Dreamland

I strolled down the paved streets toward the market, my mind preoccupied with the banker's story and trying my best to ignore the annoying thoughts about the user interface issues. Yes, I like to play with that interface blended out, but it is annoying when you cannot activate it when you need it.

I sighed and looked up: the two suns beat down mercilessly, and the few clouds in the sky offered little hope of respite from the heat.

As I felt parched, I paused at a stone fountain and drank from it, noting the plaque beneath it, which read "Courtesy of Maria De Hollybrunn." A small patch of greenery around the fountain provided some much-needed shade. I took the opportunity to wash my hands and splash some cool water on my face before continuing on my way.

As I walked toward the market in search of Alice, Spartacius, and Noviel came running excitedly toward me. Noviel's eyes glimmered with a newfound enthusiasm.

"Cala, Cala, a raiding party is preparing to take down the Red Boar!" Spartacius yelled as they approached.

Ah, that explains their excitement and the spark in Noviel's eyes: her first true mission was in sight!

The Red Boar? I vaguely remember something like that. It has to be a recurring quest. Given enough time and luck, beasts can evolve, and obviously, another evolved boar did cause enough trouble to force the farmers put a price on its head.

I raised an eyebrow and asked, "No Lynx this time, but the Red Boar instead?"

Spartacius looked guilty as he replied, "It's a low-level raid, and they know where the boar is. They're planning to leave the town and could finish it in less than 30 minutes!"

I wondered: “Do you want me to help with the raid?”

He shook his head, and I understood why he had that guilty look on his face:

"No, no, the Red Boar is an easy kill; you don't need to join the raid! If you come, they'll get less than half the experience they would get otherwise. You're too high level for it... Can you wait for me for half an hour? Or should I tell them I do not go? It is the last spot in the raid, and they'll port somebody else if I do not go!”

Oh! OK, so I am being gently told to fuck off and come back in half an hour. As I know how these raids work, it will probably take longer. As he was looking at me with those round puppy eyes, I nodded in agreement. OK, why not? I was sure I could find something to entertain me!

“Look, no problem. I'll find something to do. It will probably take you one hour; I know how these raids are. Can you please send me a whisper spell when you are done?”

“One whisper spell would cost me one silver… Can we meet in about an hour at the Boar's Hunter tavern? The name is fitting!”

He'll probably get some raid silver and a few experience points. I chuckled.

“OK, no problem. We'll meet in an hour at the tavern!”

“Cool! Are you sure you are not angry with me? It is for the experience, but if you want, I'll tell them to look for somebody else!”

A purple-haired, horned girl yelled from a distance:

“Spartacius! Do you come or not!?”

I laughed and patted him on the shoulder, paraphrasing Ayra:

“Go, brave Sir Spartacius, go; the adventure awaits you!”

He left with an annoyed grunt.

I chuckled.

OK, one hour to kill. I was not sorry; playing Cala feels good, and there are plenty of things to do.

After finding Alice in the market, I informed her that she was free for the next hour.

As it was too hot to walk around, I postponed my visit to the market for later and headed to the small hut that served as the hidden headquarters of the assassin guild in the city.

It was located near the gate in a rough neighborhood filled with questionable shops, where prostitutes competed for the best corners and inns rented rooms by the hour. The area was also home to a rogues' guild, giving it the nickname rogue's district or borough.

The narrow streets only allowed carriages to pass through, and the irregular stones made it necessary to navigate carefully to avoid injury. Sometimes, there were foul-smelling liquids dumped in the middle of the street that had to be avoided, but the canalization worked, probably because it was of dual use.

The small shack I was heading to appeared innocent and tiny, but it was actually the entrance to a vast underground expanse that extended into several nearby buildings and went several levels down, even reaching into the sewers. One of the tunnels led outside the city walls, where there was a secret entrance into the city.

I approached the entrance of the small hut and noticed a couple of shady-looking individuals loitering outside. A brief exchange of glances was enough to gain me entry, and I made my way through what appeared to be a hidden bar before arriving at a room where I had to show my assassin's badge to gain access to the quests.

With a glass of wine in my hand that I received from the bar as a welcome entry, I started to review the quests.

As I perused the individual parchments, one particular quest caught my eye: "Kill the banker for 10 gold." I was taken aback by request to assassinate an innocent man for such a paltry sum. Should I kill that fat, placid and jovial character with whom I chatted so friendly? I know I am playing a soulless assassin, but... the sorry joke came to my mind: you are my friend; I'll kill you for nothing!

It appeared the quest had been added by one of the banker's competitors seeking to seize power. Hm, should I warm him? I hate to mix in local politics, but I might do just that.

Another quest caught my attention: "Kill Frank, the butcher, for 2 gold." I rolled my eyes at the simplistic request and wondered who could have put it up. It was then that I noticed an adjacent quest that intrigued me: "Inform Frank that Doni wants to take his shop and his wife and fight the thief's cartel led by Doni." The reward was meager, just 50 silver, but it promised to increase my reputation with the town. It seemed like a much more interesting and lucrative quest than the previous one.

Next quest: steal the holy book of the Benecosa church. Reward 25 gold. Some strange sect had put this up.

Not really something to get excited about. It is a job for a skilled rogue, not an assassin, as it requires doing it without killing the guards or the priests.

I went through the description. No, not something I can do now in 1 hour unless I go full blast and kill at least some priests there, and with it, the quest would fail.

Protect priestess Sophia on the way to the monastery in the woods. Daily quest 50 silver, 2 hours. Too cheap and too long. I don't have two hours even if it also increases reputation with the fraction.

Where are those saucy quests?

Oh! Getting better:

The next quest on the list was to escort a caravan of goods to a nearby city. The reward was 100 gold, and it was posted by a wealthy merchant. Hmm, that one sounded promising. It would require some fighting skills, but it seemed doable. I made a mental note to consider it further.

Kidnap Thiara, daughter of the marquis 'de Hollybrun. Reward 500 gold.

Oh, uh. Interesting. Now, this is a quest for me. At least financially attractive. I went through the description. Fuck, it is feasible! Quest giver must remain unidentified but can be contacted to receive the transaction. So unknown quest giver. Do I care?

OK, OK, what do I do? Actually, I just wanted to have a look and read a fun list of quests. Now, if I am lucky, I can do one...

Ah, what the hell! I'll do it if it works in the next forty-five minutes!!

As soon as I took the quest from the board, I went to have a chat with a lizard girl, the guild's receptionist in this town. There are groups of agents that spy and have information up to date, especially for high-profile quests. There were several pre-prepared plans we went through, and I accepted one.

The lizard girl informed me that Miss Thiara was now in the family residence, not far away, and if I wanted, I could complete the quest in less than an hour.

It is a small town, after all. One can arrange a carpet delivery to her from one admirer. I could use that as a diversion. Do I want the delivery sooner or later? A poor slob is ready to deliver the carpet for some copper.