What better way to start the day than with a stand-off? A classical stand-off. One dwarf. One man. One ratling. One… horned, fur-legged woman? So maybe not so classical. Then again, with so many races and so much history, who’s to say this type of encounter hasn’t happen a thousand times before?

Still, classical or not, the early morning fight about to happen was a somewhat disquieting to those involved. Jack was alarmed. The woman in front of him had a bow on her back, though she hadn’t reached for it. Still, he got the sense that she was dangerous. In his state of fight or… well, fight, he didn’t think on why he thought she was dangerous. Not consciously. But there was something that held him back from more overt aggression.

Brom and Mrk had no such things drawing them back.

“Mrk, go grab my shield and axe. I’ll hold her off.” Brom ordered.

“Mrk not leaving Jack.”

“I’ll protect Jack! We need weapons.”

“Mrk. Not. Moving!” the ratling grunted.

They think she’s dangerous too. So, I was right then.

“Who are you?” Jack called out, from behind his two friends. “What do you want?”

“Please, my name is-“ the young woman started, before being interrupted.

“Quiet!” Brom ordered. “Jack, I know her kind. They’re famous for their stories. She might have speech Skills.”

Having just gotten out of a conflict with a compulsion Skills empowered asshole, Jack became just a little more reticent after finding that. And still. The inkling of doubt still persisted in the back of his head.

“Is that true?” he asked her.

“Only the first part, but-“

“Is true! Goat woman wants to bend Jack’s mind!” Mrk snapped.

“Goat woman? If I’m a goat woman, you’re a rat boy!” she said, finally losing her temper.

Which was sensible, given her circumstances, but didn’t help with her situation at all. Since her flare of annoyance finally ‘assured’ Brom and Mrk that yes, she was dangerous and yes, they should go all out on her.

With a scream Mrk charged, all clays and teeth, with Brom hot on his trails. Ava ran back out and drew her bow, an arrow already nocked.

“Don’t make me do this! Please, I was told I would find shelter here.”

There was a note of desperation in her voice. That made the doubt in Jack’s mind grow. Not enough to stop him from going to help his friends, but it was there. Growing.

The fact that she hesitated in loosening her arrow wasn’t taken as a gesture of good will by Brom and Mrk. It might not have been noticed at all. The ratling charged, heedless of danger and Ava finally loosed an arrow at his feet.

“|Scurried Steps|”

Mrk blurred, dodging out of the way, even if the arrow would have missed him regardless. He continued his assault, while Ava drew another arrow. Yet this one she didn’t manage to draw, as Brom tackled her from behind.

She stumbled and almost fell down, but managed to regain her footing just in the nick of time, before Mrk grabbed hold of her legs. Ava sprinted some distance away from them, but kept her arrow locked on them.

“Please, stop! I’ll leave! I… I was told this was a Refuge!” she screamed and there was anguish in her voice.

Why does she sound like that?

“Not for the likes of you!” Brom boomed back.

“Goat woman wants hurt Jack!”

Jack ran forward, thought he didn’t know why for. Should he help them grab the woman? Shoo her away? Listen to her?

Why does this feel so familiar?

He knew she should run back inside and grab his rapier. He saw that his friends could have used some help, the goat-woman was too nimble to be easily caught. But there was also a sense of wrongness to those ideas. Like they weren’t completely his.

“Gods damn it, Mrk!” Brom swore. “I told you we needed weapons!”

“Mrk has weapons.” The ratling said, flexing his claws.

They’re so bloodthirsty. It’s like… they’re seeing something I’m not. What am I missing?

“Then use them! Use your Skill and grab hold of her, even if she shoots you. I’ll end her.”

Mrk nodded and advanced, trying to flank Ava, while Brom went straight for her.

Jack still didn’t know what to do and that seemed to have caused him a major migraine. Major. It felt like he had a fever, if he had ever had a fever before. Still, he advanced as well. He couldn’t let his friends be killed by her. But… why would she kill them?

While Jack tried to fix what was broken in his mind, Mrk finally got close enough to Ava.

“|Scurried Steps|”

He blurred again, reappearing just a couple of feet away from her. This time, she did loose an arrow in his leg, not pinning him down, but taking away his mobility. However, even as the ratling fell, his tail coiled around Ava’s ankle. She tried to flee, but found she couldn’t.

