It was with a spry step that Cass made his way over to the stables in the early morning. He was quiet, and the sun wasn’t yet out, but that didn’t stop the bonfire of curiosity from burning in his mind. In just a few short minutes, he was going to finish his ninth personal Quest in the Stalwart Way, with only a day holding him back from his first step.

  Lately, unfiltered thoughts had begun to worm their way into his mind. Things like: What am I doing with my life? Or Why do these levels matter?

  Intrusive thoughts, as his father would say. They seemed to squeeze themselves in whenever he had a quiet moment of reflection. Small riders on his back, jockeying for his attention when least expected. And each and every time they reared up, he had an answer for them.

  Johnny.

  Before Johnny and the Skreels, monsters and incursions had been someone else’s problem. It was harsh to think of it that way, but it was true. He had an Administrative Calling. The idea of him ever fighting with monsters used to be crazy. But that idea didn’t seem so absurd anymore. It had been a kick in the pants.

  Now, with every Quest finished, every hand shaken, Johnny’s name became Cass’s silent mantra of why he needed to build himself up. If he could make things just a little better for everyone, then what he did mattered. Being a QuestWright mattered.

  It was a lot for an eighteen-year-old, but he could take it. Because a bonfire had been lit in more ways than one. The world was serious, and he needed to be serious too.

  The sound of hooves striking wood pushed his thoughts away and brought a smile to his face. Bella always knew when he was getting close. Feeding her the daily sweet, he slipped into the stall and began his daily Quest.

  The workout now came much easier, and what’s more, he’d begun to like it. While he couldn’t rightly say that his pudgy middle could be used for anything other than a pillow at the moment, there was a definite hardening to the layers underneath the fat. Finishing in what felt like no time at all, he leaned back on loose bits of straw and pulled his screen up.

  “One to go.”

  Finding Bella with her guarded eye and ear on him, Cass made a silly face at her. That got him a light whinny, causing him to laugh in return. He spent a spare moment talking to her while rubbing her back before heading over to their workout location for the day, one of the few remaining in his schedule.

  Classes were all set to end on Saturday. There was no ceremony, unlike when he was younger and going through the rudimentary education that every person received. Instead, the few who were interested in becoming affiliated would trickle into the Company Commons on the final day, where several officers were waiting to ply them with their offers.

  As a Guild member, Cass was spared that particular uncomfortableness.

  Dev seemed to almost take it easy on everyone as they rolled, leaped, and ended the day with a sprint through the Guild’s mini-forest. Cass put on a good show, making it to the end only a few hundred feet from the Combat Calling types. Orla complained about it over breakfast.

  “How are you getting so much faster? This is bullshit. Wait.” She paused as she put her spoon down, “Do you have a combat ability? Is that what’s happening? It was the Skreels incident, wasn’t it?”

  Pellin snorted, “Get real. If he had a Combat ability, he’d have done much better versus those tiny monsters I saw him playing with the other day.”

  Cass slapped his forehead, “I forgot you were there!”

  “Yeah, buddy.” Pellin laughed, “You looked really freaked out by the Scroungers. You’re lucky you didn’t get to the fourth ring. I saw a man in full armor scream like a baby and stumble right out of there. Full armor and everything.” He took a sip of water, then spit it out as he laughed again.

  Cass’s only vindication in that moment was that the man had spilled water all over his crotch.

  The first two classes passed quickly, then he was in the Annex with a thoroughly grumpy Kara.

  “What took you so long?” She held up a hand, “Wait, no. It’s not your fault. I apologize.” Scrubbing her hands against her eyes, she collapsed against the wall. “This is why I didn’t receive the Clerks Calling. It’s so. Dreadfully. Boring.”

  Cass sat down, activating the Annex, “Seems to me Chancey and Branden enjoy it.”

  “That’s because they’re just stupid enough not to understand how boring it is.”

  Cass turned a little in his chair, “That’s unfair of you, and you know it. They finished the Annual Quest with time to spare, and they’re both nice people.”

  “I know, but they’re not what the Guild needs.” Kara stood up, “The Guild needs efficiency and intelligence, not a smile. With that in mind, Guildmaster Hollis sent out for a professional Clerk, one who better knows how the world works. I told you a little about them, and they’ll be here soon. He had to call in a favor with Radishtown.”

  She gave him the expected I know you want to ask why it’s called Radishtown, look, but he didn’t fall for her bait this time. “I look forward to meeting them.”

