The party was solemn as they looked over the piles of corpses in front of them, one made up of the bandits, the other of the guards. Of the eight guards they’d started their journey with, only the captain and one other had survived, leaving six dead.
“Well,” Shadow said quietly, “What now? We can’t just leave them here, can we?”
“I can handle that,” the captain said, pulling off one of his gauntlets to reveal a black ring, walking over to one of the bodies and placing his hand against it. The next moment, the corpse burst into light, which rushed into the ring much like how monster bodies did when looted. He looked up at the Travellers as they stared back questioningly, sighing as he touched the next body, “This is a special storage ring. One made specifically for gathering the bodies of the fallen. It can only hold up to ten corpses, but I never thought I would even have to use it on this journey.”
“Oh,” the party nodded, looking back at the pile of bandit corpses, Andy speaking up, “Do you mind if we…you know?”
“Go ahead and loot the bastards,” the captain nodded, “It’s the least they deserve for what they did to my men. Think of it as part of your pay for keeping Lady Dusk safe.”
“Thanks,” Andy nodded as the party quickly started sorting through the bodies, Jake doing most of the looting, as he had the most free space in his inventory.
“Huh,” he said, holding up a shiny short sword, one of the ones the female bandit Andy had first been fighting had used, “This is Uncommon Quality, and steel as well.”
“Yep,” Andy nodded, looking at it too, “Why don’t you use it, Jakey? Didn’t you say you were looking for a second short sword to help balance out your Skill?”
“Yeah,” Jake nodded, quickly strapping the steel blade to his waist, “I did.”
“Damn,” Shadow hummed, holding up a pair of daggers, “These guys were all kitted out with steel weapons! This is like the motherload!”
“Take all of it,” Miri hummed, “I can fix up the armour and upgrade the weapons when we get to Eversun.”
“Right,” Jake nodded again as he looted the lot of them, the others moving the now nearly naked bodies to the side of the road, “That’s all of it. Now, we have something important to discuss.”
“We do?” Shadow hummed as he watched Jake walk over to Esmeralda, the young woman watching sadly as the captain stored the last of the guards’ bodies in his ring.
“Do you have any enemies that could have caused this?” he asked bluntly, the young woman looking up at him in surprise.
“Do not speak to the young Miss in that tone!” the maidservant suddenly said, stepping out of the carriage, “She risked her life to assist you, and this is how you treat her?”
“It’s fine, Lyra,” Esmeralda sighed, nodding to Jake, “Yes, I do. Or more accurately, my father does. But that is par for the course when you are a noble. Why do you ask?”
“Because the leader of the bandits said something odd,” Jake explained, telling the entire group what the man had said.
“Someone hired them?” Lyra, the maidservant gasped, “But who?”
“We don’t know,” Andy shrugged, “I guess that’s why Jakey was asking you.”
“There are a few who could stoop as low as to hire bandits,” Esmeralda hummed, “Though I cannot accuse them without stronger evidence. For now, we should make haste to Eversun, perhaps even travelling through the night to arrive there sooner.”
“No can do, your ladyship,” Andy shook his head, “We’re all exhausted after that fight, and need to recover. Us Travellers may respawn, but we don’t have infinite energy.”
“What the Defender says is true, my Lady,” the captain said, “We need to rest, as do they. We shall continue on to the next roadside inn and stay the night, leaving for the final leg of our journey in the morning.”
Esmeralda looked conflicted for a moment, before nodding, getting back into the carriage with her maidservant, who shut the door behind them.
“Well, that sucked,” Shadow sighed as they continued on, “We didn’t even get to beat the WB.”
“He was strong,” Jake muttered, “But I get the feeling he wasn’t even trying to fight me that hard.”
“Really?” Andy hummed, sidling up to the man, “How so?”
“He said that maybe he’d show me why he was called ‘Flame Axe’ some other time,” Jake shrugged, “I took it as bravado at first, but now I think there may be more to it.”
“Well, whatever,” Sophie said flatly, helping Holi stumble along behind them, “We survived, that’s all that matters. Let’s just get this Quest over and done with, then we can relax a bit in Eversun.”
“Right,” the rest of the party said, Holi groaning along with them.
