Dusk had fallen. The languid sun slowly sank beyond the edge of the sea, casting its golden afterglow over this ancient city where splendor and sin coexisted. Fiery, brilliant clouds of sunset spread across its streets and uneven rooftops, draping this glorious city of the North in a dazzling new garment.
Following the dim firelight along the street, Ryan made his way over the uneven road toward his destination. Now and then, groups of workers who had put in a full day's labor passed him on the broad street. These dockworkers, who made their living through hard labor, needed to reach the shabby little taverns by the roadside and numb their exhausted bodies with cheap ale, just to endure another day in lives that seemed to stretch endlessly before them.
Still wrapped in his mage's robes, Ryan used Spell Eye to navigate the city center with practiced ease, circling around a few times and successfully shaking off the several tails following him. At last, he reached his destination: the Hearthfire Tavern.
Thanks to its unique location in Waterdeep's northern noble district, the Hearthfire Tavern was well regarded by merchants and nobles from all over for its first-rate service, clean and comfortable beds, and reliable security.
Because it stood near noble estates and various temples, patrolling Paladins and city guards often came to the Hearthfire Tavern for a few drinks and to discuss the city's latest gossip and anecdotes. This also lent the place a peaceful, relaxed atmosphere. After all, few shady characters wanted to hang around in front of the single-minded Paladins.
Unlike the low-class taverns in the dock district, crowded with drunken sailors, vulgar thugs, and frugal, plain-dressed travelers, the Hearthfire Tavern was famous in Waterdeep for its reliable security and quiet, elegant surroundings.
Wealthy merchants traveling from all over often arranged to discuss business here, so as not to draw the attention of ill-intentioned thieves and scoundrels. Lesser nobles and high-level adventurers also frequently stayed here.
Ryan had chosen the Hearthfire Tavern as their meeting place for its pleasant surroundings and reliable security.
Pushing open the ajar, bronze-colored door, Ryan entered the lively yet peaceful tavern. The well-traveled bartender was used to mysterious-looking customers dressed like Ryan. He looked up at him, then lowered his head and went back to carefully polishing the glass in his hand.
Ryan skirted the revelers in the tavern hall and went straight to the counter. In a low voice, he said to the bartender, "Sorry for the trouble. Please take me to the room of Roger the herbalist, and bring us some local fruit and the house-special sea bass."
The bartender, who had been intently polishing the glass, raised his head. His scarred face looked fearsome in the dim candlelight. The huge scar slashing across his cheek spoke of the man's complicated past and bore witness to a fierce, brutal, and harrowing battle. He studied Ryan with murky brown eyes for a while before slowly asking, "Roger the herbalist or Roger the spice merchant?"
Ryan hesitated. When he and Jelona parted, they had agreed on a time and a code phrase. To avoid arriving too early or too late, he had timed his arrival to the minute. Jelona was probably already waiting in the room, and she shouldn't have changed the code phrase on her own.
"Mm, Roger the herbalist," Ryan confirmed with a nod.
The well-traveled old bartender merely glanced at Ryan before looking away. "Follow me."
Following the old man with the lantern, Ryan didn't have to walk far before reaching the room of "Roger the herbalist." It was no larger than a bedroom, but its location was very secluded, and the soundproofing kept out all the noise from the hall.
Ryan silently thought, Jelona really is a reliable partner. She picked a room that's absolutely perfect for me.
Pushing open the ajar door, Ryan entered the room. The first thing he saw was the beautiful Half-elf sitting at the table, staring into space with a glass of wine in her hand.
At the sound of the door opening, Jelona instinctively looked up, alert. When she saw the familiar dark mage's robes of the young Mage, her guarded expression softened. She smiled and said, "You're here? Right on time, as expected."
Looking at the charming Half-elf before him, Ryan's lips curled into a faint smile. "Of course. I'm a master of perfect timing, after all. My motto is 'precise and elegant.' Still, I can't quite match you, punctual Lady Jelona. You're as beautiful as ever today."
Jelona rolled her eyes at the young Mage's teasing. After weathering hardships together on their previous adventure, she had long since come to understand Ryan's nature. From his habit of meditating on schedule no matter how dire the battle, she had realized that he was extremely punctual, perhaps even a bit obsessive. Naturally, she hadn't worried that Ryan would be late or break his promise.
"Hey, Ryan, did you go to the Mages Guild? What happened with the Zhentarim?" Jelona got straight to the point and asked about the Zhentarim. After all, no sane person wanted to be on the radar of those stubborn fanatics, and Jelona naturally wanted to know what Ryan had found out.
Ryan's expression stiffened. Remembering how his teacher and the bigwigs in the Mages Guild had used him as bait to lure out their prey, he couldn't help feeling glum.
Seeing the blond youth's expression change and his face darken, Jelona's heart tightened. Afraid of hearing bad news, she asked cautiously, "What's wrong? Is the situation dire?"
Ryan set aside his grumbling about his unreliable teacher, composed himself, and explained with a bright smile, "It's nothing. I just remembered something unpleasant. The Zhentarim aren't a big deal. The Mages Guild in Waterdeep anticipated this long ago, so we don't need to worry about it."
