He took them past the tables and up a flight of stairs to the second floor, where there were considerably fewer people. They stopped before a table overlooking the ocean below them.

“One of the finest views in the Brineview. A waiter will be along shortly to get your order.”

He disappeared back down the stairwell before any of them could respond. There weren’t quite enough chairs for everyone, so Arek grabbed one from a nearby table and pulled it over to sit down.

“You’ve been very busy,” Magus said, sitting down with his back facing the water. “I was not expecting to hear rumors about you aiding in stopping a monster horde in Red Mount. The ones about an orc chef squaring off against the Howler guild in the Floating Islands felt a bit more appropriate, but still somehow ended up being equally as surprising.”

“It wasn’t me,” Arek corrected. “It was Malissa. I kind of just stood there.”

“Maybe start from the beginning,” Magus suggested. “I’d like to have an understanding of what has happened these past few weeks.”

They obliged him. Belmont went through a detailed recounting of exactly what had happened. At first, Arek was slightly surprised at the detail which Belmont recalled everything. The man had memorized practically every single detail and miniscule interaction that he’d been present for.

Everything made a lot more sense when, a few minutes later, Belmont pulled a large book out of his extradimensional bag and started reading it out loud. Ming occasionally chimed in with her own additions to his retelling, but the rest of them stayed silent.

“What a story,” Magus said, rubbing his chin and shaking his head in a mixture of bewilderment and awe. “But, before I even think about any of that – Belmont, did you have the first portion of your diary memorized?”

“Of course. I just haven’t had a chance to get to the rest of it yet,” Belmont replied. “I wouldn’t want the information to be lost if the book were somehow damaged.”

“Do you memorize all of your diaries?” Arek asked.

“…yes?” Belmont replied, saying it as if the orc had grown deluded. “Why wouldn’t I? Any diary could hypothetically be destroyed or lost.”

“We should probably just move on,” Malissa suggested. “Magus, do you know anything more about the Howler guild?”

Magus raised a finger, then nodded at the staircase. They turned as a well-dressed waiter approached their table bearing five menus. He placed them on the table before everyone.

“Would you like any refreshments?” the waiter asked.

“Water for all of us, please,” Malissa said.

“Of course. I’ll return shortly.”

“Actually, give us about ten minutes,” Magus said. “We have things to discuss in private.”

“Of course, sir,” the waiter said, inclining his head and heading back down the stairs. Magus flicked his fingers, summoning a shimmering blue dome around their table.

“Much of your story confirms the information I discovered,” Magus said, crossing his hands before him. “Their influence was significantly more extensive than I predicted. They’ve got enough influence in the Adventurer’s Guild to almost completely lock me out of my investigation, so I had to turn to some of my more unsavory contacts.”

“And?” Belmont pressed.

“The Howlers are indeed related to the monster hordes,” Magus said. “At least, all the information strongly points toward that. They’re trying to demolish or terrify any areas that they can’t get a foothold in. The ones that survive are in need of protection and the Adventurer’s Guild looks incompetent, so the Howlers can move in. They’ve done it to several cities already, although you and the other groups at Red Mount thwarted one of their attempts.”

“And the Adventurer’s Guild is so corrupt that they aren’t doing anything about it?” Malissa asked.

“It’s more like the good ones are so caught up in doing things properly that they won’t move until it’s too late,” Magus replied irritably. “They want to move through the courts, but with the Howler’s people slowing everything down, we’ll be too late to make any significant difference.”

“So can’t you just gather the other high ranking mages that would stand against them and make a move?” Arek asked.

“I’ve been working on that,” Magus replied, reaching into his bag and pulling out a handkerchief that had been squished up into a bundle. He unfurled it just enough to reveal a cracked green orb. “We’ve been scouring dungeons in populated areas, and we’ve already found three of these devices.”

“Bastards,” Belmont snarled. “And I bet there’s no evidence to link them to the Howlers.”

“None,” Magus admitted. “None beyond your anecdote from Red Mount, which is incredibly important – if we can actually get things to court. The Ox and his team have been strikingly unhelpful.”

Ming pressed her lips together.

“So what do we do?” Arek asked.

“About the Howlers? Nothing,” Magus replied. “You’ve done your part. You can’t square up against their highest ranking mages – they’ve got multiple A ranks in their guild. If anything, you might be called on for a court case once this is all over. However, there is something significantly more important for all of you that I’ve discovered.”

“Are you going to tell us or just keep us hanging over the fire?” Arek asked, curling his lip up in a grin.

“Knowing how to dramatize a statement is an important talent,” Magus grumbled. “I’ve discovered what I believe to be the source of the Blessed One curse.”

They all stiffened in their chairs.

“What is it?” Belmont asked. “Where is it?”

