Kael's hand remained outstretched, steady and patient. Akari looked at it for a long moment. It was a warrior's hand, calloused and marked with old scars. It didn't promise wealth, only a chance. For the first time in her life, someone had looked at her and seen a skill, not a number.
But the pragmatism forged from her childhood won out. She did not take his hand. Instead, she lifted her head, her golden eyes meeting Kael's directly.
"I accept," she said, her voice even and devoid of emotion. "How long is the job? What is the pay?"
Kael smiled faintly, as if he had expected her reaction. He withdrew his hand. "About a week, maybe more depending on the researcher's progress. As for payment, you'll receive twenty silver pieces. I'll pay you one in advance."
One silver piece. It was enough for her to live comfortably for nearly a month. The amount far exceeded what someone of Rank E could ever expect.
"Agreed," Akari nodded.
"Good. Tomorrow morning, meet at the West Gate. Bring only what is essential," Kael said before turning, melting back into the crowd and disappearing, leaving Akari alone with her thoughts.
That night, in her small, bare room furnished with only an old bed and a single candle, Akari carefully organized her shoulder bag. It wasn't filled with spare clothes, but with her entire world: pristine white cloth bandages rolled neatly, small leather pouches of dried herbs, a kit for suturing wounds, and a small stone mortar and pestle. She placed the silver coin Kael had given her into a hidden pocket. It was cold, but it brought a strange sense of security.
The early morning air was damp with mist and held a distinct chill when Akari arrived at the West Gate. She was the first one there. Kael arrived shortly after, still in his familiar leather armor. Two others were with him.
The first was a woman with dark brown hair tied in a high ponytail, her lean build clad in light, flexible leather armor. A longbow and a quiver of arrows were slung across her back. Her eyes were as sharp as a razor's edge, and they swept over Akari from head to toe before settling on a look of disapproval.
"You're serious, Kael," the woman stated, her voice as sharp as her gaze. "This is who you were talking about? A Rank E?"
The other person was a complete contrast. He was a mountain of a man, a full head taller than Kael, clad in heavy plate armor that clinked with his every move. He was as silent as a boulder, offering Akari only a slight nod as Kael made the introductions.
"Akari, this is Elara, our team's Archer," Kael said, gesturing to the woman. "And this is Rhys, our Tank."
"Welcome," Rhys said. His voice was deep and somewhat shy, a mismatch for his massive frame.
Elara crossed her arms, not bothering to hide her contempt. "We're not going camping, Kael. The Western Woods have boars, sometimes even wolves. What is a Rank E Healer going to do? Become a liability?"
"I didn't hire her to fight," Kael replied, his voice calm but filled with the authority of a leader. "I hired her to keep us from dying for stupid reasons. Or have you forgotten the last time you came down with a fever from drinking bad water, Elara? A Rank C Healer could only cast a basic detox spell and watch you suffer. Akari might have recognized the water was tainted before you even drank it."
Kael's words seemed to hit their mark. Elara fell silent, her face flushing with anger, but she couldn't argue. She shot Akari a venomous glare before turning away.
Their journey began in a tense silence. Rhys walked up front with Kael, his large body easily parting the dense undergrowth. Elara took the rear guard, maintaining a clear distance from Akari. And Akari, as usual, was placed in the middle—the most protected position. She said nothing, simply observing. She observed how Rhys placed his feet to avoid making noise, how Elara's eyes constantly scanned their flanks, and how Kael used hand signals to direct the team.
A few hours into the journey, with the sun high in the sky, Akari suddenly stopped. She glanced around before quickly stepping to the base of an old tree, plucking a cluster of strangely shaped, dark green leaves with tiny white spots. She carefully stored them in a leather pouch. Kael saw the action but said nothing.
At noon, the team stopped for a break by a small stream. Elara, still in a foul mood, sat down hard on a rock and pulled off her gloves.
"Dammit!" she exclaimed.
The group looked over. The back of Elara's hand was covered in an angry red rash that was visibly spreading.
"That blasted ivy again," she grumbled, scratching at it incessantly, which only made the inflammation worse.
While Kael and Rhys were frowning in thought, Akari quietly approached. She recognized the rash immediately and then glanced at the bush near where Elara had sat. Without a word, she took out the white-spotted leaves she had picked earlier, placed them in her small stone mortar, and ground them into a thick, green paste with the pestle.
She knelt in front of the surprised Elara. "Give me your hand," Akari said softly.
Elara hesitated for a second, but the relentless itching won out. She grudgingly extended her hand. Akari carefully used her finger to spread the green poultice over the entire rash.
A pleasant, cooling sensation spread through the skin immediately, soothing the itch almost instantly. A few minutes later, the red rash began to subside.
Elara pulled her hand back, staring at it and then up at Akari with a complicated expression. "Thanks," she mumbled, the word barely audible.
Rhys offered a small smile. Kael just gave a slight nod, as if to say, See?
Akari didn't reply, simply packed away her tools and returned to her spot, as quiet as she had always been.
The group continued their journey. The air was still a bit awkward, but the initial hostility had been replaced by something else. A silent understanding had begun to form between them—that the worth of a teammate sometimes couldn't be measured in numbers.