Iagan looked positively grumpy, his soured mood hung in his posture as he slumped. The inland streets were not completely void of people but they were empty and much more respectful toward the residential homes that interspersed along the roads. Passing by another set of drunkards stumbling their way home it was just the two of us in the quiet streets.
“I’ll pay you back for the potions.” Iagan said breaking his silence.
“It’s okay honestly,” I tried to reassure him. “There’s always coin to be made.”
“Still. I feel like I haven’t DONE anything and that it’s all been thrown onto you.”
I shrugged. “I’m a charisma class character, shops are my preferred environment. When we find something strength based that’ll be when you shine. You’re the tank. I’m just support, so let me support you.”
“Feels like I’m a sugar baby or something.” Iagan grumbled.
“Well, sugar babies get an allowance and you’re not getting one outta me so don’t even think about it mister.” I said in a stern voice and wagged a finger at him. I laughed as his face turned a shade lighter than his hair.
“I already said I’m paying you back! And I DON’T need an allowance!” He grumbled some more as his pace quickened. I had to step mine up to keep up with his long strides. We hit the street along the water and Iagan took an immediate turn toward Clearwater Tours and the giant crab on it’s rooftop.
“When do you want to go on the stroll?” He asked finally after a few moments of silence, changing the subject.
“Probably the sooner the better.” I said reluctantly looking out at the black rippling waters of night. Starlight caught the edges of the breaking waves casting them in foaming diamonds as they crashed. “I’m not a big fan of the ocean in general so uh this is going to be not so fun.”
“Sure, sooner rather than later works and if we come back with a ton of those plants then we’ll get the pelt back and we can sell it.”
“I’m not sure, I think I want to save the bear for Dawnrise. I haven’t seen any tanners in town yet so I doubt there’s anybody who would really want it for the price we deserve to sell it at.”
“Honestly, I was surprised when you put it up as collateral.” Iagan said.
“The only other thing I have that’s worth anything to me is my camera and I’ll need it for the stroll so I couldn’t leverage that. It’s fine. It’s just a pelt and we’re getting it back anyways so it’s not a big deal. Just like a locker or something. I definitely want to try to find a bank or something as quickly as possible—” I froze with a gasp. My HUD highlighted something in the streets ahead between the legs of a group of people walking towards us.
A dog.
“Dog!” I said taking off into a trot towards the animal as it sniffed around a set of outdoor patio furniture for a lively restaurant. I whistled to him catching its attention, the triangle shaped ears perked up at the pitch and it whirled around to face me. A friendly meter sprang up over it’s head, pushing towards the ugly reddish brown mix of the gradient. It was unsure of me.
Iagan finally caught up, “Mica! What are you doing— is that a dog?”
“Come here baby.” I cooed to the little beast in my best ‘mummy loves you’ voice. The dog took a step forward slowly, its ears flattened back and tail tucked down. I stayed patiently still as it’s cold nose brushed my fingers gently and it backed away. I summoned one half of a stack of the boar meat I had left over and tossed a small chunk towards him. The dog’s ears perked up at the scent and it took to the meat instantly, scarfing it down without a care. I tossed it the rest, the meter over it’s head moving from ruddy brown to firmly green as it ate.
“You scared me running off like that.” Iagan continued to fuss.
“I said ‘Dog!’” I told him holding my hand out again for it to smell. It finished the boar meat and approached slowly, sniffing my fingers with a lick for more. I reached out and pat its head gently giving a good scritch behind the ears which he seemed to enjoy as he pressed his head harder into the palm of my hand. I summoned my camera.
Nothing happened.
“Shit,” I mumbled under my breath remembering it was getting upgraded and here I was with my first dog and I couldn’t even take it’s picture!
“We’ll find more dogs.” Iagan said realizing why I was upset.
“I know we will.” I said summoning my ID card and turning it around to check my stats. The number indicated beside ‘Dogs Pet’ was up by one, a rousing success at the end of it all. I pet the dog again but the number didn’t change so it looked like one dog equaled one counter. This was a good start, but I definitely needed more dogs.
The dog went and stood next to Iagan pressing against his leg looking for pats too. Iagan obliged. “Come on, we’ve gotta go tell Maggie.”
“I’ll come back for you sweet bean.” I promised, bidding the dog a farewell as it went on to wander around for a spot to sleep. Iagan rolled his eyes failing to hide a smirk as we set back off down the road.
