"Are you sure about this Sir Slade? you can make a pretty coin by just taking a toll at the warp point."
"Of course I'm sure of it, and didn't I tell you to drop the honorifics and just call me Slade Captain Rumford?"
"Then you should stop calling me Captain if you want to me to stop calling you sir."
"Sure Rumford."
"...That feels weird."
Taking a swig from his wooden beer mug, the beer foamed at the top as it went barrelling down the dark abyss that was his throat.
Rain fell like hail as the myriad raindrops fell from the darkened sky and hit the ground with an unmatched fury.
It was like a stampede of angry horses were galloping all over the place.
*BOOOOMM
The sky thundered as a brief flash of light announcing its arrival flashed through the cracks of the windows.
The wind itself hurling all sorts of abuse onto the windows caused them to clatter incredibly loudly.
Taking a swig of the semi cold yet warm beer as well, Slade popped is lips before continuing.
"There really is no loss you know? Even if I put a very low toll for the warp point it really only takes about fifteen minutes to get there if you're not in a hurry."
"So why put a toll there anyways? and I don't think it'll even be useful for now when monsters galor are everywhere."
"Maybe when rebuilding the ruins to their previous state but the materials can just be sourced from the forest around us."
Slade took another swig of his drink as droplets of rain sneaked through the cracks and hit his arm.
"But really there is no real reason to just place a toll on a warp gate that will probably not be used for a long time."
Glancing around the bar which had a few other patrons just drinking all their worries away in the Slaughtered Calf, Slade stared at his bar mate who was nursing his drink on the countertop even as the window besides them trembled with near hurricane force level winds.
"So what is it that you wanted to tell me earlier about Leah? I didn't catch what you were saying before the storm struck."
"I won't go into the specifics but I want you to stop Leah from killing herself."
"...What?"
Staring at Rumford with a semi confused expressions as he continued to explain, Slade belatedly realized what he was talking about.
"Remember how I said she was the only survivor of the Star fall? Well she was at the Old Tristam cathedral when it happened alongside her uncle and I fear she'll try and throw away her life to find someone we don't even know may still be alive."
'I guess its beginning.' Taking on a serious countenance, Slade stared at the swirling liquid that was at the bottom of his mug.
It had been a while since he had died, met God, gained powers and resurrected.
About half a day in fact.
A bit much action in that small time frame was the cherry on top.
And he enjoyed those feelings just as much.
Although wielding a blade was slightly awkward on his body, it was at least better than enduring a daily life where his leg ached as the wounds done to it piled up over time.
In fact, he rather liked his new life.
It was far from the commonly found hustle and bustle of the city life where modern day conveniences could be found at any corner and cars were everywhere one looked.
But the gothic charm set around the medieval ages that the town had, had its own peaceful charm.
That is if one ignored all of the monsters that periodically attacked it of course.
And the knowledge that he was in a game world that was no different from a real one also held a fatal attraction to him.
Where else would one get the chance to experience an old game with all the nostalgia one would have when facing an item that contained an innumerable number of memories in it?
It was not for nothing Nostalgia was called the weapon of memory.
But nonetheless, despite being a game that was made by code, the world it was set in wasn't so simple and had less restrictions than the normal skill bar.
The abilities that could be manifested with wrath and without equipping said skill spoke volumes of that fact.
And all the stimulation alongside the nostalgia assaulted.
A sense of adventure mixed with wariness of the unknown offset by the immense amount knowledge he had of the game definitely played a part in this.
"Just try to talk some sense into her will you?"
"Well I'll try."
"Thanks, she's resting in the third room to the right on the second floor."
Downing the last drops of the frothy beer down his gullet, Slade slammed the mug onto the table with such force that it audibly creaked.
'Should make a note of that.'
Moving his hand into his pocket and taking out a coin, he placed it onto the bar table and watched it get snatched away by the inn keep.
Taking out another coin Slade opened his mouth. "I need a room for the night."
The barkeep tossed him a key "Second floor 2nd room left side."
Nodding in reply Slade waved goodbye to the man downing another swig of the frothing beer.
Opening the door to the inn after a brief trek up the stairs and matching the key to the door, Slade quickly locked it up again and went to the other room.
"Leah?"
No reply.
"It's me, the crusader that the captain talked to you about, I'm here to talk about your uncle."
"..."
'Not going to talk huh?'
'In that case...'
Turning around and resting his back on the door frame, Slade opened his mouth.
"Look, I don't know who your uncle is and unless I actually talk to him I won't know what type of man he is."
"But seeing as you are willing to risk your life to save him, I can tell that you are quite close to each other."
"..."
"I'm not going to tell you to stop but have you ever thought that your uncle Cain is dead?"
"..."
"Well then I'll take your silence as an answer, so what drives you to risk your life for something that isn't an definite? Why risk your life for some improbable thing?"
In such a small voice that it was hard to even hear it in the first place if not for being trained his strained ears picked up the faintest sound "...Because I saw..."
"What?"
"..." Only silence greeted him.
"In any case-"
"The Guards who had come to the cathedral... before they were able to find my uncle they had been ambushed had closed the cathedral's door's behind them."
'Finally.' Despite being interuppted Slade had a small smile on his face as he stared through the door, imagining Leah with her brown eyes staring at the window with her back faced against the door.
Or not actualy.
*Creeeaaak
The door slowly opened and nearly caused him to stumble as leah stared directly at him through the slightly open doorway.
"They fought their way back to Adria's hut and probably left the key there, which got me thinking as we were returning to new Tristam."
"Why did the undead ambush us if there wasn't anything they needed to protect? The Wretched Queen has been said to have the intelligence of a normal human being and the Wretched Queen should know that there is no gain to be got when attacking the guards."
She looked at Slade as her brown eyes gleamed.
"Unless they want to hide something."
Holding her hand up, she clenched at something invisible."
"So I guess you can call me crazy but I still have a hope in my heart that everything will be alright and my Uncle is perfectly fine." Staring forlornly at Slade yet past him with a close yet distant visage.
Slade pondered.
Pondering over that fact that directly lead into her heart, Slade slightly smirked before throwing out a question "In that case why don't I accompany you then Leah?"
"So that's why I must go, you c-" She paused as Slade's words slowly worked their way into her brain.
Snapping her head she shouted "Wait what!?"
Hurriedly turning to look at him with wide open brown eyes, as Slade turned to his room while smiling at her with a playful look in his eyes.
"I look forward to our adventure together miss Leah."
Just like that, Slade forced her way into her party while upholding canon and now had the chance to involve himself with the fate of the world.
Not really a bad feeling to feel important.
---
Leah stared at the crusader named Slade that was slyly returning to his room.
'...'
'I never told him my uncle's name though...'
+++
TREE THAT IS IN PAIN OF THE FREAKING IGCSE EXAMS