If Ghost had learned one thing since dying, it was that fantasy cities smelled way worse than video games made them look.
As the trio passed through the massive gates of Ardentia, the "capital of dreams" greeted them with… well, reality.
The air was thick with smoke from forges, sweat from adventurers, and a suspicious aroma that could only be described as "magically enhanced fried onions."
Ghost waddled in the middle of the street, staring up at the towering spires of marble and flame. "Whoa… this is insane! There's so much going on! Blacksmiths, mages, flying ships Wait, is that a guy juggling fireballs?!"
Lira glanced over. "He's a street performer."
Eldric grunted. "An unlicensed one."
"Unlicensed?" Ghost blinked. "You need a permit to juggle fireballs?"
"In Ardentia," Eldric said, straight-faced, "you need a permit to sneeze magically."
"Good thing I only quack naturally, then," Ghost said proudly.
Two children nearby gasped and pointed. "Mommy! Look! A talking duck!"
Their mother screamed and ran the other direction.
"…Okay, maybe tone it down," Lira muttered, pulling her hood lower.
They wove through the crowded bazaar, where stalls lined both sides of the cobblestone streets.
Elves sold glowing fruit, dwarves hammered weapons that sparkled with enchantments, and one goblin vendor yelled, "EXP potions! Totally not poison!"
Ghost waddled closer to a stall selling roasted skewers. His eyes widened. "Hold up… that smells amazing!"
The vendor, a burly lizardman with an apron, smiled toothily. "Best flame-grilled duck skewers in the city!"
Ghost froze. "I - uh sorry, what now?"
"Duck skewers!" The vendor proudly pointed to a sizzling pan.
Ghost stared in horror. "THAT'S THAT'S A CRIME!"
"Relax," Lira said, smirking. "You're a different kind of duck."
"That doesn't make it better!" he hissed. "That's like watching someone barbecue your cousin!"
The vendor tilted his head. "Would you like to try the spicy glaze?"
Ghost turned to Lira. "If I ever go missing, he did it."
After escaping the traumatic culinary experience, they found an inn on the quieter side of the city The Ember Nest.
It was cozy, warm, and, most importantly, allowed talking animals for a small extra fee.
Ghost glared at the wooden sign. "Why do I count as a pet surcharge?"
"Because you talk too much," Eldric said.
"That's discrimination!"
"That's accurate," Lira said, tossing coins to the innkeeper.
Inside, Ghost hopped onto a chair in the dining hall while Lira and Eldric discussed supplies.
The inn was full of adventurers armored warriors laughing, bards playing lutes, and a drunk elf passionately arguing that he once dated a dragon.
Ghost sighed happily. "Ah, taverns. The true soul of any fantasy story."
He looked around, fascinated. For once, no one was trying to eat him or set him on fire.
A waitress passed by and smiled. "Oh! What a cute little duck!"
Ghost puffed his chest. "Cute and deadly, thank you very much."
She giggled and dropped a small piece of bread in front of him. "For you."
Ghost stared at it. "Wait, people just give you food for being cute?! Why didn't I get reincarnated sooner?!"
He devoured the bread in one bite, feathers fluffing in delight. "Oh my god. Is this what happiness tastes like?"
Across the table, Lira raised an eyebrow. "You look like you just ascended."
"I have," Ghost said solemnly. "I am now Bread God."
Eldric sighed. "Please don't start a cult."
"No promises."
Later that evening, after settling in, Ghost found himself sitting on the inn's balcony overlooking the city. The streets below glowed with lanterns gold, blue, crimson colors dancing like living flames.
He felt something soft in his chest. It wasn't sadness exactly. More like… calm.
Lira came up quietly beside him, leaning on the railing. "Can't sleep again?"
He shrugged. "Too much excitement. Too many ducks being roasted."
She chuckled. "You handled today well."
"Handled is a strong word," he said. "Survived awkwardly? Maybe."
She smiled faintly. "That's still more than most do their first day in Ardentia."
He glanced at her, eyes glinting in the lantern light. "You ever get tired of it all? The fighting, the guilds, the rules?"
"Every day," she admitted softly. "But the road's all I've known. You keep walking, because stopping means thinking about why you started."
Ghost tilted his head. "That's… surprisingly deep for someone who threatened to use me as bait two days ago."
"Don't push it," she said, though the corner of her mouth curved upward.
Eldric joined them a few minutes later, carrying a steaming mug of tea and looking like he'd been through fifty arguments with the innkeeper.
"Finally," he grumbled. "Do you have any idea how hard it is to negotiate mana crystal prices in this city?"
Ghost grinned. "Do you have any idea how hard it is to emotionally recover from seeing duck skewers?"
