Vee tugged at his collar and wiped a bead of sweat from his brow. He was deep in the bowels of the adventurer’s guild, and for some reason the people in charge of the thermostat were the type to think that anything cooler than a hot summer’s day was unacceptable.

The woman across the table was apparently used to the heat, because she didn’t seem distressed in the slightest. She looked at him over her glasses and smiled before tapping the papers in front of her to straighten them all out, and then set the papers aside. Leaning forward, she folded her fingers together.

“Well, Mister Vales, it seems that all of your paperwork is in order. Crestheart dungeon will open to members of our guild next week, and we will start issuing permits for our members to travel through the Westown gate on a regular basis. On behalf of the adventurer’s guild of Oar’s Crest, I’d like to wish you nothing but the best of luck in your venture. This city has been stuck in the doldrums and shadows of the past for too long.”

Vee felt his cheeks warm, and he didn’t really know what to say, so he did the small, tilted nod that he’d seen his father do dozens of times. In all honesty, he was simply glad that the discussions were over.

Getting the guild to agree to issue permits through the Westown gate had been more challenging than he’d originally anticipated. The guild’s [Lawyer] had been concerned about threats to adventurers traveling to and from Crestheart, and so Vee had been forced to assist in the construction of barriers along a set path to discourage anyone from wandering into the more dangerous alleys and buildings. Thankfully his agreement hadn’t required purchasing any more materials. Vee already owed Sacre almost three and a half thousand gold fleurs for materials, and that number was only going to increase as he finalized the order for the first batch of rewards.

After shaking the guildswoman’s hand, Vee got up and left. In what was perhaps a peculiar twist of fate, the hallways beneath the guild were every bit as labyrinthian as anything he’d seen in his handbook. He got lost twice, and had to retrace his steps until he managed to escape. Perhaps it’d be a good idea to ask the guild master for a map or a blueprint so that he could steal some of the layout ideas to use in the dungeon.

To Vee’s surprise, there were a handful of adventurers in the lobby. Humans, salamanders, kitrekin, elkin, and others all mingled amongst the drab décor. Most of them carried swords. They were talking to each other, but a low whisper raced through them all as he walked by. Some of their voices carried enough for Vee to hear them.

“That’s him!”

“That’s the new [Dungeon Master]!”

“He looks too young to know what he’s doing.”

“What the heck kind of hat is he wearing?”

Vee slowed down and made to stop, but Reginald’s brim tightened around his skull.

“Keep walking,” the spirit hissed. “It’s imperative that you look the part of competent [Dungeon Master]! These adventurers are sizing you up, sure as you breathe, boyo. Make them wonder what you’ve got cooked up for them, and don’t give them any cause to think that you’re incompetent.”

The truth of the matter was that he still wasn’t entirely sure that he wasn’t incompetent, but he squared his shoulders and tried to make himself look as impressive as he could.

[You never get a second chance to make a first impression. You can now earn points Intimidating Presence!]

[Intimidating Presence +1]

[You can now use the Mean Mug skill. You can check it in your soul’s mirror!]

Vee did just that as he ascended the steps back out into the open air of Oar’s Crest.

[Mean Mug]: Contort your face into a terrifying visage, striking fear into the hearts of all who gaze upon you.

That sounded kind of fun. Vee tried it as he walked down the street, but it didn’t seem like it was all that scary. One old kitrekin with blue fur actually laughed at him when he saw Vee’s face.

“Might be a good idea to try and find ways to raise that intimidating presence score,” Reginald said as the kitrekin’s laughter faded into the distance. “Or actually, maybe we should just get you a scary mask to wear.”

“How’d you know I unlocked intimidating presence?”

“I’m your hat,” Reginald said as if that was a sufficient answer.

Vee took the hat off and glared into Reginald’s unblinking eyes. “And? Does being my hat mean that you get to read my thoughts?”

“Well, I’m a magic hat,” Reginald said. To his credit, he seemed to pick up on Vee’s frustration – no [Mean Mug] required! – because he hurried to add “but I only hear your stat changes and level ups. Your thoughts are safe inside that skull of yours. Even if I could read your mind, I wouldn’t dream of mentioning it. Like, for example, if you had a tendency to dwell on the appearance of a certain mail carrier, I would have no—”

Vee crushed the hat in his hands so that it was almost completely flat and Reginald shut up. Probably due to the fact that it was indeed a magic hat, it sprang back to basically normal as soon as he released the pressure. He jammed it back on his head. Serves you right, he thought as hard as he could.

