In his short time in this world, Deran had learned quite a few things, both about the game and himself. One of those things was that being a caravan guard was by far one of the worst jobs he had ever had. At the beginning of the trip, every noise made him jump with anticipation, but by the end of the third day he found himself bored and wishing for something eventful to happen.

"Are all caravan guards this bored all the time?" He grumbled half-heartedly to his two companions, both of whom chuckled. Luke rolled his eyes, "Trust me, man. You want the boring guard jobs. Less risk of, ya know, dying."

The reminder of what would happen with his death sucked all the levity from the young adventurer, his gaze turning to the precious bundle stashed away on the wagon in front of them. "I almost forgot about it. Almost." He sighed and clicked his heels against Misty's flank, urging her faster down the road, "Well, hopefully, we will be there soon and can figure it all out. Maybe find someone else to dump this egg on, I'm not certain I want the responsibility."

Luke sucked at his teeth, checking all of his knives yet again. It seemed to be a nervous habit of his, his eyes always peering out troubled under his red hair, "I'm not so certain you can. Not without abandoning the quest. We were there and already touched by the fey magic. The dragon will certainly be somewhat drawn to us, though hopefully not in a bad way. What are the odds you think of the beast trying to eat us the moment its shell cracks?"

Gorgath looked taken aback, looking at his hands in a different light, "Wait, could we already be corrupted by the twisted ones' magic? How do we know we can be trusted with the egg?"

Luke shook his head, his expression dark, "You're far too young to have seen the wars. In your time, it must have been a little over half a millinea. A lot has changed here in that time, it kinda hurts my real head to think about it. I'm sure if I throw a few more points into my intelligence I could piece together a theory but for now, I'll make do."

With his newly increased intellect, Deran knew exactly what he meant. He had already done the math and whistled sharply; each day that passed in the real world was over a month here. He hadn't realized just how short his time here would actually be. If he died tomorrow, it would still be the same day he had gone in. Not a ton of time for almost all of his savings.

Luke continued, "It takes a long time for the magic to do anything to you. If you never actually used the power, probably years. I wouldn't worry about the egg too much for the moment, though I've never actually been this close to an object with 500 years worth of Fey magic so. I'm not too thrilled about it either. There are definite signs to it, however, and if any of us start exhibiting them, it will be painfully obvious since we are forewarned. At that point, I say the egg will be more hindrance than not. Too bad the bloody thing won't stop leaking magic until it's hatched. Or if its mother was around she could just absorb it. I fear anywhere we settle for too long will start to feel the effects in small ways. Best not to waste time with this quest, my friend."

"Of course not. I'll add it to the list of impossible, immediately urgent things to do. We don't even know what hatching it will do." Deran rubbed his eyes and sighed, "Any idea when we will see the next bounty hunter sent from the devs? I can't be certain to have the help of the guards where we will be going and I worry all this time spent doing nothing will spell my doom."

"Well, we haven't been doing nothing. I know by now you've probably gained a few levels in perception, as well as a level or two with that sword of yours. Our bard companion and I have been sore pressed to hold you back when we settle for camp. I think you'll be fine if trouble arises. Plus, you have me."

"And also me. Someone has to protect you, nofang," Gorgath grinned from his hood, trying not to gain too much attention. Even though his reputation had been restored, it still wasn't completely safe for an Orc to be in this area. Fast-talking the guards would most certainly be a job for Deran, wanting to get the next skill in that particular tree. Already it had come in handy, both in solving quests and surviving fights he was certainly otherwise outclassed in.

Deran grinned at both of his friends, shaking his head a little at their antics, "Thanks, guys. I don't know where I'd be without you both. You aren't wrong though, I did go up a few. My block as well, which will be useful. By the way, Luke, I meant to ask. Why didn't Lyselle...or whatever that was, kill us in the cave? She certainly had enough power to."

"That was a bit of luck in itself, I suppose. The party ceasefire was technically still in effect. The fact that she was able to do what she did was beyond impressive, pushing the game limits to their very edge. I don't think she could do lethal damage, however. So she left with better things to do. Lucky me, I suppose. Ha." Luke looked a little white-faced at the realization of how close he had come. If not for his party invite to prove his sincerity, he would be waking up in a pod, cursing his fate. "We should probably be pretty careful here. Even with the world event, there will be plenty of players who didn't feel like leaving what they already had set up or people like you who missed out on knowing. You stayed in the starter town much longer than people normally do, wanting to just get to where the action and real money is."

"I'd like to think I built myself something solid out there though, to fall back to if need be. I certainly made some friends." Deran defended himself, worried about wasted time yet again. His fears were slightly eased when Luke agreed.

