When Marie opened her bleary eyes, it was to sunlight streaming through a dingy window, a clammy heat rising, and the echo of a Voice in her head.

  [Secretary Level 9!]

  [Skill - Inventory Intuition gained!]

  [Skill - Threat Assessment gained!]

  Her mind flitted over the words and she instantly began to recall the number of black leather boots in the stores, and the number of individual arrows she could put in the armoury versus the ones that were damaged and only fit for firewood, and the eighteen types of lesser-valued gemstones and a rough amount for their worth…

  The rush of information almost made her vomit.

  Where was this Skill yesterday…

  Holding her head in her hands she levered herself up and sniffed at a glass on the table in front of her.

  Water?

  She took an experimental sip and sighed in relief. It was warm but not alcoholic.

  Feeling Napoleon stirring by her feet, she adjusted her glasses and took a look round.

  Across the other side of a rough wooden table, Ulfran and a young allagi woman named Ashe were snoring away, partially supported by the table and partially by each other. There were perhaps seven or eight other figures scattered throughout the rest of the pub - and the name ‘The Drowned Cat’ stirred in her mind as her memory slowly began to fire up.

  And I thought the Spellswords knew how to party.

  Forcing herself to stand, she found herself the only human in the place - much as she had been last night. The allagi kept mostly to themselves, in a poorer section of town that covered a section of the south-west - dilapidated houses nestled up against each other and the wall that surrounded Wayfarrow, though inside the dwellings were not quite as bad as they seemed.

  Sipping another few drops, she felt her stomach lurch and stopped for a moment. Then she remembered some of the allagi dishes she’d eaten and she stumbled to the toilets to throw up, a concerned Napoleon padding along behind her.

  A few minutes later she wiped her mouth and returned to find the bleary-eyed proprietor - an older allagi woman named Madame Freya - mixing something up for her.

  “You did well to keep up for the most part.” The woman grinned, handing her a mug that was filled with something purple and sour-smelling. “You definitely get points for trying. Get that down you. It won’t taste as good as that wine you were drinking but you’ll feel better after.”

  Marie murmured her thanks round the mouth of the mug as she lifted it to her lips and began to take it in small sips. It was….unpleasant.

  “Not like that. [Finish Up].”

  Hands lifting of their own accord, Marie felt her throat open and the contents of the mug disappeared down it in seconds. She could barely taste it as it went, and as it hit her stomach the majority of her hangover immediately subsided. Her eyes lifted and it felt like a shroud of lead had been lifted from her head. The worst thing now was the soapy aftertaste the drink left.

  “Merci, Madame Freya! What is in this?”

  The proprietor winked.

  “A bit of this and that. A few herbs. A couple of Skills I’ve picked up over the years.”

  “It is incredible. What do I owe you?”

  “No charge.” The woman waved off her question. “We all heard what you did for Algar and his team. This is my way of thanking you.”

  Marie pushed a couple of copper coins onto the countertop regardless.

  “Something like this deserves to be paid for, Madame Freya. I have never found something that takes away a hangover just like that!”

  “You’re right, Miss. I’ll be charging those friends of yours,” she nodded to the table where Ulfran and Ashe still slept, “when they wake up wanting one. They don’t get to enjoy its benefits too often, but now they’ve got the coin they’ll be making good use of it.”

  Marie straightened up from where she’d been leaning on the bar, now feeling more rested - less sluggish - and considered the other allagi. She turned back to the [Landlady].

  “Do you not sell this all the time? I would think something as effective as this - you would be selling it every morning. If nothing else, it would surely mean your clientele would drink more the night before - knowing that this exists for when they wake?”

  The corner of Madame Freya’s mouth quirked up.

  “I’m sure they would, Miss, but despite that, it’s not good for a body to drink too much too often; a hangover should be a warning to be heeded, not ignored.” She sighed. “Besides, the herbs are expensive, and at three silver a mug, they only buy it when they’ve really gone overboard.”

  Three silver a mug! The wine was only a silver a glass. But to escape the hangover…

  A thought occurred to the [Secretary] in her.

  “If you could obtain the herbs more cheaply, Madame Freya, would you perhaps be persuaded to increase production of your miracle cure?”

  —

  It was late when Marie entered the guild, Napoleon at her heel. It wasn’t too egregious, given her contract stipulated only a certain number of hours per week rather than actual times, and she was so new a member of the staff that the others hadn’t adjusted the roster to set her on shifts alone yet, but it was embarrassing all the same.

