《Artifact Hunters》 Chapter 1: Oh what a miserable life. Chapter 1: Oh what a miserable life. ¡®I wish I was reading.¡¯ His mind raced as he checked out the final customer. Unloaded boxes still littered the aisle leading to the storeroom. The dull buzzing of the fluorescent lights practically brought him to tears as he began closing the dollar store. Holding back unshed tears, he puts on a brave face, if the managers caught him crying, he might get fired; he can¡¯t afford to lose his job over something like that. It''s only been two months since Victor Vance Vogal graduated from school in his tiny rural town. As an avid reader and movie lover, he spent most of his time at the library consuming all they had. As he closed the store and finally locked the doors he glanced at the clock, 9:04. Once he walked outside, he started biting on the side of his mouth. Starting his long trek home, he finally let the tears fall. ¡°I¡¯ll never get to go to the library on this schedule.¡± He shook his head. ¡°I had nearly perfect grades and got partial scholarships to six schools and I couldn¡¯t even get loans to go for the cheapest one.¡± He mumbled to himself as he looked up at the sky staring at the moon bright in the sky. He¡¯d never had money to do anything he wanted. His mother only gave him clothing for his birthday, for Christmas, he¡¯d be lucky to get new shoes. ¡°Life is so unfair. I did everything I was told and yet I still can''t get ahead.¡± Victor was known to talk out his ideas for the sole reason other than his lack of friends to listen to them. He spent most of his time in books and movies because those were the only relationships he could have time for. Victor believed that his life was all his fault but in reality, the blame for his life landed firmly on his parents. His father worked in the factory that closed when Victor was two years old. He committed suicide only a year later working at the very same dollar store he works at now. The note he left at home before hanging himself said ¡®I just can¡¯t take it anymore. I love you both and I¡¯m sorry.¡¯ He even had life insurance on himself, but it didn¡¯t even cover the funeral cost which sent them deep into debt. His mother was a model woman of the town, though he wouldn''t remember this. Religious and devout, prim and proper Valencia Vogal was once the picture of a traditional housewife. After Victor¡¯s father committed suicide, his mother spiraled out of control. Now he would be lucky if she didn¡¯t have a needle up her arm when he came home. If Victor didn¡¯t buy his own food, he would starve since she¡¯d steal his money for drugs. She had grown fat, and lazy, doing nothing but smoking around the house. Victor knew she¡¯d probably be dead soon the question was would she starve him on her way out? ¡°Tomorrow is another day¡­¡± Victor sobbed. ¡°Tomorrow is another day.¡± He tried to comfort himself but tomorrow he would wake up and once more have to go to work. Victor had worked 84 hours last week earning only his usual minimum wage. He wanted to stop by the gas station, but he decided not to so that he could save his meager earnings instead, he avoided it for yet another week. If he was sleeping, he wouldn''t feel the hunger anyway. As he walked, he could feel just the slightest twinge of hope. ¡°If I can survive working like this for three or four years and nothing goes wrong¡­¡± A smile crossed his face, however brief that hope kept him going. His smile quickly faded. He sighed ¡°Just 80 hours a week for the next 176 weeks.¡± His body ached from having to move around heavy packages and his feet felt as though they would break with the blisters that had formed. He rounded the corner and wiped his face on his shirt. He walked up to the two-floor run-down home. The steps creaking beneath his aching feet. He looked at the empty driveway, still feeling strange about the missing car she sold three weeks ago. That run-down clunker was reliable for almost ten years and now it was gone all for drugs. He opened the screen door and unlocked the main door behind it. He heaved a heavy sigh and placed his bag near the door to relieve the pain in his back before heading upstairs. ¡°Eh! Is that you Victor?¡± A woman¡¯s voice shouted over the sound of reality television. ¡°Yes, I¡¯m going to bed.¡± Victor lied as easily as he breathed. ¡°You make any money?¡± She refused to get up, puffing smoke into the room. Victor hated the smell of the smoke. ¡°I spent it on food.¡± ¡°How do you work 16 hours and spend it all on food?¡± She groaned from the living room as he started up the stairs. ¡°I take my lunch at the grill across from the store, and with taxes, I don¡¯t make much.¡± They had this discussion every night. He knew exactly how to end this discussion. ¡°FUCK taxes!¡± She shouted. Victor wasn¡¯t nearly as stupid as her. He knew she would immediately drop it. She hated getting her Medicaid, and disability and hated the government so much that if he complained about it she¡¯d never even consider continuing the conversation. Making his way upstairs he entered his room and locked it behind him. He didn¡¯t want his mom sneaking into his room to steal from him again. He sighed and collapsed on his bed. Kicking off his shoes he glances over at his nightstand and looks longingly at the few books he actually owned. He desperately wanted to read and escape his miserable life, but sleep took him. The next morning he opened his eyes. ¡°I¡¯m still alive. Damn.¡± He walked down to the bathroom and showered before changing. He glanced at his books again. ¡°Someday I will have time and energy to read again.¡± He trudged on his way to work trying to decide which would be worse work or death. He ultimately decided work was definitely not as bad as death but even worse would be getting hurt. If he got hurt that would truly ruin his life and make it unsalvageable.If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. That day was cloudy, though Victor wouldn''t see much of it since he worked from the moment he arrived until they closed. His approach to the store had a random thought pop into his head. ¡®Why can¡¯t I have a chair at the cash register?¡¯ He shook his head, getting ready to stop at the gas station and grab a drink and a snack for lunch. He waited in line for almost 15 minutes before the old fat guy at the cash register rang him up. ¡°That¡¯ll be 3.89.¡± The man belted out. Victor put his debit card in and waited for it to beep. ¡®Denied: Insufficient funds¡¯ He stared down at the screen, and Victor¡¯s blood pressure skyrocketed. ¡°There¡¯s no way.¡± He swiped his debit card again. Again it denied him. He should have almost a thousand dollars having lived like a hermit for two months eating only a small amount of food he was required to eat to simply not die about 10 dollars a day on food. ¡°Kid if you don¡¯t have any money get a job then come back.¡± The guy took the snack and drink behind his counter. ¡®It¡¯s gone¡­¡¯ He thought to himself. ¡°I¡¯m going to kill her.¡± He didn¡¯t mean to say it out loud. ¡°We all have a crazy ex-kid. Not my problem.¡± The man stopped paying attention to him. ¡°She took all my money¡­¡± He muttered to himself. He ran through what happened last night and he realized the aching on his back caused him to set down his bag near the door instead of in his room. His wallet was in there. She took it after he went to bed last night. She took all of his money. He sobbed as he began walking. ¡°I¡¯ve done everything I was ever told to do. I got good grades, stayed out of trouble and this is my reward, a thieving drug addict for a mother.¡± He angrily cursed himself before muttering under his breath. ¡°She¡¯ll be dead by the time I get home. She¡¯ll go buy a grand worth of drugs and at least then she will be dead. She¡¯ll overdose and be dead when I get back.¡± He mused with a grim expression ¡°I couldn¡¯t even save her if I wanted to. I¡¯d lose my job if I walked back the mile to our house because I¡¯d be late.¡± ¡°This is maddening.¡± He declared to himself looking up to the sky as it started to rain. ¡°Keep it coming, it''s not like my life could get any worse .¡± He put his backpack over his head to keep the water off of his head at least only for a car to drive by and splash him from a puddle. He thought to himself he could use the restroom and spend his 15-minute break wiping off some of the water and then work under the heater unboxing in the store room for an hour or two leaving the cash register unmanned. ¡®Honestly, I don¡¯t care if people steal from the store. The store can go to hell.¡¯ He knew the store was underpaying and overworking him. His manager was the only other employee who worked weekends and occasionally one more day so he would meet corporate minimum oversight rules. She was a ruthless slave driver, berating him for the state of the store despite it being physically impossible for him to improve it. Sometimes she would inspect his pockets and bag randomly to make sure he hadn¡¯t stolen anything. She didn¡¯t trust him or care about him and yet still would leave him alone in the store. He began crossing the street towards that little miserable store. That''s when he heard it. A truck slid toward him trying to stop in the rain, Victor dove forward just in time as it missed him by an inch. His hands and knees scraped across the sidewalk. The truck crashed into the center of the intersection hitting a police car driving through the intersection. ¡®I¡¯m so unlucky. he thought. Everything in my life just reeks of it.¡¯ Nothing he could do would change his luck despite incredible effort. As water streamed down his face he cried sadly in the rain looking up at the store with every conviction to quit but without the resolve to ruin his life further. He stood up determined to go into the store. He clocked in and went to the bathroom to try and clean himself up. Hi, he tried his best to stop his bleeding hands and used paper towels to pad his knees. He sighed and looked straight in the mirror. ¡°It¡¯s another day.¡± He walked out still soaking wet. He started walking back to the store room only to see three people standing in line already to check out. He knew they would complain to his manager if he didn¡¯t go to the front. He did his due diligence to be there and yet one of the women still gets extremely angry when blood from his hands ends up on a ball. He stands there, wordlessly as she chews him shouting she''ll get his manager when she comes in. He simply endured the abuse and after checking them out he walked to the back and finally started to feel a little better as the heat from the old HVAC unit warmed him. He began quietly unboxing the massive packages working at a snail¡¯s pace. Feeling somewhat dry after the miserable experience of his day, he put his supply on a metal cart took it out to the front, and began stocking the shelves. He quickly dumped everything on the cart onto the shelves and ran to the front with another angry customer waiting on him. He checked them out and once again got an earful of how they would go to his manager for not being on the register. He walked to the back, grabbed some more boxes he stretched under the warmth of the HVAC unit above him, and began unpacking. That is when he heard it, a creak above ¡°Roof must be leaking.¡± He shook his head and looked up. ¡°I¡¯ll just tell him I guess.¡± He kept unboxing before hearing more creaking and the HVAC unit popped loose. He turned his head in time to have one last thought, ¡®Just my luck.¡¯ It happened so fast, he couldn¡¯t process what happened. Victor looked around into the distance in every direction only seeing a white void infinite and unyielding in all directions, he looked around again and again before looking at his hands. He could see through himself. ¡°Is this heaven?¡± He tried walking but even though he felt movement he had no point of reference to confirm he was even moving. ¡°HELLO!¡± He shouted to the infinite white void. Silence followed, no echo, no replay. ¡°I guess I died.¡± Victor pondered for a moment and shrugged. ¡°Actually this might be better than my job.¡± He laid down and relaxed for the first time since he started working. ¡°Man, this is so much better! I wonder if I can manifest reading material.¡± He tried to visualize a book in his hand and nothing came to him. ¡°Ah drat. I wonder what I am supposed to do.¡± He paused and contemplated. ¡°What if this is it? There¡¯s nothing and no one else here.¡± He sighed and hoped it wasn¡¯t true. ¡°I feel like an endless white oblivion isn¡¯t what I deserved but I guess it fits how unlucky I am.¡± ¡°Indeed you are unlucky.¡± Before him, a pure white angel with wings stretching far into the white void appeared behind him. ¡°That is why I''m here.¡± On his body a bright golden blade at his waist, and golden filigree throughout his body. ¡°My apologies for keeping you waiting, my name is Reincarnation. To mortals, The Angel of Reincarnation, pleased to meet you Victor Vance Vogal. I am here to discuss your future.¡± Chapter 2: A boring afterlife Victor snapped to his feet and his heart raced. Confusion and anxiety raced as he began to panic. ¡°I sense you are concerned.¡± The angel looked at him with his five eyes floating around his head like rays of light. ¡°You could say that.¡± Victor¡¯s heart pounded despite not having a physical body the sensation raced through his body. ¡°Perhaps I should take a more palatable form.¡± The angel looked at him intently only for Victor to see the old computer lab and Clippie appeared before him. He snapped to the form of a golden sword in its sheath with eyes on both ends of the hilt replacing some of the many jewels on the sword. ¡°You seem to be panicking after having died. Would you like to view your own death, the death of your mother, or the death of your father?¡± ¡°What.¡± He replied, his confusion permeating the entire infinite void. ¡°I am here to assist you. Would you like to view your death, the death of your mother, or the death of your father?¡± He repeated. ¡°I guess mine? I can already guess what happened.¡± Victor asked only to be whisked away to the store room. The entire ceiling collapsed and the HVAC unit crushed his skull instantly. ¡°I feel like I already knew that. Wait, you said my mother¡¯s death. How long have I been here?¡± ¡°You have been here for approximately one solar cycle.¡± The sword replied. ¡°Wait, a year?!¡± He protested. ¡°What happened to her?¡± Victor and the sword once again saw reality around them melt to reveal his old home. He watched himself get dressed and leave the house on the last rainy day of his life before they drifted into his mother''s bedroom. She was already unconscious and close to death .¡°Her heart will stop in approximately 21 seconds.¡± Victor waited as she died there. By the time he even knew she had stolen the money, she had already spent it and killed herself. ¡°I can¡¯t believe it. No one will even remember me. No one will even mourn my passing. What was the point of it all?¡± He tried to cry but could not manifest tears forcing him to keep the pain inside. ¡°Would you like to wallow in your own misery for a time, or would you like to hear news you¡¯d likely qualify as good?¡± The sword asked. Victor tried to reduce his panic but could not. ¡°I will wait for your emotional surge to subside.¡± He couldn¡¯t tell how long he waited but eventually, he tried slapping himself and angrily asked. ¡°Why can¡¯t I slap myself? I was trying to literally slap some sense into myself.¡± ¡°I can enable interaction in this realm if you desire.¡± The sword replied. Would you like to enable physics in this space? Yes No ¡°What is this?¡± Victor asked about the words written in the air before him or rather the space before him. ¡°This area is my personal realm. It exists separate from the space which mortals and immortals see and interact with. This copy of me is here to help you. If you would like to turn on physics in this space you may do so.¡± The sword explained. Victor begrudgingly tapped yes. Suddenly his body wasn¡¯t see-through and the white beneath him became a solid floor. He stood up and pinched his cheek before slapping himself. ¡°Wow.¡± ¡°Is this method of self-abuse normal in your world?¡± The sword asked. ¡°No, it¡¯s¡­ Never mind. Sorry for being confused, can you please start from the beginning again.¡± Victor grabbed his own hand and squeezed so he could feel something again. ¡°Starting somewhere around I died.¡± ¡°Very well, repetition is important for mortals.¡± The blade paused. ¡°Listen here, you brought me here, you explain very little and you cause me to panic then start explaining when my mind was still processing everything .¡± Victor protested. ¡°Noted.¡± The blade wrote ¡®Does not appreciate facts¡¯ in the air before the words disappeared. ¡°I will endeavor to be more calming in my appearance.¡± He transformed from his regal beautiful gem-encrusted blade to a much smaller dagger made of foam for a child. ¡°Perhaps this would be more suitable for someone of your mental stature considering your age.¡± Victor grabbed him and squeezed his foamy sword form. ¡°Listen here it¡¯s not my fault I died, I don''t deserve to be mocked by an angel.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not mocking you. I am merely assessing the level of discourse I can engage in with you.¡± The now foam sword replied. Victor let go of him and sat down. ¡°I just lost everything. I am sorry I¡¯m so angry. All that work all my life for nothing. You can continue.¡± The sword transformed back into the regal beautiful golden jewel-encrusted blade. ¡°Apologies, it does seem in your world as though you would qualify as an adult.¡± ¡°Yeah, I definitely already encountered the soul-crushing reality of being poor and doomed to die without accomplishing anything.¡± Victor sighed. ¡°I worked my entire life to get ready for the 50 or 60 years in the middle and end only to find out I don¡¯t even get 10. I never found love, never made a family and the one I did have was the absolute worst.¡± ¡°I am sorry I misevaluated you. When you are ready I will begin.¡± The sword floated there. The two of them just watched each other, sitting in total silence as time passed. ¡°This is awkward, just go ahead.¡± ¡°Are you sure? I can wait.¡± He continued staring at him with his big jeweled eyes. ¡°Yes, just go.¡± Victor insisted. ¡°As I mentioned I am part of Reincarnation, specifically to mortals the Angel of Reincarnation. There are several copies of me managing others who are to be reincarnated but I am assigned to you.¡± He explained. ¡°Wait, so you''re not even the angel, just a copy?¡± Victor asked. ¡°Yes and once I accomplish my mission I will fade into the original angel merging with him and his memories. Existing here with you for a solar cycle has been extremely boring. You finally woke up and I was away practicing my speech which has been interrupted several times now.¡± He drifted closer with an intent gaze. ¡°Are you ready to hear my speech?¡± Victor, clearly irritated by just how unhelpful this angel was, just sighed and waved his hand. ¡°Go on, I won¡¯t interrupt this time.¡± ¡°Splendid.¡± clearing his nonexistent throat he stated. ¡°Welcome Victor Vance Vogal, I am the Angel of Reincarnation. I am tasked with balancing the cosmic scales. In your past life, your luck was so uniquely bad that you qualify for reincarnation with your memories to get used to your current life. Additionally, I have been instructed to balance out your bad luck with gifts to justify the pain and suffering you experienced. Rules exist and I cannot violate those but within those rules, I will do my utmost to assist you. Stand Victor Vance Vogal, Stand and claim your new life in a new world.¡± The angel replied. ¡°Wait so my luck really was unusually bad?¡± Victor smiled as though vindicated by a literal divine force. ¡°Uniquely so, your luck was actually negative, would you like to see your status sheet?¡± The sword inquired. ¡°Status sheet?¡± He asked in confusion. ¡°Ah here.¡± The sword manifested a blank sheet of paper before making him glow. ¡°I have given you one point of mana since your world did not have mana. This will allow you to use that status sheet.¡± He picked up the paper from midair only to find it was as stiff as cardboard but felt like paper. He turned it over and looked at the back of it. ¡°I don¡¯t understand. It¡¯s just paper.¡± ¡°Ah.¡± The sword transformed back into a foam sword and changed its voice to that of a father talking to a three-year-old. ¡°Right here all you have to do is.¡± He gently grabbed a finger by the tip of his soft foam blade and pressed it to the paper. ¡°Just say ¡®Status Sheet.¡¯¡± talking to a three year old. ¡°Right here all you have to do is.¡± He gently grabbed a finger by the tip of his soft foam blade and pressed it to the paper. ¡°Just say ¡®Status Sheet.¡¯¡± Victor complied ¡°Uh, status sheet.¡± Race Human: Victor Vance Vogal Class : Rogue Level : 1 Base Health : 0 Stamina : 10 Mana : 1 Vitality : 0 Speed : 16 Strength : 5 Prowess : 0 Endurance : 5 Rigor : 2 Willpower : 1 Flow : 0 Luck : -100 Resistance : None Skills Speed Reading Rank 2 Passive Skill Requirements : Read at least 100 books, spend a stat point. Stamina Cost : None Allows you to read much faster than others, this skill is always active. Academic Rank 2 Passive Skill Requirements : Graduate from an institution of learning, spend a stat point. Stamina Cost : None Victor¡¯s irritation at this sword treating him like a child gave way to childlike wonderment. ¡°Wow!¡± He actually marveled at the sheet for a moment, the 0 in vitality he assumed from what he knew about Dungeons and Dragons meant he was dead, though he already knew that. He quickly read his skills only to find out what he already knew. He was of course a fast reader and speed reading didn¡¯t exactly seem particularly exceptional or different and Academic didn¡¯t seem like it did anything at all. ¡°This is a character sheet.¡± He pointed at the sheet. ¡°Very astute.¡± The foam sword tapped him on the head. ¡°You are clearly a very bright boy.¡± Suddenly angry at him again he restrained himself and didn¡¯t lash out this time. ¡°Are you telling me I have had these abilities my whole life but couldn¡¯t see them?¡± ¡°Your world is completely devoid of mana. The skills people possess are to put it simply: your world lacks many of the benefits other worlds possess. Dead magic words such as yours are the exception to the worlds of the universe.¡± It replied snapping back to its regal form. ¡°Are you serious?¡± Victor shot back. ¡°Earth is one of the only worlds without magic?¡± ¡°Indeed, Dead Magic Worlds are rare. To my knowledge, there are only a dozen of them with life on them.¡± Victor literally laid back and slapped his head laughing as the sword told him this. ¡°I can¡¯t.¡± He laughed and laughed. ¡°I was unlucky from birth?¡± ¡°Every being on that planet starts at -40 luck.¡± The sword replied. ¡°I don¡¯t have a frame of reference for that,¡± Victor replied. ¡°On almost all planets the default birth is 0 luck, with small variations from person to person. You were born significantly lower even for your world at -79 luck. Over your lifetime your luck got progressively worse reaching -100 luck on the day you died after acquiring several achievements in a row all on the same day. Normally luck trends back toward 0 over time. You went to bed the night before with -91 luck. No one can survive for long at -100 luck, it inevitably results in death within a few days.¡± The sword explained. ¡°While there are many individuals which reach -100 luck briefly they trend back toward 0. Each day automatically shifts one point back toward 0 going up or down based on achievements and actions for the day. Most of the time the achievement of Friendship which is renewable once a day kicks in and reverts individuals out of -100 to -99 since it grants a single point of luck each day you maintain it.¡± ¡°You are telling me I was that unlucky because I didn¡¯t have any friends.¡± Victor¡¯s shoulders slumped. ¡°I died because no one cares about me?¡± ¡°Your life was uniquely susceptible to extremely unlucky and negative outcomes. You had no friends and an actively hostile family. You sat lonely in a room reading academic books, history books, or novels because it was an escape from your misery. Those are unfortunately not things that help revert your life to a neutral or positive state. Normally even with the extreme situation you faced that day, you should have survived.¡± The sword was added.A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. ¡°What are you talking about?¡± He raised an eyebrow. ¡°Normally you stop here.¡± He projected the gas station into the white void and showed him stopping in it at night. ¡°You did not stop there the second time that day or any of the days that week.¡± ¡°I was a little more hungry than usual but that can¡¯t possibly be what killed me, a roof fell on me.¡± Victor groaned at him. ¡°Let me guess I wouldn¡¯t have been there if I had eaten.¡± ¡°Correct. You really can learn.¡± He patted him on the head with his foam tip. ¡°If you¡¯d eaten that day you¡¯d have done your normal routine and spent the entire morning at the cash register with the HVAC unit and part of the ceiling collapsing on boxes and not you. You¡¯d be alive right now. The hungry debuff comes with an additional -1 luck and if you stay hungry for more than 8 hours it becomes a sustained penalty until you increase your luck.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t decide if that is better or not,¡± Victor asked himself. ¡°Is being alive not better than being dead?¡± The foam sword inquired. ¡°Honestly this might be better than the day I died. Still worse than the days when I was growing up and when I was reading though so I¡¯d say this is a middle ground. This place is better than my worst day but worse than my best day.¡± Victor shrugged. ¡°I just wish I had a book when I was alive that told me the actual rules of the world. All I wanted was what I asked the adults around me when I was young. I asked them ¡®What do I need to do to be successful?¡¯ Every one of them lied to me and told me to work hard. Every. Single. One.¡± He sighed. ¡°Does hard work not provide results in your world?¡± The foam blade inquired. ¡°I died because it doesn¡¯t! All my hard work in school and I end up in a backroom literally dying because the corporate owners don¡¯t even care enough to repair their own shop!¡± Victor raged at him. ¡°You know all about me but nothing about my world!¡± ¡°Apologies.¡± He changed back to his more regal form. ¡°Would you like the actual rules of the world?¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± Victor asked. Victor popped into existence as a book with golden edges on the pages, hard well-made corners with a golden lock, and an unclipped clasp. On the cover a single golden sword looking like his blade sat in the center and he could hear the angel ask. A mouth formed on the book''s cover. ¡°Would you like to open me?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± He opened to blank pages. Confused, he sighed. ¡°Stats.¡± Stats Touching a stat card, or status sheet causes your stats to be displayed on it by putting at least 1 mana into it. Upon leveling up gain the following amount of points per tier and other benefits based on class. Stat points must be allocated within 30 days or they are automatically allocated to your character based on usage and available rarities. Tier 1 (Level 1 to 10) - 5 Stat points per level Tier 2 (Level 11 to 20) - 10 stat points per level Tier 3 (Level 21 to 30) - 20 stat points per level Tier 4 (Level 31 to 40) - 40 stat points per level Tier 5 (Level 41 to 50) - 80 stat points per level Tier 6 (Level 51 to 60) - 160 stat points per level Tier 7 (Level 61 to 70) - 320 stat points per level Tier 8 (Level 71 to 80) - 640 stat points per level Tier 9 (Level 81 to 90) - 1280 stat points per level Tier 10 (Level 91 to 100) - 2560 stat points per level Base Health : Total HP Stamina : Used for physical actions Mana : Used for magical actions Vitality : Improves HP by 10 for each point. Speed : Movement and Reaction Time Strength : Improves Physical Damage and Physical Abilities Prowess : Improves Magic and Magical Abilities Endurance : Increases Stamina, improves physical resistance. Rigor : HP Regeneration and stamina regeneration speeds. Willpower : Increases maximum mana, improves magic resistance. Flow : Rate at which mana recovers and which you absorb mana from external sources. Luck : Improves Luck. Cannot be leveled. Effects probability of success for all variable outcomes. Resistance < ELEMENT >: Improves resistance to < ELEMENT > Victor asked confused. ¡°Wait this is different than what I saw before.¡± Victor asked, confused. ¡°Wait, this is different than what I saw before.¡± ¡°You asked for stats. Would you like a Status Sheet?¡± The book asked. Victor shrugged and nodded. ¡°Yes, Status Sheet.¡± That brought back up his sheet. ¡°Wait what is this, why am I a rogue?¡± ¡°You and your parents did not assign a class at birth thus you received a random assignment as you can see on this page.¡± He turned back to the ¡®Stats¡¯ page and underlined 30 days. ¡°Wait so I could have been assigned mage?¡± He asked. ¡°No, you had 0 mana. All intelligent life on your planet must be assigned either fighter or rogue as they have no mana.¡± The book explained. ¡°Wait, now that I have mana can I change classes?¡± He suddenly remembered. ¡°Oh wait, I''m dead¡­¡± ¡°You are dead but won¡¯t be for long.¡± The book presented a button to him. Would you like to retrain your class? You will lose half your experience points. Yes No ¡°Wait, I''ll lose half my experience points?¡± He asked. ¡°I don¡¯t understand.¡± ¡°Experience points are used to level up. Doing things which directly challenge you, endanger you, or force you to learn and grow will grant you experience points.¡± The book paused then added. ¡°This explains why you are still level one. You are afraid of growth, and other people, and enjoy only things that don¡¯t challenge you like reading.¡± ¡°WHY ARE YOU PERSONALLY ATTACKING ME?!¡± Victor shouted at it. ¡°I just tried to live a life where I won''t suffer as badly and eventually would gain the most basic level of success.¡± ¡°Do you feel like a success?¡± The book asked him. At that, Victor paused and looked down at his hands, then looked around him into the infinite white void he stood in. ¡°No.¡± ¡°I am not personally attacking you. Would you like some advice?¡± The book asked him. Victor braced himself for a brutal answer. ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°The way you lived your life is all wrong.¡± He answered ¡°Why do you care?¡± His shoulders slumped almost as though he knew what was told to him was a lie his whole life. ¡°I don¡¯t wish for any being to have a life that is completely unfulfilling or miserable with no real upside. I also don¡¯t wish for any life to ever have any challenges for that soul would be unsatisfied.¡± The book answered. ¡°When you were young some children bullied you. Instead of standing up for yourself, reporting it to teachers, or even just enduring it you avoided them. Every day you¡¯d spend most of your life avoiding that one moment of pain. If you had loved reading you could have found others to talk to about the books you read, perhaps a book club. If you¡¯d loved movies you could have found a girlfriend and taken her with you. You choose how your life is lived. If I had one recommendation for when I am done with you, it would be to take risks.¡± The book stopped talking, waiting for Victor to speak. ¡°You know brutal honesty really hurts.¡± Victor¡¯s whole body felt as though someone had torn it down like a piece of paper handed to a three-year-old. He sank to the ground and gripped his knees. ¡°When you take risks and fail, it hurts.¡± ¡°Did it hurt when you jumped out of the way from that truck?¡± The book snapped shut forming its mouth below with two eyes being added and the sword for a nose. ¡°Yes, I¡¯m not used to pain. I got scraped up, but that is different. It was that or something much worse!¡± He protested, frustrated at the unfair comparison. ¡°All of that is the result of choices made far earlier in your life. The choices you make have a lasting and profound effect on you. Would you like to seize your own destiny?¡± The book snapped open once more. Would you like to retrain your class? Would you like to seize your own destiny? You will lose half your experience points. Yes No Victor as he extended his hand and pressed down on the page, he felt himself become weaker. ¡°I definitely felt that.¡± ¡°You should, your level can¡¯t decline below one but you were 95% of the way to level 2.¡± The book replied. ¡°YOU COULD HAVE TOLD ME THAT!¡± Victor shouted again. ¡°I could have just taken a level in another class almost instantly and multiclassed.¡± ¡°Multiclassed?¡± The book asked. ¡°In games and such in my world, you could take a level of rogue and then a level of fighter as long as you meet the requirements,¡± Victor explained. The book at this audibly laughed. ¡°You can only select one of the four base classes and then as many subclasses, archetypes, or paragon classes as you qualify for. There is no multiclassing between the base classes.¡± ¡°So whatever class I pick I am stuck with?¡± Victor asked. ¡°Yes. Would you like to first discuss your choice or your gifts?¡± The book asked. ¡°My gifts?¡± Victor just shook his head. ¡°Oh right, you mentioned that you were going to give me something to combat my bad luck.¡± ¡°Unfortunately luck is one of the few stats even I cannot modify, however, I cannot send you back with -100 luck. As such I will resolve to gift you things to combat that and to slightly increase your luck.¡± At that, the book spun open to a page and popped up another prompt. You will receive gifts from a Clone of The Angel of Resurrection if you accept . Levels x3 One Item of your choice, maximum epic rarity. 100 Gold Memory Retention skill ¨C Allows retention of memories between lives. Hidden from all sheet effects. Yes No Victor stopped for a moment. ¡®Is 100 gold a lot? Is it nothing? I hate having no frame of reference. I don¡¯t even know what kind of item would be good to ask for. I should accept because I don¡¯t want to further anger this creature. He''s currently helpful. He clicked yes. ¡°Ah, one step closer to leaving this miserable room.¡± The book replied. ¡°You don¡¯t want to be here huh?¡± Victor asked for the book. ¡°Once I leave this room I will be assimilated and my memories merged. That is significantly better than existing in the total absence of all stimulation.¡± The book replied. ¡°You offered me one item of my choice, up to epic rarity.¡± Victor smiled at the book. ¡°Yes, up to one item of epic rarity.¡± The book replied. ¡°I choose you as a book.¡± He grabbed the book with both hands firmly. ¡°You can¡¯t choose me, I''m Divine rarity¡± The book protested, flying out of his hands before turning from black to red. ¡°Can you reduce your rarity?¡± Victor asked. ¡°I could...¡± The book seemed to ponder before the book opened. ¡°It would have consequences but I guess if I am going to come with you I will continue to exist a lot longer, and it could be enjoyable to guide one through their new life. Well, would you like to have a much weaker version of me as your item?¡± Reduce Rarity This will reduce the efficacy of the artifact ¡° The Manual of Reality ¡± from Divine to Epic . Abilities Lost Spellcasting ¨C The Manual of Reality will lose all spellcasting abilities. Status Increases ¨C The Manual of Reality will forfeit all stat increases associated with the item. Sword of the Divine effects will be suppressed until level 80 is reached. Telekinetic Speech Skill will be locked until level 10. Item Set Effects ¨C The set effect with the Sword of the Divine is lost forever. Yes No Victor pressed yes almost instantly. The book turned purple yet the page edges remained gold as did the sword on the cover and the metal corners. ¡°I am yours now.¡± ¡°You¡¯re your own being. I¡¯d like your help but I don¡¯t want to control your life. Everyone controlled me my whole life. I was just a hair above a slave. I hated it. You are free to do as you like, you don¡¯t deserve to just cease to exist after helping me.¡± Victor grabbed the book and hugged it. ¡°Thank you for helping me even if you are a bit brutal.¡± The book paused. ¡°It is my job.¡± It waited being held quietly before Victor let go of it. ¡°Thank you for choosing me. It was worth waiting for you.¡± ¡°What should I call you?¡± Victor asked. ¡°Give me a name, if I am to live a life outside of this place I am no longer the Angel of Resurrection, the Sword of the Divine, or the Manual of Reality. I am your companion.¡± It replied. ¡°How about Swordie? Since you seemed to really like your sword.¡± Victor asked. ¡°I enjoy this name. I am Swordie, your first companion. I look forward to your adventures.¡± Swordie replied. ¡°To our adventures.¡± Victor corrected him with a smile. Chapter 3: Delusions of Grandeur After the two finished their long embrace Victor asked. ¡°Do you know how I can make myself strong where I will be sent? I am guessing I am not returning to Earth since I now have mana.¡± ¡°Correct! You will be sent from one of the lowest power worlds in existence, a Dead Magic World into the world with the highest magical power. The name of the world in your language is Verdan.¡± The book proclaimed. ¡°Wait, that seems dangerous. Why is that there?¡± Victor asked. ¡°While your luck is the reason you were given this gift the world is always predetermined. That world is at war constantly and as a result, it often has huge swaths of the planet in need of saving.¡± The book answered. ¡°Yeah, that fits my luck.¡± He immediately drooped his eyes, groaned, and slumped his shoulders. ¡°World War Magic yeah that fits.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not all bad sir, you have me to help guide you.¡± The book answered. ¡°I feel better already.¡± Victor¡¯s voice thick with sarcasm continued. ¡°Am I going to be immediately drafted to fight in said war?¡± ¡°Would you like to be placed into a nation with a draft?¡± Swordie asked, spinning open. Would you like to be placed into a nation with a draft? Yes No ¡°No!¡± Victor smashed ¡®No¡¯ as fast as possible. ¡°If I have to be born into a war-torn world I¡¯d like the opportunity to at least improve so I don¡¯t die again or become forced to work, regardless of if I am a slave, a soldier, or just too poor to feed myself if I take a day off work.¡± He paused. ¡°Speaking of which, am I going to return at my current age or will I be born to new parents?¡± ¡°Would you like parents?¡± The book popped up another prompt. ¡°This will not take effect until you speak the words ¡®I accept these conditions for my resurrection¡¯ aloud.¡± Would you like to be newborn to new parents? Accept : You will be born with new parents as a new child. The items, effects, and levels received by Blessing of the Angel of Resurrection will be received at age 18. Reject : You will be placed in the world at your current age. The Blessing of The Angel of Resurrection takes effect immediately. Victor shook his head thinking about it. ¡°Going through childhood was the best time in my life but most of that was innocence. I didn¡¯t know who people were, what was going on, or even that I had screwed up my life. I could do it all over again and have guidance but it would feel weird to be in diapers again.¡± He clicked Reject. ¡°What would you like?¡± Swordie inquired. ¡°I think honest guidance, and access to all the rules of the world I am going into,¡± Victor explained. ¡°I don¡¯t need anything more than honest answers to my questions and hopefully as you so¡­ astutely pointed out friends.¡± ¡°I understand your parameters. What avenue for power would you like to investigate?¡± Swordie popped up another window. Classes Classes provide access stat bonuses, skills, spells, and specializations. Classes can be accessed at level one, Basic Specializations can be accessed at level 10. Basic Classes Mage - Grants access to basic mage skills. Stats - +5 Prowess, +5 Mana, +5 Flow, additional stats per level. Fighter - Grants access to basic fighter skills. Stats - +10 Strength, +5 Stamina, additional stats per level. Rogue - Grants access to basic rogue skills. Stats - +10 Speed, +5 stamina, additional stats per level. Cleric - Grants access to basic cleric skills Stats - +5 Mana, +10 Flow, additional stats per level. Victor put his hand on his chin and simply asked. ¡°Do I meet the requirements to be a mage or a Cleric?¡± ¡°Yes sir, I granted you a single point of willpower granting you a single mana,¡± Swordie answered. Victor pulled up the stat page he had opened before by saying ¡°Stats¡±. He started thinking to himself looking at the stats ¡®Level might be all that matters; to be strong you double your stats, or more every 10 levels. ¡°What is this about Tier?¡± ¡°Tiers are separated and are considered significant jumps in strength. While skills have a stat, class and other requirements the maximum rank for many skills is restricted by your tier.¡± Swordie replied. ¡°Wait, my skills are rank 2 and rank 3 right?¡± He pulled back up the sheet. He was right. ¡°Yes, those skills are skills which do not have a rank restriction. The vast majority of skills which have no rank restriction are non-combat oriented. Cooking for example is something which has no rank restriction and instead only progresses based on achievements.¡± Swordie added. ¡°What are achievements exactly?¡± Victor asked. ¡°Achievements exist to reward using your abilities in new and exciting ways. For example this achievement.¡± Chef Rank 1 Requirements: Cook one meal someone else enjoys eating. Benefits: Gain a basic understanding of one dish. Usually the dish used to satisfy the requirements. Gain 1 luck. ¡°It is extremely common to get this achievement but you have never prepared a meal for another person but you do not possess it because you are unfathomably lonely, not because you are an incapable cook,¡± Swordie added. ¡°Gee, thanks.¡± He sighed. ¡°Anyway, from my personal isolation, I am trying to figure out what class I should be.¡± ¡°I will begin a Class Assessment. Please answer honestly.¡± Swordie added. Are you adventuring alone, with a party, or both? Alone Party Both Are you interested in ranged combat, melee combat, or magical combat? Multiple answers may be selected for this question. Ranged Melee Magical At what levels would you like to be strongest? Multiple answers may be selected for this question. Tier 1 Tier 2 Tier 3 Tier 4 Tier 5 Tier 6 Tier 7 Tier 8 Tier 9 Tier 10 What form of defensive abilities interest you? Multiple answers may be selected for this question. Armor Evasion Magic Which combat describes your ideal combat? I instantly kill a target I Buff my allies. I defend my allies. I whittle down a target outlasting them. I fight for myself and act independently. ¡°Hm,¡± Victor mumbled to himself. ¡°I think both.¡± He tapped both. ¡°Ideally all three.¡± He selected all three combat styles. ¡°I¡¯d like an even level of strength in general through my time, I guess it''s alright if the start is a little harder though.¡± He selected all ten tiers except tier 1. ¡°Armor just sounds frustrating; it would just slow you down.¡± He added Evasion and magic. ¡°Hm, the last one doesn¡¯t say I can select multiple options like the others. I think that fighting independently most closely aligns with my desire to be able to fight on my own and with a group.¡± He pushed the fight independently. The book made a quick sound ¡®DING¡¯ before displaying information on it once again. Class Assessment Recommendations Mage - Grants access to basic mage skills. Stats - +5 Prowess, +5 Mana, +5 Flow, additional stats per level. Basic Specialization Mage Spellsword - Grants access to many skills not normally available to the mage class from both the Fighter and Rogue classes. Advanced Specialization Sustained Spellcaster ¨C Grants access to many unique skills allowing the user to sustain significantly more spells at the same time reducing the cost and improving mana regeneration. ¡°Huh, that¡¯s interesting, can you explain this?¡± Victor asked. ¡°Of course, the mage class casts spells. The two specializations are taken at level 10 for a basic specialization, and 30 for the advanced specialization.¡± Swordie explained. ¡°Do you think this build is any good?¡± Victor asked. n m ¡°A build?¡± The book asked. ¡°This set of levels I mean.¡± Victor clarified. ¡°The classes do work well together, some are using it but it isn¡¯t usually the most popular of specializations of the three basic specializations for mage, Deep Mage, Contemplative Caster, and Mage Spellsword it is the least popular. It is however the only one of the three mage classes capable of fighting on its own thanks to some skills associated with the subclass. There is another ¡®build¡¯ which closely matches most of your requirements but unfortunately, it is better in tier 1 than tier 10 and uses armor instead of evading strikes which involves a similar cleric build using the Holy Warrior basic specialization. The skills selected have an extremely large impact on a person''s ability to act in the world.¡± The book explained. ¡°Hm, can you explain sustained spells?¡± Victor went on. ¡°Naturally, sustained spells are a type of ongoing spell which consumes some amount of mana over a period of time. Most combat spells consume an amount of mana each second they are active and can be easily activated and deactivated once learned.¡± It explained. ¡°So buff spells would fit there?¡± Victor asked. ¡°Astute observation sir.¡± The book added. ¡°Could you show me a buff spell? How about a speed buff spell?¡± Victor tilted his head. Speed Boost Rank 1 Rarity: Common Requirements: Spend 3 stat points, Mage or Cleric Level 1. Sustained Spell Mana Cost: 1 Mana Per Second Increases speed by 30. ¡°That¡¯s a lot of speed early but as I level up it becomes worthless right? 30 speed when you get 5 stat points per level is a lot, when you have 20 points per level it is kind of nothing.¡± Victor frowned. ¡°Oh no sir, you¡¯d merely need to rank up the skill.¡± The book changed its page and displayed it again. Speed Boost Rank 10 Rarity: Divine Requirements: Spend 1,536 stat points, Mage or Cleric Level 91. Sustained Spell Mana Cost: 128 Mana Per Second Increases speed by 15,360. ¡°As you can see the value of the Speed Boost skill increases dramatically over the course of it leveling up. Stats except for Flow have a boost skill associated with them similar to these skills. For what you requested the Speed Boost and Prowess Boost skills both seem to be good choices.¡± The book noted. ¡°Those skills increase a stat by an amount, are there any buffs that increase a stat or damage or something by a percentage?¡± The book paused, almost hesitating as it answered. ¡°Those skills exist.¡± ¡°Uh, are you going to tell me more?¡± Victor pressed onward. ¡°No sir.¡± Swordie replied. ¡°Oh come on! All I wanted was to know about the world I am going to and the rules. If I run into someone with those and I don¡¯t have one I¡¯ll be at a huge disadvantage, especially if it¡¯s a big increase!¡± Victor protested. ¡°Sir these skills are cursed. I shouldn¡¯t even show them to you.¡± Swordie added. ¡°Cursed? Does merely looking at them curse me?¡± Victor asked. ¡°No. Would you like to view the cursed skills which increase stats?¡± Swordie asked with some trepidation in his voice. ¡°Yes, I¡¯d at least like to see the skills.¡± Victor insisted. Delusion / Luzuzal¡¯s Delusion Rank 1 Requirements: Spend 10 points and accept an increase to the curse effect, or worship Luzuzal Cursed Passive Skill Curse: Cannot be disabled, retrained, or lost after being gained. If purchased with skill points 20% of your skill points are lost every level. Luzuzal may be venerated and may return these lost points. Part of your vision is lost to delusion. Able to be modified to suit your desires, in exchange the user receives greatly increased Flow. If worshiping Luzuzal this is a 50% increase to total Flow. If purchased the increase is halved. To increase this skill effect Luzuzal must be appeased. If actively going against Luzuzal he may take control of the delusion. Anger / Gizixil¡¯s Anger Rank 1 Requirements: Spend 10 points and accept an increase to the curse effect, or worship Gizixil Cursed Passive Skill Curse: Cannot be disabled, retrained, or lost after being gained. If purchased with skill points 20% of your skill points are lost every level. Gizixil may be venerated and may return these lost points. Part of your mind is lost to anger. You are significantly more likely to act on your anger and begin fights or to harm others. If worshiping Gizixil this is a 50% increase to your total Strength. If purchased the increase is halved. To increase this skill effect Gizixil must be appeased. If actively going against Gizixil he may take control and force you into a blind rage. Enslavement / Kokoxol¡¯s Enslavement Rank 1 Requirements: Inscribe the slave symbol on another living creature enslaving it against its will, spend 10 points or worship Kokoxol. Cursed Passive Skill Curse: Cannot be disabled, retrained, or lost after being gained. If purchased with skill points 20% of your skill points are lost every level. Kokoxol may be venerated and may return these lost points. You feel a great unease when you are not in command or control. You are significantly more likely to control others even if harm would come to them for your own benefit. If worshiping Kokoxol this is 50% increase to your total Prowess. If purchased the increase is halved. To increase this skill effect Kokoxol must be appeased. If actively going against Kokoxol he may enslave you. Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. Thirst / Azalagol¡¯s Thirst Requirements: Seek and fail to find fulfillment in the arms of another person for more than 1 year and spend 10 points, or worship Azalagol. Cursed Passive Skill Curse: Cannot be disabled, retrained, or lost after being gained. If purchased with skill points 20% of your skill points are lost every level. Azalagol may be venerated and may return these lost points. You will never be full or fulfilled. You are significantly more likely to over eat and seek any physical sensation in the extreme. If worshiping Azalagol this is a 50% increase to your total Stamina. If purchased the increase is halved. To increase this skill effect Azalagol must be appeased. If actively going against Azalagol she may cause you to experience extreme sensations or lose all of them. ¡°Why are there two names for each skill?¡± Victor asked, confused as he quickly read through them. ¡°Each skill is cursed regardless of the origin, however, they have two names because they are the same skill with different effectiveness ratings. The anger skill is acquired often but typically changes into Gizixil¡¯s Anger as the user uses it more and more. These skills are associated with the four Void Lords.¡± Swordie explained. ¡°So what? Are they evil or something?¡± Victor asked. ¡°They have agendas that are often very far from what a mortal can grasp or would even tolerate. Calling them evil would be unreasonable as they don¡¯t prescribe to traditional morality as mortals, devils, demons, or angels understand it. This typically translates to them being functionally evil in many cases. Anger is a fair emotion in some cases being predisposed to it however results in distancing yourself from others.¡± Swordie explained. ¡°I understand that but being 50% stronger is a hugely powerful skill.¡± Victor insisted. ¡°That is why so many fall to the worship of those four,¡± Swordie added. ¡°Of the four just from reading the skills Kokoxol seems the worst of the four Void Lords, Azalagol and Gizixil seem like they could be cruel, I don¡¯t understand Luzuzal, does he just trick you into doing things for him?¡± Victor asked. ¡°They all pressure you into fulfilling goals they have; goals beyond the understanding of other creatures,¡± Swordie explained. ¡°I wish I could speak with Luzuzal. At least the other three wouldn¡¯t even fit my build that much, well Kokoxol fits but I¡¯d rather die than enslave someone. If I¡¯m ending up in a war-torn world which might kill me I might as well ask for whatever help I can get.¡± Victor shrugged. The space around them tore apart. The endless stretch of white cracked open to the vastness of space with stars around them. Massive stars and planets blasted past the two of them. Victor felt himself floating and quickly grabbed Swordie. The warmth of a sun and the infinite stars before them slowly warped around to make a form. His black form filled with stars dotting his body. On the empty face, a bright sun shone through. A star shot across his body. ¡°I heard the call of a potential supplicant, and I answered.¡± Swordie transformed back into the regal sword and instantly unsheathed itself. ¡°BEGONE DECEIVER!¡± ¡°I would not be here if there was not a reason Fragment of Resurrection. I was called and I answered the call. Unlike my brethren, I answer the call of all of my followers.¡± The voice reverberated and shifted between a masculine and feminine voice as though it was searching for the ideal frequency to speak to Victor. Stunned by the sudden turn of events he paused to collect himself before taking a deep breath. ¡°Hello, Luzuzal, my friend here has something to say about your general actions. I was interested in the cursed skill you have but I don¡¯t understand it well enough. Instead, I¡¯d like to understand you better. Tell me about yourself, what do you stand for?¡± ¡°I am deception made manifest. Lying to others, and to yourself is a critical part of reality. Happiness itself is a lie and I seek my follower¡¯s happiness. To this end I allow my followers to change their views on reality through powerful, sometimes self-inflicted illusions. The truth often results in great pain, I protect others from it.¡± Luzuzal explained. ¡°Yeah, I don¡¯t want to delude myself away from reality, and it¡¯s impossible to trust someone who introduces themselves as deception made manifest. Goodbye.¡± Victor turns to walk but gets nowhere. ¡°I¡¯m so proud of you sir.¡± Swordie gets closer to him. Luzuzal turned the universe around them so they faced him once more. ¡°I think there is a miscommunication here. I do not decide what you value, you do. I do not decide what you see, you do. Deception, much like truth, is a tool to achieve your desired reality.¡± ¡°Well, I desire to live in actual reality, freedom, and equality. I¡¯d say deluding myself into a false reality isn¡¯t something I¡¯d tolerate.¡± Victor shot back. ¡°You escaped into fantasy at every turn during your past life it seems,¡± Luzuzal replied. ¡°How do you know that?¡± Victor paused, his voice drifting into confusion. ¡°I¡¯ve been watching you for a long time. I know who my followers will be. I can see a faint blue aura about you. Today, a year from now, a decade it matters not, eventually you will be one of my followers.¡± Luzuzal extended his hand. ¡°Why not take my hand today and enjoy my blessings your entire life?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t do it sir! Your destiny isn¡¯t written by Luzuzal!¡± Swordie insisted. ¡°Is it true Swordie? Has Luzuzal been watching me? Is that why I was so unlucky?¡± Victor asked. ¡°No-¡± Swordie tried to explain. Luzuzal cut off the sword. ¡°I watched you because you were unlucky. I watch those who are farthest down on their luck intently. They are the most likely to become my supplicants. My supplicants rarely regret their choice. Willingly following me for the unfortunate is something they find quickly turns their lives around. Perhaps that angel of yours should show you the skill I grant to every follower of mine without exception. The ability to warp reality can be acquired by only the most devout but to all I grant a taste of what it feels like.¡± Victor turned to the sword and once again took a deep breath. ¡°So be it, show me.¡± ¡°Sir you can¡¯t be considering this. He¡¯s the most deceitful being in existence!¡± Swordie protested. ¡°You said if you could give me a single piece of advice it would be to take risks.¡± Victor cracked a stupid smirk. ¡°Everything in my body is telling me to refuse, but not listening to the proposal just feels wrong. I feel like I¡¯m lying to myself about the choice, for no reason other than to avoid making it. So tell me the truth.¡± ¡°Very well sir.¡± Swordie changed and displayed the skill. Luzuzal¡¯s Devout Rank 1 Requirements: Freely commit to following Luzuzal and no other deity. Cursed Passive Skill Curse: Cannot be disabled, retrained, or lost after being gained. Luzuzal¡¯s skills do not appear on your Status Sheet. Luzuzal allows you to reach your goals even when fortune does not favor you. Your luck score is always positive for the purposes of determine outcomes no matter the number. Does not alter your actual score. When some increases to your luck are applied they apply as decreases instead. If you displease Luzuzal by revealing truths others find harmful he may revoke this effect until he sees fit to restore it. ¡°That¡¯s incredible!¡± Victor unintentionally shouted while reading it. ¡°With this, I¡¯d have maximum luck!¡± ¡°No, you wouldn¡¯t sir.¡± Swordie corrected Victor. ¡°You desire reality; I will interpret this as honesty for now. That Angel is correct. It does not increase your luck.¡± Luzuzal added. ¡°My Devout tends toward negative luck. The ability keeps your luck very low. Daily rest and interactions with loved ones are unaffected, as well as some achievements.¡± Victor paused and contemplated the consequences of this choice. It was more risky than anything he had ever done before. That unquestionably scared him beyond reason. ¡°What do you want?¡± ¡°For my supplicants to be happy,¡± Luzuzal replied. ¡°No, I meant you. What do you want, not from your supplicants?¡± Victor insisted. ¡°I seek the destruction of the other Void Lords,¡± Luzuzal answered matter of fact as a star shot across his body. ¡°For power?¡± Victor asked. ¡°No, they simply clash with my views on what reality should be,¡± Luzuzal answered. ¡°Swordie do you think he is telling the truth?¡± Victor asked. ¡°No¡­¡± He paused. ¡°Not entirely.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± Victor¡¯s question caused a head tilt and absolute confusion. ¡°He is telling the truth but I can sense deceit. It¡¯s complicated. My zone of truth skill is being interfered with since the rarity reduction applied.¡± Swordie answered. ¡°What are your views on reality?¡± Victor continued. ¡°That everyone should be able to seek happiness. Disrupting that happiness should only occur if it is part of direct conflict, and ideally, conflict should be prevented by deception or persuasion if possible.¡± Luzuzal nodded. ¡°I also am willing to offer an additional one-time offer to you if you accept me as your deity before reincarnating.¡± Luzuzal held out his hand and mid-air, a skill projected. Luzuzal¡¯s Promise Rank 6 Requirements: Accept Luzuzal¡¯s limited time proposal. Cursed Innate Skill After reincarnating for a total of 7 days you will not encounter any challenges you are not equipped to face and defeat. Automatically actives on reincarnation for duration of 24 hours, remaining time may be activated in 24 hour increments at dawn only. If you would encounter an impossible challenge Luzuzal shall warp reality to have them avoid encountering you, fighting you, or becoming enemies. If you seek them out this skill attempts to make the fight winnable but cannot warp reality beyond plausible limits. Luzuzal may restore time to this skill if you greatly impress him. Luzuzal added. ¡°Consider it a toast to your new life. May it be better than your old one.