to frequently cast the magic arrow spell.”
“I’m out of room on the form.”
“Also, sword dancer. That seemed a good idea at the time.”
The guard sighed. “Psychic, check. Ranger, check. Necromancer, check. Big tax there. Rogue, another big tax there. Samurai, check. Sorcerer, check. I’ll have to write in sword dancer under other, haven’t heard of that one,” said the guard. “Well, that’s all the boxes, no need to go on.”
“Wait,” said Ohm. “I,” Ohm drew out the syllable before continuing, “am a bard.”
The guard looked Ohm over and nodded. “I can see that. No additional taxes for a bard.”
“Because we contribute so much joy to the locals?” Ohm asked.
“Because you’re unlikely to have any money,” said the guard.
“Here’s your tax bill,” the guard said, handing the parchment to Pellonia.
“We haven’t got that much money,” Pellonia said, not bothering to take the bill before answering.
“No matter,” said the guard. “You can hand over a few of your magical items until such a time as you’re able to afford the taxes. Upon which time we shall return the items.” The guard took a pair of spectacles and put them on. “That magic axe, bracelet, and hammer ought to do it,” he said, pointing at the items the frost giants had just bestowed upon them.
Pellonia crinkled her brow and Maximina said, “That’s robbery! We earned these fair and square.”
“Everyone has to pay taxes, dear,” said the guard. “How else do you think we pay for the wonders of Arendal? It’s expensive to keep an entire city floating in the air. If you don’t want to pay, you can’t come inside. Simple as that. No harm, no foul.”
“What if we say we’re simple farmers?” Maximina asked.
“Well, then, that would be a sight cheaper, but we’d have to confiscate all of your magic items and treasures and lock you up, as you would be guilty of adventuring without a license. Which reminds me, can I please see your adventuring license so I can get the ID number and make sure the taxes are applied to the appropriate account?”
Pellonia glared at Maximina and looked back at the guard and smiled. “Funny story, we lost our adventuring license in the dragon’s cave.” Pellonia chuckled.
“No problem, what’s your ID number?”
“Four,” Maximina said. The guard wrote that down and looked back up, at which time Maximina said, “two,” and she continued to rattle off numbers every time the guard looked up. “Seven, one, five, five, six, eight, seven, nine.”
The guard took out a tome and looked up the number in the book. “Let’s see here, ah. The Lightning Brigade?” the guard asked.
“Yes, that’s us,” said Pellonia. “The Lightning Brigade.”
“Then why are all of these magic items ice weapons and not lightning weapons?”
“We, uh…” Pellonia started.
“We’re trying something new out,” said Ohm. “We’re thinking of changing our name to The Frozen Mafia. What do you think?”
The guard flipped through the book. “Sorry. The Frozen Mafia is taken.”
“Chill Squad?”
“Taken.”
“Stone Cold Killers?”
“Taken.”
“Ice Capaders?”
“There ya go, that one’s available.”
“That one’s stupid.”
“That’s why it’s available. But you can’t change your name here, you have to go the Bureau of Adventurers Guild. BAG for short. Now, if you’re going to stay in the city, please hand over your items.”
Pellonia handed Sjerkira, Narukvica, and Cekic over to the man guarding the entrance to Arendal.
“Let’s see here,” the guard said. “One mystic ice axe, one mystic ice bracelet, and one mystic ice hammer.” The guard handed them a receipt, which read, “This receipt entitles the bearers, a/an adventuring party registered as The Lightning Brigade , to receive one mystic axe, one mystic