They stood ready, watching the other team prepare.

  Their slinger had her bow pointed at the ground and held three arrows in her hand, while the armored axe-wielding warrior seemed ready to charge.

  As expected, Diamond stood by the target, obviously prepared to take down any arrows that came into range, and their swordsman, who must be their primary damage dealer, stood behind the armored bulk of the axe-man, sword and dagger at the ready.

  The bell rang, and they moved.

  Falcon conjured a wall before her to provide cover and protect the target, as Forge charged forward, Lioness and Gideon trailing behind him.

  Time to try out the Tier Two summon, he thought.

  He cast the spell, then gritted his teeth against the drain, but he shook it off easily.

  A six-foot tall creature of fire appeared, hovering above the ground beside him. It kept pace with him as he ran, and he sent his command.

  “Take out the archer, but don’t kill her.”

  The creature flew at high speed into the air, a trail of flame marking its path through the cavern.

  Forge reached out to the flame, expanded it, and pushed it towards the charging warrior.

  The axe-man threw an armored forearm up to cover his face and slowed to a stop, causing the swordsman charging behind him to slam into his back.

  In his attempt to avoid stabbing his teammate, he held his hands out to the side, and smashed face first into the man’s back.

  Summoning his tentacles, Forge closed the distance quickly and reached out to grab the axe man. A tentacle wrapping around the man’s ankle, and the other around his weapon.

  He flung the man as hard as he could, and he flew 20 feet into the air before crashing hard to the ground on the far side of them.

  The now exposed swordsman lunged forward, but was met by Gideon’s long sword, who parried away his thrust, then riposted to keep the man at range.

  “Lioness, support Gideon. I’ll take the target,” Forge yelled.

  He breathed out hard as his run turned into a jog, allowing his passive regeneration to clear out the fatigue toxins rampaging through his bloodstream.

  An explosion of fire impacted his mask, blinding him for a moment, allowing him to be hit with an arrow and another bolt of flame.

  The arrow had struck him in the shoulder joint of his armor, punching through the scale-mail and embedding itself in his shoulder.

  Grabbing the shaft, he ripped it roughly from his shoulder, ignoring the notice of a bleed effect that flashed in his vision.

  The flames that struck him did nothing, and he continued his run toward the target and the opposing caster.

  He could still feel the strain on his mana-gates from casting the previous two spells in such quick succession, but fired a Tier Two Firebolt at the caster as he ran, regardless.

  She dove to the ground as the blue fire blew past to strike the dummy behind her.

  Forge could feel he was at his limit for spells at the moment, as the drain hit him hard, before finally breaking against his will.

  He sent a tentacle to grab the caster, which wrapped around her leg and pulled her off her feet and upside down in the air.

  Continuing his steady jog, he moved past her position towards his target.

  He grabbed the dummy and removed the black slag from the glowing blue tentacle, which blazed with heat.

  It seared through the wood and canvas as the top fell away and crashed to the ground, still burning.

  He shook the caster to ensure she couldn’t cast and turned back towards the fight.

  A large silver blur struck him and they tumbled back together, rolling on the ground.

  Blows rained down on him from the armored fist of the axe-man, and he grabbed at the man’s wrist.

  He struck the man with a tentacle and saw Diamond, still in the tentacle’s grasp, smash into his attacker, knocking him off balance.

  His second tentacle grabbed the wrist of the man and yanked him upward.

  Summoning his mace to his hand, he struck the man on the knee joint of his armor, and the man howled in pain.

  He was realizing a lot about his abilities, as the strength of his tentacles matched his own physical strength, and seemed to be just as tired as his own aching muscles.

  Clutching his fist, he cast Lay on Hands, and felt his health top off. It didn’t cure his fatigue, but the aches and pains from the body blows and the arrow wound went away like they were never there.

  He dismissed his tentacles, dropping both fighters to the ground.

  The strain on his mana-gates reduced down to nothing, and he rolled up from his side to his feet in one quick movement.

  Diamond was on the ground, shaky hands trying to open a healing potion, and the armored warrior had rolled over to painstakingly push himself up to his feet.

  His leg buckled, and he crashed back down to the ground.

  Mace in hand, Forged turned to check on his team, but the echoing sound of the bell startled him.

  He looked at the two downed adventurers, then took two large steps back from them before checking on the rest of the team.

  The opposing swordsman was down, and he spotted Lioness and Gideon standing by the prone body of the slinger.

  Not spotting his fire elemental, he debated on checking his System logs but put the thought on hold as he watched the two clerics walk out into the arena, followed by Jeffrey.

  “Fight’s over,” Davis called out, making his way over to the opposing swordsman, who Forge now saw had an arrow in his thigh.

