There was a spring in Alforde’s step as he followed Vee over to the [Toy Maker]’s workshop. As the [Dungeon Master] had expected, the prospect of modeling for a figurine had indeed lifted his friend’s spirits. Vee was thankful for that; it’d be another two days before Crestheart could reopen, which meant that it’d be at least that long before there was another champion battle. Do and the rest of the [Dungeon Maintainers] had made good progress on building the platforms and pathways for the new floor, but it was a big job and there were only seven of them.

Once Crestheart reopened, Vee considered even letting the first couple adventurers through the dungeon without much interference, just so Alforde could get into a couple fights. Was it worth trading the potential financial hit for Alforde’s peace of mind? Definitely. Probably. Maybe?

He’d figure it out later.

Brice’s shop was a fairly large room, with workbenches of varying sizes and height loosely organized in the corners. Racks of tools hung from the walls, and Vee hadn’t ever seen so many clamps in all his life. He mentioned that to the [Toy Maker], and the man just laughed.

“You can never have enough clamps,” he said. “Back when I was just a [Woodworker], I was always running out on big projects, so I made a habit of collecting as many as I could. I don’t need them as much anymore since most of the things I make these days are small, but I like to keep them around just in case. You never know when you’re going to need to make a table, or a bookshelf, or something zany.”

Picking up a pad of paper and piece of charcoal, Brice pointed to the far side of the room.

“Well, thanks for coming by, you guys. Would you mind going and standing over there, [Dungeon Champion]? It’ll be easier for me to draw you.”

“Of course! And you can call me Alforde,” the armorsoul said brightly as he walked over and started posing. Though he had no muscles to speak of, Alforde flexed, twisting his arms and gauntlets in the poses of all his favorite comic characters. Most of them looked pretty silly. Even his well-practiced pointing stance didn’t look quite right.

Brice was sitting on a stool behind a small easel. Taking up his charcoal, he made quick, loose lines on his paper. At first, he simply seemed interested in capturing the general size and shape of Alforde’s body, working quickly without really caring about the quality of his lines. It was all about the gesture and the energy, both of which Alforde had in ample supply.

“Alright,” Brice said. “I think I’ve got the basics down. Why don’t you go ahead and get into a combat pose? Maybe something like how you greet adventurers who challenge you in the dungeon? I think that’d be really cool.”

With an all too serious nod of his helmet, Alforde lifted Slammy and tilted his body so that his right pauldron was facing them both. The mood in the room changed instantly, with the walls seeming to shrink around him and his cape of frost and snow glowing with its own light.

Though Vee knew it was irrational, he clenched his fingers into fists and trembled in his seat all the same. Alforde’s Intimidating Presence didn’t last long, but it was potent.

Brice seemed unfazed.

“That’s not bad,” he said as he sketched a few more lines. “Let’s see the other side too for good measure, and then we’ll have you hold a few swing angles to try and get some more action poses.”

For the next hour, Vee amused himself by watching Brice draw and joining Reginald in calling out different poses for Alforde to try. As the armorsoul shifted from one stance to another, Brice added other sketches to his paper. Instead of simple gestures, the [Toy Maker] was now drawing each part of Alforde’s armor in greater detail and jotting down notes about different elements. During a break, Brice picked up a tape measure. After noting the size of the armorsoul’s pauldrons, helmet, gauntlets, and boots, he converted the numbers on his pad to a ratio. Then, mumbling something to himself that Vee couldn’t hear, he started sketching again. This time, he barely looked at Alforde, instead trying to find a way of abstracting the relationships between the armorsoul’s body parts into a single cohesive image.

As interesting as watching Brice work was, Vee found his attention drifting. Well, it was more like it got pulled away. There were tasks of his own that needed doing, and they weren’t going to get finished with him just sitting here. He needed to try and find Thien as well as start making the low level ghosts that would help the dungeon feel full.

However, he was loath to leave; Alforde looked to be having fun, and Vee couldn’t help but remember all the times his friend had sat and watched him experiment with [Shape Ectoplasm] back in Bardis. Wasn’t it only fair for him to return the gesture?

Like the flames of a candle tipped over on a stack of paper, the urge to leave grew rapidly, but so did Vee’s reluctance to doing so. His warring desires clashed briefly, before his resolve tightened down and he planted himself even more firmly in his chair. He would stay. He could afford to wait for however long it took for them to be finished here, and then he’d go take care of his errands.

The decision made him feel better. A pressure in the back of his skull he hadn’t really been aware of eased and then vanished, leaving nothing but an aching memory.

Not too long after that, Brice announced that he’d gotten what he needed, and the trio bid the [Toy Maker] a fond farewell before heading back out into the snowy streets. They’d return in a week or so to see how the figure’s progress was coming along.

“So, where are we off to now, Boss?”

Vee’s stomach rumbled. “Let’s go get some lunch. After I eat, we’ll look around for Thien before heading back to the dungeon.”

