'I didn't expect it to be such a sore topic for you,' Bandlor thought, still shuddering on the nightstand.

'You were getting too cheeky for my taste,' Adam replied. 'I needed to remind you of your place.'

'Just you wait until I'm back in my body!' Bandlor flapped his wings wildly at the half-elf.

Adam pulled up his blanket, readying himself for slumber. 'You know, Bandlor, I've been thinking… I met Arya not that long ago, but she wasn't in this realm, was she?'

'No, she wasn't. Why?'

'Are there gods that walk on these lands?'

'Demi-gods, yes. Arya was one, though that was many years ago.'

'She's your daughter, right?'

'Yes.'

'Who is her mother?'

'Her mother is…' Bandlor fell silent.

Adam waited for a while before he realised that Bandlor wasn't going to tell him. 'Do you have any other children?' he asked, changing the topic for the godly owl.

'I have a few. I have more than any of my siblings,' he said, puffing up his chest.

'Do you have any with your siblings?' Adam asked, wondering if Bandlor was like the gods from his world.

'Of course not! That's far too weird. I know some other gods have, even my siblings have, but there's no glory in it!'

Adam wasn't sure what Bandlor meant by it, but kept his mouth shut anyway.

'How many demi-gods roam the planet?'

'A few hundred, I think.'

'A few hundred?!' Adam pulled down the blanket and stared at the owl. 'Really? Isn't that a lot?'

'No, not particularly. That doesn't include the pseudo-gods either.'

'Pseudo-gods?'

'Those that are strong enough to ascend into godhood, but have yet to. There's quite the number of them, though they usually prefer to remain as mortals. Being a god isn't all it's cracked up to be.'

For some reason Adam couldn't really think of Bandlor as a god. Bandlor was less of a god, and more like that best friend who wanted to get drunk with you every weekend.

‘Anyway, I should be sleeping. Good night, Bandlor.’

‘Good night, Adam.’

Adam bathed in the morning, wanting to enjoy the faculties of civilisation. The baths here were almost identical to those in Red Oak, though they were a touch bigger here.

He stepped into the common room to see his party already there, speaking with one another before they noted his presence.

“If you would please come with me,” called a silky voice. Adam turned his head to see the most attractive man he had ever seen. Dark brown hair flowing down like curving rivers, striking hazel eyes, which stared deep into Adam's soul. His figure was chiselled from a block of bronze, tall and lean, a dancer's build. He smiled a pearl-white smile. He wore the guild uniform that he had seen from the pair of women yesterday, the dark grey contrasting his skin.

Adam’s heart skipped a beat. For a moment Adam wondered if he was gay. It would explain why he didn’t see the devilwoman’s advancement.

‘I’m not gay, am I?’ Adam thought to himself.

‘This guy! What’s with his attractiveness?!’ Bandlor flapped atop Adam’s head.

The guild worker waited for the group to follow him towards the back, where several pouches awaited them on a set of tables. There was another man waiting for them, a half-orc. He had short dark hair, hazel eyes, and a piercing between his nostrils. He was tall and built like a beast, and his face was certainly beastly as well, especially in comparison to the other guild worker beside him. The half-orc wore thick plate mail, marred and nicked through years of battle.

“So these are the folk stealing from my guild, eh?” The half-orc snorted, glaring between them all.

“Aye, we are,” Andal said.

“I should have known it was you, bald-beard!”

Andal did not reply at the half-orc's agitation, remaining as still as an untouched lake.

“Guild Master, please,” the handsome guild worker said.

“It’s no fun when he doesn’t respond.” The Guild Master sighed. His eyes fell across each of the adventurers, flashing between them all. His eyes lingered on Adam for a moment and he squinted suspiciously at the half-elf. “You,” he said, accusatory. “You are the one who sparred one of the steel ranked adventurers, right?”

Adam nodded his head slowly, recalling the cocky citywoman he managed to swin-- lawfully obtain gold from. “That’s me,” Adam said.

