25 – Contracts

It took two trips but, eventually, the eight newcomers laid in the dirt path as a stirring, groaning tangle of limbs washed in the deep orange of sunset. Stubbs clapped his hands together as he stood in the center of the doorway to his inn. “Thank you for your business, I don’t believe the Bee’s Bounty is the right place for your tastes and will not be welcoming you back.” With that he turned back inside, closing the heavy oak door behind him with a thud.

“Well, that was certainly exciting.” Kaylin still held the dented metal mug she had used as impromptu bludgeon. “Are you sure you’re alright, Jax?”

The dark-haired man had several splotchy bruises forming on his face and there was a line of deep maroon coming from his nose where the blood had dried. “Honestly, it’s nothing, with a little meditating I’ll be fine come morning.”

“You managed to tank a lot of blows there, man. You sure?” Ren asked.

“What’s a tank?” Kaylin asked, holding out her mug. “Is it some kind of cup, some small tankard?”

Ren sighed, “They hit you a lot.”

Jax smiled mischievously, dropping his voice so only Ren and Kaylin could hear. “Well, the benefit of taking repeated beatings from mustells and giant scorpions is that it significantly accelerates growth in a defensive node. I expanded Iron Hide last evening. You know after my company deserted me.”

“Ah, yeah. That makes sense, you’ve definitely been smacked around the last couple days.” Ren shifted to face Asha. “Thanks again for stepping in, I still have no idea how you moved like that.”

“Oh, it was nothing. Honestly, fighting people is way more difficult than fighting most monsters. You’re super limited on what skills you can use.” She shrugged. “I just wanted to knock them out, you know? Not eviscerate them or dissolve their organs or anything.”

She said with such a girlish tone that, for a moment, Ren thought he must have misheard. “Um, dissolve their organs?”

She chuckled, “Definitely didn’t want to do that.”

“Well, thank you again, truly.” Kaylin added. “And thanks to you, Ren. I have to say, I could get used to this infused food.”

Ren laughed. “Well, I think finding the ingredients is gonna prove to be the hard part. It’s looking like we got lucky with the mustells.”

Asha continued. “It’s not all sunshine and daisies, you should definitely leave town for a couple days to let things blow over.”

“But they attacked me!” Jax sounded incredulous.

“And we have witnesses.” Kaylin gestured to the common room.

“And while that may be true, it’s much easier on the Steel Judges when the refined people are off protecting the locals during their investigation. Trust me on this one.”

“Where can we even go? We don’t have the supplies for making the journey to Meridia.”

“Or the funds,” Jax said.

“And we still need to get our guild certified thing,” Ren added.

Jax nodded. “And we still need to get our guild certified thing.”

Asha tilted her head, thoughtful. “Well, you all can have one of my contracts. I grabbed two and, being completely honest, neither are very much worth my time.”

“Can you do that? Is that even allowed?” Kaylin said.

“Any sponsored person of a guild member in good standing may act as an extension of that guild member with regards to bounties, contracts, and loans with written approval. The bounties and contracts must be of Novice rank or below and no more than one contract per sponsored individual may be shared.” She smiled as she had in the guild office. “Section 16, subsection 13.”

“So…” Ren began, “do you know the whole of whatever you’re referencing by heart?”

“The guild members manual.” She pulled a small dagger from her belt and began to twirl it absentmindedly. “And no, not the whole thing, but most of it. You’ll find that, as is the case with most fights, having the right weapon is half the battle.”

Ren nodded. “Noted.”

“There’s no way I am reading that book,” Jax said.

Kaylin shoved him. “Well, we’re doubly grateful, then. What is the contract for?”

“It’s a novice investigation with an optional bounty on monster discovery.” She shrugged. “Apparently some farmer is having crop issues and is convinced it’s the brood knocking at their door.”

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“Are you sure? We don’t want to burden you.”

“You’d honestly be doing me a favor. As your sponsor, I still get twenty percent of the contract, and this way I don’t need to hear this town’s version of shamblers or wights.”

“Well, we are in your debt.” Kaylin paused. “Will you need to leave as well?”

“Was already planning on it. I have one more thing I need to do here before I head back to Meridia.”

“Oh! That’s where we’re from—Jax and I. We would love to host you at the Lar estates.”

Jax’s eyes brightened.“It would be our pleasure. We have some of the finest scor wine in the region. Grown and pressed from our own vineyards.”

Asha tilted her head, her eyes once again pausing on Ren with curiosity. “I’ll think about it.” She pulled a round wooden coin from a pouch and flipped it to Kaylin. “Ask for me at the King’s Ransom. It’s a tavern over on cliffside, near the Span.”