"A lost cat?" Liam stared at the notice board, his heroic vision slightly deflating. The reward: a measly five silver. Not exactly dragon-slaying wages.
"Hey, five silver is five silver," Roric grunted, stretching his massive arms with a loud crack. "It's enough for, like… half a loaf of decent bread."
Lysandra shuddered dramatically. "And hopefully, it'll keep Kaelen from turning our sleeping mats into kindling."
Finnian, ever the optimist, chimed in, "Think of it as reconnaissance! We're scouting the town, getting to know the lay of the land! A true hero knows their battlefield!" He winked, then almost tripped over a loose cobblestone.
Zelda adjusted her glasses, her nose buried in a thick, leather-bound book titled "Common Feline Behavior in Urban Environments." "According to my research, lost cats are often found within a three-block radius of their home, exhibiting signs of distress and a marked preference for tuna-based offerings."
Liam, ever eager, clapped his hands together. "Then what are we waiting for? To adventure!"
Their first attempt to locate "Patches," a fluffy Persian belonging to a notoriously grumpy baker, was less than stellar. Roric tried roaring Patches' name, convinced his booming voice would intimidate the feline into submission. Patches, predictably, remained hidden. Lysandra attempted a summoning spell she'd "almost perfected," which resulted in a small cloud of glitter and the distinct smell of burnt toast. Finnian's "stealthy" search involved him bumping into several market stalls and accidentally knocking over a pyramid of melons. Zelda, while her research was impeccable, had trouble distinguishing between a Persian and a particularly hairy dust bunny.
Liam, however, was determined. He spent a good hour calling "Kitty kitty!" in what he thought was a soothing, heroic tone, his large sword occasionally getting caught in narrow alleyways. **_I will find you, brave feline! No beast, no matter how small, shall be left behind on my watch!_**
By late afternoon, Patches was still missing, their stomachs were rumbling, and Kaelen's increasingly pointed stares from the guild hall window felt like physical blows.
"Okay, new plan," Lysandra declared, wiping sweat from her brow. "We need a quest with actual gold. Forget the furry menace."
"But a hero doesn't abandon a quest!" Liam protested, feeling his face heat up slightly. **_Is it… unheroic to give up on a lost cat? What would the legends say?_**
Roric clapped him on the shoulder. "Relax, kid. We're just… prioritizing. Gotta build our strength for the big stuff, right?"
Their subsequent quests were a similar mix of good intentions and heroic efforts. They spent a day "clearing" a cellar of rats, with Roric's powerful axe smashing debris and Finnian's nimble movements flushing out pests. The reward barely covered the cost of the accidental damages, but Liam saw it as a valuable learning experience. An attempt to "escort" a nervous merchant resulted in them getting momentarily lost in the nearby woods, the merchant eventually hiring a group of surprisingly competent squirrels to guide him back, but Liam noted their valiant efforts nonetheless.
Through it all, Liam remained optimistic, diligently following the often contradictory advice of his companions.
"You gotta look menacing, Liam!" Roric would bellow, demonstrating a series of truly awkward poses that involved much grunting and flexing. Liam would try his best to imitate him, often looking more like he was trying to dislodge a particularly stubborn wedgie.
"Magic is all about flair, Liam!" Lysandra would exclaim, demonstrating a complex hand gesture that usually ended with her accidentally poking herself in the eye. Liam would mimic the movements with earnest concentration, occasionally muttering arcane-sounding gibberish under his breath.
"Stealth is about being one with the shadows, Liam!" Finnian would whisper dramatically, then proceed to trip over his own feet in broad daylight. Liam would carefully try to emulate his movements, often just looking like he was walking very, very carefully to avoid stepping on ants.
Zelda, meanwhile, would usually just sigh and continue reading, occasionally muttering facts about local flora and fauna that were remarkably unhelpful in their current predicaments.
During their brief returns to the guild hall, Kaelen would observe them with a mixture of amusement and exasperation. She often assigned them the most menial tasks – sweeping the floors, polishing the tables – which they somehow managed to turn into elaborate, slapstick routines.
One afternoon, while Liam was diligently (and very slowly) polishing the counter near Kaelen, he blurted out, "Guild Master Kaelen, you're so strong and amazing! What's your secret to being such a great adventurer?"
Kaelen, who had been meticulously organizing a stack of mission requests, stopped and looked at him, her emerald eyes unreadable. **_This kid… he's genuinely earnest. And utterly clueless._** A small smile flickered across her lips before she schooled her expression. "Years of experience, Liam. And a healthy dose of not being completely incompetent."
Liam, completely missing the jab aimed at his companions, beamed. "Wow! I knew it! You're so cool!" He flushed slightly, his gaze lingering a moment too long on her fiery red hair. **_She's… really, really cool. And powerful. I bet she's defeated tons of Demon Lords!_**
Suddenly, two surprisingly strong hands clamped over Liam's mouth from behind. It was Roric and Finnian.
"Mmphf! Mmff mmph!" Liam struggled, his face turning a delightful shade of crimson.
Roric chuckled nervously. "Just… uh… preventing him from asking too many… hero-related questions! Gotta keep some mystery, right, Guild Master?"
Kaelen raised an eyebrow, a slow, knowing smirk spreading across her face. "Right. Mystery. Of course." She leaned forward slightly, her gaze meeting Liam's wide, panicked eyes over the hands covering his mouth. "Don't worry, Liam. You'll learn in time. Some things just take… a little longer to grasp." There was a definite twinkle in her eye. **_He's such an easy target. And his reactions are… amusing._**
Later that week, flush with the five silver from the surprisingly successful (and entirely accidental, thanks to Zelda's misplaced bag of catnip) retrieval of Patches, the group decided to treat themselves in the town market.
Roric immediately gravitated towards a stall selling oversized sausages, attempting to haggle the price down with increasingly ridiculous threats. Lysandra spent her meager earnings on a shimmering, utterly impractical scarf, convinced it would enhance her magical aura. Finnian tried (and failed) to win a stuffed animal at a rigged carnival game. Zelda bought more books, this time on the migratory patterns of local squirrels.
Liam, watching his friends' latest series of minor setbacks, couldn't help but grin. They were all trying so hard, just like him. And as they bickered good-naturedly about whose fault the latest mishap was, Liam felt a warmth spread through him that had nothing to do with the afternoon sun. Maybe being a hero wasn't just about slaying dragons. Maybe it was also about the laughter and the camaraderie, even if that camaraderie involved a lot of accidental glitter and very dull axes.
The day ended as it usually did: with the five of them huddled in their cramped, rented room above a noisy tavern, trying to figure out how to make their remaining few coins stretch until their next (inevitably grand) quest. Liam, ever the optimist, pulled out his adventurer's guide, flipping to a chapter titled "The Importance of Teamwork."
"See?" he exclaimed brightly. "It says right here! 'A strong team can overcome any obstacle!'"
Roric snorted. Lysandra sighed. Finnian groaned. Zelda just kept reading. And somewhere, in the quiet of the guild hall, Kaelen leaned back in her chair, a small, knowing smile gracing her lips. The hero, it seemed, had a long way to go. And she had a feeling she'd be there to witness every hilariously earnest step of the journey.