“Give me the reins!” Al yelled, holding his hand out. “A dragon mare cannot be stopped by a simple rope!”

  “This is a shit idea, Al!” Rook said, handing the blind elf their only means to escape.

  “Yah!” Al cracked the reins, urging the dragon mares at a dizzying speed. “Yah!” Al called out, forcing the dragon mares faster towards the enforcer’s rope trap.

  Come on, we need more. Al’s expression was a mass of concentration. Can he really see or not? The faces of the enforcers who were so certain just moments before were now twisted into an apprehensive fear. As if this wasn’t the best idea. Barely slowing down, the mares violently knocked aside a Thunder fist that tried to stab at their scaled legs. The dragon mares ran quickly down the narrow tunnel towards the rope trap.

  “We’re not going to make it!” Reina called, grabbing the bench behind Rook’s back.

  Yes, we are. Rook surged his Attramancy, feeling for the pulse from the enforcers. 100 meters, 80 meters. Rook focused his intent on the responding echoes, focused on where he wanted the rocks to go. Steady breathing, look at the sight picture I want. 50 meters, 25 meters. Then release. The world slowed around him as the calm took over. The rocks sailed true as an arrow through the darkness, sinking directly into the enforcers and pelting the wall behind. One was still while the other fell to his knees, clawing at the gaping wound in his chest.

  “Fuck yeah!” Rook cried out.

  Passing the rope trap, Rook took one last fleeting glance at the goblins and their last-ditch effort to stop them. The path sloped upwards, and up and up. They continued the ascent until the ground evened. They pulled out of the open corridor of blinding blue and into a narrow tunnel of gloom. Far ahead, there was a pinhole of bright light at the end of the tunnel.

  They broke free into the wilds, and there was a collective sigh of relief. In the distance, Ollar City’s walls stood as a happy reminder that death had almost found them many times over in that dungeon.

  Opportunity quest complete

  Escape the mine of struggle 1/1

  Using your wits, escape the mine of struggle.

  Rewards

  1200 experience

  Skillbook (random)

  You have reached level 20

  You have reached level 21

  +2 skill points

  125 of 1150 Experience until level 21

  That’s a lot of experience.

  Samuel Rook Merrell

  Level 21

  Rank (Bronze)

  Strength level (27)17 +10 (Orb of Subjugation)

  Dexterity level (15) 5 +10 (Orb of Subjugation)

  Arcane Wisdom level (24) 9 + 15 (Sentinel Ring) (Orb of Subjugation)

  Charisma level (20)10 +10 (Orb of Subjugation)

  Constitution level (18) 3 +15 (Sentinel Ring) (Orb of Subjugation)

  He opened up his skill points and added the last two points to Force Multiplier. Treating it as a passive skill, he had just been subconsciously adding the points to it.

  Force multiplier 10 of 15 skill points

  Winds of Change

  8% increase in Attramancy efficacy

  Added Strength of the mountain

  Heavier objects are easier to move with Attramancy

  Added Barrage

  When using attromancy, barrage allows the caster to control multiple objects from the point of origin.

  Two? He read the skill. Holy crap, can I control more than one thing now? I may have sucked in the real world, but I’m doing okay here.

  “That’s a lot of increases.”

  “Did you get the class skillbook?” Rook asked, checking his inventory.

  “What! No, I just got the experience! You got a class skillbook? Those are so rare, I heard the last one at auction went for over 100 gold pieces.”

  Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  The book glowed with a golden hue in his inventory. Pulling it out of the storage boxes, he held it in his hands.

  “I agree that is rare, more than you humans deserve,” Al said, but then seemed to mull it over.

  Rook shook his head. Hopefully, he wouldn’t have to deal with this elf much longer.

  Would you like to use the Class Skillbook?

  Yes/No

  Yep. The book opened in his hands, hovering just above his face. Orange and gold orbs of light flooded his vision, and the sensation of power came with it.

  Skill obtained- Tether (Gold)

  Allows the user to place a pillar in the ground that tethers enemies.

  Reina looked at him expectantly, her eyebrows raised, and her journal was at the ready.

  “I got a skill called tether, which allows me to place a pillar down and anchor enemies to it,” Rook said, watching the sunlight bleed into the tunnel. Skillbooks were strange. He felt as if he’d trained with the skill thousands of times, but in fact had only learned it. It was like mastering a kick, without actually practicing.

  The dragon mares continued down the forest path, cutting through the landscape like boars on a mission. Rook inhaled and leaned his head back, letting the sun’s warmth kiss his grimy face. Reina looked at him with a sensitive frown, and he shook his head.

  “I’m happy as a pig in mud. I’m worried about you; that ogre’s magic grenade almost took you out.”

  “It wasn’t his crafted weapon. It was ours.” Al interjected, pulling on the reins and urging the mares to a gentle trot. “It’s a control weapon when there were attacks on the Dawn Kingdom. Two or three will subdue a platoon of warriors.”

  Rook stared at the blind elf. If he didn’t have the blindfold on, his expression might have passed for sadness. “What will you do now, Al?”

  “My name is Alderion Kai. Not Al.”

  “Yes, that’s what I said.”

  Al sighed. “I’ll go back to the Dawn Kingdom, of course. It’s across the Black Seas in the mountains of Sylnaria. I need to report to my people,” he responded with a scoff. “I can’t be in this human land any longer.”

