Early release: QuestWright BK2 C30: A Bit of Goodwill (Liberty Edition) (Patreon)

Author's note:

My betareaders said that this chapter didn't have a purpose, so at once, we're at odds with each other. I know that things like this may seem small, especially to younger people, but for me, this is a definitive chapter for this book. Read along and let me know what you think.

Adya…

Adya was holding a pair of ingeniously designed crutches when she felt something shift in her partner. It felt like something dark and heavy had taken over his feelings. An abyss.

Reaching a hand out, she firmly touched his shoulder, causing him to shiver as his unblinking gaze continued to focus on the wrapped-up boy.

“What’s going on with you?” She asked.

“I think…I had a hand in this.”

“How so?”

“It was probably someone running a Quest of mine, and-”

“No,” she replied, stopping him as the shakes took over his body. The grip of her hand turned him to face her, “It was an accident, simple as that. You have no real way of knowing that you had anything to do with what happened to Abe.”

What she sensed coming off of him settled deep as two dry eyes looked at her, “Adya, I’m sure of it. The private highway is the main way that Liberty makes deliveries. I’m  beyond certain that one of my Questors was the one to trample that poor kid.” 

“Who shouldn’t have been there,” She immediately replied to head off anything else he might say. “Even his mother said as much. And there’s no way you’re beyond certain of anything. You’ve explained enough about your abilities that I know that’s not true. Cassio, you’re not at fault for every bad thing that happens in the world. You need to consider that you are letting your imagination run away with you. It’s not your fault.”

The emotions didn’t change as he nodded, “Yeah.” He sounded unconvinced as his eyes slid off of her and back to the young boy covered in red bandages.

He’s always like this. Something terrible happens, and there he is, feeling like he needs to fix everything. To fix the world. Eventually, it’ll tear him apart.

Even as that thought arrived, she also knew that was what drew her to him. Like air to lungs, that impossible sense of responsibility was what made Cassio Vale…Cass. Among those struggling to get by or just wanting to forget what the world has become, he cared. A little too much, even. But that’s why he had her by his side.

Johan came over as soon as he was done speaking with the woman who’d brought her child. He gave them a wan smile.

“He’ll be okay, I think. There’s really no way to tell with injuries like this. Could have brain damage. Could have internal bleeding. Sadly, a lot of my prescriptions nowadays fall within the wait-and-see category. But I have hope that Abe will pull through.”

“Hope,” Cass numbly got out, and she felt something shift within the abyss.

Johan nodded with an encouraging smile, “Hope always.” 

He spent a few moments thanking them for helping, then stepped away to manage something in the back. As soon as he left, Cass stood there staring at the boy for a long time. Adya felt a range of emotions bouncing around within him and had the wisdom to let him work it out on his own.

I’ve said my piece. He needs to come to the reality that not everything is his fault.

Eventually, after an interminable amount of time had passed, he almost dragged himself toward the entryway. It’s like his body was moving on its own, but she knew his mind was churning.

The moment they hit the night air, she reached out and touched his elbow. That seemed to snap him out of whatever darkness had entrapped his mind. Blinking twice, he looked around before noticing her, “What?’

“Weenus.”

“Not you too,” He groused, a bit more himself.

“I lost you for a moment there. What’s going on?”

“I…do we have other plans for tonight?”

“Alan told me about a market nearby that has a bunch of stalls. I thought it would be a good update for Profile since it’s such a random collection of items. Why?”

“Call me selfish-”

“Never,” Adya interrupted with a smile.

He smiled back, but it was a weak, trembling thing. “Call me selfish,” He repeated, “but I think we can do a small good tonight. Have I ever told you about my plans?”

Does he mean starting our own Guild?

Panicked that he might say something where someone else could hear it, Adya pulled him aside into a dark alley between two buildings. “Cass, you can’t talk about that openly.”

“What?”

“You know…about starting our own…” She left the last word unsaid, the silence stretching between them until he finally understood.

“Family?”

“What? No. Our own guill…”

“Oh, that. No, that’s way in the future.” He laughed, a little light coming into his eyes. “I don’t even know if that’s really possible, all things considered. No, this is for my other plans, the ones I’ve been forming up since I’ve been here. You know, to spread a little hope.”

“Alright, QuestWright.” Adya planted her hands on her hips with a smirk, happy to see him pull out of the funk that was surely going to drag him down. “So how do we go about doing that?”

“That depends…how good are your ears?”

Several minutes later, Adya took him to the promised market. Rather than using their eyes, both focused on their listening. Cass had given her explicit instructions. Find people who are down on their luck or in trouble, and see if there’s a way to help them out.

With the deluge of Quest-types at his beck and call, Cass now had a large assortment of options to run through. And as luck would have it, the first person needing his help appeared as if by magic only a few minutes after they’d started paying attention.

A flower vendor was standing near his stall. Beside and behind him stood two children who looked like they could use a good meal. Both had books in their laps as their father explained something about the mathematics of commerce. 

That would be all fine and dandy, except that all the buckets holding flowers were completely full. Just to be sure there was nothing shady about the fella, Adya spent more than a few minutes walking around the area listening in. Not a single person visited his stall.

It could be a slow day, but I doubt it. The way he talks to his kids…

From what she could tell, they hadn’t sold much lately, and there was no mother around to help. It was a single father trying to do right by his children. That struck a chord in her.