  Storing his mace. He stepped over to Diamond and used his Lay on Hands power to give her the last four points of his healing.

  She glared at him for a moment, then her eyes softened.

  This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

  She looked at the unused healing potion in her hand and gave a humorless laugh.

  “Well, at least I didn’t have to use it. They’re expensive.”

  She stood and walked over to Forge as they both checked on the large armored warrior.

  His once shiny armor now displayed thick, scorched black lines from Forge’s tentacles, and he lay still, breathing hard and staring up at the cavern ceiling high above them.

  “Well, that sucked,” the man said in a pained voice.

  Forge kneeled down next to him.

  “I used the last of my healing magic on Diamond, but I have a healing potion you can use.”

  The man’s eyes focused on him, and he grinned.

  “Are you nuts? Don’t waste a healing potion on me when we have clerics healing us for free.”

  He gestured to Diamond.

  “How long was that? It felt really fast. Five minutes?”

  “One minute and 14 seconds,” Timothy said, as he made his way over to the downed warrior.

  He kneeled by the man and placed a hand on his armored chest.

  Golden light emanated out from his hand and covered Wolf’s body, and they heard a pop as the warrior’s knee slammed back into place.

  The axe-warrior grunted and got to his feet.

  “Hey, paladin-guy. Can you do me a favor and retrieve my axe?”

  He pointed towards the side of the arena, and Forge saw the axe embedded twenty-five feet up the stone wall.

  Forge gave an appreciative whistle.

  “Wow! It can slice through stone?”

  He walked over to the wall and summoned his tentacles, then reached up to pull the enormous axe from its resting place.

  It was an effort to pull the axe from its new home, but it finally slid free and he handed it to the warrior.

  Wolf checked the axe over carefully, then removed a leather sheath from his satchel and attached it to the blade, then looped the attached belt over his head, securing it.

  Jeffrey clapped as he walked up to the group.

  “Truly an excellent battle.”

  He faced Diamond and gave her a comforting smile.

  “I’m afraid your team lost, not due to a lack of skill, but a lack of utility.”

  He glanced at Forge and his team and smiled before turning back to Diamond.

  “I’m afraid the combination of magic and divine powers, combined with their combat skills, put you at a distinct disadvantage, regardless of your experience and ability. My recommendation: Diversify your power a bit.”

  Timothy and Davis moved around the room and collected the amulets from each fighter, and carefully placed the amulets back in the lacquered wooden case.

  Forge observed Diamond’s team. Now fully healed, they didn’t look angry, more self reflective on the fight.

  Though he noticed their armor was a bit worse for wear.

  Apparently, Jeffrey’s thoughts mirrored his own, and he summoned a small bag of gold to his hand and handed it to Diamond.

  She nodded gratefully and smiled.

  “You know, you’d make a fortune renting this place out to the Guild.”

  Jeffrey placed his hands behind his back and raised an eyebrow.

  “Seeing as the Sturtevant already has a fortune, that’s not much of an incentive, I’m afraid.”

  Turning to Forge’s party, the butler gestured to a comfortable viewing area.

  “Please wait here while I escort the other party out.”

  Without waiting for a response, he asked Diamond’s team to follow him.

  With one final mock glare at Gideon, Diamond and her team followed Jeffrey out of the arena.

  “Hey, there’s a bar!” shouted Lioness as she headed over to the rows of chairs that were setup to watch the battles.

  “One each. No more!” Falcon shouted, hurrying over.

  Forge turned to follow the team, but stopped as the two clerics stood nearby, vying for his attention.

  Forge removed his mask and nodded at the pair.

  “Gentlemen. How can I help you?”

  Davis looked at Timothy and made a go ahead motion to him, and the cleric stepped forward.

  “I apologize, but the legend is that the gods reach out to paladins directly. Could you tell us if you actually spoke with a god?”

  Forge understood. They had devoted their lives to a god, but other than the power they received, they’d never actually communicated with their deity before.

  “I’m afraid it was much less impressive than that. To be honest, I was never directly asked to be a paladin. It just sort of happened.”

  The clerics nodded.

  “Would you mind telling us how it came about?”

  Forge smiled, but shook his head.

  “I had a minor blessing of Honos and was in the right place at the right time. Other than that, I’m afraid I can’t reveal more.”

  The two clerics, while disappointed, nodded in understanding.

  “The divine path is as mysterious as it is rare,” Timothy said.

  “And your path is the most rare of all,” Davis added with a laugh.

  If only you knew, Forge thought.

  He gestured over to the drinks being prepared by his team.

  “Would you do us the honor of having a drink with us?”

  The two clerics grinned in unison and nodded.

