It was surprisingly plush in the guildmaster’s office.

  Marie supposed she shouldn’t have expected otherwise, given the general aesthetic of the guild, but the expensive-looking paintings on the wall were a surprise, though the monstrous subject matter on them wasn’t.

  Light swirled in the stained-glass windows at the rear of the room and in front of them - in front of her - the large tabaxi guildmaster took a seat at his desk, and gestured for her to pull up her own.

  “Very well, Bronze-rank. Tell me how I should be running my guild.”

  She hesitated. She couldn’t help it.

  But he had asked…

  …even if it was only because she was still clutching the Guild Codes book to her chest, and he surely knew the rules it contained.

  He must do - it looks like he’s been using them to his full advantage.

  Feeling out of place in the opulent room, wearing dirty clothes and with an old mug and rope at her waist, Marie placed the three books she’d brought with her down on the desk.

  The Guild Codes, the Adventurer's Handbook, and her notebook. Guildmaster Thror looked at her pen with interest, but she brushed it under the covers as she opened the books.

  “Well Sir…

  —

  It took less than five minutes to run through her points, with a few notes and pointers along the way as to why employee rights and contentment, let alone well-trained and well-equipped workers, were so important.

  He listened in complete silence. She couldn’t tell if that was a good thing or a bad thing, but now she sat waiting for his response.

  “You have put this together quite rapidly.”

  Is that praise, or criticism? Merde, this is like being back at university.

  “I had some time this morning, so I made a note of the key elements. Implementing solutions would require more work.”

  Guildmaster Thror glanced over the pages she still had open and facing towards him. He jabbed his finger at one.

  “I will not sanction this.”

  She checked to see what he was referring to. It was ‘paid time off’. She was about to interject about the benefits of work-life balance but he continued over her.

  “And I do not think many would take it. I am not in the habit of paying people for work they don’t do, and people are free to come and go as they please. Many also work as crafters or tradespeople and if this were to be put in place I would need to insist upon minimum days working for the guild. That is not the lifestyle of an adventurer, even those who are purely [Adventurers].”

  She waited to see if he would continue, and he picked out two more of her points.

  “This one here already exists. Some choose to take advantage of it, but not many.”

  His finger was resting on her ‘death pay-out’ request, to give a little money to adventurer’s next of kin should they die on a mission. It moved down to the next item.

  “This other idea, of renting out more powerful items - it has merit but would need to be safeguarded against the items being stolen or lost - either by price or by retrieval conditions.”

  She nodded. That was fair enough. She tried to read his face as he scanned through the rest of her requests again, but it was inscrutable.

  “...”

  “These others have some merit - although ones such as having internal feedback on clients would need to be equitable; if adventurers can rate clients that hire them - and I know exactly who you’re thinking of - then clients will need to be able to give feedback on adventurers.”

  She drew in a breath.

  “Does this mean you’ll approve them?”

  “No.”

  Marie felt her face falling, but he clarified his statement.

  “The guild is not a charity and all of these will take effort and coin to set up and run. These are more ideas than proposals. If you can prove to me that they can be implemented without impacting the guild’s finances then I will approve them.”

  Well, that was something at least. A starting point. Though how she was going to work it all out…

  She stood and nodded her head in thanks.

  “Thank you for hearing me out, guildmaster.”

  A flash of a rueful smile passed across his face.

  “That is part of my duties, as you well know [Scout] Marie.”

  So he was skating by on the bare minimum?

  “I still appreciate your time, Sir. I would also ask that I be allowed some resources and funds if I’m to set this up. I’m new to the area but I should still be paid for any work that I do…”

  The guildmaster’s eyes narrowed - slits of golden-brown peering out under hooded brows.

  “You may ask the staff for information and advice, provided it doesn’t impact their current work, but I will not provide you with a budget beyond what you can find. Take the goods that the Spellswords carted in and deal with that. We’ll call it a trial of your ideas and effectiveness. Prove to me you can make it work and that it works for the guild.” He waved a hand towards the door. “You can take basic ink and paper from the guild supplies if you need to draw up documents, but beyond that - be resourceful. Oh, and tell Greeleena to take your Oath.”

  With that, she was dismissed, and taking her books he headed for the stairs back down to the guild reception, closing the door behind her.