The streets of Oar’s Crest were as dirty and dingy as they’d ever been, but now that Vee was used to the filth, he could see that they’d been beautiful once upon a time. Sidewalks were made of multicolored bricks arranged in a herringbone pattern, with occasional breaks of small squares that listed the name of the street and the pointed out each direction. He was heading east. That was kind of nifty to know.

Really, it really wouldn’t take much to make the streets nice again, Vee mused as he headed towards Longarm’s Lane. That was where most of the craftsmen of the city kept their workshops. A few dedicated street sweepers and garbage collectors would do the trick. Why didn’t the council take care of such matters? Or if not them, why didn’t the adventurer’s guild take up the cause?

His destination was Thien’s Fine Jewelry, a small shop just past the market. Feeling like a treat was in order, he stopped and bought a bag of green apple candy from Joleimna’s stall. The salamander was rolling out a log of pink and white candy that said “It’s good to smile” on each piece. Vee would have liked to stay and watch Joleimna work –seeing the hot sugar get rolled into a thin tube and cut into small pieces was as mesmerizing as any magic Vee had ever heard of–but alas, he had to hurry, because Thien closed her shop at sunset.

A bell tinkled as Vee stepped inside the [Goldsmith]’s workshop. The showroom was empty except for the small bespelled cases designed to prevent theft, and the peal of hammering echoed off the walls. Walking up to the counter, Vee held his hands to his mouth and called out to Thien.

“Hey, Thien? Are you back there? It’s Vee Vales.”

The shop fell quiet as the hammering stopped and Thien came out to the front. She was medium height and lanky, with short black hair, pierced ears, and tattoos all over her arms.

“Good to see you, short stack,” she said with a grin. “Here to inspect your pieces? Got the prototype right here”

She held up a pendant that was engraved with an icon of Reginald grinning. Vee hadn’t totally been sold on using the hat as the insignia for Crestheart, but Alforde thought it looked cool and Vee hadn’t had any better ideas. Darn [Big Picture]!

“It’s nice,” he said after a thorough examination. “How much is it going to cost me for each one?”

She told him, and he did his best to keep his face neutral, though he felt like he needed to sit down. His [Budgeting] skill was screaming in his head that spending so much on pendants was the height of stupidity, but Thien had done a good job and there were benefits to blowing people’s expectations out of the water on launch. If adventurers thought that Crestheart gave really good rewards, they’d be willing to run it more often, and establishing a reliable customer base to generate consistent income was worth a hefty investment now.

Still though, Vee couldn’t help but cringe at how much money he already owed Sacre. Since he was only planning to charge adventurers ten silver fleurs per floor, it was going to take a lot of people coming through in order to pay back the [Honest Businessman]’s loan.

He'd have to find alternative revenue sources. Maybe merchandise? Would people be willing to buy Crestheart gear? Hats and shirts and such? Watches and fountain pens, perhaps? Interesting to think about, but not necessarily what he should be focused on just then. Shaking his head, he returned his attention to the task at hand..

“Do you want to go ahead with the full order? I could have everything ready the day before you’re set to launch.”

Looking up, Vee noticed that the [Goldsmith]’s face was drawn just a little too tight. She’s nervous that I won’t want to go forward. How often does she get big orders like this anyway? Maybe I can get a better deal if I act like I’m having second thoughts.

[Plotting +1]

“Well, I’m afraid that I’m just not sure,” Vee said, putting on his best unimpressed voice. “This has a nice styling, but I’m not sure it’s quite what I’m looking for. This is Crestheart’s debut to the world you know, and I want something that really has a lot of oomph. Something that tells the world ‘We’ve arrived!’ You know?”

Thien folded her arms across her chest and set her jaw. “I think this says that just fine. You don’t want to look like you’re trying too hard either, you know? When it comes to jewelry, sometimes less is more.”

They went back and forth like this for the next few minutes, haggling about various embellishments and adornments to make the pendants look nicer without adding too much to the cost. Ultimately, Vee managed to get three percent knocked off the final price, which his [Budgeting] inner voice heralded as a big win. His budget was still strained, but that was the name of the game when it came to doing business. Dig yourself into a deep hole to get things rolling and then make it up after that.

Hopefully.

“I’ll go ahead and get the rest made right away,” Thien said. “Where should I deliver them once they’re done? The adventurer’s guild? Sculla’s boarding house?”

Vee thought for a moment. “Don’t worry about delivery. Alforde and I will come pick them up the morning before we open.”

Thien raised her eyebrow. “Are you sure that’s a good idea? There are a lot of sketchy people in this city who would be happy to collect free jewelry. I know Alforde looks tough, but…don’t take this the wrong way Vee, but you look like an easy mark.”

