The shadow of a dragon flew overhead. The hustle and bustle of the marketplace died down in an instant, as the citizens stopped to watch in awe of the majestic beast as it soared across the blue sky.

“Is that… normal?” Simon asked the merchant.

“Ah, that’s just Krythemum. He guards Ad Limosa, well, I say guards, but he mostly lounges in his lair over there.”

The merchant pointed out towards the coast. Ad Limosa was a large city built into the slope of a large coastline, divided into two major sectors: the wealthy sector, built higher up the coast, and the worker’s sector, built closer to the ocean. The four were currently shopping in the commons area of the upper sector, where the wealthy shops could be found. The entire city of Ad Limosa was delicately cradled between rocky outcroppings on either side, and to one of these rocky outcroppings was where the merchant now pointed.

“Your city has a dragon?” Lawrence asked blankly.

“Something like that, yeah,” the merchant replied. “Like I said, he don’t do much.”

“When he does something, what does he do?” Mina asked.

“Supposedly, he defends us from monsters, but I’ve never seen it happen.”

“Sounds to me a deterrent,” Simon said with a smile. “Nobody wants to play any games with a dragon.”

“I guess you’re right,” the merchant said. “By the way, it’ll be one hundred and thirty silver for everything.”

Simon handed over the money, threw the items in his bag, and the four left the merchant’s stall.

“We’ve got Shamus stabled, and lodgings for the night,” Mina said as she counted on her fingers, “and now we have food and supplies for a cave expedition. Now we just need to find a jeweler to help us track down the bismuth.”

“Let’s also pay a visit to the mayor,” Lawrence added. “If there’s anything to know about hot artifacts in your area, they probably know.”

“And anyone knowledgeable about esoterica,” Dianna added. “Oracles, clerics, psychics- anyone like that.”

“And we need to eat,” Mina said with a smile.

Lawrence knocked on the door of the jeweler as the four entered. He held in his hand the bismuth crystal, as against his will the other three had volunteered him to do the talking. Inside was a homely shop, decorated with numerous maritime accessories as well as several display cases of gems and jewelry.

“Excuse me, are you still open?” Lawrence asked the old man behind the counter.

The jeweler was an elderly elven man, whose skin had begun to sporadically lose its hue to age. In his left eye was a magnifying lens, which he was using to work with a tiny ring, likely intended for an inhumanly slender finger. Despite his profession and age, the old man possessed a surprising amount of muscle.

“Aye, we be open,” the man said sourly.

Lawrence shuddered as he realized this man was- or perhaps still is- a pirate.

“Lovely,” Lawrence continued. “I’m wondering if you can help me track down a certain mineral.” Lawrence set the crystal onto the counter.

“Bismuth?” The jeweler raised an eyebrow. “That’s a rare find. Mind telling me how ya got yer hands on a prize like this?”

“From a client,” Lawrence replied. “Looking to find as much of it as we can. Point us in the right direction?”

“Well, bismuth crystals can be made from bismuth metal. You can melt them down in an oven, I could teach you how.”

“...Bismuth is a metal?” Lawrence cocked his head.

“...Aye, lad. Bismuth is a metal. It forms these here crystals when liquid bismuth cools.”

“So… know where to find a lot of it?”

“Bismuth metal? No. But if you want the crystals, we had a rather large shipment of it come in some ten years ago.”

Lawrence looked at the others eagerly.

“Any word on where from?”

“Can’t say so, no. Wasn’t delivered to me, but to some lad out by the docks. Rufus, I think his name was. Don’t remember if that was the guy selling it or the guy buying it, though.”

“Thanks,” Lawrence said, and began to turn to leave. Before he left, he knelt down, and pulled around forty silver from his coin purse to give to the jeweler.

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“Hold it right there, lad,” the man growled. “What’s that you’ve got there?” The man stood up from behind the counter, and jabbed his finger into the Grave Gifts tattoo on Lawrence’s arm.

“Get outside,” Lawrence swiftly warned the others with a stern voice. They obliged him.

“Shout if you need us,” Simon said as he closed the door behind him.

“A Grave Gift, yeah?” the man walked out from behind the counter. Finally up close with Lawrence, he towered over the older man, his biceps rippling with what seemed to be rage. “One of the most fearsome pirate crews that ever sailed the four seas. Heard you lot were responsible for the deaths of more than fifteen crews, sent ‘em right down to meet the Dutchman.”

“That’s right,” Lawrence replied coldly. “What’s it to ya, landlubber?”

“And what did ye do on that there crew?”

“Navigator. And a chef when the fancy struck.”

“Well well well, we’ve got a real special mate in me shop, don’t we?”

Lawrence’s vision quickly darted around to check for other pirates, quickly enough that the jeweler wouldn’t notice.

