[coronatiger]

Thoughts on October 19th

Everyone met up for breakfast. Nobody had come knocking on our door last night, but Leopold informed us now about what they’d discovered yesterday. He and Va’lyndra had been questioned before entering town and Leopold thought that someone had followed them for a while. They hadn’t been able to find Master Gnomus at the adventurers’ guild, but had met his daughter, who manned the desk in his absence. They returned to the knowledge guild with unfinished business.

Ilzo had discovered that someone was asking questions about us in Urdon and informed Leopold and Va’lyndra when they got back. Leopold decided to spend the evening writing a letter to Gnomus – in gnomish so fewer people would understand it if it fell into the wrong hands – about us finishing the quest and that we couldn’t come inside town for the time being. He also wrote about the loot we wanted to sell. He and Va’lyndra paid someone here to deliver the letter and hopefully return with a reply.

I thanked Leopold for the books he had given me. They weren’t at all what I had thought. Olivia turned bright red, so I changed the topic. I said that Fabian would like a trip into town, thinking that nobody here should connect him to us. Leopold replied that it wouldn’t be good if Fabian decided to set up a show, but I reassured him that I only wanted to go to the guild to buy potions. Leopold thought that it would be best if we waited for the courier to return, possibly with an answer from Gnomus.

Waiting and relaxing sounded fine to me. I entertained the knowledge guild with acrobatics and spent some time with Olivia. At dinner, Va’lyndra received a reply. Gnomus had written back, saying that a representative for the quest giver as well as a representative for Gnomus would like to meet us near a certain boulder in the woods, north-east of town, tomorrow morning. Va’lyndra knew the location and explained it was about an hour from here.

Sensing that I was about to bring up Fabian’s trip to town, Leopold asked if I had any identification papers for my other shape. I said I had the papers we got in Fort Glory. Leopold wasn’t sure those would pass here, but I told him I wasn’t planning on going through the gate anyway. The palisade around Urdon was only four meters high, and it shouldn’t be very difficult to reach it unseen by the guards. The guard posts were just outside the gates, and there was a lot of wall between them.

I agreed that I wouldn’t go to town before we had finished our quest. Speaking of which, I proposed that Va’lyndra and I snuck over there early in case it was a trap.


Thoughts on October 20th

We rose well before dawn to prepare. We pulled the captives from their cells and loaded up Leopold’s pony with all the loot except for the steam cannon, which Ilzo was going to pull on its sled. Initially, I wanted to pack up everything on the horses, in case we had to leave after the meeting, but I was reminded that if that was the case, we had to fetch Neriel first, so we might as well leave our baggage at the knowledge guild, too.

Va’lyndra and I kept our own pace when we left and soon lost sight of the slower party following. We found the boulder at the rendezvous, and were the first to arrive, just as the sun rose. We searched the area to make sure nobody was hiding in ambush. Va’lyndra found tracks that indicated that this place was used as a meeting place once in a while, although no-one had been here recently.

I climbed the boulder and performed for Va’lyndra and any forest animals that were curious about the two-legs. Va’lyndra kept an eye on the surroundings, but appreciated my performance with the other. She even complimented my skill, which is a rarity from my companions (except for Olivia, obviously). They’ve seen so many shows that it takes something extra to impress them.

Olivia arrived with Leopold, Ilzo and the captives, and I jumped down from my perch to give her a hug. They hadn’t had any trouble on the way. Just a few minutes later, we spotted another group through the trees. It looked like five Urdon city guards, one of whom was on horseback, escorting a dandy who wasn’t accustomed to the forest at all. He startled at every sound and seemed quite out of place in his fancy get-up. The riding city guard turned out to be Fidel Sidel, a scion of Urdon’s ruling family. I suddenly felt bad for our captives. Lord Fidel had a mean streak and was likely to torture them, in my opinion.

It was the dandy who took the initiative, though. He consulted a document and asked to speak to me privately, so we walked out of earshot, if not out of sight. The dandy introduced himself as Sulle Karlsen and said that he represented the bank in Urdon. He invited me to an auction. I blinked in surprise, for I hadn’t expected him to have anything to do with the adventurers’ guild, but I guess we do business with civilians too. Sulle mistook my surprise and asked if I knew what he was talking about. I said yes.

