“Come on, Rook. You were rushing us before and now you're dawdling.” John pushed me from behind. “Go on, stick with Bryan. He’ll keep an eye on you.”

Bryan gave me an encouraging nod before he ran towards the knight. Compared to the last fight, his speed had increased considerably, which let him reach the knight before I had taken a single step.

I guess my buffs are useful. Maybe they work better if they’re used on someone who’s already strong, or it could just be that he was holding back before...

The knight focused all of his attention on Bryan, which allowed me to slip behind it. No weak spots showed on its armour at first glance. The knight danced back and forth as Bryan launched a barrage of attacks, which increased the difficulty of launching my strikes. After a few seconds of searching, I noticed that the joints were less protected than the other regions.

“Buffed Strike!” I yelled as I thrust my staff at the back of the knight’s knee. Even if it wasn’t up against a foe like Bryan, it wasn’t clear if my opponent could have done anything to stop my blow. The bulky armour sported a high defence, but it affected the knight’s speed to a similar level.

As my staff struck the back of his knee, it almost jarred from my hand. It was as though an extra hand had pushed along with my blow and added to its total strength. Despite that, the knight’s leg only trembled for a second as my staff crashed into it. The small distraction gave Bryan a chance to launch a quick combo before the knight regained its footing.

But not enough to let him finish the fight.

They’re at a higher level, but that’s just ridiculous. I have to be missing something!

“Keep it up!” Bryan shouted as he launched another blow at the heavy knight.

The knight’s dodged and blocked frantically as Bryan tried to find a weak point on its armour and John rained arrows on its head. In comparison, it seemed happy to ignore my strikes. That gave me multiple chances to strike at will, but the issue was how to deal enough damage to make a difference.

“Buffed Strike!” I yelled as I swung my staff down on the back of the knight's helmet. The sudden blow to the back of the simulations head knocked it off balance, which allowed Bryan free reign to land a full combo on his chest. I took the advantage as I thrust my staff into the back of its helmet in quick succession.  "Buffed Strike. Buffed Strike. Buffed Strike. Buffed Strike!"

The knight shifted to a defensive stance as it staggered to the side. Bryan launched another series of blows, but the knight managed to avoid major damage as it backed away. Whilst it was once again distracted, I sneaked around behind it and prepared for my final strike.

“Keep going!” John yelled from the back of the room. “Hit it again!”

“Buffed Strike!”

It was the last time I could use the ability safely, so I swung my staff with all my strength. It clanged off the back of the knight's helmet once more. The effectiveness of the ability matched the skill of the strike it was used with. Skill and power were equally important, but it wasn’t like I could practice the ability any further.

I lifted my staff and bashed the knight on the back of its head. Without the ability, my blows didn’t do much damage. My low level finally showed its drawbacks as the fight progressed.

What the hell…

Sure, it was heavily armoured, but how could it shrug off such a heavy blow? Even Bryan and John were barely able to scratch it. This summoned creature was the boss of a basic dungeon and my attacks didn’t phase it in the slightest. My fists clenched around my staff as I gritted my teeth.

I know I’m a Supporter, but this is ridiculous. I need to be stronger than this. Stronger!

Even though my strikes used all my strength, the enemy weathered the storm as it focused on Bryan and John’s frontal assault. I raised my weapon and smashed it again.

And again.

And again.

Quantity over quality. Soon, I would be able to launch another Buffed Strike. Time ticked by as my mana pool slowly regenerated. After it had ticked up to seven, I released all my pent up frustration as I yelled out the ability one last time.

“BUFFED STRIKE!”

Instead of its head, my blow was aimed at its legs. My staff smacked into the side of its knee with a heavy crack. The enraged blow, with the added effectiveness of the ability on top, finally caused a major reaction. It hadn’t expected the sudden change of target, so its legs slid to the side as my staff smashed into them. Bryan took advantage of its weakened stance to land a solid kick to its leg.

The knight sank to one knee as its legs failed it. Its defences waned as it tried to push itself up.

But Bryan wasn’t ready to let it off so easily.

