THE MOMENT
The four adventurers stood proudly in the grand throne room, surrounded by chatty nobles, and facing the King. It was early afternoon and sunlight flooded in through the open windows to illuminate the victorious group.
Ken, the heroic knight in gleaming steel armor, stood the tallest and broadest. He held his helmet at his side, and his attractive ruggedness seemed almost pre-determined, as if a brave warrior could grow no other way but tall, dark, and handsome. Next to him stood the wild, fur-lined barbarian, Steve. He was shorter, leaner, and less armored than Ken, but his body seemed carved from sinewy stone. Ken had bulging muscle, but Steve was wound and wiry, ready to spring into action at the slightest excuse.
Then, Matt, the wizard, wore a tall hat with flowing blue robes. He stood between Steve the barbarian and the bard. He had a long silver beard and bushy silver eyebrows above his clear green eyes. His face was as wrinkled as one might expect from an ancient sorcerer, but his eyes sparkled with quick-witted clarity.
Dora the Bard wore black and orange leather gear, with her black hair pulled back in a ponytail. Where Matt appeared to be the oldest in the group, Dora was easily the youngest looking. She was a high school senior when she wasn't out adventuring. The four of them listened intently as the King delivered his praise.
"...for your service to this Kingdom, I offer you hero," he smiled at Ken. "My daughter's hand. And for your wizard and barbarian, I offer my royal sorceress's and guard captain's hands as well," said the king. Then, he looked at Dora, and seemed to hesitate for a moment. "And for the bard...,"
"Yes, your Majesty?" Dora stepped forward and smiled.
"You can have some land on the outskirts with some gold."
"Thank you, your Majesty!" Dora smiled. "That all went smoother than I expected," she sighed in relief.
"Begin the celebration!" the King announced. The nobles cheered, and the crowd immediately began intermingling.
"Where to next?" the hero asked Dora as the others gathered around, with no sign of the brides-to-be.
"I'm gonna save the Kingdom again," Dora nodded to herself as she idly answered the question. "I should sell the land first," she decided. As she voiced the thought aloud, she silently sent a Whisper to someone she expected would be interested. She waited in silence for several moments as the festivities happened around her, and the group stood by waiting for some direction. None of them could have accomplished what they did without her, and they would wait for her decision.
Finally, a black portal opened, and a teen with long brown hair walked out. She was dressed casually in jeans and a forest green hoodie that she pulled down as she took in the guests and throne room.
"A plot of land on the outskirts?" Bailey asked once she was close enough. Dora nodded, and gestured at her group with a smile.
"They voted to let me have it, along with all the gold...," she giggled. "...and wedding gifts." Bailey took a moment to appraise the group properly, then she smiled at Dora.
"You're gonna do it again, aren't you?"
"Yeah, I need at least three more runs to make it worth the NPC hires. But, it'd be dumb to stop there," she grinned. "I cleared my whole day, and asked you first. Want them all?"
"I'm not overly interested in the plots on the outskirts," Bailey shook her head. "But, if you're including rare property drops from the wedding gifts, I think we can work something out." She deliberately gestured at the old wizard. "The Royal Sorceress sometimes gives her husband a Mage Tower I could use personally," she said.
"If that shows up, it's yours," Dora nodded. "And, you'll get first pick on any other property."
"Alright," Bailey smiled and waved as she dropped a card at her feet to open a black portal. And, she started descending as soon as it appeared. "We're in business, let me know when you're done farming, and we'll go through it."