Before wandering off into the bayside town, Parker needed to figure out what that meant. According to the boat captain, EA would not be helping anymore. Other Gamblers might be willing to share knowledge. Parker knew that if that knowledge was helpful, it wouldn't be free.

  The Gamblers had been forced to turn in their tablets before departing the nexus. Parker had done their best to memorize at least the highlights of the reading material. In the end, it all came down to the elements. The economy, the challenges, and even the creatures that roamed the wilds of each island were tied to the island’s elements.

  The first stop would be the first building ahead of them. There was no sense in wandering further without clear direction. Even if they weren't a heavy drinker, Parker was socially aware enough to know that bars, taverns, and similar establishments let rumors flow just like alcohol. Nothing was ever truly free, but in this case, Parker was just trying to figure out the cost.

  To fit the general feel of the island so far, the tavern was not some dimly lit drinking well. Instead, awnings hung just enough over open walls to block the wind and the sea rain while letting the natural light in. Tall tables spread out like flowers in bloom and a waiter dressed for a sunny day at the beach carried drinks around on a tray.

  It was still early in the afternoon, but a few Gamblers were taking a quick rest with a drink. While Parker didn't recognize any of them, they did notice a visible difference between these Gamblers and the ones at the nexus. Instead of hopeful, they seemed tired.

  The Gamblers in the tavern carried a weight to their actions. Gear that was more worn than fresh. Attitudes more curt than friendly. Parker couldn't help but think that maybe they had come to the wrong place for information.

  Rather than bothering anyone, Parker sat down at one of the open tall tables near the edge of the tavern. Within a few seconds, the waiter arrived with a welcoming smile that fit the airy atmosphere much more than the tired Gamblers. He said, "Welcome to the Beach, my name is Aaron. How can we help you today?"

  Parker tried to pick up on clues from what the others were doing. They said, "I'm not sure... a snack and a light drink would be nice."

  Aaron nodded. "We've got a few appetizers you could try. Roasted tree nuts, seafoam crisps, or pretzel bites. As far as light drinks go, the folks headed on to the next island nearly cleared us out. I've got a few bottles of wine, or I could brew a coffee."

  Parker thought it over for a second. "I'm okay with just a coffee for now then."

  "Great! It'll take a minute but then I'll bring it back over. How will you be paying today?"

  Parker did their best to hide a swell of anxiety. For some reason, they had thought that conversational clues would let them know how to pay but that did not happen. They asked, "Do you have a preference?"

  Aaron caught on immediately. He looked past Parker to the boat that was nearly unloaded now. Aaron said, "It seems you're new. Did you just arrive from the nexus?"

  Parker nodded.

  Aaron continued, "First drink is always on the house, but for anything else, you'll need to figure out payment. I'd recommend checking the bulletin board to see if anyone posted anything."

  It was a helpful non-answer. Parker wondered if Aaron was employed by EA or if he wasn't able to help for some other reason. When Aaron had mentioned the bulletin board, he had gestured toward one of the walls. While Parker looked at the wall, Aaron went to go start the coffee.

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  There was a cork and plaster community bulletin board nailed to one of the few proper walls in the tavern. At the top, it said: Gambler Requests. There were a few scraps of paper tacked to the board and Parker half expected to see something about a missing cat.

  While Aaron tended to the other Gamblers and Parker's coffee brewed behind the bar, Parker made their way over to the bulletin board. Most of the posts had nothing for Parker. They were party requests looking for Gamblers to fulfill specific roles. Parker vaguely remembered reading about roles like Guardian or Support, but only in the sense of knowing that they could not fill those roles.

  Two pieces of paper caught Parker's attention though. The first was a map of the island. It was crudely drawn and oriented as if the bay was on the South end of the island instead of the Northeastern side. Even still, it did show off important areas.

  The bayside town was clearly marked and there were a few paths marked from the town leading into the island. One path led up to the windswept cliffs where a diamond marker was labeled: Air Altar. Another went to a red-circled forest labeled: Goblin Hunting Grounds.

  Parker had never seen a goblin in person, but the image from the book of monsters stuck in their head. The monster wasn't something they wanted to run into. The average goblin was just smaller than Parker but with more natural ferocity. They had oversized knife-shaped ears and a pumpkin-shaped head with knotted horns growing out the top instead of a stem.

  Beyond that, goblins were known to work in packs to single out weaker targets and wear them down. Parker was not sure exactly how strong a goblin was, but something nagged at Parker's neck to say that they were exactly the type of prey a goblin hunting party would try to wear down.

  The second paper was more immediately helpful. It was a request for ingredients. According to the author of the request, the seeds of a local flower could be used to brew a resistance potion. Parker had little to no experience crafting of any kind, let alone alchemy, but the paper did hold a familiar sketch. Parker recognized the flower drawn even if the author didn't add a name.

  Gere had called them tuftbulbs and Parker recalled exactly how Gere had extracted the seedpod. Gere had even softly pointed out that the seedpod was at the base of the bulb, not centered in the flower's petals.

  The request mentioned a point on the map where they could be found. Most importantly, at the bottom of the page, the pay for the collection was outlined: a vial of copper shavings for a dozen seedpods.

  On its own, it didn't seem like much but tucked away in their pack, Parker had a vial of silver shavings. They hadn't been sure of the bartering value but if a gathering request paid in copper, silver had to be worth more.

  When Aaron set down a mug of coffee and a saucer of cream at the nearest open table, Parker had two questions. First, they asked, "Is it alright if I take this?"

  Parker was gesturing to the gathering request for tuftbulb seedpods. Aaron nodded. "That seems to be the system y'all Gamblers have set up. Just only take what you can complete. Unless you want to anger the others."

  Then it was time for Parker's second question. "Where can I find a place to stay for a vial of silver?"

  Aaron's quick responses faltered at that. Then he checked to make sure none of the nearby patrons were looking for service. Then he finally said, "If you don't need much comfort, the Alta building at the South end of town is the best deal. You could probably stay there for a few weeks with that much... if you can get it."

  Parker shook their head in slight confusion. "Do you mean if I can get a room? Are they busy?"

  Aaron clarified the point. "No, if you can get the silver. I don't know the state of other islands, but we barely even see full vials of copper being used here."

  As they thanked Aaron for the information as well as the coffee, Parker settled onto a seat to think. That was when Parker started to reframe their mental checklist. Some things could be studied or understood with time, but there were others that needed to be solved as soon as possible.

  First was the barter system and the economy, specifically of this island. Second was a safe place to sleep at night, which they had a decent lead on. The last item on the checklist loomed like a threat in the distance. How were they supposed to complete the island's challenge?

  For now, Parker did their best to relax and drink the free coffee. Their sights were set on the fourth of the larger buildings. Now that Parker had acclimated to the view of the town, they could see the word "ALTA" set into the side of that building. It was also further South, in the direction that Aaron had implied, and it looked like a tenement building of sorts.

  Once they secured a room to sleep in and store their things, Parker would head out of the town. They double-checked the map one more time before leaving the tavern, just to make sure they knew which path to take to get to the tuftbulb patch that the request mentioned.