  Fortunately, she had a new entry to add to the quest log, and a new deal for guild members - one that she had no doubt most would take full advantage of.

  Madame Freya wasn’t going to be serving many guild members at The Drowned Cat; that was really an allagi tavern. Allagi and Marie, now. But she would provide a certain amount of her hangover cure in exchange for free herbs. Herbs Marie would be putting out guild-requested quests for. Ones that the allagi were likely to pick up, with a reasonable pay for the time and difficulty of the mission. And the guild would fund it by selling the hangover cure to its members.

  It was all starting to come together.

  Even Wilhelmina seemed to be getting on board as she was studying the loot ledger when Marie walked up to the counter.

  The woman - whose hair was pink now - looked up as Marie came round the back of the counter and reached for the list of approved merchants and the quest log book.

  “Good morning Marie.” She gave a sickly-sweet smile, though it faded as she glanced towards the undead hound. “So glad you could join us today. Would you mind holding the desk whilst I use the lavatory? I wouldn’t ask but I’ve been on duty since dawn.”

  Two can play at that game.

  She kept any emotion beyond vapid pleasantness off her face as she reminded herself that she wasn’t in the wrong here.

  “Of course Wilhelmina. Before you go though - would you mind if I checked something? It’s just that I leveled my [Secretary] Class again a couple of times last night and I was wondering if we took the gold bonus each time or not.”

  The other [Secretary]’s mouth began to open in an ‘o’ of surprise but she clamped down on it before she could look too much like a fish.

  “You do indeed.” She snapped as she stalked off towards the toilets.

  Marie felt a smirk pull at her lips, but schooled her own face to a professional neutrality as a reptilian person approached.

  Two hands with claws as long as her little finger thunked down onto the wooden countertop as the person leaned forwards and tilted their head to regard her with one eye.

  “Are you able to help me with my requessst?”

  Adopting a style she’d learned from working in a university bookstore for three years of undergraduate studies, Marie gave a pleasant smile.

  “How can I help you…Sir.”

  She took a gamble and the reptilian-looking person didn’t correct her.

  “I have been sssiting here for more than an hour, waiting for sssomone to exssplain why I have not been paid for my missssion.”

  If it hadn’t been for one of his claws digging into the wooden countertop, Marie wouldn’t have been sure if he was angry or just curious.

  Lessons on reading other species might be useful in the future.

  “My apologies sir. If you let me know which quest it was, I will sort it out for you right now.”

  The lizard-man pulled a piece of paper out of a pouch that hung at his waist and slapped it down on the table. It was one of the quests that had been on the notice board when she’d first arrived. She recognised it. Even if she hadn’t, it had the guild’s seal stamped on it.

  She read the mission.

  There’s a small nest of frostmoths in [Farmer] Enric’s barn. Clear them out without damaging any of his stores. 2 gold 1 silver upon completion, or half that if any stores are damaged, collectable at reception.

  That seemed straightforward enough. The farmer must have paid the guild up-front.

  “Okay sir. Do you have proof that you completed the quest?”

  Unblinking, the lizard-man reached for another pouch on his belt and pulled out a load of huge feathery blue antennae, still wet with blood. He slapped them down on the counter.

  Was he trying to intimidate her? It’d take a lot more than that.

  “Parfait. And were any of [Farmer] Enric’s stores damaged?”

  “No. I am a professssional.”

  Marie nodded her head as she activated her [Sense Lie] Skill just in case and got nothing from it.

  “Very well, let me just get your pay.”

  Leaving Napoleon to guard the front desk, she went back into the rear rooms.

  The guild’s main vault was a physically and magically sealed fortress of stone that was located off a short corridor behind the counter. It held the most powerful items that the guild had gathered over the years and almost all the money.

  Marie hadn’t been given access yet.

  She was sure it was simply because she was a brand new employee, and not because the guildmaster didn’t trust her not to instantly fund some of her ideas.

  Fortunately, there was a lesser vault, with a few more common magical items and enough money to cover basic payouts and expenses that the guild was expecting. All she had to do was to affix her [Guild Seal: Wayfarrow Adventurer’s Guild] on a wooden panel by the door and it opened for her.

  “Let’s see. Two gold one silver, minus ten percent for the guild’s cut… eighteen silver, nine copper.”

  She counted out the coins, double checked them, then put them in a small cloth pouch and returned to the lizard-man.