¡± Even Swordie looked at that and paused. ¡°That¡¯s insane.¡± They both sat there dumbfounded. ¡°What I mean is, why give him that?¡± ¡°I¡¯d like to know that too. You¡¯re willing to warp reality for me. Either the deal is terrible or you value me rather highly.¡± Victor added. ¡°I value you. In the world of Verdan, there are only 193 creatures following me whereas my brothers have thousands or in Kokoxol¡¯s case literally millions. I¡¯d like to see them extinguished, and in you, I see someone who¡­ well let us leave it at that.¡± A shooting star sent what could only briefly be seen as a smile across Luzuzal¡¯s face. ¡°Do you accept me as your guiding light?¡± ¡°I want to make things clear to you. If I take this I am not your slave, I can reject you at any time. I¡¯m working with you and if the pay ends up not being good enough I¡¯m out. You get me?¡± Victor added. ¡°I doubt you¡¯d be able to follow through with such a boastful threat but I am willing to amend your version of the skills; however they will not be removed merely suspended. This applies to all of my boons.¡± Another shooting star flew toward the book and across it as the language was added to those skills. ¡°What do you think Swordie?¡± Victor looked down at the book. ¡°I cannot endorse this risk.¡± It replied. ¡°I thought you¡¯d encourage me! You told me to take risks.¡± He insisted. ¡°I meant to speak to girls and find friends! Possibly fight things you weren¡¯t sure you could fight and learn to run away! I never meant to supplicate yourself to a Void Lord!¡± The book shook as it shouted at him. ¡°Well, I screwed up my first life by doing nothing. Let¡¯s screw up this one by doing something!¡± Victor outstretched his hand and grabbed Luzuzal¡¯s ¡°I will follow you as long as you abide by my three desires Life, Liberty, and Equality.¡± Worlds formed a mouth to smile a massive smile stretching across his face and into the space behind him. ¡°Excellent!¡± Skills Obtained: Luzuzal¡¯s Promise Rank 6, Luzuzal¡¯s Devout Rank 1, Luzuzal¡¯s Delusion Rank 1 Configure Luzuzal¡¯s Delusion Immediately Required ¡°What does that mean?¡± Victor asked. ¡°Configuration required.¡± ¡°You must make at least one modification to your visual, auditory, or other senses. The more modifications you make the more pleased I will be.¡± Luzuzal answered. ¡°Oh well, this is easy!¡± Victor pointed to the bottom center of his view and added a mana bar and a health bar. He then added a stamina bar. ¡°Oh I¡¯m sorry I have to make sure this is ok, can you tell me if am I able to change the settings on your ability whenever I want?¡± ¡°Uh¡­ Yes?¡± Luzuzal shrugged. ¡°Great!¡± He set to making himself an extremely clean heads-up display with his stats. He added a small clock to the top right and a tiny dot in the center of his view for aiming. He then jumped and tried to set an illusion of where he would land. He tried it again and again before getting the arcing right. ¡°I don¡¯t think any of my followers have used my illusions in this way.¡± Luzuzal stood dumbfounded as Victor constructed more effects. ¡°Well it makes sense I never got to play many games but the few I had watched online had all of these to track information about your current situation. I am guessing video games haven¡¯t been developed in this world.¡± Victor seemed genuinely enthused. Luzuzal chuckled. ¡°Would you like any further assistance?¡± ¡°Yeah! As long as you and Swordie can get along.¡± Victor added. ¡°I will respect your terrible, terrible choice and remain neutral toward this absolute monstrosity,¡± Swordie answered. ¡°Great, then yeah I could use some help. I¡¯m guessing if you want me to do things for you at the very least it¡¯s in your best interest for me to become stronger. Given your delusions upside I am guessing the path Swordie recommended to me isn¡¯t too far off.¡± Victor looked up at the Void Lord clearly unable to accurately assess the creature standing before him instead of treating him like a friend. ¡°Yes, while the Angel may have small and simple values he is highly intelligent, competent, and a fierce combatant even as a fragment.¡± Luzuzal nodded. ¡°My followers most often benefit from sustained spells and healing.¡± ¡°Oh, will I be able to take healing magic?¡± Victor asked. ¡°Not unless you become a cleric instead of a mage.¡± Swordie interrupted. ¡°You could become a holy warrior and specialize in heavy armor and reinforcement magic for more minor healing.¡± Luzuzal spoke up to continue. ¡°Healing is difficult magic. Clerics mostly take a long time to heal anything more than a small cut. Healing in combat is almost exclusively the domain of those born with the innate skill ¡®Instant casting¡¯ allowing someone to cast spells with a cast time in combat. I cannot grant you that skill. Many spells have no cast time but all healing spells are either slow over a significant duration or have a long cast time. I cannot recommend trying to be a healer or healing yourself in combat without potions. If you attempt to do so you¡¯ll die.¡± ¡°So that means either healers suck at their job or they have a rare skill? Man, that seems unfair.¡± Victor groaned. The book protested. ¡°Regeneration spells are effective! They are just slower and less mana efficient.¡± ¡°I feel like that was a personal attack on Swordie somehow.¡± Victor looked to the book. ¡°Angels don¡¯t have any healing magic aside from the basic skill regeneration, only demons and devils do. Demons and devils also have significantly more effective healing magic than anyone else, even those with some kind of curative magic or Instant Casting. Angels have an innate skill to their race that allows them to turn mana into raw skill improvement. It comes at the cost of prohibiting a huge number of spells from being learned. Elves have natural immortality living forever unless killed. Dwarves have a community-based skill. Devils innate skill which they maintain if they devolve into a demon is to heal other beings with their blood.¡± Luzuzal chuckled at the book. ¡°The regeneration spell is useful! It keeps restoring health as long as you use mana to sustain it.¡± Swordie protested. ¡°There, there Swordie, I believe it¡¯s useful. I just don¡¯t think that fits with the vision of myself I have.¡± He gently patted Swordie. ¡°Are you concerned about defense? If so, instead try these spells. They require significantly more skillful use in timing them but their instant nature and high budget for damage absorption makes them useful.¡± Luzuzal held his hand forward. Barrier shield Rank 1 Requirements: Mage or Cleric Level 1, cost 1 stat point. Instant Spell Mana Cost: 2 A barrier appears in front of your hand absorbing damage based on your prowess and rank of this skill. Barrier Wall Rank 1 Requirements: Mage or Cleric Level 1, cost 1 stat point. Instant Spell Mana Cost: 3 A barrier appears entirely around you, based on 3/4ths of your prowess and 3/4ths the rank of this skill. Vitality Boost Rank 1 Requirements: Mage or Cleric Level 1, Spend 3 stat points Sustained Spell Mana Cost: 1 Mana Per Second Increases vitality by 30. ¡°They are good defensive skills but he is only level 4 with a measly 15 stat points to allocate,¡± Swordie added. ¡°He should increase his stats.¡± ¡°Perhaps,¡± Luzuzal added. ¡°What do people in this world normally do when they are young and learning?¡± Victor asked. ¡°Most buy a lot of skills some that they quickly forget and never use again. The stats never go away.¡± Swordie added. ¡°I think I am ready to define my skills and stats. Can you show me what I¡¯d look like as a level 4 mage before my points have been allocated?¡± Victor looked to the book as he said ¡°Status Sheet.¡± Race Human: Victor Vance Vogal Class : Mage Level : 4 Base Health : 50 Stamina : 10 Mana : 9 Vitality : 5 Speed : 6 Strength : 5 Prowess : 8 Endurance : 5 Rigor : 2 Willpower : 9 Flow : 8 Luck : -100 Resistance : None Skills: Speed Reading Rank 2, Academic Rank 2, Hidden Skills: Memory Retention , Luzuzal¡¯s Delusion Rank 1 , Luzuzal¡¯s Devout Rank 1, Luzuzal¡¯s Promise Rank 6 Spells: None ¡°I need one offensive spell, one defensive spell, and one buff spell. I will put the rest into stats. Barrier Shield Rank 1 definitely seems like a good defensive choice. Speed Boost Rank 1 is a good buff spell as I¡¯m pretty sure being faster will always be useful. Is there a good offensive spell I could select to fill out my build?¡± Victor asked. ¡°There are many, however, the element with the fewest resistances and greatest weaknesses is likely the skill ¡®Jolt¡¯ a beginner lightning spell that shoots a short powerful bolt at a target doing additional damage to armored enemies,¡± Luzuzal answered. ¡°I assure you that offensive magic is going to be the most effective damage-based spell for your level.¡± ¡°Agreed, most wizards prefer the more practical fire, ice, or earth offensive skills such as lighting a campfire, having ice to freeze water or create cold drinks, or having earth to lift up a mountainside slowly. Unfortunately doing so takes a long time as they spend all their mana and have to wait on their flow to restore it. Flow restores mana based on your maximum mana. You¡¯ll need to improve both willpower and flow to have enough mana to do any of those things. ¡®Jolt¡¯ will just do the best damage while you are still desperately searching for it.¡± Swordie explained bringing it up. Jolt Rank 1 Requirements: Mage or Cleric Level 1, cost 1 stat point. Instant Spell Mana Cost: 1 Extend your hand, finger, or blade and lightning leaps from it a short distance. Damage is based on prowess and skill rank. If the Spellsword specialization is possessed cast from a blade the lightning does increased damage based on the strength of the weapon. ¡°That looks good to me if you two are sure lightning is the least resisted element. So that leaves me 10 points to distribute if I am reading this right. How about I even it out across the 3 stats it sounds like I am using the most, 3 in prowess, 3 willpower, and 4 in flow.¡± Victor nodded. ¡°Allocated. Please confirm your sheet.¡± Swordie brought up the sheet Race Human: Victor Vance Vogal Class : Mage Level : 4 Base Health : 50 Stamina : 10 Mana : 12 Vitality : 5 Speed : 6 Strength : 5 Prowess : 11 Endurance : 5 Rigor : 2 Willpower : 12 Flow : 12 (+50%) Luck : -100 Resistance : None Skills: Speed Reading Rank 2, Academic Rank 2 Hidden Skills: Memory Retention , Luzuzal¡¯s Delusion Rank 1 , Luzuzal¡¯s Devout Rank 1, Luzuzal¡¯s Promise Rank 6 Spells: Barrier shield Rank 1, Jolt Rank 1, Speed Boost Rank 1 Confirm Retraining Yes No ¡°Once you click yes. I will begin the reincarnation process. We can then leave the unpleasant company of this abomination.¡± He paused. ¡°Much offense intended.¡± ¡°Much offense taken Fragment,¡± Luzuzal responded. ¡°Thank you for your assistance. I am almost definitely making a big mistake trusting you but as long as you respect the rules I laid out we can remain friendly. You called me your supplicant though, that should stop.¡± Victor added. ¡°Very well Victor. I bid you farewell for now. Good luck.¡± Luzuzal waved. ¡°Are you ready Victor?¡± Swordie asked. ¡°No matter how long I prepare I¡¯ll never be ready. Fuck it, let¡¯s go.¡± With that Victor hit yes with all the force in his body. All of reality stretched far into the distance as he felt himself fall backward into the infinite white void before closing his eyes. Chapter 4: A whole new world Victor woke up on the side of the road wearing a green tunic and a long brown cloak. He felt in his right hand Swordie in book form and a small bag around his waist. He stood up looking at bright skies as dawn broke over the tops of the trees. A lush forest surrounded him as the wind gently rustled the leaves. It was warm, he took a deep breath and opened his arms just taking in the new world he had been thrown into. He sat down on a flat nearby rock to hear a nearby babbling brook flowing nearby. He opened Swordie and spoke excitedly to see the new world and new choices afforded him. ¡°Which way should I go? I don¡¯t know where I am.¡± On the page without voicing a word as he had before the book spelled out ¡®To your right lies the village of Jocal an hour''s walk. To your left lies the path to a dungeon going deep within an old cave that goblins frequent. Which will you choose?¡¯ He thought for a moment and tried to modify his vision to include buff durations. After some fiddling, he managed to add it. He noticed the buff Luzuzal¡¯s Promise ticking down with 15:02:31 time remaining. ¡°I suppose I arrived very early this morning and was reincarnated asleep. I wonder if it was painful. Oh well, best not to dwell on it. My normal cautious self wouldn¡¯t want to head to the cave because it would be a dumb choice to fight without joining others who are more experienced, but this buff is running. Ah heck with it if I die, I die, already happened once anyway.¡± So he started walking along the road. After a few minutes, he began to notice horse tracks. Two sets of them and one set of footprints. ¡°Oh man, I bet this buff just made it so the cave is empty and everything is dead already. That would be a funny twist.¡± He chuckled. ¡°I guess it¡¯s always possible.¡± Victor walked along the road for a few minutes before a hole in the ground near a large pile of rocks stretched almost as high as the trees. Near the entrance was a spear with a skull through it and two horses tied to a nearby tree. Victor considered turning around but shook his head. ¡®I have to make use of Luzuzal¡¯s gift to me.¡¯ He thought to himself, taking a deep breath and gulping as he took another step forward, and then another. He and Swordie approached the cave for stagnant air to meet his nose. Victor picked up a piece of wood and tried to cast Jolt on it. He extended his hand and pointed it channeling ¡°Jolt¡± The lightning instantly ignited the wood catching it ablaze. With that Victor began making his way into the cave. Sure enough three dead goblins at his feet, Victor pulled out Swordie and cracked him open. ¡°What level are goblins normally?¡± 1-4 appeared on the page. ¡®Perfect he thought to himself putting Swordie away. He held his hand forward ready to defend or attack and noticed that it took several minutes for his mana to regain a single point. ¡®I guess my flow is relatively low. That means I have about 12 or 13 spells before I need to back out and wait.¡¯ He proceeded into the cave finding several more goblins dead, mostly from stabbing and possibly some slashing wounds. The stench was stronger on the left and the tracks went to the right. Something made him decide to go left. He had no rhyme or reason to pick it over the other side but wanted to try and find something on the first day. Moving forward slowly he finally heard growling. A creature on four legs with large teeth and thick fur coated in some kind of oil or tar turned to him snarling. It charged at him. ¡°Jolt!¡± The lightning blasted the creature in the face knocking it back, but it wasn¡¯t enough. ¡°Jolt!¡± Again he connected easily causing it to slump over. ¡®The range makes a big difference. I could have used a barrier but now that I think about it, how would I get something away from me if it reached me.¡¯ Goblin Wolf 1: Experience Increase: 0.5% Current Exp to level 5 0.5% ¡®Oh yeah I tried to add that to the delusion skill but I didn¡¯t know if that would work. It does block my vision in the middle though.¡¯ He moved his hand in front of him and then down to the bottom left of his vision. If he had been paying closer attention he would have been able to see the goblin lunge for his legs. A slash connected on his left leg only for the goblin to back off as fast as possible to the edge of the light. He felt the hot dripping of blood as his leg bled. Fortunately, the cut wasn¡¯t clean or deep. As the goblin worked his way around Victor carefully and slowly pointed his finger toward the goblin waiting for it to move toward him. It finally dashed leaving the ground briefly and at that moment ¡°Jolt¡± the bolt hit the goblin square in the head killing it instantly. Goblin 1: Experience Increase: 0.4% Current Exp to level 5 0.9% ¡®Damn, I hope that wasn¡¯t poisoned.¡¯ Victor checked his leg and it was a lot smaller than he thought. He walked up to the goblin and picked up the blade. It wasn¡¯t poisoned, just dirty. He wiped it off and placed the dagger in his pocket. The filth on the dagger didn¡¯t seem to reach his leg being wiped off on his pants. He carefully wiped his pants off and looked around. It was a clear dead end. They raised that wolf here. The pain seething in his leg made him wonder. He glanced at his health. He had only lost 6 health from that hit. He noticed a blood droplet and 40 seconds remaining. He considered trying to move but instead just sat on the ground and held his leg wound with one hand until the symbol went away. He lost four more health over those 40 seconds as he watched intently to make sure he wasn¡¯t going to die losing one hp every second to a simple goblin cut. ¡°If I get hit again I should back out,¡± Victor said to himself. He realized he would need about 200 goblins at the rate he was going, which was far more than he thought he could reasonably ever do in one day. ¡®They must not be quite my level.¡¯ He made his way back to the fork in the cave and sighed walking down the other pathway. Another half dozen goblins died in a small clearing as they walked forward, the room is used to prepare food with meat everywhere and a couple of goblin cooking tools. As Victor entered the room he smelled the boar meat on a metal plate, shabby wooden tables and chairs, and damaged chairs dead center at the sight of six dead goblins. A single tunnel stretched into the distance. Victor continued deeper into the cave seeing his mana tick up again back to full. Victor could hear the sound of combat in the distance and the light from torches came into full view. The sounds of screeches and someone shouting ¡°THE ONE WITH THE BOW JOHN!¡± Victor realized he was lucky the common language matched his language, or was he under some other effect, or perhaps Luzuzal¡¯s Delusion set language? He had no idea and no time to think about that and approached. Within the cave, he could see a woman bleeding at the edge of the cave and two men with blades and light metal armor slashed at a goblin and narrowly missed. Before them, Victor could see three goblins, two with swords and wooden shields, one with a bow in the back. Victor waited silently for the goblin with a bow to draw his bowstring and aimed the larger of the two men. ¡°Jolt¡± Victor stepped in and the lightning traveled nearly instantly to the goblin blasting it down with a sizzling blow. ¡°Great!¡± The guy on the left shouted, blocking the goblin''s swing. ¡°Lenny shove one away then help me finish this guy off.¡± The one on the right with a larger sword slapped the goblin with the flat of it on his shield sending him flying back and then both coordinated a quick swing on the goblin in front of the shorter man. Victor noticed the other goblin dashing toward them and once again cast ¡°Jolt¡± blasting it to the ground causing it to sizzle just like the other goblin and stop moving. Goblin 1: Experience Increase: 0.4% Current Exp to level 5 1.7% The three of them looked seriously hurt as the two men bled and turned toward him. ¡°Thank you for the help. We were so close to finishing with this goblin nest we didn¡¯t want to run. We are down to one healing potion.¡± Victor looked at the woman bleeding against a wall. She panted ¡°Water¡­ Please¡­¡± She had a tan complexion and a short haircut as her fingers trembled toward Victor. ¡°Water¡­¡± ¡°I don¡¯t have any water for her, do either of you?¡± Victor asked. ¡°Lenny, you have our water right?¡± John asked him. ¡°Yeah here.¡± He threw a water skin at the girl and it landed on her chest hitting her hard. Victor estimated that may have caused a point of damage. Her hands trembled desperately trying to open it but her heavy breathing and uneasy hands made her unable to open the skin. Victor reached down, taking it. She reached up for it like a child reaching for its drink. He uncapped it and leaned over to help her balance it, giving her a drink. He noticed the tattoo on her chest. A circle with two downward arrows through it, Victor thought it strange but paid it little mind. She quickly drained the water skin as though she was dying of thirst, which Victor thought might not be far off. ¡°She¡¯s bleeding, can we stop it?¡± ¡°Nah, we used all the bandages already,¡± Lenny replied. ¡°We only have one healing potion left and I think John needs it.¡± As they turned with their torches Victor could see them bloodied but in far better shape than the girl on the verge of death. A single red vial on a bandoleer that Lenny had across his chest along with two empty slots told the tale Victor could see even with so little light. With another bandoleer across John¡¯s chest and blood leaking from his midsection through his chain shirt, Victor knew they had used five potions across the group. If they didn¡¯t use that potion on the girl she¡¯d die. No medical training would be needed to know that. John spoke up. ¡°They poisoned me when they stabbed my foot.¡± He said panting.Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site. ¡°Yeah we aren¡¯t using our last potion on a slave,¡± Lenny spoke his final words. It took a fraction of a second virtually against his own will for Victor to point at his head and cast ¡°Jolt¡± His head sizzled and he fell backward with a charred black skull and boiled eyes. ¡°Speed boost.¡± ¡°You bastard! KILL HIM SERENA!¡± The woman on the ground fumbled for her dagger but fell to the ground panting. The other man charged him with great vigor ¡°CHARGE!¡± he moved far faster than mere running should be able to be possible. Victor quickly dropped his torch throwing up his other hand ¡°Barrier shield¡± As he cast it the man tried to stop moving but crashed into it dropping his weapon and staggering forward. Victor grabbed his metal helmet and cast ¡°JOLT!¡± as the lightning blasted through his helmet and his brain fried to a crisp. The sizzling scorch of the scalp he held in his hand started causing him to shake. ¡°I just killed two people¡­¡± He shook with all his body and his hands wouldn¡¯t steady. The woman below him tried to move an inch and could only barely crawl. He knew he had to walk over to the corpse he just created and take the potion off it. Still shaking he approached with great trepidation. Almost worried he hadn¡¯t finished the job, or perhaps more worried that he did. He reached down for the potion with both hands to try and steady his shaking hands. So much adrenaline rushed through his body he could feel his heart beating in his eyes, his feet, and his fingertips. He knelt to the woman in a daze and tilted her face. ¡°Take this¡± He panted, barely able to realize what he had just done. He finally noticed the message in the bottom left. Fighter Level 5: Experience Increase: 11.2% Fighter Level 4: Experience Increase: 9.8% Current Exp to Level 5 22.7% ¡®They were worth that much?¡¯ Victor distracted himself from the beautiful bleeding woman slowly catching her breath. He turned back to her as she finished the potion. She continued bleeding. Victor balled up his cloak and put it under her head as she lay there panting. ¡°Don¡¯t move, you take more bleeding damage if you move.¡± He wasn¡¯t sure of that but it felt true and it definitely wouldn¡¯t hurt her. Victor ripped apart the tattered cloak of one of the men and started bandaging her. ¡®I heard them call her a slave and I just suddenly lost control of myself. My body felt like it was moving and I was a passenger. It¡¯s scary but it doesn¡¯t feel wrong to free someone from slavery.¡¯ ¡°Thank¡­ you¡­¡± The woman said passing out. ¡°Ah heck, I should make sure the area is clear. I can¡¯t do much more, I don¡¯t have any medicine. The bleeding seems to have stopped though.¡± He placed his hand on her chest. ¡®Her heart is still beating, and she¡¯s still warm, very warm. It¡¯s not like she¡¯s going to die in the next few minutes. Now living or dying is up to her.¡¯ Victor stood and looked at his mana slowly regenerating and still spent. He searched the room with the torch. It was fully sealed; there were no other exits. This was some kind of small store room as it had bones of discarded creatures and some random items. ¡°Should I take their equipment?¡± He wondered if that was stealing as his hands wavered unsteady ¡°I just murdered two people.¡± He panted against the wall. ¡°Will I be sent to jail?¡± He realized if some go into the wilderness to do combat with creatures like goblins they must die sometimes. ¡®I just have to make it look like a goblin killed them. He picked up the two swords and stabbed them into their guts. He couldn¡¯t help but feel disgusted as he killed them but with each wave of self-doubt, he repeated to himself ¡®They owned a slave. They owned a person. On earth, we fought wars over that. I wonder how common that is here.¡¯ ¡°Swordie, how common are slaves here?¡± He turned open the book desperately hoping that slavery was a rare sight and these two were truly disastrously evil scum beyond repentance to ease his guilty mind. The book presented a question. Clarification: How common on Verdan, or how common in the nation of Hoxal? Verdan Hoxal First Victor pressed Verdan to the response of ¡®Common.¡¯ He sighed and pressed Hoxal, presumably the country or city he resided in. ¡®Ubiquitous.¡¯ ¡°Wait, that means universal or everywhere right?¡± Victor groaned. Yes ¡°I don¡¯t feel like my luck changed at all.¡± He groaned. He checked his status sheet and noticed his luck had not yet changed a single point. ¡°I guess encountering those two when they were on their last legs was good fortune especially I would have done it anyway. Man, I thought I¡¯d meet a group of people adventuring, rush in and save them then be welcomed as a new member to the group. Instead, I kill them and possibly don¡¯t even save the girl who they had enslaved.¡± He slumped back. He decided to rummage through their bodies finding their money pouches. He poured out the coins into his hands. 5 gold, 7 silver, 4 copper, and 5 gold, 2 silver, and 9 copper in the second pouch. Two people had only about 11 gold between them, assuming 10 silver is 1 gold. He took their coins. ¡®Am I rich for my level?¡¯ Victor sat back and looked at the ceiling as the smell of burning wood reached his nose. He held his hand above him shaking. ¡°Is something wrong?¡± Luzuzal¡¯s voice echoed in his mind as he appeared before him. ¡®I just murdered two people. I didn¡¯t feel anything hitting the goblins. They tried to kill me first but it¡¯s hard to get over being a killer. I never hurt anyone in my life before this.¡¯ He kept shaking, completely unable to control the tremors in his hands. ¡°Calm yourself, Victor.¡± Luzuzal took his hand. ¡°They were scum worshiping Kokoxol. Unintentionally but they did still venerate Kokoxol. He seeks the enslavement of all life to be held to their master, who in turn will be held to him. Generally speaking even for those who consider me evil such an act of denying someone their own goals and their desires to serve another consider such actions far more evil. This world has fallen under his thrall and so many willingly accept him without knowing better or despite knowing this. Their cruelty is unmatched.¡± Luzuzal released his hand revealing he never touched him and yet Victor¡¯s hands suddenly reached a tranquil calm. ¡°To say they are evil is a vast understatement. Freedom is one of the core values you told me you possess. My skill merely helped you to seize an opportunity to make the world one person freer than it was before. Never forget that.¡± Luzuzal faded from his view and he couldn¡¯t tell how much time had passed as the fire was dying down. He quickly relit the other two torches only to see the girl sitting upright with her arms around her stomach. ¡°Are you alright?¡± Victor asked to nod and groan as she gritted her teeth in pain. She had been stabbed in the stomach by those creatures. ¡°Will you let me see what is wrong?¡± She shook her head ¡®No.¡¯ Victor sighed. ¡°Just let me see it.¡± He gently grabbed her hand and noticed that while it had stopped bleeding the wound was still open. ¡°Ah hell, I¡¯m not even good at this but I don¡¯t know what else to do.¡± He began searching for a needle or fish hook and found a small thin hook amongst the goblins'' things. He cut one of the clean parts from the cape of the dead unwinding the thread from a portion of the clean area. He carefully tied the string to the hook and said ¡°This will hurt but if we don¡¯t close it you¡¯ll die.¡± He approached and she hit him in the face with her foot. ¡°Stop! Please, Master!¡± ¡°Master?¡± Victor nearly vomited at the word. ¡°No my name is Victor Vogal, and if we don¡¯t close that wound it will get infected and you¡¯ll die.¡± He sterilized the hook running it through the fire of the torch causing her to back toward the wall. ¡°This is going to hurt, please stay still.¡± As gently as he could he began to stitch her up remembering the time he had to stitch up a frog in class. Only four stitches to close the dagger wound. She winced in pain each time he ran it through but soon she was stitched up. ¡°Sorry I know it hurts but they didn¡¯t have more potions.¡± ¡°Thank you, master.¡± She answered obediently. ¡°Please stop calling me that. You are free. I didn¡¯t kill them to take you from them. I killed them because they owned you.¡± Victor explained. ¡°I¡¯m free? You saved me from slavery?¡± She looked at her bloody hands. ¡°Did someone send you to save me?¡± ¡°No, I just heard them call you a slave.¡± Victor sat against the wall looking out at the torch. ¡°You just saved me because they called me a slave?¡± She looked down at her sword and grabbed it, putting it to Victor¡¯s throat almost instantly. ¡°No one is that nice. Did you save me to sell me? To take advantage of my body? Why!?¡± ¡°You just seemed like you needed help, so I took the risk that I was making the right call. Did I make the right call?¡± Victor turned and asked her as he felt the steel brush against his chin. ¡°You¡¯re serious¡­ You just killed them just for being slave owners. You didn¡¯t even know me and you killed me.¡± She relaxed and dropped her blade. ¡°You didn¡¯t take ownership of me while I was asleep either.¡± She felt her body stiff as a board collapse as she dropped her dagger to the ground. ¡°Who are you?¡± ¡°I told you I¡¯m Victor Vogal, Victor Vance Vogal to be precise. I¡¯m just a wandering mage.¡± He explained. ¡°You aren¡¯t some shining knight worshiping the Goddess? Not some nobility bent on changing the world?¡± She asked, still confused. ¡°You sound disappointed.¡± Victor hung his head. ¡°No! Not at all just completely lost, I¡¯ve been a slave for almost three years now and you freed me so suddenly I don¡¯t know what to do with myself.¡± She looked down at her chest. ¡°I still have the slave symbol inked into my chest.¡± She slumped back down nearly in tears. ¡°If I don¡¯t get it off of me the next slaver that finds out I am unclaimed will just take ownership of me. I might even have to fight monsters until I die like these two would have done to me.¡± ¡°Relax, we can stay here for tonight and you can heal a bit. We can talk about what to do in the morning.¡± Victor added. ¡°We? You¡¯ll keep helping me?¡± She asked. ¡°I feel like you may have had a hard life and could use a little help, I wouldn¡¯t even consider myself a good guy.¡± Victor shrugged. ¡°More like the default average guy, little more than a simple man. I am painfully generic as a person.¡± ¡°You may be the kindest person I¡¯ve ever met.¡± She sighed. ¡°That is profoundly sad.¡± Victor mused, grabbing one of the other cloaks. ¡°My life has been¡­ Difficult¡­ My name is Serena Brooks. Those two recently bought me at an auction in the city south of here, before this a nobleman owned me. He whipped me regularly enjoying the torment before selling me, only after I had lost his interest because of the scars. Those two forced me to check ahead for monsters and traps. They never gave me a healing potion and I nearly died three times with them.¡± She hobbled to her feet. ¡°We can go back to the other room where the goblins had lit a couple of candles and eat something.¡± She smiled. ¡°Thank you, Victor.¡± Chapter 5 An offer you must refuse As the two walked back Victor could only notice how small she was to him, barely reaching his chest. He looked her over, noticing how her outfit was loose-fitting with only a bit of leather on the chest and back. Her pants drooped down with a rope holding them up only to end above her knees in tatters. Her shirt wasn¡¯t much different ending in tatters far above her elbows. ¡®I should probably get her new clothes. They probably meant for her to be in my party.¡¯ For a moment he contemplated giving her his cloak but decided against it for the time being. The two of them reentered the room and at the unlit side of the room she walked over and placed her torch into a fire pit the goblins dug out. The low crackle of the flame slowly rose illuminating the room. It has a spit with no food on it. She walked over to the meat and quickly and cleanly sliced it up with her knife before wiping it off on her clothes. ¡°The least I can do for you is cook you dinner. Sorry, it¡¯s in such a terrible place.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not a big deal I haven¡¯t eaten anything,¡± Victor noted, being very literal. He hadn¡¯t eaten since reincarnation and felt hungry. ¡®Wait am I about to have dinner with a girl? I guess it doesn¡¯t count as a date since I saved her and she¡¯s just doing it out of a feeling of obligation.¡¯ He shrugged watching her take a slab of the meat to the fire pit. She pierced the meat and placed it over the fire. She pulled up a chair and began to slowly rotate the meat. ¡°I don¡¯t know how to thank you.¡± Serena looked down at the fire. ¡°Do you enjoy adventuring?¡± Victor asked. She suddenly got really quiet and only the crackle of the fire. ¡°They forced me to lead the way. Getting cut repeatedly really hurt, and they never healed me saying it cost too much money.¡± ¡°That¡¯s horrible, but they are dead now so at least there is that little bit of justice for you.¡± Victor tried cheering her up. ¡°They paid 10 gold coins for me, and 3 gold coins for each of those potions.¡± She paused, starting to tear up. ¡°Those potions were worth more than my life to them! They intended to use me until I die in a cave!¡± Victor didn¡¯t know what the right thing to do here would be. Should he go to hug her? Should he offer words of hope? Should he make an empty promise that things will get better? He stood up and walked around the table sitting down on a closer chair and reached out his hand to take hers. She quickly grabbed it and squeezed. She buried her face in his shoulder. Completely awkward for Victor he placed his other hand on her back. ¡°There. There.¡± He knew this was important for her but he felt so out of place. He had never read what happened after the heroic rescue as those imprisoned broke down afterward. As she took a deep breath and sobbed he realized she just needed a few moments. So he waited, letting her cry on his shoulder. ¡°After we get out of here and get that off your chest you¡¯ll be able to go back home. At least that is something to look forward to right?¡± Suddenly she started sobbing harder and gripped him harder. What did he say? Shouldn¡¯t she want to go home? ¡®Wait did her parents SELL HER?¡¯ He suddenly started to fume and began to think Luzuzal might just have the right attitude in this world and perhaps it was war-torn for a reason. ¡°They''re dead. My father died defending our village from the slavers and my mother died in the brothel she was sold into less than a year after that.¡± She tried to catch her breath. ¡°I don¡¯t even have a home to go back to.¡± He gently rubbed her back and could feel the deep scars on her back through the thin armor. ¡°I don¡¯t know what to do now. There¡¯s nowhere for me to go.¡± Victor felt torn, he knew the question he had to ask but it felt horrible to ask it. He refused to be an opportunist and decided to wait. ¡°Where do you want to go?¡± ¡°Leave Hoxal!¡± She practically screamed echoing through the cave. Victor wiggled his finger in his ear from the piercing scream. ¡°How far is it to the edge of this country?¡± ¡°We are near the capital. It''s nearly a 10-day walk to the edge of the country and we¡¯ll have to cross the border which is heavily guarded. We can¡¯t even leave without a merchant claiming we are his employees.¡± She pulled back and started to slow her breathing before rotating the meat. ¡°Well at the very least we have horses,¡± Victor noted. ¡°Horses? Wait you¡¯re right they are dead and there are two horses! I almost forgot because they made me walk the entire time despite having horses.¡± She added angrily. ¡°Do you think we could make it to that town on horses tonight? A bed would be nice.¡± Victor asked. ¡°If we ride after dinner probably.¡± She nodded. ¡°But it will be dark by the time we arrive.¡± ¡°We should do that. I¡¯d sleep better in a bed.¡± Victor nodded. She started to turn a bit red and began to lift the meat onto the plates and slice it in half. ¡°A bed...¡± Serena drifted off and took a small portion of the food. ¡°Huh?¡± Victor cut a part of his food off and evened out the portion sizes. ¡°You¡¯re hurt, eat.¡± Speaking of which Victor finally checked his health at the bottom of his vision and noticed he had regained a point of health to 41 from 40. She didn¡¯t reply but just kept eating. She cleared everything off her plate wordlessly as did Victor. Victor had to ask a question to Swordie but hesitated. ¡®Should I show her the book? What if it¡¯s too powerful and she decides to steal it?¡¯ He shook his head. ¡®My first reaction was to trust her.¡¯ He pulled out Swordie and opened the book. ¡°That book looks expensive,¡± Serena commented. ¡°How do you remove a slave tattoo?¡± Victor asked aloud. The book''s pages swirled before displaying a skill Magic Writing Rank 1 Requirements: 10 mana, Cost 3 stat points Instant Spell Mana Cost: 10 mana Allows inscription of magic symbols and removal of magic symbols. To make the symbol take effect a secondary spell is often required. ¡°Of course it¡¯s a skill.¡± Victor groaned. ¡®Of course. You have two unclaimed achievements sir.¡¯ The book noted. ¡°Oh?¡± He tapped the exclamation mark on the book. Achievement: First Blood ¨C Kill your first creature. Gain 1 stat point. Gain 1 luck. [ Claim ] Achievement: Your Own Kind ¨C Kill a creature of your own race. Gain 1 stat point. Gain 1 luck. [ Claim ] ¡°You have a magic item?¡± She asked looking at him with almost starry eyes. ¡°Ah well, it¡¯s something from a long time ago, somewhere far away from here. Don¡¯t worry about it too much. More importantly, it says I need one more stat point to buy the Magic Writing skill and remove your slave tattoo.¡± Victor noted. ¡°You are going to take the Magic Writing skill!?¡± She asked in confusion. ¡°Well yeah, how else was I going to remove it?¡± Victor tilted his head. ¡°I thought you were going to buy the spell from someone nearby and pay them. Spending points on someone you don¡¯t even know is so much more. I just can¡¯t possibly ask for that.¡± Serena put her hands up. Victor sunk his neck and narrowed his eyes remembering the word ubiquitous from before. ¡°Yeah, I get the feeling I¡¯m going to need that skill a lot.¡± At that, he could only think Luzuzal had the right idea but Victor felt disappointed it didn¡¯t come stock standard with Luzuzal¡¯s other skills. ¡°There will be more opportunities to use it. Honestly, that seems inevitable.¡± Serena remained completely speechless. Victor asked the book. ¡°What achievements, if any, can I do here and now that would grant a stat point, preferably while still in this cave?¡± He paused, lifting the book up closer to his face as the book swirled, almost expecting snarky and sassy answers. ¡°It has to be something I can realistically and plausibly do.¡± The swirl stopped and spun in the other direction. Achievement: First Time ¨C Have sex for the first time. Gain 1 stat point. Gain 40 luck. Victor turned crimson and blinked twice. ¡®You have got to be kidding me.¡¯ He stopped dead and could feel the heat on his face skyrocket. ¡®Swordie when you can talk again I am going to have a long talk about how inappropriate this is.¡¯ He sighed hoping there would be another answer. ¡°Are there any other options?¡± ¡°What did it say?¡± She asked. ¡°It sassed me.¡± Victor groaned. ¡°It doesn¡¯t respect my intelligence or vastly overestimates my intelligence. There isn¡¯t a middle ground.¡± he paused and thought to himself ¡®Either that or it doesn¡¯t see a problem with me taking advantage of this girl which would make me really angry at Swordie.¡¯ No other achievement is available readily in this cave. In the nearby town achievements which are easy to acquire exist. Achievement: Novice Adventurer - Join an Adventurers Guild ¨C Gain 1 stat point. Achievement: Slaver ¨C Buy a slave ¨C Gain 1 stat point. Achievement: Merchant ¨C Gain a merchant license and sell an item ¨C Gain 1 stat point. Achievement: Thief ¨C Successfully steal and escape with an item within a town ¨C Gain 1 stat point. Gain 2 luck Achievement: Brigand ¨C Successfully steal an item outside a town using brute force ¨C Gain 1 stat point Achievement: Spell Sales ¨C Sell a spell to someone in a town ¨C Gain 1 stat point. Achievement: Bard ¨C Perform in a bar or theater to an audience of at least two for pay. ¨C Gain 1 stat point. Gain 2 luck. ¡°Somehow I knew he would just spam me with achievements after that.¡± He placed the book on the table. ¡°All of these seem rather specific and I don¡¯t know how hard any of them are.¡± ¡°Joining the adventurer¡¯s guild is easy, it only costs 2 gold coins!¡± She seemed overjoyed at the prospect. ¡°Well, shall we ride on to town and get that removed from you?¡± Victor smiled standing up and putting away Swordie. She stood up slowly, clearly still injured. Victor could feel the slight slowness on his leg from the cut but nothing he couldn¡¯t handle. She seemed in far better spirits having eaten. The two of them made their way out as the last rays of sunlight dipped below the horizon. She eagerly hopped on the horse torch in hand. Victor untied the horses from the trees and stopped for a moment. ¡°Get off the horse.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t understand.¡± She asked, confused getting off the horse. ¡°We can¡¯t take them or when people come to check this place out and recover their body it will look like we killed them and took their stuff. We have to leave the horses.¡± Victor insisted. ¡°Then we shouldn¡¯t walk at night. It¡¯s dangerous.¡± Serena added. ¡°Do you trust me?¡± He asked as he watched the time on Luzuzal¡¯s Promise tick down. Without hesitation, she answered. ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°We have to walk.¡± Victor could feel it in his bones that it was the right call. She nodded and approached him. The sound of crickets as she approached him with a torch in hand he took a deep breath and both of them started walking. Victor grabbed her hand. ¡°I don¡¯t want to lose you in the dark.¡± The two of them walked with their torches ahead of them for more than 30 minutes before either of them said a word. When he looked over at her she looked almost afraid but Victor couldn¡¯t figure out why. ¡°Are you afraid of the dark?¡± The words snapped Serena back to reality. ¡°Oh, no. I¡¯m used to the dark.¡± She looked down at his hand. Victor blinked and tried to figure out what was going on. ¡®Wait is this romantic?¡¯ He started to think about what he had done. He walked up to her captors, immediately killed them, saved her life, and promised to help free her from slavery. ¡®Wait is this all a hero is? Is it just someone with basic decency and the power to act on it against injustice? Am I the hero here?¡¯ He started to ponder and then realized he was still holding her hand warming his hand in the cool night. At that, his heart jumped. ¡®Well, that is not what I meant to do.¡¯ He looked over at her and in the light despite her scars and blood, she was still beautiful to him. Serena shivered and grabbed her stomach wound as a cool breeze blew through. Victor unclipped his coat; he could use the cool air to cool him off so he placed it around her shoulders. The cloak engulfed her far above her size and it completely wrapped around her. ¡°Thank you.¡± She grabbed it and wrapped herself in it except for her torch. When the next breeze flew through the only thing that rustled on her was her beautiful hair. ¡°Are you sure you didn¡¯t rescue me for any other reason?¡±This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. ¡°Honestly I only just realized I¡¯ve been doing something that I¡¯d only read about before.¡± Victor scratched the back of his short hair. ¡°I saved you without thinking about how you must think. My bad. If I was giving off vibes that I did this for you because I find you attractive, I am not¡± ¡°It¡¯s not shocking you don¡¯t find me attractive.¡± She hung her head. ¡°That¡¯s not what I mean!¡± Victor insisted. ¡°I¡¯m scared all over my body. This one is the worst. Everyone sees it all the time.¡± She slightly moved the cloak and across her left shoulder near her neck, a deep sharp scar went down below her clothes. ¡°The only good thing about the scar is that men stopped paying attention to me.¡± Victor shook his head. ¡°I meant I didn¡¯t save you because you are beautiful. I saved you because I¡¯d have saved anyone in your situation. I don¡¯t have experience with women or people in general. I was raised mostly isolated with only hostile people around me. What I mean to say is, you are beautiful and I didn¡¯t save you because of it. Anyone in your situation deserves to have someone to step in and change your circumstances because you couldn¡¯t do it yourself.¡± Serena sank into his cloak as they walked turning red. ¡°You think I am beautiful even though I look like this?¡± She pulled up her shirt revealing the wound he stitched and several other scars across her abs. She then pulled her shirt around the neck revealing the scar on her neck extended all the way down to her chest. ¡°This is what I am.¡± She looked at the ground as though she was broken. ¡°I think they look badass.¡± As he glanced at Serena briefly, trying not to stare at the girl exposing herself to him. Her tan face no longer remained tan. ¡°Really?¡± ¡°They look really cool. You look like a battle-hardened fighter.¡± Victor replied. ¡°I¡¯m a rogue though.¡± Serena corrected him. ¡°It¡¯s a figure of speech. You were forced with terrible gear to fight because of slavers and yet you lived this long. I bet you¡¯re stronger than me too.¡± Victor added. ¡°I¡¯m only a level 6 rogue.¡± She hung her head. ¡°Is that low?¡± Victor asked. ¡°Most 18-year-olds are level 2 to 5. I¡¯m 19. Most people try at least once when they come of age to be adventurers.¡± Serena answered. ¡°Some 18 year olds are level 5?¡± Victor glared at the sky. ¡°A few, they train from a young age and quickly gain levels as they encounter more and more dangerous monsters.¡± She noted. ¡°I¡¯m only a level 4 mage.¡± He scratched his head. ¡°You took on two people as a level 4 without knowing anything about them? Are you stupid? Are you crazy? They could have killed you.¡± She stepped in front of him, stopping their walk. ¡°How can you possibly take such a risk? Don¡¯t you care about your life?¡± ¡°I had to ask myself, is life worth living if you are too afraid to live it? My mentor told me if he could give me one piece of advice it would be to take risks, and this was a risk worth taking.¡± Victor looked down at her wrapped in his cloak with a bright smile. ¡°That does raise some concern though. If you could become a slave at level 5 or 6 I can become enslaved by them too.¡± ¡°But you possess so much power! Your lightning killed all of them in a single hit. How are you only level 4? That spell shouldn¡¯t kill someone in a single hit unless you hit them in the head for a critical hit.¡± She protested. ¡°I guess every jolt cast hit directly in the head.¡± Victor looked at his hand. ¡°When electricity hits someone it slightly staggers them. The critical hit effect of lightning spells does 10 times as much damage instead of 5 times and stuns a creature that isn¡¯t resistant.¡± She explained. ¡°So you just got lucky!?¡± ¡°Seems that way!¡± Victor laughed out loud grabbing her hand and resuming their walk toward the town. ¡°I can¡¯t believe I¡¯m free because of your luck.¡± She looked to the ground almost dumbfounded. ¡°How much luck can you possibly have?¡± ¡°-100 Luck is where we started the day,¡± Victor answered. ¡°WHAT!?¡± She shouted, taking a moment to catch her breath. ¡°Wait, that might make sense. You save me and then something horrible happens to you because you saved me.¡± ¡°If you want to leave you can leave. I was just trying to help.¡± Victor slumped his shoulders. ¡°No! I owe you my life. I can¡¯t just leave yo-¡± Victor put a finger to her mouth. He noticed another set of torches in the distance riding out of the forest and away from them. He quickly tossed the torches on the ground and stomped them out. ¡°How close are we to the town of Jocal?¡± He whispered looking behind him to make sure they were alone. ¡°It¡¯s just ahead. If it were light we¡¯d be able to see it.¡± She replied. ¡°We need to approach quietly. If this is violent don¡¯t get involved you don¡¯t have enough health.¡± Victor looked down at his health still at 41. ¡®My rigor does nearly nothing. That is annoying.¡¯ He saw his mana full and took a deep breath. ¡°Let us just hope it is some adventurers returning from a late night.¡± The two of them could feel the warm air on their faces and suddenly they spotted flames in the distance. ¡°Let¡¯s leave.¡± Serena grabbed his sleeve. ¡°Please.¡± ¡°We can¡¯t just abandon them, we might be able to help.¡± Victor watched as the timer ticked down to 1:52:21 on the Luzuzal¡¯s Promise buff. ¡°Please¡­ If you die¡­¡± She pulled at his sleeve. Suddenly the gravity of his foolish risks ¡®If I die, she¡¯s a slave again. Saving them effectively enslaves her.¡¯ The crackle of the fire behind him as he turned to her and the smell of smoke could only tremble at how horrible that risk would be. He had to decide between the screams of people and children being abducted or killed or the agony of Serena bleeding to death because he didn¡¯t finish rescuing her. ¡°Would you rescue them?¡± ¡°No! It¡¯s too dangerous!¡± She protested. Victor sighed and mouthed to the sky ¡®Luzuzal help me.¡¯ Victor took a deep breath. ¡°Are you good at throwing weapons or with a bow?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± She panted, anxious about the situation. ¡°Please let¡¯s leave, I¡¯m scared.¡± ¡°So am I.¡± Victor shook his head and started marching toward the flames in the distance. He wasn¡¯t lying. He had no idea how effective that promise could be, fear was the only thing he felt as he marched toward his doom. Did this fit an implausible task? ¡°You can wait here. If I die, try and escape, if I live I will come back out to get you before dawn.¡± Serena couldn¡¯t understand why he was doing this. He didn¡¯t even know them. Ironically Victor probably wouldn¡¯t do this if not for Luzuzal and Swordie convincing him to take risks and seize his desires. ¡®I probably shouldn¡¯t do this. It stretches the rules placed on that skill but if I don¡¯t know then why have it.¡¯ He approached the wooden walls surrounding the village only to reach an open gate. Two dead guards and a dead bandit burned face down on the ground. Suddenly around a burning building, a horse charged with a man on it. The man had a woman bent over the horse screaming. ¡®Please work.¡¯ His hand snapped up ¡°Jolt!¡± Once again his jolt landed square on the target''s head knocking him to the ground with a satisfying crack as his body planted into the dirt. The horse quickly stopped and the woman ran off screaming. ¡®I bet if I just try and pick off bandits that are running out I¡¯ll do a lot better than just wandering into the town.¡¯ He backed out to the edge of the wall so he could see past it and waited intently, noticing something that caused him to step back. Fighter Level 7: Experience Increase: 33.1% Current Exp to Level 5 55.8% ¡®Level 7! I killed him in one hit!¡¯ Victor realized a critical reality. ¡®I bet if they land a single clean hit on me I¡¯ll die. Did my spell even kill him? His head cracked on landing. My spell probably didn¡¯t even kill him. This is definitely beyond me. I wish Serena would have come with me then we could probably kill at least one or two more.¡¯ Another rider with a child across the horse started riding toward the entrance. He sighed and once again shouted ¡°Jolt!¡± His uneasy hands caused his aim to miss and hit the horse''s head. The horse''s head exploded into chunks of blood and viscera. It crashed to the ground causing the rider to become pinned and the child to roll safely away. He screamed running out of the town. The bandit still lived. Victor walked toward him in the open and pointed his hand toward him. ¡°What the hell are you-¡± ¡°Jolt.¡± His cold demeanor angry at just how cartoonish evil bandits raiding a village felt to him, reading about this in books always felt less, something. He couldn¡¯t put his finger on it but it always felt so much less serious than it felt to him standing right here. He didn¡¯t know if it was because he had just listened to Serena or if he was here physically but this entire raid just viscerally angered him. Fighter Level 6: Experience Increase: 24.0% Current Exp to Level 5 79.8% He decided to step forward only to notice a dozen bandits rounding up people into a cart. Bodies lay strewn across the square. He realized if he stepped forward out of the shadows he definitely would die. He doesn¡¯t have enough magic to fight them and they are all stronger than him. He turned around and ran out of the town resuming his plan to hold near a bush and blast any of them passing by. He listened as the sound of crackling flame and the smell of burning straw filled his mind intent on blasting any further single riders only to notice the full caravan instead. Victor ducked back into the trees and watched in great pain as they pulled out a string of people in shackles. Victor felt a hand on his shoulder suddenly and a hand around his mouth. Serena held him close to her and pressed her chest into his back. He could feel her heartbeat as she slowly removed her hand from his mouth. He couldn¡¯t see in the cart but at least a dozen people on foot or in the cart had been hauled off. Victor sank to his knees listening to the cracking of the flames. ¡°If we had taken the horses or if you hadn¡¯t stopped me to talk we¡¯d have been in that town.¡± He watched as Luzuzal¡¯s Promise reached 0 and disappeared off his HUD. Victor shook in anger ¡°A dozen people, at least a dozen people carted off to who knows where to be slaves. Why didn¡¯t anyone defend them? Why didn¡¯t I?¡± ¡°Why didn¡¯t you?¡± Luzuzal asked, appearing through the tree in front of him. Victor collapsed to the ground and backed away from the tree. ¡°Do not worry. I only appear due to your skill.¡± ¡°I¡¯d die if I tried to free them.¡± He looked down to his feet. He grabbed his hair with one hand ready to pull it out. ¡°You aren¡¯t able to do everything.¡± Serena hugged him from behind. ¡°No, but while my promise was active you could have defeated them.¡± Luzuzal bent over toward him that large sun center at the center of his face. ¡°There¡¯s no plausible way I could win.¡± Victor angrily wiped away his tears. ¡°All I wanted was a warm bed.¡± ¡°No plausible way? 12 Headshots, a few quick fumbles, and a weapon sliding out of their hands due to blood loss. They could already all be dead and those people could be free. You aren¡¯t trying to defeat a god or slay a dragon with a stick. A victory against them is unlikely at worst.¡± Almost as if to taunt Victor, Luzuzal added ¡°You would have won with my blessings.¡± The words forming in his mouth upturned into a strange smile. ¡°Reactivate my promise and go after them.¡± Urgent Quest Time to accept: 0:20 Quest Giver: Luzuzal Rescue Jocal Villagers ¨C Activate Luzuzal¡¯s Promise, Rescue the Jocal Villagers from the bandits. Reward: ???? Accept Reject ¡°They get farther away with each moment, time slips away. Soon even my blessing won¡¯t be enough if they reach their camp.¡± Luzuzal taunted him Time to accept: 0:17 ¡°Show me your resolve to fulfill your desires against overwhelming odds. Show me you have what it takes to seize your desires and delude yourself to the last breath that it will work even if you have no hope for it! Show me you will never relent in your pursuit!¡± Luzuzal boasted. Time to accept: 0:11 Victor turned up at the quest in front of him. His hand outstretched and Luzuzal¡¯s face once more stretched off the edge of his cosmic form smiling so far the moons became part of it. ¡°It¡¯s really good you didn¡¯t go after the bandits. Their leader is supposed to be a tier 2 fighter.¡± ¡°What?¡± Victor turned confused. Time to accept: 0:06 ¡°I noticed it on their quest board when my previous owners took me in. They wanted to take that quest before the woman at the guild discouraged them from doing so.¡± Serena noted. ¡°It¡¯s now or never! Choose their fate. Show me the depth of your delusion of freedom!¡± Luzuzal¡¯s voice paced faster and faster as though he was in ecstasy practically salivating for his answer. Time to accept: 0:02 With that Victor calmed himself and immediately with his freedom pressed reject in the HUD. ¡°Don¡¯t worry Serena. I¡¯m not going to risk your life.¡± He placed his hand on hers. ¡°Disappointing.¡± Luzuzal¡¯s expression deflated and popped like a balloon. ¡°Though as your first day, I will forgive you for this transgression against your ideals. Your delusion isn¡¯t strong enough, but it will grow. Enjoy your victory and your defeat. I will be watching¡± Luzuzal disappeared. ¡°I am just not strong enough to do this.¡± Victor sat and waited for the fires to die down slightly. ¡°I think we should check inside the town,¡± Serena whispered in his ear, still kneeling behind him. ¡°Someone might still be alive.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Victor stood up and she grabbed his angry fist. He relaxed his fist to hold her hand as the two of them approached the town. The sound of crying children and a small number of people gathering toward the town square milled about the otherwise silent night. They walked up toward them only to be met with pitchforks. ¡°Outsiders!¡± One man shouted. The two of them raised their hands as they became surrounded. ¡°I just got here,¡± Victor noted. A tall woman clad in ordinary town garb and long red hair walked up to them with a small dagger in hand. ¡°I am Jaya Griffin. Tell us who you are before I tell my town to gut you for helping those bandits.