  “Good, because they’re going to get things into shape quickly and teach you how to run things. Now, here’s what I want…”

  A slew of Delivery and Administrative Quests emerged from the Annex as Kara tasked him with creating one generalized Quest after another. With Cass’s burgeoning encyclopedic knowledge of Liora, he was able to create them with individually plotted routes. As he’d explained to Kara, he hoped that by providing additional information to the deliverer, it would make the Quest more efficient.

  [Tier 1 Delivery Quest]

  To the Questor, head over to Ally’s Market in East Liora near the Council building. Inside, you will find a wagon with three boxes on it. Procure the wagon with permission, then travel through the thoroughfare of the city and arrive back at the Guild. Near the back and west, you’ll find the Foundry.

  Your Quest will be complete as soon as the boxes are delivered to one Master Greeves. You will know him by the thing he does with his eyes.

  Once it is delivered, return the wagon to Ally’s Market.

  Expected experience: 6

  This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

  Cassio Vale

  Liora Guildhall

  QuestWright

  Kara held it up, “I like it. Yes, you still have some work to do on your mental control, but it's clear and concise. Adding in the locations for each place is very helpful. When did you have time to learn about all these places?”

  Cass leaned back as he pulled up another pre-designed Outline for drafting, “I pretty much spend every night locked up in my room, memorizing the map.”

  “Every night? What are you doing for fun?”

  Cass focused, the silver spark of a new Quest lighting up the area. “I have Bella and get a few minutes with Gary every week. Plus, Adya and I are going to be working on the Rings every Sunday. It’s a pretty full schedule.” He handed it off while Kara just looked at him.

  “That’s not going to get you through the monotony of working here. Administrative Callings are a drag without something spicy to lighten up your day. You need to consider having a life outside of work.”

  Cass grabbed another vellum while her words rattled around in his head, “What do you do?”

  She sat on the edge of the desk, one foot tapping the air, “I enjoy running and good food. The other Trainers and I get together every so often for drinks or to play some handball. It’s good for keeping up coordination.”

  Silver splashed across the area. “So what’s the difference between what you’re doing and what I’m doing?”

  She gave him a look that was all sharp angles. “There’s a big difference between establishing a routine and feeling fulfilled. Guild members work six days a week, whereas someone like a Tradesman might only work a few, if they’re wealthy enough. What you’re doing right now? Your weekly schedule is like pouring a concrete foundation, but sealing things so tightly that there’s no way to breathe. You’re managing, not living. The world’s already broken, Cass. You’re not going to fix it in the next couple of years.”

  Those words stuck with him for a while. When Cass caught up to Orla later in the day, she was waving a big piece of paper at him.

  “I got our space!” She yelled out, causing a few people to look over. “And it’s perfect, perfect, perfect. You have to see it!”

  Deciding to take Kara’s advice, Cass agreed to meet Rina and Orla at the Entrance Hall after the Guest Lecturer that night. He wasn’t sure what Kara’s “spice” looked like, but he figured Orla would have some ideas about that. After meeting up, the Merchant was still talking about the final class of the day.

  “What utter hogwash.”

  “What?” Rina asked, the Leatherworker in a lovely purple dress rather than her work clothes.

  “She’s talking about the Guest Lecturer,” Cass replied for her, as Orla was veritably stomping the ground as she moved. “We had a visit from one of the Consortia heads.”

  “No, the head of a Trading House. That man is not in charge of the Merchant Consortium.” She spat to the side, “Needs, wants, best for Liora. Best for Liora. BEST FOR LIORA. He said it ten god damn times.”

  “I’m sure it wasn’t-”

  Orla stopped him with a hand on his chest, “I counted. Ten god damn times.”

  Cass tapped her hand twice to get her to remove it, then they were walking again as he said. “I didn’t like what he was saying either. It felt fake, like it was a sales pitch wrapped in civic duty. All I heard was a man speaking from his wallet, not his heart. As if selling out the little man is what’s best for us all.”

  Rina snorted, “What do you think has always happened? It’s why none of us in the Commons want to join a Company or one of the bigger Enterprises. Hell, it’s why I signed up with you and Orla. You guys seem different. I bet the world was under attack by monsters, people were dying, and those with goods were still gouging out people's eyes with harsh prices. Greedy money-grubbing Merchants.” Remembering who was walking next to her, she turned with big eyes, “Sorry, Orla.”

