“Alright, that sounds fantastic,” Trevor said before scratching the back of his head. “But I also don’t know what all needs to be done.”

“What, were you summoned yesterday?” Torlock asked, grunting.

“Yes, actually.”

“Ah, yeah, that’s that, then.”

Thimbleden nodded. “I’ll offer you six- no, eight silver pieces to take it to Drelik’s home.”

Trevor was about to accept when he paused. “I’m sorry, I’m not sure how much that is.”

“More than Billan and I get paid,” Torlock answered, though he didn’t seem to take offense to it.

“They’re day laborers, whom I pay three silvers a week,” Thimbleden explained. “So this is just over two weeks worth of work, nearly three.”

“Not bad for walking across town.”

“Okay, then you have a deal,” Trevor said as he held a hand out for Thimbleden to shake. The gnome grinned before accepting the handshake.

[[New Quest! Thimbleden is between a rock and a hard place, and you decided to grab your pickaxe and help the guy out.

Take the Floatstone, which you are uniquely suited to handle, all the way to Drelik’s place and deliver it to him by noon. You still have a few hours to go, but punctuality is important! If you take too long, then you will fail this quest.]]

Trevor’s smile diminished as he read the message. “Oh, it says if I take too long then I’ll fail,” he said nervously. “And it might be prudent to ask… where exactly am I going?”

“I can take him,” Torlock offered.

But Thimbleden waved a dismissive hand. “No, I need you here to help with other matters,” the gnome stated. “Trevor, don’t you worry about that time limit. You still have hours to go, and I assure you that it will not take you that long to get there. Now’s the chance to break something special out that arrived just last week. Please, wait just one moment.”

Watching the gnome hurry inside, Torlock shrugged and got back to work. There wasn’t much to do but continue helping the orc out, even though he had gotten most of it. Trevor helped him move the biggest piece as Thimbleden returned holding a small box in his hands. He all but ran up to the self-proclaimed inventoryman.

“This is a Trinket,” the gnome stated proudly. “Are you aware of what that is?”

“It’s like a doodad, right?”

Thimbleden paused. “I’m afraid I’m not familiar with that term.”

Trevor waved his hand. “Not important, I’m probably way off base. What’s a trinket?”

“A Trinket is a type of magical item,” Thimbleden explained. “There’s magic weapons and armor, wands, staves, some type of potions are magical while others are alchemical, and other types, but Trinkets are special in that they’re in their own special category. Go ahead and open it.”

The box was made of wood and easily opened, and Trevor did as requested. Sitting inside, nestled in hay to make sure it didn’t break, was a pair of red frames. “Oh, I think it’s broken,” he said as he pulled it out.

It wasn’t a pair of goggles like he had initially thought, but a single goggle. The item appeared to have been snapped at the nose piece and the white strap that would keep it on his head was similarly snipped in the back.

“No, that’s exactly how it’s supposed to be,” Thimbleden said with a chuckle. “Go ahead and put it on your eye.”

Trevor looked at the gnome dubiously before doing as he was told. The lens adhered to his face comfortably as the strap wrapped around his head. It came to a stop in the back, but didn’t move no matter how much he tried to shake it free.

[[New Trinket! You have received a PathGuider 5000.

The PathGuider 5000 is an item created by a Summoned who read from the scrolls of the eldest age and went, “that seems pretty neat.”

And neat it was. This will show you the fastest path to your quest destination so long as it is a static location. If you are embarking on a quest that requires some searching, then the PathGuider 5000 will only show you the general area based on various variables.]]

As soon as the lense was fitted, a line of small green arrows started pointing towards where he knew the river was. Trevor slowly spun in place as he tested out the PathGuider 5000. Arrows popped up to his left and right and pointed in the direction he would have to face in order to see the line. It was very intuitive, and after a minute or so of playing with it he lifted the lense off of his eye and onto his hair. It continued sticking.

“Okay, so it’ll take me to Drelik’s place because that’s a known spot, but if I were to go find, say, a certain animal out in the forest, then it would only show me where they might be found,” Trevor said. “Is that right?”

“That’s what I’ve been told,” Thimbleden said with a nod. “What do you think? Pretty handy, hmm?”

“Oh yeah, this is going to be super useful.”

“Excellent, then consider it a free gift from me to you as the newest Summoned in town,” the gnome said with another bow. Trevor returned it. “And if you ever want more work, feel free to come on by. It’s not every day that we get something worth a quest, lest I have to relinquish my Quest Giver status, but we do get them on occasions.”

Nodding, Trevor thought about his next words carefully before looking down at the gnome. “You’re just going to let me go off, then?” he asked quietly. “No oversight, no escort, just trusting me with this?”

