Grand Game 255: A Handful of Jobs (Patreon)

I awoke early the next morning and, without delay, exited the room. I had an entire ‘free’ day before I left for the valley, and I intended to put the time to good use. Making my way through the hotel, I deliberated on what to do today.

Unfortunately, my goals had multiplied rapidly.

There was the hidden sector in the guardian tower to explore, Ceruvax to find, and Kolath’s mystery to uncover—not to mention, deciding what to do about Loken’s quest or Tartar’s interest.

The nether-infested sector in the guardian tower was central to my plans for House Wolf, and returning to it was a priority. However, exploring the region was a mammoth task and not an undertaking to try completing in a day.

Finding the last Wolf envoy was just as essential. Based on Cyren’s information, I suspected he was in the saltmarsh dungeon. But locating the dungeon’s entrance was going to be a problem.

Making contact with Ceruvax would also have to wait.

Then there was Kolath’s task. I knew little about what it would entail or where it would lead. And while I was determined to pursue the matter, I did not foresee making any headway soon. I set it aside, too.

Finally, there was Loken’s quest.

I was ambivalent about the mission. On the one hand, given Loken’s machinations, I felt little inclined to do what he wanted, and the task itself would undoubtedly be dangerous. But on the other hand, Loken was not a Power I could ignore. For better or worse, I’d attracted his attention, and he knew of my bloodline.

There were also more intangible benefits to the task. I sensed the chalice was important to Loken, making the mission a unique opportunity to learn more about the Shadow Power’s motivations—which was rewarding enough in itself. Loken’s mission bears further thinking upon, I decided, but it’s not a job I can tackle just yet.

Slipping out of the hotel, I paused on the threshold. It was time to decide which way to go. Sighing, I glanced down the street in both directions.

I had more than enough to do, but none of my main tasks seemed remotely achievable in a day. That left only my secondary objectives to consider, namely completing my Class and…

… collecting a few bounties.

To complete my Class, I needed to visit the stygian brotherhood. Their chapterhouse lay deep in the plague quarter, though; going there was better left for later in the day.

In the meantime, let’s see what bounties are available.

Swinging left, I strolled towards the market square.

✵ ✵ ✵

I’d come a long way since first attempting to become a bounty hunter, and while money was no longer a driver, there were still reasons to join the hunters guild.

First and foremost, I suspected full guild members had access to the other Nexus quarters—something I thought would become more important the longer I stayed in the city. Then, too, was the matter of gaining allies.

I could not raise House Wolf on my own. I would need, if not allies, then friends, at least. And as a non-faction-aligned group, the bounty hunters guild seemed the ideal organization to reach out to. Of course, I still knew little about the guild, but the easiest way to learn more of them was to rise up through their ranks.

And for that, I needed to complete bounties.

Coming to a stop in the safe zone’s central square, I scanned the area. The global auction was as busy as ever, and I could see no sign of the noticeboard. But I’d asked for directions on the way over and knew it was on the west end of the square. Wading through the crowds, I searched for the board.

Five minutes later, I drew to a halt, staring at the wooden monstrosity planted in the ground in front of me. I’d been slightly concerned about finding the noticeboard in the sea of people, but I needn’t have worried. The bounty board was unmissable.

It was both many times larger and sturdier than the one in the wolves’ valley. And instead of being full of tacked-on pieces of paper, the noticeboard held only four steel posters, each firmly fastened to the board’s broad wooden face.

I glanced at the players beside me. Most rushed by, not paying the noticeboard any heed. But the few that did stood back and stared intently at the steel posters.

As I watched, I observed a robed human caster pull out a piece of paper and scratch furiously at it, all while shooting glances at the board. Following his gaze, I saw the metal posters had writing on them—words that continuously marched up their faces.

They’re like Kesh’s catalogs, I thought. Fascinated, I stepped forward and inspected one of the metal sheets more closely.

The number ‘One’ had been carved into the wood above the poster, and not unexpectedly, all the bounties scrolling through it were tier one.

To my right, I noticed a disfigured elven woman with a broadsword peeking over her shoulder, sauntering up to another poster. She touched the metal sheet—briefly—before walking away with a satisfied look on her face.

Hmm, now what was that about?

Curious, I walked over to the poster and touched it myself, prompting a Game message to appear.

