Sliding his freshly cleaned boots back on, he got to work brushing the manure from the soft fur at the bottom of his cloak. The thing would always get dirty, but he didn’t exactly want to walk around smelling of faeces. He was sitting with Oats on a barrel in an alleyway. The chipper man gave him some jerky, so they were having an impromptu breakfast.

"And that's why potatoes are near the bottom of my list. A waste of time if you ask me" Oats said, finishing his rant about his favourite vegetables.

"Sounds like you're a man with experience" Murphy replied, not paying attention to the man's ravings.

"What's got you trudging through poo anyway?" the man asked.

Murphy sighed. He'd been growing quickly bored of his current duty. "Looking for a Greener to join my party. Not much luck yet I'm afraid" he said, looking keenly at Oats.

"Shouldn’t be too hard. There's a lot of us that don't climb the ladder" The man said cheerfully.

"Are you a patron then?"

"Sure am sir" he said, nodding.

Murphy blinked at him, waiting for the man to catch up to what he was hinting at. After a half minute of uncomfortable silence, he decided to break the tension. "Do you think you could do the job?"

Oats clicked his fingers and his face lit up. "Oh that's an idea, maybe I could. Depends on the job though."

"How do you feel about cooking and cleaning?"

"Oh I love to cook sir. These fingers are amazing for things such as cookin'. Not much of one for cleanin', but if it allows me to be closer to cooking I can do it just fine". His wide smile stayed plastered on his face the whole time he spoke. The man looked absolutely overjoyed by the prospect.

"And how do you feel about Wyverns?" Murphy asked with a hint of anxiety.

Oats face changed in expression in a snap. He looked terrified. "Oh no sir, not for me. Wyverns love to eat donkeys."

"You can leave your donkey in the stable" Murphy suggested.

"Can't be done. Sausage and I go everywhere together, it's how it's always been."

"What if you stay out of sight, and work as an auxiliary from the ship" Murphy suggested, hoping that they would indeed have a ship.

Oats considered that in silence for a moment. "Can you be sure of our safety carrot man?" He asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Honestly, no" Murphy sighed. "Can't say I blame you though. I suppose I've got more asking to do."

Oats put his hand on the frowning Warlock's shoulder. "How's about I talk it over with Sausage" he suggested. "He likes you. If you've got a ship, we might consider it."

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Murphy smiled at the kind man. "I'd appreciate that. Where is your donkey anyway?"

"Gettin' pampered, the lucky bastard. The stable won't give me a brush like that no matter how much I try and pay 'em" the man grumbled. "'Bout to go get him if you wanted to come ask him now."

"You want me to ask your donkey?"

"Be more sincere coming from you. He never liked listening to me much."

"Very well" Murphy said, jumping to his feet. "Let's go talk with a donkey."

They found Sausage in his private stall munching on some cabbage. He looked freshly brushed and washed, and the stall had been cleaned of any filth. In the corner of the stall was a sleeping mat with a rolled up blanket on it. It looked as if Oats had been sleeping in the stall too. Murphy decided not to question it. The man's relationship with his donkey was his own business as far as he was concerned. It took the last of his rationed vegetables to sway the beast to his cause, but eventually Sausage and Oats agreed to tag along on his mission. To his surprise they followed him from the stables and into the street. Apparently deciding the journey had already begun.

They had some time to kill before meeting with the party at midday, so he decided to search the city for some things he might want. At the top of that list was books. In recent times he'd come to appreciate the value of what he could learn from reading. He'd never admit it to the old man, but it was an undeniably useful hobby to indulge in. He was missing his own books, primarily his special journal. His gut twisted at the thought of that particular book. If he was lucky, he'd find the rogue and get it back, though he didn’t consider himself to be particularly lucky. With directions from a rather snobby guard, he made his way uptown. There was a clear divide of wealth in the city, going as far as to be separated into two regions by a large stone wall. The town pyre was set into the wall at one point, allowing access from both sides. It seemed as if the wealthier population was content to stay hidden behind their wall. People could travel freely between the districts, but there was a distinct lack of the bright colours of expensive clothing worn in the downtown ring of the city.

The destination was a book shop, since the town didn't have a library. Oats stayed outside with his donkey after receiving a deadly look from the frail man at the counter. The selection was limited, most of which being recounts of adventurers' stories. There were a few informative texts though, so he piled some of the more enticing tomes onto the counter. The shopkeeper noticed, and fixed him with a big smile.

"If it's learning texts you seek" the old man spoke. "Perhaps I can interest you in these old things". He pulled a familiar backpack from beneath the counter, and set it down with a heavy thud. Murphy’s heart nearly jumped from its chest as he scurried to look the backpack over.

"Where did you get this pack?" He asked in a hurry.

The man pulled the pack away and gave him a look of displeasure. "That's none of your business" he huffed.

"I've seen that pack before, old man. It used to be mine."

"Well it's mine now. I bought it all fair and square" the old man declared.

"That's stolen property."

"No it's not, it's my property."

Murphy took a deep breath and calmed himself. Without knowing what to say next, he sought the advice of Uundah. The O'jin wasn’t too pleased to wake, but paid immediate attention once he felt his Warlock's anger bubbling. He too felt they had a strong case to reclaim.

"Is the journal in there?" He asked mentally.

"I'm not sure. It's hard to see the aspects from the outside" Murphy responded.

The old man was looking expectant at him, so Murphy tried an age old tactic. "It's not wise to keep a wizard from his own goods" he threatened.

"It's not wise to threaten an old man in his own home" he rebuted.

"Just buy it" Uundah suggested impatiently. "We can get more coin, we might never see that book again."

Murphy groaned internally, his coin was already dwindling. "How much would you charge a man to buy back his own stuff" he asked through his teeth.

The man considered the sale. "I paid fifteen slab for this package. For you though, I'll sell it for twenty five" he said with a cynical smile.

"Twenty five slabs for books?" Murphy scoffed.

"You’re right, how foolish of me. Thirty and its yours."

Murphy fixed him with a serious stare. "I'll have those books, you geriatric rat."

The man looked aghast. "Out of my shop boy. Before I call the guards."

He considered continuing the argument. The old man was being unreasonable he thought. Uundah was the one to remind him of how bad an idea it was.

"You can't take on guards Murphy. We got lucky out there, don't go counting on it a second time."

Murphy clenched his teeth tightly, and took a wide eyed and deep breath. "Very well" he growled. "This isn't over though."

The man folded his arms and smirked. Prompting another cold wave of silent rage from the Warlock. They left the store in silence. He walked out with such determination he nearly forgot his new companion was waiting.

"Carrot man?" Oats called out, starting into a jog to catch the storming wizard. "Where are your new books?"

Murphy stopped his stride in an instant, and looked back to the unaware man with a vehement rage in his eyes. "I haven't got them yet. But I will."

"How do you intend to do that?" Uundah thought to him, more curious than incredulous.

Murphy smiled a familiar and wild smile. "I've got a plan for that" he said out loud. "I'm just going to need to visit an Enchanter."