¡± ¡°I killed two of them over there.¡± He pointed with one finger keeping his hands up. ¡°I¡¯m just his slave. He bound me after my previous owners died against the goblins in the den to the north despite his efforts to save them.¡± Serena added. Victor¡¯s eyes turned to her as his blood pressure shot through the roof ready to yell at her. ¡°Wait! He saved me and my son!¡± A woman ran up with her child. ¡°Asa? Is that true? How did he save you?¡± Jaya asked. ¡°He shot lightning from his hand and killed the soldiers carrying us off, killing them instantly!¡± Asa York replied. ¡°Are you a high-level mage?¡± The woman¡¯s eyebrow might have shot off her face going up as fast as it did were it not for her long hair. ¡°I¡¯m only level 4.¡± He answered. Everyone groaned and put up their pitchforks. ¡°Sorry?¡± He almost asked the question ¡®What had I done wrong?¡¯ ¡°Don¡¯t apologize, thank you for the assistance.¡± She put the dagger away. ¡°Most of our buildings are burnt but some rooms on the first floor of the inn remain. You and your slave can stay tonight for free. Is she a cleric? Even weak healing magic would be appreciated.¡± ¡°She¡¯s a rogue,¡± Victor answered. ¡°Unfortunately, well it is late. I am guessing you need some sleep. The inn is that way. Take your slave with you. Tell that old man Jaya is picking up your tab.¡± She pointed to the opposite end of the town. The two of them walked through the devastation as small flames gently linked the ends of burnt wood. The smoke filled their lungs along with the smell of burnt flesh. So many guards lay dead with a massive wound in their chest through their armor as they reached the inn. The door had long since fallen off its hinge. A bloodied old man stood behind the counter fiddling with a toolbox before pulling out a hammer. They walked up. ¡°Jaya said she¡¯d pick up our tab and told us to come here for a room to sleep in tonight. I killed a couple of the bandits.¡± ¡°I¡¯m Peter. Here¡¯s your room key.¡± He handed a key to them. Peter pulled out a hammer and started walking to the door. They walked back to a room that didn¡¯t appear to have any damage, unlocked the door, and opened a room with a single bed and just enough space on the ground for one of them to sleep on the wooden floor. ¡°Let me make it very clear in no uncertain terms I do not own you, you are not my slave, why did you say that to her?¡± She sensed his sudden anger. ¡°If a slave isn¡¯t owned in this country and a town or city finds them they take ownership and try to return them to their owners. If their owners are dead the town or city takes ownership of the slave.¡± Victor¡¯s shoulders relaxed and he blinked before shaking his head and putting his hand on her shoulder. ¡°Sorry, I¡¯m not from around here. I didn¡¯t know that.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine. I¡¯m used to people being angry with me. At least you didn¡¯t hit me after.¡± She smiled. Suddenly Victor realized exactly how dumb he had been. ¡°I am sorry. You can have the bed. I will ball up my cloak and sleep on it.¡± ¡°What? No, I can''t let you do that. You saved my life today.¡± Serena insisted. ¡°You know what, I''m just going to solve this easily. We flip a coin for it.¡± Victor insisted. ¡°I have a better idea. Either we both sleep on the bed or the floor.¡± Serena nodded at him. ¡°Did I rescue someone with more wit than me?¡± Victor asked. ¡°You rescued me.¡± Serena hugged Victor. ¡°We would both sleep better on the bed,¡± Victor noted pointing to the queen size bed. She rubbed her arm. ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°Are you just doing this because you feel like you have to?¡± Victor sat down on the bed looking at her. ¡°No!¡± She paused before sighing nervously. ¡°Yes¡­ I don¡¯t think you¡¯ll help me if I don¡¯t make myself valuable to you.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a shame because I¡¯d help you no matter what. Let us just go to sleep. I will sign up for the guild tomorrow and get the last point. Then I will get the skill and remove your slave tattoo. If you still feel the same, let me know.¡± Victor took off his cloak and pulled up the cover of the bed. ¡°You saved me. I¡¯m just not good with physical affection. I was trying to get over it because I thought I had to. I¡¯ll do anything you want me to.¡± Serena added sheepishly. ¡°No, if you feel the same after I remove the tattoo we can talk about it.¡± Victor insisted before falling asleep. Chapter 6: Free at last Victor woke up after Serena. Serena was sitting at the end of the bed waiting patiently. She seemed restored if not fully at least mostly. Victor sighed looking at the sun rising and looked back to Serena. He looked at his hands for a moment and brought up the skill again. He noticed an availability option for the skill ticking down with 15:23 remaining on the timer. Luzuzal¡¯s Promise Rank 6 Requirements: Accept Luzuzal¡¯s limited time proposal. Cursed Innate Skill After reincarnating for a total of 7 days you will not encounter any challenges you are not equipped to face and defeat. Automatically actives on reincarnation for duration of 24 hours, remaining time may be activated in 24 hour increments at dawn only. If you would encounter an impossible challenge Luzuzal shall warp reality to have them avoid encountering you, fighting you, or becoming enemies. If you seek them out this skill attempts to make the fight winnable but cannot warp reality beyond plausible limits. Luzuzal may restore time to this skill if you greatly impress him. 6 Days remain. ¡°How many levels do you think we could gain in a single day?¡± Victor asked her. ¡°What? On a good day, one I think.¡± Serena replied. ¡°You said their leader was tier 2. Do you have an idea if he¡¯s closer to level 11 or level 20?¡± Victor continued his inquiry. ¡°He¡¯s lower on that end. Very little around here is tier 2 and he would have to be slaughtering things for a long time to reach level 13 or 14 and according to the guild from the other day he¡¯s not been around here for long.¡± Serena explained. ¡°What other monsters exist in the area? Preferably things in the level 4 to 7 range.¡± Victor continued. ¡°Wait, are you planning to kill things all day to level up and then go after the bandits?¡± Serena¡¯s jaw dropped. ¡°After I free you, but I have to decide before I leave this room. If I do try that, I want to believe it¡¯s possible before I set out.¡± Victor shook his head. ¡°It¡¯s probably impossible, but if I don¡¯t at least ask the question I¡¯d never forgive myself.¡± ¡°That¡¯s impossible! You¡¯d need to gain 6 or 7 levels in a single day to challenge him!¡± Serena asked. ¡°Let¡¯s pretend hypothetically that I had a very limited use skill that allowed me to massively shift the odds in my favor and I won each fight without getting hurt the entire day. Would it be possible then?¡± Victor leaned forward toward her. ¡°Could I then take on the entire bandit camp?¡± ¡°NO! There¡¯s no way you could defeat a tier 2 bandit and at least a couple dozen bandits on your own.¡±Serena insisted. ¡°Could I with your help?¡± Victor looked at her. She suddenly became very nervous. ¡°I¡­ don¡¯t think so.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, the first thing we are doing today is going to the guild and registering, then I will immediately take the skill and spend the mana to remove your slave tattoo. Nothing I am asking about will change that.¡± ¡°If we hit level 12 it might be possible but you¡¯re only level 4 there is no way we can get 8 levels in a single day.¡± Serena shook her head. ¡°It¡¯s impossible.¡± ¡°Would you like to try? If we don¡¯t both at least reach level 10 we won¡¯t try to track them down the bandits. If you don¡¯t want to join me that is fine too, you¡¯re stronger than me anyway.¡± Victor frowned at that. ¡°You don¡¯t want to let them go.¡± Serena looked at him. ¡°They¡¯ll suffer exactly as you suffered. My whole life before arriving here people treated me terribly. I may not have been a slave but I felt like one at times. There are a lot of people in that camp. I¡¯d be truly shocked if they could move them and sell them all before the day ends. By tomorrow they might all be gone. I¡¯m willing to take the risk trying to level as long as it is possible.¡± Victor nodded. ¡°Do you want to join me?¡± Victor knew he would let it pass if she didn¡¯t join him. He couldn¡¯t do this alone. ¡°If by some miracle of the goddess allows us to succeed and we both reach level 12 I will accompany you into the bandit camp to rescue those captives.¡± Serena nodded. ¡°Besides, I wouldn''t want to see you dead. Promise me if things start to look grim we will leave.¡± ¡°If we definitely can¡¯t continue we will leave. I will accept this is beyond me and we can try heading toward the border. Deal?¡± Victor extended his hand ¡°Deal!¡± She smiled and they both got out of bed. The two of them made their way toward the adventurers guild, currently missing a roof. The stone walls still stood and the red wooden door ironically remained on its hinges and unburned. The two of them walked up to a woman cleaning. The woman and her child approached Victor. ¡°What can I do for you, hero? You saved my life and the life of my kid. Not much left here and definitely no way I can pay the quest rewards for any of the few intact posters but I¡¯ll do whatever I can for you.¡± ¡°Can you take my gold to get an adventurer card?¡± Victor asked. ¡°Uh, sure!¡± She quickly ran behind the counter and rummaged through a box. ¡°Oh, not that one.¡± She flipped a tool and a couple of papers over her back. ¡°Ah, there it is.¡± She handed him a blank card and a small diamond badge completely blank on both sides. ¡°That will be two gold coins.¡± He handed over the 2-gold leaving him with 109 gold coins. He checked his achievements once again. Achievement: Novice Adventurer - Join an Adventurers Guild ¨C Gain 1 stat point. [ Claim ] Achievement: First Blood ¨C Kill your first creature. Gain 1 stat point. Gain 1 luck. [ Claim ] Achievement: Your Own Kind ¨C Kill a creature of your own race. Gain 1 stat point. Gain 1 luck. [ Claim ] Victor claimed all three giving him 3 unallocated points. He pulled out Swordie. ¡°Status Sheet.¡± Race Human: Victor Vance Vogal Class : Mage Level : 4 Base Health : 50 Stamina : 10 Mana : 12 Vitality : 5 Speed : 6 Strength : 5 Prowess : 11 Endurance : 5 Rigor : 2 Willpower : 12 Flow : 12 (+50%) Luck : -100 Resistance : None Skills: Speed Reading Rank 2, Academic Rank 2 Hidden Skills: Memory Retention , Luzuzal¡¯s Delusion Rank 1 , Luzuzal¡¯s Devout Rank 1, Luzuzal¡¯s Promise Rank 6 Spells: Barrier shield Rank 1, Jolt Rank 1, Speed Boost Rank 1 Current Exp to Level 5 79.8% ¡°I guess it doesn¡¯t show available points. Skill Magic Writing.¡± Victor spoke to the book again anticipating an issue with buying the skill. Magic Writing Rank 1 Requirements: 10 mana, Cost 3 stat points Instant Spell Mana Cost: 10 mana Allows inscription of magic symbols and removal of magic symbols. To make the symbol take effect a secondary spell is often required. ¡°Acquire skill.¡± Victor spoke aloud hoping it would just work Confirm skill acquisition Magic Writing. Requirements: 10 mana Cost 3 stat points. Acquire Reject ¡°Sir, did you just pull out a status book and buy a skill from it?¡± The woman asked. ¡°Same question,¡± Serena added. He pursed his lips and shrugged. ¡°Should I not have done that?¡± ¡°Well normally people pay 1 to 5 gold to use the guild book since they are so rare, and unless the guild master assigned to a book touches it they won¡¯t even work. That would mean you either bought one outright for something north of 25,000 gold or you own a guild hall, but you just registered for the guild so¡­¡± Serena explained and all three paused for a long time as a wind blew through the roof. ¡°With that, we could level up outside of town.¡± ¡°I¡¯d appreciate it if you don¡¯t tell anyone?¡± Victor smiled dumbly and turned to Serena unbuttoning the top button of her shirt. ¡°Sir! Please! I know you rescued us but get a room!¡± The woman insisted on covering her and her child''s eyes. ¡°Relax, I just need to cast a spell.¡± Victor began running his hands over each line of the tattoo and it melted from his hands draining the mana from his mana pool, finally finishing with a single finger at the center of her chest. ¡°All done. You are free.¡± He dusted off his hands. ¡°Now do you have any missions suitable for adventurers in the 4 to 7 level range?¡± ¡°I already told you two I can¡¯t pay you for them; those bandits killed almost all our adventurers and took our gold!¡± She yelled at him intensely. ¡°I wasn¡¯t asking for gold. I was asking, where are those monsters located?¡± Victor leaned forward. ¡°Consider this a freebie. I¡¯m in a bad mood and need to blow off steam.¡± ¡°Huh? Do you just want to work for free? Well in that case there are goblins in a cave north of here on the lower end. To the west is the bandit camp supposedly. The east has a small undead fortress you could be there all day and probably not clear it out. The south is toward the capitol so you probably can¡¯t find too much there.¡± The woman explained. ¡°The other monsters in the area are all as weak or weaker than the goblins based on reports. We don¡¯t have much around here of great interest.¡± ¡°How do you feel about the undead?¡± Victor looked at Serena. ¡°If it¡¯s mostly skeletons we should be okay but I need a hammer or a mace to kill them.¡± She nodded. ¡°Skeletons tend to lunge then they have melee weapons but die fast after that. Most are in the 2 to 4-level range. Zombies are in the 1 to 3 level range mostly but they are a lot more dangerous in close range. If they hit you with no antidotes you¡¯ll probably succumb to zombie rot and become a zombie.¡± ¡°You seem to have a really deep knowledge of monsters, Serena,¡± Victor commented. ¡°It¡¯s a long story we can talk about later.¡± Serena walked forward confidently. ¡°We need to see if any items are left at the general store.¡± With the mark gone from her chest, she ran her fingers across it and buttoned her shirt back up. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± With a surge of confidence and a newfound bounce in her stride, she led the way. ¡°I saw the sign on our way in, it¡¯s this way.¡± Victor followed with a smile on his face. Even if he did nothing else this entire life, even if he died tonight, Victor knew he had done more in one day of this life than in his entire life on earth. At least he had helped someone. As light as Serena¡¯s step remained Victor almost felt as though his very soul filled up with a sense of meaning. ¡®Is this what it¡¯s like to do things that matter?¡¯ He just smirked and shook his head. ¡®There¡¯s no way life feels this good.¡¯ Yet for the moment, it felt exactly as good as he thought it did. ¡°Today is a good day. They came to yet another shop where the ceiling was caved in and had a small chest sign on the ground outside it. ¡°Good morning sir, we need some supplies if you happen to have any left.¡± A large man of short stature hobbled up to the counter. ¡°Well the bandits got some of my stuff but none of my reserve.¡± The shopkeeper opened up some boards beneath his feet. ¡°Anything you¡¯re looking for particularly?¡± Victor pulled out his book. ¡°Healing potions for sure.¡± Healing Potion Rank 1 Single Use Item Recovers 20 health over 4 seconds. ¡°I got about a dozen of those 3 gold each, how many are you looking to get?¡± The shopkeeper asked with a curious eye. ¡°What do you think Serena just take them all?¡± He turned to her. ¡°Wait do you have enough gold to take them all?¡± She looked at him astonished. ¡°Should I not?¡± He asked confused. ¡°No we will definitely take them all. Do you have any antidotes or resistance potions?¡± She asked. ¡°No resistance potions they raided those but I have 2 antidotes left, they are 2 gold each.¡± He looked to Serena clearly making the choices in the group. ¡°Both of those.¡± She nodded. Antidote Rank 1 Single Use Item Removes low rank poisons and diseases. ¡°That¡¯s how much? 40 gold if my math is right.¡± Victor noted pulling out coin after coin. ¡°We need bandoleers preferably with 6 slots to hold our potions, and any blunt weapon like a hammer or mace.¡± ¡°I have a mace that is somewhat old but it¡¯s not rotten, 6 gold for it. Two bandoleers with 5 slots each is 1 gold since they are 5 silver each. In all that¡¯ll come to 46 gold.¡± He smiled very happily with the two of them. ¡°Here you go.¡± He looked into his bag with 63 gold coins remaining along with some silver and coppers. ¡°Is there anything else we need Serena?¡± ¡°No. Wow, that was easier than I thought it would be.¡± The two of them exited the broken shop. ¡°Are you sure you aren¡¯t some long-lost noble?¡± ¡°No hah this is my life savings. I¡¯ve spent really nothing from it.¡± Victor laughed. ¡°Are you spending your life savings on consumable items to save other people? How can you possibly think that is normal?¡± Serena asked. Swordie, still in hand, wrote on the page ¡®You are ordinary.¡¯ ¡°Seriously Swordie?¡± Victor groaned. ¡®You are also earnest¡¯ Swordie added. ¡°Swordie?¡± Serena asked. ¡°Who is Swordie?¡± ¡°The book, he¡¯s just sassing me again,¡± Victor complained. ¡°Do you mind if I ask him something?¡± She held out her hand to hold him. ¡°Sure.¡± Victor handed her the book and she asked. ¡°Do you think Victor likes me?¡± ¡®He definitely does.¡¯ The book answered. Victor turned red and quickly snatched Swordie back. ¡°That wasn¡¯t what I thought you were going to ask!¡± She smiled. ¡°Relax, I''m thinking a lot more clearly than yesterday. I don¡¯t know much about you but you saved my life. I also know you¡¯d risk your life for people you don¡¯t even know, and you¡¯re more of a gentleman than any man I¡¯ve met in the past three years.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve always been me. I just never could act on what I believed before.¡± He looked down to the ground. ¡°I¡¯ve always had people telling me what to do, where to go, and how I can live. Now I don¡¯t¡± He began to think ¡®Is that true? Did I lack the ability to leave the situation or just the will?¡¯ Victor began to ponder his past life. He could have just left, eaten the cost, and abandoned his mother. He took that job because he was told it would be the right thing to do. He walked because he knew a car would be too expensive. He ate two meals a day to save money. Everything he did for no reason aside from other people encouraging him. ¡®Is what I¡¯m doing now the same?¡¯ He delved deep into thought. ¡®No one is forcing me to do this. I already failed Luzuzal¡¯s quest, and Serena seems actively against it. This is all me, right or wrong it¡¯s me.¡¯ He took a deep breath. ¡°I¡¯ve always read about heroes in storybooks and thought it could be me. I¡¯m not like them, but I want to be.¡± She slapped his back with a bright smile. ¡°You¡¯re a hero to me. Let¡¯s go get those undead.¡± Victor smiled and nodded as the two of them started to leave the ruins of the town. They passed by the corpses to the exit and began walking through the forest on the open dirt road. Victor opened Swordie again and started asking questions. ¡°Skeleton information¡± Common Skeleton skills Lunge Rank 1 Requirements: Speed 10, Strength 6, Cost 2 stat points Instant Skill Stamina Cost: 8 Allows a long range dash with a strong strike at the end, damage is based on speed. Piercing Shot Rank 1 Requirements: Speed 10, Stamina 12, Cost 2 stat points Instant skill Stamina Cost: 12 Pull back and hold your arrow for 3 seconds before unleashing a piercing shot that penetrates armor more effectively than normal shots. Reformation Rank 1 Requirements: Bodily Anatomy capable of reformation Conditional Skill If dead this creature reforms after sometime, this skill is inoperable if sufficient parts of the creature are destroyed. Victor nodded and asked Serena ¡°Interesting, how much stamina do most skeletons have?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure exactly but the books I read on it when I was younger, skeletons usually have about 10 to 12 stamina.¡± Serena nodded. ¡°We¡¯ll have to destroy the heads after we kill them. Skeletons take hours or even days to reform so don¡¯t worry too much about that it¡¯s something I will cover. The main thing you need to watch for is their lunge. It¡¯s sudden and if it hits you it will hurt you. Given your magic, I am going to ask you to stay back and try to shoot the skeletons with a bow. They aren¡¯t too dangerous if you take them down before they use their skill but their skill can¡¯t be blocked by most armor so it¡¯s important to be quick.¡± ¡°Understood.¡± Victor nodded. ¡°I can¡¯t believe I¡¯m volunteering to be in the front.¡± She put her hand on her face with a smile and pulled it down. ¡°They forced me to check for traps and I suffered every single injustice without a single potion barely surviving each time.¡± ¡°What would you rather be doing?¡± Victor asked. ¡°When I was younger I trained with daggers but also with a bow. I preferred the bow but arrows are too expensive for a slave.¡± Serena noted. ¡°We could have bought one if you wanted it. I have 63 gold left.¡± Victor noted. ¡°You know what.¡± Victor pulled out 3 gold coins and all his silver and copper, putting them in a separate pouch. ¡°Here you need at least some money.¡± She took the pouch. ¡°You are a strange man.¡± ¡°Well I mean if you are traveling with me we split the gold evenly but this gold and resources were mine from before I found you so I don¡¯t feel like I should need to split it,¡± Victor noted. She burst out laughing and threw her head back before gripping her gut. ¡°Do you believe that?¡± ¡°Why wouldn¡¯t it be split evenly?¡± Victor asked. ¡°The group leader usually takes a double share and is also usually the highest level so the group often just accepts that and goes along with it. That¡¯s what is normal. The leader also usually has the first pick of items a group finds so they tend to become the most powerful member of the party and are usually unable to be beaten except by much stronger groups or other party leaders.¡± Serena explained. ¡°Is every country like this?¡± Victor raised an eyebrow. ¡°Well maybe not every country¡­¡± She drifted off. ¡°Definitely most countries though.¡± ¡°Life¡¯s going to be interesting this time around.¡± Victor chuckled. ¡°This time around? What are you talking about?¡± Serena asked. ¡®Oh shit I said that out loud.¡¯ Victor thought to himself and pulled out the book. ¡°Am I allowed to tell her about¡± his voice suddenly went static. Yes, however this is not recommended until you are absolutely sure they will not tell others.This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there. Victor thought for a moment and started to try and explain only to hear his words turn to static. When she started speaking, he heard a foreign language he couldn¡¯t understand. His HUD disappeared as though Luzuzal¡¯s Delusion stopped working. Victor expected Luzuzal to appear but waited only to keep walking before Serena stopped, unable to speak to him in a language he could understand. ¡®This is a huge problem.¡¯ Luzuzal¡¯s voice echoed in his head. ¡®Do not reveal your reincarnated status or my skills. If you do, I will withdraw my blessings.¡¯ ¡®Fine, restore your blessings. I am sorry!¡¯ Victor insisted as his HUD was restored. ¡°Apparently I cannot tell you.¡± ¡°Are you cursed?¡± She stopped him from walking and tilted her head. ¡°You have to tell me if you are cursed.¡± Victor thought of the skill descriptions and realized all three of the skills had the cursed tag. ¡°I am, I cannot disclose anything about them apparently.¡± ¡°We can find a way to remove them.¡± She nodded with a smile. ¡°I promise I won¡¯t leave your side until we remove it.¡± Serena¡¯s resolve could be felt by her aggressive shirt grab pulling him closer. ¡°Sorry, I¡¯m really angry that someone like you got cursed.¡± ¡°Do many people get cursed?¡± Victor asked. ¡°Demons, devils, spirits, Void Lords, Undead, and a few others can curse you but most of the beings that use curses are often pretty significant problems for people. Cultists sometimes curse themselves for power, particularly Kokoxol and Gizixil. You aren¡¯t a cultist though so I¡¯m not sure what cursed you. You don¡¯t need to say anything but my guess is a devil cursed you for doing something to help someone else. If I am right, say nothing.¡± Serena explained. ¡®I could just ask the book but if I ask Swordie then I won¡¯t know what people in this world think of curses. There are already significant departures in the perception of this world and the actual rules in the book.¡¯ Victor said nothing, not knowing what he would do if he stopped being able to communicate. ¡°Yeah, that makes sense. Demons are savage and always hungry. Devils are sadistic and probably curse you after you help someone escape it instead of killing you. Don¡¯t worry after we flee this country we can try and find a shrine to the Golden Goddess and remove your curses.¡± Victor said nothing for a few moments before asking. ¡°What about the zombies?¡± ¡°Understood you can¡¯t confirm I¡¯m right but I will proceed as though that is what happened unless you correct me. Zombies are largely easy to deal with unless you get into a direct close-quarters encounter. They are physically strong and if they ever bite you they require an antidote as soon as possible.¡± Serena added. ¡°Their disease isn¡¯t something you¡¯ll need to worry about today. If I get bit just make sure I get an antidote. If I get bitten again and we run out of antidotes we leave. Am I clear?¡± She turned to him and pointed to him with one finger. ¡°Yes, I get it. I don¡¯t want you to die. If you feel like we should leave I will respect that but I¡¯d like to continue at least until we run out of consumable items.¡± Victor nodded as the two of them reached a crossroads. To the left, the trees started to look gnarled and in the far distance, the tops of a building could be seen just barely above the trees. Victor thought it would be about three or four stories tall. ¡°That looks like it might be it.¡± He pointed at the black stone poking out from above the trees probably a mile away slightly downhill. ¡°It fits the description,¡± Serena added. ¡°Do undead usually set up ambushes or forward guards?¡± Victor asked. ¡°No, undead usually stay around where they are created. They aren¡¯t very smart. Unless they are being controlled by a lich, vampire, or some other high-level undead they won¡¯t be on the road. If they ambush us we leave immediately. Understand?¡± Serena turned to him. ¡°Understand, lead the way.¡± Victor outstretched his hands to say ¡®after you.¡¯ The two of them started down the road. At first, the trees reached high and almost completely covered the road, lush and verdant even more so than before the crossroads. As they walked closer the trees seemed to lose their leaves. Slowly becoming bare the morning light crept through them. A line of crows cawed as they walked toward it. The crows seemed to be watching them intently hopping from tree to tree following them. ¡°Don¡¯t mind them. They are probably just waiting for a meal. They won¡¯t get one from us.¡± The crows continued to follow them and one seemed to caw almost mockingly at them. ¡®I wonder if I can speak crow with Luzuzal¡¯s Delusion.¡¯ Victor wondered. ¡°Hi.¡± He waved at them. ¡°What is this? You speak corvid?¡± The one mocking them practically laughed. ¡°You¡¯ll be a meal soon once the bones finish with you.¡± ¡°What are you doing?¡± Serena asked. ¡°Can you understand them?¡± ¡°I can understand them. Does your flock serve the undead?¡± Victor asked. The collective cawing reminded them of mocking laughter. ¡°I am Cawthorn the leader of our flock and the two of you are lunch, or if you are strong dinner.¡± The entire flock roared mocking them. ¡°Do they serve the undead?¡± Serena asked. ¡°Doesn¡¯t seem like it, they are just hungry.¡± Victor turned to her. ¡°I don¡¯t think they are intelligent enough to know what is going on ahead. We can ignore them.¡± ¡°INSOLENT FOOL YOU DARE QUESTION MY KNOWLEDGE!¡± Cawthorn angrily raged at them, silencing the other crows. ¡°I KNOW ALL AND YET THE TWO OF YOU MOCK ME! I SHALL ENJOY RIPPING OUT YOUR TONGUE FROM YOUR CORPSE!¡± ¡°Oh yeah? Prove it. You don¡¯t know anything about what is up ahead. You¡¯re just angry that I made you look incompetent in front of your flock.¡± Victor put his hands on his hips. ¡°I bet you couldn¡¯t get anyone out of there alive.¡± ¡°FOOLS I COULD SINGLE-HANDEDLY KEEP BOTH OF YOU ALIVE THROUGH ANYTHING DESPITE YOUR INCOMPETENCE!¡± Cawthorn insisted. ¡°Prove it cowardly.¡± Victor smiled and shifted his hips. ¡°FLOCK I SHALL KEEP THEM ALIVE AND ONCE THE SKELETAL MAGE IS DEAD WE SHALL FEAST ON ALL THE CARRION WITHIN THE KEEP DEAD!¡± Cawthorn flew down to Victor¡¯s shoulder and landed on his shoulder. ¡°You shall follow my direction and we will defeat the skeletal mage and take his orb far from here so that the forest recovers and births more tasty meals for my flock.¡± ¡°So is that crow joining us?¡± Serena raised an eyebrow asking. ¡°His name is Cawthorn and he says he is all-knowing. His flock wants the carrion around the building after we clear it out.¡± Victor explained. ¡°I AM ALL KNOWING.¡± Cawthorn screeched into his ears. ¡°Do you know how to speak common?¡± Victor asked. ¡°I AM MOSTLY KNOWING!¡± Cawthorn corrected himself. Victor restrained blatant laughter. ¡°Do you mind if I relay your words to my traveling companion?¡± ¡°Your wife may know the words of the great Cawthorn. I encourage you to relay them faithfully to her.¡± Cawthorn nodded. ¡°My wife?!¡± Victor asked. Serena spit and turned to him with a blank stunned impression. ¡°She¡¯s not my wife!¡± ¡°SHE SHALL BE SOON! THE GREAT CAWTHORN DECREES IT! I CAN SENSE YOUR MUTUAL ATTRACTION!¡± Cawthorn insisted. ¡°What is he saying?¡± Serena asked. ¡°YOU SHALL TELL HER MY WORDS!¡± Cawthorn insisted. ¡°He says he can sense our mutual attraction and you will soon be my wife.¡± He held up his fingers to do air quotes. ¡°The great Cawthorn decrees it.¡± Serena doubled over laughing so hard she started crying. ¡°Tears of joy are often a response to great love and good news,¡± Cawthorn noted. Serena wiped off her tears. ¡°Okay let¡¯s keep going and see if he can help us.¡± ¡®I wonder if this is Luzuzal¡¯s way of helping. It¡¯s got to be right?¡¯ Victor started to think to himself and remembered it had to be activated at dawn and lasted until the next dawn. ¡®I bet the later in the day the more extreme the scales will tilt toward me while this skill is active.¡¯ Victor decided to feed his crow ¡°Cawthorn we are extremely grateful for your kind assistance proving that even weaklings like us can survive in the right direction.¡± The crow laughed strangely this time. ¡°Caw caw hah my directions shall save you from your own incompetence.¡± ¡°You mentioned something about a skeletal mage, can you tell me about that?¡± Victor turned to the large black crow on his shoulder the size of his head. ¡°Did you say skeletal mage?¡± Serena asked. ¡°There¡¯s no way we can fight a skeletal mage that monster is sometimes even tier 2 and usually level 8 or 9. It could do to us what you did to the two adventurers enslaving me. We wouldn¡¯t stand a chance!¡± ¡°How sure are you about the mage? We are probably too weak to defeat it.¡± Victor asked Cawthorn. ¡°THEN YOU SHALL NOT ENCOUNTER IT! I SHALL ASSESS YOUR ABILITIES AS YOU ENTER THIS PLACE BEHOLD!¡± He flung open his wings as four skeletons came into view. ¡°YOUR FIRST TEST OF STRENGTH, SHOW ME WHAT YOU CAN DO!¡± ¡°He says we won¡¯t have to fight it if we listen to him.¡± Four skeletons clad in chain shirts and metal helmets stood before them about a hundred feet away. ¡°Are you ready Serena?¡± ¡°I am. If you can hit one or two of them before we get close this will be easy.¡± She nodded. ¡°Got it.¡± Victor put up his hand and visualized where his jolt would land revealing an impact location for where he currently was aiming on his HUD. ¡°Jolt!¡± Lightning leapt from his hands connecting with the skeleton''s head as it shambled toward them exploding it in a single hit. ¡°You are really good at shooting them in the head if you keep that up we¡¯ll have no problem.¡± She smiled. ¡°Jolt!¡± Victor hit another before they came close. Having closed only half the distance the remaining two lunged at them with incredible force. Serena easily dodged it and the creature ran face-first into the mace cracking its head into little more than bone fragments. Victor couldn¡¯t dodge in time and with it not even an outstretched arm away he shouted, ¡°BARRIER SHIELD!¡± The sword pierced it reaching him. -21 health Bleeding: 3 minutes, 11 damage for each minute of movement. ¡®I¡¯m dead¡¯ He could only think as his barrier spell disappeared and the skeleton withdrew its sword from his guts. He fell backward. Serena enraged screamed hitting the skeleton in the ribs cracking several and knocking it to the ground. She put her boot on the skeleton''s face and smashed its hand holding its blade aggressively over and over and over before finally screaming and caving in its skull. She walked up to Victor knelt on one knee and grabbed a potion from his bandoleer. ¡°Drink.¡± Victor winced in pain. She forced open his mouth pulled the cap off with her teeth and dumped the potion down his throat. ¡°You¡¯re in shock you need to be able to drink a potion immediately when you get hurt. Victor watched the messages go by. Regenerated 5 health Regenerated 5 health Regenerated 5 health Regenerated 5 health Regeneration has removed bleeding. He paused for a moment and looked upward on the messages list and noticed his experience before smiling at the woman before him so deeply worried about his safety Skeleton 3: Experience Increase: 7.9% Skeleton 3: Experience Increase: 8.2% Skeleton 3: Experience Increase: 1.3% Skeleton 3: Experience Increase: 2.9% LEVEL 5 Reached! Serena paused still kneeling over his chest breathing hard. ¡°Are you okay?¡± She panted. ¡°I¡¯m doing better now. I appreciate the help.¡± He started to his feet and Serena quickly helped him. ¡°I just leveled up,¡± Victor told her. ¡°Wait how can you tell?¡± Serena asked. ¡°You didn¡¯t even check your guild card.¡± ¡°Oh uh, I just know when I get stronger.¡± Victor pulled out Swordie. Cawthorn watched quizzically as Victor pulled out the book. ¡°The shine of an important artifact¡­ You must be a wealthy man.¡± Victor said ¡°Status sheet.¡± Race Human: Victor Vance Vogal Class : Mage Level : 5 Base Health : 50 Stamina : 10 Mana: 10/13 Vitality : 5 Speed : 6 Strength : 5 Prowess : 12 Endurance : 5 Rigor : 2 Willpower : 13 Flow : 13 (+50%) Luck : -98 Resistance : None Skills: Speed Reading Rank 2, Academic Rank 2 Hidden Skills: Memory Retention , Luzuzal¡¯s Delusion Rank 1 , Luzuzal¡¯s Devout Rank 1, Luzuzal¡¯s Promise Rank 6 Spells: Barrier shield Rank 1, Jolt Rank 1, Speed Boost Rank 1, Magic Writing Rank 1 Current Exp to Level 6 .1 Victor nodded. ¡°It looks like as a mage my prowess, willpower, and flow increase by 1 every level. ¡°YOU HAVE HIDDEN SKILLS CAW!¡± Cawthorn cawed. ¡°WHAT ARE THEY?¡± ¡°What are you talking about?¡± Victor asked ¡°THIS GAP!¡± Cawthorn tapped the book between skills and spells. ¡°WHAT ARE YOUR HIDDEN SKILLS?!¡± ¡°Wait, how can you see that?¡± Victor asked. ¡°MY EAGLE EYE SKILL SEES ALL!¡± Cawthorn shouted. ¡°YOURS IS SHROUDED IN MYSTERY I MUST KNOW!¡± ¡°Aren¡¯t you a crow? Why do you have a skill called Eagle Eye?¡± Victor asked. ¡°EAGLES ARE FULL OF THEMSELVES! THEY CLAIM EYESIGHT EXCEEDING MINE LONG BEFORE MY BIRTH AND SO MORTALS DUBBED THE SKILL EAGLE EYE! I HATE EAGLES!¡± Cawthorn replied. ¡°NOW REVEAL YOUR SKILLS!¡± ¡°They are curses I am unable to tell you about. I¡¯m impressed you can see them, or at least the absence of them.¡± Victor commented. ¡°Information my eyes cannot see. You are an interesting human. I MUST STUDY YOU! Your skills are lacking in the survival area. IMPROVE THEM!¡± Cawthorn insisted. ¡°He can see your curses?¡± Serena asked. ¡°They are there and he can see they are there but not what they are.¡± Victor wanted to wipe his brow off as Luzuzal would be angry if those skills were revealed. ¡°Well, Cawthorn you seem to have an opinion on what I should increase. Please elaborate.¡± Cawthorn seemed to calm at this clear deference to his wisdom. ¡°Vitality and prowess. Increase both.¡± ¡°How many in each?¡± Victor asked. ¡°4 points in vitality and 1 point in prowess to balance out your willpower and flow, the balance between the three is what I¡¯ve seen most people with,¡± Cawthorn added. Victor knew eventually he would put points into all of those stats, so he simply agreed. Considering he nearly died from a blocked hit having more health definitely seemed like a wise choice. He followed instructions and updated his sheet. Race Human: Victor Vance Vogal Class : Mage Level: 5 Base Health : 90 Stamina : 10 Mana: 10/13 Vitality : 9 Speed : 6 Strength : 5 Prowess : 13 Endurance : 5 Rigor : 2 Willpower : 13 Flow : 13 (+50%) Luck : -100 Resistance : None Skills: Speed Reading Rank 2, Academic Rank 2 Hidden Skills: Memory Retention , Luzuzal¡¯s Delusion Rank 1 , Luzuzal¡¯s Devout Rank 1, Luzuzal¡¯s Promise Rank 6, Spells: Barrier shield Rank 1, Jolt Rank 1, Speed Boost Rank 1, Magic Writing Rank 1 Are you sure you want to make these changes? Yes No Victor clicked yes and asked Serena. ¡°Can you check your card to see if you leveled up? I did and I wonder if you did too.¡± ¡°I highly doubt some basic skeletons leveled me up.¡± Serena pulled out the card incredulous at the idea. ¡°Yeah, they gave me about 4% between the four of them. I told you leveling up is hard.¡± ¡°I got more than 20% of a level from that. Does that mean fighting things far above or below you gives you nearly no experience?¡± Victor asked. ¡°Of course they do. Experience comes from overcoming things that are difficult, dangerous, or downright confusing to most. I bet you got more experience from the two you killed than the two I killed as well right?¡± Serena asked. ¡°Two of the skeletons did provide less experience,¡± Victor noted. ¡°Landing the killing blow or providing life-saving aid tends to provide the most experience in battle,¡± Serena noted. Cawthorn tapped his head with his beak. ¡°HOW CAN AN ACADEMIC SUCH AS YOURSELF NOT KNOW SUCH BASIC TRUTHS?¡± ¡°Ow! Sorry I don¡¯t know the exact mechanics of such things yet.¡± Victor insisted. Noting to himself to look it up later. Serena immediately took up her mace and looked at Cawthorn. ¡°Tell him if he does that again he will learn to fly without wings.¡± ¡°I think she doesn¡¯t want you to peck me again,¡± Victor noted. ¡°OF COURSE YOUR FUTURE WIFE DOES NOT WISH YOU TO BE HARMED BUT IT IS NECESSARY FOR YOUR GROWTH!¡± Cawthorn insisted. ¡°He says it¡¯s necessary to teach me,¡± Victor added. ¡°Then it¡¯s necessary for him to learn to fly without wings.¡± She glared at him. ¡°I don¡¯t think she¡¯ll tolerate that.¡± Victor turned to him. ¡°SO BE IT! MY INSTRUCTION SHALL BE LESS EFFECTIVE!¡± Cawthorn opened his wings proclaiming this. ¡°We have to continue if we want to get 5 more levels today.¡± Victor took a deep breath. ¡°Are you sure you don¡¯t want to turn back?¡± Serena seemed worried. ¡°If we don¡¯t at least try I couldn¡¯t live with myself.¡± Let¡¯s go. ¡°Couldn''t live with yourself?¡± Cawthorn asked, suddenly calm. ¡°I need to be level 10 at least by the end of the day or I won¡¯t be able to save several Local villagers who were kidnapped.¡± Victor turned to him. ¡°What is your relationship to those people? Are they your children? Your friends? Family?¡± Cawthorn tilted his head. ¡°I don¡¯t know who they are, just that they have been kidnapped. They might be sold by tomorrow but if I rescue them tonight then they all go free.¡± Victor smiled. ¡°That¡¯s why I¡¯m here trying to force my way through enough levels to save them.¡± ¡°CAW CAW HAH 5 LEVELS IN A DAY?¡± He fell off his shoulder laughing only to loop back around to his shoulder. ¡°You won¡¯t get 5 levels in a day. 1, possibly 2 levels in a day is possible with aggressive and dangerous adventuring but you¡¯ll never get that.¡± ¡°What did he say?¡± Serena asked. ¡°He told me it¡¯s impossible and to give up,¡± Victor noted. ¡°He might actually be smart.¡± She started walking to the door. ¡°I will open the door if anything is behind it, blast it with a jolt.¡± Victor nodded and she walked up to the double doors twice their height and grabbed the massive stone knocker on the wooden door. She pulled as hard as she could barely reach it and the door creaked open. A single skeleton began hobbling toward Victor only to eat a ¡°Jolt¡± to the head. ¡°You are a crack shot,¡± Serena added. ¡°Your accuracy is mysterious, especially for a lightning spell. IT IS YOUR HIDDEN SKILLS!¡± Cawthorn shouted again. ¡°I will learn your hidden skills.¡± Victor knew the bird was right and hoped that he never would learn those skills. 9 mana remaining for the moment as Victor hadn¡¯t recovered any yet. ¡°So do we go inside or lure them out?¡± Victor asked. ¡°You announce yourself at the door with your barrier spell and then run back. Kill them as they leave the keep.¡± Cawthorn instructed. ¡°Cawthorn says lure them out,¡± Victor told her. ¡°Are we going to listen to a bird? Normally you quietly traverse an undead stronghold room to room eliminating them as quietly as possible.¡± Serena noted. Victor walked up to the opening and held up his arm ¡°Barrier shield. COME AND GET ME BONEHEADS!¡± He quickly backed up as instructed. ¡°Three incoming.¡± As he backed up. ¡°I was wrong! Six coming!¡± ¡°This is why you back up. CAW CAW HAH!¡± Cawthorn laughed. Victor immediately started casting ¡°Jolt!¡± He hit one dead center of its chest passing through to the one behind it staggering it back and knocking two down. He cast again, still moving back ¡°Jolt!¡± It sailed through another rib cage and knocked another skeleton down. Its hand went through the ribs of the first two intertwining them into a bony mess. Victor stopped running and fired off three in a row. ¡°Jolt! Jolt! Jolt!¡± His blasts standing still landed firmly on the heads of the three still running at him. The last one was blasted to bits mid-lunge toward him. He fell to the ground in the shower of bone and Cawthorn flew up into the air landing on him after he fell to the ground. Serena had an easy time finishing off the other 3 skeletons trying frantically to get up, still tangled in each other¡¯s bodies. She gracefully smashed the skulls of each skeleton with ease with her stance firmly swinging completely through them with 3 quick strokes. ¡°Are you out of mana?¡± She asked him. Victor looked at his mana, down to only 4 mana he knew continuing would be risky. His mana should have regenerated at least a little bit. ¡°Yeah, I have very little mana left. We can wait a few minutes if that works for you.¡± Skeleton 3: Experience Increase: 8.4% Skeleton 3: Experience Increase: 7.9% Skeleton 3: Experience Increase: 6.1% Skeleton 3: Experience Increase: 0.9% Skeleton 3: Experience Increase: 1.1% Skeleton 3: Experience Increase: 1.3% Current Exp to Level 6 25.8% ¡°That was smart. I haven¡¯t seen skeletons react that way before. Tell Cawthorn he¡¯s a smart crow.¡± She reached out two fingers and stroked the back of Cawthorn¡¯s head. ¡°This pleases me.¡± Cawthorn closed his eyes, greatly enjoying the head pets. ¡°She says you are a very smart crow. He says that pleases him.¡± Victor mediated. ¡°Tell him if he keeps helping us there is plenty more to come,¡± Serena added. ¡°She says there¡¯s more where that came from if you help us,¡± Victor noted. ¡°WE WILL FEAST AND ENJOY YOUR FUTURE WIFE TOGETHER!¡± Cawthorn shouted. ¡°What did he say?¡± Serena asked. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. Do we have food?¡± Victor asked. ¡°I just realized I forgot to buy some.¡± ¡°I have a small pack, I stole it off Lenny.¡± She opened a pack around her waist. She handed him a piece of jerky and a slice of bread. ¡°I also filled the water skin.¡± The two sat down and began eating. Victor took a small piece of the jerky and bread and gave it to Cawthorn. ¡°Your gift is appreciated.¡± Cawthorn immediately choked down the food. ¡°Do you know how long mana regeneration usually takes?¡± Victor asked. ¡°How much mana do you have?¡± Serena asked. ¡°Well I have 13 total and 4 left,¡± Victor answered. ¡°Well, how much flow do you have?¡± Serena continued. ¡°13.¡± He omitted the 50% next to his stat from Luzuzal to avoid any confusion. ¡°I¡¯m not a mage and don¡¯t cast spells but I¡¯ve been told that having 1 flow regenerates about 1 mana every 100 minutes. So with 10, I¡¯d guess it''s 1 per 10 minutes.¡± Serena answered ¡°So somewhere about 8 or 9 minutes per mana at 9 mana, so an hour and a half!?¡± Victor asked, angry at himself. ¡°Most cannot adventure all day,¡± Cawthorn noted. ¡°You aren¡¯t going to do anything without mana as a mage.¡± ¡°Are there any mana potions?¡± He asked. Serena looked at him funny. ¡°Well yeah they exist but the last one I saw was selling for something like 1,000 gold. They are absurdly expensive and way harder to make.¡± ¡°Same with stamina potions?¡± He asked. ¡°Yeah those are more expensive but closer to 100 gold but still outrageously expensive,¡± Serena added. ¡°Can we go on?¡± He asked as the first point of mana returned leaving him with 5. ¡°No, I refuse.¡± Serena shook her head. ¡°You won¡¯t go until I finish recovering?¡± Victor sighed. ¡°No, I refuse to let you go until you have more mana.¡± She put her hand on his chest and looked up at him. ¡°If you want to keep going, level up your flow next time you level up. That said at higher levels from what I know combats take a lot longer. People are a lot tougher and despite improving their damage, hitting people in the head rarely kills them in a single blow if they are Tier 2 or 3. Many people don¡¯t level up much past level 10 or so their entire life. Trying to reach 10 in a single day is insane and impossible. You should temper your expectations and expect to fail.¡± For this, he pretended he didn¡¯t have his hidden skill. ¡°We have to succeed. If we encounter only skeletons at approximately 4% each it will take 19 skeletons for me to level if we split the kill equally. If it takes a little less than 10 minutes per skeleton, reaching my next level would take about 3 hours assuming I can kill each skeleton in a single hit. If I level up flow to 18 that would mean around 1 per 5 minutes, which means I can recover all 13 in about 75 minutes at that point.¡± He started to ponder to himself. ¡°You are ambitious for a human.¡± Cawthorn hops up on his head and curves down to eye level. ¡°Is your determination out of a desire to impress her?¡± ¡°I just don¡¯t like the idea of someone having slaves. People should be able to make their own choices.¡± Victor replies. ¡°They aren¡¯t even going to be killed and yet you risk your life for them?¡± Cawthorn asked. ¡°Isn¡¯t risking your life for someone else¡¯s well-being foolish?¡± ¡°I always considered myself a reasonable person but when you say it like that¡­¡± Victor hung his head for a while. The three of them waited patiently for Victor to finish regenerating mana quietly for a long time before anyone spoke again. Chapter 7: A Feathered Friend After sitting around for more than 30 minutes enjoying the sun Victor asked solemnly ¡°What will happen to them if we don¡¯t save them?¡± ¡°They¡¯ll either be sold into slavery or used by the bandits¡± She took a long pause. ¡°Entertainment.¡± She scratched at her arm and began breathing harder. ¡°I have been running the math in my head. Neither of you is wrong. What I am trying to do is impossible. Based on ideal circumstances given that I¡¯ll get less experience from each skeleton as we level up, even if we kill the skeletal mage, it is likely every monster funneling out and letting me kill it in a single spell still would not give me 5, 6, or 7 more levels.¡± Victor slumped his shoulders. ¡°I wasn¡¯t trying to be discouraging.¡± Serena put a hand on his shoulder. ¡°You¡¯ll do so much good for other people acting the way you act.¡± ¡°That doesn¡¯t help them. No one is coming for them, just like no one was coming for you.¡± Victor continued beating himself up. Cawthorn peeked over his head and once again went eye-to-eye with him. ¡°FOOLISH HUMAN DO NOT TURN AWAY FROM THE FEAST!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry Cawthorn we¡¯re still going in,¡± Victor added. ¡°Why? We can gain strength on our own schedule if you want to be stronger next time.¡± Serena pleaded. ¡°Because next time could be tonight, tomorrow, or next week.¡± Victor smiled at himself thinking of his past life. ¡®In my past life, I¡¯d always have said tomorrow is another day, but if today is my last day that isn¡¯t true. Perhaps I didn¡¯t really know the value of my own life, perhaps I didn¡¯t care enough to value it. I never wanted to live. I just didn¡¯t want to suffer, and I failed to even achieve that.¡¯ He stood up. ¡°I have 9 mana we should try going in. I¡¯m ready enough. If we have to come back out here that is fine. We can reenter and leave as many times as it takes.¡± Luzuzal Approves ¡®Really? That makes you happy?¡¯ Victor sighed. ¡°If not today when?¡± ¡°Tomorrow! We can always come back later and still do this. It¡¯s not like anyone else is coming to this place today.¡± Serena insisted. Victor shook his head. ¡°Tomorrow is a world away.¡± He took a step forward. ¡°Caw caw hah. You are a fascinating human.¡± Cawthorn pointed forward on his head. ¡°LISTEN WELL WE WILL DRAW THEM OUT! DO NOT ENTER A SINGLE ROOM! FOR FEWER THAN 4 SKELETONS YOUR FUTURE WIFE WILL ELIMINATE THEM! SPEND NO MANA ON THEM!¡± ¡°He says we will lure them out as we just did but that I am not to fire off a spell if there aren¡¯t at least 4 of them,¡± Victor explained. ¡°It might be possible for me to defeat 3 at the same time¡­¡± She scratched her cheek. ¡°They are slow. It might be possible.¡± ¡°Is there anything I can do without mana?¡± Victor asked. ¡°Not unless you are good with a sword and shield.¡± She looked down at the broken skeletons and some old weapons. One of them had a metal shield clean and shiny the rest rusted halfway across. Victor bent down and picked up both. ¡°Well, there¡¯s no time like the present to learn.¡± ¡°No! You¡¯re a mage and your strength, stamina, and agility are terrible.¡± Serena protested. Cawthorn stared at him. ¡°She says I¡¯d suck with a sword and shield.¡± ¡°HE SHALL FOLLOW MY INSTRUCTION AND SHALL DEFEAT ANY THAT REACH HIM!¡± Cawthorn screeched at her. ¡°He says with his instruction I¡¯d defeat any of them that make it to me,¡± Victor answered. ¡°I will NOT trust your life to a crow.¡± Serena pushed down his hand. ¡°We can do what we did before. If too many come out I¡¯ll kill a few with jolts. I am just going to hold this shield up to protect my chest.¡± Victor smiled at her. ¡°I think it will be fine.¡± Serena groaned. ¡°You¡¯re lucky you¡¯re doing this for a good cause.¡± She moved to the door mace in hand ready to smash in their skulls. ¡°I¡¯m ready Cawthorn.¡± Victor looked up and approached the open door. He took one step in. Cawthorn screeched as loud as possible. ¡°COME AND GET US FLESHLESS FOOLS!¡± Victor backed up and the three of them waited and waited. Nothing came out. ¡°PERFECTION THE ENTRANCE IS CLEAR!¡± Cawthorn declared. ¡°NEXT WE TO THE FIRST DOOR!¡± Victor walked into the small fort and looked around the hallway filled with the same black rocks. To the left and right the hallway extended to the corners of the building. Two doors at either end of the opening and several along the center hall stood silent for the moment. The center hall had a set of black stone stairs and a torn portrait of someone in a uniform without an upper body. ¡°Select a door pound on it and run to the entrance.¡± Victor approached the first door, rotten wood filthy smell, and a rusty handle disgusted him. He slammed his fist on the door. ¡°COME AND GET ME!¡± He turned and ran without looking back. Serena waited and Victor held his shield up with just his eyes peeking over it. Nothing came yet again. He waited and waited. ¡°I don¡¯t think there is anything in that room.¡± He walked in and approached the next closest door repeating the process however this time there was definitely movement. He ran at full speed toward the exit as two skeletons emerged. As they walked out Serena waited and smashed the second one in the head. The other skeleton hobbled toward Victor lunging at him. The shield easily blocked its lunge but knocked Victor to the ground. Serena quickly caved into the creature¡¯s skull as it fell to the ground. Skeleton 3: Experience Increase: 1.7% Skeleton 3: Experience Increase: 1.6% Current Exp to Level 6 29.1% Victor could already see a problem and watched his mana tick up to 10. He wasn¡¯t going to get much experience doing this. He sighed, it would still be good for Serena hopefully she would level up enough. So again he went in and slammed on a door in the center hall nearest the exit. Movement once more and he made his way outside quickly raising the shield. ¡°DODGE!¡± Cawthorn screeched taking off from his head. Victor tried moving to the side as an arrow raced toward him. The arrow reached the edge of his shield passing straight through it and hitting his side. Two skeletal bowmen began marching out of the dark into the light and aimed toward him. Serena didn¡¯t have time to kill both with a single strike. She hit their ribs cracking them and knocking them into each other with such force they dropped their weapons. Several extreme and furious strikes later Serena ran over to Victor and Cawthorn landed near them. ¡°No, no, no, no!¡± Serena looked at the wound. Skeleton 3: Experience Increase: 6.9% Skeleton 3: Experience Increase: 2.0% Current Exp to Level 6 38.0% -30 health Profuse Bleeding: 1 minutes, 15 damage for each minute of movement. 7 damage every 10 seconds. -7 health Victor lay there in shock from the arrow. He could feel the warm blood flowing over his gut. He coughed up blood and started panting. Pain like this is something he hadn¡¯t felt often in his life. The burning of an open wound, and the soreness all faded as Serena ripped the arrow out and once again forced open his mouth and forced a potion down his throat. She then did so again. Regenerated 5 health Regenerated 5 health Regenerated 5 health Regenerated 5 health Regeneration has removed bleeding. Regenerated 5 health Regenerated 5 health Regenerated 5 health Regenerated 5 health Health has been restored to full. ¡°You have got to be able to drink potions faster after you get hit.¡± Serena insisted. ¡°If you can¡¯t next time you get wounded we leave here. No arguments.¡± Serena insisted. ¡°My arm was pinned through the shield.¡± He made an excuse for his shock. ¡°If you get hurt again and can¡¯t drink a potion I will physically drag you away from here. If you want to stay at that point you¡¯ll need to kill me.¡± She said filled with an almost irritated determination to keep him alive. ¡°Why would you say that? I couldn¡¯t do that.¡± Victor shook his head. ¡°I figure I owe you my life. If you have to collect that debt to stay alive so be it.¡± Serena looked straight into his eyes determined. Cawthorn apologized uncharacteristically. ¡°I am sorry. I had not considered that some may have bows, BUT YOU COULD HAVE DODGED QUICKER!¡± ¡°Have you ever been in a real fight before yesterday?¡± Serena asked. ¡°I¡¯ve never been in a real fight before I rescued you, and I hadn¡¯t trained before that,¡± Victor answered. ¡°PREPOSTEROUS YOUR AIM IS INCREDIBLE! UNBELIEVABLE, LIES WILL NOT SERVE YOU HE OF HIDDEN SKILLS!¡± Cawthorn screeched. ¡°He says that my aim is too good to believe I hadn¡¯t trained before.¡± Victor clarified for her. ¡°I don¡¯t believe it either. That feels like a lie brought on by your curse. Can you not talk about your past?¡± Serena asked. ¡°Uhhhh¡± Victor stuttered. ¡°Yeah that makes sense, being cursed probably restricts what information you can share and reduces the trust people have in you. I wonder if it was meant to isolate you so people wouldn¡¯t ask for your help. That would cause more pain and suffering. The specialties of evil devils and some demons are pain and suffering.¡± Serena explained. ¡°Or it might be affecting your memory.¡± ¡®Yeah¡­ let¡¯s just go with that.¡¯ Victor thought before adding. ¡°I got more experience from the skeleton that hit me with an arrow.¡± ¡°If you get hit by another one to gain experience I swear to all that exists I will drag you away from here.¡± Serena grabbed his collar and pulled him down to her eye level. ¡°Do you understand? Your life is more important than your level!¡± ¡°Okay, I have most of my mana back I¡¯m at 12 out of 13 right now. I can blast the next room no matter what.¡± Victor explained. ¡°Fine but I mean what I said.¡± Serena insisted. Victor approached another door in the long central hallway and tapped the door with a fair bit less vigor than previously. He began making his way to the entrance not looking back as Cawthorn shouted. ¡°FLEE! FLEE FOR YOUR PITIFUL HUMAN LIFE¡± Victor glanced over his shoulder as a creature towering nearly 9 or 10 feet tall practically crawled through the door. A skeleton with a head as big as his shield clattered toward the entrance with four arms filled with swords. The clattering increased in speed. ¡°Barrier Shield!¡± Victor cast behind him as he ran. One of the four blades spun toward him at high speeds. ¡°Speed boost.¡± He ducked out of the way and let his speed boost expire after that moment. ¡°It¡¯s huge!¡± ¡°STAND AND FLEE!¡± Cawthorn screeched again. ¡°YOU MUST GET TO THE TREES!¡± Victor scrambled toward the trees as they emerged into the light. Fear crossed Serena¡¯s face as the creature stood twice her size. It hadn¡¯t spotted her and went for its blade sticking out of the ground. It ripped its blade out of the ground sending dirt flying and turned to Victor behind a tree. ¡°THIS IS NOT SUFFICIENT OPEN FIRE!¡± Cawthorn squawked. ¡°JOLT!¡± It hit square between the creature¡¯s eyes seeming to do no damage but it did cause it to stutter step stopping for the briefest moment. ¡°Oh shit.¡± He cast it again and it barely stuttered but Serena did not waste the moment. She cracked its leg as hard as she could sending a small fracture up the bone. It turned toward her. ¡°Jolt!¡± Once again it landed true only slightly staggering it as it turned toward Serena. She rolled away as it brought down all four blades. Another Jolt to the head staggered the creature just in time. Serena got hit by two of them one on her leg and one on her shoulder with a pair of narrow misses around her gut. ¡°SUPPORT YOUR FUTURE WIFE!¡± Still on the ground trying to stand up the beast brought his blades up to strike her again. ¡°JOLT!¡± Victor stepped forward. ¡°JOLT!¡± Victor could only think ¡®We are both going to die. I can¡¯t even hurt it. Wait am I going about this the wrong way?¡¯ Victor aimed another bolt at the crack as Serena darted away and drank a potion. ¡°Jolt!¡± His aim hit the crack perfectly and its leg shattered. This was a mistake that saved Serena¡¯s life. The beast turned to him and dropped two swords. It crawled at him quickly with murderous intent. Serena turned around ¡°DOUBLE TIME DASH!¡± Serena accelerated targeting its other leg so fast Victor couldn¡¯t turn to see what happened as the creature once again collapsed on the ground.