"Yes," Eldric said dryly, sipping his tea. "I watched it happen."
They stood together, watching the city lights flicker below.
Lira said quietly, "We'll visit the Guild Hall tomorrow. Get registered, pick up some work. You'll need an identity crystal, Ghost."
He blinked. "Wait, they give ducks IDs?"
Eldric smirked. "Technically, they give them to 'contract familiars.'"
Ghost squawked. "I am not a familiar! I'm a free bird!"
Lira patted his head. "Sure you are, buddy."
He glared. "I swear one day I'll have an empire. And a hat. A cool hat. With flames."
"An empire of ducks?" Eldric asked.
"Exactly."
"Terrifying," Lira said, smiling.
"Thank you," Ghost said proudly.
The city bells rang in the distance, signaling midnight.
Ghost leaned forward on the railing, feathers ruffled by the night breeze.
Despite the jokes and chaos, something about this city stirred him the noise, the life, the endless light.
Maybe, just maybe, he could make something here.
Not just survive… but belong.
He looked over his shoulder at his two unlikely companions. "Hey, guys?"
Lira hummed. "Yeah?"
"I think I kinda like it here."
Eldric glanced at him. "You mean the city?"
Ghost grinned. "Yeah. The city… and maybe the company too."
Lira looked away quickly. "Don't get sentimental, duck."
"Too late," he said, stretching his wings. "I'm basically a Disney protagonist now."
Eldric sighed. "I'm going to bed."
Ghost called after him. "Sweet dreams, grandpa mage!"
"I'm thirty-two!"
Lira laughed softly as Eldric vanished inside.
Ghost smiled to himself, looking back at the glowing city below. "Alright, Ardentia," he whispered. "Let's see what you've got."
If Ghost had one dream left in life or, well, afterlife it was this:
To walk or waddle into an Adventurer's Guild like every overpowered protagonist in every RPG he'd ever played.
Unfortunately, reality didn't care about his dreams.
The next morning, Ghost found himself standing in front of a massive marble building crowned with glowing sigils, a line of armored warriors and robed mages stretching all the way to the street.
"This is the line?" he squawked.
"Yes," Eldric said flatly. "Everyone has to register."
Ghost squinted up at him. "Even ducks?"
Lira crossed her arms. "Especially ducks."
"I feel racially profiled."
"Good," she said.
Inside, the Guild Hall was chaos incarnate.
Quills scratched on parchment. Magical crystals blinked above wooden counters. A bard in the corner was trying to convince people to buy his new song something about "dragons, heartbreak, and unpaid tavern tabs."
Ghost waddled between legs, nearly getting stepped on by a dwarf twice his height.
"Hey! Watch it! I may be small, but I'm flammable!"
The dwarf blinked down at him. "...A talking bird."
"Rude! I'm a sentient waterfowl with personality!"
"Sure you are, lad," the dwarf said, patting him on the head like a toddler before walking off.
Ghost scowled. "I'm surrounded by speciesism."
After waiting through two sword inspections, one argument about potion licensing, and a cleric fainting when she saw a talking duck, the trio finally reached the counter.
The receptionist looked up a young woman with bright green hair and the exhausted expression of someone who'd seen every kind of idiot this world could produce.
"Welcome to the Ardentia Adventurer's Guild," she said mechanically. "Please state your names and class."
Lira stepped forward. "Lira Voss. Bladesinger."
"Eldric Kael. Mage."
The receptionist nodded, writing briskly. Then her eyes fell on Ghost.
"And… you?"
Ghost straightened proudly. "Ghost! Class: Flaming Duck."
The receptionist stared. Blinked twice. "I'm sorry… what?"
"Flaming Duck," Ghost repeated. "It's like a sorcerer, but with better feathers."
She glanced at Lira helplessly. "Is… this a pet registration?"
Lira sighed. "Unfortunately, no. He's with us."
Ghost gasped. "Unfortunately? I'm the emotional support protagonist!"
Eldric muttered, "Emphasis on emotional."
The receptionist rubbed her temples. "Right. Fine. Please provide your identification crystal."
"Uh…" Ghost looked around. "What's that?"
Eldric handed her a small crystal. "He doesn't have one yet."
The woman groaned softly. "Of course he doesn't." She reached under the counter, pulling out a gleaming orb the size of an apple. "Place your… wing on the registration sphere."
Ghost hesitated. "This isn't going to, like, absorb my soul or something, right?"
"It will scan your mana signature," she said. "Unless your soul is unstable, in which case…"
"In which case what?"
She smiled sweetly. "Boom."
Ghost gulped. "Cool, cool, nothing to worry about."
