While Orrin’s mind raced through different scenarios from jumping out of the moving carriage to attacking Madi, Daniel started laughing.

“Leave it to you O to find the one thing these people have outlawed,” he said as he turned towards a glowering Madi. “First off, I have no ‘blood magic’ so you aren’t arresting me that’s for sure. Secondly, I’m not even sure Orrin is actually using blood magic or at least I’ve never seen anything using blood. I mean...the guy is basically just healing.”

Daniel paused and watched Madi’s face switch emotions several times. He asked in a quiet voice, “Madi, do you even know what ability he’s using?”

Madi spluttered for a minute and then put her hand out to Orrin. “Show me,” she demanded.

Orrin put his hand on her hand.

“...what are you doing?” Madi flushed and pulled her hand back.

“I have no idea what you want here,” Orrin lashed out. “We save your life and now you want to kill us...me... for using some sort of magic, which by the way uses my own HP, to be able to heal my friends a bit more. Maybe we should have just completed the quest and left you to the bandits.”

Madi sat emotionless through his tirade but when he said ‘quest’ she sat forward with blazing eyes. “Quest? You found a quest? For what? What type of reward is there? No matter, it’s almost always worth it. Can you share it? Do you both have it?”

Orrin opened his mouth to tell her no she could not share their quest. But Daniel beat him to it. “No. We will not share our quests with you. Especially not after how you treated Orrin about the abilities he picked.”

“QUESTS? Multiple?” Madi was near hyperventilation now.

Daniel smiled, crossing his arms and sitting back as the carriage hit another rut and jostled them all.

The three sat in silence for a few minutes. Orrin pulled up his status and noticed a lot of blinking exclamation points.

Quest Complete

Defeat the bandits 4/4

Reward: 200 XP

Level 3 Obtained!

+10 AP

He cleared the boxes with a thought and started rummaging through the Store again. He should just buy [Teleport] and get out of here with Daniel. He hovered over the buy button but then stopped.

“...Madi. If we share a quest with you, what would that be worth?”

Daniel raised an eyebrow, but Orrin ignored him.

She looked at Orrin with a sneered lip, “Not enough to save your life, Blood Mage.”

Orrin smiled at her and leaned against the shut door. “What if I told you I’m not a blood mage?”

“I’d call you a liar. The only classes that can use HP for MP are Blood Mage or Vampire and I saw you in the sunlight.”

“Is there a way to show you my class? Or do you not have [Identify]?” Orrin asked.

Madi’s sneer turned into a frown, “I have no need to waste the points on [Identify], that’s for the guards or Guild. And to ask to see a person’s class is rude... I should not have asked to see your ability either. I apologize for that, even to a Blood Mage.”

Orrin thought of how Daniel had shared his quests before. He pulled up his status and pinched the boxes he wanted. He flicked his wrist towards Madi in a throwing motion, tossing the ability and his class boxes.

The shock on her face turned to puzzlement. “I’ve never heard of Utility Warder...and Blood Mana is a restricted ability to only Blood Mage.”

Daniel finally spoke up, “Is Blood Mana outlawed or the class?”

Madi answered hesitantly, “Blood Mage is outlawed. Mostly because the spells of the class require sacrifices for fuel. I’ve read that Blood Mana is used to sap targets of their HP for the large mana requirements but its usually not the worst of what those who take the class do.”

“Oh shit! I didn’t even think to try using it on others. Could I have drained those bandits?” Orrin fiddled with a loose string in the upholstery of his seat.

“You truly have never used your spell on another?” Madi asked incredulously.

“Only had it for a day and the only person I’ve been draining is myself... That sounds dirtier out loud.”

Daniel chuckled.

“But if I promise not to use that spell to do blood mage-y things... and we gave you a quest... we could probably overlook the whole thing, right?” Orrin was betting quests were rare based on her earlier reaction. “I mean, we did save your life too.”

Daniel had leaned back and closed his eyes, ignoring the entire exchange now. He knew Orrin could weasel his way into a good deal.

