The sun was just beginning to peak over the distant horizon as the three companions arrived back at Jayse’s farm. It was still hard for Astoria to believe how far she’d come in just a short time within this new world of hers. Before all of this, Astoria had been a very passive person. She wouldn’t have gone out looking for a fight; she had already changed so much from the meek girl who hid in her room while her parents drank and fought. 

We actually have some solid evidence against that Dane bastard now. He’s going down. After the fight and travelling all night, she felt as though she could sleep for the whole day when they hopped down from their mounts and she said as much as they walked over to where they would tie them up, "Let's get these horses tied up and go get some sleep. I'm beat."

"We shouldn’t tarry here for long. Remember, we still have much to do before this ordeal is all done," Ladriel said. 

I swear it's like she can function with like no sleep at all. She's right, of course, but I just wish I could get a full night's sleep. Is that so much to ask, universe? 

It looked like Jayse had put out some food for their horses as there were a few bales of hay placed where they had tied their horses. Jayse is the best. He really didn’t have to do that for us. Astoria gave her horse a good pat on its head, running her fingers through its mane before heading inside.

Jayse and Rodia had really come through for them once more as the first thing she saw when entering the small farm house was that they had set up bedrolls in the middle of the living room for them. The pillows looked so soft and inviting. 

Astoria turned and saw that Jayse was sitting at the dining table puffing on his pipe with a book in his hands. Her eyelids felt so heavy but she forced herself to stay standing. 

He saw the three of them standing at the entrance to the house staring and he took the pipe out of his mouth, "Good morning, girls. You look to be in one piece. Everything went well, I suppose?"

Astoria nodded. "You won’t believe it! It looks like Lord Dane is responsible for the goblin trouble as well as being a scumbag involved in the Red Lotus.” 

She reached into the pack where the piece of parchment was stored and held it up like a flaming sword of justice before the older man’s face.

“We're going to go into town and present this evidence to Lord Garland after we get a few hours of sleep," she yawned again.

Jayse frowned and stood up. "That lord and his damned politics! Some of those farms had children! I hope that Lord Garland will have the man hanged for his crimes. Go ahead and get some sleep, you three look like you’re ready to fall down. I have work to do so I'll be outside for most of the morning.” The farmer stood up and set his pipe and book down on the table before heading outside.

"He's such a nice man," Tilly said after he was outside while yawning. "I could sleep for a month," she took off her soiled outer clothes and crawled into bed. 

Astoria and Ladriel quickly followed suit and Astoria felt herself drifting off to sleep almost the second that her head hit the soft, fluffy pillow.

Astoria dreamt of home. She had been preparing to take the SATs and she would need to really buckle down soon if she wanted to get into a decent school. The dreams were so vivid that when she awoke, and found herself on the floor of Jayse’s farmhouse, she was a little confused as to where she was. 

I’ll never be able to go home. I wonder if time passes the same here as it does in the real world. She sighed as she reminded herself that this was the real world for her now. A dangerous, monster filled world full of murderers and worse.

The others were already awake and their bedrolls had been folded up neatly and put into the corner of the room. Her clothes were gone. Rodia must’ve taken them or something. Astoria stretched her arms above her head and then climbed out of the bedding. She folded everything up and put it with the others. 

Rodia was in the kitchen trimming what looked to be a roast when Astoria finished doing what she had been doing and walked into the kitchen. The house was warm at least, but she didn’t want to be walking around half-naked all day. 

"Good morning, dear. I took the liberty of cleaning your blood-stained clothing while you slept. I did what I can, but it seems like you need to get some new clothes soon. They’re drying outside." She stopped what she was doing. "Come with me, I’m sure that I have something that will fit you in my closet.”

Astoria followed the older woman into her room at the back of the house where she opened up her closet revealing a small collection of dresses on hangers. Rodia shoved most of the clothes, which were definitely too big for Astoria, to the side of the closet and pulled out a couple options that looked like they would fit. 

