Lowlife, Scoundrel, Bandit Queen

I'm a little early for a change. The lobby isn't empty despite the early hour of course, especially with the additional adventurers in town right now, but it's not quite as busy as the last few times I was around. I rather enjoy this change. The guild representatives are already at the counters too. I greet them with a nos in passing.

My first stop today is the counter to the side where drinks are served. Even at a distance I can already smell fresh tea of some sort brewing and something warm for a change would be most welcome right now. I pay a penny and the next moment I'm already nursing a cup of warm and sweet tea. It's still quite a surprise though. It's not just any tea. It comes with milk and cream on top. It's certainly a little weird, but I won't complain. It's no substitute for an actual breakfast, but it will tide me over until I get something.

I watch the quest board while I sip the warm beverage. Another guild employee, one of the more junior ones, is still busy putting up new requests. I might just get to pick something good today. I wonder what though. There certainly are more requests up than I'm used to. I wonder if it's because I'm early. Or could it be that the number of requests increases as people try to take advantage of the greater workforce available, hoping they can get away with paying less. I wouldn't be surprised it it's the latter. It's not unreasonable after all. No, it's supply and demand at work at a very basic level.

After finishing my brew and returning the cup I finally head over to the board to check out what is on offer today. I'm not the only one either, but it's still a far cry from the usual crowd that will be rubbing elbows here later. I follow the usual system checking the requests from one side to the other, top to bottom. About two thirds of the way down I finally find something that looks interesting.

My hand darts out to grab the papers before anyone else can. The move earns me a few chuckles from some of the others, but I barely pay them any heed as I head over to the counter to check it out, while humming a happy little tune at the same time.

The old woman behind the counter accepts the papers, as I hand them to her, with a pleasant smile. And then she taps the spot in between her nose and lips.

"Cream."

I blush fiercely at first, as I realize what she means. Then I start to chuckle and quickly wipe away the evidence of the most recent treat I had, licking my finger clean afterwards. It's still delicious cream after all.

The old woman across from me chuckles as well. Then she turns her attention to the papers in her hand, studying them for a moment.

"An exploration quest. Have you done one of those before?"

I dutifully shake my head.

"No. But I have worked as a scout during the mushroom king emergency quest. And unless I read the attached map wrong the spot that heeds to be checked out should be in that general area. Or am I wrong?"

She takes in what I have to say and thinks on it for a moment. Finally she nods, apparently satisfied.

"Very well. I'll go over the details with you anyway. Wouldn't want you to miss something crucial. Now, please listen closely."

I signal with a simple nod that I'm ready and do as she demands. After all I don't want to miss anything important either. Thus I listen and I listen real close.

The older woman sees that I'm ready and begins.

"Good. You are supposed to have a look at an old quarry in that area. It has been abandoned for decades. Essentially ever since the walls of Riverrun were completed. Thus it was probably pretty overgrown. The city council expects that Ediva Glimmersong's way of dealing with the fungal infestation might have cleared it, and at least some of the old roads leading there, from vegetation."

I can already guess where this is going, but I don't interrupt. Not even when the clerk pauses to take a deep breath.

"The possibility that it might be usable still has recently prompted speculation about more construction projects beyond the new granary. Anyway, the council and our lord, still need to know if this is true. Have the fires cleared the old quarry? What about the old roads? The fire might have had an effect on the rock too, thus the stonemasons want some samples. They don't need to be big, but make sure to gather enough of them, preferably from all over the quarry."

She pauses once more and fixes me with a look that demands attention. It#s a good thing that I'm already utterly focused on her. I suspect she might have scolded me otherwise. As it is, she simply continues.

"And of course we need to know about any strong monsters that might have taken residence there or nearby. You don't need to fight those. In fact it probably would be best if you don't, but we need to know what is lurking there if there is anything. There will probably be follow up quests to deal with anything you come across."

She flips to another page of the paperwork.

This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

"There is no time limit. You'll probably need a day to get there and another to get back at the very least. Don't rush the exploration either. Please be thorough. We expect the mentioned samples and your report upon your return. We'll write the latter down here for you. The reward is two silver shillings to be paid after you deliver your report. That's about it. Is everything clear? Or do you have any questions?"

I begin to shake my head, but stop again, as something comes to mind.

"Should I bring back evidence for monster habitation too if I happen to find it? Feathers? Scales? Pieces of fur? Things like that?"

The question seems to honestly surprise her, judging by the look on her face, but she has a quick answer anyway.

"It's not required, but sometimes these things can come in handy. If you can collect something without risking the mission in general, do it. Whatever you do, don't get eaten by something. We rely on you bringing back information."

Even as she speaks she files the quest in the books while handing me back the quest papers.

"Good luck and take care."

With one last slightly formal bow I'm off. I don't leave the town right away though. My first destination is the temple, or rather Fox's hidden shrine in one of the towers. A little sacrifice seems in order after last nights great success. And I might give learning how to bless a weapon a try too. My current job doesn't come with a deadline after all.

