Chương 24: The escort (FILLER)

The towering doors of the main guild hall swung open with a loud creak. The moment Mochi stepped inside, he was hit by a wave of noise. Adventurers laughed over overflowing mugs. Groups gathered around tables, boasting about recent quests. Someone was arm wrestling in one corner while another group celebrated around a mountain of food. The scent of roasted meat and fresh bread filled the air. A bard strummed a cheerful tune near the fireplace as waitresses weaved effortlessly through the crowded hall.

Mochi's eyes sparkled.

"... Whoa." Tony's tail wagged excitedly.

"There's so many adventurers right now!"

"More than before!" Amelia looked around in amazement.

"It's even busier than I imagined." The three made their way through the bustling crowd until they reached the reception desk. A young receptionist smiled warmly.

"Welcome to the main voyager Guild hall."

"How may I help you today?" Mochi stepped forward.

"Hello there."

"We'd like to take a quest." The receptionist nodded politely.

"Very well." She pointed toward an enormous wooden board covered from top to bottom with quest notices.

"Please choose a quest that's appropriate for your current guild rank."

"Once you've selected one, bring the request back to me." Mochi smiled.

"Okay." The three stood in front of the massive quest board.

"So many to chose from..." Tony muttered. Mochi scratched his head.

"Where do we even start?" Amelia scanned the notices one by one."'Lost Cat.'""'Gather Medicinal Herbs.'""'Clean the town fountain?'" She blinked.

"... People actually pay for that?" Mochi chuckled.

"I guess so." Tony kept searching.

"No..."

"Too easy."

"Too far away..."

"... Too boring." Minutes passed as the three sifted through dozens of requests. Then Tony suddenly stopped.

"... Hey."

"I found one." Mochi and Amelia walked over. Tony carefully read the notice aloud."'Escort Mission.'""'Protect a confidential scroll and ensure its safe transportation to the city of Nensho.'" His eyes drifted lower.

"... Reward..." He paused.

"... 3 GOLD GILM!?." Mochi nearly snatched the paper out of his hands.

"3 GOLD GILM?!" His jaw dropped.

"That's a lot!" Amelia's eyes lit up.

"Imagine how many crackers I could buy..." She smiled dreamily.

"... And notebooks."

"... Ink."

"... New pens."

"... Maybe even things that'll help me write my novel." Mochi grinned.

"... Donuts." Tony adjusted his glasses.

"... Alchemist equipment."

"With that money we could buy enough food for a party of like 10 at a high class restraunt" The three stood there imagining all the things they could afford. Then Tony noticed something written at the bottom.

"... Wait." His smile faded. He pointed to the corner of the notice.

"Guys..."

"This is a C-Rank quest." Silence. Mochi looked closer.

"... Oh." Tony rubbed the back of his neck.

"Are we... really supposed to be doing this?"

"It might be dangerous." Mochi folded his arms.

"... Maybe." He looked at the reward again. Then back at his friends.

"... But, guys..." He tapped the poster.

"That pay."

"And besides..." He shrugged.

"How hard could it be?"

"We're just escorting something." Tony thought about it. Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site.

"... Yeah."

"I guess you're right."

"It's not like we're fighting monsters." He smiled.

"Let's accept it." Amelia, however, still looked uncertain.

"I don't know about this..." Mochi smiled reassuringly.

"Look..."

"We're broke."

"After this quick money grab, we'll play it safe next time."

"Deal?" Amelia looked down at her empty coin pouch. She sighed.

"... Alright."

"Fine."

"... Only because I literally have nothing in my pocket right now." Mochi pumped his fist.

"Glad you agree!" Tony carefully removed the quest notice from the board. Together, the three returned to the reception desk. Mochi proudly placed the poster on the counter.

"Alright."

"We want this one." The receptionist picked up the request. She quickly read over it before looking back at them.

"Certainly."

"May I see your Voyager Cards, please?" The three nodded. Mochi placed his card on the counter. Amelia followed. Then Tony. The receptionist examined each one. Her pleasant smile slowly disappeared.

"... Oh my." She looked back up at them.

"Are you certain you wish to accept this quest?" She gently tapped the quest notice.

"This is a C-Rank mission." She slid the cards back across the counter.

"Two of you are F-Rank..." She looked at Tony's card.

"... And one of you is D-Rank." Her expression became more serious.

"I strongly recommend selecting another quest."

"This assignment may prove far beyond your current abilities." Mochi picked up his card and confidently tucked it away.

"Nah."

"We'll be fine." He flashed a confident grin.

"We've got this in the bag." He looked at his teammates.

"Ain't that right, guys?" Tony straightened up with a determined smile.