  “Question, Alderion.” Reina pulled herself forward until she was leaning over the bench. “Who was in charge when you began exploring the Mine of Struggle?

  “The Mighty Dawndrasil are in charge of Centrulia,” Al replied, with his chest puffed out.

  “Al, the Bloodstone are in charge, well, sharing the rule through a treaty,” Reina replied flatly. “I had a hunch you’d say that.”

  Al growled, and his face twisted into fury. “Those whelps, with their griffins!?” His teeth ground behind his cracked lips.

  They rode in silence for a long, awkward moment, passing through cones of sunlight. The thought of Jody’s passing weighed heavily on Rook’s heart. How am I gonna explain this to the rest of the Sentinels in the Ollar chapter?

  “So, why were you in the Mine of Struggle?” Mara asked.

  “My team was following the trail of the effigy of strength you absorbed.” He frowned at Rook. “They are incredibly rare, and my prince, Lord Azra, commanded us to secure it for the Dawndrasil.” He swallowed hard. “We were ambushed by a group, some manner of summoners.” He felt at his scarred eyes. “ A spirit creature they controlled. It– It cut my eyes with a whipping tail and entombed us down below the crystal mines, deep in the earth.”

  “We’ve seen that before,” Reina said. “In the underground temple.”

  Rook nodded, thinking of that Loch Ness monster creature that was being dragged through. “What happened to the rest of your group?” Rook asked, Al.

  “They didn’t make it. Some perished in the fight with the beast, with injuries beyond my healing capabilities. Lord Azra was sacrificed to their cause, and the summoner leader,” Al responded.

  Rook nodded. “Perhaps I can find out, I have a connection,” he started, then thought better. “We can figure out who this summoner was and help you.” He wasn’t ready to explain what Teru declared.

  The next few miles were quiet with the sounds of birdsong and chittering insects. It reminded him of Raccoon; he hoped they could flourish under his leadership, and not just plan a counterattack. The warmth of the sunlight faded as they entered the mighty shadow of the towering Ollar City west wall. Back home, finally.

  Rook looked at his map for the first time since exiting the mines and the caverns beyond. The cloudy parchment was cleared, revealing miles beyond the entrance of the Mines of Struggle. The place itself is shown as a giant blotch on the map, the system taking into account exploration. Zooming in, the winding corridors and twisting caverns reminded him of just how far he had traveled and how close to death he truly came. He paused on the grey area where the tomb was, where Jody’s body was.

  He looked out towards the city. At the top of the wall watch tower a guard peered over in their direction, he began waving his arms, calling down below to the guards on the base level. Al peered in the direction of the exchange and muttered something in what must have been an elvish dialect of rolling words.

  “That’s easy for you to say,” Rook remarked, looking around, displeased nobody caught the joke. “Get it, it’s easy for him to say the elvish word, because he’s an elf?” He threw his hands up. “Oh, never mind,” Rook muttered.

  “I got the joke, Rook. It just wasn’t that funny,” Mara explained with an innocent smile.

  Well, at least she was nice about it. He leaned back, letting the sun’s warmth bathe his face. His mind flashed of the ogre’s explosion of green smoke, debris of the cavern wall, and Reina’s collapse. How did I survive? And why did those crystals enhance my power? These were all questions that he intended to ask Jinxor, after a well-needed shower and nap.

  He would keep his concerns to himself for now. Being unique was cool when everyone else was also unique in a sense. But he felt the ability to use crystals would only make his identity as a Conjured, more difficult to hide.

  “I don’t know about you guys, but I could go for some food and ale,” Rook glanced over at the elf, who was gritting his teeth. “What are we going to do about you?”

  “I’ll join your cause, as long as it serves me.”

  “An elf in the party, how about that?” She smiled. “The first rounds on me then. I got some good loot from that place.”

  But damn it all, she was right. This place was a sight for his sore eyes. A pot hole reminded him of something he read in Rix’s journal. The Goblin bandits of the black dagger would ambush carts, using the pot holes as triggers for the attack. He could imagine the tactics now, the very same ones that they trained for within the Army. A line of support fire, a line to walk through, and an ambush. Take the weapons, secure the enemies, and aid the wounded. A perfect L-shaped ambush.

  He glanced at Reina. She rubbed at a bruise on her forehead. She must have gotten that from the explosion. Checking Mara, he grimaced. Numerous cuts and bruises marred her face. When the ogre threw that weapon, it did a lot of damage. Maybe the healing quarter should be the first place to stop.

  “My friend Knox mentioned that by using a high-level spell and eating mana from the earth, they could level up their skills fairly easily. He and I arrived at the same time, and now he’s level 25, apparently.”

  Reina narrowed her eyes. “Conjured or not, you shouldn’t be able to.” She inhaled sharply, then gave him an apologetic look.

  Well, cats outta the bag.

  “Ah, so you are a conjured, human,” Al stated flatly. “We have had your kind in the Dawndrasil before, one of my close allies was a Dawndrasil who was a skilled warrior, with a very useful albeit unethical fighting style.” He paused for a dramatic effect. “She disappeared one day,” he trailed.

  “Do you know where?” Reina asked, as if reading his face.

  “Nobody knows. It was suspected she betrayed the order and fled from us.”

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