As the late afternoon and early evening wore on, nothing had happened at the inn. SJ hadn't even seen anyone enter or leave it during her time there. The skies were overcast, and it looked like it might rain soon.
'This is pointless,' she thought.
"Not pointless, just not productive this time. You know how long it takes to stalk someone."
'I'm not stalking them!'
"You are really. Stake out, stalk, not much difference."
SJ couldn't argue with Dave's reasoning. 'I think I will head back home. There isn't much point staying here all night. Especially looking at the skies. I need to speak to Jay anyway, see if he managed to find out anything about the gang and who runs it now.'
"You never said where you would meet him."
'You know what? I don't even know where Jay lives. I have never asked him in all the times I have spoken to him.'
"That's true. I doubt he lives at the stables."
'I don't even know if he has family.'
"You know he isn't married."
'I know, but he may have relatives or parents here.'
"I doubt it. Orcs are quite different compared to many races. They don't live in family groups like others do. Once an orcling reaches young adulthood, they nearly always go out on their own."
'I would have thought they stayed in clans.'
"No. Many go wandering." SJ could imagine Dave's virtual shrug.
SJ had been reading her history book and looking at the inn's entrance. With her adapted vision, she was able to do both with ease. The entrance had been down on her left side while she was looking straight ahead, reading the book. The history of Amathera was fascinating, and she learned several new facts. She had reached a part which had covered parts of the fae history. The details had been similar to what Dave had shared with her about Gavia and his followers with the issues they caused, leading to the hatred and mistrust of her race.
Gradually standing and stretching, not realising how stiff she had been sitting still for so long, she took off and flew towards her house. She saw the fast movement coming from behind as she flew over the houses, diving as the object blurred past her. Yelping in shock, the bird missed her by inches.
"Carrion hawk. Level 12. Nothing to worry about," Dave said.
SJ had seen a few birds in the city skies, but none had ever approached her before when she had been flying. 'That was close.'
The hawk was beating its wings, rising into the air again after missing its target. It turned, splaying its wings, which reminded SJ of the red kites that used to fly around the parks of London.
"They usually feed on city rats or other birds. In your darker clothes, it probably thought you were a bird."
The bird was about eighteen inches, three times her size, and SJ had not fought in her miniature form since her almost fatal initial time on Amathera against the termites. The hawk approached her again as she jinked sideways and lowered towards the rooftops. She had been quite high above the city initially. She felt the air movement from its passing.
SJ landed on a flat roof, turning to look up at the hawk. The hawk had risen again and circled, looking back down towards her. Where she stood was open, and there were buildings which could look over the rooftop, and she didn't want to grow in her larger form. There was a door giving access to the flat roof, and along its sides were pots containing plants, and rope had been strung up to dry washing. The hawk came again. SJ called her claws. She wouldn't grow but would face it.
Her new claws were insane, and they were hardly visible in the early evening light. As the hawk neared, SJ readied herself, diving to the side, timing her dive to coincide with its passing. She left her trailing hand behind her, the length of her new blades working to her benefit. As the hawk again missed, her claws caught its wing. It cried as they cut through its feathers, removing several. The hawk tried to steady itself, but with damage to its wing, it could not, so it crashed heavily onto the rooftop.
The hawk was now flapping its wing, trying to lift off the roof again, failing each time. SJ felt a pang of guilt at its plight as it thrashed on the rooftop. It hissed at her, and for an animal, SJ could see the hostility in its beady brown eyes.
"You may as well finish it. If it can't fly, it will just become food for the cats in the city."
SJ's shoulders sagged, knowing Dave was right. She still didn't enjoy killing animals she felt more of an affiliation to. Her outlook had changed since arriving in Amathera, and she knew she had become hardier than her outburst from her badger escapade. She triggered her identification skill, only concerned about its health and nothing else.
