True to their word, it had only taken Riselia and her sons twenty four hours to finish the cart after Wei took Rohi in for measurements.

  The ebullient great urshund, at least, after his fish and ale, had made instant friends with the [Carpenters], and then the inn staff back at The Dented Helm and, now they were finally loading up at Xian’toth’s warehouse, even the inattentive Kapi was doting on him.

  A light scuff and a soft thwack failed to faze the labourer as Xian’toth gave him a swift kick, both his hands being full with a crate.

  “You can pet him later, help me with this before it ends up crashing onto the floor.”

  Wei strained with his own cargo a few steps behind, struggling too much to add anything to the brief conversation.

  “Okay boss. Give it here.”

  Kapi took the wooden box off the irathian, tucking it under one arm, then took Wei’s in his other hand, and swayed over to the cart, resting them on the flat bed and pushing them to the middle.

  Muscles burning, Wei followed, and hauled himself up as Xian’toth went to open a window in the vain hope of a breeze.

  He paused, standing without issue as the struts were down.

  “You’re sure my Skills will work with a cart, rather than a wagon?”

  “I told you when we started,” his patron's tone calmed as he shifted from the role of irritable employer to wise mentor without blinking - a real feat for someone with so many eyes, “that [Wagon Driver] is a general Class. Carts, carriages, wains, chariots. Anything with wheels pulled by an animal should work. Tangled stalks, even a sled would probably qualify. Trust me.”

  “Just so long as we don’t load it for nothing…”

  The irathian ignored the nervousness in his voice; it was only natural for someone so young to get jittery before starting a significant new endeavour.

  Wei loaded the crates into the waiting dimensional chest, a sense of vertigo coming over him each time he lowered one in and it magically shrank to pass through the opening, or perhaps the aperture widened? Either way he had to steady himself halfway through as a dizzy spell came over him.

  “Room for more?”

  He turned at Xian’toth’s question and cast an uncertain eye over the collection of boxes, sacks and packages.

  “In the chest? Perhaps. I put the most valuable deliveries in first; if I shift them around a bit I think I can get everything we’ve loaded up here in too, and maybe a couple of small boxes? Anything more and I’m not sure I’ll be able to close the lid.”

  “Don’t worry about getting it all in the chest.” The [Arcane Broker] pulled a long, thin package out of his cloak and placed it on top of the waiting pile. “You’ll want to keep a few bits and pieces out, otherwise it’ll look suspicious with you having no obvious cargo or passengers. Just make sure anything worth more than ten gold or so goes inside, then the rest can sit in the back. We’ll throw on a few empty boxes as well as the cheaper stuff. That way, if you do get robbed, you can say you’re the decoy for a delivery on another route; that’s saved me more than once. Some [Bandits] aren’t too bright.”

  Wei stuffed his simmering nervousness deep down inside as it threatened to bubble up.

  Why did I agree to do this again? What kind of place needs you to have plans to avoid thieves and bandits?

  Well, quite a few he supposed as he thought on it. Even in elementary school he’d had to hide the treats his father had given him from the restaurant to avoid older children taking them by force.

  I guess it’s not so different here. Except bullies back home didn’t have swords. Or magic.

  It took another quarter of an hour for him to pack and repack the dimensional chest, slide it into the hidden compartment and then arrange the back of the cart with a few decoy goods and empty crates. Xian’toth cast an expert series of eyes over it when Wei finally stood up, and gestured his approval.

  “That’ll do. Now, let’s see those Skills you got in action.”

  Wei hopped down from the cart, breathing out in relief as he cracked his knuckles, fingers aching from shifting so many weighty parcels around. He rolled his shoulders and prepared to test the unexpected rewards he’d received in the aftermath of the robbery on the auction the week before:

  [Protector Level 12!]

  [Skill – Minor Illusion Resistance gained!]

  [Skill – Bound Spell: Alarm gained!]

  [Skill – Lockbound Touch gained!]

  [Skill – Steady Watch gained!]

