The tavern was low-roofed and wide, filled with patrons. Locals and adventurers sat drinking and eating around long tables in the centre of the floor, and in booths along the walls. Smells of beer and food and sweat hit him at first, along with the noise. Not something he had ever expected to experience. He tensed up and Tianna patted his arm reassuringly. She led him towards a booth, where Yuri and Arjelica were sitting.

  He walked past almost all of the races he had seen in the marketplace. Buff orcs downed pints alongside ruddy-faced dwarves. Groups of humans sat rolling dice and gambling. There were half a dozen pook hanging from the rafters, their bushy tails twitching as they laughed and chatted.

  The booth was mercifully quieter. Yuri and Arjelica had a platter of cheese and bread and tankards of frothy beer in front of them.

  Yuri had a notebook open on the table, covered in diagrams and tiny intricate writing. He recognised a sketch of the frog god in it, along with the crest they had found down there. Her magical notes.

  Arjelica sat with a new kind of confidence, cocky and open, like she wanted to show off. She stabbed a cheese knife into a hunk of bread casually, and chewed on it.

  “You bonded with your new crest?” Tianna said with a smile.

  “Of course,” Arjelica replied. But there was a hint of relief in her voice.

  “I was worried—” Yuri started, but a glance from Arjelica made her stop. “Well, it all went wonderfully. Our Arjelica is now the proud wielder of a Water Crest. O-hohoho!” She bent over her book to add more notes around the water crest picture.

  “Finally,” Arjelica muttered. “What did you get up to?” she changed the subject.

  “We got some great deals.” Tianna dropped the clothes and travel bag that they had brought onto the table. “Look at this, sixteen gold for the bag, and you know what…” she trailed off. Arjelica and Yuri were looking at her with polite but blank faces. They had no interest in bargains or deals.

  “Well just trust me, I made some great bargains thanks be to the Kingfisher.”

  “I’m sure you did, sweetie.”

  “If you would just let me manage the whole party’s finances, I could probably reduce our outgoings—”

  “No,” Yuri and Arjelica said together.

  Tianna crossed her arms and harrumphed. “Anyways, we also found out what class Dee is,” Tianna said with a smug smile.

  They all looked at him, this was interesting information. Yuri leaned forward excitedly.

  “I’m a Games Master, NPC,” Dee said.

  “Ooh! What abilities?” Yuri said.

  “I don’t know.”

  “The Class Seer couldn’t read his class properly. It’s very mysterious. We have to find a proper NPC expert to find out more. That might be quite expensive though…” Tianna trailed off, doing calculations in her head.

  “Oh, my little human is filled with mystery. Oh-hohoho!” Yuri leaned across and patted Dee on the head.

  “So?” Arjelica said.

  “So what?” Yuri asked.

  “Where to next?”

  “Don’t you ever relax, Arjelica?” Emizra appeared at their table, carrying more beers for them all. “We should celebrate the moment. First dungeon crest together, your first crest bonding. A new member of the team. You are joining us, aren’t you?” She winked at Dee.

  “He has no choice, he swore himself to me. O-hohoho!” Yuri laughed.

  Emizra slid into the booth besides Tianna, the wood creaked a little under her weight.

  “Although if you want to hunt for another crest, I have found some rumours,” Emizra said, with a smile and a raise of her eyebrow.

  “Ooh rumours,” Yuri said. She cupped her face in her hands and stared expectantly at Emi.

  “Information isn’t free.”

  “We’re on the same team!” Tianna wailed.

  Arjelica snorted and grabbed another hunk of bread to chew. “More games, Emi?”

  “I can’t help myself, it seems,” Emi said with an exaggerated sad tone.

  “Don’t be a tease, tell us my dear,” Yuri said.

  Emizra took a long gulp of beer. As they waited, she slowly wiped the froth from her bright crimson lips. But before she said anything, a tall warrior appeared by their booth.

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  “May I join you?” he said. He was blond, handsome and self-assured. Without waiting for an answer, he pulled up a stool and sat at the end of their table. He held himself with a formal grace, like a soldier at a royal party. His blue eyes shone with polite confidence as he looked around the table.

  “I heard you braved a Water Dungeon and came back with a crest, congratulations,” he said.

  “You want to know where it is?” Yuri asked suspiciously.

  “No, thank you. I have my sights on Ethereal Crests.” He smiled. There was not a shred of awkwardness or self-doubt on his face. Dee hated him already.

  “So?” Arjelica said, staring at him.

  “Forgive me, I haven’t introduced myself.” He placed his hand across his chest. “I am Darok Hart. Level 4 Sword Saint. I currently possess an ethereal crest, and seek another.”

  He swept a serious gaze across all of them. “But I heard news of a virgin bonding ceremony in the temple and came to congratulate you.” He was completely sincere.

  “Who was it? No, let me guess. A powerful Mist Witch, you seem replete with crests. And you, War Priest, seem experienced enough you must possess crests already.”

  Yuri puffed her chest out and nodded, happy for any compliment. Tianna rolled her eyes and made a face.

  “And then your Virtuoso, such grace and confidence. You are not new to dungeon hunting, I am sure.”

  Emizra smiled at him, fluttered her eyes and nodded. Dee’s heart beat faster, but Darok seemed unfazed by her beauty.

  “Which only leaves two possibilities. Your Claw Stalker, or- I beg your pardon, what are you?”