We reached the giant crab building with no issue. The lights were still on inside and we entered, finding Maggie unmoved from her chair behind the desk. She looked up at our arrival with a big smile.
“Welcome back! Did Tel and Vel get you guys set up properly?” She asked. I nodded, grateful we’d stopped here first to pay for the tour. “They can be a bit expensive but you get what you pay for and they make high quality items and potions. So do you have a day you’d like to attend the stroll?”
“Sunday.” Iagan piped up before I could say anything. “We’ve got some touring and shopping to do before then.”
Maggie nodded along, “Of course! Sunday sounds great. Tours start at 9 am and we will meet here at the end of the docks.”
“We have enough potion for 3 hours so we’d like to get the as much of the bay as we can.”
“Ooh a long trip then! How exciting!” A twinkle appeared in Maggie’s eye as she pulled out the ledger and wrote in it with a fluffy quill pen. “Alrighty we’ll set sail Sunday, do you prefer mornings or afternoons?”
“Mid-morning would work best. We’re staying at Two Fin Inn so it’s a bit of a walk.” I said finally getting a word in.
“That sounds fine.” Maggie said making a final additional note as she closed the book and slid it back into her desk. “I’ll see you guys then!”
We bade her farewell and the lights turned off, darkening the end of the pathway. We headed back towards the light of the town.
“Sunday?” I asked after we got a good distance away from the tour shop. “Shouldn’t we try for tomorrow?”
“We’re taking tomorrow and we’re picking up as MANY quests as we can. Even if we can’t complete them during the tour we won’t have to keep going back and forth to find them.” Iagan explained. “I figure we take tomorrow to look around for those and do any last minute emergency shopping with the last of our coin.”
I was dangerously low with less than 100 gold on my
“Is there anything you’re desperate to look for?” I asked, poking back through my watch to my running list of things to buy. Thankfully it was short, for now.
To Buy:
-Bug Catching Net
-Listening Stones (Various)
“I dunno yet, but I figure I’ll know it when I see it.” He paused, “Actually I know I need a towel. This drip drying is for the damn birds.”
I chuckled and typed it into my watch in a separated section under his name. I opened my map of the town and tracked us as we walked along the crescent shape back towards Two Fin Inn. About halfway into our walk a crowd of people cheered from down on the docks, their loud voices calling out bets and payouts.
“Next round bets! Next round bets! Alrin versus Denmir! Come and place your bets!” A loud voice shouted above it all. A short man stood atop a stack of barrels with a fat sack of gold at his hip. He was busily handing and sorting the paper slips that came his was from the people who crowded around him.
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“Looks like gambling is legal.” I mused giving Iagan a nudge. He followed looking over to where I was pointing. I couldn’t tell exactly what it was they were crowding around but it looked like it was played over a table, maybe cards or something.
“Any chance to make money is a good chance.” He said changing course, “Let’s check it out.”
I wasn’t a gambler by any means, but man did I have an Aunt who loved the poker channel. Iagan found one of the men standing towards the back of the group and tapped him hard on the arm. The man turned with a grunt giving Iagan a once over.
“What’s the event?” He asked over the overlapping voices of the crowd.
“Arm wrestlin’.” The man gruffed turning back to the action.
I blinked a few times in astonishment, that was different from what I was expecting. Iagan shared my astonishment looking positively elated. The short man’s voice called out again.
“Bettin’s closed! Next round opens after the match!” He called loudly. A shrill whistle happened from the center of the crowd and the noise grew. People shoved, cheering loudly and drunkenly filled with excitement. I followed Iagan around to the now ignored man on the barrel who sat busily sorting his bets into each palm.
“Hey!” Iagan shouted up to him coming closer. The man didn’t look up.
“Bet’s closed!” He called back.
“Hey how do I join?” Iagan asked. That got the man’s attention as he finally turned giving him a side eye, he squatted down to Iagan’s eye level.
“An [Adventurer] hmm? Are you sure you’ve got what it takes to compete in this [Skill Challenge]?” The man said raising a brow.
A pink pop up instantly appeared in my HUD.
Mr.BigwIggy whispered to [The Group]:
I tapped through my HUD and sent him the reigns of our group.