------
The next two days went as quietly as the first, the party and their charge encountering no other problems along the road. That didn’t stop them from being highly strung for the rest of the trip, waiting for the bandits to come and try attack them again. Finally, on the evening of the seventh day, they arrived at the city of Eversun.
The party marvelled at it as they approached the western gate. The tall walls were built of a white stone that glowed softly in the evening light, a similar glow coming from within the city itself. The guard captain explained that the entire city was made of a special kind of magical stone that absorbed light from the sun during the day, and emitted it again at night, thus the city’s name.
They quickly made their way through the gates, bypassing a long line of other carts and wagons when the guard captain showed some papers to the gate guards. Soon, they found themselves outside a large manor, which glowed just like the rest of the city, Esmeralda bowing to them from the doorway. Smiling, she spoke.
“I would like to invite all of you to spend the night, if at all possible,” she said, looking at each of them in turn, her eyes lingering on Jake and Andy, “As a way of thanks for protecting me over the course of my journey.”
“Miss,” Lyra gasped, “To have Travellers stay under your roof, especially male ones, would be improper!”
“And the only reason I get to sleep here tonight, and not forced to the bed of some bandit is because of these Travellers,” Esmeralda shot back, “I have invited them in as my guests, and they shall be treated as such. Understood?”
“I…Of course, my Lady,” the maidservant bowed, “I apologise for my words.”
“Of course, this is only should you all wish to stay,” Esmeralda continued, “I shall hold no ill will should you not.”
“I mean, that sounds pretty good,” Shadow hummed as the party turned to discuss it, “We get to spend at least one night in luxury before we find an inn tomorrow.”
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“I’m all for it,” Sophie nodded, stretching out her back, “I could use a hot bath and a good night’s sleep.”
“Jakey?” Andy asked, Jake shrugging before nodding, “Cool, so we’ll stay then?”
“Excellent!” Esmeralda said happily, “I shall have the rooms prepared immediately! Until then, let us retire to the sitting room and talk a while!”
“Why do I get a bad feeling about this?” Sophie muttered as they followed the young woman into the building, shaking her head.
------
“So, tell me again, Ser Strongarm, how was it that you came to know Lord Grey?”
The party was sitting around a large table, Esmeralda at the head with Andy and Jake on either side of her, the other four beside them. They had all been taken to their rooms already, allowed time to bathe and change into the provided clean clothes, and then invited downstairs for a late supper. Now, Esmeralda was talking animatedly to Andy, the man slightly nervous, but chatting along as well.
“Oh, we met in…our world, I guess? My dad introduced us, and we’ve been friends ever since,” the Defender said, eating slowly as Esmeralda stared at him.
“Anyone else notice she’s only been talking to Goldy since earlier?” Sophie muttered to the others, Shadow chuckling as he shovelled food into his mouth.
“That’s just your imagination,” the Rogue hummed, “I mean, she’ll probably talk to the rest of us soon enough.”
“Oh! I had almost forgot!” Esmeralda said suddenly, “I never told you all why I was coming to Eversun. You see, a good friend of mine, one Liena Dawnmaker, is announcing her engagement in a few days’ time, and of course I had to attend the party.”
“Cool,” Andy said as the young woman turned back to him, “Send her our congratulations. Uhm…if that’s appropriate, that is.”
“Oh, why not give them yourself?” Esmeralda asked, her smile growing a little wider as Andy and the rest of the party stared at her in confusion, “I would invite you to join me at the gala being held in her honour.”
“What?” Andy blinked, almost choking on his food, “Uhm…thanks, but I don’t think that’s a good idea. I mean, we’re all Travellers, and most of us don’t really know how to act around…your people.”
“It will be quite alright, Ser Strongarm,” Esmeralda hummed happily, “We have ample time to teach all of you the basics of etiquette in the days before the party.”
“I still don’t think it’s a good idea,” Andy muttered, “We wouldn’t exactly fit in.”
“Come now,” Esmeralda huffed, “You are my saviours! It would be my honour to be escorted by you!”
“I mean…” Andy tried again, looking between the young woman and his party, Shadow and Holi laughing under their breath as Sophie glared at him. Miri and Jake were mostly concerned with eating, basically just ignoring the conversation, “I mean…sure? I guess?”
