159 - Izrum

Two days later, Alexandra joined Zeynep on the caravan crossing the mud wastes. Oren wasn’t available, so they crossed with another guide. The journey wasn’t much different: four days. They were not attacked by any monster or elemental.

When they arrived in Oldwater at the end of the fourth day, Alexandra, Zeynep, and Speck didn’t tarry in town and moved past through dried-up river beds. They camped out a few hours away from town.

The next day, they reached the stone fields and parted ways with Zeynep. The hunter would set camp at the edge of the area and spend a few weeks hunting before making the trip back home.

Alexandra, with Speck hiding inside of her, walked across the stone fields. Stones of all sizes, from boulders to pebbles, dotted the yellow-grass landscape. She kept her tracking skill up, looking out for traces of stone elementals. She hadn’t come here to fight, but she wouldn’t mind showing them what she was made of.

“Rocks.” Speck watched with elation every time they passed a new rock. Here and there, the darkness elemental would snatch one into its darkness dimension before going back to its observation.

Alexandra, too, had picked up a rock and was working on enchanting it to complete her daily. Today’s was relatively simple, as she just had to wipe her enchantment and rebuild it a few times.

Enchant an object four times (4/4) -> Quest Completed: +10 exp, +1 INT.

Daily quests summary: Four Quests Completed -> +40 exp, +1 STR, +2 DEX, +1 CON

Daily Quest Streak: 119-> 124

Accounting 1 -> 2

Contribution Points: 13,288

It seemed nobody had picked up the quest contracts she’d left at the inn in Balrum. She almost regretted not doing the same in Oldwater, but she doubted she’d see different results.

“I guess I won’t be able to escape giving a real reward.”

Another reason why she was hesitant to go down that route was that it would set a precedent. She wanted her guild to run on contribution points. Involving real coins in any way meant she would have more to handle.

That said, if the project was successful, she would probably have to hire people. Perhaps she should simply rip the band-aid soon.

In any case, she couldn’t do anything while on the road, so she kept walking.

By late afternoon, the walls of Izrum rose out of the haze. Unlike in Balrum, they were not made of stones, but of heavy, thick logs, some still holding on to their bark. She figured it was safer considering the stone fields ran all the way to the walls, and stone elementals would have no issue getting through such defenses. Behind it, she could see troglodite houses rise on a hill, similar to Balrum.

Two guards flanked the gate, spears crossed loosely.

“Business in Izrum?” The one on the left asked as she got close.

“Delivery. Letter from Councilor Emerh of Balrum.” She reached into her satchel and held it out.

The guard took it, turned it over, and checked the seal. “You came through the stone fields and mud wastes alone?”

“With a guide. She's making camp at the edge, hunting for a few weeks.”

“Okay.” The guard waved her through.

Her instructions were to deliver it straight to Izrum’s council. Here, the council still met in an underground complex deep inside the hill. She navigated there, asking her way near every intersection.

When she got there, a clerk took the letter, read the seal, and disappeared through a side door without a word. She waited. Speck shifted inside her, murmured something about the ceiling and walls being made of rock.

She didn’t answer. It wouldn’t do to talk to the elemental in public.

The clerk returned without the letter, but with a purse instead.

“Compensation for the delivery,” he said, putting the purse into her palm. It was lighter than what she got from Medh.

She summoned her journal.

Unlawfully taken from NovelPhoenix, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

The quest was completed, her contribution points tally updated.

Contribution Points: 13,288-> 18,290

She turned to go. She didn’t mind the points, but she still felt that the quest had been somewhat of a waste of time. Alexandra didn’t feel any closer to her goals, and she was days away from home.

She was about to cross the doorway when something caught her attention. A board, similar to the one in Balrum. She walked closer and saw that it too was covered in quests. If she could do a delivery on the way back, she wouldn’t completely waste her time.

“Good. Quest?” Speck asked.

“I don’t know. Let me see.”

