Session 7

John occupied a secluded corner of the tavern within the guild, his spell book spread open before him on the table. With calm precision, he delved into a beginner's guide to magic purchased just a few days prior, its pages offering a rudimentary understanding of the arcane arts.

The book served as a primer for those eager to explore magic's intricacies, detailing its fundamental principles. Gohn meticulously cross-referenced its contents with his spell book, seeking to discern the nuances between the magical system of this world and the familiar mechanics of D&D. Thus far, he had found few disparities; both systems adhered to similar foundations.

Spell slots, not mana, formed the basis of both systems. Each comprised three distinct types of magic: Inherent, Learned, and Granted/Contractual.

Inherent magic encompassed spells innate to magically attuned beings and races. For example, elves possessed a natural affinity for spirit magic, requiring no formal study or contractual agreement. This mirrored the abilities of sorcerers or perhaps druids.

Learned magic, on the other hand, was acquired through rigorous study of the arcane arts, allowing individuals to manifest magical effects either innately, as with wizards and artificers, or through external catalysts. Practitioners such as wizards, artificers, rangers, and bards fell under this category.

Lastly, Granted magic involved forging pacts with entities possessing inherent magical abilities. Such agreements, whether for service, affinity, or exchange, granted individuals access to magical powers. Clerics drew power from their deities, paladins from their oaths, and warlocks from their patrons.

Despite the absence of cantrips, which afforded Gohn a slight advantage compared to mages in this world, he struggled to identify definitive discrepancies between the two systems. Perhaps this world adhered to an older iteration of D&D, such as Pathfinder or 3.5e, though the information provided in the introductory book for magic novices offered scant insight.

Delving into more complex magical tomes might yield greater understanding, but such resources came at a steep price. With books, particularly those on magical theory, commanding exorbitant fees—fifty silver coins for a single history volume—Gohn realized it would be a considerable time before he amassed enough wealth to procure higher-tier grimoires.

Six days had passed since their return to Frontier Town following the cave incident. During this time, Priestess, Gohn, and Goblin Slayer had formed a tight-knit bond, embarking on goblin-slaying quests with unwavering resolve. Some days proved fruitful, as they liberated numerous girls from goblin captivity, while others ended in heartache, with the group encountering only lifeless victims. Yet, despite the trials they faced, they never found themselves as perilously close to death as during their first quest

While Priestess tries to maintain a brave front, Gohn can sense that she's on the verge of breaking down. No matter how much he reassures her that none of the deaths are her fault, the burden is taking its toll.

Perhaps it's time for a change of pace. A few days away from goblin slaying might do her good. A respite from blood, guts, and goblin victims could help clear her mind.

Without their local high-powered flashlight, Gohn and Goblin Slayer will need to adapt their approach, but as long as he doesn't do anything foolish, they should manage fine.

But where is Goblin Slayer? He's usually one of the first at the guild, yet Gohn hasn't seen him since he arrived.

This is unprecedented. Could something have happened to Goblin Slayer to make him late? Gohn wonders if he might be sick. Goblin Slayer doesn't strike him as the type to be tardy without reason or warning.

Contemplating whether to approach Guild Girl to inquire about Goblin Slayer's whereabouts, Gohn considers that she may have some insight, given her close relationship with the men.

Deciding that seeking information is better than idling in the tavern, he sets aside his book and heads to the counter. With midday approaching, there are few people in the guild besides him, the employees, and some adventurers reporting quest completions, so he doesn't have to wait in line.

"Hey, Guild Girl," Gohn calls out, catching the attention of the blonde woman.

"How can I assist you today, Mr. SpellBlade?" she responds, setting down her quill and looking up from Goblin Slayer's direction.

"Do you happen to know where Goblin Slayer is?" Gohn asks.

"The guild is not authorized to disclose private information about adventurers," Guild Girl replies matter-of-factly.

Hearing this, Gohn shrugs and returns to his table to wait. Perhaps Goblin Slayer will arrive soon, or Priestess will eventually join them. If neither appears within the hour, he'll consider embarking on a solo quest—preferably one with a higher payout than goblin slaying.

Sure, killing goblins and saving a village from attack may be the moral thing to do, but he's in desperate need of money, and there's a reason why most people above Porcelain rank choose not to engage in it.

Typically, village quests for goblin slaying offer a flat payment of 2–5 gold. It sounds like a lot until you factor in equipment costs, transportation expenses (if you opt for a carriage), or simply the time it takes to travel on foot to remote villages, which can range from 2 hours to multiple days. Five gold for 2 to 3 hours of work may seem substantial until you realize it's the same pay regardless of the number of goblins in the nest. Whether you kill 10 or 1000, your reward remains the same—5 gold.

