Chương 45: Chapter 028 Trapped In Ron’s Diner (Part 2)

Jack removed his cloak, entered his home and dashed upstairs to his room before anyone saw him. After removing all his blood-splattered clothes and hiding them under the bed, he headed to the bathroom.

"Hey, Mom," Jack called as he was about to open the bathroom door, "Having a quick bath after archery practice. I stink like Polly's socks." He heard his mom and Zia giggling in the kitchen downstairs.

"You want some lamb stew, Son?" his mom called back. Jack smiled.

"I'm famished; that sounds great. Thanks, Mom. You're the best." He closed the bathroom door and breathed a sigh of relief. After a relaxing bath and something to eat, he headed to his room. Jack sat at his study desk with a small notebook, writing about his encounter with the swordsman outside the Adventurers Guild. Unexpected Encounter with a Swordsman Location: Outside Lundun's Adventurers Guild Duration: Less than five minutes Weapons: Dagger. Fireball scroll- used. White oak bow-unused.

Frost Breath scroll-unused. I bumped into the swordsman and two of his party members outside the Guild after an archery training session. Unlucky. My white oak bow was recognised by one of the party members. Could I have anticipated this? Assassin's Intuition pinged when they recognised me. I ran down an alley and hit a dead end. Unlucky. Entered the back of a diner, became trapped. Unlucky. Remembered I had a Fireball and Frost Breath scroll in my pack, retrieved the former. Good forward planning.

Didn't wait for the swordsman to attack. Activated the Fireball scroll, which made the subsequent fight easier. Ruthless. Drew my dagger and rushed the burning swordsman. Ruthless. Planned to strike a vital point, BUT had a flashback of my burning home. My soldier's heart again. Stumbled into the swordsman and randomly stabbed him in the gut. Lucky. Was confused after the flashback. Thought I was attacking Baron Greaves. Missed a stab to the swordsman's neck, but finished him with a strike under the chin.

Messy, but effective. Bluffed my way out of a fight with the two women. Still can't believe that worked. Again, felt a strange wave of power. What is it? How does it remove fatigue? Why does my hand itch? Fight was over so quick, I wasn't left too exhausted from the adrenaline rush. Was composed enough to loot the coin purse and collect my bag. A worker from the diner might have s een me. Almost ran into a guard patrol covered in blood. Assassin's Intuition didn't activate, so they didn't notice me.

Observations I was unlucky to run into the swordsman, but it could happen again. There are four more party members. Be vigilant around Lundun, especially near the Guild. Buy another Fireball spell. Due to the disorientating fire flashback caused by the Fireball, consider using a Frost Breath spell first. Should've activated Mar k Target and Assassinate on the swordsman, but forgot. Buy more spell scrolls, including C leansing spells to clean away blood. Survival is more important than coin.

Consider better places to store spell scrolls for easier access. Jack read through what he'd written to commit it to memory via his [Perfect Recall] skill.

"Should I hunt down the other four?" He destroyed the note he'd memorised. With the Inquisition searching for him, he couldn't take the risk of someone reading his notebook.

"Knowing my luck, I'll run into them tomorrow while I train!" The two women now knew what he looked like. Even if he got rid of the white oak bow or removed the stain, they'd still recognise him.

"Hunt them down or avoid them?" Jack shook his head and tapped the notebook, still not sure what to do about the four remaining adventurers. My luck is both terrible and good. He accessed his affinities to check his luck value again. It w ould be just my luck for it to have gone down. He chuckled at the thought.

"Hmm… my luck is still at 14%." He checked all the current affinity values and found that others had increased. He wrote the changes down in his notebook. Table of Affinities Affinity | Old Value | Increase Metal 1 5 % +1% Nature 8 % +1% Two more affinities had increased.

"What the hell is going on with my affinities?" Jack looked at the notebook entry listing his changed affinities. It had only been a day since five other affinities had increased by 1%. It made no sense. Having no answers, he destroyed the page and moved on to documenting his archery training session in Training Room 13. He transferred a summary of his results from the training session printout and his thoughts into his notebook.

Second Archery Practice Session Location: Lundun Adventures Guild: Training Room 13 Duration: One hour Weapon: White oak bow with multiple quivers of the Guild's practice arrows Went through the Novice Scribe level zero training levels If you come across this story on Amazon, it's taken without permission from the author. Report it. Beginner levels 0, 1, and 2 Beginner's level 10 for fun The Guild's system reported the following. Archery training sessions results Arrows released: 112. Overall accuracy: 40%.

Trajectory arc suggests modest foundational training. Recommendation: S trengthen shoulder and core muscles for improved stability. Recommendation: Set difficulty level to Beginner level one. Observations Accuracy as expected based on previous training in the forest. Minor improvements over previous session. More relaxed/fun vs training in the forest. E njoyed level 10 a lot. Body was already sore from previous archery practice and subsequent fights.

Muscles in arms and shoulders began to ache in under twenty minutes. One hour of practice is the upper limit until I get stronger. Remember to perform strength exercises several times a day! I MUST EXERCISE MORE!!! Consider buying suitable clothing for training. Not ready to deal with Greaves. Jack read what he'd written to commit it to memory using his [Perfect Recall] skill and then destroyed the notes and the printout.

