Clerk says "It is unknown exactly what it is. All I can give you is a rough description."

"Okay, I'm all ears!"

Clerk says "Well, it flies and has leathery wings, but a scaled body."

'He better not be describing a dragon!'

Clerk says "It has two heads on long necks and a poisonous tail. It is about thirty feet from nose to tail if the reports are to be believed."

'Okay, not a dragon! Sounds more like a wyvern.'

"Two heads? That's a new one!"

Clerk says "Right!? I think its people just making things up, but the bounty is real enough."

"How much is the bounty?"

Clerk says "One hundred gold per head, so if it's two-headed then it's two hundred gold."

"Sounds good to me! Any information on where I can find it?"

Clerk says "Not really. It flies, so it has been spotted all over the place."

"Then, are you sure it is in the mountains?"

Clerk says "Not one hundred percent, but that is where most of the reports have come from."

"A flying creature is probably going to nest up high. That means I will need climbing gear. Can you help with that?"

Clerk says "Sorry, no. We only have what the mainland sends us and they don't think we need climbing gear."

"What about the shops then?"

Clerk says "The only shop is the general store. You can check there, but I doubt it."

"Alright, I'll give it a try."

While a two-headed wyvern sounds fun, I am just using this as an excuse. Preparing for such an expedition will take some time and will be an excuse for me to hang around. So to keep up the ruse I leave and make my way over to the general store.

As expected the general store doesn't have any climbing gear, they don't even have rope. Mainly because the ship captains that are in port recently came in and cleaned him out. So it seems that if I want to even have any rope I need to talk to them.

Luckily, I know where they are, they are all at my inn, or at least they were earlier. Since it is getting to be lunch time, I was heading that way next anyway. Unfortunately, when I get back to the inn the common room is completely empty.

"Ah, where did all the captains go?"

Innkeeper says "Oh, they only eat breakfast and dinner here since it comes with the room. They eat lunch somewhere cheaper."

"Any idea where?"

Innkeeper says "One of the taverns most likely, but no clue which one."

"Alright, thanks."

So instead of staying to get some lunch I head out to check the taverns. After all, this is a small fort, just how many taverns could it possibly have? The answer is a lot more than I was expecting, at least twenty from what I can see.

Luckily, I find the captains in the third tavern I check, saving me a lot of time. The food they are eating doesn't look very appetizing, which might be why they are chugging beer with it. However, when I approach them and ask about buying some rope they all just laugh.

It turns out that what rope they were able to get isn't even enough for their needs. From what they tell me they try to replace the ropes they use for their rigging after every voyage. It makes me realize I might actually need rope if I am going to build a ship.

Hopefully, the elves will have some rope, since it seems there is none to be had here. If not we will probably have to do something like use vines or something similar. Come to think of it, I don't know if any of the remaining elves are craftsmen.

Craftsmen should be more likely to stay in the village, so I would think there are some left. It is something I will have to worry about later, for now I just need to buy some time. So I say farewell to the captains and return to the inn to have my lunch.

As I eat my lunch I try to think up another way to waste time without arousing suspicions. While I can still wander around looking for rope or climbing gear, the longer I do that the more suspicious. I need to find another reason to delay leaving the fort that will not be suspicious.

Unfortunately, all my planning and thinking ends up being wasted time. Just as I am finishing eating all hell breaks loose as alarms throughout the fort start sounding. The noise is loud enough to wake the dead and I am suddenly glad to currently have human hearing.

"What's with the alarms?"

Innkeeper says "Oh, it's just another orc attack. Honestly, I have no idea why they still bother sounding the alarms!"

"Is it normal for them to attack in the middle of the day?"

Innkeeper says "No, not at all. They normally attack during the night, and being woken up by the alarms is really unpleasant!"

"In that case, I think I will go put my armor on and then take a look at the situation."

The innkeeper just nods and waves me off as if nothing about the attack even matters. If my plan works and the orcs win, he and everyone else in the fort will die. It makes me feel a little bit guilty, but there is nothing I can do about it now.

By the time I get my armor on the alarms have stopped sounding, which is a relief. Yet, as I walk to the fort's walls I can see the soldiers are really nervous. It doesn't look like this is just a normal attack, and I doubt they know about the sabotage just yet.

Every single soldier, no matter what they are doing, stop to stare as I pass, it is the armor. Luckily, I have gotten used to being the center of attention so it doesn't bother me too much. When I reach the walls I head for a spot close to the main tower of the fort.

That is where the fort commander is and from here I should be able to listen in on him. As I look out from the top of the wall I can't even see any orcs, they haven't arrived yet. That should mean that they were spotted by scouts, so the humans have time to prepare.

Turning towards some shouting I see groups of soldiers being led through the gate by their officers. It looks like they are reinforcing the wall, this must be a large attack by the orcs. It works out well for me if it is, it means I don't have to wait around anymore.

One of the soldiers on the wall near me pulls out a collapsible spyglass and takes a look. He must be able to see the orcs because I see his face turn completely white. I quickly work my way through the crowd until I am right next to the soldier.

"Can I take a look?"

The soldier wordlessly hands over the spyglass, which is a little surprising. As I take it from him, he just continues to stare into the distance, as if in shock. Even before I bring the spyglass up to my eye I can feel the mana coursing through it.