Jessica's Challenge (Puatera Online Book 5)

by Dawn Chapman

  I swiped them away with my hands and looked for any tables or charts. There were a few things in English that Desiree had managed to fix. Something mentioning karma points. I remembered Mum saying those were used to increase stats or make things easier to learn. I had a couple of those, and then some other stats to do with mind, body and logic.

  Everything else was unreadable, strings of numbers, letters and random symbols. I bit my lip and stuck one karma point in each of mind and logic, hoping they’d help me with the audition. It wouldn’t make me very strong, but it might help with the two things I’d put on the form. I could work on the rest later. Unable to make out anything else of use, I closed the boxes.

  With nothing else to do while I waited, I closed my eyes and remembered how I’d felt when I’d made the wind swirl in Desiree’s plant room. Almost immediately, I felt a breeze on my cheeks. A grin spread across my face; it grew broader as the blast of air grew stronger.

  As my head began to swim, a flashing splotch appeared in my vision. I shut off my magic. Nausea rolled over me as I clutched my chair. I had a feeling I’d pushed myself too hard. I could only hope it wasn’t something I’d regret later.

  By the time the feeling had passed, I found myself staring at the food and drink. No one else had touched it, but that didn’t mean I couldn’t. As soon as the water touched my lips, I started to feel better. The splotch that still hung, as if it were part of the game mechanics, grew smaller, making it clear I was fending something off.

  Curious, I picked up one of the snacks, a round thing that looked, and proved to taste, just like shortbread. Again, the splotch reduced until it was almost gone. Eating a second one made it disappear entirely. It seemed food and drink both helped to regain whatever it cost me to perform magic. I made a mental note to carry snacks around with me, assuming I was accepted into the guild, of course.

  Before I could practice any more, the door opened for what would be the final time.

  “Jessica,” the woman said, beckoning me forward. I got to my feet, trying not to tremble. This was it, my chance to take my first step towards my sisters. I followed the older woman into a large room. Three more people were sitting at a table at the far end, one elven, the other two human, as far as I could tell. I could see a shimmer as if they sat behind some kind of barrier, something that might be there to keep them safe.

  The floor had several pock marks, and a dummy stood in one corner, several arrows sticking out of its torso and one of its severed limbs lying nearby. I gulped again. What could I possibly offer this guild that others couldn’t?

  “You’re a mage, correct?” the male human with a white beard and a bald section framed either side by wispy white hair asked. I nodded. “What field do you specialise in?”

  For a moment I didn’t respond. I had no idea what field.

  “I control the wind mostly. I’m still learning,” I replied, feeling suddenly like I was back in my first year at school, the teacher asking me if I knew my name. I had, but I’d stammered. Several of the kids had laughed, and I’d had to fight back tears, but now I knew I couldn’t afford to feel like that. I had to do my best.

  “So nature, then. Good. It’s been a long time since we’ve seen a mage who wanted to even go in that direction.”

  I nodded, the words giving me a moment of calm, and I focused, just as I’d done twice already that day.

  Within seconds the pieces of paper on their desks were fluttering, and the curtains by the windows streamed outwards as if they were open and a strong wind blew outside.

  “Very eager, aren’t we? I was about to ask you to give us a quick demonstration, but that will do,” he said as the three of them scrambled for all the scraps of paper floating about.

  “Sorry,” I said, stopping my magic dead. Already, it felt easier than it had before, even if I hadn’t sustained it for long, but the funny blackish-red blotch was back in the lower corner of my vision and I knew I needed to be careful not to overextend myself.

  “Rather interestingly, you also felt the need to mention your skills in mathematics,” the incredibly pale woman on the right said. She seemed to be shielding herself from the light, the curtains drawn over the window closest to her. Of all of them, she’d been the most wary of the burst of wind I’d shown them. “A rather peculiar thing to put on a guild form. May I ask you what prompted you to do so?”