  Outside the room, she let out a sigh of relief, and quickly crossed off the ideas that he’d picked out as unsuitable or already existing. There was a lot to work on, and she’d tackle what she could to start with.

  And to that end…

  Greeleena was reading at the long counter that ran down the eastern side of the huge reception hall. Marie couldn’t see what the book was, but the myconid looked up as she approached and deposited her own trio of books on the rich wooden surface.

  Thirty-two feet and seven inches long.

  “How’d it go?”

  Avoiding staring at the fungal growths across the myconid’s upper body, Marie considered her reply.

  “Good enough to start with, I believe, although I will need to ask for your help - and for you to take my Adventurer’s Oath.”

  Greeleena gave one of her lopsided smiles in return.

  “No problem on both accounts. Let's get the one I know about out of the way first.” She picked up the adventurer’s handbook, flipped to the first page, and turned it round for Marie to read.

  Her brow wrinkled.

  “You mean that’s actually the oath?”

  “Yep!”

  Trying not to roll her eyes and failing, Marie read the words.

  “By blade and bone, bow and tome, upon my word and honour,

  In monster’s lair or dungeon dark, lands of home or where I wander,

  With my deeds and with my might, shall I serve and keep from harm,

  Those who my services do seek, from castle wall to humble farm,

  Throughout I pledge my bond to guild and team and client will be true,

  And once my quest or mission’s done - return with haste and pay my due.”

  She shook her head as she finished, and Greeleena grinned.

  “You should see the people who take it seriously.” She adopted a military pose and saluted, and Marie snorted.

  The myconid relaxed back.

  “Well - welcome to the Adventurer’s Guild officially now. What’s this other stuff you need help with?”

  —

  One of the rooms off the ground floor of the guild was a private study room, and Greeleena helped Marie set up shop in it. She put her meagre belongings in the corner, if only to get them out of the main reception area, and spread the trio of books she was working from on the single table. Greeleena set a stack of paper down to one side, along with a quill and inkwell, and a small, blank book.

  “I can give you more if you need it, but if you could save the book until you really need it - it’s expensive to get them bound. What is it you’re doing anyway?”

  Privately, Marie thought the right question would have been ‘are you sure the guildmaster agreed to all this?’ but the myconid was being friendly and helpful.

  She slid her notebook over - to a page that didn’t look like a three-year old had been scribbling in it this time; she’d re-written her notes before seeing Guildmaster Thror.

  The myconid [Guild Clerk] scanned the list on the open page.

  “Guild Improvements. Free meal a day not limited to breakfast - well, I usually do that anyway if they ask. Hmm. Minimum rate for adventurers based on ranking. That’s an interesting idea. How much do people pay for adventurers anyway?”

  Marie blinked at that.

  “Greeleena, do you not know what adventurers get paid?”

  Perched on the other side of the table in the small room, the myconid shrugged.

  “They all get paid different amounts. I don’t know what you’d charge if you did it based on rank alone. Ones with better skills usually get paid more.”

  “It’s a minimum rate - to make sure everyone can live off it.” She looked up from the papers she was spreading out. “Say - Greeleena - how much do you make as a [Guild Clerk], if that’s not rude to ask?”

  The fungal growths on one of her shoulders wobbled as the myconid shrugged.

  “I get twelve silver a day. Plus whatever adventurers tip me, if they do at all. More if I’m on the night shift.”

  “And is that a good wage?”

  Her head tilted to the side and ran a finger along the edge of one of her fungal growths that formed her actual body as she regarded a painting of some monster or other.

  “It’s pretty decent for the amount of work that comes through here. More than some of my friends make. I wouldn’t mind fifteen, but it’s fair.”

  Marie’s eyes narrowed.

  “And how much does the man at the reception make?”

  “Rudi?” Greeleena tilted her head in surprise. “I think he takes home a gold per day. He’s only a [Receptionist].”

  It was Marie’s turn to sound surprised.

  “Is a gold coin not a lot?”

  An eyebrow that was more mushroom than hair rose in a jerky motion as the woman stared at Marie.

  “It’s the same as ten silvers. What's it worth where you come from? How was my ‘bemused’ face by the way? I've been trying to make it work better but it's tricky.”

