Lisa quickly left the slums and checked in with the auction house and a few other places before returning to her room and began to really think about her future.

  She read the pamphlet answering many of the questions she already had answers to, but knew less than she cared not to. The blood moon months were an event that happened every five years and for races such as elves, dwarves, and humans, these months did not mean much. For races such as her own or dragons, however, those that are considered monsteristic, it is greatly different. For dragons, it is a time of dormancy. A time for the strongest of the species to go dormant to recover their great strength that is expended by merely existing. While those under level fifty are generally only a bit sluggish and tired, the larger full dragons go into full undisturbable hybernations. After this period is also when the youngest and strongest also begin evolving into their final forms. Changing many of the characteristics including shape, size and even gender.

  For the beastkin it is their breeding season. For the four and a half years outside of the blood moon months, they were completely sterile. Only during this period can one become pregnant or knock someone up. To be fair to them as well, the chance of success is almost a guarantee.

  The only thing the pamphlet told her that she did not already know was that using methods to suppress her libido actually made it that much worse. This is a built-in defensive evolution trait when some thousand years ago someone tried to kill off her kind by poisoning them with anti-love potions. Which explained what happened to her when she took the anti-aphrodisiac potion.

  -----

  “ Are you sure you can trust them?”

  Jeff looked at the kid no older than sixteen beside the wagon they had bought. He and his partner volunteered to come along on this trip to process all the goods. In addition to the four people who the guild managed to contract to act as guards for them. All of them otherworlders except for the one, who was a dragonkin.

  “ Who, the otherworlders or the natives?”

  The kid just shrugs meaning both and Jeff just returns the gesture. Trust is one of those hard to come by commodities and after everything that happened at the Resort, he trusts few absolutely.

  “ Well, at least the adventurers you picked look reliable”

  Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  Jeff turns to look the other way and saw the panther woman speaking to the dwarf brothers as they approached. They seem to be getting along. He was also glad to see they did not skip town with his cards.

  “ So lad, I heard you rejected most because they were either too old or too young. How about you start with why you picked us three?”

  Jeff was a little taken back by the statement from one of the dwarves but did not show a crack in his composure.

  “ I chose you two because you understand risk and reward. As well you have a history of crafting and appraisal. In short you make excellent guards and appraisers of whatever junk I get out of a dungeon. Do not get me wrong, your main jobs is to keep those two alive.”

  Jeff points his thumb to the kid and the dragonkin who was obviously close to him.

  “ After them it is to keep the other four otherworlders safe. They too are guards but are as green as goblin snot. So it will be double duty to training them as well. You will have operational control of the journey. Meaning we get to say where we need to go but you decide how we get there. As for me, that is why I have my own personal guard and trainer outside of you two.”

  He motions to Lisa.

  “ We will be doing a dungeon tour until I hit around level forty five. The expected time table will be between six months and a year. No longer than two.”

  The two dwarves think it over a little/

  “ Something like that ain’t cheap, and not just in coin. You will have to supply us as well. Me and me brother will have a lot of duties over an extended period. I took that card to an appraiser who specialized in magical artifacts, it is a summoning catalyst. It is rare that non-summoners can use them.”

  Jeff nods to this.

  “ The card is both a bonus and part of the job. The being in the card is a magical construct. It basically a blank slate, and if you need a helper or a decoy. But do try to refrain from mistreating them. They learn quickly and it is hard to break bad habits.”

  The brothers discuss it a little more.

  “ A guarantee of provisions, to the best of your ability, a new set of equipment for level fifties, and a pick of any magical artifact you might pick up, each.”

  Jeff thought about it a little and shook his head.

  “ I ain’t gona pay for an epic fifty set for both of you. Even we are not that rich. Fifty uncommon and an artifact each up to level 40 with the exclusion of rare or better. First pick.”

  This caused the dwarves to talk to eachother for a good five minutes.

  “ We want a fifty rare item each. Even if it is from the auction house.”

  Jeff thought about this a moment and really considered it.

  “ Give me a list of candidates and I will consider it. While you are at it, you can go on a test run, you can take this bunch through town shopping. Get anything we will need for a long journey. Get at least twenty dungeon dives worth of provisions.”

  This caught the dwarves attention and Jeff tossed the two a small pouch full of gold coins.

  “ That is your budget. Make it last six months at least.”

  “ Aye, we can do that. We will need to see what you got already and determine what you need. Come on lad and lady, time is wasting. Bring the wagon, we will have a lot to haul.”

  Jeff moved away to watch them leave and found himself alone with Lisa.