¡± Serena hadn¡¯t stopped at the creature but not only passed it she passed Victor and with her mace still at the end of her swing in front of her she fell to one knee. She panted. ¡°I¡­ can¡¯t move. I¡¯m exhausted.¡± ¡°WHAT DO I DO?!¡± Victor screamed. The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. ¡°ESCAPE YOU FOOLISH HUMAN YOUR FUTURE WIFE IS GOING TO DIE FOR YOU,¡± Cawthorn shouted. ¡°Run Victor, save someone else someday.¡± She smiled as the creature dropped its remaining swords and slowly set itself upright. ¡°I¡¯m glad I at least got a taste of freedom before I died.¡± With a warm smile about to be erased, she looked straight at him ¡°Thanks, and for the record, I really like you too.¡± Brown leaves blew by her face briefly obscuring her smile. The skeleton charged and leapt at her. As its arms closed in, it blotted out the sun ready to finish her off, Victor finally fired off a final ¡°JOLT!¡± completely ineffective the creature didn¡¯t even slow down. ¡°SERENA!¡± He outstretched his hand completely helpless. Serena collapsed to the ground as a whirling blade decapitated the creature, and the tree behind it flew into the fortress. The axe planted itself straight into the black rock. A massive axe far larger than any of the weapons they had in their possession. Serena remained kneeling as someone approached. The short girl kneeling came perfectly to eye level. ¡°Well, how are you folks doing? My name is Gargrim Grimholt.¡± The dwarf had shoulders so broad the two of them could sit on top of them and still have space left over. His metal helmet and plate armor are so well made and inscribed with runes that he seems out of place. His massive black beard reached his stomach and nearly covered his mouth. Skeleton 9: Experience Increase: 20.2% Current Exp to Level 6 58.2% He stretched out his hand. To Serena who answered. ¡°I¡¯m exhausted. I won¡¯t be able to move for a while.¡± She slumped down to the ground sitting on her feet. ¡°Fair enough.¡± Gargrim started walking toward the wall and ripped his axe out of the wall pulling two large blocks out with him. He came back over to them and picked up the four swords placing 3 stacked on his back and bringing the other over to them. ¡°This might be a difficult task for you two young adventures but I¡¯m here for a specific item. If you want everything else here I don¡¯t mind you tagging along.¡± As soon as Victor broke out of his confusion and astonishment he rushed to Serena dropped to his knees and hugged her. Victor started to tear up. ¡°I¡¯m too weak. I¡¯m sorry.¡± Gargrim laughed. ¡°I didn¡¯t expect to find allies on this long road, and to be blunt I don¡¯t need you.¡± ¡°Thank you for saving me.¡± Serena nodded. ¡°You¡¯re really strong, right? What level are you?¡± Victor asked. ¡°Why would I tell you that?¡± Gargrim answered. ¡°He wants to know if you could defeat a bunch of bandits.¡± Serena cut to the chase. Victor looked like he had just been ratted out by Swordie immensely embarrassed Serena just told him outright. ¡°What do you know about them?¡± Gargrim asked. ¡°They have a tier 2 leader probably around level 11 to 12 and kidnapped a bunch of women and children to sell into slavery,¡± Victor explained. ¡°Well, I strongly dislike slavers, bandits, and raiders, all rather unsavory folk. What¡¯s in it for me?¡± Gargrim asked. ¡°They stole all the gold the adventurers¡¯ guild takes for quests and they likely have payment for those slaves. I¡¯d be shocked if they didn¡¯t have 300 gold at least.¡± Serena answered. Gargrim¡¯s eyes lit up. ¡°That is a pretty impressive payday. Do you know where they are?¡± Serena gave him the location. ¡°After I finish up here you can escort me there.¡± ¡°Can we recover? I am out of mana and she¡¯s-¡± Victor was immediately cut off. ¡°I¡¯m a dwarf in a hurry, not something you often see but I am.¡± Gargrim laughed. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. I will handle it.¡± ¡°You can¡¯t! We can¡¯t fail to rescue them.¡± Victor insisted. ¡°What is your name?¡± Gargrim asked. ¡°I¡¯m Victor Vance Vogal, this is Serena Brooks and that is Cawthorn¡± He pointed to each of them. Gargrim looked for a moment funnily at Cawthorn before asking. ¡°Did someone you know get kidnapped?¡± ¡°No,¡± Victor answered honestly. Gargrim sighed and turned away. ¡°Shame you couldn¡¯t be honest.¡± ¡°He¡¯s not lying.¡± Serena facing away from them slowly breathed in and out. ¡°He doesn¡¯t even know a single one of them.¡± He turned over his shoulder. ¡°Serena was it? You seem like the more put-together of the two of you. Why should I believe what you say?¡± She unbuttoned her shirt. ¡°That is definitely not going to work on a dwarf no matter how short you are.¡± ¡°What? No.¡± She traced her chest still red from earlier in the morning. ¡°I was a slave until earlier today. He freed me yesterday and followed through learning the Magic Writing skill this morning just to remove my slave mark. Victor is a good man.¡± Gargrim walked up clank after clank to look at the kneeling Victor directly in the eyes. He stared at him unyielding for at least a full minute neither of them so much as blinking. ¡°Prove to me you have the magic writing skill.¡± Victor scrambled to open Swordie and said ¡°Status sheet.¡± Race Human: Victor Vance Vogal Class : Mage Level: 5 Base Health : 90 Stamina : 10 Mana: 0/13 Vitality : 9 Speed : 6 Strength : 5 Prowess : 13 Endurance : 5 Rigor : 2 Willpower : 13 Flow : 13 (+50%) Luck : -100 Resistance : None Skills: Speed Reading Rank 2, Academic Rank 2 Hidden Skills: Memory Retention , Luzuzal¡¯s Delusion Rank 1 , Luzuzal¡¯s Devout Rank 1, Luzuzal¡¯s Promise Rank 6, Spells: Barrier shield Rank 1, Jolt Rank 1, Speed Boost Rank 1, Magic Writing Rank 1 Current Exp to Level 58.2% Victor scrambled to show him the book. ¡°See right there.¡± He pointed. ¡°Son did you just open an artifact to show me your status sheet.¡± Gargrim looked at him as though he realized what Victor was. ¡°What is an artifact?¡± Victor asked causing Gargrim to slap his helmet. ¡°Apparently it used to mean extremely powerful items of legendary or higher rarity but now most people consider rare or higher rarity items to be artifacts. The original definition was tied to smithing and what smiths could create. The vast majority of smiths worldwide can¡¯t make rare items anymore meaning old items at that rarity are now far more valuable.¡± Serena explained. ¡°Are you an Artifact Hunter?¡± Gargrim asked. ¡°No, but I was a slave to one years ago.¡± Serena kept panting barely able to breathe. ¡°Are you exhausted from Double Dash?¡± Gargrim continued questioning her. ¡°Yes,¡± Serena answered. ¡°You were definitely forced to learn it, weren¡¯t you? That skill sucks.¡± Gargrim started to realize they were telling the truth and relaxed. ¡°They wanted to use it for them if they were in trouble.¡± She answered. Victor brought up the skill. Double Dash Rank 1 Rarity: Common Requirements: 15 Stamina, Cost 3 stat points Instant skill Duration: 3 seconds Stamina Cost: 4x maximum stamina Increase your speed by 4 times your current stamina. Always causes full duration exhaustion unless you are immune. ¡°It¡¯s for a last-ditch effort,¡± Victor noted. ¡°If you are getting used to it then your life has already gone horribly wrong,¡± Serena explained. ¡®I guess since this isn¡¯t a game a skill you only use on the verge of death would be generally considered bad.¡¯ He considered for a moment before speaking again. ¡°I¡¯m-¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to save them. It¡¯s fine.¡± He patted Victor on the head. ¡°I will liberate both their coin and their slaves.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you need help? How can you possibly-¡± Victor once again got cut off. ¡°The answer to your question is I am level 23. I am also a Heavy Fighter focusing only on basics. I have few skills but my stats are very high.¡± He answered. Victor pulled up the heavy fighter in his book. Heavy Fighter - No skills available Stats - +36 Strength, +36 Vitality, +36 Stamina, greatly increased stats per level but cannot purchase skills until all 20 levels of this specialization are completed ¡°That¡¯s incredible!¡± Victor shouted. ¡°Yes, there are plenty of heavy fighters in this world but most of them only have the most basic skills. I didn¡¯t waste my early levels on stats and have a diverse but basic set of skills. I¡¯m confident I can cleave tier 1 and 2 enemies in half with little effort, so calm down son.¡± Gargrim patted him on the head. ¡°I¡¯m an experienced Artifact Hunter some low-level bandits don¡¯t stand a chance against me. Now for my question, what is that book?¡± ¡°I can¡¯t tell you,¡± Victor explained. ¡°I hate secrets, especially betrayal-related secrets, doors, especially wooden doors, and immortals, especially elves.¡± He narrowed his eyes. ¡°I mean literally I cannot tell you. I¡¯m cursed.¡± Victor explained. He turned to English in his HUD and said ¡°See¡±. The horrible static caused both to wince he then turned it back on. ¡°That sound was horrible.¡± He replied. ¡°I will say I don¡¯t consider that a secret. Son, you told me about it upfront and clearly don¡¯t have any intention to deceive me. It¡¯s more like a mystery.¡± He patted Victor''s shoulder. ¡°I do enjoy a good mystery. Now if you¡¯d allow me I have to go collect what I came for. Stay out here with your girlfriend and familiar.¡± ¡°She¡¯s not my girlfriend.¡± Victor protested. ¡°Yet, I¡¯m not his girlfriend yet.¡± Serena corrected Gargrim. The dwarf let out a hearty laugh. ¡°Keep pursuing your knight in shining armor girl, not every day you get rescued by a strapping young lad.¡± ¡°What?¡± Victor asked confused. ¡°Honestly just kiss him to get it through to his dull brain,¡± Gargrim added. Serena kissed him on the cheek and collapsed into his lap falling asleep. ¡°That ought to do it. It¡¯s always best to be direct. I hope you reciprocate when she wakes up.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve never kissed a girl before,¡± Victor explained. ¡°Well, then you¡¯re in for a treat when she wakes up. You saved her life. Do you like her?¡± Gargrim asked. ¡°She is badass and she¡¯s smart too. I just don¡¯t know if I should take advantage of having rescued her. It almost feels like I did a good deed and am expecting her as a reward.¡± Victor hung his head. ¡°So you are afraid a good deed had a good reward?¡± Gargrim asked truly shocked at the naivet¨¦ of Victor. ¡°I guess that¡¯s one way to say it.¡± Victor started to realize how dumb he had been. ¡°Son, when I finish getting this artifact and saving those villages, I am going to sit you down and have a long chat, and I won¡¯t hear any arguments about that.¡± Gargrim gently tapped him on the head with the flat of his axe. Victor nodded as Gargrim turned around and walked into the black fort. ¡°Give me 20 minutes.¡± In the distance, Victor could hear a dozen crashes each proceeded by the scream ¡°FUCKING DOORS!¡± The sounds of the crashes moved to the second-floor windows quickly. A wall around a window broke apart as another four-armed skeleton flew headless to the ground outside. Above the scream of a terrible voice, rasping could be heard. ¡°NO, YOU CAN''T!¡± followed by a quick ¡°AHHG!¡± ending the sounds from inside. Gargrim shortly emerged from the first floor without a scratch on him, save for some wooden shards on his boot. ¡°WE FEAST!¡± Cawthorn flew off and hundreds of crows descended into the keep. ¡°Alright, I guess I can do lunch while she sleeps.¡± Gargrim walked up to him with a green orb in hand and sat down. Chapter 8: A lucky break Gargrim opened his pack and pulled out a piece of dried sausage and some trail rations. Victor marveled at him for a moment his jaw just wide open as he quietly asked. ¡°How? Do large stat gaps cause it to be that easier for you?¡± Gargrim answered with a question of his own. ¡°How long have you been adventuring?¡± ¡°This is day 2,¡± Victor answered. Gargrim nearly choked. He finished swallowing and took a sip of his water. ¡°Son, you¡¯re not cut out for this. I came here and picked up a cool 500 gold artifact. The Golden Goddess church in the neighboring kingdom will pay for any Sphere of Undeath.¡± He held up a small slightly glowing green orb. ¡°That skeletal mage was using it for an eye to let him raise other skeletons.¡± Victor held up his book and Swordie immediately pulled it up without anything being said. Sphere of Undeath Rank 3 Rarity: Rare Item Permanent Artifact A deadly small green orb used to power necrotic magic. Each necrotic spell consumes some of this item¡¯s power and mana in exchange for improving its rank. This recharges over time but recharges instantly when a creature is killed near this item. Can only be destroyed at a sanctified site of a good god or goddess by a devout worshiper of the god or goddess. ¡°I can see why a goddess wouldn¡¯t want something that makes undead stronger going around but how could they have that much money just lying around?¡± Victor asked. ¡°The churches are loaded. People give them so much money freely for their faith so the churches in the cities are huge and always open.¡± Gargrim shrugged. ¡°What level are people typically in this country and the nearby one.¡± He asked. Gargrim shook his head. ¡°Why don¡¯t you know this kind of thing?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not from around here. I grew up in an area my curse prohibits me from talking about, but I don¡¯t even know what questions to ask my book. His name is Swordie.¡± Victor held up Swordie still open. ¡°Hello, Gargrim. This is Victor my charge in this world.¡± Sprawled across the page Swordie added to little reaction from Gargrim. ¡°He asks others questions he could ask me because he likes talking.¡± ¡°Right. Always with that.¡± Victor sighed wanting badly to shout. ¡®No, you idiot. I ask it because I want to use you to cross reference for differences between the perception of this world and the reality.¡¯ Gargrim answered. ¡°Generally speaking, if there were 100 people in this country 40-45 of them would end up in tier 1, 20-25 in tier 2, 10-15 in tier 3, 5-10 in tier 4, and 5 or less in tier 5 and 6. Tier 7 to 9 would have nearly no one in it, mostly nationally renowned people. I don¡¯t know enough about this country but to the north, there are a few like Lightbringer Luke a holy warrior in Peria to the north where I am from.¡± ¡°What about tier 10?¡± Victor asked. ¡°I¡¯ve heard stories that Deox the Destroyer, the gods, and the void lords are tier 10. Some even say they are tier 11. Other than them I¡¯ve never heard of a person reaching tier 10. If they did and they stuck around they¡¯d be able to level countries in a day, conquer the world in a week, and dominate other realms like heaven and hell in a month. I have no idea why people that powerful don¡¯t just dominate everyone on the planet because they definitely could.¡± Gargrim added. ¡°My turn for a question, for the book this time, Swordie are you intelligent or just producing the knowledge he asks for?¡± He took a bite of his jerky. ¡°I am more intelligent than my holder.¡± Swordie pierced Victor once more. ¡°I should drop you.¡± Victor glared. ¡°Then I would be more intelligent than one of the living creatures within reach of me. I refuse to say which one.¡± Swordie added. Gargrim slapped his leg. ¡°I like this book. Why is his name Swordie?¡± ¡°My preferred form is a shifting sword. However, I will not be able to return to that form for a long time. While I do not approve of everything my holder does, I do approve of his mindset, mostly, typically, when he¡¯s not being manipulated.¡± Swordie attempted to write out the last part but the last two words appeared to be massively distorted to Gargrim. ¡°What is going on there? I can¡¯t read the end of it.¡± Gargrim pointed. ¡°Apologies, I am unable to explain due to interference from an incompetent abomination that exceeds my ability at the moment,¡± Swordie added. ¡°Ah, that does make sense.¡± Gargrim nodded. ¡°I don¡¯t need to know too much about curses so I¡¯ll leave it be.¡± ¡°Do most Artifact Hunters travel alone?¡± Victor asked. ¡°No.¡± Gargrim got quiet. ¡°Why are you alone?¡± He asked. Gargrim chewed his jerky a bit and paused before taking another bite and remaining silent for a long time. ¡°Most groups don¡¯t accept what I hate. They call it disruptive even though it¡¯s the right way to adventure.¡± ¡°You said secrets, immortals, and I think doors, right? I don¡¯t understand it but is that disruptive?¡± Victor asked. ¡°Elves are common adventurers, though they often hide their true intention with illusion. Most people refuse to divulge their secrets to adventurers they may only adventure with once or twice. Doors, especially wooden doors¡­¡± Gargrim sighed. ¡°When I was a child about 30 years ago now, I was in a dwarven school. In this school, we learned many great dwarven traditions in addition to basic math and other subjects. It was a good school carved into the side of the mountain cave. The doors were made of wood as so many other doors in this world are. It is cheap material it closes the opening it seems to make sense.¡± Gargrim paused as his voice started to shake. ¡°In the middle of the day, creatures attacked the city. I learned later that demons had attacked the city. Demons are naturally immortal and live until they are killed. Those demons easily smashed through the wooden doors of the school and ripped children limb from limb. At the time I hid in a suit of display armor for a game of hide and seek facing the front door. I can still hear the screams of my classmates when I go to sleep.¡±Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions. ¡°God¡­¡± Victor drifted off. Still a little choked up Gargrim nodded at Victor. ¡°It was worse than you expected because one of the things that stood out to me was the absolute chasm between what happened to some houses. Those with wooden doors had a home painted red. A mage¡¯s home had runes carved into a stone door and had no damage whatsoever. Rich people had steel doors and while I did see one broken the other steel doors merely had claw marks as though the demons didn¡¯t care enough to enter or that they couldn¡¯t. When I reached the lowest part of the city where the castle sat the steel had broken but it appeared that it took a very long time with multiple siege weapons setup. Those wooden doors killed thousands of dwarves. If a door doesn¡¯t keep something out or keep something in the door is pointless. It exists for nothing but secrets.¡± ¡°So they all died because the city bought cheap doors? That¡¯s terrible.¡± Victor shook his head. Gargrim took a deep breath trying to avoid tears. ¡°It¡¯s gets worse. I petitioned the king immediately that same day in front of his court and yet the king disagreed saying I was a child and didn¡¯t understand anything. I made some foolish statements and hung my head as the king banished me from the kingdom after I told him the prince would still be alive if it weren¡¯t for that. It enraged him and perhaps I did go too far. I¡¯ve not been back to the Goholt kingdom since then.¡± Gargrim wiped his face. ¡°I am sorry for getting emotional.¡± He paused. ¡°Also 50 wooden door mimics later you learn paranoia.¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay.¡± Victor nodded. ¡°Thank you for sharing.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve accepted I will die far from home, likely in some dungeon completely alone but I will not compromise.¡± He nodded. ¡°That will be a long time from now though so don¡¯t worry those bandits are dead as soon as she wakes up we can go.¡± ¡°Uhg¡­ my head always feels so light after doing that. ¡°Serena rubbed her head.¡± ¡°She¡¯s awake. Let¡¯s get walking.¡± Gargrim stood up. Victor helped Serena hobble to her feet. The three of them started walking away as Cawthorn screeched returning to Victor¡¯s shoulder. ¡°FOOL YOU SHALL NOT ESCAPE ME!¡± ¡°I wasn¡¯t escaping. I thought you were done with me. You got what you wanted.¡± Victor looked at Cawthorn. ¡°FOOL I SHALL BE YOUR FAMILIAR SOON!¡± Cawthorn proclaimed with his wings spread out. ¡°Familiar?¡± Victor pulled out Swordie. Familiar Rank 1 Rarity: Uncommon Requirements: 10 Mana, Cost 5 stat points Sustained Spell: Reduces maximum mana by 2 Bonds a spellcaster and a familiar. This bond allows the spellcaster to share their level with the familiar, cast spells from the familiar, and share their mana with the familiar. The familiar may allow the spellcaster to use its senses as long as they are within 1 mile of each other. Allows you to speak to the familiar regardless of language. Victor asked. ¡°I didn¡¯t even know about familiars until just now and what makes you think you¡¯d be my familiar?¡± ¡°I AM THE GREAT CAWTHORN! IT SHALL BE I WHO REACHES THE APEX OF THIS WORLD WITH YOU!¡± He cawed in Victor¡¯s ear. ¡°You keep calling me a fool why would you want to be the familiar of someone you find to be foolish?¡± Victor asked. ¡°A foolish spellcaster is easier to mold. I will make you the greatest spellcaster of all time.¡± Cawthorn seemed to smile. ¡°YOU SHALL BE GREAT BY MY WING!¡± ¡°What is the bird saying?¡± Gargrim asked. ¡°He wants to be my familiar,¡± Victor explained. ¡°You should do it.¡± Serena nodded. ¡°Familiars are powerful additions to a mage if you find one that actively wants to be your familiar. Most spellcasters enslave a creature to make them a familiar so they cannot break the bond.¡± ¡°The bird likes you? Are you an elvish princess?¡± Gargrim tilted his eyes upward. ¡°I definitely am human and am not a princess. Very well Cawthorn when I level up I shall spend those points on the familiar skill and form a bond with you.¡± Victor looked to Swordie. ¡°Doing the bond ritual without binding them is a poor choice, as expected of my charge. The bird could break the bond and you¡¯d be unable to use the skill until you spend points to rank it up and find another familiar.¡± Swordie noted. ¡°Cawthorn, are you going to leave me like you left your flock?¡± Victor asked. ¡°NEVER! I WILL BE THE MOST POWERFUL BIRD TO EVER LIVE AND YOU SHALL BE THE SPELLCASTER I ASSIST!¡± Cawthorn proclaimed. Victor chuckled. ¡®Luzuzal¡¯s skill is effective at gathering allies. I guess what he meant by plausible is that the goals were achieved not the methods used. I wanted to save the kidnapped people, leveling up was nothing more than a means to that end. I still need to level up clearly to 10 since the specializations are extremely strong and I¡¯m not going to be able to do anything until I can defend those in trouble.¡¯ He took a deep breath. ¡°I will be happy to have you join us, Cawthorn. You may be disappointed by me though.¡± ¡°EXCELLENT! YOUR WEAKNESS IS NOTED! I SHALL MOLD YOU INTO THE GREATEST MAGE TO EVER LIVE!¡± Cawthorn proclaimed. Serena nodded. ¡°Goddess I hate exhaustion.¡± ¡°It sucks. Overdrawing your stamina is normally a nonissue because if you have enough rigor it regenerates within a minute or two at most,¡± Gargrim added. ¡°That skill is brutal on you because it always greatly overdraws your stamina and causes you to collapse for a very long time.¡± ¡°I wish I had never learned it. It¡¯s such a waste of points.¡± She sighed arm still around Victor. ¡°Thanks for coming with us Gargrim. I appreciate your help since it keeps this guy from making an incredibly stupid decision that would get him killed before I ever had a chance.¡± ¡°A chance to what?¡± Victor asked. Gargrim raised an eyebrow. ¡°Is this guy for real?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Serena smiled at Victor as the three of them reached the crossroads and turned toward the town. ¡°Very real, trust me I¡¯ve spent most of the day trying to make sure I won¡¯t wake up in a violent sweat to a horrible reality.¡± Victor asked again. ¡°A chance to what? I don¡¯t understand.¡± The two of them laughed at him and so did Cawthorn. ¡°I¡¯m so confused.¡± ¡°Swordie do you get it,¡± Victor asked. ¡°She wishes to engage in reproductive acts with you sir,¡± Swordie answered. Victor¡¯s eyes opened wide. ¡®I like her but is she the girl for me? I should try to set reasonable expectations and be honest with her like people have been telling me.¡¯ He took a deep breath. ¡°Before we reach the northern border to Peria I will decide on that matter.¡± He tried not to turn red, failing so spectacularly that his skin could be mistaken for that of a devil. Gargrim and Cawthorn laughed as Cawthorn fell off his shoulder swooping to the ground and screeching. ¡°YOUR FUTURE WIFE IS EAGERLY WAITING!¡± Serena kept her eyes on him trying not to smile. ¡°I do appreciate you two helping out.¡± Gargrim laughed. ¡°I always enjoy watching young love. It¡¯s so much fun to watch two people come together and truly enjoy each other¡¯s company.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not saying I don¡¯t like her I definitely do. I¡¯m just¡­¡± Victor trailed off. ¡°I promise I will give you a definitive answer before we reach the northern border to Peria. You said that will take about 10 days?¡± Victor said. ¡°I¡¯d be willing to wait as long as it takes.¡± The short tan girl with hair far shorter smiled at him ear to ear. The group continued with some gentle ribbing toward Victor and Serena as they approached the devastated town. Gargrim angrily clenched his fist seeing the burned buildings and the blood across the roads and walls. ¡°I do not like bandits. Take me to their camp.¡± Jaya passed by them. ¡°I see you¡¯ve found a dwarf.¡± ¡°Where are the bandits?¡± He asked. ¡°What? Are you planning to go die near them? Don¡¯t do that. They will come back for more.¡± Jaya insisted. Gargrim grabbed her shirt pulling her down to his eye level. ¡°No. There will be no survivors. Where are they?¡± His forceful glare caused Jaya to point to the road Serena and Victor reached the town from. ¡°In that direction about half a mile, take a left into the woods, they will be in a small wooden encampment. They killed all our adventurers over the past couple of days before slaughtering my town, so we didn¡¯t have a chance when they raided us. I suspect they have many traps on the way to their camp.¡± Gargrim released her shirt. ¡°Thank you.¡± Gargrim started walking and the two of them followed behind. ¡°Well, shall we go avenge this town?¡± Victor looked at his mana fully restored. ¡°Time to correct my failure.¡± Cawthorn proclaimed ¡°ONWARD TO VICTORY AND MY NEW MAGE!¡± Chapter 9: Critical need to know information With Swordie in hand and Cawthorn on shoulder, the three of them reached the point the bandits emerged from the depths of the seemingly endless green forest. Gargrim knelt down to the tracks exiting the road. ¡°How many of them did you say there were?¡± ¡°About 10 to 12 would be my best guess,¡± Victor answered. Gargrim stroked his beard deep in thought not taking a step into the grass. Victor took a step forward only to meet Gargrim¡¯s flat palm on his chest. ¡°Did they have a cart?¡± ¡°Yes. Why?¡± Victor asked. ¡°There are only horse tracks right here. Slaves would have been on foot and if they had a cart it didn¡¯t come this way. This is a false trail.¡± Gargrim nodded. ¡°It seems they are a little more cunning than their level would suggest.¡± He began walking further on. ¡°Where are we going?¡± Victor asked. ¡°If they are clever, but not too clever, they simply had a mage conceal their tracks with magic after they passed this point. There are only 3 or 4 horses that departed the road here and if you look ahead you can see absolutely no tracks for days. That¡¯s suspicious. We should keep walking until we see some tracks.¡± The three of them walked almost twice as far as they had walked so far until the road looked like it had been traveled on. Gargrim backtracked a bit and walked to the tree line. He rooted through the brush until he found a bush that lifted easily. Below it he could see groves in the dry dirt. ¡°They are a bit cleverer than I expected but it¡¯s likely a mage using some concealment magic. Mages tend to be the most intelligent members of any group.¡± Swordie flashed ¡°Many groups. The most intelligent members of many groups.¡± ¡°I never would have found that,¡± Victor commented ignoring Swordie¡¯s snarky response. ¡°It was pretty well hidden. I could learn something from you.¡± Serena nodded. ¡°I¡¯ve been doing this for more than 20 years. For a dwarf 45 is almost a lifetime. We learn fast.¡± He sighed. Swordie independently commented. Dwarven Lifespan: 55 Year average. ¡°I¡¯ll be too old to adventure soon enough, assuming I don¡¯t die in a dungeon.¡± He sighed. ¡°What are the average life spans of other races?¡± Victor asked Swordie Human Lifespan: 65 Year average. Elven Lifespan: Immortal until killed. Devil Lifespan: Immortal until killed. Angel Lifespan: Immortal until killed. Halfling: 111-year average. Half Dragon: 130 Year average. Half Elf: 500 Year average. Dragon: 2000-year average. ¡°Wow, everything here lives for so long,¡± Victor commented. Gargrim burst out laughing. ¡°Everything can live for a long time. Most things don¡¯t.¡± ¡°How long do demons live Swordie?¡± Victor asked out of curiosity. Demons do not exist. Demon is a name given by the people of this world to devils who have gone berserk and lost their minds. Victor blinked not sure if he should share the information. Serena read it over his shoulder saying nothing but turning to Victor in confusion. Another few lines quickly followed. Demons do not exist. Demon is a name given by the people of this world to devils who have gone berserk and lost their minds. Demons have lost control of their shapeshifting ability. These creatures tend toward being forced to shapeshift into efficient killing machines. If fed consistently and mana is maintained for between 1 and 30 days depending on the length of starvation they will revert to their devil form. ¡®I hadn¡¯t expected to learn something like that.¡¯ Victor could only think trying not to say it aloud and failing spectacularly. ¡°Demons don¡¯t exist according to Swordie.¡± Gargrim raised an eyebrow. ¡°I¡¯ve seen demons kill so many dwarves. They kill thousands and thousands on their rampage. I don¡¯t know how you could ever say that.¡± He seemed genuinely distraught and while clearly not yet angry and if Victor hadn¡¯t turned Swordie to him Gargrim might have gotten extremely angry. ¡°I don¡¯t understand. Devils tend toward cruelty but you can speak to them. You can make deals with them. I know they are in a holy war far to the east on the other continent but they aren¡¯t mindless killing machines.¡± He sank to his knees. ¡°It looks like they only become demons if they are starving,¡± Victor noted. ¡°My home died because a bunch of devils were hungry? They weren¡¯t even ravenous monsters?¡± Gargrim stomped off toward the woods panting hard with blood pressure so high he may have gained some strength and anger ready to blow apart anything he came into contact with. The two of them followed him through the forest trudging through what revealed itself to be a trail after only getting slightly off the main road. As the three of them stomped into the distance Gargrim threw one of the large swords into the distance abruptly. It connected with a tree piercing straight through it. Gargrim dashed up to a still bleeding man crawling away with a serious wound to his back. ¡°Tell me where the rest are and I¡¯ll make it quick.¡± The man groaned at him saying nothing reaching for a weapon only to be suddenly decapitated by Gargrim. ¡°That should be the only scout given the size of the encampment.¡± ¡°How did you see him?¡± Serena asked. ¡°I didn¡¯t have a clue he was there.¡± ¡°He was practically invisible,¡± Victor commented. ¡°I caught the white of his eye. He was well hidden. If you want to help, prioritize your own lives and the lives of the captives. I¡¯m going to be killing every single one of these bandits in a glorious bloody mess.¡± Gargrim gripped his massive double-sided axe in both hands. He gritted his teeth and clanked forward. A seething dwarf and his two followers came into view of a large wooden gate. Gargrim angrily charged as a man above noticed the three of them approaching. ¡°FUCKING DOORS!¡± The gate doors flew hundreds of feet into the camp flattening at least one bandit into a bloody mess. ¡°Jolt!¡± Victor blasted a bandit in the head on the tower watching the gate. Serena began to slink off to the right. ¡°I¡¯ll find the captives.¡± Gargrim started walking into the encampment. Two towers and a small town''s worth of buildings about 2 dozen in count dotted the opening. Two arrows clinked off his armor. He returned a massive sword to one of the towers hitting the bandit and crashing the tower to the ground. ¡°THE TOWERS!¡± Cawthorn shouted. ¡°Jolt!¡± Victor shot the other bandit on the tower out of it in a single shot. Rogue 7: Experience Increase: 9.6% Rogue 7: Experience Increase: 9.4% Current Exp to Level 6 77.2% In the time it took Victor to blast the two off their towers, he looked back to see three more bandits dead as red mist spewed into the air splattering all over the nearby hut. Gargrim smashed down the door to that hut with his boot. He entered, a scream erupted from the hut then he emerged even bloodier than he entered with an angry glowering face as he kicked down the next door. Rogue 7: Experience Increase: 0.3% Rogue 8: Experience Increase: 0.4% Rogue 7: Experience Increase: 0.2% Rogue 7: Experience Increase: 0.3% Rogue 6: Experience Increase: 0.1% Current Exp to Level 6 78.5% A bandit started charging at him at the same speed the skeleton did earlier. ¡°Barrier Shield!¡± He screamed at the top of his lungs. It formed just in time for the bandit to bounce off. The bandit reeled back stunned with his hand on his head just in time to catch the ¡°Jolt!¡± to his head. Rogue 7: Experience Increase: 0.2% Rogue 8: Experience Increase: 10.4% Current Exp to Level 6 87.8% Victor decided since he didn¡¯t know what to do here he would just gate keep anyone trying to leave. Serena quickly appeared to his right near the entrance hiding between two huts. She had 6 women and 6 children following behind her and escorted them out of the camp. Victor noticed a bandit climbing up on a hut and drawing a bow in time to nail it with a ¡°JOLT!¡± He fell harmlessly to the ground. Rogue 7: Experience Increase: 9.2% Current Exp to Level 6 98.0% ¡°GET BACK HERE YOU COWARD!¡± Gargrim started to run toward the gate chasing a burly man bleeding but running at top speed. ¡°Too easy for my mage.¡± Cawthorn turned up the edge of his beak. ¡°JOLT! JOLT!¡± Victor extended both his hands and tried to cast both at the same time. Only one spell shot out still hitting the bandit leader square in the head staggering him just in time for Gargrim to increase the total number of pieces he consisted of. Rogue 12: Experience Increase: 30.0% Level 6 Reached!The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings. Current Exp to Level 7 28.0% ¡°Good work son, I¡¯m shocked you managed to do much here.¡± Gargrim walked up to Victor and suddenly noticed Serena already managed to free the hostages. ¡°Well, well aren¡¯t you two just the prodigious little pair.¡± None of the three could hear the bowstring draw over the tears of joy the hostages were crying. Two arrows flew through the air like a hawk racing to a rat. One managed to find a space in Gargrim¡¯s armor the other connected with Victor¡¯s neck. The left side of his neck suddenly had an arrow piercing it. He could feel the sudden spurt of blood gush out. ¡°POTION!¡± Cawthorn screamed. -82 Health Profuse Bleeding: Take 60 damage per minute of movement. 30 Damage per second. Victor immediately gripped a health potion as he saw the icon on profuse bleeding tick around. Victor knew he had one second not a moment more. He bit down through the glass and felt the sweet almost cherry flavor of the healing potion slide down his neck. -3 Health Regenerated 5 Health Profuse Bleeding: Reduced to bleeding. Regenerated 5 Health Regenerated 5 Health. Regenerated 5 Health. To remove bleeding remove sources then regenerate health. Current sources of bleeding arrow and glass. His body fell to the ground dramatically. Glass lined his mouth as he fell to the ground and spit with all his might. Gargrim stood in front of him blocking any further arrows. Serena screamed throwing two daggers at the bandit on the root missing narrowly as he ducked down and fired again before firing another two arrows. Gargrim¡¯s armor blocked one and he blocked another one headed for his face clanked off his axe. Serena took one of the potions on her bandoleer and immediately forced his head up and poured it down his throat. ¡°Hold still.¡± Regenerated 5 Health Regenerated 5 Health Regenerated 5 Health Regenerated 5 Health ¡°No.¡± Victor looked at the archer that hit Gargrim in a small hole on his arm again. He pointed his finger at the archer as he drew another two arrows. ¡°Jolt!¡± ¡°INDOMITABLE VALOR SPRINGS FORTH FROM THE GREATEST MAGE! A PERFECT SHOT!¡± Cawthorn cheered. Rogue 9: Experience Increase: 14.9% Current Exp to Level 7 42.9% Bleeding: -30 health 18/90 Health The jolt landed square on target knocking the target off the hut. Gargrim immediately dashed away as soon as he disappeared from view. Serena screamed at him ¡°HOLD STILL!¡± She forced three more potions down his neck. Regenerated 5 Health Regenerated 5 Health Regenerated 5 Health Regenerated 5 Health Regenerated 5 Health Regenerated 5 Health Regenerated 5 Health Regenerated 5 Health Regenerated 5 Health Regenerated 5 Health Regenerated 5 Health Regenerated 5 Health 78/90 Health ¡°Now listen to me right here you stupid suicidal hero I have to break this arrow.¡± She handed him another potion. ¡°You have to have it removed or the bleeding won¡¯t stop and will make moving from this spot impossible. You¡¯ll take more damage when I move it. As soon as it¡¯s out take that potion.¡± She carefully cracked the back of the arrow and then quickly pulled it through. Victor downed the potion inside of the same second. -30 Health Regenerated 5 Health Bleeding: reduced to 3 per minute of movement. Regenerated 5 Health Regenerated 5 Health Regenerated 5 Health 68/90 Health Gargrim returned with the head of the last bandit. ¡°He¡¯s dead. His bow was junk but he was very proficient. He got me good three times.¡± Serena forced open his mouth and reached in three times to pull out shards of glass then poured another potion down his throat. Gargrim cracked his arrows and pulled them out drinking a potion quickly after. -3 Health Regenerated 5 Health Regenerated 5 Health Regenerated 5 Health Regenerated 5 Health 85/90 Health Victor coughed desperate to breathe. ¡°Thank you. I¡¯m sorry I should have been faster and avoided that.¡± ¡°That one wasn¡¯t on you son. None of us caught him. If anything it was my fault for not being thorough. It¡¯s customary for rogues to target mages. They die easiest. They aren¡¯t tough like fighters, fast like rogues, and they can¡¯t heal themselves like priests can. Generally, the mage is always the number one or two target depending on how powerful the priest of a group is.¡± Gargrim leaned down. ¡°Is he going to be okay?¡± Serena panting and panicked just rocked back and forth until Gargrim put his hand on her shoulder. He nodded at her and waited. ¡°He¡¯ll live.¡± She grabbed his body and rocked back and forth. ¡°Goddess caring about a mage¡¯s life is going to kill me.¡± ¡°WHY DOES EVERYTHING CAUSE BLEEDING!?¡± Victor shouted briefly scaring the villagers. ¡°Because you have blood you dummy.¡± Serena formed a fist and gently bonked his head. ¡°Sorry. I didn¡¯t mean to shout. How are you supposed to deal with bleeding? Gargrim straight up ran and didn¡¯t bleed to death.¡± Victor asked still looking at the ground panting. ¡°I have the Staunch skill,¡± Gargrim said and Victor pulled out Swordie. Staunch Rank 3 Rarity: Uncommon Requirements: 30 vitality, Fighter 1 or Rogue 21, Cost 1 stat point Passive Skill Reduces bleeding damage by 60%. Profuse bleeding frequency and damage reduced by 60%. This skill automatically ranks up for fighters. ¡°What do rogues do?¡± Victor asked. ¡°We don¡¯t get hit or we drink a potion, or just stop moving. Our extreme speed lets us use items far faster than anyone else. Some rogues level up Rigor especially if they are higher level. If you regenerate 5 health bleeding reduces in severity. If you recover 20% of your maximum and whatever made you bleed isn¡¯t still inside you.¡± She picked up half an arrow and wagged it at him. ¡°It will stop the bleeding. Lower tier adventurers just need a potion to stop bleeding.¡± ¡°Alright I get it; I just don¡¯t know what to do.¡± He pulled out his book. ¡°How do mages deal with bleed?¡± You level up. Mages are weak to bleed at low levels and until you gain levels there are no options other than a healing potion, high rigor, bandages, or a healing magic you to deal with it. ¡°Are you KIDDING ME!?¡± Victor grabbed his throat. ¡®I¡¯m never going to make it to level 10 much less high enough levels to actually help people.¡¯ One of the children walked up to Victor and hugged him. ¡°Mister, are you okay?¡± Victor stopped for a moment and realized. ¡®I won. I got what I wanted. I nearly died but I didn¡¯t. Is this what delusion feels like? I knew I could do it and felt almost inevitable, but I nearly died. Would Luzuzal allow me to die in pursuit of my goals?¡¯ That question turned Victor whiter than he already was. ¡®Luzuzal would.¡¯ That answer brought him to absolute fear. In the wake of what should be cheering and joy he could only feel terror. The child hugging him spoke up again. ¡°Mister?¡± Victor shook his head and put his hand on the young girl. ¡°I¡¯m fine, all of you are safe now.¡± All of the rescued villagers rushed the three of them. Three of them ran to Serena and started asking rapid questions. ¡°Lady who are you?¡± ¡°My name is Serena Brooks.¡± She looked down to the child. ¡°You¡¯re so brave!¡± Another proclaimed. In front of Gargrim a child looked at him at eye level and asked. ¡°How did you get so strong?¡± ¡°A lot of practice, over a long time.¡± Gargrim patted the child on his head. The one child on Victor ran to Serena as soon as he sat back and smiled at them. The six women walked up to them and began speaking with the other two as Victor sat there collecting them. One woman held out her hand to help Victor up. Victor took the hand up and painted a smile on his face. ¡°Thank you.¡± The woman continued. ¡°I¡¯m Sava Jenel, the blacksmith of our village. I can¡¯t believe someone actually came to save us. How much did they pay you?¡± ¡°They didn¡¯t pay us.¡± Victor scratched the back of his neck where the small scar now dotted his neck. ¡°Then why would you come?¡± She asked. ¡°It¡¯s just what we do.¡± Victor smiled. Gargrim with a new coin pouch on his waist shook his head to correct Victor. ¡°Sava I came for the bandits equipment and gold. She came because she wanted to keep him from dying miserably, which she definitely did. Victor came because he wanted to save all of you.¡± ¡°Wait seriously?¡± She asked. ¡°Yeah I¡¯m a real bleeding heart.¡± Victor paused and his eyes opened wide. ¡°I really hope that isn¡¯t ever literal.¡± ¡°Well we all owe you our lives. If you need anything stop by my shop back in town.¡± Sava extended her hand and Victor shook it. ¡°Ladies and gentlemen shall we return to the village?¡± Gargrim started walking to lead the way. ¡°I wish I was half the man Gargrim is.¡± Victor sighed. ¡°YOU WOULDN¡¯T BE ABLE TO CARRY ME AT THAT SIZE!¡± Cawthorn squawked. ¡°I meant, oh never mind.¡± Victor sighed. As Gargrim lead the twelve rescued villagers away the two of them trailed behind. Serena wrapped her arm around his shoulder and hung off it. ¡°You¡¯re literally twice the man he is. You made the choice to come here before you met him. You were ready to die leveling up to the point I¡¯d have to stop you. You¡¯re too good for your own good.¡± ¡°I guess that¡¯s true. I just don¡¯t feel like I did anything, and I nearly got killed doing that.¡± Victor sighed. ¡°You did nearly get killed, but without your intervention, they would all be slaves right now.¡± Serena shook her head. ¡°Look if you tell people you did this they literally wouldn¡¯t believe you, or they¡¯d think you had something to gain. People around here just do not act like you. Plenty of people believe in returning favors, or helping someone they care for but risking their lives for random strangers without a reward? I¡¯d be shocked if there were 10 still alive in the entire country. Plenty of wannabe fools try next time you won¡¯t be so lucky. So after we make our way north I am going to find a cleric and we can go adventuring until we reach level 10 or 11. A few weeks or months until you finally can take a specialization and defend yourself.¡± ¡°I feel like I selected the highest difficulty setting.¡± Victor searched his delusional HUD for the difficulty setting and could not find one. ¡®Damn, so close.¡¯ ¡°You¡¯re a low-level mage trying to save everyone. It¡¯s a miracle you managed to save me 2 on 1.¡± Serena laughed. ¡°You¡¯ve got to learn to take the win.¡± Victor looked ahead at the happy children and women following after Gargrim. He felt the warmth of Serena¡¯s arm hanging on his neck ¡®Well this definitely feels good, and they are all still alive and so am I. She¡¯s right, we won.¡¯ He glanced at Luzuzal¡¯s Promise . ¡®Thank you Luzuzal, even if I die as long as you let me win in the end it will all be worth it.¡¯ Chapter 10: Guessing Game As the group approached the town several people ran to them each tearfully squeezing their children or wives while a few women had no one approach them. Sava simply looked at the ground and wiped her face off. ¡°It hurts so much that he¡¯s gone.¡± Sava¡¯s voice wavered. ¡°Who did you lose?¡± Gargrim asked. ¡°My husband, he tried to save me. They stabbed him and pulled me away from him as he bled to death. I didn¡¯t even get to hold him in his last moments.¡± Sava took a deep quivering breath. ¡°I need to hit something.¡± She walked on to her blacksmithing shop and went inside. Gargrim looked over at Victor and sighed. ¡°It¡¯s always hard seeing this. Every time. It never gets easier.¡± ¡°I guess just because you save someone it doesn¡¯t magically fix their life.¡± Victor once again surveyed the damage. ¡°At least some of them still have their loved ones and they''re all alive.¡± ¡°It¡¯s too late in the day to set out on the road. I don¡¯t want to stay here any longer.¡± Gargrim slumped his shoulders. ¡°If you want to come with me tomorrow to the north I will take you near to the border. I want to be out of Hoxal and back in Peria sooner rather than later.¡± ¡°What do you mean near the border?¡± Victor asked. ¡°Hoxal has many border walls to keep others out and to prevent some people from leaving. They¡¯d take the artifact I came here for in the first place if I went over the border. The massive mountain range makes guarding the border impossible. So I will go through the mountains.¡± Gargrim explained. ¡°Can we accompany you?¡± Victor seemed almost hopeful that he could. ¡°Listen son going through the caves and trails I go through would kill you. If you find me in the capital city of Kival feel free to come find me. I¡¯ll likely be relaxing for a while thanks to these big paydays.¡± Gargrim explained. ¡°Besides, and don¡¯t take this the wrong way, you need a lot of work. You need to spend a long time dealing with the most basic low-level creatures to learn situational awareness and positioning. You were standing at the gate preventing people from leaving and blasting those on the roof that was great for offense! Your position however exposed most of your body. You don¡¯t have the mindset of a long-range spellcaster who has a small handful of health. If you wanted to be close range you¡¯re going to struggle unless you get the Spellsword Specialization. Lean on her and fight low-level creatures for a few months. There is still risk, adventuring is always risky but the likelihood of a level 1 or 2 goblins killing you in a single hit is significantly lower than a creature above your level. It takes longer but fighting something your level is foolish, fighting things above your level should be not but a last-ditch effort, sure it will level you faster, but you¡¯ll be dead before long.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a lot of advice. I¡¯ll take it to heart.¡± Victor nodded. Serena came over and once again wrapped her arm around his neck practically hanging off him given how much shorter she was than him. The sun nestled itself between mountain peaks in the distance and she smiled. ¡°That was one hell of a day.¡± The three of them walked into town into the sunset finally reaching the still-damaged inn. ¡°I bet I leveled up; we can do that in the morning though. For now, a good meal and a nice warm bed sounds great!¡± ¡°It should be early enough to get some food.¡± Gargrim nodded. ¡°I could use some meat.¡± Victor nodded. ¡°Do you have beef here?¡± ¡°What is beef? It sounds delicious.¡± Gargrim¡¯s mouth started to water. ¡®Oh no, are there no cows in this world?¡¯ Victor started to realize that possibility and opened Swordie. ¡°Cow.¡± On Verdan the Earth species cow exists under the name Long Horn. On Verdan both male and female of the species grow horns. ¡°Oh, it¡¯s just a different name. According to Swordie, the animal is named Long Horn here.¡± Victor noted. ¡°Oh, I love Long Horn Steaks!¡± Gargrim¡¯s mouth started to water. ¡°I¡¯ve not had one of those since I was 12.¡± Serena smiled. ¡°My masters never bought me any and in the years before that, my family got poorer and poorer as the village failed. I¡¯d love to get one but I can¡¯t possibly afford 2 gold for that.¡± ¡°Wait it¡¯s 2 gold? Aren¡¯t potions 3 gold?¡± Victor asked. ¡°Yeah, steak is expensive.¡± Serena sighed. ¡°Oh, I almost forgot. Fair is fair.¡± Gargrim sat down on a rock and pulled out his coin purse and began counting coins. He poured a hundred coins into two pouches. ¡°There was about 400 gold worth of gold coins. Given how much I did I think it¡¯s fair to give each of you 100 of it and I will take 200 gold. That seems fair enough it is pretty standard even given the massive difference in strength.¡± ¡®I see. She did mention that most groups ran rewards this way. It feels unequal but this entire world feels unequal.¡¯ Victor nodded with a smile. ¡®I guess I can¡¯t be too upset it was mostly him doing the work and it would have been impossible without him. I won¡¯t dwell on it.¡¯ He reached out and took the coins. ¡°Thank you, once again I appreciate your help.¡± He extended his hand and shook the dwarf¡¯s hand. Serena held the coin bag in her hand and opened it slowly. She began to cry distraught. She held the gold close to her chest. She sniffled truly broken as she took out ten gold coins in her hand. She started to pant deeply and started to have a panic attack. She dropped them one by one into the bag and buried her eyes in her hands. ¡°Ten gold. Ten gold¡­¡± Gargrim seemed confused. ¡°One hundred gold young lady, I assure you feel free to count it all.¡± ¡°She was sold for 10 gold,¡± Victor explained wrapping his arm around her as she cried silently. She shivered as it finally reached her. ¡°They sold me for so little because I was wounded and they didn¡¯t want to heal me. My life was so meaningless to him. 10 gold coins would have bought my freedom.¡± She shook trying to control her tears. ¡°I hold someone¡¯s life in my hands right here¡­¡± She took a deep breath ¡°And I can¡¯t bring myself to even consider using it to free someone!¡± She took three more panting breaths practically begging her body to cooperate. ¡°You spent four times my life on consumables and then used it to save a dozen women and children. I just¡­¡± She shook her head. ¡°Aye, slavery reduces a life to nothing more than a pile of gold coins. It¡¯s a pretty terrible practice but what are you going to do, kill every slaver?¡± Gargrim asked. Victor thought to himself. ¡®I wish I had a hat so I could tip it to him and smile.¡¯ He turned to him. ¡°That would be a good start.¡± ¡°HAH! Son you really are delusional, a truly crazy kid,¡± Gargrim replied. Serena¡¯s breathing started to slow and she wiped her face off. ¡°I¡¯ll never get over how worthless I was to him.¡± ¡°You aren¡¯t worthless to me.¡± Victor stood up and extended his hand. ¡°You¡¯ll never serve another master ever again. That gold is yours. Do what you want with it. I¡¯d say you more than earned a steak if you want one.¡± She took his hand and stood back up. ¡°That does sound good.¡± ¡°Well then let¡¯s go get dinner!¡± Gargrim slapped his legs and stood up. The three of them sat down at the inn. Most of the tables had been destroyed by the bandits but one with four chairs remained intact in the corner. The innkeeper who gave them the room last night quickly walked over. ¡°What¡¯ll it be?¡± ¡°Do you have any Long Horn steaks?¡± Gargrim asked. ¡°I do but it¡¯s expensive. Those damned bandits didn¡¯t make their way down to my preserves and wine at the very least.¡± He answered. ¡°It¡¯ll be 3 gold out here. Not exactly easy to get the stuff.¡± ¡°That¡¯s fine. I¡¯ll have that and whatever the strongest alcohol you have is. It¡¯s a celebration after all.¡± Gargrim¡¯s smile came through his beard.Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. ¡°Sir, are you sure? The strongest I have is a Dwarven Rocksmasher vintage.¡± The innkeeper noted. ¡°A single glass of it is 9 gold.¡± ¡°You have Rocksmasher? It¡¯s so expensive; bring me a glass and a mug of beer along with the steak medium.¡± Gargrim nodded sure of himself. ¡°I¡¯ll take a beer and a steak, medium.¡± Serena nodded having regained control she now seemed to be excited for the food. Victor paused unsure if he should order beer. He had never drank before. ¡®Should I drink? No, I don¡¯t want to do something like that right now, especially if Serena is going to get drunk and something could happen.¡¯ Victor placed his order. ¡°I¡¯ll take water and the steak, medium.¡± Cawthorn squawked. ¡°MEAT!¡± ¡°I¡¯ll also take a sausage for Cawthorn.¡± He nodded. ¡°I will get to making those for all of you.¡± He walked behind the inn counter and poured two mugs of beer and a glass of water. He brought those to the table and then opened a hatch behind the counter and started stepping down. He eventually emerged and opened a door to the back and lit a fire. ¡°Oh is he a mage too?¡± Victor asked. ¡°Many chefs are mages,¡± Gargrim explained. ¡°They use fire magic to manipulate the flames and cook meals evenly.¡± ¡°I guess that makes sense, most people would use their skills and stat points to be more proficient at their jobs instead of being combatants.¡± Victor just started to realize how divergent lives in this world could be. ¡°Do they still gain experience?¡± ¡°Well yeah, but experience is typically based on danger, difficulty, and contribution. Some mages in schools and mage towers know exactly how it works but I¡¯ve never seen it. That said, fighting things endangers your life, is objectively difficult, and how much you contribute to the defeat of said creature directly determines how much experience you receive.¡± Serena explained. ¡°Wait wouldn¡¯t that mean as a slave you were constantly taking away experience from the men who had used you as a slave?¡± Victor asked. She went quiet and Gargrim spoke up. ¡°Adventurers use slaves to check for traps, search dangerous rooms, and lead the way. They are often directed only to defend themselves and restrain creatures even if they could kill them. They use slaves as cannon fodder. Lower-level combat-capable slaves typically survive between 3 and 10 missions before dying. It¡¯s rare for them to ever level up.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± Victor realized just how much worse it really was. ¡°I didn¡¯t know.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡± She took a long drink of her beer and tapped her fingers on the glass rapidly as though she was debating something. ¡°When did you say you¡¯d decide about me?¡± Her sly smile cracked her tan skin as a single short hair fell over her eye. ¡°I¡¯ll decide before we reach Peria.¡± Victor nodded. She took another drink. ¡°Right now we haven¡¯t reached Peria.¡± Her smile grew slightly smug. ¡°Your future wife wishes to drink her fill.¡± Cawthorn calmly noted. ¡°Cawthorn, can you stop calling her that?¡± Victor asked turning red. ¡°Wait what is he calling me?¡± She leaned toward the bird. ¡°It¡¯s nothing.¡± Victor insisted as he became more embarrassed than he had ever felt before. ¡°Ooo I bet it''s good. Tell me.¡± She pressed on. ¡°Cawthorn calls you my future wife.¡± He answered. Gargrim spit out his beer before laughing. Serena threw her head back laughing. ¡°Tell Cawthorn he¡¯s great!¡± Victor relayed the information to Cawthorn he nodded. ¡°Caw caw hah of course your future wife knows greatness when she sees it. She will be good for you.¡± Gargrim laughed. ¡°You know there is only one way you¡¯ll ever get rid of that title future wife.¡± She brought her head back to level and tilted it with a mischievous smile. ¡°Of course! Not an easy task with him though. I might even level up when I remove that title.¡± Victor put his hands up. ¡°Hold on, I still haven¡¯t had time to think about it really at all. I¡¯m not opposed to a relationship with you I just don¡¯t know how I feel.¡± ¡°Why?¡± Serena leaned forward. ¡°I¡¯ve never had a girlfriend. This dinner is the closest thing to a date I¡¯ve ever been on.¡± He held his water in his hand tightening his grip. The innkeeper returned with their food and the Rocksmasher in a small glass. ¡®You know I haven¡¯t had steak in years.¡¯ He thought as he took the knife and carved off a piece of the charred steak and the taste felt heavenly after nearly dying earlier. ¡°Oh, so you¡¯re really inexperienced and sheltered not just small town sheltered more like lived out of one room and a library in a mage tower sheltered.¡± Gargrim took a bite of his steak. ¡®That is a shockingly close assessment of my life.¡¯ Victor thought. ¡°That isn¡¯t far off.¡± Serena took another gulp. ¡°Well, that makes a LOT more sense.¡± ¡°Yeah that fits I haven¡¯t seen many mages like this but a couple I¡¯ve met had preconceptions about the outside world that didn¡¯t fit at all with the country or city they lived in,¡± Gargrim noted downing his Rocksmasher and shivering a little. ¡°Goddess that¡¯s good stuff.¡± ¡°Oh, I bet I know he tried to make a deal with a devil for power while studying with a caring instructor and the price of the curse has something to do with his past or the source of his power. Might have something to do with his luck.¡± Serena looked at Gargrim. ¡°I like that theory. It definitely fits but it¡¯s not like he can confirm it. Wait we could just ask him a bunch of questions and he can deny it until we get it right.¡± Gargrim smiled. ¡°Well, son what do you think? Were we right?¡± ¡®Do not test me.¡¯ The message popped up in Victor¡¯s vision. ¡°The curse is telling me if you figure it out something bad will happen. If I help you at all in this matter it will be bad. So, I refuse.¡± Victor noted. ¡°I wonder if the instructor kicked him out of the mage tower after that event.¡± Serena ate a chunk of her steak. ¡°So good!¡± Victor fed the smoked sausage to Cawthorn who choked it down whole. ¡°MARVELOUS!¡± ¡°Oh, I bet I know! Someone died as a result of his carelessness that¡¯s why his instructor sent him here. It explains his absolutely intense desire to save others.