Layla woke up, her heart beating loudly as she stared at the poor ceeling hopelessly. "Hmphhh! That stupid nightmare again!" She wiggled on the old mattress like a jelly, unable to let go of the frustration she felt. "I wish I could say that in the real world, but I'm just unable tooooo~!" She pouted, hugging herself.
She looked down at herself, playing with the fabric of her old, torn clothes. She pushed her chest up. "I was really gifted with those curves... BUT MY MENTALITY IS TOO BAD TO DO ANYTHINGGGG!" She pouted even more, almost to the point of tearing up. She covered herself with the old blanket.
Orion walked into the small squat that was built using old wooden planks and ropes. It was a miracle that this place could even stand, but the two didn't care- calling it their dear home.
Orion slowly walked up to her, crouching down in front of her. "Finally woke up, huh~?" He said, a cheeky smile on his face.
Layla instantly peeked her head from under the blanket, a small smile on her face. "Good morning, Orion," She said kindly, forcing a cute yawn.
Orion giggled mischeviously. "Oh please, Layla~! You won't fool me with those yawns, we are going to look for a job today Together~" He flicked her forehead with his index finger.
"Come onnn! I don't want to!" She hugged herself and started pouting. "Hmph... I'm a petite young lady... you shouldn't be treating me like this! In fact you should be treating me like a princess~!" She huffed.
Orion rolled his eyes in annoyance. He stood up and grabbed her arm, pulling her onto her legs. "We also need to go wash ourselves in the lake..." He plugged his nose. "You stink~" He giggled softly.
She blushed furiously, both her face and ears reddening more and more with each passing second. "W-What did you say?!" She roared in embrassement.
It was obvious that even tho they were poor, lived in a squat, wore old worn out and torn clothes, were barely eating anything, there were two things they still had- happiness and most importantly each other.
The sky was clear and the sun was very high when they have arrived when they finally showed up at the lake.
Orion crouched in front of the water, putting his hand in it to check the temperature. He rolled his eyes and looked over at Layla who was sitting on a boulder, looking at the wildlife that was making noise all around the forest.
She pointed at a white bunny, her eyes wide in excitement. "Orion! Look, look!"
Orion looked at the bunny which Layla was pointing at, his eyes widening as he quickly grabbed a sharp rock from the ground. "Good job, Layla... if it wasn't for you, I'd never notice such an opportunity..." He muttered under his nose. He then closed his eyes for a couple of seconds, gripping the rock tightly in his hand.
Layla held her thumbs up, praying for his only shoot to be successful and then he swung his arm, throwing the rock as hard as he could.
The rock almost hit the bunny, but the gust of wind changed it's trajectory. The rock ended up hitting a tree, scaring the bunny away.
"Aww shit!" Orion kicked the water in frustration. "Goddamn wind! I swear that was a perfect shot! Everything is against us!" He groaned, kicking the water a couple of times.
"We could get a couple of bronze coins for it... and if we were lucky we could even afford a new bra for me..." Layla sighed softly, shoving her bangs off the eyes.
He looked at her in confusion. "A new bra? What's wrong with the old one?" He asked, confused.
"You didn't even notice?!" She flushed with anger. "We bought the last bra two years ago!" She pushed her chest up. "And those meatbags are a lot larger than back then... and are still growing! It's obvious that I grew out of it! Sometimes I wonder who the hell my mother was for having such genetics!" She roared in embarassement.
Orion walked up to her, looking at her chest intensely, like if he was examining a gem.
"H-Hey! Don't s-stare at them like that! They're just b-boobs!" She was flustered, her voice shaky and her heart was pounding like insane.
"Now that I think about it, they have really gotten bigger!" He scratched his chin. "We are sleeping on the same mattress and I haven't even noticed that?" He wondered.
"Hmph! That idiot doesn't even notice things that he should?! I mean... at least he doesn't see me as an object... and he's not a pervert either..." Layla thought and then covered her face with her hands, her heart beating even faster. "How can I not feel this, huh?! He's... he's my only... my only family... the only person I love... and yet I can't confess how much I love him in the real world!" She groaned in frustration, wiggling around like a worm.
"Oh! So that's why you didn't want to work lately? Your back hurt too much?" Orion asked kindly, patting her head softly.
