Long before an angel was cast from Heaven or a certain shaggy dog found a friend, six wagons and over a score of men and women navigated a forest. They were hunters and explorers. They didn’t know what they were searching for but the man who lead them had a favorite expression—I’ll know it when I see it. It was a phrase that made some people groan when they heard it but it was a good-natured thing more often accompanied by rueful smiles.
The explorers moved through the forest wherever their wagons would allow, hunted and gathered for their meals, and spoke of whatever new plant or strange creature they’d run into that week. Sometimes they ran into terrible plants that caused the poor folks who touched them to itch for days. Sometimes they encountered dangerous monsters. They persisted for that was what it meant to be an explorer. They were going where no one else had.
It was after many weeks of exploring the woods did they finally encounter something that took their breath away—water. They’d found ponds large and small but this was water that stretched toward the horizon. It wasn’t a pond, it was a proper lake. The water was clear and, as they were startled to discover, drinkable.
People rushed to the water and they celebrated. Some made plans to replenish supplies. Some wanted to clean their belongings or themselves. Others just stripped their clothes off and dove in. The lake was vast, full of fish, and there wasn’t a person around for miles. There was no more beautiful place to settle down and so that’s what they did.
A town was founded and the heads of two major families established their claim to the lane. Nathanias Pemburne saw the town named after his family. Meanwhile Karnix Harrow, leader of Clan Harrow, titled the gorgeous lake as Lake Harrow. The clan of Catfolk were exiles from afar and strangers to what would become the region of Velk.
That was the founding of the remote village of Pemburne. Far from civilization didn’t mean far from drama as the name of the lake would come under fire from cartographers who had used skills and magic to scout the region. A zephyri man, as it turned out, named it Wing Lake after its distinctively wing-shaped curve to the west. The regional name and the cartographer would clash in the years following so it would be known as Lake Harrow to some and Wing Lake to others. Eventually the two names were hyphenated as Lake Harrow-Wing and finally shortened to Lake Harrowing.
The petty squabbles of men over names did not stop the beautiful lakeside village from growing into a thriving town. Two houses turned into six turned into six hundred. The years passed as the town grew up and out. Docks formed along the lake and filled with small fishing boats. A wall formed around the core of Pemburne. All the things a growing town needed started to arrive. Eventually something the town had never seen before came to visit—an angel, a dog, and a lamia.
The land sloped downward as the trio approached the town. The residents had flattened the land outward from the town to create a level terrain for buildings. Trixie and Kseniya were treated to a nice view of the settlement but it was Brivaria who had the best view. She flew up just briefly to look at the lake beyond the many buildings. It sparkled in the morning sun and a handful of fishing boats were already moving through the water.
“I didn’t know Pemburne was this big. It’s bigger than Keaton.” The angel alighted on the ground next to her companions as she spoke. She wore her armor and weapons openly so as to better look the part of an adventurer upon entering the town. Kseniya just laughed.
“It is big for its isolation, yes, but it is still alone. How many caravans did we see on the way here, going either way? We saw none. It is hard to grow alone, you know?” Kseniya slithered forward as they talked. The snake woman was less impressed by the town but it didn’t dim Brivaria’s excitement. Trixie wandered over to the angel.
“Come on, Trixie. Let’s go explore.” The dog wuffed at the angel’s words and her tail instantly started wagging back and forth. The winged girl pet the excited dog and then hurried to catch up to Kseniya.
“Ho there, welcome to Pemburne.” The guard who hailed them was dressed in full armor with the same colors of green and brown Brivaria saw in Keaton. Even the crest on his tabard was the same. He was a lephori man with tall brown ears and matching brown hair. His sat on a chair under an awning just outside the gate. He had a sheaf of paper in his hands which he’d been reading as they approached. He tossed it to the side and into the helm that was sitting on the ground next to him. “Adventurers, right?”
“Yes. I’m Brivaria. This is Kseniya and Trixie. We’re here to-” she began to speak but the guard held up a hand in a halting gesture.