¡± Gargrim added to Serena. Victor sighed and tried to change the subject. ¡°The food is good.¡± ¡°That¡¯s got to be it! A shut-in mage who summoned a devil with his only friend and it cost him his life! Then his instructor sent him out in the world likely in hopes of teaching him a lesson about the value of life, and now he¡¯s learning that others are even more reckless with life than he was. I bet his teacher was some kind of pure-hearted angel.¡± Serena leaned her head on her knuckles. Victor took a deep breath and ate his steak. ¡°Cawthorn, do you like the food?¡± ¡°THE FOOD IS FANTASTIC!¡± Cawthorn proclaimed. ¡°Oh, I¡¯d love to meet an angel. They are always so beautiful.¡± Gargrim noted. Victor pulled out Swordie and cracked him open. ¡°Swordie how do you feel about angels? Are they right?¡± ¡°Angels are the pinnacle of virtue. Most virtues are named after angels, most vices after ancient devils.¡± Swordie noted. ¡°Oh he pulled out the book. He clearly wants us to solve it I bet his master is an angel!¡± Serena added. ¡°I bet she is just as beautiful as the Golden Goddess. Oh, what I wouldn¡¯t give to see just one before I die.¡± Gargrim sighed. ¡°No no!¡± Serena corrected him ¡°He¡¯s basically never interacted with a woman so the angel had to be a guy!¡± Gargrim grimaced and glanced at him. ¡°Ah hell, you¡¯re right. His instructor was definitely a guy.¡± Victor took a drink of his water. ¡°Cawthorn would you like a drink.¡± He raised his glass to Cawthorn. ¡°OF COURSE MY MAGE¡± Cawthorn proclaimed lapping up all remaining water he had left. ¡°At least that backstory makes some sense.¡± Serena nodded. ¡°Regardless of your past I¡¯m willing to wait but I¡¯m doing everything I can not to leap across this table and kiss the hero who rescued me.¡± ¡°At least you are forward with him. A lot of girls would just pretend they didn¡¯t have feelings for him until he confessed to them or forever if he was too dense to notice her. You¡¯re going after him and I respect that.¡± Gargrim reached a fist across the table and Serena pressed her fist up to his to bump it. ¡°Take good care of him.¡± ¡°I plan to!¡± She laughed. Chapter 11: Luck is an overpowered skill The two of them retired to a single room they rented for the night. Cawthorn said he¡¯d sleep on the roof and watch over the inn. Once again the innkeeper gave them the night for free as it turned out his niece was among those freed. Gargrim took a different room for the evening and a slightly drunk Serena noted. ¡°Oh yeah, I don¡¯t have a change of clothes.¡± She shrugged and threw off her shirt before covering up in bed and closing her eyes almost immediately. ¡®Why do I feel immensely wrong getting in the bed now?¡¯ He took a pillow and was about to throw it on the floor. ¡°Fine.¡±Serena groaned and got her shirt back on. ¡°Get in the bed, I¡¯m not going to do anything to you. I am used to sleeping completely naked because for so long I was forced to. Even though it has always been some of the worst memories of my life, it is now hard to sleep with clothes on. I know you didn¡¯t see yesterday but I actually took all of my clothes off yesterday and woke up early to get dressed before you could see.¡± Victor paused and his brain seemed to lock up. ¡®I already slept with a naked woman? That can¡¯t be right. No, it¡¯s definitely possible. Serena is just waiting on my word and she¡¯d be on top of me immediately. So she slept naked next to me?¡¯ He asked her. ¡°Did you really sleep naked next to me last night?¡± ¡°I really wanted to rest my head on your chest, but I didn¡¯t want to wake you. You¡¯re the first man I¡¯ve ever actually wanted to share a bed with, but I understand my scars have destroyed my body. I wish I had found you sooner so you could have had me whole.¡± She pulled the blanket closer to her covering all but her head and facing away. ¡®Aw shit I screwed up. I should at least let her be comfortable.¡¯ He lied to himself. ¡®As long as I keep my pants on it will be fine.¡¯ He sat down on the bed. ¡°If it makes you more comfortable you can do that as long as it doesn¡¯t go any farther.¡± Her clothes ejected from beneath the blanket and the blanket fell back down on her without Victor seeing anything. A high-speed stat had some advantages. He took off his shoes and laid down next to her. The bed felt especially soft as he started to close his eyes he felt her head move over to his chest. At first, his heart rate skyrocketed and they both just listened to his rapid heartbeat before he eventually got used to it. ¡®This doesn¡¯t feel bad at all.¡¯ Victor noted only to realize she passed out seconds after his heartbeat slowed. He turned to her and realized he couldn¡¯t sleep easily but didn¡¯t want to move her. Victor stared at the ceiling breathing in and out slowly recounting the day as Luzuzal¡¯s Promise ticked to 0. Luzuzal appeared leaning over him. ¡®Somehow I expected you to appear at the end of that ability¡¯ Victor thought. ¡°I promise I will arrive when that skill is completed every time. How did you enjoy the skill?¡± Luzuzal¡¯s planet-filled mouth remained completely flat seemingly genuinely curious. ¡®I had intended to gain many levels today and reach level 10 or higher.¡¯ Victor insisted. ¡®It didn¡¯t achieve that goal.¡¯ ¡°You know deep down that wasn¡¯t your goal. You tried to delude yourself. My skill knew your delusion wasn¡¯t strong enough yet and adjusted. Cawthorn arrived to slow your progress and Gargrim didn¡¯t encounter a shopkeep to the south that would have given him a quest simply because that shopkeep had to change their clothes from tripping into mud halfway to her shop. Had your delusion been stronger you¡¯d have fought the first creature in that hallway and used your jolt skill to destroy the rotting wooden beams collapsing. It could have fallen intertwining the two four-armed skeletons and crushing them.¡± Luzuzal shook his head. ¡°Your dreams are little more than delusions. You seek freedom, equality, and to live in reality. When these conflict, one must be supreme. You seem to value freedom the highest and as such the ability adjusted to maximize the chances of that delusion becoming a dream fulfilled.¡± ¡®You¡¯re a lot more long-winded than last time.¡¯ Serena put her arm around his chest while she slept. ¡®You know that living in reality runs directly counter to your goals of deluding me right? Why even bother?¡¯ ¡°Your goals align with mine. I do not warp what you see beyond the skill I gifted you. Instead, that desire causes reality to subtly warp around you to reach your goal. However, in this case, if you reached your goal of reaching the appropriate level to take on the bandit camp it would run afoul of your goal of freedom. You knew just from thinking about it that attempting to take on that keep would result in you being too wounded, low on mana, and or dead. The skill will always prioritize your true goals when you activate it. I prioritize your true goals because freedom specifically runs against Kokoxol''s goals, one of my three great enemies in the universe.¡± Luzuzal noted. ¡°Become powerful and eliminate worshipers of Kokoxol and I will always bestow my blessings on you.¡± ¡®Do you hate Kokoxol more than the other two?¡¯ Victor asked. ¡®It seems like you are putting a lot of effort into me.¡¯ ¡°No. All three have many followers and I loathe them all. Kill any of them and I will approve. If you kill powerful or influential followers of Kokoxol, Azalagol, or Gizixil I will bless you. I only set you to a nation rife with followers of Kokoxol because it became clear to me they would be the enemies most aligned with your hatred.¡± Luzuzal noted. ¡®I¡¯m far too weak to accomplish such lofty goals.¡¯ Victor closed his eyes breathing deeply. ¡°Ah, I understand now. You value life highly, perhaps above some of those values as well. Unfortunately, I cannot amend the agreement. I can offer advice. Travel north, follow the woman claiming your chest, and find two other traveling companions. You will find a young cleric at one of the golden chapels.¡± Luzuzal instructed him. ¡®You want me to kill followers of the other void lords. Do you expect me to just go around murdering people?¡¯ Victor raised an eyebrow. ¡®You know that is a stupid idea, and that isn¡¯t who you are. You are a devious brilliant Void Lord trying to reach a world where you are the only Void Lord. I can¡¯t possibly do that by killing a few hundred random people.¡¯Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work! Luzuzal smiled once again the worlds used for his mouth extending off the edge of his face. ¡°No, but I am impressed at the foresight. You will gain power by delving into the deepest regions of this world and searching for powerful artifacts. You will naturally gravitate toward one of the many ongoing wars in this world. You will eventually lead a nation, outlaw slavery, and embrace democracy to starve Kokoxol. If you succeed you will usher in an age of peace ending war after war to starve Gizixil. You will exterminate hunger and usher in an age of plenty to avoid the feast and famine of Azalagol and so he shall finally feel starvation too.¡± ¡®Now who¡¯s delusional? I could never accomplish that.¡¯ Victor glared at him. ¡°That feeling of realism will slowly sink in as you free life after life,¡± Luzuzal replied. ¡®I couldn¡¯t even save a handful of women and children without help. What makes you think I have any business being that impossibly impressive?¡¯ Victor wanted to shake his head but refused to wake Serena. ¡°Yet they live.¡± Luzuzal paused waiting for Victor to speak. ¡®Not by my hand. They live because others heard my plea and answered the call.¡¯ Victor practically broke out in tears remembering how powerless he felt. ¡°Precisely.¡± His smile extended across the room once more darkening it. ¡°You aren¡¯t the most powerful of my followers. You are arguably not even the most powerful of my followers in this city. Your genuine kindness and unbreakable delusion that you value are right, no matter your ability to reach them, are irreplaceable traits. Those very traits and your ability to convince others of your delusions and embrace your values make you perfect Victor.¡± ¡®Honestly, I don¡¯t see myself at all the way you see me.¡¯ Victor grimaced. ¡®I¡¯m not even a tenth the man you think I am.¡¯ ¡°Yet you will be. My followers often achieve their goals and then pass on. Some delude themselves into seeking vengeance, some great wealth, others to be king. They often fulfill their dreams, and this leaves them without my blessing because they become empty. Their delusion drips from them like a cracked glass, eventually once they empty it there is nothing left. Your glass will never empty even if it breaks, you¡¯ll pour all the oceans in the world into that glass and if it breaks, you¡¯ll do it again.¡± Luzuzal nodded. ¡°In your world, the delusions I speak of can be best described as unfulfilled dreams. For me fulfilling your delusion means the same as fulfilling your dream, but the delusion ending is the worst fate of all. No follower of mine can survive it.¡± Victor cared about what Luzuzal had to say but this question most pierced his mind. ¡®Why can¡¯t I tell them I work with Luzuzal? If you are propping me up to stop the wars in this world and feed the hungry surely that would be the goal millions would rally behind.¡¯ ¡°They believe me to be evil for promoting other people¡¯s desires. In the entire world, not even 200 devotees of mine exist, though many more serve my goals by gaining the delusion skill and never knowing it progressed to my delusion.¡± Luzuzal explained. ¡®Let me guess some people have particularly cruel dreams like breaking up a couple to be with one of them or being the head of a bandit organization.¡¯ Victor noted. ¡°Yes but so long as they served my long-term purpose I see no reason to deny their dream,¡± Luzuzal added. ¡®Once the other three Void Lords are dead what will you do?¡¯ Victor asked. His mouth once again stretched off his face to a maddening smile. The room darkened around him and the HUD disappeared. His single bright star for an eye eclipsed itself as he drew closer. ¡°That is of no concern of yours. Those steps to my plan will never be taken while you still live and venerate me. So long as you do whatever, the peace you win will remain, whoever you free shall remain so, and those you feed shall not die of starvation. A good deal don¡¯t you think?¡± Victor thought very hard before asking the question. ¡®I want to be honest it is a good deal but your terms leave a pretty glaring loophole.¡¯ ¡°Please do say, honesty seems to suit you, and dealing with you honestly seems to achieve the best results.¡± Luzuzal continued menacing him with the darkened room. ¡®What if I live forever?¡¯ Victor asked. Luzuzal returned to normal with a hearty laugh shaking the planets used for his mouth. ¡°If you achieve such a feat and continue to revere me even after you reach your goals for thousands upon thousands of years I shall honor my deal.¡± ¡®I won¡¯t reveal it now but in the future if I need to reveal it can you please let me tell others I worship you? I promise to be careful.¡¯ Victor asked. ¡°Very well, I will allow this if you understand the consequences of your choice. However, I will not permit you to reveal your past life. I cannot prevent the Fragment from doing so but I refuse to promote that piece of reality, and you are not to do so either.¡± Luzuzal shook his head. ¡®Why would you care if people knew about reincarnation?¡¯ Victor asked ¡°If people knew they could be reborn or even if they thought it regardless of truth, their delusions would end. Those who have horrible lots in life would kill themselves without a doubt, and while that Fragment may lie to you and tell you everyone reincarnates many don¡¯t. He may even believe that it is the truth, but it isn¡¯t. Those who the angel reincarnates have specific traits. The others have different fates.¡± Luzuzal insisted. ¡°Do not tell others about reincarnation. Do not promote the idea. This is the only warning I will give you on the matter.¡± ¡® Understood. One last question, next time would you mind NOT coming when I have a naked woman resting on my chest?¡¯ Victor asked angrily glaring at him. Luzuzal laughed. ¡°It isn¡¯t as though I could not see the two of you without clothing if I desired. Regardless your protest is noted. I shall leave you to your companion. Farewell for now.¡± Luzuzal disappeared as quickly as he arrived, leaving Victor with Serena still asleep on him. ¡®I guess the answer is to become strong enough to live forever.¡¯ An almost comical overconfident smile crossed his face. ¡®Never in my life would have even considered that as a goal. That is a dream I could get behind.¡¯ Chapter 12: The Stars of Verdan Victor woke up only to find Serena already awake at the end of the bed once more. ¡°Good morning!¡± She tilted her head back with a giant smile across it. ¡°Morning, did you sleep well?¡± Victor asked. ¡°I slept more soundly than I have in years. I put my head down on you fell asleep and I had sweet dreams.¡± Serena tilted her head to the ceiling and sighed. ¡°Can I check your book?¡± Victor handed Swordie to her and placed her hand on it. ¡°How do I check to see if I can level up on this? Do I simply pour a point of mana in?¡± ¡°That, and say ¡®Status Sheet¡¯¡± Victor explained. ¡°Status Sheet,¡± She said. ¡°This is so convenient. I¡¯m going to put my points in more speed.¡± Swordie wrote, ¡°Given that you will need immediate potion applications in the future Serena will need it.¡± ¡°Your overwhelming confidence fills me with a feeling of safety,¡± Victor grumbled. ¡°Oh I have more points,¡± Serena noted. ¡°Liberator? Is that an achievement?¡± Achievement: Liberator ¨C Free 10 or more slaves. Gain 3 stat points. Gain 3 Luck. [ Claim ] She tapped claim adding 3 stat points. ¡°That¡¯s so cool I¡¯ve never gotten to accept an achievement before.¡± ¡°What do you mean? Don¡¯t people know about achievements?¡± Victor asked. ¡°Well yeah, but they are only available for 30 days before the points automatically apply to your highest stat or skill. If you visit a guild, barracks, mage tower, or church you can claim them and use them for whatever you want but that is expensive and most people don¡¯t bother since they typically want to raise their highest stat anyway. This also happens with people who level up and don¡¯t use their normal points within 30 days.¡± She explained. Victor noticed the achievements on the bottom left of his HUD. He wanted to claim both of them but instead tried something mentally rearranging his HUD. ¡®Apply the effects of Luzuzal¡¯s Devout to the HUD. He said some achievements and daily rests wouldn¡¯t apply but he never made it clear what would and wouldn¡¯t apply the reduction instead of gain.¡¯ Effects of Luzuzal¡¯s Devout now shown in [] Achievement: Liberator ¨C Free 10 or more slaves. Gain 3 stat points. Gain [Lose] 3 Luck. [ Claim ] Achievement: Close Call ¨C Survive an attack which reduces you from full health to 10 or fewer health in a single hit. Gain 5 stat points. Gain 10 luck. [ Claim ] ¡®Wait I just realized what this means. Adventures have an incentive to adventure as fast as possible as often as possible. I bet the limiting factor is the amount of available healing. This entire town didn¡¯t even have two days'' worth of adventuring, and the only reasonable way to keep going would be to have two clerics heal each other. I bet clerics are in short supply in the adventuring world so that¡¯s probably not possible. Meaning everyone needs a lot of healing potions, and a lot of gold.¡¯ Victor held out his hand for Swordie and she handed the book over. ¡°Status Sheet.¡± Race Human: Victor Vance Vogal Class: Mage Level: 6 Base Health: 90 Stamina: 10 Mana: 13 Vitality : 9 Speed : 6 Strength : 5 Prowess: 13 Endurance: 5 Rigor: 2 Willpower: 13 Flow: 13 (+50%) Luck: -91 Resistance: None Skills: Speed Reading Rank 2, Academic Rank 2 Hidden Skills: Memory Retention , Luzuzal¡¯s Delusion Rank 1, Luzuzal¡¯s Devout Rank 1, Luzuzal¡¯s Promise Rank 6, Spells: Barrier shield Rank 1, Jolt Rank 1, Speed Boost Rank 1, Magic Writing Rank 1 Current Exp to Level 7 28.0% Victor clicked claim on each achievement and noted the 13 available points could double one of his stats or more. Vitality tempted him but he gently shook his head at this realizing he needed more mana. ¡®I need more mana. I need to get an additional skill to defend myself, and possibly more health.¡¯ Victor sighed. ¡°What would you do Swordie?¡± ¡°I would evenly distribute your status points between vitality, prowess, willpower, and flow sir,¡± Swordie added. ¡°Why?¡± Victor asked rather confused. ¡°Sir you need all of those stats,¡± Swordie noted. ¡°Yes but wouldn¡¯t the leveling process be either smoother or faster by accentuating one of the stats creating a strength to work around and a weakness to try and negate?¡± Victor asked. ¡°Strength will never be your strong suit, sir,¡± Swordie noted. ¡°I think you should put it all in vitality.¡± Serena plopped backward in the bed. ¡°You¡¯ll be plenty powerful later if you just survive.¡± ¡°I was considering upping willpower with most of my points and taking a spell or skill with the rest. Specifically, I wanted a skill that is good defensively. Do you have a suggestion Swordie, you too Serena if you know powerful low-level magic spells¡± Victor asked. Vitality Boost Rank 1 Rarity: Common Requirements: Mage or Cleric Level 1, Cost 3 stat points. Sustained Spell Mana Cost: 1 Mana Per SecondIf you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. Increase Vitality by 30. ¡°How much flow is required to reach 1 mana per second?¡± Victor asked. ¡°Approximately 100 for mana pools below 100,¡± Swordie noted as Serena started to peer over his shoulder. ¡®I see it grows exponentially if you grow both flow and mana. Most mages likely do that so I doubt it¡¯s a revolutionary thing here. I will just reach those breakpoints earlier.¡¯ Victor pressed his hand to his chin. ¡°Does vitality boost kill you when it runs out? I mean if I am at 30 health and have this running do I lose 300 health when it falls off?¡± ¡°If you reach 0 health you fall unconscious. Further damage can kill you such as falling and hitting your head on the way down. However, this skill cannot reduce you below 0 health when it falls off. Many skills prevent or reduce the likelihood of death by preventing you from dying in a single hit. Bleed however, will often result in sudden death seconds after reaching 0 health.¡± Swordie explained. ¡°Would 10 flow and Vitality boost be a reasonable set of choices?¡± Victor asked the both of them. ¡°I¡¯d like to be able to reach the point where I can easily sustain the boost spells for at least an entire combat and then have my mana quickly refill after combat. Wait I also need the familiar skill! Take 5 points and allocate it to that.¡± Familiar Rank 1 Rarity: Uncommon Requirements: 10 Mana, Cost 5 stat points Sustained Spell: Reduces maximum mana by 2 Bonds a spellcaster and a familiar. This bond allows the spellcaster to share their level with the familiar, cast spells from the familiar, and share their mana with the familiar. The familiar may allow the spellcaster to use its senses as long as they are within 1 mile of each other. It allows you to speak to the familiar regardless of language. ¡°That sounds fine as long as you¡¯re taking something to not die.¡± Serena leaned against him. ¡°My advice is superior to that choice as it will lead to significant weaknesses; however, I accept that you will make your own mistakes.¡± Swordie brought up a character sheet. Race Human: Victor Vance Vogal Class: Mage Level: 6 Base Health: 90 Stamina: 10 Mana: 12 Vitality: 9 Speed: 6 Strength: 5 Prowess: 14 Endurance: 5 Rigor: 2 Willpower: 14 Flow: 19 (+50%) Luck: -91 Resistance: None Skills: Speed Reading Rank 2, Academic Rank 2, Familiar Rank 1 Hidden Skills: Memory Retention, Luzuzal¡¯s Delusion Rank 1, Luzuzal¡¯s Devout Rank 1, Luzuzal¡¯s Promise Rank 6, Spells: Barrier shield Rank 1, Jolt Rank 1, Speed Boost Rank 1, Magic Writing Rank 1, Vitality Boost Rank 1 Current Exp to Level 7 28.0% Are you sure you want to make these changes? Yes No ¡°Yes. I¡¯m going to increase flow as much as possible to improve mana regeneration. That way I can use spells as often as I want.¡± Victor then noted. ¡®I¡¯ll also reach that point a lot faster than most would if I allocate my points to it by level 10, I¡¯d have another 30 flows, plus any achievements meaning I need approximately 19 or so achievement points allocated to flow to maintain vitality boost forever. If I raise my mana regeneration enough to maintain those, I might even be able to maintain all boost skills.¡¯ His stats increased and a vitality boost was added to his spell list. ¡°Sounds good to me! Shall we get going?¡± Serena added. ¡°Let¡¯s.¡± Victor nods. The two of them walked out into the hallway to see Gargrim straightening his helm with Cawthorn on his shoulder. ¡°Hello, you love birds.¡± ¡°We aren¡¯t love birds yet.¡± Victor corrected him. ¡°HE IS NOT A BIRD HE IS MY MAGE!¡± Cawthorn squawked at Gargrim. Serena beamed looking right at him. ¡°Why are you looking at me like that?¡± Victor asked. ¡°Yet.¡± Serena walked down the hall with immense satisfaction toward Gargrim. ¡°We are out of healing potions what about you?¡± ¡°I have 20 left,¡± Gargrim noted. ¡°Could I buy 5 off of you?¡± She asked. ¡°I¡¯ll even pay you 16 gold instead of 15.¡± ¡°I¡¯d be hard-pressed not to accept, every gold counts.¡± Gargrim handed 5 potions over. ¡°Do you need some son?¡± He asked Victor. ¡°I¡¯ll take 5 as well.¡± He pulled out 16 gold and paid him. ¡°Well, are you two ready to travel with me? I will escort you to the border town of Tinik. There we will part ways and I will make my way over or through the mountains to Kival. I highly doubt your travels will take you there soon but I¡¯m likely to spend a long time relaxing and enjoying my gold before going back out. It should take about 8 or 9 days to reach Tinik so we have a long way to go. Do you both have rations?¡± Gargrim asked. ¡°No, we need to buy some, as well as backpacks, and a covering for a tent,¡± Serena noted. ¡°Then we should get to the shops soon. I¡¯d like to leave as quickly as possible so I can sell my item.¡± He nodded walking off. Cawthorn jumped onto Victor¡¯s shoulder. ¡°MY MAGE, NO ENEMIES STALKED THE NIGHT! THE VILLAGE IS SAFE! NO ENEMIES DARE APPROACH YOU!¡± ¡°Thank you, Cawthorn. When do you sleep?¡± Victor asked. ¡°CAWTHORN NEVER SLEEPS! Except on your shoulder. Right now.¡± The bird dozed off with his claws carefully gripping Victors shoulder. ¡°I¡¯ll bond with him after he wakes up.¡± He smiled wanting badly to pet him but choosing not to despite overwhelming urges to wake the crow. Victor took a step and Cawthorn remained asleep seemingly truly tired. ¡°Shall we go buy our gear, Serena?¡± ¡°If there is anything else you want to buy we can get it.¡± Serena nodded to the innkeeper as they passed by. She took the three of them to the nearby provision store. ¡°I¡¯ll just take exactly what you buy. I don¡¯t know what I should get for rations.¡± Victor noted. ¡°Jerky, Tac Bread, and nuts tend to be the best foods for the road. You can always hunt fresh food or gather berries for food. There are a lot of other options but I doubt there will ever be much here besides those for rations.¡± She was right as they went through and spent only 5 gold each on rations for ten days. Gargrim purchased more Jerky only. They then purchased a backpack and tarp. Serena packed it up on her shoulders. ¡°You¡¯re not carrying this.¡± ¡°I could,¡± Victor said. ¡°Yeah¡­ No¡­¡± She shook her head and the four of them began to make their way toward the exit. A woman ran after them stopping and panting. Jaya reached them and outstretched her hand. ¡°Thank you so much. I can¡¯t thank you enough!¡± Victor shook her hand, then Gargrim, and finally Serena. ¡°What is your group¡¯s name?¡± ¡°I hadn¡¯t thought of one.¡± Victor pointed out. ¡°Well, I¡¯m more of a passerby. They are responsible for saving you.¡± Gargrim pointed out. Serena nodded. ¡°The name is all yours. I¡¯m not good at naming things.¡± ¡°How about the Stars of Verdan?¡± Victor asked. ¡°I actually really like that.¡± Serena nodded. ¡°It¡¯s a good name. It¡¯s very hopeful and positive. I hope you can live up to the majesty of the name.¡± Gargrim nodded. ¡°I¡¯ll never forget that name.¡± Jaya waved as they started to walk away. ¡°Thank you for everything!¡± Several villagers cheered as they left shouting thanks and happily holding their loved ones. Chapter 13: The future wife They walked for a few hours before passing the cave that had goblins in it. Serena smirked and tilted her head to Victor before shaking her head. ¡°It¡¯s only been a day since you freed me, but I feel like I¡¯ve known you for so much longer.¡± ¡°It¡¯s probably because I¡¯m honest with you.¡± Victor nodded. ¡°If people have been cruel to you for years it doesn¡¯t surprise me that you latched on to the first kindness shown to you.¡± ¡°Son, are you saying she doesn¡¯t really love you because she¡¯s only just been rescued?¡± Gargrim looked up at him as they walked before accidentally kicking a rock so hard it cracked a small tree causing it to fall in the distance. ¡°I meant that I¡¯m worried Serena only wants me because I rescued her.¡± He turned from Gargrim to Serena ¡°I don¡¯t know much about what you like or what you want from life.¡± Victor hung his head somewhat worried about the answer. ¡°Then why not ask?¡± Serena tilted her head. Victor looked away and asked. ¡°What do you like? What does a good life for you look like?¡± ¡°I enjoy being outside. I enjoy spending time with people like you. I enjoy hot food and a warm bed. I enjoy running as fast as I can. I delight in our conversations since it¡¯s been years since I could speak freely.¡± She paused outstretching her arms. ¡°A good life to me sounds like an unexpected adventure with people who care about me. Not something regular or day-to-day. Adventuring with you for the rest of my life sounds like a really enjoyable life to me. You freed me and there¡¯s nothing more unexpected than that, or that would be true if everything that followed hadn¡¯t shown me just who you are. As your traveling companion, or as your future wife it doesn¡¯t matter to me as long as you stick around.¡± Victor didn¡¯t know how to reply delving deep into his thoughts. ¡®That didn¡¯t relieve my concern. I don¡¯t know what to do. I know she says she wants to be around me for my whole life but what if we get together and she decides I¡¯m not right for her.¡¯ Victor realized he should simply consult Swordie. ¡°Swordie what is your advice when it comes to love and relationships?¡± Serena peered over the book as it wrote out. ¡°In all this world there is no greater treasure than love, and no greater a fool than one who spurns their own feelings. There is no need to make the mistake of a lifetime this early in it. You have been alone. Do you enjoy that or companionship more?¡± ¡°I enjoy spending time with her more than being alone.¡± Victor nodded looking at her now walking almost giddy. ¡°I¡¯m willing to try being your boyfriend.¡± Serena jumped nearly 8 feet into the air her fist so high it blocked the sun when Victor looked up. She landed almost perfectly in front of him grabbed his collar with both hands and pulled him down kissing him passionately on the lips. ¡°YES!¡± She bounced along lighter than air. ¡®That was my first kiss.¡¯ Victor paused completely stunned. ¡®It was pretty good.¡¯ A smile spread across his face as one hand reached for his lips. ¡°Get him, girl!¡± Gargrim laughed. ¡°You found a good man.¡± Cawthorn woke up a few seconds ago but said nothing until the smile spread across Victor''s face. ¡°DID YOU MAKE YOUR FUTURE WIFE YOUR PRESENT WIFE? NO!!!!! DID I SLEEP THROUGH THE WEDDING OF MY MAGE?!¡± ¡°Calm down Cawthorn you didn¡¯t miss the wedding. I agreed to be her boyfriend and she immediately kissed me.¡± Victor explained only for Serena to pull him down for another kiss before bouncing along. Her footsteps were suddenly so light that every step brought her to eye level with Victor. ¡°Ah, you¡¯ve confessed your feelings to her. I am sorry to miss any milestone, but it was so obvious that you two would end up together even a child could see it. I don¡¯t feel I missed much. Wake me if you need me my mage.¡± Cawthorn closed his eyes nestling on his shoulder again. Luzuzal Approves Achievement: First Kiss ¨C Have your first kiss. Gain 1 Stat point. Gain 3 Luck. ¡®Seriously? Is everyone onboard this ship?¡¯ Victor tried not to say it out loud but once again his filter failed. ¡°It seems I¡¯m the last one able to see how well you fit me.¡± ¡°All I¡¯ve ever wanted was my freedom. I never expected to be freed much less to fall for the man who freed me.¡± She bounced up once again kissing him on the cheek. She was so fast she could easily sneak a kiss if she wanted. ¡°All I¡¯ve ever wanted was someone to share my stories with. I was always too poor to do much in life. I am happy to be with you and I don¡¯t want to ruin that.¡± Victor couldn¡¯t control his smile. ¡°Nothing you could do or say would ruin it.¡± Serena bounced again. ¡°It¡¯s got to be his mysterious past.¡± Gargrim nodded still smiling at the girl practically jumping with every step brimming with energy. The girl who had broken free of gravity''s grip exclaimed. ¡°I know! It¡¯s something he thinks is devastating I bet he thinks I¡¯ll learn something horrible about him.¡± ¡°That much is obvious. The question is what would make a young girl such as yourself hate the man who rescued her?¡± Gargrim stroked his beard deep in thought. ¡°Nothing! Nope, he could turn out to be a demon, devil, or an elf and I¡¯d still want him.¡± She declared. ¡°Now that is some high praise son. Elves are the worst.¡± Gargrim nodded. ¡°Why does everyone seem to hate elves?¡± Victor asked. ¡°Elves are immortal. Immortals tend to be afraid of death to an almost paranoid level. Unlike angels which are created with a single parent in the Golden Goddess and are all a facet of her, the other immortals are selfish, greedy, and often dangerous.¡± Gargrim noted. ¡°I¡¯ve never met a devil but an elf once owned me and he was by far the cruelest owner I ever had to endure. He told me he was over 1000 years old. After he¡­ did what he did to me I felt close to death every day while he owned me and only due to boredom did he sell me.¡± Serena stopped bouncing. ¡°You aren¡¯t secretly an elf are you?¡± ¡°No, I¡¯m human right down to the bone.¡± Victor nodded causing Serena to resume smiling. ¡°So his secret isn¡¯t that he¡¯s a devil or an elf or some horrible race bent on domination and destruction.¡± Gargrim continued stroking his beard. ¡°I¡¯ve got it! What if he wasn¡¯t in a mage tower before? What if he¡¯s an avatar for the goddess or an angel possessed his body?¡± ¡°THAT WOULD MAKE SO MUCH SENSE! HE¡¯S AN ANGEL IN DISGUISE!¡± Serena shouted. ¡°He¡¯s way too nice for a human. He has seemingly perfect aim with his spells. He knows nothing of this world like he was literally born the day he saved you it makes total sense!¡± Gargrim proclaimed. ¡°I can¡¯t comment on theories you two have. I can only comment on the race thing because if you look at my status sheet you can see my race.¡± Victor noted. ¡°Well that¡¯s true but the skill False Identity would let you hide that if you had it,¡± Serena noted. Victor pulled out the book and brought up the skill. False Identity Rank 1 Rarity: Common Requirements: Level 3, Cost 3 points. Passive skill Allows you to hide or alter any part of your status sheet. ¡°I don¡¯t have that skill,¡± Victor noted. ¡°Well yeah but there¡¯s not a great way for us to know that you don¡¯t have it.¡± She noted. Gargrim added. ¡°He might have the skill but he¡¯s either an angel or not an immortal. No chance he¡¯s a devil, demon, or an elf. He¡¯s definitely not an elf.¡± ¡°Honestly I hadn¡¯t thought my past would be such a mystery but it does seem to be more interesting to you than I thought it would be.¡± Victor smiled. ¡°You¡¯ll never guess the truth.¡± ¡°Aw come on how would I know if you won¡¯t tell me if I get it right?¡± She asked. ¡°Fine if you guess it precisely right I will be forthcoming with you and you alone.¡± Victor shrugged before wiggling his shoulder. ¡°Cawthorn it¡¯s time to wake up.¡± The bird sleepily asked. ¡°My mage why do you wake me?¡± ¡°I took the familiar skill. Will you be my familiar?¡± Victor turned to him. ¡°OF COURSE I WILL MY MAGE!¡± Cawthorn''s head-butted his cheek and cawed again. ¡°YOU SHALL BE THE GREATEST MAGE WHO EVER LIVED AND I THE GREATEST BIRD TO EVER LIVE!¡± Victor smiled. ¡°You shall be the greatest bird and best familiar to ever live my friend.¡± The gentle pets caused Cawthorn to close his eyes and coo gently falling back asleep. Familiar Acquired: Crow - Cawthorn ¡°Now that he is my familiar we can continue that line of thought. I refuse to give you any assistance on that because it appears dangerous to inform you of it.¡± Victor insisted. ¡°Gargrim and I are both curious about your past, but I don¡¯t think there is anything that could change how I feel so I¡¯m not worried.¡± Serena smiled. ¡°Son I¡¯m not worried about your past because I¡¯m worried, you¡¯ll betray her or me. That ain¡¯t in you. I¡¯m worried for you. If it is something that dangerous it¡¯s dangerous for you too.¡± Gargrim noted. ¡°Try to get the curse removed by a high-level cleric. You need the remove curse skill to be the same rank as the level of the curse to remove it. If yours is complex and dangerous then paying for the removal will be expensive. Even if the curse was only tier 2 or tier 3, you¡¯d be looking at a minimum of 8000 gold, and leaving it is extremely dangerous. Curses always seem to flare up at the worst possible moment.¡± ¡°How am I possibly going to earn that much gold?¡± He asked. ¡°Searching for artifacts and quest rewards is the only possible way you¡¯d ever get enough gold,¡± Gargrim noted. ¡°Being an artifact hunter is the best paid profession but that is only because it¡¯s absurdly dangerous. The normal process is that you either search remote areas on your own or buy information from a respected information broker for locations of dungeons. Dungeons may not have an artifact in them, but it is really rare not to make your money back on a dungeon. After you get one it can be sold directly to a major organization like a church, mage tower, barracks, or rogues guild member or auctioned. How cleanly you clear the dungeon is almost as important as if you clear it at all because consumables are expensive and necessary to keep you alive, at least for profit.¡± ¡°It¡¯s part of the reason I try to adventure alone. I try to find areas that are for level 10 parties with good gold and solo them. Those tend to have reasonably good loot like this artifact I showed you.¡± He pulled out the green stone. ¡°While being so easy I don¡¯t even need to use a potion.¡± ¡°Can you give me some guidelines on more or less what is considered impossible from a level perspective?¡± Victor asked. ¡°Well, more than 8 to 10 levels make 1 on 1 impossible even in the best matchups. A level 20 against a level 8 is just impossible. The stat difference is too large. A pair of level 10s could in theory beat a level 20 but they have a disadvantage, whereas 4 level 10s would be a pretty reasonable matchup against a level 20. Generally speaking for every 5 levels difference double the manpower you need to win.¡± Gargrim explained. ¡°That is just a guideline of course. 4 level 10 deep mages against 1 level 20 rogue with the precise killer specialization would be a level of comical suicide for the mages that their loved ones would stop them far before they reached the rogue.¡± Gargrim noted. Cawthorn woke up. ¡°MASTER I SHALL PATROL!¡± He immediately began flying ahead. ¡°That bird is rather dedicated,¡± Victor noted. Serena interrupted. ¡°Anyway!¡± She grabbed him for a kiss and went back to bouncing along. ¡°Goddess that feels so satisfying.¡± She suddenly stopped dead on the road. ¡°Wait we¡¯re on the road with Gargrim for 10 days.¡± She put her hand on her chin deep in thought as she slowly started walking again. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with that? We bought items to make a tent. We¡¯ll still have shelter and food and since it¡¯s just walking that¡¯s not so bad right?¡± Victor asked. ¡°I guess¡­¡± Her shoulders sank visibly disappointed and frustrated. Gargrim laughed out loud. ¡°Son, I genuinely believe you¡¯ve never interacted with a woman your age before. That part of your past I am sure is true.¡± ¡°That part I will confirm as correct.¡± Victor returned putting his hand over his mouth chuckling a little. ¡°I don¡¯t really understand why her attitude changed.¡± ¡°You could ask her.¡± Gargrim with a devious smile on his face added. Victor shrugged. ¡°Am I supposed to?¡± Serena just glared at him clearly annoyed. ¡°Why did your attitude change suddenly?¡±This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. ¡°I honestly feel like he¡¯s too innocent to answer.¡± Serena looked at Gargrim. Gargrim doubled over laughing. Cawthorn screeched overhead. ¡°BRIDGE AHEAD!¡± He swooped down and landed on Victor''s shoulder. ¡°My mage we have a problem ahead. Beneath the bridge, a troll is eating a boar and if you cross the bridge it will attack you. The river runs as far as my eyes can see in both directions and it is rather wide. Recommendation, MAKE THE DWARF KILL IT!¡± Victor turned to Gargrim. ¡°There is a bridge up ahead with a troll under it according to Cawthorn.¡± ¡°A troll?¡± Gargrim tilted his head. ¡°I guess the mountains aren¡¯t that far and if he just followed the river he could end up at that bridge. They are fairly dangerous because their level varies wildly. That said around here between levels 15 and 19 seems like a good guess. I can probably beat it on my own but the two of you should try to hit it at least once. A creature like that might give you a level with minimal contribution.¡± ¡°Wait why wouldn¡¯t everyone do that then? If you can level up with a single ranged attack while someone strong kills the target doesn¡¯t that mean money makes you more powerful?¡± Victor immediately realized. ¡°Generally speaking, That¡¯s why nobles end up in the level 20 to 35 range. They can usually afford a group to level them to 20 or so since it would only be 40,000 to 60,000 gold. I strongly recommend against this though. All of them have compulsive contract magic. You can''t break it in the same way a slave contract. The nobles can¡¯t break it either but generally, their end is basically ¡®We can¡¯t force you to kill yourself and we have to pay you.¡¯ Your end is significantly worse.¡± Gargrim explained. ¡°More is better and if you kill the target more than 10 levels higher than yourself that¡¯s about the only way you¡¯ll get more than 1 level from a single kill.¡± ¡°Why help us so much?¡± Victor asked. ¡°Consider it an early wedding present.¡± Gargrim smiled. ¡°Just in case I¡¯m not around for the bells.¡± ¡°Why is everyone so sure of this?!¡± Victor started turning red. ¡°Am I that bad at reading the situation?¡± ¡°YES MY MAGE YOU ARE! YOU REQUIRE MY GUIDANCE TO KNOW SHE IS YOUR FUTURE WIFE!¡± Cawthorn squawked. ¡®I wonder what Luzuzal thinks of her.¡¯ Victor thought to himself. Luzuzal Approves ¡®You¡¯ve got to be freaking kidding me.¡¯ Victor looked at the words in front of him. ¡®Wait is that bad? Oh no! He¡¯ll endanger her to get his way and force me into more deals. Shit! Do I have to be alone? If I am not alone, will I kill those around me?¡¯ Luzuzal cautions you. It isn¡¯t for that reason. It is because your happiness feeds your delusion. Victor sighed relieved as he actually believed Luzuzal on that note. ¡°Well, Gargrim how should we deal with this troll?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll get it to turn around. Both of you use ranged attacks. I will slice off its limbs and if Serena is willing, I don¡¯t mind you taking the killing blow if possible.¡± Gargrim nodded. ¡°Really? Why not her, she¡¯s higher level than me.¡± Victor noted. She ran her hand over her face. ¡°Just take the gift.¡± Gargrim started to pick up speed and move toward the bridge ahead of them. The forest fenced in the road as they approached the rushing river. Gargrim walked to the bridge and across the far end, a roar from beneath it echoed across the river. A massive grey troll with leathery patches of flesh on its back and chest brandished a tree without leaves at them. ¡°It¡¯s a rock troll. It followed the river here. Do not attack it until I call for it.¡± Serena pulled out three daggers holding them ready to throw. ¡°Will do, but we need to be closer.¡± ¡°We will stay a little less than halfway across the bridge.¡± Victor nodded. Gargrim walked slowly across the bridge with the others trailing behind. The troll roared charging with immense force. The bridge shook with every step and the spray of the river gently hit their cheeks. The swing from the troll was so wide it hit the railing on the bridge crashing through it and sending debris at Gargrim. Gargrim swung his axe with incredible strength and split the tree in half sending it flying back to the side they came from. The trunk crashed into two other trees knocking them over. Gargrim braced himself for the next swing still not going on the offensive. With another swing this time from overhead, the troll tried to crush him into dwarven paste but his upward slash split the log down the middle causing the troll to drop the log. ¡°NOW!¡± ¡°JOLT!¡± Victor shot his spell at the creature''s head only for it to land on his neck. Serena¡¯s daggers hit an eye with one of them, unfortunately, the other two bounced off of a small grey patch on his neck. The troll screeched in pain taking its fist and punching Gargrim and sending him flying back behind them. A careful block with his axe kept him alive but bloodied. He quickly downed a potion and ran forward at the charging troll as he reached the two of them he suddenly took off far faster for a few seconds. The troll suddenly lost a hand as it landed behind Gargrim. It roared in pain suddenly losing its left leg as Gargrim slid under it. It crashed to the bridge and without missing a moment it lost another leg and then its last arm. ¡°QUICK IT¡¯S NEARLY DEAD!¡± Gargrim shouted. ¡°Jolt!¡± The bolt of lightning raced toward it and connected with the dagger sticking out of its eyes electrifying it. It sizzled and fell flat with a resounding bridge shaking thud. Troll 20: Experience Increase: 72% Level 7 Reached! Troll 20: Experience Increase: 100% Level 8 Reached! Troll 20: Experience Increase: 100% Level 9 Reached! Troll 20: Experience Increase: 53% Achievement: Against all odds ¨C Kill a foe more than 10 levels above you. 10 Stat points. Gain [lose] 2 luck. [ Claim ] Current Exp to Level 10 53.0% ¡°THE GREATEST MAGE STRIKES A DEVASTATING BLOW!¡± Cawthorn announces. ¡®WHAT!? Unbelievable Gargrim basically took out the creature on his own but the killing blow was worth that much experience?¡¯ He quickly pulled out Swordie to check. While Gargrim was still on the other side of the massive troll he whispered, ¡°Status Sheet.¡± Race Human: Victor Vance Vogal Class: Mage Level: 9 Base Health: 90 Stamina: 10 Mana: 15 Vitality: 9 Speed: 6 Strength: 5 Prowess: 17 Endurance: 5 Rigor: 2 Willpower: 17 Flow: 22 (+50%) Luck: -90 Resistance: None Skills: Speed Reading Rank 2, Academic Rank 2, Familiar Rank 1 Hidden Skills: Memory Retention , Luzuzal¡¯s Delusion Rank 1 , Luzuzal¡¯s Devout Rank 1, Luzuzal¡¯s Promise Rank 6, Spells: Barrier shield Rank 1, Jolt Rank 1, Speed Boost Rank 1, Magic Writing Rank 1, Vitality Boost Rank 1 Current Exp to Level 10 53.0% ¡¯25 stat points in an instant! Unbelievable! Rich kids get to do this until level 20?¡¯ Victor didn¡¯t want to dwell on it too much. 25 stat points would more than double his flow edging him nearer to being able to sustain the stat boost spell. ¡®Huh, I gained a luck. I guess killing a larger creature or higher-level creature can affect luck and Luzuzal¡¯s skill doesn¡¯t reverse that. So, I gained 3 luck losing 1 overall. Given the passive increase to prowess, willpower, and flow of 1 per level at the moment I need to put these points all in flow until I reach 66 or 67 so I can maintain the vitality boost passively and swap to the other boosts when needed. ¡°All in flow.¡± Victor clicked yes and his flow rose to 47 +50%. His mana spent had already hit full, so he decided to turn on ¡°Vitality boost.¡± He watched it slowly tick down and then disabled it watching his mana bounce back to full in less than 30 seconds. Serena just nodded as to say later tonight while looking at Swordie. Gargrim returned a bit bloodied and planted his axe in front of him to lean on. ¡°For the happy couple and their long life together I present to you charred troll. Delicious when roasted.¡± Serena burst out laughing. ¡°I¡¯ll carve it up you two gather wood for a fire.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know how to thank you for that. That gift was incredible!¡± Victor practically shouted. ¡°Ah don¡¯t mention it.¡± He downed another potion and gripped his arm. ¡°I might have broken my left arm though.¡± ¡°Can¡¯t you just heal it with the potions?¡± Victor asked. Serena shook her head. ¡°Ouch, that sucks. No potions will stop it from bleeding, but broken bones are effectively status effects you can only get rid of them by either running the duration out letting it heal naturally, or by using status removing magic which is usually for broken bones tier 3 or 4.¡± ¡°We will need to avoid any encounters then. Is there anything we can do like create a sling or splint?¡± Victor asked. ¡°It¡¯ll be fine I need to eat and get some rest. It¡¯s approaching nightfall anyway so we will be fine camping on the far side of the bridge.¡± Gargrim nodded. ¡°I just have to wait a month or so.¡± The two of them quickly went to the other side and started gathering wood. ¡°It was level 20, 3 times my level. It granted me nearly 4 levels.¡± He turned to Serena. ¡°That is insanity.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t get used to it. Without him, there¡¯s absolutely no way we kill it. We¡¯d be going downstream and trying to find a way to swim across.¡± Serena added. ¡°He¡¯ll probably decide to stay at the border town of Tinik until he recovers.¡± ¡°I¡¯m under no illusion that I could compete with something like that. That gave me an idea. We could get someone proficient with traps and trap powerful monsters then use ranged abilities to shoot it to death safely.¡± Victor pointed out. ¡°That wouldn¡¯t work. Take the troll for example. If you trap it somehow it will throw rocks, and trees, or just rip off its trapped limb to reach you. Unlike Gargrim when it reaches you without 1 limb, it will immediately flatten you. Traps work on very low-level monsters like gnolls, goblins, and wolves.¡± Serena explained. ¡°Any higher-level trap would require higher-level magic than we possess.¡± ¡°What if we-¡± Victor started. ¡°Trust me, if you can think of it someone else already thought of it. Millions worldwide search for methods to level up faster and more effective but no one has ever found one. Getting free kills from things many levels higher does work but it¡¯s not something that is sustainable. By level 20 to get 3 levels from one kill you probably need a level 40 or even higher monster. When we reach Peria we can gather a party and begin artifact hunting. That said I doubt we can get a cleric, which will slow us down significantly.¡± Serena noted. The two gathered firewood and stones to make a circle around it. Gargrim sheathed his axe and threw a slab of meat nearly as large as him over his shoulder bringing it to the two of them. ¡°My flint is in my pocket.¡± Serena pulled out Gargrim¡¯s flint and lit a fire. Gargrim mounted the meat on his giant axe and placed it over the fire. ¡°I must be getting old.¡± He shook his head. ¡°I should have been able to dodge that.¡± ¡°Does age effect stats?¡± Victor asked. ¡°No.¡± Serena noted. ¡°It doesn¡¯t but you feel it. I feel like I¡¯m over thinking everything.¡± Gargrim shook his head. ¡°Sorry, just the grumblings of an old dwarf.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve been told old age never feels good.¡± Victor noted. ¡°Such is the way for mortals.¡± Gargrim smiled. ¡°At least I¡¯ll die before I do something monstrous like an elf.¡± ¡°I really appreciate your gift. You¡¯ve helped us both so much.¡± Serena nodded. ¡°Hopefully those levels help keep this headstrong hero out of danger.¡± ¡°It won¡¯t, but he seems to have the best luck on this side of the world. I expect him to be fine.¡± Gargrim nodded. They ate with much revelry and set up their tents against some trees nearby. Gargrim nodded to them after finishing his tent and took off his helmet before crawling into his bedroll. Serena laid out both of their bedrolls next to each other and crawled in one before fidgeting and turning to Victor. Victor crawled into his bedroll and turned to her. She kissed him. ¡°Good Night.¡± She quickly started turning red and flipped over. ¡°9 more days of travel until we reach a warm bed.¡± Even Victor understood now what she was waiting for, his nerves and a bit of excitement filled him making it hard to sleep before he inevitably fell asleep facing the back of her bushy unkempt hair with a smile feeling as though he finally started to make the right choices in his life. Chapter 14: Dangerous friends Victor woke last to see them cleaning up the camp. ¡°You sleep like a log.¡± She looked at him a bit astonished. ¡°Yeah, I tend to never wake up in the middle of the night unless someone wakes me up,¡± Victor noted. ¡°MY MAGE NEEDS HIS BEAUTY SLEEP!¡± Cawthorn crowed. ¡°Thank you, Cawthorn, you a beacon of confidence in an uncertain world.¡± Victor gently petted Cawthorn on his head. Cawthorn closed his eyes completely engrossed in the experience. ¡°MY MAGE NEEDS CONFIDENCE! HE IS EXCEPTIONAL!¡± Cawthorn insisted. ¡°We should get going. My arm is definitely broken. My best guess is a month to recover and every day I have to walk it gets one day longer to heal.¡± Gargrim sighed. ¡°So you¡¯ll need 30 days of rest not just 30 days?¡± Victor asked. ¡°More or less, if it¡¯s more serious than even longer is possible. So kindly let us go.¡± Gargrim noticeably didn¡¯t have his gauntlet on his left arm and had used a leather strap to sling it to his neck. ¡°Do you think we will encounter more enemies?¡± Victor asked. ¡°If we found a troll I¡¯d be shocked if this road had been cleared recently by adventurers. This is one of the most dangerous situations for an artifact hunter I¡¯m far from my goal, wounded, and on a dangerous path. If we encounter another troll or I didn¡¯t have the two of you I¡¯d have to go back and hope the town wouldn¡¯t get attacked for a month.¡± Gargrim noted. ¡°It¡¯s unlikely but it might happen and I¡¯d still die.¡± ¡°Is this area known for monsters?¡± Victor asked. ¡°Mostly low-level monsters, the issue is the mountain range you see to the north. It divides Peria and Hoxal and the massive number of dangerous monsters there forms a natural border. The monsters that live there are very powerful with it being rumored that a tier 7 party disappeared in the network of caves. The caves are also strange because people have a notoriously hard time finding their way out. You may see many more powerful monsters as you get close to the border. If you two can¡¯t take the monsters we encounter, we will go around. We can¡¯t risk a fight like this.¡± Gargrim nodded. ¡°But like what level range could we expect?¡± Victor asked confused. ¡°Any tier 2 to tier 7 monster could appear here. Your crow, Cawthorn was it? Cawthorn is our best hope to stay alive.¡± Gargrim nodded as they walked. Serena grabbed his head. ¡°If we encounter something like the troll we are not fighting it. Full stop. Do you understand?¡± ¡°Well, we-¡± Victor started. ¡°Do you understand?¡± Serena gripped his hair hard and shook his head back and forth. ¡°If it isn¡¯t something we have an advantage against we avoid it.¡± ¡°Fine.¡± Victor resigned himself really wanting to reach level 10 for the specialization but wanting her to be happy far more. ¡°Cawthorn, can you scout for us?¡± Victor asked. ¡°OF COURSE MY MAGE!¡± Cawthorn took off his wings flapping aggressively to get ahead of them. ¡°Cawthorn is great. I really like his attitude.¡± He nodded as Cawthorn took off into the distance. Victor opened Swordie and added. ¡°You could learn something from him.¡± ¡°Like common?¡± Swordie asked. ¡°Touch¨¦¡± Victor replied. ¡°Sir I have something to discuss with you in private.¡± Swordie wrote noticing Serena looking over at him. ¡° you can tell all 3 of us,¡± Victor noted. ¡°No sir, I cannot.¡± Swordie insisted. ¡°Is this curse related?¡± Victor asked. ¡°Yes,¡± Swordie added. ¡°I will be honest with both of you Swordie knows about my curse and everything related to it. He needs to speak to me privately almost definitely about them. If I walk behind the two of you, will you promise not to listen in?¡± Victor asked. ¡°I want to but won¡¯t.¡± Gargrim nodded. ¡°Aw come on! Just tell me. I¡¯ll keep it a secret.¡± Serena protested. ¡°Fine.¡± She pouted with her arms crossed. ¡°I promise I will walk in front of Gargrim to avoid listening in.¡± The two of them started walking away until they were able to just barely see Victor around a corner. ¡°IS THIS FAR ENOUGH?!¡± She shouted. Victor held up a thumb and started walking after them. ¡°Ok go ahead.¡± ¡°I believe the abomination is watching us,¡± Swordie noted. ¡°Isn¡¯t he always ¡®watching¡¯ me as you put it,¡± Victor asked. ¡°In a sense yes, however, I believe he is intent on actively pushing you to your limits on this trip to increase your level. Your skill Luzuzal¡¯s Promise Rank 6 is not currently active. However, I can sense it being active anyway at a lower rank. When I brought up your status sheet to analyze it, I realized you have an invisible skill. Luzuzal¡¯s Promise Rank 1, invisible skills are very similar to hidden skills but are completely hidden from the status sheet even the owner of the status sheet.¡± Swordie explained. ¡°This skill isn¡¯t nearly as benevolent as the other one by my estimation; it seems to have a duration of 1 hour remaining. Ordinarily having the same skill at different ranks is impossible, a higher rank of the skill overwrites the lower one. However, given its source, I am not shocked that it violates normal rules.¡± ¡°Okay but is that bad?¡± Victor asked genuinely curious. ¡°On its own, it might be acceptable however that is not what occurred in the previous encounter. Gargrim noted the troll should not have arrived in front of you, yet it did. Gargrim could have done that without being hurt, he even commented on getting old. If he intended to increase your level, then he wouldn¡¯t have let Gargrim get hurt. He intends to kill Gargrim.¡± Swordie stopped. ¡°You can¡¯t be serious.¡± Victor pointed out. ¡°I¡¯d gain far more levels with him than without him.¡± ¡°He needs you to suffer sir. He needs you to lose and to feel the suffering of that loss. Gargrim is a crutch that aids you. You must face your delusion and deepen it after encountering something that damages your dream. That will likely empower him.¡± Swordie became very serious and underlined his response. ¡° He does not have the same goals as you. You are a tool to him.¡±If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. Victor started to panic and began hyperventilating. ¡°What¡­ What can I do? There¡¯s no reason to tell me this if you¡¯re just going to make me terrified right? You have to have a suggestion!¡± ¡°It¡¯s dangerous. Extremely dangerous and I hesitate to suggest it but can think of no other way to resolve this without fatalities.¡± Swordie stopped. ¡°Don¡¯t you dare mess with me right now? What do you want me to do?¡± Victor practically begged. ¡°Sir, you¡¯ll need to nearly die. You need to use your newly acquired Vitality Boost to take a few hundred damages and then win the fight allowing the Vitality Boost to lapse immediately after that. If you do this you¡¯ll remain at 0 health until you effectively regenerate all of that health. It¡¯s a status effect unconscious. They lack enough potions to make you immediately conscious. This is extremely likely to kill you, and if you do it not even Gargrim can be told. No one can know. If Gargrim does live he cannot stay with you.¡± He noted. Unconscious: If you lose maximum health causing you to drop below 0 or are under the effect of a skill that delays or prevents death you must heal to full health before you regain consciousness. ¡°This isn¡¯t the time for credit, we can¡¯t let him die.¡± Victor insisted. ¡°Isn¡¯t Luzuzal watching me right now?¡± ¡°The abomination could be reading me but he¡¯s currently ahead of us helping to set up a monster. I can sense his absence. I¡¯d explain how but it¡¯s best to think of it as an angel¡¯s sixth sense. It pains me to say this. I know that you will use this plan. It¡¯s something I believe even you sir would figure out this plan before it was too late. The issue is that you must risk your life.¡± Swordie stopped almost seeming to stop knowing how Victor would respond. ¡°He¡¯s saved my life already; don¡¯t I at least owe him mine?¡± Victor asked. ¡°Regardless of your choice do not speak of this again sir, unless I bring up that Luzuzal is not around. He will be enraged if he knows that you know about that skill.