  The first and the last Skills were passive in nature, or so his patron had assured him, but the others needed to be used. And that wasn’t to mention the trio of levels he’d gained in one of his other Classes over the past eight days, and the benefits he’d received from a voice in his dreams for that:

  [Salvage Trader Level 13]

  [Skill – Second-Hand Grace gained!]

  [Skill – Sworn Delivery gained!]

  [Skill – Patron’s Favour gained!]

  This time it was the second Skill that concerned this moment.

  He began by walking round to the side of the cart by the wheel, reaching through to touch the back of the hidden compartment.

  “[Lockbound Touch].”

  Then he stopped by the driver’s seat and placed a hand on it before muttering the Skill again.

  Outwardly, there was no sign, but internally he felt it activate and bind the concealed entrances shut to anyone but himself. There was something else too: with two instances of the Skill activated, he felt something reaching a limit. It was instinctual. He could use it another time, maybe twice more, but there were only so many things he could keep secured at once. Probably four? At least, at this level.

  Unless size makes a difference?

  Xian’toth waited for Wei to give him a nod before calling his assistant over.

  “Do me a favour Kapi - try and lift the driver’s seat up.”

  One eyebrow rising, the brawny labourer ambled over and put a hand out to open the secret lid that he’d seen Wei flip up and down throughout the day, and pushed.

  His eyebrow dropped, then both furrowed, and he brought his other arm up to strain against it. He struggled for a full twenty seconds, grunting and sweating, before admitting defeat and stepping back, grimacing in frustration.

  Two other sets of teeth - one like needles and the others pearly white - flashed grins instead, and as Kapi lumbered off to the other side of the cart to hide his bruised ego, Xian’toth nodded his approval.

  “He’s got [Enhanced Strength]. If your Skill and the cart’s structure hold out to him, the chances of anyone below gold rank opening it are less than seeing a sunny day in the Deadlands.”

  Wei kept tabs on his patron out of the corner of his eye as he asked something he’d been pondering almost since he’d found out what the Skill did.

  “Can you open it?”

  The irathian showed neither surprise nor hesitancy at the question.

  “Perhaps. I am your patron, and it’s my cargo you’re transporting. At least on this occasion. But I won’t try.”

  “Why not?”

  “Out of respect for the Skill and your role as my delivery driver. It’s meant to keep your cargo safe, and I’ll let it do just that.” A couple more eyestalks angled towards Wei. “When we’re lucky enough to get new Skills, I use them - I don’t tempt them. Now, let’s see the others.”

  Bowing to his mentor’s greater experience and wisdom, Wei tried the next.

  “[bounD spelL: alarM].”

  It felt off even as he tried to force it.

  “It’s a bound spell; don’t say the Skill, just the spell.”

  Wei flexed his mouth a few times, feeling the wrongness of what he’d attempted. Or perhaps, not wrongness, but unsuitability.

  How do you use a spell?

  He mouthed it silently a couple more times before something clicked.

  Oh, like that.

  “{Alarm}.”

  A ripple of silvery energy flowed round the cart as he reached a hand out to touch it, and Xian’toth clapped his hands together in satisfaction.

  “Excellent! Just those two between them do the work of any single guard you’d be likely to hire at your level.”

  “It’s a pity we can’t test it.” Wei said. “I’d’ve liked to know w-”

  A piercing chiming rang out through the workshop and in his head simultaneously. Wei flinched and even Rohi jumped up and darted up in confusion, but Xian’toth only laughed and a moment later the sound stopped as a flushing and sheepish Kapi peeked round from the back of the cart.

  “Let that be a lesson to you: don’t try to steal my hazeberries.”

  The admonished assistant hunched his shoulders and stormed off in a huff, muttering something about unfair labour practices as Wei looked at his patron for an explanation.

  “He's got a sweet tooth and is less clumsy than you'd think when it comes to unattended fruits. I knew you'd be testing your Skills and I wanted to remind him of my rules on snacks. Two deals with one shake. Sorry if it startled you.” He turned to the great urshound who was sniffing round the cart. “And my apologies to you, oh floofy one.”

  Rohi ignored him, and padded over to the trough of warm ale in the corner of the room instead as Wei prepared to activate the last of his Skills for the moment.