Being an adventurer is inherently a mercenary-like occupation, regardless of how much some adventurers may deny it. The risk versus reward of goblin slaying for the sake of some obscure village simply isn't worth it for most egocentric adventurers. Many adventurers risk their lives for a chance at Gold, Glory, and a Good Woman by their side. Goblin slaying offers no gold, no glory, and little chance of finding a partner. Hence, outliers like Priestess and Goblin Slayer, who kill goblins out of the goodness of their hearts, are the exception, not the norm. Currently, Gohn is not one of those outliers; he needs gold desperately and desires it in abundance until his coffers overflow.

If Goblin Slayer or Priestess were to invite him on a quest, he would join them, but he wouldn't embark on any goblin slaying quests of his own volition. It might seem callous, but there is something more important to him that no number of strangers' lives can equal. Until he achieves that goal, he would do anything to fill his money pouch.

Returning to his table, Gohn picks up his book and resumes reading, seizing this unexpected moment of downtime to gather as much information as possible.

The sound of the guild door being pushed open drew Gohn's eyes away from his book, and he glanced to see who entered the Guild, hoping it was either Goblin Slayer or Priestess. His hope didn't go to waste as the small form of the blonde, blue-eyed healer made its way into the guild, seemingly looking for something or someone specific.

Beside his second favorite blonde midget entered an attractive green-eyed girl with fiery red hair that reached down to her shoulders. She wore glasses, a stereotypical wizard cap on her head, and a light cloak over a green one-piece dress.

Though she looked familiar, Gohn couldn't seem to remember where from. Maybe he had seen her on the streets while he was out and about. He didn't care who she was at the moment as he began to repeat chants in his head to distract himself from his wandering thoughts. Controlling his body's new urges had improved slightly, but they still acted up frequently, making his days more annoying than they should be. The day he could rid himself of these urges couldn't come any quicker. Maybe he should go to a temple and get purification… Scratch that. There was an equal chance that he would get purified along with his thoughts.

He could imagine it now: he goes into the Church of the Earth Mother in town, asks for purification, and just starts melting the second the purification spell hits him, traumatizing whichever nun was doing his purification.

Shaking his head to dispel the thought, Gohn moved his eyes back to the book in his hands, hearing two sets of footsteps making their way toward him.

"Mr., how are you doing today?" asked Priestess, stopping right beside him and giving him a bright smile.

"I'm doing fine," Gohn replied, not looking up from his book, which caused the girl to pout and sit beside him, while the mage girl sat across from him.

"Hasn't anyone told you it's rude not to look at someone you're talking to in the eyes, Mister?" Priestess chided, poking away at his shoulder.

"It hurts my neck to make eye contact with you," Gohn stated monotonously, without looking up from his book.

"Are you saying I'm short?" Priestess questioned with mock offense in her tone.

"Your words, not mine," Gohn stated before gesturing to the girl across from him who was silently observing him and Priestess.

"I'm still growing, I can be just as tall as you one-day" Priestess countered trying to defend her short stature 

"It's good to dream big when you're small Priestess" He calmly said as he continued to read refusing to look up from his book.

"But who are you?" Gohn asked the girl curiously.

"I'm Wizard, and I'm thankful for you saving me the other day," Wizard finally spoke up. "Without you, I would have died to some measly goblins... I would have become the laughingstock of the Royal Sage Academy," the girl added as she adjusted her glasses.

"No worries, but Priestess, why were you late today? Did something come up?" Gohn questioned, his eyes boring into the girl. She seemingly shrunk at his gaze.

"It was my fault. I must apologize in her stead. Priestess was helping me get back on my feet this morning, and that's why she's running late," answered Wizard in Priestess's place.

"Okay, that's fine," Gohn responded after looking between the two girls before finally putting his book down. "You should leave today," Gohn stated as he put away the book he was reading and grabbed his spell book from the tabletop, closed it shut, and placed it in its carrier.

"Why?" Priestess asked, tilting her head a little in confusion.

"Goblin Slayer's not coming today," Gohn stated.

"What about you? What will you do?" Priestess inquired.

"I'll go on a quest myself," Gohn plainly stated before standing up.

"Let me come along," Priestess pleaded.

"I think it's best if you rest," Gohn stated flatly.

"I am fully rested," she countered before adding, ", I got ten hours of sleep last night just so you know."

"No" Gohn flatly stated, causing Priestess to sulk, seeing herself before a bright idea seemingly popped into her head to gain the advantage in this discussion.

