We made our way back across the fields towards the town. Bryan and John tried to warn each group we passed about the bandit threat, but most of them ignored the warnings. We didn’t have time to argue with every one of them, so they just did the best they could as we ran past.

“Oh, rookie. Good to-” The male guard grinned before he noticed the rest of the group. His smile was wiped away as he turned to speak to Bryan. “What happened?”

“Bandit attack. They broke the treaty and ambushed us.” Bryan nodded to the gate behind the guards. “We need to go in. Now!”

The guards shared a look before they opened the gate. John darted through with Susan, followed a moment later by Bryan and Claire. Bryan paused on the threshold and turned to me.

“Rook, tell them what happened. They can call back the stragglers.” He instructed before he walked into town. I faced the guards and recounted what had happened in the forest. Their expressions changed multiple times throughout my story, from confusion to doubt before they both settled on grim determination.

“It’s an odd story but, after what happened to Claire and Susan, I believe you. We’ll signal for the others to come back to town, just in case.” The woman patted me on the shoulder. “You did good, Rook.”

The other guard nodded in agreement before he moved into town. He strode into a building to the right of the gate. A heated conversation burst out from inside to identify the building as the barracks before the dull clang of a bell echoed out of town and across the fields.

Those who still wandered the grassy pastures turned back to the town as they dropped whatever they were doing. Those that were in battle escaped as best they could, assisted by anyone close enough to lend a hand. A wave of people approached the gate, not one of them happy about the abrupt end to their expeditions.

“What’s this? It should take more than a rookie to spook you.” A man shouted out of the crowd. I didn’t know him, but he had been present on my first visit to the guild. He was one of those that had laughed at me, which I couldn’t really blame him for at the time.

Maybe Rose can tell me about the Inventory… I’ll ask her when she pops up again.

“Get inside. We’ll pass the info on to the guild.” The guard waved at the crowd, her face stern as she pushed me through the gate. “You go first, go check on your friends.”

I thanked her and darted through the entrance. If I got caught in the crowd, it was possible I wouldn’t make it to the treatment centre for an hour or more. Karen wasn’t present, but a random trader gave me directions. He seemed to want money for his services, but I ran off before he could finish his request.

It didn’t take too long to get to the treatment centre. It was close enough to the gate to be within an easy travel distance, but far enough that a defence could be formed if the walls were breached. I walked into the building and moved over to the receptionist.

“Ah, you’re Rook, right?” She waved at the left-hand corridor. “Third room on the right, they’re waiting for you.”

I nodded and moved down the corridor. The receptionist’s eyes were fixed on the entrance, as though she expected a wave of patients any second. Perhaps the bell had been a multi-use system to alert all manner of people, both those inside the town as well as those outside its walls. I wandered down the hall, my mind distracted as I moved towards the third room.

“Hey, Rook. How did it go?”

Bryan stepped out of the room, a faint smile on his face. I guessed the doctors had given him some good news, but I didn’t want to ask in case he had put on a brave face. He noticed my awkward pause as he laughed out loud.

“They’re fine, Rook.” Bryan punched my shoulder. “They’ll need to stay for a few days, but there’s no danger.”

"Why did the bandits attack us... and what did you mean by 'treaty'? Bandits aren't usually the type to make any deals without force being involved somewhere."

"Oh, that. You're right, technically." Bryan chuckled and folded his arms. "The basic gist is that they hold back the majority of the monster incursions and send sporadic reports to the town of other movements. In return, the town leaders turn a blind eye to some of their other less savoury actions."

"So they help a bit, and that means they're allowed to kill and steal whatever they want?" I grit my teeth, barely able to hold my anger in.

"Not exactly. They don't go that far." Bryan dropped his smirk as he gave a serious answer. "The commander is quite strict, so they are close to mercenaries these days. It was different in the past before he took over, but now they don't bother us much."

I nodded and glanced past Bryan. The door behind him was ajar, but the fact Claire and Susan had to stay in this place didn't bode well.

"Don’t worry about them, both of them are as tough as trolls." Bryan smiled once more and turned to open the door.

“I’ll tell them you said that.” John’s voice drifted out of the room, followed a moment later by the man himself. He looked tired, as though the short run through the forest had taken more of a toll than all our battles combined.

“Are you OK?” I asked.

“Ah, don’t ask me that. I’m fine as long as they’re fine.” John turned back into the room. “Bryan, you deal with the loot. I’ll stay with them for now.”

He walked back into the room and closed the door behind him. I passed Bryan the bag and turned to leave before he pulled me close.

“Where are you going? Do you want me to get killed or something?” He smirked at me and shook the bag in my face. I glanced along the corridor. No threats jumped out from either side, so I looked back at Bryan with a frown.

“What’re you talking about?”

“If you leave without your share, Claire will kill me.” Bryan pulled out a sack and dumped some items into it. Most of them were furs and various other materials, though I did spot a few odds and ends like a scroll and a few glass vials filled with a dark red substance. They seemed similar to the potions used on Susan and Claire, though the containers were smaller and a bit rougher in design. He tied the sack closed once it was filled to the brim and held it out towards me.

“Come on, I don’t have all day.” Bryan pushed the sack into my hand. Despite the fact that it held less than the other bag, the weight of it still pulled my hand towards the floor. “We split everything. You’re in the party, you get a share. Go sell it to a trader or something.”

This windfall could be a big deal for me. Bryan shook his head went back into the room as he chuckled to himself.