  “He doesn’t qualify as floofy - he’s not got enough fur.”

  “You called that bird floofy and it didn’t have any fur.”

  “Feathers count.”

  “Sometimes I question your logic.”

  “It’s not my logic, it’s just how you use the word. Anyway, do you have the manifest?”

  A three-fingered hand held out a sheet of parchment as long as his forearm.

  Wei scanned the list and felt for the Skill. This one activated without issue.

  “[Sworn Delivery].”

  If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

  A warmth that couldn’t be attributed to the ram-packed warehouse on a summer’s evening ran through him, and a stylised seal appeared at the bottom of the sheet: a wagon wheel with a bear-like paw-print at the hub.

  “You don’t need to do that for me, you know. I wouldn’t have hired you if I didn’t trust you.”

  Wei rolled up the parchment and put it in his inner jacket pocket for the time being. After weeks of wear, it was the only part of his old school uniform that had held up, and when he got back to the inn even that would hopefully be replaced by a summer overcoat Naila was adjusting for him. One with more and deeper pockets.

  “It’s good to get the practice in now. Besides, you said a sealed bill of lading should get me through any checkpoints and inspections faster.”

  “Well, yes, but I’d be surprised if anyone demanded it off you on the way to Halverwick. You’re not even leaving the country.”

  Shrugging, Wei whistled for Rohi and began strapping him into the harness.

  “Better safe than sorry. Do you want a lift or are you coming later?”

  “[Patron’s Perks]. I’ll jump on now!”

  Wei snorted as he finished hitching the still-growing great urshund in place and clambered up to take his place as Xian’toth directed Kapi to lock up and found a comfortable crate to sit on.

  “I wouldn’t have charged you, you know.”

  One of the irathian’s eyestalks peered up at the driver’s seat and winked.

  “Better safe than sorry.”

  —

  Wei’s stomach rumbled as they pulled into The Dented Helm.

  He filtered out the sounds of Troston in the evening - food vendors hawking their wares, the lilting song of a [Minstrel] coming the other way up the street, a baby’s cry drifting out of the second-storey window of a nearby house.

  The attached stable only had one other vehicle in it - the newly-returned Vanguard’s wagon - and the ironbacks that drew it. It left plenty of space for his own cart and Rohi, but it also meant that Paulie the [Innkeeper] was reluctant to hire a stableboy to take care of things.

  Fortunately, there was little to do, and once he’d maneuvered the cart into the space next to the wagon, and unhitched Rohi and tapped a new cask of ale to pour into his trough, he patted the part-bear part-dog creature and closed the stall door.

  “I’ll ask Clip to bring out a plate of fish. Don’t jump up at her this time, okay?”

  The urshound huffed his assent and Wei left him to drink, leaving the stable unlocked until the tabaxi had a chance to bring the dinner out.

  It was a small portion of the larger crowd that had gathered to give him a send-off meal and drink to the inauguration of his new venture, but it was most of the people he knew and might call friends, in some manner at least.

  I really need to meet some people my own age.

  Enthusiastic applause and a glass of wine greeted his arrival to the table where the Vanguard and Xian’toth were sat, Kira and Nyssara making space and drawing up a chair for him between them.

  “Thank you all. I don’t suppose fo-”

  Paulie herself deposited a trio of trays on the table, and Wei breathed a sigh of relief and thanked them again as he took the wine in one hand and a chicken leg in the other.

  Opposite, with only his head and shoulders visible above the table, Borgrim lifted a silver tankard.

  “Good to see you worked up an appetite lad. Here’s to honest work and a fast cart.”

  “Hard work loading crates - he earned it!”

  The conversation paused for a second as Xiaoling came out with another tray and put it on the table. She didn’t so much as look at any of them before she turned and went back to the kitchen.

  The Vanguard regarded each other, and then Wei, in awkward silence, apart from Kira.

  “She’s gained a couple of levels, you know. I assume in [Cleaner] and [Waitress]. It’s a good start.”

  “She’s making progress with Zephira too. Miss Hearttender asked me to pass along that she hopes to get some non-verbal responses in the next month or two.”

