Stumbling Up: A Loser's Guide to Progression - Chapter 44: The Hustle and Bustle

"Once we're into Eddie's Mill, we need to grab some rooms and take a look at the quest board." Tandy was doing what she normally did, which was ordering us around. I shared a smile with Meredeath. It was her turn to poke our fearless leader.

"I was planning on shopping first. I need to get my boots resoled, and that last leaf slime left a stain I can’t get out," Meredeath said nonchalantly, knowing each word was going to irritate Tandy. She reached up to pet Richard. "Besides, the slug wants to check out the produce stalls. From what we've heard, Eddie's Mill is big enough to have a full market. Got to take advantage of it."

Persimmons are in season.

He played along, making lip-smacking sounds at us all.

"Seriously, guys, we don't have that much coin left. We need to pay for our rooms first before we go spending it." Tandy never did pick up when we were teasing her.

Usually, Leo joined in on the banter, but he hadn’t been himself since we left Rhi. A lot had changed for all of us, but Leo’s unnatural silence felt heavier. If I didn't know better, I'd think my friend had been cursed.

I was going to talk to Tandy. See what she thought. But I just couldn’t find a moment alone with her.

"I guess we can check out the hotel first. But I have to get my boots resoled. It's an equipment issue, and those take priority," Meredeath said, parroting back Tandy's reasoning when she denied Meredeath's request to get a mundane onyx ring. In her defense, we couldn't afford the [Enchanted] ring that would have been useful.

Tandy eyed Meredeath as though she expected to be pushed harder. Meredeath just innocently scratched Richard under the chin. It wasn't that we weren't on the same page as far as expenses. None of us wanted to sleep on the ground again. It was just— it would be nice to pretend for once that we were doing better than we were.

High potential or not, [Your Mom's Party] was just another [Adventurer Party] looking for the next quest that wouldn't kill us. We'd hit the road after the run in with Rhi Voss, and it'd been just run-of-the-mill leaf slimes, bogquackers, rats of unusual dispositions, and escort quests. I didn't mind the lack of near death experiences.

It'd given me time to get used to my gills without a life-threatening circumstance. I could now keep up with everyone. Tandy told me the gasping was just in my head, and she'd been right, to a point. You get used to anything if you experience it enough, and breathing is an every moment of your life experience.

Rhi had given the best suggestion before we left. Wearing a wet bandana around my neck. My gills weren't nearly as angry when they were damp.

Eddie's Mill was the next major city west of Dusridge. We'd stopped at all the little villages and hamlets along the way, making sure to clear out their quest boards. Most of the quests hadn't given us more than a few coppers and a night in a barn. The people were kind and hospitable, but they had country problems that didn't even trigger [System] rewards.

None of us minded those, after the constant terror of the [Trial Dungeon] and Meredeath's quest for a [Sponsor]. The quests were the type my folks might have and were worth doing. What they weren't doing, however, was giving us new skills. It was time to get serious about being an [Adventurer], and Eddie's Mill was the place to do it.

We crested a hill and got a view of the town. The eastern edge of the city butted up against a large river, nearly thirty feet wide. Two bridges spanned the river, one wide with a line of wagons waiting to be admitted. The other was narrow, meant for foot and single-horse traffic. The buildings along the river looked muddy. A few small docks peppered the shore. From what I could see, Eddie's Mill looked to be thriving.

A giant mill sat in the middle of town, with what looked like a tented market around it. Otherwise, buildings in varying sizes and opulence showed a patchwork of roofs from straw to the eastern style tile to the northern slate. Eddie's Mill seemed to have a cauldron of aesthetic influences, most of which I'd only read about.

"You done gawking, country boy?" Meredeath said, slapping me on the back. "Can you take the slug for a while? I hate getting all the looks." She batted her eyes at me in exaggeration.

"Sure, hand him over," I said. I didn't think she was actually flirting with me anymore. It was just how she was, but it didn't make me immune to her charms.

I'm not a piece of luggage to be bandied about!

"You are until you grow legs, big guy," I said, responding to his outrage.

If someone is carrying this team, it’s me.

I didn't bother responding to that one. Even if he was right, and I'm not sure he had the evidence to prove it, I would die multiple times before I'd admit it.

Tandy marched us right up to the foot traffic gate. The bridge guard looked at us, bored.

"State your business and it’s a copper each," the guard said, trying to suppress a yawn.

"[Adventurers], and why do we need to pay a copper each?" Tandy said what we were all thinking.

The guard looked at us, eyebrows raised.