  “Here you go sir. Let me just check to see if it was in the quest log…”

  As she turned to pull the log book towards her and check off the quest, a vicious hiss came from the adventurer and his fist slammed down on the table, making Marie jump.

  “Hey! What are you trying to do? Ssshort change me? Where’sss the ressst of it?”

  Eyebrows raising, Marie stared at him.

  “Two gold, one silver, minus the ten percent guild cut makes eig-”

  “Ten persssent? What isss thisss nonsssenssse?”

  Marie blinked. Down by her feet, Napoleon began to pace back and forth.

  “New guild policy, sir. It is all according to Adventurer Guild rules. We levy a small tax whi-”

  “I’m not paying no taxsss!”

  “I’m afraid it is guild policy, sir. We use it to improve the g-”

  “No! I will not pay thisss… fee. It hass never been before!” He pulled a long knife from his belt and began jabbing it in her direction. “Give me my money!”

  Perhaps he meant it to be intimidating, or perhaps he was simply just angry and expressing himself, or perhaps he was about to attack her. Whatever the situation, she assumed the worst. The sight of a knife being wielded in her direction - which would have once made her freeze out of caution if nothing else - only brought on a spark of anger in the French woman. Coming over towards the end of the counter, a returning Wilhelmina seemed to have stopped mid-step, but Marie lept into action.

  Grabbing the quest log book in one hand, she gripped the edge of the counter with the other and activated [Mighty Leap] and [Swift Blow] back-to-back.

  Feet first, she vaulted across the dark wooden surface before the lizard-man had time to flinch, and the improvised book-club in her hand swung into the side of his head with the force of a heavyweight boxer’s punch.

  But the lizard-man was an adventurer of some description, and the punch wasn’t enough to knock him out.

  It was enough to get him to drop the knife as he staggered back though, and Marie bent down and snatched it up before he could recover, and flung it back over the counter to stick in the wooden panelling of the wall with a thrum as the blade vibrated in place. She stopped and took up a defensive posture - book ready - incase she had to take things further, just as Napoleon skidded round the counter, and the lizard-man showed his teeth and snarled, but before anything else could happen Wilhelmina came running over.

  “[Cool Off]!”

  As the other [Secretary] shouted the words, Marie instantly felt her anger lose its edge, and a few feet away the lizard-man’s snarl died out. There was even a slight chill to her skin, and her opponent’s scales took on a faint tinge of blue. Only Napoleon seemed unaffected as he took up a position between her and the lizard-man, ready to pounce.

  Wilhelmina approached cautiously, eyes flickering between the two combatants.

  “No fighting in the guild outside the courtyard - guild rules. Any more of this and I’ll have to fine you.”

  The lizard-man’s lip pulled upwards but he didn’t seem able to express anything more aggressive.

  “This ssstinking warm-blood isss the one who came at me.”

  A hint of disdain was all Marie could manage.

  “You pulled a knife on me! I was not about to wait around to see what you did next.”

  “You took my money!”

  Before the argument could start again, there was the feeling of a presence, and all three - and the half-dozen other adventurers who’d been watching the fight as it began to unfold - looked up to the upper floors, where a familiar furred figure had appeared.

  [Guildmaster] Thror surveyed the common area for a few seconds, then, satisfied that things were under control, retired back to his room.

  In the sudden silence, Wilhelmina took charge and listened to both Marie and the lizard-man tell their version of events, before fixing Maire with a dirty look - and a hint of smugness unless Marie was mistaken - and addressed the lizard-man.

  “I’m very sorry Krexal. Marie is new and seems to have overstepped her bounds.” She turned to Marie. “Marie - it doesn’t seem fair to apply the new tax on someone who took a quest before it came in.”

  There was a point to be made that the guild codes meant that a tax had always been in place, it just hadn’t been enforced. There was also a point to be made about what this lizard-man could get out of the guild if he contributed to it if he listened. But Marie was tactful enough not to make them.

  “My apologies - Krexal. I did not think about you not being aware of the new rules.”

  Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.

  The lizard-man’s tongue flickered out in her direction and his teeth were exposed as his snout wrinkled up.

  “It isss not sssurprising. What elssse but incompetensse could I exsspect from an unwassshed vagrant.”

  Marie was about to object, and then realised what he was referring to. In all the rush from leaving The Drowned Cat and getting to work, she hadn’t had the chance to change her clothes, or bathe. If she was honest with herself, her bathing routine had been lacklustre since she’d come to this place, but she hadn’t thought she smelled.

  Wilhelmina gave her a judgmental look.

