I returned to the Guardhouse just before evening. The only soldiers present were Lieutenant Tarlest and Captain Farrow, both seated at their desk. The dwarven captain laughed as I entered.

“Given up so soon? Did the gnolls steal your crossbow?”

I took Nalkak’s head from my pack and set it on the desk, swiveling it so that its pained visage faced the officers. The captain fell silent, and the lieutenant sat back in his chair, eyebrows raised.

“It’s obvious what happened,” said the lieutenant. “The gnoll chief tripped while he was shaving, and our friend recovered the head.”

“I believe you have the right of it. Two of my uncles died the same way.” Farrow took a closer look. “What’s this carved into his forehead?”

“It’s a ‘G’.” I grinned. “A ‘G’ for El Gato!”

Farrow leaned toward Tarlest. “Do you know what he’s babbling about?”

“No. I suspect that Motiacca’s followers have devised their own language to keep their secrets safe from honorable eyes.”

I was surprised by their puzzled expressions. It occurred to me that I couldn’t really read their language—the game transformed their letters into words I understood. And it seemed they couldn’t read the letters of my language. Interesting.

Farrow sighed. “I hate to say it, but I believe the King’s Guard owes you a reward.”

The captain stood from the desk and entered a room in the rear. After he left, Tarlest leaned forward with wide eyes.

“How did you beat the gnolls?”

I took a nearby chair and told Tarlest the entire story, from the poisoned ale to the snares to the repeated use of my backstabbing ability. He winced with each description.

“You’re the least honorable fighter I’ve ever met. Did you really poison wolves while they were leashed to a tree?”

“Dire wolves are smart and ferocious. If I hadn’t killed them, they would have torn me to shreds. And even if you don’t like how I work, I hope you’ll agree that my methods are effective.”

“Truly spoken.” The captain set down a bag of gold. “Here’s the 200 gold for Nalkak’s head.”

A message appeared: QUEST COMPLETED - DELIVER NALKAK’S HEAD TO CAPTAIN FARROW. +2,000 XP!

The completed quest reminded me of the quest I’d received while searching through Nalkak’s tent. I withdrew the folded letter from my pack and set it on the desk.

“The gnolls were acting under orders. Someone was paying them to rob travelers.”

Farrow grabbed the letter and mouthed its words. “Excellent work… Keep stealing… Palomir. Palomir, hah!” Farrow’s eyes narrowed, and he tore the letter into ribbons.

I watched the captain, shocked. “That’s not… rubbish. I found that in Nalkak’s tent.”

Farrow snorted. “Palomir would never consort with gnolls, much less pay them to steal from our citizens.”

Tarlest also seemed surprised. “Who’s Palomir?”

“Palomir the Just is the greatest ranger alive. He’s a priest of Theris and has been serving her for over a century. He thwarted Agranaus the Unholy and Lixre the Dread—and every other necromancer who’s tried to seize power. The kingdom owes him—”

Just then, the Guardhouse doors flew open. Two soldiers brought forward a lizardfolk in bloodstained chainmail, supporting him by the shoulders.

“Pardon me, Captain,” one of the soldiers said, “nagas attacked a caravan headed to Encelas. This is the only survivor.”

“Lay him on the desk”—Farrow went to a shelf and took a flask of violet liquid—“and have him drink this.”

Bruises covered the lizardfolk’s face, shoulder, and left arm, and he could barely open his eyes. But after he drank the potion, he blinked upward at Captain Farrow and spoke in an accent I’d never heard before.

“Thannk you. The nnaga’s poisonn nnearly killed me.”

“You’re welcome,” Farrow said. “Now tell us what happened. We haven’t had trouble with the nagas in years.”

The lizardfolk nodded. “I was guarding a connvoy whenn four nnagas attacked. They slayed the guards and merchannts, then took our ironn. I escaped, and would have died if your soldiers hadnn’t founnd me.”

“Then we have naga bandits to deal with now?”

The lizardfolk closed his eyes. “Nnot banndits. They wore purple annd black.”

Farrow and Tarlest deflated upon hearing this. I moved to Tarlest’s side and whispered, “What’s wrong with purple and black?”

Tarlest replied softly: “They’re the royal colors of Nagak-Thurn, city of the nagas. If the royal soldiers attacked an ally of Encelas, it’s more than just banditry—it’s an act of war.”

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Farrow lowered his head and started to pace. “I can’t report this to the chancellor without more information. At the same time, I can’t spare any soldiers to investigate.”

He turned and pointed to me. “You did well against the gnolls. I’ll pay you handsomely to look into the matter. What do you say?”

“I won’t stand much of a chance against nagas,” I said. “This sounds like a job for a diplomat.”

Farrow shook his head. “The chancellor won’t send a diplomat until he has more information. And I’m not asking you to fight the nagas. Just sneak around. Figure out if these bandits are acting independently, or if Nagak-Thurn is preparing for war.”

I sighed. Captain Farrow had mentioned other tasks, such as investigating the disappearance of a guardsman in the forest. But he and Tarlest looked at me with such grave expressions that I felt compelled to accept.

“Alright, I’ll investigate. Where is Nagak-Thurn?”

“Somewhere in the Baildril.” Tarlest smiled wanly. “Only the nagas know for certain.”

“You don’t know where they live? You sounded like you knew everything about them.”

