The bonfire party was cut short because of a lack of booze. It seems that the wineskins Cless bought were too little for nineteen thirsty boys. Cless refused to take them to the beaten hare. She stashed the drained wineskins in Silverfang's stylish black saddlebags and dismissed everyone. They returned home at night. It seems some couples stayed behind to tend to the bonfire. Right. May the burning fires light their paths. They should at least get some canvas. The grass makes the back itch, or so Cless heard.
Not her problem. Cless returned home and the inn was crowded. Josefine was desperately trying to wait all the tables and she shot Cless a pleading look. She rushed in and changed into her uniform to help, sending Silverfang upstairs to her room. Karen was still out with Balthus. That night she found out why patrons don't get handsy with Josefine while she waited the tables. One of them slapped Cless' butt as she passed past their table. She noticed they were out-of-town merchant guards.
The man that offended Cless received a jolt of lightning and fell down on the ground, spasming. Cless was surprised but the regulars and Josefine knew what happened. It didn't take a genius to figure out that Karen's Skill was at work.
"Cless, come to me!" Josefine shouted.
The friends of the shocked guard stood up and drew their weapons, looking at Cless and snarling.
"You, bar wench! You'll pay for using magic on our friend. We are going to trash this filthy joint."
"Cless, stay back!" Josefine tried to cover her.
Something burned in Cless. She always stood down but now? She wanted to kick these guys' asses.
"No!" Cless steeled herself. "I'm not hiding. They want a fight, they got one. Someone go fetch the guard!"
She stepped out past Josefine. Cless gave the other girl a hug and gently pushed her back. Some of the other patrons were readying themselves to fight too.
"All of you, stay back! They are mine. You seem so tough, mister stranger. Ready to get your ass kicked by some little girl?"
They laughed. "You? Kicking our asses? Are you a mage?"
"No, sir," Cless answered with absolute calm. "I'm a Cleric of the One God." She was not scared of them. For some reason, she felt confident she could defeat them.
"Are you going to heal us until our eyes pop out? What was that shock then?"
Josefine made a sound but Cless raised her hand. "I have no idea what that lightning was. Say, why don't we make a little wager on this fight?"
"Wager? Fine. If we win, each of us gets one round with that hideous body of yours. I'm curious to see if what is underneath that dress is as ugly as your mug."
Cless was fuming and so were the other patrons of the inn. She thought at full throttle about what to do. In her anger, she reached a conclusion.
"Fine! We fight one on one on a fair fight. No dirty tricks. But if I win or you cheat, you will never ever touch a woman again and I'll demand as payment your most precious possession as I understand it, material or otherwise. You'll also never speak of what happened today ever."
> Wager proposed. Cless will fight each of the five members of The Crimson Ravens in one on one matches, no dirty tricks allowed. If they win, Cless will allow them access to her body for one round each. if they cheat or Cless wins they will never touch a woman ever again and ownership of their most precious possession as regarded by Cless, material or otherwise, automatically transfers to Cless. They will never speak of what happened that day.
They looked at their notifications and one of them laughed. "Who is the clown that is making these illusions? Or is this a wager Skill? Is it you, girl?"
Cless shrugged. "As far as I know, it is the One God's work."
The electrocuted man received a potion from their friends and they explained to him what was going on.
Josefine came next to Cless and whispered, "Are you serious?"
Cless nodded. "Yes. I'm going to beat them silly."
They accepted the notification.
> Wager accepted. 2,500 Experience Points earned.
"Let's go outside, little Cleric. Come on, boys. Tonight's menu is barmaid."
They went outside and so did the inn patrons. A circle formed around them and Cless steeled herself. "Nobody intervene, please."
One of them drew a sword. "Ready, wench?"
She pointed at one of the mercenaries, "Let me borrow that mace of yours."
"Suit yourself, little Cleric." The man tossed the mace at Cless. She couldn't dodge or it would hit the others behind her so she tried to grab it and hurt her left hand as the spiked dug into her flesh.
"Mending."
Cless healed herself and readied the mace. "I am ready."