His swords thrust out and pierced into the knight's helmet. A horrendous scream echoed out from the armour before it juddered to a halt and tipped to the floor. John placed his bow back on his back and wandered over before he gave the suit a kick. He winced and growled angrily at the suit.

“Useless junk.” He muttered as he hopped away. Bryan ignored John as he walked over to me.

**Congratulations. You have levelled up.**

“Well done on the level up, you earned it.” He waved at the suit of armour, which had blurred into steam after John kicked it. They obviously noted the surge of mana when my level increased. “Those things can be tricky, you gave us the opening to finish it quickly. It’s basically a level 25 heavy knight, so it’s not surprising it could take your hits so much. Don’t worry about it, when you pass your advancement tests you’ll get better skills and an increase to your strength.”

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“Oh. OK.” I turned away. It was awkward to accept a compliment. Whilst my attacks had helped, they had dealt most of the damage.

I guess my buffs also helped. I need to learn more as soon as I get to ten. Quantity first, then I can worry about quality.

“Don’t mope, Rook.” John had sat down to rub his foot. “He’s right, those things are slow, but their defences are insane. It would have taken us a good ten minutes to poke a hole through it if you weren’t here.”

I nodded, though his assertions didn’t fill me with much confidence. No matter where I looked, I couldn’t see any exit from the room beside the one we had come in through.

“How do we get out?”

“Just wait, we’ll get pulled out shortly.” Bryan grinned at John. “That idiot hurt himself after the fight was over, so he’s gonna have to deal with the consequences.”

Before John could response a bright light blocked my vision. A moment later and we were back in the entrance hall of the dungeon, near the guard who had given us the wooden slips. Bryan tossed his slip back to the guard and wandered out of the hall, so I copied him and stepped into the brightly lit day outside.

The pair led me back to the treatment centre. Bryan gave John several cheery looks as the archer limped along beside him. Bryan wanted me to join in, but my mind was elsewhere.

Bryan can put down those rocks again so we can speak privately… that should work. I can ask him when we get to the centre.

It didn’t matter. If they didn’t believe me at first, they would eventually. My heart was set as we walked into the treatment centre. Before we reached the room, a loud laugh echoed out across the corridor.

“Oh, he’s here.” Bryan frowned and turned away. “I’ll see you later.”

John waved his friend off before he pulled me close. I didn’t have a chance to call him back before John pulled me towards the room.

“Ignore him, he doesn’t get on with our visitor. Don’t let that put you off.” He whispered into my ear before he opened the door.

“This must be Rook. Pleased to meet you!”

A tall man stepped up to greet me the moment we entered. His bright blue eyes were wide and friendly as he grabbed my hand. Despite his happy tone, a sense of disquiet crept up my spine.

“Rook, this is the captain of the town guards.” Susan waved at us from her chair. Her complexion had improved from when we last met, but she still remained seated as she waved at the newcomer. “Don’t scare him, Ray. He’s new to this.”

“It’s always wonderful to meet a new guild member.” Ray shook my hand repeatedly. “I’m expecting great things from you, Rook.”

“Uh, thanks.” It was difficult, but I managed to pull my hand free after several attempts. Ray smiled at me again, before he stepped towards the door.

“I won’t intrude any further.” He waved back at the group who seemed ready to call him back. “Stick with them, Rook. You’ve made a good group of friends.”

“Actually, I do have something I need to say.” I blurted out. The others trusted Ray, and he was the guard captain. Maybe this was fate, maybe it was just a coincidence… but it was worth asking if he could help, at least.

John glanced at me before he kicked the door closed behind us. Ray raised an eyebrow as he turned to face me.

“What's the problem? Is there something I can do to assist?”

It was difficult to speak about the fact I was being targeted, but it wasn’t news to the rest of the group. They would back me up in that.

“Yeah, someone attacked me…”

“You mean at the guild?” Claire interrupted as she tried to push herself up from the bed. “I’ll come with you to check it out. We can’t let them get away with that.”

John pushed her back into the bed before he moved to stand beside Susan once more.

“Go on, Rook. What’s the problem?” He asked after he had silenced Claire.

