Chapter 34: A little gift
After a short night with only small portions of sleep, Jay was on his way back to Gold Creek.
Getting woken up by noises from the forest and whimpers from Aidra every now and then, he looked like he didn't even get any sleep. Only his camping skill had allowed him to get any rest.
After he had looted anything that looked remotely of worth, he had stored everything on the pushcart and left the camp at sunrise.
Following a small path to the east he soon came to see the outskirts of the McLures vineyards.
Jay had bet on taking a slight detour so he wouldn't have to pull the cart through the whole forest on his way back.
Through the vineyards led lots of small paths connecting them all together. He could use those paths to get to the winery and from there back to town.
The idea proved right in two ways as not only was the cart a lot easier to pull but the whimpers and soft groans from under the tarp, whenever the cart bumped, got less.
It still took him an hour to reach the winery.
Billie had already been playing outside and rushed over to Jay the moment he spotted him.
"Hey Jaaay! Ya back here! Can I ride on ya wagon?" Billie
"Hey buddy, sure thing. I'll help you up...hep!" J.
After greeting each other Jay heaved Billie up an sat him atop the pushcart on a soft place between the crates and plunder under the tarp.
"So what's a little kid doing this early in the morning outside the house alone, hmm Billie?" J.
"Aww, come on, I ain't a lil' kid! Mom and Dad threw a party last night and hadn't woken up... Hey, whats this on your cart, and why is it so shaky?" Billie
"It's lot I got from some Kobolds... pinch and poke it so you might find out, but I won't tell!" J.
Without reserve Billie pinched and poked the soft bulge he had sat on while Jay kept on pulling the cart.
Even as they had arrived right before the winery two minutes later, Billie had gotten no clue as to what lay there. He only heard some squeak every now and then when he pinched really hard.
Billies parents had come out to greet Jay and free him from their son the moment they came in sight. They shook hands and Jay told them about the old mine being infested by those pests and they wouldn't have to worry anymore.
As a thank you gift they immediately invited him to eat breakfast with them which he agreed to.
Maybel, their daughter, was preparing the dishes and greeted Jay as she saw him with a slight blush. There was a certain memory that flashed before her eyes and her gaze wandered automatically to Jay's crotch.
As they had finished their breakfast Joshua McLure had thanked him again for his work on the Kobolds.
Packing up the leftovers and shovin them to Jay, he started looking at him sternly after Joshua had an idea he asked him something out of the blue.
"Say, young man, would you be so kind to act as my daughters best man? We celebrated her proposal yesterday.
She'll merry Steve Stonefield when he gets back from his deployment. Though it'll still take at least half a year.
This honorable position is the least I can offer! Right Maybel? You okay with this right sweetie?" JM.
Without any chance to decline, Jay had to accept after Maybel nodded enthusiastically to her fathers question.
With this questionable 'gift' in his pocket Jay left the family and pulled his cart towards Gold Creek.
The trip took another four hours.
He could have easily sped up while pulling the pushcart, but whenever he did, the cart started to creak and he feared it would break.
Arriving in town Jay directly went to the garrison.
He wanted to deliver Aidra to them and finish the quest that was still open.
At the gate he asked the guard to call for Tharynn while he went to the yard next to the main building.
The adjutant arrived only a minute later in the door of said building and asked Jay why he got called out after greeting him.
Jay pointed Tharynn towards the pushcart and asked him if he would be so kind to fetch his booty. He could use it if he wanted to but first transport it to somewhere safe while Jay would report to the Commander.
With a doubting glance Tharynn nodded and made his way to the small cart while Jay walked up to Haggard's private office. The totem he had taken with him was stored in a bag Jay looted at the camp.
After recounting his finds and also some parts about the camp he stayed at, Jay gifted his caught bandit to the garrison. He was sure sure she would fit in a big crowd of men getting trained all day.
***
Quest:
'The Bandits' cleared!
3600 XP
***
***
Quest:
The Bandits 2
Object:
find the bandits main base in Eldrin
***
The commander thanked him unbeknownst what Jay meant and then they thought about what to do about the bandits.
The one Jay had killed at the camp had quite the high bounty on his head and he would receive the payment when the garrison had confirmed the bandits identity. Jay had brought the head after Aidra had told him of the wanted bandit.
Even before Commander Haggard could ask Jay to follow the leads to the bandits he got, a notification appeared and told of the quest. Haggard would report about his request to the Adventurers Guild as well, so Jay had no reason to decline him.
He had told the commander about the dock and the slave trafficking that was supposed to go on there.
To this Jay got shown a map of the region and the supposed location of the docks.
Their next topic was about the totem.
Jay had received updates to his personal quests whenever he found another totem or got new clues.
It wasn't much they found out until now, just that it wasn't of human origin and what it caused. In Arathor they learned parts of its wood was from the north what someone in the fort found out.
The mages guild had been of no big help until now, but they got a hint to some tower.
By the time someone knocked on the door, the two had talked for over half an hour.
As Haggard answered Tharynn walked in looking at Jay with a pale face and shocked expression.
