QuestWright Bk2 C57: The Operational QuestWright (II) (Patreon)

Author's note:

Hi and howdy,

So yesterday was an interesting day. The day prior, I had some hvac guys come over and fix my a/c. It's not running great and is just limping along at this point, but at least it's not 90+ degrees in my house anymore. Then, they dropped the bomb that I have a rat infestation, and they're eating all the wires in my house.

Great.

Then, a major storm hits my area, and WHAMMO, all that air conditioning I just paid to have was gone with the wind as I lost power for 24 hours. Outstanding.

But! I got to do a digital convention by going to one of the other invitees' houses (He's a irl friend of mine), and you can find the result here: https://youtu.be/8mYoZ-d2Kic

My portion is near the end, called "Let's Make a Story." Image description below.

Now that I have power, I'll be releasing both chapters right away. I planned on having a third, but no dice since I lost yesterday.

Also, ReaderQuest!

Quest ID: JDM-0004-A-EA

[Tier 1 Administrative Quest]

Assignment: Define Success

Most people begin work before defining victory.

But by doing that, often, the end result is murky at best.

Your Task

Choose one task, project, errand, or responsibility you need to complete this week.

Before beginning, write down exactly what successful completion looks like. Don’t think about the process; think about the hopeful, expected outcome that follows.

Examples

Instead of:
Clean the garage

Define:
All boxes sorted and floor visible

Instead of:
Work on my resume

Define:
Resume updated and submitted to three positions

Instead of:
Get in shape

Define:
Complete three workouts this week

Once success has been defined, complete the task.

Rules

The success condition must be measurable.
The task must be real.
You must define success before beginning work.

Completion Condition

One objective defined. One objective completed.

Timeframe: One Week

Reward: 8 XP

Thinking operationally is a trick of the mind. Getting bogged down in minutiae is what often slows a person down from completing a task they’ve long put off. Don’t think about the problem, think about the solution. The result. What’s best for any given scenario.

—

J D Mullenary Sr
The Original QuestWright

Chapter 57: The Operational QuestWright (II)

Careful, Cass, old boy. You don’t want to lead them on.

Martin’s fake, shiny smile still sent the creeps down Cass’s back. Randolph wasn’t much better, as the dour man hung behind the under-guildmaster’s shoulder, both of them staring at him expectantly. He knew what they wanted and expected, so getting out of this wasn’t going to be easy.

‘No’ was too blunt.

‘Yes’ would tie him to people who were clearly off the scale in terms of those he should stay away from.

Be polite. Politeness kills in moments like this. Play yourself down, and keep the smile on your face.

Having found his angle of attack, Cass tried to smile as he said, “I’m honored you would consider me.” 

Martin smiled back, but it started to turn as Cass continued, “However, I’ve only been a Journeyman for all of a day. I feel I would be too great a burden on your time at this moment.”

When they both looked like they were about to say something Cass would regret, he picked up the conversation again quickly. 

“But, that’s just for now, of course. I would be happy and proud to be under your direct mentoring once I feel that I have a handle on my new rank. Let’s say, six months?”

Cass heard Ana take a deep breath behind him, but he couldn’t afford to look nervous and give away the game. These were bad men. He wasn’t one hundred percent certain of how he knew that, but he knew. So he projected as much friendliness as he could into his smile.

It made his teeth hurt.

“Six months is a long time for a man advancing at your pace,” Martin said, appearing to think things over.

“Wouldn’t three months be better?” Randolph asked, pushing forward to stand beside the other man. “I know that my own advancement was far slower than yours, and I had a good handle on things by that point.”

“Three months?” Cass replied in thought. Martin’s bright and shiny grin came back as they knew they had him in a corner. Three months ago, he’d barely become a QuestWright, as they’d shown by pointing out how quickly he’d moved through the ranks.

It was a clean trap.

“I don’t think time is the real factor here,” Cass said slowly as his mind caught up. “I’ve done nothing but Delivery messages since arriving. Six months feels realistic to me, as Senior QuestWright Mirelle told me earlier that I’d be taking on more Quest-types.”

“Nothing but deliveries?” Martin said, and the surprise on his face didn’t appear feigned, “I’ll have a conversation with her to get you sailing through a better selection of Quest-types. Can’t have our rising star sputter out and die, right?” The man grinned again, then said, “Four months,” before tapping Randolph and walking forward.

Cass had to move out of the way as he said, “But, six-”

“Four months, QuestWright. You’ll see. This is all for the best.”

Then they were gone, and it was just Cass. 

