Trevor returned to the Hero House to find Wayne and Rashie with a pair of equine creatures at the complex’s entrance. Wracors were this world’s equivalent to horses but, instead of being mammals, they were reptilian in nature. They were just as large with smooth, green scales. Not only were they powerful, but they were also loyal.

  Both had been set up with saddles, though the wracor Wayne was currently working with had clearly been with him for a long time. Its leather gear was old, but well maintained while the other’s was still new. The second animal seemed younger, too, with shinier scales. Rashie was feeding it a stick of meat, looking positively diminutive next to the beast.

  “Hey, Wayne, shark,” Trevor greeted as he approached.

  “Trevor!” the girl shouted, spooking the wracor she was feeding.

  “What’d I say about yelling next to the animals?” the dwarf asked sternly.

  Rashie gasped and looked up. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you,” she whispered, reaching up to pet the wracor’s neck. It allowed this before resuming eating the meat.

  “Good,” Wayne said with a nod before glancing at Trevor. “Howdy. Wasn’t sure you were going to show. You know, what with it being an adventure and all.”

  “It’s not an adventure,” Trevor insisted.

  “Oh, yeah? And what did Addy say about you coming with me?”

  The man grumbled. “Okay, it’s an adventure,” he sighed. “There’s at least one dungeon involved, and she was very clear that meant it was an adventure.”

  “Yeah, that’s what I thought,” Wayne laughed. “Still, glad you came. Almost thought you were going to chicken out on me when you didn’t come to breakfast.”

  “Nah, I just spent the night at Adabelle’s house,” he replied with a wave. “Her actual house. Not this one, obviously.”

  “Ooooh,” Rashie started with a giggle. “They was canoodling!”

  “Obviously,” Wayne repeated with a snort. He went right back to checking the wracors for the journey. “You and her going to be okay being apart for so long? I know you’ve made trips out a few times, but nothing as long as this.”

  Trevor nodded. “We’re both adults, Wayne. We’re going to be just fine.”

  “Yeah, I remember when you started showing signs of becoming a fully functional person. I was there,” the dwarf said, barking out a laugh. “You grew up right fast after you were summoned.”

  Rashie nodded in agreement. “Trevor kind of smelled like prey when he got here. Always nervous. He’s much better now,” the shark girl said before looking up at him. “It’s kinda mean to call you prey, but it was true.”

  “No offense taken, Rashie. I was very rabbit-like back then,” he admitted without shame. “Still kind of am, if I'm honest, but I'm better. Adabelle sends her regards, by the way. Wishes us both a safe journey and threatened you with a few things if anything happens to me.”

  “Of course,” the dwarf said as if he didn’t expect anything different.

  Trevor approached the second wracor as it finished eating. The beast stared at him with silver eyes and he put up his hand. It sniffed him before pushing his head into the man’s palm, and he began stroking the animal. Their scales were surprisingly cool to the touch for such a large creature.

  “Pet the neck,” Rashie whispered, and Trevor followed her advice. The wracor seemed to like that more.

  “We’ll be fine,” Wayne said confidently. “Been up that way alone a lot in the past few years, so there shouldn’t be any trouble just because I got you there with me.”

  “Fingers crossed,” the inventoryman chuckled before asking the question that had been on his mind since he first saw the wracors. “I thought we were going to take a wagon?”

  The dwarf shrugged. “Change of plans. This way’s faster since everything we’re bringing back will be in your inventory space. Why bother hitching them up to a wagon if we can ride?”

  Trevor frowned as he reached up and started petting the wracor with both hands. He leaned slightly, looking at the saddle dubiously. “I’m city folk, man. I’ve never ridden a horse before, let alone an otherworldly reptilian version.”

  “Riding’s easy! Even I can do it, and I’m little,” Rashie stated confidently. Her tail started to swish up and down as she placed her hands on her hips. “You just gotta get used to them and their slow pace.”

  “If the shark can do it, then so can you,” Wayne claimed, turning to shoot him a grin. “You’re a smart fella, Trevor. You’ll pick it up real easy. It’ll also help once you’re bonded with your new steed since he’s going to be yours from here on.”

  “Oh, well that’s really nice— Wait, what?” the man said, his head snapping towards the dwarf.

  “Nah, I’m just messing with you,” Wayne replied, clearly amused. “This fine fellow I’m working with here is Dallas. I’ve had him for almost as long as I’ve been in this world. The youngin you’re petting is Austin. He’s one of the most patient wracors I’ve got, perfect for beginners. You’re welcome to borrow him whenever you want, so long as you ask first. Figured you’d need yourself a trusty steed once you start traveling out there on your own.”

