The interior of the bar was exceptionally tiny and exceptionally moody. Its walls were black, inlaid with copper in repeating geometric designs, while a hushed orange glow emanated from the ceiling, unclear whether by magic or technology. Windowless, the entirety of the bar was pleasantly dim, rendering it both cozy and sultry at once.

As it was early yet, I was the only customer inside. I grabbed one of the stools behind the bar and took a seat, eyeing the myriad of unfamiliar liquors lining the wall.

Slipping behind the bar, Nadja fixed her eyes on me. “All right, miss water mage. What can I get ya?”

Actually, that was a good question. What could she get me? “This is probably going to sound silly, but I’m not really from around here, and I have absolutely no clue what’s in any of those bottles.” I hadn’t considered myself overly knowledgeable when it came to Earth’s spirits; I certainly didn’t know anything about the fantasy versions.

“Ah, she’s a traveler from distant lands. See? I knew you’d have some good stories for me. How about you tell me something fun, and I’ll give you a little crash course.”

Well, she wasn’t wrong. I was without a doubt from distant lands. Did I have any good stories though?

Wait, of course I did — why was I even asking? Even if I wasn’t going to talk about Earth or being a Protagonist, the last month of my life had been packed with more stories than the rest of them combined.

“Well, I’m not actually a water mage, but I guess the story of how I got my water spell isn’t half bad…”

Nadja and I slammed back another shot, this one tasting vaguely of smoke and honeydew. It burned all the way down before joining up with the host of other spirits that lay in my stomach.

“And that miss dryad-catcher, water mage, is some of the local stuff. Fermented from spring melons, then lightly peated. Doesn’t get overwhelming with the smokiness, but tickles your nose and your tongue a bit.” She passed me the bottle, turning it around to let me read from the back.

I still couldn’t tell whether she believed a word I’d said, but at the very least, my stories had been enough to earn me a rundown of the local liquors. What I hadn’t expected was that she’d be drinking along with me. Still, considering Drinking was an actual skill here, I was fairly certain the bartender could hold her alcohol far better than I could.

Which, to be fair, wasn’t to say much. I was already starting to feel a bit buzzed.

I moved my tongue against the roof of my mouth, mopping up the shot’s aftertaste before making a final decision. “You know, I think I like it. Makes me want to try a spring melon, honestly. Feels like it’d be a good ice cream flavor without the smoke.”

Unexpectedly, the world seemed to agree with my sentiment, and a notification popped up before me.

You have learned a new skill: Conversation

Improves your ability to respond to others and hold a conversation.

Prerequisites: 15 Charisma

There really was a skill for everything, huh? Considering how many conversations I’d already had, I guessed I was only getting it because my Charisma had recently hit 15.

My surprise and temporary lapse of focus did not go unnoticed, Nadja arching a brow as she turned to find us our next drink. “Level something up? I don’t think we’ve been drinking enough to level up your Drinking skill, so something else?”

I had the general sense that you weren’t supposed to ask questions like that, but considering I was spilling all my stories over shots, the lines of propriety were probably blurred a bit. Besides, it hardly felt worth hiding. “Says I just got the Conversation skill.”

In response to my words, Nadja spun towards me and bent down to my level. Without warning, she cupped my face in her hand, bringing her own face inches from mine and studying me intently.

“Huh. I figured you had at least 20 Charisma with a face like that, but unless you’re some type of shut in, you must have just unlocked your first wave of Charisma skills, yeah?”

I flushed, not entirely from the alcohol. People in Ftheran must have had really different ideas of personal space than I was used to.

I nodded, and she let go of me. Instead of pulling back, however, she brought her mouth right beside my ear.

“You know, if you want to taste those spring melons, I think I have a few back at my place. Wouldn’t mind helping you pick up a few more Charisma skills while we’re there, either. They can be a little tricky to learn without a partner, if you catch my meaning.”

Nope, nevermind — I was pretty sure this wasn’t about different concepts of personal space anymore.

I could feel my face rapidly shifting from flushed to beet red, and the only thing that saved me from opening my mouth and making a fool out of myself was the sound of the door opening.

“Oi! Naj! What are you doing to that poor girl? Looks like someone took a blowtorch to her face.” A trio of snickers erupted, and I pulled my head away from Nadja’s purely to look at the newcomers and definitely not for any other reason.

All three were men in their early twenties. They moved with a certain kind of sinuous grace that I was starting to recognize from those high in Dexterity. Absentmindedly, I focused on the first of them.

