You order a meal, and sit down to eat. Not much left to do today but wait.


The next day, you approach the guild again, now with noticeably fewer excited newbies milling around. Almost immediately you see your tall knight, with Karina sitting on his shoulder and peering out over the crowd. A moment after you spot them, Karina sees you and waves.

Karina: "Graham! Excellent! I sent my letter yesterday, now we wait! I bet we'll get a reply by the time our new gear is done! But, speaking of that... we have a few days to kill. Any ideas?"
Hm. Well, there's always the slime island again. Or one of the two slightly harder nearby islands, with the elementals and the beasts. Well, without magic firepower, probably better to hold off on the elemental island.

Frederic: "Considering our party composition, the beasts might be easier. They're still pretty basic, but they don't have obnoxiously high defense against physical damage. We could kill them a lot faster."
Karina: "I like faster! Less chances for people to get hurt!"

Frederic: "The smith said three days, so two more."
Karina: "I bet I'll get a reply by then, too! He's usually very prompt with letters."
Frederic: "'He'?"
Karina: "Oop! Seecreet!"
Frederic gives a small sigh, but seems resigned to Karina's antics.

Frederic: "Three days without new gear. We still have our current equipment. More is always better, but I think we're decently well equipped to handle monsters that don't need magic damage to take down like those slimes did."
Hm. Well, around here, there's the beast island, mostly full of wolves and other mammal monsters. And there's an island full of earth and water elementals, probably a bad fit right now.
Could also try trawling around in the sky, find some fish or sky creatures to beat up.
The job board had some postings for collecting parts from higher level monsters on the beast island. You could get components for new armor from them, too.

The three of you head into the guild and begin scanning the job board.

Hm... For Wolves, there are constant postings to collect fangs and pelts.
Same for Alpha Wolves and Dire Wolves, which are just a further growth of the monster in this case. When a monster gets strong enough, the magic collected in it can force a physical change, improving its abilities or changing its form. Alpha and Dire are small changes, they just get bigger, their fangs sharper, and their fur tougher.
Wolfbeast parts are also in demand, and the parts requested are more varied. Fangs, claws, pelts, and tails are all accepted. Wolfbeasts are a step up from regular wolves, they evolve into a hunched bipedal form. Those things can be pretty dangerous, but your group might be able to take one, if it was alone. You've heard they get a lot more solitary after evolving.

Hm. There's one more posting too, this one isn't a permanent post either. It's a request to hunt the... Wolf Denmother? You haven't heard of that before, but the pay is pretty sizable compared to the others. It states experienced adventurers only, though. Probably should stay away from that one.

There's also a good number of posts for fish. There's always a market for fish. Could look for some fish-type monsters too, if you're up for a chase. They tend to bolt when they're feel like they're in danger.

For these permanant jobs, no need to grab! Since everyone can work on them simultaneously, you just bring the spoils back to the guild to be counted and purchased.

Frederic: "We taking on those Wolf requests then?"
Karina: "I don't like the idea of hurting wolves... but, i-it's all part of being an adventurer! So, I'll be strong!"

Karina looks down for a moment, then slaps her cheeks and looks straight at you, a strong look of DETERMINATION on her face.
Karina: "Ready! I will be an adventurer!"
Behind her, you see the corner of Frederic's mouth curl up for a moment, before returning to his usual neutral expression.
Frederic: "I'm ready. Let's get going then."


The three of you are back on the ship heading towards the wolf island, with Frederic piloting again, and you and Karina enjoying the view.

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