“Give me a quest to find him!” Dijornos bellowed.

“What? You're trying to milk experience out of us at a time like this?” Cagna glared at him.

“No! I have skills for this! Give me a quest and offer coin. Fast!”

Surprisingly, it was Speranza that defended him. “He's telling the truth. Do it.”

Chase considered it for a second, then nodded. “Give me a moment. I've never done this before. Not all the way, anyway.”

But she knew how it went. Chase had been taught of quests.

They were things that were only really used in desperation, magical contracts that allowed you to trade away precious experience and treasure to otherwise untrustworthy people. They were magical oaths, that could cost you years of hard work if you were incautious.

And all it took was a brief moment of meditation or holding a thought too long to set them in motion.

Like the other halven children, she had been taught to form them, to call quests into being, and then promptly told to leave them alone and why. They traded away your hard-earned experience and money, usually for trifles. People would take advantage of you if you used them too often!

But like the rest of the teens her age, she had played with calling them into being.

Quest activate, Chase thought, and watched a string of numbers float by in her vision. It ended with a flashing pair of letters, light dancing from one to the other. Y and N.

Yes, Chase thought...

...and the room became a lot less visible, as an illusion, an overlay of four rectangular outlines filled with glowing words; words like 'participation', 'details,' 'reward,' and 'completion criteria.'

Participation would only let itself be filled with one of two words at first; public or private. She chose private, and a flickering line danced until she stared at Dijornos. Then it filled with his name.

The rest of the outlines required a little more thought to fill, and after what seemed like an eternity but was probably only half a minute, she was done.

“Here you go,” she said, and thought yes, and the outlines were replaced with glowing letters hanging between herself and Dijornos.

YOU HAVE OFFERED DIJORNOS A PRIVATE QUEST!

TITLE: YOU SAVE YUBAI

DETAILS: FIND AND SAFELY RETRIEVE YUBAI GOLD

REWARD: 100 EXPERIENCE AND 1 SILVER

COMPLETION: GET YUBAI GOLD TO CHASE BERRYMORE AND SEE HER FOR REWARD

DO YOU ACCEPT THIS QUEST? Y/N?

Dijornos turned his head, reading it. His brow furrowed as he went. “What? That's all? You're cheap, girl. I know you're loaded, why are you lowballing this?”

“If you need money for something, just ask us and tell us what it's for,” Chase said. “This is just a formality. But if you don't think your skills are good enough, that's fine. We have other options. Cagna, can you—”

“Yes!” Dijornos interrupted, and the words faded away. “I'll do it, fine, whatever.”

The quest disappeared, and Chase felt... different. Like someone had jabbed her with a pin, only painlessly. The feeling of experience lost, the feeling that I was warned about. Gods, now I'm offering people quests. This is about as far from home as I can get.

And oddly enough, the thought cheered her a bit.

“Let's do this!” Dijornos sneered. “Form Party! Invite All! Everybody get in if you want buffs!”

You have been invited to Dijornos' party!

You are already in a party!

“Yes,” Speranza said, and then looked confused. She opened her mouth, but Dijornos beat her to it.

“What? Oh come on, get out of your party and into mine. Or add us into yours. Here, Disband party, whatever.”

“Whoa, slow down, I... all right, I suppose it cuts both ways,” Chase decided. “Invite Dijornos, Invite Speranza.”

There was the possibility that he had ulterior motives here. But it would also let her get a peek at his levels, and Speranza's for that matter. That was too good a chance to pass up. And if he was on the level about his skills, it would help with the emergency.

The second they were in, he ran out the door. “Good! Follow me! Forced March, Do the Job, Follow the Dotted Line.”

Chase hurried to her feet...

...and almost jumped into the wall, as she hopped straight up. All of a sudden her body was light, so very light, and she had no idea why.

No idea until words appeared right in front of her;

Dijornos' Noblesse Oblige buffs you!

STR+28

Then, glowing shapes materialized on the floor, heading straight out the door.

“This is the dotted line?” Chase asked, confused.

