“Whoa,” Roran gasped, his eyes wide with surprise. “It came from thin air.” He bristled, then waved his hand over and around the box as if it were an illusion. Then, shaking his head, he grabbed it. “You’ve done a great service to me and my family.

  Rook put his hands up defensively. “It really wasn’t much. Reina did most of it.” She fixed him with a stare. “Well, anyway, let’s fix that wagon up.”

  The armored man nodded happily at Reina, then looked at Rook as Roran went to work on the wagon. “Is that some type of summoning magic?”

  Rook shook his head.

  “Then who exactly are you?”

  “Rook.” He fought the urge to use the fake name Hugh Jaynus.

  The man narrowed his eyes. “That doesn’t seem like it’s your given name.”

  He sighed. “It’s Samuel.”

  “Samuel? Do you have a last name, Samuel?”

  “Merrell,” he said, stifling the urge to sigh again.

  She looked confused at his annoyance. When will I find someone who will appreciate using my middle name around this place?

  “Samuel Merrell,” the guard said suspiciously.

  He took a surging step forward, looked Rook up and down, seemingly unimpressed at first, and then threw his hand out with a smile. Rook instinctively winced, awaiting a strike from the beast of a man. Pleasantly surprised, he firmly gripped the guard’s hand and shook. Strange, I guess handshakes are just as common here. Rook sighed in relief.

  “I believe that thanks are in order, Samuel Merrell.”

  He sighed inwardly, thinking of all the funny fake names. Alright, that’s enough of that. What a waste though… I really should’ve used Hugh Jaynus on the goblin. That would have been more hilarious than Ben Dover.

  “Please, for the love of all that’s holy, just call me Rook.”

  “Of course, Rook, it is. You see, Roran here is a part of the Ollar City Council as the head of agriculture and farming. If Something happened to him, I fear that we’d be left in the hands of that Bloodstone dog Shinzo Regan.”

  Shinzo? Rook nodded, then looked at Reina. The name sounded like a villain from a ‘90s cartoon and not a legitimate threat to their way of life. Rook shrugged. What would he know? He can’t even get promoted to Sergeant.

  “I tell you what, Rook, I can repay you by taking you to the order of the Sentinels within Ollar City.

  “Uh, no thank you, Sir, I’m not sure cut out to be in whatever order that is. As well as ready to join another soul sucking organization.”

  “Cut the Sir talk. Please call me Phane Qutor, I’m just a simple city guard captain. Also, if I am to attempt to understand you, you mean to tell me you are not ready to join the order.” He clicked his tongue disapprovingly. “You have the heart of a Warrior.” He paused deep in thought. “Then allow me to repay your bravery with hospitality at least,” Phane remarked, as if he had solved a great problem.

  “Thank you, Phane. I just want to get back to my home.”

  “Where is your home? Perhaps I can assist,” said the guard.

  “Pineville, Washington.”

  “I’m unfamiliar. It’s not on Yorthon is it?.” Phane asked incredulously.

  Rook’s stomach twisted. I really have to stop telling people I’m not from here. If there’s a powerful organization that wants to hunt the Conjured, then they probably have cronies hunting us, too.

  Phane reached into his armor and grabbed something. He held out his hand, inside was a small white coin unlike the gold he found in the water, this was palm sized, whereas the other was roughly the size of a quarter.

  He presented it to Rook. “Take this to my Sister Brianna. She has a tavern called the Stumbling Ogre, she’ll house you until the morning, tell her that the food and drinks are on my tab.” He smiled. “Most likely you’ll have to pay for a room after that, though."

  Rook took the small coin and instinctively flipped it. It flashed a bright light in the air, and when it landed, the white coin transformed into a silver one, featuring the design of an ouroboros, an unfamiliar serpent eating its tail. Rook looked at Phane and smiled.

  Challenge Coin of the Undying received

  Challenge Coins: 1 of 6.

  The recipient of the Challenge coin has permanent gain to death magic efficacy.

  Recognized by the God of the Undying you have proven yourself a potential candidate.

  Hmm, what a description. Not bad. He held up the coin, inspecting the intricate design.

  “That’s very kind, thank you,” Rook said, turning the coin over in his hands before placing it into his inventory.

  The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.

  “What a cool trick, I swear the coin just disappeared,“ Phane said with a nod.

  Shit, do people not have inventories here? Rook reached into his pocket and pulled the coin from his inventory, making it appear in his pocket.

  “I recognize your bravery in the face of danger. The coin recognizes you as well.” Phane squinted at it. “An ouroboros? What a curious choice. Well, now that I see things are in order, I will go and report to King Ollar.” Phane jogged into the woods behind the wagon. His chain mail chirped along the way with each step and returned a few minutes later on horseback, leading another older horse beside him. “Don’t forget to present that coin to my Sister, Rook. And Reina, Roran, please let me know if I can be of service in Ollar.”

  “You’ve brought back Gilly.” Roran walked up and grabbed the reins of the old mare. “Girl, im glad you’re safe, you old war horse.” He gently pat the brown clydesdale.

  Phane checked his reins and stirrups one last time, looked in the air, and urged the horse into a canter, disappearing out of view.

  “I miss riding,” Rook muttered, kicking a small mushroom growing near the wagon.

  “Rook, damn you, do you want to get in another fight with a boar?” Reina exclaimed. “We’re almost done, and from what I’ve seen, you do not have useful offensive magic.”

  “Why, do you wanna run through the woods with me again?” He retorted with a smile.

