“You’re not the bright one, I take it?” Rook asked.

  “I’ll take him, then I want that weapon he’s using,” the man said, sounding a lot dumber than he looked.

  They followed one after another, menace in tow. Dumb one strode down the alley, and Rook wrung his club. Five steps, four. He surged his Attramancy and shot out another projectile. It was weaker due the the mana strain. The henchman dodged aside with surprising ease and rushed forward, swinging the sword towards Rook’s head. The blade hit the right wall and lodged into a wooden beam supporting the building. He tried to yank it free, not before Rook smashed his mace into the man’s face, cracking his teeth. Showing incredible constitution, he readied himself once again. With a downward stroke of the murder bat, the dumb bandit fell to the ground like a child’s doll.

  “Just that easy, huh? Listen, you should give up. You can’t take me.”

  The gnome took a low stance and sprinted several surging steps forward; his movements were made with a dangerous amount of speed.

  Rook stumbled backward. “Shit. Shit.”

  The gnome easily covered the distance between the alley entrance and the conversation bubble. “Told ya you were gonna regret calling me short.”

  Rook watched helplessly as the gnome moved like lightning. The fighter’s arm was a blur as it wound back and struck his brass knuckles forward. His fist sank deep into Rook’s stomach, taking off 10% of his health bar with a single strike. The impact sent Rook gasping for air. What the hell, he’s kicking my ass. Rook stumbled back, just long enough to catch the gnome whip around in a quick circle, striking Rook’s head with a back fist that sent stars into his vision. The darkness threatened to take over. The gnome struck this time with a savage kick to his stomach, and Rook grunted. What the hell? We killed a fucking ghoul!

  “Fuck you.” He squinted at the gnome fighter and swung his mace across, hoping to catch him in the ribs.

  A blow impacted with Rook’s radial nerve, forcing him to cry out in pain and drop his mace. It can’t end like this, not when I’m just getting stronger. He surged his Attramancy in a last-ditch effort. The telekinesis and echo location pulsed on something directly in front of him.

  “There!” He pulled with all his might. As the grey film rose and his vision faded, Rook heard ten meaty pops and the gnome’s cry of agony.

  “What did you do, too tall?!” The gnome shouted

  Rook peeled his eyes open and saw that the gnome’s fingers were bent backward, left, and right at unnatural angles. Did I do that? Rook sat up and vomited in his mouth, steadying himself on the adjacent wall. When the double vision faded into one, he realized he used his Attramancy on the brass knuckles, sending them towards the sky, but the gnome’s fingers didn’t get the memo that they weren’t supposed to follow. Moments later, the metal weapons clattered to the stones below.

  “I don’t think your fingers are supposed to point like that.” Rook spat, readying himself for another round.

  The gnome took that same low stance technique that he used to cover that distance in an instant. Rook pulled on his weapon, bringing it across the distance and catching it in his hands, holding it up in a batter’s stance. The gnome crouched low, using that same technique to reach the alleyway exit in an instant.

  Attramancy 28/ 250

  +12 experience gained

  142 experience of 400 until level 9

  Why the jump?

  “Hey, what’s going on down there?!” A voice yelled, followed by the unsheathing of a sword. Reina ran into the alley, followed by an ironclad city guard. He frowned at Rook. “You’re the Sentinel that stood up to the Bloodstone. What’s happening here?”

  Well, word travels fast. Thank the lord. Rook didn’t have much more health left, and he felt sick from the mana burn. “The gnome and these men.” Rook pointed at the bandits’ unmoving forms. “We’re speaking about abducting the councilman’s daughter.”

  “Were you now?” the guard asked the unconscious man, gently kicking his leg. “I bet the councilman will want to hear about this.”

  Reina looked aghast, then absolutely disgusted at the unconscious man. “You fought them after hearing that?”

  “Yeah.” Rook was if nothing else a fierce protector of the few he held dear. “Not when I can do something about it.”

  The guard urged them to exit, and Rook noticed his health bar was below 50%. That gnome had kicked the shit out of him. This fight was unacceptable, how could he have come so far and lose to a simple bandit gnome. If he hadn’t pulled that trick out of his ass, Reina could’ve been followed, and her father’s estate robbed. I have to get stronger still. The wake-up call still throbbed on his face, stomach, and ribs.

  This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

  He felt the cool touch of a mana wipe on his eye and winced. “You idiot, why didn’t you call out?” Reina asked, dabbing the blood away.

  “I thought I could get the jump on them, but I didn’t expect them to be so damned strong,” Rook responded. “Jinxor must have more secrets than he’s letting off. Why would that sneak exploit work?” Rook mused to himself. “Reina, do you know about any exploit tricks like the sneak one?”

  “No, the maker judges fairness, and using an exploit would be to go against everything that is taught.” Reina paused, eyes glittering. “But obviously that was false. Did you find something else?” She asked excitedly.

  “Not yet, I haven’t been able to replicate the exploit, but you’re the scribe. When I find out more, I’ll let you know so you can catalog it.”

  Reina tossed the mana wipe in a nearby waste bin. “You’re damned right, I’m the scribe. I want to venture into the unknown. I’m tired of being stuck here in Ollar.” She looked wistfully into the sky. “Reading through my mother’s old journals as a child was eye-opening. She was an adventurer and saw places I could only dream about. Giant marshes with trolls and murk giants. The great forges of Berg, distant Thrakkamar, Kazinmar, and Marshspire. I wanna see it all.”

