“I’ve got a skill called Skewer,” Mara said, with another smile. Moments later, the notification for her sharing the skill came up.

  Skewer

  +5% to stabbing attacks when in a party with Command Presence.

  “What is command presence?” She asked.

  Rook took the next several minutes explaining what his skills do and how they can help out the party. She seemed to understand, but was dumbfounded as to why and how he got these skills.

  It wasn’t long before three knocks on their door interrupted the conversation. Reina opened the door, and in walked the massive form of Strike with a cot-like bed for Rook. Mara walked over and pulled him into an embrace.

  “You’re finally off, are you?” Strike asked with a snort. “Bout time you left Ollar. All that training and nothing to show for it.” He flexed as Mara slugged him in the shoulder. “Makes me proud, and I’m sure Archer would be proud as well.”

  Mara smiled. “They treating you well here?” She asked, gesturing towards all of Brianna’s tavern.

  Strike nodded. “Like an equal, they don’t tolerate any fools who’d try anything here. Given the circumstances with Brianna, it’s.” He was cut off by Mara’s sharp hush. His ears pinned back, and his cheeks turned a shade of crimson. “Right, well, it’s about time I go back. You’ll take care of yourself, right?” He asked her, shooting a cautionary glance at Rook and Reina.

  “Of course,” she said, twitching her ears.

  They watched Strike leave the room, Reina glancing at him like there was a new mystery to solve. He only shook his head; it was better to let sleeping dogs lie. He had more important things to worry about, like lying down to bed. The cot was made of simple canvas, stretched thin over two wooden bars and framed to be off the ground by about three feet. He didn’t feel disdain or upset about not having another bed; instead, he felt numb with exhaustion. Anything would’ve been better than nothing. Hell, the floor would’ve proved a good place to rest had Brianna run out of places to sleep. But the cot would do nicely for now.

  “Tomorrow we take on the Mine of Struggle,” Rook said to Mara. “We’re stocked up on potions. What else do you need? Maybe a new set of armor?”

  “No, you don’t need to spend any money on me, I’m fine.”

  “Your torn bracers tell another story.” Rook snapped. “Reina, do you still have those bracers?”

  “Way ahead of you,” she said, handing the hide bracers over to Mara.

  The torokin regarded them for a moment before shaking her head. “I can’t accept these.”

  “No take-backs,” Rook responded like a child, before chuckling.

  Mara relented and equipped the bracers. Her lips cracked into a smile as they conformed to her large forearms. Turns out if the armor hasn’t been equipped yet, it will conform to the new user’s body. Reina was busy writing down the series of events in her journal. Before they knew it, sunset brought on a wave of fatigue that Rook couldn’t fight any longer. He settled into his bunk and closed his eyes.

  Jody met them in the tavern, his feet propped on a table. “You ready for the final trial?” He asked, leaning back in his chair, far enough where the threat of falling over was real.

  “Yes,” Rook said. “We just need to pick up some equipment.” He looked at Mara’s rough leather gear.

  The sleeveless brown tunic was, at the very least, in need of an upgrade. It was a stark contrast to the clean, boiled leather bracers Reina gave her.

  Mara frowned at him, as if to say she didn’t need any gear.

  Jody followed his gaze. “Right. Mara, this Sentinel Quest is the final culminating event, the last trial before Rook and Reina can move forward and take full advantage of the Sentinel’s perks and influence. Though they are recognized as a part of the order, they are considered an entry-level position. Almost like a guard in training if I were to compare it.” Jody packed his pipe full of haga shroom bits and struck a match. “I’ll be around, an unseen entity, for this trial. I’m completely hands off unless something catastrophic happens.”

  Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

  “Understood,” Mara said, a long breath hissing out her nose.

  “Best be off then, liberate the Mine and all that,” Jody said, taking a drag of his pipe.

  “Jody, you didn’t say anything about liberating the mine,” Reina said, concern striking her voice.

  “What’s the issue?” Rook asked, frowning at his friend.

  “Liberating a dungeon, even a lower-level dungeon like the Mine of Struggle, is considered extremely dangerous. The dungeon boss has to be killed and the majority cleared.” She snapped her gaze at Jody. “Are you saying there’s a boss in this dungeon?” Reina asked the question in rapid fire.

  “Lass, I’m not saying anything,” Jody responded, with a smile. “I will say, it’s a shame you only have three party members.”

  “It’s more than enough,” Rook said, placing a hand on Reina’s shoulder.

  Rook led them towards the west wall of Ollar. They walked alongside the street, and Mara’s bulk made dodging the throng of people difficult. He paused, glancing at Mara and then at the shop to their left. Cork’s. No harm stopping in for a bit.

  “Welcome in, let me know if I can help out,” Cork called from behind his counter.

  “Yeah, we need some torokin leathers,” Rook said.

  Reina grabbed a stack of parchments and placed them on the counter. “Never know when you’re going to need a new stack,” she said with a smile. “Cork, where are the pencils?”