[Your Party Leader bonuses are no longer active.]
[New Party Leader Bonus active: Spirit of Adventure- Party members gain one temporary level in Strength and gain temporary ‘Aura of Minor Magic Regeneration’]
It hit me what he was doing: he was gathering as much bonus [Strength] as he could manage using his Party Leader bonus.
“Yeah I’m sure.” Iagan grinned. The man nodded slowly as the crowd crescendo’d. He snapped his head back over to make sure he was paying attention
“Alright then, you’ll be in against the winner next round. What’s your name kid?”
“Mr.BigwIggy!”
The crowd erupted, hands pumping up and down mixed with groans of frustration and ripping paper. A sailor man with arms like cannons pushed away from the table and the crowd parted way. The winner of the previous bout held up his fist in triumph to the adoration bestowed by the wild crowd. The man guided Iagan down into the center area and got onto the table holding his hands up.
“We have a newcomer tonight for a [Skill Challenge]!” The man’s voice boomed over the crowd as Iagan sat down. I shoved my way to the front behind where Iagan was sitting. “This [Skill Challenge] is a test of strength and will consist of three rounds, best two outta three against our reigning champion of the night! You’ve seen him around the docks before, our long standing champion of the challenge: Denmir of South Sea’s Squalor! Versus [Adventurer] and [Friend of Green’s Peak], Mr.BigwIggy! All bets are on across the board!”
With more grace than he should have had, the short man sprang up into the air with a flip landing gracefully back on top of the barrel, the crowd more than ready to greet him in a betting frenzy. Iagan leaned back in his chair folding his arms across his chest as he stared down his opponent. A pink pop up filled my HUD again.
Mr.BigwIggy whispered to [The Group]:
MykaReviews whispered to [The Group]: <50? Are you sure?>
Mr.BigwIggy whispered to [The Group]:
I moved to the betting barrel and put 50 gold from my
The table they were set to play at was a small square, no more than three boards across. The wood along the edges seemed dented in places, caved in under fierce grip strength. Denmir, the sailor man splayed out in his chair, giving Iagan a stink eye as he massaged his wrists and hands. A water wench came and brought him a mug of liquid which he drank heartily. Iagan seemed nonplussed. I gave him a wave from the side and he gave me a nod of acknowledgement, not taking his eyes off his opponent to be.
The man on the barrel called out loudly over the building crowd. “All betting is closed for the duration of the [Skill Challenge]!”
Another man stepped forward from the crowd gesturing to the two men with open palms, the whistle that had gone off earlier dangled from his lips. Denmir rolled his shoulders and put his elbow onto the table as he flexed his fingers. I pulled up my HUD and sent a quick message out.
MykaReviews whispered to [The Group]:
A screen popped up on my HUD signifying the start of the challenge he was a part of.
[The Party Leader has entered a Skill Challenge]
[Skill Challenge Begin: -ARM WRESTLING-]
[WIN TWO OUT OF THREE MATCHES AGAINST YOUR OPPONENT]
Iagan chuckled and sat forward, grabbing the man’s hand and situating himself at the table. Both men grabbed a table corner in preparation, giving a nod to the man with the whistle. The whistle pierced the noise of the crowd as they jostled around me.
Both men’s biceps bulged as they sat locked, unwavering. A visible vein showed in Denmir’s neck, pulsing under his strain. Iagan breathed steadily through his grit teeth, his grip on the table turning his knuckles white. They held there for several minutes before any change actually happened. Little by little Denmir’s hand moved further and further back.
The man let out an agonizing groan as he pulled trying to make up the difference. Iagan caught my eye and gave me a strained mischievous smirk. In one motion Iagan let go of the table and leaned back in the direction Denmir was trying to pull him. His arm went slack for the briefest of moments and during the split second of surprise that registered on Denmir’s face as his arm rocketed forward, Iagan struck again reversing the momentum.
Iagan slammed Denmir’s arm back onto the table with a crashing thud. The man with the whistle blew to signify the end of the first round, marking Iagan as the winner. The crowd went wild. Hells, even I couldn’t help screaming along with them, it was exhilarating. The whistle blew again as they reset for the second match, this time swapping arms.
Denmir squeaked out a win the second time around, not falling for any of Iagan’s tricks, overpowering him slamming his hand down onto the table. Iagan rubbed his shoulder as the whistle blew again claiming Denmir as the winner. The crowd cheered, excited for the upcoming tension of the final round.
