The frost giant is the weakest of the giants who are truely inteligent. They are however rarely found outside of artic climates. They often raise winter wolves to use as man does dogs. One should beware of their physical might and the few who are skilled in magic. - Common Monsters

Adrian

“I drank too much can you heal headaches?”

I actually don’t know the answer to that question. I can try, if I can I want to remove my own headache. I touch her head and focus, after a moment I look at her face. She didn’t thank me for healing it.

“I guess not.”

Needless to say we grumble at the hangovers as we get dressed. I find a piece of paper in my pocket. When did that get there? I guess last night during the feast, but I have some holes in my memory from the alcohol. That fruit juice was wine.

I break the wax seal, I feel that it shouldn’t have been so easy. I guess drunk me couldn’t open it. I open the paper to find a letter of some sort but I can’t read written Althaen very well. I look over at K, now dressed, and pass her the paper.

She accepts the paper and starts reading it, I think she is sounding it out silently. Even so that is more than I can do with written Althaen. I am dressed before she finishes with the paper, and the begins to tell me about the contents.

“This letter is some form of notice for your appointment to be part of an expedition to recover and recruit natives for their subsequent recruitment into the army. We leave tomorrow at dawn, and will be accompanied by two other young nobles and a few squads of soldiers.”

This would be our chance to get away from this camp. I have a few days’ worth of food in Void Cache and if it isn’t too dry I can just condense water from the air. I do however need to get some equipment, armor and weapons. K interrupts my thoughts on how to acquire what we need.

“What are we doing to do?”

“Get supplies today. Tomorrow we set the others to believe us to be dead or kill them after leaving the camp.”

She nods and smiles. Neither of us hold anything but disgust for the Althaen. I think the sisters will like the idea as well. I stand up and move to the door; the others need to know and we need to discuss the plan.

When I open the door, the sisters are sitting in the lobby with some food from the feast yesterday. I wasn’t the only one with the idea of stealing during it, so much for Talia’s never steal stuff.

I walk over and the girls faces turn red when they notice me. Guess they already know what happened. I smile and notice Bryan walking over, Abagail wearing a frown follows behind him. I pass the letter to Talia as Bryan slaps his hand against my back.

“Did you have fun last night?”

“Jealous?”

He doesn’t respond, probably because Abagail is now within earshot. I tell him and Abagail about my idea on how to get out of here. Surprisingly Abagail did not frown at the idea of killing the soldiers that would accompany us. I also start condensing water from the air during our conversation, we all need some. Bryan is the first to comment after I finish.

“We are going to need more than the food we have here, not even counting the lack of weapons.”

Abagail nods to this, and they are right.

“Remember how soldiers were looking for whoever was stealing the food at the feast yesterday?”

They nod and I smile. They understood.

“As for weapons and armor, I will try to get some today. Not sure how much I can get by sunrise though.”

“What are we going to do for after they find out about this?”

Abagail’s question is good, what can we do to cover our tracks? Reducing the fallen to ash could make it harder to find out what happened. I wonder if I could set something up in camp to bother them after we are gone.

“I’m not sure, any suggestions?”

“Spreading disease or poison.”

I did not expect that to come from Abagail’s mouth, I thought she was too nice to think of something like that.

“What, it would work and these people are barely human.”

There is a bit of ire in her voice. She just might hate them as much as me.

“I don’t think I should stay a part of the conversation. Paladin code of conduct stuff. . .”

“I think we are done with the subject anyways.”

Abagail doesn’t say anything, and Bryan does not seem to have anything to say either. I forgot he was a paladin for a bit there. Can’t let the party babysitter know the sketchy stuff. I turn to the sisters, and repeat the conversation that I just had with the other two.

They did not like Abagail’s suggestion, at least as far as their faces are telling me.

“Are you really considering poisoning them” asks Talia.

“We don’t have any poison, so no. Otherwise what do you two think?”

“We need to do something, and I agree with using this opportunity to leave. But I don’t like the despicable methods being brought up.”

Lysan nods in agreement to her sister. I am not sure what we should do, I have no poison nor a manner to spread disease around the camp. I could find some cleaning supplies and dump them in the water storage, otherwise I don’t have another idea.

“I don’t know what, but I’ll take care of it.”

I pull both of the twins into a hug, Talia is surprised but accepts it easily. It might have only been yesterday for her that I said I was mad, but I’m sure I spent days in the void. It also probably helped that the only thing I’m upset with after last night is the now diminishing headache.

“So, who can show me where the Althaen trade?”

I look at K, but she seems to be more interested in sitting than being my translator today. The elven sisters seem more willing, so I turn back to them.