Only then did Jelona relax. She knew the Zhentarim weren't powerful enough to rule Waterdeep outright, but those evil, fanatical people were often like venomous blades lurking in the dark. Lately, she had been worried about the safety of Ryan and her party.
As the Half-elf relaxed, she was about to wait for Ryan to explain further. But Ryan had taken a seat at the Huanghua Wood table and was gazing at the Half-elf Ranger before him. She had dressed up, revealing a side of herself quite unlike her usual bold, dashing bearing: bright-eyed, beautiful, and utterly charming. He began to ponder.
"Hey, why are you staring at me?" Under Ryan's fixed gaze, Jelona grew flustered. Her face turned red, the blush creeping up to the tips of her ears. She chided him shyly.
Ryan gently stroked his smooth, fair chin, paying no heed to Jelona's embarrassment. With interest, he asked, "There's a job. Would your party be willing to take it?"
When speaking with Alexander, Ryan had also asked whether he could bring companions along. After all, how could a fragile Mage go exploring without a few people to help—blocking arrows would be useful, too. Of course, Ryan wasn't quite that heartless, but he did feel a little uneasy going alone.
Ryan had only mentioned it in passing. Since this was a secret mission for the Mages Guild, he hadn't expected much. But to his surprise, Alexander had merely given him a brief look before agreeing. Ryan was rather astonished. Perhaps the adventuring party he'd encountered on the road would be a good choice—yes, a good choice for taking hits.
Hearing there was a job, Jelona straightened her expression, composed herself, and sat up properly to discuss the details with Ryan. "What's the job? Where is it? What would we need to do?"
Looking at the serious Half-elf Ranger before him, Ryan admired her even more. Whether as a teammate or a partner, someone like her was as reliable as they came.
"On the next full moon, I need to explore an ancient ruin from the Netheril era. It's only a trial, so the danger isn't great. I can offer each of you 200 Gold Talons. Are you interested?" Ryan explained.
When Alexander first told Ryan about the expedition to the ruins, Ryan had asked a series of questions. He'd learned that he could either find his own party or team up with the young Mages from the Mages Guild. But compared with the latter, he'd rather go with the three adventurers he already knew and had worked with before.
As far as Jelona was concerned, she would have gone with Ryan whether or not he offered a reward. After all, she had promised to face the Zhentarim threat alongside him. Now that the Mages Guild had dealt with the Zhentarim problem, she was overjoyed to have the chance to keep spending time with Ryan.
But as the brains and spokesperson of her adventuring party, Jelona also had to look out for her two troublesome teammates. Now that she knew the details of Ryan's offer, she agreed on the spot. A job worth two hundred Gold Talons was already very lucrative, and given their friendship with Ryan, those two would certainly agree to join as well.
Across Faerûn, adventurers were a unique presence, their footprints found in every corner of the continent and in all manner of grand events. Whether searching for the Tablets of Fate, artifacts of unimaginable power, rescuing the goddess Waukeen from the Abyss, or destroying Bane, the evil and terrifying god of tyranny, they could always find help for one reason or another—and go on to accomplish deeds that shook the gods.
Their exploits even included slaying gods, becoming gods, and rescuing a deity from the hands of a demon lord in the Abyss. Amid the turbulent tides of the age, there was nothing they couldn't get involved in.
Unfortunately, such powerful and illustrious high-level adventurers were few and far between. Most down-on-their-luck adventurers stayed in little towns and villages, handling trivial jobs like finding lost cats and dogs while naively dreaming of making a name for themselves by slaying a dragon.
The three of Jelona's party certainly weren't among those pitiful, penniless adventurers. But neither were they legendary figures as renowned as the two-blade-wielding Elf Drizzt. Stuck somewhere in the middle, they rarely got offers as lucrative as two hundred Gold Talons.
"By the way, what have Kasla and Arata been up to lately?" Ryan asked curiously about his two companions. He had a strong impression of the reliable Dwarf shield-bearer and the valiant barbarian. Compared to the useless teammates who only caused trouble in the power-fantasy novels of his previous life, the people he'd met were perfectly decent companions.
Jelona's full, rosy lips pursed as she recited the latest news about the two boneheads in her party. "Kasla's been fretting over his damaged shield. He's probably still busy repairing it at the forge run by his people. As for that fool Arata, he's probably at a tavern right now, drinking against someone. I told him to take it easy and let his injuries heal, but he never listens."
Ryan listened quietly as the beautiful Half-elf complained about her teammates. As Jelona rattled on, he saw the joy and concern that unconsciously surfaced on her face, and felt a trace of envy. They must have been through thick and thin together many times. How nice.
Realizing she had gotten carried away, Jelona's pretty face flushed. She paused, then forced a change of subject. "All right, then it's settled. We accept your offer. When it's time to leave, let's meet here at the Hearthfire Tavern again."
Ryan smiled faintly and nodded. "All right. I'll be counting on you again, then."
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