“You’ve got this Iagan!” I shouted pointlessly trying to get my voice out across the cacophony of the other voices. Iagan swapped back to his original arm and got ready. The whistle sounded once more and both men locked their trembling arms. An even more close match, the lead flickered between the two as they fought. The longer they held it the more frenzied the crowd grew waiting for the outcome.
Beads of sweat dripped down Iagan’s reddened face as he slowly gained a slight leaning advantage. Denmir grabbed at the table digging his fingers into the wood as he held Iagan off. Iagan leaned into his arm, visibly shaking under the strain as he pushed Denmir back a little further. A vein pulsed through the sailor’s neck as he let out a loud groaning grunt. The sailor man was sweating profusely as his arm leaned further back.
Denmir kicked his tiny stool away rising to his feet to give himself extra leverage to push back. Iagan matched him, giving him no quarter. The two men’s gritting faces nearly touched as they glared each other down. Iagan sank down to his knees, using his body weight to try and drag the other man’s arm down with him. Denmir strained with a roar as he let go, his wrist slamming back down onto the table.
[Skill Challenge: Won]
The whistle blew and crowd erupted with cheers as Iagan pumped his other arm into the air in triumph. He turned back and offered Denmir a shake which the sailor man gratefully accepted as a woman came up with two mugs of liquid. Iagan spoke to the man but I couldn’t hear what he said over the sound of everyone else around me but both of them broke into a smile. They clacked their glasses together and took a deep swig.
The crowd around me moved to go bombard the betting man’s barrel leaving me the only one ring side as Iagan finally found me. He trotted up all grins, drink in hand and I gave him a polite golf clap as he swept out in a fanciful fake bow.
“That was amazing!” I shouted loudly over the ruckus.
“Nothin’ to it!” Iagan said patting his arm. “I don’t lug these guns around for nothing.”
We both laughed. I held up the receipt wagging it in his face. “Come on we’ve got a pay out to go fetch!”
My 50 gold bet turned into 150 at the end of it all, the betting man directed me to a payout desk behind him that I hadn’t seen in the first place. I tried to send Iagan his share but he refused the trade window.
“I told you I’d pay you back.” He grinned.
“Yeah but you did the work so you should get some of it. Plus 150 is way too much to owe me.” I tried, sending another trade request for his share. Iagan declined yet again.
“We’ll split what we find tomorrow, so stop worrying about it and just take it.”
We snagged some street food on our way out from the nearest vendor for a gold each and he handed us three large hush puppy balls stuffed with seafood topped with a glaze sauce. Hot and steamy they were the perfect mix of fried batter and seasonings.
“Holy shit that was fun.” He breathed after finishing his food.
“You did really well!”
“Thanks, I almost thought I was going to lose in that last round.” He admitted rolling his arm. People congratulated him enthusiastically as he passed.
“Really?” I asked raising a brow. “Was he that strong?”
“Oh yeah.” Iagan nodded. “I think I barely scraped that win thanks to the Party Leader Bonus.”
“What level is your [Strength] skill?” I asked. He hadn’t shared his personal stats with me and they weren’t visible on his ID when we’d shown them off on our first introductions.
“With bonus, level 5.” He grinned.
“Wow!” I let out a whistle. Apparently he’d leveled up more than just a few times hanging from the ceiling. “That’s impressive!”
Iagan’s smile lasted the whole rest of the walk back to the Two Fin Inn where he collapsed on the bed with a contented sigh. I took up residence at the desk and started writing out my next postcard to Balder. I detailed the instance with the bear and Iagan’s help with it. I touched briefly on listening to Rock Audio Expression’s broadcast and Iagan’s arm wrestle results from his [Skill Challenge]. And finally rounded it out with descriptions of the burned orange sands that surrounded Seamyst, promising that I’d send a vial along after the letter.
I finished signing it with my ‘wish you were here~♥’ signature and let out a breath. Iagan let out a snore having drifted off while I was writing. The letter zipped off into my inventory as I dismissed the rest of my writing utensils. I opened the window letting the sea air flow through the room, the curtains drifted lazily at it’s insistence. I took my spot and laid down on the mattress on the floor, content to listen to the rolling waves as I drifted off.