“Turn in some requests and get details on one?” the lephori man shot the angel an easy going smile. Trixie barked happily and he continued speaking. “Guild is straight on from here. Take a right at Parr Street and it’ll be on your left.”
“Oh. Thank you!” the winged girl said after a moment.
“No worries. Enjoy your stay in Pemburne. Let the guard know if there are any issues and we’ll get them sorted out for you. Oh and my name is Pierre.” He nodded to the group and then picked up the paper he’d been reading as they passed through the open gate and into Pemburne.
“That was a little casual,” the angel said once they were out of earshot. Kseniya flashed a toothy grin before replying.
“Towns that see more travelers care more about knowing who’s coming, going, and what their purpose is in town. Big cities that see hundreds of caravans per day will grill you over the details. Remote places like this get fewer visitors and ask fewer questions. You can bet the whole town will know your name before long though. Just how things work, you know?”
“Since we have directions, let’s visit the adventurers guild. We can turn in the requests and get some coin for the inn and provisions.” Brivaria was speaking while they walked but something was strange. People were looking at her and Kseniya. That wasn’t the strange part as it was expected that an angel and a lamia would turn heads in a place like this. No, the strange part was that they were smiling. It was like they were happy to see her yet the winged girl was certain she’d never been in this town before.
Pierre’s directions were easy to follow and soon they were entering the guild. It was newer than Keaton’s guild and definitely didn’t see as much use. The tables and chairs lacked the scuffs, dings, and dents of use let alone the battle scars of what Keaton had. The receptionist was a man in his early twenties with long, brown hair. He bore a disinterested expression as he glanced up from something to look at them as they entered. Disinterest instantly became something else entirely which was accompanied by a wide smile.
“Miss Brivaria? Miss Kseniya? Welcome to the guild,” the man called. Brivaria’s steps faltered and Trixie looked up at her, giving the angel a head tilt.
“Have we met?” the angel asked she they approached the front desk of the guild. The layout was similar to Keaton. There was a common room with tables, a much smaller board set to one wall, and a front desk that seemed comically long for the sole person behind it. The receptionist just laughed.
“No, we haven’t but word of you helping out the folks at the Red Lodge and the people of Tenome precedes you. Good stuff. I’m guessing you’ll be wanting payment for those?” Brivaria blinked in surprise. The last thing she’d expected was for news to reach the town before she did.
“Yes but how did you hear about that already?”
“The paper, of course. We’re a bit out of touch with the rest of the region but we’ve got reporters that travel around and send word back to us. You might have seen them. They wear berets. They’ve got skills to sense a story and quietly observe.” The guild receptionist was waving a paper that looked suspiciously like what the guard at the gate had been reading and offered it to her.
“So they’re spies?” Kseniya asked. The man looked horrified. He spluttered and began explaining that reporters were not spies.
Brivaria took the paper offered and looked at it. It described the angel, her group, and the events at the Red Lodge and Tenome. In fact, it described her battle with the Pseudolith and the ravens in detail. Brivaria felt a blush creeping into her cheeks as she read about her initial defeat at the wings of the ravens and subsequent victory.
“And everyone has read this?” the angel cut in, interrupting what was going to turn into a “healthy” debate. The man was instantly back to grinning.
“Well, not everyone but people here love the town paper. It doesn’t run all the time so it’s only when there’s something worth talking about do you see a new issue. Most of the news lately has been bad so good news is nice. It’s something to put smiles on faces.” He paused and re-centered himself before speaking further. “And I’m being rude. Excuse me, ladies. My name is Gustav. I have absolute confidence in the paper’s depiction of events but I’ll have to ask you to formally put forth any signed notes or other proof that you’ve completed the requests at this time. I’ll have your payment shortly.”
“Right.” Brivaria presented Gustav with the signed notes from Ezben and Sheriff Tefton. Gustav took the notes into the back and returned with the payment. Brivaria and Kseniya split the coin from the Red Lodge request and the angel took the Tenome payment. Once the coins were in inventory or purse as the case may be, Gustav broached the next topic.