  “I’ve gotten pretty comfortable with wagons. In all honesty, I’ll probably end up sticking with what I’ve been doing,” Trevor said, looking at the wracor. It took a step forward and rested its head on his shoulder, obscuring his view of Wayne.

  “Just giving you options, cinnamon roll,” the dwarf stated. “Besides, once you’ve spent some time riding you’ll probably end up changing your mind. They’re perfect for long trips unless your stamina and speed are high. If they are at this point, I’d be surprised.”

  Trevor moved so that he could see his friend, but kept his hands on the wracor to placate the animal. “Define high.”

  “Me,” Rashie offered, raising her hand high. “I can run faster than any of Wayne’s wracors.”

  The dwarf snorted, but didn’t deny it. Instead, he gave Trevor an actual answer. “Low teens.”

  “They’re that good?”

  This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

  “There’s a reason why they’re used so heavily, and that is because they’re hearty and fast,” Wayne confirmed. “Now, don’t get me wrong. Eventually you will be able to outpace one with the right stat allocation, but it’ll take a good while.”

  “Then, shouldn’t you be able to?” Trevor asked.

  “You’d best believe I can, but I’m not going to carry you on my back, am I?” the dwarf asked in return, shaking his head. Reaching up, he rubbed Dallas’ shoulders with both hands. The wracor seemed to enjoy his touch. “Besides, riding’s about more than just getting from place to place. It’s sport. It’s about trusting your partner. You can transfer out of the beginner stages pretty easy with some diligent training, but there’s just as many competitions for wracors here than there were for horses back on Earth.”

  Trevor nodded. He’d keep an open mind and give it a shot, but as it stood he really enjoyed being able to do what he liked when riding in a wagon. Provided he wasn’t the one driving, of course. Between reading a book, watching the landscape go by, or whatever else he was doing at the time, it was a relaxing experience he had come to look forward to.

  “I only promise to try,” he offered. Wayne considered this for a moment before nodding. “By the way, what about the Quest Givers? The last time I went off to Eskretet they had a few things they wanted me to deliver for them, but they also met me here.”

  “I went ahead and took care of all that last night,” the dwarf replied with a wave of his hand. “They’ve known about it for a while so there were a few requests for things they're looking for.”

  “Oh, well that’s convenient,” Trevor said. “Thanks, Wayne.”

  “Just doing what any adventurer would,” he replied with a shrug. “It’s good to go out and simply ask for quests when taking long trips. That’s something most of us learn early on, though you’ve really only gone between Tosa and Eskretet and everything in between so far, haven’t you?”

  “A few times, yeah,” the inventoryman confirmed. “There’s only so much that they needed transported. I think Dory’s venom might have been the item with the most demand, but then they got that snake dungeon under control and they didn’t need as much of it anymore.”

  Wayne nodded. “And any other Summoned in your shoes would have complained about stalling out by now.”

  “So many quests revolve around dungeons,” Rashie added. “There’s some fetch ones, too, but Wayne and I kinda monopolize the good ones around here. Sorry, Trevor.”

  “There’s no need to apologize, Rashie,” he replied with a smile. “I’m enjoying myself. Jackson summoned me here for a vacation, and I have to say I’ve had a great one. The business deal with Melvirn made it easy for me to sit back and relax. Though, he’s been mentioning getting the materials he needs to make more Anderson Bags soon.”

  While he had originally been embarrassed by their name, he had gotten used to it. Melvirn, Tosa's greatest wizard, had used Trevor's Power to make huge advances in the studies and applications of extradimensional spaces. The Anderson Bags were nearly 4 times bigger on the inside than their predecessors, and the demand was getting high.

  “Good news there, he’s one of the people who gave us a quest,” Wayne said.

  Trevor looked over in surprise. “He has? Last I heard, he hadn’t gotten his Quest Giver qualifications yet. Something about never having enough time.”

  “Apparently, he thinks he’ll get his materials faster if he became one so he went out of his way to get it done and over with,” the dwarf explained. “And he’s right. I’d be far more willing to go hunting for rare junk if it means I get more than just money out of it.”

  “Yeah. Money is money, but time is time,” Rashie added sagely.

  “Do you even know what that means?” Wayne snorted.

  “Yeah? It means that money is money, but time is time, duh,” the shark girl sassed, sticking her nose in the air.

