"How… How much gold should I take for a bed? And… do I just fly up and say 'I want a bed'?" Orthrix asked in a quiet voice, refusing to meet Mara's gaze.
Mara stared at the dragon, momentarily stunned by his question. He doesn't even know how to buy something? Aren't all dragons supposed to be wise? Knowledgeable? Or at least… functional?
Her assumptions about her new boss shifted rapidly. "Just take a gold coin to the inn and ask to buy a bed," she explained as if teaching a young child how shops work.
"Ah yes, gold. Some of my precious treasure…" Orthrix said, more to himself than to Mara. Without so much as looking in her direction, he walked over and scooped up a handful of coins and launched out of the lair without another word.
"Wait! That's... too much..." Mara shouted after him, her voice being swallowed by the wind. She just helplessly watched his iridescent scales disappear into the clouds.
Well, at least he won't be stealing a bed. She thought as she grabbed a small bag of copper and silver coins. With one last glance around the crystal lit cave, she stepped out with her shopping list.
Squinting in the bright sun, she took in the fresh earthy air of the forest below the cave's entrance. Once she found the path that led to the main road, she couldn't help but sigh at the rough hike ahead. Good thing I explored the area while he was sleeping, she thought. Otherwise I might miss the show!
As she walked through the forest, she couldn't help but notice all the animals and demonic beasts completely ignored her. Looking at the small golden pin of concealment that she… "borrowed" she smiled. The perks of this job are much, much better than any other she has had. Although her new boss is… unique, she has a good feeling about her situation.
There is plenty of money I can … appropriate. No nobles waiting to reprimand the smallest mistake. And best of all—no old lecherous bastards! Just a large lizard who clearly needs a maid's helping hand. She smirked as she made her way towards the edge of Realor, the closest town.
Thanks to her training as a Royal maid, she was able to swiftly traverse the trail. Not only could she tuck a mean hospital corner on any bed, she was also a rank 4 adventurer. Though she hadn't really had the chance to apply most of her training. In a dragon's lair there aren't exactly beds to clean or assassins to thwart. Well not yet. Lost in thought Mara leapt from branch to branch over a particularly swampy area of the trail.
**<3**
"Help! Help! I've fallen and I can't get up!" A panicked high-pitch voice rang out across the swamp. "Anyone! Help! I'm trapped!" Dropping down onto a rock, Mara surveyed where the voice came from as she deactivated the concealment pin.
"Please miss help! The vines! The vines, they got me!" The young adventurer exclaimed as Mara approached. Indeed, after a few steps it appeared that the young man no older than 16 was caught by a Creeping Crealis vine. The vine was wrapped around his body from feet to just below the shoulders.
"Adventurer rank?" Mara asked in a flat tone as she pulled out her hidden dagger.
"Rank one ma'am," the young man said, his voice wavering as his eyes went wide. "I-I was just running from some bandits when I got caught in the Crealis's trap." He nervously forced out, eyes never leaving the dagger in Mara's hand.
"These woods are no place for a newbie, kid." Mara said with slight disappointment as she cut the young man free and helped him to his feet.
"I know, I know. I made a wrong turn before I stumbled on the bandits' camp, then I just ran! It was terrifying!" The young adventurer tried to explain as he dusted his pants off and picked his short sword up from between the rock they were on and the swamp.
Bandits? Sounds like easy money to me. "Where are these bandits you speak of? I could use some extra coin from their bounties." Mara asked as she made her way down the trail and out of the swampy section.
"Uh- huh What?!" The young man exclaimed as he stumbled to catch up. "What do you mean bounties? It's a whole camp! There's no way we can beat all of them! L-Let's just head back to the town and tell the guild about them! Let more experienced adventurers handle it!"
"I'll be more than enough."
"Who even are you to claim that? I thank you for saving me, but I'm not walking us right to our deaths!" The young man said as he stood as still and resolute as a rock.
"Mara, Rank 4 Adventurer. And you are?" Mara said with a deadpan expression and sarcastic glint in her eyes.
"Rank 4?!" he exclaimed. "H-Honored to meet you Miss Mara! I'm Travis, Rank one adventurer." His rock-like resolution immediately crumbling like dried out clay.
"Likewise. Now the bandits?" Mara asked, slightly impatiently. Who knows what that lizard is getting up to while I take this detour. The longer I take, the more trouble I miss out on.
"Ah yes, uh, follow me." Travis said as he started walking off the side of the trail where bush branches were broken.
I actually probably don't need him to guide me, the trail he left behind in his panic is fairly obvious. Mara thought as she followed behind Travis for about half a quarter of a mile, giving noncommittal one-word answers to everything the teen said.
**<3**
After walking for some time, Travis stopped and crouched down. "Miss Mara, they are just up ahead. It looks like someone is coming this way on patrol..." He trailed off as he watched the man approaching suddenly fall down and a very unimpressed looking Mara appear out of thin air where the man was standing. "Huh?"
Mara dusted her maid dress off and waved for Travis to come over. "Come tie this one up while I get the others. The rest seem to be just ahead... drinking even though it's midday?"
"Ah o-okay Miss Mara! And they didn't become bandits by moderating their drink and debauchery" Travis commented as he took a length of rope out of his backpack and set to tying the unconscious bandit up.
Mara nodded at Travis and then vanished into thin air again. It seems this pin of concealment is much stronger than I initially thought. Mara mused to herself as she waved her hand in front of Travis's face and got no reaction. My normal concealment technique is good, but paired with this pin it's like I'm invisible to the average person.
With that Mara made her way to the bandit encampment, knocking out another two lookouts patrolling the area. As she got closer she saw a campfire with a large hunk of meat roasting on a spit, surrounded by drunken bandits seemingly celebrating their most recent exploits. Tents of various sizes and styles were littered about the area, obviously all stolen.
"I'm tellin ya," a particularly large-bellied man slurred, "That noble lass has the makins of a camp toy! I say next we be seein that carriage comin through, we should-"
"THWACK" The large-bellied man slumped sideways as Mara chopped him in the back of the neck mid-sentence. No better than animals. Mara thought as she went around knocking out the panicking bandits.
"Ghost! We's got a Ghost!" One yelled as he ran to the largest tent, only to come flying out the next second. A tall and almost impossibly muscular man strode out of the tent and looked directly at Mara.