It did not take SJ long to find the mill, its large sails visible over the rooftops. It was situated on the lakeside in the middle of a large field of crops, and just down from it was a low-fronted, single-storey building. As SJ approached the building, she could feel the air change as though it was charged with static after a thunderstorm, but there was no rain in the skies.

In the front yard, SJ saw several Mages dressed in various robes. Most were made of a cloth similar to her starter clothes; she realized how out of place she now looked wearing her beautiful dress. One of the mages was standing, concentrating a small flame flickering in and out of existence on his palm.

"Hi," SJ said.

"Damn," the Mage said, turning and glaring at her. "What?"

"Sorry. I did not mean to disturb you. I was looking for Francisca?"

"If you mean the Mistress, she is down at the water with one of the Water Mages."

"Oh. Thank you," SJ continued toward the lake's edge and saw a small jetty leading into the water. Two figures stood at the end of the jetty. The bright morning sun reflected off the lake's surface, making it difficult to see them. Only their outlines were visible, and SJ could see that one of them had a pair of wings. Her heart leapt in excitement.

"Hello," She called as she approached, not wanting to sneak up on them.

Both figures turned round, looking at her.

"Can I help you?" A female Elf said in a haughty tone now that SJ had neared them.

"I was looking for Mistress Francisca?"

The Fae turned around, and SJ stared in surprise at the Fae. All Fae she had ever seen were beautiful creatures, but this Fae had been hit with the ugly stick. She resembled the wicked witch from snow white. Craggily and old with a huge hairy wart on the end of her nose.

"Are you Mistress Francisca?"

"I am," the Fae replied in a cracking voice; she looked ancient.

"I am SJ, and you are the only other of our kind I have seen here. I was hoping for some advice."

"The apprenticeship scheme is full currently. However, we should have a space in a couple of weeks. If you are interested, you can leave your name and contact details with Gilbert at the building, and we will contact you when we have a space."

"Oh, no. I'm sorry. I think you misunderstand. I am not here for Mage's Apprenticeship."

"Then why are you here?" Francisca replied, raising an eyebrow.

"I was hoping to ask you some questions about being Fae."

"I am busy now and do not have time to discuss 'our' kind."

"I didn't mean to disturb you. I was just so excited to find that there was another Fae in town. I would be grateful for any time you can spare."

"Not now. Let Gilbert know where you are staying, and if I have time after classes today, I may call in and see you," she replied. Turning her back on SJ, she continued talking to the Elf.

SJ just stood still for several moments before realising the conversation was over and turned to walk back up the jetty.

"Well, she was rude," Dave said.

"Very. I am not sure what her problem was. I would have thought she would have been happy to see another Fae."

"And did you see the size of that hairy wart on her nose," Dave chuckled. "She has to be the ugliest Fae I have ever seen."

SJ found Gilbert at the building. He was a short Goblin, which surprised SJ, as she had not expected to see a Goblin working with Mages, especially as she knew they could not be Mages. She left her details, saying that she was staying at The Hogling Arms.

Feeling dejected after her run-in with the first of her new race, she trudged back to town. The first place she found was the Tanner's. After asking directions, she located the one run by a Kobold of all creatures. The small lizard-like humanoid greeted her with a toothy grin when she walked up.

"Good Morning. Zej said that you are the best Tanner in the town and to see you about some new starter gear."

"Morning. Did he now? I wonder what he is after this time?"

"Sorry?"

"Zej usually sends business my way when he is after a favour."

"Oh. He said you were his friend?"

"We are, but he is a one for calling in favours. 'You remember when I sent so and so to come and buy from you blah, blah, blah … well could you just…' he is a repeat offender," Jacob had imitated Zej's voice perfectly, and SJ could not help but laugh.

Jacob smiled even wider, showing off his bright, white, sharp teeth.

"Toothbrush," SJ blurted.

"Sorry?" Jacob frowned.

"I just remembered I need a toothbrush. Sorry. Do you have any decent starter gear you can suggest for me?"

"What exactly are you after?"

"I don't know. I know I need a water canteen and could use a new belt. This one is not the best," SJ had been wearing the starter belt around her dress, which didn't match.

"Let me see. Let me see. Ah, here we go," Jacob pulled out a small list of items. "See if this has most of what you want on it?"

