"What do you mean, we still don't have any quests?" Cal flopped on the front desk. Since they had officially opened the Adventurers Guild a week ago they had also reopened the café and kept the indentured servitude on the down low.

As soon as he could he took Naomi around to see the Brother Calloway statues. They were becoming a hit among the elves. The idea of a young inexperienced brother Calloway gave rise to a trend of storytelling.

The original residents came out of the woodworks and talked about their experiences with Brother Calloway. These stories only reinforced the tales statues told and that infuriated the political party that tried to deify him.

Some told stories about how funny he was when he would talk to himself or banter with the citizens, this contrasted the dignified priest they had him portrayed as. Some told stories about all the weird ways he designed the buildings before he settled on the way the city was built now, and that contested with the idea that he created everything perfectly the first time.

His entire persona changed within the communities. Identity traits like his strangely obsessive and forgetful tendencies flooded gossip circles. It was because he wouldn't build a house and a person and move on. He'd move from person to location, and location to building, then he'd spend five minutes and flutter off to the next task or he'd spend days working on one detail.

In fact, Cal had so much fun working with the girls run the café while figuring out his next move he had forgotten the most basic of requirements for an adventurers Guild, taking requests and doing quests.

"Being a Guild master is hard," Cal whined as he slouched over the guilds reception desk.

"Quit whining, maybe you should start by giving the guild a name." Wendy's eye twitched, she did not think that her new master would be such a child.

"I would if I could think of a suitable one."

"Are you really going to think of one sitting around here? Listen, if you're not going to help then you're just going to get in the way."

"Is that any way to speak to your boss?"

Wendy had just about had it, she picked him up and threw him out the front door. "And don't come back until you've at least thought of a name!" She slammed the door behind her.

Maybe he'd gotten too familiar with them. Cal picked himself up and dusted off his clothes. He wasn't wearing his duster today since he'd been inside moaning, but he had decided that the dread locks were getting to be a bit much for his disguise since they only showed when he was wearing his hat. He kept the eye patch though.

He sighed and began walking around the city, there was still a lot to see, but he hadn't had much time to explore since he opened the guild.

After twenty minutes of meandering through the city. He noticed a peculiarity.

A young dryad girl walked by herself through the street. She had pale green skin, lighter than a normal dryad. Her ears were pointed like an elf's but not nearly as long. A half-breed maybe? The biggest issue was that she was alone. Dryads had a strong natural tendency to look after one another and they often traveled in small groups.

New Quest: The Mysterious girl. Discover more about her?

[Greater shadow step]

He decided to follow her.

Quest Accepted.

The longer he trailed behind her, the more he noticed was out of place. She always hung her head, and most people avoided her. She looked no older than a human six-year-old but some of the elves turned their nose up at her as if she had the plague. She begged for food from some of the slime girls since they didn't seem to notice that she was any different than a normal elf, but sadly enough they had no food.

Cal approached one of the stalls and asked the elf running it about her. He only said that she was some kind of orphaned cursed child, who only foretold of doom. Apparently, even talking to her was bad luck. He bought a few things from the merchant for his trouble and continued following the girl.

Interesting. Cal thought as he continued to follow her. An adventure driven grin spread across his lips.

Finally, after she had wasted most of the day, and received nothing from the many saddened slime girls, the half-breed made her way to a less developed part of the city. Most of this part of the city was filled with undeveloped groves of trees. But the half-breed didn't stop at one of the groves, instead she snuggled beneath a dead tree.

She was an orphan, that must make that dead tree her mothers.

She pulled out a round silver charm, it was probably the most valuable thing that she owned and she cradled it in her hand like a precious treasure. It was service medal given to the families of city guards that had perished in defense of the city.

Now Cal had a clearer picture of the situation. He turned off greater shadow step and stepped into the clearing feigning ignorance of the girl's presence.

"This is a good place." Cal said sitting within view of the girl but not looking in her direction. He pulled out a small blanket and sat down on it. First, he pulled out a small setup for boiling tea over and enchanted candle. Then, he pulled out several food items and placed them on the blanket tantalizing within view of the starving orphan girl.

Out of the corner of his eye he could see the hunger winning over the girl's timid nature.