  “A drink with a paladin. We’ll dine out on this story for months,” Davis said.

  ***

  Jeffrey rejoined them after a few minutes and gestured for everyone to be seated.

  “As I alluded to earlier, access to this arena is just one of the many benefits provided to you if you agree to work for the Sturdevant.”

  He made a small nod to Forge.

  “I will admit that once I realized you had a paladin in your party, I hoped you would prove victorious. If for no other reason than just the mention of a paladin of Honor and Justice provides a legitimacy to the house, that even a sterling reputation won’t provide.”

  He smiled wider as he gazed around the table.

  “Also, imagine my surprise when I realized that your entire team walks the Path of Magic.”

  Summoning a stack of papers, he placed them on a nearby table.

  “Before we go over the contracts, I wanted to provide you an opportunity to ask any questions you may have before accepting a job with us.”

  Jeffrey stepped over to the bar and prepared himself a drink as he spoke over his shoulder.

  “As I have worked with adventurers before, I have to assume you know little about us. So, let me start by explaining that The Sturdevant is a master level artisan and enchanter. As such, his work is in demand all over the world.”

  “While that would be impressive on its own, we employ a great many crafters in all fields, and have contracts with multiple kingdoms, as well as the Adventurers Guild.”

  Done speaking, he sat down in one of the comfortable chairs and gestured for them to ask their questions.

  As the unofficial spokesperson for their team, Falcon was the first to speak.

  “What would be our responsibilities?”

  “For now, you would protect the estate here in Scofrey, as well as make yourselves available to escort certain VIPs to and from the estate.”

  Falcon nodded.

  “Seeing as how you have worked with adventurers before, you are aware of our requirements to the Guild?”

  “Of course,” Jeffrey said, taking a sip of his drink.

  “That will not be an issue. As it is my understanding that dungeon runs are planned well in advance, and any emergency that might pull you away is one that could affect the kingdom as a whole.”

  “Is the Sturdevant here?” Lioness asked.

  “Not at present, I’m afraid. He spends most of his time at his estate in the capital, but he and other members of the family may be here at any given time. That being said, he will most definitely want to meet you,” Jeffrey said.

  “You mentioned some benefits of working here. Could you elaborate?” Gideon asked.

  The butler seemed pleased by the question.

  “Besides the quality of food on premises, I understand you had your eye on a piece of property.”

  Gideon nodded in reply.

  “We are prepared to offer it to you to either rent or buy outright,” Jeffrey said.

  “And then there is the matter of equipment. As a Sturtevant employee, you will receive access to high-quality gear before it’s made available to sell to others.”

  The team grinned at each other, and Forge held up a hand.

  “We will, of course, protect not just the estate, but its secrets. However, I need to know that you will do the same for us.”

  “Of course,” Jeffrey said.

  “Lie,” came unbidden to Forge’s mind.

  Forge held up his mace and showed it to the butler.

  “This is Truth. It is the weapon of a paladin. It tells me whether a person is telling the truth or a lie. Everything you have said until this point has been the truth, except your answer to my question.”

  Jeffrey’s eyebrows raised, and he held up a placating hand.

  “You’re correct. I was a bit too blase with my answer. Let me be more specific. I personally will not reveal your secrets unless it is required by either the master of the house or to protect it.”

  Forge shook his head, frowning.

  “While I understand your position, I’m afraid that’s not good enough.”

  Forge tapped the end of the mace with his off-hand as he debated on how to explain his concern.

  “I have secrets. Things I have shared with very few individuals, and working with you may expose you to them.”

  Jeffrey’s full attention was now on him as the butler leaned forward in the chair.

  “Do you think this secret could negatively affect us?”

  Forge shrugged.

  “I don’t know. Maybe. Though, the greatest shield I have is secrecy.”

  Jeffrey sat back in his chair and seemed to stare through him.

  “This sort of promise is beyond my ability to make, and would require the Sturtevant to agree to it.”

  He seemed to weigh his options, then nodded.

  “I will contact the master of the house and see how he wishes to proceed.”

  A bag appeared in his hands and he set it on the table.

  “This is a retainer to secure the option of hiring your team for the next week. Once I have an answer, I will reach out to the Guild and alert you. Is that acceptable?”

  Forge nodded.

  “That works for me.”

  He turned to the rest of the team and smiled apologetically.

  “Does that work for you?”

  To their credit, no one hesitated, and they all readily agreed.

  Jeffrey clapped his hands together and stood up, and the others joined him.

  “This…is not how I thought this was going to go, but perhaps taking our time and making sure we have everything agreed upon is for the best.”

  He fixed Forge with a smile.

  “After all, paladins don’t come along every day.”