The mercenary with the sword charged. Cless readied the mace and saw his eyes following the tip of her weapon. She could work with that. He swung, she dodged stepping sideways. He came at her again, she parried with the mace. The man was strong and wasn't pulling any punches. Cless got distracted thinking they might be necrophiliacs and got pushed all the way into the crowd.
Her opponent at least had the decency to wait for her to reposition herself. "Just give up, girl. We won't hurt you. Who knows, you might even enjoy a real man!" he boasted.
The other mercenaries laughed. Cless fought to not give in to his taunts. She put a hand in her apron's pocket and picked the vial of holy oil. She used her spell.
"Blessing."
Cless readied the mace and the man waved a hand to call her attack. She walked forward carefully and feinted. The man swatted the mace aside easily and stabbed Cless' shoulder. She was able to only get grazed but blood was drawn. She attacked again and he parried, flourishing his blade and riposting. Cless dodged and pulled her mace back, sliding the head against the blade of the sword.
That mercenary was no pushover, but she was able to hold her ground. The mercenary swung wide and Cless felt something strange. She pulled her mace back and moved inside his reach with her left arm in front of her mouth. instead of connecting the swing, the man could only slam the cross guard of the sword on her shoulder. But she was blocking his sight. The mace that went back swung low and hit his shin, clanging against his leg guards.
He lost his balance and Cless grabbed his cloak with her left hand, pulling it over his head as he crashed down. She swung the mace with both hands at his leg, breaking the limb entirely. As he swung blindly, she dodged and broke his arm next.
"I yield! I yield!" The mercenary shouted.
Cless was panting. Her nerves were tingling, her whole body burned with excitement and fear. She won one of five.
"Come in and get this trash out. Heal him if you want." She moved to a corner of the crowd. The mercenaries gave their friend potions but to fix those bones it would take high-level healing magic or an expensive potion. All they could do was stop him from bleeding out.
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"You'll pay for that, bitch!" One of the mercenaries cursed.
The shortest one of them turned around and fiddled with something. He turned around with two daggers in his hands. The daggers had grooves and were of a strange dyed metal.
"Now you die, bar whore!" The small man snarled and charged with the daggers.
As Balthus instructed, Cless kept her eyes fixed on the man's face. He swung one dagger low and the other was palmed so she couldn't see where. Cless dodged the visible dagger and attacked the hand palming the other dagger with the mace. The mercenary moved his hand out of the way as he tossed the palmed dagger at Josefine.
"Josie!" Cless shouted and looked to the side. The mercenary stabbed her flank.
> Wager won. The Crimson Ravens used a dirty trick and lost by the stated rules. Their most prized possession of each one of them according to Cless' understanding was transferred to her. Check text notification for what you won.
Cless kicked the man away while he was distracted by what was happening. She removed the dagger and healed herself. She could feel the area getting numb. The shouts of the guard trying to make the crowd part signaled that the fight was over.
"Detoxify!" — "Detoxify!"
Two castings eased the poison's effects and she rushed to Josefine's side. The dagger hit her in the chest near the heart. Cless removed the weapon and applied her Mending and a Detoxify. That was the limit of what magic she could use, her power almost all drained. She had enough magic for one Light spell and that was all. Cless carried Josefine back inside so Karen's Skill could help her recover. If she regenerated any power back she could keep healing Josefine.
"You fucking bitch, what did you do to us?"
Cless looked back and saw a mercenary running after her with a sword in his hand. She couldn't fight with Josefine in her arms. All she could do was shut the door close with her feet and run inside. She placed Josefine on a table as the man threw the door open.
Silverfang was at the base of the stairs, growling. The mercenary looked at the big wolf and at Cless. It gave her time to think and she found a solution.
"Silverfang, stay there. I can handle that. Mister, I am sorry. Look is there anything I can do to solve the problem?"
She let her arms slump at her sides. The poison and the wounds burned but she ignored them.
"I am going to kill you, bitch!" He raised the sword.
Cless shouted, "Wait, wait. Killing me won't give you back what you lost. Sheathe your sword. I am unarmed and out of magic. You've seen how many spells I used out there." She approached him, with a demure and contrite face.
The mercenary looked at her hands and sheathed his sword. "Come with me, girl. I'll make you pay for what you did!"
