You should rest a little. Relax, take this load off your shoulders...

The voices of her companions echoed through Mervella's head, well-meaning advice altogether, but it rang in her ears like thunder. Relax... It wasn't like her travel group wasn't prone for getting into all sorts of trouble. And since she was still the reasonable one in it, how would she ever find peace and quiet and stop worrying about their wellbeing?

The fact that the "Axe & Barrel" was one of the very best inns in the entire city of Ezdarail, with big lushy rooms, a fine selection of crafted ales from all major people in the kingdom, an Elben cook with the ability to throw only a few ingredients together to create a delicious and filling meal, and no less than three different bards who made regular appearances in here to perform - all that was supposed to help Mervella ease off and calm down to a point where she would lose her constant tension in her muscles.

It failed.

After an hour Mervella couldn't stand it anymore. She had been lying on her bed, a very cozy and fluffy one with linen sheets and feather-stuffed pillows, staring to the ceiling. She had taken off her heavy armor, it was resting on the table far away from the door and the window. The crest of the Royal Knights was turned to the wall, though it was probably a futile attempt to hide it - anyone who had seen her enter the inn would have realized who and what she was. The biggest problem for her was now that she wasn't wearing it. She felt naked without it. Exposed, vulnerable... helpless.

Eventually she got up again, put the armor on, grabbed her sword and the little crossbow and headed downstairs to the inn room. Maybe a pint of this famous dwarven mushroom ale would help her ease the tension...

Another hour passed while she was sitting in a corner all by herself. Her companions were nowhere to be seen, but the inn was crowded with townsfolk. And Mervella realized that the first pint of ale had done nothing to comfort her. The third however... She had always been warned by her trainers and her siblings-in-arms and practically everyone else that dwarven brew should never be underestimated. But this time, that mushroom stuff was exactly what she needed.

"Mervella?"

At first she thought that Rhojeka had called out to her. The voice was filling the room like every time her bard friend would perform. But it wasn't her voice. It didn't sound at all familiar. But when it spoke up, people in the inn made way and gave Mervella the opportunity to look at the older woman right next to the counter.

Mervella's hand twitched. It darted for the crossbow, but stopped in a heartbeart. Whoever this women with the curly grey hair was, she didn't look like she was a threat. She looked around in the inn room, looking for her. Maybe if I played dead and just ignored her...

Instead she stood up from her place, facing the woman. "I am Mervella," she said, trying to surpress the slurring in her voice. The dwarven ale had gotten to her head awfully quickly. "What do you want?"

In the next moment the strange old woman was standing right in front of her. It was like she came out of nowhere, like she just had teleported to cover the distance. But the lack of reaction from the other patrons in here told Mervella that this woman had just moved very fast, and she just had not realized it.

The woman said nothing. She just handed Mervella two things. Then she took a step back - and vanished. A puff of smoke was all that remained of her. The patrons around them had watched the scene with mild curiosity and let out a slight gasp when the woman disappeared. But they quickly got back to minding their own business. It wasn't unusual that a courier would come in for a delivery - and it wasn't unheard of that those couriers would use magic once their task had been fulfilled. Mervella sat back down at her table and looked at the items she just received. The first was a coin - enough to buy herself another pint. The second however...

You've got to be jesting!

She looked at the scroll again, read the instructions carefully, studied the crudely drawn map. The words "urgent", "at once" and "come alone" seemed to glow with meaning and seriousness, though they didn't look any different than the rest of the words. Maybe it was the ale, but Mervella felt that this was not to be taken lightly. But she felt relieved when she read the last line: "This will have no impact on your current affairs - once your task is done, you will return to this place as if you had never left."

Rhojeka will kill me for that. Mervella felt a bitter smile creeping over her face. Her bard friend was supposed to be completely safe in this city, with her other companions by her side. But still, leaving her, even for a short time, didn't feel right. Mervella felt already troubled for letting her go to this public bath house alone to clean up and celebrate her vanity, and now Mervella was supposed to go to this unknown place and leave her for an unspecified amount of time? No matter how reassuring this last line was, it was just... unwise. And irresponsible. And...

When she tried to finish the thought, she realized that she was already on her way to the strange place marked on the map.