"Now that is curious." He considered his recent gains and found three aspects noteworthy. All that jumping around and evading ... and only a single level of Dodge. Probably reaching diminishing returns here - they did warn things would slow down after the initial levels. Finishing up his healing he looked at himself and inspected his deplorable state. Healing Touch did nothing to clean up the dried blood or fix the burnt remains of his armor and clothing.
"If this continues I''ll return to the surface, only to be arrested for public indecency." The many claw tears and burns from his recent encounters had the armor barely hanging on, to the point where Arcanis was surprised it had held through his energetic movements in the previous encounter.
Anyway, back to the notifications. The new maneuver seems a little ... situational. "Well, can''t get lucky every single time. That said ... Improved Maneuver Strength - the first maneuver where there is no explicit percentage noted." Pondering that for a moment he did not find any explanation for the difference. Oh well, one more for the list of questions. Thus decided he withdrew his notebook and added an entry before putting it back in his inventory.
Which led the young adventurer to his latest Skill acquisition. That one had been of special interest - a skill that actually generated an effect he could observe with his Sense Magic ability, even though it had no obvious magic aspect to it. "Something else to probably bring up when discussing this involuntary adventure. But really - ''Warning: Use of this skill can have lethal consequences.'' No kidding, Sherlock!"
Whoever this Sherlock may have been.
Getting up he looked back at the large feline beast he had taken down, only to realize it was already done liquefying. Should probably have thought of taking the corpse apart earlier. Still, he spotted something and walked over to where the corpse had lain - the grass was mostly scorched away, but there, among the ashes he spotted two books that looked familiar. Picking them up Arcanis opened the first of them only to be prompted by a familiar system message.
"Captain, where are we!?" The soldier asking the question looked at him, barely visible in the dark of night, as they stood and the rest of the company followed in as close to a formation as could be held in near perfect darkness, a simple lantern the only guidance. He had no good answer for his subordinate - they had been following the trailing light of the company in front of them on their night march.
A light that had just gone out.
Fortunately, before he had to give an answer the light came back. Is it not a bit off? Then another blinked on. And another. And another. They were alone in a dark forest, surrounded by dozens of guiding lights, wondering which one was the right one to follow.
None and yet all of them, as they found out the next day when they came upon the bodies of the men of the company they had been supposed to be supporting.
Foxfire, huh? He stared down at the ground, remembering that ancient debacle. "Inoue sure had his way with us back then." He recalled what little he could about their adventures back ... whenever it had been. I wonder if his people still remember him. What he did for them. What he sacrificed for them.
"Still, whatever happened to him, he''d laugh his ass off watching me get that particular spell." With a grin, Arcanis closed to book again and the prompt went away, then checked out the other book he had found.
"Right, those totally need help with turning around." The aspiring wizard closed the book, not interested in whatever that spell was supposed to do. The dungeon had not shown any undead so far, so anything related to them would have little immediate use for him. Thus decided, he went back to the first book, opened it and confirmed the prompt.
With Sense Magic active the spectacle from when he learned Healing Touch repeated, but gained an entirely new flavor. The book glowed in a white light, while pages kept flipping faster and faster. He felt a magic construct forming, far too intricate for him to see through beyond the most superficial shape. Nonetheless, another distinct - and unknown magical flavor formed, which he mentally filed away. Once the magic ... construct filled out with magical energy, which appeared to come out of nowhere, its effect activated and the power surged forward and entered him and settled around his magic core.
The book turned to ashes, but Arcanis barely noticed, too distracted by what happened inside. Energy swirled, the foreign, weird-flavored mana settled into him, left ... something ... behind and then vanished. Looking closer, he saw something like a ghostly outline, similar to a spell construct before his mana filled it out. It was barely perceptible, even now that he knew where to look, but with that as a starting point he found two more constructs within himself in close proximity. "Huh, so that is where my spells reside, is it?"
The others were no easier to perceive, but one was disproportionally larger than the other two. By several magnitudes. Probably Healing Touch, were I to guess. It does seem to be quite a bit more complex than a Firebolt anyway. Satisfied with what he observed so far - and apparently at the limit of what his current mastery of Sense magic was able to uncover - Arcanis turned his focus back to the last item uninspected: The spellbook he did not end up using. Which turned out to be perfectly inert, no matter how much he stared at it.
"Well, they can''t all be winners, can they?"
One last thing to check. Turning around he moved to the center of the clearing - during the lengthy fight he had realized that the grassless central part of the clearing he had originally noticed, before things got dicey, was some flat stone surface with some markings. Back then he was a bit too preoccupied trying to stay alive to investigate closer, but with the conflict resolved ...
The aspiring wizard checked out the stone plate, which turned out to be covered in runes he did not understand. On first check the stone appeared to be mundane, but when he touched it directly with his hands, rather than standing in front of it, he felt ... something. Almost as if something was interfering with his new sense, similar to trying to make out something by looking through a really dirty glass, but he got the rough impression of energy flowing - a lot of energy and all going in the same direction. Curious. Unable to make out more, Arcanis took out his notebook once more and copied the runes as well as he was able before heading back to his camp. Another thing the Dwarf might have an answer for.
You have unlocked the skill: Drawing!
|
Drawing (Level: 1) [General]
"Drawing is vision on paper"
You have found solace in the pen.
When the world around you rages, it is the pen and the paper that allow you to immortalize that, which only you can see.
And with a few more years of practice, others will even recognize what you inflict on that poor paper.
+1 Dexterity, +1 Power, Improved Drawing Result
|
Arcanis continued his trip towards the source of power he had detected and was using as navigation reference. The shrubbery became thicker as he got closer, to the point that the area was probably no longer suitable for the large cat monsters. At least he did not encounter any further resistance in a trip that felt like it took about an hour.
Without much of a warning and virtually no transition at all he passed between two large bushes, only to find himself outside of the forest. The cavern narrowed down on all sides, almost as if to stop in a dead end ... except that right in front of him, the young adventurer''s destination loomed: After a short but steep climb - bare rock, the vegetation stopped dead at the edge of the forest - there was a narrow opening into what looked like a large cave, one that also appeared to be well lit by crystals of all the base colors from what he could see.
The trek up the slope was annoying, the sharp rock edges cutting into his bare feet, but Arcanis managed to make it without any accidents. Also without kicking off any pebbles, which was fortunate - sound carried far in a cavern and the adventurer was fully exposed to anybody looking out from the forest. The view when he reached the top was impressive, the cave breaking with the pseudo-natural d¨¦cor of the large area he had come from.
"Cave" did not begin to cover it.
Passing through the narrow entry, he entered a gigantic amphitheater, easily able to seat tens of thousands spectators. White marble stairs led from the entry down to the sanded ground floor, which seemed far away still. And yet ... when Arcanis looked left and right, based on the rows of seating he had not even entered at the top. The light crystals placed on the roof did not imitate natural formations and instead were placed in neat, regular circles, balancing each other out, giving the theatre the most natural light. "This ... can easily compare to the greatest arenas of Karalis." Several memories tugged at him and the decorations on the stone surfaces - heavy focus on laurels, framing individual fighting scenes between monsters and humanoids - almost yelled at him, trying to remind him of an elusive past.
With as much of focus as he was able to muster, Arcanis resisted the many fragments and pulls, barely managing to avoid being dragged into another of his flashbacks. Not the best time to get lost in the past.
While the semi-circle seating area directly reached the vertical rock wall, the sanded ground floor was a perfect circle, the rock wall retreating for it. Probably offering a rather poor view for the seats straight against the wall. Would definitely offer a rebate on those seats. On the far side of that circle however was the one thing the young adventurer had been looking for: An open gate set straight into the rock, framed in yet more decorated marble ... revealing stairs going up.
"Looks like that''s my way to get out of here. Or at least closer it, can''t wait to see the sun again." Get some real sun and relax, knowing I''m not on a food-constrained timer to survive. "Now if only ..." Arcanis looked at the other notable feature of that central area of the amphitheater-turned-arena - right besides the gate there was a ... shack. Put together from branches taken from the forest for frames and the red-orange furs of the large feline monsters, it was a crass break with the general aesthetic of the place. In front of the opening into the hut, a large wolf and one of the large cats were lying and relaxing. Both of them wearing collars. "... this did not look like a boss-fight waiting to happen."
The corpse of the last monster reptile slid off the warrior''s shield and their element of the raid party rushed on towards the sound of combat, exiting the tunnel and entering hell. Their group of dozens of adventurers apparently had found the high entry into the large, bowl-shaped home of the boss-monster of the dungeon.
The cause for the dungeon break.
The large wyrm however was content to relax on his hoard as its children - hundreds of its spawn - were engaged on the opposing side of the cave, swarming all over the party led by the prince. The beams of light his [Defender of Hope] class was known for were being crossed by the fire breath of the lesser dragonoids, metal met scales, screams of the injured were mixed by roars of pain and rage of the monsters.
The first wing of the raid party held their position and fought with ferocity, managing to not be pushed back by the scaly tide. "Charge!" Commander Avato sent them into the cauldron, and Tirion along with the other members of the vanguard charged downwards and into the fray. Arrows and rays of magic rained over their heads and the ground shook by the first field use of Suna''s [Armageddon] spell, the monster horde scattered by the massive explosion. The disrupted reptiles stood no chance against the new enemies flanking them and tried to run away when a primordial roar froze the battlefield.
The boss entered the fray.
"First and second, flank security, third and fourth, clear out the trash!" The first to react however was Lord Avato "Tirion ..." he looked at the warrior with a serious face, showing he knew exactly what he was asking for "... distract the boss.
Buy us the time we need."
Tirion nodded and changed direction while white light embraced him, the grace of Zara uplifting him, Her energy entered his arms and legs, Her shield formed in front of him, Her spirit uplifted his as the effects of [Divine Intervention] took hold. Damn, it''s good to have a competent high priestess cover for you!
Massive explosions rocked the wyrm and the boss turned to him as he stood between it and the pony-tailed wizard busy scratching its scales. It breathed its trademark fire, but the flames parted in front of his blessing and soon the two clashed in melee, only the blessing allowing him to survive alone against the beast.
Behind him he could hear the roars of more creatures charging from one of the side tunnels, the melee turning more and more chaotic ... until finally, from the third main entrance the last section of their raid party entered the battle. Horns blew, soldiers screamed and the chaos was perfect with humans and monsters engaged from all sides. Little though Tirion could focus on it, being busy with the boss, his [Battlefield Awareness] still showed him arrows and magic projectiles going out from the new reinforcements and the tide of battle appeared to be turned.
Then one of the skill-reinforced arrows hit the prince in the eye, killing him instantly.
Arcanis blinked, then quickly took cover behind one of the seats right at the entry, scanning his surroundings. Damn, and once again the memories win. When he found nothing amiss he sighed in relieve. "At least this time around I won''t have to worry about infighting and politics when dealing with the boss." No blessings and explosions either though.
This close to the source he could finally identify the exact location of the presence he had felt and used for navigational purposes. It came right from down there in the theater. Not yet, but soon. Some preparations were still needed before he would take the risk. A new spell to figure out how to use and what it did. A new idea to test out, and see whether this notion of his might work with what he already had.
He turned away and started the long return trip. I wonder how the others are doing. Will they be looking for me? Or did they think I ran away and give up and carry on?
* * *
Thomas, accompanied by the rest of the team, entered the guild hall and went to the reception, where Quentin Delgado was manning the desk, reading a book. At this late of an hour, most business was done with and while quite a few tables were filled with teams drinking, eating and chatting, it was fairly calm in the room.
Before the warrior was able to say something however, the old man closed his book, looked up and took in their appearance. "Mister Endosi, a pleasure to see you." He raised an eyebrow before continuing "Am I right in assuming you have found a trace of young Arcanis after all and it somehow involves the guild?"
Thomas nodded before answering, keeping his voice down. "Indeed we have, mister Delgado. It''s not great news, but better than we feared. Is the boss still in?"
"She is indeed, however she still has a visitor. I would usually encourage you to come back tomorrow, as intruding on the business of others is rather uncouth, ..." Maria gave him a death stare as he let that hang for half a second "... but from the looks of it, time might be of the essence for you."
He nodded at them in confirmation, then nodded them to the door leading to the admin area. "Go on in, you know where her office is. But do knock before entering - while she may accept long work hours, miss Tharsus takes the privacy of the guild members quite seriously indeed. I would shudder at the rebuke both of us would earn if you intruded without warning."
"Thanks friend." Thomas gave him a warm smile "and don''t worry - it may be urgent, but we are not quite bereft of courtesy yet."
They moved on and Thomas led them through the hall until they reached the door they were looking for. Most of the time this door would be open, the guild leader having a policy of always being available when needed. And being cranky when the privilege was being abused, with rather ... creative consequences for the perpetrator.
This time, the door was closed, and Thomas knocked, then settled in to wait for a response. After a minute, which felt more like half an eternity, it opened and a small black-haired woman glared at him. "Thomas." the name statement and question in one. What do you want? She stared at him for a second before vocalizing it. "What brings you here at an hour well shy of polite?"
"Well, glad you asked, Ramona. It''s about our missing boy. Mind if we come in and discuss it somewhere more comfortable than through the door?"