  The low, melodious voice of Naila that drifted down from where she sat head-and-shoulders above the others would have been more reassuring if the news had been better.

  But at least it’s something.

  Wei forced a smile.

  “Introducing us to Zephira is another thing I have to thank you all for, as well as bringing me here and getting me a room in the Helm. You’ve done more than I can repay.” He spoke over their attempts to play down any debt. “Please, let me pay for drinks tonight.”

  “That’s not necessary.” Lio waved the offer off, but Borgrim grinned.

  “I say we hear him out.”

  The others were wavering until Xian’toth nudged Mira. His voice was just about audible over the noise of the mid-week crowd.

  “He can afford it.”

  Borgrim cheered and immediately ordered a refill, whereas Nyssara gave a demure smile and added a request for Sherland Violet, and moments later a bottle of deep purple wine was plonked on the table.

  Over the clinking of glasses and rounds of cheers, Wei asked the waitress to send Clip out to the stables with a fresh fish, and turned to Mira. He hadn’t had a chance to catch up with them since they’d arrived back late last night.

  “How did your quest go? What was it you were doing?”

  The leader of the Vanguard of Valour licked the grease off her fingers as she finished stripping a rib of all its meat.

  “Reconnaissance. Can’t tell you what we found but I’d avoid going too far north in the immediate future; steer clear of the mountains.”

  Lio leaned forwards to grab a handful of olives before Nyssara finished the bowl.

  “He can probably figure it out. Besides, the guild’ll put out a general request in the next few days: he might get some work transporting adventurers on his return journey.”

  Wei had paused mid-chew and looked expectantly at Mira, but the [Ranger] shook her head. Two seats over, a couple of Xian’toth’s eyes glanced his way.

  “I wouldn’t worry about it too much, kid. Orcs rarely bother a single trader, and even then only if they’re young or weak themselves; they only go for things that challenge them. Usually.” He slurped down a grub from a platter that only he and Borgrim were picking from and looked at every member of the Vanguard simultaneously as they raised their collective eyebrows at him. “What? I have my sources. Besides, he’s my protegee. I can decide what he knows.”

  “I’ll be sure to let the [Guildmaster] know that if word gets out.” The silver-haired [Paladin] Kira resumed dissecting half a chicken with knife and fork, and the irathian hesitated a beat before shaking his head.

  “I trust Wei’s discretion.”

  That drew murmurs of assent from the rest of the adventurers and for long minutes the only sound from them was a result of the small feast they devoured. Wei was the one who broke the silence.

  “Where’s Duskclaw? I didn’t see him in the stables.”

  It was easy enough to miss the shadow antean in poorly-lit spaces but Wei had checked the stalls when he’d put Rohi in, and there was no way he’d have missed the large beast.

  At the question, the corner of Mira’s mouth quirked up.

  “He’s on another mission. One that’s far more lucrative, even if there’s little chance of his success. I’ll be joining him when I pick up my curfew pass from the Watch.”

  When she failed to elaborate further, Wei let it drop.

  A full hour later, stomach straining, a dozen empty platters still on the table and a hundred conversations behind them, Wei slumped back into his chair. Xian’toth had made his apologies and left halfway through, having an appointment with one of the clients from his [Personal Banker] Class, but the rest seemed as satiated as he was.

  Naila chuckled as his chair creaked.

  “Any more and I’d have to start re-re-tailoring your clothes young man.”

  “He’s a growing lad. A healthy appetite is good. Puts meat on the bone.”

  “Nothing healthy about your appetite stumpy. If I drank that much I’d be unconscious.”

  “Aye, well you might be twice my height but you’re half the man I am magic-boy!”

  Wei watched the two male members of the group begin to bicker with a faint smile playing round his lips; he was too full to manage anything more. On his right, Nyssara and Mira were leaning against each other with a similarly amused expression, then Borgrim muttered something in dwarvish and Naila reached over to cuff him on the back of the head, much to the approval of Mira and Kira both.

  “That’s quite enough of that kind of talk.”

