Marcus walked the strange plank paths of Wyrmrest alongside Fiona and Tamwyn. The streets were fairly busy and while he did catch the occasional sidelong glance of a strange woman none had started following, which was quite refreshing. They found themselves on one of the larger flat pontoons that acted like a kind of town square or park. Fiona led the party into a tall plain building simply bearing a large dragon skull with a sword planted firmly in it as an insignia.

It was a small guild hall. A few tables took up the center of the room, with only a few patrons taking up a third of the dozen tables. Clearly adventurers, most wore equipment seemingly made form hunting trophies. The quest board was purely bills of request for monster slaying.

“Hey, we’re looking for that marksmen guy, has that weird weapon. He’s a member of this guild right?” Fiona said to the prim secretary behind the counter. Marcus looked at Fiona in disbelief that this was her lead.

“Correct.” She met his disbelief with a smile “While this is a city, he’s a strange one.” Turning her attention back to Fiona “Though he won’t be in for a day or two. He’s over in Barsook. His partner mentioned a monster a few miles into the Swarm lands near their portal.” she shuffled through some papers and withdrew a quill. “I can take a message, if you’d like.”

“I’m over on the Tribbles Squall, down in the Dire Docks. We’ve got some folks looking for a path back to Forsythe”

She stopped writing at the last bit. “You’ve found some people who take that story seriously?”

“One of the girls in this guy’s party has four auto-mail limbs from there.” She gave the girl behind the counter a serious look. “At least that’s what she says, and I’ve never seen anything quite its like. Its like its filled with a bolt of lightning you cracked into a million pieces.”

“Ooh. I bet that’s fascinating.” The secretary returned. “I’ve got a friend who would probably just pay for a look.”

Marcus brightened a bit. That might make getting a little bit of spare coin really easy, he was thinking about maybe seeing about selling the lantern or the oil if Singer couldn’t haggle her way into a few extra coins. The less people knew about the maps and paths they’d been charting the better as far as he was concerned. She’d set out to do that with Stripes and Maybel.

“Well my lord, it sounds like shall have a day or two of rest ahead of us.”

“Sounds like. You have something you’d like to do?” He eyed the Valkyrie with a hint of amusement.”

“Not as such. It would simply be nice to perhaps enjoy civilization for a bit.” She idly shifted back and forth. “Maybe we could get dinner, or visit an alehouse.”

“Asking me to get you drunk?” He playfully punched her shoulder.

“You said you’d have a fun night with me?” Fiona protested, taking a hold of his arm and pulling. “You wouldn’t break a promise would you?”

“If one is fun, two must be better” he replied casually locking eyes with the sorceress expecting her to balk.

Instead there was a fire there, that he had hadn’t expected. Compounding his surprise further, she upped the ante saying “How about we have a competition, whoever wins gets him for the night.” she took the front of the trio, stopping them in the street. “What do you say to that spear girl!”

Marcus looked at her, waiting for a response. “Surely you jest. I’m a Valkyrie. You’re bumpkin adventure.” Tamwyn replied oozing haughtiness.

“Sounds to me like you’re conceding.” The sorceress started pulling. “I think I’ll take my-”

“My lord, you intend to entertain her in this regard?” Tamwyn held firm, not allowing either party to move.

Watching her carefully he decided he was going to push on his doyenne a little. “I think I’d like to see what you do with me when you win me, my beloved doyen.” getting the reaction he’d wanted, she looked away immediately and burned scarlet. “So, best of three?”

The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

Elsewhere in Wyrmrest…

Singer dashed between stalls looking over the various wares of the bazaar with great interest. Stripes walked with Maybel, her eyes scanning the crowd causing a few people looking at her to break away feigning disinterest. Maybel for her part shot dark looks at some such disinterested parties.

The bazaar was a rather strange place indeed. A long pier built off the island, with boats tied to it, and small spacers kept between them. A small gap of water could be found behind each of the vessels, letting its shops rotate or new ones move in. A prestigious bit of storefront apparently.

“Sorry. But I hope you understand, you’re a fairly rare thing around here.” Maybel said to Stripes as she fired another scathing glance at some group of women who were staring a bit too hard.

“So long it stays as at just curiosity. They’re fine really.” Stripes replied flatly.

