Band of Troubles

Chapter 1: Meeting the Employers

The nightlife in the inn's bar was rowdy as usual. From the loud drunkards happily drinking their problems away, the brunette waitress busily moving from table to table with a tired smile in hopes of landing a few extra coins in her pocket, to the shady figures that eyed for any potential targets for the night, it was a scene that I'd grown used to. However, there was one thing that made today different from any other day.

"Hello, my name is Zeke, and I'm a bard. I'm looking forward to work with you all!"

It was the fact that today was my first day working as an adventurer. Although it was a dangerous job with a high mortality rate, it was also a job filled with dreams and the potential to make it big, along with the romance of traveling around the world.

'I don't really care about any of those, though.'

Right now, I'm too preoccupied with giving the best first impression that I could to my employers. Just like how any performance depended on the first few seconds to attract the audience's attention, my current job also depended on the first impression that I provided to them.

'Slight bow, check. Confident smile, check. Eye contact, check. Yep, I got this in the bag.'

After checking my posture once more, I had no doubts that I'd given the best first impression that I could. My gaze was focused on the dwarf sitting ahead of me, who was briefly inspecting my appearance. His eyes momentarily made contact with mine before he finally responded to my introduction.

"Just sit back down; you're making my neck hurt from looking up at you," he said rudely while waving his hand dismissively.

'Ha? Look at this bastard. Is he picking a fight with me?'

His words stabbed me deeply, but I managed to maintain the smile on my face. Years of dealing with jeers from drunk bar patrons during my performances had prepared me for this. By now, swearing off someone's entire family tree while keeping a smile on my face had become an indispensable skill.

"Of course, thank you, sir." I replied calmly as I sat back down in my seat while keeping the same friendly expression on my face. No matter how much I wanted to flip him off, doing so wasn't an option in the first place since he was the employer for my first job as an adventurer. By extension, it also meant that he was the one holding the coin purse for our reward.

'Hooo, calm down... I can't fail my first job just because I can't hold my temper. How am I going to get a job as an adventurer if my first one is a failure? My track record will be ruined.'

After I pushed my anger down my throat, I noticed the human next to the dwarf looking at me apologetically.

"Sorry about that, Zeke. Gunther is just a bit on edge from the tasks that he had to deal with recently. He's not usually this cranky, I promise," he said while scratching the back of his head.

Despite the rugged facial features on him, his dirty blond hair, and his lightly tanned skin, he seemed to be a much more understanding person compared to the dwarf. Being treated with respect after the crass treatment from that dwarf felt as refreshing as a glass of ale after a long performance.

"Stop saying unnecessary things, Goldar! Let's just get these over with so we can get down to business!" Gunther yelled back at Goldar before pointing to the person to my left, "You! Introduce yourself now!"

The person on my left responded by taking off the hood from his cloak, revealing his long, white hair, dark copper skin, and pointed ears. His sharp eyes were hard to read, giving off a haughty aura that I'd expected from an elf. He briefly looked at my less pronounced pointed ears before taking his gaze off, which ticked me off.