For the first time in a week I woke up in a bed. Not the most comfortable one mind you, but a bed nevertheless!

  I sat up and stretched before looking out the window. In the daylight there wasn't much of a view, but I didn’t need to be there. My right hand traced the scars on my left arm that the direwolves gave me. Three days huh? That was how long I would’ve lasted in this world had it not been for some intervention. It didn’t bode well.

  The night’s rest helped clear and focus my mind. Not that it helped much with this shit starting position. “Ugh!” I flopped back on the bed. I really went from one world that hates me to another. I suppose I wrought this one upon myself. Of all the possible fantasy worlds out there I just had to find myself in this one. The one where I placed a target on my back for some of the most powerful beings in existence to shoot at.

  I took a deep breath. It wasn’t all doom and gloom. There was still so much opportunity here. I knew this world, I knew how it works, and I will make it work for me.

  I finally got out of bed and went back over to the window. I could see the sun had already risen and there was the smell of sea salt in the air. On top of everything else, the fact that I found myself in Firstlanding felt a bit like a fuck you. Literally none of the players in my campaigns ever came here. It was meant to be significant but they ignored the main plot so much, in two different campaigns no less, that I never fully ended up finishing or fully developing it. Not only am I unable to figure out if any of my players are here as their characters, but I was in probably one of the biggest cities on this continent I remember the least about.

  In terms of basics, the city was a trade hub so there was a rather large market of traders with goods from all over this continent, and from overseas. Well, whatever goods managed to survive the hellscape of sea-monsters that was the ocean. There was a large catacomb that lay under the city. Though if you want to get anything good from there you’d need a mid-level party of four willing to risk getting arrested for grave robbing. In other words: a dead end, risky, and illegal. However, that was only the deep ruins. The upper layers I didn’t fill in and I doubt it would be too dangerous since civilians weren’t too far away.

  More broadly, the Duke of Primar, this region, was plotting a civil war with the Steward of Wesher against the Kingdom of Hylesse. There were some plans in the works to assassinate the Kingdom’s Archmage who, as a living super weapon, was the main obstacle preventing war from breaking out. It did make me wonder if I could sell some of my knowledge of the upcoming war to an upstart noble. How to do that safely would be the biggest concern. It was probably the only knowledge I had that I could actually sell for a decent amount. It was doubtful that I could sell academics or religious scholars the ‘truths of the world’ without proper proofs, assuming they’d be willing to pay to begin with.

  My stomach growled slightly, whatever, I’ll plot another time. I went downstairs to the tavern area of the adventurer's guild. I spotted Glenn, Archie, and Ivili at one of the tables and went to join them.

  “G’morning. We adding something else to ya tab?” Archie said with a smug look.

  “Sure seems that way.” His whole ‘tab’ shtick was starting to get on my nerves. “It wouldn’t kill you to care about things other than money right?”

  “The fuck else is there to care about?” Archie raised his arms gesturing around the room. “There’s fuck all for any real jobs. Any coin we get gotta spend it right. Ain’t like I want Glenn’s folks to be the reason we ain’t drowning in debt.”

  “Point taken.” I wasn’t exactly someone who liked having others leverage money over them.

  “Speaking of jobs, Maeori want to let them in on what you told me last night?” Glenn asked. He had a palpable excitement that he was trying to hold back.

  “Heh, it’s bad enough ya and Sofia keeping your secrets from us. Wouldn’t kill ya to keep us informed.” Archie wore a sour expression.

  “It’s never interesting. It’s always non-stop with some dumb church squabblings,” Ivili complained. That might’ve been the longest I’ve heard her talk so far. She’d been fixated on the wolves, whittling, or fletching and not much else.

  “Principle ya hear!” Archie raised his voice a bit before calming down. “We’re a team. We best be knowing what we’re getting ourselves involved in.” Ivili rolled her eyes and looked at me expectantly.

  “This isn’t exactly something to say in the open. Let’s find somewhere private after we finish breakfast and I’ll fill you in,” I said, before trying to flag down a barmaid.

  “The guild has rooms designed for that. I can reserve it for us. It protects from outside noise and divination magic,” Glenn said, starting to get up. “We’ve negotiated some contracts with them before.”

  “When you think you’re safest you’re most at risk,” I countered. Unfortunately Glenn, those rooms weren’t as private as you believe. “If anything, some quiet back alley would be fine.”

  “What are you getting at?” Glenn raised an eyebrow.

  “Mostly just that I’d prefer a back alley. It’s not important enough for that level of secrecy.” He kept with the questioning look, clearly not buying it. “Plus the last thing I need is a higher tab.” I glanced at Archie hoping he’d take my back.

  “Aye, listen to the lass and save ya coin Glenn.” He took a swig of his drink. “Not that I know why the hells ya want to hear out a strange beggarly lass. One we found in the woods three days ago at that.”

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  “Fine, back ally it is. You said it yourself Archie,” Glenn smirked, “‘there’s fuck all for real jobs.’ I also think Sofia will want to join us on it.”

  “Heh, that so? Been ready to get outa here for sometime.”

  “I thought her training wasn’t done?” I asked.

  “It’s complicated,” Glenn said, trailing off a bit.

  “She’s been ready but needs an excuse,” Ivili blurted out before Glenn could put it in a more polite manner. “Glenn here’s been waiting for her to be ready the last two years.”

  “I see,” I murmur, so if I wanted them to join me I’d really need Sofia’s buy in. At least she seemed interested.