He carefully placed his wing on the orb.
It glowed bright orange then burst into flames.
"AAAAAH!"
The receptionist screamed, pulling her hands back. "It's burning!"
Lira facepalmed. "Of course it is."
Eldric sighed. "Every. Single. Time."
Smoke filled the counter area. The orb melted into a puddle of glowing slag.
Ghost blinked, singed feathers fluttering. "Sooo… does that mean I'm registered?"
The receptionist just stared at the molten desk. "...I'm going to need a raise."
Fifteen minutes later, after several apologies and one minor fire evacuation, Ghost was officially entered into the guild registry.
"Congratulations," the receptionist said weakly, handing him a small silver tag engraved with a duck symbol. "You are now an F-Rank adventurer."
Ghost's eyes sparkled. "Yes! F for Fantastic!"
"No," she said. "F for Frequently on fire."
Lira snorted so hard she had to look away.
Eldric pocketed the guild's apology voucher. "We'll need new supplies after this. He destroyed their orb."
Ghost puffed up. "Hey, I didn't destroy it, I upgraded it to molten form!"
Before they could leave, a loud squawk echoed from across the hall.
Another duck bigger, whiter, wearing a tiny guild-approved harness strode confidently across the floor.
Ghost froze. "…Is that… another me?"
The other duck glared, chest puffed. "You dare mimic my walk, rookie?"
Lira whispered, "Oh no."
Eldric sighed. "Oh yes."
The larger duck stopped right in front of Ghost. "Name's Goose. S-Rank familiar. Certified familiar-to-the-Archmage of Flamevale."
Ghost blinked. "Wait, your name is Goose and you're a duck?"
"Technicalities," Goose snapped. "What matters is that I am the pride of the guild's avian division."
"You have an avian division?!" Ghost said.
"Of course. And you, featherless fledgling, are an embarrassment to our kind."
Ghost gasped. "Excuse me?!"
"You set registration equipment on fire," Goose said. "Do you have no discipline? No control? No grooming routine?"
"I bathe daily in chaos and sarcasm, thank you very much!"
They glared at each other two birds, one hall, both radiating absurd levels of overconfidence.
Around them, adventurers had begun to whisper.
"Is that… a duck fight?"
"My gold's on the white one."
"No way. The smaller one's got crazy eyes."
Goose leaned forward, beak glinting. "Tell you what, hatchling. There's a training arena behind the guild. Let's settle this like professionals."
Ghost puffed his feathers. "You're on."
Lira groaned. "We just registered."
Eldric pinched the bridge of his nose. "He's going to explode again."
Ghost flapped his wings dramatically. "Not if he explodes first."
Minutes later, the guild's training yard was filled with curious onlookers. Warriors, mages, even a few goblins gathered on the sidelines.
Goose strutted to one end, cracking his wings. "Last chance to back down."
Ghost grinned. "Buddy, I died once already. What's the worst that could happen?"
Eldric muttered, "Famous last words."
A bell rang.
Goose lunged first, flapping hard enough to send a burst of air that knocked Ghost backward.
"Whoa! Aerodynamic assault!" Ghost rolled, coughing dust.
Goose snorted. "Pathetic."
Ghost stood up, shaking himself off. "Alright. You wanna go big?"
He inhaled deeply. Fire crackled at his beak. "Then let's quack things up!"
A jet of flame shot across the arena wild, uncontrolled, and completely over-the-top.
Goose dodged, but his tail feathers caught fire.
"MY TAIL!"
"Welcome to the heat zone, baby!" Ghost shouted, spinning in a fiery circle like a pyromaniac tornado.
The crowd cheered wildly. Lira just covered her face. "Why am I friends with him?"
"Because," Eldric said dryly, "he's too ridiculous to die."
By the time the fight ended, the arena was smoking, the sand glassed over, and Goose was half-charred but grudgingly impressed.
"You've… got potential," he said through coughs. "For a lunatic."
Ghost grinned, singed but proud. "Thanks, Hot Wings."
"Don't call me that."
"Too late, it's canon now."
If Ghost had learned anything since becoming a duck, it was that fate had a dark sense of humor.
Case in point: his very first official guild mission wasn't slaying monsters, discovering dungeons, or even gathering magical herbs.
It was food delivery.
Specifically, delivering a basket of enchanted muffins to a nearby village.
Ghost stared at the quest scroll in his wings. "This is it? My glorious debut as an adventurer?"
Lira nodded, adjusting her sword belt. "Yes. We start small."
"Small? I breathe fire! I've literally burned wolves and melted registration equipment!"
Eldric deadpanned, "Exactly why you're not being trusted with explosives yet."