Welcome, probie! You have 1 of 5 active jobs logged in your BHG ID. Do you wish to be granted authorization for bounty 1038?

Replying in the negative, I looked to my right—in the direction the fighter had headed. The elf was gone. She must be a bounty hunter, I thought, ruing the chance to speak to a fellow guild member. But there was little chance of finding the elf in the crowd now and shrugging off my disappointment, I pulled out my BHG ID.

The Game message I’d just received implied I had an active bounty—which was news to me.

When I’d entered the guardian tower, I’d had three bounties. I’d failed the first after the allotted time had run out, and while I’d received no similar messages on the other two bounties, I’d assumed they’d lapsed too. Bounties were not exclusive, after all, and nearly a year had gone by.

Surely in the interim, someone else had completed the other open jobs?

Apparently not, I thought, staring down at my BHG ID.

One job was still listed on the rear of the card. Running a finger along the finely etched letters, I called up the job description.

Job number: 428. Job name: Hunt for a Criminal. Tier: 4. Bounty: 150 gold. Payment is guaranteed by the guild, and the job is available to both guild members and non-members. Job description: Knight-captain Orlon requires assistance in apprehending a convicted thief named, Anriq. The thief escaped custody and is thought to be in the saltmarsh district. The mark is a player and a known werewolf. Knight-captain Orlon can be found in the Triumvirate citadel.

I pursed my lips thoughtfully. So, the werewolf was still at large. What did that say about this Anriq? Was he too difficult to capture? Or was it the terrain that daunted my fellow bounty hunters?

A shout broke through my musings. “Hey, buddy! Get out of the way. You’re blocking the board.”

Returning my BHG ID to my pocket, I waved in apology to the heckler. Well, it looks like I’m heading to the saltmarsh district today, after all.

✵ ✵ ✵

Before leaving the square, I scanned the noticeboard for other bounties. If I was going to head into the saltmarsh district,  it made sense to tackle any other jobs I could find in the region.

To my delight, I found two other bounties listed.

Job number: 1015. Job name: District purge. Tier: 4. Bounty: 300 gold. Payment is guaranteed by the guild, and the job is available to both guild members and non-members. Job description:
A group of sea hags has once more taken up residence in the saltmarsh district. Find and kill them lest their nest attracts more of their kind. To claim your reward, deliver the nest mother’s scalp to knight-captain Orlon in the Triumvirate citadel.

Job number: 271. Job name: Tongues and feet. Tier: 4. Bounty: 200 gold. Payment is guaranteed by the guild, and the job is available to both guild members and non-members. Job description: A herbalist from the Shadow quarter requires a batch of reagents harvested from yellow-spotted frogs. The creatures are indigenous to the saltmarsh and can only be found within its depths. To collect your reward, deliver 5 yellow-spotted tongues and 10 yellow-spotted feet to any guild office.

Even not knowing what a sea hag or yellow-spotted frog was, I accepted both bounties without hesitation. I reasoned that if the jobs were too hard, I could simply forgo completing them.

You have been granted authorization for bounty 1015 and 217.

Your BHG ID has been updated. Active bounties: 3 of 5.

Before leaving the safe zone, I made one more stop. Dashing into the emporium, I made a few quick purchases.

You have acquired 2 x crystals of rank 6 disease protection.

You have lost 1,000 gold.

You have acquired a hunter’s alchemy stone. It is a rank 4 item capable of extracting and storing rank 4 alchemical ingredients from slain creatures. This item only works on animal lifeforms and cannot be used to obtain materials from plant life.

The enchantment can be replenished with mana. Currently stored ingredients: 0 / 500.

You have lost a small alchemy stone and 350 gold.

I still had the two cure disease potions I’d purchased from Trexton, but with money less constrained now, I saw no reason not to employ better protection against the saltmarsh’s virulent infections.

I also upgraded my alchemy stone, realizing I would need the additional storage, as well as a mechanism for collecting rarer reagents. I would’ve preferred a rank five harvesting tool, but like most other rank five items, it was too expensive to consider buying.

Reaching the safe zone’s south gate, I crushed one of the protection crystals in my hand.

You have activated a single-use enchantment, casting a ward of disease protection around yourself. For the next 4 hours, you will be shielded from tier 6 and lower infections.

Taking a deep breath, I stepped into the plague quarter. I was finally ready for a day’s outing in the saltmarsh, and it was time to see what horrors it held.