"[Adventurers]? Well then, it's a silver each for such accomplished folk," he stood a little straighter, excited at the payout. He was outfitted in worn leathers dyed black, in what I assumed was the style of the town's guards. We didn't have four silver. We hadn't seen that type of coin offered on any quest board.

"Sorry about my cousin here." The guard looked between Tandy and Meredeath, who didn't look remotely related. "She's got dreams, a bit muddled from falling out of the neighbor's apple tree if you know what I mean." I didn't know what she meant, but the guard smiled like he understood. "We're here visiting our auntie down in the water district. My mum told us we needed to take these two to 'protect' us." Meredeath rolled her eyes, communicating clearly what she thought of our 'protection.'

"Ah, visiting relatives. Can I get your names and the name of your auntie?" The man held a clipboard with a ledger of entrants. "It'll still be a copper each for using the bridge." We had six coppers on our person, but we weren't going to be able to afford anything once we got inside.

"Tandy, can you hand the man the four coppers your momma gave you? And our aunt is Millie, that's M-I-L-L-I-E." Meredeath said the words so smoothly, I almost started believing her.

Tandy, still shocked by the prices, opened up her coin pouch and started fishing for the fee.

"But we've already crossed the bridge," Leo piped up. He was as irritated as Tandy. "What would you do if we couldn't pay? We'd have to use the bridge again."

The guard looked at him, eyeing the axe strapped to his back.

"It's a tax to pay for the bridge construction. If you don't have the fee, then I won’t let you in. Do you have a problem?"

Meredeath stepped between the guard and Leo, "No problem. Don't mind him. A lot of cotton up in Woodsten."

The guard held out his hand, collecting Tandy's coins. He waved us, dropping three of the coins into the collection bin. I watched as he didn't even try to hide as he pocketed the fourth copper.

I opened my mouth to object when I got a sharp elbow to my ribs. Message received.

We walked into Eddie's Mill, three country bumpkins who didn't know the first thing about a city. Meredeath, for once, seemed to know more about our world than we did.

As first impressions go, the guard gave us an accurate one. Eddie's Mill was loud, muddy, and hard to navigate. Even Tandy was intimidated by the strangeness of it all. People hollered in a variety of accents and languages. I couldn't make out anything, except that we had to keep walking.

Meredeath took charge, leading us away from the river. I was pretty sure she didn't have any more of an idea of where to go than I did. But I was more than willing to let her make that decision. Even Tandy let Meredeath take the lead as overwhelmed as I was.

The fishy smell of the docks district gave way to the smell of bakeries and roasted nuts. None of which we could afford. That didn’t stop me from eyeing the nut-covered croissants and cream horns dusted with chocolate.

A cart sold roasted nuts dusted in cinnamon and sugar. I’d take on another tidemaw for some nuts.

Richard drooled a bit, leaning off of Tandy’s shoulder to sniff at the air. The thick glob fell right on my boot.

I’d pawn Richard for a good pastry.

She marched us up to higher ground, then angled us in the opposite direction from the towering mill. Tracing along the river district as though she were on a mission.

"You three stay here," Meredeath said, pushing us into a little alley. "I'll be right back."

The street she'd taken us to was lined with buildings that supported a type of business I didn't even know existed.

Each bar had a distinct style, made plain in garish murals on the front of the windowless establishment. As though that wasn’t enough of a clue as to our whereabouts, the eaves were all painted red, indicating exactly what part of town we were in.

Leo, Tandy, and I looked like sheep that had wandered into a bear den. None of us could stop gawking at the women and men who called out to passersby.

Tandy handed me Richard as she pretended to comb through her bag. He wrapped around my shoulders, tentacles high, so he had the best angle to watch people.

They were caricatures of people, painted to draw the eye. Heavy floral perfume warred with the musky scent of cologne. Red lips, large tits, bejeweled codpieces, curly flamboyant hair, dresses that clung or loosened ties, every bit of artifice was built to entice and tantalize. Or at least I thought.

I'd always considered myself experienced enough. I didn't have Leo's popularity, but I wasn't an innocent. But I was beginning to understand my worldliness had limits, as I stood awkwardly in our little niche waiting for Meredeath to return.

I hoped the quest board had something better than rat duty. If not, we might have to take up jobs scrubbing codpieces.

Tandy and Leo weren't better off.

This is my kind of entertainment.

He said it with the right snark that indicated he was talking about our discomfort, not the people selling their bodies around us.

“I regret picking you,” I told the self-important slug.

Richard smugly preened on my shoulder. I refused to let him see me smile.