Four months is my new deadline for the corruption beneath Liberty, then. I don’t know what Martin does to those who work under him, and I don’t want to know. Better to get the corruption figured out and then leave this place. I just need to figure out how to get out from under the Capital’s thumb when I do.

That was when he realized Ana was nowhere to be seen. He looked around before he caught her head peaking around a column.

The flummoxed woman still had his robes in her hands as she asked, “Did they leave?’

“Yeah…”

“Good, let’s get you moved in.”

“Wait, Ana,” Cass looked at the room, then back at her, “Do you think they did something to the room?”

“In what way?”

“I don’t know. To listen in on what we’re saying?”

“Definitely.” Then she walked through the open doorway, but not before adding, “And your new Servant will greatly assist them with that.”

Cass thought she’d said that a little too loudly on purpose, but the size of the room dispelled that. The place was absurd.

His old room could have fit inside twice over, with space left for a third attempt. There was a sitting area, an office, a furnished living room with an expensive round table in the center, and two hallways attached to both sides. Ana dutifully reported that one went to his bedroom, while the other went to the servant’s quarters. Everything looked polished, expensive, and entirely unnecessary. 

Cass was immediately uncomfortable.

Exiting one of said hallways was a young man in a pristine white pantsuit that looked rather dashing. He was also recognizable.

“Jamison?” Cass said, pulling the name out, “I thought you were a Clerk?”

“I was an aide, sir.” The young man replied haltingly as a noticeable hunch entered his spine, “My Calling was overwritten. The Guildtower felt I would better fit as a Servant.”

“How was it overwritten?”

“I was escorted to the Book of Callings, where Under-Guildmaster Craigman took care of it. It was painless.”

The look on his face said otherwise, “Did you have any choice in this?” Cass asked, stepping over and gently placing a hand on the young man’s shoulder. “Because if you didn’t, I’m very sorry.”

Jamison’s face quirked, “It hardly matters, QuestWright. I wasn’t even at the first gate yet.”

“Uh-huh,” Cass replied, not convinced in the slightest.

Jamison and Ana spoke about splitting duties and rotating shifts while Cass continued to explore the room.

Room, Cass thought with condemning fashion. If this is a room, then my place back in Liora was a closet. No. A shoebox. You could fit at least four small families in here.

Cass was determined to be friendly and even understanding with his newest servant, but based on Ana’s feelings toward the young man and how much he trusted her, he knew to keep his guard up. There had to be a reason Jamison was picked as his servant so soon after having his Calling changed, if it was changed at all. Though his new uniform did look good on him.

Cass’s new sleeping accommodations also presented a problem.

He’d always completed his Survivor workouts in his room, but that would now be more difficult as he’d have to explain everything he was doing. It would be a while before he got back to it, as his body was still recovering, but when that time came, he would need a new plan.

More than that, if the Guildtower was listening in, or more likely, Jamison was, he couldn’t interact with the Tutorial. What if the young man got it in mind to ‘check in’ on him during an important session?

I’ll definitely have to do it outside of the Guildtower from now on. Stalwart could be written off as just exercise; Tempered, not so much.

Dinner was cold, as Ana had brought it up from his old room’s refrigerator as she transferred all their items from the old place. Cass didn’t mind, as cold-cut sandwiches were delicious no matter the day or circumstance. He retired to his room early, as there was something else he had in mind for the evening. 

The bed was even larger than his too-large one back on the 15th floor, as were the bathtub and shower. But, he figured if there was one place that Jamison and the ears of the Guildtower were least likely to go into, it was the bathroom.

The water was almost uncomfortably warm as he dipped a toe into the tub, so with great relish he made himself comfortable, spreading his arms out across the top and relaxing against the frame. Adya called him a workaholic, but if this was work, he didn’t mind it one bit as the water soaked into his worn body.

Staring up, he projected Command Center on the ceiling, then pulled the Quill in its pen form from his robe. With a brief jolt of energy, it shifted back to normal as he held it and its radiance under the bathwater.

Focusing on the map, he sent a message to Pellin via the Whisprnet.

>Cassio: Hey, any of you guys in need of a Quest?

It took a few minutes for him to reply.

>Pellin: Mmm, probably Orla. She’s been a little down since getting gnawed on in the Dungeon.

>Cassio: Suggestions?

>Pellin: You know her. Anything with xp is great.

>Cassio: Understood, thanks. By the way, can you get Adya one of these when you get the chance?

>Pellin: One of what?

>Cassio: A Whisprnet thing.

