Week 1: An Adventure
Oh, who was he kidding?
When did the pointless musings of a little brat ever stop someone like Roman Torchwick? And no need to think about that one, kids, because the answer is "never".
In fact, the only reason he had decided to put the mayhem on hold was because there was literally no point to it. He had no consolidated power base, no disposable minions, not even a place to store his extra suits. So, at best, causing trouble would only be a form of relieving stress.
Not that he didn't consider it, given today's events. Still, now wasn't the time for shenanigans.
Instead, he had a rare opportunity. Since the two idiots were content to pat eachother on the back for their glorified lemonade stand, Roman Torchwick finally had some time to himself. Neither of them seemed to notice as he slipped out the front door, and the master thief was nimble enough to be out of earshot by the time Tinkerbell noticed his absence.
First things first, he'd take a proper look at this little town.
After all, the reason for this little departure was purely because he needed to get more information. It certainly had nothing to do with that headache-inducing mood that seemed to radiate from the little midget merchant. Nor did it have anything to do with his unwillingness to stand around doing absolutely nothing for the evening, either.
Wait, no. Those were his real reasons. Information gathering was just a pretense.
He didn't even want to think about what duties the annoying little fairy had in mind for him. So far, his tasks had amounted to nothing more than a glorified alarm clock and an unarmed bodyguard. Couldn't they see that they were squandering his potential? I mean, c'mon! Even the merchant guild master had him confused for some common criminal. That was just insulting.
Either way, night would be falling soon, and that's when Roman worked best. So, rather than idle about any further, Torchwick went to work, taking just a moment to collect his bearings. While the Fairy's little tour was hilariously inadequate, it still managed to give the man enough of an outline of the town.
'Fairly certain Thumbelina said the shop's at the south. And we went to the east side for that stupid guild visit, so...' Roman barely wasted anytime drawing up a new plan of action. After all, he didn't want to deal with Junior's illegitimate cousin again, so he might as well check the western part of...
Actually, wandering off without much of a plan didn't sit right with Torchwick. So, first order of business would be to get an actual map of Pensee. As much as he'd loved the prospects of fumbling around in the dark, mentally plotting out the alleyways so that he could draw up a halfhearted map, he had a better idea. There were other alternatives to getting information, and this town seemed stupid enough to help the man.
The rogue immediately turned his attention to one of the wandering townsfolk, no doubt returning to their home after a day of doing whatever it was these idiots did.
"Good evening, ma'am. I can't help but notice that you're one of the ... insightful locals here at Pensee." Roman's face was nothing but smiles as he greeted the woman, the polite air of a gentleman gangster second nature to him. "I'm new to town, myself, so I was wondering if you could direct me towards a ... town directory?"
That's what those little backwater villages called their annoying maps, right? Really, Roman preferred the city to those places.
"Oh? Is that so? I believe I saw you at the new shop that opened today... Are you perhaps one of the staff who work there?"
If the woman saw Roman's face twitch, she didn't mention it. He did not want his new criminal career to start off by being associated with that place.
"What was it called? Oh, yes... I think it was 'Recettear and Roman too'? That second sign attached to the larger one is certainly a charming addi...tion. Are you alright, sir?"
Well, at least that answered his question. The woman had definitely spotted Roman twitching with irrational anger. Still, he tried to keep his facade up, his motions animated and forced as he slowly turned his head back to the distant shop.
Yep. There it was.
Situated at the top of the hill, he could clearly see the little brat's stupid shop, with an elaborate sign labeled "Recettear", and a smaller square slab that read "(And Roman too)", tilted slightly below it. Sometimes, his perfect eyesight was a blessing. Other times, he just hated children.
It took the thief a few moments to gather himself. It was a testament to his professionalism that he maintained his smile, slowly turning his attention back to the woman who had assisted him. And it was truly a miracle that he managed to keep his voice in check, somehow keeping it the same conversational tone that it had started with.
"... You must have me mistaken for someone else. I don't believe I'm associated with them." Oh, how he wished that were true right now. He was this close to just cutting ties with them, even if that stupid company still had Melodic Cudgel. He could steal it back some other way, right? ... Probably shouldn't risk it yet.
"My mistake, then. In that case, you must be an adventurer." The woman took one look at Roman's unique outfit, before nodding to herself, as if confirming her suspicions. "But if you're new in town, you should check in with the local Adventurer's guild. Their guild quarters is at the north side of Pensee, just over there."
Roman's gaze followed her gesture, as she pointed towards the only other notable building in the distance. Well, notable in the sense that it was massive and walled. He had personally thought that it was some kind of prison, but hey, if that's where people stuffed adventurers, he didn't complain.
"It's a bit late, but they should still be able to help you settle in."
"Thank you for that... Ma'am." By this point, Roman's voice was strained, and he quickly left before his conversation partner could voice her concerns.
Not that he cared. Seriously, 'And Roman too'? He wasn't sure whether he was annoyed or just... tired. This was too much irritation for him to deal with at the moment.
Maybe mayhem had some merit after all...
Roman couldn't help but give out a tired sigh. Sure, a curse would've suited his mood better, but now was hardly the time to be petty.
To be fair, visiting the adventurer's guild for information had seemed like a good idea at the time. After thanking the woman for the information, he had a run-in with a few more townsfolk, each person happily directing him to the guild, and each person failing to notice his deft pickpocketing skills. By the time he had arrived, the crook had amassed a respectable amount of local currency.