The guild leader gave him an odd look before stepping back and pulling the door with her, allowing them entry. The office was on the large side, but not exaggeratedly so. Facing the door was a massive office desk, an oaken monstrosity designed to stand the test of time, with upholstered chairs both behind and in front of it, one each. It was completely bare, the day''s work apparently done and dealt with.
On the left side, the entire wall was covered in well-filled bookshelves, on the right side there was a more comfortable and less formal table with seating for ten and some simple furniture to hold a tea-set or other paraphernalia needed for a meeting. The bulky form of a well-muscled but obviously injured adventurer was taking up one of the seats. Raul, as it turns out, an adventurer in decent standing who had spent all of his adventuring life in and around Erfurt. And someone Thomas had meant to have a few ''words'' with ... once he recovered enough to take them.
She took the comfortable-looking armchair at the end of the table before commanding them all to take a seat. Using pointed stares only.
Taking the hint, the party sat down while giving Raul an inquisitive stare. The man seemed shaken and gave them all side-long glances while looking terribly guilty. What has gotten into him? He is usually one of the most self-assured people in the guild. Thomas'' musings were interrupted as their host pointed at him.
"The missing boy. What did you find out."
"Wellll ..." Thomas considered for a moment how open he wanted to be in front of the other adventurer, but continued anyway. "... not too much, but the important parts I think. We figured out two things: One, he was abducted by several strong men in front of our inn and thrown into the Dungeon."
Raul looked away, refusing to meet their eyes. "And two, he is still alive." That got enough of a reaction out of the other adventurer - who looked up in sudden relief - that the warrior got a certain suspicion.
"Alive you say." the guild master responded, looking lost in thought. "Good." Looking up she pointed at Raul before continuing. "While I generally do not share one person''s business with another, the timing of you coming is rather auspicious. Saves me the time of sending for you all tomorrow. Raul just confessed to having done just that while un-"
"YOU DID WHAT!?!?" Maria interrupted the guild leader, vaulted over the table, grabbed Raul and slammed his unresisting form against the wall. She shook and slammed the man against the wall once again before Thomas managed to reach her and put a calming hand on her left arm.
A short moment of silence ensued where Thomas tried to give Maria a calming look, she glared at her lover, Raul whimpered in pain of wounds that opened again and all the others stared at the scene. Only for the magic to be broken by a knock on the door.
"Is this my office or the city tavern?!" Ramona sighed as she stood up and opened the door, with the others frozen in place. "Yes?" They could not hear the response to the guild leader#s question, but the small yet fierce woman stood aside and allowed two more people to enter. One of the two newcomers was the old butler that had recently accosted Thomas, the other a brown-haired beauty even shorter than Ramona. Thomas had dealt with Camila Fern¨¢ndez before, but the seer was at best an acquaintance. She also looked a lot worse for wear - while her clothing was undisturbed, she had the deep frown of a person with a raging headache.
The elder gentleman raised his eyebrows at the altercation in front of him, but did not offer comment. Thomas managed to make Maria relent - for the moment, anyway - and everybody took a seat once again.
"Mister Acron, I would apologize for the scene, but ... it is an unusual hour and you did not announce your visit, so ..." The guild leader shrugged, obviously looking for a way to politely say ''You brought this on yourself''.
The head butler of the Erfurt family took no offense however and waved it all away with one hand. "Not to worry, not to worry. Besides, the current company is quite convenient." Thomas gave him a raised eyebrow over that statement. "You see, I have a rather ... special mission I wish to hire the guild for and was rather certain mister Endosi and his friends would be interested in taking part in it."
"Alright, let me summarize" Ramona spoke up after they had spent the last quarter hour bringing everybody up-to-date and deciding where to go from there. "Arcanis is alive and somewhere in the dungeon. The Erfurt estate is hiring us to send a rescue mission, as well as contributing miss Fern¨¢ndez to the effort. Since this is a rescue mission for a guild member-" she nodded at Thomas at that "I am going to ignore the ''prospective'' part of that and backdate the papers if we manage to get him out, so the main organization can''t complain.
"Anyway, since this is a rescue mission for a guild member, we are going to waive any administrative fees and offer contribution points to any team joining. The expedition starts tomorrow at noon, I will notify the temple of Mareya so be sure to go there in the morning, Thomas, and get healed properly." Then she pointed at Raul and Maria. "Moving on, no Raul, you don''t get to take part. Drunk or not, you almost committed murder, and might still have if we don''t make it in time. At the same time, no Maria, you don''t get to lynch him either.
"We''ll have a trial after this has fully resolved. Having been drunk, turning yourself in and being willing to help will certainly factor into this." A sinister grin, bordering on grimace, formed on the guild master''s face. "I am looking forward to a chat with the dungeon guard however. He did not report anything but let Raul and his friends through without questioning them."
She clapped her hands together, as if to - quite unnecessarily - have people focus back on her. "Alright, if there are no further concerns, that''s it. See you all tomorrow." Her smile turned back into a glare. "Now get the hell out of my office, I''ve got an errant guard to pick up and some sleep to get."
As they filed out of the room, Thomas happened to end up right next to miss Fern¨¢ndez. "So ..." he led into the question that had kept bothering him "... what happened to you? You look like a wagon ran you over, only without the physical damage."
She gave him a sidelong glare before answering cryptically and then moving on "Staring at the sun ain''t no fun."
Chapter 19: Nothing Happened
Chapter 19: Nothing Happened
| Spell: Kitsunebi |
| Cost |
15mp |
| Sustained Cost |
0.5mp |
| Complexity |
10 |
| Cast Time |
2 seconds |
| Range |
20m |
| Attributes |
Crystallized |
|
| Creates magic light, to provide guidance in the darkness.
To lead to safety or to peril ... that is up to you. |
Snacking on one of his remaining fruits, Arcanis read through the details on his latest spell. As little details there may be, anyway. He swallowed to clear his mouth, pointed at his bare toe and incanted "Kitsunebi".
Nothing happened.
"Great. One of these days I will find a spell that includes instructions." He tried again, but this time pointing with his left hand''s index finger. "Kitsunebi"
Nothing happened.
At least it does not cost any mana when I fail to produce results. He touched his left arm with his right hand and willed it to shine brightly. "Kitsunebi"
Nothing happened.
The aspiring wizard concentrated on a spot in front of him and tried once more. "Kitsunebi"
Nothing happened.
"Aaargh!" Ruffling his own hair in frustration, Arcanis jumped up and started doing some calisthenics, trying other variations inbetween each exercise. Focus and pointing. Touching something inanimate. Holding a piece of wood. Pointing at a piece of paper. Touching a piece of paper. Looking at a piece of paper. Tearing up that piece of paper.
Nothing happened.
At some point he just laid on his back and started at the crystal-covered ceiling of the cavern, stretched and pushed upwards with his arms, as if trying to keep up the ceiling. "Damn, what''s so bloody difficult about a little Fox Fire spe..."
Bereft of speech, the aspiring wizard looked up at his hands, the right hand shining in a bright, almost blinding, light. You''re kidding me. The light kept shining, and he felt a light draining feeling, almost imperceptible. His magic sense showed the spellform as usual, but this time it remained even after the cast completed and there was a - very, very faint connection, through which a few magic "particles" kept pouring into - sustaining? - the effect.
Taking down his arms he turned his right hand around to inspect his palm, only to see a white flame burning into his hand. Panicked he rushed to the shore of the nearby lake and put his hand into the water, before realizing it was yet unburned. Neither was the white flame extinguished by the water. Arcanis raised the hand out of the water and got up again, surprise handled and calm restored.
It appeared to be a perfectly simple heatless light effect, that just happened to be flame-shaped as an affectation. Whenever his right hand moved, so did the flame, always hovering a finger''s width above his palm. Which is probably the most useless position to have your light source at. "Other than right in front of your eyes, anyway."
Willing the light to move did nothing, nor did any physical motion, such as trying to throw it away. Commanding the spell to end did nothing as well, leaving him with little in the way of options: With a mental effort he used Manipulate Magic to take direct control over his mana and held back the mana that was sustaining his spell. It took a moment, and some focus, but soon after the flow was suppressed and no more energy streamed into the spellform. Visually, first the white flame stopped moving, then the light grew dimmer and dimmer until it was not visible anymore. Magically, the energy remaining in the spellform lessened gradually, causing the form to flicker and shift in a manner extremely hard to detect with his senses, to the point the aspiring wizard was sure he missed much of what was going on.
As it turned out, the glow of the magical energy proved more of an interference than help this time around. Still ... good to have another demonstration that manipulating spells after finishing the cast does not mean an automatic explosion. The spellform hung around for a few seconds longer than the light itself was visible to the eye, before slowly dissolving along with the last fragments of energy sustaining it.
A few more test runs did little beyond producing a light headache, and clarified that the actual required gesture was having the right palm facing upwards, at least lightly cupped, as he intoned "Fox Fire". "The spell description gives a generous twenty meters of range, so why is it stuck to my bloody hand?!" On his next cast he tried to use Manipulate Magic to move the resulting magic construct, only to have its shape deform and the spell fizzle out with a flash of light. Observing yet another instance of the spell as he moved his hand around he found that while much of the energy in the spell was in continual motion, as energy was spent and replenished, there was one constant .... cluster of mana motes. No matter how he moved his hand, it retained its relative position perfectly and the light flowed around it.
With a new and specific target in mind, Arcanis used his manipulation skill to push it away from him, moving the cluster as one. It took more effort than expected, but slowly the mana motes moved ... and so did the energy and spell around it, as well as the white flame produced by the spell. After two minutes of concentrated effort he finally managed to push it to its maximum range. Once that range was crossed he felt a tugging at his connection to the spell and the bridge of mana dissolved, the snapping sound probably more imagined than real.
The flame froze, the light dimmed and then vanished, as usual when cutting off the mana.
Another test, another burning, but cold, light effect pushed close to the limit, he found that moving his hand would result in a quite spectacularly fast white flame rushing through the area. Having the effect tethered to his hand with almost twenty meters inbetween, even a light motion resulted in wide movements ... which would bring its own set of problems, what with it stuck to the hand most used in combat.
A close inspection of several more iterations of the spell unveiled the anchor as another few particles of energy hidden on the surface of his hand, covered by the bridge supplying energy to the spell - he first discovered them in the fading moments after cutting off the supply. More experiments with Manipulate Magic - and more cases of accidentally breaking down the spell - finally led to the aspiring wizard having about a fifty-fifty rate of being able to both move the spell effect and shift its anchor to another part of his body or even detach it entirely. Once detached, he lost all control over it, other than the ability to cut off its energy.
Shaking his head, Arcanis managed to break out of his experimenting trance, his inner restlessness and urge to move coming to his assistance. "Damn, this is one of the worst afflictions so far." He checked the system notifications he had not noticed in his fugue state and found his suspicions confirmed.
You have raised the skill: Concentration to level 6
Reduced impact of distractions
You have raised the skill: Manipulate Magic to level 4
Improved throughput and control
The young adventurer withdrew his staff from his inventory and moved into an improvised staff kata, shaped from fragments of his memory. There was some obvious room for improvement. I wonder how much of that immersion is the skill and how much my mental state. Finishing the first of his exercises, he unleashed a Kiai, the sound echoing through the cavern without drawing a response. "I really trust that barrier to keep things out, eh" he commented his own folly with a chuckle. "This place is driving me nuts, danger or no danger."
Deciding to break himself out of his mental rabbit-hole, Arcanis stopped right there with his contemplations, and immersed himself in the motions of the next attempts at a staff kata, enjoying the meditative nature of the Unity of Body and Mind while working out some of the flaws in his first attempts.
He barely managed to shift his downwards slash into a parry, his attack countered by the sheer range advantage of her staff. Using her fiendish legwork, Tirion''s pony-tailed nemesis danced to his shield-armed side, the heavy staff whirling in her hands in flow with her motion, the other end of the staff suddenly swinging in an arc on her other side, buying her the space from the other warriors in this spar. And with the same momentum, after another shift in grip, had Suna smash his shield in a frontal stab, unbalancing him. The shield performed its role however, and its resonance enchantment amplified the impact reaction reflected back at the attacker ... only to accelerate the wild mage''s flow, whirling staff and herself around her own axis, and he found himself in no position to resist the low sweep that hit his legs from behind.
The others did not remain distracted and tried charging her from behind but she followed up on her own flow, jumping in a forward somersault, keeping up the rotating motion of the staff while changing her grip, landing on the fallen warrior while ramming down the staff in a downwards stab, slamming the end down with lethal energy, mere centimeters to the left of his head, a shockwave of sand hitting the side of his cheeks.
The impact of her light body on his chainmail was barely noticeable, as she picked up her weapon with yet another whirl around her neck, ending up sitting straight with the staff behind it, fixed into positions by an arm on either end of the weapon. She looked down at him with her impudent, irreverent grin, light sweat on her face from the exercise.
"Sure you don''t want to ditch that metal poker of yours and pick up a real weapon?"
Losing control over his whirling staff, it slipped out of his hands and Arcanis managed to get hit on his chin with one of the out-of-control staff''s ends.
Suna would be laughing so hard if she saw me like this.