My prime reason to acquire that skills are ghosts and possibly other incorporeal undead, but a blessed weapon will come in handy against any other opponent too. I really ought to have that option available to me. And even if I don't, then not for a lack of trying. Thus I divert my steps into one of the smaller alleys in between houses and take to the rooftops again.

Both my [Jumping] and my [Climbing] skill progress a little, as I jump from one wall to the other at first, pulling myself up by the plentiful handholds once the strength of my legs isn't enough anymore to propel me any further. By the time I have shingles under my feet again, the latter even rewards me with a level up notification, which is promptly followed by more, together with the clatter of dice, as this one counts towards the progress of my still very new hedge witch class.

[*Ding!* Your skill Climbing has leveled up to level 8!]

This one indirectly improves my strength a little as well. Sadly the increase is not enough to improve my attack power too. Well, I better not complain. I can't have everything. Not all at once and every time anyway.

[*Ding!* Your class Hedge Witch leveled up to level 4!]

[*Clatter!* Your Health increased by 1!]

That is a little unexpected, although it really shouldn't be. These are the early levels after all. Those always come easy. It's too bad I can't time these better. This is the second time already I can't make use of the second wind that comes along with the level up.

Never mind though. I dust myself off and circle the central market at rooftop level to cross to the temple at the end. Even if it's not a long trip it still allows me to progress [Running], [Balance] and [Stealth] in one fell swoop. If I dare say so, this is really shaping up to be a pretty good morning.

After I slip into the hidden shrine I take a moment to calm my nerves, before I actually approach my divine patron's shrine and the offering box sitting before it. I grab some coins, four pennies, from my purse and drop them into the box. The moment the lid closes again a notification in the form of a divine whisper hits me, while my [Sacrifice] skill improves a little as well.

[*Ding!* Your Karma increased by 4!]

So far so good. A smile finds its way onto my face. This time Fox doesn't grace me with her presence. Not in person at least, but I'm not yet done anyway. I return to the benches and sit back down to think a little on the words that might be appropriate when praying for a blessing.

This isn't a trivial matter. Not for me at least. After all I'm calling to my divine patron to imbue an object with some of their power, even if just temporarily. The words I ought to speak are ones that should be carefully chosen.

A few deep breaths allow me to properly focus on the task at hand. I already know the words Daria, the priestess of Simja, used to call upon her goddess. I know the words I use for prayers of healing. And of course I know that Fox isn't exactly hung um on exact wording. Not like some other divine beings might be. Not with me at least, since, as their champion of sorts, I share a deeper connection with them. The words I choose should still be respectful anyway. And their meaning should be clear as well. After all I wouldn't put it past Fox to prank me if my prayer were to ambiguous. The thought brings a smile to my face. Well, I better not tempt Fox then.

I lick my lips as I think on it. In general the words chosen by Daria are mostly neutral. There shouldn't be a whole lot of adjustments that need to be made. Of course, I need to call out to fox instead of Simja, but that is easy enough. Otherwise? Otherwise the prayer used by the other priestess should be good.

Maybe I should give it a try? Right now certainly would be a good time. If I screw up now it would stay a secret in between me and Fox too. No one else has to ever know. And if it works, well, that's all the better. I'm a little jittery anyway, as I stand up again and unsheathe my sword, after looking around to make sure that I'm really alone one last time.

I step forward to the altar and lay my sword upon it. Then I raise my hand and call out to my divine patron.

"Fox, divine guardian of many masks! God of making mischief and goddess of having fun! I beg of you, imbue this tool with some of your power, so it may cut not just flesh and bone but spirit and soul as well!"

The effect is immediate. It's almost like fox has been sitting there, just waiting to pounce at the opportunity. Anyway, a notification brushes my mind, whispered in the voice of my divine patron. My [Prayer] skill improves a little too. It seems like I found the right words indeed.

[*Ding!* You have unlocked the Blessing skill at Level 1!]

At the same time I can feel a little of my hard earned Karma dissipate again. Oh well, it's meant to be spent anyway. Just like coin. It doesn't do me any good if it's just sitting there. Thus, overall, I'd say this was a smashing success.

With trembling fingers I pick my sword back up. It's pretty obvious that the blessing has taken hold, even by just looking at it. The gleam of the sword's edge is similar to what I beheld before when Daria demonstrated the effect to me, except, it isn't quite as pronounced. The latter is probably due to the fact that this is the very first time I tried my hand at this.

I want to check in detail anyway and focus my attention on the weapon to activate my [Identify] skill. A little of my Mana drains away and the skill improves a little. The next moment I receive the results.

[Blessed Long Sword (Steel, Common) – A simple, straight mass produced steel sword. Weapons like this one are usually found in the hands of knights, but others like men-at-arms and even brigands and bandits use them too. This particular blade has been blessed by a priestess of Fox and now temporarily (1 hour) contains a little of the divine power of the deity. Category: Melee Weapon/Blade/Long Blade, Attack-Power: 16]

It's what I have been hoping for. With the skill at level one it lasts for an hour and it improves the attack power by one too. The more important effect though is that it now can harm incorporeal undead. With great care I sheathe the blade again.