It’s probably scraps to them, but it’s important to me. This will help me get stronger before my friends turn up. I can always repay them later… if we survive.

I left the treatment centre and went back to the town exit. It wasn’t like I planned to cut and run. Karen would be my first choice, so I hoped she was back at her cart. I walked along the street, wary for any passersby who might eye my possessions. No one made any moves, but that didn’t lower my tension too much. Luckily, she had set up her shop, likely drawn in by the influx of potential customers.

“Oh, hi Rook.” Karen waved at me. “What do you need?

“Hi, Karen.” I dropped the sack onto her cart. Half of it was covered with items whilst the other half was set up for her to purchase goods from travellers. “Can you tell me what this is worth?”

Karen scrabbled through the sack and pulled out the furs. Her hands danced back and forth as she rubbed against the fur and felt the skin underneath it.

“Processed already, that’s a plus. Highly skilled.” She inspected the furs. “No tears or marks. Extra marks.”

“Oh. That’s great.” I gripped the edge of the cart. Whilst they were collecting the loot, John had busied himself around each wolf, but at that point, my attention had mostly been focused on the book. Not only had they given me a share, but they had also prepared the goods for me as well.

“You can learn Processing yourself if you want. Guild teaches it for cheap.” Karen laid down the furs and went through the rest of the items. Most she passed by quickly, though she left the vials and the scroll to one side. “You should keep those.”

“These are potions, right?” I picked up the glass vials and shook them. I was about to ask for them back, but her suggestion let me skip the question. The murky liquid sloshed from side to side before it settled back to the bottom. “What are they, exactly?”

“They’re rare drops, or a skilled alchemist can craft them. Expensive, even for low tier versions. Those ones will heal minor injuries, or give you time to get proper treatment for severe damage.” She held the roll of parchment up to me. “The scroll is a one-use item. It says what the effect is on the binding, all you have to do is open it. Just remember to point it away from you.”

If Rose hadn’t taught me the language, Karen’s explanation would have been pointless. The scroll was bound by a strip of what looked like leather. After a quick inspection, I noticed that the clasp had two small words scratched into its surface.

‘Air Ball’

Ranged attack, probably single target. It had likely been dropped by the wolves, so it would potentially be a copy of their iconic ability. I plucked the scroll out of her hand and put it into my pocket. The fact she had mentioned the scroll’s usage, along with the potions, increased my respect to new heights. She could have easily taken advantage of me, but she hadn’t. The potions joined the scroll in my pocket before I carefully sealed it shut.

“Good haul. I guess that’s a fifth of it exactly, knowing Bryan.” She totalled up the results and passed me a small coin bag. “Three silver, seventy-five copper. Sound good?”

I shrugged and took the purse. It could have been an amazing deal or a terrible one and I wouldn’t have known. Soon I would find out, but now wasn’t the time to doubt her. She had proven herself trustworthy already, and I could just check the amount with the others later once the true value of this world’s money was cleared up.

Now I have at least one contact I can trust, business-wise at least.

I waved at Karen and moved on to the guild. A steady number of people continued to walk into the town as I had made my transaction, though some of them gave me irritable looks as they did so.

Their reactions made it clear they knew I had caused the recall.

I ignored their glares and stepped into the guild. The same receptionist was on duty once more, which made it easier. When she heard me mention skills, her eyes lit up as she pulled me back into the side room.

“So you want Processing. Do you want the full package?” She opened a large book flipped to a page mid way through. “It will save you time and hassle, but it’s up to you.”

I looked at the entry she had pointed out. I could purchase a single processing skill, such as leatherworking or smithing, for what looked like a small amount. A full package had a discount, which was bizarre when I was buying things that would take years of practice to learn in my own world. The full package was one silver, which I still didn’t know the value of. It was unlikely the guild would gouge me too badly.

It was within my current price range. As long as the money I had on hand could pay for my requirements in the short term, it shouldn’t be too much of a problem.

“I’ll take the full package” I laid a silver coin on the desk. It was larger and more ornate than its copper cousin. From that difference, I imagined a gold coin would be as big as a fist and carved with beautiful patterns, but it wasn’t like I would see one any time soon. “Are there any other skills? Are their any limits?”

“We have a small selection of other skills. Processing books are pretty easy to find, but combat skills are rarer. Supporter skills doubly so.” She picked up the book and thumbed through the list. “As long as you’ve passed level ten, I have one or two you can pick from. They’re more expensive than the processing package, though. Most people use skill books rather than selling them, so our stock is limited.”

“It’s fine.” I waved for her to close the book. If she tested me and found out I wasn’t even level ten, questions would be asked. New skills would have to wait until that threshold was out of the way. “I’ll stick with the Processing for now. I don’t have much to spare for other skills. How much are they, by the way?”

“One is two silver, the other is five.” The receptionist closed the book with a frown. “Are you sure you don’t want to buy one? We don’t have many Supporters.”

“It’s fine, I’ll take a look later.”

My current aim was level ten, and the first thing I would do at that point would be to learn as many skills as I could. Every single increase would give me a slightly higher chance of winning a battle. At least I knew a bit more about the value of money now. But, sooner rather than later, this money would be useless to me.

It wasn’t like I would be here for long. In less than two weeks, I would meet my friends, fight a god and go home.

Fight a god… I can barely fight a wolf. I need to get to level five, get some skills and figure out the system. There has to be some way for me to win… there has to be.