The alarm from Jordan’s Viewing Stone blared earlier than usual today. As he blindly swiped his hand before finally smacking it down on the snooze button, he hoped that Bryn had made waffles like he said he would. Looking over at the screen, he admired the progress he had made in his first 6 months, though it was frustrating that he hadn’t figured out that peculiar skill yet.
10/12/1 7:00 am
Name: Jordan Hamilton
Race: Half-Elf
Class: Ranger
Level: 7
Guild Score: 2050
Skills
Adventurer’s Boon
Sense weakness
Swift Hand
Animal Spirit
Nature’s Credit (Increased Limit)
Peculiar Skill
Sword of the Lost One
Sleeping on a mat on the floor had been quite uncomfortable compared to a bed, but sleeping in the storage unit wasn’t an option, and it still beat actually getting up. After rotting for an additional 15 minutes and 2 more alarms, Jordan rose to greet the day.
His room was cleaner than usual, as the clothes he usually threw haphazardly on the ground had been packed the night before. He gathered what he would need for the trip, trying to remember if he had put the cleaning spray for his bow with the other items he had stashed in Bryn’s storage bag. It was hard to overstate how good of an investment that had been, especially since Jordan didn’t have to pay for it.
Emerging into the living room, the emptiness of it felt strange to him. The two of them hadn’t been world class interior decorators, but it had at least felt like someone lived there. Jordan looked to the kitchen, and saw Bryn cooking up chocolate chip waffles, presumably with the only remaining dishes in the apartment.
“You’re a saint bird man, I couldn’t make those as well as you do in a million years” Jordan said dropping his bag by the door. Bryn turned to him with a raised eyebrow, his beak scrunching up to show his annoyance.
“You could learn to make these you’re just lazy and it’s easier for you to beg me to make them because you know I like them too. You’re a sick freak.” Bryn said as he slid 2 delectable chocolate chip waffles onto a plate and handed them to Jordan. The aroma alone could make Jordan weep, but he stopped himself as the tears would make his waffles less crispy. He ravenously dug in, and as he did Bryn served his own waffles and stood at the counter.
“Did you pack everything you needed? We’re not coming back after the ship leaves and Morton doesn’t have the same kind of shops we do.” Bryn said like a mother checking on her child.
“Oh yeah I took care of all of that last night” Jordan said as he continued to disturbingly eat his waffle with his hand. Bryn looked at Jordan with surprise, not because he was eating a waffle with his hand, that was normal for him. Bryn was impressed at Jordan being unusually prepared, though he would be less impressed if he knew Jordan had just tossed everything he owns into the storage bag randomly.
The boys finished their meal and gathered their bags as they looked at the apartment once more. It was small, the hot water was inconsistent, and Jordan was pretty sure to this day there was a rat living in the roof. However, this apartment was the first they were both able to call their own. As they left through the front door for the final time, Bryn looked one last time and smiled.
The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.
“I’m just happy we never have to live here again. We were always working anyway, it’s not like this place was ever home for us.” Bryn said unconvincingly.
Jordan looked back at the door and smiled. “Yeah this place sucks. The next apartment we get when we come back is going to be way better.”
“We should be able to afford a place with in unit washer dryer. It might even have a gym, I hate having to exercise at home.” Bryn said excitedly.
“We’re also going to have more money, a ton of guild points after finishing the Journey Quest, and we actually have enough respect now that we could potentially recruit more people. Our lives are really looking up.” Jordan said as the two continued down the hall. “We just have to remember how hard it was to get out of here, because I’ll live on the streets before sharing a place this awful with you again” Jordan said, yelping as Bryn smacked him in the back of the head.
After turning in their key, the pair made their way for a final check in with Everwatch before leaving town. They had signed up for this Journey Quest months ago, but had only received the details of their destination the previous week. For the next 2 months, Bryn and Jordan would be living in the country of Morton.
