I don’t know what I was expecting, but this wasn’t it. By how nervous Miles had acted, I had assumed everything from bandits to the Baroness to the king’s guard. Nothing I couldn’t handle, certainly, but I’d fully prepared myself to return the rudeness of an interrupted meal with advanced spellwork of my own. Instead, I found what I could only imagine as the entirety of the population of Woodhoot standing around the door of the inn. Nearly two hundred people, far more than I would have guessed lived here.

Upon my exit, I heard a man yell, “One! Two! Three!”

“Thank you!” The crowd of peasants yelled. Loudly. Some even bowed or clasped their hands together. It was all so unnecessary. If they had the time to gather and plan this, then they could have at least waited for me to finish eating.

Also, I wasn’t entirely certain what exactly they were thanking me for. I hadn’t prepared a speech or any words to address them with. I glanced to my side as Miles had come to stand next to me, and he whispered loudly to answer my unspoken questions, “Milord, we wanted to thank ya fer sendin’ yer mages and guards against the beast wave a few years back. We’d have gone down there ta do it, but Walker said you didn’t want no one visitin’ less it were important.”

Ah. I nodded that I understood and turned back to the crowd, many of which were burly loggers or their homely wives. They were chattering about excitedly until I raised a hand to signal that I wanted them quiet.

I gave them a simple smile as I said my next words, “You’re welcome.”

Then I turned back through the doorway into the inn to finish my meal. That turkey went very well with the apple cider.

The inn had replaced its beds with better ones, but it was still lacking compared to my own. I dozed for a few hours of the night before we packed back up to travel again. The road to Lark was in better condition than I recalled, but the spring rains still left standing puddles of water on it. Some parts were also too low and allowed muddy pools to spill over. I used this as an opportunity to instruct Leslie on [Earth Manipulation] and have her do the repair work needed.

It was a casual walk that day, with only sparse conversation and the occasional monster attack. The first-tier Forest Beetles and monsterized snakes posed no threat, and Mena made her own game of seeing how far she could kick them when they scurried out from the underbrush.

We made it to Lark in a day’s time, even at the slowed pace. The roadway made all the difference in travel time, and seemed to have been straightened at some point in the recent past. I suspected Kine’s hand was involved, given the few times I allowed him a month’s leave to work for the Baroness.

The late afternoon sun was touching our backs as we arrived at the new gatehouse for the town. All along the wooden palisade, I could see where workers were tearing down the wall to replace it with stone. The streets and walkways that had once been simple dirt were now covered by pink and grey gravel that crunched underfoot. It didn’t help the smell much, and I wished the town would have invested in a sewer first.

I turned to Mena and Leslie as we went inside, “You two may go as you will and meet me here in three days so long as you remain together.”

I knew that the two ladies didn’t get along so well, and pairing them up might seem more a punishment than a reward. But between Leslie’s desire for control and Mena’s rebellious attitude, I hoped that one would soften the other.

“Excuse me, boss, but I don’t have any coin,” Mena said before I could get away from the pair.

I felt slightly ashamed of that. Of course, she wouldn’t have any coin, it's not as if I paid her. From within my pouch, I drew a single gold piece, more than enough for the two of them. I showed it to Mena before handing it to Leslie.

“Together,” I said again and walked away. I could hear the curse words and argument beginning before I had even made it ten steps. That didn’t mean I stopped. I had several places I wanted to visit tomorrow and the Baroness’s wedding was the day after.

The town had changed remarkably in the last two years. The gravel itself made a huge difference in reducing the dirt and mud that had clung to the townsfolk. Men and women moved energetically about their business, and it didn’t seem as if there were anyone unemployed. Children played with well-carved toys, and I passed one warehouse that looked to be constructing new wagons of good quality. For a town that could have boasted a population of up to forty thousand residents, the number of humans I saw out and about made it seem that number had increased half again. Of course, I couldn’t tell if that was due to visitors for the upcoming wedding or simple growth, but it was interesting nonetheless.

The first place I stopped at, on the other end of town, was the inn I had stayed at during my last visit. Now, two more inns stood beside it competing for customers. While I could have gone to either one of them, and in truth was tempted to do so because they looked nicer, I stuck with the inn I knew.

Likely, I could have even roomed at the Baroness’s manor as I was here at her invitation, but then I would need to spend time with the woman. Between the travel and the wedding, I fully believed that I’d already met whatever obligation I’d had. I almost regretted accepting the invitation to begin with. Yet, I couldn't allow such a slip of propriety to occur. I would be cross if anyone ever accused me of not being cordial.

The inn was much the same as I remembered it. The main building was circular with a firepit in the center and tables circling it. This time, dozens of plump pheasants were speared and roasted above a grill that held onions and potatoes. The juices from the birds dripped down onto the vegetables that created a very pleasant smell. A servant in a smock approached me shortly after I entered, and I ordered a meal and a bed for two days.

The next day was the day before the Baroness’s wedding, and the townsfolk were full of excited motion. I ate a quick breakfast of spiced porridge before setting out about my business. The marketplace was much the same as I remembered, though more crowded. Stalls and booths were set up hosting a wide array of random clothes and tools, many now including intricately-carved toys. I shopped for a few hours in the morning, finding only a new pair of slippers, before the heat of the day convinced me to go about my other business.