“Special?” Lawrence laughed. “I’m nothing. You should’ve seen the men I sailed with. Captain Dakkon, First Mate Luvis, and that bastard Leonard- the finest men I’ve ever met.”

The jeweler stared down at Lawrence. Lawrence stared back. Their gazes locked with each other, refusing to budge. The silence of the building was deafening.

At last, the jeweler threw his arms around Lawrence.

“That’s the spirit, matey!” he cheered as he lifted Lawrence off the ground in a bear hug. “Once a pirate, always a pirate! Ya-har!”

“Once a pirate, always a pirate!” Lawrence cheered back as he was set down.

“It’s an honor, to meet with a Grave Gift. I thought you lot were all executed on Loud Island!”

Lawrence’s blood went cold. Now was most certainly not the time to tell the man about his history with the Grave Gifts and the Navy.

“Ah, ‘course,” Lawrence laughed, “that’s what the Navy told ya. Most of the Graves escaped that day, and the Navy covered it up. We could’ve reformed, but without Dakkon… it wouldn’t be the same.”

“Aye,” the jeweler said as he wiped a tear from his eye. “The seas lost a fine man that day. I remember where I was when I heard the news- even remember seeing me captain tear up a little bit.”

“A great tragedy,” Lawrence shook his head. “I’ll see about that Rufus lad, thanks for the tip.”

Lawrence reached back into his bag to pay the man.

“Ah, nah, you don’t gotta pay me. Tip’s on the house today.”

“No, really, it’s fine, we’ve got plenty to spare.”

The jeweler cupped his hands around Lawrence’s. “Me business is fine, keep your coin.” With a sudden yank, he pulled Lawrence in close. “And word of warning, pirate-to-pirate: Rufus ain’t the type of man to underestimate. Ask the mayor about the Red Swans, he’ll set ye straight.” The jeweler released Lawrence. “Best of luck to ya, lad.”

“And to you to, mate. Four sea’s fortune upon ye.”

“Four sea’s fortune upon ye.”

Lawrence gained 5 Experience.

“So, what was that about?” Simon asked as Lawrence emerged from the jeweler’s store.

“Pirate business,” Lawrence answered. “Got a lead though- another one, I mean. We gotta ask the mayor about some red swans.”

“Red swans?” Mina perked up. “Is that the town specialty? I would prefer duck, personally, but I’m willing to try it.”

The other three turned to Mina and stared at her in silence.

“I’m… very hungry,” Mina mumbled as she stared down at her paws.

The four sat in the booth of the Cinder Stove, fanning themselves to relieve the heat. The Cinder Stove was a homely place, designed to look as threadbare as possible, with barely enough seats to fit its massive clientele it faced every day. What made the restaurant unique was that it was a side gig of the main owner- who was a blacksmith. The oven that cooked all of the food was in fact the very same as the oven that melted the iron right next door, and as a result the heat of the interior was murder.

“Lawrence, soak me, please,” Mina whimpered with her face fully down on the table. “I’m gonna die. Life’s not fair when you have fur.”

“I can’t do that lass,” Lawrence said with a raspy voice. “I’m just about dried up myself. I’ve got no moisture left to give.”

Simon sat comfortably in his chair, his armor having been returned to the inn where they were staying prior to arriving at the restaurant.

“It’s not so bad, compared to the stuffy thing I always wear.”

Mina glared at him. “If only I could take this off!” she wailed as she pulled at her own fur.

“What can I get started for you folks today?” a woman asked once she approached the table.

“Water! I’m begging you, please,” Lawrence groaned.

“With as much ice as you can,” Mina added. “In fact, maybe just bring out glasses of ice if you can.”

“Do they have a wizard here that can freeze the water?” Dianna asked, fanning herself mildly. She was doing her best to act like the heat wasn’t getting to her, but it really was.

“Sure thing hun,” the waitress said, “and what about food for today?”

“What’s your special?” Simon asked.

“Our catch of the day is lobster and rockfish, we’ve got a two for twenty deal going on right now: you can buy two lobster, two rockfish, or one of each, for twenty silver.”

“Oh, that sounds lovely. How big are they?”

“Well, the lobster is about yay big,” the waitress said holding up her hands, “and a filet of the rockfish is about yay big.”

“Oh, that’s a deal,” Dianna said. “I’ll split that with you, I just need to decide which one I want.”

“AUUUGHHH!” Lawrence evaporated.

“...Well, I’ll have the lobster,” Simon said.

“And I’ll do lobster too,” Dianna said.

“Do you have birds by any chance?” Mina asked. “Chicken, duck, swan, anything? I heard something about a red swan special-”

The waitress went pale. The murmur of the restaurant grew silent. Eyes darted back and forth, and some people tried to make themselves scarce.

“I’ll… go get your waters,” she said as she rushed away.

“...I don’t think the red swans are real swans,” Simon chuckled.