There was a long line of people waiting to enter Trosten; the guards at the gates of the walled city were stopping and checking every person going in. They made no exceptions, even when Kira flashed her Adventurer’s Guild disc.

  Wei eased up on the reins and the hulking armoured boars stopped precisely where the [Watchman] indicated. He’d gotten better over the last two days, thanks to a lot of practice and constant instruction from the Vanguard of Valour.

  As of this morning - or at least some time during the night - he was a level 11 [Scavenger], a level 12 [Wagon Driver], a level 8 [Trader] and a level 4 [Protector]. The Vanguard were astonished by how quickly he was levelling, and he sometimes caught Mira staring at him as if she thought he was lying to them, but they had been pushing him. Driving from sunup to way past midnight on the first day. Basic self defence lessons whenever they stopped. Insisting he checked out every location they came to for bits of salvage he could find.

  He’d got the Skills to go along with the levels too. [Smooth Ride]. [Teamster’s Momentum]. [Basic Appraisal] and [Basic Combat Training]. [Customer Insight].

  The Vanguard didn’t seem as impressed by the Skills, apart from the momentum one - Mira had assured him that that Skill alone would guarantee him a job as a [Wagon Driver], but they said as he reached higher levels he’d get even better Skills.

  Not that his current ones weren’t useful; he’d filled a large wooden crate with string and wood and steel that he’d saved from otherwise useless items like the moulding bolts of cloth and the detritus of an old battlefield they’d passed through thanks to his [Scrap Harvester] Skill. Along with the rest of his belongings, his outlook for seeking help for Xiaoling now seemed hopeful.

  Wei vaulted down off the driver’s seat as Kira called him over. They’d warned him the city watch might insist on something like this.

  There was a checkpoint - a wooden table under a canvas shelter just outside the main gate - manned by half a dozen men and women wearing armour and bored expressions. If it hadn’t been for the halberds that were longer than he was tall, Wei might not have paid them any attention.

  Kira escorted him up to the impromptu desk where the only [Watchman] without a helmet sat.

  “Morning [Constable] Derthus. Can we get a temporary pass for this one?” She hooked a thumb at Wei. “I’ll vouch for him.”

  A balding man in his fifties grunted.

  “It’s [Sergeant] Derthus now.” He gave Wei an appraising look. “He’s low enough. Name and age?”

  The young man cleared his throat as Kira congratulated him on the promotion.

  “Chen Wei, Sir. Seventeen years old.”

  Reaching for a quill and ink, the [Sergeant] began to scratch down his details.

  “Profession and reason for visit?”

  Wei looked at Kira who nodded her encouragement.

  “I - I’m a [Scavenger] and a [Wagon Driver], Sir. I’m looking for work and for help for my sister.”

  The [Sergeant] filled in the information and looked up.

  “All new entrants to the city need to be registered until the current threat level is rescinded. Where is your sister?”

  We hesitated again, and this time Kira stepped in.

  “I’ll vouch for her too, Derthus. She’s younger. No Class yet.”

  “That may be so Kira but she still needs a card. Just have her come over so I can verify her details and you can be on your way.”

  “Could we skip the formalities, [Sergeant]? The girl is… catatonic.”

  For the first time, the guard seemed on the back foot.

  “Oh. Sorry to hear. I…” He glanced over towards their cart and then back at the stacks of papers he had on his desk. Then he met Kira’s gaze. “I’m not trying to be difficult Kira - you know I wouldn’t - but it’d probably be best if she had a card still. There are those in the city that won’t make exceptions to the rules. It’ll avoid hassle further down the line if you can do it now.”

  Kira’s face scrunched up as she considered it, and spared a glance for Wei, who made the best decision he could and waited to see what she came up with.

  “Perhaps we can fill out a card on her behalf?”

  “I’d still need to see her for the appraisal.”

  There was at least a semblance of an apology on Derthus’ face.

  “Will my word not suffice, [Sergeant]?”

  The man gave a great sigh and pulled out another card and began to fill it in.

  “For you, Kira, I’ll make an exception. But I will have to add a note that you’re the girl’s sponsor whilst she’s here. I’ll need her name, height, hair and eye colour too.”

  Wei provided the details and the guardsman finished filling in the card before stamping it with an official seal. He handed him both cards.

  “You’ll need to report to a guardhouse with your card once a week for as long as you’re staying in Troston; I’ve added a note to your sister’s card saying you can do it on her behalf. If you pass level 20 whilst you’re here you’ll need to inform the guard. If you find work in the city you’ll need to register with the tax offices. Guards can give you directions to both places.” He took a deep breath as he rattled off instructions that sounded so well-rehearsed that he could have repeated them in his sleep. “There’s currently a curfew between midnight and dawn so don’t be outside unless you obtain a permit. No public drunkenness. No public urination. No soliciting except in pre-approved locations. No brawling.” His eyes flickered to Kira at the last one. “Remind Borgrim of that.” Having finished with Wei, he turned to Kira again before he dismissed them. “Any news from the roads?”