That was when Brom tackled her again.

Say what you will about dwarven height, but they were heavy. Those broad shoulders and broad chest and… generally just broad figure weighed a lot, especially when compressed into such a short figure. So when one tackled you, you felt it.

Ava went sprawling, with Brom falling on top of her. Jack was running towards them now, hoping he could stop… or fix… or just unfuck whatever it is that was going on. She tried to fight them and to shove Brom off of her, but the dwarf wouldn’t be budged. He pinned one of her arms with his knee and Mrk had dragged himself to her and grabbed a hold of the other.

She lay there, wriggling, trying to escape. Completely pissed and downright scared at the same time.

This isn’t right. Whatever this is, it isn’t right!

His head was pounding as he ran for them. His eyes widened as he saw Brom’s hands reaching up.

Both hands raised above his head, clenched together into a massive hammer fist.

“|Ensnaring Vines|!”

“|Quick Swing|!”

The vines shot up from the earth, their speed fueled perhaps by magic, perhaps by Jack’s desperation. They wrapped around all three of them, but their target was solely Brom. His torso was instantly covered and the vines anchored themselves on his body to lock his hands in position.

Even so, his swing had gotten than halfway down before it was finally stopped. His unfinished blow was just a foot or so from Ava’s face.

Jack fell on his knees as he reached them, both migraine and spell taking a toll on his well-being.

“…Jack? What are you doing? I’d already pinned her down.” Brom asked him.

“Mrk is holding.” The ratling grunted.

However, Jack wasn’t actively listening to them. Because the voice in his head was distracting him.

|New C-

|New Skill-

|Spell Received: Dispel Compulsion|

It happened just like before. Like the voice in his head suffered from a major case of the hiccups. Or like it was trying to say something that it couldn’t, going through all variants until it finally found something that was acceptable. Only now Jack realized, in his tired state, that each time the voice halted itself, his migraine went up a notch. A very noticeable notch.

“Jack? Jack, are you alright?”

He realized he had fallen down, his head plopping on ground. He resumed his siting position, only to see Brom’s eyes widen in fear.

“Jack! You’re bleeding!”

“I am?” he asked dizzily.

Rubbing at his wet nose with his hand, Jack realized he was in fact bleeding.

Hell of a migraine.

I was a little unexpected, but not something to lose sleep over. Not like the voice, which was acting weirder and weirder as far as Jack was concerned. His opinion didn’t seem to be shared by the other two.

“You did this! You hurt him!” Brom bellowed, struggling to break free of Jack’s spell.

“Jack hurt?! Mrk kill!”

Jack’s head still felt like it was stuffed with wool, but he had enough awareness to know that his newly acquired spell must be related to his earlier conundrum. So, like any other person in the world, he used it.

“|Dispel Compulsion|”.

And suddenly, it was like a veil was removed from his mind. One of many, since he still felt like got hit with a rock, but his reasoning finally cleared as it concerned Ava. He looked at her, lying completely still in front of his friend’s aggression and couldn’t for the life of him explain to himself why he felt threatened by her.

He looked back at the day’s events and there wasn’t one thing she did that wasn’t in self-defense. And he finally realized it. Both from how the spell he got as named and from finally remembering the odd familiar feeling from before. The same he got from Mr. Winnow. His mind had been tampered with.

He gathered himself and prepared to cast the spell on his friends. It wasn’t like he could reason with them.

“|Dispel Compulsion|.”

“|Dispel Compulsion|.”

He got to see the bewildered looks on their faces. Even the beginning of shame. But just after that, he passed out.

***

When he came about, he found Brom and Mrk sitting at his sides. After they helped him get up and he wiped the dried blood from his nostrils, he found, to his surprise, that the young woman had yet to leave. Oh, she was standing a healthy distance from them and she had her bow in her hands, but she hadn’t bolted.

I’m guessing she really is looking for Refuge.

“Thanks, guys.” He said, before turning to her. “So… uh, sorry about all that. Uhm… want breakfast?”

And since surprises were a silver a dozen these days, she actually accepted. While they made their way back towards their hall, she told him what happened while he was out. Which was actually just a few minutes.

