Actually falling asleep was a strange experience. I was awake one moment, then I woke up to banging on my door.

“Wake up you lazy turnip, there’s work to do.”

In my groggy state I wasn’t entirely sure if that was Yadra or the landlady, but I decided to get up anyway. While walking downstairs, I notice a couple of new notifications.

[You have 1 day left of your quest: Clean the dress]

[You have 6 days left of your obligation to the Salty Swine]

[Your current debt is 50 silver coins]

[You are well rested]

The well rested state seemed to give a boost to energy and regeneration for a few hours, which I suspected would come in handy. I also noticed the lack of ambient pain from my hangover yesterday, which made the morning pretty great.

In the kitchen, I run into Yadra and Betha as they finish their morning wash in the sink. When they see me, Betha leaves quickly, and Yadra pours a mug into the soapy water.

“All yours.”

Old horrible beer from yesterday. She probably saved it for this occasion. I sigh as she leaves me to my morning cleaning. The water is luke warm and feels good on my green skin. By the time I finish, Yadra comes back to the kitchen.

“You smell like shit. Take the kettle from the fireplace and bring it to the hall, then fetch a side of bacon from the larder.”

I follow her orders, seeing a lot of activity in the tavern. About 20 people are in here, men and women, waiting for their breakfast and gossiping about the coming day. I notice that very few of the people were here for dinner last night, or for lunch. There seems to be several different customer demographics here. I think about it as I go about my chores. Betha has collected a pile of eggs, and with the bacon in Yadras hands, the tavern soon fills up with the most amazing smell.

The rest of the morning is spent serving guests and cleaning up, and I find I enjoy the simplicity of the tasks. When I’ve finished I’m allowed to leave the tavern until lunchtime, and I head outside.

The ground is drier now than it was yesterday, but the temperature is lower. I suspect it will feel better when the sun comes up. The town has a sense of serenity at this time, when the earliest workers are already out in the fields. I consider going to find some, to learn something or maybe earn a little extra money, but decide against it. There isn’t enough time before lunch. Spotting a bunch of people around the town centre, I head towards them instead.

Four men were hanging around a bulletin board posted near the spot I entered the game, so I sidle up to them to try to learn some information.

“I don’t know if that’s such a good idea Fred.”

A chubby guy with dirty clothes looks worried at whatever they’re considering.

“What do you mean Sal? If I find the culprit, I won’t have to work for a week!”

The man in front was skinny, with a sculpted beard and a sharp smile.

“You don’t work now, what would be different?”

A tall guy standing to the side seemed to be younger than the others there.

“Shut up Torg, at least I have a roof over my head.”

The bearded man's tone is light, but there’s an undercurrent of mockery in the delivery.

“Oh yeah, how is Torgs mum doing these days?”

The last guy laughs as the tall kid turns crimson.

“Better every night. Hey, who’s this then?”

The man with the beard turns towards me with an appraising look. In a few moments he seems to have made a decision, smiling and reaching out with a hand.

“You’re that new guy, from the tavern, aren’t you? You sure know how to sing!”

My face turns a brownish grey as I fight off the encroaching memories.

“Uh, yeah, haha, sorry about that. That captain got the better of me. I really need to learn how to hold my drink better.”

They all laugh at that.

“My name is Fred, the fat one is Sal.”

Sal bows with a flourish.

“The funny one is Lout.”

A stare and a nod is all I get from him.

“And the kid is Torg. Be nice with him, his dad ran away last fall.”

Torg stares angrily at Fred before he walks off in a huff. Fred chuckles a bit.

“Sorry about that, he’s still not quite gotten over it. It was a big thing, but I know from experience that his mother can do better.”

They all laugh at this, and I join in out of awkwardness more than anything. Is everyone here an asshole?

“I’m TeeCee, I’m an adventurer. Well, I will be once I’ve paid off my debts at the tavern.”

They share a look, and Fred comes forwards, placing his arm around my shoulder conspiratorially.

“So you’re looking to make some quick coin? Me and the boys may have a lead on some work fit for an adventuring type such as yourself.”

He leads me away from the notice board, and I hear the distinct sound of paper tearing. Another hustle. I extricate myself from his arm, holding up my hands.

“Hey, I’m not looking for any kind of deal or inside information. I believe in hard work for honest pay. No offence.”

It genuinely looked like he wasn’t going to take offence until I said that last part. His eyes harden, and I notice his friends taking a step away.

“Now why would you assume I would take offence at a statement like that? Do I not look like a hard worker to you? Maybe you think I’m some sort of layabout, skimming the cream of this fine township?”

He comes closer with every statement, forcing me to move back further into the road.

“Maybe I’m some kind of vagabond, looking for nothing more than the opportunity to set up some ’hero’ for a nasty bruising.”

