Further from their booth, there was a group of Humans playing an unfamiliar game. It seemed like a mix of five-card draw poker using a multi-sided crystal dice of some type.

  Reina followed his gaze. “Gembas, it’s a fun betting game. It’s well known throughout Yorthon, and people come from all over with different variations of it. However, you have matching cards of diamonds, clubs-”

  Rook injected, “Also Kings, Queens, and Jacks?”

  “Yes,” said Reina suspiciously.

  “Does the common language also use the numbering 1234, and does this game have cards numbered all the way to ten?”

  “Yes, it’s a normal Gembas deck.”

  “I think a Conjured came here and gave you guys this game.”

  “It seems very likely. After our meeting, you seem to be familiar with a lot of similarities that we have here.”

  Rook nodded thoughtfully. “How do you play?”

  "First, players are given a certain number of cards. Then the dealer rolls the 10-sided Gembas crystal to determine your ante. The first person to the left determines the bet. If you want to stay in the game, you must offer something whose multiplied worth is that of the Gembas Crystal.”

  “Pretty much poker with bigger bets.

  “It may differ from your world, in the realms sometimes the ante itself is somebody’s life for the life of someone they know.”

  “That’s not like in my world. What’s the biggest bet you’ve ever seen?”

  “I’ve seen houses and horses and carriages. I’ve seen adventurers offer heirloom swords and necklaces. However, it doesn’t get any worse than offering a family member for a certain amount of time to serve.” She rested her hand on the hilt of her sword.

  “I won’t lie to you. That’s pretty fucked up.” Rook said. “Just the type of game Grandpa would love.”

  “In Ollar, we are lawful and don’t really allow wages that high. It’s considered taboo and illegal. For that kind of debauchery, you have to go to one of the neutral towns like Stain.” Reina pulled out her journal and touched a portion of Centrulia.

  The same feeling as if he was getting aquainted with the area washed over him.

  MAP UPDATED.

  He looked at the update in his personal map, it was a large area that looked like a coffee stain. Hence the name.

  He mentally clicked on the location. Distance wise it seemed just beyond a grouping of mountains that were called Stonebridge Pass.

  Stain: (Town, neutral)

  Population: 2,285

  The site of many battles during the Yorthon Orc Wars. When the Infernal Orc lords and Dwarves fought for land in the forgotten era, the earth became so churned and damaged that nothing grew. The magics cast left the area in a permanent petrified state. Home of Jinxed Mines.

  Healthy. Wonder what Ollar says.

  Ollar City (City, Lawful)

  Population: 6,894

  The trading capital of Centrulia. Many adventurers and guilds reside in Ollar, finding prominence and peace. Bloodstone rule the city and have the capability to overrule any laws and regulations made.

  Great. He closed the map.

  “I’ve never been, but I would be wary if you ever find yourself traveling there. I hear that It’s rife with bandit activity and all sorts of other undesirables.” She rapped her knuckles on the table. “I could use a drink,” She said.

  “You wouldn’t want to go, would you?”

  Her eyes lit up. Yup, I had a sneaking suspicion.

  “Well, if you’re offering, yes.” She smiled. “Obviously, I need to be more powerful. I’ll increase my enhancing skills and learn more from the books of monsters.” She began muttering and furiously scribbling into a small notepad. “We would need to have a strong warrior or Battlemage with me.” She looked at his eyes. “Well, a powerful battlemage, of course.”

  This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

  “Obviously. It would be silly to consider me.” He sighed, thinking of the bottom-of-the-barrel conversation he had with the archer. “I could really use a drink too.”

  Would you like to create a party with Reina Jax?

  Yes/No

  Yes. Rook was pleased to see a 5% increase in Attramancy Skills. In the upper right-hand corner, below his stat bars.

  Enabler skill activated.

  Allows party members to benefit from the party leader’s command presence and High Speed, Low Drag.

  “Weird.”

  A woman with a look of concentration on her young face weaved through the crowd, towards them with a serving tray. The blonde woman stopped mid-stride and frowned, reaching down to grab something. She held the meaty fingers of a dwarf twisted painfully in her hand. “Touch my ass again and lose ‘em,” she said.

  “Damn, talk about tough.” Rook sniffed in appreciation.

  Reina nodded. “Well, it runs in the family. Phane killed the Sunset Crab Mother.”

  “No kidding, so that’s his sister?”

  The woman came over with the tray and set down two cups of water and a bowl of fried lumps. “Well, if it isn’t young Lady Jax and…” She paused, looking at him. “Someone new, refreshing even. Been a while since I’ve gotten a lost stray to wander around my tavern.”

  She leaned in close enough to make the back of his neck tingle.

  “That’s right, I’m new in town. My name is Rook.” He thought better than to look a gift horse in the mouth. May as well give her my actual name.

  “Well, Rook, how can I help you both? Here for a drink or a quest? You’ll find both here.” She pointed to a bulletin board next to the bar on the far left wall. “Quests are on the wall. I have Copper, Bronze, a few silver, and one last gold quest. What can I get you to drink while you decide?”

  “Actually, we came here at Phane’s recommendation.” Rook showed her the challenge Coin. “He said you would put us up for the night, and food and drinks were on his tab.”

  “Aye. That I will.” She glanced down at the menus. “Food will be out shortly. Take this.” She handed them an old-fashioned copper key. “And put your things away. Baths are upstairs, go get cleaned up.” Brianna held her nose. “You smell like rotting river water.”