“I am, and I suppose that I should let you in on a secret amongst Quest Givers,” Thimbleden said with a sigh. “There have been Summoned in the past who would take courier quests like this one and then run off with the goods. It happened quite often, and the Quest Master very quickly got tired of it. After it happened enough times, we were given the option to give bounty quests for anyone who partook in this kind of thievery.”

“That doesn’t sound good for the thieves,” Trevor stated.

“It rarely was,” the gnome agreed. “It’s a widespread quest given to every Summoned in town to retrieve both the Summoned and the goods they stole. If enough people got hurt, then it was upgraded to an even dire quest and went out to even more people. The rewards are bolstered by the Quest Master, you see, and it knows how to get people moving.”

“Well, rest assured, I have no intentions of shirking my duty. I’m quite proud of my work ethic and won't sully my name with poor service.”

“Yes, I could see that when you came to help,” Thimbleden said with a soft smile. Something behind Trevor caught the gnome's eye, and he quickly turned to bow before speaking to Torlock. “Could you please get Mayor Jackson’s order?”If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.

“Right away, boss,” Torlock said before heading inside.

Trevor turned to see the horned woman from the Hero House approaching. She wore a vibrant, open blue robe and comfortable clothes matching Tosa’s style underneath. As they caught eyes, she paused in the street to stare at him. Not with the same glare as before, but with actual surprise evident in her face. She also completely disregarded Mr. Tiggles as he rubbed up against her legs.

“Ah, Lady Adabelle,” Thimbleden greeted, rushing to meet her. The cat hid behind the woman's legs, but didn’t flee. “It is great to see you this morning. Your new Summoned is proving quite helpful.”

“Is he, now,” the woman said, looking towards Trevor with an arched eyebrow. “He’s not causing trouble?”

“No, ma’am,” Trevor said as he reached for the Floatstone and pulled it back into his inventory. “Er, lady. Um.”

“Lady Adabelle is fine,” she said curtly. Her eyes shifted from the spot where the stone had been to his hand, but didn’t say anything else.

“No trouble here, Lady Adabelle.”

“He’s been a terrific help. If anything, he’s helping fix what those gremlins had managed to screw up.”

That caused Adabelle to shift her gaze to the gnome and offer a comforting smile. “They’re menacing the whole town, but rest assured that we’ll be back to full strength soon,” she said confidently. “I have no doubt that Rashie will be able to sniff them out once she’s back. Though, rest assured, if I see them then I will take action.”

“Without taking out a few buildings this time, right?” Thimbleden said, his voice both teasing and serious.

Adabelle’s face darkened and she glanced at Trevor, who was watching this exchange with interest, for just a moment. “I wouldn’t dream of it.”

“Got the mayor’s stuff here,” Torlock said as he emerged from the shop. He carried a sealed box not unlike the one Thimbleden had given Trevor, and promptly handed it over.

The demon took it quickly, seemingly glad to get out of that particular line of dialogue, and took a few steps back. “Thanks, Tor, and thank you, Thimbleden. I really ought to be going.”

Glancing back, the gnome looked up at Trevor. “The Mayor’s Office and Drelik’s is the same way, at least until you cross the bridge,” he said. “Why don’t you let Lady Adabelle escort you halfway there?”

Trevor felt a moment of panic. “Oh, no, I could never impose on her like that,” he claimed.

“Meow,” Mr. Tiggles said, jumping back up on Trevor’s shoulder. The cat turned, sat, and stared at Adabelle.

It only took a few seconds of eye contact before she broke first. Adabelle sighed, shook her head, and started walking away. “Come on, Trevor.”

“Yes, ma’am. Lady. I mean, Lady Adabelle.” He turned to Thimbleden, who was watching with an amused twinkle in his eye, and gave the gnome a proper nod. “Thank you, Mr. Thimbleden. I’ll be back again to see if you need anything, but if you know something is coming feel free to leave me a letter at the Hero House.”

“I will do that for sure, my boy. It’s not often I get to issue a courier quest, so the whole thing still feels novel to me. I think you should hurry along, though; Lady Adabelle doesn’t seem to be willing to wait.”

“Oh, shoot,” Trevor said before jogging to catch up, waving goodbye to the gnome and orc behind him.

It didn’t take him long to catch up to Adabelle, who had slowed down for him, though she started walking at a brisk pace once he had. Mr. Tiggles had once again laid across Trevor’s shoulders, licking his paw and grooming his face as the two walked.

Trevor cracked first. “Would you like me to carry that for you?” he asked.

“I am quite capable of it on my own,” she said, her tone as cold as the air around them.

“Cool, cool, yeah.”

“Meow,” Mr. Tiggles said.

“Well, I guess you still like me, little buddy. Don’t you?”

“Purr.”