"That's true. Having guards who are willing to fight at your side is ridiculously powerful for someone your level. I suppose it has to be though, seeing how powerful your enemy is." Luke referred to their friend Lyselle, turned into a creature cold, distant, and calculating. "By the way, unless you have that poisoners' kit or you sold it, I think she took it with her when she left."

"Great." Deran muttered, finally kicking his horse to a trot just to get a moment to himself, "Another thing to be worried about."

***

Reaching the town of Borinheim was uneventful, which as boring as it was, Deran had to admit he was grateful for it. The guards waved them through with barely a glance, seeming to recognize Harvey by sight. He must have made this trip quite a bit to have that much familiarity. They didn't even bother checking his carts or goods, just clapping him on the back and accosting the next person in line.

"Well that's pretty damned useful," Luke muttered, "Didn't even have to hide in a hay bale this time."

Gorgath snorted while Deran asked, "You've hidden in a hay bale before? What on earth possessed you to do that?"

Luke shuddered, making a look of exaggerated horror, "Some situations, I had to hide in much worse. You'd be surprised how mad people get when you always win and you have to make a quick exit."

Gorgath chuckled, "Aye, I know what you mean, lucky one. I too have had to make a quick exit. How was I to know the lady was married and meant more than wanting to hear me sing some more!"

The uproar of new laughter was interrupted by Harvey, "Well, I'm glad you were able to maintain your high spirits with such a boring job. If you're thinking of going back, I'll be leaving in four days. You're more than welcome as extra hands, though I have secured new guards just in case. Plenty of people here willing to make a bit of coin."

Deran thanked the man, shaking his hand and pressing the coins the trader tried to give him back, "Keep it. I feel like you're gonna need it more than me to keep afloat. Don't worry, I'll make up the money I owe you and then some and will be back to bother you again." His gesture wasn't nearly as generous, as the more important reward for the journey was the three hundred experience points he had gained.

"You know, out of all the people I've seen coming through our town, you're the one I believe the most. You'll always have a friend in Tarth."

Relationship status with Harvey increased to Loved!

They clasped hands and watched the stout trader run off, yelling at one of the loaders he had hired for mishandling a package. Laughing at the man's antics, Deran turned to Luke, "So, you're the one with the most experience here. What's our next step?" His eyes once more sought out the bundle currently held in Gorgath's arms.

"Sadly, this town won't have much to it, though we can get some higher level quests and better gear. We will need to head to Goron's Spire, the capital of this kingdom. That's where I heard the world event was, though, so we have to find out more about that. Luckily," He smirked and winked, "I know the perfect guy to talk to. Make sure you keep your head down, as long as you don't make eye contact, no one can see that you're a player as long as you aren't obvious. The longer you stay hidden, the better."

Deran did a double take, looking at his companion with shock, "Wait, you can hide the fact that you're a player?" Luke just grinned, nodding. He pointed all around them discreetly.

"That whole crowd could be adventurers. There are abilities you can unlock with the skill perception that lets you more easily spot them, as well as deception abilities that help you hide. You don't seem like the type to go down the deception route, though it has some pretty powerful abilities you could make good use of."

Deran bit his lip, keeping his head down. He tried to look around discreetly, cursing his lack of a hood to make the task easier. "Well, let's find somewhere to lay low. I only have two swans left, with a few feathers as well. Know of anything that cheap that can help us hide our new toy?"

"Best bet would be a magic bag, though those things aren't cheap. I'm talking gold." A coin appeared in Luke's hand, almost as big as his palm, with a crown spanning its surface. It was gone as fast as it was there, almost a flash of imagination. "I can probably find one. When we find a tavern for you to hide out in, I'll go out and find a few things."

Deran nodded, trying his best to appear nondescript. Luckily a small fight erupted down the street, drawing everyone's attention from the influx of newcomers to the city. It finally gave Deran a chance to get his first true look around the major city.

His time at Tarth had made him forget how big a city could truly be. In the village, you could see from one side to the other if you were standing in the right spot, whereas here, just standing at the gate, the walls passed out of sight on each side. The crowd of people was almost staggering, faces everywhere that could be adventurers in disguise.

The commotion included at least one of them, "What do you mean, a feather a bottle! That's an outrageous price and I won't stand for it! I'll smash this stall around me to pieces before throwing that much on cheap wine! Two bits and nothing more!"

The stall's owner was right in the man's face, yelling right back at him, "Look here, you sorry sack of a man, I don't give a rat's tail if you want to spend it or not, it's what it costs. Trade's been reduced to a trickle, so good luck finding anything anywhere else! Even water is being charged for, so you better have some chips if you're thirsty!" With that, the man spun on his heel and went back to hawking his wares, trying to entice others into a sale. The furious player looked like he was about to make good on his promise when a handful of guards appeared, pushing their way through the crowd.