"Please don't hurt me, sir." She kept approaching, tears forming in her eyes. Cless was thinking of the dream with the burning house to make them flow.
"Got you, bitch. Now you will — "
The mercenary fell to the ground right after he touched Cless.
> The Crimson Ravens died. You earned 11,363 Class Experience Points. You reached Cleric level 7. +1 Intellect, +1 Magic
Her power was restored by leveling up her class. She ran back to Josefine and healed her until she saw no signs of either poison or tenderness where she was wounded. With her last scraps of power, she used Detoxify on her again.
A guard entered the inn, almost tripping on the body, "What is going on here?"
Cless was sitting next to Josefine. "These outsiders raised trouble in here, guardsman. You can ask anyone, there's a ton of witnesses. I am currently tending to my friend that was grievously wounded by a coward."
At least Josefine was breathing. Cless cursed her recklessness. It almost cost Josefine's life. She recovered enough magic and used mending on her. The girl's breathing stabilized. She felt her friend was in no danger of dying anymore.
"Silverfang, watch over Josie, please. I have to go outside." Cless went outside and shouted, "I claim the gear of these mercenaries as mine. Step aside and go home if the guard doesn't need you, folks. Thank you for your support. The Beaten Hare is closed for the night."
"Guild master Cless. Why are you at the center of all trouble in this town?" She heard constable George's voice.
Cless turned around and smiled, "I really try to avoid it, but trouble seeks me, sir."
"What do we have here?" He asked. The guards were gathering the bodies.
"Five fewer idiots in the world? I am not trying to be sassy, sorry. Josefine almost died because one of these jerks decided... to be a jerk. She is out of danger but I am spent healing them. Could I ask your men's help to bring them inside? Their gear is rightfully mine now. We can talk over a mug of ale. I can use a drink."
George nodded and ordered the guards to bring the dead mercenaries inside. He went after Cless and asked, "The will of the One God again?"
"Yes. Just like the others, these five idiots paid for their transgressions. I didn't kill them, constable," She said as she poured ale from the flagons. Cless sighed as she reached a grim conclusion, "They died because of their own stupidity."
George sat at a table and waited for Cless to come with the mugs of ale. He took a swill and asked, "Tell me the whole story."
She did. Except for the part of using her Skill, she told the whole story. She reached the conclusion that George's Skill couldn't detect well-crafted omissions.
"Then as per your wager, their most valuable possession now belongs to you. I see why you want to loot the bodies," George concluded.
"If there is any heirlooms or mementos, feel free to take it to their family if you think it is worth the trouble. Otherwise, it is mine by right of victory."
"Fair enough. I am impressed by how you know these things if I can say so."
Cless smiled and drank half her pint. "I spent fifteen years living inside the church, barely going out. All I could do was read and talk to the nuns. And I read a lot. I had Reading level four by the time of my rite of passage, constable."
Earning proficiencies before fifteen years old was a very difficult endeavor. Children with a score of two or three are already exceptional.
"Chief," One guard reported. "Some of the mercenaries weapons are missing. Probably the crowd took them."
"Don't mind it. I'm not going to fret over it. I bet their coin is also missing. Just their armor and whatever was left is good enough."
The guards started to remove their armor. Cless got more mugs of ale for them and a refill for the weary constable. She went to check on Josefine and gave Silverfang a slice of jerky. The barmaid would be fine.
They had metal armor and that was expensive. More than their metal weapons and the sword of the one that died inside the inn was there. After the guards stripped the bodies, Cless had three sets of chainmail, one set of black leather armor, and one half-plate armor. Cuirass, pauldrons, gorget, vambraces, and greaves. One of them bent thanks to her mace blow. And one longsword. The crowd left nothing else on the bodies.
After constable George finished writing everything down, he stood to leave. "We are taking the bodies for disposal. Do you want to take Josefine to the healer?"
"No. I think she will be alright, I'll keep using magic on her as I recover enough power. Thanks, constable. I did send someone to hurry and fetch the guard just as the whole thing started."
The constable chuckled, "Not your fault, Cless. I'm impressed you got to defeat them with a noncombatant class. You look very different than from a month ago."
