Pallas woke up with a groan as he felt a splash of chilling water splash across his face. It was a familiar way for him to wake up but it didn't make the experience any more pleasant or helped to soothe the headache that came with his hangover. He squinted his eyes, trying to recall any of his memories from when he went out drinking last night, and shook his head when his mind went blank. Whatever happened, Pallas thought that he had a good time compared to finally realizing who it had been that had woke him up.
"That was the third bucket I had to use on you by the way," Hana said, shaking her head in disappointment. "You're such a mess."
"And a good morning to you too, Hana," Pallas chuckled weakly.
"It's the afternoon, Pallas," Hana told him sharply.
"Then it's not too early to grab a drink!"
Hana held her hand over her face and turned away from Pallas, frustrated with his antics already. Even though she was harsh at him at times, he noticed that she had changed ever since their last quest. After they had fought against demonic pirates during their last quest, Hana no longer ignored Pallas when he passed out from his nights of carousing and helped him out in her own way. He guessed he must have proven himself to her at some point during their journey but a lot of what happened was a blur to what happened. That quest had been a week ago and Pallas hoped that they would find another soon. Not only would it keep him in his companions' good graces but he was getting bored with his life and needed some kind of change.
Pallas rose up to his feet with a loud yawn and stretched his hands up high into the air. Hana had been right on both counts; he could see that it was the afternoon after glancing towards the sky based on where the sun was, and after Hana had used three buckets to drench his stained-clothing, he was more of a mess than usual. Pallas shook his head rapidly, shaking off some of the water from his hair, and reached down to the ground to pick up his drinking horn. He was fortunate enough to find that he had passed outside of the Laughing Goblin. Fat Mar must have thrown him out after he passed out and he was thankful that it was a short walk to get a drink.
However, when Pallas took a step toward the door of the tavern, Hana quickly stepped between him and his destination with her hands on her hip. He sighed, realizing that her looking out for him was both a blessing and a curse.
"I didn't wake you up so you can get blackout drunk again," Hana told him firmly. "Come on. We're going for a walk."
"A walk?" Pallas laughed at the idea. "Thanks but no thanks. I've got more important things to do."
Hana sighed. "Pallas, I'm not letting you through."
"Really?" Pallas looked at Hana up and down in an assessing manner. "Now, I'm having a hard time thinking with this headache, which I need a drink for by the way, but if I remember right, I'm more physically capable than you are."
"Are you really going to fight me over this?" Hana asked, frowning. "I'm trying to help you."
"Then let me through. You never know when our next adventure is and I fight a lot better when I have had a drink or three."
"Don't lie to me," Hana told Pallas, shaking her head. "I've read up on your style of martial arts, and while it's true that you emulate a drunken fool with your unpredictability, there's nothing about having to actually be drunk to fight."
Pallas waved his free hand dismissively. "That's true, sure, but being drunk makes it easier for me to be unpredictable. You can't know everything about being a monk from reading books so stick with your spells and let me through."
"Why do you do this to yourself?" Hana asked, looking down at the ground. "I know we don't get along but I can at least respect that you're good in a fight. You fight on par with Arannis."
"I beat him the first time we've fought," Pallas pointed out quickly.
"That was when he had no swords," Hana reminded Pallas. "The second time, when Arannis was armed, the two of you almost killed each other. Had you been sober, perhaps you would have been able to beat him."
"Maybe. What's your point?"
"My point is that you can be a lot better than you are now. You have a problem, Pallas, and one day, it's going to get yourself killed. I want to help you but you need to work with me so that I can."
Pallas rolled his eyes at Hana's concern, but deep down, he knew that the sorceress was right yet again. He had spent enough time in taverns to see what too much alcohol can do to someone over their life. It wasn't easy seeing how others had wasted away physically from constant nights of drinking. Even with his training as a monk, Pallas knew he was in terrible shape. His body was scrawny and he knew that it would do him so good if he put on a few more pounds. The only way he could physically keep up with others in a fight was with precise strikes and underhanded tactics rather than pure strength.
However, even with his physical flaws, Pallas didn't think his drinking habits were affecting him mentally. He had headaches from hangovers and lapses in his memory but he wasn't depressed. Pallas enjoyed drinking because of the way he was raised rather than any kind of tragedy that pushes good people to the bottle. He even tried to take breaks from drinking when he blacked out yet knew he did something wrong. Surely, if Pallas could make such judgments, he could keep up with his drinking despite Hana's insistence that he was killing himself.