“We know a great deal about nagas,” Farrow said, “but they never invite anyone to their city. If you find Nagak-Thurn, let us know. But be on your guard. Unlike the gnolls, nagas are smart and dangerous.”

A message scrolled along the bottom of my view. QUEST ADDED: INVESTIGATE THE NAGAS OF NAGAK-THURN.

⚔

The next morning, I cleaned the stains out of my armor and paid a visit to Orla’s shop. Leaning over her counter, she looked at me with an expression that combined excitement and curiosity.

“I heard you slayed the bandits on Londorin Road. Is that right?”

“That’s right,” I said. “The King’s Guard rewarded me generously for defeating them, and I’m looking for new weapons. Got anything fancy?”

Orla smiled. “I have many fancy weapons. What are you looking for?”

“Daggers and light crossbows.”

Orla walked briskly to her shelves, and when she returned, she set two daggers and a crossbow on the counter. She described them with the admiration of a seasoned saleswoman.

“The first blade is the +3 Dagger of Drinking. It does twice the damage of a normal dagger and heals the wielder half of the damage it causes. It costs 120 gold.”

It was the most elegant weapon I’d ever seen. The hilt was studded with rubies and its blade was made of a shimmering crimson metal I’d never encountered before.

“Next, you see the +4 Dagger of Venom. Its blade was extracted from an immortal anaconda named Vusus, and its wounds are always poisonous. 150 gold for that one.”

The dagger radiated beauty and lethality. The hilt was formed from a single long emerald, and when I looked closely the curved blade, I could see tiny green droplets covering its surface.

“My last weapon is the +2 Crossbow of Murder. This has twice the range of a regular crossbow and it never makes a sound. You can pull, load, and fire in complete silence. I’ll part with it for 180 gold.”

The crossbow was made of a glowing white substance that looked like a cross between ivory and marble. A tiny jewel was mounted at the end of the stock, and I gasped when I realized its purpose.

“May I—may I hold the crossbow?”

“Of course.”

I raised the weapon, which turned out to be much lighter than I’d expected, and pulled back the drawstring. Not a sound. Then I looked down the stock as if to aim. The jewel served as a gunsight, showing exactly where the bolt was headed. I smiled. That’s why it had twice the range of a regular crossbow.

I set down the beautiful weapon and wiped the tears from my eyes. I needed the Crossbow of Murder, so the question was which of the two daggers I should buy. Then a thought struck me.

“I’ll need bolts for the crossbow. Any fancy bolts?”

Orla went to her shelves and returned with three cases. She opened each to reveal the ten bolts inside.

“The green bolts are bolts of venom, which poison the target. 30 gold per case. The red bolts are bolts of fire, which burst into flame after hitting the target. Those are 50 gold per case. The purple bolts are bolts of acid, which cover the target with acid that eats through armor and skin. I’ll sell you a case of them for 70 gold.”

I preferred ranged combat to hand-to-hand fighting, and as I looked over Orla’s bolts, all thought of buying a dagger vanished from my mind. I ran my fingers over the bolts of fire, and I was delighted to find them warm to the touch. I worked the numbers in my head.

“I’d like to buy the Crossbow of Murder, one case of venom bolts, two cases of fire bolts, and one case of acid bolts. If my math is right, that comes to 380 gold.”

I counted out the gold and handed it to Orla, leaving me with just 20 gold. Orla set the Crossbow of Murder in front of me, and I held it up to eye level, getting a better look at the jeweled sight.

“If I fire a regular bolt with this, will it become enchanted?”

“Of course. An unenchanted bolt fired from the Crossbow of Murder becomes a +2 bolt.”

“Wonderful. If you’re still selling regular bolts for four gold a case, I’d like two cases of those as well.”

I set eight gold coins on the counter. Orla handed me two cases of regular bolts.

“One more thing,” I said. “I’d rather not have to open cases when I need to fire. Do you have any bandoliers?”

“I’ve never heard of such a thing.”

I did my best to explain that a bandolier was a belt of ammunition worn over the shoulder. I wasn’t sure I was being clear, but then her face lit up.

“Ah, you seek a bolt-belt.”

Orla went to her shelves and returned with two bandoliers, each capable of holding forty bolts.

“Perfect,” I said. “How much for both?”

“Four silver will suffice.”

I placed the last of my last silver coins on the counter, and then spent several happy minutes filling the bandoliers with the bolts I’d purchased. When I was finished, Orla laughed.

“You look ready to fight every monster in the kingdom.”

“I feel ready, but I have an errand to run first. I’m hoping to learn Light Magic from a mage named Gurnil. Ever heard of her?”

Orla shook her head. “Where does she live?”

“Her house is at the northeastern tip of the Baildril, just off the Londorin Road. Do you know how I can get there? If I walk, it will take all day.”

“Go to the stables in town and hire a coach to Encelas. Then tell the coachman to stop when you reach your destination. If you leave now, you should reach the mage’s house by noon.”

Orla’s smile faded, and her face took a pensive expression.

“I should mention that I’ll soon be traveling myself. Galliel’s army is only a week away, so I’m going to hire passage to Encelas.”

I felt a pang of emptiness. Orla hadn’t been overly friendly during most of our conversations, but I was going to miss her.

“I wish you safe travel, Orla. With luck, we’ll meet in Encelas.”