“It’s still rude, and you’d think more would have a wide enough depth of experience, You know?”

“I’ve only seen one other guy with a prosthetic, so having four probably a bad sign?”

“Yeah. Its usually what a rich enough warrior type will do to avoid getting retired. But even then it speaks to incompetence or overconfidence.”

Singer came running back, “Good fortune Stripes. I have perhaps found a shop with which we might trade our wares.”

“You must be thinking Gabner? He’s uh, pretty miserly.” Maybel suggested, caution clear in her tone.

“His heart hard to even gorgeous women? Perhaps you’d know if he has a type?” Singer asked. A head shake in return inspired her to pout. “This is why I do so adore having Marcus for these affairs.”

The stepped onto a small boat and down the stairs into a small store, filled with glass cases filled with odds and ends of every sort. Behind the main counter was a squat man, a thick beard and bald head made up most of what was visible. Behind the counter were various statues of precious metals. Stripes looked up hopefully.

“Are you the one called Gabner?” Stripes as she strode up to the counter.

“Aye.”

“Grand. I have heard you have quite the eye for quality. Stripes if you would be so kind.” She too closed the distance to the counter, and gingerly took the various statues, combs, and other jewel encrusted items from the bag. Gabner gave the items a suspicious look.

“Where’d you get these?”

“They’re not from this realm, if that is the nature of answer you’re hoping to gain.” Singer said.

“Not what I asked.” The man raised an eyebrow locking eyes with Singer.

“We took em off a dragon.” Stripes said a hint of impatience at their stalemate. Singer shot her a dirty look before turning back to the man with a smile.

“I thought the like. They’re beautiful pieces, but I suspect you’re going to ask for what they’re worth.”

“That would be our plan yes friend Gabner.”

“Aye, and I cannot sell them for more than that.” he picked them up, and looked them over quite carefully. A magnifying lens was withdrawn from his apron as he heavily studied the gemstones. He put them each in turn on a scale he had on the counter, then after scribbling some numbers he finally produced an answer. “I can give you eight forty. Not a talent more.”

“Talent?” Stripes asked.

“I had been wondering about just how out-lander you were from the look of that mail lass.” He produced a coin, of gold about five centers long and half that wide forming a kind of oval, pressed fairly thin.

“Perhaps you could compare your talents to some of ours?” Singer produced a few gold coins she’d picked up in Sal’Shoom, in the City of Giving Waters. It was a smaller denser coin, just a little past two centimeter’s in diameter.

He did as she bid and placed them on a set of scales, it was a three to five, Singer’s favor. “Eight hundred and forty you said?”

“Aye”

“Stripes, that would make just a little more yes? About a hundred?” Singer said with dismay.

“Not a big enough margin. We’ve got to get all the way back. We don’t really have time to find other work either.”

“I’ll not feel insulted if you chose to shop around.” The old man said. “But my price is firm.”

“Curse those blasted snake women.” Singer murmured. “Are you sure you cannot make it nine hundred even?”

“No.” he said as he wiped the lens he’d been using to examine the gems. “They’re just a little more that in weight, and I don’t know anyone who’d collect this style. No idea how long I’d have them.”

“No interest in that they’re from a dragon?”

“No one’s liable to take my word on that. Hell I only do because you’re friend.” he said nodding toward Stripes “There’s been no dragons seen in this part of the world since the old wizard put the one under the city to sleep forty years back. Scattered em apparently.” that caused Singer to brighten a bit. “I don’t suppose dragons are worth much themselves are they?”

“Parts of em would fetch you a fortune. Problem is getting them. I imagine even this was got with some difficulty.”

“Your guess would be on mark.” Singer responded but she sounded distant. “Well, I will see if I can part with these for more, but if they’re the same I’ll be sure to bring them to you friend Gabner.” She smiled and quickly departed.

“Sounds like you came up with a plan back there yeah?” Stripes asked as soon as they’d made their way out of the bazaar boardwalk and on the route back home.

“I thought perhaps were were trying to sell gold.” She nodded sincerely.

“Are you not?” came a question from Maybel

“No, I suspect what we have on our hands is excellent dragon bait.” Singer turned that same wicked grin dominating her features.