  She rolled her eyes and huffed. But Rook caught the slightest hint of crimson at her cheeks. Rook and Reina sat beside the wagon; any attempt to stand up and help Roran tie down cushions or tighten fastens was met with a gentle hand of refusal. He turned the coin over in his hands, inspecting each side.

  “What’s a challenge coin?” Rook asked, getting yet another of her bewildered stares. “I mean, we have these in my job. But they don’t mean much. In fact, in my line of duty, many think of them as dog treats; however, I was just commended by a strong warrior, and now I feel accomplished.” He looked to the sky. “Fuck you, Mrs. Lilith, you said I wouldn’t amount to anything, but here I am.”

  Reina nodded thoughtfully. “It’s a challenge coin, you get them from quests and people sometimes. They say that you can only receive one in a single continent. That you have to travel to get the others. Also, there are very rarely two of a kind. It’s a strange phenomenon; when a coin is given, it will recognize you as well. Make no mistake, it's a living item and you will not receive another Challenge coin of that nature here in the continent of Centrulia.” She cleared her throat, embarrassed by the dump of information. “Say, Rook, who is Mrs. Lilith?”

  “My third-grade teacher.” Rook frowned at the coin. “I’d better not lose this, then.” He placed it inside his inventory. “How many different types of challenge coins are there?”

  Reina mumbled something under her breath, opened her mouth as if to ask a question, then closed it. “Anyways, six, for the elements of Earth, Wind, Fire, Water, Life, and Death. The last one is what you have.”

  “Alright, young ones, all done,” Roran said before Rook could ask another question. “Gilly’s ready to go, aren’t you, girl?” Roran patted the horse once again before sitting atop the driver’s seat and taking the reins. “Reina you get the back. Rook sit up front. I’d love to talk with you.”

  The horse’s hooves kicked up dust as they rolled along, filling his mouth with the gritty feeling of dirt. Beats walking.

  Opportunity Quest: Complete

  Help Roran fix his wagon.

  Quest Reward:

  Edible Mushrooms x10 added to inventory

  +200 Exp received

  You are now level up to 5. 0 of 350 experience until level 6

  2 Skill points received.

  245 experience until level 6

  “Wow, thanks to crab cakes. First area down and already level five.”

  He looked over at Reina; her eyes were focused with a thousand-yard stare. Roran, too, had his eyes fixed on something. Did they level up, too? He began snapping his fingers in front of her face and Rorans. Is this some kind of glitch?

  “Earth to Reina.” Rook waved a hand in front of her face.

  She frowned at him. “That’s quite enough!” She swatted his hand away.

  He smiled, he couldn’t help it, he was a sucker for attention. “Speaking of quite enough, I am starved and can’t take any more of the crab smell. I need to eat something.”

  Roran held something out to Rook. “Then please eat this, I have worked out some of the meat already. We should leave the rest for the animals and forest as an offering for safe passage next journey.” He grabbed a six-ounce piece and placed it on two thin red slices of mushroom. “Lucky for us, a lot of the meat was seared from Phane’s pyromancy.

  “Thanks, Roran, this looks like a slab of crab meat between two red mushrooms.” Rook lifted up the top mushroom bun theatrically. “It is a slab of crab meat between two red mushrooms!”

  Wide-eyed with excitement, Roran quickly nodded and gestured for him to eat as the wagon rolled along the path. Rook lifted the mushroom burger. Wait, were red mushrooms good or super poisonous? Rook inched the burger closer to his mouth, and his body tensed. Well, I guess I’m either going to be fine or wake up in the Afterlife. He bit down into the sandwich and began chewing. Maybe it was the extended period since he last ate something, or maybe the food here just tasted different. But it was one of the best things he’d ever eaten, hands down.

  “Roran, this is amazing,” Rook said between mouthfuls. “ The mushrooms taste like a sweet butter roll, and the crab is melt-in-your-mouth good.”

  Roran pat Rook on the shoulder. “I’m pleased you like it. The red-capped mushrooms are what we were here for in the first place.” The farmer closed his eyes, inhaling deeply with a face of contentment. “We have a case that will preserve the meat until we get to Ollar. Reina can hand you some if you get hungry.”

  Rook looked over his shoulder at her, and she chuckled.

  “Not if I eat it all first.” Reina hissed, grabbing the case, ripping it open, and reaching for a slice.

  For several minutes, they rode in silence, contentedly eating and taking in the views. Roran cleared his throat, and Reina scooted forward between Rook and Roran to hear what her father had to say. “Rein, be more careful of where you leave your things. Check my supply chest, if you could.”

  Reina shuffled backwards towards the chest and unclicked the lock. The lid opened with a crash into the wagon wall behind it.

  She gasped and then giggled like a child. “ I thought the goblins took it!” She exclaimed, holding out a sheathed rapier. The hilt had a simple gold handguard and a round pommel. She grasped the black hide hilt and pulled the rapier free of its sheath. “How I’ve missed this…”

  “I placed it in the hidden compartment after they took you,” Roran said, with a sad smile.

  Reina wrapped her father in an embrace and kissed him on the cheek. “Thank you.”

  “Say, I thought you said that you didn’t have any weapons for me earlier,” Rook said, feigning hurt.

  “I meant it. I didn’t have any weapons for you. That’s an heirloom blade, passed on by my late wife, Sara. If Reina died, everything else would too.”

  Rook nodded, not wanting to pry into the man’s words. “Fair enough.”

  They rode until they were clear of the Woods of Sorrow, and the edge of the glade path transitioned into rolling green hills. Rook inhaled deeply, held it, and then exhaled. Right out of a computer screensaver. Grandpa would probably enjoy this place. Reina watched him curiously.