The cobblestone streets of Port Carrus were lined with market stalls of every kind. There were stalls of fish so fresh that some of them still wriggled. Men and woman called out to passing pedestrians to try to entice them over to their shops. The merchants sold food, sweet treats, supplies, and there were even a few stalls with armor and weapons on display. Merlin looked over at Charlie with a grin. “They say you can find anything you want in Port Carrus. Ships come here from all over the world to trade goods in Aysela.”
The three of them were still sitting on the front bench of Merlin’s wagon, taking in the city as Marvin pulled them along. The city streets were bustling and filled with people, but there was a dedicated space for wagons to come and go. All around them, deals were being made and goods were being purchased. Children slipped through the crowd, chasing one another through the teeming street. A stray dog whining at a fish stall caught Charlie’s attention. The man running the stall relented and threw the dog a fish. The dirty pup snapped it up before it hit the ground and trotted alongside Merlin’s wagon with a wagging tail in tow. Not long after, it turned down an alleyway where a man with dirty blonde hair was waiting just inside. The man threw his hands up in excitement and patted the dog on the head. “Dinner is served! Come on, boy, let’s go cook this up!”
Vetica stifled a laugh at the odd occurrence. Charlie looked up at her from her lap. “So, where to first?” he asked. She turned to Merlin, deferring the question to him.
“Well, we need to find an inn before they fill up for the night. But I’d like to find the guild first. If Arroane and Isrich were telling the truth about good jobs, we should hurry and claim one. It’s like they said, we need the training. It would be a shame to delay our visit and find out the jobs we might be interested in were already claimed.”
Orb was disguised in his ball form and if Charlie didn’t know better, the dungeon core would’ve looked like a simple child’s toy. But Orb nearly jumped out of Charlie’s hands before he could react. Charlie tightened his grip to keep the dungeon core from giving away his true nature. “Orb, stop it! Someone will see you moving around!” Charlie cried out.
Orb relaxed. “Sorry! It’s just that Merlin is so full of it. He doesn’t care about training! He just wants to find a job that pays well.”
Merlin shrugged. “I hadn’t even been thinking about money, but you’re right, that is an unintended consequence.” He tried and failed to hide the growing smirk on his face.
Merlin had definitely just been thinking about the money.
They stopped briefly so that Merlin could ask for directions, and then they made their way further into town. The salt air had grown on Charlie, and the great blue void in the distance intrigued him. But for now, they needed to find the guild, not go check out the ocean.
Merlin seemed to fit right in among the traders and merchants of Port Carrus, so much so that if Charlie didn’t know better, he’d think Merlin was a local. Playing children waved at Charlie when they noticed him. A few women called out to tell Vetica they liked her dress or to ask about her baby. For an assassin, she was really selling her role as Charlie’s mother. Charlie wondered if the smile on her face was an act too, or if she was genuinely happy in this moment. It was an odd thing to be saddened by the smile of a friend. All he could think about was the fact that her father had robbed her of having a life like this. Of starting a family of her own.
Of having children of her own.
His thoughts distracted him as they moved into the city, but eventually, a few words snapped him out of it. “This must be it,” Merlin said. His face was puzzled, though. “Though I have to admit, I’m starting to wonder if that merchant understood where we were asking to go. I specifically mentioned the guild. This looks more like a high-end restaurant or something.”
The large building was made of sandstone brick and the words ‘SeaBreeze’ were painted high above the door for all to see in a cool blue color. A flock of seabirds occupied the building’s roof, lured in by the pleasant smells that flooded the street every time a patron came or went through the wide-double doors out front. On either side, windows offered a peek into the building. It was packed full of people gathered around tables eating. Water poured from the windows and fell into a track that ran along the outside of the building. Charlie wondered what its purpose was until he realized it was just decorative. A few kids splashed each other around the side of the building. He laughed, wishing he could join.
Merlin and Vetica exchanged a look. “Well, I guess it can’t hurt to check inside,” Merlin said.
Vetica shrugged. “If nothing else, we can grab a meal.”
Now that they were off the main street, it was a lot less busy. Merlin pulled his wagon to the side of the road and hopped off. Vetica followed with Charlie in her arms. Merlin gave Marvin a quick pat and promised to return shortly before leading the way to the front door of SeaBreeze.
As soon as they entered the room, a chorus of conversation hit them like a horse. People sat at wooden tables covered in fine tablecloths and ate food that smelled so good even Charlie’s stomach started rumbling. But from what Charlie had heard about guilds, this one didn’t quite fit the bill. At least, that was what he thought until Vetica pointed at a man standing behind a desk towards the rear of the restaurant.