They met up at the decided twenty-minute mark in another alley beside the market. It could’ve smelled better, especially to their enhanced noses, but it worked out perfectly because nobody wanted to go near an area smelling of urine.

Without any preamble, Adya said, “The flower vendor.”

“Why?”

“He looks like he’s a good father, but just isn’t making any sales.”

“That seems more like something we could get Orla to help with,” Cass said, unconvinced. When she was about to talk again, then stopped, he put a hand on her arm, “What’s the real reason?”

“Perceptive as always,” She chuckled. “He reminds me of my dad. Mom left when I was young, and he had to raise me all on his own. Times were often tough, but he did the best he could. Just like that man out there. Plus, he has kids. You told me to look for someone who could use a little help, and I think this is someone who could.”

“Say no more, I get it…that’s tricky, since experience won’t help him…” He walked back and forth, his nose crinkling whenever going near a particular corner, before he threw a finger up, “Okay, I’ve got it.”

Sent out again a few minutes later, Adya used Observation to track every person in the market.

Brother and sister. Two men. No romantic interest available. Siblings. Siblings. Thief siblings. Ah.

Spotting a couple smiling together, Adya took an angle as she walked. Once she got close, she changed her course and accidentally bumped into them. 

As the man recovered, she touched his arm while smiling, “Oh my goodness, I’m so sorry about that. I wasn’t looking where I was going. Phew,” She wiped a dry forehead as if she’d been running. “It sure is warm out. I’m Jen, and I was hoping you could tell me where the nearest hotel or inn can be found.”

The man looked at her with a small scowl and was about to speak before thinking better of it. The young lady on his arm smiled, “I’m Fanny, and this is Bart. I think there’s one just down the street that way.“

“Thank you so much! Nice to meet you, Fanny, Bart. Maybe I’ll see you around.”

Trying to be nonchalant, she headed toward the direction the girl had pointed, then circled and made her way back to the alley where Cass was waiting. As she gave their descriptions, Cass opened the System Map on the wall and zoomed in. It was easy to find them with how detailed Adya’s descriptions were.

Playing lookout, Adya moved to the end of the alley and gave the all clear that nobody was looking. A brilliant light hit the alley as Cass’s Airscript Quill entered the world. She could hear him muttering to himself before the light faded and he slumped against the wall. 

Walking over, she put a hand on his shoulder, “You okay?”

“Yeah, it just takes a little out of me each time. I’ll be fine. Besides, don’t you have a job to do?”

“Right.”

Adya sped back to the market and re-located Fanny and Bart. Cass had warned her he’d set the Quest on a delay. As the right amount of time passed, she kept her eyes on the young man. 

They were looking at a stall filled with small decorative clothes, commenting as they pointed at one or another. Out of nowhere, Bart stood stiffly upright like he’d been hit by a lightning bolt. He seemed panicked for a moment, and then something settled him as he nodded to himself. Looking at the girl, he said something quietly, causing her to smile as they walked away.

Adya watched them walk over to the flower vendor with something strange centering in her chest. There was an odd flutter there that she hadn’t felt when doing any of her normal Scoutly duties. The man was pleased as could be when he bought a full bouquet of flowers from his stall, his eyes lifting to the sky for a moment before he smiled to himself. 

As for the vendor, once the Crests passed hands, he gave one to each of his children before locking away the others in a small box under his stall. The family of three shared a laugh that brought the flutter back to her chest a second time.

She rushed back to the alley to report. Cass smiled when she described the interaction.

“It’s always nice seeing the fruits of your work have an impact on people, no matter how small it is.” He said with a smile. An even bigger one broke out across his face, “Wanna do it again?”

“I really, really do.” She replied in the affirmative, pecking his cheek on instinct. “I know it’s not going to change the city or anything, but for that man and his family-”

“It changes their day,” Cass finished for her. “It won’t fix what happened to Abe, but it’s something nice we can do. And besides, who says today is the only time we do this?”

Adya smiled and was about to kiss him before the smell of the area struck her nose again. Instead, she winked and left again. Three more times she went out and scouted for couples. Three sets of couples bumped into ‘Jen’, and three young men looked at the sky in fear, then wonder. She was very careful in her picking, as Cass had warned her.

It should always be somebody who looked like they had money. If they couldn’t afford to buy flowers for their date, sending them a Quest wouldn’t hold much value. It should also always be somebody who was young and could likely use the experience. 

Cass had worded the Quest to her, and the need for secrecy was paramount in its writing. When she’d asked about his name appearing, fearing that it would get reported back to the Guildtower, he’d acted mysteriously, only saying…

“I’ll show you before the night is through.”

After four Quests had come and gone, Cass looked exhausted. But then he stood upright with an effort.

“One more Quest to do.”

Before she could question him, his eyes locked onto something she couldn’t see, then words appeared in her vision.

[TIER 1 DELIVERY QUEST]

Even men enjoy receiving flowers.

Purchase one bouquet of flowers from the nearby vendor with two children, then present it to your companion before the evening ends.

You will be rewarded five experience points for this act.

A Friend of the Fifth

Later that evening, Cass smiled as he lay in bed. Beside him on the nightstand, a vase held a pretty collection of assorted flowers. No nightmares plagued him through his rest.