When Wayne had told Trevor that they would talk about it later, he hadn’t meant that night. They went about taking care of the wracors and making sure they were all right after the long ride immediately after stopping. After that, it was time to sleep.

  Even though there had been towns, villages, and hamlets along the road, the two decided to camp out on the first night instead. The starry night sky was beautiful and the temperature was just right, so even after setting up their tents they still ended up sleeping outside with a magical bug repellent the inventoryman had brought.

  The next morning wasn’t spent talking about what bothered him, either, as Wayne taught Trevor more about the wracors. How to put on their tack and make sure they were comfortable for the day’s ride. They weren’t getting pushed hard, so they had been doing fine. There was just a lot to learn.

  Their ride was mostly silence except for when Wayne decided to ask questions to make sure Trevor had been paying attention to his lessons. Whenever yesterday’s topic had been brought up, it was met with a curt assurance that they’d talk about it later.

  Trevor didn’t push it, even as the sun started getting low on the horizon.

  “This is the place,” Wayne announced as they approached a village surrounded by a low stone wall.

  “Oh, the dress place?” Trevor asked as he looked around.

  The third quest they had been given was to deliver a dress to the Pastel Sunset Inn. Even though Trevor had his PathGuider 5000 on him, a magical trinket that showed him the shortest path to his quest destination, he had been relying on Wayne’s expertise and knowledge of the road to get them where they needed to go.

  “Yup,” the cowboy confirmed. “Right up here on the intersection in the middle of town.”

  Trevor nodded as he let Austin continue to follow Wayne. The village wasn’t all that large or impressive, and he could see a lot of farmland in the dying light. Their destination was the largest building in the area at two stories tall.

  The Pastel Sunset Inn was apparently named after its paint job. Soft hues of reds, pinks, oranges, and yellows covered the building from top to bottom in a cheerful rendition of its namesake. Looking at it made Trevor smile. It wasn’t particularly well done, which he could say now that he had spent far more time in the art world than he ever anticipated he would, but it was rustic and charming and it made him feel good.

  A kobold lad with red scales ran out of the stables as they approached. Like most stable hands Trevor had seen in this world, he seemed to be the right height to be a teenager. He wore overalls with a brown shirt, and his feet were bare to the world. The inventoryman assumed it was easier when you were covered in scales.

  He waved his hand. “Stopping for the night, misters?” he asked.

  Wayne slowed to a stop in front of the boy and started dismounting with Trevor following suit. “Yup. The young one’s easy, but the other’s pretty stubborn. You got ‘em?”

  “Yessir, been doing this for years now,” the kobold said proudly, puffing up his chest.

  “Good,” Wayne said. He reached into his pocket and took out a silver coin, flipping it to the lad. “There’s another in the morning if they’re ready right after breakfast. We’ve got a hard ride up the mountains starting tomorrow.”

  The boy caught the silver coin with a toothy grin and nodded, depositing it into his overall pocket. “Thanks, mister. I’ll be sure to treat them kindly.”

  “See to it that you do,” the dwarf said with a nod before heading towards the door. Trevor handed off his reins to the kobold, who led the wracors to the stables, and followed after his friend.

  The inside of the Pastel Sunrise Inn wasn’t as charming as the outside, but it was still peaceful. Trophies from hunts hung up on the wall, including a massive set of antlers that curved back and forth over itself. It really looked like it was more for bludgeoning than skewering. There was no one around that Trevor could see, though the aroma of a delicious stew filled the air.

  Another red-scaled kobold popped their head out from behind the bar. “Welcome to the Pastel Sunrise, strangers,” the woman greeted, suddenly becoming taller. Trevor had learned from previous inns that smaller folk had steps behind their bars to help them be eye to eye with taller patrons. “Looking for something to drink, a hot meal, a place to stay, or a bit of everything?”

  “Bit of everything, ma’am,” Wayne said, taking off his cowboy hat once they were inside. He sniffed loudly. “Room and bath if you got them, but first I’d like some of whatever you’re cooking. Smells divine.”

  “Why thank you, the venison’s fresh today. I’m Gulta, by the way. Go ahead and sit anywhere you’d like,” she replied before jumping down and heading to the kitchen.

  “I know you got a lot of hot meals just sitting in your inventory, but it’s good to save those,” the dwarf told his companion as he picked a table near the stairs to sit at. “Once she gets our drinks, you can deliver the dress.”

  “Sounds good,” Trevor replied.

  Although he pulled out the chair to sit, he didn’t do so just yet. Endurance Boost had been a big help, but he was still sore after the long ride. Wayne didn’t have any trouble at all. He leaned back in the chair, tilted his head, and closed his eyes while humming tunes that Trevor recognized from old westerns.

  “You’re a true cowboy, aren’t you, Wayne?” he asked with a chuckle.

  “I’m not all hat and no cattle like you went and accused me of, no,” the dwarf snorted. “I enjoy riding the roads and trails. It’s peaceful, just you and your wracor. Especially when you’ve got that bond of trust and you both know each other’s moves are. Riding Dallas is about as close as I get to having four legs myself.”

  “I can see that. Still nowhere close to being there, but I can see it.” Trevor sat down as he saw the owner returning with their food.

  If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

  “Here you go, fellas,” Gulta said as she slid two bowls of stew onto the table. They both grabbed theirs as, unfortunately, she was too short to set them down directly in front of them. “Anything to drink? Beer, wine, something a little harder?”

  “Just water for me,” Wayne drawled as he retrieved the spoons from her.

  “Same,” Trevor ordered, taking the utensil the dwarf offered him.

  “Water and water, coming right up,” Gulta said before hurrying off behind the counter. She was quick to return and pass them off. “Anything else I can get you two?”

  “Trevor’s got something for you,” Wayne replied before taking a bite of stew. He closed his eyes right after and let out a grunt of appreciation. “And that is some dang fine stew, Gulta. Just what we needed after a long day on the road.”

  “Glad you like it,” the kobold said with a toothy grin before looking at Trevor, some confusion in her gaze. “You got something for me?”

  Turning in the chair to better face her, he threw his arm over the back of it. “We’re Summoned who are passing through, and we were given a quest from Corrin to—”

  Gulta shrieked in excitement. “Ohhh, Tonyi’s dress, right? That's my daughter. She's having her Kandavire next month. I was about to go into Tosa in a week or so since that’s when Corrin said she’d be done, but she got it finished ahead of schedule and sent you two here to deliver it? That woman is a saint, I tell you.”

  “She sure is,” Trevor chuckled before raising his hand.

  A small, dark green dress that complimented Gulta’s scales appeared on a hanger that was hooked around his finger so it wouldn’t fall to the ground. It was a modest affair that didn’t follow any of the styles the inventoryman had seen the noblewomen wearing at the art gallery the other night, but the material was comfortably soft and he thought it was cute.

  The kobold’s eyes widened at its sudden appearance, and she gasped. “Oh, that’s a fine trick, Master Summoned. May I?”

  Trevor pursed his lips at the title, which a lot of the people in the smaller settlements had for people like him, but didn’t correct her. The last time he did that he was stuck in an argument for longer than he had wanted to be.

  “Yup, Corrin said you had already paid in full so it’s all yours,” he told the kobold, offering her the dress. Gulta gingerly took it, careful with her claws, and continued to grin.

  [[Quest 3 complete! The dress is now in the hands of the one who commissioned it!

  So you know why it’s important, the Kandavire is a coming of age party that every kobold goes through on the eve of their 16th birthday. This event usually lasts for 24 hours, from noon to noon, and represents an evolution into adulthood. Almost like a quincea?era but for kobold boys as well as girls.

  If you don’t know what that is, then tough. I’m not going to explain every little thing in a quest complete textbox.

  And you’re making this girl’s, and her mother’s, dream come true with the delivery of this dress. Without you, Gulta would have had to travel for about a week to make it to Corrin’s and back, leaving her children in charge of the Pastel Sunset. You just saved her a lot of trouble.

  Two gold pieces have been added to your inventory.

  You need to complete one more quest in order to level up.]]