He was a huge man, and his belly was as round as the muscles of his arms were large. His ginger hair had already started balding, making his forehead look larger than it was. What was there of his hair was spiked up and backwards towards the rear of his head. It was a peculiar way to style it. What was even more peculiar was the metallic band that encircled his neck.
Orb couldn’t help but comment. “Well, that’s one hell of a necklace. It looks heavy too.” Charlie nodded. He was just glad Orb was sitting still for once.
The man noticed them staring and waved off a server who had been on his way to offer Charlie and company a table. He pointed directly at Merlin and then beckoned them closer. “Well, I guess he’s as good a person to talk to as any. Seems like he’s in charge around here, or at least someone important,” Merlin said as they walked.
When they reached the desk, the large man leaned forward and rested his elbows on it. “Old Tole didn’t think you were here to grab a bite. If you are, my apologies and the appetizers on me. But I don’t think I’m wrong. You’re the adventuring type. I can tell.”
Merlin beamed. “Well, I must admit it’s true that we aren’t just common travelers, but—”
Tole raised a brow. “I was talking about the lady…” His eyes flickered to Vetica. “I’m a bit of a people watcher. You scanned the whole room as soon as you walked in, looking for threats, or maybe people you don’t want to run into. Either way, I had a feeling you were here to talk to me,” he said.
Merlin deflated a bit. “Nice to meet you, Tole. I’m…M. So, who exactly are you? We asked for directions for the guild in town, but for some reason, were directed here. Is it nearby or was that merchant playing a prank on us?” he asked.
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“Hah!” Tole laughed heartily. “This is the guild, lad. Port Carrus is a funny place for a guild. The knights heavily patrol the capitol road, so there isn’t usually too much trouble along it. Of course, they’ve been distracted of late, but even then, things are relatively safe. So, we turn our attention toward the sea. Most of our members take quests that take them to other kingdoms or out onto the sea for months at a time. Sometimes longer. So, it didn’t quite make sense to run our guild like a normal one. Instead, we provide a place of stability for our members, and offer services to the townsfolk as well. We still take missions, of course, but SeaBreeze is more than a guild. It’s a business, an inn, and the best damn restaurant in town. Depending on your perspective, I’m the lucky or unlucky man who has to make it all work,” Tole said. He looked at Charlie in Vetica’s arms and wriggled a finger.
Charlie giggled in response. Tole seemed cool.
“So, if we were looking for work, you’d be the one we talked to?” Vetica asked.
Tole quirked a brow. “Work? You looking to join up? We’ve certainly got the space, but to be honest, I assumed you might already be affiliated with a guild.”
“Actually…” Merlin interjected. “We’re friends of Isrich. He told us if we came here, you’d give us work. We just need something to make some coin and pass the time. If you have any quest available, that is.”
“Isrich? That old man still around and kicking?” Tole grinned. “Well, he’s full of shit. You want a quest, you gotta be a part of the guild. But…seeing as I’ve made it a habit of owing him my life, I suppose I can’t in good conscious make him a liar. I’ll let you take a job if you want it. But if you butcher it, there won’t be a second chance. So don’t come begging for one. You do the job right, and if I like your work, I’ll let you take more in the future. How’s that sound?”
Merlin threw his hands up. “Great! What do you have for us?” he asked.
Tole bent over and rummaged around under the counter. He pulled out a stack of paper and plopped it down on the desk. “Well, got a couple of local jobs. Let me see if any of these might work.”
Orb shook. “A couple? That’s like…twenty different job postings! Is this guy serious?”
Tole licked a thumb and slowly flipped through the papers. “Hm, got some weird sightings of hex beasts around Great Lake Vita. No injuries, and honestly, the reports are sketchy at best. Rewards not good either. But it’s a fine starter job. Go, check the area, and report back to me what you find. What do you think?” he asked them.
Vetica reached out and pulled a piece of paper that was peeking out from the stack. “I think that sounds like a waste of time,” she said, while reading the paper in her hand. “What about this one?” She turned the paper, so it faced towards him. Charlie could see the outline of a ferocious looking creature through the back of the sheet.
Tole stared back at her with furrowed brows. “That’s a Callisto Class hunt! I can’t authorize something like that without knowing what you’re capable of. It’d be the same as sending you off to your deaths. Even if old Isrich vouched for you, you’re still outsiders.”
