While it was entirely possible for Peter to start looking at the Tasks he was now ranked for he decided to return to the Pilrs’ Temple — he had promised Mae he would make up his missed magic lesson after all, with a double no less — to not only check in with Ennalyssa and Traya but speak to the pixie who had approached him and finalize the contract. There was, also, speaking to Jhe’fuh, or one of the other priests, about starting a workout routine; his strength and speed meant little without endurance to go with it, to say nothing of finally actually learning how to fight.It was sheer luck that within the members of the Pilrs’ temple he was staying at Peter found a tengu. However, a ‘cousin’ to the Oni race they were patronized (and even though it was the proper usage of the word Peter hated saying it because of its other use/definition) by the Pilr of the Sky, Mah’rul’dir, and they were more than happy to help Peter learn the ‘way of the kanabō’.

  He also wanted to spend the next day or so reading up on the Guild’s by-ws, codices, and the other paperwork he was given before he and Broseff left the pce.Currently, he was doing some push-ups in the main work-out area of the temple while the pixie sat cross-legged on his head and Ennalyssa sat cross-legged on his back. “So, you’re an Adventurer now?”Peter grunted, pushing off the ground, “Yup.” “And you did that for me…”Another push-up, “And Traya… but yes.” He grunted again. “How many sit-ups have you done?”He paused, “…” “You lost count, didn’t you?” The pixie spoke up, giggling.Ennalyssa blushed, “… Sorry.”Peter sighed and flopped to the ground, putting his face against the floor, and groaned, “Frii~ick.” “I’m sorry!” Ennalyssa repeated, her tone higher and slightly more strained.Lifting his head he looked back, “Enna, hun, it’s not your fault.” He reached back and gently pat her head, trying not to wince at her wince as he brought his hand to her. “… Honest?” “Swear to Di’si’thy.” “Are you sure you wanna do that?” Ennalyssa asked, “You still seem sorta … well… weak and tired.” “I don’t know how fast athyr replenishes, actually.” Peter expined, “So… I could feel like this for a while.” “I don’t know either.” Ennalyssa frowned.He wiggled out from under her, leaving her sitting on the floor still cross-legged, and wrapped an arm around her shoulders, “Hey, it’s okay. We’re learning things together, remember?”She nodded, “I… I know.” Came the whisper. “I’m not mad at you, I promise.” He whispered gently. “Will you promise me something?”Peter nodded, “I’ll try my best.” “I know Adventuring can be dangerous.” She whispered, “Please… please be careful when you go out adventurer-ing…” “I promise I’ll be careful.” He nodded.

  “Don’t you worry!”

  Broseff grinned, holding up a brown bag as he walked over to the trio. “’Seff!” “Uh oh. More bribery?” Peter grinned teasingly. “Not really.” Broseff chuckled, cheeks just a little pink as he came over to them, offering Ennalyssa his hand and helping her stand. “So what’s up?” Peter declined the help politely and pushed himself to stand, “Man, I missed being able to do that.” “Mh?” Broseff asked. “Way out of shape and bad knees.” Peter expined. “Gotya.” The Guard of the Church Luminous nodded, offering Peter the bag, “Some respberry-creme filled fry-cakes today, sprinkled with sugar.” “Oooh…” Peter opened the bag and inhaled the scent, “Mmm, Freshly baked.” “Yup.” Broseff pulled out a sheaf of papers, waving them about, “And something else you might find interesting. Some amber-level Tasks from the Guild.” “Oh?” The otherworlder asked. “Yeah. Took a couple days to pour through the Tasks avaible for you.” Broseff expined. “I appreciate it, but I was thinking about visiting the Guild to do that myself.” Peter took out a fry-cake and gave one to Ennalyssa before taking one himself, “I’m sorry if that’s rude, but I’m still feeling guilty about you spending so much for the application fee.” “Well, I’m your sponsor. I wanna make sure you do a good job, after all.” Broseff smiled, “Though I have no doubt you will.” “That’s one.” He chuckled, biting into the fry-cake and sighing as the jam-creme filling burst into his mouth “Hey, I think you’ll do good too!” Ennalyssa pouted. “Okay, so one and a half.” Peter grinned.Ennalyssa pouted, bopping his side with a fist, “Hey!”Peter snickered, biting into his and tearing off a little bit of the dough and dipping it into the fruit-and-cream filling for the pixie, “Here you go.” “Ooh~ Thanks!” She said happily and nibbled on the offering.Taking the sheaf of papers Peter looked at the top one, “Mm.” “Amber Tasks are the easiest avaible.” Broseff expined, “For a small fee the commissioner can post their task to the Guild’s Taskboard.” “Right.” He nodded, looking at the bottom, “And… I see a reward offered?” “That’s a pay-out to the adventurer assigned to the task for completion. Sometimes there’s bonuses for how well it’s completed. Like doing it quickly, or with minimal colteral damage.” “Colteral damage?” Peter blinked, meeting Broseff’s gaze.He only shrugged, “Sometimes it happens. Like being a guard on a delivery mission on a route known for banditry. Colteral damage there may be the client’s packages not getting immoted by a fireball.” “…” Peter blinked, “… Fair enough…” “So, being your sponsor I have the capability of choosing your Tasks based on my judgment of your abilities and skills.” Broseff said, then held up his hands, “I won’t do it all the time, but these are Tasks I felt were well within your skills, Peter.” “Ahuh.” Peter looked them over, stuffing the fry-cake in his mouth as he went to thumb a page, stopped, looked at the sugar on his thumb, and rolled his eyes.He set down the papers, took the fry-cake, licked his thumb clean, then put the treat back into his mouth to take up the papers again, now free to turn the page.