Finishing his fifth iteration of the exercise, he was pleasantly tired and only moderately bruised in anything but his pride. His head was also clearer than it had been in a while, something about the exercise bringing him more in sync between body and mind.
"Which leaves us with one final preparation step for the big fight tomorrow." He wondered whether to follow his tired body''s urge and get some sleep and test things out in the morning, or ... Better do it now. That way, exhaustion is going to disrupt if I get lost in the experiment.
With a tired grin at his own habit of vocalizing and almost-vocalizing his thoughts, he withdrew the first of the items he had gathered - with a modest application of force - on his way back, replacing in his limited inventory the torches he no longer needed. The crystal fragment had lost its glow when broken from its parent, but it still had a dull red color. Concentrating on the object in his hand, Arcanis got started.
* * *
Sweat ran down his face as he finished off his drink. A cold feeling went through his back as he felt, as if a large, menacing predator was stalking him from behind.
Which was of course nonsense, given that Rowan sat with the back towards the wall in his favorite dispensary of alcohol and bar brawls. The night was a long one and it was a day off tomorrow, so nothing wrong with that, but only few patrons remained and it was unlikely anything would happen still. The pub was run-down, its owner - One-Eyed Pedro, a former city-guardsman with delusions of a grand past that never happened outside his own dreams - having chosen to not do anything but minimal maintenance after the last brawl. Hard to blame the old man after seven fights in five days. But daammmn there were some glorious ones among the seven! And after a full, if rather peaceful, evening, ''clean'' was not the word to describe this not-so-noble establishment - Melinda would have quite a bit of a time cleaning all the spill, dropped food or thrown up residue best not described in any detail. She should probably get started soon if she wanted to be ready for her next workday in time, but then again, she was loath to show herself since the last time Rowan had taken care of her.
Chuckling at that particular fond memory, the experienced warrior got up and placed a few silver coins on the counter in front of Pedro before making his way out. Not enough to clear his tab, no, but more than he had consumed today, so all was well as far as the older man was concerned. Not like he could do a thing about it if I ditched it all.
The air outside was cold, autumn approaching and it was way after sundown. In this part of Erfurt, street lamps were more of an urban legend than reality, so it was pitch-black, the cloudy sky meaning the lit castle in the city center was the only source of light available. Late at night, a thief tried to pickpocket him without being noticed, but a broken hand once again proved the cure against larcenous tendencies.
Ignoring the cowering wretch that had tried to pick his empty pocket - what fool would put their money somewhere that easy to access? - he moved down the otherwise deserted alley, crossed over the main street and into the next side road heading towards the docks and his place. In the corner of his eyes, he saw a shadow move and the hairs on the back of his neck stood up - he was not alone. Even with his well-trained Night Vision, Rowan failed to find just where the other person was.
He might be drunk, but not on any level that should impair his senses that a street rat could hide from him. Which only left rather unpalatable alternatives. He drew his sword and whirled around to face the direction where he had noticed the motion.
"Oh, sharper senses than expected." A voice, colder than an arctic winter commented. A woman''s voice, as it turned out, a part of the wall''s shadow separating from the rest and he detected a vaguely humanoid shape facing him. Glowing red eyes looked up at him, as she closed in on him.
Not waiting for her to act, he stepped forward and swung his blade at her, only to have it easily deflected, swatted out of the way and wide to the side as if his Sword: Slash were still unlevelled. Out of balance by the strike, he could but watch as she closed in and sunk her closed fist in his stomach with enough force to throw him across the street and into the opposing building''s wall.
There were very few people in Erfurt who could manhandle him so and among them only one person could possibly have a motive to attack him so. The eyes are a new trick though. Breaking out of the indentation he had left in the wall, Rowan tried another attack at his guild leader, but dark tendrils of ... shadow? He had no time to figure it out further, but found himself bound and hindered by them before he ever finished his motion and before he finished his thought, the monster had pressed him into the dirty cobbles face first.
"Really Rowan" a dark chuckle came from right beside his head "What were you thinking?" A coldness crept up his legs and he felt all strength leaving his body.
"Or were you thinking at all?"
Darkness claimed both his body and mind.
* * *
Waking up to a new day (?) of activity - and the last one in this particular cavern, if things went according to plan - Arcanis performed his morning practice and left behind the craterscape of the last days'' practice, heading out towards the arena, picking out a new route parallel to the previous ones in the hope of finding a few more of the fruit trees. The route turned out to be trickier than the one from the previous days, his staff proving its worth as a not only a tool of war, but also a tool of travel. Practicing his new spell turned out to be more useful than just for the practice of it - the thick vegetation often keeping his path in deep shadows, blocking out the too sparse light crystals.
The inner zone proved not an issue, only a single of the smaller, red-furred felines showing up ... and the beast fled the moment it saw him. The wild zone was more of a challenge, if mostly as a navigation hazard. He found one more fruit tree, plundering it, raising his stock to one-and-a-half dozen fruits after lunch.
Two thirds of the way through the zone he felt an impact as vibration through the ground. Drawing his sword he turned in the direction he felt it coming from, just in time to spot one of the large creatures sneak up on him. Spotted and realizing it, the large monster crouched, body tension betraying an impending jump. Turning slightly to the side, Arcanis readied himself for it and the creature did not betray expectations, executing a powerful pounce ... on the burning light of his Kitsunebi spell.
Surprised, the aspiring wizard shook himself, causing the light - tethered to his chest - to shake wildly. The large cat, its instincts triggered, tried to swat at it but was frustrated by its incorporeal nature. Fully distracted from the young man, it ignored him as it tried to deal with this glowing ... something, going so far as to actually turn its back to him.
Seizing an opportunity when he saw it, Arcanis approached carefully, reducing the set distance of the light in parallel to his soft and slow approach, while ensuring it kept moving slightly to keep the cat engaged. Applying the lessons of his stay in this subterranean reserve, he opened up by detaching the light and simultaneously bridged the distance between them with a somersault ending with a Moon Slash separating the tail from its owner.
The beast''s howl akin to a cry of agony, it whirled around, the weird light a forgotten memory in the face of the attack. The adventurer was neither deterred nor distracted, mercilessly following up with hamstringing one of the hind-legs before it was able to finish its reaction and get its vulnerable backside out of reach. With its mobility severely restricted, its power reduced and pain coursing through it, the outcome was a foregone conclusion for the beast.
It raged, it tried to overwhelm its enemy, but Arcanis danced around it, kept adding one injury after the other, settling for having it die the death of a thousand cuts and not risk over-extending himself. It took longer than expected, really, but it bled, it weakened and in the end collapsed when he injured the third leg. In the end, it was quite anti-climatic and the coup-de-grace ending it almost merciful. Practice truly brings mastery.
Looking at the notifications, he only got a level to his Moon Slash out of it - not a surprise when the entire encounter otherwise had been little more than an execution, using what he already knew against a familiar foe. Looking back at the monster he got to taking it apart before it started liquefying.
Well, at least we know my gift at ruining a pelt has not been lost! Looking over the result of his bloody handiwork, Arcanis managed to cut out large portions of poisonous meat to add to his inventory. He also managed to not break some of the claws, though trying to break out the teeth - which would have made a fine trophy - proved too difficult, breaking them beyond recovery.
And then there was the ... pelt. I think that was worth at least one negative level in Skinning, if that''s what the skill is called. He glanced at the atrocity he had performed on what fur had survived the battle. "Can''t be good at everything I suppose, but ..." He shook his head at his apparent lack of talent in this, not even the levels in Butchering or Dismantle enough to comfort him.
Finally, the dungeon eliminated all the evidence of the atrocity he had performed against the remains of the once-proud monster, and Arcanis moved on, the remaining journey uneventful until he finally made it back to the entrance to the Amphitheater. Preparing for it, he fixed the scabbard to his belt and switched out the content of his last intact pouch, retrieving the remaining crystal shards and storing the claws in his inventory. His armor was so damaged, it barely deserved the title anymore, but somehow the parts needed for it to fit had survived, so it was not yet a hindrance.
Staff in hand he walked up the incline and looked down the stairs and at the sanded floor in the center. Nothing had changed compared to the day before, the two large beasts waiting in front of the tent. Everything was ready.
* * *
The priests of Mareya, Goddess of Health, had done a great job of healing Thomas and the rest of the team. The large ritual had also finally explained to him how that bill was not actually price gouging: The ritual circle had been huge and manually crafted in intricate detail, only to be burnt out by the end of the visually rather impressive show. Ritual reagents - a lot of incense, alchemic dusts and potions he did not know - were used liberally throughout.
On the upside, all of them left in peak condition, even their old scars gone. Still weird that they do not get any direct healing magic, when every Wizard can grab that spellbook we gave the boy.
They entered the Guild building, which was uncharacteristically empty for the time of the day. The reception was staffed by one of Quentin''s assistants, the Floor Manager missing for a change, and only a single soul sat at a table in the dining area, nursing a drink and staring into whatever dark memory her empty eyes were caught in. Still not over it, huh? It was a bit of a shame, but ever since Roberta''s death, Revy had not been her cheerful, angry and destructive self. Quentin does not mind too much though, I bet - furniture lasts a lot longer these days. Still, kind of miss the dynamic duo.
They moved on to the designated meeting area, one of the open air inner plazas used for assembly and open team practice. They were not the first present, Quentin Delgado - Floor Master and usual Receptionist of the Adventurer Guild - and Ramona Tharsus were standing in one corner and having a private discussion. Based on his slightly irked expression, Ricardo, their team''s ranger, did not have any more success listening in on their chat, even with his sharpened senses.
Leaning against a wall he found the other person already there, causing the warrior to smile and move over to greet his old friend. "Steven, you old dog, didn''t know you were back in town!" His target was a well-groomed man who looked to be in his thirties, wearing unremarkable leather armor and his two trademark adamantine gauntlets. Lying at his feet was a curled-up, white mountain of fur, moving slowly in time with a breathing sound.
As Thomas approached his old friend it uncurled and he beheld the most wolfly wolf that ever wolfed. From the characteristic nose, the shape of face and head, the ears down to the tip of its tail, it was obviously a wolf. Only more so, considering its sheer mass.
Inspecting the person approaching its master, it inspected the warrior, took his smell and decided it liked what it perceived. At least enough to allow him to meet Steven. Unable to resist the impulse, Thomas scratched the beast behind its ears in passing, earning himself a growl.
Chuckling he grinned at his friend. "Beautiful beast you found there." Smiling at the compliment, Steven patted his companion who immediately settled down.
"Don''t you know it, buddy!" Offering his right arm, they clasped arms as they always had before ... even if it had been five years now since last they met. "I came back with the last ship, and let me tell you, captain Maru was not quite as happy about Holo here." Looking fondly at the huge wolf "A real beaut'', ain''t she?"
"That she is, that she is." The massive creature gave Thomas a cold shoulder, watching the rest of the team, which had kept a safe distance. "Quite a difference from the last pet you kept. From something that could sleep on your lap to something with a lap you can sleep on, eh?"
"Trust me, she was small when I found her." Steven fondly scratched her head and the creature whipped up a squall, wildly wagging her tail. "Found her on a trip to the far north, the only survivor of her litter." He shrugged helplessly "not exactly an expert on arctic fauna, how was I to know she''s an Arctic Direwolf."
Thomas eyed her with some skepticism. "She safe in a city?"
"Mostly. She''s well behaved and well mannered, aware that I really don''t have any trouble establishing my supremacy myself and no presumed pack to keep in line. It''s ... of all the things for a supposed carnivore to lose control over, but ... don''t bring any apples into smelling distance of her. It''d be best for anybody involved."
"Well ..." remembering the carnivore teeth the beast had shown "... I can see how that might get a mite messy." Giving his childhood friend a serious look, Thomas redirected the conversation to something less light. "That said, you really coming along for this trip? Sure you are up to facing the place where Arthur died?"
"It ..." Steven answered with a silent voice, all levity drained from both voice and body language "... it''s not easy, but ..." He petted his companion to buy a moment or two of time. "... the memories just won''t leave me alone. I may be opening an old wound here, but ... I need closure." He shook his head in pain. "To know that ... at least I looked. Maybe light a candle where it all happened, then get back together with you and that kid we''re getting out of there and get stone drunk. Tell a tall tale about the smallest, yet bravest Adventurer Erfurt has ever had the honor to host."
"Cheers to that, friend, cheers to that." Thomas softly hit his friend in the shoulder. "And what an evening it will be!"
"Hoi boys, are you done bonding yet?!" Maria''s shout interrupted their moment. "We''re looking to get started here, so pull yourself together and come on over here!"
Turning toward the center, they could see others had gathered and Ramona had joined them in the center. Camila Fern¨¢ndez had arrived, equipped for some serious adventuring, with the default adventurer leathers, a longsword scabbard on her belt and some strategically placed throwing knives. Now if only all of that gear didn''t look so shiny, as if she just bought it today. At least she doesn''t walk as if she never had a sword belted. Quentin too was equipped with armor and sword, but in his case it all looked like old friends used to hanging out with each other for decades - his inherent panache probably allowing him to wear the ensemble at a formal event and nobody noticing anything out of place.
