Chapter Text
It truly had been a typical day for Lance up until he sensed a new being inside Mount Kohldur. Since patrolling the Ginger Islands was part of his duties, he had cast a spell upon the area that would alert him to any new changes. Setting down his papers, he tapped into his magic and focused on the foreign being.
He couldn't make anything out regarding its appearance but he could sense that whatever it was, it was steadily scaling the volcanic dungeon. Curiosity now overtaking his work mindset, Lance prepared to cast a reconnaissance spell - one that he typically used to gain intel before a battle. He wouldn't physically be at the volcano peak, which he determined was the safer bet in case the being turned out to be hostile.
As he projected himself to the volcano's caldera, he surveyed the area. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary but Lance could sense the unknown being approaching. Slight movement at the top of the dungeon's staircases caught his eye and despite his recon spell rendering him effectively invisible, he steeled himself anyway.
Despite his countless hours and experiences of combat, none of it prepared him for the reveal that the foreign entity was, in fact, a young woman. Caught somewhat off-guard, Lance recollected himself and observed in silence.
Who was this young woman? Suddenly, he recalled a previous conversation he had had with Camilla, one that he had initially dismissed as gossip. Something about Rasmodius garnering a new pupil?
He watched as the young woman observed her new surroundings. Her clothes were slightly singed and she was coated with soot, no doubt thanks to the Magma Sprites and Sparklers below.
However, Lance didn't sense any fear or fatigue in the young woman's expression. The red glow of the lava seemed to reflect the very fire of determination inside her eyes. He watched with growing interest as she gave her sword a flick to the side, swiftly removing the Tiger Slime residue from its blade and sheathing it with a well practiced motion.
Yes, Lance decided, this must be who Camilla was talking about. What was her name again?
As the young woman approached the ancient forge, Lance figured he may as well make his presence known. Willing the cloaking effect of the spell to drop, he felt slight amusement and he couldn't help the chuckle that came out of him at the surprised look on the young woman's face.
"Few adventurers have scaled Mount Kohldur, once a great dwarf kingdom."
The young woman stared at him curiously, quietly listening to the seemingly strange man who apparated before her. With her gaze set upon him, Lance felt a slight heat creeping up his neck, which he dispelled as the volcano's heat affecting him, and he continued.
"Your achievement is a testament to your ambition and perseverance," he said, attempting a nonchalant expression.
A beat passed and Lance found himself wondering if he was understating her achievement. She had managed to scale such a difficult dungeon, and rather proficiently too. Briefly, he saw the young woman's eyes flicker to the machinery behind him. Tickled by her curiosity, the battle mage felt obliged to share his knowledge of the ancient technology.
"Behind me is a lava-fed furnace capable of enchanting weapons and tools. It can even combine the divine properties of magical rings."
He thought briefly to his own awe and wonderment upon first discovering the forge, and he recognized some of the same inquisitive glint within the young woman's eyes. "Yes, a suiting reward for someone of your stature," he stated.
Lance approached the young woman, taking a more detailed look at her. He felt the corners of his lips quirk up inexplicably.
"I trust you'll make good use out of this ancient dwarvish relic," he said, casually adding on her name as if he had always known it, despite initially not remembering. He felt a bit of amusement upon seeing more surprise on the young woman's face, especially as he realized that he had failed to introduce himself.
Yes, he was clearly a mystery to her but she, in turn, was just as mysterious as well. Maybe it was a bit childish but Lance continued on in his seemingly nonchalant manner.
"The First Slash sends their regards," he simply stated before willing the reconnaissance spell to end. Lance watched the puzzled yet fascinated look upon the young woman's face disappear as he returned to his physical body.
Still seated at a desk within Castle Village's library, he glanced over the papers he still needed to review before haphazardly shoving them back into his bag. He felt the ever familiar feeling of curiosity bubble up inside of him, and he knew his own hunger towards the pursuit of knowledge and discovery wouldn't let him rest. There was something about that young woman- no, adventuress, and Lance was never one to let a fascinating prospect pass him by.
Before he knew it, he was at the Castle Village Outpost where he knew Camilla was on guard duty. The witch in question glanced at him, a small smirk appearing on her face. "Why hello, my dear Lance. Is there something I may help you with?"
The battle mage resisted the urge to sigh at Camilla's playful antics. "Greetings, Camilla," he spoke with measured casualty. "Yes, I was actually wondering if you might remind me of something. I remember that you mentioned Rasmodius has a new apprentice of sorts, yes?" The witch's smirk curled further into a smile, and a knowing glint appeared in her eyes that Lance unfortunately recognized all too well.
"My, my," She purred. "Why are you so curious about that darling little farmer?"
Lance tried to ignore the slight prying tone behind Camilla's voice, and pushed on. "I didn't know she was a farmer as well," he admitted. "She seemed to be an experienced adventuress, given she's conquered Mount Kohldur."