  Off-guard, Marie had to think for a second. She brushed past the first question; if Greeleena was surprised at her lack of currency knowledge the idea of another world might be a bit much.

  “Try to pull the other side of your mouth up too, like this.” She demonstrated. “If Rudi was a [Guild Clerk] though, how much would he make?”

  “Same as me.”

  “Really?”

  “Of course. Why wouldn’t he? He doesn't have any particular Skills that are worth more.”

  “No reason I suppose.”

  It seemed that some things might be equitable in this world. Marie got to making a few notes on the first sheet of paper to hand.

  “Okay, so, let’s say you were an adventurer - someone who has to go out and risk your life against monsters and bandits. How much would you ask for per day to do that?”

  There was a moment of silence as Greeleena thought.

  “Two…three gold? If I was a Bronze-rank. If the guild gave me some supplies to get started…”

  “Remember the guild takes a cut off what you earn. What’s that amount here by the way?”

  Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.

  “Fifteen percent. I guess maybe three and a half gold then? Thirty five silver - call it thirty six.” She paused for a moment. “Hey - that's not half bad. And there's a chance of finding treasure. Who would pay for it though?”

  That was the real question wasn't it.

  “Who pays for adventurers now, Greeleena?”

  “That depends.” The myconid held up a hand of her host body and began to tick off her fingers. “If it's a private thing like Lord Entoll and the Spellswords, then the person hiring the adventurers would pay them and the guild takes a cut, though I think Lord Entoll technically hired the allagi as [Hunters] not adventurers, so we didn't see any coin from that...”

  Marie frowned and scribbled down another note.

  “...then you've got the missions and quests posted. A lot of them are also put up by random people who need something - a butcher wanting meat or an alchemist wanting supplies or that kind of thing - and they pay the reward themselves. Some are posted by the guild - if there's something the guildmaster needs done like taking down monsters or defeating a dungeon. The guild pays that out of our coffers but we usually get most of it back from our cut of the loot, if not more. I'd say most come from the council though - when they need a goblin tribe run off or [Bandits] killed or a group of workers protected. They pay for that.”

  Marie added a few sub-headings to her notes.

  “So I will need to make sure the price is not too prohibitive.”

  “Oh - and then a lot of adventurers go out and find their own work. There was a small dungeon not far off a couple of years back, and we had four or five teams here over a few months exploring it. Nobody pays them but they keep what they find - minus the guild tax of course.”

  “Of course.”

  Death and taxes - just as applicable here as anywhere from home.

  There was a minute of silence as Greeleena was lost in a daydream. Marie began to note down some rough calculations of daily wages that she could investigate later when she went shopping with Dap and Brunalda, until the myconid piped up.

  “Hey, Marie, why are you doing this?”

  It was Marie's turn to look up in bemusement.

  “Because it doesn't seem fair, Greeleena. I saw how the allagi were treated by Lord Entoll, and even the Spellswords did nothing. It doesn’t seem right, and no one else seems to be bothered..”

  The [Guild Clerk] shifted uncomfortably in place.

  “...so I thought if no one else over the years has stepped in to help them, why not me?”

  Greeleena’s mouth opened and closed a couple of times.

  “W-why you though? You weren't even an adventurer yesterday.”

  Marie sighed.

  “There's a saying where I come from, Greeleena. It boils down to ‘bad things are left to happen when good people don't do anything’. I guess I'm just trying to be a good person. And they were nice to me out in the wilds.”

  The myconid nodded, the various fungal growths that covered her upper half waving back and forth with the motion. There was a pause as she seemed about to say something, then she looked away and they drifted into an awkward silence.

  Eventually though, the [Guild Clerk]’s eyes drifted back to the list.

  “Hey, that's a good idea. Adventurers are always asking for healing potions and I keep telling them to go to Old Perdy in the market. Not that his are that great. I had to take one once and I nearly puked it back up. Me - a myconid.”

  Her head shook in remembered disgust and Marie flipped to a blank sheet of paper.

  “That was actually another thing I wanted to ask you about. Where do people buy medical supplies? How hard is it to get a healing potion - how expensive are they? Could someone in the guild make them?”

  Greeleena’s head-shaking turned more regretful.

  “No one here. We don’t have an [Alchemist]. Not that many around, though they charge so much for the potions it’s a wonder more people don’t study it. A decent one’ll set you back fifty gold or so-”

  Marie’s eyes widened.

