The merchant scratched the side of his bald head, staring at what Ashinaro held in his arms.
He was in a small shop near the west end of the docks. It was filled with an array of monster parts, all prepared for eating. It was the fifth shop he’d visited, and he hoped he’d finally found one willing to buy from him, as he was sick of carrying a monster corpse around Arkalis. He didn’t exactly stand out, but he had gotten several odd looks.
He’d withdrawn it from Zanas’s scepter outside the city, not wanting to pull it out of nowhere in front of others.
But now, he’d been carrying it around for so long he thought it might be drawing more attention than simply pulling it out of nowhere would have.
“A sandeater,” the merchant said, squinting at the split corpse. “Uh, it’s mostly intact. Fresh, by the looks of it. I could do one silver, I suppose. Sandeater’s ain’t really taste good, but I know someone who makes some useful draughts out of ’em.”
Ashinaro put the corpse on the counter. The corpse itself probably only had one or two copper worth of metal, and they were common enough monsters, so one silver was more than he’d been expecting. “How about one and a half silver?”
High Priest Vershik looked up from his work as Tanelis came rushing in to his office.
“We lost it again.”
“Lost what?” Though Vershik feared he already knew. The godseye had opened and peered in the direction of Arkalis the night after the Ritual of Return had been interrupted, but Vershik hadn’t been able to convince Captain Ganis to send an escort, so he’d had Tanelis dispatch a priest to Arkalis to make sure the shade didn’t escape on the trolls’ vessel while Vershik ‘negotiated’ with the ornery captain.
“The brand. The eye’s closed.”
“When?”
“I just arrived and it was closed. Came straight to inform you.”
Vershik frowned. “Who did you send to Arkalis?”
“Rensik. She’s the fastest.”
It had been four days since the assault, so it was possible she had arrived in Arkalis by now.
“Maybe she tracked him down,” Tanelis suggested hopefully.
That was what Vershik was hoping, but he wasn’t going to count on being that lucky. It pained him to pay the guard’s exorbitant fee—and most of all to give in to Ganis—but now was no time to be stingy. “Prepare a contingent.” He stood. “I have a guard captain to be extorted by.”
Ashinaro stood outside a small building near the docks where he’d been told was where they sold tickets for the Divide Crosser, the trolls’ impressive ship that could cross the Sea of Fear and which had allowed this new route to open up between Fairwind and Fayteraus.
He’d stopped before entering, spotting a notice board filled with pinned-on sheets of parchment.
Herbalist Assistant Needed
12 copper per bundle
Gather local flora and fauna.
Do not eat ANYTHING you gather. Even if it whispers your name. Especially then.
Contact Bim-Trabin at the guardhouse (building 4-12-0)
“You can’t eat anything you gather?” Zanas said mentally. What’s even the point?”
The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.
“Some people don’t go around eating random things that might be poison.”
“Boring.”
The task seemed easy enough, but he didn’t know how much was in a bundle.
He took note of it and moved on to the other notices.
Esteemed Alchemist seeking Junior Alchemical Assistant
Humblewise requires a diligent assistant for the monumentally important task of grinding, chopping, and occasionally de-sliming various alchemical components. A fantastic opportunity to learn the basics from a master!
REQUIREMENTS: Strong stomach. Ability to follow precise instructions. Ability to consume raw monster. Beastkin preferred. Troll acceptable.
PAY: 1 silver per day. Meals provided (in addition to alchemy, Humblewise is a master chef, using alchemical ingredients to give his esteemed dishes that special something you won’t find anywhere else on Fayteraus).
Applicants should visit the wooden building at the edge of the western docks (knock thrice, then step back quickly).
The pay seemed decent, but he was neither Beastkin nor troll. He could maybe fool this Humblewise with Zanas’s mask, but that wouldn’t let him eat raw monster, which was required for some strange reason.
“It might let you. If it’s part of their identity.”
Ashinaro wasn’t eager to test it out. The consequences of eating raw monster—when they weren’t outright deadly—were not pleasant. As a drakken he would probably survive, but his scales and slower healing made the chaos shift far more unpleasant than it was for trolls.
“I could eat them. No problem. Just put them in my scepter, and I’ll eat them all.”
“What happened to you not liking eating monsters?”
“Oh, that’s right. Never mind. Or, do mind? I suppose it can’t hurt to try. Never know what you might like if you don’t test it out.”
Wanted: Bahret Spinneret
1 gold per spinneret
Harvest spinnerets from the bahrets of Tornveil. Maps to the area available in job hall for forty-five copper. Will reimburse map cost upon completion. Come to building 1-5-C between midday and sundown.
Ashinaro was familiar with bahrets, and the pay was amazing. There were two problems. First, Tornveil was within Demonrest. Where there were Demons. Second, while bahrets were only Beasts, they were the size of buildings. Lugging one of their spinnerets all the way from Tornveil to Arkalis would be a monumental task even if he bought a cart to haul it in.
“I think we should go anyway. See the world. Sounds fun.”
“We’re trying to earn enough to get out of here, not stay longer. And not do the priests’ job for them.”
Lost Relic Retrieval Expert - High Risk, High Reward!
A private collector seeks a skilled individual or team to liberate an ancient artifact from Vesalis, currently occupied by squatters of the monstrous variety. Discretion is paramount.
Proven combat prowess (Lesser Champion recommended). Experience with traps.
Pay is five gold upon delivery of artifact. All other ancillary treasures found are yours to keep.
Contact Tarnbane in Brightflower Tavern to sign up.
He’d heard the trolls were looking to expand to Vesalis, but that was dangerous. If anything, this understated just how high-risk of a task it would be. The weakest monsters in Vesalis were Gold Fiends. A Lesser Champion—even a team of them—would not be close to enough.
sewer beast removal
something’s clugging up me pipes
get down there and fix it
give you 1 gold ONLY AFTER you do it
smells worse than it sounds, but smells REALLY bad
should probably be champion
last guy was defender
he didn’t come out
Ashinaro looked down at the ground and wondered if there might be Fiends in the sewers. Being so close to the ocean, it was possible, but he was surprised the fay protections on the city didn’t keep them out.
Maybe they didn’t apply to the sewer.
Or maybe this was some kind of scam.
Though, it didn’t even say where to go if you wanted to take the job.
Good pay, easy work
Server at Brightflower Tavern. Begins when Divide Crosser returns.
Fifty copper a day plus one copper for every patron you serve. Free food (must be eaten at tavern).
See Rosewind at Brightflower Tavern to apply. DO NOT REMOVE notice. Just tell me you’re interested.
That looked not bad, and he kept it in mind as he skimmed the rest of the notices. They mostly seemed like terrible jobs, but his eye caught on one that looked more… professional, for lack of a better term, than the others.
Troll Trading Company
Various jobs, various pay. Half up front, half upon completion. Jobs will be scaled to your renown. Earn points as you complete jobs for the TTC to gain access to more complex and higher pay jobs.
See Thi-Oric in the TTC Arkalis Office (5-1-0) for more information.
He looked up at the sign above the building he stood in front of. It read ttc arkalis office.