I approached the Adventurer’s Guild with confidence. The building was unaffected by the influx of stone and stood resolutely humble. A two-story wooden structure that did nothing to try to compare to the ostentatious arrogance of the capital’s Adventurer’s guild. Even the flagpole that was outside its double doors only stood half the height of the building.

Inside the entrance was a small wooden stairwell that led down several feet directly into a tavern. To the left, an open doorway led to a room packed with books and monster parts. Two clerks stood behind a counter looking as busy as I’d ever seen a clerk look, though the line of impatient adventurers waiting on them seemed to tell a different story. The back wall opened to a stairwell that led upstairs. On the right, a doorway centered along the wall led to a chapel.

It seemed to me that a Paladin guildmaster likely had his office inside the chapel, so I set off in that direction only to find the room empty and the two doors at the rear closed. The chapel itself was clean enough, with wooden chairs and a platform supporting a four-foot-tall copper bull idol of the god Bi. I could see the simplistic beauty in the sculpture, even if most of the copper had turned green.

“Can I help you, sir?” A man’s reedy voice called from the doorway.

I turned my head to take in the speaker. An honest-looking, middle-aged man with tanned skin and blonde hair that hinted that he held some Eistoni heritage. His body was small and lithe as he walked slowly in my direction.

“I seek Paladin Adam, the guildmaster,” I answered, and regretted that I didn’t bring my staff. My grey robe was of fine make, but the staff was the symbol a mage would carry to announce his profession.

“My apologies, sir. Paladin Adam was recalled by his order to take up arms in the East not three weeks ago. I am Tim, the new guildmaster,” The man said with a smile and a small bow.

“Nemon Fargus,” I answered, though I simply nodded my head instead of bowing in return.

He tapped his finger on his chin, and looked away, “Nemon Fargus… Nemon… Fargus… Oh!” His eyes snapped back to me, “The Alderman Wizard. I know about you. Come right this way, and have a seat. I’ll have one of my scribes bring your records.”

He moved towards the closed door on the right, opening it with a sweeping gesture of invitation, though he moved a little more slowly than I would have imagined a man of his age. Then again, his movements were also extremely precise, the signs of a [Rogue] class. I entered the room on his offer, finding a seat in one of two worn wooden chairs.

The room seemed a haphazard collection of scrolls and parchment, some stacked in piles in the corner, others were strewn across a large table. On the other side of the table, the guildmaster’s chair was of similar make to the one I sat in. I idly glanced at the papers on the desk, noticing expense reports, quests and quest results, and death notices all jumbled about. The man needed to get one of his clerks in here to organize it, his recordkeeping was atrocious. Was this a holdover from Adam? Perhaps. Adam didn’t seem the type to be overly concerned with records.

It was a few minutes' time, long enough for me to consider leaving, for him to return with his arms full carrying a stack of scrolls.

“Here we are, thirty-seven quests and their current status,” He said as he carefully set the scrolls down so they didn’t roll off the table.

“Hmm,” I answered. I wasn’t really expecting this. I had expected to see the [Paladin] and task him with a thing or two. I also wanted to stop the recurring quests for road patrols and prospecting. With the kingdom headed to war, the last thing I wanted to see is some young fool try to use my quests to forgo conscription.

Tim sat down in the chair across from me, and steepled his fingers, “My, um,” he began and paused as if looking for the right word, “Mistress, Baroness Nix, has ordered me to see to any of your needs. I have already set aside any other duties for the day.”

I withheld my sigh. Baroness Nix, again? And this guildmaster was her pawn? He had to be at least a third-tier rogue to hold this position. Was this her way of telling me something? I placed a hand on the table and tapped my fingers in thought. Well, more to show the man I was thinking than out of any habit. Was she trying to push a favor on me to obtain one in return? If so, she had much in common with that Scout Commander, whatever his blasted name might be.

The guildmaster reached into his sleeve slowly, and withdrew a small sealed scrollcase, “She also had this prepared for you, sir.”

“Read it to me,” I ordered the man and stopped tapping. While I had magical protections against poisons in place, I wanted to keep them at the ready for the Baroness’s wedding. I didn’t think that either this scroll or her wedding feast would be poisoned, but I wasn’t about to take the risk.

He glanced at me uncertainly, before breaking the wax and opening the case. He unrolled the scroll on the table and held the letter as if it were worth many gold coins. In a soft voice, he read, “Dear Wizard Nemon Fargus, first of his class. I have heard the warning from Alred and know what is at stake. Should you need anything at all, me or my associates are at your service. Cordially, Baroness Nix.”

I started to tap my fingers again. While it certainly didn’t seem as if she was offering an obligation disguised as a gift, I still wasn’t entirely certain. That said, the times for prudence were close to an end.

“Very well,” I answered, and watched as the man shuffled through papers on his desk in search of a quill. When he finished, he looked up at me ready to write.

Rather than returning her letter, I simply listed off things that I thought I desired, “Magical Artifacts, Gemstones—particularly diamonds, emeralds, topaz, and rubies, plum wine, scales or teeth from the Pestilence, building crystals, dungeon cores, high-tier metals such as mithril, any bestiary tomes from dwarves or dark elves, and mana crystals. Any of those things in as great a number as can be provided.”

He scribbled for a few long moments more, before he finished the list. He wrote as slowly and carefully as he walked. When he did finish, he looked up at me with a question in his eyes, “Sir, will plum wine stop the Pestilence?”

I scoffed, “No, but you don’t expect me to drink ale while I work, do you?”