  Kira had been oddly reserved over the course of the meal. Sitting on his left, Wei had almost felt like she’d been meditating or daydreaming as they’d tucked into chargrilled meats and pots of paté and roasted vegetables, but as the firbolg admonished Borgrim, she suddenly seemed to reach a decision.

  “Indeed. I think it is time for us to retire. It will be an early start. We should see off Wei, then head north again.”

  The others didn’t show the slightest hint of objection and immediately finished off their drinks and began to get up.

  Isn’t Mira the one in charge?

  Wei left his confusion unvoiced, and a minute later as everyone picked themselves up, realised that the [Monster Hunter] and [Archer] wasn’t going to bed like the rest of them, but was heading out on whatever business she needed a curfew pass for. After the rest of the Vanguard bid him good night, he followed her out of the inn but watched her step out into the darkening streets as he headed into the shadows of the stable.

  Rohi looked up as he entered, a plate licked clean of any trace of his dinner lying beside his huge paws. It seemed the great urshound’s earlier energy had been expended, and he simply lay watching as Wei poured the rest of the tapped cask into his trough and collected the platter to take back inside. Wei only realised just how exhausted he himself was as he leaned on the stall door and watched the bulky bear-dog lurch up and amble over to gulp down pints of ale.

  “Hope you’re ready for a run tomorrow boy. Get some rest; we’ve got a lot of ground to cover.”

  Leaving the creature and intending to take his own advice, Wei left the stable door ajar in case Duskclaw returned before morning and went inside, massaging his stomach. His footsteps began to take him towards the stairs until a sudden urge took over, and he shuffled for the toilets to sit and contemplate the perils of overindulging.

  When he finally dragged his feet upstairs, his eyes were closing, but he cracked open his bedroom door as quietly as possible to avoid disturbing his sister.

  He needn't have worried.

  The silhouette of Xiaoling lay in her bed on her back, eyes open and catching the faintest moonlight that came through the window, unspeaking and unmoving. It was a disheartening sight, but it had at least long since ceased to unnerve him.

  “Hey meimei.” He kept his voice to a whisper. “I’m going to be leaving in the morning. I’ll only be gone for a little while. A week or two at the most. I’ll be safe and maybe bring something back for you. Is that okay?”

  There was no response. Just like always.

  He lay on his own bed with a sigh, drained, only to feel something unexpected beneath him. Reaching a hand down it only took a moment to realise what it was

  Summoning the last vestiges of his willpower and energy he got up and examined what little he could in the shadowed room. What he felt gave rise to a faint smile, but that was as much as he could manage, and soon a perfectly-fitting summer overcoat was set to hang from the back of his door.

  With what was left of his focus, he shrugged out of his tattered school jacket, transferred the rolled-up parchment of his shipment cargo to the pocket of his new one, and went to bed.

  —

  Breakfast was a brief affair, with Xialing serving them in silence, having been up and sweeping the taproom before Wei had even woken: before dawn.

  Topping up his satchel with a few leftovers that would keep until lunch, Wei bid farewell to his sister, waiting almost a minute, but beyond a brief pause in clearing the table, she didn’t react at all.

  The reception he got when he entered the stables was completely the opposite.

  Rohi wouldn’t stop bounding about in excitement, and Wei had to secure a bowl of bacon-flecked porridge right in front of the cart to get the ushound into place long enough to fit the harness.

  Once Rohi had been fed and given a mere couple of pints of ale, Wei double-checked the cargo and his satchel, and flicked the reins to set the bear-dog into motion.

  Thick and powerful forelegs drove the cart forward as Rohi overcame the weight of the cart, whilst the shorter, almost slender back legs kept the momentum steady, and the plume of his tail swayed side to side.

  The Vanguard were waiting outside, ready to go themselves.

  Which seemed like too good an opportunity to pass up.

  “Rides to the eastern gate. One copper piece each.” He reached back behind and folded down the one bench that had room to extend. “Sorry, my mistake. Limited space - premium pricing. Two copper.”

  Borgrim snorted but handed out two copper coins, which Wei had to reach down to take, and Lio joined him a second later, clambering into the back and shifting up sit over the axle.