Ghost tilted his head. "Explosives? You have those?"
"No," Lira said quickly. "And don't ask."
They left the city shortly after sunrise, the road stretching ahead between green fields and tall crystal-topped lampposts.
Ghost waddled in front proudly, balancing the muffin basket on his back. "Ah, the open road. Adventure! Destiny! Gluten!"
Lira sighed. "You're aware those muffins are worth more than you right now, yes?"
Ghost gasped. "Excuse me, I'm priceless."
Eldric smirked. "No, you're inflammable."
"That's both rude and true."
The journey was calm for about ten minutes.
Then, from the nearby bushes, came a suspicious rustling.
Lira's hand went to her sword. "Bandits?"
Eldric raised his staff, eyes narrowing. "Possibly. Stay behind me, Ghost."
Ghost's feathers puffed indignantly. "I am a proud, capable duck, thank you very much! I can handle"
The bush exploded.
Out rolled three goblins, each wearing mismatched armor and holding rusty daggers.
The tallest one pointed at Ghost. "HAND OVER THE BASKET, FEATHERED DEMON!"
Ghost blinked. "Feathered… demon?"
Eldric whispered, "They think you're a monster."
"Finally," Ghost said, puffing up proudly. "Recognition!"
The goblins charged.
Lira was already moving, blade flashing. Eldric's staff glowed with blue light.
But before either could strike, Ghost stepped forward dramatically.
"Allow me," he said, voice dripping with theatrical confidence. "For I, the Flaming Duck, will protect these pastries with my life!"
He inhaled deeply.
Lira shouted, "Wait, not!"
Too late.
FWOOSH!
A wave of fire shot out, scorching the path, the goblins, and unfortunately the muffin basket.
The air filled with the scent of caramelized bread and panic.
"THE MUFFINS!" Lira screamed.
Ghost blinked through the smoke. "Uh… extra crispy?"
One of the goblins dropped his dagger, tears streaming down his face. "My… my eyebrows…"
The other two fled screaming, smoke trailing from their behinds.
Eldric sighed, covering his face. "Congratulations. You've committed pastry murder."
Ten minutes later, the three of them stood around the charred remains of what was once a basket of magical muffins.
Lira pinched the bridge of her nose. "Do you realize this was our only job?"
Ghost shuffled awkwardly. "Okay, yes, I may have slightly over-flamed."
"Slightly?" Eldric gestured to the blackened ground. "We're going to get billed for arson by pastry!"
Ghost looked at the burnt crumbs. "Can we… tell them it was dragon-related?"
"Do you see any dragons?" Lira snapped.
Ghost squinted dramatically at the horizon. "Not yet."
Eldric groaned. "I swear you're going to shorten my lifespan."
"Don't worry," Ghost said cheerfully, "you'll go out in a blaze of glory! Possibly mine."
Back at the guild that evening, the trio stood in front of the same green-haired receptionist.
Her eye twitched as she stared at the blackened basket. "You burned the muffins?"
Ghost raised a wing. "In my defense, they were attacked by goblins first."
"And then?"
He looked away. "Then I may have… enthusiastically retaliated."
The receptionist took a deep breath. "Mr. Ghost. This was a simple delivery quest. No combat was required."
"Hey, combat found me!"
Lira stepped in quickly. "We're willing to compensate for the damage."
The receptionist tapped her pen. "That will be three silver for the goods and two for emotional distress."
Ghost blinked. "You charge emotional distress now?"
"Yes. You caused panic among the bakery's delivery pigeons. They refuse to work near anything that smells like smoke."
Eldric muttered, "Understandable."
As they walked out of the guild (again, under mild supervision for safety reasons), Ghost sighed dramatically.
"So my first quest was a failure, huh?"
Lira softened slightly. "You didn't fail. You… learned."
Eldric added, "Specifically, you learned that baked goods and fire don't mix."
Ghost drooped. "But I wanted to be heroic."
Lira looked at him for a moment, then smiled faintly. "You were. You protected the team. The muffins were… collateral damage."
He perked up. "So… like a heroic tragedy?"
Eldric chuckled. "More like a culinary disaster."
Ghost shrugged. "I'll take it."
That night, as they camped outside the city, Ghost sat by the small campfire, watching the flames flicker.
For the first time, he felt… oddly content.
Sure, he was a duck.
Sure, he'd turned muffins into ash.
But he'd also fought, survived, and made two allies who against all logic hadn't abandoned him yet.
He looked up at the stars and whispered, "I'll get stronger. I'll control this power. And one day… I'll be the hottest duck alive."
The fire popped softly in response.
Eldric, half-asleep, murmured, "Please not literally."
Ghost smiled. "No promises."