He explained about the auction, which would be conducted in a different way than I was used to. It would be done remotely. I needed to report anything I wanted to sell within a month, and the auction itself would be held the following month. I asked about the details of how the auction was going to go, but regretted it immediately. It was so complicated it gave me a headache and I called Va’lyndra over. Sulle said he wasn’t at liberty to discuss the matter with anyone else, but he gave me a letter, which purportedly contained the specifics. I could peruse it at my leisure; I gave it to Va’lyndra as soon as he turned his back.

We returned to the others, and Lord Fidel thanked us for handling the bandits. He instructed his men to take the captives off our hands and gave me a heavy pouch that I passed on to Olivia. Leopold asked if Lord Fidel wanted to buy the weapons and armor that we took from the bandit camp. Lord Fidel considered the steam cannon, first. He offered two hundred gold for it. Since nobody else replied, I declared, “Sold!” Va’lyndra asked how much he’d pay to learn how to use it, but Lord Fidel knew we weren’t eager to come into town, so he said he’d figure it out. He counted out the gold for the weapon and gave it to Va’lyndra.

Lord Fidel got one of his men to inspect the rest of the loot, except for the crossbow that Ilzo had hanging on his back. I thought it looked too small for him, but I guessed it would do fine for a practice weapon.

After discussing with his man in a low voice, Lord Fidel offered a hundred and five gold for the lot. Leopold stated that we’d get a lot more elsewhere and Lord Fidel adjusted his price. A hundred and twenty was as high as he could go. I had no idea about the real value of the weapons and armor, but Leopold accepted, so I supposed it was all right.

Lord Fidel asked if we were planning to go east and reminded us that there was another pack of bandits that needed to be taken care of. Leopold replied that we didn’t know where we were going next. Lord Fidel hinted at a mission for us if we were heading for Garuk in the north, but Leopold repeated that we didn’t know where we were going to go.

Once the townsfolk had left, I asked if we should split the profits. Olivia gathered up the money from Va’lyndra and divided it all up according to our agreement. She got a smaller share than the rest of us, but unlike me, accepted it as fair since she didn’t take part in the dangerous stuff. She also didn’t have the same expenses as the rest of us, who carried a fortune each in weapons and armor. Leopold said the three flight potions we had used to enter the bandit camp should be reimbursed before we divided up the rest of the money. At forty-seven gold each, they were quite expensive.

While Olivia recalculated, I asked Va’lyndra when the demonologist was arriving at the knowledge guild. She said they might come today, or it could take a week. I asked if we should just hang out at the guild until they arrived. I wanted to take the other bandit quest, but their hunting grounds were almost a week away from here. Leopold informed us he had several research projects to occupy his time, and thought that Ilzo could use the time to learn the crossbow. Ilzo also wasn’t completely healed up yet. If it was urgent, healing potions could make him fit for fight, but while they aren’t that expensive individually, it adds up over time.

On the way back towards the knowledge guild compound, I asked the others if there were any potions they wanted me to get for them in Urdon. I intended to sneak into town tomorrow morning. Ilzo wanted a pile of healing potions, unexpectedly, both salves and elixirs. Va’lyndra wanted two flight potions and a water breathing potion. Leopold wasn’t sure what he’d need, but thought he should at least get a flight potion. I explained about my go-to potions for powered fighting. A potion of speed would let him move slightly faster and would also make it easier to dodge incoming attacks, while a potion of battle would improve his fighting skills. Va’lyndra proposed a potion of fear, which you throw at the enemy and watch as he runs away in terror. She also convinced him to get a potion of true sight. Restocking a few healing potions wouldn’t be a bad idea either.

When Va’lyndra and Leopold began talking about magic, I soon distanced myself from the conversation. Leopold wondered if it would be possible to separate a “power stone” from a staff that he didn’t care to lug around. He’d rather have the stone set into jewelry.