“It's a Mercenary thing,” Cagna put her hand on Chase's shoulder, steadying her. “No time to talk, hothead's on the move! Let's go!”

“I've got her,” Bastien said, and scooped Chase up, settling her into her usual spot on his shoulders. “C'mon!”

Then they were on the streets, and following the glowing path before them. Out into those ash-choked streets, past coals still glowing in charred remnants of houses, hunting for the lost player.

At least, the others were.

Chase knew her perception was decent, but Cagna and Renny's senses were far better. So instead, she called up her party screen and took a peek at her two uncertain allies.

Dijornos

Human 21 HP 701

Guildmaster 12 SAN 331

Mercenary 47 STA 479

Ruler 28 MOX 335

Smith 12 FOR 395

Chase's mouth felt dry, as the numbers hammered the truth of it home. They dwarfed her own, illustrated the fact that if Dijornos wanted them dead, then he could very likely make that happen in short order. The least of his pools was higher than the best of her own.

And then, dreading what she would see, she took a look at Speranza.

Speranza

Human 15 HP 285 (295)

Bard 30 SAN 244 (254)

Courtier 17 STA 592 (602)

Grifter 8 MOX 585 (595)

Jeweler 6 FOR 426 (436)

Model 20

Siren 7

Tailor 15

That was... still a bit distressing, and those were big numbers, but clearly not on the same scale as Dijornos.

But Chase knew that Speranza's ability, that one trick she did have, was just as deadly or worse than anything Dijornos could bring to bear. All he could do was kill them. Speranza... Speranza could change them forever. And though her levels and pools were less than Dijornos' own, they were still greater than what Chase and her friends had garnered so far.

Depression gave way to determination. “So far,” Chase muttered to herself, and coughed a bit as she inhaled a bit too much sooty air.

“There!” Cagna called.

Plants lay strewn across the ground. Long sticks of bamboo, wildflowers, bunches of herbs without rhyme or reason to them. The dotted line went right past them, and Chase heard shouting in the distance. Unfamiliar voices, and one very familiar one shouting “No!” over and over again.

But the streets were passing quickly, very quickly. Forced March, Chase knew. The Mercenary skill greatly increased the group's speed. She'd encountered it before, and it was one of the reasons that she'd agreed to Dijornos' idea.

The ash cleared as they ran, and despite her worry for Yubai, Chase found her gaze straying to the surroundings.

This was... had been a piazza. Just a square spot between houses and buildings, with a statue in the center. The statue had been destroyed by some long-gone calamity, showing only two stone sandals and some rusted metal rods poking out from what remained of the ankles. Some ancient gnomish mechanism, perhaps.

The rest of the piazza was a shambles, too, but it looked more recent and somewhat deliberate. Wood and cloth and carts and barrels and other random things you'd find on a street had been shaped into two barricades, blocking the northern and eastern parts of the thoroughfare.

And then there were the gallows.

Nailed together with scrap wood and multiple lengths of rope from clearly different sources, they hung heavy with rotting fruit, bodies twisting and swaying in the wind. Some had signs around their stretched necks... LADRO read one, declaring its corpse to be a thief. STUPRATORE was another, declaring him to be a sexual violator. UOVA DI PRODURRA was a third, and there Chase's knowledge of the old tongue failed her. Something about camping and eggs?

The gallows were gruesome enough, but of far more interest were the living figures below them. A gang of about a dozen grim-faced people wearing masks pulled up over their noses and mouths.

And in the middle of them, squirming and trying to break free of the arms around him, was Yubai.

It didn't take a genius to look from him to the open noose and figure out what the group had planned.

“Okay,” Chase said, tapping Bastien on the head. “I think—”

And then she was grabbing for his hair as he jerked to a stop, nearly sending her flying off his shoulders. She managed... barely.

“All right,” Dijornos said, as she collected herself. He'd stopped, she realized, and the whole group had nearly piled up behind him. “There's only like two guys in that mob that are in the double digits, and the highest is twelve. Easy peasy. Figure we use our ranged attackers to take out the ones holding panda bot, then I'll charge in to mop up while he runs to safety—”

“Hold on!” Chase insisted, sliding down from the Muscle Wizaard's shoulders. “We might be able to solve this without a fight! Besides, they've spotted us.” She pointed at the group, who had left off hauling the poor merchant to the gallows and were drawing weapons.

