Valgrin's boots scuffed against loose pebbles as he entered the cavern, kicking up dust that caught the faint light of their remaining torch. He bent forward, hands on knees, chest heaving. Sweat trickled down his temple as he squinted at the dark stains still marking the stone where the almost-chickens had fallen. That first encounter seems so long ago. The rest of the group shuffled in behind him, their footsteps echoing softly.

  "So, three or four hours spent scouring these cursed caves? Which turned up absolutely nothing," Valgrin snapped, frustration lacing his words

  Malcolm's laugh cracked through the silence, echoing three times before fading into the darkness ahead. He wiped a smudge of dirt from his brow with the back of his hand. "Hours? I'd say days. My boots have worn through at the heels, and the rations in my pack have gone from stale to moldy." He kicked at a loose pebble, sending it skittering across the stone floor.

  “That purple being must have had everything keyed with a spell or something to clean it all out quickly and leave nothing behind,” Steeyann remarked, nodding in agreement with Malcolm. “Not even any dust.”

  Tahlur dropped to the ground and rummaged through his pack, offering some jerky to the others. Each one grabbed the snack and joined Tahlur on the ground.

  After a few seconds of noisy chewing, Valgrin cleared his throat. “After this we head back to Kithreen, then onto Sanpra?”

  With a few nods and everyone standing up, they headed to Kithreen. Banter flowed, mixing with occasional outbursts of silence.

  Malcolm broke one of those moments of silence. “So I know little about the economy here. What do we need to earn to be reasonably comfortable?”

  “I can give you the essentials, and Steeyann will swoop in with the details. EverNever keeps its economy refreshingly simple. Think of it as a numerical game: ten coppers equal a silver, ten silvers make a gold, and if you’re feeling fancy, ten gold coins turn into a platinum. Sure, there are other coins floating around, but unless you plan on opening a coin museum, you won’t need to worry about them. As for my expenses? Let’s just say I’ve got that covered—so this is where Steeyann gets to shine.” Tahlur gestured toward the scout.

  "I'd like it if my expenses were mostly taken care of," Steeyann said, the corner of his mouth quirking upward as he leaned in and landed his palm between Tahlur's shoulder blades with a soft thwack. "When Izzy kicks me off her couch and I'm stuck paying some landlord, that's twelve, thirteen gold pieces coming out of my pocket every week." He jingled his nearly empty coin purse for emphasis. "Could probably get by with nine if I ate nothing but dried beans and slept on the floor, but—" he gestured at his embroidered vest and polished boots "—where's the fun in that?"

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  “And this contract is forty gold, right?”

  Steeyann nodded, “Ten gold each. I’ll give one to Izzy to help cover giving me a place, still a lot cheaper than rent on my own. And before either of you,” He pointed to Valgrin and Malcolm, “think about following my lead. Don’t. Izzy is getting fully compensated for hosting and feeding you. If you offer above that, it will offend her. She’s picky that way.”

  “Appreciate the heads up.” Malcolm said. Valgrin nodded in agreement.

  “Kithreen up ahead.” Tahlur called out from the front.

  They made their way to the town hall and found Wyndee and Bluven waiting there.

  “We got rid of your problem,” Steeyann said. “Chased away instead of removed. We went through the cave where they were hiding, looked like the cleaned out while we were dealing with the monsters.”

  The group fielded questions, explaining what they had discovered. After several minutes of detailed questioning, both Wyndee and Bluven appeared satisfied.

  "It sounds like you accomplished what we hired you for. If this problem arises again, we'll request you specifically. We can contact you through the Guild and at Izzah Place in Sanpra, right?" Wyndee asked.

  “Izzy, the owner of Izzah Place, is my sister and is putting these two up at the moment. I stay there too, when I’m in Sanpra.” Steeyann answered.

  "So, Izzy would be our first point of contact if we encounter any issues," Wyndee noted, jotting it down. "We've paid through the Adventurer’s Guild, so you'll need to collect your payment from them."

  Steeyann nodded, “Figured as much.”

  Tahlur then interrupted, "Hey everyone, there's a new notice on the board that we should check out. It seems similar to what we just handled. Livestock is missing from a place called Plarest. I’m not sure where that is."

  “That came in from the Guild this morning,” Bluven pointed at the board as he spoke. “Plarest isn’t too far from here so I put it up on the board. Didn’t think we’d have any interest in it, though. Didn’t think about y’all.”

  “How close?” Malcolm asked.

  “You’d need go to Cunak, which is about a three day wagon ride or a quick transport. Then catch a wagon to Plarest, they don’t have a transport.” Bluven answered.

  Steeyann smiled and put his arms around Valgrin and Malcolm, “I’d say we’ve found a new contract. Bluven, would you be kind enough to reply back to the Guild that you have some takers. We can head over now, might get to Plarest before nightfall, if we hurry a bit.”

  Bluven nodded, “Can do.”

  “Sounds like transport,” Valgrin stated.

  “Yep, another round of transport,” Steeyann grinned.

  Both Skwilly and Valgrin groaned.

  Valgrin stopped his groaning long enough to deadpan, “Fun times ahead, yippee.”