“The law technically only regulates the class, not the ability. And you did save the life of a noble going about the administration of the country business.”

Hook, line, and sinker, Orrin thought.

“If...if you give your word. I will not alert the guards. But if they check your status, I can be of no help. What is the quest?” Madi tried to keep the excitement off her face, but her hands were clenched on her seat cushion.

Orrin pulled up the quest

Reach the Wall of Dey within 24 hours [3 hours 2 minutes 54 seconds]

Reward: +1 to all stats

Failure: No penalty

He willed the quest to her and leaned against the side of the carriage again.

“Plus one to all stats?” Madi exclaimed. “To simply reach the city walls? This is the most ridiculous quest I have ever heard of.”

“What kind of quests do you normally get then?” Daniel chimed into the conversation.

Madi mumbled and pushed Orrin’s hand off the upholstery string he had started pulling on.

“Sorry. I didn’t hear you?” Daniel insisted. Orrin waited for Madi to turn and then yanked the thread out completely at the base.

“I’ve never reached a quest before. Most people see one or two their entire life...unless you find a Hero, but we haven’t had a true Hero in over 60 years,” Madi frowned at Orrin. She had noticed the vandalism.

Daniel looked at Orrin and said nothing. Orrin could tell his friend was letting him take the lead.

“I haven’t heard of that class,” he gambled.

“Not surprising. Usually the nobles try to keep a Hero contained. Nobody knows all they can do... They start off ridiculous boosts and only grow stronger. I heard a visiting Duke tell a story that a thousand years ago, one of them killed a Demon Lord and created the Sea of Fire!”

“So anyone who took that class would probably stay away from nobles then. I guess that’s why quests are so rare.”

“Well, that’s only the nobles who don’t care for the people. Someone with a Hero class can only be summoned and that uses a lot of magical resources. Usually an entire country will pool the cost together in the face of a major threat. Most Heroes are treated like foreign dignitaries and given every comfort. Of course, they also have to defend against whatever evil arises but most succeed.”

“Just most? What happens to the rest?” Daniel asked with trepidation.

Madi appeared bashful again. “...um. I don’t think I should be talking this much about classified classes. But thank you for this quest. How did you get it? Meet any traveling Heroes?” she tried for a joke.

Daniel and Orrin glanced at each other. It was an instance of two friends communicating far more than an outsider would guess.

Should we tell her? Daniel wanted to trust her.

HELL NO. Orrin didn’t want to get tangled up with a noble family.

I’m going to have to defeat the Demon Lord eventually. Might be nice to have some backing and not have to buy clothes with my points.

Don’t do it! We don’t even know why she was out on the road. That bandit said something about ‘what she’s been doing’ outside the city. What if she’s more than she seems or tries to imprison us?

Daniel let his easy smile spread on his face, “Nothing like that. We just got a quest to reach the Wall and another to defend it when we were traveling nearby. We’ve never been this far...from home. Maybe we were just lucky.”

“Defend the wall from a Horde?” Madi sat forward on her seat again. “Does it have a countdown too? Would you share it?”

“No countdown timer. Variable reward. And what’s in it for us?” Orrin butted in before Daniel gave away the quest.

“Hmmm,” Madi looked at the ceiling. “I could have my father give you knighthood for the city? Or 1,000 gold each? That’s about the price to purchase knighthood anyways.”

Daniel and Orrin exchanged another glance. Neither wanted knighthood for sure. And while money was probably good to have, what they really needed was information.

“Only a thousand gold for us to split, but you have to answer every question we have until we reach the wall,” Orrin offered.

“Deal! I can pay you that right now with the tax money…” she bite her lip. “Please ignore the fact I just said that. Nobody is supposed to know I’m out collecting on my father’s behalf.”

Madi pulled Daniel off the seat next to her and flipped the seat cushions up. Underneath, hidden below a false top, was an iron chest with a single keyhole. She made them both turn before pulling a key from down her leather chest-piece and opening the lid. Inside were stacks of gold coins wrapped in cloth to reduce the jangling they made with the lid open. Hundreds of gold pieces, thousands of silver.

