The next morning they all stood outside the city gates, off to the side of the entrance. They formed a small square with Ravenous sitting on Brett's shoulder. "So. This is it?"

"For now," Bernard answered, holding out a hand to shake. "We all have you in chat, don't hesitate to message us. Even if we're in a dungeon, we'll still get back to you."

Alan shook his hand next. "I look forward to sparring again soon."

Irene pulled him into an unexpected hug. A warm feeling flowed through him, washing away any aches he had from the day before. "I look forward to our next meeting. Perhaps we will all have a bit more free time then."

Ravenous purred into his ear. "It has been a pleasure, pillow." Then, a little louder so that everyone could hear, "Make sure you let us know when you're about to hit level 30. There's a lot more we can show you then. And if we can't make it, maybe we can get you in contact with some friends."

Brett swallowed thickly. He had never been amazing at goodbyes, and the fact that they'd been so kind only made this one worse. He had to choke back a few emotions to get his words out. "You all are better friends than I could have ever asked for. I won't forget what you've done for me. And… well, if I can never pay it back, I'll at least pay it forward."

With a nod to the group, Brett met their eyes. Ravenous butted her head against his cheek affectionately. Then, with a light pressure, she vanished from his shoulder and landed on Bernard's. Brett gave a little wave of farewell as they all began walking away from the city. Wiping his nose with the sleeve of his new shirt, he started to try and make his thoughts focus on what he needed to do next as he watched.

Suddenly Ravenous was back on his shoulder. He jumped slightly as she rubbed her head on his cheek again and hurriedly pressed an item into his hand. "Always have one on you. When you need to use it, stop and go buy another right after. They cost five coins here and that is always worth it. Train your skill every chance you get, at the end of each fight and when grappling. Or find a healer. Stay safe."

And then she was gone again. Brett looked down at his hand and saw that she had left him one of the healing potions that she had been giving him throughout their time together. Watching the four of them crest the hill and start to drop out of sight, he had to resist the urge to run after them. One day, when I'm done with my business, I won't hold them back.

He wasn't sure that he could ever catch up to them with their head start. Even if he did, would he really be helpful or fit in with their little group? Still, he would think of something. Besides, how many people got such a good start as this?

***

A little while after his friends had faded from sight, Brett turned around to look at the city gates. What did he need? He was out of money and needed to find a place to stay. He had his armor and weapons, though he still needed to look into getting bullets. They weren't something that had come up, and he had forgotten to ask about it. He pulled up the chat window but closed it again before sending the question. 

This wasn't something he needed help with just yet. Coins and levels, then? Brett thought. Flipping through the dungeon report, he looked for something in his range. He was level 2, but he had done a level 5 without a problem. Still, he wasn't as experienced with reading the report and seeing what challenges the dungeons contained.

I think I want something that isn't time-based. If I can clear it faster, then I can get more coins. Also, if I can retreat, that would be nice. Brett flipped through the report and found a few options. There was a goblin wave dungeon that was level 6 nearby. That was a little higher than he really wanted. But wave dungeons seemed like the safest kind, as he could retreat at pretty much any time. Plus, he had fought goblins before.

The rewards were forgettable from the listing. Mostly it seemed to drop coins, but there were a few items as well. Nothing that he really cared for, but then he hadn't really figured out what kind of gear he even needed. Taking a look at the map, he started to orient himself using the road and the city as reference points. Having a general idea of where to go, he set off at a brisk walk, quickly leaving the road.

It took him about 20 minutes to find some of the general landmarks that the description talked about. The dungeon was located within a small cave sunk on the side of one of the rolling hills. More of a tunnel than anything. It looked like it had been dug freshly sometime earlier this week. Brett wondered if maybe the dungeon had spawned inside of the hills, and adventures dug their way to it.

Outside of the little cave, there was a line of about five or six adventures, all around levels 4 through 7 . It appeared that a few of them were in groups, and one of the level 7 adventures was alone.

It was funny how apprehensive he was about approaching them, but the group just looked and then ignored him for the most part. However, when he joined the end of the line, it drew a bit more attention.

"Hey, this is a level six dungeon, y'know?" One of the level 4 guys at the front of the line told Brett. His tone wasn't exactly hostile, but neither was it the most welcoming. It had something like a challenging note to it. Brett decided it was best to play it cool. He just raised the dungeon report copy he had in his hand and nodded.

The man just turned back to his spot in line with a shrug. "Your funeral, bud."

After standing there for a few minutes, the chatter picked up again. It was clear that there were three groups here, not including Brett. A group of three level 4 adventures, a pair of level 5s, and a single level 7. At level 2, he was by far the lowest level out of any of them. Apparently, they had been running this dungeon all morning. The report told him that for this dungeon, they had to wait 15 minutes for the instance to cycle before a new group could enter a unique instance of their own. Currently, there was a group already inside, and they had two more minutes before the group of level 4s could enter. 

Brett just sat on a rock a little ways away from the rest of them, flipping through the dungeon report. He was pretty sure this was the best spot for him right now, but there were other options to check out too. He figured level 6 was probably his best bet for now, but if he was skipping several levels to fight stronger enemies, then hopefully, he would level up quicker. I should have asked how long it would take to get to level 15. Then I would have had a better idea of how hard I need to push myself.