Rook thought about the conversation with the mushroom farmer and the fighting over territory.

  “As for your other question. I was given a list of crazy classes.” He held up his fingers to count down. “Bard, fighter, mage. Then I got an option to have it narrowed down. I got battlemage and necromancer. “You’ve seen my barracks room. Of course I’d choose necromancer,” Knox said, with a laugh.

  Rook joined him. “Bro, I thought when I first walked into your room that you were going to freakin sacrifice me or something. It wasn’t until I got to know you that I found out you just nerd out over dark occult stuff.” He held his hands up, defensively. “Not that there’s anything wrong with that,” he said with a chuckle.

  Knox feigned anger, complete with a shaking fist, then laughed. “True. Anyways, when I chose necromancer, I spawned into the castle dungeons.” He pointed to the castle in the distance. “Dude, let me tell you. Not a cool place.”

  “So, how did I get here?” Rook asked, taking in everything his buddy said.

  “Because we’re intertwined, I was able to summon you here today, with a skill I have called Astral projection. Essentially, I can summon you when the veil is lowered in Yorthon.” Knox made a show of placing his hand down like a curtain. “Like in your dreams, for example. I’m not strong enough to summon beyond that. I’m only level 10.”

  “You’re level 10?” Rook asked, feeling inferior.

  “Yes, but it’s because my overlord dad essentially power levels us by trapping huge beasts, and we attack them to get experience. Sorta like the Dead Depths dungeon in Legends-”

  “You son of a bitch. I knew you played Legends Triumph Online, and all this time you made me sound like a nerd.”

  Rook punched Knox in the arm.

  “Stop, you bastard.” He smiled, then looked sadly at the top right of his vision. “Oh wow, well, speak of the devil, bro. It was good to see you. I’ll see you soon. When I have enough power.” Knox’s face was serious. “Don’t you go dying out there.”

  Rook Fist bumped his friend. “See you, man, you be safe as well.”

  Rook’s heels lifted free of the ground as he became weightless again. The dark earth and silver trees drifted below. Knox waved like an idiot at him, and Rook sighed. Everything became smaller and smaller until they were just specks, gentle reminders of what lay below. He rose until he reached the surface of the orange sky, and he had to shield his eyes.

  He awoke to a bright ray of sunlight kissing his eyelids and splashing warmth directly onto his face. I guess it’s time to get up. Rook yawned, enjoying the bright orange casting on his face. He peeled his eyes open, watching as the dust motes swirled and danced within the cone of sunlight. This really wasn’t just some fucked up dream. Well, I guess I should get while the gettin’s good.

  “All right, level five in one day, I’m assuming it’s gonna slow down a bit more,” Rook muttered, rubbing the weariness away.

  Reina was standing beside the window, watching something outside and giggling. He joined her, squeezing his knuckles in a tight grip until they gave a satisfying pop, then rotated his wrists until he loosened them with a series of cracks. Down below in the street, there were children playing in the street, running with wooden weapons, weaving through crowds.

  “Kids play the same everywhere, don’t they?” Rook smiled, reminded of his own time playing with the neighborhood kids.

  One of the bigger kids is swinging a fake Warhammer made from a broomstick tied to a canvas ball. The kids dodged the wide arcs, and people around put their hands up as if they didn’t want any trouble.

  He took a deep breath and walked back over to the bed. With a yawn, he sat back down. When he looked up, Reina was watching him curiously.

  “Didn’t sleep well?” She asked, sitting on her bed.

  He shook his head. But dammit, I can’t stop thinking about that dream. He was exhausted, as if he didn’t actually sleep.

  “I have to tell you something. I had a strange dream.” He rubbed at his temples.

  “Oh did something happen?”” she asked jokingly.

  “For the first time, I was at peace with my friend I came here with. I saw Knox,” Rook said.

  “I’m glad you get some type of respite during your dreams,” Reina said with a sympathetic smile.

  “You don’t understand, he summoned me through my dreams.”

  Reina’s curiosity turned to concern, and she put a hand up for him to stop. He watched as she pulled her notebook out and flipped towards a blank page.

  “Please, do go on,” Reina said, biting the edge of her pencil.

  “Just like when I first came to this world, I was floating down, but from an orange sky. There were white clouds. I landed on black dirt in a forest of dead silver colored trees. There wasn’t any life, not even bugs.” Rook’s mind began to wander. “I began walking and there was a man with black robes with red symbols that hurt my eyes like staring at the sun, it was Knox.”