As he stood besides the Commander, Jay saw his trousers were still partially unbuttoned. While giving the adjutant a knowing smirk jay asked him about the tower they got pointed to by Andomar.
Clearing his throat, Tharynn told Haggard about Kitta Theocritus at the tower of azura and that she might help them.
***
Quest:
The Cause (7)
Object:
transfer the totem to Kitta Theocritus
***
With the next course of action set, Jay left the office after Tharynn had confirmed the report of the slayed bandits and their boss.
The payment was good and he even got a little extra for the loot and pushcart. On his way out Tharynn accompanied him until he suddenly halted and asked in a meek voice:
"You know, that was quite the sight. I never thought something like this would be possible...Was such a thing really necessary?" T.
"But I guess you ...'interrogated' her as well, from the sight of your unbuttoned pants?" J.
"Wha..., heh, yeah. Though I was quite shocked when I took out the stakes. What the hell is wrong with you?" T.
Shrugging his shoulders Jay walked on. As he had reached the door Tharynn suddenly held him by the Shoulder.
"Do you need your boot back? It's a little smelly but..." T.
"After it was there? No way! Already got a new pair looted from the camp, see?" J.
Grinning wide Jay pointed towards his new set of boots.
"Take good care of her,... and let the troops 'interrogate' her as well if you'd like. I'll take my leave to the tower!"J.
Waving good bye over his shoulder Jay left the garrison towards the Inn.
He had left the food from this morning on the cart with everything else, so he was going to eat a late lunch with Mia.
The busty half elf greeted him with a motherly smile as he walked into the dining room. Marcus prepared a portion of left over stew for Jay as Mia talked to him.
She was not that happy at all as she learned about him having gotten his revenge. He of course had only told her about giving her to the garrison.
Her mood only went up when he told her about his current task and that he would come back to Gold Creek the moment it got cleared.
As he explained he would need to stay in Eldrin forest for quite a while longer she was back to her high spirit from before.
Donning him a small care package which he stuffed inside the bag with the totem, Mia escorted him to the Towns border and waved him goodbye.
He took the same way back he just had arrived from only two hours before. This time he could speed up though and arrived at the fork to the McLures only two and a half hours later.
The journey was uneventful and boring. Only the beautiful landscape at the silver lake and he some small bridges he crossed broke tho monotonous sight of trees.
The sight of the vineyards from the road later on was very welcomed by Jay but got all too soon replaced by trees again.
McLures vineyards were not even on half of the distance to the tower of Azura.
As he spotted the roof in half a mile distance Jay was happy the boring travel came to an end.
Closing in on the tower he got stopped by a small human only about four feet tall. He wore a blue robe and had light pink hair with a similar colored beard.
"Halt, You enter the proximity of the Tower of Azura! Trespassing prohibited!" ???
Analyze revealed the man as a Gnome of level 35.
The Sorcerer made ready to attack as Jay just stood there and stared at him. Only then did Jay notice it and asked for excuse. He stated his issue about the totem and that he was tasked to deliver it to Kitta Theocritus. Hearing this the Gnome looked surprised and asked Jay to follow him into the tower.
The building itself was a massive, six stores tall building made of thick stones. He only knew about the number of stores because the Gnome guiding him told it while they ascended the spiral staircase. On the third floor Jay had to wait at a door while the Gnome knocked and went in. Seconds later he was asked in by the same gnome who left the room.
The one who greeted him inside was middle aged lady with auburn hair.
She wore a blue robe similar to Nozzle, the Gnome who left. She introduced herself as Kitta Theocritus, a member of the mages guild and temporary professor at the academy of arcane arts.
As they greeted each other Jay introduced himself and explained what had happened until now.
Showing her the totem she started examining it immediately, he even had to remember her of his presence.
Blushing slightly at her blunder she asked him if he would like to stay at the tower. They had two guest rooms that were seldom occupied and Jay could use one for as long as she took to check the totem.
It would take at least a day to get some information out of it.
Thanking her while agreeing, Jay told her that he would leave the next morning for different matters and would come back the moment he had finished.
Kitta went directly back to work and sent him down to find a servant to guide him to the guest rooms.
Back in the entrance hall Jay found Nozzle, the Gnome he encountered at first and told him he had been asked to stay.
After he got his small room on the first floor, next to the servants rooms, Jay went out again.
Nozzle had told him about wolves coming closer to the tower and even attacked a patrol. To this Jay offered his help and got the location a pack was sighted last.
For the next two hours he hunted wolves, thinning out the population.
He even encountered a Alpha Wolf, big as a pony and guarding a relatively strong pack. But to Jay's magic rifle and the Wingblade it posed no threat.
The experience points Jay got had been as meager as his efforts though.
It had already turned dark when Jay arrived back at the tower while pulling eight grown wolves and one alpha by their tails.
From his encounter with Aidra he had learned to always take a rope with him.
Nozzle and his companion stared wide eyed as they saw Jay pull the bulk of wolves towards them.
After a hearty wolf steak, tasting good but nowhere close to Marcus' meals, Jay went up to his room an finally got to rest.
With the plan for the next day set he drifted into a deep sleep in no time.
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone