Chapter 45 — A Small Windfall (Part III)

  After the Church of the Faithful, the next stop was the Shrine of Eshem`zel.

  Laiya returned with her head down and shoulders slumped after meeting with Reaver Uvros. Her voice was quiet as she spoke chilling words, “I might have to kill someone.”

  Well, yeah. That was what Reavers did.

  “The zoots don’t count as monsters, and the examples he gave… seem really dangerous.”

  Oh? So, the requirement distinguished between beasts and mana-twisted monsters. At least, targeting a known monster would have the advantage of being able to prepare. A tier-2 bounty could also provide the core he needed for his quest to speak with Yana.

  A choice for later. As it was, the coming high-tide might bring a solution to both of their problems—one way or the other.

  Toren clasped Laiya’s shoulder. “Don’t worry. I’ll help you. You don’t have to do it by yourself, do you?”

  Laiya looked up and shook her head.

  Toren glanced over to where Laiya’s parents and sister were praying among the supplicants. “What about protection for your family while I claim our credits?”

  “Reaver Uvros appreciated our donation and will have [Initiate] Nahm watch over us while we do our shopping.”

  Satisfied that the Hatterwicks would be safe, Toren made his face as serious as possible and gave his parting instructions, “Stay in the market area. I’ll be back as quickly as I can.”

  Laiya nodded, nervous but determined. “Be careful, Toren.”

  Toren kept to the main street’s raised walkway as he warily progressed through the town in the direction of the Governing Hall. With dawn long behind them, the town’s raised walkways and cobblestone streets had become busier with men and women setting about their daily tasks.

  The more crowded, the better. The best way to go unnoticed was to be an unremarkable one among many.

  His bet was that the Conclave had less of a free hand in the wealthier and more public areas. That assessment became riskier for the area around the Governing Hall which was too conveniently close to the rougher dock area of the town for him to want to risk bringing the Hatterwick women.

  Fortunately, between the amount received in physical coin for the tavi and dead worms and the herbs and other foragings Emina and Falma had brought for sale, the Hatterwicks had netted a nice amount of coin from the [Alchemist], and the family readily chose to stay behind to purchase supplies and such for jungle living at the stead, trusting Toren to handle the credit and debt matters.

  Toren paused briefly at the job board to look over the tier-2 bounties before climbing the stone stairs into the looming administrative building. Even setting aside the always available wyvern bounty, the area wasn’t lacking for powerful threats to be hunted. A dreamgiver hangman tree using illusions and daze-pollen to lure travelers on the west road to their deaths topped the list but was hardly the most terrifying of what the local jungle offered. That honor went to the lesser basilisk and the death scythe lurking the swampy reaches around wherever Brackwater Lake was. That there was a corrupting terror northwest of the Blue Raptor Ranch wasn’t much better.

  Not everything posted was as dangerous. Some might almost be considered potential targets for him and Laiya: a colony of evolved fungal shamblers near Yarvi’s Shroom Plot, an evolved putrid slime near Phellan’s Dell, an evolved jungle fisher seen along the road to Mistmire, a giant hunting spider near Grot’s Watering Hole, and a mated pair of evolved shadow stalkers causing losses among the orrog and sheep farmers. The number and variety of listings really brought home the reality of the Corvast Jungle being a tier-2 jungle.

  Fire Jars and sparkstone were looking to be important purchases, and whatever explosive stones he could afford from [Enchanter].

  Toren could only sigh at how woefully unprepared he and the Hatterwicks had been upon setting out to claim the orchard as he entered the vaulted hall.

  The inside of the building was as busy as the Church of the Faithful had been, and just lining up in queue for the Town Services counter, he couldn’t help feeling that the mood among the townspeople was odd—if he had to describe it: a tense impatience driven by desperate worry.

  When his turn came, Toren was relieved to see the same clerk that had added the Hatterwicks to his stead as tenants was the one that had called him. That would hopefully make depositing Warnel’s portion of the credits less complicated. With the repeatable task for collecting zoot crests, the drain worm collection task, and clearing Levish’s Orchard, they were in line for a fair quantity of credits to be distributed between himself and the Hatterwicks.

  “How can the town of Farharbor be of service?” the middle-aged woman behind the high counter asked.

  If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it's taken without the author's consent. Report it.

  He took off his helmet and slid the task postings and signed attestments from Nalrevin onto the counter. “I’d like to claim task completions to be deposited for myself and a tenant family of my stead.”

  “Names?”

  “Toren, formerly of Greenvale, and Warnel Hatterwick.”

  “Toren from Greenvale… ah.” The woman’s face grimaced. “There is a note from Lieutenant Kale that you are to present yourself to him before conducting further business with the town of Farharbor.”

  Toren froze in place for a moment before returning the papers back to his belt pouch and consciously reminding himself to breathe. “Any idea what this is about?”

  The primly-dressed woman shook her head. “The note doesn’t say. The Lieutenant should be in his office.”

  There were only two reasons to have been required to present himself before this lieutenant guy. Toren tugged his glove and stretched his arm to check the debt marks—both were still black. That left the assault on the Conclave hostel. Again, he worried how deeply the Conclave had infiltrated the town’s [Guards] and [Officials].

  Toren nodded to the woman and started for the door that would lead into the Governance Hall’s depths, gauntleted fingers tense and ready against the helmet tucked tightly to his side. He knew that once inside, his chances of escape would be poor at best… but even if he made a run for the front entrance now, there was little chance the guards at the building’s entrance would let such suspicious behavior pass.

  Resigned, he relaxed his grip on the helmet and passed through the same door Kesta had led him through what felt like only days prior. The same guard was sitting alert at the same table as last time.

  “Lieutenant Kale’s office?”

  “First left, last door.”

  Toren thanked him, thoughts racing as the doors passed by, some with name cards, some not.

  No solution had presented itself to him by the time he reached the final door. A name plate was affixed to the polished stone of the wall beside the door:

  Lieutenant Kale of Whitesail, Dock Quarter Security and Steader Affairs

  ~~~

  『Name: Toren of Theravos

  Race: Human

  Age: 20

  Profession 1: Level 5 Burningblood Berserker (4300/10000)

  Mana: 72/72

  Strength: 16

  Constitution: 13

  Dexterity: 14

  Agility: 12

  Wisdom: 12

  Intellect: 8

  Will Power: 18

  Perception 15

  Appearance: 8

  Charisma: 8

  Luck: 10

  Attribute Upgrade Points: 4

  Traits:

  Sacrificial Guardian

  Abilities:

  Burning Blood (Rank 1) Proficiency: Mid

  Control Blood (Rank 1) Proficiency: Low

  Flurry of Blows (Rank 1) Proficiency: Low

  Ability Upgrade Points: 4

  Profession Skills:

  Severe Wound Recovery 5

  Focus Rage 3

  Combat Awareness 3

  Berserker Knife Arts 1

  Spear 9

  Club 8

  Pain Tolerance 5

  Physical Conditioning 5

  Intimidate 3

  Skills:

  Danger Sensing 1

  Stealth 18

  Mana Sensing 14

  Wilderness Harvesting 12

  Theravos Language 11

  Religion 10

  Meditation 5

  Bone Strengthening 3

  Divided Focus 1

  Hunting 20

  Archery 19

  Running 12

  Wound Binding 8

  Arithmetic 4』