The carriage had a much smoother ride than any of the wagons my family has used, and the gentle vibration of wheels over the dirt road had rocked me to sleep. It was a day’s travel to the capital, and I only woke up once the vibration changed. The wheels now sounded on cut stone. I slowly opened my eyes, to allow them to adjust to the dim interior. The carriage was made of some black material. I’ve never ridden in anything horse-drawn that was covered like this before. The interior was lavishly decorated with light cream colored furniture and drapes. I was being treated like royalty with just this ride.

I reluctantly sat up. I had been comfortable, but at the same time, I was excited to see the what the city was like; the people, the buildings. After stretching, to rid myself of the tiny kink in my neck, I jumped from the seat and pulled the drapes back. How long till we get there? I wondered, idly, as I watched the veritable horde of people go about their daily business. They must be used to all this hustle and bustle; I’m just excited to see everything! We passed by a street that had a few hanging signs, probably the businesses of the area, and even an open-air market where people from out of town had set up to sell their wares. I couldn’t contain my excitement, letting out an exuberated squeal. I longed for nothing more than to travel amongst the people.

It didn’t take long, especially in my excitable stupor, to reach the City Hall, where all the important people would be. I heard the man in front call back to me, saying that we were finally at our destination, so I grabbed my rather small pack and exited the carriage, stopping outside to wave a thank-you to the driver. He clicked his mouth a few times, and the horses began rolling the carriage away. Taking a deep breath, I turned around to view this constructive marvel. I was not disappointed.

The building was absolutely massive! A square-ish base was constructed out of white marble, and there were many columns adorning the exterior. The building rose into what appeared to be a second floor, and was topped with a large dome. In contrast to the buildings around it, it was mostly white and cream colors, sort of like the carriage I had been in, except that it was stone. Two men stood in front of an opening that had a canopy, with a red carpet leading inside. I assumed this was the entrance, so I nervously approached. Once I got close, one of the guards shouted at me.

“Halt! State your name and purpose.”

I nearly jumped out of my skin at the harsh tone, but I nervously responded. “I…Uh…Eronous Faltier. I…I was summoned by the Council?” The guard visibly relaxed, but indicated to a spot off to the side where I was to stand.

“We’re still waiting on the other eight members of your troop. Wait over there.”

So I waited. Luckily, it wasn’t long before more carriages pulled up. I’d never seen anyone but humans before, so some of the party members were rather surprising. The guard repeated his tense greeting, and each time a new person arrived, they stated their name and purpose, and then were referred to stand over next to him. Dalor Steelarm, a rather stout, short dwarf, simply grunted as he stood next to Eronous, grumbling about how they’d send out anyone to take on important quests these days. His dusty brown hair and beard were surprisingly clean for a race he knew lived mostly underground…according to school, at least. Alden Ravenwood, who was dressed in deep blues and blacks, a crest of a raven embroidered onto it. His eyes were so dark, I could swear they were actually black, but they glanced about with an intelligence as he took his place.

A man wearing a light red scarf and a navy shirt exited, one hand on the back of a tiger. Their gaze was intense, and they both held a golden eye color, the man’s only barely visible through his messy, black hair. A tiger! Not even one in a zoo! He gave his name, Rin, before joining the gathering group. He seemed shy, whispering quietly near the tiger’s ear when he wanted to say something. No last name; that was rather weird. The next person out of the carriages had hair that he could almost swear was ginger, though it was a little darker than the redheads he had seen before. His eyes glowed with a forest green, and he dressed in light-colored, but heavy looking clothing. The man seemed impatient, constantly tapping on his leggings. He gave his name, Rysdan Elson, before being directed to the group. He was the first one to visibly look over everyone, he even smiled and gave me a little wave. Maybe it wasn’t impatience?

A person wearing all blacks with stark white hair stepped out of the carriage with his hood pulled up, accompanied by a lady with flaming red hair. They sure would make an odd couple, though I doubted they were in a relationship by the way they walked, and the way they kept their hands mostly off of each other. When Betty liked George back at home, she was constantly doing things to get close to him, whereas this lady seemed to keep a healthy distance. The dark skinned man gave his name, Susurri Inanis, and the flaming haired lady was named Ember Ironess. Ember looked towards us with mostly distaste, as if she already hated the rest of us.

The last person to arrive stepped off of the carriage wearing dark robes as well, only his hood was pulled back to reveal long, silver strands of hair. He rested a sword on his back that I could swear was almost as long as this guy was tall. He gave his name, Rein Takashi, before the guard glanced at the group.  I made a mental note of all the names I had heard. It was only polite to remember people’s names. “Line up. The party is all here. The council will see you immediately.”

