THE MOMENT
"Thanks for letting us join," 23 said. "Not a lot of groups have room for both of us." The brown-haired twin gestured at her dirty-blonde sister. The younger twin had already made a new friend. She was in conversation with the other half of the group they were joining. The single teenage girl and three preteens stood on the outskirts of the town, beyond the village walls. The sun touched the horizon on its way down and would soon be gone. The night would bring challenging monsters that often required a group; but, were more rewarding as a result.
"You're doing me a favor," Dora, the teen, smiled in return. "I have the same problem, except, she's a Zero and a newbie," she gestured at the younger girl in a white robe talking to 23's sister, Six.
"New guild member?" 23 asked. Dora shook her head.
"I'm powerleveling her," she said. "We will be, I mean," she added. "It's another reason finding a group wasn't easy; you don't mind, do you?"
"It's fine," 23 nodded. "It's good training if we have to try a little harder. But, she has.... some Abilities, right? Even her low-rank Heal Spell would be useful."
"Oh, yeah, she's kitted out with legendaries," Dora nodded. "She comes from a very prestigious family," Dora said. "Her family is the highest-ranked adventurer group on their Earth. The Healer Princess here has come of age and it's time for her to be an adventurer too."
"Why isn't she adventuring with them?" 23 asked. Dora giggled.
"They're royalty," she said with a broad grin. "They don't go on adventures, they pay people for that."
"Oh really?" 23 asked. "And, how much are they paying us this time?" She kept a straight face while Dora stared at her, and the older teen broke first with a giggle.
"Half of what they're paying me to level her," Dora replied. "But, just the leveling; I paid for all the Legendaries she has equipped; so I'm keeping all that money."
"That's fair," 23 nodded and offered her hand to make it official. Dora shook it and they agreed. "But... wow," 23 chuckled. "I thought maybe she had some gear passed down through her family. I didn't expect them to have bought everything."
"It's a solid investment," Dora nodded. The sun was almost gone now and she pulled her mandolin off her back to start getting ready. "On her Earth, the adventurer's guild pays out monthly based on ranking."
"Oh, okay," 23 replied as the sun finally disappeared. A cacophony of monstrous screeches filled the night air from a distance. "Well, let's go start this Princess' adventure so we can get paid."