The Icons of Pamsteria
"Greetings Envoy of the Guardian, my name is Myx Luther, the Oracle of Pamsteria. I have foreseen your arrival through the blessings of the Guardian, but I am not sure what your mission here is."
"I believe the Guardian will contact me in due time for the mission. For now I am here to help with anything that is needed of me in Pamsteria."
The response sounded very bookish and practised, but Poltas has simply said this to prevent them from questioning any further.
"I see. This may be for the best. Currently I do not have any quests for the fair maiden, please return at a later time."
Poltas was sure he would have choked if he was drinking anything. How could he forget, he was still a man in a woman's body. Brandial had treated him casually and he had not paid much attention. Was it too late to dress up as a man.
Following Brandial's lead to leave the building, Poltas recalled the oracle's final words. Currently he was limited due to low exp points, or lack of main story completion to do Myx's quests. But after a few more quests, he should come back. He set a reminder on his Weblet.
Next stop was the town's healer. Along the way Brandial talked a great deal about their town's major attractions and selling points, but Poltas was a bit zoned out, lamenting his body switch. Observing his disinterest, Brandial switched the topic to their next host.
The healer, unlike others, did not use magic to heal. Instead he used human sciences and technology to aid people.
The advantage was reduced costs of healing people compared to using magical artifacts. But the major disadvantage was the healer's inability to heal anyone except humans. Therefore if other creatures were sick, they had to call healers from nearby towns.
"He is a gentleman in all aspects, but a bit of a cynic when it comes to matters of the Guardian. Please don't report him to the Guardian if he displays any insolent behaviour."
Even if this man was insolent, Poltas had no intentions of reporting him, after all that second rate guardian was at fault for his gender change. He might even form a bond of brotherhood with this man over their mutual dislike for the guardian, or at least her incompetencies.
"I wasn't expecting guests today, but since Brandial has brought you here, you might be a rare treasured visitor to our town. I'm Darshel Trest, the head healer of Pamsteria."
"And I am Poltas Clairwood, a traveller from the lands beyond, here to help the town develop."
Darshel gave him a calculating look, before smiling and offering his hand for a handshake.
"I hope our town will be able to utilise your aid well, but if you ever find yourself in need of healing, please do come here. I will offer discounted prices to a friend of Brandial."
He ended his sales pitch with a wink, Poltas took it as an attempt to lighten up the bland conversation. But once they were out of the clinic he realised that he had just been flirted with.
They visited the head carpenter next. Horus Wilternin, a man who used to be a serial killer before the guardian "rescued" him. He didn't pay much attention to them because Brandial chose to omit Poltas's association with the guardian.
According to her, Horus might become obsessed with Poltas if he knew.
As they made their way to the next person, Poltas found the 'auto' mode on the Weblet. According to the description, it was a mode used to complete tasks which did not require the Adventurers actual efforts. His current quest was an introductory one, so using auto mode was feasible.
Poltas turned on the auto mode and set the timer to 2 hours. The next time he regained consciousness his quest completion was 90% and Brandial was still speaking.
"This is the last person we need to visit. He was cursed as a child to never be able to speak. Later we did find healers who could cure him but the curse had poorly affected his mind and full recovery became impossible. He often makes rude gestures towards other people, so I hope you will ignore that."
The first thing he heard upon his return was another unusual flaw, it seemed that everyone in this town had some major problem that might or might not hinder his quests.
"Astoff Reawin, son of the best weaponsmith in South Floretia became a victim of his father's enemies and was later abandoned by his father near our town. He grew up and worked here for a long time before we found out about his past."
Poltas felt shocked that the shop he was standing in hadn't melted already with how hot it was inside. A buff man with waist length hair nodded at them in acknowledgement, and afterwards pointed his middle finger towards Poltas.
Brandial grimaced and continued speaking.
"Astoff this is Poltas, a traveller here on the Guardian's instructions. I hope you will help us choose a suitable weapon for her."
The man scrutinised him and then swiped his index finger across his neck, displaying the I'll kill you look. While Poltas was intimidated, the man immediately picked up a book and threw it at him.
The book was actually a catalogue of all the weapons Astoff had for sale.
Poltas understood this, as a beginner with no reputation in Pamsteria, there was no reason for them to give him a custom weapon. He flipped through the catalogue a few times undecidedly, before Brandial whispered to him.
"As a beginner a sword or spear would be good."
…
Was the game giving him hints? Actually this was not a game, but it was peculiar for Brandial to say this. Poltas took her words as a sign of her goodwill and opted for a spear.
Astoff made a gagging face at his choice and brought out the spear.
Once they left the shop, a pleasant tune sounded out from the Weblet, indicating the completion of the first quest. Below it a new quest was unlocked named Defeat the Intruders.
Poltas swallowed nervously, hoping this game won't put him in a battle this quickly.