Something with the idea of letting a bandit - even a monster one, didn’t sit right with me. If Strongbridge was meant to be my home - even if only for a few years until I learned the ropes and could convince Lord Darville to cut me loose to travel the world and get stronger as I expected I should - then I had to help the people in it and help protect it anyway I could, didn’t I?

I don’t know if I would have the first time that I was this age, but then again in my mind, I wasn’t. I had lived through the crushing disappointments of life and its great joys, I had seen the smiles of my children and felt the supreme confidence that children have in their parents. It didn’t matter if I wanted to; it mattered if they would have wanted me to. Osbert and Gwen were obsessed with knights - a trait they had picked up from me and the stories I had read to them before their siblings joined the mix. To them, especially to Gwen, chivalry wasn’t dead and people should help if they could.

Alec wasn’t just argumentative because it was in his personality to be, I had seen my youngest son give the majority of his snacks to his little sister, and I had seen him give up video game time to his brother when Osbert had a bad day. I had heard ‘that’s not right’ when something he found appalling was happening to know that my youngest son loved justice. As to Bridget, she was too young to reason out the potential opinions of in a situation like this. But I knew she had belief in me that made me think I could do whatever I needed to - even if it was taking down a criminal and his evolved monster pterodactyl - correction, Pelikvern.

“Tell me where. I’ll resolve this.” I declared.

Instantly, the green-grey light of a window prompt appeared before me, and this time it was accompanied by a chiptune melody that was audible not to me; but to those in front of me based on how they looked at me with widened eyes.

The prompt itself read: “New quest accepted!

The Pesky Pelikvern of Portside – Resolve the issue of the Tipsy Tauracean Tavern and its Sweet Butter Bakery subsidiary by reclaiming the basket and any non-devoured bread from the Pelikvern known as Gerald. Resolve the issue causing his thieving by any means necessary.

This is a quest with variable rewards based on your actions. Base completion success: 30 Experience Points and a common reliquary (scrimshaw). Base failure cost: 40 Experience points. Additional Rewards: Variable.

Additional notes: You have multiple paths to success, and multiple paths to failure. Good luck!”

The prompt disappeared with the same upbeat chiptune melody that it had announced itself with, and I found myself stunned.

Stats, I got. Monsters and types and levels, even classes made sense. No one had told me that quests existed and for some reason, I had not bothered to assume they would either.

Why one would exist but another wouldn’t I didn’t know! So I focused on the matter at hand.

“Where does Gerald’s owner live?”

***

I was pushing a wooden wheelbarrow through the cobblestone streets of Strongbridge and towards the house near the dockside where Gerald the Pelikvern and his owner lived. As I went, I was upbeat. My first quest!

A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

I had even taken the time to get ready as they gathered the groceries in the wheelbarrow and read over Baloo and Bagheera’s stats with my analysis skill. As I whistled while pushing at it, I could still see the information in my mind’s eye; and I didn’t have any other distractions. The Cerbearus and Ossicarn cubs had returned to their reliquaries just before I had left - simply with the thought word ‘return’.

“Bagheara the Ossicarn, level 1. Five experience points are necessary to become level 2.

Ossicarns are considered to be ideal hunting partners and pets for all sorts; but they hold a special place among wizards, witches, and the forest wardens. Ossicarn are among the oldest monster partner species in all of Hekatondrona; and are known to have very strong personalities and be territorial of humans which they consider to be their own. This ossicarn is female. All ossicarns are earth and fire primary aligned monsters. This ossicarn has a secondary nature alignment. Its tertiary alignment is currently locked.

Moves:

Pounce (Nature) - This attack is a mighty charging leap that carries with it the innate fury of natural predators. Minor damage, high accuracy.

Rolling Stone (Earth) - This attack consists of charging forward, and digging one’s claws into the area below. This is accompanied by gathering momentum to launch a volley of rocks and one’s own body forward into a mighty stone crash at opponents. High damage. Rolling stone has a high chance of missing. ”

“Baloo the Cerbearus, level 1. Five experience points are necessary to become level 2.

Cerbeari are often companions to fishermen and are used in many places as guard monsters. Beware leaving them unintended for too long, they can be creatures of pure mayhem and destruction. Cerbeari are confident and typically demonstrate a relaxed personality. Do not mistake this for sloth or inaction. This cerbearus is male. All cerbeari are water and nature-aligned monsters. This cerbeari has a secondary earth alignment. Its tertiary alignment is currently locked.

Moves:

Salmon Leap (Water) - The distinctive attack of the Cerbeari species and its offshoots, the Salmon leap is as much a utility move as an attack. The user moves forward and creates water in amounts varying from high-pressure bubbles to small streams as a method to create mighty leaps and climb high distances. The salmon leap typically ends with a shoulder tackle.

Bear-rel Roll (Nature) - Another distinctive attack that is used as an evasion method as well, Bear-rel Roll is naturally known by all bear monsters. This move uses natural power and the considerable weight of the average bear to create a wrecking ball of muscle, claw, and fluff. “

As I thought about the insights I had gleaned about my monsters from my increasingly growing Analysis skill, I completed my walk and found myself standing out of a dingy-looking cabin of a house with fishing nets, buckets, and more stacked outside of it. The distinctive coral-orange tiles favored throughout Strongbridge were accented by a seafoam green colored paint job across the house and more than anything else physically about the house I noticed one thing.

It had a large, modern-looking-shaped safety orange-colored surfboard outside of it. I also couldn’t help but smell what seemed to be piles of rotting fish. I almost wretched out the soup I had eaten at the Tipsy Tavern at the smell but fought it down. Carefully I sat down the wheelbarrow on its supports and willed a bit of my energy into the reliquaries.

Bagheera the Ossicarn and Baloo the Cerbearus immediately appeared beside me, both loping around me like a puppy and kitten sized security detail.

From outside, I shouted.

“Gerald the Pelikvern and owner, come out right now! I’m here to get back the bread basket and stop you from terrorizing this town ever again!”

Just because they had given me the tools for trickery didn’t mean I had tried to use them. So I stood there like my attempted impersonation of a strong young warrior and got no answer. I repeated myself.

Still no answer, I repeated myself.

“Can’t you tell I don’t want any visitors? Go away, no solicitors. I don’t want your ShamWow or whatever it is you’re selling!”