We were lead into the large building, which had large halls with marble pillars extending to the high ceiling. We were led along one of those traditional red carpets to a central chamber. This chamber was tall, with balconies placed at about where a second floor normally would be, and a ceiling that was domed on the inside. There were lights along the walls that weren’t connected to anything, the flames seeming to just float in the air, and the light was bright enough that the mural on the inside of the dome depicting a great battle from long ago was clearly visible. Seven people, all of different races, held seats in the chamber, and they seemed to discuss something amongst themselves as the group took place near the center of the room, in a line. Finally, after a couple more minutes of silence, the Elven council member stood up.

“Greetings! We greatly appreciate your attendance. The remaining council members stood at that point, bowing, and then returning to their seats, out of courtesy and respect for those that lined up beneath them. Odd, I’ve never been shown respect quite like that before. Was this all a formality?

“Our best seer has informed us that we would need a group of nine, and the names of the group members that would be vital to the success of our request.

It hadn’t clicked before, but I realized that I probably wasn’t going home today, and that instead, I’d be going with this people. With a surprised look on my face, I looked around again at everyone. The Elven council member hadn’t said it, but they were being sent on a quest. I haven’t said a proper goodbye, and only packed for two days! I thought, panic setting in my mind and spreading through my chest. I breathed heavily for a moment, reminding myself I needed to calm down. What the heck could I hope to offer that wasn’t already covered by the remaining party members? I have no skills to speak of, only things related to farming and skipping rocks across water. 10 skips is my record. The Elven council member seemed to be gathering his thoughts, and the silence stretched on uncomfortably.

“And…what is our task, exactly?” I spoke up after the silence had gotten uncomfortable. “And why do you need my help? I’m still just a kid.” The face of the human council member who was sitting went beet red with anger. Was it not my turn to talk? Oops. But the adults hadn’t said anything, so why should I hold back?

The Elven council member put his hand out to quell the rage of the human one, before fixating his gaze on me. “We do not know what role each of you will play. Only that this task is only possible with the group of you before us.” Politicians. Always trying to talk around the issue. Or at least, that’s what my Dad always said. I was about to speak up, asking my first question again, before the council member continued. “An artifact that was vital to this city’s prosperity has gone missing. The Soul Stone, which this city was built around, mysteriously vanished from our vaults without any trace of a break in. We have…that is, we know a general area this stone was sent, but no specific direction was provided by our oracles. Further, the area is dangerous, so we knew that there needed to be a capable party sent after the stone.”

Rysdan spoke up, stepping slightly forward as if he were taking charge, though he looked reluctant about it. “We would be happy to help.” He said, taking a deep bow out of courtesy, It didn’t stop the human council member’s face from reddening even more, as he was still out of turn. “Though I must ask that we keep this meeting short. Now that we know what sort of quest we are to do, I need to secure lodging for the group, and do some preparation for our journey. If you would, please simply give us our direction, and we will be on our way immediately.”

The Elven council member nodded, as if excusing the discourtesy that Rysdan had shown by cutting in. “Of course, sir. Straight to the point, then. The stone should be contained within Lone Peak, on the far side of the Eskariat Plains.” He snapped his fingers, and two guards came forward with nine small sacks. “Each of you will be paid a thousand gold pieces up front. A hundred thousand gold pieces will be delivered to the group upon task completion.”

“Wha’? Only a mere thousand? Ye be a thousand coins shy. Up front, contracts offer at least 10 percent.” Dalor spoke up, after receiving his stack of gold.

The human council member stood, cutting off the Elven one that was about to speak. “And I’m certain that, were this a normal time of prosperity and a normal quest, we would be happy to provide the full sum; in this case, Dwarf” He spat the last word, as if it left a bad taste in his mouth. ”We are only able to offer this small amount at this time, as the remainder of our funds are to keep this city running. The artifact would change that circumstance. So you will be happy with what you have been given.”

Dalor grunted, but conceded with a scowl. I had never seen this much money before; but it was heavy in my arms. Luckily, the chores on the farm had my arms pretty strong. Can’t help get a plow out of the field when you aren’t strong enough to lift it. I could scarce contain my excitement upon this news, and I had a hard time even keeping my mouth closed as I looked up at the council, gratitude in my eyes.

Rysdan was called forward at this point, and he was provided with a scroll, which he accepted before turning on his heel and walking the opposite way, out of the hall. “Follow me, if you please.” He addressed the group, and everyone followed, although Ember did so with chagrin on her face as we all trudged. Once outside of the city hall, she spoke her thoughts.