“I followed all the records I could find of green pillars of light and mages growing inexplicably stronger,” Magus said, disregarding their questions. “And I discovered the reason why there’s so little information about this curse. The mages afflicted with it tend to disappear after a few months, but never violently. They just… head off on a mission and don’t come back. So, of course, I looked into those missions. They all led the mages to a city called Dortusk, which is near the center of the kingdom.”

They stared at him expectantly.

“I went there, of course,” Magus continued. “And imagine my surprise when I found that the Howler guild had a very large presence in the area. It made investigating somewhat difficult, so I had to leave. Still, I think I know the purpose of the curse now.”

“The Howler guild is trying to make soldiers,” Arek said before Magus could finish.

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“That’s the same conclusion I came to,” Magus said with a nod. “It would make a lot of sense. They’re large, but not big enough to take on the Adventurer’s Guild on their own. However, if they had a huge group of super-powered mages that either owed them loyalty or were otherwise forced to fight for them, they’d have a decent chance.”

“They must have been setting this up for a ridiculously long time,” Malissa said, her eyes wide.

“On the contrary,” Magus said. “I don’t think they set this up at all. There are records of this curse from a long time before the Howlers rose into prominence. Of course, there’s a chance that they’re part of an even older organization, but I find it more likely that the Howlers discovered this curse and are trying to bend it to their own benefits.”

“And it somehow draws people to Dortusk, which means it’ll likely happen to us as well,” Arek said. “Or, rather, it’ll happen to me. Ming seems to be unaffected by the curse for some reason.”

“Yes, that’s quite the quandary,” Magus admitted. “I’m still unsure as to why you and Ming were the only ones that got the curse and why she doesn’t seem to be affected by it. There’s a chance it needs the user to kill someone to fully activate, but the runes in her eyes suggest something else is afoot.”

“So, should we try to do something before Arek and Ming get drawn to Dortusk?” Malissa asked.

“Absolutely,” Magus said. “But not yet. Dortusk is not safe right now, but as I put more pressure on the Howlers, it’ll be easier to catch them off guard. You should still have at least a month or two before any sort of call begins. For the next three weeks or so, stay far away from the Howlers or anyone else with the Blessed One curse. Seaside is a decent place to kill some time, so it wouldn’t be a bad idea to stay here. There are no portal blocks in Dortusk, so I can teleport everyone there when the time comes.”

“That’s it?” Ming asked. “That seems so boring.”

“You’ve got more than enough magic to learn,” Magus replied, crossing his arms. “How much did you study from the book I gave you?”

Ming clutched her heart and doubled over the table with a groan. “Oh no. The world is going gray. I think I might pass out.”

They all stared at her. She shifted slightly to peek up at them through a squinted eye, then squeezed it shut when she realized they were watching her.

“She didn’t get too much,” Belmont said. “Nor did I, unfortunately. It’s been hard to find enough time to do it, and practicing in the Floating Cities just didn’t feel right.”

“Even adventurers must occasionally rest,” Magus said. “And you’ve got more than enough time to learn now. Stay in the surrounding area. There are two dungeons in the area that are both at high C rank, you should be more than capable of dealing with them. Do those if you get bored.”

“We can do that,” Arek said. “But how do you know the Howlers won’t chase us here?”

“I don’t,” Magus admitted. “But I plan to keep them busy enough that they can’t afford to bother hunting after minor thorns in their side. They’re also caught up in quite the conflict with the remains of the Starpiercer guild, so their attention is split.”

“That sounds good to us,” Malissa said.

“Good,” Magus replied, flipping his menu open and scanning through it. He flicked his hand, sending a wisp of blue energy darting down the stairs. “Then let’s eat.”

Ming sprung upright. “I saw god, and he sent me back to eat.”

“I’m sure he did,” Magus said, trying and failing to keep his lip from quirking slightly upward.

The waiter climbed up the stairs a few seconds later to take their orders. After ordering, the food arrived in a few minutes and they all dug in. Little was said throughout the meal. The beautiful view of the ocean far beneath them and the gentle rays of the sun coming down through the large opening overlooking the water set a perfect ambiance.

“I’ve got much to do, so I’ll be off,” Magus said once he finished the large fish he’d ordered. “I expect to see progress on your magic when we next meet, Ming. You too, Belmont.”

He dropped several gold coins on the table and snapped his fingers. The blue veins running through his skin flared and he vanished in a puff of smoke, spiraling out over the ocean and into the sky.

“That wasn’t dramatic at all,” Arek said, still nursing the large red bowl of soup in front of him. “I wonder if he remembers that he’s still wearing that fuzzy pink bathrobe.”

“I pity anyone foolish enough to remind him,” Malissa replied, glancing at the coins Magus had left and then adding a few of her own. “But it’s good to know that we don’t actually have to do anything for a bit. It’s like an extension to our vacation!”

“We mustn’t let our guard down,” Belmont said. His face softened an inch. “But it would be nice to take a look around town and figure out a place to stay for a few weeks. Maybe there will be some interesting things happening.”