  Reina gasped and began flipping through the journal. “That sounds like dark magic. Infernal symbols hurt the eyes. During the wars, they flash symbols on large trebuchets, it’s a deadly combination.”

  “About that, Knox said he was an Infernal necromancer, but he had the same conjured tattoos under his neck that I do under my collarbone.”

  “Do not tell anybody else about the dream or your friendly relationship with an Infernal. They’ll-”

  Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.

  “Why?” Rook interjected, feeling the anger boiling.

  “Because they will execute you, and you’re in my party, which makes me guilty as well. I don’t want my pretty head to be lopped off by an executioner.” She sighed and looked at him sadly. “Rook, you went to the Infernal kingdom, which is strictly forbidden.”

  “Knox, my friend, I mean, didn’t try to eat me; he didn’t do magic on me. He just chose the wrong class and ended up there. We were all given a choice, when we were forced into this world, I became a battlemage and Knox became a necromancer, given a different thought train at the time, it could’ve been me..”

  “Just don’t tell anyone about this, especially not an Elf or anyone who works within the Bloodstone Empire.”

  He nodded. “I understand. They want to kill me for sport or capture me for their Circuits. If not that, then I’m to be killed for having a friend who chose the wrong class.” He shook his head. “Just who are the real bad guys here? Just because the Elves are in power doesn’t mean they are good.”

  Reina looked sheepish. “I’m sorry, Conjured weren’t as widely known about, until the Bloodstone took control, I’m told. I’m sure that if you came a hundred years ago, nobody would’ve known about your kind.”

  “You’re right, it’s just frustrating. Knox is my best friend, and I don’t want him to die.”

  Frowning, Reina gave him a sad face, like someone put her dog down..

  Great, Rook the friendless.

  “What do you say about breakfast?” she asked, putting her book away.

  He had to remind himself that Reina didn’t know Knox or really care. She most likely cared for his dumb ass, and for the life of him, he couldn’t understand why, and now he told her he didn’t consider her a friend. God, I’m such an idiot.

  As I went down the wooden staircase, the tavern space had a different atmosphere from the night prior. The evening was gambling, sleeping, drinking, playing games, and debauchery, just like the barracks on a Saturday night. This morning, Rook was pleasantly surprised to see it was all business. There were all manner of coalition races gathered at Brianna’s bulletin board. Gnomes with crossbows, adventurers dressed in robes with staves and wands attached to their hips. Humans with all types of weapons, dwarves with axes. Many were dressed in greens and blacks, and some had cloaks of red. He was painfully aware that he was underdressed.

  He recognized one of the faces within the crowd. Well, well, well.

  “Look at that tall, dumb, drink of water with the hammer.” Rook nodded towards the man from gembas game. “Well, it’s good he didn’t unalive himself in the middle of the night, as witnessed by a gnome and a dwarf.”

  “That’s no joke, Rook, that happens plenty here in Ollar.” She whispered, leaning in close.

  “I wouldn’t want to do anything like that with guards like Phane running around.”

  “That’s an unfair assessment. Phane was a Sentinel, a great fighter and hero. Most of the City guards are drafted, join because they are poor, or to work their way up to a better position.”

  Just like in the Army. He thought about the lengths of shit he did, and still had a choice to join or go to jail. Remembering the old judge’s breathy voice, he shuddered. He’s gotta be dust by now.

  “So what’s the deal with the Sentinels anyway?” Rook asked, drumming his fingers on the table. “If the Bloodstone is so powerful, why don’t they just take them out?”

  “The Sentinels easily rival the Bloodstone, even without the rune magic and their dwindling numbers.”

  Rook nodded, taking stock of the rest of the room once again. Maybe the Sentinels are the way to power, moving forward.

  “What a crock of shit!” The barbarian exclaimed, adjusting the straps to sit the hammer higher. Last night he was dressed in a normal cloth shirt and pants. Today he had fur shoulders, brown leather armor and chainmail. He reminded Rook of a typical barbarian.

  “I wonder what his level is,” Rook said, looking at the man becoming more upset.

  Reina placed a hand on his and a notification popped up and Rook opened it.

  Togar Cragjumper (Gold)

  Level: 46

  Barbarian

  Guild: None

  “How?”