Morton, known as the Demon Country, was the last place the pair had been hoping to go. Originally, Morton was a small island nation that specialized in selling a resource specific to their country, the Gwon Fruit. This fruit was known to not only be sweet and delicious, but also gave temporary boosts in combat. Centuries of peace in Morton were disrupted by Lord Yamuthe, the first demon king. While it was debated as to how he did so, he eventually rose to power in Morton and used the profits from the Gwon Fruit to wage war on several neighboring countries.
Eventually, fighting with the Druidic country of Syreph resulted in a massive battle between Yamuthe and the Syreph leader Jefendra. Their battle and the ensuing magical fallout turned the once serene and tropical nation into a dark, scorched battlefield. By the end of the fighting, Yamuthe was killed and Syreph was missing. With their leaders fallen, the two countries attempted to rebuild. However, the scars of war were apparent all across Morton, and Bryn and Jordan were positive their trip would be far from relaxing.
The docks outside the city were quiet this early in the morning, the Everwatch ship being the only vessel waiting to greet them. The pair went up to the gangway of the ship, presenting their Journey passes to the armor clad Orc attendant. These passes had been provided when they accepted the journey quest, and would serve as proof that they were on guild business should their presence in Morton ever be questioned. As they boarded the ship, Jordan looked around, taking in what would be home for the next 2 weeks.
The Boon was the most reliable ship in Everwatch’s arsenal, as much as the name annoyed Bryn. The dark wooden material was reinforced with iron, and the small passenger capacity gave it plenty of speed without sacrificing supplies. The attendant pointed them to their room, and as they walked in that direction, a door opened and a goblin man wearing only red gym shorts toppled out onto the floor. He was soaked with sweat, and his green skin was steaming.
“Eustace! The sauna idea didn’t work my nose is still runny!” The man shouted as he shakily rose to his feet. His voice was dry from presumably dehydration, but still managed to intimidate the pair with its raspy authority. “One of you get me water please. Goblins explode when they reach a certain temperature so this is for your own safety as much as mine.” The man said as his voice strained from the lack of moisture.
Jordan pulled a bottle of water from his bag and handed it to the man, who grabbed it and began chugging. Once the whole bottle was drained, he tossed it against the wall next to him, letting out a loud belch. The aroma filled the hallway immediately, the intensity of the smell causing Bryn to back up slightly.
“Thanks for that buddy. My health isn’t what it used to be and these days I have to do anything I can to stay as beautiful and physically attractive as possible. I started getting a cold this morning and I’ve been trying to kick it all day. Eustace said smoke would work so I set my bed on fire and tried inhaling the smoke. What do you have to say for yourself Eustace!” The goblin shouted toward the main entrance.
“I said steam you idiot” the guard, who was presumably Eustace, shouted back.
“Kids these days and saying things are different from other things. You can’t trust anyone under the age of 65. How old are you buddy?” The goblin said as he scratched his back (hopefully).
Jordan squinted at the man for a moment before giving his answer.
“66” Jordan said unconvincingly, Bryn shaking his head in embarrassment.
“Good I’ll let you hang out with me then, the names Luther. We would have to chill outside of work hours of course.” He said with the rasp in his voice somehow getting worse after drinking water.
“What do you do for work?” Jordan asked.
“I’m going to a town in Morton on business for the guild. I’m one of the only people that takes these solo missions anymore, most rogues that work solo aren’t doing standard quests these days” Luther bragged. “Im also supposed to brief some newbies on their mission, maybe they’ll end up being fans of mine once they’re in my very cool aura” he said as Jordan struggled to listen.
Bryn feared for the response to his next question.
“Are you Luther… “Loopy” Wallace, the blue rank adventurer?” He asked hesitantly.
Luther’s eyes widened at his names mention, and he leaned against the wall with his arms crossed, oozing with confidence. “Why yes I am, it looks like you guys are my contacts. Don’t fall in love with me now, as difficult as it may be to resist.” He said pointing finger guns at the party.