His vines withered away just seconds after Jack collapsed. However, that was enough time for Jack’s spell to take a hold of Brom and Mrk and make them come to their senses. Like Jack, they realized their minds had been affected and immediately apologized to her, before rushing off to check on Jack. No more words were said between her and them, until he woke up again.

“Right.” He said, as he sat down at the table, Ava taking the seat opposite of him. “I’m really sorry about that. I don’t know what made us act that way.”

“I do.” She said. “It’s why I’m not that mad.”

She said that, but her features still shown signs of hurt. Must have been why Brom and Mrk were ‘helping’ in putting together the breakfast, rather than sitting at the table with them.

“I’m Ava, by the way. Ava Sharphorn.”

“I’m Jack. Just Jack.” He smiled.

“So it’s true. You really are named Jack. I thought it was a nickname or just an inside joke.”

“Nope, all true. My idea of a joke.” He said, shrugging self-consciously. “Someone told you about me?”

“Yeah. It’s how I found you. I heard there was a Refuge next to a village called Helmrest. When I got there, I asked about it and the nymph, who I heard was the ruler of it. The people I asked told me the nymph was gone, but that the Refuge is still there, just under a new owner.”

She looked at him, a strange expression on her face.

“They said you are its Keeper. They spoke highly of you.”

“Oh, well, that’s nice of them. But yeah, I’m the new Keeper of the Refuge. Though, now it mostly consists of this clearing. I wanted to ask, you said you were aware of the… effect surrounding you?”

She drew in a breath, before responding.

“I do. It’s a Skill, |Foe on Sight|. It’s always on and it makes people think I’m their enemy. It varies, from person to person, but it generally makes them at least indisposed to my presence. It’s from a Class I have, |Outcast|. If you need to know why I have the Class, I’ll tell you. But if it’s all the same, I’d rather not.”

She said all that in a rush, except the ending. That was where she grew hesitant.

“I don’t. I just need to know if I can trust you.”

“You can! Absolutely. I didn’t get this Class because I’m untrustworthy, just because I am… I was stupid.”

“Alright. You don’t need to tell me if you don’t want to. We all have our stories.”

That was when Brom and Mrk decided it was time to re-enter the scene.

“That is the truth. My own Class is |Oathbreaker| and I was given refuge all the same. I want to apologize Miss, for how I acted. I didn’t know it was a Skill, but I should have been stronger in resisting it. Please accept my apologies.”

“Mrk sorry too. Mrk… knows about bad Classes. I is sorry for what I did.”

“Oh. That’s… all right. I’ve had worse, if you can imagine it. So, uh, can I stay?” she asked, hesitant hope in her eyes.

“What? Oh, yeah. Sure. Sorry to keep you waiting, I kind of forgot I was supposed to explicitly accept.” Jack winced, rubbing the back of his head.

“Great!” Ava jumped up, filled with glee. “Oh, thank you, thank you! You have no idea how long I’ve been waiting for this.” She grinned and there were tears in the corners of her eyes.

“Don’t mention it.” Jack laughed. “Now, why don’t you sit down and have breakfast with us. I think our little morning exercise worked up an appetite for all of us.”

That line produced winces from Brom and Mrk and a laugh from Ava.

They were all hungry, three from their now restored hangovers and one from generally going without much food, so their discussion was interrupted until they were done, bellies full, with a fuzzy feeling of satiety floating around them.

“That was good. My compliments to the cook.”

“That would be Mrk.” Brom said, while the ratling waved proudly.

“Oh, sorry about the arrow. I forgot to say. Does it hurt?”

“Mrk no feel pain. Has wound lotion.”

“Good.” She smiled. “Have to say, since I started out towards this place, I’ve only felt this welcomed… once. I got really lucky with you being a |Mage| and all.”

The three shared a look, before bursting out in laughter.

“Uh, sorry, have I said something wrong? You’re a… |Wizard|?” she tried.

That made them laugh even harder, until Jack managed to stop.

“We’ll get to magical me in a bit. But I wanted to ask. What did make you head towards the Refuge? If I can ask.”

Ava hesitated, but slowly responded.

“After I got my… Class, this Skill started working immediately. People hate me on sight and, as the Class’s name says, my own people don’t want anything to do with me. So I had to leave, but well, I’m a Satyr in human lands and with the Skill on top of it all, there wasn’t really anywhere I could go. I heard there was a Refuge run by a nymph, who could resist this Skill. I thought that could be my new home.”

