Isa took a quick sip of wine as she scanned the page. “What’s this mean?” She read aloud, “‘Ability improvement.’ What’s that mean?”

“Leveling means different things for differ--”

“Yeah I get that,” Isa interrupted Mery. She didn’t really have the patience for a lecture. “What’s it mean for me?”

Mery set down her mug. “It’s a lot to take in,” she said softly. “An awful lot.” She knelt beside Isa’s chair. “But I can see that you’re a woman who knows her mind.”

“I’m sorry,” Isa said. “You’re just trying to help, and I--”

“Fighters get to improve an ability,” Lund told her. “That is if they don’t decide to learn something else.”

“We don’t need to muddy the river just yet, do we?” Mery looked over her shoulder at Lund.

“No. We don’t.” He took a sip of wine.

Mery put a finger on the page. “You’ve looked at these numbers here; I know. Your ability scores - your ranks of god-given gifts, I guess you’d say.” Isa nodded, so Mery went on. “Shows you how strong ya are, how smart, how healthy. And sometimes when you level - especially a fighter, when she levels - she gets to say ‘I’m going to focus on this one thing and get better.’ And because these are god-given, you do improve; you get stronger or smarter, healthier.”

Isa scanned the six words on the page. “OK,” she said. “Dexterity is my best - let’s make it better. I want to be - what did you call it the other night?”

With a laugh Mery said, “A dexy fighter. Yeah, piano benches aside, you’re a fine fighter, and getting more dexterity, that will make you that much more dangerous. Harder to hit, lighter on your feet. And with that lovely new blade….” Mery looked at Lund. “Did she tell you about the blade, Lund? She’s claimed Hamma’s scimitar. It’s a fine, fine weapon. I hope you don’t mind.”

“Not at all. When am I going to need a sword like that? If you could stay out of trouble, I could go back to the bar.”

“Yeah….” Mery cocked her head and smiled.

“Lund, can you help me with my training? For the dexterity?” Isa kept her finger in place next to the word Dexterity as if she might forget it.

The half-orc shook his head. “Maybe you haven’t noticed, I’m not real limber. I’m more of a heavy hitter, I guess. You need a real trainer now - someone with your fighting style, a blade dancer, like.”

“Blade dancer. That’s really badass,” Isa nodded her head and smiled as she imagined her old ballet teacher giving all the little girls training swords.

“That’s not really a style,” Mery cautioned. “That’s just Lund being all poetic, like.”

“Either way, it’s still badass, and it’s what I want to be.”

Lund and Mery looked at each other in silence. Then Mery said, “You started this. You put the notion in her head. Your job to see it through.”

“I don’t know anyone in Hanchen.”

“Who said Hanchen?” Mery raised her hands. “I didn’t say Hanchen.”

Lund put down his mug. “You meant Hanchen. There’s no one in Bywater who can teach her!”

“How big is Deney?” Isa asked. “Maybe there’s someone in Deney.”

The two friends turned and looked at Isa with open mouths, and then Mery started laughing. “Deney! Of course.” She used the back of her hand to slap at Lund. “Why didn’t you think of it?”

“I have a bar to run. I can’t be going all over creation.”

“You’ve missed this.” Mery stretched out her legs and took a sip of wine.

“Maybe it’s been a little fun. But I’ve got a cart full of ale that needs carting and an angry cook to get back to.” He leaned forward. “I’ve got what I wanted - rescuing you and a reward for my troubles, with the ale. Isa, take the 27 gold and that navigator’s kit. Oh,and Mery, will you mend the armor I pulled off pretty boy? It’s pretty nice studded. Can maybe get 20 gold for it.” He nodded toward the kitchen. “Got it sitting with the barrels.”

Mery slapped the tops of her thighs and stood up. “No rest for the wicked, as my granny used to say.” She started toward the kitchen and then paused. “I’ll be back in two shakes so don’t drink all the wine.”

“Listen Isa, I was going to sleep down here, get an early start home, and well, you’re welcome to come with me. If you need time.” He leaned forward to make eye contact with Isa. “Thorn is not your battle.”

“She is, though. It’s in my quest log, remember?”

“Yeah, but--”

As Mery walked in, Lund stopped talking. She looked from Isa to Lund and back. “What? What are you talking about now?”

Lund sighed. “I was just telling her that--”

“He was giving me some good advice about Thorn.”

Mery returned to her seat and poured more wine into her mug. “Something you want to share with the class, Mister Subash? You know who this Thorn is, then?”

“No, of course not. I was just telling Isa that she can go back to Bywater, regroup, spend some time on her training.”

“True, true.” Mery leaned back and let her head rest against the back of the chair. She set the mug of wine on her belly and stared at the fire.

“I can get training in Deney, and that’s where Thorn is. That’s where I want to go.” When Mery didn’t respond, she went on, “I can go on my own, of course. I’m a big girl.”

“It’s my quest,” said Mery.

“Mine, too.” Isa opened her notebook. “‘Children of Thorn,’” she read aloud. “Oh, and I have a quest called Blade Dancer. It says, ‘Seek training in dexterity fighting styles.’” She looked from Lund to Mery. “How does it know? That wasn’t there earlier. How do quests get into your notebook?”

“It’s a good question, and for better minds than mine own,” said Mery. “Maybe the gods, maybe a part of you does it, yeah? I mean, it’s a book of you, innit?”

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.