CHRONICLES of a PC Gamer Stuck Inside an RPG (Book One: Duelist)

Chapter 84 - Unexpected Departure

I stared at Master Gurgne incredulously. How could he place a bet AGAINST me, grumble about losing his bet, and then congratulate me for my success?

My expression must have been obvious because the dog man suddenly grinned. "Young pup, I realize you're confused about why I would bet against you and then congratulate you for learning the skill in question. If I won the bet, Kalistro would have owed me twenty gold coins. The odds were too tempting for me to pass up. Secondly, you had a string of success already in learning new skills. Sooner or later, your luck will run out and you won't be able to learn a skill. Since Duel Winner is a difficult skill to learn under ideal circumstances, there was a strong possibility that you would fail to learn this skill. Fortunately for you, Lady Luck continued to smile upon you." Gurgne shrugged.

I suddenly remembered my saving throw. "Now that you mention it, I had to make a saving throw against my Constitution when I tried to execute the skill for the first time," I remarked. "My arm grew very heavy because the grandmaster was making me practice the strokes continuously. And then he suddenly charged at me," I recounted the experience.

The cat man's eyes gleamed. "It was by design, young pup," Kalistro chuckled. "Sometimes, you will find yourself in the thick of combat for a very long time. I wanted to test you and see how you will mentally break free of your body's growing fatigue but still have the presence of mind to execute the Duel Winner skill," he explained.

"You definitely earned the skill," Gurgne piped in.

I smiled to myself. It was the first time that both the master and the grandmaster had praised me. Of course, I realized that if the other students were around, then they might have been less effusive with their praise.

The church bell tolled, indicating that it was now five past noon.

I looked up at the sky and noted that the sun was setting on the horizon.

Suddenly, Kalistra appeared and behind her were Captain Maisen, Giudot, Sankryn, and Jormyril! The heir bowed deeply to the grandmaster. "Pardon my interruption, but the Watch has an urgent message for Lord Mulligan."

I looked at the cat girl with great interest. Despite her public humiliation, Kalistra appeared to be back to her usual, proud self. However, I noticed that she made a conscious effort to avoid looking in my direction. No matter. When we hit the road, we will have many opportunities to discuss my near-death experience.

The former journeyman of the dojo stepped forward and caught my attention. "Milord, there was a report of drows sneaking into Tregome," Captain Maisen announced. "We fear that they may be after you. We recommend that you leave the town immediately."

"Why didn't your Watchmen attack them?" Kalistra asked.

"A two-man patrol is no match for a band of drows," Giudot began mounting a defense of his fellow Watchmen. "In that situation, if the patrol ended up getting killed then the rest of us would not have learned of their return. Our Watchmen made the right decision in returning to HQ to make the report and pass the word to the Church."

I nodded in agreement with the rationale. The drows were after me; it wasn't fair to ask other men to throw their lives away needlessly. Furthermore, I knew that the drows will return some day. I just didn't realize it would be so soon! "Is my sword ready?" I asked hopefully.

The part-time blacksmith pointed at a sword leaning against a wall. "Your blade received a fresh coating of silver, but it's not ready yet," he replied. "However, I will lend you my personal sword. You can give it back to me when you return to the dojo." Gurgne walked into the armory and grabbed a sword from a display stand. He returned and held the sword by its scabbard horizontally.