"Pallas! Hana!"
"Huh?!" Pallas and Hana gasped and turned to look down the street.
Nalos dashed in their direction, his eyes wide with worry. "Please! I need your help!"
Pallas sighed in relief, glad for a distraction so that he didn't need to think of an argument for Hana. Among his adventuring companions, he enjoyed spending time with Nalos the most. The young triton was young, impressionable, and in need of guidance in Phlan. Pallas had done what he could to help out and Nalos had become one of his best friends. Whereas Hana, Arannis, and Nordak looked down at him for spending his nights drinking, Nalos was always ready to join Pallas for a night of drinking, gambling, and whatever fun they could find. Seeing Nalos look so worried and calling out for help was enough to push Pallas past the thought of drinking at the Laughing Gobin so that Hana could see that he was serious about helping his friends. Perhaps after helping the triton, Hana would leave him alone so that he could drink in peace.
"What's the matter, Nalos?" Pallas asked, turning away from Hana as the triton made it to the pair.
"It's about Jerica," Nalos quickly told them, his tone urgent. "She told me that her work has forbidden her from seeing me."
"What?!" Pallas gasped.
"Seriously?" Hana sighed, stepping up next to Pallas. "If you ask me, a break might be good for the both of you. Perhaps one of you will realize that it was a mistake to stay married."
Pallas could tell that Hana blamed him for Nalos' predicament from the glare she gave him. It wasn't his idea for Nalos to get married to a woman he had only met and he found the situation amusing. Sure, the triton wouldn't have ended up in a position to get married while drunk if not for Pallas taking him out to taverns almost every night but it was Nalos and Jerica's decision to not end their marriage. If the two had been devastated by the thought of not being able to see each other again, they were closer than Pallas initially thought.
"It's serious," Nalos told Hana, ignoring her remarks in favor of her question. "Jerica says that her boss at work has noticed that she isn't working as hard as before she met me. I'm a 'bad influence,' and if Jerica wants to keep her job, I can't see her any longer."
"It sounds to me like we should visit wherever it is Jerica works at," Pallas suggested.
"Pallas, I'm not sure that's a good idea," Hana said.
"Come on, Hana," Nalos clasped his hands together and pouted. "I don't know what to do or say to make things right."
"We should always be ready to help friends out," Pallas told Hana with a smirk. "You can't focus on my problems while ignoring Nalos' heartfelt concerns."
Hana crossed her arms but didn't argue further. "Fine. If this is what it takes to keep you from drinking yourself unconscious, then so be it."
"I'm sure the three of us can handle this together," Pallas said, clapping his hands together.
"Thank you so much, the both of you," Nalos told his friends, smiling for the first time since he found them. "I won't forget this."
"Don't mention it," Pallas said and patted Nalos on the shoulder. "Now, how about you show the way to where Jerica works at."
Pallas couldn't recall who Jerica was but thought that she worked at a tavern or as an artisan at a shop. He hadn't expected her to work somewhere as grand as a noble estate.
He and Hana looked in shock and awe at the three-story manor surrounded by a large metal fence. As they processed the development, Nalos approached one of the guards standing guard at the manor's gates to request a meeting with Jerica. Pallas crossed his arms, thinking about the coming confrontation. Jerica worked for someone wealthy, someone that might very well be a noble. He frowned at the thought of the employer being connected with Phlan's government.
While Pallas had traveled across several towns as a wanderer, something was off about Phlan. When he first arrived in town, he had encountered a secret prison run by Knights of the Black Fist, Phlan's military force. Supposedly, they had betrayed Phlan by doing so, but the more Pallas spent in town, the more he saw other members of the Black Fist get into trouble. He couldn't help but worry that there was some sort of corruption going on with Phlan's military and law enforcement, but for now, no one took his suspicions seriously.
The gate of the estate opened and two women stepped out from the manor leaving the premises. One of the women was young, closer to Nalos and Hana in age than she was to Palla. Her brown hair was cut short above her shoulder and she wore a plain dress. There wasn't anything that stood out about her face except the surprise in her blue eyes as she spotted Nalos and ran to embrace him. He returned her hug with one of his own and Pallas figured that she must have been Jerica.
Pallas turned to face the other woman and his eyes went wide at her beauty. Her face was flawless and her blonde hair fell down across her back in an intricate braid. She wore an extravagant blue dress that emphasized on her curves. Pallas had seen plenty of attractive women but they never carried themselves as the noble woman before him. He couldn't help but wonder if he had been missing out staying in slums and taverns from the sight of her alone.
