Wat stood up, rubbing his wrists. “I didn't say that.”

Mery hadn’t left the room. Still with her hand on the door, she said, “What's she look like?”

“I'm not saying anything else. I told you what you want to know.”

“So true.” Mery left the room.

“You’re hungry, I bet.” Lund gave a sigh. “I never got enough to eat when I was your age.”

“Usually they feed me when I come here.”

Isa looked to Lund. “Well, we’ll make sure you have a bag full before you leave.”

“Yeah,” Lund nodded. “And if you get tired of the bandit life, come to Bywater, stop by Lund’s Tavern. Maybe I can get you some work. Hard work, little pay, but it’s honest work. No killing, no sneaking.”

Wat kept his eyes on his shoes. “Yeah. Thanks.”

Mery breezed back in with a small bag. “Here you go.” She handed Wat the bag. “You can count it. 100 silver.” She paused. “But you don’t need to count it now, do ya? We’re your friends, now right? Before, well that was a misunderstanding. Just a silly misunderstanding.” Mery talked and nodded her head, and after a moment, Wat’s head also began to nod. “Yeah,” he said. “That’s what it was.”

The tone of Mery’s voice, her actions, confused Isa. Before Mery had been direct and a little threatening - maybe more than a little - and now her voice was warm and smooth like honey. “Wha--”

Without taking her eyes off Wat, Mery shot her arm out in a STOP gesture. Without missing a beat in her conversation Mery said, “And we’ll tell Thorn that. She’ll understand that none of this was your fault. Alright?” Mery smiled warmly and put a hand on Wat’s arm. “Don’t worry, OK?”

Wat ducked his head as if embarrassed. “OK.”

“My, it will be good to see Thorn again, eh? It’s been-- it’s been months since I saw her. Bet she’s changed things up. You know how she is! Always changing things, eh?”

Isa darted her eyes from Wat to Mery. This was magic, right? Had to be. Mery was doing some sort of word fog at Wat, confusing him.

“What’s she doing now?” Mery asked him. “Not that old ward stone trick, I hope.”

“Nah, if we see the old man, it’s fine, but the dog means come back.”

“Ah! That’s a good one. She stole that from me, you know.” Mery put her arm around Wat’s shoulders. “Let’s get you on your way, then. You got your coin; you got your dagger…. No? Lund, do you know what happened to Wat’s dagger?”

Lund reached behind his back and pulled the dagger from his belt. “Let me get this sharpened for you - won’t take a moment. You go on downstairs.”

As Isa watched, Mery and Wat walked down the stairs like old friends. Mery continued to talk to Wat in an older sister sort of tone. Once their heads had dipped below the stairs Isa turned to Lund and said, “What the fuck was that? Was that magic? Had to be magic. Or bullshit. Or both? Definitely both, and you’re giving him back his dagger?”

Lund gave a short laugh. “Mery. That was charm person. It’s a spell, and it’s a good one.” He bent his head to concentrate on sharpening the dagger.

“Hmmm, that’s something she’s known for? So, how’s it work? He didn’t seem to realize it was a spell.”

“And he won’t. Not for another, oh 45 minutes or so.”

“So it’s a short term spell.”

“More or less. I guess you could cast it a bunch of time during the day. It’s a class 1 spell. Bards and wizards.”

Isa threw up her hands. “Great. Bards and wizards. Two of the people I need to rely on in this stupid world could be messing with my mind 8 hours a day - 10 hours a day!”

“They’d have to be pretty high level to cast 10 spells like--”

“That’s not the point, Lund!” Isa stopped herself from yelling at him. He was the only person she could really trust.

Was that true?

“You know a lot about magic,” she said. “But you don’t….” Isa waggled her fingers. “..... partake?”

“Nah. Not my style. No patience for that sort of thing.”

“Yeah,” said Isa. “I’m with you.” She crossed her arms. “But how do I protect myself, right? How do I keep from getting enchanted like Mery just did to that kid? I don’t want to wake up wondering if I did something because I wanted to or because someone else wanted me to. You know?”

“Oh yeah. I know. It gets easier to kinda spot that someone is trying to magick you. Easier to shrug it off - or try anyway.” He put away his whetstone and gestured at the door. “You ready?”

“How? How does it get easier?”

“I dunno - you’re exposed to more spells, and since you have to speak, and usually move your hands, you can spot that someone is trying to cast. Dead useful in combat if you can drop the spellcasters.”

“I can see where that would be useful.” Isa nodded. “Thanks, Lund. Thank you for helping me. Not just today, but since I got here.”

He shrugged and smiled. “You’re pretty far from home. Anyone would do the same.”

They met up with Mery and Wat downstairs, and Lund handed the young man his dagger.