  “Maybe it’s best you work in the back for now, Maire.”

  The heat that came to her cheeks was part anger and part embarrassment, and Maire stalked off to her workroom as behind her she heard Wilhelmina appeasing the lizard-man.

  “How much did you say you were short? [Guild Coinpurse]. Here: take three silver.”

  Marie shut the door.

  ”I don’t smell that bad do I, Napoleon?”

  Then she began to rummage in her bags for some clean clothes… just in case.

  —

  It was after lunch that Greeleena was wandering through the main guild hall and felt a tugging at her leg. She looked down to see a skeletal hound pulling at the hem of her skirt.

  “hey, greeleena. over here.”

  Searching round, it took the myconid a minute to spot Marie’s face peeking out from the gap in the doorway.

  As the [Guild Clerk] approached, Marie opened the door and ushered her in.

  “Dieu merci. I need your help.”

  The fungal woman looked Marie up and down.

  “Sure - what is it?”

  Cheeks turning a faint shade of pink, Marie picked up a stack of clothes.

  “I seem to have run out of clean clothing. I was sure I had another tee-shirt… and I need to find a place that will allow me to wash myself. I did not realise my odour had grown so strong until one of the adventurers mentioned it.”

  Greeleena nodded knowingly.

  “Ah. I see. It wasn’t one of the gnolls was it? Or one of the beastkin with a sensitive nose?”

  When Marie shook her head, the myconid continued.

  “Well, no matter. I can’t smell, so I make sure I get my clothes laundered every few days. There’s a great [Washerwoman] I use - I can introduce you if you like?”

  “That would be fantastique. Is there a place where I could bathe and clean myself up?

  “The public baths? They’re cheap and hot.”

  “That sounds perfect. Where do I go?”

  “Come with me - I’ll show you.”

  Greeleena began to walk in the direction of the guild entrance, when a tug from Napoleon once again brought her up short. She looked back to see Marie standing in the room still.

  “could we perhaps take a back route out?”

  —

  A few minutes later, when the attention of the adventurers in the main hall was on other things (a crashing sound where Napoleon had knocked over a weapon display), Greeleena, carrying a large bag, walked with quick steps across to one of the doors by the north west corner. Marie was doing her best to walk in her shadow - keeping the myconid [Guild Clerk] between her and the other guild members.

  Once they were through the door, Marie breathed a sigh of relief, and hoped Napoleon would be fine waiting under the chair she’d told him to go to. He was getting better at understanding her instructions - or perhaps she was getting better at giving them.

  She looked around the corridor she found herself in; she’d not been to this part of the guild yet. She’d only been to a couple of rooms off the ground floor, along with [Guildmaster] Thror’s office and the training ground.

  Back here it was quiet, and though there were other doors along the walls, Greeleena led her round a corner and opened one to the outside.

  “What’s in the other rooms?”

  Greeleena glanced back and considered a couple.

  “Oh - mostly storage space. One has some benches and tools for quick repairs I think. A couple of private meeting rooms for when clients come to make confidential requests.”

  It seemed like a bit of a waste of space, and Marie immediately began planning what she could do with it.

  “Come on. It’s not that far, but I’m due to be on duty soon so we’d best be quick.”

  The public baths were on the way to the [Washerwoman], and Marie marked them on the mental map that had been growing ever since she’d gotten her [Precise Cartography] Skill. After another couple of minutes brisk walking, making a wide berth of anyone that looked like they had a sensitive nose at Marie’s insistence, they arrived at a modest sized house, well kept, with flower boxes under the windows resplendent with multi-coloured blooms.

  The [Washerwoman] herself, Sylvia, proved to be an older beastkin woman who appeared part-beaver, with rich brown fur, large front teeth and the hint of a flat blue-grey tail poking out from beneath her dress. .

  “Yes dear. I can have these cleaned up in a jiffy. I’ve got [Instant Drying] and [Lasting Fragrance] too so you’ll be fresh and ready to go in no time at all.”

  Marie breathed a sigh of relief.

  “Merci. Would it be possible to have them delivered to the public baths? I need to wash myself before I put on anything clean.”

  “Of course dear. I’ll get my grandson to drop them over there in half an hour or so. I’ll tell him to leave them at the reception for - was it Marie?”

  “Yes. That would be perfect. Merci again. How much do I owe you?”

  The [Washerwoman] counted a few things off on her fingers - tallying up the Skills she was using?”

