Morning light spilled over the walls of Kevarith, making the town smell of wet dust and dye from the drying yards. Kael was supposed to be running errands. Instead, their feet carried them back toward the northern gate.
The Annex had been in their head all night, like a riddle they couldn't put down.
---
The small building didn't look like much. A square hall with a tall door, a notice board outside, and a bell above the frame. But the people who came in and out made it feel different—like the place belonged to roads Kael hadn't walked yet.
---
Someone was already there.
"Again?" Alren asked, leaning against the low wall, arms crossed.
Kael grinned. "I wanted to see who comes today."
"They'll throw you out if you hover too long."
"I'm not going in," Kael said. "Just watching."
---
The door creaked, and a man in a plain green Guild cloak stepped out, a sheet of paper in his hand. His sleeves were rolled to his elbows, ink smudged across his fingers. Kael recognized him from yesterday—the scribe who ran this Annex.
He tacked the new notice to the board with a small brass pin.
---
"What's that one?" Kael asked before they could stop themself.
The scribe's brow arched. "A quest. Always a quest."
"What kind?"
"Something's been scattering the hunting dogs in the south fields," he said. "They've lost a few already. The Guild's asking for someone to track down whatever's doing it."
---
Kael's eyes went wide. "Can anyone take it?"
The scribe chuckled. "Not quite. You've got to have the right rank."
"Rank?" Kael echoed.
---
"Yes. Adventurers don't all stand on the same rung," the scribe explained, dusting his hands. "They start at Sprout. That's the first rank. After enough work, they move up to Branch, then Trunk. Stronger still, there's Ironbark, and then the rest—but that's farther than you need to think about."
---
"Why call them Sprout and Branch?" Kael asked.
The scribe smiled faintly. "Because that's all a beginner is—new growth. Thin, green, easy to break. But a Branch can hold a little weight, and a Trunk can stand through a storm."
---
"And Sprouts can take any quest?"
"No," the scribe said, shaking his head. "A Sprout can take Sprout quests and Branch quests on their own. But if they want anything more dangerous than that—Trunk or higher—they need someone of that rank to come with them. Otherwise they just die in the mud."
---
Kael tilted their head. "So if you're a Branch?"
"You can do all the Sprout and Branch quests freely," the scribe said, "and you'll even gain a little skill from the Sprout ones—though barely. You'll gain more from your own rank. You can also take Trunk quests by yourself if you've got the courage. But anything above that? You need someone to watch your back."
---
"Does that mean," Kael asked, thinking hard, "if you're a Trunk you can't learn anything from Sprout quests at all?"
"Exactly," the scribe said. "If a quest's too far below your level, it won't help you grow. It's like lifting twigs when you're already strong enough to lift logs."
---
"Does it help faster if the quest is harder?"
"It does," the scribe said, "but only if you do real work. There's no reward for just tagging along while someone else carries the load."
---
Alren let out a low whistle. "That's… a lot."
"Better than chaos," the scribe said. "Now, are you two here to register, or just ask questions?"
Kael grinned sheepishly. "Just questions."
"Then step aside so I can work," the scribe said, shaking his head with a bemused look.
---
They stepped away. Kael couldn't take their eyes off the board.
Sprout. Branch. Trunk.
The words settled into their head like seeds.
---
As they lingered near the wall, a pair of travelers appeared from the gate.
The woman carried a bow slung across her back.
The man had a hatchet strapped to his belt. Both wore simple tags at their necks. Kael caught the faint gleam of bronze.
"They're Branches," the scribe murmured as they came in.
---
The two adventurers signed the board, collected the notice, and disappeared out of town with the same steady pace they'd come in.
---
That evening, Kael and Alren went to the river and sat on the rocks.
"You ever think about leaving?" Kael asked.
"Sometimes," Alren said. "Why?"
"I think I want to see what's out there," Kael said quietly. "It feels too small in here."
"You think being an adventurer is how you'd do it?"
"It's one way."
---
Alren threw a stone. It skipped once before sinking. "You'd better not tell your parents that."
---
For three days, the Annex door stayed quiet. Then, just as the sun dipped low on the third day, the Branch adventurers came back.
The man was limping, one hand gripping his partner's shoulder for balance. His pants were torn at the knee, and a strip of red showed through the bandage beneath.
---
Kael's chest tightened.
It was just a Branch quest. Not even a Trunk-level job.
And still it left him limping.
---
People whispered as they watched the pair disappear into the Annex.
"See?" Alren said softly. "Not all stories end the way we think."
---
That night, Kael sat at the window of their small room, looking out at the north wall, whispering their glow spell into the dark.
Sprout. Branch. Trunk.
Each word seemed like a step on a path they could almost see.
---
The walls of Kevarith had always been there to keep danger out.
But for the first time, Kael wondered what it would feel like to walk past them anyway.