  All eyes were suddenly on Dee. His face was hot and pins and needles pricked at him. Darok was staring at him.

  “I’m a Games Master.”

  “I have never heard of that class. PC?

  “NPC.”

  Darok smiled and looked away immediately. He had no interest in an NPC.

  “Then it must be the Claw Stalker. Was I correct in my little deduction?” He raised his eyebrow and smiled. If Dee had been in an anime there would have been a shining *ting* from Darok’s teeth.

  Yuri clapped her hands. “You got it!”

  “Congratulations on your first crest.”

  Arjelica’s jaw tightened. “Thank you. How many crests do you have, Darok?”

  He was too smooth to look pleased at that question, but he was ready to show off. He held his hands out and channelled a tiny amount of mana. A miniature crest formed in between his palms, a fluttering iridescent oval.

  “Shield Beetle. Earth.”

  It faded, but another crest took its place. A fiery wheel, with interlocking chambers that pulsed and whirled. Hot air pulsed from it like the laboured breathing of a giant.

  “Fiery Heart. Fire”

  That faded and he continued. A watery and ink-dark crest.

  “Lament Brush. Water.”

  Finally, a crest element Dee had never seen. One that thrummed with power even though not fully summoned, a shimmering weave of light that tinkled like a windchime in an orchestra. The previous crests were powerful, but this one made the entire tavern pause for a second, and peer over to their table.

  “Overpowering Aria. Song”

  There was a hush around the table. He smirked slightly and the magic faded from between his hands.

  “Marvellous,” Yuri whispered. She sighed as the crest magic faded away like rain under noon sun.

  “You could have said: four.” Tianna said with a disapproving look on her face. She scowled at him and shook her head. “Did you come here just to show off?”

  “Forgive me,” Darok said with a cheeky smile. “Crest hunting is a dangerous business and I believe it’s important for adventurers to celebrate all of our successes.” He paused and cocked his head towards Dee.

  “But I am curious, I have never heard of a Games Master class. What do you do?” Darok leant forward, his presence dominated the table now, it was a subtle thing but he knew how to command the space around him.

  Before Dee could answer, Tianna slammed her hand down onto the table. It made a quiet slapping sound, not quite as commanding as Darok’s body language but effective in its way. “You know what they say, information isn’t free.”

  Darok frowned slightly but the smile was soon back on his face. “If it’s a game then, how about we play? If I win you tell me your Class Passive, and if you win then I will answer any question you have about my class.”

  “Deal,” Arjelica said suddenly. She slammed her elbow onto the table, which made the whole wooden surface shudder. “Play me. Arm wrestle.”

  Darok leaned in without question and they grasped hands. There was a pause as they sized each other up and adjusted their grips.

  “No mana,” Arjelica said.

  “But of course,” Darok said smoothly.

  They locked eyes and the competition was on.

  Arjelica was strong, for a moment neither of them moved. But Darok was a warrior as well, and he was larger and as unstoppable as a statue. Arjelica started to lose. Her hand moved down slowly. She growled and renewed her efforts. Sweat beaded on Darok’s brow. His face was red. There was no way Arjelica would go down without a fight.

  He huffed and leaned in harder, veins stood out on his neck. Arjelica’s hand moved lower. She growled again but he smiled. He was going to win for sure.

  There was a thump from beneath the table. Darok’s grip slipped, allowing Arjelica to take over and slam his hand down onto the table.

  “Well fought,” Darok said with a strained voice. He looked at Dee. “What’s your question?”

  “Umm. What’s your Class Passive?”

  “Crest Strike. I have the ability to channel my bonded crests through my sword. Well, I had best leave you to your celebrations.”

  He stood and bowed, relaxed but formal. “Thank you for your time. I’m sure we will meet again. Good adventuring.” He walked off, with a noticeable limp, to rejoin his group of adventurers across the tavern.

  “Did you kick him under the table? That’s not very fair, darling,” Yuri said. She pulled another notebook from her robes and started scribbling notes.

  “Dungeons are not fair. Fights are not fair,” Arjelica replied. “Still, not bad. Level 4 and four crests. One of them a Song Crest.” Arjelica sipped her beer and gazed into the distance. “Why is he sniffing around us though?”

  “Showing off,” Tianna scoffed. “You should only advertise what you wish to sell.”

  “Sword Saint is such a powerful class. I wonder who his mentor was? And his Class Passive! That’s amazing, channelling elemental energy from his crests into weapon strikes. Do you know how powerful that could be? Oh, I should go and talk to him some more. I wonder if we’ll get to see him fight one day.” Yuri ruffled through her notebook to an old page, to add some more notes.

  “I can kick him in the shins a few more times,” Arjelica said.

  “That’s not very diplomatic,” Emi said. She laughed, the musical sound tickled Dee’s ears like a playful birdsong.

  “I don’t want to be a diplomat,” Arjelica said. Her face went red with anger. There was an awkward silence around the table. Something had upset her.

  Yuri was still scribbling away, unawares of the sudden shift in mood. She had made simple line sketches of Darok’s crests. “I wonder what crest he’s after?” Yuri stroked her finger on the tabletop. “He has too level up before he gets another…” She scribed a large question mark on the page.

  “As I was saying, I have heard some rumours. About an ethereal crest.” Emizra said. The mood disappeared, they all leaned in towards her. Crests were more important than minor squabbles.