"The benefits of working hard every day. But I won't bother you with this lass' sad tale. Off you go, constable George. Oh, regarding that bandit bounty?"
Sensing more trouble, he made his mind and went for the door, "Go to the barracks tomorrow one hour before dusk. I'll have your coin then."
Cless bowed, "Thank you for your hard work, constable. Godspeed."
George went away and Cless closed the inn door. The windows were already closed, the autumn nights cold enough that warmth was more important than ventilation. There was no one staying over that night. Well, there was but these five earned their permanent housing at the graveyard. Cless sighed and carefully picked up Josefine. She carried the girl upstairs and placed her in a comfortable bed. She checked Josefine, the girl had no fever and no signs of discomfort.
Cless returned to the common room and poured herself another pint of ale. She chugged the beverage while she checked her text notification.
> You gained the [ Heavy Armor Adaptation (D) ] Skill from Nathan Melton.
>
> You gained the [ Giant's Stamina (E) ] Skill from Eddie Langley.
>
> You gained the [ Trick Shot (D) ] Skill from Johnny Carey.
>
> You gained the [ Dangersense ⦅C⦆ ] Skill from Bruce Barrett.
>
> You gained the [ Nimble Step (D) ] Skill from Tracy Combs.
And that confirms it. She can get Skills from people. Cless shuddered at the thought. The world would hunt her if they knew that. She focused her Appraisal on her Status to check on the new Skills.
> Skill [Heavy Armor Adaptation] (D-rank)
>
> Allows the user to stay comfortable in heavy armor, without any movement or stamina penalties, and without chaffing. Increases the defense of and reduces durability damage to heavy armor by 20%.
> Skill [Giant's Stamina] (E-rank)
>
> Reduces all stamina expenditure and sleep requirements by 50%.
> Skill [Trick Shot] (D-rank)
>
> Halves the accuracy penalties for ranged attacks aimed at targets smaller than one's palm.
> Skill [Dangersense] ⦅C-rank⦆
>
> Warns the user of incoming hidden attacks five seconds before the attack is launched.
> [ Great Agility (D) ]
>
> Increases Agility by (10 + Level) %
Next thing she wondered was if her Skill allowed her to trade Skills with others. It would open a terrible can of worms. She would test it tomorrow, she knew just the person.
Cless returned to the room and sat next to Josefine. She'd spend the whole night nursing her coworker.
> Name: Cless (no surname)
>
> Race: Human.
>
> Level: 22 ( 247,998 / 253,000 Exp)
>
> Class: Cleric 7 (+2) (22,574 / 28,000 Exp)
>
> Profession: Warmaster 6 (19,202 / 21,000 Exp), Weaponmaster 6 (19,202 / 21,000 Exp)
>
> Base Stats: Strength: 12 — Agility: 14 [18] — Health: 21 — Intellect: 22 (+1) — Magic: 33 (+1)
>
> Available Status Points: 0
>
> Skills: [ Absolute Contract (S) ], [ Heavy Armor Adaptation (D) ], [ Giant's Stamina (E) ], [ Trick Shot (D) ], [ Dangersense ⦅C⦆ ], [ Nimble Step (D) ]
>
> Proficiencies:
>
> Appraisal — Status: 22 (+2)
>
> Crafting — Crude Weapons: 5
>
> Magic, Cleric — Mending: 19 (+5) — Detoxify: 16 (+10) — Light: 2 — Turn Undead: 1 — Blessing: 5 (+1)
>
> General — Prayer: 10 — Scribe: 2 — Houseworking: 3 — Math: 2 — Reading: 6 — Forestry: 9 — Skinning: 7 — Herbalism: 3
>
> Social, general — Negotiation: 12 — Persuasion: 1 — Bluff: 2 (+2)
>
> Social, martial — Leadership: 16 — Intimidation: 15 — Tactics: 12
>
> Movement — Tumbling: 3
>
> Weapon — Long Blades: 4 — Short Blades: 2 — Unarmed: 7 — Archery: 12 — Spears: 3 — Maces: 22 (+5) — Staves: 4 — Axes: 9