  One breakfast and a trip to some random desolate alley later, the three of them gathered around to hear about my quest. Ivili took a moment to make sure the alley was truly desolate. Glenn leaned up against the wall with a grin. Archie threw his arms back on top of a box he was leaning against. He gave me an adversarial look. While Ivili sat on the edge of the rooftop after she finished scouting.

  “I have a quest for us all to set off for,” I began.

  “What, ya think ya can hire us by putting it on your tab?” Archie said grumply. “There ain’t shite to do here, but that doesn’t mean we come cheap.”

  “Allow me to finish Archie.” I gave him an annoyed glare. “Obviously in me bringing you all here I’d like what I say kept between us. Sofia knows and I testified to her under a truth spell so she can confirm if you need, but I received a divine revelation. It came with a quest, free of charge.”

  “Now, that is interesting!” Ivili said, clapping her hands together and leaning in from the rooftop. Her precarious pose had me worried she’d fall any moment. “So, what’d they tell you?”

  “On the one hand, just some background about where I’m at.” In other words an excuse to cover my ass in case I slipped up and ever say more than I should know. “On the other, the aforementioned quest. There’re two parts to it: First we’ll be going to the site of Emzyer’s ascension. Second, there's a person who’ll be there roughly in a year and a half. We’ll need to meet her to figure out the next steps.” This NPC I was hoping to find was far more important than some god’s ascension site. She was the real reason I suggested the location to begin with.

  “What’s great is that Bishop d’Acron can’t ignore something like this,” Glenn said, not quite grasping the implications of the tight circle of confidants. “Once he hears that one of the gods sent us a quest he’ll have to let Sofia leave with us.”

  “Glenn, just make sure you keep this in close company. Sofia and I will discuss it with her father, understand?” I reminded him. I doubted I could trust Sofia’s father. The church was corrupt and one doesn’t become a major figure in it with clean hands.

  “Because Archie calls me an oaf doesn’t mean I’m that daft,” Glenn said, a bit irritated, but still in a good mood. I had to resist the urge to roll my eyes. Sure buddy.

  “Also to set expectations, this isn’t a ‘leave immediately’ situation,” I explain. “I’m thinking leaving in a year would be good. It gives me some time to learn magic. Six months should be plenty of time to get to the Ryft Plateau where Emzyer’s ascension site is.”

  “Well finally! I’ve been ready to leave here for ages. At least we’re leaving soon,” Ivili said with a smile. I was about to reaffirm that it was still a year away, but then I remembered: right elves and their stupid long lifespan. I did limit it to an average of 350 years, but that was still rather crazy.

  “It ain’t like we’ve taken the job yet, Ivili.” Archie turned to me. “Ya told us the objectives but that ain’t shite. What’s some ascension site and this person suppose to do?”

  “To be honest, I only have fragments to work with. There should be more to this quest once we get there. The site of Emyzer’s ascension grants visions or makes it easier for the gods to talk with us. My guess is it’s needed to see the full scope of things. Plus, I’m also sure it’s meant to be a trial to see if we’re worthy.” I locked eyes with Archie hoping that excuse seems reasonable enough. Take the bait.

  “We ain’t nobody special.” His eyes narrowed and locked them to mine. “Why’s some god reaching out to ya to begin with?” I noticed he hadn’t mentioned Sofia and neither had Glenn. Did she not tell them a god talked to her as well?

  “Who knows when it comes to the gods. Maybe whoever it was sees something more to me than just my tab.” Unfortunately I’m oh so tragically somebody special. If we can find Lydescia, the NPC I’m looking for, it might be safe for me to reveal more, though that depends on her capabilities. However, considering she’s one of the strongest mortals alive, she surely has some way to keep the gods from overhearing us.

  “And how do we know you ain’t pulling something underhanded?” Archie asked, rightfully, but annoying, suspicious.

  “I told Sofia and her mentor all this under a Compel Truth spell. You can confirm with her,” I said. I was certainly hoping for an easier pitch given Glenn and Sofia’s reactions.

  Archie kept eye contact with a stern expression, before backing off. “Eh it best be worth it. Them gods are a stingy lot. Thinking we’ll just do their shite because they say so,” He sighed and slumped a bit. If only it was that easy…

  “Oh come on Archie, lighten up! Sounds like we’ll actually be having some real fun soon,” Ivili said, sliding down from her perch.

  “A once in a lifetime chance at that,” Glenn added. “I checked with Sofia last evening and from what she told me Maeori’s forthright. She even saw the revelation happen.”

  “Eh fine I get it. Ya lot want to sell your souls in with the gods and hope they don’t cast us off when they’re done with us. I’ll see it through.”

  With enough agreement the meeting adjourned we began to leave the alley.

  “Might I interest you in that tour of the city?” Glenn asked.

  I hesitated a bit weighing the options. As much as I want to say yes and see what this world has to offer, figuring out how to survive in it took priority. “I appreciate the offer, but would it be possible for you to ask Sofia to rent me some introductory books for wizardry from the church’s library instead?”

  “Yea, I can do that.” He seemed a bit dejected. It wasn’t like I really meant to go out much during this next year. So knowing the town wasn't really a priority.

  With Glenn’s parting I left back to my room at the guild. All this long term grasping at straws was well and good, but I need to figure out some practical short term plans. Specifically how I can safely sell my knowledge of the world… Then we’ll see who’s broke now Archie.