“You did a bang up job on the other two requests and that’s fantastic but I have some bad news regarding the outstanding Pemburne request you took,” Brivaria tilted her head. Trixie also tilted her head, mimicking the angel.
“Is something wrong? The request wasn’t taken by another adventurer or group was it?” Not another one. The angel would be sad if it happened a second time. Two out of three was terrible luck.
“No… but sort of. Another group of hunters went missing in the last few days. It’s been upgraded from a copper rank request to a bronze rank request. That means you no longer qualify to take it.” She was cursed. The winged girl was cursed. Gustav held up his hands to placate her.
“Wait, it’s not all bad. Since you had the request before it was upgraded to bronze, the adventurers guild is willing to let you undertake it as long as you have a bronze rank team along with you. There’s also one in the city—Shield and Snout. The guild would officially be giving the request to the Shield and Snout but any copper rank adventurers who joined them would be recognized for their contributions.” Gustav leaned forward and dropped his voice, despite the fact that the guild was empty save for himself and the trio. “And this would be a good way to angle for a promotion from copper to bronze.”
“Is a promotion hard to get?” the winged girl asked after a little thought. Gustav stood back up and shook his head.
“Copper to bronze is usually a formality. Be an adventurer for four to six months, do some requests without messing up in a dramatic fashion, and the guild will upgrade your rank. Bronze to silver is where it gets a lot harder. That’s where you need to demonstrate combat skills, knowledge of monsters, and vocational competency.” Gustav picked up the paper he was reading earlier. “According to this you two fought off a large and very dangerous monster alongside a sizable number of smaller ones. A guild report from Keaton also said Brivaria here delved into a new dungeon, fought a significant foe inside, and came away with treasure.”
“You delved a dungeon? At copper rank?” Kseniya asked with incredulity.
“I was discovered it alongside a copper rank team in the area. It was brand new and disgorging weak monsters. We went into the first level and only checked five rooms. They weren’t especially deadly given our group.” Brivaria looked to Trixie and the dog barked happily. Trixie had done exceptionally well in the dungeon and doubly so for a dog. The angel also wasn’t going to mention that she’d been in far, far deadlier dungeons though she’d been far, far stronger back then as well.
“You are full of surprises, little angel. Are you still going to do this? If a bronze team is already here then there is no need, you know?” Kseniya asked though really it was a statement.
“I think I’d like to meet them first. Would you like to come with? We can find an inn, meet the Shield and Snout, and then see about contacting your associate.” The lamia had been a good travel companion but Brivaria had accepted this request, not her. There was no obligation for the lamia to travel with her any longer.
“Mmm, yes. I think I shall meet them. It could prove… amusing.” The snake woman gave a sly smile.
“Alright,” the angel turned back to the receptionist. “Do you know where the bronze team is or where they’re staying?”
“They’re at the Stillwater Inn. It’s near the lake and a good place to put down your things. If you want to do any fishing while you’re here then it’s close to the piers where visitors are allowed to fish.” Gustav went on to talk more about things to do in Pemburne but the girls excused themselves after a little more chatting.
The small town had a tranquil atmosphere. People moved about the streets and wagons rolled by but no one seemed to be in any hurry. Brivaria liked it. Heaven was, in a word, busy. Angels who specialized in intervention were always training to be better at what they did. Not all angels moved at a frenetic pace but many did. The multiverse was vast and their work truly endless. This little town was a far cry from that.
In truth, things seemed to move far slower on the planet. Not slower in the sense of actual time passing but in the sense that she had time to think. There was so much time to consider everything she did and everywhere she went. Trixie bumped her leg and the angel pet the dog. Of course everything was that much better when she was petting the gentle golden.
Brivaria was lost in a cloud of happy, relaxed thoughts when a man sailed out through the open doors of the building next to her. He was a gaborn man. That was to say he was a Celian of the boar variety. Brivaria dreaded the answer to her unspoken question as she looked up at the sign over the doors. It read “The Stillwater Inn.”