18 – A New Party?

Marian left Market Street behind and boldly made her way into a smaller, more upperclass thoroughfare called Singsong Avenue. Unlike the very broad main shopping district, wide enough for carts and wagons to access it, Singsong was far narrower and only about six of seven shops long. The atmosphere was quaint and sophisticated, quieter, with …

17 – Bite of the Vampire

He sat alone in the expensive inn bedroom, unable to enjoy the beauty of it. It was nearly noon and the yellow daffodils in a blue vase next to the window were already out of the sun as it travelled high overhead. Fresh, white-painted walls and glossy, white-satin bedsheets should have made the room feel …

15 – Profits and Taxes

More and more people entered the Guild hall and streamed towards the crowd. Weesely and his men were among them. Marian, Alessabell and Dalton quietly stood behind Hadiin, looking nervous.  Hadiin wasn’t nervous anymore. He was in his element. Though a tingling excitement ran through him, a thrill of anticipation at the money he might …

14 – A Shady Offer

Ice cream was selling like…well, ice cream on a hot day to people who’d never had it before. Hadiin and Marian both worked the counter, turning ice cream cones into silver coins as fast as they could. Alessabell and Dalton returned an hour after opening for business. She joined Marian at the stall while Dalton …

13 – Making Ice Cream

Rays of sunlight flickered through distant treetops. On the other side of the town wall, male voices called and grumbled. With a slow creak, the main gates opened, two armoured guards pushing on them, one yawning, while an officer in the back held a steaming mug of what was likely tea to his lips. Belleville …

12 – More Cryo Slime

The first problem they faced was money. As in, they actually had some for once. But they couldn’t very well go around with heavy buckets of silver coins. They were ‘saved’ from having to deal with this by an overly friendly and aggressive Guild tax collector.  The Guild agent was a middle-aged man with a …

11 – First to Market

Hadiin was happily humming to himself when Marian showed up.  “Oh! You sold all the leather already?” she asked in mild surprise.  He sat up in the wagon with a smile. “I did! And to a single customer no less.” He flashed her the three gold coins, rather proud of himself. Most people at his …

9 – Belleville

Hadiin It took him a pathetically long time to return to the wagon. He was struck, in turn, by periods of resignation and giving up any hope of recovering all that he’d acquired so far, and by frustration that he couldn’t get there faster to save it. But at least he didn’t run into any …