Alforde was positively chuffed as they headed toward The Grinning Pig. He stopped and repeated a couple of his favorite poses from the day’s session, asking Vee and Reginald if they thought he should incorporate them into his dungeon bouts. Even when they told him that he probably shouldn’t, the armorsoul simply chuckled and vowed to bring them around to the idea.

“The sweep-flex is great, you’ll see,” he said.

As they drew close to the restaurant, Vee noticed a man putting up posters every few feet. He slowed down to read one.

It said:

(OPEN CALL)

ATTENTION ADVENTURERS!

Looking for fame? Glory? Wealth? Interested in helping your community?

Join the Continental Coalition!

Help track down and capture the bandits plaguing our lands!

A variety of positions are available!

Those interested should inquire at the Adventurer’s Guild!*

*Due to the danger of active combat, applicants must be Level 18 or higher in Adventuring Class

Reginald let out a low whistle.

“The bigwigs must be getting nervous, if they’re sending out an open call to help deal with the bandits,” he said. “There’ve only been what, a dozen of those since Embermane’s Legions were destroyed?”

“Eleven, actually,” said Alforde. “The last one was for that crazy woman who thought she was on the verge of earning a Title. You know, the one who built that living tower atop the remnants of an old dragon’s hoard and started [Transmuting] people into gold to ‘rebuild’ it?”

“Yeah,” Reginald said. His voice sounded thin. “Mezzica and her Garden of Golden Rebirth. She thought she’d become the |Gold Queen| by statuefying enough people.”

“I read they’re still melting some of those poor souls down,” Alforde said. “Apparently nobody can break the transmutation. Pretty scary. One book said she would have succeeded too, if it hadn’t been for that meddling quartet of [Heroes] and their talking wolf companion. Shoot. I can’t remember their name. They’re the ones who had that garishly painted carriage they rode everywhere.”

“If the guild is willing to go so far as an open call, maybe there’s something to what Brice was saying about it not being a regular bandit,” Vee said.

“Yeah. It’s starting to look that way,” Reginald said darkly.

Feeling somber, they continued to The Grinning Pig and sat down at an empty table. Big Simon, definitely not his normal smiling self, brought over a menu with almost half the dishes crossed out. Apparently he was having problems getting ingredients too.

Thankfully, the dish Vee wanted to order – chicken soup with a side of fresh-baked honey biscuits – was still available, and the burly kitrekin brought it out a few minutes later.

“It’s a pain to get certain types of meat and vegetables, but we’ll be fine,” Big Simon said when Vee asked him how things were going. “Councilman Seidon came by and assured us that the city’s larders are well stocked. Some of my…associates…have also learned that the bandits occasionally let wagons with nothing but food pass without issue…after making sure nothing else is hiding inside and taking some of it for themselves, of course. We’ll probably all get tired of rice and biscuits, but the city won’t starve.”

“That’s good,” Vee said. “Did you see the posters announcing the open call from the guild? You know anyone taking part?”

Big Simon nodded. “A couple of the young guys from the Southtown crew have signed up and there’s a handful more that will probably join them, but I doubt they’ll see much action. There’s no way the leader is anywhere near us, and the guild is constraining adventurers so that they don’t get too far from their respective cities. Something about a [Tracking] skill of some kind, I think. At most, our adventurers will come across some low level underlings and get into a scrap or two that might see the roads to Amespool or Yew’s Rise ease up a little bit. It’ll be the famous [Heroes] that bring this nonsense to an end, though, you mark my words. Anyways, I’ve got other customers to serve. Enjoy your food, Vee.”

Tucking in, the [Dungeon Master] savored the hearty broth before nibbling on a piece of his biscuit. He smiled as the warmth permeated his entire body, and chatted with Reginald and Alforde until his spoon scraped the bowl nearly clean.

After lunch, the trio left The Grinning Pig and headed out to find Thien. It was snowing again, and the afternoon had turned rather cold. Grateful for the warm food in his stomach, Vee pulled up his collar and stuffed his hands into his pockets as the cold air stung his nostrils.

They made their way down to the market, figuring that it’d be a good place to ask around and see if anyone knew where the [Goldsmith] tended to hang out when she wasn’t at her shop.

Nobody that they talked to did, but Vee bought a bag of caramel apple candy from Joleimna the salamander[Candy Man], and enjoyed the slightly sour taste as they continued their search.

Up and down the streets and blocks they went, exchanging greetings with most of the people that they passed. Each time they did so, Vee felt the Expectation shift ever so slightly around his shoulders, and the [Ghost Maestro] did his best to stand up straight as he waved, shook hands and swapped jokes with the people of his city. He still wasn’t sure what exactly the spirit wanted him to do, but figured that he’d blindly stumble forward as best he could until he saw a clear path to rebuilding Oar’s Crest.