“How about one of these?” Rodia held each dress up against Astoria in turn. “It looks like they’ll both fit you.”

The dresses looked pretty and were very well cared for. Astoria chose to take the yellow sundress and put it on. She did a little spin and was happy to wear something nice after going around in half-destroyed clothes all this time. “It fits great. Thank you!”

“Don’t mention it, dear. You can keep it.”

Astoria beamed. She finally had something without holes in it! Going around fighting monsters in a dress wouldn’t do, however, so she would need to stop in town and get some new gear. it was nice that she would get to wear something more normal again, even if only for a little while.

“I can make you something to eat if you’d like. Everyone else already had breakfast earlier." She gave Astoria that kind smile of hers.

“It’s okay. I’m actually not really very hungry. Do you know where the others went?”

“They’ve been outside for quite a while now. Ladriel said that she was going to teach Tilly some things about defending herself.”

“I’m going to go learn some stuff too. Thanks again for the dress!” Astoria exclaimed as she ran out the front door. 

Aerie was sitting outside the front door playing with her dolls while watching Ladriel and Tilly who were a short distance away from the house to the side. The little girl jumped a little when Astoria came crashing out the door and spun around. She grinned and stood up when she saw it was Astoria before running over. "You're awake! Wanna play?"

Astoria couldn't help but smile at the little girl. She knelt down and answered, "I wish I could. It looks like a lot of fun, but I have some grown up things that I have to do today. Another time, okay?" Astoria patted the girl on the head and stood back up.

Aerie looked a little disappointed for the briefest of moments before shrugging and running back to her spot with the two dolls and began playing once more. 

Astoria walked towards the pair and took note of Judy, who was in the fenced garden area watering the various vegetables with a large watering can, staring at Ladriel and Tilly as well. 

Ladriel was giving instructions to Tilly on stances and sword forms when Astoria walked up. The elf told Tilly to practice and came over to her. I’m glad Tilly is so into all this. Hard to believe she is the same person as she was before either. It seems that we’ve both grown. 

"How long have you guys been out here? Did you guys sleep at all?" 

"Some of us do not sleep like logs,” the elf sniffed. 

“We got up early when we smelled the food Rodia was making for breakfast. I can’t believe you didn’t wake up. Did you sleep okay? You were tossing and turning,” Tilly asked.  

“I’m just… a little homesick, that’s all.” 

The others dropped it at that seeing that it was a sore point. Astoria wondered if Tilly would still want to go back to being just a cook once this was all over. Not that there was anything wrong with dreaming of becoming a chef, but it didn’t sound very interesting to her.

“Are we going to be departing soon?” Ladriel asked.

“Yeah. Let’s go. Before we go to Garland’s estate, I want to find the blacksmith and get some proper equipment. The stuff I have is pretty much destroyed at this point. Tilly needs some real gear, too.”

The three of them got their belongings together and said their goodbyes. It was time to really do some damage to the Red Lotus. Dane was a noble, so surely he was not a lowly member of the organization. Astoria could hardly wait to squeeze the man for information. 

They made good time travelling the road during the daylight hours and before time they were in town. Now… where is that blacksmith? She looked around as they trotted down the street on their horses.

They had come into quite a bit of money by robbing that corrupt innkeeper of her coin. Not to mention, they would be getting a pretty nice reward for their goblin slaying services. It occurred to her that she had been so busy with other things, that she had never even counted the money. I wonder if Ladriel or Tilly counted it though.

"Did either of you happen to count the money we got from Elena?" she spoke quietly now that they were in town even though no one was anywhere near them. One couldn't be too careful, after all. 

Tilly was the one to answer, "I counted it once we got to Jayse's farm. The total was 7 gold, 11 silver, and 37 copper coins." 

"Sounds like she was making a fortune off of selling people like livestock." The woman had probably been selling girls to the Red Lotus for years to have amassed such a huge fortune. Astoria swallowed the rage that swelled within her at the mere thought of the Red Lotus and focused her mind on the task at hand. She needed good gear if she was going to get ahead in a game world like this. 

