That afternoon, Jess and Gred met near the Gilded Rose with the items each of them had kept. They borrowed a scale from a freight station to see exactly how many herbs they had gathered.

Gred took the tied bundles of herbs out of the sack one by one, while Jess weighed them beside him.

The final tally was seven pounds of Silverleaf, six-tenths of a pound of Kingsblood, two pounds of Peacebloom, five Briarthorn plants, two pounds of Bruiseweed, one plant suspected to be Earthroot, and roughly one-point-one pounds of Grave Moss.

"It feels like less than we estimated." Jess lifted the whole sack and gauged its weight by hand. "Could some have fallen out on the road?"

"More likely they dried out a little." Gred picked up a bundle of Silverleaf and shook it twice. "Look, the leaves have already hardened."

"Stop shaking it," Jess warned. "That probably cost us a few more copper coins."

"You make it sound terrifying." Gred carefully put the herbs down. "Want to calculate the total?"

Jess took out the scroll and read, "Peacebloom, two silver. Silverleaf, two silver and fifty copper. Earthroot, one silver per plant. Briarthorn, two silver per plant. Grave Moss, seven silver. Those are the prices she gave me outright. She didn't say how much she'd pay for Kingsblood, or what herbs such as Bruiseweed were worth."

The dwarf held up seven fingers. "Leave out the Grave Moss and Kingsblood. Strike their prices from the total and keep them for yourself. I want a seventy-thirty split."

"No problem." Jess began muttering his calculations. "Two times seven is fourteen, five times seven is thirty-five..."

"What are you mumbling?"

"Don't interrupt... Thirty-two silver and fifty copper. The actual amount may differ, so we'll have to ask at the alchemy shop."

"How did you calculate it so fast?" the dwarf asked. "Are you sure it's right?"

"It should be close enough. It's only a rough figure anyway," Jess said. "Don't they teach arithmetic in Aerie Peak?"

"Of course they do," the dwarf hurriedly replied. "Now let's get moving. If we leave these herbs baking in the sun, they'll dry out even more. The harvest-season sun is brutal!"

They hoisted their sacks and headed toward the canal. Jess asked, "Did you ask about the weapons? Are the craftsmen in the Dwarven District willing to buy elven weapons?"

"Six silver for the long one and twelve for the short one," Gred said. "Are you planning to sell them or keep them?"

"I can barely use a sword. What would I do with a dagger? What about you? Do you want to use it yourself?"

"I don't really know how to use elven things either," Gred said. "So we might as well sell them."

As they stepped onto the temporary wooden bridge, Jess asked, "Speaking of which, why is the short one worth more than the long one?"

Gred pulled the dagger from behind his waist. "Look at the patterns on it. This isn't a standard-issue weapon; someone commissioned a craftsman to make it. That dwarf is only willing to pay extra because he wants it for his collection."

"Twelve silver coins just for a collectible?" Jess asked doubtfully.

"How much did you expect?" Gred said. "Surely you didn't think the dagger was made of mithril? Frankly, the workmanship isn't even that impressive. It's only a little more expensive because elven weapons are rare. The longer one wasn't even made by elves. The Bronzebeard dwarf over there said it was made by a Dalaran craftsman, and that seems about right to me. Dalaran craftsmen love imitating elven styles. Didn't I tell you back then that we'd get a dozen or so silver at most? My eye for these things doesn't fail."

"Then we'll do as you say," Jess said. "Did you ask about that black staff?"

Gred shook his head. "They couldn't identify the material. They offered three silver for it, and I refused. It's not some firwood stick! For all we know, it was made from some otherworldly material from Draenor. I'd be a fool to sell something that crossed the Dark Portal for half a month's rent. It's not as though we're desperate for the money now."

He shifted the load on his back to his other shoulder. "By the way, I'm planning to move soon, into the Dwarven District. A Wildhammer dwarf who settled in Stormwind is willing to rent me a room for very little. I'll bring the staff to your place tonight, and you can keep it. Since it belonged to that orc warlock, ask around the Mage Quarter if you get the chance. See if anyone recognizes what it is."

"I wouldn't dare ask," Jess said. "If it really is some unholy object, they'll arrest me."

"It can't be that dangerous, can it?" Gred laughed awkwardly, then glanced at the distant mage tower. "Keep it for now anyway. Look through their library and see whether you can find any records about it. Until we understand what it actually is, we won't sell it."

"It's probably just an orc's staff. Remember to wrap it in cloth before you bring it over. Don't let anyone outside see it." As Jess finished speaking, he suddenly remembered that he might soon move into the Mage Quarter himself.

If he moved there, wouldn't the objects he had secretly kept from the orc warlock be easily exposed?

There were many things in the Mage Quarter capable of detecting dark magic. He might brush past the wrong object, trigger it, and expose everything. If he wanted to continue studying shadow magic or other warlock knowledge, he might be better off living outside the district. The journey took only half an hour anyway.

Besides, he could earn more money now, so rent of a few silver a month was no longer such a burden. Tomorrow, he would simply tell Amy Malin that she did not need to keep looking for a mage's apartment for him.

This was the dwarf's first time in the Mage Quarter. All along the way, he stared in wonder at the beautiful houses on either side.

"Did you sell the bow?" Jess asked. "The elven one."

"No," Gred said. "I've decided to keep it. I rather like it."

"Did you ask what it was worth?"

"A hunter offered seven silver coins for it. It is an old bow, to be fair. I thought I'd get more use out of it than the money. I can go hunting, relax, and improve my meals at the same time."

Jess laughed. "Take me along when you go. I need to learn how to hunt too."

"That's no problem." Gred abruptly added, "But something occurred to me that day. Would you be interested in learning swordsmanship? I think you've got talent."

"Talent?" Jess said. "You mean with a sword?"

"I've never even seen you wield one. I mean talent for fighting."

"Uh..."

"What?" Gred said. "You think I'm no good with a sword? I'm a veteran swordsman. Humans assume dwarves all favor hammers, but that's only because most of the dwarves they meet are smiths hired by human nobles."

He was actually right. Dwarven warriors were highly proficient with swords. Muradin Bronzebeard had taught swordsmanship to Arthas Menethil, the prince of Lordaeron. However well Arthas ultimately learned was another matter, but Muradin's skill with a sword had clearly earned the recognition of Lordaeron's royal family.

"If you have the time, I'd be happy to learn," Jess said. "When do we start?"

"Tomorrow evening," Gred said. "Tuition is two silver a month."

"You're trying to make money off me now?"

"Ha! You expected me to teach you for free? I'm not your father!"

Joking aside, after their journey through Duskwood, Jess doubted he could find anyone else as skilled as Gred who was also willing to teach him swordsmanship for so little.

Hiring a genuine former gryphon rider to teach him swordsmanship for two silver a month was a deal anyone would find absurd.