Trevor awoke the next morning refreshed and ready to face the day. He got up, already in a good mood, and got dressed for breakfast. There were a few people in the Pastel Sunset Inn today despite being empty yesterday, and he looked around for a glimpse of this Tonyi girl. The peace last night had been interrupted once by a high pitched squeal and shouts of joy that had made him laugh.

  The only one he recognized here was Gulta, however, and she was quick to approach him as soon as he sat himself at a table. He smiled. “Good morning.”

  “Good morning, Master Summoned,” she said, garnering him some looks from the other patrons.

  “Just Trevor is fine,” he replied quietly. “I don’t really like the attention all that much.”

  Gulta looked around, some guilt on her face, before nodding. “My apologies, Mast— Trevor,” she whispered. “I’m just in a right good mood this morning, what with the delivery, and we don’t get a lot of excitement like that.”

  He offered her a reassuring smile. “It’s fine. I’m assuming that your daughter liked it?”

  “Oh, absolutely overjoyed,” the kobold said with a grin. “She’s still asleep on account of staying up too late fawning over her new dress, but I can get her if you’d like.”

  “No, thank you. I appreciate the offer but you can let her sleep,” Trevor replied with a shake of his head. “Once Wayne’s up and we’ve had breakfast, we’ll be heading out, anyway.”

  “I’ve been up,” came a familiar southern drawl from behind the inventoryman, and he turned around to see that the dwarf had just come in from outside. “Had to check on Dallas. He can get a bit cheeky in the morning. Your boy out there does good work, though.”

  “I’ll let him know you said so,” Gulta responded. “What can I get you two for breakfast?”

  “Eggs and whatever you got to go with them for us,” Wayne ordered. “So long as it’s hearty. We’ve got a long road ahead of us.”

  She looked at Trevor, who nodded, before confirming the order and heading back to the kitchen to get it ready. Wayne sat down and leaned onto the table, knocking on the wood.

  “Should have known you would be up before me,” Trevor said.

  “Yeah, you really should have,” the dwarf replied. He watched the kitchen for a moment before looking at the other patrons. The inventoryman gave him some time, and eventually Wayne sighed. “Adabelle made me an offer for a position.”

  Trevor waited for him to continue, but as the seconds dragged on, he realized that he wasn’t going to. “Man, that sounds like it’s perfect for a guy like you,” he said sarcastically. “Or, dang, how could she bring herself to ask that of you? I thought you two were friends. One of these is the right option, I’m sure.”

  The dwarf gave him a look, but there was a hint of amusement in his eyes. Only his salt and pepper beard hid what Trevor assumed was a smile. “Be serious for me for a moment.”

  “You’re right, that was uncalled for,” Trevor said with a look that conveyed he didn’t think it was, but he put both hands on the table. “What position did she offer you?”

  He worked his jaw before leaning back in his chair. “She wants me to take over as the head of a new adventuring guild centered in Tosa,” the dwarf answered.

  “Okay, but that sounds perfect?” Trevor gave him a thin smile. “I’m really trying not to tease you, Wayne, but you’re not giving me, like, any of your thoughts on the matter. You’re clearly conflicted, but I have no idea why or how I’m supposed to help. If you don’t want the job, then don’t take it. If you want the job, then take it. It’s a simple choice.”

  “It ain’t simple,” he retorted. “This is a big deal for all of us Summoned except Mr. Tiggles, because he’s just going to keep on being a cat.”

  “Truly, he has it the best out of all of us,” Trevor sighed before shaking his head. “And the only reason why it’ll be a big deal for me is because I’m going to get stuck helping furnish your office or whatever. This is something between you and Adabelle, and I’m assuming Rashie later on. You want an impartial third party, well, you’ve got one. I have no stake in it either way.”

  Wayne nodded, watching Trevor as he spoke. “I do appreciate you not just saying outright that I should take it because Adabelle said so.”

  “We may be dating, but I’m not going to tell you to do something you clearly don’t want to do just because it’ll make her happy,” he scoffed. “That’s not how our relationship works, and neither of us want it to end up like that. She gets enough of being in power every draining day at the office.”

