n

n

nKrow was helping question the scribes that had been abducted to work for an illegal book-copying organization dedicated to smuggling precious tomes out of the Library when he recognized one of the scribes.

nJedran Kalevos was one of the Baraldore officials who'd declared the Contracts of every one of the guildworkers void after the mess with Findrakon's disbandment.

nHe smiled in surprise.

nIf the vargvir had experienced something like this, Krow wasn't surprised by the sympathetic ear he'd bent to the uprising against Findrakon. He'd taken Gazzy under his wing, and taught him a lot about Zushkenar.

nThe other glanced around, uneasy, his smile obviously forced.

nKrow's smile didn't dim.

"I'm Krow. Can you tell me where you were taken, your name, and the nature of your time under the Dredris Group?

"

n

"Jedran, uh…I was part of a teaching group…

"

nDredris had just waited outside various institutions of learning and abducted people apparently. Some were bought from slaving groups, some were taken from outside Tvarglad.

nHe asked about anything he heard from their captors.

"Anything to make certain justice is kept.

"

nOverused and over the top lines, he'd since learned, was the way to keep some people talking.

nJedran's eyes sparked, and a deluge of observations flowed from his mouth.

nThe Dredris branch in Tvarglad had gained new management, it appeared. An ambitious leader.

nBut all these, just to copy rare books?

nKrow still couldn't believe that was a thing.

nThen again, the content of most rare books on Earth had been digitized already, available to most.

nThere was a shout of frustration from another part of the reservoir. Another scribe coming up against Sigram's unrelenting façade no doubt – it happened six times already. Counting that one, seven.

nHe nodded one last time at Jedran, who smiled briefly.

n

"Thank you.

"

nWrapping up the semi-interrogation, he dropped off the papers he'd used to transcribe his work with Marses, who was sitting with the rest of the scribes, trying to keep them calm. And prevent them from running. Plus see if there were Dredris sympathizers mixed in.

nKrow sighed.

nJedran Kalevos didn't recognize him, which was a blow.

nBut still, Krow felt a little lighthearted at being able to do this for him. The vargvir he'd known was a good person.

nHe hadn't deserved this.

n

"How were you captured again?

" Krow asked. Marses had made it sound like he'd just been waiting for an opportunity to escape, not that he couldn't.

"What happened to the one who said I stole the Book?

"

n

"They used a paralytic.

" Marses scoffed.

"The cowards. As for that idiot, his cold body likely has been found by the city patrols by now.

"

n

"You wouldn't happened to know what they used?

" A paralytic that downed a Lvl 50 like Marses would be useful.

nBut Marses shook his head.

"A blue powder that spread in a cloud, is all I know.

nIt figured.

nKrow wandered the reservoir, moving between the writing desks with shackles still attached to them.

nHe nudged one pile of chains with his boot, sending it clinking against the stone floor.

nPeople looked up at the sound, but ultimately returned to what they were doing.

nEvlene was dealing with the last of the Dredris bodies and scouting the tunnels around them for a route, going off a sketch of the surrounding sewers from the spirit-snake's exploration. The scribes were still overwhelmed by the relief of their release.

nThey were all preoccupied.

nWhen finally it was time to leave, Krow had fourteen or so complete Enchanter books in his Inventory, and over twenty incomplete ones.

nEvlene's route sent them directly upward.

nThe group was quite the sight, three Reeves and a draculkar striding through the exclusive corridors of the Hagerth Club with over twenty people in various states of dishevelment.

nA vargvir intercepted them, horror in his eyes at the sight of their ragged group trudging out of the bowels of the club into the public areas.

n

"This is an invitation-only establishment,

" he stopped them, eyeing Krow up and down disdainfully then sniffing imperiously at the scribes with him.

"I must ask you to leave.

"

nKrow lifted a brow, and didn't even have to say anything.

nHe saw how the vargvir's eyes popped and knew Marses had just rounded the corner, followed by two others wearing the distinctive red cloaks.

n

"We are leaving,

" Krow told him.

nThe vargvir nodded, speechless. He shook his head, ears relaxing from their alarmed rigidity, forcibly recovering from the bewilderment.

"I would guide you. This way, if you would.

"

nHe bowed them into a room that led to a side corridor and then to a back street.

nKrow didn't make a fuss. It was better to not get the newly-freed scribes gawked at by people who in their privilege would never understand.

nThe day was approaching sunset.

nHis ship would sail in several hours.

nSigram and Evlene took the scribes to people who could help. Marses took Krow to a shopping street where once again he brandished a letter with the Primar's seal. Even with that support, Krow was forced to part with 20,000 gold drax on crates of Rare bullets.

nNightmeteor Bullet, which the proprietor had introduced as part of the Meteor series of bullets that included the Meteorcrash and the Raid Comet, both of which Krow had never heard of before.

nThe stats on them were fairly impressive though.

nNightmeteor didn't have the flash and boom of the other two, which was why Krow chose it. Enhanced senses were no joke.

nNumbskull Bullet, which paralyzed as long as it hit the brain of the target. He still had a lot of shieldburst bullets, but a paralyzing option was always desirable.

nThe prices for Rare bullets were dear. He was grateful the proprietor was a non-player, or not even the seal of the Primar would give him a discount.

nAfterward, Krow returned to the caravan.

nEbry nearly fainted over the horses, making small wordlessly confused noises and waving his arms as if he wanted to grasp coherency out of thin air. Stoic and reserved Calon reached out and patted the nearest horse as if it was a religious experience.

nThe rest of the caravan stared, nearly unbreathing, disbelieving.

nKrow eyed Marses, suspicious.

