At that moment, both Anne and Idris gawked at Miri for suggesting such a wild idea pretty much out of the blue.

  “Forming a team…for the Pentacle Trials…with you two?” Idris clarified.

  “Yep. I mean, why the hell not?” Miri said. “You said it yourself that forming a team can potentially increase our odds of winning, right? You seem skilled and trustworthy. Plus, you’re using archery-focused spells, which usually pairs well with spells that increase perception, which means a high Spirit affinity, which is an affinity both of us are lacking. When you think about it like that, you’re pretty much a perfect fit for our team.”

  “Miri, I am quite literally someone you’ve only met just an hour ago,” Idris argued. “That’s typically not enough time to tell whether someone is trustworthy or not.”

  “Ehh, I’ve got a gut feeling about you. And they usually aren’t wrong. You’re trustworthy enough,” Miri said with a casual shrug before turning to her cleric companion. “Anne, what do you think?”

  “Umm, well…I don’t sense any ill intentions from Idris over here, though I’m not exactly a good judge of character myself, so…” Anne said timidly. “...I think I’ll just go with whatever you decide.”

  “Great! So we’re both in agreement,” Miri said to Anne before returning to the laidback archer. “So, what do you say?”

  Idris let out a chuckle. “That’s quite the gut feeling you have there. Although, a partnership like this needs to be mutually agreeable. Just because you two are willing to accept me as part of your team, that doesn’t mean that I’m willing to accept you two.”

  “What, you don’t trust us?” Miri asked.

  “Like I said, the time we’ve known each other is exceptionally short,” Idris pointed out.

  “You trust us enough to have drinks with us.”

  This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

  “Trusting to have drinks with someone is very different from willing to ally with someone in the Pentacle Trials. Besides, I’m more used to adventuring by myself anyway.”

  “But I thought that you said, in the Pentacle Trials, the element of teamwork is pretty much inevitable.”

  “That is true, though I don’t intend to actually win the Pentacle Trials in the first place, remember? I simply choose to participate in the trials to have fun, to challenge myself into honing my skills and maybe meet new and interesting people along the way. If you’re looking for an ally who actually wants to win, I think I’ll actually make for a terrible candidate in that regard.”

  “I don’t know about that. I mean, you did reach up to the fifth trial on your last Pentacle Trial in Aether. By the time we all reach the fifth trial, we’ll no longer be teammates and are free to fight against one another. In that sense, having you lose at the fifth trial is actually more to our benefit.”

  “Oh, so now you’re saying you’re just using me to get to where you want to go, hmm?” Idris said. “Now I feel so…exploited.”

  “Well, it’s more like we’re using each other to get to where we both want to go,” Miri corrected with a lighthearted smile. “Besides, it’s going to happen eventually anyway. Once we all reach the third trial, we’ll be forced to choose our teams. Better for you to team up with someone you have drinks with than with a complete stranger, don’t you think?”

  “That is assuming you two are even able to reach the third trial on your own.”

  “Oh, so now you’re doubting our ability?”

  “It’s more like I haven’t seen enough to truly be impressed,” Idris said as he crossed his arms. “Besides, even if you are as skilled as you claim to be, there might be other more highly skilled contestants seeking to recruit me to their group as well. I’ve got to leave my options open, after all.”

  Miri scoffed. “I knew this wasn't going to be easy. Well, in that case, I’m just gonna have to prove to you that I’m someone worthy of teaming up with. Just you wait.” Finishing the last of her ale, she proceeded to walk out the tavern. “Come on, Anne. Let’s go.”

  With hurried steps, Anne followed Miri out of the tavern. Idris narrowed his eyes with intrigue as he watched the two women take their leave, a thoughtful smirk on his face. So far, he hadn’t decided whether to accept their request for an alliance yet. Regardless, those two were certainly someone worth keeping an eye out for.