Letting out a small laugh, Trevor raised his hands and began petting the cat, getting him behind the ears and at the base of his tail. The latter spot caused Mr. Tiggles to freeze up, his eyes half-closing, and begin licking the air.

“You like that, do you?” Trevor cooed. “Look at that little derp face. So cute. So adorable. Mr. Tiggles best kitty.”

The cat reached over and started grooming Trevor’s thick hair as he continued being pet, though the young man only kept it up for a few more seconds. The look disappeared from Mr. Tiggles’ face and he immediately stopped licking, going back to grooming himself.

“I couldn’t have cats where I lived,” Trevor said to Adabelle. “Love the little things, though. Dogs, too, but I couldn’t have those, either. No pets allowed, not that the space was big enough for more than just myself.”

“Mr. Tiggles does seem quite taken with you,” she said cautiously, keeping her eyes watching the road ahead.

“Is he yours?”

“No, Mr. Tiggles has been around much longer than I have,” Adabelle answered. “He likes to hang around the Hero House.”

“And sneak into people’s houses when they’re sleeping,” Trevor accused.

Adabelle nodded. “We’re… still not sure how he does that,” she admitted slowly. “But he does what he wants, and I’m told that’s par for the course with cats.”

“You don’t have them where you came from?”

“No, though we have similar creatures to dogs.” The horned woman paused, and then glared at Trevor. “But this isn’t a Q&A section about my world. I’m simply escorting you to the end of the bridge at Thimbleden’s behest.”

“Sorry, I talk a lot.”

“Apology accepted.”

“Though I do have one question for you, if you don’t mind,” Trevor said cautiously. She sighed, but gestured for him to continue. “Lady Adabelle, did I do something to offend you?”

“What makes you say that?” she asked, though he could tell from her tone that she knew exactly what he meant.

He gave her an answer. “It’s just that you’ve been kinda snippy with me today and yesterday, breakfast notwithstanding. It was delicious, by the way. But seeing how Mr. Thimbleden and Mr. Torlock both treated you with respect, even going so far as to joke with you, I was wondering if I had gotten the introductory bow wrong or something. I mean, that glare and stance you had on the porch was something else, if you don’t mind me saying.”

Adabelle stopped, and Trevor did the same. He watched as her expression shifted as if trying to settle on which emotion to portray. For the first time he noticed how her ears twitched, and could only imagine the inner monologue she was having at this time.

Eventually, she sighed and turned to face him. “You’re… right,” Adabelle said, though it sounded like she had to wring the words to get them out. “To be honest, I was supposed to be there for the next summoning Jackson performed. The fact that he didn’t tell me stung. He was the one who asked me to be his apprentice, and that’s the kind of thing I need to see.”

“Ah,” was all Trevor said. He remembered Jackson’s words about retiring and how he had been summoned to help him move on, and swallowed those down. While he was sure that Adabelle had the right to know, he was also sure that it wasn’t his place to say so.

“I’m… sorry,” she continued, having trouble getting these words out, too. “I shouldn’t be taking it out on you, and I promise I’ll calm down eventually, but right now I’m livid. When I’m back to normal, I’ll give you a proper apology.”

“That sounds good to me. For now, though, how about we settle for a proper introduction, Earth style,” Trevor said. He turned to face her and offered his hand. “Trevor Anderson, Earth Man, nice to meet you.”

Adabelle looked at the offered hand, and her tail reached around her waist towards it. She smacked it out of the way. “Thing has a mind of its own,” she muttered before taking his hand in hers and giving it a shake. “I am Lady Adabelle Ramansa Katine gen Halvsar. Gen means of, Halvsar is where I’m from.”

“That’s a mouthful. Normally I’d just stick with ma’am, but I think I’m going to call you Lady from now on,” he said. The moment he said it, he felt that it may have been too snarky, but another part of him said not to walk it back. “If you’re going to be rude, then that’s a two way street, right?”

The horned woman glared at him for a few moments, but it had none of the danger that he had seen last night. Eventually, she smirked. “You’re walking a thin line, Son of Ander.”

“Someone’s gotta be on their toes around here.”

Adabelle snorted and let go of his hand. “Here’s what’s going to happen now,” she said. “You’re going to head that way, towards the bridge all the way over there. I’m going to take this bridge and go see Jackson and give him a piece of my mind. I don’t expect to see you for the rest of the day.”

“Sounds good to me, Lady,” Trevor said, a bit of snark entering his voice.

She arched an eyebrow, but let him have the last word. Turning towards the bridge, Adabelle started crossing it without looking back, her tail swishing erratically through the air.

Trevor chuckled lightly before reaching up and scratching Mr. Tiggles’ cheek. “You are one great icebreaker, little buddy.”

“Meow,” Mr. Tiggles agreed.