Several hours passed as the party turned left and followed the river.

It took some time but eventually they managed to spot signs of civilization. Smoke stacks billowed on the distant horizon. Given the right ingredients it was only natural that a settlement would have been made in this location.

Decently fertile soil, ample lumber for construction, good fishing with the river, and being a trade path made the town of Amberfields a good place to live. It served as a major pitstop for travelers journeying from the western side of Rohl to the eastern. The town seemed arranged in two semi-circles on either side of the river.

Ulgrin’s eyes ran across the notably less solid and trustworthy bridge. Who used wood for a bridge, anyways? Shoddy engineering. It still seemed to do the job, connecting the two sections and bridging the continent.

This early in the month of Granite he could see farmers working their trade. A great deal of woodland had been cleared away to serve as fields. Beasts of burden pulled plows and furrows of loamy soil were cleaved asunder. By the end of the month the first shoots of vegetables would emerge.

Stalks of winter-rye had begun to flower with the spring melt and served as a staple crop to help people through the planting season. Along with crops like carrots, turnips, winterbloom or snowdrop plants, and onions they kept farmers fed. Ulgrin had always wondered how different his life would have been had his parents been farmers and not herders.

Probably not that different. He preferred underground farming, anyways. Worrying about seasonal weather sounded like a pain.

Curious eyes followed their approach as they entered the town. Rohl had a majority mix of Beastfolk and Tallmen as its citizens. Coming in third place were immigrants from the Stoneborn Collective who had for some strange reason decided not to live in the mountains. Strange folk, that bunch.

Being a place of civilization, Amberfields possessed at least three pubs and taverns. He and his party had a brief moment of heated discussion as they decided on the place they would stay for the night.

Ultimately they chose the Speckled Carp, as it was the least questionably named.

“Well,” Ulgrin said, enjoying a nice mug of ale as they all sat down and rested. Travel weariness had a way of making any drink taste great. Dunvi once again proved to be the best at alcohol. “We’re here. According to my notes, the place we’re searching for is across the river and at least a few day’s hike into the woods.”

“Think we can ask a fisherman to take us across?” Alyss asked, casually grinding away at a mortar and pestle.

“Saezz doesn’t mind swimming. Perhaps he can catch us dinner?” The lizardfolk gave a comfortable rumble.

Raelza poked him with the butt of her weapon as she polished her glaive. “Not all of us forgo clothing. The water’s still bound to be cold, anyways. Better to ask a local.”

Ulgrin raised his hand. “About that. We should probably split up and ask around. Details about the area, the forests, if they’ve seen any clues.” He slurped the last of his ale. “I’ll probably head to the Burgomaster’s home and see if they know anything. Does someone mind purchasing provisions? At least a week’s worth on top of what we have.” He counted out a good amount of coinage.

Alyss nodded. “Sure thing, boss. Can I spend the leftovers on reagents?”

“Fine. Get what you can. Hopefully it’s less expensive than the capital. Selling the hides at the Fort bought us some time, but we are on a limit.” He begrudgingly handed over the silver and gold pieces. Stoneborn currency had central holes for pushing string through. A clever way to save on cost and make it more convenient.

The human nodded happily and gathered up her things. “I’ll find a herbalist or alchemist who knows the area too. Some information is better than none, yeah?”

“That it is,” Raelza nodded. “I’ll speak to the hunters and herdsmen. See if there are any dangerous denizens in the woods.”

“Saezz shall… Go fishing.” At Ulgrin’s raised eyebrow he continued. “To speak with the fishers. They travel their boats up and down the river, no? He assumes they would know the waters well.”

Ulgrin grinned and shook his head. “Make sure to bring back something big, ya hear?”

The lizardfolk nodded. “Saezz shall hunt only the most worthy of prey. Or fail miserably. He was never much of a spearfisher.”

With that they all split up, finishing off their drinks and hitting the town. Judging by the atmosphere around there were no major threats. People kept amicable conversation, children played around, and none of the livestock looked wary.

He’d learned that a herd had far greater senses than his own for this kind of stuff. Relying on his animal companions was the best way to ensure an errant rock crab wasn’t sneaking up on their flock. Ulgrin then listened in the market square for some time, pleasant exchanges filling the air. Prices were decent, and winter had been mild.

These were hardy folk, and he found them not too dissimilar to those from his home.

Pausing to ask a local city watch for directions, he headed towards the burgomasters. As expected, the wooden building was notably larger than the ones around it. Stone foundation formed the base and a timber frame had been constructed to hold plaster walls. River clay had been fired to make blue-shingled roofs, well slanted to keep the snow from building up.

