New quest found!

  Category: Vow-bound

  Aspects: Nearly impossible

  Level: Unknown

  Time Limit: Vow-bound

  Description: You have begun your quest to destroy the Society of Scoundrels. With two of your adversaries now dead, that leaves… a lot more to go. Your quest is to kill them all.

  Progress: Negligible

  Reward: Variable

  Penalty for failure: Excruciatingly painful death.

  “Well, now I don’t feel so bad, anymore, but we’ll stay wary. There’s no need to draw undue attention. Nobody else knows that they were corrupt.”

  My tone is quiet, internal voice slightly shaking as sweat drips down my brow. I try not to glance around, to mixed success. When Delilah speaks, it causes me to flinch. Which does not help my goal of acting natural.

  “You just killed two guards, Human. Why, pray tell, are you not as repentant as one might expect to be after taking the lives of two innocents?”

  Her voice is calm, with a bit of sharpness to add in a hint of her displeasure. She, unlike me, is freely looking to and fro. Anxiety gnaws harder as my paranoia spikes.

  “Will you stop that?! You’re going to get us caught!”

  Even though it’s completely internal, my voice comes through as a whispered shout. The situation calls for more discretion, but the damn animal doesn’t seem to understand that.

  “I’m a cat, Human. Nobody even knows I’m here. If they do, they don’t care. Why. Did. You. Kill. Those. Guards? Surely not for petty vengeance?”

  The feline’s tail flicks to and fro, punctuating each word with the gesture of annoyance, voice increasingly getting less friendly. Before I can answer her question, however, Koa speaks up on my behalf.

  “Father killed them because they were bad men! Scoundrels! Stop making bad assumptions about Father! Meany Meowy, you need to trust Father more!”

  The certainty in the knife’s tone gives Delilah pause, her own voice losing a smidgen of the frost it had before.

  “How exactly do you know this, child?”

  I look down at the gold and white cat with what I hope is a perfectly balanced look of irritation and gravitas.

  “We know because not only did I get a quest, but Shayde clearly understood the situation. I was just following his lead.”

  The cat continues walking, silently, for a moment, scorn and derision filling her next question.

  “You’re willing to trust an incorporeal shadowy figure, whom you met yesterday, with your life and freedom, Human?”

  Confusion wars with annoyance as I find myself baffled by the insinuation, unable to fathom why the hell she’s so worried.

  “What? He’s a skill, Delilah! Why, and how, would he betray me? Etherian Hell, Delilah, I kind of just acted out of instinct!”

  “It is clearly sapient, you bumpkin! There is no universal law that says skills can never hurt their wielders, Human. People with summoning skills have to work with their summons for a long time to build up trust and maintain it. If it can think, it can act. If it can act, it can make mistakes. And instinct might be useful in certain situations, but you should learn when and when not to act.”

  I stare dumbfoundedly, baffled by this revelation. I open my mouth to reply several times, with not a word coming out. Finally, I muster up a response. One that has a distinct feeling of deflection in it.

  “I also got a quest…”

  Even I must admit that my statement falls flat. My meek tone definitely doesn’t help, but I can’t help but to feel chagrin. Her voice comes out softer, with more warmth, as she responds. The words she chooses show that she actually cares about my well-being.

  “That just means that it was correct this time, Human, and I’ll be the first to admit that your way was indeed quicker than if we had let them delay us. Just keep in mind to take some more things with a grain of salt. You’re too gullible and naive. One of these days you’re going to get yourself killed.”

  She must have just been really worried about me… I can’t fault her for that. Though she could have been less abrasive.

  We walk on in silence for a while as I make my way unhurriedly through the streets, subconsciously making progress toward the alchemist’s shop. My thoughts wander, recalling the moment with perfect clarity as we travel. It continues to repeat itself, the vivid, disturbing imagery causing me to shiver.

  …

  “Stay outside, Delilah.”

  Before the words are fully uttered, Delilah jumps up on her barrel, which I note has been moved a couple inches. Walking up to the door, I glance at the wooden sign hanging from the eave for the very first time.

  “Aeldwen’s Alchemical Sellery”

  Simple, but the weaslaxi colloquialisms are strange at times. Wow, I can’t believe that this is the first time I’m finding out what this place is called. I’ve been here a few times now, I should really be more observant.

  Sam stands in their customary spot behind the counter. When they see me, they look… yeah, the same as ever. Emotionless. They’re currently in the form of an old bolgen woman, the go’ari’s rainbow hair and eyes contrasting sharply with the maroon skin.

  “Welcome back, sir. How may I be of assistance today?”

  This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

  Their tone is as flat as it always is, but I take no offense. It’s not like they can help it, after all, as it’s really just part of who they are.

  “Hey, Sam! I’ve got some more stuff to sell you.”

  I proceed to list off what I have, causing Sam to lift an eyebrow, shocking me with their outburst of emotion. Yeah, I know, a raised brow is not generally considered an outburst. This, however, is Sam. A go’ari that falls into the emotionless side, rather than the polar opposite extreme.