Having been so caught up in her beauty, Pallas failed to notice the scowl across her face and the glare her green eyes gave to the group.
"Jerica, release him at once," the woman ordered. "He may be exotic but you can see that he is unpolished and lacks refinement."
Although Jerica did as was asked, she looked pleadingly at her superior. "Lady Ennius, if you would please hear them out…"
"No, I will not," Lady Ennius said sharply. "What you do in your free time is your business except when it interferes with your work. Nalos, was it?"
"That's me," Nalos said, crossing his arms as he stepped next to Jerica. "You can't keep us apart!"
"As long as Jerica is my retainer, I certainly will," Lady Ennius told the triton. "I've heard little of you other than that your an adventurer. I've told Jerica this several times but she can do better than you."
"Surely, we can come to some sort of agreement," Pallas said, stepping up.
Lady Ennius's face scrunched up when she turned to face Pallas. "I should have known from your poor looks that you're the source of that terrible odor."
"Now hold on," Pallas held a hand up. "I don't smell bad!"
"Actually, you do," Hana said with a chuckle. "Buckets of water can only do so much."
"Just who do you think the two of you are?" Lady Ennius asked Pallas and Hana with a frown.
"They're my friends," Nalos answered. "Hana's part of the same adventuring group Jerica told you about and Pallas has looked out for me for weeks. I would have been lost without him."
"He's your guide to life in Phlan?" Lany Ennius laughed mockingly. "Nalos, if you truly mean to stay with Jerica, then my first piece of advice would be to part ways with Pallas."
"What right do you have to tell us that he doesn't get to be my friend?" Pallas asked, glaring at the noble. "You've done nothing but insult him and me since we've met you and for what? Because we're adventurers?"
"I have no problem with adventurers if they are truly heroic. Yet the secondhand accounts I've heard from Jerica indicate that you're far from experienced and typically stumble to success. Have you actually shown you know what you're doing, and perhaps if you're more presentable than you are now, I might reconsider. However, with Nalos marrying Jerica while they're both drunk and you likely being the reason to promote vices, I want nothing more to do with you. Hana, I apologize for blaming you as part of their actions but you might want to reconsider the friends you make."
"I'm just here to keep the boys out of trouble," Hana said with a shrug. "I have no stake in what happens."
Nalos and Jerica both looked down at the ground, ashamed of Lady Ennius' words. While Hana hadn't cared much for what happened, Pallas found another reason to be invested in the love life of his friend. Seeing Lady Ennius with her smug expression was aggravating and he had to hold back for Nalos' sake to show the stuck-up noble what he was capable of. Violence against her wouldn't solve anything but this matter wasn't resolved.
"Listen-" Pallas started.
"I've listened long enough," Lady Ennius interrupted Pallas firmly. "Come along, Jerica. I'll need your help to prepare for my work today."
"Of course, Lady Ennius," Jerica said softly.
With that, Lady Ennius turned back to enter her manor without giving the adventurers any more of her time. Jerica followed after the noble and looked over her shoulder with an apologetic glance towards Nalos. The triton held his hand out toward her and frowned to see her leave to attend to Lady Ennius. Pallas hadn't resolved that Nalos wasn't allowed to see Jerica but he wasn't going to give up on the matter so soon.
"She doesn't know what she's talking about," Pallas said, shaking his head. "We'll show her."
"Honestly, she might have a point," Hana pointed out. "We were nearly killed fighting those pirates and cultists last week, and before then, we were at each other's throats at Sokol Keep."
"But we saved the day both times," Nalos argued. "We've put Sergeant Grim away and stopped a potential attack on Phlan! I told Jerica all about that but Lady Ennius is only interested in what we've failed at!"
"And our presentation," Pallas shrugged. "What nerve does she have telling me that I look terrible? Now, come along. It's time we have a word with Arannis and Nordak. Let's see if they've found work for us."
Nalos nodded, encouraged by Pallas' words. Hana blinked several times before nodding as well. With the plan settled on, the trio left the grounds of the noble estate to find Arannis and Nordak. It wasn't the best way to get Nalos and Jerica back together but Pallas was determined to prove Lady Ennius was wrong about them.