  “Oh, Tonyi is going to absolutely adore this,” she breathed as she turned it around. “There’s not much of our kind around these parts, so finding people who can tailor something this fine for us isn’t always easy. A neighbor friend of ours recommended Corrin since it seemed like she had a lot of experience making pretty clothes for people with tails and, I gotta say, she doesn’t disappoint.”

  “We got another Summoned in our town, a little fish girl with a big tail,” Wayne explained. Trevor thought it weird that he didn’t say shark girl, but understood it was because very few people in this world actually knew what sharks were. “She gets all her clothes at Corrin’s so the proprietor is well-versed in designing and making with that in mind.”

  “You’ll have to send my compliments to her,” the kobold insisted. “Oh, Tonyi’s going to be dazzling at her Kandavire. She wasn’t all that excited for it because she didn’t have anything fancy, but once she sees this I know she’ll perk right up.”

  “That’s good, I’m happy to have helped.” Trevor smiled and reached for his spoon. He took a bite of stew and had nearly the same reaction as Wayne. “And this is delicious, Gulta. Thank you so much.”

  The woman placed a clawed hand on his elbow and grinned. “I should be saying that to you. For this service, the room and meal is on me, and of course I’ll get a bath drawn with some Heating Stones so the water’s comfortable. We only have the one tub so you’ll have to take turns, but we make sure to clean it out after each use.”

  “That sounds wonderful, thanks,” Wayne said before Trevor could turn down the offer. He shot the younger man a look before smiling. “I think I might have to order another bowl of this. If I’m not bursting by the time I’m done, then I don’t think I’ve done this stew service.”

  “Just let me know and I’ll get it for you,” Gulta replied. She backed away from the two and bowed. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to go put this up where it won’t get dirty. Oh, I’m so happy this got here early. How exciting!”

  Trevor smiled and ate as the kobold practically bounced up the stairs. “That’s always such a nice feeling.”

  “What, seeing people get all happy when their packages arrive?” Wayne asked.

  “Yeah, it really makes me feel like I did some good in the world,” Trevor answered. “It’s not like back home, where getting another package is a common occurrence. You can’t just get on the internet and order whatever your heart desires just to get it a couple of days later. Deliveries here are a whole thing. The order, the anticipation, finally opening a package or getting it just like Gulta did. She had no idea that she was going to get that today and then, bam! Here we are.”

  The dwarf considered his friend’s words for a moment before nodding. “Yeah, I’m picking up what you’re laying down,” he said. “Normally, when I’m done with my quests people are just relieved. Thankful that they’re not in as much danger anymore because I’ve put a stop to it. This ain’t that. There’s no fear or trepidation, just good news and something to look forward to.”

  “Exactly,” Trevor agreed. “I hate seeing people in bad situations. There’s no way around it most of the time, I get that, but I always want to help them. Some have called me too empathetic, but that’s just how I am.”

  “A cinnamon roll, yes, we know,” Wayne chuckled.

  “I’ve literally never fought you on that nickname,” the inventoryman shot back. “Dunno. It’s just nice. It might not be as important as saving lives as an adventurer, but I think it’s close. What’s life without something to smile about, you know?”

  “Yeah, I know,” he said, looking down at his stew. The dwarf seemed to decide something, because he nodded. “Tomorrow, at breakfast, I’d like to discuss something with you.”

  “The thing Rashie said that made you freeze?” Trevor asked.

  “No, I’m still processing that,” Wayne admitted with a frown. “This is something Addy wants me to do. I’d like to hear your thoughts so long as you think you can refrain from agreeing with her from the get go.”

  “Yeah, that shouldn’t be a problem,” he replied. “I like her and everything, obviously, but there’s still stuff we disagree on. If you need a second opinion, a fresh perspective, or even just an ear, I’m here for you, cowboy.”

  That pulled a smile from the dwarf. “Thanks, Trevor. You’re a good kid.”

  “I try,” he replied with a grin. “Now, let’s get these bowls emptied. I think I’m going to need two more; one for seconds and one for the road.”

  “Smart kid, too,” Wayne chuckled, and the two dug in.