  “In total, let’s call it one silver two copper for the washing, and two copper for the delivery. If you’re not in such a rush in the future I can give you a better price.”

  Marie waved off her apologetic tone and counted out one silver, and five copper.

  Is tipping a thing in this place?

  The [Washerwoman] seemed happy with it, and so Marie counted it as an investment into what she was currently planning as she bid the woman farewell and headed off to the baths. Adventurers surely needed washing services with all the exploration and fighting they’d have to deal with. Surely it only made sense to see if the beastkin woman wanted to partner with the guild for more work…

  …but all that could wait until she’d had a proper bath.

  When she entered the multi-roomed, domed structure that sprawled more than a hundred yards across this section of Wayfarrow and who knew how deep, the first thing Marie did was to look down to her feet to tell Napoleon that it was almost reminiscent of Roman baths.

  But Napoleon was back at the guild, so she made the comparison internally.

  They must have a sewage system given how extensive the place seems.

  She approached a semi-circular counter and a dark-haired man with bushy eyebrows that sat behind it. He didn’t look up, and she realised that with her [Silent Steps] he must not have heard her coming.

  “Excuse me.”

  The man gave a start and blinked as he saw her leaning on the counter. At least he hadn’t been able to smell her approaching. He put on a practiced smile.

  “Good afternoon madam. How can I help you?”

  “I’d like a bath please.”

  It seemed a bit awkward to say, but the man simply nodded.

  “Private? Public? Relaxation? Washing? Rejuvenation? How long would you like - and do you require something to eat or drink, or treatments?”

  Treatments? She’d revisit that when she had more time. For now though…

  “Private washing, merci. Half an hour. Do you provide cleaning products and towels?”

  The man nodded.

  “Yes ma’am. Various scented soaps and fresh towels. Oils and tonics and other luxury items are extra.” He glanced down towards her clothing, which was the cleanest of what she’d had in her bags, which was to say, only mildly soiled. “We also offer a basic cleaning service for clothes, if you’re here for an hour or so. Maybe less on a warm day like this.”

  Marie hesitated, wondering what they’d charge, then dismissed it.

  “Just the bath please. I’ll forego the luxuries this time. I will be having some fresh clothing delivered before I am done - would it be possible to have it sent to the room I am using?”

  The man nodded again, this time with evident relief and checked a sheet in front of him.

  “Of course, ma’am. A private room for half an hour with just the basics will be two silver.” He reached out to take the coins as she pulled them out of her purse. “Follow the white tiles as far as they go. When you get to the end, the third door from the left should be free. Soap and towels are already inside. The door bolts from the inside, but if you cannot swim please leave it closed but unbolted - we lose more doors that way than to anything else. We’ll knock five minutes before your time is up, and I’ll make sure the clothing is left outside then. If you have any issues or wish to amend your choices, there is a bell rope inside the room that will signal for an attendant. Enjoy your bath!”

  Marie set off following a line of white tiles set into a floor of a dozen colours and the increasingly strong smell of salt. She passed down a large arched corridor where openings to each side revealed large pools of water with children of a dozen species splashing around, longer pools with people swimming, and smaller, steamy ones with older folks lounging back, luxuriating in the heat. She wasn’t sure how they managed to in the middle of summer.

  One by one, the other colours of tiles disappeared until she found herself walking down a stone corridor with a single line of white tiles at the centre. At the end was a hemispherical chamber more than three times her height, staffed by a female dwarf attendant, with a plinth in the middle which held a pitcher of clear water and a number of glass cups. Nine or ten doors were set into the walls and, picking the third from the left, she entered a smaller, softly-lit domed chamber - almost exactly fifteen feet across. The bath itself was fed by a small stream that came in from the west to where it pooled in the centre, recessed into the floor, taking up half the room, and closing the door behind her she was relieved to see the thick wooden bolt that could be drawn across was indeed there.

  Stripping off and laying her clothes on a stone bench that ran round the circumference of the room, Marie sniffed a few bars of soap, picked the one that smelled faintly of lavender, and slipped into the warm water of the bath with a grateful sigh.

  —

  She’d lost track of time, but she presumed twenty-five minutes had passed when she heard a knock echoing round the room. Easing herself out of the warm, sudsy water, she rinsed in the gently-flowing stream, then grabbed a towel to wrap up her hair, picked another for her body, and then unbolted and cracked the door open.

  A clean canvas sack waited outside, and, seeing the dwarven attendant retreating back down the hall, she pulled it in and shut the door to dress.