Other than that, there were two more teams joining them. The team under Markus Steinfeld, a well-known group of locals, experienced adventurers the five of them, all rumored to be on the cusp of finally making tier 2. Rodrigo Farrar and his band of ... scoundrels made for the second team to join. The six men had come from the north two months ago, trying for a clean start, and the way they behaved Thomas could well see why they''d need one.
Still, they knew what they were doing with their eclectic mix of weaponry and were probably along for the chance at some low risk guild points and a deeper look at the dungeon without the risk that usually brought. Let''s just hope Maria can avoid murdering them. The warrior looked fondly at the lady of his heart. Not that I mind her lack of impulse control. Usually.
"Alright, I think that''s it, no point waiting for stragglers." Ramona started in a voice well-suited to carrying, cutting short any of the low-key conversations going around in the courtyard. "So, in case we have somebody who stopped reading at ''Contribution Point'' - or, Mia forfend, can''t read at all - we are going to delve into the local Dungeon in an expedition to rescue a member that was dumped in the chute.
"Which probably means somewhere in the third shelve." This caused some murmurs from Rodrigo''s team, but the guild leader continued, her voice somehow muffling all other voices. "Miss Fern¨¢ndez ..." she pointed at the diminutive woman, who seemed undisturbed at the sudden attention from the sturdy adventurers "... is going to be responsible for guiding the way and tracking the target."
She then pointed out Thomas, who straightened at the sudden attention. "Overall expedition leadership is going to be up to Thomas Endosi, who not only has the most experience with the dungeon itself, but it''s also his latest - and youngest - team member we are retrieving." She gave Rodrigo a steely gaze, suppressing his rebellious expression before he was even able to protest. "This is not for debate. By anybody who cares about receiving points, anyway."
"What about you, Ramona, will you be joining us?" Markus - the muscle-bound warrior carrying his trademark war axe on his back - asked with an even voice, apparently surprised by the leadership decision.
"Can''t." The guild leader looked at him apologetically. "Thanks to the guild charter, the guild leader cannot leave the city unless replaced by a person qualified for the position or in order to combat an existential threat to the city itself." Her steely stare and emotionless voice clearly communicated her opinion on the next sentence. "And saving a guild member unfortunately does not qualify."
She pointed at the old gentleman among them. "Quentin is going to represent the Guild''s administration in this and will be responsible for adjudicating any special merits - or demerits, if necessary - to be awarded.
"Alright, that''s it!" she clapped her hands once, the sound a closing note of her short speech. "If you have any questions, now is the time ..." sweeping everybody with her gaze, she clearly communicated that There Were No Questions. "... if not ... well! Maybe get to know each other for a moment and then: Happy hunting and good luck!"
"Try not to die, geezer." Rodrigo''s voice dripping with sarcasm, as they all left the courtyard, bringing him close to the receptionist.
"Thank you for the concern, young sir." Quentin replied evenly, his entire manner as undisturbed as if somebody had wished him a good day. "I shall endeavor to not be too much of a burden."
* * *
Heading down the stairs towards the central fighting area, Arcanis cast "Fox Fire" and moved the spell''s anchor to his left hand, hoping to use it to distract one of the beasts. Reaching the bottom, both monsters got up from their place in front of the tent and growled, staring at him and moving to flank the intruder, the wolf-like beast - significantly larger than the versions he was used to from his last life and a fair match to the feline monster - interposing itself between him and the way out. Discarding the staff to one side - it might come in handy later, but it was not robust enough for fighting monsters this massive - he drew his sword and approached. The wolf was temporarily distracted by the staff, but focused back on the intruder.
The large cat ... not so much - not waiting for anything to start, it pounced at the flickering, moving light, utterly confused by this intangible, white glowing monster violating its domain. Not letting this opportunity go to waste and before the wolf entered the fray, Arcanis moved the cat facing away using the light, then again went for the tail with a Moon Slash airborne attack. Disconnecting the light before the jump prevented it from whirling along with him, the somersault allowed him to avoid the belated intervention by the wolf and with a loud yowl another cat was parted from its tail.
Unfortunately for him, the follow up did not work as well as hoped for, the large feline jumping away faster than expected and, before he could adjust, the wolf was there, ramming him out of the way. Tumbling over the floor - quite painful, with the sand cutting into his exposed skin, even with his Pain Tolerance - he got up at the far end of the arena. Both beasts were growling at him, the feline''s voice tinged with pain, the stooped shoulders giving him hope, that his plan to weaken and taking the cat out of the first fight might work out, difficulties notwithstanding.
Using the moment of calm, he started running to keep the distance open and push through a "Healing Touch" cast. The injured beast was slower to react, but the wolf charged forwards, trying to interrupt the spell. With the large arena and the initial distance, it was just too slow, however and the aspiring wizard managed to push it through and stop the bleeding.
Sidestepping the charge, he gave the wolf a cut in passing but it appeared to not notice as it turned and snapped for his leg. Having his leg mauled and trapped by a monster of that mass - especially with a second monster around - would be lethal, so Arcanis jumped back, barely managing to dodge out of range. His intuition and combat sense - not an actual Skill, but something borne of his own experience - warned him of the cat rejoining the fray, threatening him from behind, to flank him as the wolf was about to follow up from the front.
Left with little choice and no room to maneuver, he trusted again in his aerial maneuvering, jumping over the feline monster and delivering another slash in passing - no maneuver this time, the motion just not working out that way. The monsters on the other hand managed to avoid an outright collision, the wolf passing by in one direction while the cat turned around its own axis in the other.
Thus, as the young adventurer landed, he found himself once again flanked from two sides, before he was able to fully adjust and reorient. Rather than take them both at the same time, he rushed the cat on the inner side of its turning cycle, in the hope to at the same time buy a moment staying out of the wolf''s reach. Thanks to the cat being slowed by its lost tail - and less precise with the impact on its balance - he manage to cut its flank deeply in return for a superficial cut.
The wolf followed up behind him as the cat tried to gain some distance, roaring in pain. Once more only the speed boost from his Dodge allowed him to avoid the main attack, getting away with another painful but otherwise not too problematic swiped from the wolfen claws.
Again he mustered himself and faced his two opponents, the two once more ending up side by side ... and between him and the exit. I need something to distract them, if only to separate them long enough to take down the cat. He reached into the pouch on his belt and retrieved the first of the crystals stored there, kept it in his closed, left hand and started charging. Not like I have to worry about subtlety anymore.
Once more the two came at him, this time side by side, showing a united front and not giving him much space to dodge laterally. So up he went again, jumping above t... A high swipe from the cat fished the young adventurer out of the air and slammed him brutally into the ground, before trampling over him as it was unable to just stop with its momentum.
Pain coursed through him and only his Pain Tolerance Skill allowed him to keep combat ready. Stretching the term a little, given how he was pretty sure at least one rib was broken. Turning around the two monsters were ready to repeat the last movement but the aspiring wizard found the crystal just about ready, threw it in front of the two creatures while jumping towards the side of the cat.
The beasts had little time to react before an explosion went off right in their faces. If mana keeps blowing up on me, why not weaponize it. Arcanis grinned as he prepared the next projectile all while charging back at the feline monster.
The feline monster was rattled with the latest setback and the wolf proved too distracted to intervene, allowing the young adventurer to rush in and execute a lunge, driving the blade through an eye of the cat straight into the brain, killing the beast on the spot.
Enraged, the wolf rushed Arcanis before he managed to fully pull out his sword. Given the choice of facing a huge beast without a weapon or taking a fair amount of damage, he decided risking the damage was the lesser evil and threw the next crystal straight at the beast. It was not fully charged yet, but enough to be volatile when shattered ... the whole thing had only one problem:
By the time he finished getting out his sword, the wolf was mostly upon him and the crystal shattered very much still with a certain young adventurer in the blast radius. The monster''s charge was broken by the blast, and it roared in pain at the injury. Arcanis on the other hand was picked up and thrown across the sand once again, leaving a light trail of blood on the ground.
Getting up with more pain than he would have wished for, he once more managed to push through a "Healing Touch" before the wolf managed to shake out of his distraction and focus back on the intruder. It barked twice as it charged in, then tried once again to snap at his leg. However, it was obviously still frazzled by the blast and Arcanis found it easy enough to dodge back and give it a cut on its already freely bleeding face.
A whistle rang through the arena and the wolf jumped back, trying to gain some distance. Not having any of that, the young adventurer tried to follow and keep up the assault ... only to be interrupted by two daggers hitting the floor right in front of him.
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Looking up, he finally faced the owner of the two collared beasts: It was a Goblin.
The largest, meanest, best equipped Goblin Arcanis could remember ever seeing. Clean chainmail armor, metal greaves, a longsword that would not look amiss in a Dwarven smithy. Assuming there were still Dwarven smithies, that is - there used to be, but he had no idea how long he had been gone from the world and what everything had changed. The Goblin scratched his back and spit on the ground before interrupting his inner distraction.
"Mon, wat''chu doin'' to my pets, hoomie."
* * *
The descent to the first shelf was a simple thing. All it took was going down a stairway, no traps, no monsters. What made it the first barrier of the dungeon was the matter of its length. 1642. That was the number of steps every adventurer had to go down to enter the dungeon. It was also the number of steps every adventurer had to climb to get out again,
In fact, that stairway was one of the main deterrents that kept youngsters from trying to go for a quick buck and then perish in the dungeon. None of the adventurers in this party had any problems with that however, the early days weakness replaced by years of practice ... and the raised stats.
Every one of them had at least a tier 1 combat class, meaning 200 Constitution and the energy points that implied. All of them had a decent Athletics Skill level, due to the lifestyle adventuring brought. Maria kept an eye on their seer however, her stats and skills an unknown, but if the descent was a burden for her, she hid it well. Quentin was unruffled as well, but then again ... Maria would be surprised if a Demon invasion would ruffle his feathers. The man had imperturbability down to the nth degree.
They finally reached the bottom and Thomas led them onwards to the Chute. It took but a couple of minutes and a single weak Goblin tried sneaking up on them, only to be killed by the warrior without so much as looking at it.
They gathered around him at the first big crossroad in the dungeons, where many paths forked out, most ultimately reconvening before the shelf boss - or floor boss, as the northerners usually called them - and the descent into the next level. And right where those paths diverged, there was a large hole in the ground, leading down into the darkness.
"The Chute" Thomas pronounced quite unnecessarily. "It leads straight to the third shelf and is the only known shortcut in this dungeon." His eyes swept across the expedition members, none of his usual cheer visible in the lamp-light. "That''s where our boy was thrown down."
"Been meanin'' to point that out, but ..." Rodrigo started in his usual mean voice, the implicit sneer audible, even though he had his expression under control. "... if a freshie was dumped straight to the third shelf, doesn''t that kind of mean he is dead?"
Maria joined in the icy glare group activity that provoked. You did not give up on a teammate, even if the odds were dire. Besides ... she looked at the Seer in their midst.
Apparently she was not the only person with that thought as Rodrigo continued to demonstrate his impeccable people skills. "Okay, okay, not complaining we give it a try, we joined this fun after all. So, kiddo ..." he looked down at Camila both figuratively and physically "... how the hell are you planning to find the wonderboy? In time and all that?"
Not reacting to his barbs at all, she only looked to Thomas who gave her an encouraging nod. Turning away, the diminutive Seer moved slightly away from the group before suddenly speaking up. "The Aether is disturbed in the recent weeks, so there are more limits to what I can do than would usually be the case."
The annoying team leader scoffed, but did not comment otherwise.
"Simply put, there are two ways I can look for him: The big option amounts to asking the world about him, the smaller and more convenient option is tracking a specific trace." She turned back to them and pointed at the hole in the bottom. "For example, I can with certainty say he was thrown down that hole."
She nodded at the adventurers gathered in front of her. "Going with the trace option, I can do that all day long without an issue. Since, as I understand it, we are not going to down that hole ..." She raised an inquisitive eyebrow at Thomas who shook his head.
"Too dangerous without a clear way back."
"... alright, so that leaves us with using the first option. Which should work well enough, and usually would not be a problem to repeat infrequently, but ... with the recent disturbances, I''ll receive a painful Backlash each time I use it."
Maria looked at her with compassion. That was a hefty price to pay.
Dark laughter was Rodrigo''s immediate response. "Afraid of a little pain, are ye, kiddo?"
"If by ''a little pain'' you mean a raging migraine for most of the day, then ..." she gave him an evil grin "Well, I''m definitely going to take on that - need to anyway, just to confirm he''s still alive at the very least - so don''t you worry about me shirking my job over ''a little pain'', but I am more than willing to share the feeling if you insist." Something stirred behind that smile and the offender took a step back without conscious thought.
"Anyway, once per day is currently the absolute soonest and getting a second day to recover would be more than welcome. If I understand things correctly, we will need a few days anyway to get down to where we can hope to find our target, so that should not be too bad an imposition, right?" That last question was shot at Thomas who needed in assent.
"Good, then let me get started."
The diminutive woman closed her eyes in silent concentration. Most stared at her, expecting something to happen, other than Quentin and Markus, who - along with Maria - kept an eye on any monsters sneaking up on them. Checking back on her after a minute, the Seer had a deep frown on her face, growing more fierce by the second until finally she breathed out explosively and sunk to the ground, kneeling and holding her head in pain.