  He pointed to a shelf, filled top to bottom with cups of various pencils, while leading Rook and Mara towards the back of the store. “Here are the leathers, boiled and different animal hides.”

  Mara looked over the lot, stopping in front of a red jerkin and pants. The set included a pair of black leather boots and a belt. Rook read the price tag and shrugged. What’s fifty silver when safety is priceless?

  He placed the coins on the countertop, and Mara went into the changing room to equip the armor. After they left Cork’s, Mara looked at her new armor multiple times. The fresh leather squeaked slightly with each step.

  They stopped by a vendor to buy extra potions and rations. With Mara being so large, it only made sense to get more. Most of the vendors reminded him of fancy lemonade stands, but this one, specializing in potions and gear, was called Travel Necessities. Rook could get behind a simple name. I like it, simple and to the point. When he saw the price of the cure-all potion, he was glad he didn’t drink it. He could buy a homebrew potion costing a few silver and some, potentially even on the house, with a Sentinel discount. This cure-all all however, at the vendor shop was one gold.

  “Shit, that is expensive,” Rook said, picking up the cure-all.

  “Indeed, use it only if there is a reason to. As in life or death,” the vendor responded.

  “Four hundred silver,” Rook said, narrowing his eyes and holding out his hand.

  “Might as well,” the man said with a sigh. “It’s been sitting there since I got it.”

  Rook placed everything into his inventory and watched the lazy clouds drift in the pale blue sky for a while. Spacing on the dream from last night. He dreamed of, well, what everyone dreams of when they’ve hit a dry spell of involuntary abstinence. He thought of his Adaline; she was the last person he’d been with before coming to Yorthon.

  They passed two guards dressed in the same iron armor as Phane, standing with crossed arms. Rook nodded to them, and they gave him a friendly salute.

  “How goes it, Sentinels?” The guard asked them with a smile. “What a party.” He regarded Mara with a nod. “Keep your head on a swivel out there.”

  “Just heading to the Mine of Struggle,” Rook responded, with a nod of his own. On the guard shack was a poster of the Bloodstone symbol, with an X drawn into it. “They really hate the Elves here in Ollar,” Rook said, waving back.

  “It’s universal.” Mara spat.

  “Well, yes, it’s true. I thought after being backhanded you’d hate them too,” Reina said, stepping out past the west gate.

  “Just because I got my ass kicked by a person doesn’t mean I hate their guts. It was just a disagreement between men. What I hate about them is the fact that Krai had his shitty friend carrying a cage full of conjured people and is trying to hunt innocent people for sport. The fact that they wiped out a village due to someone being a conjured.” He scowled hard at the ground. “I’ve been thinking about that too. It was a small village out of the way, which means the conjured there only wanted a simple life free of the big city.” Rook frowned at the memory of Jason. “I hate it. Hate that those people could have easily been me,” he muttered, frowning at the rolling landscape before him. “Someone could be standing here in my place getting saluted, traveling with you both, a Sentinel.”

  “That’s where you’re wrong, Rook. Nobody can be you; you are the only person who can do what you do. You are indispensable and–”

  Rook shook his head. “Sorry to interrupt, but nobody is indispensable. There’s a saying that we have in my branch. It’s that we’ll go rolling along. So if I were to die today, I could be easily replaced by someone else who can perform just as well as I can.” Rook followed Reina for a silent moment, thinking about his conversation with Knox about his mental health. “They’ve probably already replaced me, you know? My team is most likely under new leadership, and I’ll be forgotten. So nobody’s indispensable.” He felt an immense pressure building behind his eyes, like an intense migraine.

  “You’re indispensable to me. Look at your stats, at what we’ve done in the short time you’ve been here. Sure, if that Jason guy had gotten here sooner, he could’ve replaced you in finding my dad’s wagon.” She gave him a leveled glare. “What would’ve happened if he were a coward?” She regarded him for a moment, letting the words hang in the air. “If he was evil and waited for the goblins to finish what they were going to do to me? The leader said he was going to wear my skin to Ollar and kill my father.” Her words trailed.

  Mara was silent, taking a half step back for them to speak. Rook walked in, staring forward towards the woods a distance away, finding it increasingly more difficult to look his friend in the face.

  “I don’t know.” He stared at the dirt path, the growing weeds and flowers passing by in his peripheral vision.

  “It doesn’t matter who got here before you, because there’s no guarantee they’d help. You’re one of my only friends here, and I won’t let you speak badly about yourself.” She smiled at him and adjusted her travel pack, hitching it higher on her shoulders to disperse the weight.

  “I wouldn’t be here either had it not been for you, Rook. There’s stories everyday about Torokin dying in Ollar from the stonists and their purge. A small forest clan was wiped out for one of their members speaking up against the Bloodstone in a council open setting.” Mara snorted. “I don’t think this Jason would try as hard as you. Even if he did, there’s no guarantee he had the same hardships you did or the same leadership.” Mara glanced at him. “I see it in you. The same leadership as my son Archer. Leadership is built by your character and forged through hardship.”

  Rook smiled at them both. Thank you, guys. That means everything.

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