by R. A. Mejia
When they do arrive, they all listen with rapt attention to the story of the combat test. They cheer when I show them the certificate of completion that Professor Dufendoor gave me, and we all go back into town for drinks.
Chapter 6.7
The next day our team wakes up early, and we make our way through the city to the Adventurers’ Guild. While the rest of the team looks for more work, I get in line to apply for membership to the guild. After waiting in line for a few minutes, I’m called to the counter, and a long-eared goblin asks me what she can do for me. I ask to speak to Steph, and the goblin steps down off the stool she is standing on and walks off, presumably to fetch Steph, the silver-haired elf I last talked to.
After waiting for a few more minutes, the silver-haired elf I last spoke to comes up to the counter. She smiles and says, “So, you’re back Armon. From the smile on your face, I take it that you did well at Trinitarian college?”
Instead of answering, I take the certificate of completion out of my [Inventory] and place it on the counter between us. Steph congratulates me and suggests we take the rest of our conversation to the private room. I agree, and I’m lead down the hallway to the private room that the guild has warded against magical and mundane eavesdropping. Once we’re seated at the single table in the room, Steph takes out a stack of papers and slides them over to me. She explains that they detail the benefits and responsibilities of joining the Adventurers’ Guild. From a shelf along the wall, she takes a crystal ball and asks me to place my hand on it. I comply, and she starts to read off the information from my status screen. She reminds me that I have five unassigned stat points. Then she tells me that based on my current stats and skill selection, she’s assigning me the adventurer rank of G-5.
When I ask her what that rank means, she explains that in the guild adventurers ranks start at G then move up the alphabet to A. Then it jumps to S, SS, and finally SSS. Within a rank, there are also ten levels, with the tenth moving the adventurer to the next rank. So, while starting at G-5 is better than starting at G-10, it’s not that much better. The ranks determine what types of jobs that guild members can take, along with some small perks. Steph also explains that I can move up through the ranks by completing guild approved jobs and tasks. The more work I complete for the guild, the faster I can gain new ranks. The higher my rank, the more access I have to better-paying work. Though the jobs are correspondingly more difficult the higher in rank they get.
After filling out some paperwork, Steph hands me a simple medallion. She says that she’s already keyed it to me and that I can present it at any Adventurers Guild to prove that I’m a member. Though they also keep magical records of my work. I excitedly put the medallion on, and Steph congratulates me on joining a fine guild.
The guild initiation completed, Steph takes a pen, ink, and paper out and asks me if I still want to turn in the location of the dungeon I think I found. I tell her that I do and she asks me to describe to the best of my knowledge the location of the dungeon I felt I discovered. I tell her about the trip through the mountains between Monstrum and Xican. How bandits kidnaped us, how we escaped, and eventually stumbled into the dungeon. I tell her about the back entrance that the dungeon master lets us out of and how long it took us to get back to the main road and into Monstrum.
Steph takes detailed notes on everything I say and after I finish my tale, asks follow-up questions. She asks about the type of dungeon I think it was. What types of monsters we faced? What other obstacles we meet while there? I answer her as best that I can but leave out any mention of the Aleph. For some reason, I don’t want to reveal the store of ancient artifacts that the dungeon master has access to. Perhaps it’s just my hoarding nature, but I’d rather not go blabbing about such treasure before I have a chance to come back and get some of it for myself.
Having given all the information I can about the dungeon, I wait for the lovely elf woman to tell me about the reward. When she doesn’t I ask, “So now that I’ve turned in the location of the dungeon, when do I get the reward?”
She looks at me quizzically and says slowly, “Well, the standard reward for the location of an undiscovered dungeon is two hundred gold or one percent of all revenue generated by the dungeon. We can deposit either into your guild bank account once we verify the dungeon location.”
Excited at the idea of having two hundred gold I almost miss that last statement. Well, my share is fifty gold since I promised to split the money with the group. Still, I ask, “I don’t get the money till after you verify the dungeon location? What does that mean and how long will it take?”
Steph thinks about the question for a moment before answering, “Well, we first have to put together a team to go look for the dungeon. Then they have to find it and confirm that no one else has a claim on it. It shouldn’t take more than two months.”
“Two months? That’s too long. I need the money now. I have to pay one of the professors to decode something for me.”
Steph looks at me sadly but shakes her head no. “I’m afraid this is guild policy. We don’t hand out money to just anyone that comes to us claiming to have discovered a new dungeon. Sorry.” Seeing the dejected look on my face, she quickly adds, “But look at it this way. You’re now an official member of the guild. That means you can take better-paying jobs now. I’m sure you’ll get the money you need in no time.”
I thank Steph for her time and for accepting me into the guild. I place the stack of papers in my [Inventory] and walk out of the room and down the hall to the front of the guild to meet up with my team. When I see them, I explain that we won’t be getting any of the money from the guild anytime soon but that we can start taking better-paying jobs.
We look through the job listings on the board and pick out the ones that I qualify for.
