Chapter 4: Debut

"Can you hurry up, please!" Miko sounded stressed, while I did not receive a single piece of information about the urgent mission we had been ordered to do half an hour ago.

Nobody was thinking about how nervous I was. I obtained my license just two weeks ago, and my first job would be some kind of emergency. My heart was beating so loudly that it was hard to follow Miko's instructions.

She dragged me into the changing room upstairs of the guild building and threw several pieces of clothing in my direction. That explained why I had to fill out a form regarding my body measurements.

Since she was already in full gear, Miko just watched as I put on the clothes she gave me. Most of the pieces looked like simple military stuff, but the dark poncho was the only thing that felt magical. It looked quite thick and heavy, but it was as light as a feather.

Miko was also in a bad mood because Lilith was mad at her for not showing and explaining the equipment earlier. Luckily, she is a prodigy when it comes to explaining things in a way that I can understand.

"Don't forget to put on the armband," she said as I tied my shoes. The armband was quite plain, a red cross on a white fabric that indicated that I was a healer.

My anxiety grew as I put on the combat gloves and a medical bag with first aid supplies in case I couldn’t use my magic.

I tried to relax, but there's a difference between sobering up a few drunk people and healing a broken nose after a brawl compared to receiving an emergency call from another guild. Before I could think about what awaited me, we were sitting in the car of Eliza, our secretary, aka the cab driver for today.

"Ok, we got around thirty minutes until we arrive… any questions, Kayla?"

Ha, funny. I thought. Of course, I have questions.

"What happened? What do I need to do after arrival?" I asked, staring at the back of Miko's head as she sat in the passenger seat before me.

"First aid probably, there are several injured. And we have to watch the gate and wait for reinforcements since they didn't manage to close the dungeon." Miko sounded annoyed, almost a bit angry.

"I don't know the details, but they were up against much stronger enemies than they expected. You know that when you get too comfortable, you get careless. But we're lucky to get some work thanks to their failure."

She was a little too cold to the fact that some people got injured. She probably had so many experiences that her empathy got a little dented. I'm not the most compassionate person, but I wasn't thinking about profit at the moment.

"Are there any special rules I need to know?" I wanted to avoid mistakes in my debut mission.

"Just do what the others tell you. I can't promise you I'll always be by your side, so be a brave puppy." She turned her head, smiling at me widely.

Do I act like a dog? I was not sure how to deal with her statement. But at least it wasn't an insult, I guess.

By the way, Eliza didn't say a word the whole ride. Since she was not a witch, she would only drop us off and would not go with us to the dungeon gate. Miko had once explained to me that there are regular people who participate in dungeon raids. They use magical items to fight alongside mages, but Eliza isn’t one of them.

I still hoped with all my heart that I would not have to fight anything. Miko was urging me to do a boot camp with her, where I would learn the basics of self-defense in combination with simple attack magic. I had really considered it... the thought of being with her for a week or two sounded exciting, but I haven't agreed to it yet.

"We arrived. Text me when you want to be picked up again," Eliza said, unlocking the doors.

"Thanks for the ride," I replied, grabbing my bag and leaving the car.

"Follow me," Miko commanded, walking at a fast pace.

We ended up in some kind of park, but there was no one to be seen. It was almost creepy. The atmosphere reminded me of zombie movies where the population was wiped out.

But after a short walk, we discovered the restricted area with an improvised entrance guarded by two men already eyeing us.

As I had already learned, I pulled out my magic license to identify myself.

But as soon as we stood in front of them, they simply lowered their heads and said, "Nice to see you."

Obviously, this was directed at Miko.

"Where is the leader?" she asked snippily.

"He is running around, trying to help. You will definitely catch him."

"The injured?"

"In the tents we always use."

"Got it."

The brief conversation ended, and Miko began walking, picking up the pace again.

After another minute, we reached what resembled a campsite, with many tents, benches, and tables. The biggest difference to a camp was the huge stone structure that definitely looked like an entrance to another world. The inside of the gate shimmered in a strong blue shade, although it was slightly transparent so that you could see through it.

"The healer arrived." Someone shouted. A boy, slightly shorter than me, stood before me a moment later.

"Please follow me. I will bring you to the injured."

I looked at Miko. She nodded and started to look around, searching for the guild leader.

"Where is Sami?" she asked the boy.

"He went back inside the dungeon. We're still missing some people who weren't confirmed dead…" his voice broke off mid-sentence, and the look on his face almost brought tears to my eyes. Whatever had happened to them was horrible.

"Then I will wait here," she said, staring at the gate with crossed arms. Her attitude gave the impression that she owned this place, and everyone who looked at her reacted very cautiously, almost a bit intimidated.

Suddenly, I felt a tug on my hand. The boy wanted to get moving.

"No one's life is in danger, but they are in much pain." He was still struggling to speak, fighting back tears, perhaps thinking of the friends he had lost today