"Yeah!" Amelia hesitated for only a second before nodding.

"... Yeah." The receptionist studied the three determined faces. After a brief pause, she let out a quiet sigh.

"... Very well."

"If you're certain..." She reached beneath the desk and pulled out a registration form.

"I'll process your request."

"But please..." Her tone softened.

"Return safely." The three exchanged excited smiles, completely unaware that the "simple escort mission" was about to become anything but simple. The receptionist finished writing the details onto a small slip of paper before handing it to Mochi.

"Alright." She pointed to the address.

"The client who submitted the request should be at this location."

"They'll explain the mission in greater detail." Mochi took the note.

"Thanks!" The three turned to leave. As they walked through the guild hall... Whispers began spreading almost immediately.

"... Did you hear that?"

"Those kids accepted the C-Rank escort mission."

"What?" An older adventurer burst into laughter.

"That F-Rank brat?"

"He'll be lucky if he makes it back alive." Another shook his head.

"That's as good as his first..."

"... and last mission."

"They're completely out of their league."

"I almost feel bad for them."

"They're signing their own death warrants, they must want to die." The words echoed through the hall. Mochi stopped walking. His fists slowly clenched. The room fell slightly quieter as he turned around. Every adventurer stared back at him. Mochi took a step forward.

"We'll prove every single one of you wrong." The whispers stopped. He held up the quest notice.

"We're going to complete this quest."

"And when we do..." A confident smirk spread across his face.

"... I'd love to see the looks on your faces."

"Cos, do know who you're looking at?"

"You're looking at the person who will lead the STRONGEST GUILD IN THE WORLD!" Silence. Then... Someone scoffed. Another laughed. A few simply shook their heads.

"They're delusional."

"Strongest guild in the world he says... what bullshit!"

"They won't last a day." Mochi's smile faded. His fists tightened even harder. Amelia gently placed a hand on his shoulder.

"... Come on."

"Let's just leave." He stared at the crowd for one last moment. Then nodded.

"... Yeah." Without another word, the three walked out of the guild hall. Outside, the fresh air was a welcome change from the noisy building. Mochi let out an annoyed sigh.

"Can you believe those guys?"

"They're so full of themselves." He folded the note open.

"Well..."

"We'll show them." His eyes scanned the address.

"Oh."

"He isn't actually that far from here." Amelia smiled.

"Alright."

"Let's get going." Tony adjusted the satchel on his back.

"Lead the way." The path led them through a peaceful forest. Birds chirped overhead. Sunlight filtered through the trees. The further they walked, the quieter the world became. Eventually... The forest opened into a small clearing. Nestled among the trees stood a modest wooden house. It wasn't large. But flowers lined the front path, and a small vegetable garden grew beside it. Smoke drifted lazily from the chimney.

"It looks so peaceful here," Amelia said. Mochi compared the house to the note.

"This should be it." He walked up to the front door. Knock. Knock. A few moments passed. The door slowly creaked open. A young man peeked outside.

"... Hello?" Mochi smiled.

"Hey there!"

"Are you the one who submitted a quest about escorting a scroll?" The man's face brightened.

"Oh!"

"Yes."

"Yes, I am."

"I'm glad someone accepted it."

"I've been waiting for a while now!" He looked over the group. Then blinked.

"... Wait."

"What rank are you three?" Mochi grinned confidently.

"F-Rank."

"... But before you say anything..." SLAM! The door shut directly in his face.

"..." Mochi stared blankly at the closed door.

"... Huh?" Then he began pounding on it.

"HEY!"

"WE DIDN'T EVEN GET TO FINISH!"

"OPEN UP!" A few seconds later... The door opened again. The young man looked exhausted already.

"Didn't you read the request?"

"I specifically asked for C-Rank adventurers or higher."

"Why are you even here?"

"This isn't a game you know." Mochi crossed his arms.

"I know it's not."

"We're stronger than we look you know." The man looked over the group again.

"... Alright, so lemme get this straight, your party consists of..." He pointed at Mochi.

"A little boy." Then Amelia.

"A little girl." Finally, Tony.

"... And a red dog." Tony raised a paw.

"A talking red dog infact." The man pinched the bridge of his nose.

"... Wonderful."

"I can't believe I got my hopes up for nothing." Amelia stepped forward with a polite smile.

"Please don't be so disappointed, sir."

"Despite our young appearances..."

"We're much more capable than you think." The man studied her for a moment.

"... Really?" He stepped outside, closing the door behind him.

"Fine."

"If that's true..." He stretched his shoulders before taking several steps back into the clearing.

"Then prove it." He raised his fists.