  Rook nodded in understanding. Just like me. Rook left Pineville because it was all getting so boring. The late-night escapades, the dead-end job at the warehouse. So many people lived in Pineville their whole lives and died there without ever leaving. Grandpa Jimmy wanted him to make something of his life, not just in the Army but in general. I promise, I’m doing my best.

  He rubbed at his swollen jaw and winced. That damned gnome bastard. His head swam from the gnome’s backfist, and he was probably going to have some gnarly bruises… The little bastard must have trained with Ip Man.

  “Come with me, we need to replenish your health,” Reina said.

  Rook’s hand brushed the mace equipped on his belt, and he realized it was sticky with blood. He promptly placed it into the inventory to be cleaned. Inside his inventory was the set of scalemail, and he kicked himself for not equipping it. I’m going to need to train for putting on gear in a stressful situation.

  They walked down towards the edge of the trade district when a guard walked into their path and held a hand up. “Afternoon there, Ms. Jax.” He looked at Rook. “Are you both by chance heading to the healing district?

  Reina nodded yes.

  “Normally, that’s exactly what I’d advise you to do, but there was a mass casualty event during one of the Adventurer’s Guild raids. They faced a Gold-ranked Earth serpent…It went bad.” He let out a low whistle. “Anyways, I suggest you take a potion for today. I apologize for the inconvenience,” the guard said.

  They left the guard and settled on a bench. Reina let out a sigh as she removed his arm from her shoulders. “You’re deceivingly heavy.” She pulled out a health potion from her travel pack. “Now, take this.”

  He drank the potion until the last bits of the liquid drained out of the bottle. The warmth filled his body, and slowly the gritty feeling under his eye dissipated.

  “Let’s get back to the tavern, this day’s a wrap.”

  Rook checked his stats and sighed with a heavy tone of frustration, hoping to ground himself by looking at something tangible. Even if the tangible fought with the logic in a world with giant crabs, spiders, and gnomes who can turn people into sheep. How can I expect to ground myself with a character sheet? Not exactly a worldly item. He stared out the open window from his bed and tried to smile; the great burdens of stagnation were starting to get to him. He always faced this dilemma. When he was stagnant, he wanted to move forward; however, once he started, he felt the sourness of not moving fast enough. The morning sun hung yellow in the cloudless sky, promising a day of no rain and the perfect chance to get stronger.

  Name: Rook

  Rank: (Copper)

  Effigies: 1 of 5

  Challenge Coins: 1 of 8

  Level: 9

  Experience: 142 of 400 experience until level 10

  Core Attributes

  Strength level 3

  Dexterity level 3

  Arcane Wisdom level 5

  Charisma level 10

  Constitution level 3

  Core Competencies

  STRENGTH

  Unarmed 10/250

  Blunt 4/250

  Block 8/250

  Dexterity

  Sneak 120/250

  Survival 15/250

  Alchemy 2/250

  Crafting 0/250

  Arcane Wisdom

  Pyromancy 4/500

  Cryomancy 4/500

  Psyomancy 4/500

  Attramancy 28/500

  Swinging his legs over, he walked to the window. Battlemage check, skills usefulish for battle, check, partner growing less wary of me check. All in all, Rook was having a sour day. Not even the best your mom joke would fix. Ollar City was right out of his wildest dreams, a fantasy city he would write short stories about as a kid. However, his desire to get stronger was sullying that fact. As he looked around, there was no shortage of people weaving in and out of the main cobbled thoroughfare. In the distance, the dome shape of the Colosseum stuck out like a sore thumb.

  “Sleep well?” Reina asked, kicking her legs off her bed.

  Rook nodded. “I’m still getting over the fact that I’m not progressing as well as I should,” Rook said, comparing himself to Phane.

  Reina pursed her lips and stood up, tying her hair into a short ponytail with a tie around her wrist. “Can’t say I know what you’re going through, but I do know we need to get stronger if we’re going to pick up some quests to impress King Ollar.”

  “Don’t we get stronger by questing?” Rook asked, rotating his stiff shoulder. “It’s called grinding.” He puffed a breath out and put his slip on his shoes. “One thing’s for sure, I need new clothes,” He said, really wishing that his OCPs were transported with him. As much as the Army uniform was a pain in the ass, it had pockets, and working his inventory was new and confusing.

  “Sure, let’s head down.”

  Reina led them into the hallway on the second floor of Brianna’s tavern, the Stumbling Ogre. Down the winding staircase, the scene was like a fish market, and everyone was attempting to get the best catch. A crowd of people stood around the bulletin board arguing over specific question parameters. Some tugged at sheets until they ripped.

  “This place is crazier than usual.”

  “You should see when a Diamond quest comes around. It can get really crazy. My best guess is that a gold quest came through.” Reina looked through the crowd. “Only about four of them are even qualified to handle that, though.”

  Brianna waved hello as they passed and tapped the bar where two mugs stood. I’ve heard of mimosas, but ale? They approached the lengthy bar, several patrons drank from foaming ales, and others stuffed their faces with the new day’s meaty breakfast stew.

  “Can’t have you newbies getting killed by the sun, let alone the beasties roaming around.” She looked at Rook. “It’s water, Rook. If I wanted to kill ya, I’d wring your neck. Or have one of my bartenders do you in.”

  “Thanks.” He grabbed the mug of water and downed the contents.

  His satiety stat bar slowly rose to 100% indicating that it was enough. I need to keep track of this. The last thing I want to do is die from dehydration.