  The [Paladin] thought for a second.

  “Nothing significant within a days’ ride. Evidence of a battle within the last week. Wei found a few pieces that point to an orc tribe moving through.”

  Derthus nodded.

  “We’ve had reports of the same. Also rumours of an [Illusionist] in the vicinity and some recent troubles with one of the gangs, hence all this…”

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  “Thanks for the heads-up. We’ll see if the Guild has anything posted.” She put down a hand on the table and a faint clatter told Wei that she’d deposited a few coins. He saw a sparkle of gold as she pushed them towards the [Sergeant], who took them with a raised eyebrow.

  “There’s no fee for the cards…”

  “Payment in advance.” Kira said. “We’re staying at The Dented Helm. Borgrim and Lio and Nyssara will be causing a disturbance later.”

  “Wh-”

  “We lost Dorric.”

  The [Sergeant]’s face fell so fast Wei thought he was about to pitch off his chair. He pushed the pile of coins back to Kyra.

  “A contribution from the guard to whatever way you commemorate his passing. He was a credit to his species. I’ll notify the [Watch Commander], and I’ll stop by to raise a glass after my shift if that’s not too intrusive.”

  “Not at all, [Sergeant]. He’d have appreciated it, given how often you lot did business together.”

  Derthus nodded.

  “A fine [Alchemist] and fair prices. I’ve not met many alati but he was a credit to his species.”

  The guardsman left it at that, and Kira walked him back to the carts where the rest of the Vanguard were engaged in an animated discussion - all ignoring the rough coffin that Borgrim had cobbled together a few days before where the body of their fallen comrade lay. Xiaoling was sat, silent and unmoving, between Nyssara and Mira on a raised bench.

  Before they reached the cart, however, Wei whispered something to the [Paladin] that had been weighing on his mind.

  “How do they do it? Be happy when their friend died?”

  He watched as Borgrim made a gesture that made the others on the cart laugh. Even Mira. Wei swallowed. Every time he stopped, his mind went back to running through the foggy forest, screaming, and the death cries of his classmates, and Jie’s body being turned to red mist…

  A heavy hand clapped onto his shoulder and he almost staggered.

  “Practice, Wei. Just practice. They are all adventurer types. Either you learn to deal with it, or you quit. It’s either that or it comes out in other ways, and you don’t want that. Yes they lost a friend, but they had good times with him, and it was more than most get. They’ll mourn him tonight, and maybe for a few days whilst we rest up here, but we move on; the alternative isn’t something Dorric would have wanted.” She paused a second. “The calming tonic helps too.”

  She pushed him on towards the cart, where Lio didn’t leave him time to dwell on her words or the deep-set loss of his friends. The [Elemental Mage] roped him into the same conversation the group had been having all morning.

  “Come on Wei, what do you say. A specialist will always be more in-demand than a generalist.” he turned back to the Vanguard. “Yes, I know that sounds hypocritical but think about it; if you needed a new sword, would you go to a [Smith] or an [Armourer] or a [Renowned Swordsmith]? Focus on the quality, and the levels will follow.”

  Mira snorted. “And when people don’t want swords? Then what? Starve? Slow, safe and steady. Be flexible.” She emphasised the point with a finger jabbing towards Lio as Kira nodded along. “Common goods that are always in demand and then when something interesting comes along you analyse the potential. Consistency is key. There’s no use being a level 40 [Renowned Swordsmith] if all people want is plows and hoes.”

  “That’s where you’re wrong.” Borgrim cut in. “You got to find the toughest situation and throw yourself into it. I don’t care if it’s tradin’ or fightin’ or bloody washing. Level through adversity. That’s what they say. Look how far he’s come already. You don’t get that playing it safe.”

  “No need to risk yourself.” Nyssara rolled her eyes. “Honestly. Why do men always think they have to prove their manhood by throwing themselves into trouble. Much better to be smart about things.” She turned her attention to Wei who was climbing into the driver’s seat; he’d heard half the arguments already and still hadn’t made up his mind, although he wasn’t going to be throwing himself into any kind of danger. Ever. Not again. “”I’m telling you, Wei, there are always people looking for items of…questionable legality. If you ask me, half the [Traders] in this town are little better than [Daylight Robbers]. Why accept their rules? Find what people are willing to pay gold for and do what you can to get your hands on it.”

  As the [Paladin] vaulted up to sit beside him, Kira frowned, but the other three seemed to be swayed by the argument.