  “Identify. Since I’m in your party I can share it with you.” Reina paused, then her mouth yawned open. “I leveled from a single Identify.”

  “How can you not have any Gold quests Brianna?!” The barbarian bellowed.

  The bartenders shot up from their slouched positions, and watched the situation closely.

  “Togar, if you don’t stop yelling in my tavern, I will have my bartenders turn you into the guard.” Brianna said calm, flat, and dangerous.

  The tavern was silent. Now is as good of a time as any. Rook started towards the bulletin board. What could he do, he was a sucker for awkward, silent moments.

  “Make a hole,” Rook yelled, as he shoved his way through the crowd. The phrase was universal, it didn’t matter if you were in the military barbershop waiting to get a shitty haircut, or at the grocery store. People may not have known how to make a hole, but instinctively most people parted like the seas.

  Of course here, half of the people were so engrossed with their bulletin shopping that they didn’t notice Rook until he was firmly pressing them aside. He reached past two gnomes and grabbed a parchment. He looked it over, it was a bounty request.

  Cellar clearance: (Copper)

  Would you like to accept?

  Yes/ No

  Yes. He opened up his journal and skimmed the quest.

  Quest accepted: Cellar clearance.

  Cellar clearance

  You have read the bulletin at the Stumbling Troll, and joined this quest.

  Task one: Speak to Jinxor at Mimics and find more information about the Hognose beasts 0/1

  Task two: Bring back 2 of their left eyes 0 of 2

  Quest reward

  300 experience

  1 gold

  45 silver

  18 copper

  Class weapon (Bronze)

  Rook folded up the quest bounty and put it in his inventory. He rejoined Reina, who stood with her arms crossed.

  “You just can’t help yourself, can you?” Reina asked, clicking her tongue disapprovingly.

  “I’m a sucker for awkward moments. I feel like I need to break it up.”

  The barbarian bowed his head. “Sorry, Brianna, I haven’t had any Gold-ranked quests in ten days,” the barbarian responded.

  “You don’t need it after last night’s winnings. You should be more concerned about fleeing Ollar,” A woman carrying a bow and quiver said, causing an eruption of laughter.

  Rook looked at Reina and leaned in. “See I’m not the only one.”

  “You think I’m going to change because I got a little scratch in my bag?” The barbarian asked, adjusting the hammer once again. “No chance.” He grabbed a parchment from the Silver contract section and pivoted on his heel to exit.

  First quest, let’s do this.

  “It looks like I have to go to the quest giver named Jinxor.” Rook rotated his shoulders. “But before that, Is there a place to sell off my inventory?” Rook asked, checking his inventory and seeing the miscllaneous items filling the boxes.

  “I meant to ask you about that. How do you carry so many items on your person, when obviously you are dressed like-”

  “Yes, a hobo. I’m tracking, you sun baked potato.”

  Reina slugged him in the arm and he chuckled rubbing his shoulder.

  “I have an inventory bag, and the best way I can explain it is that items can come in and out of this menu, even though the bag is not on my person.”

  Reina nodded as if she understood. Yeah clear as mud, I’m not the best at explaining these things. Which is probably why I can’t get promoted. Brianna’s bartender, a young olive skinned dwarf with black hair and a tattooed face brought a tray of mugs.

  “To answer your question, it seems we can kill two rats with one fireball. There are hundreds of vendors throughout our way to Jinxor. But, he’s well known and selling your unwanted loot may curry his favor.” She grabbed a mug and drank.

  “Sounds like a plan.” Rook drank his mug, expecting ale, but frowned at the water.

  After hydrating, Reina signaled Rook to follow her out the tavern down the street towards a wooden cart with savory smelling food. Rook walked up and gave the vendor five copper for two breakfast wraps of meat and eggs from a dwarvish vendor. They continued walking along the smooth cobble eating in blissful silence. Rook felt like a kid in a candy store, amazed at the many different shops and vendors they passed. As interested as he was in the surroundings, the Ollar citizens seemed as interested in him. People stared at them as they walked by, either they were focused on the councilman’s daughter or they were unused to seeing a person with tattoos like his. But hey, it was just the soldier thing to do at the time. The conversations of tattoo ideas he and Knox thought about getting flashed in his head. He wanted nothing more than to get a matching camel on his big toe with his buddy. The image of his mothers tattoo flashed in his head and he checked his arms. Fuck this memory.