“We’ve still got some money,” Malissa said as they headed out of the restaurant and wandered down the street, taking in the views. “But not enough to go on a shopping spree. We should probably start looking into making coin if we plan to stay here long.”

“I’m not so sure I feel like doing a dungeon right now,” Belmont said with a frown. “Even if Magus has had people check the surrounding area, I think I’ve gotten a bit used to not fighting. My skills are rusty.”

“It’s been like a week since Red Mount,” Ming pointed out. “How much could you have lost?”

“We both have a lot of magic to learn,” Belmont said, crossing his arms. “No going into dungeons until you learn at least one new spell that isn’t just blowing something up even harder.”

Ming stuck her tongue out at him. “What are we going to do for money, then? We’ll starve to death!”

“You’ve probably got enough food in your bag to last us a month,” Malissa said, stopping before a large inn and glancing at a sign in the window. She shuddered and shook her head. “Not here, we aren’t paying ten gold a night.”

“Those are my emergency snackies,” Ming said, crossing her arms. “Keep your peepers off them.”

“We could always check if the town has some jobs within it we could do,” Arek offered. “Maybe a restaurant would be willing to hire Malissa and I. I’ve always wanted to work at a restaurant.”

“I thought you wanted to start your own?” Malissa asked.

“Well, I do. But I’m nowhere near affording that,” Arek replied. “Working at one wouldn’t be a bad choice. As long as I get to make food for people, I’m happy.”

They paused at the edge of the street to let a wagon rumble past them, then crossed over to the other side. After passing two more inns that Malissa deemed overly expensive, they arrived at a smaller, two story building. It was made in the beautiful blue and white theme that the rest of the city shared, but seemed a little older than the other places they’d seen.

Malissa pushed the door open and they followed her inside. A portly old man with a white moustache and a can glanced up at them from behind one of five tables scattered throughout the room.

He pushed himself to his feet with a grunt and gave them a weary smile. “Oh, welcome! I’m sorry, I wasn’t expecting any customers right now. It’s been a bit of a slow week.”

The man’s cane punctuated his steps as he walked over to stand before them. “I’m Randy. What can I help you with?”

“We’re looking for a room for the next few weeks,” Malissa replied. “But I didn’t see a sign in the window with your prices.”

“Oh yes, I keep forgetting to put that up,” he said. “Five silver a night, but I could give you a discount if you’re staying for a long period of time. Say… ninety silver for three weeks?”

“That’s much more reasonable than the other places we’ve seen,” Malissa said, paying the man with gold. “You can keep the change.”

“How kind of you,” Randy said with a smile. He slowly made his way over to the bar and stepped behind it, ruffling around within the cabinets before pulling out a large key and handing it to Malissa. “That’s for my largest room. It’s got four beds, is that enough?”

“That works for us,” Arek said. “We do have another question, if you don’t mind us troubling you. We’re looking for some work for the duration of our stay in the city. All of us are C rank adventurers, but we’d prefer to do something a little more relaxed. Do you know if anyone is hiring temporary workers?”

“Oh, Seaside is always looking for labor,” Randy laughed. “You can wander around the town square and find a dozen stores looking for all sorts of people. We have quite a few tourists passing through, so temp jobs aren’t hard to find at all.”

“That’s good to hear,” Belmont said. “Thanks for your time. We’ll return later tonight to move into our room.”

“Of course,” Randy replied, waving as they filed back out of the store.

“He seemed nice,” Malissa said.

“And better yet, he didn’t seem very strong,” Belmont said. “He won’t try to rob us. Unless he’s got an accomplice or is a powerful mage that has somehow hidden his strength.”

“Belmont,” Malissa said, sending a flat glare at him.

“Ah. Right,” Belmont said. “I’m sure he isn’t secretly the ringleader of an underground thief ring or a black market. He’s just a nice old guy with good prices.”

“You probably aren’t getting much better than that,” Arek said with a chuckle. “Just don’t go crazy with your traps, Belmont. We don’t want to get kicked out.”

“Don’t worry,” Belmont replied. “I’ve been thinking about my defenses ever since I realized how predictable I was.”

“I don’t think you got the message I was getting at,” Arek said with a sigh. “Whatever. I’m very curious to see what kind of jobs we can find. We need to figure out what kind of cuisine Seaside specializes in.”

“Seafood, if I had to guess,” Malissa said, sending an amused glance at the sea.

“We can only hope. I haven’t cooked with much fish before,” Arek said, rubbing his hands together. “Does anyone see any hiring signs in the restaurants?”

They didn’t, aside from one in a shop whose sign proclaimed that it sold ‘pickled sausages’, whatever those were. None of them, even Arek, were particularly eager to find out. The group headed deeper into the city, following sparse signs toward the town square.