SJ took the list from Jacob and read it

Adventurers Starter Pack

1 x Backpack (6 slots), 1 x Bedroll, 1 x Blanket, 5 x 12hr torches, 1 x Standard water skin (can be upgraded to a large)

"I can't wear a backpack, unfortunately," SJ said, moving her wings.

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"Good point. So, strike that off. Bedroll, Blanket, Torches, and Waterskin, then? Would you prefer standard or large?"

"What's the difference?"

"Large contains two days supply, standard only one."

"I will take a large then, please. How much is all this?"

"Umm. Removing the backpack and upgrading to a large skin," Jacob stood there, bobbing his head from side to side as he did mental maths. "Let's say all-in. I will let you have them for 12 copper."

SJ nearly choked. She had been expecting a much higher price to be quoted. "Sure," SJ replied, calling 12 copper from her inventory.

"Give me a minute; I will just get everything," Jacob disappeared inside his store, and she heard cursing, swearing, and things falling over until he returned a couple of minutes later carrying everything. Jacob dropped it on the stall counter at the front of the store. "Here you go."

SJ looked over the items. Everything was common grade but had good durability. After handing over the 12 copper, she collected the items, picked them up, and thanked Jacob. She had walked away from the stall when she suddenly remembered about her belt.

"Forgot the belt," SJ said quietly.

"I am sure we can get one from Zej's fancy lady," Dave replied.

SJ chuckled. "I need to go and drop this stuff off at the Inn."

"Can I ask a question?" Dave enquired politely.

"Erm. Of course, what is it?"

"Are you really that stupid?" Dave said in as polite a manner as he could muster.

"Stupid? What do you mean?"

"Why are we going back to the Inn?"

"To drop the items off so I do not need to carry them everywhere," SJ replied, frowning.

"You are that stupid then," Dave replied.

"Sorry?"

"Oh my god. Do I have to say it to you?"

“Say what?”

“Innnnvvvvveeeeennnnnttttoooorrrrrryyyyyyyy.”

SJ stopped dead in her tracks, and if her hands had not been full, she would have facepalmed. Closing her eyes and calming herself from her own admitted stupidity, she thought about the items moving to her inventory, and they did. She was glad she had emptied it and left the contents in the suite; otherwise, she would not have had room to carry everything.

"Okay, Dave. On this one occasion, I will give you that one."

Dave was still laughing hysterically.

"Enough, Dave, please."

"Sorry," he gasped, still sniggering.

SJ could feel her cheeks now glowing from embarrassment walking down the street lugging her wares when she could have just dropped them into her inventory. How stupid she felt. She pulled her shoulders back and tried to walk along aloofly, ignoring the heat she felt in her cheeks.

"What are you doing?" Dave asked.

"Nothing."

"Why are you walking like you have a Troll's club up your butt."

"I am just walking properly."

"You look like a weirdo."

"Why, thanks, and what is it with you and Troll sayings?"

"Oh. I don't have a favourite. I can use many races to throw insults or comments if needed. Would you like me to share some of my favourites with you?"

"Not at the moment, thanks."

SJ continued listening to Dave, grumbling that she didn't want to hear his comments and trying to ignore him. Reaching the town centre, SJ looked around the various stalls, wondering who Greta was. There were various races running stalls. Elves, Gnomes, Orcs, Dwarves, Humans. Looking at the wares they were selling, she cut it down to two options. A Dwarf or an Elf. SJ approached the nearest stall where the female Elf stood.

"Morning. Are you Greta by chance?" SJ asked.

The Elven woman turned and looked at SJ. "Do I look like a Greta?" she replied with disdain.

"Sorry."

SJ walked over to the Dwarf. She stood four feet tall and looked about four feet round. She had long, blonde hair braided down her back and a matching braided beard. The only visible difference between male and female dwarves was her obvious bosom.

"Morning. Are you Greta?"

"I am, and who may you be?" Greta asked beaming.

Greta's cheeks were rosy and had a friendly and motherly look.

"I am SJ. Zej said you may be able to help me source the items I need to start adventuring."

"Oh. The sly old hound. I bet he did. He has a soft spot for me, you know."

"That is what he said about you," SJ said, smiling.

"The cheeky upstart, did he? You wait til I see him next."

SJ knew she wasn't annoyed by the way she responded, and her woman's intuition kicked in, making it obvious that she knew that she knew. Greta just smiled, her rosy cheeks going a little rosier.

"I need some basic supplies if you have them. Rations, Toothbrush, just general bits and pieces."