Carrion Hawk Level 12
Hit Points: 49 of 71
The damage her claws had done was quite insane. Their base minimum was 24. Then, adding her dexterity bonus and skill bonus, the minimum damage she would do for a clean strike now stood at 65. She had only caught the hawk with a glancing blow on its wing as it had passed her. Without hesitation, SJ approached the hawk. It hopped, hissing, flapping its wings, and she waited for the right moment, watching for its very sharp-looking beak and claws, and struck up into the hawk's chest. The extended blade length made it easy to reach the hawk, and as soon as they penetrated, its health plummeted as it fell sideways onto the roof. It had such a low armour class that it had little defence against an attack, normally surviving on its fighting prowess. She felt sorry for it as it lay dead on the rooftop.
"Loot and go again," Dave said.
'Loot it?'
"The feathers are great for arrows. I bet a fletcher would give you a decent price for them. May as well use what you can from it."
While looting the hawk, SJ received 4 x Carrion Hawk Feathers. She did not even pay them attention as she took off again and continued home. The city cats would find it soon enough. Taking no pleasure from the bird's death. After checking the surrounding area, she flew down and landed on her balcony, growing and entering her room. Once the drapes were closed, she lit a lantern. SJ called down the stairs to make Yawnee and Lurtew aware she was home.
"Have you eaten?" Yawnee called back. "I am just heating some stew."
SJ's stomach grumbled at the question. "That sounds great. I will be down in a few minutes."
'The damage with these claws is crazy,' SJ thought as she closed the door again and walked to the side table by the bed. With care, she removed the incubation chamber from her inventory and placed it on the table by her bed. Its swirling light was still as beautiful and mesmerising as she stared at it. It gave off subtle light, reminding SJ of the nightlights her friends had back on Earth for their kids' bedrooms.
"With your dexterity bonus and skill damage, you are becoming quite a potent fighter," Dave said.
'When I consider what it could end up at, many of the creatures I fought initially would have been killed so easily.'
"You can understand now why the territory borders opening and allowing higher monsters and beings to cross can cause so many worries. Health-wise, the difference between a monster in its 20s and one in its 30s can be significant. Your current damage would put you in good standing against any of an equivalent, if not several, levels higher than yourself. Especially those who have low armour class and hit point base. The bonuses from your extra attribute points at each level may eventually make you one of the most feared in Amathera."
'I'm not sure if I want to be feared. That sounds evil.'
"Would you not wish for evil to fear the wrath of the good fae?"
'I suppose, considering it in that manner.'
The carrion hawk's feathers were soft, and SJ stroked them in her hand before adding them to the pile of items on the table. After washing, she headed down to the kitchen.
"Evening," SJ said, entering.
Yawnee was stirring a large pot on the stove. "Hi. It's almost ready. Could you call Lurtew for me?"
SJ walked downstairs rather than calling to find Lurtew sweeping the shavings from the garage floor. "Dinners ready."
Lurtew jumped when SJ spoke. "SJ, you scared me."
"Sorry." SJ watched as Lurtew collected all the shavings and dropped them into a bucket.
"They are perfect for lighting the fires," he smiled, noticing SJ watching him. "Right, that's good enough for now," Lurtew said, picking the bucket up and heading to the doorway.
They walked back upstairs, and Lurtew split the wood shavings between a bucket in the kitchen and one in the lounge. SJ had become used to the smallest items having a use, and little went to waste. Many families lived from hand to mouth, and all the small savings increased over time.
The stew smelt amazing, and SJ cut some thick slices of bread to go with it. While they ate, they passed small talk about the Brewers Guild and the changes they were looking to make. There was a concern that the changes could impact the prices of the barrels they produced, and both Lurtew and Yawnee were worried about their income. SJ promised the pair they would never go short, and if it came to it, she would support them both. Her financial income from the mine alone made her relatively rich, if not exceedingly rich, when considering most in Amathera. It was only since arriving in Asterfal and thinking about the dungeon and the income the Legionnaires may make from it that the wealth they brought to a city could be very significant.
Once they finished eating, SJ ushered them both out to the lounge while she cleaned up. The small, mundane interactions and things she did allowed her time to think and appreciate her position and what she had going for her.
'Jay leaves tomorrow with Zigferd and Isavil. I am going to miss him when he goes,' SJ thought.