She didn’t find a quest that would take her to Balrum, but another caught her attention. It was a short notice asking for information on the Watchers, the cult of Oc, demon of rot. It stood out from the rest because it was so short and there was no information listed.

“What is this?” Alexandra asked the clerk.

He looked up from his desk. “The council suspects the Watchers to be plotting something in the basin. The reward varies depending on how useful the information is.”

“I thought the Watchers were content waiting for the world to end on its own or something.”

The clerk shrugged. “So did I. But the council thinks something is up, and you can never be too prudent with cultists.”

Alexandra scratched the side of her head. Desire, and now rot. That was two demons she had to worry about.

“Anything else you can tell me?” she asked.

“I’m afraid not. I don’t know much myself.”

“What type of reward are we talking about?”

“Gold. Potentially a lot.” He paused. “Again, it depends on the information. Could be pocket money. But if it’s good, I could see the council financing a business of yours.”

“Ask. Rocks.”

Alexandra nodded. “Thank you. I’ll come back if I find something.”

The clerk shrugged again, clearly not believing she would.

She walked out into the open, watching the sun set over the walls. To be fair to the clerk, Alexandra, too, didn’t think this would work out. Where was she supposed to find information on a secretive cult? Things the city council of Izrum hadn’t been able to find.

Her journal hadn’t registered the quest.

“I guess that’s it. We’ll spend the night here and—”

Something moved on the page.

Contribution Points: 18,288 -> 18,290

Someone had completed a quest. That had to be the level one accounting quest she’d left in Balrum.

“Come on,” she said. “Inn.”

The nearest one was embedded inside the hill. A wooden porch led to a hole in the earth, same as everything else in Izrum. Unlike in Balrum, the lower city only took a small portion of the city. A sign shaped like a tankard hung above the door. Inside, the common room smelled of beer and smoke. Half the tables were occupied.

The innkeeper was a woman with a muscular build. She was wiping down the bar when Alexandra approached.

“Room for the night, and a meal.”

“Right. Pay up first.” The woman jerked her chin toward a chalkboard behind her.

Alexandra counted out the coins, then ripped a few pages from her journal. “I'd also like to put this up. Contracts board, if you have one.”

The woman took the paper, unfolded it, and scanned the lines. Her eyebrows went up somewhere in the middle.

“What's this for?”

“Work. Anyone who wants to take it can.”

“Doesn't mention the pay. Nor the place.”

“It's on the paper.”

“It says what to do. Doesn't say who's asking or why.” The woman turned it over, checked the back, found nothing there either. “No name. Just a reward share.”

“Don’t worry about it.”

The woman set the paper down on the bar. “I don't know you. I’m not displaying strange posters in my inn.”

“It's just chores. Come on.”

“Then it shouldn't trouble you to put a name to it.” She paused. “And pay for the work.”

Alexandra held her gaze for a moment, weighing how much explaining she wanted to do. Not much.

She took out three more coins and set them on the bar next to the paper. “For your trouble. And whatever it costs to keep it pinned up a while.”

The innkeeper looked at the coins, then at her. Some tension went out of her shoulders.

“Whatever. It’s your money. I doubt anyone’ll bother with it though. Board's by the door. I'll get someone to nail it up proper in the morning.” She swept the coins into her apron and handed her a key. “Room's up the stairs, last on the left. Meal'll be out shortly.”

“Thank you.”

Alexandra walked to an empty table and sat down.

“Alexandra. Not. Nice.”

She closed her eyes. “Yeah,” she whispered. “I could have been more approachable.”

“Next. Time. Speck. Speaks.”

She chuckled. “As if you could do better.”

“Can,” Speck said, shifting inside her. “All. Love. Speck.”

She nodded. The elemental wasn’t wrong.

“More. Than. You.”

“Fuck you.”

“Excuse me?” the innkeeper asked, putting down a steaming plate on her table.

Alexandra looked up, panicked. “Sorry. Sorry. I was talking to myself. I didn’t see you there.”

The innkeeper made a face. “I sure hope.”

She left.

“Told. You.”

Alexandra didn’t answer and focused on her food.