“Another, please?” The voice of a woman rang out against the backdrop of noise in the crowded Adelunan tavern. A raven haired woman sat on a stool at the long, wooden bartop, asking the barman for another drink. He obliged, setting a small cup of amber liquid on the counter in front of her, to which she responded by placing a silver coin, an Adelunan Crescent, down in front of her. The barman scooped up the Crescent and walked away, while the woman at the bar sipped on her beverage.

Every day had been the same since she had found herself in Adeluna. She woke up, ate breakfast, and went to work for the local blacksmith. Then, she’d make her way back to the room she rented in that same blacksmith’s house, get cleaned up, and make her way to the Winking Mermaid where she would have some supper and a few drinks, before finding her way to the blacksmith’s house and going to sleep. Then, she would wake up and do it all over again the next morning.

It was monotonous, and it did not feel correct to her. She felt that she was supposed to be doing something else, but what that was, she could never put her finger on it. When she had found herself in Adeluna, she had no recollection of where she had been. She had been dropped off by a caravan of soldiers that were reporting to the Queen. They had found her in the wilds during their travels back to the city, battered and clueless. It had been discovered she had a way with blades, and that was why they had directed her to the blacksmith.

With a sigh, she drained her glass of whiskey, taking a look around the tavern with her startlingly blue eyes. One day, she thought… one day, something would come along that would get her out of the monotony, and perhaps help her figure out where she had come from. A mercenary, perhaps, looking for an extra blade on a mission - that would be the ticket! That was why she found herself in that tavern, night after night, looking for answers that she would never find.

Attie held out the broken blade in front of her as she sat on a bench in the city of Adeluna. The blade was broken in half, as though something stronger made the metal snap in two. Yet it was entirely the girl holding it's fault. One of the local villagers in a small town had told her that a boulder held secret magical jewels and could only be cut by a sword. She wanted to see these mystical jewels and ended up hacking at the boulder all day. Eventually, she broke her blade. It was only later that she found out the local had made it up as a funny trick to play on visitors. Attie traveled to the city to see if there was a blacksmith that could repair it. But she didn't know many of the Adelunians and was having trouble finding one. 

Her eyes explored the streets around her, looking for any sign of a blacksmith shop. There was none to be found. A small sigh escaped her lips as she dumped the sword parts into her bag. Pushing herself to her feet, she began to walk down the street. Surely there was someplace where she could learn about the local blacksmiths. Her mind rushed through several possibilities. Perhaps there was a local artisan guild she could visit? Or maybe the marketplace would be the best option? But it was later in the day. The marketplace would still be open but there would be less people. 

Suddenly, her eyes spotted the warm glow of the tavern in the distance. Laughter and loud chatter leaked through the door, indicating the large amount of people. That was it! A tavern had more people then anywhere else. Surely a barman or a local could point her in the right direction! Attie walked with a smile and a cheery attitude all the way to the building. She opened the door and practically skipped over to the bar and plopped down on the stool. The barman looked at her with slight confusion then asked what she wanted to drink. After a moment of thinking, Attie decided on something. 

"I'll have some milk!" Attie said enthusiastically. 

The barman's confusion grew but he didn't question her. Instead he left to the back to find some milk and returned with a glass full of it. He placed it on the bar and Attie quickly snatched it. She placed the glass to her lips and gulped every single drop, leaving a small milk mustache on her face. After quickly wiping her mouth, she looked around at the people inside the tavern. 

"So what are you here for?" The barman asked, trying to be polite. 

"I'm looking for a blacksmith." Attie said, "I have to travel for a mission but its not safe travelling without a sword. Trust me. I tried it. I got beat up three times!"

She almost looked proud of that.

"Anyway, know any blacksmiths?" Attie asked the barman. 