"And also, you said you owe me one, so think about taking me along as repayment," Priestess cheekily said. John looked at her plainly before sighing. "Fine, come along," his answer caused the Priestess to cheer and get up to follow Gohn.

"May I come along as well?" Wizard asked, with her hand raised.

"Didn't you just wake up from a coma?" Gohn questioned.

"I'm a mage who graduated top of my class in the capital's Sage School. Something like that wouldn't put me down," she stated proudly.

"How many spells can you use a day?" Gohn asked.

"I have 5 total spell slots, 2 more than people from my graduate class," Wizard answered, with arrogance leaking out with every word she spoke.

"Impressive," Gohn dryly complimented, "but still, no. Three pure spell casters are a terrible team comb, and I don't want to have to look after someone else whose competency I am unsure of."

"I'm going to come along whether you like it or not, and you should be grateful that you have such a skilled mage as me in your party," Wizard countered, sounding very offended by his dismissal.

"Is this going to be a thing?" Gohn questioned no one in particular as he gave one more sigh. "Fine, you come along as well," he said, not caring at this point. He'll grab a pretty easy job that pays well, finish it up, and move on.

"So are we doing another goblin quest today, mister?" Priestess questioned while standing in front of the quest board.

"No, we're doing something different," Gohn answered plainly as he scanned the quest board for any decent quests. Rat slaying was out of the options because, while he—

"Oh, okay," Priestess responded.

"So what will we do?" she questioned.

"Maybe these two," Gohn stated as he grabbed two quests from the board: one for collecting herbs he hadn't heard about, requested by an alchemist in a nearby village, and another for the extermination of a pack of dire wolves that had been hanging around the area, interrupting trade.

"Herb collection? Don't you think this is a little below someone of my caliber?" Wizard said arrogantly, raising an eyebrow. Priestess gave a nervous giggle, feeling a conflict brewing in the air as Gohn turned to look at Wizard coldly.

"You don't have to come," Gohn coldly stated. He was not changing his decision, no matter how much Wizard complained.

"No, I'll come," stated Priestess, unsure at the blatant disregard for her that Gohn was showing. This was a first. "I'm just saying, if we want to get our names out there, we should tackle bigger quests," she added, elaborating on her point.

"I haven't seen you fight before," Gohn said. "It would be idiotic to aim higher without a semblance of teamwork." He had other reasons that he left unsaid, such as giving Priestess a break from the whole doom and gloom that adventuring can sometimes be, by taking on a more simple and relaxing quest. Plus, the quest was paying three times the average of a goblin-slaying quest.

"So, let's do a simple quest and get to know each other," Gohn stated. "That's fine, right, Priestess?" he asked the girl.

"That's fine by me. You lead, and I shall follow," Priestess giggled, finding amusement in her words that went above Gohn's head.

Gohn didn't understand what was so funny and chose to ignore the giggling of the small girl as he headed towards Guild Girl. There was a little wait before the group of three was in front of the young girl.

"I'm doing these two quests. Add those to my party," Gohn stated as he placed down the quest papers on Guild Girl's desktop.

Guild Girl read through the two quest details silently, and once she was done, her hand reached out, taking out a glass container holding a small flower with three blue petals and a golden fourth one, all curving upwards.

"This is a moonlit drow flower. This is what the quest is requesting, three full bags of it, and they should be picked right after they open up their petals, around midnight," she gave the three of them more information about the quest than stated in the quest form before handing Gohn three bags. "As for the Direwolves attacking the main highway, please bring in their front fangs as confirmation of the kill. The guild would be happy to buy their pelts off you as well if you bring them along. But do make sure you are prepared before facing them; they are strong on their own, but they never travel alone."

"I'll keep that in mind," Gohn stated and thanked Guild Girl before clearing out the line for those behind him. "Do you two have any more preparation, or can we leave for the mission ASAP?" He asked the girls

"I am ready to go" Priestess reported in a mock salute as she began to list out how prepared she was." I've got my armor, staff, and spells ready for anything that comes our way Captain" positively beaming as she said that.

"What was that" Gohn questioned blatantly confused causing Priestess's smile to fade into an embarrassed grin as she refused to answer

"I'm prepared as well I have gotten chain mail unlike last time and some healing potions " Wizard answered calmly 

"We'll make a plan when we reach the quest locations for the herbs as for the Dire wolves I already have a few in mind," Gohn said making his way out of the guild and towards the town gates.

And that's where we'll end our session for today

Also writing characters dialogue is hard; harder than I remember. If you have any tips to improve do tell me.