  Smiling, Trevor placed a hand on her head. “You’re absolutely right, Rashie.”

  A smug grin blossomed on her face as she looked at Wayne. “I’m right,” she repeated triumphantly.

  The dwarf rolled his eyes, but still smiled. “Quest Master, kindly invite Trevor to the group.”

  [[New Quests! It's a rare day that I have to talk about the sleepy mountain hamlet of Vilderchtif given how remote it is, but here we are. For some background, let me tell you a little about it.

  Residing in the neighboring country of Wandstapa, high in their honestly kind of small mountains, lies a small dwarven hamlet. They are miners, but it’s mostly so they can trade with the capital city. They’re relatively self-sufficient through herding and farming, but there’s always things places need, especially out in the middle of nowhere. Like medicine and entertainment.

  There’s also an earth elemental dungeon nearby. That is an area of great interest to two of your Quest Givers.

  Quest 1 & 2: Both Thimbleden and Grunder want some material imbued with the power of earth elementals. The little guys roll around in dirt, soil, rock, and whatever else they decide. This process allows them to get bigger, and the magic seeps out of their core to the body they have made. These husks are highly sought after. Think of them as having similar properties to the logs of the Firesap trees, but without all the explosions.

  Quest 3: Corrin has a delivery that needs to be made to the Pastel Sunset Inn on the way to Vilderchtif, and even rushed to get it done so that she wouldn’t have to have her client come pick it up. The young mistress of the business is about to have her 16th birthday party, and it’s going to be a big deal.

  Her mother came all the way down to Tosa to commission it, and now you, the safest way to transport anything, get to deliver the finished product. This is right up your alley. Currently, the dress is at Corrin’s Couture waiting for pickup.

  Quest 4: As you heard, Melvirn finally got around to taking my test. And what’s the first thing he uses it for?

  He needs some grass to use as reagents. Fuzzy Magic Grass, to be precise, so named because it’s grass that becomes fuzzy when it’s full of mana. A little rare, you should still be able to find it on your journey. We’re nearing the end of the season, so now’s the time to trim while they’re ripe. Be warned, though: they lose their magic quickly. If only there was some way to slow down time, then they would be prime materials upon arriving back.

  And that’s it. 4 quests are plenty. Completion of each one will net you a total of one platinum, three gold, and five silvers.

  Happy trails!]]

  “Oh man, four quests at once?” Trevor said, unable to help himself from smiling. “That’s pretty good, Wayne. I'm going to hit level 15 during this trip. Thanks.”

  “Trev Trev is a baby,” Rashie giggled quietly.

  Wayne simply shrugged. “I needed you for the quests we’ll be getting up to in Vilderchtif, but it’ll be nice to get out with just us men.”

  At that, Rashie crossed her arms and pouted. “I coulda helped.”

  “You need to stay and keep an eye on the dungeons we have around here,” he told her. “With me gone and Addy working all the time, it’s up to you to defend Tosa. We’re both trusting you.”

  Those words seemed to placate the girl, and she puffed up her chest. “I’ll make sure it’s all in one piece when you get back,” she promised loudly. The animals didn’t seem to mind this time.

  “Good. Now, I gotta teach this city slicker how to ride a wracor, and I know that’s going to be boring for you, so why don’t you head on your patrol,” Wayne suggested. “Keep Mr. Tiggles fed while we’re gone, and make sure Addy doesn’t spend all her time at the office.”

  Rashie saluted. “Sir, yes, sir,” she said before bounding forward and hugging him. Trevor heard her whisper something, and Wayne froze. Before he could ask what had happened, she was already moving on to him. “Be safe, Trevor.”

  He knelt down to hug her better. “I will. Please take care of Adabelle while I’m gone.”

  “Of course I’m gunna, I was already told to,” she replied, sticking her tongue out before giggling. “Okay, good luck riding the wracors!”

  Trevor laughed as Rashie ran off, arms extended in either direction before she turned to head towards the road out of Tosa. “She’s always such a delight, isn’t she?” he asked before looking back at the dwarf. He was still standing there. “You alright, Wayne?”

  Hearing his name knocked him out of his thoughts, and he looked at Trevor for a moment before nodding. “Yeah, just fine,” he answered, turning away. “Alright, so let’s get this lesson started. Like I said, you’re going to pick it up quick.”

  Nodding, Trevor paid attention to Wayne’s words but didn’t push on his strange reaction. Not yet, anyway.