“Why must we follow you?” She asked, almost furious at being told what to do. Susurri put a hand on her shoulder, almost a calming presence, though it still didn’t seem a romantic one. She showed a great deal of tension, though other than the constant tap of his finger on his jeans, Rysdan didn’t seem at all broken up about the hostility. He was downright calm.

“Great question, Ember; I have been to this city many times, and I know where to go to get the supplies we need. I can also secure us free lodging for the night.” This seemed to diffuse some tension, but it was clear that Ember would not be done with this conversation forever.

“S’long as there be ale, I’ve no qualms!” Said Dalor, a big grin spreading across his face at the mention of the word “Free.”

“You can get a keg, or any other alcoholic beverages you would like, Dalor; however you’ll need to carry it until we reach the destination I have in mind. It’s a bit of a walk.” Dalor grunted but nodded in concession. “But I chose this lodging to that we could have privacy. We all have matters to discuss before embarking on our journey tomorrow.”

Golly gee. Did all adults fight this much? My parents rarely, if ever, had fought. At least not in front of me. I heard a voice behind me, a bit raspy from disuse, coming from the boy with the tiger. “I agree. We need to know each other well enough if we are to travel together. It is only wise.” He didn’t speak very loudly, but the way everyone quieted when he spoke allowed his words to ring clearly. After a bit more bickering, the rest of the group finally agreed, and followed Rysdan on his way to the market. The silver-haired man pulled me to the side.

“Do you use a weapon, or do you wield magic?” He asked, concern written across his face as I had barely a sack with anything in it.

“M…Me? I uh…I’ve never used anything like that. Farming tools, but that’s it.” I stammered, realizing only just then that every other member of the party probably carried a weapon.

“Come on then.” He said, grabbing me by the shoulder with a strength that said I wasn’t allowed to refuse. He lead me through the market square until we came to a tall, cylindrical structure with a smoke stack. The front of the place had a sign hanging that had a hammer image engraved on the wood, and painted to look like a mallet used for forging. It was probably a blacksmith’s shop.

I certainly wasn’t wrong. Stepping inside, the torchlight gleamed off of all the shiny weapons. There were may pristine pieces of armor and swords hanging around. My jaw dropped as I looked. I hadn’t seen any weapons like this, the most I had done is make a toy sword to fight with my younger brother. And it wasn’t very good, either.

“This boy needs to be measured for his best fit weapon.” Rein said, with authority, to the blacksmith who was just quenching his latest piece in a barrel of water.

“But I…” I started, but was cut off by the blacksmith.

“A bit young, 'E looks. Good time teh start though. Welcome to Roderick’s Smithy” Roderick responded in his deep, gravely voice. “What have ye used before? Weapons? Swords? Hammers?”

Sighing in conceded defeat, I looked over the man as I thought on how to respond. He was more burly than most of the farmers, though the skin was about as dark. He was shorter than his father, but his thickness couldn't very well be described as stout. “Well, farming tools; hoes, sickles… but that’s all.” I mumbled, uncertain of myself.

“Speak up, lad. Any injuries?” Roderick pressed.

“I uh, broke a leg bone once. Fell off of a horse.” I said, louder, to accomodate him. I wasn't sure where his line of questioning would take us.

“Healed up stronger, I’m sure.” Roderick grunted, grabbing a long tape measure and giving me commands to hold my arms out as he measured. “Hmm…Well, you could probably use a lot of weapons. Based on your build and your age, you wouldn’t be good at anything too heavy. Maybe a wooden staff or a rapier. Or something made of Mithral, if you have a lot of coin.”

I put my hands in front of me, waiving them frantically. “Oh no—I couldn’t afford…”

“Show us the best of your stock. I’ll be paying.” Rein said, cutting me off. Roderick nodded, leading us to a back room that wasn’t as well lit. Roderick grabbed a torch to bring into the room. This one smelled of a heavier must and old metal than the previous room did. Getting a closer look at some of the weapons as they walked, some of them had interesting and unique designs. “Oh, most of our party know how to use swords and daggers, so maybe a short sword or a dagger would be the best fit.”

Roderick nodded. “O’course. Short swords and daggers, then.” He said, indicating to a shelf in the back. “Can’t go wrong for quality in any of these. Some o’ it is my work, some o’ it I got through trade or adventure. Any in particular catch your eye?” He asked, his smile wide and eyes gleaming as he prepared to sell the me my first weapon.

“I…Umm…” I was far too afraid before to give the back room stock much of a look. I went forward to look across the back wall. Some of the short swords were neat, but there was only one item that stuck out to me. “What about this one?” I asked, holding up a dagger that had an iridescent red hue in the blade. It fit comfortably in my hand, too.

