's where we're at, the towns that way... yeah, stick to the right."

The two of you trudge down the road, stepping out of the way for the occasional carriage and waving at some kids that pass by, playing some game. Sef seems relaxed, but your hand hasn't left the hilt of your shortsword since you left the city walls. He notices your tense posture and chuckles.

"Relax, man. Even if there's something dangerous, you won't do yourself any good being that stiff."

"Better than being caught off guard," you shoot back.

"Didn't say you shouldn't be alert. There's a difference. Notice your surroundings, where someone might be hiding, where some_thing _could be lurking. More importantly, check places where you could be observed from. The enemy watching you is more dangerous than the one hiding."

You nod, and try to loosen up. Sef seems quite a bit more experienced and maybe a bit older than you, but not by much. Considering that he's almost as new as you are to the guild, you wondered why he had so much more knowledge. You asked, of course, but he declined to answer beyond the vaguest of replies. "Training, but not enough."

Your little party eventually reaches the fields indicated by the map. The wheat is growing long in the summer, and your concerns of ambush start to grow again.

"We move slowly," he says. "Our vision is obscured, but so is theirs. We listen carefully and they'll be the ones that run into us instead of the other way around."

You nod, and follow him in. Swords at the ready, you begin carefully combing through the abandoned fields, reaching one end of the huge plot and turning around to sweep it again. The day stretches on with no sign of any monsters until, late in the afternoon, you see something flicker in the corner of your eye. You wave a hand to get Sef's attention, and gesture to where a few stalks are still waving, disturbed by the passage of something besides the two of you.

You try to communicate by hand. "Two?" you gesture, holding up your fingers and motioning between the two of you.

"No," he shakes his head. "Too loud," gesturing to his ears with a frown. "I go."

You frown, but nod. Slowly, he creeps forwards. You wonder if it's just an animal, the wind, or even the prey you're seeking. Your heart pounds in your chest as Sef disappears into the wall of crops, and you suddenly feel very ****. Wasn't the point of doing this together that you didn’t do this alone?