>Pellin: Thing…Yeah, I can do that. Alan’s been funneling me money so I can get us weapons for the next dungeon run. Putting together another Whispr module won’t kill me.

>Cassio: Is it wise to give someone like Alan those weapons?

>Pellin: It’s money.

>Cassio: Stop spending so much time with Orla.

Cass closed the messages and zoomed in on their apartment. Adya was just outside with Bella, combing through her mane. He needed to spend more time with his equine friend. As for Orla, she wasn’t within.

It took almost ten minutes before he found her several locations away. Her Profile was a study in harsh business maneuvers and lewd conversational tidbits. Bella’s input said she’d had five men come calling on her late at night. It actually said, ‘come calling’, measurably lightening his mood as a small giggle escaped him at her odd thought process.

He was still laughing when Orla got up from her seat on her way to make nature’s calling, which made Cass erupt all over again as an idea came to him. 

This was a test. 

First, to see how much energy the Quill demanded to send a Quest from the twentieth floor of the Guildtower to the Fifth ring. And second, to see just how much energy the Quill still required after its upgrade to Versatile.

Focusing, he drafted an unseeable Quest, putting in an extra effort to make it seem urgent, then sent it off. The drain hit him, but it was manageable. He guessed he could perform maybe ten of those before their effects became difficult to manage.

Cass felt a little strange watching Orla’s reaction while she was in the bathroom, but it was worth it when the devilish merchant looked up in a panic. A laugh rippled from the bottom of his stomach to his throat when she quickly left the stall.

“Sometimes, I really like being a QuestWright. And I’ll have you know, Orla, I’m not beyond being petty.”

While Orla was in a full-on sprint in the direction of the apartment, Cass performed another test. He’d slowed down the speed of Quests in the past, but he’d never sped one up before. Based on when he sent it and when his friend looked up, roughly thirty to forty seconds had passed.

Clearing his mind and focusing, he drafted a new Exponential Quest. As he finished, he left final instructions to the System that it should get there in a rush, then released it.

The drain hit, and it was a noticeable change. It felt just a little stronger, maybe twenty percent worse than the first one he’d sent the merchant’s way.

Happy with his test, he watched as Orla stumbled when the second Quest hit her vision. She looked up, and he could tell she was probably shouting something by all the people pausing around her. But all the same, Cass was happy to play a little prank on his friend.

Now the real test had arrived.

Cass had negotiated what he thought was a pretty good deal with the Source. Delay something new so he could work with something old. 

Anchors had been a great help to him in understanding and managing his Quests in Liberty. With this new upgrade, however, he was planning on taking things a step further.

Zoning in on what he knew to be one of the poorest neighborhoods in the Fifth, Cass selected a small general store that was often frequented in the area. Then, he went to his Templates and created a few non-standard types that he could hand out at will. 

Quests like assisting a neighbor in carrying goods or removing any trash from the area. Small ticket items that have a profound effect on the area. Little things, like he’d done with Pathfinder back in Liora.

Once set, Cass placed multiple Quests into Anchors around the neighborhood, then went hunting for anyone with an active Profile. It took longer than he wanted, which was why he needed Adya to be connected to the Whisprnet. With that, they could coordinate together. He from the tower, she from the ground.

And the Guild would never know it was him, as he’d never left.

“Gonna be taking lots of baths.”

Snorting, he found a few individuals who were young enough to really need the experience for those early levels and had attached names. One, two, three, four were sent on their way. Each progressively deeper into the area so they wouldn’t overlap too heavily.

There was a special joy in seeing them look up at the sky, then race to perform the Quest.

Next up, Cass found a middle-aged man who already had a Profile tagged name. The information about him said he had a well-paying job and seemed kind, which was exactly what Cass was looking for at the moment. 

Taking a second to draft it, he sent the Quest on its way. The drain came along, but it was well worth it, even if he was starting to feel tired.

[Tier 1 Support Quest]

There is an older man to your right, near the pile of wood. He appears to be homeless and could probably use a little help at this time.

See what he needs, and do your best to fulfill it.

We’re all in this world together.

A Friend of the Fifth

Cass hadn’t made many Support Quests in the past. The outline for them was much broader than many others. That allowed him to generalize it’s requirements, as one of the options within allowed for morale boosting. It was perfect for some of the “friend” Quests he had planned.

He was about to hop out of the tub when he realized he’d missed a message from Pellin.

>Pellin: Why did Orla come sprinting in here, saying she made it on time and I owed her ten Crests?

>Cassio: I’ll pay you back.