  The other four adventurers waved off the offer, claiming they wanted to stretch their legs or that they didn’t want to tax Rohi whilst he was still growing.

  For his part, the great urshound barely had a hitch in his stride as the two extra passengers added their weight to the cargo, and moments later they were all walking through the city.

  Mira and Kira set the pace, with Nyssara following behind, continuing a conversation she’d been having with Lio since breakfast. Naila however, had a final discussion with Wei to finish.

  Even hunched forwards, Naila’s head was level with his own as he sat atop the driver's seat, and the firbolg [Patchweaver] didn't let the journey or the discussion interrupt her other work.

  “Do you really think you can fix it?”

  Wei glanced at the tattered Sentinel's Cloak whilst keeping his focus on the streets. Even at this early hour there were obstacles and pedestrians to avoid as vendors began to set up for a day of trading or bakers delivered fresh bread to homes and taverns.

  Naila's deft fingers picked at the cloth and a needle flickered in and out of view every few seconds.

  “I make no promises, Wei, but for your assistance to the Vanguard and as repayment for your generosity when drinking, I will make an attempt.” The smile that crept over her face was as slow as the methodical, loping strides she took. “Besides, it's never a bad idea to get in the good graces of an upcoming [Trader], and I could use the practice. I'll have more of an idea by the time you return.”

  Their path took them past the adventurers’ guild, where Mira left and Xian’toth joined. The [Ranger] had still not been joined by Duskclaw, but Wei didn’t pry as to what either of them were doing.

  It wasn’t yet peak time for business but the streets began to become more crowded as they continued, calming only when they passed through the centre of Troston. On the other side, morning traffic slowed as more people than Wei would have expected walked down the roads and avenues, mostly heading in the opposite direction that he was.

  “There something happening today?”

  “Guild announcements.” Xian’toth said when the Vanguard took too long trading looks. “A lot of adventurers being called in, and a lot of supplies being ordered to prepare.”

  A sly grin broke out on Borgrim’s face.

  “Want to share how much the guild’s spending?”

  An eyestalk looked back, unblinking.

  “No.”

  Wei caught another of the eyestaks and mouthed ‘orcs?’, to which the irathian waggled a hand in ambiguity.

  “Amongst other things.”

  —

  Outside the city walls they still stood in shadow as Borgrim and Lio disembarked.

  Naila set herself down on a rock to pick through a tricky piece of sewing and Xian’toth replaced her at the side of the cart, giving some last minute advice to Wei - only ninety percent of which was repeated.

  He’s more nervous than he lets on.

  With no few amount of nerves himself, Wei nodded along, having committed most of it to memory already, and checked that the irathian was on-track with one of his own requests.

  “And you’re happy to take care of the money for me and my sister, and for the healing?”

  “[Arcane Broker], Wei. It’s part of what I do already. It’s no issue for me to add two such simple requests to my schedule.”

  He nodded and breathed a little more easily. Even if it felt like he was abandoning his sister for a while, she was in good hands. Better than his.

  This is it.

  Two weeks away. Xiaoling was being taken care of. Ertrun knew he wouldn’t be back at the yard for a while. The Vanguard of Valour would be off doing their own thing, and Xian’toth would be waiting for confirmation of delivery, and searching for opportunities to ship back on the return journey.

  That’s it. That’s everything.

  It was also the entirety of people who might miss his presence, barring the bar staff and Zephira if she thought to ask about him whilst she was working on his sister.

  I really do need some more friends.

  He checked the warding pendant was hanging around his neck for the twentieth time since he’d left the Helm.

  “Okay then. Thank you all. I’ll see you soon, I hope…”

  A round of goodbyes and well-wishes came once more, and eventually he couldn’t delay any longer.

  Now, to get things rolling…

  “[Burst of Speed]!”

  A growling roar of anticipation erupted from Rohi’s throat and a second later Wei was pressed into the back of the driver’s seat as he, the great urshound and the cart all hurtled off down the road, away from Troston, into the rolling fields of the countryside, and towards Halverwick…with a couple of stops on the way.

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