  “-but Old Perdy charges thirty-five ‘cos he knows his taste like bird crap.”

  That was…two weeks’ wages even with the minimum she was proposing - for bad potion! No wonder the allagi didn’t have any.

  It was also a lot of money…

  “How hard is it to learn alchemy? Do you know what you need for it?”

  A slight glow came to Greeleena’s cheeks.

  “Sorry - I don’t really know. I’m not really being very helpful am I.”

  “Nonsense - this is all incredibly useful Greeleena. I just have so many questions.”

  The myconid leaned back with palpable relief.

  “You’re kind to say that. I don’t know the answer, but I could take you to the library after I finish work for the day and you could look it up.”

  The quill fell from Marie’s grasp and she looked up at the myconid.

  “...you have a library in this town?”

  —

  The trip to the library wouldn’t wait until the end of the day; Marie persuaded the [Guild Clerk] to give her directions and she rushed over to have a look before her lunchtime meeting with Dap and Brunalda.

  It was an impressive building - a cylindrical tower that rose three floors higher than the surrounding shops and houses. Passing through the town she'd seen a few others that would rival it in height, but none in its immediate area.

  In its own way, it was more impressive than the Adventurers’ Guild. Not as ornate perhaps, but there was an imposing quality to the architecture.

  Almost gothic.

  The streets weren't so busy as she approached, but even so there was a bubble of space around her. The cause of it was clear; occasionally someone would pass closer to her and then notice Napoleon tapping along at her side, and would veer off as though they’d realised they'd left the oven on.

  Fine by me.

  Even if her undead companion hadn't been with her, the crowd thinned as she reached the doors to the library. Whether that was due to the impending lunchtime or an indication of the place’s popularity she had no idea.

  It was a warm day, and the thick stone slabs that made up the edifice provided a noticeable cool as she entered and stared round in wonder.

  When she'd first come to the town and seen its inhabitants, and seen its populace, she assumed that they'd be living a fairly impoverished lifestyle. If someone had asked her opinion on the subject of the peoples’ literacy, she wouldn't have given it a great outlook. Especially after seeing the few books in the Adventurers' Guild, she'd assumed reading materials and collated information would be the purview of the wealthy.

  But the number of books in here…

  Stack of shelves rose to the sky. The centre of the tower was open all the way up to a glass-domed cupola, through which a bright sun shone. On each level, as far as she could see, bookshelves ringed the walls, each crammed with tomes. All the knowledge. All the information. A window into a new world and its history. Parallels that could be drawn with Earth perhaps…

  She only realised someone was talking to her when they tapped her on the shoulder.

  “-aid excuse me dear, are you okay?”

  Marie shook her head to clear the fog from her brain.

  “Sorry. I was not expecting such a collection. It is most impressive.”

  A wizened woman looked down at her over a pair of spectacles that hung off the end of a spectacularly hooked nose.

  “Indeed. We're rather proud of what we've built here, out in the doldrums. Is there something we can do for you?”

  Marie turned to take in the layers of concentric rings of shelves that spread out from the entrance.

  “Could I take a look around? How is it all organised?”

  The old woman regarded her with rheumy eyes.

  “Do you have a membership?”

  “Uh, no. I'm not from here I'm afraid.”

  “A note from another branch will do. Or we will accept proof of studentship at any reputable college or university or other centre of learning. We do talk to other branches - even all the way out here.” A kindly smile crossed her face. “Are you a [Necromancer]?” She gestured down at Napoleon. “Any official documentation from the Collegiate Arcanum or the Halls of Innes Dúe would be sufficient.”

  It was the first neutral reaction poor Boney had had in this place, but it didn't help Marie.

  “I - uh - I'm afraid not. I studied at a university but it's not one you would have heard of.”

  “My dear, we're quite well versed in geography and educational facilities here. Try me.”

  Marie almost smiled.

  “I studied Archaeology at Panthéon-Sorbonne University in Paris, France.”

  The elderly woman's face went slack for a moment.

  “Hmm. Well, [Review Information: Centres of Learning and Excellence; a Master’s Judgement of Educational Facilities Across the Six Continents].”

