Full Immersion [for what it's worth]

>Right now you are low on resources. But luckily you have a service that you can provide and a person that wants to purchase said service. Now you just need to name a price. Ask the priests original bodyguard what the pay for his services were, if he considered it a fair wage, and if Bark would provide supplies for the journey before accepting any offers. Oh, and you should probably hear Bark's offer before you put out your own.

>Standard fares x 1.2

ONWARD TO GLORY!

> Accept the quest, on the condition that you get custom sets of weapons, armor and other items forged and imbued with magic to your specifications before you leave, and 10,000 gold on your safe return.

Be nice. Don't exploit him.
>Jeanette: Agree to do the thing on the condition that you get to shop for supplies for the journey and have Bark reimburse you. Use the opportunity for a small weapons/armor upgrade. Then ask the original warrior what he was paid. Both you and Louis should receive that.
>Louis: Practice fighting.

"Well, ah, I guess that might depend on what you're willin' to pay for it," says Louis.
"How much would you suggest?" asks Root.
"Uh..how much're you payin' him?" he says, pointing to the warrior, who immediately looks slightly insulted.
"I'm not paying him," says the priest. "He's taking this task as a religious pilgrimmage."
"One would think you could figure that out by his vow of silence, Louis," says Jeannette, glaring.

He gives a hands-up shrug, and she turns back to the rest of the tree. "As we are rather unfamiliar with this land, I'm certain it would be mutually beneficial to have a guide on the way to Laerta. However, we are low on supplies, if you could cover the costs for a few from around here?"
"Hmph. At least one of you can think straight," says Root.
"I can agree to that," adds Bark.
"Thank you. Additionally, it would seem you have a lot of these...potions?"
"Salves, tinctures, and such," says Bark, nodding a bit proudly.
"Yes. It would be helpful to take along a few, I believe. Obviously if they are needed to help our companions out we would be generous. If in addition to these things you feel it worth giving us some coin, all the better."

The two elves exchange a look, and then Root nods. "That's perfectly fine. I'll go with you to get the supplies, then we can return here when you're prepared."
"I should have a useful collection gathered for you by then," says Bark.

They head out of the tree, and Louis' stomach growls a bit. "Uh, I haven't had breakfast yet," he says.
"They have some food sitting out in the dining room at the boarding house. I'm surprised you didn't smell it or something," says Jeannette.
"Well, I'll just eat and catch up with ya latter. You know what we need better'n I do anyway, huh?"
"Of course."

After eating (and having an internal monologue arguing whether actually feeling hungry and then eating inside of a game is awesome or inconvenient), Louis heads a short ways out from the town, to one of the trees that isn't also someone's house.

He tries taking a few stances with his sword, slowly drawing it from each. He tries a draw-slash-sheath combination slowly a couple of times, then quickly, then opening a portal with the slash and hopping through. It all feels rather natural.

Next, Louis takes a moment to glance at his skill tree again, and notices that he can actually afford more things with the points from killing the giant bear. Specifically, in augmentations he could have two portals open at once, make portals last longer, or make them able to be larger. He can still get Whirling Strike, Defend-Disarm, or Dive Stab, even with the leftover points after taking an augmentation, or all three of them if he doesn't take one. The rest of the active skills require one or more of those three and are more expensive than his current skill points, and he doesn't seem to have enough for more than two augments.

"Hmm.."

>

SpoilerShow

You can also suggest to look for skills that do particular things farther up the tree, if you want. If I like them/think they make sense they might be added, maybe even favorited.