“And you don’t?”

The [Goldsmith] flashed him a bitter smile. “I’ve been in business for almost six years now. People know who I pay my protection money to. They wouldn’t dare get mixed up with them.”

“What? Protection money?”

She pointed to her front window and Vee saw that there was a stained-glass insignia in the top corner. It was a small thing, blue and green glass surrounding an orange and red horned snail. He looked back at her and shrugged. The symbol didn’t mean anything to him.

“If you don’t know, enjoy your ignorance while it lasts,” Thien said. “Just don’t be surprised when someone comes down and offers you a friendly warning about the dangers of doing business in Oar’s Crest without acquiring dedicated protection services.”

Vee wanted to know more, but decided not to press the matter now.

[You have been given a quest! Learn about the stained glass windows in the city and find out who’s collecting protection money from the merchants. Do you accept?]

Well, that settled that then. Vee accepted.

[Quest: Investigate the stained glass symbols.]

[Dangers: Getting involved in something you’re better staying out of.]

[Reward for completion: A better understanding of the city, and +3 to Guts!]

[Description: Without attracting the wrong type of attention, look into who is responsible for the stained glass symbols in the window of Thien’s Fine Jewelry.]

Vee thanked Thien for her time and turned to leave, but as he was walking out the door, he bumped into a middle-aged man with a tufty brown beard and thick glasses who’d just entered the store.

“Excuse me,” Vee said. “My mistake.”

He noticed the quality of the man’s long brown coat. It was pristinely pressed and cut in the latest style. The buttons were made of gold and adorned with small pieces of crystal. Whoever this guy was, he had money.

Thankfully, the stranger didn’t seem angry or upset that Vee had bumped into him. Instead, he was staring at Reginald with a quizzical expression.

“Not a problem,” the man said absent-mindedly. He lifted his hand, as if he was about to say something else, but Thien hurried out to greet him properly. She grabbed his hands and gave them a fierce shake.

“Oh, Mister Maluw! Welcome back! When did you return from your trip?”

“Just a few days ago,” Maluw said. He looked at Vee. “I don’t believe that I recognize you, young man. What’s your name?”

Vee introduced himself and the man made an ah-ha noise at the [Dungeon Master]’s name. “Ah, so you’re the young man who’s got the whole city abuzz. I’m quite looking forward to seeing your dungeon in action.”

Vee’s grinned sheepishly.

“Oh, where are my manners,” said the man as his eyes drifted back to Reginald. “I’m Jacques Maluw the Tenth. I’m an [Enchanter].”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you,” Vee said, wondering what sort of stuffy family would carry a name down for so many generations that someone would be the tenth of their name. They were probably the type of people to use no fewer than like, six forks.

Without missing a beat, the man continued, “Perhaps we can find something to work on together in the future. I’m sure that you’ll probably want some enchanted rewards for your dungeon as it grows, right? Enchanted artifacts are always a hit. Take my card."

Vee agreed, and Maluw pressed a card into his hand. It was every bit as elaborate and ornate as his coat. Promising to seek the man out once the time was right, Vee bowed and left the store.

If he’d turned around, he would have seen Maluw watching him with a dangerous, steely gaze.

Character Sheets:

Vee Vales:

Primary Class: Ghost Maestro (Locksmagister University), Level 15

Secondary Class: Dungeon Master (Oar’s Crest), Level 4

Might: 6

Wit: 23

Faith: 12

Adventurousness: 8

Ambition: 5

Plotting: 5 (+1)

Charisma: 2

Devious Mind: 6

Leadership: 5

Guts: 3

Intimidating Presence: 1 (+1)

Alforde Armorsoul:

Primary Class: Clunker (Vee Vales), Level 7

Secondary Class: Right-hand man (Vee Vales), Level 7

Tertiary Class: Hammer Afficionado (Self), Level 6 (+2)

Additional Class: Dungeon Champion (Oar’s Crest), Level 2

Might: 19

Wit: 10

Faith: 23

Adventurousness (Bound – Vee Vales): 5

Reginald:

Primary Class: Core Spirit (Unknown), Level ???

Secondary Class: Loudmouth (Self), Level 29 (+1)

Tertiary Class: Majordomo (Vee Vales), Level 4

Might: 1

Wit: 24

Faith: 2

Ambition: 21

Greed: 16

Deceptiveness: 35 (-1)

[ERROR! ERROR! ERROR! RESENDING REQUEST FOR SEAL REPLACEMENT!]