  Five minutes later, feeling fresh in denim shorts and a black Muse t-shirt that were far better suited to the heat, she emerged from the room and made her way back to the front desk. The same man was on duty, and she spoke as she approached this time so as not to startle him.

  “Hello. I have finished with my bathing.”

  This time, when the man looked up, he smiled.

  “Very good ma’am. Is there anything further we can do for you today?”

  His tone suggested he wasn’t expecting anything - that it was just a routine question, but Marie surprised him.

  “Actually, yes. I was wondering if there was someone I could speak to about coming up with a special deal for members of the Adventurer’s Guild?”

  It’s worth a try.

  The receptionist’s head tilted to the side.

  “I… I am not sure that we have deals, ma’am. We’re not like a merchant in the market.”

  Marire returned her best smile.

  “Pas de problème. If there’s anything that the Adventurer’s Guild could do for the bathhouse, please send a message to me - Marie - at the guild. And if you could mention it to your manager or whoever you report to, I would be very grateful.”

  She left the man slightly bemused, and left for her next stop, which had been her first stop. If all she did was plant seeds of ideas, that was enough for now.

  —

  Sylvia was pleased to see Marie return. She stood up from a rocking chair in the open front room of her house and clasped her by the hand.

  “Oh I was hoping you’d come back.”

  Eyebrows raising, Marie put a hand to her chest.

  “Moi?”

  “Yes dear. I have to ask you about those clothes. Never seen anything like them before. The material. The designs. I’ve not come across pictures that weren’t on a canvas or wall before. They were quite lovely - even if I did have to take extra care not to wash the paints out. Which [Queen] did the crest represent?”

  Marie paused. No one had really remarked on her clothing before. Then again, her jeans weren’t too dissimilar to the trousers and breeches that people round here wore. Perhaps the jacket had covered some of the designs on her t-shirts - surely they hadn’t been that dirty? But Sylvia was waiting for an answer. It took her a moment to work out what the [Washerwoman] was referring to.

  “Queen is not actually a Class in this case, Miss Sylvia. They are a band - a group of musicians. Erm… [Musicians] and [Performers]. They were very popular where I am from. The jeans are made from denim. It’s…” she thought back to a conversation with a friend who’d been into fashion years before, and thanked her [Improved Recall] Skill, “...made from cotton, put together in a special way.”

  “Oh really? Fancy that. It’s not often that you come across something new in my line of work. Did you want some more clothes laundered though?”

  Marie’s eyes darted round the room. Large wooden tubs. A mangle. Drying racks out in the open air.

  “I do not suppose someone with your Skills lacks for work, Sylvia, but I work at the Adventurer’s Guild, with Greeleena, and I thought that of all the people who might need professional clothes washing services, adventuring types who are out in the wilderness, fighting and exploring dirty ruins and dungeons and the like would be top of the list.”

  “Yes I suppose you’re right there dear. Beyond the odd [Miner] or [Fisherman], and one [Chimney Sweep] before he got a Skill that kept him clean, whenever I get an adventurer type it’s usually quite bad.”

  “Well, when I saw what an amazing job you did with my clothes, I wondered if you would be open to a partnership with the guild. It is not the busiest, but I imagine it would be a steady stream of business. There might be more unusual pieces, and if there is anything that you find difficult or expensive to get, I can put in a request for it at the guild - no charge - in exchange for a small discount and perhaps a priority service in extreme cases?”

  The woman thought, gnawing at one of her fingernails, and Marie cast about for an idea to tip it more in her favour.

  “We could… perhaps… maybe we could also employ your grandson for the deliveries back and forth? It’s not too far and maybe we could pay a copper or two to check in every day in the morning and evening for orders, and then extra to take any that are waiting?”

  The beastkin [Washerwoman] gave her a beaming smile.

  “Oh, that would be lovely. He could use a little money, and he’s ever so enchanted with the idea of being an adventurer.”

  “I’m sure there are plenty of things he could pick up if he was stopping by all the time.”

  “I have to say though - I’ve not cleaned armour before. I’m sure I could turn my hand to it - maybe even level my Class some more! It just might take me a little bit to learn the details.”

  That was something Marie hadn’t even considered.

  “Perhaps I could ask for someone to give you a demonstration?”

  “That would be most useful if you could, dear. I’d have to ask about what materials I’d need too.”

  [Inventory Intuition]. There are oils and waxes and polish in storerooms 4 and 7 and 9. The ones for cleaning armour were… hmm.