  The Merchant snorted, “Pschh, that’s a compliment compared to my family. But I agree. Looking out for the little man is a noble goal for any new Enterprise, but we can’t get lost in it. Crests are the way to power, and if you want to change things, you need a lot of power. Now, it’s just around this corner.”

  They’d walked for what felt like thirty minutes before arriving at a beat-up window with scratch marks all over it. The window belonged to a narrow space wedged between two real businesses with grand appeal.

  To the right was a crowded furniture shop, filigree sign out front almost glowing in the fleeting remnants of the sun. To the left was a small restaurant called Joey’s, with people in quiet conversation sitting at tables lit by soft candlelight. But their “space” felt like anything but. It looked like the construction had been done in the second year of the Reshaping.

  “I don’t get it,” Cass said, after Orla opened the window, which was actually a door, with a key from her pocket. “You said this was the perfect spot. To me, this looks more like a closet that stopped growing.”

  Rina nodded, “Yeah, this doesn’t feel right. It’s more like a storage room for the places around it rather than a storefront for an up-and-coming Enterprise.”

  “What fools ye be. This place is perfect! Its size keeps the taxes low, and the condition it's in gave me an amazing cost of rent that I was able to set for a full, yearly contract! It’s practically a bargain.”

  “A bargain for a dump, maybe,” Rina said, pushing a chewed-up broom handle over.

  “Nah,” She waved off their complaints. “This place is great. It’s only two blocks from the Auction House. Two blocks the other way from the Civic Center of Liora, the Council building, and Joey's is VERY popular right now. They hired on a new night-time chef who has been blowing everyone away. With all of that foot traffic, I’ll be amazed if we don’t make back my investment in just a few months. Besides,” She looked at Rina, “How many woodworkers and carpenters do we have in Common Solutions?”

  “One each.”

  “Oh,” Orla deflated, but only for a second as she immediately smiled, “No problem, I don’t mind getting a little dirty. And, now that we have a space, I can get our Charter approved. You guys don’t mind if the first profits go towards paying me back for all this, do you?”

  “No…” Cass said, trying his best to look at it in a new light. “Are you sure there are going to be any profits?”

  “For what we’re doing? Absolutely. All the Smithies think the money's in custom work. Nobody just sits around making screws anymore. There’s this huge gap right now in the market. It’s not glamorous, but it is effective. We pump a few thousand of those bad boys out, and we’re good.”

  Cass looked over at Rina, seeing the same doubt he felt on her face. But this wasn’t the time for doubts. Orla was as solid a Merchant as he knew. If she said this was the place to be, then it was. Going against her now wouldn’t help anyone. Besides, there was money to be made.

  “So, Orla.” The Merchant stopped staring with a glassy expression and looked at him. “How much is my cut of all this?”

  “Well,” Orla rummaged through a bag and pulled out a modest sheaf of papers. “Let’s see. You’re one of the Founders of Common Solutions, as is Rina here, so your cut is the same. Five percent of all profits as long as Quests are coming in. Should those Quests stop for whatever reason, your cut drops to one percent for perpetuity. Rina, you have the same condition as long as you’re helping to manage the members, and you get a bonus for any crafted materials you provide to the enterprise. Everyone else gets a differing percentage based on the effort provided in the time the profit was received. That’s how Collectives work according to the standard Liora charter system.”

  “I’m fine with my percentage,” Rina started off, but the glare told him something else was coming. “But how much are you getting?”

  “Welll,” Orla said with a half-smile, “Since I’ll basically be living in here the moment our classes are over, and I provided the starting income and did the paperwork, I thought I could receive ten percent.”

  “Five,” Rina said, her glare only intensifying.

  “Eight.”

  “Six,” Cass replied, causing both to look at him. “She did do all of that, and I don’t doubt she’s going to move in here. Giving her one percent higher than both of us as Founders is only fair.”

  Rina chewed on the side of her mouth before nodding, “Fine, but we run things between the three of us. No one person’s vote counts over another's? Deal?”

  “Deal,” Cass said, holding out his hand. Rina shook it, then held her own out to Orla.

  The Merchant looked back and forth between them before sighing, “Fine.” She reached her hand out, then paused as one of her eyes twitched, “Six point five.”

  If there's a solution to the problem, then why worry. If there's no solution to the problem, then why worry.