  “Oh, I just thought it might be useful. My teacher always said I had a good head for numbers,” I replied, realising it might not have been my best response.

  “You’ve been schooled, then?”

  Once more, I nodded.

  “Could you tell me what twenty-four silver pieces divided by six is?” she asked without missing a beat.

  “Four, I said back, pleased it was an easy question.”

  “Eighteen divided by five.”

  “Three, with three left over.”

  “Assume you can split the three left over into copper.”

  “Oh. Uh... I’m sorry, I don’t know what copper are worth in comparison. I’m new in town.”

  “One tenth,” the woman snapped back, sounding a little exasperated.

  “Oh. Then, six coppers each, as well.”

  “Finally, if you’ve got some loot from a quest that a team of nine went on together, with three large items, one worth a gold sovereign and four silver, another worth nine silver, and the final item worth six silver and two coppers, as well as assorted gems worth another three gold and two silver, and a coin pouch with one more sovereign, thirteen silver and twenty eight copper. Each item is wanted by a member of the party, how would you split everything so it was fair?”

  I screwed up my face, realising I wasn’t going to be able to do that easily in my head. Hesitantly, I asked for a piece of paper. As the woman sighed, the old man gave me a brief wink and held out a piece of paper and a pencil. I strode forward, trying not to let my nerves show as the woman repeated the amounts. After a few little sums I scrawled on the paper I had an answer I hoped was right.

  “I’d ask the person who wanted the most expensive item to pay four silver and four copper for it, what it’s worth, minus their share. The rest of the items and gems would be divided up so everyone had nine silvers and six coppers, with six coppers unsplit, assuming they couldn’t be divided up somehow as well.”

  There were nods of approval, although not everyone looked impressed.

  “Thank you, Jessica. I believe that is all we need to see to make our minds up,” the kindly old man in the middle said. The woman who’d shown me in but otherwise remained silent ushered me through yet another door where many others waited, including the few I recognised from before.

  “Please wait here with the others while we deliberate. We’ll announce who will be continuing to the next round shortly.” I nodded and took a seat. It seemed this ordeal wasn’t over just yet.

  Chapter 4

  Although some of the people in the room chatted to each other, most sat in silence. There weren’t enough chairs so I’d been forced to stand, and by the time the woman came back, the splotch in my vision was considerably larger and the ache had returned in my injured leg. Whatever Desiree had done to help me, it was beginning to wear off.

  “Right,” the woman said, holding a piece of paper. “Please come back into the room if I call your name.”

  Everyone perked up at that, going silent, staring at the woman as she reeled out names. One by one people shuffled past her, until she’d called out seventeen names. She looked up, folding the piece of paper in half, making it clear she was done. Then suddenly she looked at me.

  “And Jessica makes eighteen. I’m sorry but the rest of you didn’t manage to audition to a high enough standard we could consider you. You may, of course, practice your chosen professions and try again another time.”

  I felt my mouth fall open as over half of those who had been waiting here groaned and began leaving. The woman waved me forward, evidently not thinking she had time for me to dither, so
I tried to lurch forward, but pain exploded in my leg, making me squeal as I almost fell over.

  “Sorry,” I said, instantly wondering why I apologised to her when it was me that was hurt.

  “You’re injured?” she asked, coming closer. I nodded.

  “It happened earlier. Whatever Desiree gave me must have worn off.”

  “Desiree has been helping you?”

  “Yes, she brought me here this morning to audition. I’m staying with her.” It was partially true. Technically I hadn’t stayed a night yet, but she’d made the offer.”

  “Right. Then take this,” she said, pulling a small vial of bright red liquid from a pocket. “If you become a guild member it can come out of your wages, if not, we’ll discuss a way for you to pay for it later with Desiree.”

  I didn’t argue, chugging back the liquid. I felt a rush of fire from my stomach down towards my leg, tingles following in its wake until the whole limb felt as good as new. Tentatively, I stepped again, finding it bore my weight completely.