  The Skill was useful, but not fully detailed. But at least she knew where some might be found.

  “I will see if we can help with that too. I have to check on peoples’ interest and the amount they can afford to pay, and I’m sure you would need to consider any discount you would be willing to give, but perhaps we can meet in a few days to discuss it again?”

  She left a wistfully smiling Sylvia to go over her numbers. A mutually beneficial agreement would help not just the [Washerwoman] and the adventurers, but the guild too. The difference in price between what the guild charged and what Sylvia and her grandson were paid would go into her updates and improvements fund, or be used to pay for some of the quests the guild would offer to satisfy the needs of other arrangements.

  As she headed off, she turned not back towards the guild, but instead over to the north western section of the town, and a few shops and crafters that Sylvia had happily told her about before they’d finished their discussion...

  —

  When Marie finally returned to the guild, it was close to dinner time, and Napoleon came bounding over, clearly excited to see her return. Perhaps after have been so long alone before, he was just glad she hadn’t left him.

  Her feet ached in her boots from all the walking she’d done, and her mind was fit to burst with the [Mental Ledger] she’d been compiling all afternoon, but she took a moment to bend down and scratch his head. There was still more to do, but she was hungry and she needed to write out the potential arrangements she’d already made.

  Weapon deals from Tuwesa the [Blacksmith]. Leather armour discounts from Karoe at Hydra’s Hides as long as we take some requests for specific beasts and the skins go to Karoe’s brother - the [Tanner]. Three others in the food industry besides Braer…

  In fact the [Butcher] had put her onto two of the others. The last had been an allagi selling dried fruit that wasn’t garnering much attention, despite its taste and longevity. She chewed on a berry that reminded her of a raisin.

  A friendly and familiar fungal face greeted her with a wave as she walked through the main hall, and pointed to a table where Rudi was taking a light repast. One of the adventurers was playing a flute in a chair in the corner, and over the light melody, Greeleena called out.

  “Hey! Looking good! Help yourself to dinner.”

  It was probably the first time the myconid had seen her properly clean, but that wasn’t what she was referring to.

  Marie smoothed the black breeches and white shirt, and pulled at the cuffs of the smart new jacket she wore.

  A quick trip to a clothing shop that Sylvia had recommended had taken only half an hour with the [Tailor]’s Skills, but had cost her the better part of three gold, and the new boots she’d brought had tipped the total well over, but with her own [Resilient Threads], and the [Tailor] and [Cobbler]’s Skills, she now had clothing that not only fitted in better with the locals, but looked smart, would resist staining, breathed well, was waterproof, and, most importantly, wouldn’t require ironing.

  And she’d got a spare shirt thrown in with it.

  “Merci!"

  Rudi gave an approving look when she sat down too, Napoleon sniffing around her boots.

  “A very stylish cut, Miss Marie. Is that from Thimbles and Stitches?”

  He was glancing at a small emblem of a needle and thread and thimble on the left breast jacket pocket.

  She inclined her head at the compliment and his guess.

  He let out a low whistle.

  “Must have cost a pretty penny.”

  Marie smiled.

  “I feel it was worth the investment.”

  It had in fact been discounted, when she suggested embroidering the shop’s crest on the pocket as a way of advertising his business and the quality of his wares. It seemed there were many strategies from home she could bring to this strange and wonderful land, to her advantage.

  As Rudi finished up his break and fetched a quill and paper for Marie at her request, she began her [Rapid Transcription] of all the merchants open to accepting offers with the guild now, and some that were considering it.

  She’d need to set out some order forms so that guild members knew what was on offer to them. Or maybe set up a guild store selling those items on the merchants’ behalf?

  Spooning a spicy curry-like meal into her mouth, she went through the options, seeing if there were any other kinds of merchants or vendors she could think of to approach. The general stores had been the last, and a couple were open to the idea. Weapons, armour, supplies. The few people dealing in magical gear didn’t seem to have that much of an interest; most of their clients were already members of the adventurers guild, so there was little incentive she could think of… although, perhaps initial trading rights for new items the guild came into possession of…

  She broke off her train of thought as Greeleena came to sit with her and ladled out her own portion of curry. They sat in silence for a minute as Greeleena ate and Marie nibbled until she finished amending her notes and tucked in to the last few bites.

  “Ths is bery goog.” Marie said round another mouthful. “Wts in ‘t?”

  The myconid [Guild Clerk] beamed.