“And why are you only bronze ranked, boy?” The Guild Master clicked his teeth at Adam.

Adam had thought it was a rhetorical question, but when the Guild Master raised his brow, Adam's mind began to quicken into thought. “I want to be,” Adam replied. He resisted facepalming himself.

The Guild Master shook his head, and clicked his teeth again. “Well, enjoy your reward.” He motioned an arm towards the pouches. “I’ve sorted the coinage for each of you. It's mostly gems, since we don't carry that kind of coinage around. Double check if you want, but all of you have received the same amount, except for your leader.” The half-orc motioned his head to Andal.

Adam’s eyes remained fixated on the pouches, waiting for the others to pick theirs, before grabbing a pouch. It was quite the hefty little thing.

Currency

70 Gold, 27 Silver, 73 Copper, 2x Obsidian Disks (10G), 1x White Tiger Eye (20G)

->

170 Gold, 77 Silver, 123 Copper, 22x Obsidian Disks (10G), 1x White Tiger Eye (20G), 50 Onyx (50G)

‘Whoa! I’m so rich!’ Adam hid the pouch at his side. He had made over two thousand gold from the quests. With all this gold, he'd be able to buy and scribe so many new spells. If only he hadn’t left his spell scrolls behind.

Yet, there was something off about it. Shouldn’t they had made more money? This was the reward for the dragon slaying, the dragon carcass, and the golems, wasn’t it? The dragon had been split a few ways, but he assumed the dragon carcass would have sold for a large amount.

“It’s always a pleasure to take your coin, Kaf,” Andal said, sliding his pouch out of sight once he had counted the gems. The dwarf then turned to the rest of his group. “We should also discuss how we want to split the dragon between us.”

‘Oh.’

Kaf, the Guild Master, took their tokens and left them be. The handsome man remained nearby, offering them his silent assistance should they need it.

Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site.

Adam wondered what they could do with the dragon carcass. He could make some armour, though his share of the dragon carcass probably wasn’t large enough for a full suit of armour.

‘I could make a shield?’ The stray thought flowed through his mind. What benefits would a dragon shield have?

“I’d like a weapon made out of a dragon bone,” Jay said, looking to Imma.

“It’ll bring too much attention to us,” Imma said, shaking her head. “We aren’t actually strong enough to take on a dragon by ourselves. There's no need to invite those kinds of eyes on us, we won't be able to handle it.”

Jay frowned, but he didn’t refute her. It did make sense to be wary of flaunting such wealth and items around.

“I’d like a scale or two to keep around with me,” Adam said. “They could be a nice story starter."

“I know of a smith who would like to work with dragon,” Andal said. “I could offer it to them to see if they are willing to trade for it.”

Imma turned to look to Kay, who nodded her head. Adam shrugged and Jay seemed to agree with the idea.

“I won’t be able to hand the coin to you myself, but I’ll make a note to the guilds to make sure you are paid your dues,” Andal said.

With the group done with their meeting, they returned to their breakfast. Breakfast was another hearty meal of dragon meat soup, which had caught the attention of the keen eyed adventurers nearby.

“Is that dragon meat?” the familiar voice called out. Adam turned to see the devilkin woman staring over at him, tearing into a potato.

“It is,” Adam replied.

“Where’d you get that?” she asked, her eyes glued to the meat.

“We helped to slay it.”

“What?” The devilwoman’s eyes flashed with alarm for a moment. “You helped kill a dragon?”

“Yes,” Adam said, his eyes flickering to Jay and the others for support.

“What’s it to you?” Imma called out.

“I didn’t expect bronze babies like you to do something like that.”

‘Don’t let her disrespect you like that!’ Bandlor exclaimed into his mind.

Adam ignored the owl. “We outnumbered the dragon,” he said. “It’s not that hard if you’re able to find a group large enough.”

“Is there a problem?” Elowen asked, sitting down beside Adam. Redboulder sat down nearby, across from the pair of half-elves, like a stalwart guardian.