“Good quality, as I said ‘fore. Even better than my work, but don’t tell anyone ‘bout that. Some sort of enchantment laid upon it, too, though I couldn’t tell yeh what kind, I’m no mage.” Roderick responded, looking up to Rein, who seemed to approve of the choice. “Tha’ piece will run yeh 1,200 gold.”

I got lost staring into the blade while the adults talked. I really liked the red hue, though I wondered how much use I’d actually get out of it, and if it would retain its color. I didn’t hear how most of the haggling went, but Rein was able to get the price down to 950 gold instead, included with a scabbard of matching color that had come with it. Rein helped me fasten the scabbard to my belt before we thanked Roderick and left his shop. He returned to smithing.

“Where were you two?” Ember said, in an accusing tone, as we approached the group. “Just like a couple of boys to wander off on their own when there’s work to do.”

Rein looked annoyed, and shook his head. “Eronous has never fought a day in his life. I thought it prudent to find something that would be suited to his size so that he has some form of defense.”

“We should have discussed that when we were done shopping!” She exclaimed, her voice raising a bit.

Rysdan stepped in between them before a fight broke out. “It is fine, Ember. Rein knows what he is doing. Roderick closes fairly early in the day, and not at all on Sundays. He would be closed by the time our business in town is concluded, and he’s not open on Sundays; might I remind you that today is Saturday.” It seemed Rysdan was used to breaking up heated fights. He even glanced back and winked at me as he broke this one. Ember was clearly not satisfied, but she couldn’t argue with the efficacy of his information, so she returned to Susurri’s side. Rysdan just returned to leading the rest of us to the edge of town.

“Why we be goin’ teh the edge o’ town?” Dalor asked in his thick, dwarven accent as they passed another tavern.

“Because our lodging is outside of town. We need privacy to discuss our course of action. It also helps to get to know each other. We can wait for you to purchase your keg if you really are that dependant on alcohol.” Rysdan responded. While it looked like Dalor was going to refute the statement, he instead just went to grab the keg from inside the bar. The rest of us twiddled our thumbs for about ten minutes while he purchased the drink, and came out grumbling that it’d have to do, but the quality needed some work.

We walked. We walked until the town was but a speck in the distance behind us, and the sky grew dark. At that point, Rysdan turned off of the main path, going into a set of dense Aspen and Spruce trees. With some protest, the rest of us followed. I was curious where he might be going, but he did promise a free bed. Only after another ten minutes of walking, when I was good and certain that we were lost, did the canopy of trees open to a clearing, and Rysdan finally stopped. “This will be a good place.” He muttered while looking around. A bit of moonlight peeked through, and it seemed the ground was grassy and the place was calm. Rysdan went to put something on the ground in four corners before he crouched to touch the earth, closing his eyes.

“Wait, I thought you said you already secured our beds for the night! Are we supposed to sleep under the stars?” I complained. I hadn’t brought a sleeping bag, or bed roll, so the idea of sleeping on the hard ground was just unpleasant. I knew little of the abilities he had, but after a moment I saw seeds beginning to sprout. Behind me and around me, the trees grew. Some trees grew together, closing off the surrounding forest, and some trees grew out to help be supports for the veritable tavern I saw growing before my eyes. It couldn’t have been more than a minute before a fully formed structure was before me, and my eyes grew with wonder. “Who knew THIS was out here! That’s so cool!”

Rysdan chuckled as he returned to his feet. “I told you, I secured us lodging. Just…a less conventional method than you might think.”  He glanced at his work and the surrounding area, looking a little disappointed. His shoulders lifted a moment, and he sighed. “I guess this’ll do. Everyone inside.” He waved his arms at the entrance, beckoning us to enter. I did so with my mouth still hanging open, wonder in my eyes. Everyone else just stared at him for a moment. “What? None of you have your own special abilities?” He said nonchalantly as the rest of the group began to enter.

I wasn’t wrong about it being like a tavern. There were multiple tables and chairs, made of smooth wood that was somehow seamless. There was a bar area so Dalor could put his keg down, and even smooth wooden steins and cups. The walls were covered with a green lichen that actually glowed, providing them with a good amount of light, albeit, off-colored light. There was a red glow from the kitchen on one of the surfaces, and as I looked, Rysdan explained. “Fire-flowers. They typically grow in volcanic regions. I use them as a stovetop when I set up lodging like this.”

Tearing my eyes away from the stove top, I answered his earlier question. “No.” I said, and at his confused look I clarified. “No, uh…I don’t have any special abilities. I think I’m here by mistake.” This drew a hearty laugh from some of the people present. I looked around nervously.