Temrin: Level 8 Thief* (Unclassed), 180/180hp

*Note, this class is hidden. Target will show up to normal identification skills as having no class.

My embarrassment faded away as I read the man’s information. Forget the fact that he’s some kind of thief — How’d he get a class before level 10? I thought I vaguely remembered Hartha saying such a thing was possible, but I certainly hadn’t seen it before.

A quick scan of the man’s companions revealed similar findings: One was a level 8 Rogue while the other was a level 9 Lockpick. Both of them showed up as having hidden classes.

Belatedly, I realized I was staring. Thankfully, before any of them could comment, Nadja pulled away from me to address them. “Just a little teasing is all. A girl gets to have a little fun here and there.”

Just some teasing, that’s all. Probably just wanted to watch me squirm a bit. Considering how red she’d gotten me, I could hardly blame her.

Temrin approached the bar with a shrug along with his two pals. For a moment, I wondered if I should be worried that a Thief was here, but I doubted it. He seemed to know Nadja, likely meaning that he was a regular.

“Where’d you even find her? Don’t think I’ve seen any new faces here for a long time.” He sized me up, and I realized that while Nadja was probably safe, that didn’t mean the same for me. Could a Thief steal from a soulbound spatial pouch though? Hopefully not.

“Found her outside, huffing and puffing like she’d just run a marathon. Actually, I never got an answer out of you — what got you worked up like that?” She fetched three glasses, filling them one after another from a cask by her feet before handing them to the newcomers.

Should I tell them? Why not? Maybe they’d be able to help me make heads or tails of it all.

“I was in the park when I saw this person in a black cloak who could turn invisible. I uh… I guess I can see invisible people, so I called out to them, but they ran. I chased after, but they got away from me.”

After a few seconds of silence, I realized how incredibly absurd that sounded. Who went chasing after invisible people?

I waited for one of the four to laugh, but instead, Temrin spoke up.

“Says she was chasing the damned Shadow of Ftheran. And that she can see invisible people. Seriously Naj, you bring in the weirdest people.” The other two nodded in assent while taking deep swigs from their ale. Even Nadja looked at me a bit funny.

“Um. Can the girl who just got to the city today have an explanation? You know who I was chasing?” And why couldn’t it have been “The Friendly Pal of Ftheran” or “The Invisible Good Luck Charm” of Ftheran? I already had enough ominous, dark entities in my life, and I wasn’t looking to add another.

It was the Rogue who spoke up next. “The Shadow’s the only one in the city with a gods-honest invisibility skill. Must have some absurd class for a skill like that. Besides that, no one really knows much about ‘em. I hear they do some jobs for the Thieves Guild once in a while, but they’re mostly independent.”

Great. So I’d somehow gotten a well-known, mysterious super-thief to stalk me within a day of arriving.

“That’s assuming she’s not lying out of her ass to impress good ‘ol Naj here,” the Lockpick chimed in. “Hey Naj, was it working? I don’t think I’m pale enough, but if I say I chased the Shadow of Ftheran around, will you try and make my face turn all red like that?” He roared out a throaty laugh which was soon joined up by his two companions. For my part, my face quickly returned to its previously crimson shade.

“Like that! Just like that!” he bellowed. “Naj, I like the new girl. You should keep her around.”

A shot of clear liquor appeared on the bar in front of me, its twin in Nadja’s hand. “Maybe I will if you lot don’t scare her off. Here, this one’s on them.”

The three of them pretended to make a fuss at that, but couldn’t keep the smiles off their faces. “You’re going to let this girl drink on our dime and you don’t even pour us one? Gods wept, Naj, grab us some shots.”

And that was how I found myself taking shots with three men of disreputable profession and one particularly friendly bartender.

Drinking has increased to level 2!

Several drinks later, I stumbled back to the royal palace. As I’d started drinking in the afternoon, it wasn’t even properly night yet. That did not stop me, however, from flopping into bed the moment I made my way to my room.

They’re nice, I decided. At least Nadja is. The others are kind of asses, but that can be fun too sometimes.

I wondered if I’d find time to visit again. Nadja had at least told me to come back.

Actually, I think it was unclear whether she was telling me to come back to the bar or back to her place.

Honestly. I knew some bartenders liked to jokingly flirt a little for a better tip, but she was really leaning into it, wasn’t she? Probably just a local thing.

With a great many thoughts running through my groggy head, I let the pillowy bed consume me, falling into a blissful sleep.

When many hours later I awoke with a pounding headache, it was to the sound of someone knocking on my door while speaking through it.

“Lady Tess. The king will be ready to see you soon.”