"Oh. No. I. have. Too. Much. Food. To. Eat. Myself. If. Only. Somebody. Would. Help. Me." Cal's exaggerated show had the desired effect as he saw the girl inching closer.

In her distracted state, she kicked a rock. That gave Cal the excuse that he needed to address the girl.

"Oh, hello there little one. I didn't notice you there." Lie. "Would you like to join me for a picnic?"

The girl nodded her head as her stomach made a growling sound.

"Well come sit down, the tea is almost ready and there is plenty for the both of us."

The girl didn't sit on the blanket, but when he offered her a sandwich she ate it ravenously.

"Hungry are we. Good, please eat your fill. There are more sandwiches, fruit, and some fresh baked scones from the bakery. Oh, look the tea is done." Cal poured two cups of tea and passed one to the girl.

When she drank it, she began crying.

"If it's not to your liking I can brew a new pot."

"You shouldn't be so nice to me." She wiped her eyes.

"And why not? Cursed or not, all I see is a hungry girl." He sipped his tea but kept one mischievous eye open.

The cup slipped from the girl's hand but Cal managed to catch it and set it next to her.

"The scones are going to get cold if you wait any longer to eat them." Cal nibbled on one of the sandwiches.

"But people say bad things will happen to people who get near me."

"I'm not people, I'm Cal. And bad things happen to anyone who gets close to anyone, that's life. Shoot, bad things happen just because you wake up in the morning, but that doesn't mean staying in bed forever will solve that."

"But-" the girl's stomach growled.

Cal held up a hand to stop her. "Hungry girl, we can talk when you've eaten more." He then stuffed a warm scone in her mouth.

When they had finished eating, there wasn't a scrap of food or tea left.

"So Half-breed, let's start with your name since I've already given mine."

"My parents named me Ophelia. But everyone in the city just calls me witch girl, or cursed child."

"Ophelia is a very pretty name, and I see nothing wrong with being called a witch or a girl, some of my best friends are both."

"You must have some interesting stories about your friends, are they oracles too?"

"You're an Oracle?"

She covered her mouth as if she had just cursed in front of her school teacher. "Is that bad?"

"No, but it makes sense as to why everyone keeps you at a distance. Knowing one's future can be a scary thing."

She lowered her hands, "they all called me a liar when I prophesied about a great darkness in the south. And if they do believe me, they say that nothing could ever reach us here in the Pearly city."

Cal's eyes started going wide but he let her speak.

"Then I told smaller fortunes, and everyone started calling me a jinx. It's not my fault so many people are clumsy. Mr. Calphius, am I a bad girl?"

Cal's eyes nearly popped out of his skull, "What did you just call me?"

"Your name, you're Calloway Calphius are you not? You're supposed to decide my fate when I meet you." She sniffled and let loose a river of tears. "I don't mean to be a bad girl, please don't eat me."

New Quest: Decide Ophelia's Fate

An oracle child, she bears dark tidings. What will you do? Kill her, accept her, heed her warning. She has only seen her own fate up until this moment when an adventurer will hold her life in their hands.

"Go back and tell me about this darkness in the south again."

"That's just it, a great darkness is gathering and it will engulf even the Pearly city if nothing is done."

"This. Is. Amazing!" Cal swept Ophelia up and spun her around. An oracle and a dark prophesy, finally things were getting interesting. He set her down since he was scaring and confusing her. He patted her head until she calmed down. "Sorry, I just got a little excited."

She sniffled while rubbing her eyes.

"Well, Ophelia I have an offer for you. How would you like to be an adventurer? No. better yet how you like to be a part of my family?"

"Family? Like your daughter?"

"Absolutely, but you have to promise me one thing."

Companion Adopted: Ophelia Calphius

An oracle child prophesying of dark times. Orphaned and hated by society this child was in the depths of despair, her fate was decided by a kind adventurer who not only decided to accept her and her heed her warning but also chose to welcome her into his family as a daughter.

Stats

Level 25 Oracle*

Health 17,461/17,461

Mana 22,398/22,398

Stamina 15,940/15,940

Strength 20

Constitution 20

Dexterity 30

Intelligence 50

Wisdom 50

Charisma 20

*