  Ennalyssa just looked at him in mild disbelief, and so did Broseff, honestly. “Mrh?” Peter ‘asked’. “Nothing.” The two said simultaneously. “…” Peter squinted at the both of them, “Mrh.”Going back to the papers he paused. Goblins? I remember talking to Mom about goblins… How… they aren’t creatures you’d find in dungeons, nor are they sentient species. “Mhr?” He tapped the page with a finger.Broseff leaned over, “Oh, the goblins. Right.” He frowned, “Well. This is one of the better-paying ones, but it’s more involved. I don’t know if I would say difficult… but it is meant for a four-person party.” “Mrh!” Peter frowned, narrowing his eyes at Broseff. “Well, between seeing you survive a mana-drain that would kill anyone else, and then not just pick up but heave a two-hundred kellogron anvil—” “Woah!” Ennalyssa gasped, “You threw a two-hundred kellogron anvil?!”Peter took the fry-cake from his mouth, swallowing the bite, “Well…” He coughed, swallowing again, “Well. It had fallen onto the arm of the bcksmith, Khasha. It needed to be moved, so I moved it.” “Wow…” She whispered, “You’re super strong.” “Well, I dunno about super strong…” “I would.” Broseff coughed, “So, yes, while it’s meant for a four-person group… I think between the two of us we could manage it.” I wanna ask… but not really… if he sees this as a fifty-fifty split or a seventy-five-twenty-five split… Not gonna be rude, though. “I guess it wouldn’t hurt to check out…” Peter said, “I mean there’s something to be said about pushing my abilities and really seeing what I can do…” He mused, “I just don’t want to risk getting hurt, or getting you hurt. To say nothing of the fact this is for a four-person team.” He sighed.

  Broseff looked at Peter. “I know, I know.” Peter held up his hands, “I was told being an Adventurer was not easy, so yeah I expect to get hurt. But I mean, like hurt. Not bruised, or scratched, or cut. You can get those from just working in the kitchen.” He shrugged. “Oh.” Broseff nodded, “I understand now.”Peter broke off another piece of the fry-cake and filling, passing it to his pixie companion, who eagerly took it, continuing with a bite himself, finishing it off before speaking again, “So, you said as my sponsor you could choose Tasks for me. Is… this what all of these are, or are these you think are best and letting me choose?”