Ulgrin found the woman in question at the rear of the building, tending to a backyard garden. He knocked on a waist-high fence to catch her attention. Somewhat past middle aged, a tired human looked him up and down. “Can I help you?” She asked, wiping a bead of sweat away from a dark-skinned cheek.

“Aye. My name is Ulgrin Hoofhome.” He gave a slight bow of respect. “I’m here to explore the wilderness for any signs of the Ancients. I’ve got good information that a ruin awaits just north of here past the river. With your blessing, I’d like any information ye have on the surrounding area.”

Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

She let out a sigh, leaning the hoe she wielded up against the fence. “Of course you interrupt me during the only time I get alone. What can you do…” The burgomaster approached. “I am Hilda Hazelnut. If you’re an adventurer I would appreciate not luring any big monsters here.”

Ulgrin nodded. “Promise not to. If we do get chased, it’ll be away from your lovely town.”

“I’m sure.” Hilda stared at him for a moment, brushing away several locks of auburn hair. Strands of gray had begun to show and he could see deep crows feet on her brow. “There isn’t much to say. Amberfields was officially founded some two hundred and thirty two years ago. Before that, it was merely large camps of merchants.”

“Any strange occurrences?” He queried.

“None that I’ve ever experienced. I got this job thirty years ago. Aside from the usual threats like raptors, wolves, bears, and fliers? Nothing exotic. No earthquakes, strange weather, or ominous magic. Rumors about the woods, but little else.”

That certainly made their job both easier and harder. Easier in the sense that they wouldn’t be running into anything too strange on the way there. Harder, in that whatever might be down there was completely unknown. He thought about that for a few moments, eyes cast across the river.

Turning back, “Any threats you want us to deal with?”

Hilda bit her lower lip. “I’m assuming you’d like to be paid for that.”

He shrugged. “If you can spare the coin, I wouldn’t mind. Otherwise, the only payment we need is whatever we take down. I’d rather have a good relationship with this town since we’ll be operating out of it for the foreseeable future.” He held out a hand.

She took it and shook. “I can respect that. Mercenaries sometimes travel up this path and ask exorbitant amounts to take care of aggressive packs.” She gestured to the river. “A mating pair of Lindwurm have set up a nest nearby, up the eastern river. Not an issue so far, but they’re making a mess of the local wildlife.”

“Lindwurm?” He asked, vaguely familiar with the term.

“Two-legged draconic creatures with long snake-like lower bodies.. At least, that’s what I assume the fishermen speak of. They lack the knowledge to properly tell. Amphibious, but nest in the water. Could be tatzlwyrm, but those have larger packs and are smaller in size. These ones are at least fifteen feet long.”

Rather big. They’d have to be careful in approaching this threat. Ulgrin gave a nod. “Well, we’ll find time to take care of these beasties. Tonight we’re going to rest at the Speckled Carp. Tomorrow we’ll do a preliminary expedition into the forest to get a lay of the land. Once that’s done we should be able to head towards where your fishermen spotted this nest.”

“If you can do that, I’d be thankful.” Hilda replied. “And I can see if a reward can be scrounged up.”

“Anything would be appreciated, no matter how little.” He said in response. “Can ye send the fishers over at supper so we can speak with ‘em?”

“Will do.” She turned around and picked up her tool. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, this garden won’t sow itself. Or it might, plants tend to do that.” An amused chuckle came from the older woman and Ulgrin responded in kind. That done, he turned and walked away, intent on surveying the town more.

Ulgrin paused for a light snack at a stall serving roasted fish. Love me fish. Simple as. Kicking off his boots and letting his feet rest in the cool waters made for a pleasant break. Time to gather his thoughts and properly go over them. Particularly coin expenditures. At this point he was starting to dream about the cost of hardtack. Horrifying nightmares that no dwarf should have to struggle with.

Keeping four downright voracious individuals fed was hard. No wonder his mother and father were always so tired.

He then continued wandering, noting several places of importance. A large general store, several tanneries, a windmill, two smithies who might be up for repairing their equipment, a tailor, and quite a few traveling merchants who had stopped here. More exotic goods could be purchased from them, if need be.

Listening to rumors around town, you could almost believe a mighty dragon lurked deep within the woods. Suffice to say, he didn’t put much stock to the bored gossip of farmers and herders.

He’d had too much experience doing that himself. If Ulgrin was to be believed, a Thunderbird roosted just miles away from his house.

Still, some gossip held more truth than not. While likely nowhere near a total ecological shift, something was certainly going on deep within the woods. Powerful creatures tended to do that, their mere presence warping the food chain and forcing creatures to adapt or flee.

That in turn changed more environments as monsters and beasts found new niches to force their way into. It was a domino effect caused routinely by apex predators. The wing of pterosaurs they’d encountered had been one such example. Hundreds of flying creatures landing in a new environment? It tended to cause chaos among the natives.

