Adrith opened the note and began to read the note:

Beneath the stars and stone, we are remembered and forgotten.

Adrith couldn’t tell what this meant as he took up the coin and began to inspect it. It was a wooden coin with some silver inlay, it showed the symbol of a star. He couldn’t help but notice one thing about the coin, it smelled like wine.

Adrith knew there was clues within this, he just needed to figure them out. Firstly, the wine smell from the coin must have been a sign that where he needed to go must be either a winery or near one. Adrith just needed to figure out where they were. He took the note and coin as he aimed to head out.

Adrith left the place he was given to sleep, it was a small building that had multiple rooms and had people on hand to clean up the area. It was overall quite nice in comparison to many of the other buildings and homes people would inhabit near this area. This building, somewhat like what would be described as a tavern from the stories of old, was something of a relic of the past. It was a building that was near the outskirts of the outer town proper, close to the wall as it seemed to be somewhat managed, enough to look presentable, but was only minorly lived in. Adrith knew these types of buildings from his time, it was for those adventurers who had struck out on their own and didn’t have a house to go to, or for Awoken who needed a home and were willing to pay a price for a room. To see one here today was a feeling of nostalgia, yet it also filled him with a sense of loss.

A place he knew well, one that would often be frequented, seemed empty to what he knew. A place like this would have somewhere near 20 people at a time coming in and out as people left to the dungeon to try and fight the monsters and make something of themselves. Yet here, it felt as if only a few people stayed as of recently, let alone were staying at this moment. Adrith left the tavern-like building quietly, there was no need to stir trouble, as he knew that most of the people within the outer walls were afraid of the Awoken, even if Adrith himself was a knight.

Adrith left as he began to think, why would they know he was an Awoken, he always wondered why, he wasn’t wearing a sign on himself, nor did he remember an Awoken specifically giving off an energy signature that was noticed by normal people, he wondered if it was because he was with the guards and they made a big deal about it. Adrith couldn’t be sure, yet he needed to make sure he didn’t look like he did. He wasn’t sure if they were going to be having tabs on him, so he performed a very annoying yet necessary action. He ripped his pants at the knees, as he began to turn the fabric he took off into lines of fabric he then wrapped around his shoes. He folded and rolled his sleeves into themselves to make a shorter shit. He believed it was the best he could do, he didn’t have any of his gear, and he needed to find Connor and his crew.

Adrith left and noticed as a few people saw him, he realized he needed to look the part. Adrith had a slight hunch in his walk, his eyes were cast down as he began to see the people around him seem to pay him little mind. Adrith knew he stood out, he needed to at least look the part to walk through an area quickly. He began walking the streets, if there was to be a winery, it had to be on either the main street or down one of the streets lining the walls, they were the only ones large enough to allow a wagon of sufficient size to move through. Adrith took in the thoughts and realized it would have to be on the main street. He saw there were countless guards on the walls, always watching and vigilant as their torches lit up the wall well enough to see even at night. The main street was guarded, yet nowhere nearly as watched, many of the guards seemed to even be slacking off rather than being particularly vigilant.

This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

Adrith began to walk the streets, looking for signs, yet he noticed that many buildings didn’t have signs. It made some sense, yet it made his time more difficult. He walked for multiple minutes, it took him until he nearly reached the gates of the inner walls for him to then notice a building that was attached to the wall. It was a building that was not a guard post, it was built of stone that did not match the walls, it was too uniform and clean. Adrith was not sure if the riddle meant here, yet it was the only thing he could think of.

Adrith made his way to the door, he took a moment as he lightly knocked on the door. Where it was opened there stood a woman in her later years. She had a tired face, and wrinkles across her face, yet she still held a smile as she asked, “Oh, how can I help you dear?”

Adrith didn’t know what he should have done as he pulled from his pocket the coin as he decided to recite what was on the note in a quiet voice, “Beneath the stars and stone, we are remembered and forgotten”.

The woman looked to him for a moment as she took the coin and looked at it, she nodded as she lightly began to guide him in, “Please come in, you must be hungry”

Adrith began to follow as he saw she had a small candle to light her way. The moment she led him in, she closed the door as she spoke, “Please follow me, and no lights, they are quite harsh on the eyes when you are not used to them”

Adrith nodded his head as he began to follow the woman. He followed as he began to take notice of a few presences that began to become more defined as they neared the back of the house. Adrith was quiet during this time as the woman took him to a small room. Within there was a table as she asked, “Would you help me with the table?”

Adrith nodded lightly as he took hold of the table and lifted it with ease. He shifted it as the woman cooed at his strength then moved the rug from underneath it and showed a latch, “Please, head down, I will be heading to bed”.

Adrith nodded his head and said thank you before he opened it and entered. He began to hear the murmuring of people as he began to make his way down. He closed the latch as he began to crawl down the makeshift stone ladder that was made into the ground. As he made his way down the murmuring of voices was completely quiet, it was not until Adrith turned to look into the room he noticed what was happening.

He looked to see people surrounding a table with a few candles on it. A new light flickered as it was from the head of the table as it was a man he recognized, “What brings you to these parts?”

Connor spoke with a thick and gruff voice as he looked at Adrith as if he were a fawn who walked into the den of wolves. Then he began to laugh as the face on Adrith was that of confusion, “Hey come here, come here!”

Connor gestured for Adrith to come to the table, which Adrith decided to do, as they all began to talk. Connor was the first to ask, “So what’s your damage?”

Adrith tilted his head as he asked, “My what?”

Connor points to him, “What's your debt? We heard Evelyn’s debt-”, Connor pointed to Evelyn who waved to Adrith before Connor continued, “-so how much do you owe?”

Connor continued to talk, “You don't have to be shy, we know that you’ve been dead for a while so there must be a solid debt, but maybe you had family or friends who paid a bit. But you can always count on us to help with what it is!”

Adrith raised his hand, “I don’t owe anything, I actually am waiting on them to pay me for past debts they had to me”.

The room was silent for a moment as they began to look at each other. Then in unison, they asked, “How?”