  “But here’s the thing,” Wayne started, shifting so he was leaning on the table again. “It’s a good idea. The adventuring guild, I mean. Tosa’s getting bigger, and we need to be more organized. She can always call in someone from Eskretet like one of her sword sisters or whatever—I’m sure Lailah would get everything started in an afternoon—but she’d rather it be someone from here.”

  “And that makes sense,” Trevor replied. “She could always summon someone else. I know she’s been putting it off.”

  “Yeah, cause she’s waiting for me to make the decision,” he grumbled.

  “Really?”

  “Far as I know. Having an adventuring guild in town would open up more funds to come into Tosa from the capital, and she’d be able to put together some whatchamacallit, forgot what she called it, but that’ll help equip and train people, too. Since most of the Summoned that come into our world end up becoming adventurers, it’d be good for them to have a head start. And, yes, you’re the weird one out of the bunch.”

  Trevor shrugged. “What can I say? I was literally summoned different,” he replied with a smile. “Why now all of a sudden? How come Jackson didn’t set it up? Is this just an Adabelle thing?”

  “Nah, he’s discussed it with me in the past, too,” Wayne admitted sheepishly. “Didn’t push, though. Now that I know he was leaving, I guess getting things ready for Addy was his priority. Or maybe he left it to her to figure out because she was a part of it in the capital for a while. The old elf could have put it off for any number of reasons, honestly. Jack had always marched to the beat of his own drum for as long as I knew him.”

  You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.

  “I certainly got that impression from him, yeah,” Trevor chuckled. He looked in the direction of the kitchen to see if their food was coming before turning his attention back to his friend. “Alright, so you’re having trouble deciding. If you didn’t want the job, it’d be an easy no. I know you wouldn’t do something you know you’d hate just because Adabelle asked you to. Well, not in the long term. Which means the situation is more complicated than that. You do want the job, but something’s holding you back. So what would that be?”

  The dwarf grimaced. “You’re a perceptive little bugger.”

  “Eh, maybe a little,” he admitted with a shrug. “I think I’ve just gotten to know you over the past few months. A simple yes or no wouldn’t give you pause, so there has to be something more. Now you just have to tell me what it is.”

  Huffing, Wayne leaned back in his chair. He looked around as if trying to find a way out of the conversation, but ended up steeling himself with a frown. “Tosa’s too different these days,” he admitted quietly.

  Trevor blinked. Out of all the things he had expected, that wasn’t one of them. Tosa was going through a lot of changes, that much was true. Some of it was Adabelle’s doing, but Jackson’s plans from before he disappeared to another universe were also to blame.

  “I’m going to let you talk instead of coming to conclusions,” the inventoryman said, putting his chin in the palm of his hand. “Go ahead and get it out.”

  Silence, and then a nod. “I’m normally a pretty happy-go-lucky kind of guy. I like my wracors, I like my guns, I like my family,” he stated. “That’s you, Rashie, and Addy. Mr. Tiggles, too. Used to have Jack, but he’s shoved off and it’s unlikely that he’ll ever return.”

  Trevor bit his lip, holding back what he wanted to say.

  “It just feels like the world’s changing too much,” Wayne continued. “I mean, I get it. Things can’t stand still forever, otherwise you’d never make any progress. But it’s been seven months since Jackson disappeared, and everything’s still moving. The town’s getting bigger, Adabelle’s doing great things, Rashie’s about to go to school. You’re here, now, which isn’t a problem, but it’s just one more thing that’s different.”

  “You think Tosa’s leaping into the future too quickly?” Trevor asked.

  “No. Well, maybe,” the dwarf said with uncertainty. “I like the little town I got summoned to. It was perfect for me in many ways. For a long time, the only thing that changed was which Summoned stuck around and which moved on to greener pastures. Which was fine by me, because I was exactly where I wanted to be. It’s just grown so much.”

  “You don’t recognize the town anymore,” Trevor stated.

  “I guess,” Wayne was quick to say. “It’s not the same place where I could nap by the riverside, not a care in the world. There’s too many people coming and going now. When I show up to help with construction of new buildings, since I’ve got that Earth knowledge and plenty of experience, I almost have to make them take me on in the crew because I’m Wayne, the gunslinging adventurer. It’s just not the sleepy town I used to love.”

  “But it is still Tosa.”