The team spends the remaining three days we have left on two larger jobs. The rewards for completing the two jobs, when added to the three silver we already have, is just enough to meet Jaxson Miltonha’s price for his decoding work.
Chapter 6.8
Two weeks from when we left Mr. Gerald’s ledgers with Jaxson Miltonha, our team returns to his office with his requested fee of ten silver. I knock on his office door at Trinitarian college, but no one answers. I knock again, but there’s still no answer. Since I took and passed, some of the exams at the college, I know that the semester ended. So the professor shouldn’t be in any classes.
I look back at my friends who’ve all accompanied me to the office and shrug, “I don’t know where he is. He said to meet him here at his offices today right?”
Mary, the ever punctual, confirms that I have the right date. I’m about to head over to Professor Dufendoor’s office to see if he’d heard anything when a childlike figure with light curly hair in student’s robes comes down the hall. The short student approaches my team and asks in a surprisingly deep voice, “Any of you people Armon?”
Realizing the ‘childlike figure’ is actually a halfling adult, I raise my hand. The student pulls a folded piece of paper from his robes and hands it to me saying that it’s a message from some snotty professor and walks away before I can inquire further about it. I unfold the paper and read the handwritten message out loud.
Armon,
My deepest apologies for not being able to meet you at my office at the appointed time. I hadn’t realized that the semester would be over when I scheduled our appointment and have spent the last week at my home. I’m researching some additional information regarding the delicate matter you asked my help with. I have answers for you, but you may not like them. Please meet me at my home at 1313 Mockingbird Lane. Do not forget my remuneration.
With best regards,
Professor Jaxson Miltonha, Department Chair Of The Magical Subdivision Of Spellwriting
After reading the letter, Vrax asks, “What does renumberation mean?”
I look down at my kobold friend and correct his pronunciation, “It’s remuneration.” Then I shrug and admit, “To be hone
st, I’m not sure what it means.”
Kitsune quietly says, “It means ‘money paid for a work or service.'”
Mary adds, “It means the greedy goblin doesn’t want us to forget the money.”
I groan at the turn the conversation has already taken and try to steer it back to the important part of the note, “Well, regardless of the last sentence, is it me or is it kind of weird that Jaxson wants us to meet him at his home instead of here?”
Kitsune crosses her arms and answers, “Academics are odd people and are known to work from home when they can. Would you come to a small office to work if you didn’t have to?”
“I guess,” I admit.
“Why does it matter where he is at? He knows where kobolds are and we have money. Let's go find him.” Vrax says with a pleading tone.
I nod at Vrax. He’s right. It doesn’t matter where we meet with Jaxson.
We leave the college and make our way north. We have to ask for directions and find Mockingbird Lane is in the northernmost section of the city. The professor’s house is the last home on a dead-end street that is backed up against the incomplete city wall. The workers must be off for the day because no one is working on this section of the wall at the moment. The home itself is a two story building with wood shingles and an odd rounded roof in some places. The rather creepy looking home is surrounding by iron rod fencing. We walk through the gate and up the porch stairs and use the door knocker mounted on the double doors. I hear someone call out from upstairs, “Just a minute.” Then there is the sound of someone coming downstairs and to the front door.
The door opens, and we see Jaxson Miltonha wearing a long magenta silk robes in the doorway. The robes have a black floral pattern and a black collar. I can’t help but think that the goblin looks like a short, green, Hugh Hefner.
Jaxson looks at us nervously and motions for us to come inside. We comply and enter the house. The home seems to be mostly hardwood, and the walls are wallpapered with a vertical stripe pattern that makes them look higher than they actually are. The grand staircase is near the entryway and leads to the second floor and looking up I think I catch a glimpse of a shadow, but when I look again, there’s no sign of it. Dismissing it as a trick of my overactive imagination, I address Jaxson, “We’ve come for the information you said you had.”
The goblin academic nods vigorously, picks up the hems of his robe, turns away from me and walks past the staircase to the living room. When we don’t immediately follow him, he tells us to hurry up and motions for us to follow him. Growing increasingly annoyed with the goblin I march after him into the living room. Looking around, I feel frustration quickly replaced by fascination. Pinned to the walls of the room wall are the pages of the ledger with their neat columns and coded names and dates. The pages are full of notes and circles. Jaxson motions for us to sit on one of the cushioned wood trimmed couches in the room, and I take a seat, eager to finally hear what the goblin has discovered.
Once we’re all seated, Jaxson starts to pace in front of the wall of pinned pages, and he says, “First, let me say that this was one of the most challenging ciphers I’ve ever encountered. It turns out that it’s not just coded but double coded. That’s double the work I originally agreed to. I gave every spare minute I had to this project. I want you to know that.”
Jaxson’s pacing increases and he seems to start to sweat as he gets worked up over all the extra work he’s done. I’m sure that he’s just trying to work a new angle to get more money out of us, but I don’t let him get further in his speech, “Yes. Yes, Professor Miltonha. I am sure that you’ve worked very hard to break the code Mr. Gerald used and we’ve brought the ten silver you asked for in payment. Here.”