The sun was starting to set by the time Pallas, Nalos, and Hana returned to the Laughing Goblin from the Ennius estate. Hana had initially objected to returning to the tavern until Pallas pointed out that even though he could get a drink there, it was still a regular meeting spot for their group. If they were going to find Arannis anywhere, it would be at the Laughing Goblin. It was possible that Nordak was there, and if not, they could likely find him at the Valhingen Graveyard.
Pallas opened the door to the Laughing Goblin and found Arannis and Nordak seated at the group's usual table, finishing up their dinner. Pallas' stomach rumbled at the thought of food and a part of him hoped that they wouldn't have anything to do tonight so that he could eat for the first time today. It was tempting to order a beer to go along a meal but he pushed that thought aside. He needed to lay off the drinking until Nalos could spend time with Jerica and so that Hana wouldn't bother him anymore. He walked over to Arannis and Nordak and picked up a half-eaten bread roll from Arannis' plate.
"Evening," Pallas greeted and took a bite from the roll.
"Pallas," Arannis said coldly.
"For what it's worth, he hasn't had a bite to eat since I woke him up this afternoon," Hana informed Arannis as she and Nalos followed behind Pallas.
Pallas swallowed his bite and set the roll down on Arannis' plate. "Never mind that. We need to do something as a group. Nordak, what do you have for us? Any tasks that only we can handle."
Nordak stroked his beard in thought. "Doomguide Yovir did have a task he wanted adventurers to do tonight, but if you're not in the best of shape…"
"Never mind that," Pallas waved his hand dismissively. "Nalos needs our help."
"We have to take the job," Nalos nodded in agreement. "If I can't prove myself as a capable adventurer, I won't be able to see Jerica any longer."
"For what it's worth, I'm ready for action if needed," Arannis said, patting the hilts of his sword. "Is there anything that you know about this job, Nordak?"
"Not much, but whatever it is, he said we didn't have to leave Phlan," Nordak told the group. "I also heard that he already has an adventurer to help out tonight."
"Then are we truly needed?" Hana questioned.
"I said adventurer, not adventurers," Nordak pointed out. "I don't know much other than they're a paladin outside of my faith, and while Doomguide Yovir says they're capable, he also understands that one warrior can be overwhelmed."
"So we'll be working with someone new," Arannis noted. "I don't have a problem with that."
"A paladin, you say?" Pallas grinned. "Nalos, if we impress a paladin, that might solve your problem."
"You're right," Nalos said. "I'm in."
"We could use more gold," Hana nodded along with the group. "I say we take the job."
"Then it's settled," Arannis said and stood up."Nordak, would you mind leading the way."
"Aye. I can do that."
Nordak got up from his seat and made his way out of the Laughing Goblin with the other adventurers following behind him. Pallas hadn't had much of a good day so far and looked forward to the chance to change that around. By working with Doomguide Yovir, he could impress the paladin, show that he and his companions were reputable adventurers, and change the mind of a certain noble. It was the perfect plan and he didn't think anything could go wrong with it.
Author Notes: Hey everyone. I'm back to continue the story of these adventurers in the Moonsea.
So, let's get some business out of the way real quick. As I've noted in previous sections, each month is meant to be the start of a new writing project, and for July, I have a feeling that it's not only going to be Dues for the Dead. I imagine that I'll get at least one more story done as well as Dues for the Dead over the course of the month. I'm looking forward to getting back to this story as I've missed writing about these characters.
Additionally, I intend to go back and edit my previous stories set in the Moonsea area that precede Dues for the Dead. This editing will primarily be updating grammar mistakes and style choices while leaving the plot of the story the same. This will take place around next week, so if there are any new readers interested in their previous adventurers, I leave the choice of waiting or reading now to you.
Against the Black Spider will continue at its reduced pace in addition to the stories set in the Moonsea. Depending on how progress with these upcoming stories go, I make focus on the adventurers in Phandalin towards the end of the month to catch up on lost time.
Finally, Defense of Greenest has been on my mind. Like the earlier Moonsea stories, I'd like to edit it to reflect that I've grown as a writer. However, where Defense of Greenest differs is that I'm considering changing parts of the story as well. When I first started writing Defense of Greenest was before the new draconic-themed subclasses came out, and I shoehorned them in when restarting might have been the play to make. At the very least, whatever I do with Defense of Greenest will take place in 2025.
That's about all the business I have to say regarding my Dungeons and Dragon fanfics. If you want, feel free to follow Dues for the Dead and leave a review if you feel like doing so.
Until next time.
