After taking their money, Miri, Anne, and Isaiah went to a nice tavern to order themselves a big feast. Since they had the gold for it now, they could allow themselves to indulge just a little.

  At the tavern, they’d ordered a great deal of food and drink, so much so that it’s enough to cover several tables. Not only that, the food they ordered were quite varied as well—ranging from freshly baked bread to bowls of stew to several types of cheese to a whole roasted boar that Miri could have sworn was one of Tusko’s cousins. And who could forget the alcohol, which came in various flavors of ale and wine? Isaiah was still underage though, so he’s getting berry juice.

  “Wooh! Nothing beats a great payday, am I right, guys?!” Miri cheered, her face slightly flushed due to being on her second tankard of ale. As she drank, she would continuously stuff her mouth with all the food around her with a ravenous appetite.

  “Slow down, Miri. You don’t want to choke,” Anne advised with an exasperated smile.

  While both Miri and Anne were enjoying themselves with the feast before them, Isaiah didn’t seem to be quite as elated. Even though this was supposed to be a celebration, the two women sitting next to him couldn't help but notice the boy’s forlorn expression.

  “Hey, kid. Still worried about your future?” Miri asked, receiving a slight nod from the boy as a reply. “Geez, you really need to ease up a little. Sure, you may technically be an orphan now, but your debts had been handled and you got yourself a bunch of money leftover. You should be happy about it. At least happier than you currently are right now.”

  “You’re probably right,” Isaiah remarked. “As of right now, pretty much all my problems were taken care of. Even so, I’m still a bit uncertain about my future. I just don’t know where I’m supposed to go from here.”

  “Well, if you really have nowhere to go, you can always just stick with us,” Miri suggested casually.

  “Miri, do you really think it’ll be a good idea? For him to accompany us wherever we go?” Anne asked with a hint of concern.

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  “I mean, why the heck not? He can basically just come with us and help us out, sort of like an assistant of some kind.”

  “Miri, he’s just a child. The places we go for our jobs are simply too dangerous for him.”

  “Oh, come on. We’re able to survive the chimeragon with him around. I’m sure we’ll do just fine.”

  “We’d only barely survived the chimeragon. Even though he did help out a little, it was mostly due to luck. We shouldn’t rely on luck too much if we plan on exploring dangerous areas in the long run.”

  “Lady Anne is right. I am not as skilled in magic as either of you,” Isaiah said. “I am neither good with offensive magic like Lady Miri or good with healing magic like Lady Anne. In fact, I’m not particularly proficient with any type of magic or have any other type of skill that’s particularly useful for adventuring. I’m still too young to have learned any of them. If push comes to shove, I don’t think I’ll be able to hold my own in a fight.”

  “Perhaps a more ideal solution would be for you to seek an apprenticeship around here,” Anne suggested. “Get taken in by a mentor and learn their craft. Whoever accepts you as an apprentice would be able to provide you with lodgings as well. Then, once you’ve grown into an adult, you’ll be able to decide where you want to go and do what you want to do from there.”

  “An apprenticeship, huh? I wonder who from around here we can trust to be his mentor…” Miri considered, scratching her head as she thought about the problem. “Ooh, how about Madame Laveau?”

  “Madamae Laveau?” Anne asked. “You’ll really think she'll be willing to accept Isaiah as an apprentice?”

  “Don’t really know. Certainly can’t hurt to ask, right?” Miri said with a shrug. “Besides, she definitely seems like the person who’ll need some extra help tending the shop due to, you know, being blind and all. No offense. Sure, she may have her Oracle Vision and that pet raven to help her out, but it wouldn't hurt to have an extra pair of eyes around the shop just in case. Also, she seems like a really knowledgeable person so I bet you can learn a lot from her. Trustworthy as well. Definitely mentor material, if you ask me.”

  “Well, when you put it like that, that does seem like a promising option,” Isaiah considered.

  “Okay! So it’s settled then! We’ll go visit Laveau first thing in the morning to see if she’ll agree to it. Cheers!” Miri cheered, raising her tankard for a toast.

  “By the goddess, Miri! You really need to calm down with the drinking!” Anne chided, in a way similar to a mother chiding her child for being overindulgent.