  “Thank you,” I said, smiling and letting her usher me towards the audition room again.

  “Yes, well, we couldn’t let you face the next stage without being at full health. We don’t want deaths on our hands.”

  I gulped as I joined the others, wishing I’d got to ask about the next stage. If there was a chance of death, then it sounded a lot more dangerous than showing off our abilities in a large room for some judges to see. Yet again, I found myself worried it could all go horribly wrong.

  We were split into three groups of six, the elf in my team. When we realised that, he gave me a quick smile and nod, and I returned the gesture, hoping he wouldn’t figure out who I was.

  “Right. You’ve all got ten minutes to get to know your teams and their abilities, and then we’ll all be going a couple of miles south of the village. There’s a cave network we’ve recently uncovered that we now know contains a relic we’d like to hold as a guild. It would raise our status and provide several benefits to long-standing members. There are three entrances, all of which lead into the network in some way, linking up or meeting in the middle. Quite simply, the first team to claim the relic will all join the guild. The other two teams will all go home.”

  “What if one person on a team is amazing but the team loses? Surely you won’t send a good person home?” a girl not much older than me asked. She had a stripe of fur running up the centre of her head from a cat-like nose, but otherwise seemed human. She was evidently a half-breed of some kind, and seeing she’d sat in the waiting room holding a staff, and once or twice had made a fireball appear in the palm of her hand, I’d guessed she was a mage.

  “They will still go home. Teamwork is important to the guild. No matter how skilled someone is, if they can’t work as a team, then they will not fit in, especially given that the team you are in now will be the team you’re expected to complete quests with for your entire probation period. Is that clear?”

  I found myself nodding. It made some sense, and it made me feel like, despite my newness, I had a chance. Our team just had to work together.

  Almost instantly, something popped up in my vision. It said ‘Quest’ at the top, the rest gibberish except for one section. My reward. Guild membership. I clicked the accept button, trying not to think about it. I was doing this. Desiree had said it would help me get to my sisters. That was all I needed to make up my mind.

  Over the next few minutes we all introduced ourselves, saying what we could do.

  “I’m a nature mage,” I said, repeating what the judge had told me and hoping I wouldn’t be quizzed much further.

  “Is that like a druid?” Aimer asked.

  “No, dummy, a druid can shapeshift into an animal and control other animals. A nature mage controls plants and weather,” our fighter, Bodwick, said, grinning despite his tone.

  I’d forgotten everyone else’s names already. We also had a rogue-type person on our team, an older guy who fought with his bare fists and small bottles and vials of different chemicals, and finally a small halfling who barely came up higher than my waist. She held a gun that looked a lot like the muskets we’d studied in American history lessons. A wide muzzle, long shaft and metal-plated finger grip. If it hadn’t been a weapon I’d have called it pretty.

  “Hmmm, we’ve not got a healer among us,” the halfling said.

  “I can do a little healing,” the monk-like bald man replied.

  I made a mental note to ask Desiree if I could learn some of what she knew. It seemed even if we made it through this, someone would have to step into the healer role, as well. It made sense for it to be me. Not only would it help me grow strong enough to one day set out alone and find my sisters, it would aid my team long-term.

  With our ten minutes up, we were hurried to a set of waiting wagons outside, one for each team, pulled by two ebolos per wagon. Other than the six of us, we had one of the three judges along for the ride. I smiled when the kinder white-haired man got in with us. He reminded me of a well-respected old wizard from a story book.

  Over the journey I listened intently to what my team mates said, trying to learn as much as I could about tactics and strategies as they tried to figure out a plan of action. We didn’t get very far, the unknown making it impossible to do little more than decide the order we’d go into the cave, and although we asked our judge for more info on that subject, he remained silent. Instead, he asked us questions of our childhood. Once more, I stayed quiet, listening and hoping no one would ask me anything.