The witch nodded along, mulling over this new information. "Well, Razzy must've sensed her potential. She's a new resident of that town Razzy protects, what was its name again?" She brought a thoughtful finger to her chin and pondered her own question, another bit of dramatics Lance knew to expect from her. "Ah, that's right - Pelican Town, in Stardew Valley. She owns the most charming little farm, plenty of flora and fauna. It's quite the place."
Camilla's gaze returned to him, blue sparkling with a hint of mischief.
"You didn't seem that interested at first when I mentioned her," she prodded with faux innocence in her tone. "I wonder if her scaling the volcano is really what caught your attention."
Lance ignored the obvious tease in her voice but he couldn't deny it. "I'm simply.. curious about her, is all."
Even with that short statement, Camilla's smile deepened and Lance foresaw more teasing in his future. In order to prevent the conversation from continuing, Lance quickly offered his thanks and turned to leave. He'll deal with his colleague's antics later, he figured.
As he returned to the Highlands outpost that night, he sat down to reorder his papers. It was there that he leafed through and remembered the notice Gil had sent out to the different guild branches. Reading through the notice's description, Lance noted it seemed well within his abilities and he couldn't deny himself the fact that it would allow him to travel to Stardew Valley more often.
Settling in for the night, Lance made a mental note to visit the Adventurer's Guild the next morning. That night, he dreamt of the bristling heat of what must've been Mount Kohldur warming him to the bone.
Passing through the backwoods of the quaint little town, the battle mage appreciated the change of his surroundings. His meeting with Gil and Marlon had gone without a hitch, and he was officially enlisted to Marlon's aid. Lance had briefly mentioned wanting to formally introduce himself to any other adventurers within their branch of the guild, and the two older men had given him instructions to their latest member's home.
Crossing the threshold of a fenced area, Lance noticed a wooden sign bearing the name of the sprawling farm before him. It appeared that Camilla wasn't merely joking around - the farm was larger than anticipated, with fields of well-maintained crops and barns housing rounds of animal noises. It certainly had its own charm to it, he admitted to himself.
Lance approached a quaint farmhouse, observing a nearby mailbox with the farmer's name painted on its side. He climbed the house's steps but stopped to briefly adjust his cloak before knocking on the door. It was only a moment before the door opened, revealing the young adventuress.
"Oh, it's you," she exclaimed, recognition in her eyes. "Rasmodius told me about you - you're Lance of the First Slash, right?"
Lance felt a dash of sheepishness at her reaction. "Yes, that's me," he conceded. "Forgive me for not properly introducing myself before."
The young woman shrugged, a bit of amusement on her features. "Not a problem," she joked. "I've had stranger first encounters. Here, we can redo it."
Puzzled at first, Lance quickly caught on and had to suppress a laugh as she closed and reopened her door as quickly, as if she had only answered the door for the first time. "Ah, good morning, Lance." Humor colored her voice and a giggle escaped her.
Playing along, Lance obliged the young adventuress. "Good morning," he said. "I hope I'm not intruding."
A bit of the morning breeze blew through the farm, bringing along the refreshing scent of the outdoors. Lance quietly glanced around the land before returning his attention to its keeper. "I had heard from a colleague your farmland was extraordinary. Their description barely did it justice. This place is breathtaking."
The farmer beamed at his comment, pride evident on her face. "Thank you, that's nice of you. What brings you here anyways?"
Lance nodded along. "Ah, of course. Allow me the opportunity to explain why I'm here. I received word from your guild administrator, Gil, that Marlon was looking to contract with a combat mage." Trying for a smile, he continued, "After reviewing the relevant tasks and missions, I decided to accept."
He observed the farmer and felt heat pool in his stomach as he remembered his other intentions of visiting. Regardless, he willed his voice to fill with its usual confidence.
"And I must admit, after we met on Mount Kohldur's caldera, you piqued my interest."
He carefully observed for any reaction on the young woman's face, and felt reassurance at continuing his rather bold confession.
"I'd like to get to know you better," he stated matter-of-factly. "But I travel quite often, so at the risk of being a little forward..."
Lance reached into his cloak and produced the folded piece of parchment he had quickly written up. "Here's my schedule," he offered the paper to the farmer, who took it with a questioning look. The battle mage realized he was holding his breath as she unfolded it and quickly pored over its contents. A part of him worried that this advancement was unwelcome but he was relieved to see her smile once more.
"Great, I was hoping to meet you again and get to know you too. I guess it'll be a bit of a wild-goose chase, though."
Lance laughed at the small jest, feeling more relief unexpectedly flood into him. "We will meet again soon," he confirmed. Feeling more at ease, he gathered himself up. "I'll be taking my leave now. Farewell for now."
The young woman bid him farewell, waving goodbye as he retraced his steps back to the farm's entrance. He glanced back once and watched as she set about her daily chores. Chuckling to himself, Lance continued on his way and recalled his own agenda for the rest of the day - more field research back at the Highlands. He felt his heartrate quicken as he willed himself to teleport to his outpost. Curious, he thought. Perhaps his body was anticipating the wild nature and monsters awaiting him.