Nil was promoted to D-rank. Orin was given the right to produce and sell masterwork-quality items. I was promoted to E-rank a month ago. Since my promotion wasn't today, I was stuck buying the first round and dinner. I had taken Nil and Orin to an adventure bar, and Nil absolutely refused to drink there because when she asked for a wine list, the waitress said, "Why would we need a list? We only have one kind."
Nil then led us to an upscale inn where we were properly seated, as Nil's third cousin owned the place. But we still had to pay. Our dinners cost 18 cp each and 49 cp for the first bottle of elven wine. We got drunk. Then Nil insisted we get the most expensive elven wine, but since she was drunk at the time, she bought the whole barrel for 15 small gold coins—which was a rip-off. Nil and I got rooms, and Orin walked home.
I woke up violently hungover. But at least in that fancy inn, I used the bath and drank a complimentary anti-hangover potion, which almost helped. Nil dragged me to the Adventurers Guild main hall, to a room with quests posted on the wall.
"Why are we here? Can't we take a day off after last night?" I complained.
"Oh, you are part human, aren't you? Full elves can't get hungover. Well, at least you get the intrinsic magic of humans and the senses of elves," Nil said.
"I would kill to have the ability to not get hungover right now."
"Oh, this is a good contract."
Guild Quest –
There have been adventurer reports of a partially collapsed portion of the Infinite City exposing a vault with a symbol akin to the Cult of Undeath. If you take this quest, you are to confirm or deny the Cult of Undeath's ownership of the vault. Around the vault entrance, there are confirmed reports of alchemical fire. You are to escort a member of the Alchemist Guild to put out said fire. You are also required to map the area in detail. Kill any undead cult members or abominations if safely possible, then return.
Rewards
Complete mission – 700 silver coins
Bonus – killing Cult of Undeath abominations – 100 steel pieces
Any cult artifacts will be paid based on power and importance
Will pay 50 steel coins for any new information
"Well, that is a good payday," I said.
"Yes, also a quest to kill anything made by undeath is great. It also plays well with why I was promoted," Nil said.
We accepted the quest. But first, we had to go to the town of Ashville to get the alchemist. The guild offered us a second job: escorting a merchant carrying D- and C-rank alchemical goods to Ashville. Since we were going there anyway, we took the extra job—12 silver pay each.
"My name is Marlo of Vats Trade Emporium. And your names?" Marlo said.
"My name is Nil, and my companion is Tern. We'll be escorting you to Ashville, is that correct? Also, will there need to be any stops for you to pick up more goods, or is it just a straight shot?"
"Well, we'll just be going straight, but is it just going to be you two?" Marlo asked.
"Yeah, is that going to be a problem?" I asked.
"Well, there are rumors that 'Laughing' Bill Vex and Sable Ringo have been seen out there," Marlo said.
"If the sightings were credible, the guild would have assigned your escort to a B- or A-rank team. So it'll be fine."
"Well, if you say so—you're the professionals."
On the road to Ashville, we rode on Marlo's stagecoach, modified to carry cargo. Marlo claimed that "Highwaymen wouldn't rob it because they can't see the cargo."
"That's just not true, Marlo. I lived on the road from age 30 to 150. I've seen bandits and highwaymen rob every type of transport. I've even seen someone try to rob a donkey—nothing else, just a donkey, not even saddlebags," I said.
Laughing, Nil asked, "How did that go, trying to rob a donkey?"
"Unknown to him, the guy the donkey belonged to was an A-rank adventurer—and the donkey and the adventurer kicked the crap out of the robber."
"Well, that's why you're here: to kick the crap out of people who try to rob me. Also, how are you so old?"
"I'm a half-elf," I sighed, thinking Marlo was going to be upset, since humans typically had more hate for 'half-breeds'.
To Marlo's credit, he didn't seem to care. He then continued, after it started to get dark, "So now we best stop for the night."
On the second day, Marlo made us stop to pick some wild Sunfire thistle.
"Why are we stopped? There might be bandits. I don't want to kill anyone today," I said.
"Sunfire thistle is a valuable trade good. They make a great sauce for chicken," Marlo said.
"Marlo, I don't care how good it is. Get back in the cart," I said.
"Well well well. Look what we got here. Is that you, Tern?"
I looked up and saw a man by the name of Grinth. "Marlo, get back in the fucking cart!" I said.
"Well now, Tern, you're an adventurer. How 'bout that," Grinth snarled.
"Tern, who is this?" Nil asked.
"Red-Eyed Grinth. He has a 30,000 cp bounty on his head, dead or alive. He got his start robbing tools from the King's Road construction sites," I said, not taking my eyes off Grinth.
"Did you not hear? It was raised to 45,000 cp. Maybe if I kill and rob you lot, they'll raise it to 50,000 cp. Wouldn't that be grand?"
Four men jumped from the bushes, holding daggers and pointing them at me and Marlo, now in the cart.
"Give me that nice sword now," one of them said.
I pulled my sword from its sheath and turned slightly to see the man.
"Tern, don't do something you'll regret. Put down that sword and I might let you live."
I killed the man in front of me.
"Gods damn it, Tern," Grinth yelled, pulling his weapon—an Emberbrand Cleaver, one of ten identical swords.
I slipped a lesser essence core into the gap in my hilt, and blue flames erupted from the blade.
I heard Nil jump from the roof of the cart to the ground, then say, "Keep those horses steady now, Marlo."
"Okay," Marlo said, half an octave higher than normal.
I stopped moving for a moment, thinking: the willpower it takes to kill a monster is little—it's kill or be killed. But to kill another intelligent being… that hurts the mind. Still, it doesn't matter in the heat of battle.
"Tern, are you all right?" Nil asked.
"What? Yeah, I'm fine."
Author's Note – Lore Tidbit
Some beings are near the power of a god but not all the way "god"—like the Prime Garuda and the Prime Naga. One of them kills the other, and an egg is set somewhere in the world. When that happens, the world enters an Age of Garuda or an Age of Naga, depending on who won their conflict.
What this means for the intelligent races is complicated, but at the most basic level: in the Age of Naga, the world sees more snake-like monsters and creatures; in the Age of Garuda, more bird-like monsters and creatures appear. The species of lizardfolk prefer the Age of Naga, while most other intelligent races prefer the Age of Garuda.
In the great cycle, the world shifts—and so do its people.