Ulgrin didn’t believe it to be a major change, but even small ones tended to shift large portions of wilderness.

As the sun began to set, Ulgrin returned to the Speckled Carp. He found a proud looking Saezz overlooking the innkeep butchering quite the large bass. One hell of a fish. Easily five feet long. Ulgrin was momentarily jealous of being shorter than a fish, but the feeling quickly passed. Dwarves didn’t admit it, but being short sometimes was a pain.

Filets of fish were expertly cut and a discount on their dinner provided in return for what they wouldn’t eat. Still a good amount, given their appetites.

His party members returned in quick succession and they made short work of the provided meal. Dried lemon had been grated and used to give it a nice zesty taste. All things considered, he was starting to really like fish. His home had scarcely any ponds or rivers. A dwarf could get used to this exotic stuff.

“Well, according to the Burgomaster not much can be gleaned for our efforts.” Ulgrin said, spearing a nice chunk with his fork. “But I did get us a side job. There are two Lindwurms causing trouble up the river. I’d like to make it a priority to take those out before we go too deep into the forest.”

Surprisingly, Saezz was the only one to know that name. “Ah, a worthy opponent. We shall make short work of these dragons.”

“Dragons?” Alyss echoed. “If they’re like drakes, then their harvestable bits should have some alchemical value. Scales are valuable, too. Could make a nice set of armor or several cloaks.”

After asking for more information, Raelza squinted her brow. “We’ll need to lure them out of the water. Only one of us is half-decent at aquatic combat,” she gave a nod to Saezz who practically gleamed with pride. “Maybe set an ambush, hunt a deer and fill the air with its scent. Should attract them, but it might also bring unwanted guests.”

Before they could continue, a man wearing a wide-brimmed straw hat approached.

He swallowed, staring at them. “You the adventurers?”

“We are,” Ulgrin replied.

“The name’s Johan,” he gave a quick tip of his hat. “Miss Hilda asked me to tell you ‘bout the beasties. They’re huge!” The man exclaimed, spreading his arms. “One of them almost caught up to my boat and bit down on the back! Luckily, my icebox was in the way. Good dwarven steel!” He looked towards Ulgrin with a grin. “Left behind this,” he reached into his bag and pulled forth a tooth.

The large specimen was at least five inches long, wickedly sharp. Ulgrin accepted the offering. Raising it to the light, he saw it to be saw-like for shearing flesh from bone. Much like a shark’s tooth from the one time he’d seen one on sale at a merchant’s stall. Handing it to the others, they examined it closely.

Alyss promptly made a fool of herself when it was handed off to her. “Do I look like a unicorn?” She asked, holding the tooth against her forehead. “Oh come on, it’s funny.” A blush ran down her cheeks and she stubbornly sipped her drink. “Don’t tell me you didn’t have the urge.”

“Aye,” Ulgrin responded, grinning. “But I have more self control. And a better stomach for alcohol.”

Johan coughed, interrupting their amusement. “Well, the Miss said you’d be hunting this thing? I wish you luck.” He accepted the tooth back. “Avenge my poor icebox, the thing cost me a fortune. That and the day’s catch. Ate all the fish I had trailing behind. Snapped ‘em up like a turtle.”

Saezz nodded wisely. “Vengeance will be had for your box and fish. We shall hunt these creatures and show them the error of their ways. Soon, the world shall respect our strength.”

“Uh. Sure?” The poor fisherman didn’t quite know what to make of the lizardman’s words.

“Ignore him,” Raelza replied, swishing her mug. “We’ll get the job done. Later, though. Tonight sounds like a well deserved break from camping out under the stars.”

“Aye. A bed certainly beats the dirt.” Ulgrin replied. “Don’t know how you folk can get comfortable on that stuff. Give me a nice bit of stone to lay on and I’m set.” Judging by the confused stares of his party members, none of them thought the same. Stone was nice! Not his fault these non-dwarves couldn’t get used to hard surfaces.

We continue the adventure with chapter unlucky number thirteen! Thankfully I don't particularly care for such things. Tune in for the next sixty-nine chapters to be about fishing trips.

Lexicon of Words and Terms Used:

Winterbloom - A magical plant that feeds off of moonlight rather than sunlight. Grows best in autumn and winter, and typically has growth periods at night. In the coldest regions where the sun doesn't shine this plant serves as a staple food.

Snowdrop - A magical plant that grows only when there is snow. Harvest can fail if the winter is warm enough and there aren't enough snowfalls.

Tatzylwyrm - A lesser cousin of the Lindwurm. More reptilian than they are draconic. Smaller and more agile.

Icebox - An enchanted metal box that produces cold. Simple, yet effective for storing perishable goods.