"No evidence." He smiled as he recalled how he'd felt during the training session.

"I bet training with a friend…" his mind went to his school friend, Robert, for a moment.

"I bet training with friends would be great fun." A subtle hint of sadness crossed his face as he remembered the year of failed training in various weapons. In his past life, he'd come to the conclusion he'd never make a good warrior or fighter, but now he was doubting that assumption.

"It was the pain," Jack said to himself as he thought about why he'd dismissed becoming a fighter.

"Training caused so much pain. It sapped away all the joy." His shoulders slumped as he remembered the few months of painful archery training, none of it enjoyable or fun. The only thing that got him through the agony was his deep hatred of Baron Greaves. He had to get revenge and justice for his family's death.

"I'm going to kill you." He clenched his fists. Jack rose from his chair and walked to the far wall where his bow and quiver hung upon an old aether-steam valve, mounted high to keep them safely beyond the reach of children. The valve hissed as he lifted the white oak bow free, releasing a breath of spent aether-steam that curled through the lamplight before vanishing into a vent. He ran his thumb over the curved wood, pausing where a dark bloodstain had soaked into the durability runes.

"I enjoyed archery practice," he admitted to the empty room.

"I actually enjoyed it." The confession surprised him. He returned the bow to its place, feeling the faint heat still lingering in the brass fittings, and crossed back to his desk with a happy smile. The thought of a quiet evening spent inscribing spell scrolls steadied him more than he expected. As he was about to start a [Chronos Sphere] spell scroll, he recalled the bronze coin that he'd picked up from the temple of Hermes. Retrieving it from his coin pouch, he examined the coin. It was no ordinary coin.

The bronze shimmered beneath the lamplight, its surface neither polished nor dull, but with a lustre that shifted as though alive. On one side, Hermes' face smirked in sly amusement, the eyes half-lidded, knowing far too much. The reverse bore the God's sigil: a caduceus, two serpents coiled about a winged staff, their scales engraved with impossible precision. The bronze coin wasn't legal tender in Mercia, so it had little value.

"I've never seen one like this before." Jack flicked it into the air, caught it, and laid it upon the back of his other hand.

"Heads." The coin glimmered as it landed. Hermes' smirk greeted him. Jack laughed and tossed it again.

"Heads." Again, the same result. Once more.

"Heads." He frowned, the sound of the coin's landing somehow sharper now, its ring a touch too long.

"It's just a coincidence." His voice lacked conviction. Jack flicked the coin again.

"Heads." The smirk looked back. Again.

"Tails." The smirk remained. Again. Again… Every toss, every call, always that same knowing face staring back at him. The room felt smaller as he repeated the coin toss another dozen times, each time randomly selecting heads or tails, and every time Hermes' smirking face greeted him. The lamplight trembled against the walls. Jack leaned in closer to inspect the coin.

"Is it enchanted?" The coin felt warm, almost alive, but he saw no runes etched into its surface. He recalled times in his past life when the coin might have been helpful while he gambled in filthy taverns.

"I wonder if anyone could detect this?" He gave the coin a tap.

"Shame you aren't a pair of dice." There were enchantments designed to alter dice and cheat at gambling, which was why reputable gambling houses relied on runic devices to confirm their dice were free of magical interference. He set the coin down upon his desk and activated [Eagle Eye]. His vision sharpened until the coin filled his sight, every line of the engraving impossibly crisp. He scanned it slowly, millimetre by millimetre, searching for hidden markings.

When his gaze passed over Hermes' right eye, the engraved lid winked at him. Jack jerked upright, the chair clattering to the floor.

"What the hell!" His heart pounded. He blinked, but the coin was still again, as innocent as before, just a smirking God on a piece of bronze. He let out a shaky breath and looked around his desk. It was cluttered with parchment, ink, and the ever-vigilant toy dragon that guarded his tools.

"PenDragon, we've got a good life here. Let's protect it. Together." He slipped the coin between the dragon's tiny bronze claws, tail side outward.

"I'll put it on a chain later, for luck." PenDragon's eyes glowed bright blue at the sound of its name, ready for voice-activated commands from its master. It released a small puff of aether-steam, confirming its new duty to protect their new life and family. As Jack returned to his work, metal claws clicked as the dragon shifted. The bronze coin turned without command, once more revealing the smirking face of Hermes. Jack stared, the corner of his mouth twitching despite the unease curling through his stomach.

He laughed, though his voice lacked its usual strength. Shaking his head, he righted his chair, sat down, and began to inscribe the first [Chronos Sphere] scroll. As a scribe, he wasn't fearful of Hermes; he was the God who watched scribes and merchants alike. This was a God's blessing, not a threat. He spent the evening inscribing spell scrolls under the watchful eye and smirk of Hermes.

After the completion of each spell scroll, Jack turned the bronze coin back to tails, but each time PenDragon—without orders—turned it back to the smirking face of Hermes. The God's grin glimmered in the lamplight as Jack kept writing, pretending not to notice that he was no longer working alone.

"Creepy bastard." Jack laughed as he started a new [Chronos Sphere] spell scroll.