"Well, you have come to the right place. Please browse, and if there is anything you can't see, then please let me know."

The stall was full of all sorts of items. It reminded SJ of hardware stores back on Earth that sold little of everything. She spent longer than expected to browse, as she picked up, and looked at various items. She had no idea what they were. In the end, she had created a small pile of items she wished to purchase. She had not even thought about most of them until she had seen them.

Hairbrush, Toothbrush, Toothpaste, Hand Mirror, Nail File, Soap, Plate, Mug, Cooking Pot, Cleaning cloth, Poncho, and two days of dry rations.

Once she finished assembling her pile of wares, she called Greta over, who had been unpacking some crates behind the stall.

"Oh. What have we got here, then? Let me see," Greta reached behind the stall and took out a small notebook and pencil.

"Oh. Do you have a notebook and pencil as well?"

"Sorry. No. You need to go and see the arrogant Elf over there," Greta indicated with her head. It was the Elf SJ had spoken to before, and she winced slightly.

"Okay. How much for this lot?"

Greta finished scribbling some figures down before replying. "Seventeen copper, and with the Poncho, that would be 25 in total, but since you are a friend of Zej, I will let you have it all for twenty copper."

"That is great. Thank you," SJ said, withdrawing twenty copper.

Greta packed the items into a canvas bag and handed it to SJ.

"If you need anything else, do come back."

"I will thank you, Greta," SJ replied, smiling.

She turned to look at the Elven woman. The woman was busy talking to a customer, so she skipped getting a notebook and pencil and headed back to the Inn. It was mid-morning now after she had visited all the different locations, and as she entered the Inn, it had started to get livelier. She walked in, waved to Kerys, and headed straight to her room.

Emptying the bag's contents and her inventory onto the bed, she sorted through what she had bought. Picking up the Toothbrush and paste, she prioritised brushing her teeth. The small hand mirror was placed on top of the mantle surrounding the fireplace. Once she had finished, she returned to the bed and started looking through her items. She could not fit everything into her inventory, so she had to prioritise what she took.

"Dave?"

"Yep."

"How do I increase my inventory?"

"Oh, there are several ways. The easiest is to increase Strength. Then you can also get backpacks with slots and bags of holding. There are also some rare storage items, rings, pendants, etc."

"How does the Strength increase work with inventory?"

"It is like increasing the carrying limit; for every three in Strength above level 10, you can gain one extra slot."

"Does that start when your Strength reaches ten or above?"

"No, it doesn't start until it reaches 13, which adds the first slot. That is why warriors, or the fighting classes, can always carry so much more."

"Is there not a weight restriction?"

"Of sorts, but it is not like you would think from Earth. Items can fit across multiple slots. An example is a two-handed sword, which can be carried in your inventory but would take up three slots; any two-handed weapon would. One-handed weapons take up two slots, and minor weapons take up only one slot. For example, a dagger acts as a minor weapon, the same as your claws."

"Carrying loot out of a dungeon can be challenging then."

"Yes. Many parties take a mule and cart into a dungeon for loot hauling or leave all materials of certain poorer qualities behind. Very wasteful in my opinion as many do not even spend the time combining lower rank materials," Dave sighed. "Some Legionnaires are so lazy when it comes to making the most of what they find."

"I will be limited unless I can carry a backpack. How much do bags of holding cost?"

"A lot. The cheapest I have ever seen was a ten-slot on the auction house, and it was being sold for twenty-five gold."

"Twenty-five gold! Wow."

"As a tailor, you can make them eventually."

"Really?"

"Yes. Although you would need an enchanter as well to do the enchantments."

"That sounds profitable."

"They are highly sought after; the largest, I think, allows fifty slots."

"With my ten slots in my inventory, I could end up with five hundred slots," SJ's eyes were wide in amazement at what she could carry.

"Potentially more with Strength buffs increasing inventory slots."

The fact she would be able to carry so much based on the number of slots compared to weight was unimaginable. "Is there anything you can't store in your inventory?"

"Body parts."

"Why would someone want to store body parts?"

"Necromancers and Warlocks use body parts for some of their rituals and spells."

"They walk around with body parts hanging from their belts?"

"No. There are special bags which they can get to store them in."

"I need to get to level 5 as fast as possible and start levelling my tailoring skill."

"Yes, you do."

SJ selected the items she wanted to take to the Crypt and placed them in her inventory.

“No time like the present to complete my first Quest.”