“I may only be able to give you a little less than half now,” Madi said sheepishly. “But you can find me at the castle gates and I’ll get you the rest of course. Or I can open credit for you at the Guild. Are you registered?”

Orrin and Daniel took 150 gold each from Madi and then began to ask questions. She opened a small basket and handed out some bread and cheese.

Dey was the most western fortress of the continent, sealing the only pass of the Great Mountain Line. The Great Mountain Line being of course the impassable, impregnable mountain range that separated the civilized world from the lands of roaming monsters. The no-man’s-land through the pass was certain death to anyone below level 50 and even then, most adventurers never returned.

Dey was governed by the Houses of Dey. The Catanzano family, the Wendeln family, the Tarris family, and Timpe family. Control of various parts of the city was cycled between the families to keep power out of the hands of any one person. The Catanzano family was currently in charge of the guard, the collection of taxes, and internal crimes.

The Wendeln family watched The Wall and would repel any Hordes that arrived. The city had a Horde every other month, with the occasional surprise Horde as well. Scouts in the Pass usually gave a few days notice before any attack.

The Tarris family was in charge of dungeon eradication. The various dark energies that allowed monsters to form in the first place could occasionally fester, even on this side of the Great Mountain Line. Those energies would create dungeons that would grow until ripe. Then they would pop like a festering wound and open their doors to the world. A newly appeared dungeon was hopefully defeated within the year. If not, they grew exponentially harder to end. Luckily, only two dungeons in the area had ever been able to evade total subjugation. The Tarris family kept those contained.

She only gave a few odd looks at the simplicity of their questions. Orrin waved off her questions by saying, “Yes. That’s how we were raised too but mom always said it’s best to find out how the locals think before you say something stupid.” She seemed to buy it.

They didn’t ask the more pressing questions in their minds, like what is the Guild, although Orrin had a good idea. They also steered away from more class or ability talk. Best to not have her dwelling on Orrin’s near-blood mage ability.

The horse pulled the carriage to the side of the road and stopped during Madi’s explanation of the last Horde attack, something that sounded like ghost panthers the size of minivans.

The crunch of boots on the ground alerted them to Brandt hopping down. He opened the windowless door, “Lady Madeleine, should I approach at the commoner’s gate as planned or should we abandon pretense and announce ourselves.”

“Huh?” Orrin asked elegantly.

“Our original plan was to travel incognito and retrieve some taxes that local lords had been... late on paying, without alerting anyone that I was gone from the city. But we only have... an hour left before the timer runs out and customs and guard checks will take at least that,” Madi’s brow furrowed as she considered. “Abandon pretense. Don’t announce my name, just the House. And for goodness sake, don’t tell anyone we were attacked.”

“Lady, I must report my near failure to protect you! I am sworn to it and have lost honor enough already,” the knight’s helmet was in his hand. His dark brown hair contrasted with his bright blue eyes and pale skin. The pain he felt was etched across his face.

“Sir Bennett, if I might,” Daniel chimed in. “You failed at nothing. In fact, you have brought much more into Lady Madeleine’s life today...and your own. Keep her secret as she requested and,” Daniel made a hand gesture “you can join us in getting some free stats.”

Madi and Brandt looked aghast but for different reasons. Brandt was fumbling over himself thanking Daniel for sharing a quest with him. He hadn’t been able to hear the conversation from outside the carriage and the shock of a quest was obvious. Madi looked pissed that Daniel had shared the quest so easily with Brandt.

With Sir Bennett’s cooperation settled, Madi continued to answer questions about the best and most affordable inns, shops, and even the general location of the Guild, for twenty minutes before a Ding rang in Orrin’s mind.