“None of your business,” the devilwoman snapped at Elowen.

“I thought you were speaking of our victory against Vandra,” Elowen said.

The devilkin looked at Elowen’s armour and her weapon, and then the equipment of the dwarf who had accompanied her.

“Oh? The six of you handled the dragon?” The devilkin raised her brow.

“There were nine of us,” Elowen informed.

“That makes it much less impressive.”

“How many dragons have you slain?” Elowen asked, her voice as sweet as honey, and yet her smile was the most vile poison.

The beautiful devilkin narrowed her eyes. She did not reply, her silence answering the question well enough. Her companions straightened up as she clenched her fists together.

Adam slowly pulled a small chunk of meat into his mouth, glancing between the pair of women.

Redboulder sighed. “Women,” he muttered. Adam refrained from smiling as best as he could.

“Let’s get back to enjoying our respective meals,” Jay said, taking a bite of his dragon meat.

The devilkin woman turned around, leaving the group to eat in peace. Adam nodded towards Jay, who returned the nod.

“Have you decided whether to return with the good Ser?” Elowen asked, drinking some wine.

“I’m interested in hearing it before I commit to anything,” Adam replied. "I want to know what I'm getting myself into."

“Then should we speak later tonight? We could find a more private setting in the evening.”

“Alright.” Adam nodded. “I want to explore Ironhall. I didn't have the chance to walk around it last time we came by.”

“Ylra and Rojer wished to buy some items. Are you going to a wizard store?”

“Yes, I need some items from it too.” He was hoping to grab a few spells and some ink to transcribe them into his spell book.

“I will change my shift with them then,” Elowen said, standing up with Redboulder, who left Adam to finish his food. By the time he finished his meat, both Ylra and Rojer had arrived.

“Sorry for intruding in your day,” Ylra said.

Adam nodded. “I don’t mind it,” he replied. “Would you like to leave now, or would you like to eat first?”

“We’ve had our breakfast already. Let’s head to the magic store first, my need for arrows aren’t extreme.”

‘I don’t even know where this magic shop is…’ Adam thought. His eyes fell across the desk, where the handsome guild worker was currently sifting through some parchment. Adam approached warily.

“How may I help you?” the handsome man asked, looking up to Adam.

“Morning,” Adam said. “I was just wondering if you knew where the magic store was.”

“It’s in the centre of the city, near the hall. A woman by the name of Rowana runs it.”

“Thanks,” Adam replied. “I don’t believe I caught your name.”

The handsome man’s eyes grew in alarm for a moment. “Excuse me, my name is Kalian.”

“A pleasure to meet you,” Adam said.

"You as well, Adam," Kalian said, shaking Adam's hand.

Adam made his way out, leading his two companions out to the centre of the city.

The city was bustling with life. People were going about their day, filling the street with their noisy busyness. It held greater life than Red Oak, which was a fairly decent town by its own right. As Adam explored the city, he realised that the city was far bigger than he expected. Most of the buildings were a little smaller here, so even though it only appeared to be three times bigger, it probably held many more people.

They weaved through the sea of people before finally finding the magic store. It was a small building, black and grey. There was a purple lining around the door, which pulsed with magical energy. The windows were dark and foggy, allowing no one to see through them into the unknown.

‘Whoa.’

“Do we knock?” Adam turned to look at Rojer, who nodded. Adam knocked on the door, which was rough to the touch. A moment later the bell rung and the door flashed purple, cracking open slightly.

Sitting at a small desk was an older woman, perhaps in her fifties. Her hair was wavy, blond, and flecked with white. The woman had keen grey eyes, which sparkled behind her spherical spectacles. Her skin was caramel, though a shadow was cast over her form, causing her to look a little darker.

“Enter,” her quiet voice beckoned, as though inviting them to a secret.

The inside of the store was dark. The walls and ceiling blurred together, though the floor was stable stone. Adam stepped inside, followed by his companions, treading carefully into the unknown.