“Uh, Callisto class?” Merlin asked.
Tole’s jaw dropped. “You’re kidding me. Your adventurers and you don’t even know basic hex beast rankings? Is that a joke?” he demanded.
Merlin and Vetica exchanged a look. Neither of them had any idea what the man was talking about.
Tole scoffed. “How the hell did you say you knew Isrich again?” He leaned over and grabbed a mug off the counter, lifted it to his lips, and slowly drained it.
“Well, we had a bit of a…scuffle with him recently,” Merlin admitted. Vetica glared at him. Charlie wanted to believe Merlin knew what he was doing, but it wasn’t like him to be so honest when questioned. Hopefully, he had a plan in mind. “Well, I guess the scuffle wasn’t so much with Isrich, per se. More like his boss.”
Tole choked on his drink. After several sputtering coughs, he wiped his face and looked them up and down. “With Lord Arroane? There’s no way! You don’t have any broken bones as far as I can tell…the last time I sparred with that madman, I had to spend a month recovering in bed! I thought I was done for! You can’t be serious?”
When he realized Merlin was in fact serious, Tole shook his head. “That’s unexpected. Well, if you can go toe to toe with Arroane, I understand why Isrich sent you here. If you really want this job, I’ll allow you to take it. But don’t get cocky. These creatures are tough. You can find more information on the posting. I’ll include a sheet we give to newbies. It’s a list of the different hex beast rankings, make sure to give it a look before you go looking for more work in the future. At least if you want people to take you seriously.”
Merlin took the posting and informational sheet and rolled them up neatly into his pants pocket.
Tole waved a finger. “Just know, fighting humans and hex beast are completely different. Just because you can fight one doesn’t mean you’ll do well against the others.”
Vetica sighed. “We’re well aware of that. Is there anything else we need to know?” she asked, eager to get started.
“Good. So, you aren’t too full of yourselves. Point is, be careful out there. This is a 6th rank job at a minimum, and our reports indicate the creatures are acting more aggressive than their kind usually do. So, there are chances that one or more of them may be anomalous beast, which means the strongest of them could be equivalent to 7th or 8th rank,” Tole said.
“That high, huh? What’s the highest rank?” Merlin asked.
“Thirteen,” Tole told him. “But after rank five, the chances of dying go up by a significant margin.”
Merlin gulped. “Right and that first contract you mentioned, you said that was near the Great Lake? Maybe we’ll take that one on second thought. I mean, it is our first job after—”
Vetica elbowed Merlin hard in his side.
Merlin turned to face her. “What? I don’t want to die!” he protested.
Tole chuckled, taking the rest of his large stack of papers, and returning them under his desk. “A sense of humor? I like you guys. Alright, tell you what, you complete this job to my satisfaction, and I’ll let you stay at the SeaBreeze Inn from now on when you're in town. You’ll be able to take the jobs you want, and we’ll treat you like one of our own.”
“Free? That doesn’t sound half bad, actually. We’re in!” Merlin agreed, reaching out to shake Tole’s hands.
Orb sighed. “I should’ve known money grubber here would get on board as soon as he heard the word free.”
Tole shook Merlin’s hands and then looked past them toward the door. “Alright, it’s settled then. Off with you now, I’ve got a pain in the ass to deal with now. If you need a room for the night, take the stairs on the right and look for Mabel. She’ll get you situated, but you haven’t completed a job for us yet, so it’ll cost double the usual fee. Gotta make some money off of you in case you go out and die on me.”
Merlin’s head fell at the mention of paying double, but he didn’t seem eager to get into an argument over it with a man two or three times his size. They turned to face the stairs and noticed the man Tole had been looking at behind them. The man had dirty blonde hair and held a fish in the air above his head. A dog sat on the floor beside him. “Hey Tole, think I can cook this up on your grill?” the man asked. Tiny droplets fell from the fish.
“I’ll cook you on the grill if you get any more damned dog saliva on my floor!” Tole called out.
The man rolled his eyes. “It’s not, see?” he took a finger, rubbed it on the fish and then put it in his mouth. A shiver ran through him, and he tried not to retch. “See, just seawater!”
“Ruff!” the dog barked beside him, as if to confirm the lie.
Merlin covered his mouth. “I think I’m going to be sick. Let’s get a room already.”
Charlie laughed. He noticed the paper rolled up in Merlin’s pocket. The creature’s face was distorted in it, but he could make out a set of unusually sharp teeth. They had a fight on their hands. But more importantly, this was their very first official quest.