“Excellent!” Esmeralda said happily, “We shall start your lessons in the morning after breakfast. Oh, and I shall have a tailor brought in to ensure that you have suitable attire for the celebration!”
“Suitable attire? You mean fancy clothes?” Shadow asked, Esmeralda nodding, “Awesome! Count me in!”
“Are we all sure about this?” Sophie asked, still scowling at Andy and the young woman, “I mean, it’ll probably be dangerous in a different way to what we’re used to. What if we offend someone important?”
“That is what the etiquette lessons are for,” Esmeralda said, still staring at Andy, “Oh, I know! I can be there to assist, to help you feel more comfortable, Ser Strongarm.”
“Ah, thanks?” Andy said as he let out a sigh.
Jake just continued to eat, slipping the occasional piece of meat to Eta under the table.
------
Skill [Observe] has levelled up.
Skill [Inspect] has levelled up.
Skills at level 10 detected.
Ascend Skills?
Y/N?
Jake blinked as he went through his notifications from the last week, not having bothered to check them the entire journey. Now he had just discovered that two of his Skills were ready for Ascension, and it was the two he’d been hoping for.
Skills [Observe] and [Inspect] can be Dual Ascended into [Identify].
Dual Ascend Skills?
Y/N?
Cost: 2 Fate Points
Jake quickly accepted the prompt, feeling a slight tingling in his eyes before he checked his Character Screen.
Character Profile
Name
Jake Grey
Class
Champion
Level
15
Reputation
Known
Health Points
300
Mana Points
270
Stamina Points
360
Fate Points
4
Power
23 {+7}
Intellect
23 {+4}
Agility
30 {+6}
Wit
22 {+1}
Vitality
24 {+6}
Charisma
22 {+2}
Skills (16/20)
Titles
Combat
Evasion [7]
Hunting Bows [7]
Medium Armour [8]
Short Swords [7]
Utility
Aim [7]
Free Movement [9]
Identify [1]
Silent Movement [9]
Tracking [9]
Creation
Alchemy [5]
Cooking [3]
Crafting [7]
Dissection [4]
Gathering [9]
Magic
Nature Magic [3]
Shadow Magic [3]
Lord of the Dark Woods
Frontrunner
Giant Slayer V
Pioneer
World Breaker
Touched by Corruption
Champion of the Wilds
Persistent
Executioner I
Guild Founder
Several of his Skills had levelled up since he’d last checked, though the ones of note were [Free Movement] and [Silent Movement], which were both at level nine, despite Jake being pretty sure they were ready to Ascend again. Shaking his head, he remembered the bit in the book he had read back in Dusk Keep, about how Ascending Skills for a second time often required specific hidden conditions to be met before it could be done. That was probably why the two Skills were still at level nine.
Sighing, Jake stood from the soft bed he’d been lying on, Eta peeking open an eye from the foot of it as he walked over to the window, pulling back the curtains and letting the morning light stream into his room. It was luxuriously decorated, with enough gold filigree to probably make a dozen coins, and hard wood furnishings carved with intricate designs. Shaking his head, Jake just started his normal morning stretching routine, before equipping his armour and heading to the door.
He opened it to find an empty hallway, quickly walking down it to the next room over, where Andy was staying. Knocking on the door, he waited for a minute. When nothing happened, he knocked again, louder this time, hearing a soft snort and quiet swearing form the other side, making him smile. A few moments later, the door swung open to reveal a shirtless Andy, his artificial body practically rippling with muscles as he stared at Jake blearily.
“Huh? Jakey?” he yawned, “What’s up? What time is it?”
“Time to get up, I think,” Jake chuckled, “Come on, I want to do some sparring to see if I can get used to my new short sword.”
“Huh? And why do you need me?” Andy asked, yawning again.
“Because,” Jake laughed, “You’re the least likely to die when I hit you.”
“Oh, fair enough,” Andy nodded, laughing along, “Just give me a few minutes to finish waking up and get dressed, okay?”
“I’ll wait here,” Jake nodded as the door closed, Jake walking a short distance down the hall to look at some of the large paintings that lined the walls. Several minutes later, Andy stepped out of his room in his full adventuring gear, a wide grin on his face.
“Right, where to?” he asked, Jake smiling back.