She said, eyes down, until she noticed Jack’s wondering face.

“I won’t betray you! Or cause you any harm, I promise. It’s just a stupid mistake I did, because I was proud and arrogant and now I’m living with the repercussions. Please believe me, I’ll-“

“Ava, relax.” Jack interrupted her increasingly frantic appeal. “I’m not worried. I just realized you were a Satyr. That’s what I was thinking off. You’re welcome to stay.” He grinned. “Now, to distract you, I guess we ought to tell you our side of the story. First things first, I don’t have a single Class that relates to magic.” He laughed.

That was how Jack relayed his and their weird, long and sometimes amusing story. Ava did seem interested that he was able to receive Spells, without having a magic related Class. Brom and Mrk were more interested in the voice stuttering again. They did deem it fortunate that Jack received such a spell, during such a time. Fortunate and conspicuous. Still, it was to their benefit, so they agreed simply to look into it, whenever they had the chance.

Mrk’s story was short, as the ratling told it. Jack noticed that he never gave out many details, as opposed to Brom who just blurted out that he was an Oathbreaker the first time they met. Still, he respected all their privacies, not just Ava’s. Brom’s story was longer, as he told her of both what he had only told Jack and Mrk relating to his background and Class and general details about his trip to the Refuge.

That only left Jack’s story, which was longest of them all. From waking up in a forest, no memory to speak off, to him receiving various Classes and Skills after an absurdly short time practicing said activities. He told her how he met Lola and how he picked up his, stupid-in-hindsight, name. How he met Elia and Louis. He didn’t tell her of Lola’s story, since he wanted to get the girl’s approval first, but he told Ava of the Winnows, both junior and senior.

That spiraled into the story of their latest exploits, of how they managed to back Elia for her bid as Village Head after the monsters attacked and the nymph went away. Jack noticed Ava’s face go pale when he spoke of the attack and guessed she saw something like that too. He told her of his and Brom’s fight against the knight and their unanticipated win. And finally of them managing to make Elia win and be rid of the Winnows. Which only left them with vague predictions of the future, of possible wars and conflicts and the questions they still had unanswered about the fate of their village.

They talked long enough, with enough stories being told and questions swapped, that they ended up having lunch too, having never left the table for long. Which was gobbled down just as quickly as breakfast.

“So, this Refuge is tied in to the village?” Asked Ava. “I didn’t know that.”

“It’s a recent state of events.” Answered Brom. “Jack is tied in to the village. And I guess, so are I and Mrk. But Jack’s status as a Keeper of the Refuge is what makes the two entwined.”

“Yeah, technically I’m only supposed to look out for the Refuge. But this forest used to act as a Refuge for the people of Helmrest too. I can’t just overlook them. So, if I can, I try and help there too.”

“I see. Well, I’ll help you anywhere I can. I’m also an |Archer|, so I could hunt. But I think it’s still a while before the animals in this forest become visible. Or I could help against those soldiers, if or when they show up.”

“Thanks, Ava.” smiled Jack. “I hope they never show up, but it’s good to have an archer among us. If anything, it might put Elia more at ease with her knowing there is someone else in the village who could fight.” He laughed.

And since irony loves to make an entrance, a quick knock on their door was followed by the same orange-eyed woman stumbling in their hall.

“Jack, I have an idea! Multiple ideas really, but one big one!” the woman stepped in, looking like the very picture of disheveled energy.

She took in the scene in front of her and that was when her grin began to fall.

“Oh, sorry, I didn’t realize… you had… guests. Who is she?!” the normally laidback woman snarled.

“|Dispel Compulsion|” Jack tiredly said.

Ava had already started to warily get up from her seat, but sat back down once she saw Elia blink around confused.

“What was that?”

“A Skill. Ava here suffers from one and it makes everyone who sees her want to bash her brains in.”

Ava herself did a so-and-so gesture.

“Right. Ava, happy to meet you. I’m Elia.” She said, shaking her hand. “And was that another Skill?”

“A Spell this time. It’s… not a long story, but a short weird one instead.”

Jack told Elia what happened this morning and how it all resulted in him gaining another Spell and their Refuge gaining another member. Ava herself told a short version of her story, though after glancing at Jack, she only told Elia about her |Archer| Class and not about the other one. Elia looked interested, but by the half of it seemed only to listen so as to be polite, before spelling out her own ideas.