“Talk. Sure. Except my quest doesn't say anything about that, now does it?” Dijornos grinned an ugly grin, and pulled a broken plank from a nearby trash heap. “I'm thinking it's time for a board meeting.”

“You would,” Speranza snorted. “If you will all plug your ears, I'll have them working for us in a matter of seconds.”

“No!” Chase protested, as the distant executioners hustled themselves, and Yubai, behind a pile of crates. “Look, they're just people, okay? That one's wearing a grocer's apron!”

“Yeah, and he's got a crowbar, and Yubai's skull ain't that sturdy,” Dijornos said. But he hesitated. “Look. If you don't have my back here, I can't guarantee fuzzlebutt's safety. Are you behind me or not?”

“Not,” Cagna said. “Try words first, words are free. If that fails, you can give'em splinters.”

Chase closed her mouth. Cagna had summed things up nicely. “I'll do it,” she said, pushing forward. “If I succeed then you can walk him over to me. That'll count for the quest, you'll be fine.” The dynamic was shifting, with the players in the group. Their charisma made it hard not to follow them, hard to try to keep the initiative. In time... in time it would cause problems, she knew.

Better to do everything she could to delay that, no matter how small.

And so she crossed the square, noting the other shapes in the dust far off to the sides, feeling the eyes upon her from countless windows as she passed the worn stone buildings. She watched the would-be executioners tense up as she approached, read their fear in their stances.

In all her life, Chase had never inspired such fear and she didn't quite know how it made her feel. But there was no time to dwell on it. The group she was approaching all had weapons, and Yubai was right in the middle of them. If this went wrong, he would probably die. And he might be able to come back, perhaps. But that wasn't something Chase wanted to test.

“Hello there!” she said as she got within fifty feet of them. “Our friend seems to have upset you. What did he do wrong?”

“You're with this stugat?” The man with the grocer apron jerked his mask down his face. He had the bushiest mustache Chase had ever seen. “You steal our food and try to sell us weeds? What the hell is your problem?”

“Signore, we've stolen nothing. Our Merchant friend just decided to run off without his bodyguard, and get an early start on business.”

“Don't try to fool us!” A large woman shouted. Her skirts were tied up around her legs, and tucked into big heavy boots, and she wore thick canvas gloves that were stained with unknowable things. “We find our storehouse bare and the very next day some stranger shows up to try and gouge money out of us? Cazza! Cazza I say!”

“On my honor as a farmer's daughter, we arrived in town just this morning. We were in Setsofbaggage last night, staying with Signore Giuliani at the Olive Inn.”

That made a few of the group lean in to each other and mutter.

Chase continued. “I am sorry to hear you were robbed, but we are not robbers. Come now, would your thief really be foolish enough to return to a place he'd stolen from, with such warnings on display?” she waved a hand to the gallows.

More mutterings, but the grocer set his jaw. “The criminal always returns to the scene of the crime!”

“That old saying's for murderers,” Chase snorted.

“It's also completely a myth!” Cagna shouted.

“Look, can you tell me what happened?” Chase spread her hands. “This is obviously a mistake all around, and we might be able to help.”

“Why would you?” Skirts-in-boots said, suspiciously.

“Why wouldn't we?” Chase stared. “We aren't staying far from here. If there's a thief about they might steal our food too!”

The grocer shared a glance with the large woman. “What guarantee do we have this isn't a trick?”

“What have you got to lose?” Chase shrugged. “My friend over there isn't guilty, but even if he was, hanging him won't bring you back any food. Working with us might.”

This time the group pulled into a huddle, shooting glances back towards Chase... and beyond her. She looked over to find that her friends had moved up while she was talking, taking their time about it.

“Good work,” Dijornos said as he drew level with her. “Figure we can charge them from here, they'll probably run and leave our panda behind.”