Quest Complete

Reach the Wall of Dey [35 minutes remaining]

Reward: +1 to all stats

Name: Orrin

Class: Utility Warder

Level 3 (0/300)

Ability Points: 10

HP: 90

MP: 130

Strength: 9

Constitution: 9

Dexterity: 9

Will: 13

Intelligence: 11

Abilities:

[Mind Bastion]

[Dimension Hole]

[Identify]

[Blood Mana]

[Meditate]

Spells:

[Calm Mind]- 5 MP

[Heal Small Wounds]- 5 MP

[Increase Strength]- 5MP

[Increase Dexterity]- 5M

[Camouflage]- 10 MP

All three of them were reading and not paying attention to each other or their surroundings. So when Sir Bennett opened the door that Orrin was leaning on again, nobody could react. Orrin fell out bodily and landed hard on the dirt.

“Sir! Are you alright? I apologize for-“ Bennett picked him up by one arm and stood him up, brushing his pants and he continued to sputter.

“Brandt, it’s fine,” Orrin tried to back up. “It’s fine, really.”

Daniel stepped out laughing. Madi followed behind. Daniel looked as if he was going to rib his friend but his eyes widened as he noticed his surroundings.

“Wooowww,” Daniel turned a slow circle. Orrin followed his gaze.

They had ridden through the Wall, which looked even higher from inside. But the city itself was classical fantasy brick with towering spires, paned and stained glass everywhere, and street vendors selling everything from meat on a skewer to weapons.

The smells were fascinating. Orrin watched a little girl drag her father to a man holding tiny balloons. A quick exchange of money and the girl walked off with a blue balloon the size of a tennis ball floating behind her. Orrin let out a quick yell when she pulled the balloon down and stuffed it into her mouth and swallowed.

“That girl just ate a balloon! We have to tell her-“

“What’s a ball-une? Do you mean the little girl in the green dress? That’s just a willowpuff,” Madi oversaw a set of guards taking the hidden compartment out of the carriage. “Have you never had a willowpuff?”

“Uh, no. What...no.” Orrin shook his head and spotted Daniel talking with Bennett as they looked in another chest at the back of the carriage.

“I love the purple ones,” Madi held her hand out and Orrin noticed a glimmer of coins. “Get three please. Brandt hates them.”

Orrin watched Daniel pick up a crossbow and turn it over. They’re going over the bandit loot, he realized.

Madi coughed politely. He took her coins and walked over to the balloon man.

“Can I have three uh- willowpuffs?”

The man turned and smiled. His teeth were stained multiple colors, but not like a rainbow. Instead Orrin was reminded of an artist he’d done a report on who just threw paint on canvas.

“Colors? Three for three coppers, sir,” the man continued his crazy and colorful grin.

“Purple?”

Orrin returned holding three balloons. They floated slightly in front of him, defying the wind.

“O. What the heck is that?” Daniel appeared next to him. His backpack had more bulk and Orrin saw one sword handle peeking out.

“Edible balloons,” Orrin handed one to Daniel and held the other to Madi. She pulled the string down and inhaled. The purple circle distorted and turned to smoke as she did, swirling into her mouth. She chewed and smiled. Her teeth purple.

“Thanks. It’s been awhile since I’ve had one.”

Orrin and Daniel shrugged at each other and tried the floating food.

Although the willowpuff turned to smoke, it filled his mouth like melted chocolate but with a nutty spice that warmed his mouth, then his throat as it flowed into him. Delicious!

Daniel smiled, “That’s good.” He looked around. “We might need to go try some more food.”

They left Madi to her work, promising to find her the next day at her home. Walking along the stalls, the boys quickly figured out the conversion rate of the currency. Ten copper made one silver and ten silver in a gold. None of the food cost more than a copper or two. The meat on sticks were actually two fully loaded sticks with veggies for one copper.

They ate five of those each.

Nothing was familiar and yet, Orrin already felt more at home here than he ever had in high school. With his junior year ending soon, Orrin hadn’t started planning for college or anything after high school ended. He knew Daniel was already getting scholarship offers but they never spoke about that stuff in detail. But as they walked along the aisles towards an inn Madi had suggested, the smells assaulting his nose and the sounds of multiple instruments floating in the air, Orrin felt comfortable. He felt free.