Luke chuckled, "Looks like he didn't invest enough points in haggling, or just doesn't know how to use it. I wonder how much trouble he'll be in."

"Move along now, otherwise we'll throw you in gaol for the night. Won't be pleasant, since the breads all gone moldy." Their glares and drawn cudgels did a lot to clear the area and move the disturbance aside, making Deran marvel at the speed they had responded. "Luke, just how big is this place?"

Luke was busy gnawing on a bone with meat on it, though Deran hadn't seen him make any purchases. With a wink and a quick swallow, he answered, "Well, Tarth is pretty small. Maybe around three or four hundred people, a lot of them being farmers who tend their own. This place is more around thirty or forty thousand people, with a lot of them being tradespeople, beggars... you know, the like you would find in most bigger cities. Lot's of quests and coin, if you know where to look. I don't think the answer we seek will be here, though who knows. We will have to see what the monger I go to has to say. For now, let's find the Royal Stag, I know the keeper and can get us a good price."

Deran quickly agreed, as well as Gorgath, both wanting to be out of the bustle of the quite large city. Gorgath was only doing slightly better than the noob adventurer, gawking around at all the sights and people from beneath his hood. Deran envied him his clothes, vowing to find a decent tailor to have some quality outfits prepared. Once the egg was safe, that is.

***

"I thought you said he would give us a deal!" Deran groused from his spot on one of the rooms three beds, "I only have copper left and only for two nights!"

Luke shrugged, picking at his teeth with a leftover bone from their meal. "To be fair, the room was pretty much free. It isn't either of our faults that the cost of food is so high. Most of it was shipped to Goron's Spire, from what I gathered. Stay here and keep your head down, I'm gonna try and find my informant to see what he knows. Hopefully, the little bugger is still alive, he tends to be useful and there aren't many who specialize as spies."

The young man grumbled a bit more, playing with the ring on his finger, "I didn't even get to eat and it still bled me dry."

Luke stuck out his tongue and waggled his finger, "I have to spend my money on your bag, and Gorgath here shouldn't be expected to have to feed himself AND follow you around." He dodged a hastily thrown plate, laughing as it clattered against the wall. He disappeared out the door, waving one hand in a vaguely offensive motion.

Gorgath grunted, not quite content to sit around the purchased room with nothing to do. It had been quite clearly pointed out, however, that an orc wandering around wasn't the best idea, so he agreed to sit and wait with Deran. "I still think we can just throw nofang here at any who want to cause trouble and just see what happens. If he can't handle it, I can just go home." He grinned savagely, his sharp teeth looking nothing but gruesome in the flickering candlelight. Luke shook his head and ducked out into the hall. Gorgath shrugged, chuckling at his own joke. With a nod to Deran, he curled up on the bed nearest the window, staring out into the darkening sky.

In moments, the green-skinned humanoid was snoring softly. Deran threw a blanket over him and began studying his stat sheet, looking over how far he had come in the game since he first logged in.

Deran "Nofang"

Friend of Tarth

XP: 5,625 (Level 4)

Health: 40/40

Mana: 9/9

Mental Resistance: 1.5%

Strength: 4

Agility: 4

Constitution: 8

Intelligence: 6

Wisdom: 3

Charisma: 8

Luck: 4

Chips(ch): 7

Bits(B): 3

Feathers(f): 0

Swans(S): 0

Pheonix(Ph): 0

Royals®: 0

Shoes: 1 ring, 6 shoes

Skills:

Bartering: 1 (4)

Block: 6

But words will get you farther: 4 (7)

Haggling: 1 (4)

One-handed: 10

Perception: 3

Stealth: 1

Tinkering: 1

Tracking: 1

Woodcarving: 1

Equipment:

Broken hilt of Luck

Broken hilt of Tarth

Chainshirt

Ring of Sustenance

Sharpened Masterwork Steel Longsword

Abilities:

Chandrals' Persuasion- More likely to be listened to by any with a friendly or higher relationship. With higher charisma levels, it can affect those of neutral alignment.

Parry- You can block with shield and sword alike! Lets you redirect a normal attack against you perfectly as long as you have a melee weapon in one hand. Cooldown 30 seconds.

Disarming Attack- You know where to strike on a weapon to try and cause its wielder to lose their grip! Chance varies based on strength of both parties and size of weapons used. Cooldown: 5 minutes

Shield Bash- You tend to forget you even have a shield, using it to lash out with tremendous force. Can stagger an enemy and leave an opening for attack. Cooldown: 90 seconds.

Quest List:

Metal ore what? (Repetitive)

Behind the Unopened

He read the same line a dozen times, unable to focus as sleep captured him. The last thing he remembered before falling asleep was the warm pulse of the egg on his hand on top of the bundle next to him. It lulled him to odd dreams...