My sleep was blessedly deep and free of dreams. I had worried on my first night camping with Hugo and the others that I wouldn’t sleep well or that I’d be plagued with nightmares, but each night since I’d arrived I’d laid my head down on my backpack as a makeshift pillow and been dead to the world almost immediately. Last night had been no different, until finally I was awakened by a rooster crowing in the distance and the subsequent shuffling and conversation of the workers sleeping around me.

The fire was long dead, having sputtered out sometime in the night, and my body was sore and stiff from the days of exertion and then sleeping on a hard wooden floor with only a blanket to serve as a mattress. The chill of the early morning only amplified that feeling, and I struggled to my feet. I began rubbing my arms to try and get some blood flowing and warm up when an idea occurred to me.

Looking around surreptitiously, I considered ducking into somewhere dark and secluded, but decided against it. If I’m gonna try and recruit people here, it might be a good idea to draw some attention to myself now. As burly, tan-skinned men went about their morning rituals around me, I cupped both of my hands together and said, “Ignite.”

Immediately, my claws burst into flames, providing me with relief from the cold and causing several men to nearly jump out of their skin. I smiled reassuringly.

“Don’t worry, it’s okay. I’m just warming up, since the fire’s out. Anyone who wants to can huddle around me and use my flames.”

“Hellfire, man! Warn a fella before you go casting spells!”

“Damn near made my heart give out… That does look warm though.”

Slowly, a handful of more adventurous men stepped forward, huddling around me and reaching out to warm themselves using my burning hands. In the end, I burned two more MP to keep the flames burning for a few minutes, and I and the men brave enough to take me up on my offer left the inn in much higher spirits than the grumbling, still-cold laborers who refused my kindness.

As the town came to life around us, I looked around, beginning to plan my day. According to Hugo, who had left to spend the night with a friend in town, people would spend most of the day working, either in the fields or at various establishments. That meant I wouldn’t really be able to go scouting for talent until evening, but there was plenty of work to do in the meantime, and I had a pouch full of shiny silver pieces in my backpack—my pay from Hugo.

I sat down on the corner of the front porch at the Home Away From Home and pulled out one of my notebooks and a pen. I began jotting down notes:

* Buy food

* Weapons, maybe? I don’t really know how to fight with them

* More clothes

* Better shoes

* See if I can find typical adventuring gear

* * Rope

* * 10-foot pole

* * Crowbar?

* * Mirror?

* * Just check the general store

That’ll do for now. I don’t even know how much this will all cost, but since Alvar did guard work for extra money I’m assuming the pay’s good enough. I tore the scrap of paper free, put it in my pocket, and began to wander around town.

My first stop was a small general store. It had no clever or fancy name—the signboard sported an amateur paint job and, propped up against the side of the building, proudly proclaimed that you were entering “Stoor.”

I was greeted almost immediately by an enthusiastic, “Hellooo! Welcome to my store!” I looked towards the counter, which seemed to just be a long table with a panel of wood nailed to one side, and saw a brightly smiling young woman. She couldn’t have been much older than me, with scraggly brown hair tied into a loose bun and a truly impressive amount of freckles on her cheeks and nose.

“Good morning. I’ve got a few things I’m looking for. Do you mind if I just look around?”

“Sure! I’ve got a lot of stuff in storage though, so if you tell me what you need I can go look for you too.” She gestured off towards a closed door near the counter as she said that, and as I looked around I got the distinct feeling that this was just a person’s home that had been converted into use for a storefront.

I nodded and approached the counter. “Okay, so I wrote what I’m looking down here. You can ignore the first two. I don’t need food just yet, and I plan on visiting Alvar to ask about weapons. The rest of the stuff…” I trailed off as I held the paper out for her to see, only for her to turn bright red and look away in embarrassment.

“Oh! You… can read, huh? I never really learned much, but I can try to…”

“Sorry! Oh man, I’m sorry. I didn’t even think about that! I’ll just read it out, it’s okay.” The girl nodded, pointedly staring anywhere but at me and still as red as the scales on my own face. As I began reading out the list, though, her demeanor steadily grew more focused as she listened to me.

As soon as I told her I was done, she said, “I’ve got a few old pairs of boots—old but good, I promise—in the back that I can bring out. Some clothes too. Feel free to try them on before you buy them. I’ve got a few good traveling cloaks out on the coat rack in that corner there and some rope under the counter here, but no crowbar or mirror, and… I’m not quite sure what you mean by a ten foot pole.” She furrowed her brow as she said that, then shook her head.

“Whatever it is, I don’t have one. Here’s some rope though, inspect it and see if you like it. Go check out the cloaks and I’ll be right back with the boots.”

With that, she spun on her heel, striding towards the side door and disappearing through it. Before it closed I was pretty sure I saw a bed within, surrounded by crates full of goods to be sold. It looked like she really had just converted her home.

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After inspecting the rope and realizing I had no idea what made for good rope, I turned to go check out the traveling cloaks she mentioned. I had barely even reached them when I heard the door open again, and turned to see the girl exit the room holding three pairs of boots by the laces and several outfits slung over her shoulder.

I spent the next thirty minutes or so trying on outfits behind a privacy screen. The girl, whose name I learned was Libby (which she then informed me was short for Elizabeth, but she had only learned a little bit of reading and writing and that was as far as she got with her name, but she liked that since she’d learned to read it so now she just went by Libby), chattered incessantly as I did.

It felt a bit awkward to be changing while a girl around my age talked to me, but she seemed unbothered and so I just gave her simple responses while focusing on deciding which clothes I would like to buy.

