Nomad cleared his throat and approached the two bickering adventurers. He sighed internally and put his act together. A casual, friendly smirk crawled up on his face. It had been a while.

"Excuse me, I couldn't help but overhear your conversation. You're both after the same quest, yes? The one about the feral boar?" He asked, pointing at the paper in Lila's hand.

They both snapped their heads toward him, brows furrowing and lips tightening.

Nomad quickly raised his hands, "Hey, hey. I’m not here to fight…"

“What do you want?" The man demanded.

"I’m a traveler—"

“Yeah, no shit." The [Witch] interrupted.

"—and a hunter. I’m also looking for that quest, you see. I’ve heard that the boar's quite a tough one. We could help each other out, and make this a breeze. I just took down a Head Goblin by myself, you know. And you two look pretty strong too. So what do you say-”

"So you’re here to steal it from me, too?" the redhead snapped, cutting him off as her eyes glinted purple.

“No, no, not at all. I’m here to offer a solution.” Nomad raised his hands disarmingly, a smile on his lips. “Like I said, why don’t we work together on this quest? We can share the reward three ways, and we’ll have a better shot at killing the boar. It’s a win-win situation for everyone."

"Work together? With you? And her?” The man said with a grunt.

"Yeah, right." The [Witch] sneered. "Like I would ever trust a traveler or this Church thug—"

"Ex, church thug." The man corrected with a grimace.

"—You’re both nothing to me anyway. I’m a [Witch], I have powers you can’t even dream of. I don’t need anyone’s help, especially not yours, Rolf." She scoffed.

"Right, go fuck yourself," Rolf said. "You want a fight, Lila? You got one."

"Stop, see reason." Nomad felt like he was tutoring children.

"No, no. She doesn't see any of that. As for me, I only see an annoying traveler who's trying to interfere with our damn business. We don't want your help, your advice, or your company. Leave. Now," Rolf said.

"Yeah, what he said. Except for the part where he implied he's speaking for me. He's not. Only I speak for myself. And I say, get lost, traveler. You're not welcome here."

"Hey, hey, guys. The reward is pretty sweet." Nomad spoke up. He was getting tired of this. He could simply beat these two up, but that would cause quite a commotion. Even bigger than they already caused. "1 Platinum Lion. Come on. That’s a lot of money, folks. That’s like 10 Silver Stags, or 1,000 Copper Pennies if you’re into that. Enough for the three of us... Just for killing one bloody boar. Let's not talk about the pelt as it's a requirement of the person who's put up the quest. But meat? Any other parts? A lot of money."

"Exactly. A lot of money," Lila snorted. "And I need the money, traveler. This is my quest. Scram and find your own. And if you still want to team up go with some big dumb brute"

"Who're you calling a big dumb brute?" Rolf glared at her.

"Are you a big dumb brute, Rolf? I didn't say you were, if you think that way, that's on you." Lila smirked.

"Oh, bite me." Rolf crossed his arms.

"I'm not into kinky shit. Tch. Rolf, I didn't think your tastes were that extreme. Oh well... Nothing unexpected. Your poor wife; she has to deal with a damn beast like you. Tsk. Tsk. " She shook her head.

"Screw you!"

They drew toward each other, and no one moved away from their stance on the matter.

Nomad tilted his head sideways.

"Why are you two acting like a bunch of little brats?" Nomad raised an eyebrow. "The party mechanics of the system will show who contributed how much, no? We can form a temporary [Party]. You're a [Witch], right? I won't ask you to join a permanent party given you likely belong to some [Coven] of your own, but a temporary party shouldn't hurt any rules your [Coven] may have in place."

This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

Lila had a strange expression when he mentioned her [Coven] and Rolf snorted, his demeanor changing slightly less antagonistic toward Lila. She, though, remained as hostile and disdainful, if not more.

"You're not afraid of [Oaths] are you? You're a [Witch], come on. You lot live off of [Oaths]... This should be nothing for someone like you. Maybe I'm wrong."

Her eye twitched in annoyance, "You think a little thing like an [Oath] bothers me? Ha... My whole existence is an [Oath], traveler. Don't pretend you know anything about me—"

Biting back a smirk, Nomad cut her off before she could say anything more.

"A temporary [Party]. We divide according to our contribution. Then we each go on our way once we're done."

Lila finally seemed to consider his idea, looking him up and down, ignoring Rolf and the forming crowd of audience talking in hushed voices altogether.