I wonder how much a good set of armor costs in this world. This is probably a starting area, so I doubt that a little town like this will have anything extraordinary. Six gold coins felt like a huge fortune compared to anything she had seen so far in this world, but she remembered how expensive something basic like a magic map had been, and her heart sank a little bit. 

"Let’s go find the blacksmith before we do anything else, but we should also think of getting some more potions before we go to Lord Garland’s estate," Astoria said.

"Sounds good to me," Tilly seemed eager to do something as ordinary as going shopping. "We should get some ingredients from the general store as well. There are some basic necessities that we’ll need for the trip to Elivaster." 

"Do you think we can afford another horse?" Astoria hoped that it would be a possibility. Riding double wasn't the most comfortable way to travel, after all. If horses were cheap enough, she thought that it would be a good idea to get one for their injured companion down the road as well. 

"In Egris, a decent horse typically goes for around 20 silver pieces. We should be able to find someone who will sell us a horse if we ask around," Tilly said. 

It didn’t take long for them to find the blacksmith. Heat waves could be seen radiating from the building where the open forge lay. The three of them hopped off their horses and stepped inside. 

A man with rippling arm muscles pounded steel against steel in a rhythmic motion. The clanging was so loud that Astoria’s ears hurt. She winced each time he brought down his heavy hammer. The man had a huge, bushy beard that went halfway down his chest and sweat glistened all over his face and bulgy arms.

Bang. Bang. Bang.

After a few moments, he finally noticed that the three of them were standing inside his domain when he stopped hammering and placed the project back into the hot embers of the forge once more. 

He turned to them and with a voice like gravel grinding he addressed them in what sounded like a dwarvish accent from one of those old Lord of the Rings movies she saw once, "What can I do for ye, lassies? I be Kristov, the smith here in Oliend," he crossed his arms.

"We need to buy some armor. Something light and easy to move in, but that will also provide as much protection as possible." Astoria hoped that she could afford something of good quality. She really wanted to get good gear, but at the same time she wanted that magic map that was at the general store. Would her money be able to stretch that far?

"If ye be lookin' for light armor, ye came to the right place. I dun have a large selection of armor that will fit a wee lass like ye, but I may have somethin' that'll fit the bill," he wiped the sweat from his brow using a cloth that had been tied to his belt and motioned for them to follow him to the back of the building. 

There were barrels filled with various farming tools like scythes, hoes, and shovels. Astoria even noted some weapons. There was a small assortment of simple looking, yet well crafted swords, spears, daggers, and even a couple halberds. 

Upon inspection, every weapon that she saw was of above average quality or better. Hanging on the wall there were several different suits of armor in pieces. They looked fairly plain and she doubted she was strong enough to walk around in something like that all the time. Besides, none of it would fit her. 

Once they got to the back corner of the forge, the blacksmith took out a heavy ring with several keys on it. He placed one into the lock of a large chest that sat on the ground nearby and rummaged around inside for a few moments.

He pulled out two sets of armor and placed them on a nearby table. "This un' here be fine leather armor if I do say so meself. This will allow ye to move freely and will offer minor protection in critical points on your body. This other un be a cheaper option for ye. It be leather armor but will not offer as much protection. I dinnae know what yer price range be, Lass, but this be the only light leather armor that I have that would fit ye. I can part with the finer set for 5 silver and 27 copper pieces. The cheaper set be 3 silver." 

Well within my price range. Astoria had a hard time following the man's speech but she understood the important bits. I think I'd better not skimp out when it comes to my defense, the more expensive set looks like it’ll fit me better, anyway. She picked up the armor to feel its weight before answering.

"Can I try it on? If it fits, I'd like the nicer set."

"Of course it'll fit, lass. I have a good eye fer these things. Ye can try it on if ye wish though," He pointed toward a door and motioned her to go inside and change. 

