"Tristan." I looked over to my friend, who was scowling at the scene.


    "What? Why?"


    "I wanna see the fight. It''s not like we have anything else going on."


    "Someone''s gonna die here. I don''t want to."


    "Then go wander off. I''ll catch up to you in a bit."


    "Come on, coward. Show me what you got, Grenden!" The human''s muscles bulged in his neck.


    "Coward? That''s rich coming from you, Jorgan. Running around like a fool, picking fights with everyone who looks at you funny, then getting your ass beat. At this point, I''m doing community service."


    "I wouldn''t have to pick fights if someone didn''t keep taking all my bounties! I''ve had it with you and your guild, you old bastard!" The man slashed at the dwarf''s arm, but he overcommitted. Grenden parried the sword to the side and darted in. He slammed the head of his pickaxe into Jorgen''s belly, causing the man to double over.


    "Get up, man. You''re embarrassing yourself. Or give up already."


    "Yield."


    "Cease this duel!" A man''s voice shouted from up the street. Looking up the gentle slope, I could see a portly dwarf running down the road, his short legs a blur as he rushed toward the fight. When he reached the crowd, he shoved his way between the onlookers until he found himself in the center of the ring. His cheeks were beet red. He placed his hands on his knees and wheezed for a time.


    "Hold! Hold! You cannot duel here without a permit. It is not lawful."


    "I will have my satisfaction!"


    "You''ll have a pick lodged into your eye if we go any longer, you idiot."


    "Who are you calling an idiot, you bastard?" He pointed to the dwarf with his crooked wrist. His hand flopped as he pointed. "This man has ruined me! I''ll have his head."


    "You''ll have the headsman''s axe if you''re not careful," the newcomer replied, "but at least then you wouldn''t have to worry about your debts anymore."


    "I don''t have—"


    "Everyone in Galden knows about your debt, you fool. Don''t try lying to me. I have eyes and ears everywhere. If you want to fight, go elsewhere."


    "Fine. But I''ll have satisfaction, mark my words." Jorgan reached down to pick up his sword and dagger, dropped both, then tried again. After an awkward minute of fumbling, he sheathed both and stormed off. When he did, the crowd


    "And what about you? Will you give me trouble, master Grenden?"


    "Not today, Ferdol. Not today."


    "Good. Keep it that way. And don''t get baited into these things. You''ll end up dead ''fore too long."


    "Yeah, yeah."The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.


    "That was awesome." I sounded like a fanboy. I toned it down a little.


    "Not much else to do with a youngster like that one. No sense in that one. I remember him running around here when he was in diapers. Cute kid. The little shit decided to grow up and become a cunt."


    "Who are you?"


    "Alex, an adventurer." I reached out my hand.


    "Adventurer?"


    "Yeah."


    "You don''t look like much." He didn''t take my hand.


    "That''s because I''m not." It was fine. Renard


    "Honest and humble. Good traits for a wannabe. Come, lad. Let''s get some drinks. Your treat."


    "Hell yeah."


    "Drink, lad."


    "Yes, sir." Sir? I looked down at the liquor in my mug. It was black as night and smelled like coal. The liquor looked worse. It glooped up the sides of the shot glass like thin maple syrup.


    "Kragstout and blackjaw are a real dwarf''s drink. Humans and elves like the watered-down piss, but kragstout is what really gets the job done. Drink up, boy." He tipped my mug back, forcing me to drink faster. I gagged.


    "Not bad, laddy. Not bad. What''s your name again?"


    "Alex."


    "Where you from, Alex?"


    "The temple down south."


    "What, ''s haunt?"


    "You know him?" I was surprised.


    "He''s my fourth cousin once removed. Of course I know him! Bastard hasn''t stopped by in, oh, seven or eight years. I was thinking about going down to that little temple of his and raising hell until he saw me.""So I take it that makes you a traveler?"


    "I mean, yeah. We came from the temple."


    "What are you, a comedian? From Earth, you damn idiot."


    "Oh, shit, yes! Yeah, I am."


    "So  let you go after a few weeks instead of keeping you like the little pet bitches he treats his students as?"


    "Well, no. I actually have been training for about a year. I was pretty beat up when I got here. Healing took longer than they thought it would, so I spent the year training with Renard and a scholar named Arden."


    "A year, eh?" He thumbed his beard. Where''s your friend? I saw him before that fool drew his sword. Scrawny kid, long blonde hair."


    "Tristan''s his name. We met at the temple. He''s probably wandering around somewhere."


    "Ah, good. You got an ally." The man stroked his beard in thought. "Let me tell you something, lad.  is one tough bastard. I poke fun at the little fighting force he''s whipped up, but they''re true warriors. If you got training from him and he gave you the go-ahead, you''ve got some talent. He wouldn''t have trained you if you didn''t.""So what do you plan on doing with yourself now?"


    "We want to be adventurers. We''re looking for a job to get started, but we don''t really know what we''re doing. Any advice?"


    "Good man, listening to your elders. I have advice. Listen close. The only difference between heroes and corpses is luck, preparedness, and hard work. You never go in blind, got it? And you never take a job with your ego. Be safe, be prepared, and train hard. That''s how you live as long as I have."


    "How old are you?"


    "Two hundred and forty-three years."


    "Oh shit. Are all dwarves that old?"


    "Not if they aren''t smart. There''s plenty of us who aren''t."


    "Damn... So what should I be looking for in a job?"


    "You got a class yet?"


    "Okay, so nothing fancy. Most people try hunting monsters to get their feet wet, then they end up dead. That''s stupid." He stood up."There''s lots of jobs to go around. Find one that seems easy. The easier, the better."


    "Like what?"


    "Guard work. In town. Nothing fancy. Do a few jobs, and get your feet wet. Maybe find a guard gig for a merchant or something. There''s always work if you know where to look."


    "That man said you run a guild. Would you want to take a couple of guys on?" That would be perfect.


    "I don''t take on nobodies. Prove you got what it takes, and I''ll think about it. Until then, I''ll be around. My guildhall''s in the mountain, down Deepdelve, on the left. You can''t miss it. Clan Ironheart''s the name."


    "Okay, Grenden. You''ll be seeing me soon."


    "Look forward to it, boy." The man stood up and marched out of the bar.