The Guild Hall

I headed north to the guild hall for my last errand of the day. I made my way through to the guild hall which seemed to have more then the usual number of people in the courtyard. I went inside to see Heidi giving some new member a ring. Others browsed the boards which to my surprise had more jobs then normal. I saw several of them that didn't pay much but were people looking for love ones. Heidi saw me and asked someone to take over for her.

"Hey. Good to see you back." She smiled and gave me a hug.

"Good to be back though it from the look of things I wish it was under better circumstances." I looked around.

"Tell me about it. Sadly I have had to turn to many away because they can't pay the membership fee and we only have so many beds here so I have been telling them to go to the castle and enlist." She frowned.

"Yeah, their getting more then they can handle as well. Have you seen Raven?"

"She went north on a bounty quest into occupied territory. I asked her not to but you know her." Heidi shook her head.

"All to well. I am sure she will be fine." I smiled trying to cheer her up. Almost on cue in came Raven dragging a sack of something that was moving about inside. "See told you."

"One goblin general as promised." Raven said as she brought the desk to the counter which got her a round of applause. "He should be real talkative now." She smiled and the bag began to make noise which she preceded to kick. "Oh shut up you little bastard. No one asked you you little shit."

"Raven." I said coming over.

"Hey your not dead." She gave me a look.

"Glad to see you to." I shook my head at her. "We need to talk about that other job."

"Oh. Okay. Guild Tavern across the way. Just let me get my money." She collected her reward and we headed over to the tavern when I noticed a cut on her arm.

"Are you hurt?"

"Nothing major. Luckily I am immune to most poisons. Perks of being a dark elf."

"Lucky you." I said feeling a little begrudging.

"So you get some of the nymph sap."

"Yep." I said holding it up.

"Damn, we don't need quit that much. Must have been a one hell of a night. Better then I had. Your buying the first round." We headed in and got our drinks.

"You have the rest right?" I asked once we were settled in.

"No, most you can find at a Apothecary shop." She shrugged. Only two of the ingredients are hard to come buy. "You got the one and I got the other." She said pulling a blue pearl from her coin purse. "One mermaid pearl. Its a little hard to find but well worth it if you can hold your breath for long periods of time." She gave a smile. I had no idea if she was telling the truth or not. "I will give you the formula and the pearl if you tell me what you know."

"Only on the promise that we take her alive."

"You want the big pay day?" Raven grinned.

"No, shes young and out of control. She is only trying to survive. Maybe the mages can help her. Do I have your word."

"Would you really trust me f i said yes." She smirked

"I am choosing to." I held out my hand. Better the devil you know.

"Fine. That's a lot of money to waist by killing her." She said and shook my hand. "I'm in. Spill."

"The map the guild members had. It only showed the bodies that have been found though I am sure their were more. They thought she was moving from town to town but she has a den somewhere right in the middle. She goes out every seven days to eat..."

"But returns to her nest. You really are smarter then you look." She said handing over the pearl. "Luckily for you I can't do this without you. Most Succubi are omnivores and can go either way but this one has a taste for meat so you get to be the bait."

"Oh Joy." Always a catch with her.

"I will get the recipe from my room. You can get that cute little alchemist friend to mix it up for you. Unless you want to come up for a little fun."

"Maybe after we catch the succubus." If she still wanted to do it then I might go for it. I took the recipe and headed back to town. I headed back to Tomen's shop and went in to see Astrid hugging Tovald then whipping a tear from her face. "He will be fine love, He is a grown boy." Tomen rubbed Astrids shoulder. Hannah hugged him next.

"I will be fine mom, I want be anywhere near the battlefield." Tovald told his mom.

"What's going on?" I asked coming over.

"Tovald has been enlisted as a quarter master." Tomen smiled.

"Congratulations." I said shaking his hand.

"Thanks. When this war is over I can open my own forge somewhere." He grinned.

"When do you leave?" Hannah asked.

"Tomorrow morning at first light." He smiled. He quickly said goodbye and went off to see his sisters.

"Tomen, I have a question. You got change for gold coins?" If I dropped a gold coin at most businesses I would have to buy an awful lot of stuff.That would buy me fifty nights in a tavern providing I could find a room. I knew the market vendors who sold stuff at one or two coppers would be lucky to make a hundred coppers a day. The only ones who threw around that kind of money in public where merchants who bought things in bulk.

"I might have some, we have sold a lot today. Why you ask?" I showed him the gold.

"I need to follow you around, you know if your interested I had a guy ask me to sell some land for him. His parents were friends of mine before they passed. He wants to sell it off and enlist. Three gold for twenty five square acres." He pulled out some old papers that showed a map of the area and signed document by some official.

"What's the catch?" That was a lot of land for three gold.

"Catch is its south west of here in the hills. All woods and uneven terrain. His father got it for a steal because no one would want to even try and farm it. The only building on the property is a single cabin."

"And why would I want it?"

"The one thing it does have my boy is game. Deer, rabbits, fowl, you name it. Me and his old man used to hunt those parts. Every year when the king and all the nobles went to Hunters Rest all the deer would cross the river and come right to us. I stopped going after my buddy died, didn't seem right or as fun to go without him. I know it would mean you finally settling down somewhere but you could use a place to stay. It's close enough you can walk back to town whenever you wanted or ride once we find you a horse and you can go off on your adventures whenever you like and not worry where you are going to crash when you get back. Plus you got the cat now."

"I think you could sell water to a mermaid. Fine." I smiled putting three gold in his hand. Easy come and easy go. Having a place of my own would make things easier.