She grabbed the bundle of armor and went inside. I hope this fits good. she undressed and started putting it on. The set consisted of a dyed dark blue, tight fitting pair of pants and long sleeve shirt that would leave only her fingers in the open air, brown leather pauldrons for her shoulders, a chest piece that resembled a corset that tied together at the front, knee-high leather boots and vambraces for her forearms. It wasn’t plate mail, but she felt like she would be able to move really good in the outfit. It was time to find out. She pulled off her dress.

She started by putting on the two piece jumpsuit which fit snugly but well, followed by the boots. The boots felt soft and she could tell that they would be both quiet and comfortable to walk in. She put on the chest piece which was more comfortable than she would have thought it would be at first glance before attaching the pauldrons and vambraces. Once she was done she looked herself over as best she could without a mirror. I look like a badass assassin chick! I love this outfit! 

Astoria walked around for a few moments in the small room to make sure that everything was comfortable and nothing rubbed her the wrong way, and she wasn’t disappointed.

The new outfit allowed her to maneuver easily and she retained her full range of motion in her arms and legs. She stepped out of the small room with confidence to see what her companions thought. "So? What do you guys think?"

"It looks sufficient and appears to be well made," Ladriel commented. She was no fun at all and Astoria noticed the blacksmith’s small grin at the compliment on his wares. 

"You look more dangerous in that getup! It looks great, Astoria!" At least Tilly seemed to be excited for her.

"It’s your turn next! Do you have anything that would fit her?"

"I do have some things that would fit that one. Depending on what ye want, that is. What kind of armor do ye want, lass?" The burly man asked Tilly.

Tilly looked to be contemplating her decision carefully before answering. "I want something that can take a beating. Something that offers good protection and decent mobility. I’d also like a shield."

Interesting... Maybe she's going to be the tank for our little group after all. She does seem to be taking her sword training seriously. 

The blacksmith pondered for a moment and then opened another chest. "We dinnae get many requests fer armor around these parts, but I think I have a set of light armor that will do." Kristov took out another set of armor and placed it on the table just as he had last time. "This set of light armor will cost ye 10 silver and will offer a good amount of protection. I’ll throw in any of the shields on that table over there for an extra 4 silver." he announced.

Tilly moved over to the table holding all the shields and picked up a medium sized kite shield and placed it on top of the bundle of armor. She picked up the assortment of gear awkwardly and headed into the little room.

A few minutes later she came out of the room fully equipped. The armor was made of a dull looking steel and when she examined it, it looked as though it was, as everything else in the shop, of above average quality. 

The steel armor gleamed in the light of the forge. The set consisted of dark brown clothes underneath, with a cuirass, brown tabard, pauldrons, vambraces, greaves and sabatons. Her shortsword was sheathed at her side and her shield was clipped onto a strap on her back. She looked like the spitting image of a knight to Astoria. 

"And how about weapons? Our gear is in pretty rough shape.” She unsheathed a dull and dented dagger and held it up for the blacksmith to inspect. “Do you have anything better? Would you be interested in buying our old ones?" Astoria placed both of her daggers down on the table. Tilly followed suit and placed her short sword alongside Astoria's weapons. 

Kristov examined the weapons and with a harrumph, "These do be little better than trash, lass. I dinnae know how ye have gotten by using these. I will give ye 1 silver for the lot of it and that do be a generous offer. As village smith most of the requests I get are for everyday items. I do have a small selection of blades. They be of much better quality than the things you have been using, though. They will serve ye well."

The smith wandered around the forge and pulled out several weapons, placing them in a line on a large empty table for them to look at. They were more or less all the same as far as she could tell, but they were definitely a step up from what she had before. 

None of the prices here were what she would call unreasonable. She selected a couple daggers that felt like they had good balance and weight to them,  while Tilly grabbed a longsword. After a bit of haggling they had everything they came for . 

Once they had decided on everything they needed, Astoria was able to haggle the price down, but only just a little. She guessed that she would need some sort of skill to do it better. In the end they left the blacksmith a little over 16 silver pieces poorer than they had come in.