  Her eyes went blank and then flickered. Seconds later she put a hand to her temple and then focused back on Marie.

  *Well my dear. Either you're trying to sell an old fool off fish, or you studied somewhere that was only established in the last decade. Regardless, without proof, you'll need to purchase membership at reception.” She pointed to a circular desk in the middle of the room; Marie hadn't made it more than a few paces in. “Or, you may hire a [Scholar] or [Librarian] or [Archivist]. The front desk has prices for those too.”

  With a frail but insistent hand on her arm, the old woman guided her towards the reception area and then returned to the maze of shelves and disappeared from view.

  The man on duty could have been a bored library assistant in his thirties reading a book on a quiet day back on Earth, had it not been for the black-and-white fur and badger-like head that swivelled in her direction.

  “Yes?”

  Marie opened her mouth and realised that whatever she asked, she didn't have any money to pay for it. Unless they accepted Visa.

  “I - uh - would you happen to have a list of prices?”

  “For?”

  “A membership, and the services offered for hiring?”

  He tapped a sheet off to the side and she stepped over to peer at it.

  “If you need help reading it we can provide that - no charge.”

  She frowned. Maybe education wasn’t so widespread.

  “I am literate.” She scanned the list and her frown deepened. She might have been able to read it but she still didn’t have much of a frame of reference for the amounts they were charging. “Do you have a copy of this I can take? I don’t have any money on me at the moment..”

  Even if he wasn’t human, Marie could read suspicion and the first hints that he might not want to have anything to do with a broke stranger interrupting his midday read. She cast about for a way to smooth it over.

  “...I’m with the Adventurer’s Guild; it’d be good to have a list available in the guild, just in case people are thinking of using your services.”

  She could see irritation warring with the potential of income, and money won out.

  “Hold on a moment.” He pulled out a sheet of paper and a bottle of ink. “[Instant Copy].”

  Marie blinked as she accepted the perfect replica of the page she’d been looking at. The potential-

  Bells ringing the hour sounded, and even in the centre of the library a faint peal could be heard.

  Merde. I’m going to be late for Dap and Brunalda.

  —

  Marie pulled the top of her t-shirt and flapped it back and forth to try and get the air circulating.

  It didn't help much.

  It wasn't as bad as Tunisia had been, but it was definitely summer in whatever land this was.

  At least she was on time. Barely.

  The librarian hadn't been impressed when she'd grabbed the sheet of paper and run. There'd been no time to have a conversation but she'd hopefully avoided any issues by dropping a coin on the desk as she'd left.

  Because she did have money; she'd just forgotten. The small pouch of coins she'd retrieved in the city of the dead had been in her pocket for weeks now - so long she'd stopped registering their presence. Hopefully when she went back with some local currency she could trade back for it - or if it was valuable in itself they'd accept it and maybe put it on display? A library was close to a museum…

  But that was an issue for another time.

  Dappled Shadow and Brunalda were already waiting outside the Spellswords' house. She only spotted Brunalda though, until the hulking frame of the Goliath had moved aside to reveal the tabaxi woman lounging on the windowsill behind.

  They both waved as Marie, red-faced from exertion, power-walked the last few score yards.

  “You made it.”

  “We were beginning to think you had better things to do!”

  There was no rancour in their voices, and Marie gave a quick smile in reply.

  “Sorry. Was at the library and didn't realise the time. Please, lead on.”

  But the pair of them insisted Marie take a minute, and Brunalda ducked inside to grab a jug of water that looked like a child's mug in her hands.

  Marie took it with a grateful sigh.

  “It was kind of you to invite me - and to take me out last night.”

  Dap waved a paw.

  “Least we could do after you fed us on the road. If I'd had to put up with one of those allagi’s cooking abilities another night…”

  The wink from Brunalda was from an eye as big as a fist.

  “And it’s always worth keeping a good cook on side when you're my size. Speaking of which - have you had lunch yet?”

  Dap snorted. “Like that matters to you Brun. We'll be stopping at the food stalls first anyway.”

  Marie could have fit her head in the Goliath's mouth as Brunalda let loose a bark of laughter that was closer to a roar. A few children on the other side of the street jumped.

  “Of course, little [Bladesinger]. We must be prepared for the exhausting adventures of the marketplace.”