Jay had become a trusted friend in such a short time. It was strange how she had built such a rapport with him so quickly.
"I think you need to get him to stay in Killic," Dave said.
'There is nothing for him in Killic. His level and experience would be wasted.'
"Wasted? He would make an amazing addition to the guard with his fighting prowess. He could also consider doing the Asterfal runs with Alef?"
'Perhaps. I will speak to him about it. I would love him to stay in Killic.'
"Never mind what the future needs of Killic will be when it expands again, and the levels increase. There is already that wyvern in the mountains. No one knows what else may come with the next expansion."
SJ finished clearing up and went through to the lounge. Lurtew was sharpening a chisel on a stone, and Yawnee read a book.
"Thank you for dinner."
"No need to thank me. It's your home. It's the least I can do," Yawnee said.
"Lurtew. I have been thinking about the Brewers Guild and how it operates."
Lurtew glanced up from where he was grinding the edge of the chisel. "What about it?"
"Why does the Brewers Guild control all the rights to the barrel making in Asterfal?"
Frowning, Lurtew looked at her. "Who else would hold the rights?"
"Has no one ever competed against them for the barrel rights? When I listen to all the conversations about the Brewers Guild, I am always listening to the control they have over everything, from the prices of alcohol to the costs of barrels. They have overarching control over the entire sector. I know that they can affect beings outside of Asterfal as well. Kerys in Killic has suffered due to them previously, and I don't understand why or how they control everything. Where I am from, there is what is known as a competitive market. Different brewers and manufacturers always compete, keeping the markets fairer."
Lurtew sighed, and Yawnee looked up from her book. "I wish that were true. We have no control over the prices and only make a tiny profit from our costs each month. They even control the wood prices."
"What?" That shocked SJ. "So, you are telling me they have absolute control over every aspect of the process?"
"I suppose so, yes. But what can we do? We must use their products if we want to sell our barrels."
"So, they charge you for the wood you used to make the barrels and then pay you for the finished items afterwards. You are basically paying them to have the right to carry out your profession?"
Lurtew and Yawnee looked at SJ before Lurtew shrugged in response to SJ's question.
"Do they brew the alcohol?"
"They do the standard ales. Specialist ales and liquor are imported from other areas or towns."
"I think I may need to look into this more," SJ mused.
'I wonder if competing against the Brewers Guild is possible?' SJ thought.
"You would be surprised by the amount of power Brewers Guilds hold in regions. They are usually one of the wealthiest guilds, even beyond Legionnaire and adventurer guilds," Dave said.
'The way they are making Lurtew and Yawnee buy the goods to make the goods means they are being paid even less than I thought. If they could source their own wood, I bet they could make more money with fairer rates. It's worse than slave labour in the way they operate.'
"Challenging a Brewers Guild is not something I have witnessed before. Regional guilds have fought over the years to increase their control of territories, but they are very powerful. They are normally linked directly to many of the city and town officials. The way Kerys works in Killic is unusual, brewing her ales. It's not the norm for many. Few inns manufacture ale."
'I wonder where she gets her barrels from? I will have to ask when I return to Killic.'
It wasn't much later when SJ wished them both a good night and headed upstairs to bed. After extinguishing the lantern in her room and climbing into bed, SJ watched the light cast by the incubation box flicker on the room's ceiling, swirling patterns appearing like stars in the night sky.
SJ was awoken by a knock on the door to her room.
"Are you there?" Jay called.
SJ sat up in bed, rubbing her eyes, and looked at her display. It was nearly 0900. She had slept solidly and was surprised that Dave hadn't awoken her.
"Give me a minute," SJ said, climbing from bed and pulling her dress on. She glanced in the mirror above the sink in the room, sighing at her tussled hair before walking to the door.
"Morning," she said as she opened it, seeing Jay.
"Morning. I thought I better see if you were here. Zigferd and Isavil want to leave before lunch so they can reach the first stop before nightfall. Alef is at Isavil's and I thought you may want to see them off."