  “Technically the former, by the byws of the Guild, but in practice sponsors will get heavy input before making a final decision.” He nodded to the sheet, “I picked a couple of simple things to give you an idea of the variety of Tasks people could post to the Guild. The one with the goblins is, as I said, the most involved, but also the best paying.” “Well. These all seem fairly easy, yeah.” Peter agreed, shuffling the papers around, picking one, “Like this one. A delivery to the next town… city?… over. But, well, I just don’t know, um… the timetable? Like the goblin one seems more urgent. But the delivery…” He double-checked, “Oh okay, non-perishable goods.” He mused. “The good thing about that is that the city that’s going to is near the same pce as the goblin job. You could easily do both.” “Alright, fair.” He nodded, “Pick up the delivery job here… go there, backtrack or side-track for the goblins, head home?” “Right.” Broseff nodded, “And the town we’d be going to is big enough that they have a Guild branch office as well. So we can turn in the job there and get paid right away. Then go do the goblin job and come home.” “Alright. Sounds good.” Peter nodded, “So… we should head out as soon as possible?” He asked.Broseff nodded, “The sooner the better, honestly.” He admitted, “Ah… I’m not interrupting anything again?” “Well.” Peter shook his head, “Today was just going to be a lesson day. Enna and I were going to read more books.” “Ohh.” Broseff looked to the slightly pouting Ennalyssa, “I’m sorry, Enna.” “It’s okay. Peytr’s an Adventurer now, so he’s gonna have to go do stuff.” Ennalyssa said softly, shuffling her feet, “I mean, he did it for me and Traya so… I can’t compin, can I?” “You most certainly can.” Peter said gently, causing her to blink. “What?”Peter smiled, “While it’s true that I have jobs to do now, to bring in money for the three of us, I don’t want you to feel like you can’t tell me if something is bothering you.” He expined, “I don’t want you to bottle everything up, if you’re upset, I want you to tell me so we can see if we can work something out to make everyone happy.” “…” She frowned, “… I was looking forward to reading with you today. And… it kinda hurts that you have to go do Tasks for the Adventurer’s Guild.” “Okay.” Peter smiled as he put a hand on Ennalyssa’s head, “I’d be upset too if I was in your position. And I am sorry, I had no idea that Broseff would be coming by with Tasks already.” “I’m sorry too.” Broseff admitted.She shuffled a foot, sighing and gently batted at Peter’s hand with a frown weakly, “I know. And I know it’s for me that you did all this.” “I also remember my promise from earlier.” Peter smiled, “And I’ll do my best to keep it.”She nodded, “Please.” “I’ll be there to protect him!” The pixie grinned, standing on Peter’s head, fists on her hips and her cat tail shing about behind her pleased. “And I’ll be there too.” Broseff chuckled, looking at the foot-tall-ish being, “I’m surprised you’re still visible. You made a contract with Peytr, right?” “We did.” She nodded, “But I feel safe here, plus—” she nodded to Ennalyssa, “I like spending time with her.” “Fair enough.” Broseff smiled, “Though… sounds like you’re coming with us.” “Yup!” She said, “Peyter made a promise to Enna, and I pn on making sure he keeps it.” The pixie nodded firmly, then looked to the young girl, “I hope you don’t mind me going too…” “Please.” She shook her head, “Knowing you’re there with him, with your pixie magics, will help.” She admitted, blushing embarrassedly.Fluttering off Peter’s head the pixie nded on Ennalyssa’s shoulder, smiled, and gently kissed her cheek, “I’ll take care of them both for you, I promise.” “Hey—” Ennalyssa piped up after the pixie had gone back to Peter’s shoulder, “— wasn’t today’s reading supposed to be math?” “Was it?” Peter asked, coughing, “Oh darn… Looks like you and Traya will just have to go about that without me.”The otherworlder quickly turned on his foot and headed for the entrance to the back of the temple/gymnasium — trying to ignore the chuckles of a few of the temple regurs as well as the members who were watching Peter and Ennalyssa’s conversation. He had to admit, it had only been a couple of days but he felt more comfortable here than at the other Temple. He noticed, too, that Ennalyssa was speaking up more and acting, well, more a child her age from what he understood. “Hey, wait up!” Broseff jogged to catch up to Peter, punching the other’s shoulder as he did, “That was mean.” He chuckled. “I could never stand math back on my old world… now try and convert base-dek to base-ten. Or, as I’d call it, base-ten-” He wiggled his fingers tellingly, “—to base-twelve.” He tapped a thumb-tip against a knuckle. “Oh.” “Yeah.” Peter coughed tiredly, reaching his quarters in a timely manner and pushing the door open, going to the chair against the wall that was opposite the foot of his bed and grabbing the ‘go bag’ he kept there. Some essentials for travel, as well as some non-perishable travel foods and a canteen that he’d need to fill up before they left. “Wow, already ready to go?” The guard asked.Peter held up the first three fingers of his right hand, tucking pinky under thumb, and grinned, “Always be prepared.”With that he strapped on the sword he had gotten from Xtha’leri’gath, letting it hang at his hip as he adjusted his sword belt. Then grabbed his kanabō and slung that over his shoulder using a strap-harness that was attached to the haft, just under the ‘guard ring’ that then wrapped, and snapped, about halfway down the ‘business end’ so it banced out and Peter could walk easily, as well as easily undoing the snap by reaching down to his waist.

  He turned and came up short, blushing as Ennalyssa stood there, with Traya behind her — the older of the two looked like she was trying to keep a serious, disappointed face, while the younger was full-on pouting with her fists on her hips. “Trying to sneak out without saying goodbye?” Traya asked, looking pointedly at Broseff, “or even hello?”Broseff, blushing, held up a paper bag, “… fry cake?” “Don’t think you can bribe me this time, Broseff.” Traya admonished, looking to Peter, “… I can’t be mad at you, because he surprised you too. Still… I would have liked to know…” “I was going to tell you.” “And on math day too.”Peter winced at that. He winced again as Ennalyssa punched him in the belly, “Ow, hey!” “… I’m mad at you.” She announced.Peter nodded, “I know. And I remember my promise, Enna.”She hugged him, tightly, “Good.” “I’ll be as careful as I can.” He whispered gently.She mumbled something, burying her face into Peter’s chest. “Hun?” He asked, kneeling down and gently tilting her face to look at him, “What was that?” “…” Ennalyssa whispered it again as she wrapped her arms around his neck, hugging him tightly once more.It surprised Peter, but he wrapped his arms around her and whispered into her ear so only she could hear, “Me too, Enna.” He stood, picking her up and holding her to him as he looked to Traya, “I’m sorry, again, for the suddenness. Broseff came in all the sudden with some Tasks from the Guild he figured I’d be good at, and would give me an idea of the jobs I could get.” “I know.” She frowned and gave his shoulder a light punch, “I can’t be mad at you. Him on the other hand…”Peter did notice, however, she had a fry-cake in hand, and winalli cream on her cheek. “I’ll see if I can’t make him get you a present or something in the city we’re going to.” He winked. “Hey!” Broseff blushed, “Don’t make promises like that.”Peter ughed and headed out of his room, letting the others out before shutting the door behind him and heading out of the temple with Broseff.

  ==========