  —

  The scent of chargrilled meat made Marie's mouth water. She didn't usually bother about food as long as there was enough to keep her stomach from rumbling, but the past few weeks had left her leaner than she'd ever been since she was a child. Even so, she leaned in towards Dappled Shadow and whispered.

  “I - uh - I don't have any money, Dap. There are some things I might be able to sell but there's a chest and I haven't managed to open it yet…”

  Dap glanced her way but dismissed her concerns with a wave.

  “When you're out with Brun, she pays for lunch. Just watch.”

  Indeed, as the Goliath stepped up to the handcart where a short and portly vendor - Rollo of Rollo’s Rotisserie - was cooking chicken and vegetables on a pile of hot coals, she saw his eyes light up, and the Goliath pulled out a purse the size of a small rucksack. One giant hand dipped into it and emerged with the telltale glimmer of gold.

  The merchant began salivating almost as much as Marie was.

  “Would you be amenable to following the three of us around the market this afternoon, Sir? Exclusive custom with everything you have?”

  Eyes glittering with the reflection as she lowered her hand and revealed the amount inside, the merchant bobbed his head.

  “Not a problem ma’am. Let me know what seasonings you prefer and I'm all yours for the day.”

  Thus began their exploration of the market, with meat wraps in one hand, or both hands in the case of Brunalda, though the giant [Mage] of Evermore’s Flame was the one eating least often at the outset as she’d been in the city longest could tell them more about the layout. Before five minutes had passed though, the food vendor trailing them had taken over to give her space to eat as he reached out a tentative hand with a bone that Napoleon snatched with an excited wag of his tail.

  “Sure - if it’s restocking arrows or blades and the like, you’ll no’ do better than Tawesa’s forge. Others may be fancier but she’s fair for the price, and reliable. On the other hand, she doesn’t do the more unusual pieces, so if it’s them you’re after you’d best see Gargon.”

  They followed his pointed directions and came to an open forge, replete with crates of ore and coal, racks of various tools and weapons, barrels of oil and water, and a surprisingly slender woman with arms like a prizefighter sweating over an anvil. A scaled assistant came over and took an order from Brunalda to ship an even hundred arrows to Evermore’s Flame by sundown. Dap checked out a couple of more-ornate daggers but put them down with a shrug.

  “I’m looking for something enchanted at this point.” She confided in Marie. “Good for an adventurer just setting out, or as a backup if you’re interested.”

  The faint glow that appeared on Marie’s face wasn’t from the heat of the forge.

  “I can’t really afford anything at the moment. Perhaps another time. My Skills are more for improvised weaponry anyway.”

  A thick brown eyebrow raised but Dap patted her on the shoulder.

  “Don’t worry about it. You took the hit to get the expedition argument resolved; Sirro agreed we owe you for that. If there’s something you see - as long as it’s not wildly expensive!”

  She left the offer open as they pushed on past more individual market stalls made of wood and thatch and cloth, with fruit and vegetables, bundles of wood, knitted scarves and hats and a dozen other everyday essentials for the townsfolk. They passed a vendor whose tabletop was covered in scores of candles of different colours and scents. Hints of vanilla and citrus teased her nostrils and she was tempted to stop and look as the man cried his wares as the product of [Longburning Wick] and [Doubleglow] Skills but Dap and Brunalda had queried their temporarily personal chef about dried food and rations and he was leading them off to a street of buildings he said was called The Spice Walk.

  The name proved apt as they turned a corner and the smell of cinnamon and nutmeg and more she couldn’t identify swirled through the air, coming from bakeries and butchers and brewers alike. Dap stopped at the last of those and ordered a pint of each of them - and their guide-cook - as they took a break from walking to decide what they needed for their upcoming bandit hunt.

  “Would you mind if I ducked off for a moment?” Marie said. “I actually need to speak to some butchers and find out about prices for snapjaw and echodeer meat.”

  Dap and Brunalda nodded as they discussed the merits of nuts vs dried fruit vs jerky but the grilled-chicken vendor brought her up short before she left.

  “Excuse me, Miss. If you’re looking for a good price I might recommend Braer the [Butcher] just on the corner there. He’s the man I use and despite what you might think he’s fair on coin and quality.”

  She hesitated a moment. The man had been helpful so far but she didn’t really know him.

