Beginner Adventuress

Rasa stepped out from under the arch, and she allowed herself a moment to take a breath. With this step, she was finally within the bounds of Novelus! It was the biggest city she'd ever seen...Of course, she'd heard that it was small compared to the truly great cities further toward the center of the empire. But it was still a city! There were buildings with more than two floors! The streets were all paved! There were dozens of people! There was scarcely a tree in sight!

Reviewing the directions she'd been given, Rasa walked down the street, dodging squabbling merchants and shrieking children. Soon she came to the building she sought—the Adventurer's Guild.

Within the guild was a desk. Behind the desk sat a man. Hearing a cough, he looked up. In front of the desk was a young woman; she had short blonde hair, her body was athletic but still feminine, and she wore a blue blouse paired with a short skirt. She was practically beaming with happiness. "Hello!" she said.

The man's frown deepened. "May I," he adjusted his spectacles, "help you?"

"Yes!" she said. "I'm Rasa, I want to register as an adventuress."

The clerk sighed, and he tugged a sheet of parchment from a box. "Name, Rasa," he muttered. "Do you live in Novelus?"

"Er, I just arrived," Rasa said. "I just came from Samara, you know, I don't know why anyone would want to live on a farm when they could come to—"

"We have rooms available," the clerk said, scribbling with a quill. "Just between you and me, they're a ripoff until you get the discounted rate at Silver rank." He took up a bit of metal and tossed it at the woman.

Rasa fumbled the thing, but she managed to hold onto it. It was a brass token; writing proclaimed that it was the property of the Novelus Adventurer's Guild. For a moment she just stared. "Th...that's it? I'm an adventuress?"

"Probationary," the clerk countered. "If you do well, you'll move up to D rank. That's Bronze. You can only do the quests with no ranking." He waved.

Rasa turned, following the gesture, and her gaze fell upon a large cork board. Myriad slips of parchment were pinned to it. Her eyes widened as she took in the sight. "Quests..."

"Indeed," the clerk said. He frowned at her, watching her take in the sight. "Miss..." In a moment she had turned back, all smiles. He sighed. "Miss, do you have any skills at all?"

Rasa blinked. "I can...haul hay bales?"

The clerk took off his spectacles, and he rubbed the bridge of his nose. "Not to be nosy, but do you have any money?"

"I've saved a few coins..."

"If you can afford it, I would highly recommend a beginning adventuring class." The clerk gestured. "Through that door. There are always teachers available."

"Oh!" Rasa said. "Thank you! You've been so helpful!" Still beaming, she walked to the indicated doorway, then through to the training ground.

...

The clerk glanced up. "And what do you want?"

This woman's face was covered with makeup, white with black lines down the cheeks. She smiling, raising a coin. "Got ten says she doesn't last a week."

"For fuck's sake, I'm busy here."