Maybe I could spend those coins on ability assessments for Ralph and Hester? I thought. No... I should at least make them pay for their own assessments.
“Are you going to do more magic practice today?” I asked Hester.
“I am. Will you be coming too, Chris?”
“Yeah. I’ve got to keep coaching Ralph too, so I’ll be there. I had an idea, though. What about getting an ability assessment before you start your lesson today?”
“An ability assessment?” she repeated.
“Uh-huh. The receptionist gave you the scoop on that when you signed up to be adventurers, right?”
“Sorry, but...this is actually my first time hearing about this.”
“Same here,” Ralph chimed in. “So, what the heck is an ability assessment?”
Apparently no one had ever told them about ability assessments, because they seemed to be completely in the dark about them.
To be fair, I might’ve only gotten that information from the receptionist because I’d bombarded her with questions until the smile fell right off her face. Maybe it wasn’t part of the usual “intro to adventuring” speech?
“It’s a ritual that quantifies your capabilities into ability stats,” I explained. “To put it simply, it’s a lot like the Heaven’s Blessing Ceremony.”
“Wow... I had no idea they offered a free service like that!” Ralph exclaimed.
“Well, it isn’t free. It costs money.”
“How much money?”
“One gold coin per assessment.”
“What...? A whole gold?! Are you kidding me? Who has that kind of money to spend just to have their capabilities assessed? I mean, it’s not like it helps you grow stronger or anything, does it?”
“No, but it gives you an accurate and detailed picture of your current capabilities.”
“Who cares? I don’t need that. Right, Hester?”
“I... I agree. One gold coin is certainly an exorbitant cost.”
Ralph and Hester seemed to be on the same page in thinking that the assessments were a waste of money. I had a feeling that most people probably felt that way, actually—which would explain why the receptionist didn’t usually bother to tell anyone about them.
I’d been thinking I’d make the two of them pay for their own assessments, but judging from their reactions, it didn’t seem likely that that was ever going to happen.
Well, it’s a pretty important progress marker... So maybe I’ll just go ahead and pay for it this time, I thought.
“Well, there’s no downside to knowing your current capabilities. Just knowing how much growth you can expect to make after a day’s worth of effort allows you to make progress more efficiently. I’ll pay for your assessments this time, so let’s go get them done.”
“I’ll pass. If you’ve got a gold coin to spare, then treat us to ten fancy dinners instead,” said Ralph.
“Who’d spend a gold coin just to spoil you with nice food? Look, if you don’t want an assessment, then I won’t force you, but I’m not just going to hand you money for no reason.”
“Aw, what...? So I might as well just get this assessment thing, then?”
“If you’re paying for it, then I’ll do it,” said Hester.
“Great,” I replied. “Then let’s head to the church before it closes for the day.”
“They do these assessments at the church?”
“Yeah, same as the Heaven’s Blessing Ceremony. The assessments are actually done kind of the same way too.”
“Fine,” Ralph butted in. “If it’s free, then I wanna get one too!”
And with that, I brought them along with me to the church.
I was used to the church by now, so I just made a beeline for the little back room where they did the assessments and ignored the two of them as they looked around the hall, taking everything in.
It was a pretty small room for even one person to fit in, but it felt downright claustrophobic with three.
I rang the bell, eager to finish up here as quickly as possible. In a few moments, Father Graham entered the room and joined us.
“Hmm...? I see you’ve brought company today,” he said.
“Yeah. I brought my friends to get their abilities assessed this time,” I explained.
Father Graham eyed us with a look that said, Great, now I’ve got to deal with three weirdos instead of just one. Of course, he was too polite to ever say such a thing out loud.
“Very well. Could I please have your adventurers’ cards and one gold coin each, then?” he asked.
They each handed him their card, and I pulled two gold coins out of my bag to hand to Father Graham.
“Thank you. We’ll start with the young lady, then... All right. All done. Next is the young man... All right. You’re all done too. Please take a look at your adventurers’ cards,” Father Graham said, handing their cards back.
“Thanks again. See you next time,” I said.
“I look forward to seeing you then.”
With that, the three of us left the church.
Hester and Ralph had been so suspicious of the merits of ability assessments just before, but now they were staring fixedly at their adventurers’ cards.
Even though Ralph couldn’t read, he looked at his stats quite intently.
“Well? Does it have my ability scores on here?”
“Yes,” Hester said, going on to explain to him what each one meant. “I was a little concerned, since the ritual was over so quickly, but it looks like our ability scores really have been recorded on our cards.”
“Well, I guess this is kind of interesting information to have... But my stats are lower than I expected. Are you sure this is right?”
“Let me take a look at your cards when you’re done,” I said. “I paid for your assessments, so you have no right to say no.”
“Seriously? But I don’t wanna show you...”
“Show it to me, or you can give me back one gold coin. Your choice. I wouldn’t have asked to look if you’d paid for your own assessment.”
“You know I can’t afford that! Ugh, fine... Take a look. But don’t laugh, okay?”
“I won’t.”