“Use it well, right?” Mery smiled at him and put a finger to her ear. “Listen before you move, right? You got that? Never know when some sneaky bard or warlock is gonna cast invisibility and mess up your whole day.”

“Right,” he said. “Got it.” He put a heavy bag over his shoulder and waved goodbye. Mery and Lund followed him out the door and stood on the porch to wave. Isa felt like she had stumbled upon a scene of parents sending their eldest son off to college.

Finally Mery and Lund turned back toward the house. “That,” said Isa, “was just plain weird. What did you do to that kid? And don’t you ever do it to me.”

The smile that had been on Mery’s face disappeared. “Not my style, lass. I don’t need magic to fill my bed.”

“That’s not what I--” She stopped. “I just don’t understand this world. What happened in there? It was like you were best friends.”

“I’m not always proud of my spells, Isa.” Mery pushed past her and into the house.

Isa followed on her heels. “What’s that mean?” she asked. “Have you killed with magic?”

Mery blinked. “Of course I have. Wouldn’t be here talking to you if I hadn’t. A tool’s a tool, isn’t it? You use what’s to hand.” She gestured at the door that Lund was just closing behind him. “That boy had knowledge - knowledge that we need. So hell yes, I magicked him. I’d hope that you’d do the same.”

“You just…. You just lie so easily,” Isa said softly.

“There is no black and white. It’s all a wash of gray.” Mery wiped her hand in the air. “And the best you can do is try to stay toward the light and remain true to your friends.”

Isa sat down in a chair. “This place.” She shook her head. “I just don’t know if I--”

“None of us do.” Mery patted Isa’s shoulder and then gripped it for a moment. “We’re all just groping in the dark.”

She pulled her hand away and in a minute, Mery was back with a bottle of wine. “We need to rest. Tomorrow we can load up a cart and take the ale and things back to Bywater.”

Isa grabbed the full mug that was offered, took a big swig, and leaned back. She was suddenly more than exhausted. All of the emotions of this really long day began to catch up with her. She’d laughed, cried, bled, killed, kissed, and comforted. And that was all just in the last few hours, let alone the hours before arriving at this house.

“That,” Lund said softly, “was a helluva fight.” He held his mug up. “I have to admit - I’m kind of interested to look at my notebook. I probably didn’t level, but well, it was a helluva fight.”

Isa sat up straight. “My notebook! Do you think I leveled?”

Mery’s eyes smiled over her mug as she took a drink. “Always exciting to see. I warn you though, it gets harder to level as you go. Makes sense, yeah? When you’re new, everything is an experience. Everything you do, you do for the first time. But after awhile, it’s what they call the grind. You’re just doing your work and hoping for the best outcome, and then one day you’re doing something stupid simple, and you feel the heat that tells you that you leveled.”

Isa opened her notebook, and there it was: Level 4.

Spoiler: Isa's Character Sheet

Name: Isa Chamberlin

Race: Human

Height & Weight: 5ft 6inches / 120 lbs

Class: Fighter Level: 4

Alignment: Good

Background: Stranger in a Strange Land

Hit Points: 26 AC: 15

Current Hit Points: 20

Combat: +5 to Hit

Weapons: Scimitar +1 (left hand) 1d6 +4 (slashing) / Quarterstaff (right hand) 1d6 +2 (bludgeoning)

Coin: 21gp, 10sp, 22cp

STR

11

0

DEX

16

+3

CON

11

0

INT

13

+1

WIS

13

+1

CHA

12

+1

Saving Throws: Str and Con +2

5

Acrobatics* (Dex)

1

Medicine (Wis)

1

Animal Handling (Wis)

1

Nature (Int)

1

Arcana (Int)

3

Perception* (Wis)

0

Athletics (Str)

1

Performance (Cha)

1

Deception (Cha)

1

Persuasion (Cha)

3

History* (Int)

1

Religion (Int)

3

Insight* (Wis)

3

Sleight of Hand (Dex)

1

Intimidation (Cha)

3

Stealth (Dex)

1

Investigation (Int)

1

Survival (Wis)

Special Attack: Two weapon fighting. When you engage in two-weapon fighting, you can add your ability modifier to the damage of the second attack.

Class Features:

USED Second Wind - On your turn, you can use a Bonus Action to regain hit points equal to 5 + your fighter level. Short or Long Rest before you can use it again.

USED Action Surge - On your turn, you can take one additional action on top of your regular action and a possible Bonus Action. You must finish a short or Long Rest before using it again.

Martial Archetype: Surgical Fighter

3rd level - Clinical Eye: Spend 1 combat turn studying your enemy and learn one of the following: if the enemy is equal to or stronger than you in strength, dexterity, or constitution. Can spend up to 3 turns to discern all 3. Can be used outside of combat as a free action - spend 1 minute to learn all three.