  “Thank you! Its spiced snapjaw stew with fried weevil larvae. I can't smell the spices so I go by colour.” Her eyes scrunched up as she grinned and scratched the back of her head. “Sometimes I pick the wrong combos, but I got a Skill recently th- oh no, is something wrong?”

  Marie was suddenly trying not to choke on the mouthful of food she'd been chewing.

  Was it her imagination or was something wriggling?

  She choked it down, not wanting to put her friend out of sorts.

  “No.” She rasped. “Just something went down the wrong way.”

  “Oh that's ok. Have a glass of apple juice. Freshly squeezed!” Then Greeleena's face fell. “I'm afraid it's not the only thing that's gone down the wrong way.”

  Marie gave her a quizzical look, eyebrows contorting above eyes that were slightly watering as she gulped down the juice and setting the rest of her dinner to one side.

  Greeleena took a breath before she broke the news.

  “We've had a couple of adventures leave the guild this afternoon. After finding out about the new tax. And by leave, I mean quit.”

  Marie went still.

  “Oh.”

  Seeing her face fall, the [Guild Clerk] hastened to add, “It’s not a problem. At least, not a huge one at the moment. Most people seem fine with the change when we tell them that we’re going to be improving the guild for them - though I’m not sure we made as good a job of explaining it as you would have. [Guildmaster] Thror didn’t like them leaving, but he said as long as it’s bringing in money, it can stay.”

  Marie’s heart started beating again.

  “Well that’s a relief. Hopefully the work I’ve been doing this afternoon will help.”

  She shifted the list of discounts and benefits around for Greeleena to read and the myconid scanned it quickly.

  “They’ll be a draw for sure. Do you want me to put a couple of these resource-gathering quests up on the board?”

  “And in the quest log too please. I’d do it myself but I’ve got another couple of stops to make.”

  As Greeleena gave her assurances that it wasn’t too much trouble and got up to do it, Marie’s question interrupted her.

  “Just for my own information, was one of the people who left a lizard-man. Called…Krexal?”

  “Yes. And the others were an adventuring pair - two humans called Ennie and Dorn. They like to complain a lot though; they might come back, especially when they see what they can get for being members. I don’t think Wilhelmina knew how best to describe why it was a good thing.”

  Wilhelmina was the one to talk to them? That might be worth keeping an eye on…

  She nodded her thanks to Greeleena and, ignoring the last of the bowl of curried snapjaw with grubs, she finished her drink and stood up. She still had work to do. Next stop: the library.

  —

  Napoleon followed at her heels as she walked through the streets of Wayfarrow, trotting along, happy to be out for a walk - at least as far as she could tell.

  She wasn’t entirely sure what she could gain from the library in terms of deals, but there were a number of books going unread in the storage rooms, and a library represented a repository of a culture’s knowledge. If adventurers needed information, where better to find it?

  The concentric rings of the towering structure dominated the area, and even without a mental map of the place she’d have been able to find it.

  Close to the guild too; perhaps they have more bestiaries that the guild could gain access to? Free entrance and basic assistance for guild members? In return for tomes or scrolls or cultural items of significance they find? We’d have to specify the non-magical variety. Brunalda was searching for a spellbook and they didn’t sound cheap…

  Even in her light and breathable new clothes, walking round town at the height of summer and then the spicy curry had brought a faint sheen of sweat to her face, and Marie let out a sigh of relief as she stepped down the flagstone floor of the entrance tunnel to the library, Napoleon’s skeletal paws clacking off the hard surface and echoing off the arched walls.

  With it being her second time, the magnificence of the place didn’t leave her dumbfounded and frozen in space. She breathed it in - the scent of books and the weight of knowledge. The respectful silence, as if honouring the collected wisdom present in the pages. It was wonderful, but not overwhelming now, and she approached the central reception. The man at the desk proved to be the same one she’d spoken to before - older than her and stocky, with a badger-like head. Once again he was reading a book, but this time as she approached, he pushed a pair of pince-nez down his nose and regarded her without her having to clear her throat.

  She was just about to smile and begin her pitch, when his mouth opened in shock and he gave a shout that echoed round the walls and shelves.

  “That’s her! That’s the one! Get the Chief! She’s back!”

  She had just enough time to think ‘Merde’ before a mob of librarians descended on her.

  Hi all! Welcome to my book, Miscast Heroes.

  I'm uploading a few chapters to start with and then will upload one a day after.

  The full first book is available on Patreon - and I greatly appreciate anyone who chooses to support me there.

  Hope you enjoy it - please leave comments below!