The older woman looked up at Bandlor, her eyes peering at the owl curiously. Adam heard a scuttling sound, and a moment later a tiny dragon climbed up the woman. It perched atop her head, curling into a ball. The dragon too set its eyes on Bandlor, with an equal level of curiousity within those orbs.

‘Is that a dragon?’ Adam asked Bandlor.

‘It seems to be a fairy-dragon,’ Bandlor replied. ‘How rare. She must be quite the mage.’

Arcane Lore

D20 + 8 = 27 (19)

Fairy dragons are lesser dragons. While they may not be as intelligent as other dragons, they do possess the ability to think and speak for themselves. They live freely in the wilds, but many accept pacts with various mages to grow their tiny hoards.

“How can I help you?” she asked, her eyes falling back to Adam’s.

“I was hoping to pick up a few supplies,” Adam said. It was awkward going first, but he didn’t have much he needed to buy. “I’d like to buy three hundred golds worth of transcribing ink, as well as fifty gold of gem dust.”

The woman’s eyebrows shot upwards, threatening to fly away from her forehead. “If you have the coin, that is no issue at all.”

Currency

50 Onyx (50G) -> 43 Onyx (50G)

Adam reached into his pouch, withdrawing a few of his gems. He placed them onto the counter, one by one as though he were placing down little soldier figurines. The tiny dragon leapt down from the woman's head and wrapped his tail around the gems. Within an instant, it disappeared, darting behind its master, into the blackness.

‘Man, I want a fairy dragon…’

‘I heard that.’

‘I wonder how we can return you back to your godly form…’

The older woman retrieved various small vials of ink from within her desk, the same ink he had worked with before, with the silver and gold flakes. She placed down a small pouch onto the counter, gem dust he assumed, which he placed into a pocket.

“It’s a pleasure doing business with you. Was it miss Rowana?" Adam asked.

“Oh?” She tilted her head. “Who recommended you to my store?”

“Kalian, from the guild.”

“Are you an adventurer? I don’t see a token.”

“It’s currently being stamped by the Guild Master. We had completed a few quests together, and… I probably should have waited for my token to be stamped before I came.” Adam wondered if he’d get into trouble for walking about without his token.

“I’m glad that you spent your coin in my store,” she said with a long smile. “Do you have anything else you’d like to buy from me?”

“I think I’m done, thank you,” Adam said. He didn’t want to take up all the time, what with Rojer waiting to be served as well. He wanted to speak with Imma too, in case she wanted to swap spells.

Rojer bought some items too, though Adam didn’t pay too much attention to it since the fairy dragon had returned. Adam’s eyes remained glued to the dragon.

“Are you interested in my dragon?” Rowana asked, having finished tending to Rojer’s requests.

“Yes,” Adam replied quickly. “I’ve never seen a fairy dragon before.”

“They are a rare creature.” She nodded. “Your familiar is quite interesting is well. Would you like to trade?”

‘Don’t you dare.’

“Sorry, but I’m rather close with Hades,” Adam said, being careful to name the owl correctly.

“Where did you find him?” Rowana asked. Her eyes were gleaming with a greedy sheen.

“I summoned him.” Adam shrugged.

“Are you sure I can’t offer you anything for him?”

“Sorry, Hades is worth more than gold.”

“You’re awfully attached to your familiar.”

“He’s been so kind to me.”

‘Are you sure that’s all there is?’ Rowana said telepathically.

‘Hmmm,’ Adam replied. He narrowed his eyes before he nodded slowly. “It was a pleasure to meet you, miss Rowana.”

“You as well, mister…”

“Oh, sorry. Adam.” Adam nodded towards her.

As the group left, Adam could still feel the woman's gaze on his back, even when they had rounded the corner.

Ylra leaned closer towards Adam. “Was there something wrong?”

“No, nothing,” Adam replied. “Nothing at all.” Adam was too busy in thought about his meeting with Rowana to converse with his two companions.

‘Does she know?’