“Sister will have to, she knows where the market is.”

That answers my question, and Talia starts to walk to the front of the bank. I notice Lysan walk over to K as we leave. Bryan and Abagail left sometime during my talk with the twins.

After we leave earshot of the bank Talia begins to talk as she leads me to the marketplace.

“I thought that you were still mad at me.”

“That was days ago.”

“It was yesterday.”

“Not for me.”

She looks at me like something is wrong.

“Time runs faster in the void.”

“So, you really aren’t mad at me anymore?”

“As long as you don’t do it again.”

We walk in silence for a few minutes before arriving at the market, there are only a few stalls set up in the grass of the small park. One of the guards frown as we enter. He doesn’t stop us, so we ignore him. There are only a few stalls set up, all of them busy with other nobles.

Most of the items in the stalls I recognize as things that were on the ‘owed to someone else’ ledger after my trial. So, they just wanted some money; stealing from me was probably an easy way to get it too.

“Which shop did you end up selling everything to?”

“That one, with the fattest man running the stall” as she points to one of the stalls.

I look over his goods as he finishes up with a noble.

“Come to sell your boy toy now?”

I instantly frown, I am not a boy toy. Though before I can retort Talia does herself.

“This is my Lord. He wants to take back some things I was not supposed to sell.”

“Sure, but he will have to buy them. I don’t see any coin purses so I doubt he can afford it.”

He doesn't seem to believe her, it doesn't realy matter. I smile, I am going to unleash the nightmare of any cashier. Someone paying a large bill with pocket change. He deserves it for ripping her off while I was unconscious.

“How much for the armor and weapons?”

“More than you have.”

“Really?”

I dump a pile of copper pieces on the ground beside me. There is some suprise from money appearing from nowhere. I ignore it and start counting them out loud, while looking for some of the smaller items that I could grab while he was distracted.

After counting to a thousand I had taken the boxes of ammunition that were at the stall. Then I turn to Talia with a smirk.

“Talia why are there different symbols on the coins?”

“Those are the number of pieces they count as.”

I already knew that, and she knew I did. But now my count of a thousand coins is no good and I have to start over. There are also several people watching now. The fat merchant is of course not pleased, but regardless of his protests this is legal tender. The sale already started and he can't stop it unless he wants to fight an 'offended noble'.

I snatch one of the pistols though Translocation Grasp and pocket it. I can see two others but they are too close to the fat merchant. Eventually the line of nobles behind me starts to demand I give up or the merchant sell it for what is on the table. I managed to grab some knives, and every box with vials in it that were behind him as this escalated.

“Fine just take them then.”

That was the sentence I wanted to hear, I nod and Talia picks them up. I lost a few thousand coins but I still have plenty of 'pennies' left. Talia looks at me, there is something else she wants.

“What is it?”

“A necklace” she points at a necklace I remember her wearing in the past.

“How much for the necklace?”

“I’m not doing business with you again.”

“Your loss then.”

Talia and me begin to walk away, she appears sad. That necklace is important to her. The merchant is not paying attention to it, nor are any in the line that built up for his stall. I pull it to me, and pass it to Talia, a finger over my mouth.

That gesture is apparently something she didn’t understand as she starts hugging me. At least my chest muffled whatever it was she was saying. I got a few looks from others nearby but they did not guess that I have been stealing items this whole time.

I walk around the other stalls, but they didn’t seem to want to sell me anything. After all I pay in copper pieces. I didn’t notice anything we could use anyways, just cheap iron. So, Talia and me return to the bank to give out the items that I bought or stole.

K was asleep, and Bryan and Abagail were gone. They’ll be back by nightfall, so I'm not worried. My armor is not usable but the other four suits of chain were. I sneak out while Talia is putting the items in the room of their respective people. I need to find something to cause problems in camp and acquire more supplies.

I move to the library, warping the light around me to avoid notice. The books should still be there, and more importantly maps. The soldiers are still having their ‘training’ in front of the building. There are however far fewer survivors involved now, many must have died in these battles.

Within the building aside from Harrold and his class is empty. That will make things easier. I spend a few hours scouring through the rooms, pocketing books and looking for an atlas. I find the pile of books that used to be part of the original library.

I think I spent almost all of my mana to put them into Void Cache. It still doesn’t seem full; how much can I carry with it? I should ask dragon-me, he also needs a name. . .

As my thoughts wander to more and more trivial matters I exit the library and move to the one location that I know could hurt the Althaen if it were lost, the office building made warehouse of food. Nobody should be there and I happen to still have a key to it.