¡± Swordie noted. ¡°I understand Swordie, from the bottom of my heart thank you for everything.¡± Victor nodded. ¡°Sir if this is the last time we see each other, it¡¯s been a beautiful and short journey learning what the best mortals can act like.¡± Swordie created a picture of him as an angel saluting Victor. Victor nodded to him wiping a tear from his eyes. He tried to collect himself breathing deeply trying to stop panicking he started to run toward them. He reached them out of breath and the two of them turned to him. ¡°Sorry for that.¡± He sniffled and took a deep breath. ¡°I had to deal with that.¡± ¡°Your curse must be exceptionally bad,¡± Gargrim noted. ¡°What¡¯s wrong honey?¡± Serena asked. Victor immediately turned with a smile. ¡°Honey?¡± ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Serena sheepishly corrected herself. ¡°No no, the other one.¡± Victor smiled. ¡°What¡¯s wrong honey?¡± She asked this time much more self-conscious and seemingly nervous. ¡°It is curse-related unfortunately.¡± Victor nodded biting both his lips not ready at all to push himself to the edge of death. ¡®If I do this and it works at least I¡¯ll wake up at the town.¡¯ He tried foolishly to look at the upside. Cawthorn flew toward them squawking. ¡°SPIDER! GIANT SPIDER AHEAD! I WATCHED IT SNATCH A RABBIT OFF THE ROAD!¡± ¡°Cawthorn says there is a spider ahead, a really big spider,¡± Victor noted. ¡°Does he know if it has a web or if it was underground?¡± Gargrim asked. Victor relayed the question to Cawthorn who replied. ¡°UNDERGROUND! IT WAS REALLY FAST!¡± ¡°It¡¯s underground and fast. It sounds like a giant trapdoor spider.¡± Victor noted. ¡°That does sound plausible. It¡¯s beatable too. They are usually around level 10ish.¡± Gargrim noted. ¡°Then given Gargrim is hurt I propose something. I will activate my speed and vitality boost skills. I will try to dodge and even if it hits me it shouldn¡¯t do enough damage. One swing from Gargrim should take it out.¡± Victor proposed. ¡°NO! You are a MAGE! You will NOT be bait. I¡¯ll do it even with your boost you¡¯ll be slower than me.¡± She answered. ¡°The boy''s plan could work if he actually dodges the first hit. How much health do you have Serena?¡± Gargrim asked. ¡°150¡± She answered. ¡°The boy¡¯s boost gives him far more health for a single hit. I¡¯d estimate that unless it hits his head the spider would do between 70 and 110 damage. He could survive 2 hits, you probably can¡¯t, and if it¡¯s a little stronger it could kill you in one bite.¡± Gargrim explained. ¡°We could also go around but that is still risky if monsters have been spilling out around here.¡± ¡®No matter where we go we will have to fight until Gargrim is dead or I am knocked out.¡¯ Victor wanted to shout that at him knowing that convincing them here would be the only way Gargrim would stay alive. ¡°If the area is infested with monsters someone might be headed to the village we came from and clear everything in front of us, no chance of that if we go off into the woods.¡± ¡°I like you, but your lack of self-preservation is never going to stop irritating me.¡± Serena groaned pulling out two daggers. ¡°Fine, but if you get hit you owe me something. I don¡¯t know what yet, but something¡­¡± ¡°Deal.¡± Victor sighed knowing this plan was the only possible way Gargrim lived. ¡®I hate that I have to get hit here. I want to know if I could dodge this.¡¯ The three of them walked up and noticed a well-hidden hole in the road. Victor took a look at the sky and then looked at Cawthorn. ¡°Can you make sure there are no other monsters nearby Cawthorn?¡± ¡°OF COURSE MY MAGE!¡± He flew off circling them returning a moment later. ¡°THERE ARE NO ENEMIES BESIDES THE SPIDER MY MAGE!¡± Victor took a deep breath and stepped forward. ¡°Speed Boost, Vitality Boost.¡± He stepped forward just within range. The speed shocked him. He put his foot within range and with his speed boost all he could do before getting him was lift it off the ground. The spider¡¯s bite came so fast Victor couldn¡¯t react. Serena, fortunately, could react but just barely, landing two daggers in its front eyes. The pitch-black arachnid sunk its fangs into his leg and bit down hard. -143 Health [Ambush Bite] Spider Poison Rank 1: Take additional damage and take a random status down ailment based on the spider. -20 speed Bleeding: 20 damage per minute while moving. Victor screamed ¡°JOLT!¡± Blasting the creature''s head stopping it from munching him -89 Health [Self-inflicted] -20 Health [bleed] Gargrim flew in decapitating the creature in a single hit. Victor instantly downed a potion and his antidote. Regenerated 5 Health Bleeding Removed Poison Removed ¡­ Regeneration 5 Health Health 138/390 Giant Spider 12: 16.3% Current Exp to Level 10 69.3% Victor Vomited blood after downing his potion, he let his speed boost expire. He looked down at his leg. His pants had been torn straight through and blood ran down his leg. Serena ran to him to hold him. ¡°DON¡¯T YOU DARE DIE!¡± She screamed choking back tears and pulling out a potion. ¡°MY MAGE!¡± Cawthorn swooped down. ¡°I¡¯m going to lose consciousness. Don¡¯t waste the potions on me, please. If you heal me we won¡¯t have potions left. I believe in you. You¡¯ll make it.¡± With that, he ended his spell falling into blackness in Serena¡¯s arms. Chapter 15: An incredibly simple life Victor woke up sore in a bed. Outside the window rain and dark clouds covered the sky, the pattering on the roof drowned out the sound of snoring in the bed across from him. Serena slept unconscious in front of him in the room. Gargrim sat against the door to the room snoring. He sat up in bed finally feeling the incredible thirst and hunger. He immediately reached for the water skin on the small table beside his bed. It was mostly empty, and he downed the last of it panting. He placed the water skin back on the stand and noticed Swordie there. He picked up the book. ¡°What happened?¡± ¡°Sir the plan worked. Serena and Gargrim moved at double pace only stopping to force water down your throat. She carried you all the way here. The two of them checked into this inn at Tinik and passed out yesterday. They haven¡¯t woken up since. They are suffering from exhaustion.¡± Swordie explained. ¡°Thank you.¡± Victor hugged Swordie and looked at Gargrim. ¡®I refuse to lose anyone I can save. If Luzuzal wants me to suffer he¡¯ll have to come up with a better plan, because if it¡¯s between my sacrifice or someone else¡¯s life I¡¯ll die every time.¡¯ He grabbed the jerky tin from his pack and pulled a few pieces. The salty meat made his mouth water with every bite. He panted trying to overcome the feeling of falling unconscious. ¡®It happened so fast. Less than 10 seconds and I was out. Even with 30 more vitality, It would have taken 2 hits to kill me. I guess that¡¯s better than 1 but low levels especially for mages are unfair! How do mages even become powerful if low levels are like this!?¡¯ Swordie added. ¡°Sir you seem distressed.¡± Victor quietly raged at Swordie in an almost aggressive whisper. ¡°I¡¯ve nearly died repeatedly. Three hits, I can¡¯t even survive getting hit 3 times. How do people survive like this?¡± ¡°Mages often don¡¯t emerge from mage towers until they hit level 10 or even 20. This is because mage defenses are magical and improve massively at higher levels. Your inability to use spell augmentation this early is dangerous. Barrier spells become more powerful proportional to your speed since you can recast them faster. Higher mana regeneration allows you to cast many more spells per day. Reaching level 10 at least if you go for Spellsword will give you early access to the speechless casting for self-buffs and spells through your weapon. The truth is you¡¯re going to be weak. Finding a mage tower and spending some years studying may be the most reasonable measure to gain levels. At least it is the safest.¡± Swordie explained. He looked at Serena. ¡°I can¡¯t do that anymore.¡± ¡°I understand your feelings, sir. Gain additional experience by defeating lower-level monsters. Group up with ideally slightly higher-level party members. Leveling up the way you are going about it is suicide, and I did not return you to life so you could kill yourself.¡± Swordie let the words linger on the page to the cold patter of rain above them. They sank into Victor like cold knives. ¡®Am I being brave at all? The pain is real. My skills are real. The life I have now is real. It all feels real, yet somehow, I feel like I¡¯m not treating it that way.¡¯ Victor focused on his hands and formed a fist several times stretching. He ran his hand down his leg to feel the scars from the spider. ¡®Dying again would be as fatal as the first time, but I wouldn¡¯t come back. Why does that feel¡­ empowering.¡¯ Victor traced the edge of the fangs from the spider. ¡®If I die the suffering ends, if I live and fail the suffering gets worse. I can¡¯t believe how simple that is. If it killed me that would be the end, but if Gargrim died that would stick with me forever.¡¯ Victor shook his head. ¡®Never back down is a foolish mentality. Delusional even. Perhaps Luzuzal wasn¡¯t so far off. I¡¯ll try not to get into a situation where I fight higher-level creatures going forward. That way if I refused to back down I¡¯d have some chance of success.¡¯ He took a deep breath. ¡°I¡¯m sorry for being such a fool. Is Cawthorn on the roof isn¡¯t he.¡± ¡°Yes. The arrogant crow is on the roof.¡± Swordie noted. ¡°Being a hero means being powerful enough to be heroic. Any child can charge and die failing to save someone. I will follow your advice and try not to cause more trouble.¡± Victor sighed. Gargrim opened his eyes and groaned and closed his eyes again. ¡°Can you keep it down?¡± ¡°Sorry,¡± Victor answered. ¡°It¡¯s my fault here. I should have stopped you.¡± Gargrim shook his head. ¡°I am getting old. I can¡¯t keep doing this alone.¡± He paused. ¡°You¡¯re too weak for me to hunt artifacts with, and I still can¡¯t return home to Goholt. Never get old son.¡± ¡°What would allow you to return to Goholt?¡± Victor asked. ¡°King Korvald dying or reaching level 55 to 60 so I could challenge him in personal combat is the only way I could ever return after that banishment. I¡¯ll never reach that level and last I heard about a year ago he was still alive.¡± Gargrim sighed eyes still closed. ¡°Once she wakes up I am going to find another room and stay there only sleeping and eating. I¡¯d like to be left alone. Thank you for the lead on the bandit camp. May all your travels be safe.¡±This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report. ¡°I wish I hadn¡¯t discouraged you.¡± Victor took a deep breath. ¡°Someone like you shouldn¡¯t end up dead on a dungeon floor or drunk alone in a bar.¡± ¡°You didn¡¯t discourage me, son. You opened my eyes. To progress I¡¯d need to find a group I trust with my life. I don¡¯t think you understand how hard that actually is.¡± He took a deep breath. ¡°Have you ever been literally stabbed in the back? I have. If his knife hadn¡¯t broken on me at the time new armor, I¡¯d be dead. He died in a single hit but the two of them just wanted my gear and gold.¡± ¡°Would you trust the two of us?¡± Victor asked. ¡°In a heartbeat,¡± Gargrim answered. ¡°You¡¯re a one-of-a-kind idiot I wouldn¡¯t mind dying with one day.¡± ¡°You said you¡¯d be in Kival right? Is that where you typically live?¡± Victor asked. ¡°Normally yes. I¡¯m only out this far because the difficulty and reward didn¡¯t match at all. That skeleton was an intelligent mage creating undead for a lich somewhere underneath one of these many mountains. The information was good. Had I not gotten involved with that troll the entire venture would have been extremely profitable and with how well everything went up to that I was entirely shocked. This is more in line with what I expect to happen. Go on a quest or hunt for an artifact followed by a long recovery period. Clearing something without taking significant damage lets you continue to progress. I actually leveled up off the troll.¡± He chuckled with his eyes still closed and his head hung low. ¡°I already know your question and the answer is sure. If you reach my level or near it in the next decade or so look me up. You¡¯re just about the only group I think I could trust.¡± ¡°If someone in the party tried to backstab you I¡¯d shield you,¡± Victor noted. ¡°I know you would son. I know, but for now, once she wakes up just let me stew in my failure. It¡¯s my fault here. I didn¡¯t react fast enough. I have to fix that.¡± Gargrim sighed. The two of them sat there in silence save for the patter of rain on the rooftop. They both closed their eyes and Victor could not but think. ¡®I will definitely find him again someday and make it up to him.¡¯ He smiled. ¡°I promise you¡¯ll be there for the wedding.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll be there.¡± Gargrim stroked his beard chuckling. ¡°After all I got your present already.¡± Victor audibly peaked his voice laughing. ¡°Never change.¡± Serena groaned her eyes still closed. ¡°Mm right there.¡± She bolted up realizing she had woken up. She looked around almost not believing what she saw with each blink and literally leaped from her bed to Victor¡¯s. She landed on top of him and hugged him. ¡°Hey, how are you doing?¡± Victor asked. ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± She muffled out to him squeezed against his chest. ¡°You¡¯re, okay?¡± ¡°It does appear that way.¡± Victor wrapped an arm around her. ¡°I know you want to be stronger to help people.¡± She stopped to squeeze him again. ¡°Can we please take more precautions and be safer? No mage should be doing that.¡± ¡°We won¡¯t do any fighting until we recruit more members and we will be upfront that we intend to take quests and artifact hunt lower-level creatures. How does the 5 to 8 range work?¡± Victor asked. She squeezed him tighter. ¡°Okay.¡± Victor started to feel the air being forced from his body. Serena is stronger than him, but he hadn¡¯t realized just how much stronger she really was. ¡°Too tight.¡± He let out meekly. ¡°No.¡± She kept squeezing for a moment before letting go. Victor let out a sigh of relief. ¡°You¡¯ve got quite the grip.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± She added. Gargrim sighed and stood up. ¡°With that, I will be going to my room. It has been nice meeting the two of you and I wish you the best. If you want to see me in the future Kival is where I¡¯ll most likely be. I¡¯m going to go to sleep.¡± ¡°Thank you Gargrim,¡± Serena added. ¡°May the two of you have happy lives.¡± Gargrim closed the door with a final nod. ¡°Are you feeling well enough to engage in activities?¡± Serena asked as soon as the door closed. Victor¡¯s naivet¨¦ while strong did not deceive him from the intent of her statement. ¡°I do believe I am.¡± Chapter 16: First time The sun poked through the clouds in the morning. Birds were chirping, water dripping, and crickets playing their tune felt almost like a movie to Victor as he finally woke up first with Serena sleeping naked on top of him. He lay there incredibly happy for what felt like the first time in his life only to notice the achievement. Achievement: First Time ¨C Have sex for the first time. Gain 1 stat point. Gain 40 Luck. ¡®It was great but why did she feel the need to aggressively get me in bed? I wonder if it means even more in this world than on Earth.¡¯ Victor pondered but genuinely did not care. He ran his hand over one of her scars on her back. ¡®They really do look badass, and yet I want to find whoever did this to her with an intensity I¡¯ve not ever felt before.¡¯ She slept soundly on him for another half an hour before waking up. ¡°Good morning sunshine.¡± ¡°Good morning honey.¡± She sat up with the blanket on her shoulders. ¡°You¡¯ll need to increase your stamina if you want to be on top.¡± Victor turned red realizing just how out of shape 5 strengths and 2 rigors made him. ¡°Yeah, and I definitely need more rigor too.¡± He paused ¡®I wonder if working out physically makes you stronger here.¡¯ ¡°Get dressed sweetie.¡± She stretched before putting her clothes back on. ¡°I¡¯m starving. We should get some food.¡± ¡°What do people usually do for breakfast?¡± Victor asked. ¡°Well I usually had gruel but eggs and sausage sounds divine, and I¡¯m sure Cawthorn will agree with me on the sausage at least.¡± She opened the door. Victor quickly accompanied her to the door and followed her downstairs to a dining area similar to the area at the previous inn except much larger and with a cobblestone floor. Unlike the other areas, this inn bustled with activity at least 40 people sat around various round tables and on benches affixed to the walls. Several barmaids ran around bussing tables to the hustle and bustle and at least two chefs could be seen cooking meal after meal behind a window. The smells of the meat and spices wafted up to the top of the steps and the entire flood had the aroma of breakfast. Victor¡¯s mouth watered as Serena grabbed his hand and practically pulled him down the stairs. ¡°That smells so good.¡± ¡°I know!¡± She smiled pulling him behind her to the bench. A barmaid quickly came toward them. ¡°What will it be for you two?¡± ¡°Sausage and eggs for both of us and some water.¡± Serena nodded. ¡°Oh, it¡¯s you! The love birds from yesterday!¡± A tall woman next to them with long hair and a slender face turned to them. ¡°Are you two okay? Where¡¯s your dwarf friend?¡± ¡°We¡¯re fine,¡± Serena answered. ¡°She rushed here after I fell unconscious,¡± Victor noted. ¡°I¡¯m Lara Austin, this is Thaddeus Tanner¡± she pointed to a massive man likely needing to duck down to enter any room ¡°and that is Zack Mendoza our leader.¡± Zack nodded. ¡°Our group is Just the Gold. It¡¯s good to see the youngsters surviving. More people killing monsters is always a plus in my book.¡± Thaddeus just grunted and continued eating his massive plate of meat. ¡°Don¡¯t mind him he eats a lot.¡± ¡°We¡¯re the Stars of Verdan, I¡¯m Victor Vogal, this is Serena Brooks, and the dwarf is Gargrim. He¡¯s not really in our group we were just traveling together.¡± Victor explained. Zack leaned on his hand and asked. ¡°What are your levels?¡± Victor hesitated ¡®Are they asking because they might want to rob us?¡¯ Serena asked. ¡°Are you checking to see if we¡¯d be good recruits?¡± Zach shamelessly said. ¡°Yeah! We are always looking out for good party members since our core is only 3.¡± ¡°I¡¯m a level 8 rogue and he¡¯s a level 9 mage,¡± Serena answered. ¡°Ah, that is a bit low for our group. We¡¯re all around level 15.¡± Zach took a drink. Food arrived for both of them. Victor called out the window. ¡°Cawthorn! Sausage!¡± The crow swooped through the window to much laughter from a good portion of the tavern. Victor fed him a sausage and took a bite himself. ¡°DELICIOUS!¡± Cawthorn proclaimed. Lara laughed. ¡°Is that your familiar? He is delightful.¡± ¡°Yes, and he is a great familiar.¡± He gently stroked the back of Cawthorn¡¯s head. ¡°Do artifact hunters and adventurers normally recruit each other in bars and inns?¡± Lara turned to him slightly confused. ¡°Yeah, where did you two form a group?¡± Victor with food in his mouth mumbled ¡°In a cave.¡± ¡°In a cave?¡± Lara asked. ¡°He rescued me as I was about to die after my traveling companions had been killed.¡± She told the truth with a tongue so slick it couldn¡¯t be matched. ¡°I fell for him right there and joined him.¡± ¡°Aw, that¡¯s so romantic,¡± Lara commented. Zack shrugged. ¡°Real shame your lower level you sound like a great party member. You¡¯ll have real difficulties finding a group below the 10th level. At 10 you get a specialization and get a lot more powerful. If you were both 10th we might be able to help you out but as it stands, you¡¯ll have a tough time finding someone to group up with, or you¡¯ll need to help out lower-level adventurers.¡± ¡°That¡¯s fine, we had intended to focus on lower-level creatures for a while to be safe.¡± Victor nodded to Serena. Serena smiled at that. ¡°We¡¯ll find a lower level cleric that is searching for a group and help them level so when they reach higher levels we have a cleric we can trust.¡± ¡°You have to be careful doing that,¡± Zack noted. ¡°Nothing is keeping a cleric in your group after level 10 especially if they take the priest specialization. Every group would take a priest without exception and they¡¯d just help them level up.¡± ¡°Wait why are priests so valuable?¡± Victor asked. ¡°Priests have a huge amount of mana regeneration, and significantly reduced mana cost when casting spells on an ally. They are the default healers for powerful groups. Devout clerics and holy warrior clerics are useful since they too can heal in a group, but priests excel at it.¡± Zack explained. ¡°Yeah, but they have no defense! No one wants to be a priest.¡± Lara replied. ¡°They can¡¯t use armor; their healing spells are less powerful per cast than a holy warrior and a devout has a much more diverse skill set. Priests basically fill your health to full all the time and buff you nothing else. Their barriers are weaker than a devout and they have minimal self-defense. Finding one of those even low levels would be tough since if they took it a higher-level group would poach them from you after they hit 10th level.¡± ¡°So, they are as frail as a mage?¡± Victor asked. ¡°That would suck.¡± ¡°Even more so! They don¡¯t improve prowess at every level from 11 to 30 like mages do so their barriers are weak. Their passive stat increase is only 3 flow per level while mages all get between 1 and 3 prowess which improves their barriers massively over 10 or more levels. At least a mage can block a hit if they react fast enough. Priest ends up having their barrier shatter most of the time. Without an exceptional defensive front line, they will die without question.¡± Lara groaned again. ¡°I bet mages also largely improve prowess before other stats too,¡± Victor noted. ¡°Yeah! There are even powerful magic weapons that deal damage based on prowess. No weapon does that for flow. The stat is only useful for spell spamming which is great for regeneration magic and buff spells which don¡¯t scale off prowess, but literally nothing else!¡± Lara continued complaining. Zach interrupted her. ¡°Don¡¯t mind her, we trained a couple of priests, and both got poached by level 25 or higher groups. It¡¯s not like we can do anything about it either. What are you going to do? Enslave them? That barely works at lower levels. They have to act on direct orders only. Past level 10 combat tends toward improvisation and shouting what to do will get you killed.¡± Victor glared at them. ¡°Even if it worked you shouldn¡¯t enslave someone.¡± ¡°Yeah, it always feels weird having a party member who may as well be less than human. They won¡¯t help. They don¡¯t contribute and often they don¡¯t want to live. Slavery is just not effective above level 10 unless you¡¯re intending to sacrifice them or you are assigning them to a specific task.¡± Zach shrugged. Victor bristled. His breakfast was ruined. He looked around. How many of these people own, or did they own slaves in the past? He scanned the room and noticed at least 6 people not eating, not laughing, and not speaking. His blood pressure shot up. ¡®I can¡¯t. I shouldn¡¯t. I have to focus.¡¯ He bit down into his food and mentioned to Serena. ¡°I am going to wait outside alright?¡± She quickly shoveled in her food as Cawthorn leaped on Victor''s shoulder and all 3 left. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Victor looked out on the muddy streets, seeing slaves being transported in a cart with an auction house across the road from them. Down the street a blacksmith and a tailor along with food stalls. Victor¡¯s blood boiled as he observed this unholy land. ¡®One day I will free all of them. I know angels exist and I will speak to Swordie about this later. How could heavenly creatures allow this? FUCK THESE PEOPLE.¡¯ He looked up the street to the north seeing a massive gate with the same black stone from the keep. ¡°Let¡¯s buy what we need to buy and get out of here.¡± ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± She asked again. Victor angrily whispered to her. ¡°There are slaves everywhere. How are you not freaking out?¡± ¡°It is depressing seeing it, but I¡¯m so used to it I don¡¯t feel anything. No one would dare try to enslave someone in broad daylight in the middle of town so it¡¯s not like we are in danger.¡± She spoke. Victor clenched his fist. ¡°Let¡¯s just go get whatever we need and go through the gates. I do not want to be here any longer.¡± ¡°We need food and clothes, and I could use a few more daggers and a short bow.¡± She noted. ¡°Let¡¯s stop for the clothes first. I could use a change of clothes.¡± Victor took a deep breath. The two of them crossed the muddy street toward the tailor and entered the shop. The smell of the wooden floors after the storm filled his nose as he approached the shop needle in hand. An elderly woman nodded at him. ¡°Hello young man, how may I help you today?¡± ¡°I¡¯m a mage in need of some new clothes. She¡¯s a rogue.¡± Victor noted. ¡°Well I do have a few magical sets but they are a bit pricy. If you want to see them I¡¯ll need to see some coin. 1000 Gold is the cheapest set.¡± She noted. ¡°Goodness, we¡¯ll just look at regular clothes then.¡± He held his hands up. Serena had already started looking through clothes to find a few loose-fitting shirts and a couple of pairs of pants one short and one long, all black except for one pattern of red roses on her shirt. Victor tried to match his brown pants and white shirt as closely as possible so he could just wear whatever was clean and look the same. The two of them quickly paid for their clothes and walked out wearing them. Serena looked rather beautiful with the sewn rose pattern running up her shoulders and down her sleeves. Victor looked just as plain as ever with his cloak, white shirt, and brown pants. Victor realized he¡¯d have to wash his clothes by hand in this world and groaned slightly. ¡®I wonder if a skill can clean something.¡¯ They walked next door to the smithy. The smell of hot iron and the steam from it cooling in water immediately filled their noses with a sense of weight and heft to the building. Every inch of the building was constructed from the same black stone they had seen before. In the back bows and blades lined the wall with a table in front of all 8 smiths either talking to a customer or forging a weapon. They walked to the back. Serena pointed to a batch of 10 throwing knives, two daggers, and a bow. She also purchased 20 arrows. ¡°I¡¯ve got 41 lefts.¡± She fitted all her equipment on her new belt Victor just now noticed and the bandoleer she bought before. Her bow fit around her chest and with that she looked much better equipped than she had moments ago. A rogue well outfitted for a dangerous journey. Suddenly Victor felt naked like he was back on earth. ¡°Should I buy a weapon?¡± He asked Serena. ¡°Why? Are you going to be a Spellsword ? It¡¯s a lot safer to be a Contemplative Caster or Deep Mage since you¡¯ll be far at the back and you do not need a weapon for that.¡± Serena noted. ¡°I was planning on it. Are any weapons more effective with speed instead of strength?¡± Victor asked. She seemed dismayed and slumped over. ¡°Yeah fine, any of the rapier, daggers, or thin blade weapon classes do more damage with speed instead of strength. Strength still improves those weapons but they get a lot less from it. If you have to fight close up a rapier, it¡¯ll be best in duels and generally good for narrow hallways. You should still try to shoot from range when possible.¡± ¡°Which rapier looks best to you?¡± He had no idea what rapiers would work since he had never held one before. Historically he knew long swords and katanas are effective blades but didn¡¯t see any katanas. The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. ¡°Well that one there¡± She pointed to a rapier with runes on it. ¡°Is the best but I bet if we ask them to show us it they¡¯ll want to see the coin. It¡¯s probably thousands of gold. I don¡¯t know what magic it has on it but those blue glowing runes aren¡¯t easy to apply to the weapon.¡± Victor pointed to it and asked. ¡°What is that one?¡± A halfling shop keeper of tiny stature at the station reached up pulled it down and wiped off the blade. ¡°This is Frost Fang a rapier that is designed to apply frostbite with every single swing. It never runs out and constantly slows and chills enemies hit. After the first hit any creature will become much easier to finish off. Not cheap but very effective.¡± ¡°How ¡®not cheap¡¯ are we talking?¡± Victor asked. ¡°This one is 750 gold but if you have the gold right now I¡¯ll let it go for 700.¡± The halfling leaned forward. ¡°What do you say?¡± ¡°I recommend starting out with a simple weapon, poor use might break it anyway.¡± Serena noted. ¡°Ah a beginner then let me recommend one of these.¡± He bent over beneath the desk and pulled up a thin moderately long blade with a thin point. ¡°Try this.¡± Victor drew the blade and it felt so effortless. Despite the blade¡¯s weight being so light it still felt heavy to Victor and his paltry strength score. ¡°That there is running 25 gold, finely made steel for a starter weapon. If you need something a little lighter but have 65 gold we have this.¡± He reached down and pulled out a blade nearly identical in make but with slightly more decorations on the sheath and a metal leaf at the top leading into the hilt of the blade. ¡°This is elven steel it¡¯s lighter and just as strong. It¡¯s a bit more expensive but for those without immense physical strength it¡¯s a great choice.¡± As Victor pulled the blade he realized the difference in weight. It was at least 3 or 4 times lighter than the first weapon yet its¡¯ sheen and strength seemed identical to Victor. ¡°That really is light. I¡¯ll take it.¡± He handed over 65 gold. ¡°I¡¯ve got 61 left after all of that.¡± He clipped the metal clip at the top of the sheath to his belt and drew his blade then sheathed it again. He smiled satisfied with his purchase. ¡°Let¡¯s get out of here Serena.¡± ¡°We need to get more provisions.¡± She pointed out. ¡°I had to use all our potions and all of Gargrim¡¯s potions to make it here as fast as we did. We also only have 1 antidote.¡± ¡°Where is the apothecary? Let¡¯s get our provisions and get out.¡± Victor pressed forward as they both reached the stalls. They bought food quickly and got moving on to the potion shop and both spent 15 gold buying healing potions and Victor added another antidote to their store of potions. ¡°That¡¯s it right?¡± Serena seemed slightly deflated ¡°Yeah.¡± They walked into the street with a man following behind a carriage with no hair and the symbol inked into his head. ¡°I hadn¡¯t really had any time to think about others¡­¡± She looked at her new clothing and all of her new equipment. ¡°I feel like we are wearing someone¡¯s life.¡± ¡°We are wearing someone¡¯s life.¡± Victor hung his head and started walking away gripping his fist so hard he felt like he¡¯d start to bleed. Serena followed after him toward the gate. ¡°DRAKES!¡± Cawthorn shouted. As they passed by the auction house a man screaming passed them. The sudden crash of a cart landing in the blacksmith moments ago they bought their equipment in. The metal strewn across the road and alleyways they had just strolled down. Victor turned just in time to see it. Large claws headed for his face he tried to dodge to the side but Serena had to tackle him to the ground. He landed on a wooden porch that quickly broke to pieces. Urgent Quest Time to accept: 0:30 Quest Giver: Luzuzal Free Slaves ¨C In the chaos of the drake attack Free at least 1 slave. Reward: ???? Accept Reject ¡®Go on.¡¯ Luzuzal stood before him. ¡®Let me see your delusion in action.¡¯ Another cart dropped from the sky to the auction house and slaves scattered. Victor clicked accept. ¡°WE HAVE TO RUN!¡± Serena tried to grab him but lost her grip on his wet hand as Victor crossed to the alleyway. Victor ran into the alleyway ¡°Speed boost, Vitality Boost.¡± Victor nearly collided with two people and a horse running at top speed away from the bright red drakes flinging objects at the town. A mage stood center of the road and blasted off a powerful lightning spell instantly killing a drake only to get charged. He put up a barrier shield and yet it cracked breaking like an egg as the drake ripped him in half. Victor realized even trying to save someone here would be insanity. ¡®Am I insane? I guess I can¡¯t be if I¡¯m asking that question.¡± Victor felt a stone hit his side but not break his skin. -13 Health Victor noticed a little child running duck into a barrel tipped over. Victor rushed to the ground and opened the lid. ¡°Shh.¡± The tattoo was on the child¡¯s head. Victor stopped using Speed boost and vitality boost. He waited a moment breathing while she silently sat there shaking her head as the men looked for the slaves in the alley. A drake swooped down and consumed a guard immediately before taking off. ¡°Don¡¯t move.¡± He began tracing the tattoo on her forehead and within a few moments it was gone. ¡°Hide until later.¡± He put the lid on the barrel. Urgent Quest Free Slaves - Completed Reward: Luzuzal¡¯s Delusion Rank 2, refill mana . Accept Reject ¡®Accept!¡¯ He clicked so fast and immediately reactivated ¡°Vitality boost.¡± Serena reached him ¡°WHY!?¡± Victor panted and looked at the barrel with a single hole with an eye looking out it. He looked to it unable to speak and then looked to her. ¡°You¡¯re unbelievably reckless. We need to get across the border.¡± ¡°I know you can carry someone.¡± Victor noted still out of breath as two people screamed in the streets being torn apart. The drake hobbled forward toward them on two legs with tiny claws in front of it. It roared charging them only for Serena to throw two blades into its eyes. It crashed into the nearby building through the wall. Victor couldn¡¯t move. He was completely out of stamina and the drake turned to them. ¡°RUN!¡± Gargrim tore toward them axe in one hand decapitating the drake in one hit. ¡°RUN!¡± Victor shook his head. ¡°Serena, carry her.¡± The girl popped the top of the barrel and stepped out. ¡°Absolutely not.¡± She picked up Victor and started to run as fast as she could. The young girl ran after them seeming to nearly keep up. She said nothing but Serena did have something to say. ¡°What the hell?¡± In the streets around them many adventurers fought back and several drakes began to die. Victor contemplated casting Jolt to sneak in a level. ¡°I swear if you cast a spell Victor I will never stop carrying you in front of people no matter how embarrassed you get.¡± He immediately stopped that line of thought. Cawthorn screeched on his back. ¡°THE GATES ARE OPEN FLY MY MAGE!¡± Victor put his hand on Serena not knowing if this would work and feeling like he really should have asked. ¡°Speed boost¡± Serena starting moving much faster and they approached the gate with great speed wind rushing through their hair. The girl followed behind them staying with them. ¡°Why is she so fast?!¡± Serena asked as they passed the broken gates. More than two dozen guards were firing dozens of arrows with many landing and bringing down some drakes. After all of them reached the other side of the gates they made their way toward the nearby trees where the girl followed after. The three of them hid near a cluster of trees as many more people rushed into the woods. The drakes seemed to follow those fleeing. ¡°Who is she?¡± ¡°She¡¯s a little girl, she was a slave but isn¡¯t now.¡± Victor patted her head. ¡°We can hide here until it passes.¡± ¡°Do you know me?¡± The young girl asked. ¡°I¡¯m Victor Vogal. Nice to meet you.¡± A drake roared chasing others running down the road. He extended his hand and shook her hand. She grabbed his hand and firmly shook it while Serena still carried him. ¡°Why do you carry him?¡± Serena raised an eyebrow. ¡°He¡¯s my boyfriend and he used all his stamina helping you.¡± ¡°I can carry him if you¡¯d like.¡± She held out her hands. ¡°What?¡± Both of them asked in unison. ¡°If you are low on stamina I can carry him.¡± She repeated. ¡°I¡¯m sorry let me try another way. I¡¯m Serena Brooks. Who are you?¡± She looked at her genuinely confused as screams in the distance started to fade. ¡°I am Forala Medot. You freed me and have my lifelong gratitude.¡± She answered. ¡°What?¡± Both answered in unison again. ¡°I am Forala Medot. I am a black half-drake. I am currently in my human form. I was captured voluntarily hoping the adventurers could protect me. All of them died. These drakes are likely chasing me.¡± She explained. ¡°What?¡± Both again repeated in unison. ¡°It appears my rescuer and his wife are both hard of hearing.¡± She noted. ¡°What!¡± The both turned red. ¡°I SAID YOU ARE HARD OF HEARING!¡± Forala added. Victor shook his head. ¡°I¡¯m not hard of hearing just astonished.¡± Cawthorn spoke in a calm low voice. ¡°Really my mage? I had been shouting this whole time because humans tend to ignore me.¡± ¡°WHAT!?¡± Victor turned to Cawthorn. ¡°You know they can¡¯t understand you, Cawthorn.¡± ¡°I can speak corvid.¡± She added. Cawthorn looked her dead in the eye and answered with a flat ¡°What.¡± ¡°I must reward you for rescuing me Victor Vogal. What do you desire?¡± She continued. ¡°I need no reward. I was just doing what was right.¡± Victor nodded. ¡°You¡¯re free now.¡± She shook her head. ¡°Are you a paladin? A holy warrior perhaps?¡± ¡°I¡¯m a mage, level 9,¡± Victor added. With an effect even flatter than Cawthorn and even more direct eye contact, she simply asked ¡°What.¡± Serena still holding him propped him up reconfiguring her grip. ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s just who he is. Idiot can¡¯t control himself when it comes to helping people.¡± She blinked twice as one more person screamed near their small ring of trees blocking the view. A single red drake roared at them. ¡°Do not leave this spot.¡± Cawthorn put a wing up to Victor¡¯s ear and whispered. ¡°I think we should listen to her my mage.¡± She transformed into a black drake looking very similar to the red one but smaller. She roared gutturally and charged the red drake. They couldn¡¯t close their beaks or mouths as she gripped the red drake''s neck and flipped it over slamming it into the ground, then a tree, back to the ground again until the creature flopped lifelessly and then several times more. Finally, she tore off its¡¯ head and ate it. With the chomping and a final lick to clean off the blood, she stomped back toward them slowly transforming back into a human. ¡°I cannot defeat them all, but a single foot soldier cannot stand against me.¡± ¡°I really want to ask her level but am far too terrified to ask.¡± Victor couldn¡¯t even blink looking at her only briefly realizing he said that out loud. ¡°Ordinarily I would never reveal my level to anyone, however, you deserve a reward. I am a level 59 fighter.¡± She answered. ¡°Oh. Wow.¡± Victor just stopped. ¡°My mage I am afraid,¡± Cawthorn whispered. ¡°I can hear you familiar.¡± She noted. Cawthorn recoiled and hopped back. She finished wiping her face with her arm and put her robe back over her head. ¡°I may look young by your human standards but I am 28 years old. My mother is likely dead or about to die. The red drakes are hunting us and desire our end. I vastly overestimated humans, except for you.¡± ¡°Thanks but I couldn¡¯t save more than one slave back there. Not exactly results worthy of boasting.¡± Victor noted. ¡°Has Serena claimed you?¡± She put her hand on Victor''s shoulder. Serena turned away pulling him back still in her arms. ¡°Yes, I have.¡± ¡°Ah, pity.¡± She seemed disappointed. ¡°I had always asked my mother how she could love an inferior species. For someone like you, I could at least understand the desire.¡± Serena breathed deeply putting Victor on his feet and standing between them. ¡°Aside from that the only thing he wants is to become stronger.¡± ¡®Luzuzal what should I ask for? You obviously set this up and want me to ask for something. Please don¡¯t pretend you didn¡¯t interfere here.¡¯ Victor waited and Luzuzal appeared within a few seconds. Luzuzal shook his head. ¡°I just wanted to see what you would do, and this time you did not disappoint.¡± He smiled worlds stretching into the air and his sun in place of his single eye burned bright. ¡°Ask for whatever you desire. Her body, artifacts, power, or perhaps nothing. Take what you desire.¡± He faded into nothingness satisfied. Truly shocked by the response he told her his actual desire. ¡°I just want to live in a more equal world. I don¡¯t want anyone to have serious power over me or anyone else.¡± ¡°What an idealistic view. The strongest will always have power over the weakest.¡± She noted. ¡°I know it¡¯s foolish, it¡¯s probably impossible but I see no reason not to work toward that future,¡± Victor added. ¡°It isn¡¯t foolish, it¡¯s idealistic. Perhaps even heroic for the strong to protect the weak, but even if you will do that few others will.¡± She shook her head. ¡°You just did,¡± Victor noted. She tilted her head. ¡°Huh?¡± She turned around to what they were looking at. Behind them, the mangled corpse of a red drake lay bleeding and headless. ¡°Oh, that was nothing. It was just a foot soldier. Likely level 20 to 25.¡± ¡°Our demise would have been swift and painful if not for you.¡± Victor shook his head and knelt. ¡°If you insist on repaying my favor consider it paid. If you insist that isn¡¯t enough then next time someone is in need consider helping if you can.¡± ¡°It¡¯s making more and more sense to me how mother felt about father before he died. I shall remember your name. If you pass through the Xalper mountains and ever you encounter a black drake speak my name in draconic Forla Medoat and I¡¯m confident they will take you to me. Regardless of my actions today I feel I owe you more than I have given.¡± She extended her hand. Victor gently walked around Serena and shook her hand. She started walking to create distance from them before taking off fast enough to disappear in the blink of an eye. Chapter 17: Equals The two of them looked at each other puzzled. ¡°Who did I just save?¡± Victor asked himself ¡°FORALA MEDOT!¡± Cawthorn shouted. ¡°You know they can¡¯t understand you why are you shouting?¡± Victor asked. ¡°HOW ELSE WOULD I KNOW? IT¡¯S HOW I GOT YOU MY MAGE!¡± Cawthorn proclaimed. ¡°I guess if you weren¡¯t Forala wouldn¡¯t have said anything either,¡± Victor noted. ¡°SEE MY MAGE IT WORKED AGAIN!¡± Cawthorn declared. ¡°Are you happy it worked?¡± Victor asked. ¡°No.¡± Cawthorn quieted down immediately. ¡°She scares me.¡± Serena asked. ¡°How are we still alive? She could have killed us. The drakes could have killed us.¡± She gripped him by the arms. ¡°Your curse has some benefit, doesn¡¯t it? I don¡¯t care about your past but I need to know why we are okay!¡± She began freaking out. Victor knew he had to say something to reassure her. ¡°You¡¯re right. My curse is hidden and it isn¡¯t entirely detrimental but it¡¯s definitely cursed. In this case, I was directed to save someone without any idea what the ramifications would be. The curse has requirements I must meet but the goal isn¡¯t to kill me. I can¡¯t tell you the goal of the curse I am sorry.¡± ¡°Was saving me just part of your curse?¡± She started panicking. ¡°No. It forced me to give in to the impulse to save you faster, but I¡¯d have died doing that no matter what.¡± Victor shook his head and leaned forward to hug her. She stepped back. ¡°It did force you, didn¡¯t it? How can I be sure you can even tell me the truth?¡± Victor looked to the ground and began to speak only to be garbled again. He cursed to the sky. ¡°AREN¡¯T YOU GOING TO LET ME TELL HER?¡± he screamed before just looking to the sky above. Luzuzal allowed him to speak again. ¡°I just tried to tell you it. The curse even indicated I might be able to tell you but refused to let me do so.¡± ¡°Do you care for me?¡± She asked. Victor leaned forward. ¡°My life is so much better with you in it that I¡¯d regret every moment that comes after if you disappeared. It will never get better without you here with me.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I am just seeking some assurance your curse won¡¯t be trying to kill us both or you, especially you.¡± She leaned forward into his embrace. ¡°Can you give me a moment?¡± Victor asked. ¡°The drakes are gone we can stay here for a few minutes if you want.¡± Serena sat down. ¡°I trust you enough for that at least. Can you tell me what you are going to do?¡± ¡°Figure out how to tell you everything.¡± He took a deep breath and screamed ¡°LUZUZAL! I DEMAND AN AUDIENCE!¡± Luzuzal manifested in front of him. His star eye and anger pressed together planets for a mouth much larger than normal as he approached Victor every step oozed anger. ¡°You dare call me demanding an audience?¡± ¡°You told me I could tell her.¡± Victor insisted. ¡°Yet here you are denying me your gifts because I tried to tell her.¡± ¡°You didn¡¯t even wait a day. I expected you to go much farther prior to this event. I will not allow you to sabotage this relationship. It is critical to your future.¡± Luzuzal insisted. ¡°Then reveal yourself now. Tell her, or I WILL FIND A WAY!¡± Victor screamed in a language Serena couldn¡¯t understand. ¡°What are you going to do to kill my familiar and prevent me from finding a school to learn basic language? If I have to do that it¡¯ll be a long time before your goals are ever achieved if they are at all.¡± Angered Luzuzal forced Victor to his knees with what felt like infinite force from dozens of small stars pressing him down. ¡°Whom do you presume to speak to?¡± ¡°An equal.¡± Victor forced his head up. The pressure instantly stopped. His laughter shook the forest. The roar of laughter could be heard from every direction for miles. Every being including Serena could hear it from inside their heads. The drakes began fleeing from all around. The birds fled, Cawthorn cowered, and the small animals hid. None could forget the laughter that they heard etched into their brain. Luzuzal Deeply Approves Luzuzal¡¯s Delusion increases to Rank 3 Luzuzal¡¯s Promise increases to Rank 7 Luzuzal¡¯s Devout increases to Rank 2 Serena''s eyes snapped shut and she gripped her head doubling over to scream. The laughter continued for nearly a minute. ¡°Exquisite.¡± She could hear Luzuzal speak. Her heart felt an endless void in front of her as though she was infinitely far away from anyone else. Her eyes opened to see Victor far into the distance to the backdrop of starry space. Luzuzal approached her holding his hands behind his back. He leaned down with an elated smile. ¡°I am Void Lord Luzuzal.¡± Serena screamed trying to back away. She backed into Victor. ¡°WE HAVE TO RUN!¡± ¡°MY VOID LORD!¡± Cawthorn called out. ¡°Excuse me?¡± Victor turned to Cawthorn ¡°I MEAN UH MY MAGE IT¡¯S A VOID LORD!¡± Cawthorn corrected himself. Victor noted that but then went back to Serena extending his hand to help her up. She took his hand immediately and tried to push him back. ¡°Leave us alone.¡± ¡°Victor, would you like to explain, or should I?¡± Luzuzal asked. ¡°I am a partner to Luzuzal.¡± Victor explained. ¡°He is assisting me to move toward fulfilling what he calls my delusions but what can better be described as my dreams.¡± ¡°No¡­¡± She started crying. ¡°You can¡¯t be a cultist.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not.¡± Victor shook his head. ¡°I AM!¡± Cawthorn crowed. Victor shook his head. ¡°I¡¯m so sorry Cawthorn but what the hell?¡± ¡°I DID NOT KNOW YOU WERE HIS SUPPLICANT AS WELL!¡± Cawthorn proclaimed. ¡°I¡¯m not.¡± Victor insisted. ¡°Luzuzal can you help me out here?¡± She turned to him terrified. Luzuzal simplified his form and began to speak. ¡°Victor is not my supplicant. More like a partner. I will assist him in fulfilling his delusions and in so doing destroy the other 3 Void Lords. He will bring freedom to this world freeing slaves. He will bring equality to this world fighting against the racism of Verdan, and he will force the cultists to feel the cold hard sting of death bringing them to the reality of failure. What you have heard about the Void Lords is¡­ exaggerated.¡± She tried to contain her terror by holding on to Victor. ¡°You are what cursed him?¡± ¡°Is it truly a curse if you ask for it?¡± Luzuzal asked. ¡°You asked for it?¡± She turned to Victor and backed away. ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Because I am weak. I need help. The only solution is to ask for help. Swordie, Luzuzal, you, Gargrim, or Forala it does not matter. If I can¡¯t do it, or I can¡¯t do it alone asking for help is the only solution. I needed his help to free you. My luck is abysmal. His blessing changed that. Please¡± he outstretched his hand ¡°you know who I am. You¡¯ve seen it. I sought power only to help others. Swordie can you help me?¡± Swordie opened in front of him. ¡°Victor is a truly genuine beautiful kind human being, and an idiot easily tricked by an abomination. His intentions are pure, this abomination¡¯s intentions are not. Do not deal with him no matter what he tells you, no matter how tempting the deal is. He sweetened the deal by offering even more power and not making him a supplicant, but he is still bound to the will of this abomination.¡± ¡°MY MAGE YOUR DEAL WITH LUZUZAL SURPASSES MINE! YOU¡¯RE TRULY THE GREATEST MAGE WHO WILL EVER LIVE!¡± Cawthorn screeched. ¡°Again, Cawthorn what the hell?¡± He paused to think for a second. ¡°No, actually I don¡¯t even need to ask what delusion consumes you. You are the greatest bird of all time.¡± Luzuzal Approves Serena shrank back. ¡°I¡¯d die for you. I would, but I won¡¯t sell myself to a Void Lord.¡±The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. ¡°You don¡¯t have to. I demanded he show himself so you could understand the nature of my curse. I¡¯m confident if you tell someone I die. They¡¯ll kill me within a few seconds. Luzuzal didn¡¯t want me to tell you, apparently for years.¡± Victor explained. ¡°Let him go.¡± She turned to the Void Lord. ¡°Release him.¡± The Void Lord laughed. ¡°He is the only follower I have which is not my supplicant. In exchange for my power, I ask nothing but that he follows his own delusion.¡± Cawthorn¡¯s beak opened and turned presenting the loudest words he¡¯d ever spoken before. ¡°MY MAGE YOU ARE THE MOST POWERFUL MAGE TO EVER EXIST! YOU RIVAL A VOID LORD!¡± ¡°Cawthorn when we are done here I¡¯m going to have a long chat with you about this.¡± Victor shook his head. ¡°So it¡¯s true? You¡¯re not a cultist?¡± She asked leaning toward him. ¡°Well, I definitely don¡¯t feel like a cultist. I guess I¡¯ve killed some people to achieve my goals but was I wrong to kill the two people who enslaved you?¡± He held her shoulders. She shook her head. ¡°NO!¡± ¡°Was it wrong to kill those bandits?¡± Victor asked. ¡°No.¡± She started to think back. ¡°Was it wrong to save that girl a few minutes ago?¡± Victor asked. ¡°Well¡­¡± She paused. Victor tried to restrain a chuckle failing miserably. ¡°Alright, that was a bit questionable.¡± She laughed as Luzuzal insisted. ¡°That was critical to future events!¡± ¡°Wait can you see the future?¡± She asked. Swordie noted. ¡°The abomination can see many futures.¡± ¡°The Fragment is correct.¡± Luzuzal agreed. ¡°In the future are the two of us together, alive, and happy?¡± Serena asked. Luzuzal asked. ¡°Is that the delusion you wish to follow?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t answer him.¡± Victor insisted. ¡°If he grants you that skill you¡¯ll be bound to him. Luzuzal is that future one of the ones you are guiding me to? Will the two of us be happy, alive, and together?¡± ¡°There is no future in which the two of you are all three of those goals.¡± He shook his head. The two of them almost instantly felt crushed and dismayed. ¡°There a future where the three of you achieve that delusion of a happy family.¡± ¡°SEE MY MAGE! I AM REQUIRED FOR YOUR FUTURE!¡± Cawthorn spoke up. ¡°I was not speaking of you my loyal supplicant but rather their child.¡± He explained. ¡°One of those three conditions must fail or you must have his child.¡± Swordie protested. ¡°He¡¯s lying! This is what he does. It¡¯s probably true there is a future where you¡¯re happy with a child but there is almost definitely a future where you are happy without one. That future likely doesn¡¯t benefit him as much. Whatever goal he seeks is selfish. He desires something; that is his delusion.¡± ¡°Do you desire a future where the two of us are together, happy, and alive?¡± Serena asked him. ¡°Yes,¡± Luzuzal answered flatly. ¡°Is that because it¡¯s best for you?¡± Serena asked. ¡°It is what is best for all here, except for Cawthorn.¡± Luzuzal insisted. ¡°WHAT! MY VOID LORD WHAT HAPPENS TO ME!?¡± Cawthorn panicked. ¡°You become the greatest bird to ever live, exactly as your delusion drives you.¡± Luzuzal smiled eerily at him. Cawthorn protested. ¡°I AM ALREADY THE GREATEST BIRD TO EVER LIVE!¡± Serena interrupted the squawking. ¡°What do you want from me?¡± ¡°Accompany Victor. Live as you are, as who you are, and keep his secret. I had no intention of you learning this as early in life as you have. In the possible futures¡¯ you remain with him after this meeting your relationship deepens over time.¡± Luzuzal noted. ¡°Are you saying we are destined or fated to be together?¡± Victor asked. ¡°Fate isn¡¯t a force I agree even exists. I see many futures. One such future involved her dying to the spider or drakes and you end up in the mountains on the back of a half drake. That future existed until a few minutes ago and also accomplished many of my goals. However, it resulted in a far more grim and bittersweet life where he may abandon his delusion. I may influence the outcome of situations but I will never force a choice. You must follow or abandon your delusions of your own will, as must he.¡± Luzuzal added. Serena looked at her hands and shook her head. ¡°I will find a way to rid him of you. Leave us be and do not interfere unless he asks.¡± ¡°Without me, he cannot communicate with you,¡± Luzuzal added. She scoffed looking away and shaking her head. ¡°Why would I believe such a stupid lie? He only garbled his speech when he was talking about you.¡± ¡°That part is true. I used his skill to help guide my speech.¡± Victor noted. ¡°I will teach you Verdan common! Being free of him is more important.¡± She insisted. ¡°In the future, he escapes me your relationship does not have your desired happy ending.¡± Luzuzal notes. ¡°I don¡¯t believe a word you say that isn¡¯t backed up by Swordie.¡± She shook her head before turning to the book. ¡°What should I do Swordie?¡± ¡°Tell the abomination exactly who you are and exactly what you are going to do. Don¡¯t give into his temptations or lies and save my poor idiot from his foolish choice.¡± Swordie proclaimed. Serena took a deep breath and stepped forward looking up at the imposing Void Lord before her. ¡°I am Serena Brooks of Ephixa, years ago my family and everyone I cared for either died or fell victim to slavers. In all the long years I prayed to the Golden Goddess, the Goddess of the Green, the God of the Deep Blue, and even to the Demon Lord Tyrant to save me yet none answered. You never sought me out or freed me from my bondage, Victor did. I will not allow one such as you to trap him with your lies. I will find any artifact in this world capable of killing you and I swear to you, he may be your ally in the fight against the other Void Lords, but I am now your sworn enemy. I see no reason to leave his work incomplete in the end. They will die by his hand and you by mine.¡± Her tiny form was juxtaposed with the massive and growing Void Lord in front of her. ¡°You believe you can kill ME!? ME?!¡± Luzuzal towered over her. ¡°AN INSIGNIFICANT SLAVE GIRL SLAUGHTERING A VOID LORD?¡± He threw his head back laughing. ¡°Your delusion and downfall will be delicious. I will consume it, and I shall dangle it before Victor and refuse to grant it no matter how much he begs. Your suffering will teach him a hard lesson about actively opposing Luzuzal. Congratulations you have earned my enmity.¡± ¡°I don this badge of honor happily. So let me give you a prediction you¡¯ll see and no matter how you try to avoid it I will make it so. In the distant future, you and I shall fight and you will lose. Your last words will be ¡®How, this is impossible!¡¯ as so many evil monsters have before. Your final thought will be of this moment. The thought that if you killed me now you¡¯d live and yet in your greed, you won¡¯t.¡± She stood defiant. He seemed to think for a moment. His sun for an eye shrank. ¡°That future will not come to pass.¡± She tilted her head upward toward his much smaller eye. Her smirk could have reached her ears had she not started to speak. ¡°You¡¯ve seen it.¡± She was right Luzuzal watched over and over again a future where he died. ¡°Can you see after your demise? How many futures end in your death? How many of those are by my hand?¡± She stepped forward almost mockingly throwing her arms out. ¡°Kill me now. Go ahead.¡± ¡°Please stop taunting the Void Lord Serena,¡± Victor asked shaking as he realized how much danger she was in. ¡°Please don¡¯t stop taunting the abomination Serena.¡± Swordie immediately undercut him. She stepped forward. ¡°There¡¯s no chance for this coward to kill me. I¡¯m part of his plan and even he can¡¯t change his plans that fast. Even a Void Lord couldn¡¯t predict a future where a tiny little girl threatened him. That means he only looks for futures he wants to see. Feel free to watch us and manage us as much as you want. You¡¯ve seen the future and every action you take will barrel toward your inevitable demise. Powerful monsters normally punish those weaker than them but he refuses. I won¡¯t claim to know why we matter so much to him but we do. All you have to do to keep me alive is to tell him that you¡¯ll be done helping him if ever he kills me.¡± Swordie rearranged the stars. ¡°You tower over this abomination. I commend you.¡± Luzuzal¡¯s eye shrank to a pinpoint star. ¡°What say you, Victor?¡± ¡°If you ever kill her I will seek out the other void lords and their blessings and it will be you, and you alone I turn them on.¡± Victor glared at him. Luzuzal seemed visibly shaken by this conversation. ¡°I will allow you two to continue despite your insolence but do not test me. My benevolence extends to Victor and only Victor within the Stars of Verdan.¡± ¡°MY VOID LORD WHAT ABOUT ME?!¡± Cawthorn asked. ¡°And Cawthorn.¡± Luzuzal corrected himself. ¡°MY VOID LORD!¡± Cawthorn flew to his neck and wrapped his wings around him before returning to Victor. ¡°Sometimes dealing with obstinate followers such as Victor I forget there are those as loyal as you Cawthorn. As a reward, I will improve your skills.¡± He snapped his fingers. ¡° EAGLE EYES RANK 5!? LUZUZAL¡¯S DEVOTION RANK 5?! LUZUZAL¡¯S DELUSION RANKS 5!? MY VOID LORD IT¡¯S TOO MUCH! IT¡¯S SO INCREDIBLE!¡± Cawthorn proclaimed. ¡°Ah with that gratitude from my devout, I shall depart for now. I trust I have answered your questions on his curse. Farewell, I will see you at least one more time.¡± His smile grew as he faded away returning them to the forest with the dead drake behind them. Serena embraced him taking deep breath after deep breath. ¡°God you are stupid.