Ricardo started rushing to her, but she held up a hand, stalling other reactions.
"It''s alright, just as bad as I feared." Shaking her head she cleared her mind. "He is alive, he is mostly well, and he is deep, deep beneath us. Definitely not on this shelf and I would be surprised if it was the second."
Thomas nodded towards her. "Thanks for taking this upon yourself, that''s indeed all we really needed to know. We know the path until the third shelf well enough an- beware!!!" The warrior yelled and started jump towards the Seer, having spotted the Goblin sneaking at her with a rusty dagger in hand. The monster had come from a nook in the wall nobody had noticed, because it was well hidden ... and never had been there before.
They all tried to jump to her rescue as the creature was almost upon her, her small stature allowing it to try and ram its weapon straight into her neck. Maria too rushed forwards, time seemed to slow down and she realized that none of them would be in time to save their guide. They had no choice but to try, but moments ticked by and the distance closed, but too slowly. Moment by moment they were forced to watch the tragedy unfold.
Camila waved turned around, her left hand moving in a vicious arc, faster than anybody had thought possible, slapping the goblin, shifting the attacking arm out of the way ... and beheading the creature in a simple strike, before its broken body hit the wall in a red smear.
There was a moment of silence in the dungeon, as everybody stood frozen, trying to process what had just happened. Moments of frozen time became seconds and almost a full minute passed with people looking with disbelief at their fragile-looking, diminutive Seer.
"What?" She looked at them surprised "You all thought Seer was a peaceful class? Or tier 1?"
As they moved out towards the next path downwards, Camila slowed down, letting others pass until she was walking next to the insulting team leader. "One last thing kiddo." She said in a low voice, preventing most from hearing her. "I don''t mind insulting, impolite people too much, but ... the next time you call me a child or do another reference to my size, I''m going to give you the goblin treatment and call it divine retribution.
"I am old enough to be your mother, after all."
* * *
"Mon, wat''chu doin'' to my pets, hoomie."
Arcanis looked in consternation at the humanoid monster facing him. So dungeon monsters actually can talk. Oh well, maybe I can actually talk myself out of this. Coming to the conclusion that negotiation probably would not hurt anything, he fully turned to what he believed to be a HobGoblin. "They attacked me first, friend. Talking while being eaten is kind of hard, yanno?"
The goblinoid was obviously taken back by his response, staring at the human in surprise. "You''s spek our languath, hoomie?! What you wanth?"
Surprised in turn, Arcanis consciously focused on the sounds as the monster was speaking. And indeed it was not the local Herani, but another language he had learned ... somewhen. For some reason, he usually had languages stick with him for .... probably forever, even if he lost the cultural context as memories faded. Not exactly a new thing in this iteration, even if this time they gave me an inherent ability to probably go along with it.
He also noticed how the system considered combat to not be over, any gains from the fight so far still being withheld. "I just want to leave this place." He pointed at the stairway starting behind the goblin "Want to go up those stairs. Leave, forever."
The goblin looked at him with disappointment in his small, hateful eyes. "Shuld have talked, not fought, hoomie." Shaking his head sadly he looked at the corpse of the cat monster. "Hoomie kill Kayla, Krashnark kill hoomie!" The goblin charged forwards, leaving the wolf licking its wounds in front of the tent.
The distance gave the aspiring wizard still enough time to finish one last "Healing Touch", patching at least the bleeding, before having to face the violent charge of the goblin. Given that the goblin performed a frontal charge, he decided to go with his classic riposte move, taking the momentum of his enemy and using it against him. And as sure as no plan survives enemy contact, his Maneuver failed to survive their blades clashing. Feeling the reinforcement of his Maneuver, it was broken through by the enemy downward slash, and he barely managed to move his vitals out of the way, not enough time to even begin a proper dodge.
He was cut across his torso, his last-second movement preventing it from being lethal, but it still was a long cut, bleeding liberally. The goblin tried to continue with a sideward swing, but Arcanis managed to interpose his sword in the Wall of Blades maneuver, deflecting the enemy sword high while dodging away, speed enhanced by his Dodge, accelerating his counter-attack.
With the blade pushed high, the goblin was in no position to counter and failed to offer more than a token attempt at dodging before suffering a cut himself. The power gained from the extra momentum allowed the young adventurer to cut properly, but the chainmail mitigated much of it.
"Youz hoomies, always with da trickz when weak!" Recovering, the goblin managed to block Arcanis'' follow up attack with apparent ease, even though the simple basic parry was not well enough placed to truly explain it. With the young adventurer''s flow disrupted like that, the monster went back to attacking with a simple slashing move.
Simple and yet still it broke through Wall of Blade, refusing to be deflected and only the Maneuver''s included evasion turned another painful injury into a glancing blow. To make matters worse, having seen the spinning attack he liked to generate out of the speed enhancement his dodging got, the goblin managed to interpose his blade in another simple parry.
A piercing pain hit Arcanis in his stomach before he managed to jump backwards and generate some distance between them. He spotted a vicious dagger in the goblin''s left hand, some of his blood still on its blade. "Fancy moothes, hoomie. Should not forgotz lern basix thirst."
Using the time given by the goblin''s gloating, he withdrew another of his crystals with is left hand and started charging it. Not enough distance to risk another spell. They exchanged a few more blows, Arcanis dropping the Maneuver''s seen through and countered by his opponent. This avoided opening himself to worse injuries, but constrained to basic moves his inability to break through the basic Maneuvers of his opponents proved a severe disadvantage.
They both earned more nicks and scratches, but the young adventurer found himself to again and again give ground under the relentless steadiness of simple, but unblockable slashes and firm parries of the warrior he was facing. Finally, feeling the time was getting close, he returned to using his Wall of Blades, only instead of the counterattack the goblin was expecting and moving its blade to intercept, Arcanis used the acceleration to gain distance, throwing the crystal at the goblin while running away in the other direction.
Contemptuously, the gob warrior used its dagger to deflect the projectile out of the way ... only to have it explode in its face. The crystal - charged almost beyond its capability to sustain energy - shattered in a wave of arcane fury, throwing the goblin far across the sand, ending up close to its tent. The aspiring wizard did not manage to make it out of the blast zone and got thrown against the wall surrounding the ground floor of the amphitheater.
As he got up, a loud clink from below distracted him. Checking his belt, his last surviving pouch had a large hole in it and the shattered remains of his projectiles fell to the ground as fine crystal dust. Thank the gods I did not charge them enough to blow.
"HOOOMIIIIEEEEEEEEE!" A scream of fury and rage came at him from the other side of the arena. Using the opportunity, he cast another "Healing Touch", again stopping the bleeding drain on his health.
The armor warrior goblin charged him, faster than ever before despite its injuries, while screaming in anger. Arcanis got his battered blade ready while preparing to dodge once again as the juggernaut of rage and fury approached. "IF YOUZ CAN''T FIGHTS WIF HONOR ..."
It arrived and opening with its trademark slash while the dagger in the off-hand rose and Arcanis dodged out of the way ... only the goal of the attack was not actually him. With a wrenching shock, the sword was ripped from his hand, shattering under the assault of both of his opponents weapons.
"... THEN YOUZ DON''T DESERVE SWORDZ!"
Surprised by the unexpected turn, the young adventurer was too slow to react and received a punishing kick to his stomach, catapulting him off his feet and sending him tumbling once again across the sand and opening the wound from the large slash he received earlier. Trying to push himself off the sanded floor, his right hand pressed down on the staff he had dropped at the beginning of this debacle. He picked it up, not expecting it to do much good against the obviously higher Maneuver levels the goblin had.
The warrior goblin sheathed its own sword and drew a second dagger, this one as dirty and rusty as a dagger would get. "Yezz, pick up stix, rights tool for honorlez sheeps!" It raised the new dagger in front of its face and looked at it lovingly. "I slaughter youz like sheeps you are!"
Silently starting the charging process, Arcanis faced the monsters menacing approach. He tried to keep it at bay with the superior range of his staff, giving ground and while stabbing at the monster. Its moves appeared to not work as well against the stabbing motion, allowing him to turn this mostly into exchanges without Maneuvers.
Once, twice and yet again he prevented the creature to get within his staff''s range. Unfortunately, his weapon had no way to pierce through the monster''s chainmail armor, turning the encounter into a stalemate. At the same time, his breath was coming harder from the exertion, his stamina draining faster than hoped for, the injuries further not helping. I need to end thi-
The short moment of distraction proved a mistake and with a quick fake to one side, the goblin warrior managed to avoid the staff, closing into dagger range. Arcanis dodged frantically, shifting the grip on his staff to make it more useful in close. He managed to block a dual downward stab by holding the staff horizontally in front of himself, blocking not the blades but the arms wielding them.
Using a book out of the goblin''s book, the young adventurer used that moment of surprise to put all of his strength into kick ... right between the legs, causing the monster to scream and fold in pain, giving up the attack for the moment. Pushing the monster''s arms, he whirled around low, executing a Sweeping Strike, successfully toppling the warrior. Unfortunately it managed to roll away from the follow-up downward stab with which he tried to smash its unprotected head like a melon.
Executing an almost elegant tumble, the Goblin got back to his feet and charged in, yelling an inarticulate roar of rage. Weaving his body sideways in a double-feint, it managed to bypass the thrust-forward staff-tip, then used both daggers to bind his staff, preventing Arcanis from continuing a sidewards sweep as it rushed in. With the daggers busy, it went for a straight kick, something the young adventurer would have been forced to drop his bound weapon to block. That not being an option, he opted for a dodge by somersaulting backwards, jumping above the kick, while freeing his staff through the motion in an unexpected direction. Shifting his grip he managed to include a wild swipe with his staff at the warrior, not dealing any damage but preventing a follow-up while still out of balance.
Feeling the moment was come, the aspiring wizard countered the charging goblin warrior by pushing the staff forwards in a perfectly straight stab while pushing a final burst of mana into the weapon he had slowly been charging since gripping it. He got the feeling of a Maneuver skill taking root and time seemed to slow down as a distortion of mana formed around the moving staff, the wild-eyed goblin tried to dodge to the side in the last moment but was too late.
With critical force, the staff impacted the monster in its chest, at the same time as magical energy blasted all around the staff''s impact zone, leaving a visible depression in the armored chest, as if hit by the trunk of a tree. The goblin warrior, shredded armor and all, was blasted off the staff and sent flying at the same time as his first weapon in this world disintegrated in his hands, the - very small - splinters fortunately following along in the direction of the attack.
Exhausted, Arcanis dropped to the floor, a flood of messages informing him of the demise of his enemy. Ignoring them all for now, he first looked for the remains of his enemy. It had fallen far away, close to the entrance to the tent, the body a broken mess on the ground. Satisfied that that was over for the moment, he leant back in relief, the euphoria of victory - helped by his Pain Tolerance, no doubt - allowing him to ignore the injuries incurred by the battle.
He looked at the roof, checking out the skill his last experiment of the previous day had yielded, which turned out even more decisive than he could have hoped for.
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Imbue (Level: 5) [Magic]
"The measure of a man is what he does with power."
Power is not about how much you have, but about how you use it.
And surely your parents would be glad if you stopped using it for self-mutilation.
Allows you to channel your mana into an outside target (objects mostly).
+1 Mana, +1 Power, Improved throughput
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Huh, level five already.
Surrendering to his curiosity, he checked out the gains from the fierce battle as he caught his breath and regenerated mana after healing no more than needed to stop the active bleeding.
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You have learned the language: Trum (Classic)
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You have raised the skill: Acrobatics to level 10
+2 Agility, Improved Jumping Power and control while maneuvering in mid-air
You have raised the skill: Acrobatics to level 11
+2 Agility, Improved Jumping Power and control while maneuvering in mid-air
You have raised the skill: Acrobatics to level 12
+2 Agility, Improved Jumping Power and control while maneuvering in mid-air
You have raised the skill: Balance to level 10
+2 Agility, Improved stability and sense of balance
You have raised the skill: Balance to level 11
+2 Agility, Improved stability and sense of balance
You have unlocked the skill: Explosives!
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Explosives (Level: 1) [General]
"If violence wasn¡¯t your last resort, you failed to resort to enough of it."
As if you didn''t have enough stability problems on your hands.
You have gained an increased understanding of things that go boom.
+1 Power, +1 Luck, Reduced risk of uncontrolled explosions for substances under your control
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You have raised the skill: Explosives to level 2
+1 Power, +1 Luck, Reduced risk of uncontrolled explosions for substances under your control
You have raised the skill: Combat Casting to level 7
+1 Power, +1 Constitution, +1% Cast Time Reduction, +1% Pain Tolerance
You have raised the skill: Combat Casting to level 8
+1 Power, +1 Constitution, +1% Cast Time Reduction, +1% Pain Tolerance
You have raised the skill: Imbue to level 3
+1 Mana, +1 Power, Improved throughput
You have raised the skill: Imbue to level 4
+1 Mana, +1 Power, Improved throughput
You have raised the skill: Imbue to level 5
+1 Mana, +1 Power, Improved throughput
You have raised the skill: Unarmed Combat to level 9
+1 Strength, +1 Constitution, +1 Agility, +1% Damage when unarmed
You have raised the skill: Weapon: Staff to level 20
+1 Strength, +1 Constitution, +1% Damage with Staves
You have raised the skill: Weapon: Staff to level 21
+1 Strength, +1 Constitution, +1% Damage with Staves
You have raised the skill: Staff: Sweeping Strike to level 9
+1 Strength, +1 Constitution, +5% Maneuver Strength
You have unlocked the skill: Staff: Arcane Thrust!