  “That would be great, Rollo. I have to get a few quotes though; it’s for official guild business.”

  He nodded knowingly.

  “By all means, Miss. I’ll point a couple out as we go.”

  As she left the three others behind and entered the butcher's shop he’d pointed out, she felt a chill for the first time since leaving the city of the dead. Unconsciously she clasped her arms and pulled them in tight as a thin cloud of condensation rose from her lips.

  “You'd do better away from the shelves, Miss.”

  Turning to the side, she saw a thick-set man with a thick moustache - an allagi perhaps - standing at a counter with a cleaver in his hands. A heavy thunk came as he separated meat from bone and reached up to hang a slab of raw beef the size of her chest on a hook.

  She moved closer to the centre of the room and the chill almost vanished.

  “There ya go.” He lifted a cheery face in her direction. “Freezing enchants from a [Mage]. Cost me months of profits but it was worth it.”

  There were cuts of meat of all shapes and sizes around the room - resting on inclined shelves or hanging from hooks or set out on low granite counters covered with a frosted patina. Sprigs of herbs and bundles of bright vegetables added splashes of colour to a place that would have otherwise been oppressively red.

  The [Butcher] left off his work, wiped his hands on a cloth, and stepped round the counter to address her.

  “What can I do for you, Miss? Looking for something for a fancy dinner?”

  “Good afternoon.” She inclined her head. “I actually wanted to ask if you were interested in purchasing meat.”

  All his teeth showed when he smiled, though as he got closer there was a flicker of unease as his eyes darted down to Napoleon.

  “Conversation at Braer’s usually goes the other way, Miss, but it depends on what you got…and how you came by it.”

  Marie hadn't registered the split-second hesitance and she scanned the man’s wares for a second before she replied - she’d worked out what she’d say on the walk over.

  “I’m representing the interests of the Adventurers Guild. On a recent expedition they took down a snapjaw and some echodeer. The trophy-parts have been taken but the meat is at the guild - preserved in carts.”

  The [Butcher] bobbed his head as she spoke.

  “That all sounds above-board, Miss. Just the meat? Or is it bones too…”

  She failed to notice the man holding his breath as he waited on her reply, or the quiet sigh of relief when she answered.

  “Bones too - except the heads that were taken for show. I understand you’d need to inspect the quality but if you’re interested and had a rough idea of price…I have to get a few quotes.”

  “Right you are, Miss. Assuming it’s fresh… but why are you asking for quotes? Normally the folks what kill it come round and sell it as soon as it comes in themselves. The guild’s getting involved now?”

  As she reached up to scratch her head, neither her shoulder nor hand felt the pull of the healing skin from her old arrow wound or charred flesh that had once been there.

  “Possibly, for the moment. I am paying off a debt of sorts. This world is a dangerous place, and I was not in the best shape when the expedition came across me. They killed the beasts and transported them - I helped in other ways. The allagi [Hunters] were kind to me; others were too - but the allagi got a raw deal out of the whole trip. Or so it seemed. I’m trying to set some practices in place to help them and others like them as they start out in the guild. Make sure everything is fair and people are taken care of.”

  Braer returned to his work behind the counter and moments later the dull thunk of steel cleaving through meat pounded out a steady rhythm. He didn’t look up from the razor-sharp blade as he continued the conversation.

  “Was it Algar’s lot?”

  “Yes - do you know them?”

  “As well as some, not as well as others.”

  What does that mean?

  Unsure of how to respond, she waited until he continued.

  “It’s mighty kind of you to help them. Not many would stick their neck out for the likes of us. Normally I’d be off’rin’ half a silver per pound of venison - snapjaw maybe eight copper to one silver. If you give me your oath that it’s helping out the allagi - improvin’ the guild for them as you claim - I could see my way to a full silver for venison and two for a pound of snapjaw. I’ll let you keep the bones in for the weighing too.”

  A generous offer? Or a ploy?

  “I’m afraid I still need to ask around for other offers, sir. I’m new to the area and I need to make sure I get the best price possible.”

  The [Butcher] nodded his understanding.

  “You won’t find better in Wayfarrow but I don’t mind. The offer’ll still be here when you return.”

  Grateful but bemused, Marie gave her thanks to him and left the shop to find Dap and Brunalda.

  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!