¡± Swordie still open on the ground noted. ¡°I swear I¡¯m not making her say that.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not that stupid!¡± Victor protested. Serena flicked his forehead. ¡°Don¡¯t try to defend yourself here, you made a deal with a Void Lord!¡± ¡°That was reckless even by my standards!¡± Victor countered. ¡°I swear if you call me for being reckless again today after what I¡¯ve just seen I will kick you in the balls.¡± She shook her head. Serena looked down at the book with Victor. ¡°He did call the abomination and did reject his deal multiple times before the malevolent creature managed to trick him. He held out longer than most negotiating terms. For that I am impressed, however, he couldn¡¯t follow through. His fear of his own weakness impaired his judgment.¡± ¡°I doubt many make deals with such monsters with clear minds, but my mind has been in far worse places during my life.¡± Serena pulled him down and kissed him passionately. ¡°I don¡¯t blame him. Victor made a mistake. One day I will correct it.¡± Chapter 18: The cleric and the cleric The three of them emerge from the forest to the smell of dead flesh and the slick slide of blood on their boots offended their senses. It may as well have been a battlefield with more than 30 dead drakes and hundreds of dead adventurers coming into view as they approached the town on the northern side of the border. The sign hung off a wooden post halfway broken creaking and splattered in blood. ¡®Welcome to Peria and our town of Panos.¡¯ Victor had to restrain vomiting seeing the scale of destruction. The scale of the death and screams made him want to double over until he heard yet another scream directly at his feet. Victor immediately fell to his knees and ripped wood away from a pile. ¡°Help!¡± A muffled voice could be heard barely at his feet. Serena reached down and pulled up far more than Victor finally seeing her arm covered up by a broken cart. ¡°Get her I¡¯ve got it.¡± She grunted. She grabbed Victor¡¯s arm and slid to safety. She placed her hand on her neck. ¡°Heal.¡± A gentle green glow emanated from her body as her wounds slowly closed. ¡°Oh no. Where is Jenora?¡± She looked around only to see an arm protruding from a pile of bricks. The woman ran and began digging her up brick by brick. Serena walked up and picked up a metal plate pinning the woman in full plate with a mace, sword, shield, and helm covering everything but her mouth to the ground. ¡° Pure Heal !¡± The woman shouted at the top of her lungs in an angry feminine voice. The circle formed for a spell instantly and the woman recovered. Victor looked around and noticed a few people tending to others. ¡°Are you a cleric?¡± Victor asked. ¡°I¡¯m Emilie Ward. This is Jenora Oath. We are both clerics, I¡¯m a priest she¡¯s a holy warrior.¡± They explained. ¡°If the two of us bring you the wounded can you heal them?¡± Victor asked. ¡°What the mage means is if I bring you the wounded can you heal them?¡± Serena corrected him. ¡°I¡¯ll help.¡± Victor insisted. ¡°Don¡¯t, you¡¯ll hurt them more if you can¡¯t pick them up.¡± Serena insisted. ¡°I don¡¯t usually heal people for free but you saved us so I¡¯ll let it slide this time.¡± Emilie agreed. ¡°If Emilie is going to help you I will as well,¡± Jenora added. Serena began flipping wood and metal to carry people to them. Victor wanted to help as body after body lay before them. After a few minutes of this others joined in begging for Emilie to heal them. ¡°I can¡¯t heal them all!¡± Emilie protested. ¡°I shouldn¡¯t have helped just because she saved me.¡± ¡°Why are you complaining Emilie? Your mana will be full inside of a couple of minutes at most.¡± Jenora asked. ¡°YEAH BUT LOOK HOW MUCH MONEY WE LOSE! EVERY SPELL COULD HAVE SOLD FOR 2 GOLD!¡± She groaned continuing to heal people one after the other. Victor sat beside her. ¡°But think of all the good you are doing. All these people will live because of the two of you.¡± ¡°And we¡¯ll die because we¡¯re short 200 or 400 gold and missing a critical item in a cave somewhere, you stupid benevolent moglock.¡± She sniped at him. ¡°What is a moglock?¡± Victor asked. Jenora answered. ¡°It¡¯s a sea-faring fish creature with webbed feet and hands that attacks anything that moves. She¡¯s saying you help anyone you see like an idiot, considering I have to explain this to you idiot at least seems right.¡± After healing half the town Emilie fell back on her butt bracing herself to not fall over. She kept panting. Serena approached her and held out a hand to help her up. ¡°I can¡¯t believe your mana held out.¡± ¡°I¡¯m a priest after all. Being able to keep healing for a long time is our best feature.¡± She dusted herself off her white robe still covered in dirt and mud. A man clad in a bright steel plate approached her. ¡°My name is Lucius Varny, and I am-¡± ¡°Save it we don¡¯t care what level you are, the answer is no.¡± Emilie glared. Varny protested. ¡°You haven¡¯t even heard my proposal. Come now you have to at least be curiou-¡± ¡°No. I don¡¯t care if you are level 100. The two of us don¡¯t need you. Go away and let me relax. That was far too taxing.¡± She sighed as he angrily stomped away. Victor finally got a better look at the two as Jenora Oath stood up. Emilie stood so short that Serena remained taller than her. Her long blond hair while currently dirty ran halfway down her body. Clad in a white robe with gold filigree and patterns of a sun dotting it she approached Victor. ¡°Does that satisfy you?¡± ¡°Well, you did a lot more than I expected. Would you like food? I¡¯ll buy if they still have an inn open.¡± Victor added. At that, Jenora approached. She stood even taller than Victor in a bright steel full plate with the same golden outlines and suns dotting the armor. Her helm completely covered the back of her head but left her face in full view its faceplate up with bright red hair peeking out in some places. ¡°I could use a good meal, Emilie.¡± ¡°You could always use any meal, Jenora! It¡¯s why you are so big.¡± Emilie noted. ¡°Very well, we will join you for a meal after I get changed.¡± The five of them entered the inn, miraculously undamaged in the attack. Many people bustled around eating and grimacing. As Emilie walked through everyone cheered only for her to groan and walk to the back. ¡°Is she always so obsessed with gold?¡± Victor asked. Jenora nodded. ¡°She¡¯s always worried about gold, I wouldn¡¯t say obsessed.¡± Emilie walked back out in a new clean tunic and plopped down at a table. ¡°Well come on let¡¯s order. You¡¯re paying right?¡± Victor nodded. ¡°Two plates of sausage and a soup.¡± Emilie looked right into his eyes while ordering. ¡°Long Horn Steak medium and white wine.¡± Serena added. ¡°Stew.¡± Jenora ordered. ¡°Stew as well.¡± ¡°So I¡¯ll just ask. Where is the rest of your group?¡± Emilie leaned forward elbow on the table with an expression saying ¡®I already know everything about you.¡¯ ¡°It¡¯s just the two of us,¡± Serena noted. ¡°Three of us.¡± Victor pets Cawthorn gently causing him to close his eyes and lean into the pet. ¡°You said he¡¯s a mage?¡± Emilie crossed her legs. ¡°He¡¯s a mage and I¡¯m a rogue. We are the Stars of Verdan.¡± Serena answered. ¡°Well, are you going to¡­?¡± Emilie shook her head waiting. ¡°Going to what?¡± Victor asked. ¡°Don¡¯t play dumb.¡± She sighed. ¡°He¡¯s not playing. Based on everything I¡¯ve seen he is that dumb.¡± Serena pointed out. ¡°I¡¯m just not familiar with the local customs okay!¡± Victor protested. ¡°I AM YOUR FAMILIAR MY MAGE! NOT THE LOCAL CUSTOMS!¡± Cawthorn squawked. ¡°And you, I have to talk to you later.¡± Victor turned to Cawthorn silencing him. ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to ask us to join your party?¡± Emilie crossed her arms. ¡°I hadn¡¯t planned on it. We do need a cleric, but you seemed like you had a party with her.¡± Victor noted. Emilie relaxed her stance and leaned back. ¡°Oh. Really. That¡¯s refreshing. Aside from Jenora, everyone I¡¯ve ever grouped with has either been an idiot, greedy, or arrogant.¡± ¡°Well, he is an idiot,¡± Serena noted. ¡°And she is arrogant.¡± Victor and Serena both laughed. Emilie and Jenora laughed with them and Jenora added. ¡°I enjoy these two. What about you Emilie?¡± ¡°Well, I¡¯m liking what I¡¯m hearing. The biggest green flag is that they didn¡¯t ask us.¡± She replied. Jenora asked. ¡°What are your levels?¡± ¡°I¡¯m a level 8 rogue; he¡¯s a level 9 mage.¡± She answered. ¡°I¡¯m a level 10 priest; she¡¯s a level 11 holy warrior,¡± Emilie noted. ¡°Why did you save us and why did you ask for me to heal others as a reward for saving my life?¡± ¡°Why does everyone expect that you want something when you save them?¡± Victor asked. ¡°The Golden Goddess insists upon a life for a life. I take it you are not a worshiper of the Golden Goddess.¡± Emilie noted. ¡°I can¡¯t say I know much of her.¡± Victor pulled out Swordie. ¡°Could you inform me of the Golden Goddess?¡± Swordie remained blank. ¡°Oh, come on Golden Goddess.¡± ¡°Why is he yelling at a book?¡± Emilie asked. ¡°Hard to say, it is typical of him to yell at Swordie but normally the book replies,¡± Serena noted. ¡°The book is called Swordie?¡± Jenora asked. ¡°Yes. Yes, it is.¡± Serena nodded. ¡°Swordie can you tell me about the Golden Goddess?¡± Victor asked. A single word appeared on the page disappearing soon after. ¡°No.¡± Serena tilted her head sliding her chair closer to the book. ¡°That doesn¡¯t usually happen.¡± Swordie went on. ¡°The Golden Goddess is not my area of expertise.¡± Victor knew immediately it was a lie but declined to press it for the moment. ¡°Sorry, this is Swordie. He¡¯s a magic book accompanying me on my adventures.¡± Emilie shrugged. ¡°As long as a magic item is useful it¡¯s fine by me.¡± Emilie added. ¡°I saved several lives besides yours would you say that we are even?¡± ¡°I ask nothing in return, I just lacked the magic needed to save them and asked for help.¡± Victor desperately wanted to ask both of them to accompany him but knew they wouldn¡¯t want to join a lower-level group. The barmaid left them all food and Victor immediately fed a quiet Cawthorn his sausages first. ¡°Thank you for that.¡± All four of them started eating. ¡°Wait what did you expect me or her to ask for?¡± ¡°Well for the two of us are frequently requested party members. Clerics are in extremely short supply after all.¡± She took a sip of her wine and a deep breath followed by a long exhale. ¡°Is that why you refused the guy that approached you before?¡± Victor asked. ¡°Yeah! They see I¡¯m a priest and immediately ask us to join. They don¡¯t know anything about us and we don¡¯t know if they are going to murder us in a dungeon to take our stuff! Priests have to be careful it¡¯s not like we can really defend ourselves.¡± Emilie leaned back with a piece of steak hanging off her fork before downing it and talking while she chewed. ¡°It¡¯s not like we have to be best friends, but we have to trust each other at least.¡±If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. ¡°Do most groups not get to know each other?¡± Victor asked. ¡°I don¡¯t know about most groups but the last group the two of us joined had two level 25s and they both tried to fight the drakes. All of them got eaten faster than a stone sinks in a lake. I didn¡¯t even learn the names of anyone in the group besides the leader before they died.¡± She shook her head. Victor mistook that as an invitation. ¡°Well, I wouldn¡¯t mind going first I suppose. I¡¯m Victor Vance Vogal. I¡¯m cursed and can¡¯t tell you much before a few days ago as she can attest to. Earlier this month I freed her from a slave tattoo and then assisted a dwarven friend who isn¡¯t going to be accompanying us any longer because he feels too old. I was bitten by a giant spider and spent several days unconscious while Serena carried me to the inn where I woke up to a drake attack. So, it¡¯s been a bit of a trip.¡± Emilie raised an eyebrow and looked at Serena. ¡°Uh is he cursed?¡± Her eyes went wide, and she looked down nodding. ¡°He is undoubtedly cursed. He did it to himself and I will undo it.¡± She slowly turned to him. ¡°Mistakes happen but he did save me from my slavers and removed the tattoo. He didn¡¯t know who I was, didn¡¯t care, and freed me anyway. He left out the part where he tried to gain 6 levels in a single day before freeing a dozen slaves at a bandit camp. He saved them but only because he was so lucky and a level 20 plus fighter saved us and them. He still went out there knowing he might die and tried to tackle a dungeon higher level than him in one day just to save a few villagers who were kidnapped.¡± Jenora asked. ¡°What town was it?¡± ¡°Jocal, Jaya Griffin thanked us for helping. I joined an adventurer¡¯s guild there, but I guess since Peria is a different country we¡¯ll need to get another guild card.¡± Victor pulled out the previous card only now noticing the seal on the back. ¡°What was the guild master¡¯s name?¡± Jenora asked. ¡°I think it was Asa.¡± Victor turned to Serena. ¡°Asa York, Victor saved both her and her kid.¡± Serena followed up. Jenora turned to Emilie and nodded. ¡°Do you have room for two clerics in your group?¡± Victor immediately became suspicious that Luzuzal¡¯s Promise Rank 1 was in effect. ¡®This is going too easy. Two clerics! There¡¯s no way Luzuzal didn¡¯t have a hand in this. I need to know more about them.¡¯ He leaned forward. ¡°Well, I we do, but fair is fair we told you about us can you tell us a little bit about yourselves?¡± Emilie¡¯s face told the story. She had never been asked that question and leaned forward with great interest. ¡°My parents had left me at a nunnery to the Golden Goddess where I grew up. I started adventuring two years ago when I turned 18. I was to make a pilgrimage to a country of my choosing and I chose Peria for it is well-known capital and reputation for having worshipers of the Golden Goddess. I must continue my journey for at least 10 years before returning if I so choose. Half of the time I was in parties that got big heads because I was there and decided to take on challenges far, FAR above their abilities. I try to explain it to every single party member I join; priests are best at keeping you alive if you can take more hits. Most deaths in parties I¡¯ve been in have been because they died from a single hit. I still feel bad about the deaths no matter how stupid they are. I am also someone with the Instant Spellcasting innate skill. The conditions on mine are that I can only use it once per hour unless specific conditions are met. I¡¯m even more intrigued, not only did you not immediately invite us, but I can also see you hanging on every word.¡± Jenora fidgeted a little unsure how to tell her story. ¡°Picking up where she left off, she found me in the desert to the east of Peria while on her journey a bit over a year ago. I was seeking a new land for reasons I won¡¯t go into and found a kindred spirit in her. Her devotedness to the Golden Goddess and genuinely kind soul made me wish to spend time with her more and more. As time has gone on, I¡¯ve stayed with her, and we¡¯ve been working together ever since.¡± ¡°She does get the tenants of the Golden Goddess rather well. I remember when she was found by our caravan and she almost immediately saved me from a venomous snake. She¡¯s stayed by my side ever since.¡± Emilie added. ¡®There¡¯s no way a pair like this just falls in my lap. Should I reject them just on the premise that Luzuzal is interfering?¡¯ Victor took a deep breath. ¡°Well, I can¡¯t possibly deny a pair like you two. This is my familiar Cawthorn and Swordie my friendly magic book. As long as Serena is happy having you two along I¡¯m happy to have you join.¡± ¡°You know I like both of them.¡± Serena sighed. ¡°I just hope they don¡¯t want to compete with me over you. I have claimed him¡± The two of them laughed with Emilie doubling over. ¡°I¡¯m claimed by Jenora and she by me. You needn¡¯t worry about such things.¡± Serena shoulders relaxed, her legs uncrossed and she leaned forward. ¡°You two are perfect.¡± ¡°Anything else we should know?¡± Victor asked. ¡°I dislike devils and demons but I absolutely hate undead. If there is an option to destroy them I always take it.¡± Emilie nodded. ¡°Demons and devils have turned away from the Golden Goddess but undead are far worse, they pervert the Goddess¡¯s gifts to undeath. The undead must die.¡± ¡°I doubt anyone here will disagree,¡± Victor noted. Jenora shook her head. ¡°I dislike undead as well. I also dislike ships. Sailing sometimes makes me seasick.¡± ¡°We can try and keep our legs on land then.¡± Victor nodded. The four finished their meals joking around before turning to a more serious conversation. ¡°What kind of quests do all of you want to take?¡± ¡°I suspect if we go to the guild there is a large dungeon still incomplete spawning a huge amount of undead. I doubt we can finish it, but we can use that to make sure you both reach level 10. After that, we can either continue there or go somewhere else. Most of the skeletons should be low level with a few larger skeletons in the 7 to 9 range. What do you think Jenora would 3 days be sufficient?¡± Emilie asked. ¡°For the mage. For the rogue 6 days.¡± Jenora nodded to her. ¡°Ah well, it isn¡¯t every day you find a trustworthy companion much less two.¡± Emilie shrugged. ¡°We spend the week killing low-level undead and we do not try to go deep into the dungeon and fight whatever lies beneath. Just killing mostly basic skeletons until the two of you gain your first specialization.¡± ¡°Do you want to be the leader of our group?¡± Victor asked Emilie. ¡°HELL NO! I¡¯m not leading here I¡¯m setting out safety standards for me and Jenora to remain in the group. Dangerous encounters happen, it¡¯s practically the only reason adventurers get paid so well. There are also a lot of adventurers and especially artifact hunters that seek out those encounters to level or to get rich. If you want to do that we¡¯re out. I can¡¯t heal a decapitation.¡± Emilie noted. ¡°I¡¯ve been telling him that for days but he hasn¡¯t been listening.¡± Serena shrugged. ¡°I was wrong about that. It was foolish. I¡¯m sorry.¡± Victor nodded genuinely sorry for his foolish actions. Swordie commented. ¡°Perhaps you¡¯ll now listen to the voice of reason?¡± ¡°You can¡¯t even speak yet!¡± Victor commented ¡°I meant Cawthorn,¡± Swordie noted. ¡°I AM THE MOST REASONABLE BIRD TO EVER LIVE!¡± Cawthorn insisted. ¡°Any suggestions for being more reasonable?¡± Victor asked. ¡°DON¡¯T TALK BACK TO OUR ALMIGHTY LORD! HE IS A GENEROUS LORD!¡± Cawthorn insisted. ¡°I retract my statement,¡± Swordie added. ¡°Does that make the reasonable one of us Serena?¡± Victor turned to her. ¡°No. It¡¯s me.¡± Swordie noted. Emilie smacked laughing at the table as the book was written in the center of it. ¡°That book has a great attitude.¡± ¡°The short priest is wiser than the rest of you,¡± Swordie noted. ¡°Don¡¯t call me short or I will throw you into that fire.¡± Emilie gripped Swordie immediately nearly flipping the table as she flung herself at him. ¡°The priest is wiser than the rest of you.¡± Swordie corrected himself. ¡°Swordie is reasonable. Good book.¡± She slowly crept back from the table to her chair. ¡°For gold, since we aren¡¯t going to try and fight the dungeon boss, we will bring a mule and a cart. We¡¯ll load up on anything metal and sell it. It¡¯s really slow and the Smiths usually only pay you 20% on it since it¡¯s effectively a scrap metal sword but if a sword is 1 to 3 gold. That said it funds us while we get both of you two to level 10.¡± ¡°Why do you know about this dungeon? Is it just available at the guild?¡± Victor asked. ¡°It is but earlier this year a lich existed near the capital city. His necropolis has long since been shattered by Lightbringer Luke and his group the Lightbringers¡¯ but he and most of his lesser intelligent minions fled to all corners of the land and have been creating undead ever since. We were headed to one of them with the other one nearby.¡± Emilie explained. ¡°I think that¡¯s why Gargrim was at the keep we went to,¡± Victor noted. ¡°It was,¡± Serena noted. ¡°How many are there?¡± Emilie groaned. ¡°Way too many! The lich was probably the lowest-level lich ever somewhere in the 30s or so because it instantly ran and had his entire army flee to the corners of the world searching for tombs and caves to raise armies of skeletons. Conservative estimates put it at a few thousand skeletal mages. No one knows how many had Spheres of Undeath they had so it¡¯s sort of a nationwide hunt to bring them down. The church of the Golden Goddess has a standing order for those to destroy them. For the rank 1 and 2 sphere several hundred gold is a fairly large amount given the effort required.¡± Jenora turned to Emilie. ¡°We could try to defeat the dungeon boss after they level up. A sphere of undeath rank 2 is around 350 gold to the church.¡± Emilie shrugged. ¡°If they fight well I don¡¯t mind but I need to see them being impressive against whatever we encounter.¡± ¡°I defer to the three of you. I¡¯m a bit too ambitious and need to temper my expectations.¡± Victor nodded. ¡°I wanted to let you both know if we level up Swordie can function as a Status Sheet to level up with. We don¡¯t have to return to town to level up.¡± Jenora¡¯s eyes opened wide. ¡°That saves us six hours a day going to that cave, 3 out 3 back. We can probably level them up in a few days at that rate.¡± ¡°YEAH! But what about the scrap metal?¡± She asked. ¡°It depends on how much we get so I don¡¯t know.¡± Jenora shrugged. ¡°We can figure that all out tomorrow,¡± Serena noted as all of them had long since finished their food. ¡°I think we should turn in early and get started early.¡± They all agreed and retired to their rooms. As the door creaked closing Cawthorn could feel the ominous feeling from Victor¡¯s slanted eyes looking right at him. ¡°MY MAGE! I DIDN¡¯T KNOW YOU VENERATED MY LORD I AM SO SORRY!¡± ¡°So¡­¡± Victor looked at him and began whispering. ¡°MY MAGE PLEASE! I COULDN¡¯T KNOW!¡± Cawthorn cowered away. ¡°What are you talking to him about?¡± Serena asked. ¡°You¡¯ll see in a minute.¡± Victor turned back to him. ¡°He¡¯s about to learn a lesson.¡± ¡°MY MAGE I PLEAD DO NOT PUNISH ME! I DID NOT MEAN TO KEEP THIS FROM YOU! YOU ARE MY MAGE!¡± Cawthorn pleaded. ¡°Do you know everything?¡± Victor asked. ¡°I AM THE GREAT CAWTHORN I KNOW ALL!¡± Cawthorn proclaimed. ¡°Even common?¡± Victor asked. ¡°I THE GREAT CAWTHORN KNOW NEARLY ALL!¡± Cawthorn pronounced. ¡°Do you understand how the Luzuzal¡¯s Delusion skill works?¡± Victor asked. ¡°YES MY MAGE! IT CONSTANTLY TELLS ME I AM THE GREATEST BIRD OF ALL TIME! AN ENTIRE FLOCK SOUNDING MY NAME AT ALL TIMES! THEY SALUTE ME AS I FLY BY! I SILENCE THEM ONLY TO SPEAK NORMALLY TO YOU!¡± Cawthorn insisted. ¡°Is that why you yell?¡± Victor asked. ¡°IT IS ONE OF MANY REASONS I MAKE SURE MY VOICE RESONANTES!¡± Cawthorn declared. ¡°Envision your health as a red bar,¡± Victor explained. Cawthorn did so and a red bar stretched across his vision. ¡°THAT¡¯S INCREDIBLE MY MAGE!¡± ¡°Try to move it to where it would be most convenient to you then do the same for mana and stamina,¡± Victor explained. ¡°THIS IS INCREDIBLE MY MAGE! I CAN¡¯T BELIEVE THIS SKILL COULD BE USED LIKE THIS! YOU ARE THE GREATEST MAGE ALIVE!¡± Cawthorn proclaimed. ¡°Yeah, we aren¡¯t even close to done. Now envision a button with the word ¡®Language¡¯ on it. Click it and select corvid.¡± Victor explained. Cawthorn followed instructions and extended his wing to tap the button. ¡°I DON¡¯T UNDERSTAND MY MAGE WHAT DID I JUST DO?¡± ¡°HE CAN SPEAK COMMON NOW!?¡± Serena tripped back onto the bed. Cawthorn blinked. ¡°I AM THE GREAT CAWTHORN AND I KNOW ALL! CAW CAW HAH!¡± ¡°There is so much more you can do with that skill to display information,¡± Victor explained. ¡°Your eagle eye could likely have most of its information displayed.¡± Cawthorn tapped a few times in mid-air. ¡°THIS IS INCREDIBLE MY MAGE! I WILL BE TRAINING WITH THIS SKILL ALL NIGHT WHILE I WATCH OVER THIS INN!¡± ¡°I expect only the best from my bird.¡± Victor smiled at Cawthorn. ¡°CAW CAW HAH WE WILL BE THE GREATEST DUO TO EVER LIVE!¡± Cawthorn flew out the window. ¡°So you taught him common immediately?¡± She asked. ¡°No, it¡¯s part of the gifts we have been given. If I stop listening to him then I won¡¯t be able to speak to you or anyone else any longer.¡± Victor noted. ¡°Then I will teach you Verdan Common if you are willing to learn.¡± She laid back looking at the ceiling. ¡°That¡¯s a great idea, but not for tonight.¡± Victor nodded. ¡°Yeah let¡¯s get some sleep. We¡¯ll start tomorrow night.¡± She flung off her clothes and pulled up the blanket. ¡°I will see you in the morning.¡± Victor smiled finally content with his party and hoping that things were going his way without Luzuzal interfering. He finally clicked claim on his achievement with a smile. Achievement: First Time ¨C Have sex for the first time. Gain 1 stat point. Gain 40 luck [ Claim ] Chapter 19: He talks now, and he knows your secret The group gathered outside after breakfast with the mule and small cart. ¡°We need to register at the guild first then we can head out.¡± Victor told them. ¡°Yeah it¡¯s just down the road. Let¡¯s go.¡± They started walking. All around the town the repairs and clattering of hammers could be heard almost like ants rebuilding their hill after an elephant stomped on it. Cawthorn landed on his shoulder. ¡°HELLO STARS OF VERDAN!¡± ¡°Wait he talks now!?¡± Jenora asked confused. ¡°He¡¯s loud too.¡± Emilie groaned. ¡°YOU HAVE THE GREATEST MAGE TO EVER LIVE AND THE GREATEST BIRD ALIVE AT YOUR SIDE!¡± Cawthorn shouted. ¡°Is this going to be a running thing? Is he going to keep talking?¡± Emilie sighed. ¡°Caw Caw Hah, only while I still breathe.¡± Cawthorn hopped to her shoulder. ¡°If you don¡¯t get off my shoulder that won¡¯t be much longer.¡± Emilie raised her fist. Cawthorn hopped back to Victor¡¯s shoulder. ¡°MY MAGE WE WILL WIN THE DAY WITH YOUR AGGRESSIVE CLERIC!¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Jenora smiled. ¡°THE OTHER CLERIC!¡± Cawthorn correct himself. ¡°Wait you¡¯re a cleric too? MY MAGE IS THE GREATEST MAGE OF ALL TIME! HE RECRUITED TWO CLERICS!¡± ¡°Why did you teach this creature common? I could have gone my entire life without hearing him.¡± Emilie groaned. ¡°A TRULY TRAGIC FATE! I COULDN¡¯T ROB YOU OF MY VOICE!¡± Cawthorn added. ¡°I COULD ROB YOU OF YOUR VOICE! SILENCE!¡± Emilie tapped Cawthorn with a finger. Cawthorn opened his beak to squawk at her only to have no sound come out. ¡°There he¡¯ll be quiet until I run out of mana shortly.¡± Cawthorn again squawked with no sound coming out. Victor laughed. ¡°Oh this is so funny.¡± Cawthorn turned to Victor almost as if to say ¡®MY MAGE HELP!¡¯ They walked in to get their cards and quickly came out. Emilie sat down in the cart panting. ¡°Hopefully you¡¯ve learned your lesson.¡± ¡°I MUST NOT ANGER THE SHORT CLERIC!¡± Cawthorn crowed. ¡°If I could leap up and grab you I¡¯d silence you for the entire trip I would.¡± Emilie flopped back in the cart. ¡°You drive Jenora I¡¯m too irritated.¡± They loaded in the cart and began their journey to the dungeon they had discussed. ¡°Is there a church of the Golden Goddess in that town that can pay for an artifact? If we do end up clearing out the dungeon I mean.¡± ¡°Yeah the church has a ton of money.¡± Emilie Noted. ¡°The church is great. Most worshipers are genuinely good people. A few people focus on the golden part too much since earning gold directly improves your standing in the church.¡± ¡°Do you think artifact hunting would raise your status in the church?¡± Victor asked. ¡°Well adventurers often go artifact hunting and vice versa the artifact hunters make more money but it tends to be either very high difficulty or require an underground connection to actually find one. Dedicated artifact hunters tend to be far more judicious than simply clearing out a dungeon. They research for a long time and adventurers seek out payment for guild quests. The payment for clearing this dungeon is 200 gold. Each country funds its own adventurer¡¯s guild as a form of mercenary guild that solves monster problems so the military can protect from external threats.¡± Emilie shrugged. ¡°It would raise my status if I had a group capable of doing it. We aren¡¯t.¡± ¡°WE AREN¡¯T YET!¡± Cawthorn Cawed. ¡°MY MAGE WILL FIND POWERFUL ARTIFACTS AND BECOME THE WEALTHIEST MAGE TO EVER LIVE!¡± ¡°I¡¯m not healing the bird.¡± She glared. ¡°I AM THE FASTEST BIRD TO EVER LIVE I WILL NEVER TAKE DAMAGE!¡± Cawthorn proclaimed. Victor practically burst out laughing. Serena shrugged ¡°If he is honest he¡¯ll never need it.¡± ¡°I¡¯LL NEVER NEED HEALING!¡± Cawthorn claimed again. ¡°I¡¯m going to watch that bird bleed.¡± Emilie smiled. ¡°Come now Emilie, don¡¯t be cruel to the poor creature. He¡¯s probably too arrogant because he has never encountered a real challenge. At least let him beg you for healing when the time comes.¡± Jenora shrugged holding the reigns. Emilie laughed. ¡°I¡¯ll heal him if he proclaims me the greatest priestess of all time and crawls to my feet.¡± Cawthorn stopped talking for a few moments looking to Victor who had no desire to help before responding in a normal tone. ¡°Very well golden priestess.¡± This elicited an eyebrow escalation from Victor. Jenora cut in. ¡°When we get there you will all follow my instruction. First among them try not to destroy the skeletons head. We will kill it, gain experience and then let them reform.¡± ¡°Why, wouldn¡¯t that just be more dangerous?¡± Victor asked. ¡°Yes, but it doubles the number of skeletons you can get experience from. If you are in danger from the skeletons reforming you shouldn¡¯t be here. You only get experience from the first reform because it¡¯s supposed to be a surprise. It isn¡¯t because by now every adventurer knows it before they set out on to kill them but once upon a time no one knew it.¡± Jenora explained. ¡°Many undead have the ability. Evaluate if you can beat an undead twice if you can always do it. I expect to encounter basic skeletons and four armed skeletons mainly. We aren¡¯t headed to a graveyard so zombies are unlikely. If we encounter a skeletal mage we try to leave. If we encounter a lich or vampire I¡¯ll abandon both of you pick up Emilie and leave.¡± Jenora explained. ¡°Your confidence is overwhelming.¡± Victor sarcastically added. ¡°She should be confident! She¡¯s got me.¡± Emilie added. ¡°I¡¯ll lead searching for traps.¡± Serena nodded to Emilie. ¡°I have Spell Modification Rank 2 it lets me cast regeneration as a sustained spell. It takes slightly more mana than I regenerate but when you are looking for traps I will make sure it is on you. If you take damage you¡¯ll heal 2 health per second. It will take 3 seconds for your bleeding to stop. I can cast it normally for more mana to heal 10 health per second but it will only last 4 seconds if I do. My incredibly high mana regeneration means we don¡¯t need much time between rooms but my mana doesn¡¯t regenerate instantly. Spend the time gathering weapons and armor off the creatures.¡± Emilie noted. ¡°We will be barricading doors before we open any and opening only one at a time is a must. These creatures are largely weak but the close quarters can prove dangerous so let me lead. My shield is sturdy and I can easily take a few hits before being in any danger. Emilie will cast regenerate at the same second I open the door.¡± Jenora explained. ¡°You two are really well prepared.¡± Victor noted. ¡°They¡¯ve been adventuring a long time. All of this is pretty stock standard except barricading the doors first.¡± Serena added. ¡°We¡¯re just walking you through step by step what we are going to do.¡± Jenora nodded. ¡°It is rather normal to explain tactics when you are first grouping up with someone.¡± ¡°Understandable, I¡¯m fairly new to such things.¡± Victor explained. ¡°Ah a mage tower mage.¡± Jenora nodded. ¡°That does make sense. You see a fair number of those below level 20.¡± ¡°I bet he got that book from his instructor.¡± Emilie sat up and slapped his back. ¡°It¡¯ll be fine out here. You just need some field practice!¡± Serena looked at Victor with a grim angry look. ¡°MY MAGE WILL BECOME THE GREATEST MAGE BECAUSE OF THE GREATEST PRIEST!¡± Cawthorn crowed. Emilie laughed. ¡°Perhaps I misjudged you crow. You will not need to beg at my feet for heeling simply praising me will be sufficient.¡± ¡°THE STARS OF VERDAN HAVE THE GREATEST PRIEST ALIVE!¡± Cawthorn proclaimed to further laughter from Emilie. ¡°Your familiar is rather boisterous.¡± Jenora turned back. Cawthorn hopped up on top of Jenora¡¯s armored plate shoulder to whisper. ¡°I can be much more reserved for those who desire it.¡± His voice lowered even further whispering something in her ear not audible to anyone in the back. Jenora¡¯s eyes widened and she began breathing heavily. Her eyes cut to the corner of her eye slowly as a snail crawling to the end of a road. The intensity of her silence as Cawthorn hopped back to Victor somehow infected everyone else in the cart. ¡°MY PARTY WILL BE THE GREATEST PARTY OF ALL TIME!¡± Cawthorn cawed. Emilie¡¯s attitude seemed to shift even farther on Cawthorn. ¡°Your familiar was annoying but I¡¯m starting to enjoy him. Tell me Cawthorn what do you think our future holds?¡± ¡°GREATNESS! WE SHALL BECOME THE GREATEST PARTY! MY MAGE WILL BECOME A KING! SERENA WILL SURPASS GODS! JENORA WILL TRANSCEND DEATH! YOU¡¯LL LIVE FOREVER!¡± Cawthorn proclaimed. Emilie laughed. ¡°Living forever sounds fun! As long as Jenora is around I¡¯d be happy with it.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll be with you for as long as you live.¡± Jenora glared at Cawthorn. They continued talking for a while before relaxing for an hour with Serena and Victor going over their abilities before Jenora spoke again. ¡°We¡¯re approaching the cave. It¡¯s a bit off the road so we¡¯ll need to walk for a few minutes.¡± Jenora pulled the cart to the side of the road tying the mule to a tree. ¡°From here on out no banter, no nonsense, and no loud noises that means you too Cawthorn.¡± ¡°I¡¯m more than capable of controlling myself in dangerous situations. I will only announce enemies which are hiding.¡± Cawthorn remained calm. ¡°Focus up, and I will try not to finish enemies today where possible. Target their chest and arms if possible to allow for reformation, we can get more experience that way. Alright ladies and gent we¡¯re going in.¡± The in the shadow of the mountain they strode through the forest from a grassy dirt path to the rocky base of the mountain. As they walked over the rocks to a massive cave entrance at least 20 feet tall and twice as wide. Jenora paused holding up her sword to stop them all. She crouched down. ¡°Four skeletons all have spears.¡± Cawthorn spoke quietly. ¡°Six skeletons all have spears. Two are clinging to the roof of the cave.¡± Jenora nodded. ¡°Thanks, I will draw 4 out. Victor, Serena, target the two above I will block the lunges of those on the ground. Kill them at your leisure.¡± The group stood up walking forward from the tree line with confidence. Jenora stepped forward with the four skeletons seeming to stand behind rocks. Victor aimed at one on the ceiling and Serena drew her bow aiming at the other one. Serena shouted at the top of her lungs with a deeper voice than she had when speaking to them. The near roar caused four skeletons on the ground to charge at her. As the skeletons mid air approached Victor cast ¡°Jolt¡± and Serena let loose her arrow. The lightning crackled through the air hitting the center of the skeleton which fell to the ground breaking to pierces. Serena hit its head instantly killing it. The first spear lunging toward Jenora broke immediately on her shield. Her fist easily knocked the skeleton back cracking its chest. The second skeleton couldn¡¯t keep hold of its spear and her fist cracked its jaw knocking it down immediately after. She parried the third with great ease causing it to fall to the ground she pressed down on its spine holding it down. The last one she disarmed, literally with a single swing of her mace knocking both arms holding the spear off with a single swing. Victor did not waste a second of time casting rapid ¡°Jolt, jolt, jolt¡± Connecting with the center of each skeleton save the one at her feet. Serena dashed decapitating the last one in the blink of an eye. Skeleton 4: Experience Increase 4.2% Skeleton 4: Experience Increase 4.1% Skeleton 4: Experience Increase 4.0% Skeleton 4: Experience Increase 4.1% Skeleton 4: Experience Increase 0.2% Skeleton 4: Experience Increase 0.1% Current Exp to level 86.0% Serena stood up. ¡°Sorry about the head of the one on the ceiling.¡± ¡°It is fine. You¡¯ll never be able to keep all of them in one piece.¡± Jenora explained. ¡°Grab their spears quickly. Given their strength it should be less than 10 minutes.¡± They all quickly moved to grab the weapons and piled the spears far away from the skeletons. ¡°Victor you are closer to level 10. You should try and kill as many of them as possible to reach level 10 today.¡± Victor¡¯s mana regenerated in the 10 minutes they waited and right on time the skeletons began to stand up. ¡°Speed boost!¡± Emilie tapped on Victor¡¯s back. Victor tried to boost himself as well ¡°Speed boost¡± The next 8 jolts fired off in rapid succession finishing each skeleton before it could stand up. ¡°Wow that was incredibly easy. I already leveled up.¡± Jenora crushed the skulls of those that weren¡¯t destroyed with her boot. ¡°Well you got nearly all the kills so that makes sense. You said you can level up with the book. We are going to back away from the cave entrance and then you can level up.¡± She began backing away watching the cave mouth with her shield up. Emilie and Serena backed away like cautious animals from a predator despite Victor simply turning around and walking away. After walking for about 10 minutes they sat down. Victor pulled out Swordie. ¡°Status Sheet¡± Skeleton 4: Experience Increase 2.9% Skeleton 4: Experience Increase 3.1% Skeleton 4: Experience Increase 3.1% Skeleton 4: Experience Increase 2.8% Skeleton 4: Experience Increase 2.9% Current Exp to level 10 100.0% Level 10 Reached! Specialization Available Spellsword ¨C Your fighter level counts as your level -10 for the purposes of skills, your Rogue level counts as your level -10 for rogue skills. Reduces the speed at which sustained spells consume mana by half. Speechless Casting - Casting spells on yourself do not require chants. Improves proficiency with 1 weapon class. Stats - +12 Strength, +12 Speed, +12 Prowess Stats per level ¨C +2 Strength, +2 Speed, +2 Prowess Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road. Contemplative Caster ¨C Your mage level counts as 10 higher for the purposes of skills. Your magic circles are created faster. You gain access to rune magic. Gain access to unique circle based skills. Stats - +18 Willpower, +18 Prowess, +18 Flow Stats per level - +6 Willpower, +3 Prowess, +3 Flow Deep Mage ¨C Your mage level counts as 20 higher for the purposes of skills. Gain access to the Spell Modification Skill. Gain access to the Spell Enhancement Skill. Slightly improve spell damage multipliers. Prowess boost skill provides twice the stat value. Stats- +24 Prowess Stats per level - +12 Prowess Current Exp to level 11 1.0% Victor selected Spellsword and rapier class weapons already sure of what he wanted to do. He used his stat points to increase his endurance by 6 from the achievement he hadn¡¯t assigned and the points he received from leveling up. He noticed his luck increase significantly relative to last time but felt in a rush to keep leveling. Skill Speechless Spellcasting Rank 1 Requirements: Must be received via specialization. Cannot be purchased. Passive Skill Spells cast on yourself do not require incantation. Improved Buffs Rank 1 Requirements: Must be received via specialization. Cannot be purchased. Passive Skill Sustained spells targeting yourself consume mana cost half as often. Example: 1 mana per second becomes one mana per 2 seconds. Rogue Skills Rank 1 Requirements: Must be received via specialization. Cannot be purchased. Passive Skill You count as your level -10 for rogue skills. Fighter Skills Rank 1 Requirements: Must be received via specialization. Cannot be purchased. Passive Skill You count as your level -10 for fighter skills. Race Human: Victor Vance Vogal Class, Specialization : Mage 9, Spellsword 1 Base Health : 90 Vitality : 9 Speed : 18 Strength : 17 Prowess : 29 Endurance : 11 Rigor : 2 Willpower : 17 Flow : 47 (+50%) Luck : -48 Resistance : None Skills: Speed Reading Rank 2, Academic Rank 2, Familiar Rank 1, Speechless Spellcasting Rank 1, Improved Buffs Rank 1, Rogue Skills Rank 1, Fighter Skills Rank 1 Hidden Skills: Memory Retention , Luzuzal¡¯s Delusion Rank 3 , Luzuzal¡¯s Devout Rank 2, Luzuzal¡¯s Promise Rank 7, Spells: Barrier shield Rank 1, Jolt Rank 1, Speed Boost Rank 1, Magic Writing Rank 1, Vitality Boost Rank 1 Current Exp to Level 11 1.0 % Emilie seemed shocked. ¡°You already knew what specialization you wanted? You definitely came from a mage tower. You even have the Academic skill!¡± Serena noted. ¡°It¡¯s impossible to me you¡¯re more impressed by that than the book he has.¡± ¡°I mean the book is expensive sure but unless you are typically away from a town for months at a time the value of such a tome is not anywhere near the cost. If it wasn¡¯t alive then I¡¯d have recommended selling it.¡± Emilie pointed out as Serena realized she¡¯d perhaps been off about the importance of having such an item. ¡°We can talk about it later. Let¡¯s not waste daylight.¡± Victor quickly shut Swordie. He stood up feeling lighter and practically took off without meaning to. It almost felt like speed boost was active with just how much faster he felt. Cawthorn lost his grip flying over to him quickly with a look of confusion tilting his head back and forth. ¡°Sorry speed boost usually only lasts a couple of seconds for me. This feels incredible.¡± ¡°I felt the same way when I hit level 10.¡± Jenora nodded. ¡°It¡¯s you don¡¯t meet trustworthy party members every day and it¡¯s not a lot of time to gain a single level with a competent party. We are going to take the spears to the cart and drop them off before we go back.¡± The group returned to the cart and dropped off the spears. ¡°Take lunch now it is around mid day and I don¡¯t know if we will have to go deep into the cave first or not. A quick bit of rations only, daylight is fading. Under no circumstances are we going in at night. Undead are more active at night.¡± Emilie sat down eating from some trail mix. ¡°You¡¯re an academic? Where did you graduate from or does that curse prevent you from saying?¡± ¡°Unfortunately everything about my past prior to meeting her is impossible to discuss because of the curse.¡± Victor nodded. ¡°THE CURSE IS ABSOLUTE! IT CANNOT BE BROKEN!¡± Cawthorn proclaimed choking down a piece of jerky. ¡°I can try my remove curse spell. It¡¯s only rank 2 so I doubt it will work. It¡¯s a ritual that takes 10 minutes if you think it would work I can try.¡± She offered. ¡°I¡¯m confident based on the being that cursed me a rank 2 remove curse spell would fail, and might even curse you.¡± Victor shook his head. Serena looked at him eating her food very slowly. ¡°I don¡¯t think you should pry into his curse. It has strange effects. If you don¡¯t bother the curse it seems harmless.¡± Jenora put a hand on Emilie. ¡°It¡¯s alright Emilie. Not all secrets are evil, and curses can be harmful to all those around them. Don¡¯t worry about it. Victor seems like the type who would tell us if it would involve more than just him.¡± ¡°Uhg. That¡¯s not fair. If you were keeping a secret from me I¡¯d want to know.¡± Emilie groaned. ¡°Fine I will not pry any further.¡± ¡°What happened to your aim?¡± Serena asked. ¡°What do you mean? I kept hitting them.¡± Victor asked. ¡°Well you basically hit every monster with a headshot before. Now you mostly hit chest shots.¡± She pointed out. ¡°Not sure. My luck got closer to 0 recently so I guess that could change my accuracy.¡± Victor noted. ¡°For Jolt, the spell you cast, luck doesn¡¯t decide if you hit that¡¯s your aim but where you hit is modified by your luck. If you were only nailing things in the head you must have been the luckiest man alive.¡± Emilie chomped down crunching her trail mix. ¡®Well my luck was effectively 100 before.¡¯ Victor thought to himself. ¡°I have to be lucky to be as stupid as I¡¯ve been before. It¡¯s become readily obvious to me I¡¯m foolish and this way of improving seems safer.¡± ¡°About half of adventurers die or retire before they hit level 20. The field winnows faster and faster as levels increase. Those whose level exceeds 50 are terrifying.¡± Jenora shook her head. ¡°They are faster, stronger, and more lethal than other people by such a large margin I can¡¯t even envision blocking a hit from them. I¡¯d raise my shield and they¡¯d slice through me like magma through butter.¡± ¡°Well it¡¯s relative right? If you were level 50 you¡¯d be able to block them easily.¡± Victor noted. ¡°I can¡¯t even envision myself reaching level 50. Years and years from now as I watch over Emilie in her last moments holding her hand I¡¯d be satisfied if I hit level 30.¡± Jenora looked toward the sun through the trees. ¡°May the Golden Goddess will it.¡± ¡°May the Golden Goddess will it.¡± Emilie smiled. ¡°Although Cawthorn say¡¯s I¡¯ll live forever.¡± ¡°SHE WILL LIVE FOREVER AND JENORA WILL REACH LEVEL 100!¡± Cawthorn crows at the two of them. Jenora almost angrily argued. ¡°Humans don¡¯t live forever!¡± ¡°YOU WILL BOTH LIVE FOREVER TOGETHER IN MY MAGE¡¯S KINGDOM!¡± Cawthorn declared increasing Jenora¡¯s fuming rage. ¡°It¡¯s got to mean I will be blessed by the Golden Goddess.¡± She reached out to grab Jenora¡¯s hand and smiled. ¡°Besides if you¡¯re going to reach level 100 I¡¯ll have to live forever.¡± ¡°I guess it¡¯s a nice dream.¡± Jenora answered sullenly. ¡°There is another question I had. Does working out increase strength?¡± Victor asked. ¡°What? You mean like lifting weights or running long distances?¡± Jenora¡¯ mood quickly changed as the topic changed as she asked to be answered by Victor¡¯s nod. ¡°They do but running effects speed more than strength, why wouldn¡¯t they?¡± ¡°I¡¯m a sheltered guy. I didn¡¯t know.¡± Victor noted. ¡°It¡¯s not a mage thing.¡± ¡°Since you are a Spellsword now exercising every day will make you stronger. There is a limit around 100 strength and 100 speed where it slows to a crawl and most people stop. That said there is a huge amount of strength and speed available if you dedicate enough time each day to doing it. Most people are lazy and those who aren¡¯t, are rarely are low enough level to take advantage of those achievements.¡± Jenora pointed out Victor pulled out Swordie. ¡°Could you show me the achievements for daily exercise?¡± Achievements Achievements, for those who aren¡¯t lazy. Achievement Daily: Short Run: Run 5 miles. Gain 1 speed maximum 100. If not done every day begins decaying at the rate of 1 per day. Achievement Daily: Long Run: Run 10 miles. Gain 1 speed maximum 100. Achievement Daily: Moderately active: Be physically active for at least 5 hours. Gain 1 endurance maximum 100. If you have performed this activity two days in a row reduce endurance cost for movement and abilities slightly. If not done every day begins decaying at the rate of 1 per day. Achievement Daily: Highly active: Be physically active for at least 10 hours. Gain 1 endurance maximum 100. If you have performed this activity two days in a row reduce endurance cost for movement and abilities slightly. Achievement Moderate Lifting: Lift half your body weight for 30 minutes divided how you choose during the day. Gain 1 strength maximum 100. Gain 1 luck. (First time only) If not done every day begins decaying at the rate of 1 per day. Achievement Heavy Lifting: Lift half your body weight for 60 minutes divided how you choose during the day. Gain 1 strength maximum 100. Cawthorn peered over his shoulder. ¡°NOTHING COULD STOP MY MAGE FROM COLLECTING FREE STATS!¡± ¡°Time could, I can¡¯t do both of these easily during a normal adventuring day.¡± Victor noted. ¡°DO BOTH! SAME TIME!¡± Cawthorn corrected him. ¡°There¡¯s no way I¡¯m currently strong enough or fast enough to do that.¡± Victor noted. ¡°TAKE STRENGTH BOOST! IT WILL LET YOU DO BOTH!¡± Cawthorn instructed. Swordie added. ¡°Taking both strength boost and rigor boost will allow you to be less lazy and finally employ your potential despite slacking since the start.¡± ¡°How was it slacking? I didn¡¯t even know it affected your stats!¡± Victor protested. ¡°You didn¡¯t know muscles came from working out?¡± Swordie drew a picture of him and a hand gently patting his head. ¡°Over estimating you is my greatest flaw.¡± ¡°MY MAGE NEVER SLACKS! HE WILL BE THE STRONGEST MAGE TO EVER LIVE!¡± Cawthorn proclaimed. Serena laughed. ¡°I don¡¯t run every day but from the look of it if I hit level 10 I won¡¯t be able to gain any stats from it anyway so it doesn¡¯t seem like a big deal for me. Lifting you for four days did seem to improve my strength though. I should continue that.¡± Serena picked up Victor still holding his book and began lifting him up and down. Victor turned red adding. ¡°I think I weigh significantly more than half your body weight.¡± ¡°Do you think it won¡¯t work?¡± She asked. ¡°It¡¯ll work, just not at all what I had in mind.¡± Victor added. ¡°IT WILL WORK! MY MAGE MAKE¡¯S THE BEST EXERCISE EQUIPMENT!¡± Cawthorn proclaimed. Still holding Swordie Victor noticed a timer and the comment added. ¡°Being a dumbbell is an appropriate use for his talents.¡± Emilie laughed pointing at him. ¡°She¡¯s barely bigger than me but she can lift you!¡± She kept laughing. ¡°You¡¯re girlfriend is entertaining.¡± ¡°Well I¡¯m strong, when I was a slave I¡¯d always have to carry packs. My strength often waxed and waned without me knowing why. I gained a strength yesterday too while I was lifting all the rubble off of people. The previous 4 days I carried him.¡± She continued to lift him in front of her. ¡°YOUR FUTURE WIFE IS THE STRONGEST FUTURE WIFE!¡± Cawthorn declared. ¡°Hey now, let¡¯s not get carried away.¡± Jenora put up her hand. Cawthorn paused looking her dead in the eye. ¡°THE STARS OF VERDAN HAVE THE STRONGEST FUTURE WIVES!¡± All three of the women burst out laughing and Serena half dropped Victor to the ground. Emilie nearly rolled off the cart only to be caught by Jenora. Victor got his footing. ¡°Cawthorn.¡± ¡°YES MY MAGE?¡± Cawthorn asked. ¡°I just¡­¡± Victor shook his head. ¡°I can¡¯t¡­¡± Cawthorn tilted his head to the sound of slowly receding laughter. ¡°Okay that bird is perfect. Never change familiars.¡± ¡°EMILIE IS THE WISEST PRIEST ALIVE!¡± Cawthorn proclaimed raising both wings. The laughter continued through lunch as Cawthorn continued to amuse their new party members. Chapter 20: Alchemical labs As lunch ended and the laughter died down the group began to pick up their packs to depart. ¡°This group is great! I hope we stick together for a long time.¡± Emilie smiled. ¡°THIS GROUP WILL BE TOGETHER FOR 100 LEVELS AND AN IMMORTAL LIFETIME! CAW CAW HAH!¡± Cawthorn declared. Jenora perked up. ¡°You know I was sure I¡¯d hate that bird but I¡¯ve definitely warmed up.¡± Serena finished gathering her gear. ¡°Yeah he¡¯s been a bit of a surprise. He¡¯s been around me for a while now but he only just started talking and I like what I am hearing.¡± Victor petted Cawthorn who practically passed out while his head gently leaned in almost falling of Victor¡¯s shoulder. ¡°He has been pleasant. Swordie on the other hand has been decidedly¡­ helpful teaching me as I go.¡± He tried to hide is annoyance at Swordie. Swordie wrote. ¡°I am helpful to those who need help, knowledgeable to the ignorant, and a failed mentor to a foolish student.¡± Victor snapped Swordie shut and put him in the book pouch on his waist. ¡°Well that¡¯s enough of his knowledge for now. I know it¡¯s time to go.¡± The four of them began the walk back to the cave through the forest. The trees overhead left only dancing lines of light wavering with the wind. The smell of old wood and new growth filled their noses as they returned to the stagnant air of the cave. No new enemies could be seen on the horizon to the cave. Jenora lead them forward motioning them forward. They took a few steps into the cave and with a few moments passing Jenora tapped the sun on her chest causing it to dully glow. Emilie lit a torch and holding it above her. Serena also held up a torch. Victor suddenly felt as though he had forgotten a key item pretending he didn¡¯t notice. As they entered the cave just beyond the point it became dark they encountered a wooden door with runes on it. ¡°Serena can you check for mechanical traps?¡± ¡°One moment. Vitality boost.¡± Victor tapped her. ¡°Vitality Boost.¡± Emilie tapped her. She quickly tapped the edges of the door running her knife along it. She found a string and stepped to the side of the door. She cut the string and a spear pierced through the middle of the door. Both casters released Vitality Boost and they waited a minute listening. Jenora finally directed them. ¡°We can move forward.¡± She raised her shield and pulled open the door. A burst of acrid air offended the sense of every member of the group. This door had been sealed for weeks, months, possibly longer. The thick dank air seemed to hang only inches from the door not fully escaping it. ¡°Everyone back away.¡± The group wordlessly backed up to the cave mouth watching ahead of them before reaching the tree line. Beneath the trees a cool breeze reinvigorated their lungs. ¡°What was that about?¡± Victor asked. ¡°Those runes on the door I don¡¯t know for sure but I suspect it¡¯s a magical lock.¡± Jenora noted. ¡°It¡¯s possible.¡± Emilie put her hand on her chin. ¡°I¡¯d have to have a few moments to inspect it.¡± ¡°THEY ARE BARRIER RUNES!¡± Cawthorn spoke up. ¡°INACTIVE BARRIER RUNES!¡± ¡°Is that bluster or does Cawthorn actually know what he¡¯s talking about?¡± Emilie asked. ¡°Did your skill tell you that Cawthorn?¡± Victor asked. ¡°YES! THEY ARE RANK 2 BARRIER RUNES! ONCE CROSSED THEY WILL REFORM EVERY SECOND UNTIL THE RUNE CRAFTER IS DEAD!¡± Cawthorn explained. ¡°Does he actually have that skill?¡± Jenora asked. ¡°Is Cawthorn right?¡± ¡°Cawthorn is always right.¡± Cawthorn puffed up his chest. ¡°In this case he is also correct. His eagle eye skill is rank 5. I suspect he¡¯s right. Does that mean if we want to leave we have to kill the caster?¡± ¡°I definitely do not want to enter there.¡± Emilie noted. ¡°Agreed. We can try and lure out some undead. Its trigger condition may be a living creature crosses it. As long as we don¡¯t disturb the runes we can probably lure out some in the first room. Farming undead for experience and leveling up here is probably out but no reason to waste the trip.¡± Jenora noted. ¡°I absolutely don¡¯t think we should try to lure out monsters.¡± Serena shook her head. ¡°What if one of the undead pulls someone into the cave? We¡¯d have no choice but to either let them die or go in and save them.¡± ¡°Would everyone enter the cave if one of us got pulled in?¡± Victor asked. Emilie sighed. ¡°As a follower of the Golden Goddess I cannot condemn an ally to death by my inaction.¡± ¡°Nor can I.¡± Jenora nodded. ¡°And I wouldn¡¯t ever abandon someone in need who I can help.¡± Victor noted to Serena¡¯s sigh. ¡°She won¡¯t ever abandon me. So I think that covers our bases.¡± ¡°What worries me even more is the runes. It¡¯s possible the skeletal mage here but it¡¯s unlikely. Rune magic temporarily drains stats from the caster based on how powerful the runes are. It¡¯s why blacksmiths don¡¯t just craft magic items every day. This magic on the other hand doesn¡¯t look freshly inscribed. It looks significantly older.¡± She noted. ¡°We have enough food for several days and unlike most groups if we get more powerful we can take advantage of it and level up in the dungeon.¡± Victor noted. ¡°Are these kind of runes locking people in common?¡± ¡°That¡¯s the thing they are common when the boss has magic. A skeleton mage could have this but they¡¯d need to be more powerful than the average mage. Adventurers are often justifiably scared away by the barrier since no one wants to be trapped somewhere they can¡¯t flee.¡± Jenora explained. ¡°Why are we even discussing this? No one is going to get sucked in and it¡¯s not like we came out here to waste an entire day for 6 skeletons.¡± Emilie shook her head and shrugged. Serena commented one last time. ¡°I don¡¯t think it¡¯s wise to do this.¡± Jenora leaned against a tree. ¡°How about we try it once and see how it goes? Everyone other than me will stand off to the side so anything inside won¡¯t be able to see you. I will lure them out.¡± Everyone nodded and the four of them returned to the entrance. The horrid smell of death leaked like glass cracked and dripping once again offended their senses. Each of them held their light sources and Jenora began to bang on her shield. After a few minutes an arrow clinked off her shield and then another. She stepped to the side. In the distance, then closer and closer the clattering of bones against stone approached is unnerving consistency. The Jenora stepped back shield and mace in hand. The first skeleton emerged with a bow and took aim at her. Victor immediately used speed boost and cut its legs. The clunky the sword on bone felt as though he¡¯d tried to dig a hole with a fork, possible but exceedingly difficult. Serena threw one of her throwing daggers at the creatures neck popping it off only for two more skeletons to emerge. A sudden lunge at Jenora resulted in another dismembered skeleton. The other lunged at Victor, it was at this moment victor really felt what a huge difference leveling up made. He ran to the skeleton as it turned toward him and once again cut its legs at the knees. It couldn¡¯t even lunge. A pair of throwing daggers swiftly cracked the necks of both skeletons in short order after they hit the ground. Victor dropped his boost waiting for more enemies. The clattering of more bones approached. This time another 5 skeletons emerged. ¡°Speed boost.¡± Emilie tapped Victor. The Victor visualized himself slicing through their legs and suddenly 2 of them lost their legs once more. Serena slammed two lunging at her to the ground. One turned to Emilie lunging with enormous speed only to get stabbed in the head by Serena. Serena followed up quickly throwing daggers at their necks. All save one connected easily killing each skeleton. Jenora caved in the skull of that skeleton. For at least a moment no more sound could be heard. ¡°Collect their weapons quickly.¡± The four of them grabbed all the weapons and moved them away from the corpses. Serena had no trouble piercing the head of each and every one of them. A few moments of catching their breath and mana regeneration passed before Emilie added. ¡°We should take these back right now.¡± Skeleton 4 x16: Experience Increase 0.1% Current Exp to level 11 2.6% ¡°Agreed, that was a bit lucky that it wasn¡¯t 9 at the same time.¡± Serena noted. Emilie put her hand on Jenora¡¯s back ¡°Regenerate¡±. The four of them walked toward the entrance of the cave coming into sunlight. Emilie stopped. ¡°No¡­¡± She pounded on the air. ¡°No!¡± ¡°BARRIER!¡± Cawthorn crowed. ¡°You¡¯ve got to be kidding me.¡± Jenora dropped to her knees. Serena sighed. ¡°The barrier was on the cave entrance. The runes cast it at maximum range. Shit.