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Staff: Arcane Thrust (Level: 1) [Martial]
"Bridging the gap between mana and physical matter is indeed dangerous. The question remains: For whom?"
You have combined the might of your arm with the force of your will.
Stab forward with your imbued weapon, discharging a mana blast enhancing the impact of your strike, circumventing most armor.
+1 Power, +1 Strength, +1 Constitution, Improved Maneuver Strength
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You have raised the skill: Weapon: Sword to level 16
+1 Strength, +1 Constitution, +1 Dexterity, +1% Damage with Swords
You have raised the skill: Weapon: Sword to level 17
+1 Strength, +1 Constitution, +1 Dexterity, +1% Damage with Swords
You have raised the skill: Swords: Riposte to level 8
+1 Strength, +1 Constitution, +1 Dexterity, +5% Maneuver Strength
You have raised the skill: Swords: Moon Slash to level 3
+1 Strength, +1 Constitution, +1 Agility, Improved Maneuver Strength
You have raised the skill: Swords: Wall of Blades to level 7
+1 Strength, +1 Constitution, +1 Dexterity, +5% Maneuver Strength
You have raised the skill: Swords: Wall of Blades to level 8
+1 Strength, +1 Constitution, +1 Dexterity, +5% Maneuver Strength
You have unlocked the skill: Weapon: Thrown!
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Weapon: Thrown (Level: 1) [Martial]
"You may run if you wish, but you will only die tired."
Tired of smashing the windows of innocent shop owners, you have decided to graduate from only harming the local economy.
Remember, the pointy end goes into your enemies, not your fingers.
The skill at precisely throwing projectiles where they need to go.
+1 Dexterity, +1 Constitution, +1% Damage with thrown weapons
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You have raised the skill: Weapon: Thrown to level 2
+1 Dexterity, +1 Constitution, +1% Damage with thrown weapons
You have raised the skill: Weapon: Thrown to level 3
+1 Dexterity, +1 Constitution, +1% Damage with thrown weapons
"Damn, if it weren''t for the risk, pain and lack of company, I probably should get lost in a dungeon more often."
The aftermath of the battle proved anticlimactic. Arcanis healed up his injuries, which required some waiting around for mana and also allowed him to recover some of his energy. What remained of his clothes would need to be discarded once he got back to Erfurt, literally anything would be an improvement over his current attire - the road leathers abused well beyond their ability to receive punishment. The goblin was not off any better, the chainmail utterly ruined by the final attack, the good dagger''s blade broken off in the fall and the rusty one only fit to give its user tetanus. The only loot worth talking about was the sword the warrior had used, which had survived the encounter without a single blemish.
The young adventurer was about to store it in his inventory when he heard a heavy footfall. Or paw-fall, as the case turned out to be. From the direction of the tent, the wounded wolf Arcanis had all but forgotten about approached. It did not appear to be hostile however and he gave the beast some space, unwilling to get into another exhausting struggle, so soon after the last.
As it turned out, no more fighting was needed - approaching the corpse of his fallen enemy, the wolf lifted a leg and relieved itself on its dead master. Business dealt with it slowly trotted over to the corpse of the fallen giant cat, sniffed at it and unleashed a mournful howl into the area, before curling up beside it.
Nothing else to do, Arcanis decided to leave them be and approached the stairway leading upwards. No trap was sprung, no more monster attacked ... nothing. I wonder what''s going to come up next. Step after step he climbed the stairs and yet ... no surprise materialized. The stairway was perfectly dark, and unwilling to rely on his Night Vision alone he kindled a "Fox Fire" in front of him while maintaining his Sense Magic.
Both ultimately enabled him to detect the moment it happened, which otherwise would have gone completely unnoticed. One step there was nothing, the next a weird flavor of mana materialized all around him, covering him, strangling him ... without affecting his body at all.
The next moment the aspiring wizard found himself in an utterly different location ... that looked exactly the same as the previous one. He was still on a stairway, leading upwards with no end in sight. The only sign of the passage other than what his mana senses had just told him - and it had been over and his senses too untrained by far, to process even a fraction of the signals perceived - was his link to the light spell: One moment his spell was right in front of him ... the next it was far beneath, far beyond the range of what the spell tether could sustain and the link slapped with a mental backlash, causing Arcanis to flinch from the sudden headache.
Taking a minute to recover, he re-cast the spell and continued until he came to a bend in the stairway. Passing around it he found a weird disconnection between his visual and magic perception. His eyes reported a light at the end of the stairs, the cavern significantly brighter than the one he had spent the last few days at. His magic perception however did not reach as far - only a few meters after the bend, there was a ... wall. As if something blocked any and all magic from passing through, the ambient mana being reflected off it and into the stone surrounding the passage. The mana inside the wall felt equally isolated from whatever was on the other side of this mystic barrier.
Curious, Arcanis approached and tried to touch the magic wall ... but his fingers passed right through it, without touching anything. The mana within his body passed through it along with his fingers, but any ambient mana particles - virtually invisible behind his own body''s mana - were stripped off his skin, leading to a very odd sensation, he was unsure was real or imagined. Passing through the barrier fully, he realized the barrier was about as thick as a hand''s width, in which no magic would exist, before ambient mana - a lot, lot lower than on the other side - resumed. While his head was inside that barrier, his magic sense was utterly blind for that short moment, disorienting him only further.
Arriving on the other side, he realized his Kitsunebi spell had been extinguished by the passage, spell mana apparently deflected just as much as any other kind. With the magic light gone, his eyes adjusted after a moment and he realized something he should have noticed earlier.
The bright end of the stairway. It was a blue sky and his ears picked up some of the background noises of a busy city.
Accelerating his steps, his tired legs temporarily forgetting their complaints, Arcanis rushed forwards until he could make out a tower in the distance. Coming to a stop he braced himself against the wall, taking in a breath of air that had lost that intangible ''Dungeon'' feeling he could not really describe but was quite real none-the-less. It smelled like a city - quite a bit worse than in the dungeon usually, but it was the sweetest elixir for the young adventurer at the moment.
"Well ..." he chuckled at the tribute to Thomas'' catch-phrase, without whose training he never would have survived this little trip. "... this sure was one heck of an adventure! I suppo-"
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Congratulations! You have met the requirements and unlocked the class: Adventurer
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Adventurer
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You have heard The Call and answered it.
The Call that has led thousands to their death.
The Call that has brought misery and pain to endless hopeful aspirants.
The Call that has been the dawn of Empires, foundation of Kingdoms, brought riches and heroic legends.
The Call of Fortune.
Will you forge an Empire?
Will you become the next legend?
Adventure awaits ...
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All Attributes: 150
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Boni Granted on acceptance:
- Perk: Spirit of Adventure
- Skill: Detect Traps
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Do you wish to accept the class as an inherent part of yourself?
Laughing at the prompt he had to brace himself against the wall again as he was struggling to catch his breath. Somebody in heavy armor came into view, looking curiously down into the dungeon entrance, but could probably not make out more than Arcanis'' outline in the darkness.
"Now you offer the class?! Bloody system!" He grinned at the irony, grumbled at how some of his trouble could have been far easier before finally realizing the absurdity of his mental railing. He would need some time to readjust and get his head back straight, but there was little point in complaining to a system he had barely started grasping. Enough time to study up on it, now that I''m out again. "Well, better late than never, I suppose!"
Arcanis shrugged and accepted the class. His legs gave out and he crashed into the stairs while twitching without any coordination.
"Damn"
* * *
Name: Arcanis
Classes
Adventurer
Attributes
Strength: 116
Agility: 122
Dexterity: 131
Constitution: 150
Mana: 45
Power: 66
Luck: 43
Derived Attributes
HP: 1560
EP: 1320
MP: 710
Skills
General
Acrobatics 12
Athletics 7
Balance 11
Cleaning 11
Concentration 6
Cooking 12
Drawing 1
Explosives 2
Gaming 8
Meditation 6
Reading 5
Writing 2
Magic
Burnout 1
Combat Casting 8
Healer 13
Imbue 5
Magic for Dummies 11
Manipulate Magic 4
Martial
Ambush 5
Dodge 21
Taunt 1
Unarmed Combat 9
Weapon: Dagger 7
Daggers: Coup-de-Grace 2
Weapon: Staff 21
Staff: Sweeping Strike 9
Staff: Redirect 10
Staff: Arcane Thrust 1
Weapon: Sword 17
Swords: Riposte 8
Swords: Wall of Blades 8
Swords: Moon Slash 3
Weapon: Mace 7
Maces: Smash 3
Weapon: Axe 7
Axes: Disarm 3
Weapon: Spear 7
Spears: Pinning Strike 3
Weapon: Thrown 3
Nature
Animal Husbandry 2
Butchering 4
Detect Traps 1
Dismantle 2
First Aid 4
Navigation 2
Night Vision 10
Pain Tolerance 10
Poison Resistance 1
Tracking 3
Social
Dissembling 2
Gambling 5
Languages
Herani (Mother language)
Trum (Classic)
Spells
Firebolt*
Healing Touch*
Kitsunebi*
Titles
-
Traits
Spirit of Adventure
Innate Abilities
Gift of Magic
Magic Researcher
Linguist
Sense Magic
Status Effects
Blessing of Zara
Fae Touched
Chapter 20: Adventurer
Chapter 20: Adventurer
"... the thing: We don''t know how he got past them! Walter found him collapsing a few steps beneath the exit."
"Hm. Well, at least he managed to get out on his own, which is half a miracle all by itself. I suppose the others will turn around soon enough, once miss Fern¨¢ndez notices his new location."
The two voices faded to silence for a moment before the second voice continued, sounding somewhat distant.
"Nothing to it, I suppose." A short pause, covered by an odd tapping noise as if a person was drumming on a wooden surface with their fingers. "Prepare him a bath and fetch him a new set of clothes, will you? I''ve got some paperwork to deal with, but bring him over once he is awake and presentable."
"Yes Ma''am!" The second voice answered with energy, also female but obviously younger than the person handing out orders. He tried to figure out who they were - the commanding voice sounded familiar, but that itch in his memory refused any scratches - or what they were talking about ... but his thoughts were heavy and before he managed to get a grasp on the situation his mind wandered off, back the land of dreams.
* * *
"... what are the odds?!" A young man''s voice asked in hushed tones.
"Before now, I would have said nill." A female voice replied in a bright soprano voice, the owner apparently in a cheerful mood. "But well ..." He heard cloth rustling, but was unable to muster the energy to open his eyes. "... here''s the evidence that it can happen. Now hush and help me with that water!"
Some grumbling followed and the sound of water splashing, before his consciousness fled once again.
* * *
Arcanis was hungry.
A thoroughly uncomfortable state to be in, true, but for some reason he felt he was missing something, as if he were trying to distract himself from something with that insistent observation. Trying to grasp that missing piece proved difficult, his thoughts attempting to evade his mental grasp. A sense of energy, a spellform ripped apart by his own thoughts, before collapsing, then exploding. Burning pain. A huge cat pouncing at him, his blood pumping as he barely managed to dodge in a whirl of wind and blade. The crunching sound of his teeth piercing into the rich flesh of a red fruit, some fruity liquid running down his cheeks but he did not are.
I am thirsty.
A spider rushed him, but instead of ending him, it only ... a mushroom hit him, exploding into itchy spores and some weird sticky liquid. He opened his eyes into the colorful storm of magic signals, his mind confusing them with colors. The feeling of mana, as it flowed through him and out of his hand, into the crystal fragment. Two large monsters rushing at him, ready to tear him ap-
A large amount of cold water to the face interrupted Arcanis'' derailed train of thoughts and focused his mind. Right, I made it out. His distracted mind focused on that one piece of information. I made it out.
"Hm, that didn''t work." A young, female voice commented dispassionately, as if neutrally observing an experiment, fine with either outcome. "Get another."
"Come on, why am I the one who gets to do all the fetching and carrying?" A male voice answered ... though one probably not much older than his female companion. Still, after a second of silence, he heard steps going away, probably with a bit more energy in each step than strictly needed.
Opening his eyes, Arcanis found himself in a room. With a window, exposing a clear, blue sky. He closed his eyes again and used his right hand to pinch the bridge of his nose, before opening them again. The window was still there, as was the blue sky.
"Ah, so that worked after all, did it?" A cheerful voice commented to his left and turning his head in that direction finally unveiled the owner of the voice: A teenage girl probably close to his body''s age grinned at him, utterly unrepentant over having dumped a bucket of water over him. Dressed like an adventurer - sturdy leather clothes including a leather armor vest covering ... plentiful curves - the red-head kept a bit of a distance.
"Aye, that it did." Looking around, he was in a room somewhere, lying on a bed that had been covered in a large cloth cover before somebody had set him down on it. Probably a good idea, given my state of cleanliness. Or lack thereof. There was a table with two chairs, somebody had placed a set of clothes on it, a large wooden chest and - in the center of the room - a large tub of water.