The thought of them leaving saddened SJ, but she knew it would only be for a few days. With Cristy gone, Zigferd, Isavil and Jay leave, making her feel quite miserable.
"Yes, I do. I will just get ready and be right there," SJ said.
"Do you want me to wait?"
"No, it's okay. I will fly over. Did you find out any details about that gang?"
"I did, but I will explain all when you get to Isavil's. Otherwise, you will never be ready," Jay said, grinning as he turned to head back downstairs.
"I will be straight over," SJ said as she closed the door.
'Why didn't you wake me?' SJ thought.
"There was nothing urgent to do this morning. I thought you could benefit from the extra sleep for a change," Dave said.
'I can't believe they are leaving today,' SJ sighed.
"It's not for long. You will soon see them all again."
SJ got herself ready, washing and cleaning her teeth before calling to Yawnee and Lurtew to let them know she was leaving. Lurtew called back, acknowledging her, and Yawnee asked if she wanted breakfast before she left. SJ turned the offer down and left via the balcony, heading straight to Isavil's.
The large wagon and Killic's coach were parked outside the house. Alef was busy checking the wagon's reins. As SJ landed and grew, she called morning to Alef.
"SJ. Nice to see you. How has your first Asterfal visit been?"
"Interesting is probably the best word to describe it."
"It's a busy city."
"I still have hardly seen any of it yet. What time are you leaving?"
"Soon. Are you not coming with us?"
"I will catch up in a few days."
Alef frowned, not sure what SJ was referring to. She doubted he had any idea she even had access to portals.
"I wondered if you were going to show up this morning," Zigferd said as he walked from the house carrying a small chest. He headed to the Killic coach and then dropped it inside.
"Are you nearly ready, then?"
"Just grabbing the last few items. With the slower pace of the large wagon, Alef thinks it is better to set off early so we aren't caught out at night."
"Makes sense. Is Isavil inside?"
"Yes. Out the back giving her brother orders about the garden."
SJ walked through the house and found Isavil and Fasvil in the garden. "This one needs pruning. If you speak to Tatlock, he will keep an eye on it for you," Isavil said.
"I will speak to Tatlock about all of it. You really don't need to explain everything to me," Fasvil said. His frustration was obvious; listening to gardening wasn't something he enjoyed discussing.
"Hi, Both," SJ said.
Fasvil turned, nodding. Isavil said, "Oh good. I have some news for you."
"From the traders?"
"Yes. She was seen in District 6 yesterday, late afternoon, and then flying into District 3."
"Do you know where exactly?"
"The main market squares in each District."
"Ok. Thanks," SJ smiled. "Are you all set?"
"Nearly. Fasvil isn't paying attention to the details very well, though. If it doesn't involve coins, then he isn't interested."
SJ chuckled as Fasvil hmph'd in response.
As they walked back through the house, Isavil checked each room to ensure she remembered everything. The house was being kept so they would have somewhere to stay when they came to Asterfal, so it was still furnished. Zigferd, Jay and Alef stood talking by the coach and wagon as they walked outside. Isavil locked the door behind her. "You have the spare keys, don't you?" she asked Fasvil.
"Yes, Isavil and I have the list of jobs you need doing as well."
"Good," Isavil smiled and hugged her brother, kissing him on his cheek. "I will send a message as soon as I arrive in Killic. It's a shame father couldn't make it this morning."
"You know what he is like," Fasvil shrugged.
"Ok. I think we are ready."
"Excellent," Zigferd said. "Your coach awaits, my lady." Zigferd bowed with a flourish, opening the coach door.
"Such a gentleman," Isavil giggled as she climbed the steps.
"I will see you in a few days," SJ said.
"SJ. If you ask for Grui at the stables, he will update you on anything they discover."
"That's great. Thanks, Jay."
The coach moved Isavil and Zigferd, waving from the window while SJ and Fasvil waved back. "See you soon," SJ said to Jay as he spurred the wagon forward. They watched as the coach and wagon moved down the street until it had turned the corner, heading to the Southern entrance to Asterfal.