I take the ten silver from my [Inventory] and hold it out for the goblin. For a moment, he looks at the silver in my hand hesitantly. Then his long fingers snake out of his robe and snatch the money from my outstretched hand. The moment he takes the money a notification appears.
You have completed your part in a contract with Jaxson Miltonha to decode accounting ledgers.
I dismiss the redundant message and wait patiently while the goblin bites each coin to make sure that it’s real. Once he checks each one, he nods and makes the money disappear into some fold of his robe. He gives us a toothy smile, the first I’ve ever seen him ever give, and starts to walk away.
I jump to my feet, grab the sleeve of his robe, and ask, “Hold on. Where are you going?”
He turns back with another awkward looking smile and tells me, “I’m just going upstairs to get my notebook. It has all the decoded information you need. You just stay right here, and I’ll be back in a moment.”
I feel a little embarrassed at grabbing the goblin’s sleeve. He was just going to get the notes he needs. This creepy house must be making me jumpy. I’m about to apologize to the professor when I hear the sound of a creaking floorboard above us. My paranoia jumps up another level, and I tighten my grip on the goblin’s black sleeve and ask, “What’s was that?”
I can tell my question bothers Jaxson because his shoulders hunch inward and he clasps his hands in front of himself. Beads of sweat run down the sides of his greasy skin and he answers, “That’s just my research assistant. If you just let me go, I’ll go get him and introduce him to you.”
Jaxson has a research assistant? He’s never mentioned that he’d be working with anyone else. He just doesn’t seem like the type to hire somebody to help him.
The goblin professor must see something in my face he doesn’t like because he hisses at me and pulls hard on his sleeve, tearing it from my grip. Surprised by the sudden shift in his attitude, I don’t follow him as he runs away. Running up the stairs, he yells, “Now you fools. Take them now!”
Oh shit! It’s a trap!
Vrax must be reading my mind or be channelling Admiral Ackbar, because he leaps to his feet and yells, “It’s a trap! It’s a trap!”
The sounds of many feet rumble from upstairs, and half a dozen armored figures pour down the stairs.
Mary flies up into the air and starts to wave her hands and mutter mystical phrases. Vrax pulls his short sword from the sheath at his side, and Kitsune backs up against the far wall. I wasn’t expecting trouble, and I haven’t replaced the spear I broke yet because we were trying to save money. Instead, I look at each member of my group and concentrate on inviting them to party with me. As each accepts I see in icon appear in the top left corner of my vision with small versions of their health, stamina, and mana bars. Having arranged our group, I raise my fists in front of me and take an unarmed fighting stance.
By the time the feet of the first armored figure reaches the bottom of the stairs, I’m able to make out that it’s some type of hairy dog man whose long stringy fur is spotted in places. Its dog muzzle bares a mouth full of sharp teeth, and its yellow eyes glare maliciously at us as it rushes forward into the living room. It wears a black leather chest piece that ends in a type of leather skirt. It’s hairy unarmored legs end with paws that seem to be propelling it forward faster than I thought they could.
I rush forward to meet the first opponent. As it raises its sword overhead to strike me down, I increase my speed and leap forward to tackle the creature. As we hit the ground together, I hear his sword skitter away out of his grip. I sit up, ready to strike the creature in his hairy snout when one of the creature’s friends kicks me in the chest sending me flying backward.
Damage received: 5
I crash into the couch and sit stunned on the floor for a moment, sure that I’ll be run through any moment. Instead, a gray blur rushes past me, and I hear a howl of pain. I shake my head once to clear it and see Mr. Snuggle Butt snapping his head back and forth, his teeth clamped down on the sword arm of the dog man that kicked me. The entryway into the living room is only wide enough for one person at a time to come through, and the other five fighters behind him try to push their way past their comrade to get to us.
Taking advantage of the momentary
distraction, Mr. Snuggle Butt is providing, I open my [Inventory]and grab the Pointy Shield of Pain and equip it. I get to my feet just as three of Mary’s magic missiles hit the creature the summoned wolf is attacking.
Mary deals damage: 3
Mary deals damage: 3
Mary deals damage: 4
The fighters crowding behind the entryway finally push their comrade out of the way, sending him tumbling over the wolf and sprawling onto the hardwood floor face down. I’m finally able to catch a look at the dog man and see that it is a level eight, Gnoll Mercenary. That’s all that I can get before Vrax suddenly appears and stabs the prone fighter in the back with his short sword twice.
Vrax deals damage: 20 (Backstab)
Vrax deals damage: 10
I ignore the next few damage notifications that pop up and leave the fallen gnoll to Vrax. I rush forward to plug the narrow entryway before the other five mercenaries can pour through and overwhelm us. The snarling, growling, wolf makes the gnoll mercenary in the doorway pause long enough for me to run over and activate [Shield Bash].