Not enough to make this a lucrative habit, by any means, but he was certain it was enough to purchase some information should the need arise.
Unfortunately, his sudden arrival into the guild hall did not go unnoticed. That fact by itself might not have given the rogue cause for complaint... However, he had been noticed by people who weren't completely incompetent, as one of the receptionists at the front desk greeted him cheerfully. This immediately put him under the spotlight, and as much as he'd like to garner criminal attention, that usually came after he had set himself up.
So, rather than draw anymore unnecessary attention to himself, Torchwick approached the front desk.
The problem was, the receptionist recognized the man as more than just the common townsfolk, and she immediately asked him to present his guild card. When he informed her that he didn't have one, and was new to the city, she immediately pegged him as an aspiring adventurer. While Torchwick's life was adventurous in its own right, the last thing he wanted to do was to play part-time trans-dimensional huntsman.
Roman would've left right then and there if it wasn't for the fact that the receptionist brought up the prospect of riches and power. Not directly, of course, but it was something she mentioned when she went into some long discussion about why others chose the occupation. This was an interesting tidbit of information.
Sure, he had his doubts, since none of the adventurers present seemed rich or powerful, but it never hurt to gather a bit more knowledge on the subject. And the whole reason he was out and about today was for information. So, rather than declining, he had found himself signing up for an introduction to adventuring, courtesy of some old man's pocket change.
Which brought him to his current predicament.
Here he was, seated like some kid in a room, along with a bunch of other wide-eyed idiots, learning about the basics of "dungeoneering". That wasn't a term he made up, by the way, that's honestly what the lecture was called: Dungeoneering 101.
For the most part, it talked about things that should've been common sense, ranging from 'Knowing how to fight, you idiots' to 'Carry some damned supplies, you morons'. Sure, maybe the topics weren't titled exactly like that, but he didn't care at this point. There was also one part about how the same dungeon was never the same, but rather than try to figure out what that meant, Roman shrugged it off. Really, he was about to write the entire thing off as a waste of money, until the person changed topic to something else.
"...Which brings us to how adventurers get stronger. Power Crystals." The way the lecturer said it brought a single raised eyebrow from the thief.
And now that he was finally paying attention, Roman had realized the lecturer was some brat-sized brat with green hair, wearing some oversized robes. And, propped up against the chalkboard, was a stick nearly twice the size of the little midget. Honestly, just what was it with kids these days?
"Most of you adventurers refer to them as 'experience gems', but what they're called doesn't really matter. These crystals are released whenever you defeat a monster in the dungeon, and each one contains some power of the dungeon within it. By absorbing its energies, adventurers are able to improve themselves, both in mind and body. Now, we don't quite understand the relationship between monsters and dungeons, nor do we really understand the crystals themselves."
Magic crystals that pop out when you murder monsters. Got it. Not that that made sense to Roman either, but apparently, this world was severely lacking in the logic department.
"However, there have been many attempts to research them, both in the past and now. However none of these projects have born much fruit. Even today, the dungeons are still poorly understood, both by Kingdom's academic community and by... adventurers such as..."
The brat seemed like he wanted to go in a long explanation, but neither Roman nor any of the other adventurers were particularly interested. It didn't take much for the kid to notice, and instead, he flashed an indignant glare the rest of the group.
"Alright then. Since most of you don't care, I'll just speak in a way you can all understand. When you kill a monster, they drop gems. Gems make you stronger. I hope that's simple enough for you idiots to comprehend."
"Hey!" That's when one of the prospective adventurers spoke up. It was a female voice, one that was equally as childish as their lecturer. "We're not idiots! You're the idiot!"
Normally, he'd comment sarcastically on the rebuttal, but there were two reasons why he didn't. One, it wasn't him being insulted, so he didn't care. And two... Roman had to leave. Not because he was tired of the lecture, though he certainly was.
No. The reason why the master criminal had decided to depart was because that voice was familiar to him. And since he wasn't an idiot, it didn't take long for Torchwick to pin a name and face to the mystery voice. Not that it was difficult, since the woman in question had caused the rogue no small amount of trouble.
So, it was time to leave.
"What? Just who do you think you're talking to? You're the morons who asked my tutelage in the first place! I could be doing something important right now, instead of hosting this session with ingrates like you." Roman didn't need to see who the robed kid was pointing at. Nor did he really need to be present for the shouting match that soon occurred.
Just before things escalated, the suited crime-lord rose from his seat, as he made his way to the door. He maintained a brisk pace, professional and directed, which meant that people kept out of his way as he stepped outside. And without any complains, Roman left the room, no one the wiser as he made his way down the hall. It took a fair amount of control on his part to not to turn around, at least not until he reached the reception area.
The last thing he needed was a run-in with her. What was she even doing here in the first place? It made absolutely no sen-
"Excuse me sir, is everything alright?" The receptionist's voice snapped Roman out of his musings, and he quickly turned his attention to the woman.
"Oh, no need to worry about me. I managed to get the gist of the lecture, so I figure I should be heading back for the day."
"I understand. Still, since you paid for the official beginner course, here is your preliminary guild card. With it, you can access the Hall of Trials whenever you want." She gestured to another hall, opposite from the one he came from. "If you manage to succeed the test, you will be a fully-fledged adventurer, and will be able to enjoy all the perks that come with such a position. Do you have any questions?"
Roman simply shook his head, more inclined to leave than anything else.
"Very well. Have a nice day!" The receptionist gave her best farewell, not even noticing that the man she was conversing with had long left the hall.