Although she had not necessarily been listening in on conversation, Ryalla heard snippets here and there of what different tavern patrons were discussing. A man and a woman off to the side at one of the smaller tables were having a hushed conversation about the man’s supposed infidelity. Apparently, she had caught him in bed with a prostitute when he had thought she would be out fetching things from the market much longer than she had been. According to the man, he had done it in retaliation for the fact that earlier that month, the woman had slept with his brother. It sounded like something out of some comedic tragedy play that would be staged by one of the theatre troupes that visited Adeluna rather regularly.

A little more towards the center of the room, a boisterous group of men were playing some sort of game involving dice. A lot of silver coins were being passed around the table, so Ryalla assumed it was some sort of game that involved gambling. At one point, one of the youngest men in the group had hit one of the older men square in the jaw – she had half expected a huge fight to break out, and found herself mildly disappointed when they all just started laughing and carried on with their game.

When a younger girl walked up to the bar and cheerfully ordered a glass of milk, it certainly took Ryalla by surprise. From the look of the barkeep, he was a bit taken off guard as well. Milk wasn’t exactly something that was regularly ordered in taverns. Some kept it on hand, more so for ordering during meals, but not just as a beverage to be enjoyed. This strange request caused Ryalla to eye the girl with a bit of curiosity, though not enough so as to draw attention to herself. From the corner of her eye, she watched the girl down the milk and clean her face rather quickly. The thought of drinking that much milk that quickly made Ryalla’s stomach churn, though she pushed the uneasy feeling out of her mind rather quickly.

The girl seemed to be attempting to make conversation with the barman, who was a man of few words. When he was questioned about whether or not he knew of a decent blacksmith, he nodded his head down toward Ryalla. Having been listening to the conversation, she gave the girl a polite nod and a half smile before closing the distance between them, grabbing her cup of whiskey and sitting down on a stool much closer to her, leaving only one empty between the pair. ”Your lucky day, if you’re seeking a blacksmith,” she said, though her words did not seem to carry all that much enthusiasm. ”I can help you repair your blade. Let me finish up my drink here and I can take you to the foundry,” she said, looking around the girl to see if the broken weapon was visible. When she couldn’t see the broken blade, she continued speaking, her curiosity getting the better of her. ”You say you’ve got a mission to go on?” she asked. ”Can I be so bold as to ask what kind of mission?” she asked, her interest having been piqued.

When the barman nodded to Ryalla, Attie couldn't help but be surprised. She hadn't expected to meet a blacksmith in the bar. Typically she had to work hard just to find people to help and yet here she was. Attie watched the woman with raven hair drink her whiskey and move closer. The woman offered to fix the blade and invited her to the foundry after she finished her drink. Giving a small nod, Attie sat swinging her legs and waiting for the blacksmith to finish her drink. Suddenly, the woman spoke up asking about the mission. Most people wouldn't reveal that sort of information but Attie didn't see any issue with it. Her eyes lit up and she started to speak about the quest, as though she wasn't worried at all about who was listening. 

"Well I gotta travel to a certain cave to find a star sapphire." She explained, "The caves around here are getting mined out so I'm heading off to Parvpora to see if I can find any. If I can't find any there then I'll head to Onnen. The caves in those continents are less mined out than the ones in Canelux. I'll have better chances in those continents than here. I'll need a sword in case I come across danger but I think I'll be fine."

The caves in Canelux still had gems and other valuable items but there were many nobles and miners who owned those caves or had already taken everything. Onnen was a newer continent and their people seemed to have less focus on draining the natural resources from the ground. Parvpora was another option as well, though it wasn't as new as Onnen. However, she would only take one gem and leave the rest of the treasure and natural resources. Attie figured it was best to only take what was needed, instead of taking everything one wanted. 

"I broke my sword while hitting a bolder so you can probably understand why its not in the best of shapes." Attie said. 

She waited for the older woman to finish the drink, then she slid off her chair and headed for the door, looking back to Ryalla to see if she was coming. Attie didn't want to pressure the blacksmith but time was ticking and she wanted to begin her quest as fast as possible.