"If one of you can beat me in a fight..."

"I'll believe you're capable."

"And I'll entrust you with the quest." He looked each of them in the eye.

"But if you lose..."

"You go home." Mochi's grin returned instantly. He stepped forward, rolling his shoulders as excitement lit up his eyes.

"You're on." The young man smiled faintly.

"Good."

"Let's see if your confidence is earned." Mochi stepped into the open clearing, cracking his neck as he faced the young man.

"I got this." He looked over his shoulder with a confident grin.

"You guys can sit this one out." Amelia folded her arms.

"Don't underestimate him." Tony nodded.

"Yeah... we still don't know how strong he is." Mochi simply smiled.

"I'll be fine, don't worry." He turned back toward the man.

"I'm ready whenever you are." The man raised an eyebrow.

"... You're not going to take a stance?" Mochi casually slipped both hands into his pockets.

"Nah."

"I don't think I need one." The man frowned.

"... Don't get cocky kid!" In an instant, he lunged forward. His fist cut through the air toward Mochi's face. Mochi tilted his head. The punch missed by barely an inch. The man's eyes widened.

"... What?" He immediately followed with another strike. Then another. A sweeping kick. An elbow. A spinning backfist. Every attack narrowly missed. Mochi never removed his hands from his pockets. He simply leaned. Stepped. Turned his shoulders. Moved just enough to let every strike slip past him. It almost looked effortless. The man grit his teeth.

"Stand still damn it!" He launched a flurry of punches. Left. Right. Uppercut. Low kick. Palm strike. The attacks came faster and faster. Yet Mochi continued weaving through them as though he were dancing. Amelia smiled.

"He hasn't even attacked yet..." Tony chuckled.

"He's just letting him tire himself out."

"It's kinda similar to farm crop's method now that I think about it.." The man jumped backward, breathing heavily. A bead of sweat rolled down his forehead.

"... Impossible."

"No one's dodged me like that before." Mochi shrugged.

"You done?"

"... Not even close!" The man roared as he charged one final time. He put everything into a single straight punch aimed directly at Mochi's chest. This time... Mochi finally moved. He pulled one hand from his pocket. His open palm gently rested against Julio's chest.

"... Huh?" The man blinked.

"... That's it?" Mochi smiled.

"Yep." A faint ripple spread from his palm. His eyes gleamed. A powerful shockwave exploded outward. The man's eyes went wide.

"What the?!" He was launched backward across the clearing. CRASH! He tumbled through the grass before finally skidding to a stop several feet away. Silence. The man slowly pushed himself upright. His breathing was ragged.

"... Wow..." He looked down at his trembling hands.

"... I can't believe it." Then back at Mochi.

"... What power..." He let out a disbelieving laugh.

"... Are you guys really F-Rank?" Mochi rubbed the back of his head with a sheepish grin.

"Yeah."

"We are believe it or not..." The man stared at the three of them for a long moment before smiling.

"... Looks like I judged you too quickly." He walked over and offered his hand.

"My name is Julio Tazmei."

"It's nice to finally meet the people protecting my cargo." Mochi shook his hand enthusiastically.

"My name's Mochi!" Amelia stepped forward with a polite smile.

"I'm Amelia."

"It's nice to meet you, Julio." Tony raised a paw.

"And I'm Tony."

"Heya!" Julio chuckled.

"It's a pleasure meeting all of you." He glanced toward the back of his house.

"Just wait here a moment." The group watched as he disappeared behind the building. A few moments later, the sound of hooves echoed through the clearing. Clop... Clop... Clop... Julio returned leading a sturdy brown horse harnessed to a wooden carriage. The horse snorted proudly as it stepped into view. Mochi's eyes sparkled.

"Whoa!"

"You have a horse?!" Julio patted the horse's neck.

"Of course."

"It's the fastest way to travel long distances." He smiled.

"And much easier than walking." He opened the carriage door.

"Go ahead."

"Hop in."

"We've already lost enough time." Mochi eagerly climbed inside.

"This is awesome!" Tony followed, carefully setting his alchemist satchel beside him. Amelia stepped in last, taking a seat by the window. Julio climbed onto the driver's seat and gathered the reins.

"Everyone ready?"

"Yep!" Mochi answered. Tony nodded. Amelia nodded. Julio smiled.

"Then let's be off." He flicked the reins gently.

"Hyah!" The horse neighed before pulling the carriage forward. Its wheels rolled across the dirt path as they left the quiet forest behind. The peaceful little house slowly disappeared into the distance. Ahead of them stretched a long road leading toward Ishiki. None of them realized it yet... But this simple escort mission was about to become the adventure that would truly test them.