"What kind of horses are those again?

"

nThe Reeve snorted.

"Good horses.

"

n

"Okay?

"

nCalon stopped patting the horse, looked at Krow seriously.

"This is an Ironblood Grass Horse.

"

nThey stared at each other.

n

"…yes?

" Evlene had called them that, earlier in the day.

n

"Ironblood horses.

"

n

"I don't know where you're going with this.

"

nCalon's gaze grew more intense.

"They are only bred in a single stable.

"

nMarses nodded.

n

"So they're limited and elite.

" Krow understood at last.

"Well, Avan's friend is a royal, so that's not surprising.

"

nHe wondered why he'd not heard of them, though. If they were famous in Alliance territory, they should be famous in the Hallagons too, right?

nCalon narrowed his eyes at him, still sensing his confusion.

"There are just ten birthed per year. They can live to five hundred years.

"

nOh! Half-millennium horses!

nSeriously, why the different names?

nKrow had heard of them after all. They were faster than most horses and could gallop for 24 hours before tiring. Their carry capacity was in the range of two tonnes.

nThey were really good mounts, yes.

nBut only under Lvl 60. There was a Lvl 60 zone where an Epic raid quest dropped griffin eggs, which were the first winged mounts available to most players in Redlands.

nThere was a reason Krow was excited over acquiring a galedrifter so soon.

nEbry broke out of his perplexed shock.

"They're ours?

"

n

"All yours.

" Krow nodded, then smirked a bit.

"Maybe the world is paying you back for the pain of leaving those grey horses in the woods.

"

n

"That was excruciating to do.

" Ebry nodded, serious. Then he grinned widely.

"But now, my heart has recovered! Let's celebrate!

"

nThe taverns near the merchant quarter of the seventh circle were extra lively that evening.

nIt was falling night when Marses and Krow extracted themselves from the dancing.

nThe ship Krow had dubbed 'the Song' bobbed up and down gently in the waves. It was built in the style of a galleon, but larger by far.

nKrow stared at the cheerful crowd and the lights around the ship.

n

"What is happening?

"

n

"This is the fastest non-military ship currently in the city.

"

nThey wended their way past the clumps of people talking animatedly, heading for the ramp. The smell of hard spirits wafted from many a group.

n

"That doesn't explain why there is what looks like a festival on deck.

"

nThey were stopped by two stern-looking bouncers before they reached the ramp.

n

"Masters, would you like a drink before you board?

" They gestured to a table set up near the ramp.

nMarses stopped but ignored them, turning to Krow.

"It's the ninth circling.

"

nKrow parsed that to mean it was the September-equivalent month in Redlands.

n

"There's a festival in Duryndon, during the last week, to celebrate the harvest. Many are invited.

"

nKrow looked around.

"A liquor festival.

"

nOne edge of Marses's lips lifted. He gestured to the casks on the table nearby.

"It's customary to taste the offerings before boarding.

"

n

"I'm not going to Duryndon, though.

" The festival would likely be over when he finished his business.

n

"Tradition.

"

nTsk. Krow stepped up to the table.

nHe stared confusedly at the paper, pen, and ink pushed toward him.

n

"Let us start with the first cask,

" the woman at the table smiled.

nEh?

nDid that mean he had to sample all ten casks?

nThe woman ladled a generous amount of liquor into a dwarviran drinking cup. The cup was wide and shallow, almost like a bowl, with a stem and two horizontal handles.

nThere was about a half-litre of liquor in it, lapping nearly to the brim.

nKrow glanced dubiously at the ten casks, then at the bright-lit ship. Even from all the way down to where he was, he could hear raucous laughter from the deck.

nHe sure hoped this tradition didn't extend to the crew.

nKrow curled his fingers over the handles of the wide cup, lifted it, and tipped the contents into his mouth until there was nothing left.

nArbrun Brandy

nQuality: C Rare

nA brandy distilled from wine pressed out of the fulmineberries of the town of Arbrun, outside Duryndon. Made in the third circling of the year 9051 AS, from a twenty year old wine. Due to the bluevein grapes and blackvenin added in the creation, the texture of the brandy becomes smoother and the distinctive 'warming lighting' effect is produced.

nThe brandy was like a lightning bolt down his gullet.

nIt tingled in a dramatic not-quite-painful pleasure.

nHe slammed the cup down and took a breath.

nWhoa.

nNow he knew why all those people were drunk.

nSwearing off excessive drinking had never seemed like a larger mistake than now.

n