  In the end, I earned a whole two bronze and two tin rings. Sam bought all of the cloudberry bush parts, the wolfhawk beaks and feathers, and the hoglin warts and teeth. Not a bad take away, all things considered. Not bad at all.

  …

  “Alrighty and no lefty, let’s go get something to eat. I’m starving!”

  My stomach lets out a loud gurgle, as if in response to my declaration. This makes me chuckle a bit, even though most might not see the humor in the coincidence as I do.

  “Human… Please, never say that again…”

  The exasperation she sends through our bond makes a mischievous grin grace my lips as I revel in her minor misery.

  “What? Alrighty and no lefty? What’s wrong with that?”

  Delilah opts not to respond, causing me to chuckle mirthfully. Koa brings the conversation back to the intended topic, which I’m grateful for, and I imagine the cat is, too.

  “What are you going to eat, Father?”

  I wrack my brain for an idea, any idea, but I’m unable to come up with anything after a minute of thinking about it.

  Maybe I’ll just have to figure that out as we go…

  My internal thoughts voiced to myself, the response I give sounds slow and contemplative.

  “I’m not sure yet. Honestly, it’s been so long since I’ve had good food that I wouldn’t know the first thing about what I should order. I figure I’ll walk around until I smell something good, then see if I can afford it.”

  The cat barks a laugh through our bond, clearly amused by what I said.

  “What? What’s funny about that?”

  Honestly, I’m kind of just glad she isn’t upset anymore…

  “Human, have you forgotten that you are moderately wealthy now? Well, for an urchin.”

  Freezing mid-step, I look down at my feline friend, realization dawning like the sun rises in the east. My face contorts into several expressions, one after another. Bafflement, confusion, denial, understanding, then finally, elation.

  “I never really thought about it that way! This… this changes everything! We need to find a tailor! They won’t let me eat in the better places if I’m dressed like this.”

  As I look around, scanning the area for my target destination, a boy runs by shouting at the crowd.

  “Huge news! Hear the big story, only one copper!”

  I reach out to stop the boy.

  Since I’m slowly making my way up the rungs of society, I should pay more attention to the world around me. Funny, I never thought I’d care about anything that happened outside of my tiny little bubble.

  “Hey, kid. I’ll buy that news from you.”

  He gives me a skeptical look, but ends up shrugging his shoulders. His hand comes up in an obvious gesture.

  “As long as ya got the copper, that’s fine. Gotta pay up front though!”

  “Of course.”

  I place four copper rings into his hand, wrapping his fingers around it in order to prevent prying eyes from catching the additional payment. His eyes go wide, and he looks at me with a tiny gleam in his eye. After he leans in close to me I bend down to hear his quiet words.

  “Thanks, mister! The news is this: The Ildan Empire has declared war! Those alden bastards are coming to kill us all, no offense meant to you.”

  “None taken.”

  The boy nods, as if he expected no other response. His next words send a chill down my spine.

  “Word is they’re gonna start calling in every man to serve their lords. The Mercenary Guild is hiring like there’s no tomorrow! Anyone 18 or older will have to join the war. Anyways, don’t tell anyone, kay? That’s my job!”

  “Sure, sure…”

  My mind is not on my response so much as weighing the pros and cons of signing myself up with one of the mercenaries as the boy runs off into the crowded street, calling out to all that would listen.

  The risks include the standard occupational hazards that come with joining the guild and getting stuck there for life, which would be bad for my Heart Vows. Those two aside, I can’t think of any more. That said, those risks are severe on their own.

  Any benefits? There’s the pay. That ought to be better than my current income. I will have ample opportunity to grow stronger, which pairs well with the extra time I will have to solve my current issues. Not only that, I just killed two guards. This can help me escape that.

  Mind made up, I look at my crazy cat companion.

  “Let’s go find a tailor.”

  …

  When we arrive at our destination, I hesitate before walking in. Tailors are known to be quite judgemental, so I have to have to tread carefully, lest I be kicked out.

  Upon entering, the smell of fabric wafts around me, which is not terrible if I’m being honest. I am immediately spotted by the elderly woman who seems to run the place. She adopts a scowl as she crosses her arms. Her tone is harsh, but not to the point of malice.

  “Our cheapest outfit is three tin rings, boy. Can you afford that?”

  A brief glance at my hovering scroll, which automatically changed to the inventory page, tells me that I can.

  Inventory A: 100% capacity (0% Volume Inefficiency)

  1 bronze ring

  5 tin rings

  2 iron rings

  1 steel ring

  “Yes, ma’am. I can afford that.”

  The woman grunts and nods once, though her tone is only mildly softer than before. She shuffles over to me, examining my body from head to toe.

  “Hmph! Well, I don’t care how you got the money, boy, just that you have it. At least you’re polite, that raises my opinion of you. Marginally. Turn around, let me get a good look at you.”

  After doing just that, she indicates a raised platform for me to stand on, following me over with a thin leather belt of some sort. I notice notches spaced evenly across the whole length of it. As she stretches it around my waste and measures several other dimensions with it, she nods again before looking me straight in the eyes.

  “What’s your budget?”