Brimming with energy.

“Well, Ava, I’m happy you’re here. This Refuge could use a female touch.” She laughed. “Like Jack said, I’m Helmrest’s new Village Head. If you ever need anything, you let me know. Though, perhaps it might be safer for you not to walk in the village just yet. I don’t think Jack could cast that spell on everybody, not after seeing how he sways after just casting it on me.”

“I’m tired, Elia. But yeah, you’re probably right.”

“Will do, Elia.” Ava smiled. “Thank you for that. If you ever need me to, I don’t know, shoot something down, I’m your Satyr.”

“About that!” Elia grinned from ear to ear. “I might just know where your talents could be put to use. And your talents as well.” She said, pointing at the others.

That got their attention and Elia had the stage, so to speak.

“Like I’ve told you, I’ve been looking into ways to help Helmrest. What this village needs in order to develop is protection and coin both. But hiring protection costs coin and dismissing protection in favor of saving up coin costs us our lives. Originally, I’ve thought about asking the more martially inclined of you to help train guards. Form Helmrest Village Watch. That would be you, Brom, but Ava qualifies as well. We have a couple of |Hunters|, but I feel an |Archer| could impart better lessons.”

Brom nodded, Ava preened and Jack and Mrk sulked.

“But that might not be enough. I’m sure you could train up a basic Village Watch, but Brom isn’t high level enough and… Ava, I’m sorry, may I ask what level your |Archer| Class is?”

“It’s Level 12. But I think I’m pretty good for my level.” The Satyr said proudly.

“Level 12. That… might be good enough. Still, no one here has the |Trainer| Class or something like it, so even with luck and practice, you’ll still be only able to put together basic guards. Especially in such a short amount of time.”

“Wait, we know when they’re coming?” Jack asked.

“Not know, not exactly. But from what I know of Amenor as a kingdom and the distance between us and them. It can be as early as a month. Well, it can be as early as a few days, but I don’t think they’ll be sending mounted knights after us, nor are they in a hurry to catch us. Helmrest isn’t going anywhere.”

“A month…” Jack repeated.

“I know. I don’t think we’ll be facing an army, but an attack force is enough. If they got mad enough at us to send a vanguard… well. We will find out in any case. But this is what I wanted to say. Just creating a basic Village Watch will not be enough. I still think we should do it, I mean… I’m sorry, I’m getting ahead of myself. If you are willing to train others and it’s alright to say no, than-“

“I am willing to train your guards Elia. What I know, I shall try to impart unto them.” Brom gravelled reassuringly.

“Me too. Jack was nice enough to give me sanctuary and he said you’re a friend to him. I’ll teach them what I know.”

“Thank you, both. Truly! Good. That’s one idea set in stone.” She grinned. “Yet, as I was thinking this and realizing it will not be enough, I had a second idea. See, Helmrest still needs coin, because a Village Watch is good, but for the attack we will need extra guards. Hired guards. And our own will still need equipment. We can’t use the coin Helmrest generates because it will not be enough and that coin is needed in developing the village regardless, including raising fortifications.”

They all nodded. It sounded logical enough.

“So, as I sat there, I though of what I needed. I needed coin and strength at arms. Which could be obtained with Levels. And I thought of what I had. Nothing in Helmrest that could be spared. I will ask, but I don’t think it is a challenge for any of them. Yet I had something near Helmrest, in the Refuge. I had three, now four individuals, all with Classes. I look at you now and I see a ranged fighter and close-distance fighter, in Ava and Brom. Jack, you have proven yourself in combat, even without combat-related Classes and Mrk has always been at your side.”

The four nodded, but were now confused.

She’s going to make us fight… for money? That doesn’t sound like Elia.

“And that’s when it came to me. I need defenders and coin. I have fighters with Classes. I’m not going to set up barbaric cage fights or ask you to fight as mercenaries. But there is one… relatively safe profession that perfectly answers my conundrum. Can you guess what it is?”

They all shook their heads. But with Elia grinning like mad, the light of hope shining in her eyes, he asked her the question he knew she waited to hear.

“Not a clue. What is it?”

“How would you like to be adventurers?”