"You, I like you, traveler. You're smart, unlike someone else I know. Seeing that this big, ax-wielding fool seems hell-bent on this quest, I can allow this little compromise. What about it, Rolf?" She turned to Rolf with a grin. "Or will you go with your other party members on some low-paying quests? Ah, my apologies, I forgot they got killed due to your incompetence."

Rolf furrowed his brows and gritted his teeth.

"Anyways, you're both quite smart," Nomad continued. He'd never even consider doing this in a [Party], but the [Witch] already had her hands on the quest when he'd arrived, and the scarred man seemed hell-bent on it, too. This was Nomad's only chance. He couldn't wait and do quests here, he'd need to keep moving. Who knew how close the church's people were to him already? The [Oath] would give him an edge. And since they'd be bound to it, he'd get a lot more than one-third of the reward. That would last him a while, he could easily leave and more in some other town. "Let us join forces and go on that quest instead of risking it alone… considering that it’s a fierce wild boar, that one. Might even be quite high-level."

"Yeah, what he said." Lila crossed her arms after fixing her hat, smiling. "Except for the part where you implied Rolf's possibly as smart as I am. He's not. He's a dumb, muscle-bound, axe-wielding oaf. He couldn't kill a boar if his life depended on it. He'd end up running anyway. Like always. Might end up as its dinner. Or worse, its mate. He seems to be into the biting type in the first place."

"Hey, watch your mouth, [Witch]. You're the useless one. You can't even cast a simple spell without blowing something up. You're a menace to yourself and everyone around you. You'd probably end up as the boar's snack. Or worse, its pet," Rolf said, veins popping on his forehead.

"Enough, enough. You two are impossible." Nomad sighed exasperatedly. "You're wasting your time and energy on pointless insults." He realized he'd be having a really hard time with these two. They were too stubborn, too proud, and too hostile to each other, for whatever reasons they had. They hated each other. They were logical beings in one moment, irrational beasts in another.

"Fine. Prepare. We head out tomorrow. Early morning. I promise to hold onto this quest until then. I'll work on the [Oath] tonight. You both can read its contents and swear it along me."

They agreed, though Rolf still seemed to be on the fence about this. He had no other way, however, so he reluctantly agreed.

Nomad stopped momentarily as he walked away. Another night. How'd he pay for the inn and food? He considered his options as he continued walking, shaking his head. A [Witch's] promise, especially [Oaths], weren't something you'd ignore. Nomad knew she wouldn't go back on her promise so he returned with ease. Paying for tonight, though...

He walked through the town, watching as people came and went from market to market and alleyway to alleyway. They went about their lives and their trades as he crossed through a large area filled with merchant stalls. There, he watched some low-level dwarven blacksmiths at their stall display. No matter how low-level, it was always interesting to watch them work. They created knives, tools, and different weapons in front of amazed customers and aspiring craftsmen, selling their wares at reasonable prices.

It was too bad he lacked the money to purchase any of their equipment.

He simply walked off and made his way to the 'Lahey's Inn'. However, he was surprised to find someone there when he entered.

The scarred, rough-looking Rolf frowned as he saw Nomad approaching.

"What is it, Rolf? Why're you here?" Nomad questioned.

Rolf's frown deepened as if Nomad were the most unpleasant person in the world to him.

"I should be the one asking you that," Rolf growled, grabbing him by the collar and slamming him against the wall, causing the patrons nearby to halt, turning their heads. "You think you're sneaky, eh? A conniving and devious bastard? I know your kind. Sweet words masking who you are. Why're you here? Who told you about this place? Did that [Witch] do it? Ayy, I’ll give you a piece of advice. Never trust a fucking [Witch]." Rolf drew near his face, glaring daggers.

"Easy, there. Rolf, I have no idea what you're talking about." Nomad said casually, staring right back at him.

"Don't play dumb. You don't even know? Well, let me refresh your memory, bastard." Rolf said, his frown deepening.

"Dad?" A voice said, and when Nomad looked, he saw the boy arriving from inside and halting when he was in his usual place behind the counter. "What—what are you doing to our customer?"

"I... customer?" Rolf's frown gave away and he froze, releasing Nomad's collar.

"Yes, he's living in one of the rooms along with his daughter. Though his payment might be running a tad bit late today." The boy said, tilting his head, and gripping the counter tight. "Are... you going to beat him too?"