He punctuates the last word by punching me in the gut. In all my years of gaming, I’ve never felt that kind of pain. I flash back to childhood, when I got into fights, when bullies took their aggression out on me. Just a light beating here and there, but the sensations were so similar, so real, it took me several moments to remember I was in a game. Buckled over in pain, I see he’s going to follow up his attentions when a voice rings out from across the road.

“Fred!”

The change in his demeanour is immediate and total. He puts his arm around my shoulder again, helping me to stand up as he whispers in my ear.

“This isn’t over mossy. I’ll be seeing you around.”

He steps back as the mayor approaches us, a jovial look on his face.

“Fred, I see you’ve met our new barboy. You could learn a lot from his work ethics you know.”

When he steps up to Fred, the bully looks away, failing to meet his eyes.

“Now maybe you should run along, I think the sawmill needs some help with cleaning up after the last rainstorm. Why don’t you take your friends there and lend a hand. Should put some coin in your hands, keep you out of trouble for a while.”

Fred simply nods, skulking away up the road. His two minions follow closely, not even looking back at us. When they’re out of sight, the mayor turns towards me with a sympathetic smile.

“Some of these people just need some good, hard work to keep them occupied. When they have it too easy, they tend to lash out at anyone for entertainment. I hope you won’t judge our fair village too harshly by those buffoons.”

I nod, frankly too worried to comment.

“My name is Jas by the way. Jas Strom. I’ve been the mayor here, by popular vote, for the last fifteen years. I like to think I’ve been able to keep the village on a steady path towards progress. I hope that you’ll consider becoming a part of that progress. We could use a strong, versatile adventurer such as yourself around here.”

I smile awkwardly as he bends down, picking something out of the mud. A piece of paper, clearly torn off from a pin or a nail.

“You seem to have dropped this.”

Handing me the piece of paper, he walks off towards the town hall. I get the feeling I either just avoided something bad, or stepped into it both feet first. I check out the note he gave me.

[Skill discovered: Social Perception]

[Skill increased: Perception]

[You have been offered a quest: Strange sounds! - A group of women coming home from meeting at a local club were scared by a series of strange sounds coming from the woods slightly beyond the town limits. Please investigate what the sounds were and make sure the road is safe for little old ladies. Rewards Success: 25 silver coins. Failure: lower status in the town of Hogsmudd. Reject: No penalty. Time limit: 10 hours.]

Oh, 25 silver would let me contact my friends. Maybe they can send me what I need to pay off the Candrid woman and stabilise my situation. Maybe they’re even close enough to free me from this situation, or at least hunt down the captain for me. I accept the quest, and a timer starts counting down. I’d better finish the lunch service before I go investigating.

The tavern smells like roast beef. Every man here for lunch is drooling at the prospect, but all they get is leftover bread and cheap beer. I predict a large dinner service tonight. As I wander around the room cleaning and serving the punters, I try to get some information from the residents.

“Oh, the Candrids? They never come down here. They keep their own company most of the time. Old man Oltab dislikes spreading the wealth outside their family. The only person who seems to care about anything other than their farm and family is the little one, Tiene, but she’s a bit strange. I suspect they’re trying to marry her off as soon as possible before she brings something bad down on the clan.”

—

“What, are you talking about Fred? I wouldn’t worry too much, more bark than bite that one. I think I saw him heading towards the mill with two of his lads, so we’re not going to see him for a few days at least.”

—

“He’s the best mayor we’ve ever had. He had some strange notions, like taking the kids out of the fields to teach them words and numbers, letting the womenfolk work, but you can’t argue the results.”

—

“Sounds in the forest you say? I’d be careful if I were you. You’re the only adventurer I can remember who’s stayed in town more than a day except for the captain. Not a coincidence that.”

I replace his tankard with a new one and retreat to the kitchen to refresh my tray. When I return, Yadra tries to trip me, but I manage to keep my balance, shooting her a dark look. She flips me off and goes back to work with Betha. As soon as the lunch service is over, I check with the landlady and rush out. I need to hurry up with the quest if I want to make it, and I really don’t need a drop in reputation over this kind of thing.

[Skill discovered: Dodge.]

The midday sun made the world much more pleasant. My skin absorbs the sunrays, and I feel energised. Armed with the information gained today, I find the area of forest in question. The old ladies seem to have been walking from one of the outlying farms when they were spooked by the noise. The road is well travelled, and the woods are sparse evergreens, meaning a forest floor covered in needles. I carefully enter the woods, keeping my ears peeled for anything unusual. There are birds in the area, seemingly happy about the sunlight and approaching spring. Wind blowing through trees, rustling gently. Soon, I’ve searched a large part of the area, without finding anything unexpected. With 6 hours left, I’d say there’s no hurry, but dinner service will be starting in 5, so hopefully it’s not going to be a time specific quest. As I head towards the road, my foot finds the clue I’m looking for. A canvas spread across an area between the trees has been poorly secured against the ground, and I trip over the edge, landing hard on something that feels much more like wood than forest floor.