"Guest room in the guild hall." Arcanis shot her a look that glanced of her armor and started to get up. "The question seemed implied.
"Now ..." the freckled girl''s eyes demonstratively wandered down his length then up again "... much as I appreciate the view, you may want to clean up and get dressed. Or just the clean up, can''t say I mind the barbarian vibes, but the smell is rather ripe." Grinning at him she bowed and waved at the tub as if a stage magician unveiling a trick. "I''ll be waiting outside, just leave the room once you are ready."
Saying that, she turned and left Arcanis to his own devices, who finally stood up fully and inspected his state. His torso was bare, no piece of cloth or leather remaining above the beltline, but he had bulked up quite a bit since last he checked. Not quite on the level of his muscles having muscles, but definitely enough to make a credible warrior. The belt and the remains of his pants had survived, but the pants were ... tight. Also utterly filthy.
Getting up he walked over to the tub and started cleaning himself. He had some trouble walking straight, as if his body was out of practice, but he managed to not fall down somewhere unintended. On the other side of the tub he found a large piece of soap and got down to business.
Finally having reached a semblance of cleanliness again, Arcanis stepped out of the room he had woken up in, dressed in the spare set of clothes someone - the girl? - had laid out for him. They were a close enough fit to be comfortable, which ironically was somewhat irritating, now that he was used to ... rags, really. To think I would need to get used again to proper clothes. He chuckled to himself and looked around, finding himself in a small inner courtyard with an open roof bringing him that sweet sunlight. Also the city smells, which by now had lost some of their sweetness and were rapidly returning to smelly instead.
"Yo." The short greeting came from his left where the girl from before was leaning against the wall. At her side was a disgruntled looking youngster, not much older than Arcanis, a bucket of water at his feet. "Took yer sweet time, pal. Almost wondered whether we needed the second bucket after all." The boy at her side shot her a dirty look as the somewhat smaller girl smiled at the aspiring wizard. "Astrid, Guild Assistant. A pleasure."
"Arcanis, Adventurer to be. Likewise." He shot a suggestive glance at the other boy but before that worthy could respond, Astrid intervened.
"Oh, don''t mind Sidekick #1, he''s part of the landscape"
"Hey!"
"Ok, ok, Minion #2. Two as in after myself of course."
"Arrgh!"
She smirked at her coworker losing his composure, dancing around Arcanis to get out of immediate range before taking up a fake thinking pose. "Hmmm ... how about Water Bearer #1!" She then switched into a stage murmur, pretending to talk to herself but clearly meaning for all to hear. "Definitely better at it then I ever will."
Seeing it coming, Arcanis proved a faithless cover and stepped out of the way before the boy launched himself at his teasing companion and used his superior strength to put her into a headlock. "Yoouuu!" What followed involved some squealing, struggling, tickling and an exhausted surrender by the villainess, completely outmatched by the boy''s physical prowess.
"So ... pant ... that''s Peter, fellow Guild Assistant." She waved at the boy, who had finally let her go after dealing his retribution. "Who turned sixteen two weeks ago and can finally def-" cough "unfairly lord his superior stats over us innocent mortals." Astrid cheerfully poked him in his side with a finger. "He''s also a good sport who manages to put up with my questionable sense of humor, so there''s that to his credit."
Arcanis did not miss the fond smile Peter sent her way while she was unable to see it.
"Aaaanyway. Now that you are cleaned up and as ready as you likely will be: Boss wants to meet you, so come on, let''s go." She headed out towards one of the doors, obviously expecting the adventurer to follow, but clapped Peter appreciatively on his shoulder in passing, who sighed but nodded.
It turned out they had been on the top floor of the building - compound, really - and Arcanis was unsure whether he would be able to trace back the path without a guide as they took several minutes through the labyrinthine complex until they finally reached the Guild Master office. Astrid knocked on the door, waited for the reply before pushing it open and leading the way in. "One awake and cleaned up adventurer, as ordered!" She stepped aside and waved Arcanis in with a flourish and a bow. "All yours." Then silently retreated, as she left him in the office with Guild Master Ramona.
The person in question chuckled as she rose from her chair behind her massive desk, picked up some documents that laid ready and came around it. "Quite a character, ain''t she?" Using her hand with the paper, she waved him towards the less imposing table to his right, before continuing with a slightly louder voice. "Now if only she could break that habit of trying to listen in on privileged discussions!" He chuckled at the steps swiftly growing more distant, before following the guidance and settled down in one of the chairs.
Something tickled Arcanis'' senses and he focused on his magic perception, to open his physical eyes in surprise: While the ambient mana was extremely low, that made it easier to spot quite a few things in the room containing magic energy - the door itself lightly, the magic light under the ceiling, pretending to be a lamp and several spots on Ramona herself. But most significantly her main desk and the chair behind it were strongly empowered, though he had no idea with what.
His distraction was interrupted by his host settling in the chair across from him. "Welcome back, Arcanis. We had been worried when you went missing, so we are all the more happy to see you back in one piece. Even more so that it appears you returned quite a bit more than when you vanished." A friendly smile conveyed truth of the sentiment expressed before she leant forward to reach for the tea set.
"Tea? It''s not too old and my favorite blend." He nodded in assent and she poured both a cup from the kettle - a light fire-flavored magic energy picked up each time she poured and the mugs steamed from the heat. Placing his mug in front of him the guild leader leant back, took sip and sighed in appreciation.
Arcanis reached for his own cup but it shattered in his hand as if he tried to grab a stone only to realize it had been sand instead. Ramona merely raised an eyebrow before asking with a smirk on her face. "Did that cup do anything to mortally offend you?"
"Noooo" he looked at his hands - and the mess on the table - in mystification. Picking up one of the still hot shards between thumb and index finger, he pressed them together and the shard shattered into even smaller fragments. "What the hell." He shook his head in disbelief.
Ramona merely chuckled, stood up and opened a nearby cupboard, retrieving a cleaning cloth and a sturdy mug. Using the cloth she swiped up the mess, then put it aside and poured him another tea, this time in the mug provided. "Alright, try again."
He did as commanded, this time managing to sample the tea without incident, which turned out to be hot, delicious and relaxing. "Alright, let''s get that out of the way first: We know you got thrown into the dungeon without your consent. What was your strength score when that happened and what is it now?"
Having an idea where this was going, Arcanis leant back and scratched his head as he dug through his memory. "Hm ... I think back then it was about fifty to sixty. Let me check the current stats ..." He mentally called up his current attributes, only to whistle in surprise.
Attributes
Strength: 116
Agility: 122
Dexterity: 131
Constitution: 150
Mana: 45
Power: 66
Luck: 43
"Turns out I''m now at a hundred and sixteen. Along with all my other physical stats having exploded." He said before continuing mumbling to himself "This is bound to be trouble."
"Glad you already see the problem." Ramona nodded in approval with a smile on her face. "You are currently ''suffering'' from a consequence of rapid power growth. Congratulations on unlocking your first class by the way, mind telling me what it is?"
Arcanis nodded in confirmation. "Unlocked it as I made my way out of the dungeon. I got the Adventurer class even before joining the Guild."
A broad smile blossomed over her face as she heard the class. "That ... is awesome. Thank you for telling me about it. You probably do not know just how rare it is to unlock the class in any way other than joining the guild ... let us just say you are the first person I have personally met to do so." She shot him a stern glare "And while it would be best for you to keep that piece of information to yourself, I am a lot, lot older than I look."
Arcanis gulped down and nodded silently to signal his agreement of silence. "Good. Anyway, coming back to your problem, we call it the ''Growth Sickness'' and it happens when you grow too much in too little time. Thanks to the system''s diminishing return on skill training within a given day, that happens rarely through that - in fact I am confident that is the very reason why that limit is part of the system. We usually see that when unlocking a new tier. Most of the times it comes with a need to move, a need to use the new power. Also with a feeling of invincibility as the new limits of your power need to be established.
"To deal with this, you need to learn to control your strength when dealing with mundane objects or less trained people. Avoid touching people for now - a handshake could leave crushed hands - and prepare for some shattered pottery. Also get some training from stronger people to show you your limits. We''ll have a quick bout after this discussion to give you a taste of what comes above you." She pinned him with a death glare "Far. Above you."
Ramona paused for a bit to let that sink in, before continuing. "You still staying at the ''Traveler''s Rest'' along with the rest of your party?"
"Yes"
"Good. Speak with Martha, she can help you with practicing to control your strength." She smirked in fond memory and shared experience. "Not that her tongue doesn''t wag a different tale, but she is a good sort."
"Alright, we could probably talk for a long, long time, but I''ve got a lot more on my agenda today and you probably should get something to eat and some rest, so let''s deal with the high points in order: Your way into the dungeon. Your way out of the dungeon. The Expedition. Guild Membership.
"What do you remember about ending up in the dungeon?"
Arcanis shrugged at the question, having dug at that part of his memory often enough to be confident in his answer. "Not much, really. We had trained the spear basics the day before, which apparently leads to a weird dream, that was rather ... intense." The guild leader smiled knowingly at that, but did not interrupt. "So when I woke up in the night, I stepped out for some fresh air and time to sort my thoughts." He stared into memory lane with thoughts of that night, his eyes losing focus. "The next thing I remember is waking up in the dungeon with a headache."
She nodded in confirmation. "What happened to you was the adventurer named Raul. Well, former adventurer, most likely, but we''ll get to that. Anyway, that adventurer that previously broke your shoulder was smash drunk over the misfortune that''s been hitting him recently, spotted you, knocked you out and dumped your body in the dungeon through a one-way hole connecting the first shelf with the third shelf. The dungeon guard of the time covered it all up for reasons unknown, we have both sitting in a cell, awaiting judgement.
This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.
"One thing about Raul: He turned himself in after sobering up and realizing what he had done. He is a local, not the brightest among the kids, but always tried to do right by the Guild." Ramona looked sad at the turn of fate. "There will be judgement once the expedition returns and we have a full accounting of the consequences of his actions."
She leant back, took another sip of the tea and relaxed before switching mental gears. "When I took up my office here - or rather immediately before that - I took a gander down into the dungeon, see what it was all about. Cleared it right down to the fifth shelf and the dungeon boss. I know what the third shelf is all like and when I heard that''s where he dumped you, I knew you were dead. Healing or no healing, there is no way a freshling like you should have any chance of surviving down there all alone.
"How?"
Arcanis concentrated on his own mug to buy himself a little time before answering something he had been wondering himself. "It was ... weird. While Luck was definitely involved, I do not know for sure, but ... there were signs of the dungeon moving monsters out of my way." That caused eyebrows to rise, but he continued on un-interrupted. "Met a fairy, that appeared somewhat torn between pranking me and helping me, which ultimately led me to a weird forest zone that was quite comfortable if not for the food concern - only some few fruits were edible. Some kind of barrier gave a safe zone to rest and prepare. Then there was a boss arena - in an amphitheater style building - with something I was barely able to handle. Behind that stairs led up until I managed to get out of the dungeon, where I got the class notification and collapsed, to wake up in bed."
"That ..." The guild leader shook her head and emptied her cup. "That was the most weird dungeon tale I''ve heard so far. And I''ve heard and seen some weird shit happening." She inspected him with a piercing stare, taking his measure again. "Still, I believe you. This was way too crazy for a made up story. On the other hand, you skipped over quite a bit there and we''re not that strapped for time, so ... let''s go more into the details."
"Very well ..." And with but a short break to gather his thoughts, Arcanis started telling the long version of his trials.
* * *
Acrimonious.
That was the best way to describe most of the conversations in their current delve. Maria glanced to the side where Thomas was silently catching up with his friend, something she had decided to stay out of - getting inbetween the reunion of old friends would have been impolite. Besides that huge wolf had obviously taken her in dislike, even if it was one of the most beautiful beasts she had ever seen.
Looking ahead, Markus'' team was up and wrapping up the ambush they had walked into, the stealthy Stalker Cats always annoying to deal with. Their group was too large to all engage at the same time in the narrow dungeon tunnels, so they rotated the leading team after each encounter. To share the experience and loot fairly ... but also to spread out the injuries and wear on equipment.
"Took you long enough, yokel." Rodrigo and his team rotated forward to take up the lead position, but he once again proved utterly unable to restrain another barb. The larger warrior obviously tried to rein in a hot response as the muscle in the arm holding his axe bulged, but a teammate touching him on his shoulder allowed him to mentally step back from the precipice and focus back on taking apart the monster bodies - while the meat was quite useless, the claws, teeth and pelts had some value if one was successful in taking them.
Too bad Quentin is along, it would be so simple to drop the bodies and state the Dungeon got them. Would not even need to lie about that, ultimately. But it was not meant to be, the guild member utterly unfailingly upright and fair, even to impolite members. The irony of her thoughts, given the reason they were on this expedition, was not lost on Maria, but some people really tried to get you to murder them.
The tunnel ahead curved and the lead team vanished behind the bend, only for a loud crash followed by a scream to reach them. They charged forwards only for Maria''s hopes to be dashed - while the annoyance himself had managed to step, and fall, into a pitfall trap, he proved fast enough to grab the edge of the floor and drag himself back out. On her side she spotted Markus with a wide smirk undisguised on his face, but the impolite party leader explicitly ignored the other adventurer as he lead his team forward once again.
