Immediately I feel a soft pressure on the back of my head. I turn around and see four people grouped together at a table, one of them being Darrick. I experimentally turn away and again feel a pressure in the direction he’s sitting. Figuring this must be something related to guild quests, I shrug it off and approach the table.

  The moment I do, Darrick looks up at me and frowns. The man next to him remains quiet, too distracted by the other two people: a short square man and a tall woman with ears that ended in a point. Interestingly, they all have another mark next to their name besides the usual red one.

  “I’m telling ya, I don’t need anything else! A good hammer strike will be more than enough for some bleeding skeletons,” Urthor declared in a voice loud enough to be heard on the other side of the room.

  “I didn’t ask about your hammer, you twit! You’re nearly half my level and half my size!” Witney jeered.

  “What, do you think we’ll be going out to slay trees, then? If you’re looking for some leaves to eat you might want to take your giraffe neck somewhere else,” Urthor jeered back, finishing his statement with a loud belch.

  “Can we please just-” Troy tried to speak up but his voice was lost in the noise.

  “Silence! Please. You three are going to give me a migraine," Wearing his usual Paladin gear, Darrick also had the look of someone that hadn’t slept in three days.

  Looking back up at me, Darrick coughed quietly into his hand before saying; “Well, I was hoping for a Rogue but one with a bit more … experience.”

  “Apologies … but I’ll do my best to carry my own weight,” I smiled nervously.

  “Ha! You don’t look like you could even carry your own knife! You sure about this, lass?” Urthor scoffed while scratching his mustache

  “Oh, let the girl come. Everyone needs to start somewhere. We’ll be fine regardless,” Witney disagreed. She then proceeded to slap Urthor’s hand away from his mustache. “Would you stop that!”

  Troy had yet to speak up, choosing to instead slouch awkwardly in his seat.

  “All the same, I would prefer to wait for one more person just to be sure.”

  “What about another Paladin?” I prodded, curious as to why he had to get help here instead of at the temple, at least that’s what my sister usually did.

  “I’m afraid there are none available,” Darrick growled. This must have been a sore spot for him.

  “Ha! Poor boy got left behind by the family. Now he has to get help from all us scary adventurers!” Urthor cackled.

  Darrick scowled and was about to speak up when Witney beat him to it by lightly hitting Urthor on the back of his head. “Don’t be mean! Besides, you’re not one to talk, dwarf,”

  “I'm not a dwarf!” Urthor slammed his hands down on the table. “Do I look like a dwarf to you?!”

  Witney, however, did not respond. Verbally, at least. Her smirk and narrowed eyes showed exactly what she was thinking.

  Another feeling in the back of my head told me a sixth person had accepted the quest. Turning around, I saw a woman dressed head to toe in dark leather robes with a hood pulled up over her head. A pair of daggers could be seen sheathed at her waist.

  “Good, this will do. Let’s get going before I have to share any more of my experience,” Darrick insisted, getting up and motioning for us all to follow along.

  I moved to follow but before I could make it out the door, Sasha stopped in front of me and turned around. I couldn't see her mouth but her eyes made it look like she was smiling. “Good luck, Restart.”

  With her here that makes five people. I bet the cave will be pretty dark; and I have really good stealth. Maybe I could … what am I thinking?! I shook my head vigorously to clear out the dark thoughts and moved to catch up with the group.

  I didn’t know what to expect when we left town, I always pictured adventurers riding out of town on horses or something but it turns out we were just going to walk the entire way. Darrick led us out to the west side of town where we then walked towards the north.

  To pass the time I figured I should ask Sasha if she had any advice for me as a Rogue but she only responded with a chuckle. I couldn't tell what she was thinking with how she’s been reacting. If it wasn’t for my quest mark proclaiming her as innocent I would feel much more uncomfortable around her. For now, I guess I won’t worry about her.

  Instead, I decided to focus on one of the two more talkative members of the group. “I’ve never seen ears like yours before, Witney. Is your home far away?” Judging by the reaction from the rest of the group, I shouldn't have asked about that.

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

  “Lass, you can’t just-”

  “It’s fine Urthor, ignorance of the curious is not a sinful thing,” she interrupted Urthor. When she next spoke to me there was a hard resolve in her voice. “These are Pocrise marks; I had to accept them in order to leave my home.”

  “O-oh so they aren’t … naturally like that?” I asked carefully.

  She shook her head while wearing a pained expression, “No … the markings are given through the use of a knife.”

  “That’s terrible! Why would they do something so awful, just because you wanted to leave for a while?!” I gasped.

  “It is considered sacrosanct by my people to give everything to Kajhael. To leave home is to be disowned,” Despite the sensitive topic, Witney spoke with an iron will. Clearly she did not regret her choice; I could see why if this is the kind of stuff they do.

  “So you can never go back?”

  “I can,” She shook her head. “But it would be … unwise.”

  “I see. Thank you for telling me this, Witney.”

  “You are most welcome, Elvira.” she said with a smile.

  “Say, cheese head, do you got a strategy for when we arrive or what?!” Urthor abruptly cuts in, completely ruining the somber atmosphere

  “Cheese head?” Darrick quotes absently. “Yes, the two rogues can scout ahead while we wait outside. Once things are safe, we will progress as a group.”

  “Can you not stay silent for more than a few minutes?!” Witney complained with clenched fists. She looked like she was a hair away from punching Urthor in the face.

  “Afraid not. The people would be upset if they didn't hear my lovely singing voice,” To illustrate his point, Urthor cleared his throat … and promptly spit out a slimy wad onto the ground.