Layla was immediately shaken out of her thoughts and she locked eye contact with him, staring directly into his grey eyes. "Uhm..." She coughed to adjust her voice. "Y-yes... that's the reason... I'm sorry for not telling you earlier, Orion! I really thought you noticed and just messed with me!" Her gaze fell to the ground as she started fidgeting her fingers, a faint smile visited her face.
He giggled softly. "Yeah, no I didn't and I'm very sorry for not ogling at your boobs!" He said, his voice full of sarcasm.
She puffed her cheeks out. "Okay, okay! Enough! Let's just wash ourselves before some monster will find and shred us to pieces!" She huffed, slowly taking her clothes off.
He looked around, smiling nervously. "Yeahhh... now that you mention it, I don't really want to be eaten alive, not today at least~" He laughed.
She looked at him, her face a mix of annoyance and seriousness. "You shouldn't joke around about dying, Orion." She said coldly, tho it was more of a suggestion coming from a worried friend than a cold-hearted order.
His face went pale and his eyes widened. "Oh... yeah... I'm sorry..." He looked down at the ground with grief.
The uncomfortable silence between them continued until they were finally in the water. Orion was the one who decided to break this silence.
He turned his head and looked into her eyes. "Hey, Layla. I've been wanting to talk about something with you for a very long time..." He said, his voice uncertain.
She locked eye contact with him, but her heart was beating so fast that she just looked away. "H-Huh? Talk about something? What might that be?" She asked, her voice shaky and excited at the same time.
"Oh my goodness! Will he say it?! Does he feel the same way I do?! I... I don't really understand love... but... but I want him to love me! Love me like I love him!"
He leaned back in the water, immersing himself a little deeper in it. "You know... it's been a long time since we have built that squat... and we are already fifteen... that means we are both old enough to do it..."
"Y-Yes... w-we are already..." She blushed, looking away in embarassment, her heart was beating like insane.
"N-no! Not so soon! I... I didn't know that he w-was so needy..." She wrapped her arms around her chest, hugging herself. "I'm not sure if I am ready... to do it..."
He slowly got closer to her, grabbing her shoulders reassuringly. "Layla! We need to do it! We can't live like that! I know that we both cannot withstand it anymore! We just need to do it!" He shook her softly, a look of determination on his face.
She gathered all her strength and looked into his eyes while biting her lower lip softly. "Yes... I want to do that! I will do it with y-you, Orion! I... I just want you to say it! I want to hear those words from you!" She gave him a look of anticipation, while slowly leaning closer, like if he was about to kiss him.
"We need to start looking for new jobs at the guild!" He said with excitement, smiling happily as he thought about how their situation would change.
"H-Huh?" She died inside.
"Why am I so... naive? Hmphhh!"
Orion looked at her curiously. "Is everything alright? You look pale!" He poked her forehead a couple of times.
"Stupid! Stupid! Stupid! You have me here! A nude girl in front of you! The girl you've spent ten years with! And yet you don't even realize what I want? Don't you have any brains, Orion?! Hmph! I love you... but sometimes you're just dumb... and I can't help anything about it!"
She pouted and looked away, shoving his hands off her shoulders softly. "Hmph! Yes, I am alright! Why wouldn't I be?"
He rolled his eyes and smiled smugly. "I don't know, Layla, I don't know~!"
After a moment of hesitation, Layla finally spoke up. She was looking away and fidgeting her fingers under the surface of water. "Even if I don't really look like I do..."
"Even if I can't say it out loud..."
Orion looked at her curiously, not even daring to cut into whatever she is about to say.
"...I'm really thankful and happy for everything we have... even if we are living in the slums... I'm still happy..." She looked up at him, a soft smile visiting her face.
"After all the time we spent together... I can surely tell that no matter how rich I would be..."
"...But we can always be happier... and that's why... I will sign up in the guild with you... not because I want to live a comfortable life... but because I want us to do..."
"I wouldn't be able to live without you."
She then hugged him tightly, not even thinking about letting him go.
He hugged her back. "Let's guarantee a better future for ourselves."