“No,” Chase said, and grinned widely. “This is an opportunity.”

“What do you have in mind?” Bastien asked.

“Nothing much,” Chase said, smiling as the group ahead came to a consensus, and started putting away their weapons. “They need help, and we need friends in the city. I figure we can come to a good arrangement.”

After a bit more discussion, the grocer nodded and took Yubai's shoulder, leading him over to the group.

“That's my cue,” Dijornos said, and moved up to meet them, taking the Pandaman, and leading him back to Chase.

DIJORNOS HAS FULFILLED YOU SAVE YUBAI

100 EXPERIENCE GRANTED!

REWARD OWED: 1 SILVER

There was a small tug, a feeling of disorientation that passed within a second. The experience is leaving me, Chase knew. But it was a small amount, she thought, and it was over quickly. “Er, thank you for this,” Chase said, and pulled out her purse.

“Nope,” Dijornos said, folding his arms. “Not taking your money.”

“Why not?” Chase asked. Something about his smile disturbed her.

Oh, there were teeth in that grin. “Because now I've got you right where I want you.”

CHASE'S CHARACTER SHEET

Spoiler: Spoiler

Name: Chase Berrymore

Age: 15 Years

Jobs:

Halven level 11, Cook level 5, Archer level 9, Gambler Level 2, Grifter level 12, Medium level 7, Oracle level 16, Painter level 2, Teacher level 6

Attributes / Pools / Defenses

Strength: 71 Constitution: 38 / Hit Points: 109 / Armor: 10

Intelligence: 69 Wisdom: 120 / Sanity: 189 / Mental Fortitude: 55

Dexterity: 134 Agility: 66 / Stamina: 200 / Endurance: 0

Charisma: 209 Willpower: 55 / Moxie: 264 / Cool: 65

Perception: 98 Luck: 223 / Fortune: 321 / Fate: 45

Generic Skills

Archery – Level 1

Brawling – Level 8

Climb – Level 15

Dagger – Level 2

Dodge – Level 13

Fishing – Level 14

Ride – Level 10

Stealth – Level 18

Swim – Level 7

Throwing – Level 31

Halven Skills

Fate’s Friend – Level N/A

Small in a Good Way – Level N/A

Cook Skills

Cooking - Level 20

Dishwasher – Level N/A

Freshen - Level 12

Archer Skills

Aim – Level 9

Demoralizing Shot – Level 6

Far Shot – Level 1

Missile Mastery – Level N/A

Quickdraw – Level N/A

Rapid Fire – Level N/A

Razor Arrow – Level 8

Ricochet Shot – Level 21

Gambler Skills

Ace in the Hole – Level 2

Assess Challenge – Level N/A

Cardsharp – Level 9

Gambler’s Fortune – Level N/A

Hold’em – Level N/A

Grifter Skills

Feign Death – Level 7

Fools Gold – Level 4

Forgery – Level 11

Master of Disguise – Level 15

Old Buddy – Level 7

Pickpocket – Level 20

Silent Activation – Level 30

Silver Tongue – Level 32

Size Up – Level 8

Unflappable – Level N/A

Medium Skills

Bad Fortune – Level 15

Crystal Ball – Level 10

Focus Vision – Level 5

Fortuna – Level N/A

Good Fortune – Level 16

Palmistry – Level N/A

Séance – Level N/A

Stack Deck – Level N/A

Oracle Skills

Absorb Condition – Level N/A

Afflict Self – Level 1

Diagnose – Level N/A

Divine Pawn – Level N/A

Foresight – Level 45

Grant Vision Level 7

Influence Fate – Level 11

Lesser Healing – Level 45

Omens and Portents – Level N/A

Random Buff – Level 9

Short Vision – Level 16

Transfer Condition – Level 15

Painter Skills

Fast Dry – Level N/A

Painting – Level 5

Teacher Skills

Lecture – Level 24

Red Ink – Level 3

Smarty Pants – Level N/A

Unlocked Jobs

Farmer, Herbalist

Gear

Enrico’s Last Hand

Light Leather Armor