  “Really?!” Witney shrieked in disgust. “Would anyone here complain if something tragic happened if our short friend accidentally fell in a hole while we’re trudging through that cave?”

  “Ha, good luck with that, long neck, I’ll have you know I can jump twice your height!”

  “Oh, so instead of dwarf, would it be more accurate to instead call you a jumping bean?” she chuckled dryly behind her hand.

  “Don’t sully the good name of beans, giraffe!” Urthor declared, raising a threatening fist.

  “Whatever you say, little flea.”

  “I’ll show you flea!” Urthor unsheathing a pair of hammers but Witney stabbed an arrow into his trailing cloak and ran ahead, laughing. The arrow did not stop him from moving forward, but it did make him stumble briefly.

  “Why you-”

  “That’s what you get for not purchasing a kids size cloak!!” Witney yelled back as she continued to run.

  They may yell at each other but it’s easy to see how close they are. After living with my sister I can tell what Urthor is doing. Natalie was very similar with the way she would use crude jokes to cheer people up. With Darrick being a Paladin and Troy a priest; these are obviously good people. Even Sasha doesn’t seem like she’s actively antagonistic. So why … why can’t I shake the thought of trying to kill them?! I don’t want to hurt anyone! I can’t hurt anyone, they are all so much stronger than me! I do get a lot more experience so I’ll probably gain a few levels during this quest so maybe … NO, STOP IT!

  “Are you alright?” a small voice to my right says. It’s Troy, speaking up for the first time since we left.

  “Huh? Yea I’m okay, did I look off or something?”

  “You looked like you had a terrible headache. Do you need a hand?” he said, gripping his staff tightly with both hands.

  “No, I’ll be fine. Thank you though,” I smiled.

  Eventually we arrived at our destination. It essentially was just a hole in the side of a hill that led downward. Otherwise, it seems relatively ordinary as far as I could tell. There were some boot prints on the ground around the entrance, showing that someone had been here before. I did not see any undead around, though.

  “Is this really it?” I asked.

  “Of course, this is where the quest guided me! Or do you think START is mistaken?” Darrick accused in a tone that told me he would not accept an actual answer to the contrary.

  His quest is still active so that does make me slightly concerned for whoever wandered in before us.

  “So what exactly is a ‘skeleton council’?” I asked, not having heard of that type of monster before.

  “It’s a skeleton!” Urthor proudly declared. WItney rolled her eyes at his comment but did not say anything.

  “Not one I’ve heard of either. It could be dangerous,” Troy agrees.

  “Bah! What do you know, level two?”

  “I agree with the dwarf” At Witney's words, Urthor immediately does a double take and stares at her like she just had burst into flames. “There are hundreds of different skeletons and they’re usually quite weak. We should be careful, however.”

  “Just leave 'em to me! Everyone knows Skeletons are weak to smashin’!” Urthor says with a florrish of his hammers.

  “Find a skeleton, throw a dwarf at it. Good plan,” Witney nodded.

  “You say that as if you’re capable of throwing more than a leaf inside a windstorm,” Urthor snorts.

  “I wouldn’t even NEED to throw it in that situation! Your analogy doesn’t even make sense!”

  “Ah, too right. It’d be pretty difficult for you to throw anything when the wind is busy throwing YOU around!” Urthor guffawed.

  Seeing the two continue to bicker, Sasha decided now was a good time to grab my arm and pull me into the cave with her. “That’s far too much noise for Rogues like us, let’s get scouting, shall we?” What with everyone pulling me around lately? I know if I like that Natalie got me accustomed to this.

  “We’ll follow in after if you do not emerge in ten minutes!” I heard Darrick shout from behind us.

  Sasha lead the way through the noiseless cave. Initially the light from outside was enough to light the way but after a few minutes I could no longer see where I was going. Silently cursing at myself for not bringing a torch, I paused to see if Sasha had any way to illuminate our path.

  I waited for nearly a full minute when suddenly something slapped my side, causing me to nearly jump out of my skin! Fearing an attack, I immediately began to retrace my steps until laughter stopped me in my tracks.

  The cave lit up and revealed Sasha standing nearby, torch in hand. “Amateur,” She chuckled. “I’m starting to wonder if you’re trying to get yourself killed, blindly walking into the dark with a stranger like me.”

  “At your level you wouldn't need the dark to kill me.” I stated, flatly. I also know she’s not a murder or anything–but I couldn't tell her that.

  “Fair enough,” She said, motioning forward with a hand.

  “But just so you know, using a torch is a dumb idea if you’re trying to sneak around. You’ll want to get some kind of night vision soon. You should be thankful undead are dumber than rocks.”

  I nodded in thanks at her advice, feeling genuinely grateful. I’m sure there are a lot of small things I will have to learn if I want to act more like a Rogue. I know a lot about what being a Priest or a Paladin is like but unfortunately, Rogue was just not something I ever thought too much about.

  For several minutes, we skulked quietly through the illuminated cave, not really finding anything of note. We walked a straight line without a single twist or turn. It was almost like whatever made this cave was specifically trying to dig upward to escape. If it was dug by a creature I hope we do not find it–judging by the size, it would have to be something pretty big.

  Eventually the cave floor came to an abrupt end and transitioned into carved stone. It didn’t end at a wall, the cave floor just… ended and carved stone began. It didn’t just look like someone tunneled into the wall of some underground crypt; there was no sign of debris. It was almost as if a mason knew they would run out of materials and decided to ensure the end point looked perfectly even. Our torch was also no longer needed as the walls held burning sconces at regular intervals.

  I glanced at Sasha with a wordless question in my eyes but she merely shrugged, clearly as clueless as me.