Find Jess Another Job

From the bridge over Lake Everstill, rows of white walls and red roofs rose from the shore halfway up the hillside, surrounded by dark green forest. The tall clock tower stood among them like an old man in a red hat sitting among brightly dressed children, watching the travelers approach.

The town's reflection mingled with the town itself on the lake, making a magnificent giant butterfly resting between the mountains and the water.

Jess sat on his horse, staring at the scene as though it were an oil painting. He almost forgot about the dangers hidden in these mountains.

On the near side of the bridge were rows of military tents, with soldiers' silver armor and spears shifting in the crowd. The war might be over, but the shores of Lake Everstill remained one of the most dangerous parts of the kingdom.

Looking across the bridge through the thinning morning mist, Jess could just make out a fort and watchtower on the mountains at the far end of the lake. That was Stonewatch Keep, overlooking the Redridge Mountains and the valley along the shore. It was the region's most important military position.

During the war, humans and orcs had fought fiercely for it again and again. Years of spells and explosives had left the entire keep in ruins, and even twenty years later it would not be fully rebuilt.

Lakeshire itself, though, seemed to have recovered nicely. Only some leftover construction materials and scaffolding hinted at the disaster it had suffered a few years ago.

The bridge was still unfinished, and repairs were progressing slowly. But pedestrians and individual horses could cross it now.

After finding a place to stay in Lakeshire and coming out of the stables, Jess couldn't take his eyes off the sparkling lake. He wasn't the only one drawn to it. Many soldiers who had just arrived from Eastvale Logging Camp were sitting together on the edge of the docks, chatting as they looked across the water.

Farther along the shore, a few children played in the lake while their mothers or older sisters called to them anxiously. An old man carrying a fishing rod and tackle walked farther away, probably looking for a quieter place to fish.

"I've got to go to the town center and ask the boys from the Warriors' Guild what this job actually is." Gred pulled up his pants as he walked over. "The air here is wonderful! Spending too long in Stormwind can't be good for your health!"

"Forget about health for a moment," Jess said. "You came all the way to Lakeshire without even knowing what the job is?"

"I'm a sergeant now, Jess." Gred patted his belly. "Even if I don't know what the job is, I know it can't be too dangerous. It'll fit my rank. See? That's the advantage of having a rank! And the rewards are pretty good for someone like me. The guild told me the bounty's at least ten silver. At least!"

"Remember the time we nearly died for two silver coins?" Jess reminded him.

"That was an accident. An accident!" Gred laughed. "Who could've known an ordinary transport job would run into the kingdom's biggest postwar problem? That huge gnoll's become Westbrook Garrison's main target now. You could say we were unbeatable heroes that day."

To be fair, Gred wasn't completely wrong. If the guild assigned jobs according to members' performance and combat ability, it could put everyone to use, let them gain experience, and keep them from constantly risking their lives. There was nothing wrong with the guild taking a share of the pay in return.

"All right. I'll trust you one more time. Where's the inn?" Jess asked.

"Over there." Gred pointed. "Across that patch of trees. See the three-story building, partly hidden by the clock tower?"

Jess followed his finger. "I'll wait for you there."

The inn in Lakeshire didn't have a fancy name like Stormwind's inns. It was simply called the Lakeshire Inn.

Despite that plain name, it was a large place, with an especially wide range of food and drink. There were even things Jess hadn't seen in Stormwind, like buzzard meat and all kinds of lake fish he'd only heard about in the game.

He passed over boar liver, stew, and a series of familiar dishes. Then his eyes stopped on one name on the menu board, and he couldn't look away.

"Roast... roast raptor meat?"

He looked at the bald owner sitting behind the counter. The man raised his head.

"Raptor meat, that's right, young sir. Didn't you know? Raptors from Stranglethorn Vale are more tender than chicken and have a firmer bite than fish. Add local Redridge spices and you can even taste a little dwarf flavor in there! Prices have gone up because of the trade routes, but it's still worth trying."

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Only then did Jess remember. Right, there were raptors in Stranglethorn Vale.

"I'd like a serving."

"One silver and thirty copper, sir. Raptor meat is our specialty."

"Almost one and a half silver for a plate of roast meat?!" Jess looked at the menu again.

But it was raptor meat!

"Give me a plate. And a pitcher of moonberry juice." He steeled himself and put a silver coin and a handful of copper on the counter. The owner scooped up the money and immediately called into the kitchen to get the fire going.

On the other side of the inn's main room, several soldiers had taken off their armor and were singing something beside the hearth. Jess rested his chin on his hand and looked at the bag he'd put on the table. There was a little demon hidden inside it. No matter how he thought about it, the whole thing seemed unreal.

He put the bag under the table and held it between his feet.

Lakeshire was several times more chaotic than Goldshire. Adventurers from north and south gathered here. There were not only humans, but dwarves and gnomes. Jess even thought he'd seen an elf outside the inn.