“Well, it happened again-” I started to speak, but before I could finish Ray laughed loudly from behind me.

“Oh, that!” Ray chuckled as he punched me back heartily. “You already told me about that. I’ll have someone looking into it.”

“What do you-” I turned to face the man. It was then that I noticed the chill in his eyes as he stared at me.

“You need to remain focused on your growth, Rook.” Ray punched my shoulder again as he grinned at me. As my mouth opened to question what he meant, the guard captain clapped me on the shoulder. “Don’t worry, we’ll find the one who attacked you. Nevermind the guild, the fact he managed to get into the dungeon is concerning. Leave it to us.”

Wait, how does he know… oh crap.

"Come with me, Rook. I had a few questions for you." Ray laid his hand on my shoulder and guided me out of the room. I wanted to fight against him, but his light grip was still strong enough to make my shoulder crunch and creak. As we reached the door, he turned back to the others. "I won't keep him long, just sit tight."

We stepped out into the corridor and Ray closed the door behind us with a cheery grin. As he turned to me, his friendly expression dropped completely.

"This situation is far beyond your understanding, marked one. I don't want to involve your new friends, but the others aren't so kind." He stepped towards me, but I moved back instinctively as my fists clenched. "Aha, brave. I like it. The others have left a little... present with Susan. If you say anything to her, or the others act suspicious, they will know."

"What did you do?" I spoke through gritted teeth. 

"Nothing to be concerned about. If you pass the tests we lay out for you, your gains will far outweigh any issues. As long as you don't try to alert them, she'll recover before the finale." Ray patted my shoulder, his friendly smile flashing back into view. "Don't worry, I'll make sure you aren't faced with anything past your abilities. I'm here to help you, Rook."

My heart froze over as he stepped back and smiled at me. My arms trembled with barely contained rage as Ray turned and strode off down the corridor. The man who had attacked me had turned out to be someone everyone trusted with their lives…

"Oh, and be careful who you speak to. Every action has a consequence." 

Why would the guard captain ambush a rookie in the guild? The others respect him too much to listen to my version of events. I should ask Bryan first, he obviously doesn’t like the man...

Lost in my thoughts, I walked back into the room. I had been lost in my thoughts, but what I saw left he shocked. Claire was still at her bed, but John and Bryan had gathered near Susan, who was barely holding herself upright. 

"What happened?" I moved towards the group, but Bryan waved me off.

"Don't worry, her injury is just playing up. The medics warned us this might happen." Bryan glanced back at John, who was so focused on Susan that he hadn't even noticed my return. "John will keep an eye on her, so don't get too worried."

This was Ray... how did he do it? He almost killed her just as a warning. What would he do if I actually try to tell them anything?

Whilst I hadn't known these people long, they had still gone out of their way to save my life. They might be able to help me against Ray, but if Susan lost her life due to my carelessness...

I sunk back into my own thoughts. It wasn't like I could just ignore the threat, but I also didn't want to risk Susan's life on a hunch. I glanced at the room around me as though it would reveal some kind of listening device. There had to be some way for him to overhear our conversations, otherwise, he wouldn't have looked so confident as he left.

“Rook! Are you ok?” Claire yelled from the bed. I turned to face her, my gaze unfocused as my mind reeled from the new revelations.

“How strong is he?” I waved at the doorway. If he wasn’t overly powerful, maybe we stood a chance. There was a chance we could win once Claire and Susan had recovered if I could persuade them to fight him.

“Ray? He’s the strongest warrior in the town.” Claire smiled at me, though she did glance at Susan before she continued. “Even if we all fought him together, he’d wipe the floor with us. We’re lucky he’s on our side. He’s saved my life more than once.”

My heart sank deeper into my chest as she complimented him. How difficult would it be to convince her that the man who had saved her life was the same one that had attacked me without any reason?

I need to speak to Bryan, maybe he would believe me. There's a chance that the others might just think I imagined it and mention what I said to Ray. If he shows any hints that he would believe what I want to tell him, then I should be able to persuade him to keep it from the others. At least that will give me one person on my side.