  Reina began to laugh, and Rook frowned at her.

  “Reina, you’re not much better,” Brianna said, with a chuckle.

  Rook suddenly became hyperaware that people seated near them were giving them attention. Some turned their noses up, and others scowled.

  “How will we know when the food is ready?” Rook asked her.

  Reina looked as if she wanted to say something, then thought better of it. “Our room will chime three times.”

  Brianna pointed to a hallway next to the bar and the bulletin board. Rook and Reina walked into the dimly lit hallway and up a staircase that led to another hall. Continuing forward, they passed the bathhouse on the way. It was in the middle of the hall, divided into male and female sides. The room itself was easy enough to find, as it was one of three in the upstairs area. It had two twin beds with itchy green blankets, similar to those handed out in basic training. His grandpa might have appreciated it, maybe even kept it on the couch. He did not. Frowning at the beds, he placed a hand down and smiled. Well I’ll be damned, it’s comfy.

  “I will say, this is not the finest establishment in Ollar, but it is free for the night, and for one with no money, it should be a Godsend,” said the enhancer.

  Rook checked his inventory; he had 2 gold, 11 silver, and 68 copper. “What would a night here cost with room and board?”

  “At Brianna’s, thirty copper a day, at a nicer establishment, double that easy. Which is why this is such a good deal. Once I stayed here for ten days.” She scoffed. “Burned through a third of my money too.”

  “How many copper coins make a silver?”

  She looked at him as if he had asked for permission to shit on the floor. “Nine hundred and ninety-nine. One thousand makes a silver.” With a yawn, she stretched. “It’s been a long day; it’d be a good idea to look at the quest postings in the morning. No use trying to navigate the crowd tonight.” Reina finished. “Meet back here when you’re done, and try not to linger.”

  Should I tell her I’m kinda rich now?

  He entered the sliding door of the bath and realized he was somewhat familiar with the cast of characters within the bathhouse. Amongst the crowd of human males talking about all manners of things, from the bartender Brianna, the town guard, the empire guards within the city, and even each other. Amongst the personalities, most notable was a gnome man who was no more than three feet tall, tattooed from the neck down with symbols similar to the runes on the gates. The humans began clearing out, leaving him as one of the few left.

  The area was similar to the Japanese bath houses he had seen when he visited the country, featuring a place to shower or wash, followed by a hot tub to soak. Near the exit were stalls and grooming areas in front of a mirror. It was better than he hoped for. Better than NTC and JRTC. Don’t even get me started on deployment showers.

  Soaking in the tub was with a Dwarf so fat that, no doubt, long ago his body spoke to his head and shoulders and decided it would be a waste to have his neck. The Dwarf had wild white hair that was dyed with black tips, and he had the largest belly Rook had seen in a long time, reminding him more of a tick or a beetle than a person. I guess this is life now. One thing the military taught him was new levels of disappointment, so he could never be surprised. But seeing a Dwarven Tick of a man soaking in the tub like a swollen whale was far from another day at the office.

  “New here?” The Dwarf asked when Rook entered the tub with a voice that was much deeper than expected.

  Rook was slightly disappointed to find he didn’t have a Celtic accent, like in many movies. He looked to the right and left; he was the only person the man could be speaking to. “Yes, it’s my first time in Ollar City.”

  “You in the sorcerers guild?”

  “No, I just have tattoos.”

  The dwarf mulled that over for a minute and shrugged. “I remember my first time in Ollar City. Loved it so much I decided to join an adventurers guild.” The Dwarf yawned. “I’ve been here ever since. You want to join up with us?” He palmed himself on the forehead, shaking his jowls. “Where are my manners? Names Orman Shattershield.”

  “Rook.”

  “Yeah, is that something you’re interested in?” A voice asked, both high-pitched and somehow with a surprising amount of authority.

  Rook looked around to see that the tattooed gnome was scrubbing his back on a stool outside the tub.

  “I haven’t given it much thought. I was only ever introduced to a guild called the Sentinels. But I was already a part of an organization that takes all my time and happiness,” Rook said with a grin.

  “I was once a military man myself, hmm. In the Gnome kingdom of Rolocardo. I was the great Excor of the flame fist platoon, finest in Khazinmar.” The gnome lifted his hand, made a fist, and it was engulfed in flames. He then extinguished it with a sizzle in a small bucket of water next to him. “When my contract was finished, I joined the adventurers’ guild in Rolocardo. I found myself here, ever since. “The Sentinels are a more exclusive group, stuck up if you ask me.”

  Good thing nobody asked you. Rook wasn’t getting a warm and fuzzy from these two.

  “My suggestion is to grab one of the beginner copper quests, finish a few of those before you move into the bronze and eventually more difficult quests.” The Dwarf began blowing bubbles in the tub. “I ended up doing beginner quests for years until I reached level twenty. Say you want to make some money?” Orman asked, raising his eyebrows. “We have a game called Gembas, and you’re going to need money if you want to survive in this city.”

  The gnome nodded his head in agreement. “I made the mistake of skipping Gembas, and ended up living on the street for the first week I came here.”

  How did you live on the street when you were both an ex-soldier and a part of the adventurers’ guild? Math ain’t mathin, dude.

  Rook ignored the question. Trying to prey on the new guy, eh? His hands and feet began to prune, and the feeling of the soft fingertips grew bothersome, so he said his goodbyes and exited the tub.