“The oracles are never wrong.” Alden piped up, sitting at a table and taking out a deck of cards he carried. “You’re here for a reason, whether you believe it or not.”

“The Oracles are never wrong, but they sometimes only see one path.” Rysdan clarified, looking to me. “You’re necessary to the success of the mission, but at the same time, your choices could cause us to fail. You have to be vigilant when dealing with Prophecy.”

Dalor raised an eyebrow towards Rysdan. “Sounds like ye got some experience in that field.”

Rysdan simply shrugged, turning his attention to the larger group. “Either way, we should tell everyone what it is we can do. The best way to strategize is to be up front about our skills. Our decisions should be made to protect the group, and to expound on the prowess of each member.”

Those were some big words, but everyone seemed to go silent as they were thinking. Some of these things, I imagined, were closely guarded secrets. Slowly I raised my hand, as if this were a classroom, and Rysdan simply nodded towards me. “Uhh…I can use farming tools. And cook a little, I guess. I’ve lived on a farm my whole life. It’s all I know.”

As if it were my honesty that opened everyone up, Dalor raised his foaming stein towards me. “I’ll be a fighter, through and through; somethin’ gets in mah way, it meets mah axe. Helps teh be short, people are used to strikin’ people their own size.” He said, letting out a belch. Dwarves were sure funny. “Not much else teh say.”

“I can open a telepathic link for the lot of us to communicate. I can also move things with my mind. Just…do me a favor, and if I start to lose control, knock me out or get far away.” Rein, the silver-haired man, spoke next, staring down into a smaller cup, almost ashamedly. “Otherwise, I’m skilled in the use of this sword.” It seemed like there was something he wasn’t saying, but everyone here seemed to have secrets.

Ember spoke next. “I control fire and use dual weapons.” She stated simply, pointing to her back where there were fancy scimitar-looking weapons. Neither were very large, so she could probably move quickly without being weighed down by bulky weapons.

Alden hesitated, but went next. “I’ve got superb reaction time and use a rapier. It’s mostly because I’ve had to learn to cope with a curse. Murphy’s law, basically, if anything can go wrong for me, it will, so I have gotten used to expecting things to go wrong. The second part of the curse is that I see everyone’s deaths when I first meet them.” He sighed. “All of my family shares this curse.”

Susurri didn’t lift his face, his hood continuing to shroud him. “I have mastery over sound. I’m trained as an assassin.” Strangely, what came out of his mouth seemed to be a whisper, but the whisper could be heard by all of us. As easily as he had said it, he demonstrated his ability to the rest of us.

Rysdan went last, waiting patiently until the end. “As you have seen, I can control the growth and shape of plantlife. I’m pretty familiar with the parameters, but I’ll keep the math to myself right now. I can also release my consciousness from my body and enter the plants, which can cause me to locate things or find information quickly without others realizing I’m there. I also hear the voices of the plants. I also happen to be immortal, and I’ve been alive for 2,956 years. Not by choice”

“You’re immortal!?” I exclaimed, my eyes wide, looking around at everyone in the building. They all seemed as surprised as I was, though they remained quiet.

“Explains why I couldn’t see your death…” Alden muttered, nodding to himself as if to confirm his suspicion from the moment they met. Silence dragged on, with the only sound coming from the crackling of the fire flower at the stove area and the slight sound of Rsydan’s rhythmic tapping of his finger on his leggings.

Taking a hearty last drink from his stein, Dalor stood from his chair. “Well, what we do now? Rest before our trek?”

“Wait a second, I’m interested; You said “not by choice.” I know plenty of people have sought immortality, does that mean you weren’t always immortal? Or were you born that way?" Asked Alden.

Letting out a deep sigh, Rysdan finally took a seat. “The short version, then. My love interest in my youth was learning some form of black magic, and knew of a hex. She was elven, and so lived an extended life, and she despaired at the fact that I’d die within a hundred years. On a romantic evening, she cast the hex of immortality on me. The hex is designed to kill the caster, so the caster will only ever cast it on themselves; but she had some sort of special blood, and it only brought her to the brink of death. She ended up leaving me for an arranged marriage set up by her father, not too long after that.” Rysdan chuckled. “But no use dwelling on this past; I’ve done that for a thousand years. Interesting how much you can lament when you have endless time. But now we should prepare for an early start tomorrow. I promise this structure is safe, so even if someone finds us, they won’t be able to get in.

I stood as the group disbursed, each claiming a room. I took the last one, not sure where I was going. The room was very simple, with just a bed, covers woven of some sort of plant, and a dim light receding. The mattress was the most comfortable I had ever laid in, and it didn’t take long, despite my swirling mind, to be lulled to a deep sleep.