  The wagon gave a jerk as Wei applied pressure to the reins and the ironback boars began to drag it back into the line flowing into the city, and Wei let his mind tune the continued discussion out as he concentrated on navigating the most densely-packed and narrowest paths he’d had to follow yet, following the pointed directions Kira gave him to the tavern.

  —

  Troston was a thriving metropolis compared to the places they’d passed through over the last couple of days. Even when they’d come close to the city, they never seemed to come across anything larger than a farmstead or a cluster of houses all bent to the same niche industry. It was almost as if the Vanguard had found the most deserted route to take to civilisation.

  Now banners and signs proclaimed a hundred types of business and services for the multitudes that populated the city.

  A hundred thousand? Two hundred thousand? It was hard to gauge the size from what little he’d seen, but people were packed in close. Not as much as cities back home perhaps, but more than his village had been. Hordes of townspeople thronged the street. Armoured guards patrolled in tight-knit packs. Hawkers and heralds shouted their wares and messages from street corners or boxes that raised them above the crowds. Shopkeepers and merchants cried their goods from their storefronts or the backs of carts covered in scores of objects or stalls that were jammed in every gap between doors and windows - or even where there weren’t gaps if they were forceful enough.

  Carts selling roasted nuts or clay mugs of soup or roasted skewers of vegetables and a hundred other choices passed by, each voice shouting their offers loud enough to drown out the competition. Had it not been for the lack of technology and the strange creatures - people like the lizard-man who breathed red flames over his corn to pop it - Wei could have thought himself back in the local market.

  That and the Skills on display.

  Kira had to warn off a [Merchant] whose [Enticing Pitch] distracted Wei enough to send the cart veering off course, whilst Mira’s [Hawkeye Watch] picked out at least three potential [Pickpockets] or [Thieves] who got too close for comfort. Her non-Skill glare was enough to send them packing.

  Despite the distance being less than a mile, it took the better part of half an hour to get through the streets to The Dented Helm. Wei’s [Teamster’s Momentum] did nothing when they had to stop and start again every five seconds. Borgrim and Nyssara had long since gotten bored of the delay with the milling crowds and had jumped off to go about their own business, with the promise to meet at the tavern for lunch. Lio had stayed, but had been quiet as he’d been engaged in a task that Wei had to concentrate on ignoring, lest his inattention cause an accident in the crowded thoroughfares.

  They’d actually pulled into the tavern’s courtyard when Lio finally gave a sigh of satisfaction, and made an announcement to the rest of them.

  “It’s a Sentinel’s Cloak. Damaged, but I think it will still function - at least a little.”

  An appreciative ‘ooh’ came from Mira, but both Kira and Wei exchanged a blank look, and the [Paladin] cleared her throat.

  “Is that good?”

  The [Archer] looked up from the back of the wagon to her sister.

  “Undamaged it would probably be a high Silver-tier artefact. In its current state…” she looked over to Lio, who shrugged.

  “Hard to say without doing some testing. Kira’s right - it’s a solid, if niche, item.”

  Wei twisted round in the driver’s seat to get a better look now he didn’t have to focus on the roads. The tattered cloak certainly looked damaged.

  “What’s special about it?”

  Lio gestured to Mira, who draped it over her shoulders. It instantly clung to her form, but beyond that nothing obvious happened.

  “It’s tough. Not quite like armour, but it’s defensive in its basic nature. What makes it such a unique item though is that it takes on the properties of whatever you are standing on… or next to.” She gestured down to where a couple of the tattered remains were hanging lower down, and they did seem to be taking on a different hue to the rest of the garment. “The catch is that it only works if you’re standing still. Or at least, it doesn’t work so well when you’re on the move. It takes time to meld with the surroundings. If I stayed here a minute or two though, the whole thing would become as hard as the wood of the wagon and probably as resistant to blades or arrows.”

  Kira vaulted over to the bed of the wagon with a lithe grace and tapped at the hem of the cloak. It gave out a faint knocking.

  “Interesting. It sounds more powerful than the necklace, but perhaps less useful to most of our lot if you have to stand in one place. Is it fixable?”

  “Not by me.” Lio said with a grimace. “{Identify} - yes. {Repair} - no. There might be a [Artificer] around I can ask, if she hasn’t moved on.”

  “Let’s take it inside.” Mira said, stepping down off the wagon. The moment she moved the wooden texture on the cloak began to fade, and by the time she’d taken another step towards the door it had turned to ragged cloth. “We need to talk to Naila.”

  And just like that, the mood changed.

  But it shifted a little as Lio mused out loud.

  “Hey - if any of us could fix the cloak, it’d be her.”

  Hi all! Welcome to my book, Miscast Heroes.

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