[Public Relations +1]

At the corner of Ninth and Main, Vee saw a familiar figure standing on the sidewalk and took a deep breath. There, dressed in a thick coat in addition to her big hat and heavy boots, was Luna. Her gold-streaked hair hung down her back, and the gleaming pumpkins in her pupils sparkled through the snow.

The [Pumpkin Witch] had her mailbag slung over her shoulder, though it looked nearly empty and she was staring at the open call poster on the wall with a serious expression. However, when she heard the heavy sound of Alforde’s footsteps, she looked up and smiled. Vee’s eyes met hers and there was a moment, but it was fleeting as they both hurried to turn away, their cheeks no longer bothered by the cold.

“How’s it going?” Vee tried to ask casually as they slowed to stop and talk to his crush. He looked over at the poster. “Are you thinking about joining the open call to hunt down the bandits?”

Luna nodded. “I think so. I’ll have to have someone cover my mail route while I’m gone, but it feels like the right thing to do. Every time I read a story about the problems caused by the bandits it makes me so mad! What right do they have to do any of this? It’s wrong!”

She was getting more and more animated as she spoke, her hands waving with her every word.

“Yeah, I agree,” Vee said as his stomach sank. “They definitely need to be stopped. Just…stay safe out there, Luna. They may only be bandits, but they’re dangerous. A bunch of high level adventurers have been hurt trying to capture them.”

The [Pumpkin Witch] nodded. “I know. I’ll be careful, and I’ll drag Holly along too. She’ll think hunting bandits down is fun.”

An awkward silence descended on them both, and Luna broke it first.

“I’ve got to go return my mailbag for the day. It was nice to see you, Vee!”

The young man watched her walk away and felt Reginald get uncomfortably tight around his skull. He looked over at Alforde, who jerked his helmet to the side in a way that needed no further explanation. Chances don’t grow on trees, they both seemed to be saying. Or maybe that was just his own internal monologue. It was hard to tell the difference between them sometimes.

Taking a deep breath, Vee called out, “Hey, Luna! Hang on a second!”

She turned back – a little too quickly, all things considered – and raised an eyebrow.

“Let’s…uh…would you…er…I mean, would you like a piece of candy?”

[Charisma…never mind]

Feeling just a tiny bit foolish, Vee held out the bag, wishing that he could simply cut his traitor cheeks – which were both bright red – off his face.

Reginald snickered.

“Sure,” Luna said, shooting a glare at the hat. She walked back over and grabbed one of the small, rolled pieces of green and gold sugar.

“Caramel apple? Yum! This is my favorite flavor!” she said as she popped it into her mouth. “Thanks!”

“Is it? It’s mine too! And uh…h-how about we get lunch…or coffee…or something when you get back too, okay?”

[Better]

[Guts + 1]

She grinned and Vee’s heart skipped a beat.

“I’d like that! I’ll come visit Crestheart once this is all taken care of.”

Vee nodded. Waving, the [Pumpkin Witch] vanished around the corner and Vee decided that even if he didn’t find Thien, the day was a success.

Main Character Sheets:

Vee Vales

Primary Class: Ghost Maestro (Locksmagister University), Level 28

Secondary Class: Dungeon Master (Oar’s Crest), Level 17

Tertiary Class: Guy-Who-Takes-Things-WAY-Too-Far (Self), Level 5

Might: 11

Wit: 31

Faith: 21

Adventurousness: 7

Ambition: 13

Plotting: 15

Charisma: 12

Devious Mind: 20

Leadership: 16

Guts: 12 (+1)

Intimidating Presence: 9

Citizenship: 20

Public Relations: 5 (+1)

Alforde Armorsoul:

Primary Class: Hammer Afficionado (Self), Level 21

Secondary Class: Right-hand man (Vee Vales), Level 12

Tertiary Class: Dungeon Champion (Oar’s Crest), Level 14

Additional Class: Glaciernaut (Sacha Silverblade), Level 3

Might: 37

Wit: 12

Faith: 25

Adventurousness (Bound – Vee Vales): 8

Endurance: 17

Intimidating Presence: 13

Heart of a Champion: 7

Citizenship (Bound – Vee Vales): 8

Vigilance: 5

Vanity: 2 (+2)

Reginald:

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

--~%@(%[email protected] &% (*$ #&#e !i$$ (#$%#$%#[email protected]!)~--, #[email protected]& ????

Secondary Class: Loudmouth (Self), Level 40

Tertiary Class: Majordomo (Vee Vales), Level 14

Additional Class: Announcer (Vee Vales), Level 6

Might: 1

Wit: 32

Faith: 10

Ambition: 26

Greed: 22

Deceptiveness: 27

Manipulativeness: 35

%#[email protected]%@@

Loyalty: 45

Patience: 9 (-1)

[#&%%%@%!#@__--#%]

Citizenship (Bound – Vee Vales): 7