"Well, that''s it, everybody! Up ahead through that gate is the shelf boss and the stairway to the second shelf." Thomas had gathered everybody in front of a large door set in a stone arch more than four meters high. "Unless the dungeon reacted to our group''s size, this should be a reasonably sized goblin horde under a warchief and a shaman, suitable for a single party. Anybody in particular who wants to take this on or do we do this together anyway?"
The warrior looked around, especially at the other two party leaders. Markus, the local axe wielder, did not look particularly eager, while Rodrigo grunted in disdain. "Hmpf, we''ll take that. High time somebody showed you how to fight." Not waiting for a reply, he moved towards the door and pushed open both wings, his team following behind him.
One dagger through his weak back protection and into his heart is all it would take. Maria willed Rodrigo to distract Quentin, but the ranger proved impervious to her thoughts.
The lead team charged after their leader and entered the goblin equivalent of a throne room, only to swiftly be swarmed from each side. The difference in individual power showed and the adventurers stood their ground, but still got a fair portion of nicks and scratches in return for two dozen dead goblins. And most of those will be poisoned as well. Maria smiled in grim satisfaction at one of his teammates giving Rodrigo a disgruntled stare from where he could not see it. As usual, the warchief, his guard, his two pet wolves and the shaman turned up through doors on the side after their minions were vanquished.
Both sides charged and the melee took a lot longer, the elite guards not dispatched in a single swipe. They failed to break through the line and the Shaman managed to finish an ominous spell, covering the two beasts in a red aura, causing them to go berserk and ignore any injuries they gathered in response. One of the adventurers was dragged to the ground and Steven took a step forward to intervene, but before he made it into the room, Rodrigo charged over with the speed boost of a maneuver and beheaded both beasts in a major swipe. Rather than helping his teammate up he turned back to the other teams in the back with a smug grin on his face.
Which is how he missed the Shaman throwing a brown projectile at him and a large wad of wolf feces hit him in the back, splattered around his head and caused him to lose balance and crash to the ground.
With deep satisfaction, Maria mourned that his team''s superior stats meant that even with all this, the outcome was never truly in question. Only the member dragged to the ground had been in real danger of horrible critical hits, the only way for the monster side to actually dispatch one of the adventurers. Probably should not hold their leader against them, but they did chose whom to follow after all.
Reining in some of the vitriol she felt towards Rodrigo and his crew, she watched them wrap up the fight without further issues.
After it was all over, they entered the room as the northern team collected what loot was to be found. Their leader himself silently wiped away the remnants of the projectile, turned to the new arrivals and grunted out. "Not. One. Comment." Before stalking away to a few chuckles.
* * *
"Alright, that covers it I think. I suppose there are still a lot of unexplained events that make me question what I thought I knew about dungeons, but definitely more coherent than your admittedly efficient summary." Ramona chuckled at the young adventurer before her. "Again, glad to see you made it out." She poured both of them another tea, story telling and listening both being thirsty activities.
"Alright, moving on. Expedition. Looking for you, the Erfurt estate has funded a rescue mission for you. Ludwig Acron, the majordomo and head butler was looking for you, hired a Seer to find you and realizing you were in the dungeon hired the guild to send an expedition."
Arcanis froze, feeling as if someone had dumped a bucket of ice cold water down his back. A Seer!? Depending on how that played out, this could be a worst case scenario.
"Obviously, Thomas and the rest of the team joined, as did others. Quentin also volunteered, it seems he took a shine to you. For whatever reason." She smirked at him before continuing. "It is curious that you managed to miss them, as they departed just this day, your paths should have crossed. Anyway, they will surely turn around once miss Fern¨¢ndez realizes you managed to escape on your own.
"You''re on your own in the meantime, so try not to get into trouble. You probably need some downtime, do anything not survival related for a bit, so I recommend getting used to your newfound strength and ... relax. Maybe visit the library for a few days, a lot of good knowledge to be found there and often underestimated by adventurers. Or ... I don''t know, learn meditation? Cooking? Whatever, something not combat related would do you good."
Taking mental notes, Arcanis nodded at the advice. Library sounded like a good place to start - he needed knowledge and had plans to make.
"Alright, final point before I evict you from my office and wipe the training floor with your sorry ass." She got upright and a lot more formal as she continued. "Young Adventurer Arcanis, you have been sponsored for membership in the Adventurer Guild of Heranis. Having confirmed that you meet minimum guild standards, are you willing to pick up the call? To stand between the people and the monsters that would eat them? To push the boundaries of the unknown? To help those in need, in return for money, fame and power?"
Arcanis froze for a moment, before relaxing back into his chair and - carefully - drinking from his mug. "A few questions, if I may." She gave consent with a friendly smile. "Who sponsored me and do any obligations follow from that sponsorship?"
The smile transformed into a satisfied grin as she answered. "You are probably the first teenager I have made this offer to, that did not just jump at it blindly. Good, you might actually make it in the field. Your sponsors are thus far: Thomas Endosi, recommending a man of bravery in the face of overwhelming odds. Maria, recommending a fun guy with too much poise for his age. Ricardo Shar, recommending that we recruit any friendly healers willing to sign up. Towlar Rish, recommending a man that stops him from being the y-youngest on the team. Shinji Kurasawa, without comment. Quentin Delgado, recommending that anybody willing to practice the literary arts within the guild tavern is liable to double the intellectual weight of our Guild branch.
She gave Arcanis a stern glare. "You owe no obligation to them, but your conduct will affect their reputation within the guild. Major misdemeanors on your side might even lead to fines or similar consequences for them."
He nodded in acceptance, before continuing with his next question. "Good. Next question: What benefits and obligations come with membership?"
"Oh, we could spend hours on the details here ..." Her good mood appeared undiminished by his questions. "... but from an obligations perspective, you cannot compete with the Adventurer Guild and you must meet our code of conduct. There is some guidance on that, but basically, since your actions reflect the Guild, make sure not to tarnish our reputation unnecessarily. I do not foresee you having any trouble with that, but our profession attracts a lot of rough folks that have more issues with it. Finally you become subject to adventurer law - more on that in a moment.
"On the benefits side, you can take contracts and use our services, many of which are exclusive to members. For example access to trainers or the training rooms you were already using. You also get the benefit of being subject to adventurer law." She grinned at the young adventurer''s apparent confusion.
"The Guild is chartered under the crown and has limited jurisdiction on adventuring-related cases. In practice, this means for any legal case related to adventuring activity, you can demand it be held under the local Guild Leader in front of a jury of your peers. There are a lot of procedural details, but historically, before we had that protection in place, adventuring was extremely risky, because most local jurisdiction was deeply stacked in favor of locals compared to visiting adventurers.
"Think about the escort mission you came into town with. With the merchant dead, his relatives could have tried accusing your team of murder ... and in many local courts, the locals would win that." Arcanis frowned as he thought through the consequences. Probably necessary for a travelling profession like adventuring.
"At the same time, this of course also gives us a lot of power over Guild Members. Not a problem usually, so long as you take your contracts seriously and do your best to deliver honest work." She pushed the papers she had prepared over to him, avoiding the still-damp spot where he had crushed the first cup, and handed him a pen with a faint mana signature. "If that works for, this is the contract to join." The guild leader pointed at a few spots she had marked. "Just sign where marked once you are ready."
Arcanis picked up the papers and started reading. When it became obvious he was going to go through all of the pages first, she moved over to her desk and grabbed some more paperwork of her own to cover the time.
Signing the last paper - a legal waiver, releasing the guild from responsibility for injuries and death sustained in the line of work - Arcanis was about to rise when he was interrupted by a system message.
|
Congratulations! You have made the Adventurer class your own.
|
Curious. Fortunately, he had a potential source of answers right there. Completing the motion, he stood up and moved over to the office table Ramona sat behind, placing all but one paper on the desk.
"Done." She looked up at him, inquisitively, taking note of that last sheet and raised one eyebrow. Arcanis chuckled before answering the implied question. "I hope you don''t mind me not signing up to buy a round for everybody in the common room."
A wide grin spread over her face before she stood up and laughed out loud, before taking the last, unsigned sheet from her latest member. "You would not believe how many just sign everything without so much as reading it." She pointed at the trap paper. "This has become a routine test by now and first lesson for new members, to the point where most of our local members consider somebody buying a round for everybody being automatic part of joining the guild." The grin transformed into a smirk. "Even without signing it, you may be socially obligated to do so anyway, to avoid any trouble with them."
His face fell as he considered his remaining money and the implication of that. As if reading his mind, Ramona continued straight away. "Don''t you worry though, given how you passed the test, I''m going to cover that particular bill. Just give me a bit time after our meeting and I will inform the bartender that the first round you call will be on me instead."
She started to rise, but Arcanis interrupted her with a hand gesture. "I just received a weird message as I signed the contract. It said I ''have made the Adventurer class my own''.
What does that mean?"
The guild leader shrugged before replying. "Not surprised you got that message, given how you earned the class. There are different ways you can earn classes, but one of them is by joining an organization that has associated classes. Adventurer Guild and Adventurer, City Guard and Guardsman, Order of the Wayfarer and Knight. However, until you have made the class your own - which usually means spending enough time with it that the role it represents feels a part of you - you can still lose the class of you get kicked out of the organization that gave it to you.
"You can down-tier through that, which is really, really painful, if it was your sole highest tier class." She waved at him and then in the direction of the dungeon. "Given the way you earned the class before joining the guild, it was pretty much guaranteed to happen - I just forgot about it and did not warn you ahead of time.
"Alright, with that, we are done with the paperwork and debriefing." A wicked grin formed as she stood up and moved around the table. "Are you ready for a short, humbling bout in the training hall?"
* * *
Ludwig Acron looked up from his work as somebody knocked on his door. "Enter." A single word, not an improper shout, but it still carried to the person on the other side without fail. The door opened and one of the house servants handed him a letter before leaving without a comment, closing the door without a single noise.
Nodding in satisfaction at her performance, the majordomo of the Erfurt estate broke the simple seal on the letter, extracted the paper within, unfolded and read the short message. Satisfied, he put it on the pile of non-sensitive paper to dispose and leaned back to ponder the implications.
He would need time to recover, given the state he had returned in. While it would not do to make the master wait unduly, it would also be most improper to bring the young man before he had at least some time to recover. Besides, the master should not be forced to meet a wretch, when a few days of rest could remediate that quite handily.
And truly, he had not expected the expedition to return sooner anyway, so waiting would not be a loss, really.
Satisfied with the conclusion, he turned back to his never-ceasing work.
* * *
Arcanis was lying on the training rooms floor, sweat and light bruises covering him from head to toe. His breathing was labored, but all things considered, it could be worse. With all the growth, he had had problems with coordination and balance, with his combat maneuvers, his attacks and his evasions. Still ... it was clear he was fitter than he had ever been in this body and so by a wide margin.
As she had promised, Ramona had delivered a humbling experience, showing what must have been - at the very least - peak tier three. And I would not be surprised if that had been way beyond that. He had not gained any Skill upgrades from this ... demonstration. Calling it sparring would have been too generous, as utterly one-sided as the encounter had been. But it certainly had shown a new horizon of what might be possible in the future.
Fortunately, the training hall came with the tools to clean up, and he made his way out of the guild hall and through the streets of Erfurt, where he stuck to the main roads and did his best to avoid people. With that, he managed to make it back to the inn without any incidents and talk Martha out of a dinner on a sturdy plate with sturdy utensils, promising any answers to come the next day.
Tired in body and mind, he got back up and headed upstairs to their rooms, where the common room looked just as he remembered it. His memories painted in the people he was missing - his current team, yes, but also some of his old friends, fragments of the past pasted over an empty ''now''. The warm smile of Fara, priestess, lover of life and ... well, lover of his. The mischievous grin of their wizard, Suna, planning out whatever misdeed she had in mind next. Or how to drag him into it. Again. A nameless face, leaning against the far wall in his full armor, eyes closed, withdrawn but there if needed. The most loyal friend he had ever had, the ever reliable shield at his back, but now even the memory of him had been almost swallowed by the past. Prince Inoue, sitting at the table, a go board in front of him, waving at the seat on the other side. Damn did that kid ever murder the heck out of me on that board. I wonder what became of him.
Dizzy with the many fragments tearing at him, Arcanis leant against the wall right beside the room''s door, letting the memories work out their energy. Finally, when it finally was all over he moved over to the room he and Shinji shared, which too turned out empty of anything but the ghosts of his past. All was as it should be and he moved towards his bed, to drop into a tired sleep.
All ... other than the envelope on his bed.
Tired but still game, wanting to be done with it all before he dropped into unconsciousness, ripped it open, breaking the seal without even looking at it, and read the letter.
Lad
Welcome back.
Training Time. Tomorrow evening after sundown.
"The Black Rose" Speak with barkeeper, tell him you have a meeting with mister Johnson. Follow his directions.
Master
"Really? Really?!" News, it appeared, spread fast. Still, it was convenient, he had so many questions and so much information he needed for his planning, and that old Dwarf held the answers.
Tomorrow.