Fitonwich, once one of the biggest cities of the Kingdom of Fitonia. Seventeen years have passed since the Great War, and with it came the changes of territories and the rise of new rulers- the ones who had the most of it were- the Brotherhood of Riverford. The Arthurian order of knights was now everywhere in Fitonwich, as it was the closest city to the Kingdom Of Fitonia. The city itself was already rebuilt and changed from the Elven to Arthurian Architecture.
The city is a reallt chaotic place. Bustling merchant streets, alive with carts and shouting merchants, tall stone buildings.
Smiling children, running down the streets, playing like there was no tommorow. Beneath those bright facades, the city rots in places the sun forgets- The Greyhollow Slums, built from crumbling brick and weathered wood, spread like mold across Fitonwich's western quarter. Here, life was cheap and dreams died quietly.
Perfect! Here's the next part of your story, picking up with Layla and Orion heading to the Guild of Fitonwich—a place full of mystery, danger, and perhaps opportunity:
The walk back into the city was long and tiring. Their clothes were still wet from the lake and clung to their skin. The sun was high above the horizon, casting golden light over rooftops.
Layla looked around nervously. "Are you sure they will even let us in? The guild, I mean."
Orion shrugged. "We are fifteen. That's old enough. If they ask, we say we've done odd jobs before. Which we have...kinda."
She glanced at him, sighing softly. "You once picked mushrooms and got sick because you thought they were 'magical'."
He puffed his cheeks. "That was one time! And I was just trying to do something good!"
"You ended up throwing up on me." She said with a smug look on her face.
The Adventurer's Guild of Fitonwich was a towering stone building, rough around the edges and covered in moss. A pair of rusted swords crossed above the doorway, and there was a large wooden board. The scent of ale and sweat came from the open windows.
Two muscular men stood outside the entrance, eyeing them up and down. One of them had a sword on the back and the other one had an axe.
Orion looked into their eyes, swallowing his saliva nervously. "We're here to register!" He said, trying to imitate a bold voice.
One of the guards raised a brow and started laughing. "You?! Hahahaha! Two Runts like you?!"
Layla stepped forward, her face calm and firm. "We've survived the Greyhollow slums our whole lives. We're not new to danger."
The second guard eyed them up and down for a moment, then gave a small nod, shrugging. "Inside, then. Don't get in the way, and don't start anything."
Layla and Orion looked at each other and then stepped through the doors and into the heart of the guild.
It was a chaotic place. Warriors in dented armor, mages with glowing staffs, rogues whispering in corners, and clerks rushing to pin up new jobs on the quest board. The floor was scratched, the tables crowded, and the air thick with tension.
Layla's eyes widened. "This... this is what adventure feels like?"
Orion squinted his eye. "Not really. That part starts once we survive the first quest."
A woman approached them. She was tall, with salt and pepper hair tied in a long braid, a scar split her lip. She wore a silver badge with the guild's insignia on her chest.
Layla and Orion were both stunned, feeling so much fear that they couldn't even say anything.
"Newbies?" She asked, smiling softly.
They both nodded nervously.
She gave them a look that felt like she was staring at their souls. "Good. Hello, I'm Maeryn, Guild Officer, please fill these out." She handed them a form with a quill and small bottle of ink. "And if you lie about anything, I will know. Trust me."
Layla took a deep breath, her hand slightly shaking as she started writing.
Name: Layla; Age: 15; Special Skills: Basic knife use.
She glanced at Orion, who was scribbling fbeside her, his face pale as he realized something.
Name: Orion; Age: 15; Special skills: Lockpicking.
Maeryn took their forms and looked them over. "Alright. I'll start you both on Tier Zero. Runt work. Monster cleanup, delivery runs, maybe guarding old nobles who think their garden gnomes are spies."
Layla groaned. "Seriously?!"
Orion patted her shoulder, shaking his head.
Maeryn smirked. "If you want gold and glory, then earn it. You'll find the quest board there. Tier Zero jobs are marked in grey."
As they turned around to check the board, Layla looked at him. "You know, Orion... I'm kind of excited."
He smirked. "That's because this is the start of something very good!"
Layla whispered. "Then let's make it count."
"Oh yeah." Maeryn suddenly spoke up. "Let's check your mana levels."
The two looked at her with confusion. "Mana levels?" They said in unison.