Definitely an improvement over what I've been using. she flipped one of the blades into the air and caught it easily, something she would have never been able to do in the real world. The blade was almost perfectly balanced. The blacksmith really did do fine work. 

The next stop would be the general store. They needed food, potions, and with a bit of luck, a certain magical map. As soon as the three of them entered the store Eld came out from behind his counter and greeted them. "Good to see you again on this fine day! What can I do for you ladies?"

"We need to buy some of your health potions and some provisions for travelling. Can you help us with that?" Tilly asked.

"Of course, of course! I'll be happy to help you three out. I currently have 8 health potions in stock. Two weak ones, three minor, and three greater potions. Which would you three be interested in?" Eld wrung his hands, waiting for their reply.

Just as Astoria was about to answer Ladriel spoke up, "We'll take all of them," 

Astoria didn't want to waste a lot of time in the shop as she didn’t particularly like the man who stood before them. He reminded her of a sleazy car salesman who would sell his own grandmother to get ahead if he had to. 

“Tilly, go grab whatever it is you need. We need to get going soon,” Astoria said. We have more important things to do than to sit here and listen to this guy and watch him wring his hands all day. We're doing pretty good money wise right now anyway. 

Tilly was speeding around the shop grabbing this and that until a nice pile of things sat on the counter at the front of the shop. She had grabbed some spices, lard, and some cured meat that looked like bacon. There were also assorted veggies and two small containers of what looked to be flour and sugar. 

“I’d also like to buy that map we talked about before,” Astoria said.

The shopkeeper gave her an incredulous look as Astoria placed the gold coins on the counter one at a time. Astoria grinned to herself as the three of them exited the shop. Finally. I have a useful map. 

The process for changing ownership on the map wasn’t too hard and once it had been done, a blinking magical dot on the map indicated her position. It would be infinitely useful if they ever had to stray from the road. 

Another nice surprise that came with the map was that she found she could open the map in her head by concentrating on it. A transparent window would pop up and it was just like on a regular game. Things were definitely looking up.

They distributed the potions as evenly as possible between themselves as they walked over to their horses and loaded all the new supplies on them. It was time to go collect their reward and get justice for the farms that had been burned down.

Jayse had told them where to go to get to Lord Garland’s estate, so it didn’t take them long to find it on horseback. The mounts certainly made travel easier and Astoria was getting used to riding now. It wasn't anything like a car, but it sure beat walking everywhere.

The side road that lead to the lord’s estate was lined on both sides with tall hedges that were in full bloom with some sort of blue flowers. A few minutes more and they found themselves before a large steel gate with a guard house on the other side.

Two guards with spears standing watch on their side of the gate stepped forward as they approached and a man who must have been their guard captain or something stepped out of the little house and out of the gate to meet them.

Astoria and the others dismounted as an older man, dressed in the same style armor as the other guards came out of the guard house and outside the gate. Astoria would have guessed the man was in his late 40s and his chiseled face sported a well kept beard. 

All three guards wore green and white and had a coat of arms painted on their breastplates. "What business do you have here, strangers?" the older man asked in a no-nonsense tone.

"We're travelling adventurers and we’ve taken care of your goblin problem for you." Astoria pulled the goblin warrior's necklace out of her bag and tossed it over to the guard's feet. "We’d like to speak with Lord Garland to claim our reward and to provide him with some important information that we discovered," Astoria said in her most diplomatic tone.

The guard captain eyed her suspiciously for a moment before bending down to pick up the necklace. He examined it and then nodded. "You’ll be rewarded for your heroic efforts. Come with me." He pushed open the gate and gestured for them to follow. "It hardly needs to be said, but if you mean to cause any trouble, I won’t hesitate to cut the three of you down. Consider this your only warning."

Astoria gulped and the three companions followed the man through the gate and toward the mansion that was visible ahead. This is it. We're going to put that Dane guy away and hopefully get some more information on the Red Lotus. Hopefully this Lord Garland guy isn’t just as bad as Dane.