Many travelers were armed. Someone like Jess, carrying two bags, an unremarkable staff across his back, and a sword at his waist, didn't stand out at all.

In a corner, a hooded customer with a covered face—Jess couldn't tell whether he was human or elf—sat silently watching everyone in the inn. Perhaps he thought his outfit made him the least noticeable person there. In fact, everyone seemed a little afraid of him, mostly because of the long blade at his waist.

Just as Jess tried to make out what the soldiers were singing, Gred dropped into the seat across from him.

"Here comes the exciting part, Jess!"

"I haven't agreed to join your job."

"You will. I'm a hundred percent sure!"

"Why?"

Gred smiled mysteriously. "The target's an orc mage who's gone into hiding. Well? How about that?!"

Jess immediately understood. An "orc mage" was really an orc warlock. Ordinary townspeople didn't make much distinction between warlocks and mages. Anyone who chanted spells and conjured fireballs was a mage to them.

They'd found so many useful things on the last orc warlock's corpse. Who knew what this one, still alive, might be hiding?

Jess had to admit he was tempted.

"Are you sure he's alone? What if he's got a whole group of guards?"

"If he does, we'll forget it," Gred said. "But the information says he's a deserter on his own. He's hiding in Redridge because he's afraid to go south and follow the main orc force back to the Dark Portal."

Just then the roast arrived. Gred stared at the huge piece of meat, streaked with fat and lean, for a long time. He sniffed it.

"Raptor meat?"

Jess was amazed. "You can tell by the smell?!"

Gred snorted. "My father used to be called the Raptor Slayer. Know that? Back when he was in Grim Batol, he killed more than a hundred raptors. More than the number of bugs you've stepped on."

"I've stepped on an anthill," Jess said.

"Well done! Very proud of stepping on an anthill, are you?" Gred reached over, tore off a huge piece of meat, and stuffed it into his mouth before Jess could stop him.

That meat had cost more than a whole silver coin! Jess hesitated for a moment, then hurried to grab some of the shining roast for himself. If he worried about table manners, there wouldn't be any left!

"Let's have some fun in Lakeshire today, Jess. Tomorrow we'll go look for that orc," Gred said between bites. "How's that?"

"I've only got three days," Jess said unhappily.

"How long can delivering a letter take?" Gred asked. "We relax today, kill that orc deserter tomorrow, and deliver your letter and go home the day after. This isn't as far from Stormwind as Sentinel Hill. It'll be quick."

"I'm getting that feeling again," Jess said.

"What feeling?" Gred studied Jess's face, then looked warily around them.

"Every time you start reassuring me that nothing bad will happen, we're about to get into trouble."

Gred tossed a bone onto his plate. "Then tell me what's wrong this time."

"An orc who's wanted and hiding out. What are the odds we'll find him in one day?"

"We've got a few leads. Besides me, nobody here has experience fighting mages, so I'm taking responsibility and protecting the people." Gred's eyes shifted as he studied Jess. "How about this? We'll look tomorrow. If we don't find him, you can go straight to Stonewatch Keep the next day, then head back to Stormwind. I'll stay here and keep looking. If you still remember your old buddy, come back and help me. I'll split the bounty with you just the same. The Warriors' Guild and the mayor of Lakeshire are putting up thirteen silver between them. What do you say?"

Thirteen silver. Jess felt his heart jump.

He'd spent too much over the past couple of days, and payday was still a few days away. If he didn't make some quick money, he might have to survive on dry bread for a while.

And this wasn't the oily, soft, sweet bread you could buy at any bakery in his old world. This stuff was rougher and drier than cornmeal buns, harder to chew than flatbread left out for a week, and often contained mysterious black, hardened lumps.

Eat it for three or four days and a healthy body would be reduced to a state barely distinguishable from dying.

"What if that warlock is really powerful?"

"Don't worry. There's plenty of evidence he doesn't have much ability. He's just hiding and might pose a threat, but he hasn't actually caused any damage. The mayor can't get the kingdom's army stationed in Lakeshire to hunt him down, so he's put up a bounty for mercenaries like us."

Most orc warlocks were officers in the Horde. They were also among the most fanatical and evil of their kind. If this one had deserted, he might well have serious problems with his abilities.

But an orc was still an orc. They could at least try looking.

"All right. We'll do that for now."

Jess took a long drink of moonberry juice. Gred laughed and tore off another big piece of meat. Jess refused to fall behind, pulling all the meat off an entire bone.

One of the greatest advantages of living on Azeroth was that he didn't have to worry about calories or gaining weight anymore. Whenever he got the chance, he could eat and drink all the desserts, pastries, meat, and beverages he wanted.

For one thing, food here wasn't nearly as calorie-packed as it had been in the twenty-first century. Even rich, greasy, sweet foods seemed to lack something to a soul raised on industrial-strength flavors. Like the difference between Diet Coke and regular Coke.

And for another thing, poverty here really could help him lose weight.