  By the time we reached our destination I had a stomach that wouldn’t stop moving, my nerves making me feel almost sick. This was my first quest. After a brief pause, while our monk, Raphael, went over the order, some basic what-if strategies, and stressed the importance of not getting left behind, he pulled a stick from somewhere inside his coat and, with a flick of a knife across the end of it, he lit it up.

  I watched as the rest of my team filed into the cave, almost in pairs. Keeping close to the rogue, I followed, trying to push my fear into the pit of my stomach. Behind us all, giving us space to react without him, came our judge. He gave me some comfort, mostly that no matter what happened we probably wouldn’t die, but I was aware that we needed to do so much more than stay alive.

  As we travelled farther with nothing but the single stick to light our way, I found myself stumbling along, barely able to see from my position at the back. Twice the rogue put out a hand to help me yet I gritted my teeth and carried on, until someone put up a hand and we all ground to a halt.

  “What is it?” someone said up ahead, barely above a whisper.

  “I think there’s a trap,” Aimer said. The monk passed him the light, taking it even farther away from us as Aimer investigated closer.

  “Definitely a trap,” he said, picking up dust off the cave floor and letting it fall, as if he was sprinkling salt in a line. It stuck to a thin strand that ran across the tunnel at ankle height.

  “Well-spotted,” the monk said as he stepped over. He took back his light stick and we all moved past, one by one stepping over the trip-wire, and then reformed. That was one hurdle cleared, but who knew what else was up ahead? Someone had set the trap, and that meant we weren’t alone in this cave.

  As we travelled, I felt myself getting better at navigating in the dark. I no longer stumbled often, and I found I could trust my other senses more, at least until something went ping and distracted me. I almost crashed into a bit of rock that stuck out, my hands taking the worst of the impact before pushing me off. My eyes watered at the sting, but I sucked it up and carried on. No way was I going to confess that mistake to anyone, not when I couldn’t explain exactly what had distracted me.

  Another raised hand stopped us in our path, but this time everyone could see why. Up ahead, around a corner, flames were flickering. This time the monk hung back with the light while the rogue and Aimer crept forward, both making as little noise as possible.

  My heart raced as I imagined wha
t might be close by. It could be a monster, or something undead. Or some kind of evil guardian of the relic. But whatever it was, neither of the two trying to spy on it seemed to be scared. While the rogue stayed at the corner, eyes firmly fixed on whatever was by that fire, Aimer crept back to us, his elven body moving gracefully.

  “There’s a Mornspawn just around the corner. Has a nasty bite, but the six of us should be able to handle one. Shall we sneak up on it, try to lure it out, or...”

  “If we can handle it, let’s just attack,” Terris the fighter replied, not letting Aimer finish. Several of the others shrugged, and it was all the encouragement they needed.

  Yelling loudly, Terris raised his sword and shield and rushed around the corner, almost tripping over the rogue on the way past. Aimer rolled his eyes as everyone else followed. When the monk followed too, taking the light source with him, I was left no choice but to run after them and hope there was something I could do to help.

  Before I was around the corner, I heard the squeal of some animal, like a piglet that had just been stabbed. My stomach heaved at the mental image but I somehow carried on. The others obscured my view even when I did make it around the corner, the fire on the other side of them making them look like dark shadows on a bright glistening background.

  “Is it dead?” the rogue asked from beside me, making me jump. I must have gone past her, not noticing her in the shadows. Before anyone could answer her, a bellow echoed around the cave, making Aimer clap his hands over his ears and the colour drain from our faces.

  The pounding of feet came from up ahead, and then a large fierce monkey-type creature, followed by a couple more, came barrelling towards us. Their fangs were on display, and they continued to yell and screech.

  The monk stepped up beside Terris, blocking the pathway and protecting the rest of us, as Aimer notched an arrow to his bow and our halfling raised her musket-like pistol. My heart thudded so hard I was sure it would beat right out of my chest, but I managed to stand firm, at the back of the group. I knew I was meant to do something, but the front two creatures leapt at my team mates so swiftly I was left stammering, unable to focus on my magic.