In the end, I emerged holding a couple of loose tunics, a couple pairs of comfortable, thick wool pants, a pair of boots that fit me, and a cloak. Libby hurried off to put away the clothes I didn’t buy and came back to calculate my total.

“Okay, two tunics—ooh, the red and gold one! That’s a bit more expensive, but I like you so I’ll give you a discount—two pairs of trousers, some boots, a cloak, and some rope. That’ll be…” she said, trailing off for a moment. I watched as her eyes unfocused a bit and she muttered under her breath. “Two silver pieces and seven copper. If you’d like to teach me how to read more, I could cut it down to just two silver, but you seem like the type to be moving on soon. Am I right?”

I laughed, and nodded. “Yeah. Got some traveling to do. I’m not really a great teacher anyway. I’ve tried tutoring my friends and it never went well.”

A look of disappointment flashed across her face so quickly I might have just imagined it. “Alright. Three silver? Okay, here’s your change. Thanks so much for coming by!”

Libby saw me out with a smile and a wave. Once outside in the cold again, with my new clothes safely stored in my backpack, the boots tied to the strap, and the cloak over my shoulders to keep me warm, I considered my next move.

I still had plenty of time in the day, so even though I wouldn’t actually be taking it with me until it was time to leave, I decided to get to work finding food I could purchase for my journey. I was just beginning to wander when I heard a familiar voice call out to me.

“Hey there, Colranth! How goes it?” I turned to see Werner waving at me as he approached. He was dressed in comfortable clothes, and had an easy smile on his face. “Found any brave heroes looking to make a difference yet?”

“Not yet, no.”

“Well, perhaps I can help with that.”

“Do you know of someone who’d want to travel with me?”

Werner grinned. “Two someones, in fact. One who’s a shoo-in, and one who might need a little convincing. And a little bit of sobering up, but that’s not important right now.”

“Sounds pretty important to me.”

“You’re not in a position where you can be particularly picky, are you?” I grimaced. “Don’t worry. He’s a good man.”

“Alright, fine. Let’s start with the guaranteed one, though.”

“Okay. It’s me. Now, let’s get moving.”

I simply stared at Werner for a moment as he turned to walk away before hurrying after him and saying, “You? Really?”

“Yes, really. Is it that hard to believe?”

“Well… what I’m aiming to do is a little bit more dangerous than just guard duty on a trip through the forest.”

“Even the forest isn’t safe anymore. If the goblins are going to make Northwold an unsafe place to live, then why wouldn’t I try to ally myself with a mighty mage?” he said with a crooked smile.

“I’m not that mighty.”

“Not yet, at least, but as ambitious as you are, I don’t imagine you’ll be content to stick to the magic you have now. I wager in six months’ time, what you did in the forest will be no more than simple parlor tricks compared to what you’re capable of.”

“You’ve got a lot of faith in someone you just met. Most folks aren’t exactly eager to just up and leave their homes.”

“And most folks who want to recruit strong arms for their cause don’t try so hard to dissuade volunteers. Besides, Northwold isn’t really my home.” He was silent for a moment then, as if deciding to continue, he nodded and said, “Hugo and I came from the mainland and started out as traveling merchants. I’ve settled down here for a while, but I’m getting tired of it. I want to get out and see the world again.”

I sighed. “Yeah, alright. I guess I should just be grateful and accept your help. Sorry.”

“Think nothing of it. And don’t apologize so much—you’re the boss, so you’ve gotta be decisive.”

“Fine, fine. So then tell me about this other guy.”

“His name’s Connor Ward. He was a hunter who lived a little ways into the woods with his family. His wife, his older brother, and his dog. He went out hunting one day, only to return to a massacre. The goblins, in one of their more recent raids, had attacked while he was gone. He was the only survivor.”

“Oh, man. That’s…”

“You see now why he’ll need a little sobering up. But he’s a great shot, and knows his way around the wilderness far better than you or I. The townspeople have given him a job as a guard to give him something to do, but his shifts are at night. When he’s off-duty, he spends his time at home drinking, usually.”

“Okay. So what’s our approach? Would he respond well to flattery, or what?”

“I think the easiest way to get him on our side would be to promise a chance at vengeance against the goblins.”

“Hmm… They aren’t really my main goal, but…” What’s an adventure without some sidequests, right? “Yeah, I guess that’s alright. I’d hate to leave this place only to find out later the goblins burned it to the ground.” I thought of Libby, and shuddered at the thought of someone as bright and cheerful as her getting caught up in an attack like that.

“That’s the heroic spirit! You’ll be leading an army in no time with that altruism and go-getter attitude.” Werner’s eyes sparkled with mirth as he poked fun at me, but seeing his face grow more serious after the moment passed, I got the feeling he was a bit more attached to Northwold than he let on earlier.

We walked a bit longer in silence, the conversation having ended and neither of us willing to attempt to lift the heavy air that had fallen at the thought of the goblins ransacking the town. Then, after a few minutes, Werner stopped in front of a small, run-down building.

“Here we are. It was a storage shed, but we converted it so Connor could stay in town. Didn’t want to send him back to the cabin in the woods, since… well, you know.”

“Alright. Well, I’m the leader, yeah? So I guess I’d better take the lead.” I stepped forward, raised my hand, and knocked on the door. There was no response, so I knocked again, louder this time.

“You sure he’s hom-”

I was interrupted by a sound from within the house—a heavy thunk, followed by some muffled swearing, and then the door swung open violently, almost hitting me as I barely stepped back in time to avoid it.

“Th’hell do you want? Who’re you? Why’re you here?”

I froze, my hands raised in the air, as I stared down the shaft of a nocked arrow aimed directly at my face.