  “On the inside, maybe. Jack did good making sure it was a peaceful place, but it’s only going to be getting bigger from here,” he sighed, crossing his arms. “We’re getting off track. The adventurer’s guild is just the next step in Tosa’s growth. It’s going to bring in a lot more people who are going to want to join it, or work with it, or even challenge it.”

  “Like Adabelle’s duels?” Trevor asked, arching an eyebrow.

  “Less fights, more other competitions, but you could put it like that,” Wayne answered.

  The inventoryman smiled. “Cowboy, I think you need to take the job.”

  “Yeah? And why’s that.”

  “You already know why.”

  That made him scowl. “Explain it to me like I’m Rashie.”

  “You need me to spell it out for you? Sure, I’ll do that,” Trevor said, turning his chair so he was fully facing his friend. “Tosa isn’t how it used to be, and some of the people who you thought would be here forever have left. Jack, specifically. First, it’s okay to grieve for him. You knew him for your entire ten, almost eleven years here. It’s not healthy to bottle that up, so man up and cry about losing him like everyone else already had. When you’re ready, of course.”

  “Wow, what an enticing argument,” Wayne deadpanned.

  “Too harsh?”

  “Nah, I see your point,” the dwarf admitted with a sigh. “Just don’t have to like it. You said first, so what’s next?”

  “Second, you already know that Tosa is going to grow and there’s nothing short of Adabelle bringing her potent, cataclysmic powers to bear that’s going to stop it from happening,” Trevor continued. “But you leading the adventuring guild? It’ll probably suck for you on account of your self-described happy-go-lucky attitude, but there’s no one better suited for the job.

  “You are a bona fide Tosa native now, Wayne. That means you know the town inside and out. You know who’s who, and what’s what. There is no one better suited for leading the guild than you, except maybe Rashie after she’s matured and received her education. And there’s something very crucial that you’re missing because you don’t want to see the whole picture.”

  “And what would that be?”

  “The town will grow, sure, but you’ll have more of a voice as to how it does so,” Trevor answered. “This is your chance to make sure that Tosa is on the right path going forward. It’ll never be as small as it once was, but you can be proud of what it’ll become. Help it retain as much of that feeling you love so much for as long as you can. Because the bigger it gets, the more people are going to want to do things their way. Oftentimes, the wrong way. We’re both Americans, we’ve seen it.”

  Wayne frowned. “Money gets involved with politics and that’s a whole thing.”

  “This is your chance to be patriotic for our new home, and save lives while you’re at it,” Trevor said. “Think of all the help you’ve given me in just the past couple of days and apply that to actual adventurers. I’ve avoided looking into Summoned mortality rates because I’m sure that it would make me sad, but a whole legion of cowboy trained adventurers? Tell me that wouldn’t make the world a safer place.”

  “I… can’t,” he admitted, reaching up to stroke his beard.

  “And I’ve got one more argument, and I think it’s the best one,” Trevor said with a grin, causing Wayne to arch an eyebrow at him. “You’ll be in charge, right?”

  “Yeah.”

  “So you can name the positions, right?”

  Wayne gave Trevor a strange look. “Sure.”

  “Then you can change the name of your position from head adventurer or whatever to sheriff,” the inventoryman stated easily. “Sheriff Wayne and his deputies, the adventuring guild of Tosa. Think about it.”

  His eyes widened before he leaned back in his chair and looked at the ceiling in thought. “That really shouldn’t sway me as much as it does, but I have to admit it does have a nice ring to it.”

  “I know, right?” Trevor replied confidently.

  “Two big breakfasts, as ordered,” Gulta said, coming up with a pair of plates loaded up with eggs, bread, meat, and a few choice fruits.

  “Thanks.” Wayne was pensive as he pulled his food in front of him so he could eat.

  “Smells delicious, Gulta, thanks,” Trevor said as well. The kobold bowed before moving on to check on the other patrons in the inn.

  “Sheriff Wayne,” the dwarf repeated. “And, of course, Deputy Trevor.”

  “Not an adventurer,” he quickly retorted.

  “Honorary Deputy Trevor Anderson,” Wayne continued.

  The two shared a look, one amused and one not, before getting on with their meal. There was still plenty of road ahead, and it was best to get on these things early.