Adventure of Kerson 1

By midday, the southern road carries Kerson and Patch into Bellwater. Barges crowd the quay, while merchants, laborers, and travelers weave between stalls beneath bright river mist.

Patch stays close at Kerson’s side, her red hair bright among the market crowd. Moxxi and the freed prisoners remain behind on the eastern road toward the river settlement.

A broad-shouldered shopkeeper leans from a riverside stall, glancing toward the quay before lowering his voice. Several locked chests stand behind him, marked with a factor’s seal.

Kerson murmurs the reassurance and hugs Patch close before moving through Bellwater’s market, leaving her beside the stall while he questions nearby workers.

Kerson quietly compares dockhands’ answers and follows the factor’s seal through the quay. A barge clerk finally points toward the old customs house.

Kerson learns the ledgers are in the abandoned customs house beyond the east quay. His questioning draws a guard’s suspicion, and the guard now remembers his face.

Kerson crosses the east quay and slips through the customs house’s warped side door. Dusty desks and abandoned scales fill the dim hall, while river light stripes the floor.

He moves past the empty inspection rooms without disturbing a grain of dust, following the faint scent of sailcloth toward a locked records chamber.

The lock yields to patient pressure. Inside, a bundle wrapped in sailcloth rests beneath a customs table, bearing the factor’s seal and fresh handling marks.

Kerson takes the ledgers and checks the bundle by weight and binding. The books are intact, their pages dry, with the factor’s accounts secured inside.

Kerson returns through the side door with the ledgers concealed beneath his coat. The suspicious guard sees only another traveler leaving the abandoned building.

Kerson murmurs the refusal of further introductions and accepts the coin with Patch beside him. The payment is counted, sealed, and placed securely between them.

Kerson and Patch leave the stall and follow the market lane toward the residential quarter. River mist gives way to sunlit brick, narrow gardens, and boarding signs.

They examine posted rents, small cottages, and rooms above quiet shops. A modest riverside house offers two chambers, a shared hearth, and a fenced yard at a manageable price.

Kerson places the payment coin into the seller’s waiting hand and murmurs the decision. The seller counts the agreed sum, then passes over a small iron key.

The seller marks the transfer in his ledger and departs with the coin. Kerson and Patch stand before their new home, its windows bright with river light and its door newly unlocked.

Patch turns the iron key between her fingers, then fits it into the lock. The door opens onto a quiet hearth, bare floorboards, and the faint sound of water beyond the rear garden.

Inside the riverside house, Kerson pulls down his hood and removes his cloak, folding both over one arm before setting them beside the entry bench.

Patch closes the door behind them and explores at his side. The front room holds a cold hearth, two sturdy chairs, and windows overlooking the bright river.

They inspect the first chamber together. Built-in shelves line one wall, while a narrow cupboard beneath the stairs offers room for packs, tools, and carefully hidden blades.

Kerson and Patch cross into the second chamber, where a wide window faces the quay. The room is plain but dry, with enough space for two beds and a writing table.