(vi.)

The residential district of the village was actually built into the face of the mountain itself, affording its denizens an unusually high level of protection from the elements. The adventurer's guild and other city buildings of import were easily accessible for all in the center of the village. Finally, the market square was located on the outskirts of town.

Surveying the topography, Lazarus noted this was likely due to the close proximity to the fields and main road. He felt a bit silly not noticing the village while he was in the ruins as it was built into the opposite side of the mountain!

No matter. Chalk it up to this bothersome headache. The young lady alluded to this being a small village, but it looks like it holds some power. It's a bit out of the way by the looks of the population, but it's clearly a perfectly viable trading hub. I wonder though, do they carve more dwellings into the mountainside if the population grows?

Sara was apparently a quartz level adventurer herself, whatever that meant. Something about ranks? She did not discuss these 'ranks' specifically but it was clear this was the first rank for all adventurers. It was somewhat of a challenge for Lazarus to keep up with the conversation as she was constantly babbling.

According to Sara, she had been scouring the ruins for a beginner quest collecting the moss. It wasn't her first time, but this quest was only repeatable once a week to prevent excessive culling. Most beginner level quests were of the gathering type to gauge a new adventurer's skill in basic navigation, item collection, coordination, comprehension, and so forth.

There were many people of all colors and creeds walking around the village. A handful were covered head to toe in thick fur, complete with a tail. Still others had scales and claws. Lazarus was so fascinated by the myriad of races and creatures they passed that he might have become lost without his inadvertently murderous guide.

My goodness, the diversity here is off the charts! And she doesn't even seem to notice any of them. Is this an everyday occurrence? Do they have other animalistic qualities as well? Or do they possess two sets of ears; one Beast and one Human? Do all of them live here? Where is my field journal when I so desperately need it!

Ultimately, Lazarus felt too awkward to interrupt the girl's constant chatter to ask what the village was called. Sara led them back to the guild via the main road.

The adventurer's guild was the largest, most prominent building in the town center, even larger than the common city buildings. It looked like a large warehouse with a bar attached to it on one side. There was a large hanging wooden sign out front with some kind of symbol similar to a coat of arms. A large group of people were standing by the doorway into the bar entrance. Some older men and and a group of five scantily clad girls stood together on the other side in a tight circle, looking a little worse for wear.

Lazarus got a much closer look at the strange beast/human hybrids hanging about as they approached. There were bunny boys with long ears and puffball tails, various dog girls, and giant muscular bear men and women. Sara paid neither of these groups any mind and together they walked into the guild without incident.

They passed through the overlarge double doors and were greeted by a group of six boys not much older than her.

“Welcome back, Sara! That was really quick work for you today,” one of the boys said to her as the other five all glared at the lich.

Oh my, these Beast children can't possibly smell my bones through this plate armor? I know animals have a stronger sense of smell, but the prospect seems ludicrous!

Sara said, “This is Lazarus; he's a Noble I ran into from my homeland! He helped me gather moss today so it barely felt like work at all! Why don't you boys introduce yourselves while I go turn in my quest for the reward, 'kay?”

She bounced off over to the counter where a rather nice looking black haired woman leaned. She had a worried look on her face directed toward the newcomer. All at once the boys rushed into Lazarus' personal space in an almost cartoon-ish way, gritting their teeth as they begrudgingly gave their names.

The smallest boy was named Edward. The lich hadn't even noticed him when they first entered the building. Whether this was due to his small stature or the fact that he appeared to be just an ordinary teen with blonde hair and blue eyes, Lazarus wasn't sure. The boy was trying his very best to squeeze Lazarus' gauntlet as hard as he could as the two shook hands. His face was turning red with exertion but, being unable to feel pain, Lazarus just pretended not to notice.

The second boy came over, hackles raised. His name was James, a Beastkin boy. He looked rather a lot like a dog or wolf, Lazarus guessed. His fur was a dull blueish, gunmetal gray and he had dark gray eyes. He was taller then his friend by about a foot, not including the ears top on his head. He literally growled at Lazarus after giving his name.

Aha, I see now. This isn't a predatory thing, after all. That's a relief! It appears that I've been perceived as a threat to some bizarre, convoluted mating ritual. As it stands, I don't think the poor lads have a snowball's chance.

The other boys were bunny boys that all looked very similar: Tad, Frank, and Mike.

Perhaps they were all part of the same litter, the lich reasoned. Was that a proper term? They were all about the same height, about half a foot shorter than the tallest boy. Each of the bunny boys all stamped his armor's boot in turn with their overly large feet. For diplomacy's sake, he also attempted to ignore these insults.

However, the last introduction made such an impression that was impossible for him to overlook no mater how hard he tried to keep a low profile.

A sullen, black haired human boy rushed up and threw a punch directly at Lazarus' helmeted face while hollering his name, 'Luther'.

Lazarus put his right gauntlet up and blocked the child's attack with a glance to the receptionist. She frowned at the boys, a stormy look in her eyes, and looked back to Sara. Once she looked away he backhanded the child who attacked him, sending him straight to the ground and silencing all the other boys. He walked away from them without even giving his name.

Skill Acquired: Unarmed Combat – User gains access to martial skills, requiring the unarmed skill as a prerequisite. Damage increased while not wielding a weapon.

All hail the Red Text!

Lazarus was able to calm himself quickly due to his constant friend showing up. In that instant he steeled himself and slowly walked over to Sara at the counter.

“Is your business complete, young lady?”

“Yes!” She beamed up at the lich, dumping a small handful of coins into his fist.

Lazarus opened his gauntlet and saw a total of eight coins; five small copper coins and three larger silver ones. Was this a reasonable amount of coin for the work performed? He hadn't the faintest idea, but it was a start anyway.

“This is your half of the reward since you collected half of the moss. Good job! I'll see you later!”

Seemingly oblivious to the small altercation, she hopped lightly over the unconscious boy's body and skipped out the door.

The young miss can't possibly be so dense!

He briefly recalled his earlier Appraisal of the girl and groaned inwardly. This was the true power of two points of intellect.