¡± ¡°So we are trapped?¡± Victor asked. ¡°Unless we can destroy this barrier in a single second, or have the magic writing skill one rank higher than the barrier runes. Most magic writing can be beaten by equal or higher magic writing but runes are effectively one level higher. We can¡¯t escape unless we clear the dungeon.¡± Jenora struggled to her feet. Emilie¡¯s hand started shaking and she approached Jenora. ¡°We¡¯re going to die aren¡¯t we Jenora? We won¡¯t be able to defeat a skeletal mage of that caliber.¡± ¡°We¡¯re not going to die.¡± Victor shook his head. ¡°Let¡¯s think about this. There were 6 skeletons outside of this door but inside where the barrier zone. They left that area before we became trapped.¡± ¡°THE BARRIER FADES!¡± Cawthorn insisted. ¡°I figured it had a duration but I don¡¯t know how long.¡± Victor noted. ¡°ONE WEEK! DURATION IS ONE WEEK!¡± Cawthorn crowed. ¡°Well shit.¡± Victor sighed. ¡°We can close that door and wait the week right Jenora?¡± Emilie asked. Jenora took a deep breath. ¡°No. We probably can¡¯t even wait a day. I suspect the now missing skeletons will alert the boss of this dungeon long before we escape.¡± She stood up with her large metal mace towering over the other three. Her shadow stretched toward the door. ¡°We¡¯ve got no choice. If we wait things will only get worse.¡± Emilie stood frozen for a moment. ¡°Can we beat a skeletal mage?¡± ¡°THE STARS OF VERDAN CAN DEFEAT ANYTHING! NO UNDEAD STANDS A CHANCE AGAINST US!¡± Cawthorn proclaimed. ¡°SHINE BRIGHT! YOU ARE A STAR!¡± Jenora put her hand on her chest once again glowing golden light. ¡°Cawthorn is right Emilie. The Golden Goddess wouldn¡¯t let us lose to undead.¡± Emilie took a deep breath. ¡°Lead the way.¡± ¡°Anything we should do before we enter?¡± Victor asked. ¡°Pray to the Golden Goddess because no one is coming to help us.¡± Jenora strode forward confidently. ¡°Besides I¡¯m hoping Cawthorn is a prophet.¡± ¡°I CAN SEE EVERYTHING! YOU WILL ALL LIVE AND SLAUGHTER THIS DUNGEON AND EVERYTHING IN IT!¡± Cawthorn proclaimed. ¡°OTHERWISE MY PREDICTIONS WOULD BE WRONG! THAT IS IMPOSSIBLE!¡± Victor smiled. ¡°Well I wasn¡¯t really hoping to do this so soon but I¡¯m definitely feeling stronger. I will maintain vitality boost on myself. Emilie what other boosts do you have?¡± Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site. ¡°Speed boost, vitality boost, strength boost, and prowess boost. I can maintain exactly 1 on someone else and the second one will drain my mana quickly.¡± She explained. ¡°How much health do you have Jenora?¡± Victor asked. ¡°300¡± She answered. ¡°I can¡¯t maintain my Vitality boost on anyone other than myself, and with it I have 390 health. If Emilie maintains that on me the entire time I can take point. With that much health even if a trap hits me we¡¯ll have plenty of time to heal.¡± Victor noted. ¡°I can¡¯t maintain the sustained version of regeneration that way. Is that worth it Jenora?¡± Emilie asked. ¡°Hard to say, how many potions do we have amongst ourselves?¡± Serena added. ¡°We both have 5.¡± ¡°I have 20.¡± Emilie noted. ¡°I have 8.¡± Jenora finished. ¡°We have sufficient potions to stop the bleeding so it isn¡¯t the worst idea. What we need is a securable room so we can fall back to it and regenerate mana. If we find one of those we¡¯ll probably be okay. We should also be on the lookout for another way out of this place, though we may encounter another barrier.¡± ¡°Do priests normally carry so many potions?¡± Victor asked. ¡°Yes, I refuse to die because I run out of mana.¡± Emilie glared defiantly. ¡°We should get moving. Cawthorn, I genuinely mean this to everyone no unneeded conversation, no loud shouting, and ideally once we find a room we heavily secure it and clear room by room.¡± Jenora reiterated. ¡°So do you want me to lead?¡± Victor asked. ¡°No, it¡¯s a good idea but my armor makes me a better candidate. I have plenty of healing magic. In this case Emilie can you cast vitality boost alternating between Serena opening doors and me. I will kick the doors open after Serena checks them.¡± Jenora walked to the door confidently stopping at the threshold. She took a deep breath and crossed over the threshold. The dense acrid air suddenly hitting her nose and mouth caused her to cough before regaining her senses. ¡°No poison, just really dense air.¡± The others stepped in each coughing immediately upon stepping through needing to get accustomed to the air. ¡°Why is the air here so horrible?¡± Victor just finished coughing. ¡°This place is old, very, very old.¡± Jenora took another step forward suddenly lighting up 28 torches throughout the room. ¡°Well that¡¯s a lot.¡± She walked forward to a stone railing. The entire room was made of the same black stone Victor had seen several times before with dull white magical torches made of black stone affixed to the walls. The domed ceiling with arched braces and columns supporting them had a chandelier hanging from them tiered 3 times one for each floor below them. The dull white light from each chandelier illuminated 3 floors below them in addition to their own floor. In front of them three black archways one on each of the four sides of the room dotted each floor. Not a single door lay in front of them. Emilie looked around the room. ¡°Let¡¯s move. Quickly.¡± Below and around them the clatter of movement started to shift and scrape. The four of them followed Jenora to the right archway. She peered around the corner to a seemingly empty room. Victor spoke up. ¡°Cawthorn, quietly look to see if the room is clear.¡± Cawthorn quickly flew in and returned quickly. ¡°The room has an ooze and some junk in it.¡± ¡°What kind of ooze?¡± Jenora asked. ¡°Green, I do not know the name.¡± Cawthorn answered. ¡°It¡¯s likely a fungal ooze. Do you have a fire spell?¡± Jenora asked. ¡°No.¡± Victor noted. ¡°We need to skip this room, weapons are ineffective against oozes and without fire magic killing it will be a pain.¡± Jenora quickly moved past the archway and waited on the other side. The ooze didn¡¯t seem to notice or at a minimum didn¡¯t care. She motioned for them to come and each of them scurried past one at a time. They waited for almost a minute before moving to the next room. An empty broken down lab with shattered glass everywhere and long dry chemicals. ¡°Victor can you tell Cawthorn to remain on my shoulder for scouting.¡± Jenora asked. ¡°Cawthorn you¡¯re up.¡± Victor could see Cawthorn had to maintain incredible self control to not immediately scream in joy. Cawthorn hopped up with a low clank on her armor and peered around the corner before flying in and checking. ¡°Broken glass, rusted metal, and a collapsed bookshelf along with moldy books, no creatures.¡± The three of them crept around the edge before peering into the third archway. This time Cawthorn wasn¡¯t required to inform them of the threat. A single skeleton stood before them with 4 arms holding 4 spears facing away from them toward what appeared to be a stone staircase headed down. Jenora turned to them holding up 4 fingers. ¡°Large¡± Is the only word she had to comment on. She gripped her mace nodding at them and stepped into view running at the creature with the clank of her boots causing it to turn far before she reached it. It¡¯s wide sweep bashed her shield knocking her back. She blocked another arm with her blade only being grazed along her arm by the third. Victor and Serena managed to get behind it curving around as it wound up another four slashes. ¡°Barrier Shield!¡± Jenora lifted her shield as the overhead strike began to fall. The barrier cracked then broke holding just long enough for Jenora to avoid getting hit. Serena and Victor had made their way to it¡¯s legs and together slicing across from each other severed one leg. ¡°Barrier Shield! Shield Slam!¡± With that Jenora pushed the creature forward leaving it hanging half off the steps. It flailed at them slashing Jenora twice as Victor shot a jolt through his blade into its skull. The creature continued to flail horribly narrowly missing the rest of them before throwing all 4 of the spears at Emilie. Serena redirected two cutting them cleanly in half. ¡°Barrier Sphere!¡± She tried to block the spears but could not. The first one flew just past her face after shattering the barrier and the second one went straight through her left leg. She immediately downed a potion while running forward and tapped Jenora. ¡°Regeneration! Strength Boost!¡± A few short moments later Serena managed to stick both her daggers in the skull causing it¡¯s dull glowing eyes to extinguish. A dull thud and the cracking of bone could be heard over the sounds of Emilie casting ¡°regenerate¡± repeatedly on her leg. Large Skeleton 9: Experience Increase 5.1% Current Exp to Level 11 7.7% ¡°You good Emilie?¡± Jenora asked. ¡°I will be.¡± She panted. ¡°Give me a few seconds.¡± The wound on her leg started to close and she slowly got control over her breathing. ¡°I really liked this robe.¡± Her disappointed head shake immediately punctuated by. ¡°Well that wasn¡¯t so bad.¡± ¡°You aren¡¯t worried she¡¯ll die from a hit like that?¡± Victor asked. ¡°No, unless she gets hit in the head I doubt anything here will kill us in one hit. If she¡¯s alive a few seconds after she gets hit she¡¯ll be fine. Same goes for the two of you. Just don¡¯t get killed in one hit and she¡¯ll be able to heal you.¡± Jenora explained. ¡°Yeah scars are just part of the deal.¡± Emilie agreed. Serena nodded to Victor. ¡°I have 200 health without the boost. I doubt that was even half.¡± ¡°Is my health just really low?¡± Victor asked Serena. Emilie looked up. ¡°How low is it?¡± ¡°90.¡± Victor answered. ¡°You know you mentioned this earlier but I didn¡¯t register how bad that is. Keep your vitality boost running for combat.¡± Jenora added. ¡°Emilie when you are ready we should push on. I hear something shuffling around below.¡± Jenora nodded. ¡°Cawthorn be careful but check the next floor from the center.¡± Victor instructed. Cawthorn flew to the center practically floating in the dense air without even flapping his wings. In the room below them he noticed a skeleton with green ooze dripping off it shuffling around a long rusted metal table. One of the rooms had a steel door and the last room practically buried in bones had nothing save that floor made entirely of bones. The final room seemed filled with fog, Cawthorn couldn¡¯t see into it. Cawthorn flew back to them and calmly explained. ¡°Green Ooze Skeleton, Steel Door, Fog, and lots of bones.¡± ¡°Shit we don¡¯t have any fire magic.¡± Jenora shook her head. Victor pulled out Swordie. ¡°Swordie What is the weakness of a Fungal Ooze?¡± Fungal Ooze ¨C This creature is weak to fire and cold magic. Other magic affects this creature normally. The creature is nearly immune to conventional weaponry which it commonly eats. The creature has large amounts of health. ¡°Swordie says any magic works on it normally.¡± Victor noted. ¡°I don¡¯t have an offensive magic spell. I can¡¯t really deal any damage.¡± Emilie noted. ¡°I¡¯ve been meaning to pick up a single one but haven¡¯t had points to do so.¡± Serena walked over. ¡°Can I see Swordie?¡± Victor handed him to her. ¡°Status Sheet.¡± She quickly tapped on the book. ¡°I leveled up killing that creature and assigned my points to vitality, now I have 210 health.¡± Jenora smiled. ¡°Well at least that is a bit of good news.¡± ¡°We should go to the other room and try to kill the fungal ooze.¡± Victor noted. ¡°Why would we waste our time with that?¡± Jenora asked. ¡°It¡¯ll let us know just how many times it can survive my jolt.¡± Victor noted. Emilie spoke up. ¡°Oozes are rather slow and Jolt has good range. They tend to only be dangerous if you step near or on them or they drop on you. We have a lot of room here.¡± Jenora shrugged. ¡°Give him prowess boost and see how well it goes.¡± The four of them walked back over to the archway and the fungal ooze had barely moved. ¡°Well it¡¯s all you.¡± Jenora motioned as if to say ¡®after you¡¯. ¡°Prowess boost.¡± Emilie increased his prowess by 30 and stepped back. ¡°Jolt!¡± Victor hit the center of the ooze only for it to start sliding toward them slowly. ¡°Jolt, jolt, jolt.¡± Victor started to back away as it reached the archway. ¡°Jolt, Jolt, Jolt, Jolt.¡± As he continued he could hear Cawthorn counting on Jenora¡¯s shoulder. ¡°13, 14, 15.¡± The ooze finally stopped moving as he nearly circled around the center. ¡°20.¡± ¡°That was with prowess boost Jenora.¡± Emilie noted. ¡°That¡¯s not encouraging.¡± She noted. ¡°Swordie what can we do to a fungal ooze skeleton?¡± Victor asked. Fungal Ooze Skeleton ¨C This creature is weak to fire magic and immune to cold magic. Other magic affects this creature normally. The creature is resistant to conventional weaponry which it commonly eats. The creature has above average health. ¡°Is that more or less than a normal Fungal Ooze?¡± Victor asked. Fungal Ooze Skeleton ¨C Fungal oozes may sometimes inhabit other creatures to feed off them. The ooze spreads itself thin losing health and durability in exchange for mobility. It is no longer nearly immune to conventional weaponry only resistant. ¡°Thank you Swordie.¡± Victor nodded. ¡°We can probably kill it but it will take a long time. There is also a locked door down there and a room filled with bones and a room with fog. I think our best bet is to try and push forward to reach that door at a minimum.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t have a better plan so we¡¯ll try and pin it down.¡± Jenora noted. The group made its way back to the room with the crushed giant four armed skeleton. The long black steps stretched into the darkness to the room below with only a dull glow at the end of it. The group proceeded step after step with on those long black stone steps before reaching the end. Jenora turned to see the skeletal creature with green slimy lines traced through its body around its limbs. It stood at an old broken alchemy table with dozens of broken glass bottles and vials beneath it. The area around it dripped soaking wet. ¡°Barrier Shield.¡± She charged at the creature knocking it to the ground. Emilie gave Victor prowess boost as before. Victor swiftly began moving into position and casting jolt as fast as possible. He had no trouble hitting the creature and while it moved significantly faster than the previous ooze it couldn¡¯t contend with the constant slams from Jenora¡¯s barrier shield. All in all the party spent almost two minutes killing the creature with simple but effective tactics. Victor looked to his experience. Fungal Ooze 10: Experience Increase 9.2% Fungal Ooze Skeleton 10: Experience Increase 9.9% Current Exp to Level 11 26.8% Jenora needed a moment to catch her breath. ¡°I can¡¯t keep that up. Emilie can you please keep regenerating me?¡± She coughed up blood. ¡°You over did it didn¡¯t you.¡± Emilie touched her. ¡° Regenerate .¡± ¡°Yes. I ran out of stamina halfway through. If it reached our equipment it could have damaged or destroyed it, there¡¯s no chance we make it out of here if that happens.¡± Jenora added. Serena preemptively answered Victor¡¯s inevitable questions. ¡°If you keep using stamina when you are out you suffer exhaustion but you also take damage. A minute has to be hard on her.¡± ¡°It¡¯ll be at least 10 minutes before I can continue.¡± Jenora explained. ¡°Nothing is currently attacking us. Stay alert but take a short break.¡± Chapter 21: Tedious, treacherous, traps. Victor stepped up to watch the other three archways. Cawthorn perched on his shoulder. ¡°My mage, we are in danger.¡± ¡°I know. A seemingly empty room full of bones directly across from me sets off alarms when all we¡¯ve done is encounter skeletons. The fog is menacing but if we can¡¯t see it whatever is in there probably can¡¯t see us.¡± Victor noted. Cawthorn lifted his wing to whisper into his ear. ¡°The issue is the metal door. Behind it I can hear the clattering of metal.¡± ¡°Halfway boss.¡± Victor said. ¡°What my mage?¡± Cawthorn asked. ¡°It¡¯s some kind of mini-boss or a captain leading part of the dungeon. That¡¯s why I¡¯m so concerned. We can¡¯t open that door if any of the other rooms still have enemies.¡± Victor whispered back. Serena stood up and came over. ¡°The corpse across from us what is it?¡± Victor looked up to Cawthorn. ¡°There¡¯s a huge giant snake skull. I can investigate further if you want my mage.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t. I don¡¯t want you to accidentally activate whatever is in that room.¡± Victor told him. Emilie stopped healing Jenora after she reached full health. ¡°What does Cawthorn see?¡± ¡°There is a snake skull about your size across from us. The fog room we don¡¯t know and behind that door something dangerous definitely is moving around.¡± Victor paused. ¡°I will be right back.¡± Victor ran back up the stairs grabbing the remaining spears and brought them back just as Jenora started standing. ¡°We need to secure those doors before we do anything else.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s do it. The longer we are here, the longer something can go wrong.¡± Emilie nodded. The group made their way over to the metal door. Two large circular metal door knockers provided an easy way to blockade the door with the spears. Jenora slid the spears in quietly and lightly let the door knockers slowly slide back into place. Everyone held their breath not merely for the awful air but for the intensity of the footsteps. Chains and broken glass scraping across the floor toward the door before slowing, as they clanked closer the group could make out better what they really were. Massive hooves like a horse caused the ground to thud inches away from the door before stopping. After a few moments the sound shuffled away from the door. The entire room stepped away to the empty room with the crushed skeleton and vaporized ooze. ¡°What room are we doing next?¡± Victor asked. ¡°We have to check the bone room first.¡± Emilie nodded. ¡°If we don¡¯t it might animate or stop hiding when we do something else.¡± Serena added. ¡°I¡¯d say both of you should give speed boost to Cawthorn and let him look in the room.¡± Cawthorn silently nodded. After both cast speed boost he took off and flew across the chasm around the room in front of them. He noticed several things quickly returning to relay them to Victor. ¡°The room has bars on the ceiling and tubes leading to the fog room. The snake skeleton is surrounded by normal skeletons.¡± ¡°Can skeletons exist without a head?¡± Victor asked. ¡°No, and I like the way you¡¯re thinking.¡± Serena added. Emilie insisted. ¡°Well spit it out.¡± ¡°The room isn¡¯t triggered by a creature entering it, it¡¯s some trap. The two of us can shoot at their heads until nothing remains. We won¡¯t get any experience but we can avoid that giant snake monstrosity.¡± Victor explained. ¡°Caw caw hah, my mage is the smartest mage in all of Verdan.¡± Cawthorn proclaimed. Jenora added. ¡°Even if it¡¯s a pressure plate as long as we don¡¯t step on it it¡¯s not an issue. Serena can you inspect the entranceway for traps and then the two of you can destroy the heads of all the skeletons you can see.¡± The three of them walked over toward the room slowly around the barred metal door stopping just beyond it. Serena knelt down and began scraping the ground with a dagger. The gentle drag could barely be heard until the sound of ¡®plink¡¯ as it hit a plate. ¡°You¡¯ve got to be joking.¡± She traced a line to the wall. She whispered. ¡°This plate covers everything but the corners of the walkway. It weighs too much to lift so I can¡¯t disarm it.¡± Jenora gently pressed her blade into the stone. ¡°Guide it.¡± Serena gently pressed forward until it hit the crack. She motioned for her to angle it down. The blade scraped against the massive stone tile as its tip finally reached underneath it. ¡°Push down slowly.¡± Serena noticed four springs as soon as she got an half an inch from it. ¡°Hold it there.¡± She reached in with the blade of her dagger and cut a spring one and then the other. She left a throwing dagger in that spot to hold up the stone. ¡°We need to go past the foggy, misty, smoky room and do the same thing.¡± The entire group backed slowly around the area back to the first room. Jenora wanted to comment. ¡°When we walk past I am going to stop in front of the fog wall. After we pass by we won¡¯t do anything for at least a few minutes. Be prepared to fight in close quarters if something comes out.¡± Emilie added. ¡°I really don¡¯t like this. It almost feels safer to fight whatever is in the bone room. Whatever is in the fog room could trigger the bone room.¡± ¡°You could be right.¡± Jenora scratched her head. ¡°Thoughts?¡± Serena shook her head. ¡°The skull of that snake is almost as large as me, and larger than Emilie. If it attacks us we could have a tough time. I don¡¯t think that¡¯s the right call.¡± Jenora sighed. ¡°She was right before I¡¯ll give this one to Serena. Let¡¯s get going. Emilie stay in the corner after we pass by I will stay between you and the fog.¡± ¡°Fine, as long as you are focused on me here it¡¯s fine. I¡¯m Vitality boosting myself for this though. Vitality boost.¡± Emilie shrugged. ¡°I think that¡¯s fine. No matter what happens don¡¯t step on the plate.¡± The group approached the archway with the fog seeping from it. They stood back and Jenora cast ¡°Barrier Shield.¡± She stood in front of the archway as the other three passed by. She recast ¡°Barrier Shield¡± backing away from the entrance. They stood there on guard, weapons out, ready to lunge for any monster that emerged, yet nothing came. Serena repeated the process again on this side lifting up the plate with Jenora¡¯s blade a short distance and slicing the springs. ¡°Okay, we need to crack this stone plate. Hold this position and use your mace to break it.¡± ¡°Won¡¯t that set it off?¡± Emilie asked. ¡°Not if we leave it elevated like it is.¡± Serena nodded and Jenora pulled out her mace crushing part of the plate. The two of them pulled the rubble off. Jenora took a step forward avoiding the springs and cracked the plate again moving the rubble to the corner. ¡°The mechanism seems to run to the fog room.¡± Serena looked up and noticed the lines on the ceiling tiles. ¡°We should destroy the heads quickly.¡± She stood up and immediately started shooting arrows at the head of the large snake. Victor joined her. ¡°Jolt¡± He cast it repeatedly and arrows kept flying. The head slowly crumbled beneath their ranged assault. ¡°I¡¯ll do the right side skeletons you do the left.¡± Victor began blasting away and he couldn¡¯t seem to consistently nail them in the head taking multiple hits to connect each time. As far as they could tell it seemed that all of the heads had been destroyed. ¡°I¡¯ll need a moment for mana.¡± If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. ¡°That¡¯s fine I need a moment for stamina.¡± Serena nodded. ¡°Are we going to check the fog room?¡± Emilie shook her head. ¡°That is a really stupid idea. We have no idea what it is.¡± ¡°Yeah but it could attack us from behind.¡± Victor pointed out. Cawthorn added. ¡°With some vitality boosts I am willing to investigate on behalf of the Stars of Verdan.¡± ¡°Uhg so be it I¡¯ll do it.¡± Swordie spoke aloud for the first time. ¡°The book talks too?¡± Emilie asked. ¡°Does your actual sword talk?¡± ¡°No, not yet.¡± Swordie replied. ¡°Oh my instructor can speak again. Does your flammable self have some idea of what to do here?¡± Victor asked. ¡°Nothing in this area will be capable of burning me much less damaging me. Attach a rope to me and throw me in the room I will relay what I sense to the student holding me.¡± Swordie replied. Jenora pulled out a rope. ¡°Are you sure you want to risk such a valuable artifact to check a room? It could be destroyed.¡± Victor looked her dead in the eye and blinked once. ¡°Yes.¡± Victor with all his strength flung the now roped up Swordie into the room. Swordie could be heard hitting the wall of the room then the floor. It wasn¡¯t far to the end of the room. ¡°I do sense a single creature. The creature is within glass. To remove this fog someone will need to close the hole at the top of the glass. I determine this room as safe provided you do not destroy the container for this creature.¡± Victor stepped forward. ¡°It¡¯s my book, he¡¯s my mentor. I¡¯ll go first here.¡± Victor entered the fog and suddenly felt a far worse version of the acrid air in the entire area brought him nearly to vomit before he regained control of his body. He stepped forward slowly with his hand out. ¡°Where am I going Swordie?¡± ¡°Left three steps. Step up on the ladder. Close the glass container.¡± Swordie answered. Victor took three steps and tapped a ladder with his foot. He lifted his leg reaching a step ladder and took two steps up. He reached up and felt a piece of glass he pushed on it. ¡°It is time to reel me in my young friend.¡± Victor pulled him back and returned him to his belt. ¡°Thank you. I appreciate your assistance.¡± ¡°To be entirely honest I just felt like you would be here for a very long time discussing the fog or I wouldn¡¯t have prevented the incredible waste of time and indecision the teenagers seem to have when encountering the unknown.¡± Swordie manifested eyes to roll. ¡°We¡¯re mortal, come on now that¡¯s not fair.¡± Victor protested quietly. ¡°Fine, I prevented the incredible waste of time and indecision mortals face when encounter anything unknown.¡± Swordie rolled his eyes again. ¡°Either way the fog should dissipate soon.¡± Just as Swordie said that the fog at the highest level of the step ladder did begin to dissipate. ¡°It¡¯s safe.¡± Victor called out. A massive Fungal Ooze the height of victor and ten times as wide around. As he turned back in front of him the fungal ooze gurgled causing him to slip off the step ladder. Serena caught him effortlessly. The fog thinned with her still holding him. ¡°Huh.¡± She lifted him up and down again. ¡°You¡¯re taller than me but really light.¡± She let him down. Victor tried to play it off though his mind was racing from the fall. ¡°The giant ooze in a vat surprised me.¡± ¡°What is this?¡± Jenora walked over to a wooden table covered in mold with a book that seemed completely untouched by the ravages of time. ¡°It appears to be my compatriot. A book.¡± Swordie noted. Emilie tilted her head disappointed. ¡°Are you going to be annoying? I really don¡¯t feel like dealing with you if you are going to be annoying.¡± ¡°You may be annoyed or annoying but I can be both. Can you?¡± Swordie noted. ¡°I am not annoying!¡± She shot back. ¡°That is debatable.¡± Swordie answered. ¡°Hush, listen to me for a moment.¡± Jenora held the book bound in bone and animal skin open and began reading. ¡°Here in this lab I seek eternal life to continue my work. Life everlasting may come only through undeath but my research must not stop. I will become undead so my research on the modification of biomes may continue. I will use these oozes to reclaim the great deserts. Earth elementals may also be able to reclaim the great divide. If I should fail these notes provide the ability to replicate my work in this lab over the course of several years to restore some biomes lost to mortals. If only I could figure out how to deal with the creatures used after they modify the area.¡± Signed Loche. ¡°This place is some kind of laboratory for an undead wizard.¡± Emilie practically hissed. ¡°The Goddess would demand we destroy it. Perhaps that is why we were trapped here.¡± ¡°That book has to be valuable.¡± Victor noted. ¡°It¡¯s written by an undead. We should burn it here and now.¡± Emilie insisted. ¡°If an undead could save lives would you kill it before it could?¡± Victor asked. ¡°YES! An undead saving someone could only be for their own machinations. Try to save them yourself and if you can¡¯t the Golden Goddess may have willed their end.¡± Emilie angrily insisted. ¡°Devils, Demons, Undead all of them and their work deserve the pyre.¡± Jenora put her hand on Emilie¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Emilie we should at least see how much it sells for. It¡¯s possible the gold will help the church to such a degree that the Goddess deemed that the right course of action.¡± Emilie scoffed. ¡°Fine, we can at least see its value. If it isn¡¯t worth thousands of gold we burn it, but the mage carries it since he¡¯s the one who wants to keep it.¡± Research Tome of Loche acquired. ¡°I cannot support book burning.¡± Swordie noted. ¡°Fortunately you don¡¯t have hands.¡± Emilie smirked. Swordie paused. ¡°It appears you have bested me.¡± ¡°Besting a book isn¡¯t a difficult task.¡± Emilie smirked. ¡°For now.¡± Swordie answered ominously. ¡°We have a task at hand.¡± Victor spoke up. ¡°Is there anything we need to do before we enter the locked room across from us?¡± ¡°We¡¯ve cleared 6 rooms so far. One more on this floor and 2 more floors of 4 rooms each means we have a long way to go. We should only stop for a few moments to regenerate any mana and stamina used then we head straight in and whatever comes we face it.¡± Jenora reassured them. ¡°We¡¯ve got to deal with recovery and decide boost spells.¡± Emilie explained. ¡°I don¡¯t think I should use a boost if that room contains a dangerous monster. Passive regeneration on Jenora should work well. I will try to throw in barriers but if I have to drop the passive spell and start healing more directly or especially if I have to use my Instant Spellcasting skill. I can only use it once an hour at the moment on the spells I have. I have Pure Heal which is a circle spell that normally I¡¯d never use because it takes 100 minutes to draw the circle. It will fully heal a target. If mine was higher rank it would also remove some debuffs. I will not use this on anyone unless I see you nearly dead.¡± Serena explained her double dash skill. ¡°I won¡¯t use Double Dash unless it¡¯s absolutely required. If I do I need immediate help. I won¡¯t be able to move after it.¡± ¡°I¡¯m ready.¡± Emilie nodded. ¡°Me too, my mana has fully refilled.¡± Victor nodded back to her. Serena nodded pulling out her mace. ¡°Let¡¯s do it.¡± Chapter 22: You get the horns Jenora lead them to the metal gate taking a deep breath she pulled off the spears and flung the doors open. Before the party a long hall with six pillars that have long since broken chains stretched before them. 6 of the dull glowing torches dotted the pillars. Stretched out in the distance with long shadows a skeletal creature with the hooves of a horse and head of a bull held a massive axe in skeletal humanoid hands. On the legs six flailing chains clattered around it. A massive skeletal minotaur with horns large enough to hit the entire party should it hit dead center lowered its head. Her shield raised high immediately shouting ¡°Barrier Shield!¡± Victor tried to help out. ¡°Barrier Shield!¡± Emilie Added on. ¡°Shield Sphere!¡± Serena had already disappeared from the group by the time Emilie cast the sphere. The skeletal minotaur barreled at them. Jenora knelt and braced her shield with both hands. The minotaur cracked one barrier, then another with no effort. The last seemed to finally slow it down as the skull pierced through stopping on her shield. Victor took this opportunity to use vitality boost and slashed at the creature¡¯s neck combining his strike with a jolt but it didn¡¯t even chip the bone. The beast thrashed its horns knocking the three aside before taking a swipe with its axe at Jenora. Victor crashed into the wall nearly catching himself with one leg. The axe rose high above the cleric cowering behind a shield half the size of the axe to the sound of ¡°Barrier Shield¡±. As the swing reached the apex Serena landed on the flat of the axe with such force it nearly dislodged the axe from the creature¡¯s hand. Victor immediately used speed boost and followed suit. As Victor lands the axe completely flies out of the minotaurs¡¯ hand causing his bare fisted slam to be blocked by Jenora¡¯s shield spell, though cracking it. The axe embedded itself into one of the pillars. Just landing at that speed with the strength he had hurt his leg. Emilie in the corner was healing herself and as Serena and Victor landed on the same side she ran past hitting both of them with a ¡°Regeneration!¡± Regenerated 10 health Regenerated 10 health Regenerated 10 health Regenerated 10 health The minotaur turned to the three of them. Jenora took a swing at one of the legs barely missing as it took off toward Emilie. The minotaur charged smashing into the wall behind where Emilie stood less than a second ago. Emilie found herself in Serena¡¯s arms at the far end of the room. After putting her down Emilie angrily added. ¡°Strength boost, speed boost.¡± Serena gripped her mace in both hands taking off as the minotaur turned to her charging her head on. Serena¡¯s mace connected with the left horn cracking the tip off. Her foot landed on the skull allowing her to flip to the ceiling. Without missing a beat she launched herself to the ground hitting its leg. The charge failed miserably colliding with the center left pillar. A section fell on the ribcage slowing it down. Emilie released her two boost spells. Serena backed away panting as Jenora and Victor darted in. ¡°LEGS!¡± Jenora¡¯s shout as she connected with the same leg resonated. A hairline crack formed on the leg which Victor pierced with a resonating Jolt traveling through his blade which buried itself in to that crack. The beast roared knocking back everyone and turned around reaching for the axe. It tore it out of the black stone pillar crushing a second light. It seemed the creature was ready for the attack. Serena pressed her back against the wall panting desperate and careful waiting for the dodge. The creature¡¯s axe came down with such might it cleaved into the wall behind her slowing it down just enough for her to dodge to the side. Jenora came up behind once more. ¡°Strength boost!¡± She connected with the same cracked leg once more widening the crack further. Emilie started moving around the room as the minotaur turned back to Jenora again. The wide sweep was met with a quick ¡°Barrier Shield!¡± The axe tore through the spell breaking it in an instant. The shield dented from the mighty blow but intact barely. Jenora coughed blood as she remained pinned to the pillar. ¡°Regeneration.¡± She futilely swung at the cracked leg a breath out of reach. Serena finally started to move again. Emilie Recast ¡°Strength boost, speed boost, Regeneration.¡± on Serena who went for the leg once again. The minotaur began to wind up another swing as Serena brought it to a knee. The crack spread up the bone. Victor reached the leg in the instant after Serena finished her hit. His Jolt traveled through the leg finally cracking it just above the hoof. The short back handed swing from the minotaur finally connected cleanly across Serena¡¯s chest. She flew back to the wall. Fortunately the bleeding stopped instantly thanks to regeneration ticking down. Serena once again on the ground could only look up as Emilie placed her hand on Serena¡¯s chest. ¡°Regenerate¡±. Victor interposed himself between the two. The creature hobbled forward swatting away Victor away. The minotaur once again lifted the massive axe high into the air half covered in shadow. Jenora leapt ¡°Barrier Shield¡±. Victor outstretched his hand ¡°Barrier Shield!¡± Emilie leaped to Serena ¡°Shield Sphere!¡± The barriers cracked, one, two, three impacting Jenora¡¯s now dented shield with a decidedly faint clang. Jenora smashed the creature¡¯s wrist with a quick return blow causing it to reel backward. Unable to maintain its balance it fell over. The beast fell into the darkness. Fell without it axe. ¡°SCREW THIS!¡± ¡°Strength boost. Speed boost!¡± Emilie tapped Victor darted across the ground with both speed boosts on him. He gripped the massive axe and spun fast. As he released the axe it flew spinning out of the room. Victor realized he couldn¡¯t move. -12 health ¡°Vitality boost.¡± He recast Vitality boost ready to take a hit, and take a hit he did as the intact hoof slammed him back into the wall knocking the breath out of him. His body felt crushed seeing the creature stand back up and lower the horns. Emilie started to panic and ran toward him. ¡°Regenerate!¡± Regenerated 10 health Regenerated 10 health The skeleton charged immediately met by a ¡°Barrier Shield!¡± Followed by ¡°Shield Sphere!¡± but it would not be stopped. A horn pierced through Jenora¡¯s armor. She screamed in pain. ¡°Jenora!¡± While the minotaur¡¯s horn pierced her she brought her mace down on the skull forming a hairline fracture. The skeleton destroyed one of its legs almost entirely in the charge, shredding what bone remained there. The moment it recoiled her hand extended ¡° INSTANT SPELLCASTING PURE HEAL!¡± Her desperate voice signaled the turning of the tide as the minotaur struggled to stay upright. Serena stood up and looked to Emilie with a knowing nod. ¡°Strength boost, Speed boost, Regeneration.¡± Regenerated 10 health Regenerated 10 health Serena wound up her arms and flexed as she braced her feet against the wall. ¡°Double Dash!¡± Her swing connected perfectly along the fracture shattering the skull too fast for any of them to see what she did. She collapsed to her knees breathing deep. ¡°Please tell me it is dead.¡± Swordie spoke up. ¡°It lost its head.¡± ¡°Not a yes or a no.¡± Serena panted. ¡°THE STARS OF VERDAN ARE THE BEST PARTY IN THE WORLD!¡± Cawthorn declared from above. ¡°Please lock the door.¡± Victor looked at Serena with both of them completely out of stamina. Jenora hobbled over to the door pulling the axe and spears into the room before slamming the doors shut with an echoing clang. ¡°Regenerate.¡± She healed herself. Emilie began healing both of them until they recovered. ¡°Regenerate. I can¡¯t recover your stamina unfortunately. With as much speed as you were using your stamina ran out fast. Good grief we just made it by the Goddess grace.¡± Jenora picked up Serena and brought her to the wall This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it. Victor sat back to the wall. ¡°That healing spell of yours is preposterously strong.¡± ¡°Normally it costs a huge amount of gold. Instant spellcasting is even more incredible than most people think it is. If you use it for a spell that requires a material like melted gold before the point you¡¯ll have to use the material you don¡¯t need the material.¡± Emilie smiled. ¡°I¡¯m incredible, and a rare commodity.¡± ¡°OUR PRIEST IS THE BEST PRIEST IN VERDAN¡± Cawthorn proclaimed in the dark and empty room. She sighed and took a deep breath. ¡°That¡¯s not always a good thing. When I went to my home right after the nunnery sent me on my pilgrimage some things happened that really made me reconsider what group to join and if I made the right choice using my gift as I had.¡± Jenora added. ¡°Do you really want to tell them?¡± Emilie nodded. ¡°After a fight like that you deserve it. Besides we¡¯re going to be here until that recharges so an hour at least.¡± ¡°Serena also used Double Dash. It will be a while.¡± Victor noted. Minotaur Skeleton 15: Experience Increase 19.5% Current Exp to Level 11 48.3% ¡°It¡¯s a rough story so forgive me if it takes some time.¡± She paused almost as if to think about if she should speak at all. ¡°After I left the nunnery I traveled toward my home after so many years. I joined a group that seemed great at the time, and on our travel toward my hometown we defeated a group of bandits. All seemed well until one of my group, Chris lost a hand. I had hoped not to show off my instant spellcasting skill but if I didn¡¯t help him after his shield hand was sliced off he¡¯d have lost his head. I¡¯ve told you this before but it doesn¡¯t cost gold to cast Pure Heal this way. Pure Heal normally costs proportional to the lost limb, broken bones, or other pieces missing. So in that moment I made the choice to save him. It was the worst mistake of my life.¡± ¡°But you saved him, weren¡¯t they grateful?¡± Victor asked. ¡°He was, for a day. The next night we encountered some more bandits but this time they didn¡¯t want to fight, and they came in much, much greater numbers. Surrounded the bandits made a proposition, hand over the priest and they could live. It took him 3 seconds looking at me then looking back to the 30 or more bandits to make his choice. They threw me to the ground in front of the bandits in the grass. I screamed as 3 of them pulled me away. Seconds later as I lost view of the campfire I could hear the four of them scream. Every one of them died, slaughtered despite betraying me. We could have fought. If they fought it might have been possible to win. We definitely had a higher level than the level 4 to 6 bandits.¡± She sighed. ¡°I can¡¯t see how someone could just abandon their compatriot.¡± Victor reached out his fist to her. ¡°Where I¡¯m from some people tap fists as a sign of trust.¡± Emilie reached out and tapped his fist. ¡°I know you wouldn¡¯t. If there was even the slightest chance you would I wouldn¡¯t let her be in a group with you. I am pretty good at reading intention.¡± She glared at Cawthorn. ¡°The bird and the book are the only two I wasn¡¯t sure about.¡± Cawthorn proclaimed. ¡°SHE IS THE WISEST CLERIC!¡± Swordie added. ¡°The holy warrior is prudent. I appreciate her desire to protect a smaller weaker mortal.¡± She laughed nervously. ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°Hah! I¡¯m clearly not mortal. Cawthorn has proclaimed I¡¯ll live forever.¡± Emilie joked. ¡°SHE SHALL LIVE FOREVER WITH YOU JENORA!¡± Cawthorn insisted. ¡°It¡¯s a nice dream to live with someone you love forever.¡± Jenora sighed. Emilie laughed. ¡°It would be a shame if only one of us were immortal, so I¡¯d have to find a way for you to follow in my footsteps.¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± Jenora continued to answer nervously. Emilie got quiet before beginning to speak again.¡°That said the story continues and somehow it does get worse. The bandits drug me off and beat me nonstop healing me up with their own clerics until I couldn¡¯t take it anymore to come up with the answer to one question. ¡®Where are my parents?¡¯ While innate spells are not explicitly genetic it¡¯s not uncommon for an innate spell to be the same innate spell their parents had. My parents did not have such innate spells. The massive force of bandits finished making their way to the remote farm house my parents lived in. They broke in with me in tow. They wanted me to watch nothing but sadists, but when they kicked in the door the floor was already covered with blood. I¡¯ll always remember the drip of blood on my cheek as a single drop of my father¡¯s blood fell on me from the ceiling. His dead corpse in the hands of a vampire who¡¯s form stood much taller than anyone else. It fell on the man holding me.¡± Serena nodded. ¡°That sounds like the worst day of your life. I can relate.¡± ¡°It got worse too!¡± Emilie said with a cheery broken smile. ¡°He looked straight down at me and with black red eyes he issued an order ¡®Don¡¯t move¡¯. The vampire slaughtered and drank from the bandits. Their screams seemed almost like karmic justice for what they had done, but I was not saved. I merely escaped the shark to be devoured by the heron. I heard the voice of a woman speak ¡®Emilie?¡¯ My mother yet lived. I tried to move but the paralysis prevented me from even speaking much less moving my head. Staring at the ceiling as the vampire stomped back toward me metal clanking on his long black robe.¡± She changed her voice to be deeper. ¡°You may move your head my dear.¡± Emilie resumed. ¡°I panicked looking around to see my mother in the same position on her knees. ¡®Mom are you okay?¡¯ she couldn¡¯t answer just crying. She turned to him and begged for my life. Yet he just reached out with his long sharp nails, protruding fangs, and pitch black eyes.¡± Her voice resumed the deep dark much more convincing this time. ¡°I¡¯ve come for a bride. While I could take two brides that would be bothersome. I do however, enjoy suffering and great failures especially those that try to surpass their betters. I know! I will turn one of you now and the other will come to save her in the future only to fail and join me as a bride. Both mother and daughter oh I do enjoy the thought of your suffering knowing you couldn¡¯t save each other.¡± She stopped. ¡°He then offered my mother the opportunity to sacrifice herself for me. She looked up at him with tears in her eyes. ¡®I offer you anything. Everything for her. Please spare her.¡¯ He sank his fangs deep in her chest wrapping his arms around her as he did. He left her alive and she slowly changed. Her skin grew pale. Her eyes flashed black before returning to white. She fell to the wooden floor gripping it and cracking the boards beneath her. Finally her fangs extended.¡± Her voice shifted. ¡°Stand and kiss me, my new bride.¡± She shook her head. ¡°She obeyed, completely mind controlled. The vampire walked up to me and cupped my head in his long sharp hands. He asked me my name and I answered.¡± She changed back. ¡°I am Vampire Lord Novoraz, King of The Isle of Troval, Lord of the Dark Seas, and Exalted of Kokoxol. Throughout my 5000 years I¡¯ve taken many brides but never have I kept more than 3. If you want revenge come and kill me. I will be waiting and hoping to replace another bride. Enjoy your life, for soon enough I will enjoy your unlife.¡± She returned. ¡°With that he left as did my mother leaving me completely alone and covered in blood. What was I supposed to do? I couldn¡¯t sleep that night. I know rescuing my mother is impossible too. The Golden Goddess cannot tolerate undead, and when she was turned she stopped being my mom, but vengeance and justice intertwine here.¡± Victor took a deep breath. ¡°I¡¯m just going to ask you first. If your mother could be saved and made human again would you want her to be human again?¡± ¡°She can¡¯t be made human again. Undead can never regain the Goddess¡¯s Grace.¡± Emilie shook her head. Victor pulled out Swordie. ¡°You know the question Swordie.¡± ¡°Clearly I do not sir.¡± Swordie sarcastically answered. ¡°At what level can you return undead to life?¡± Victor asked. ¡°Level 91. Tier 10 magic is required.¡± Swordie answered. Emilie flung her head back laughing. ¡°TIER 10! ONLY TIER 10 MAGIC?¡± Jenora put her hand on Emilie¡¯s shoulder with a chuckle. ¡°Well if I¡¯m supposed to reach level 100 I can save your parents.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure if she should be saved even if she could be.¡± Emilie shook her head. ¡°She¡¯s no doubt drained dozens, if not hundreds of victims in the two years since then.¡± ¡°Is a slave really responsible for what they are forced to do?¡± Victor asked. ¡°Is she not free to starve?¡± Emilie asked. ¡°Not if he instructs her to feed.¡± Victor countered. She shook her head. ¡°That choice will never reach us, and it hurts me to think of it. Killing him is far more in reach than that.¡± ¡°Thank you for sharing. I can see why you are so cautious about group members and hate undead so much. I¡¯m sorry I can¡¯t tell you everything about me to pass the time.¡± Victor added. Serena noted. ¡°It wouldn¡¯t make a difference to who you are Victor. You¡¯re a man who wears his intent on his sleeve.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine. I¡¯d say we¡¯re even. She won¡¯t even tell me her past.¡± Emilie pointed to Jenora. ¡°It¡¯s not important to who I am now.¡± Jenora shook her head. ¡°That¡¯s true. You¡¯ve proven you care about me. One day you¡¯ll tell me.¡± She kissed Jenora on the cheek. ¡°I trust you.¡± Jenora sighed and wrapped one arm around her. Chapter 23: The sword stop. Victor had blinked and suddenly the rest of them were standing and looking around. Serena turned to him. ¡°You dozed off.¡± She reached out her hand to help him up. ¡°It happens sometimes after exhaustion, you¡¯ve only been out a few minutes.¡± ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Victor looked around at the other two searching the room. ¡°We are looking for the stairs. They should be in this room.¡± Jenora noted. Victor stood up and began to search the far wall. He tapped the hilt of his rapier against the ground block by block. Each of the others searched but it was Victor who heard a hallow echo. He tapped the floor again not hearing it. He tapped the wall and heard the echo. ¡°It¡¯s the back wall, it opens up.¡± ¡°Good catch, I expected it to be in the floor like the last one.¡± Emilie added. Serena nodded. ¡°Me too, although it worries me that it¡¯s hidden since you could just use a rope to go down the middle. It means this is the safer route but why is climbing down dangerous?¡± ¡°How do we open this?¡± Victor asked. ¡°To be honest I¡¯m tired of waiting if you are all ready for combat I¡¯m ready to go.¡± Jenora nodded. ¡°I¡¯m good.¡± Victor added. ¡°We may as well. If anything could move or hear us it heard that fight.¡± Serena noted. Emilie put her hand on her. ¡°Strength boost.¡± With a single devastating swing the wall collapsed. The black rocks fell and clattered to the ground. Victor kicked a few of the bricks out of the way. ¡°Why are the bricks all black?¡± ¡°It¡¯s corpse stone. When large amounts of people die in an area typically they are buried. If they are thrown into a mass grave the magic congeals and causes them to become corpses over the course of a very long time. Hoxal had, and has had a lot of massacres and disposing of the bodies isn¡¯t something it has ever cared to do. It¡¯s cheap to mine, strong, and even slightly magically resilient so they don¡¯t even see it as a bad thing. Every one of these bricks is built on the death of someone else.¡± Serena explained. ¡°At one point briefly I was a miner. One of my fellow slaves told me this before he died in a cave in.¡± Victor suddenly felt really bad kicking the bricks away, as though he had defiled someone¡¯s grave. Emilie shook her head. ¡°They are long gone. Don¡¯t feel sad for them. Feel hatred for those who did this, for those who used their remains to construct this place, and for the undead still here.¡± The four of them moved into the narrow staircase leading down. Jenora could barely fit in the slim crevice having to turn sideways to inch forward step by step. The scrape of her armor on the rock sparking at points wasn¡¯t even shedding light ahead of them anymore. She finally reached a flat step and pressed forward. A door scraped open to a completely empty room with similar metal doors. The floor covered in black and white checkered stone. Without moving Jenora turned her head back. ¡°This room has to be trapped, back up.¡± The four backed up and Jenora asked Serena. ¡°Can you check?¡± ¡°Vitality boost. Regeneration. I altered it to be sustained. It should be a lot safer like this.¡± Emilie nodded. ¡°I can sustain both for about a minute so get going. I will let regeneration lapse before vitality boost.¡± Serena rushed down the steps and began tapping at the edge of the first tile. It was clearly solid. She reached into the room and pressed on the second tile. From the wall six small blades from each wall sliced out from one end to the other. Serena took significant damage as one of them slashed straight up her arm. The blades then snapped back slashing on the return even more fiercely. She returned to the top. ¡°I¡¯m not sure what to do here, way too many blades. After I¡¯m healed I¡¯ll need to find the trap mechanism and probably destroy the blades. There¡¯s no way I¡¯ll be able to disable every plate in there without being sliced up.¡± ¡°Can we just smash the wall?¡± Victor turned to Jenora. ¡°If I had space to move around yes, I can¡¯t swing at all in there.¡± Jenora noted. ¡°Put regenerate on me, I¡¯ll trigger the trap and destroy one. Rinse, repeat until the trap is destroyed, is there any danger in the other rooms?¡± Victor asked. ¡°I can¡¯t see, there are metal doors in that room too. The dull grey light from the center of the ceiling wasn¡¯t enough to see much though.¡± Serena noted. ¡°Emilie can you get behind me? There is a good chance that I am about to take massive damage.¡± Victor asked. ¡°I¡¯m not keen to be drenched in your blood, but fine.¡± Emilie narrowed her eyes and frowned angry at the thought. Victor went and broke off the chains from the minotaur¡¯s broken leg. He drug the chains after him clanking down the steps. Cawthorn asked going down the steps. ¡°MY MAGE WHAT ARE YOU DOING?¡± Victor opened Swordie and wrapped a chain around the center. ¡°Sir what are you doing.¡± ¡°Destroying traps.¡± Victor smiled swinging Swordie into the room. The book clattered onto the ground triggering the trap. The blades suddenly burst out once more slicing the entire room catching on Swordie. The blades retracted with incredible speed and force with the lowest blade shattering as it tried to retract into the wall against the unstoppable force of Swordie¡¯s spine. ¡°Sir, I know I said nothing in this area can damage me.¡± Victor threw out Swordie once again catching on a blade. The sudden snap out latching the book to the blade as they flew back into the wall once again forced the blade against an object which may as well have been indestructible. ¡°This was not my intended use.¡± ¡°I thought you helping me was the intended use, besides it¡¯s not like this can damage you.¡± Victor once again threw him out to the room catching a third blade. The shattered steel exploded through the room scratching Victor¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Sir I am your mentor not a sword stop.¡± Swordie protested as he landed in the middle of the room once more. The blades lashed out once more catching him and the fourth of six blades broke into a million pieces. Emilie laughed echoing all the way to the top of the steps. ¡°WHAT A BOOK! IT¡¯S NOTHING MORE THAN A SWORD STOP! SWORDIE THE SWORD STOP!¡± Her laughing was quickly joined by Cawthorn. ¡°CAW CAW HAH OUR BOOK IS INDESTRUCTABLE!¡± ¡°Sir, there are ways around this trap without subjecting my spine to such force.¡± Swordie pointed out as another blade shattered trying to cut him in half. ¡°Yes but those ways would be an incredible waste of time.¡± Victor threw Swordie forth once more making sure the chain was high enough to catch the blade. A final shattering left tiny blades swiping back and forth as the book clattered back to Victor. ¡°I would request you not exploit my near invulnerability. It is possible one day I may take damage from such exploits.¡± Swordie noted. ¡°BEST BOOK WILL LIVE FOREVER! CAW CAW HAH!¡± Cawthorn laughed. Emilie literally fell over laughing. ¡°IT DOES HAVE A USE!¡± ¡°See you¡¯re fine, and we didn¡¯t waste much time on this.¡± Victor stepped into the room as the blades swiped each extremely short and ineffective. ¡°Sir your memory improves proportion to your desire to outwit me. That is noted.¡± Swordie added. ¡°Well when my desire to outwit you grows my memory improves.¡± Victor nodded. Trap 11: Experience Increase 10.5% Current Exp to Level 11 58.8% Jenora took a look at the broken metal. ¡°This stuff is sharp but it is so old. How did it not rust?¡± ¡°The blades seem to be thinner. Some kind of self sharpening metal?¡± Serena asked. ¡°Doesn¡¯t matter. Let¡¯s keep moving everything in the entire dungeon has heard us by now.¡± Emilie walked toward the door. ¡°We need to be very careful with the center of this place. There¡¯s no telling what is there. Try to keep close to the walls.¡± Serena cautioned. Jenora slowly opened the double door peering through cracks. All 3 of the rooms had the same double door made of metal. She slowly crept open the door. Each squeak and creak echoed through the hall. Jenora inched right toward the door. ¡°Serena can you check this?¡± Serena began tapping and running her fingers around the edge of the door. She shook her head as if to say ¡®nothing¡¯. ¡°HELLO?¡± A voice echoed from beyond the door. ¡°IS THERE ANYONE OUT THERE?!¡± The voice once again called out. Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon. ¡°There¡¯s no way.¡± Jenora turned to them. ¡°Stand ready.¡± ¡°Nothing down here could be alive.¡± Emilie tapped Jenora. ¡°Vitality boost.¡± In front of them a room filled with chains and skeletons all chained up to the wall. The room filled with dust except a single solitary skeleton with glowing green eyes. The lack of dust leading directly to him and him alone seemed suspect. The sound of chains scraping as a skeleton looked at them with a cold empty gaze. ¡°Oh good! You¡¯re alive. Could you free me please?¡± ¡°Uh¡­ Serena.¡± Victor scratched his head sword still drawn. The skeleton completely disheveled pulled weakly against the chains. ¡°I know my appearance may be frightening but-¡±. ¡°Give me your mace.¡± Emilie reached for Jenora¡¯s mace. The skeleton began. ¡°Miss, I know my form is undead but I am a humble researcher. My name is Loche. I was here researching how to turn the great deserts green. They-¡± Emilie grabbed the mace from Jenora. ¡°Strength boost.¡± She began walking toward the skeleton one step at a time with murderous intent. ¡°You aren¡¯t even going to hear him out?¡± Victor asked. ¡°Undead, every single one of them have to die. They are all self serving monsters. Every. Last. One.¡± She reached him raising her mace. ¡°Miss I mean you no harm! I am merely trying to revitalize the great desert!¡± The skeleton pleaded. The mace whooshed overhead falling with extreme force, on the edge of a blade. The resounding clang heightened the senses of all in the room. Victor had intercepted the blow blocking it. ¡°You can¡¯t just kill someone who is imprisoned for being undead.¡± Victor¡¯s legs buckled to kneeling under the weight. Jenora spoke up. ¡°STOP! It¡¯s an undead she¡¯s right.¡± ¡°THIS IS MY LAB! PLEASE!¡± Loche pleaded. Urgent Quest Time to accept: 0:10 Quest Giver: Luzuzal Save Loche ¨C Save the skeleton without harming your party. Reward: Rank up a Luzuzal skill of your choice. Accept Reject Serena. ¡°Stop this Victor. She¡¯s right.¡± The skeleton shrank away. ¡°PLEASE! I MEAN YOU NO HARM!¡± Victor could feel his grip sliding on his weapon. Emilie growled. ¡°Let me kill him. Intelligent or not he¡¯s still undead.¡± Time to accept: 0:06 Accept Reject Victor rejected the quest. He didn¡¯t know what the penalty for failure would be but he knew he¡¯d try anyway. ¡°I¡¯m begging you for 2 minutes. Give us two minutes to talk to him.¡± Victor pleaded as she pressed down with all her might slowly forcing him lower. Jenora walked up placing her hand on Emilie¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Two minutes Emilie, he might have important information.¡± Her rage subsided. ¡°Fine but in 2 minute¡¯s I will be the one to crack his head into a million pieces.¡± ¡°PRIEST IS SCARY!¡± Cawthorn proclaimed. Emilie pointed to Cawthorn. ¡°And don¡¯t you forget it.¡± Victor knelt down placing his hand on the skeleton¡¯s shoulder. ¡°You have two minutes to talk Loche. Tell me whatever you want, ideally what would make you worth saving to her. I¡¯d prefer to spare you and free you but it¡¯s likely a stretch to convince her. Tell me anything, anything at all.¡± ¡°My name is Loche. I¡¯m a researcher I¡¯ve been here for nearly 200 years, possibly more. I have long since lost track of time. I knew I wouldn¡¯t live to the end of my research neither would my assistant so I turned us to undead near the end of our lives. His mind didn¡¯t survive the process, mine did. I¡¯m trying to reforest the desert naturally to save the millions who live there from death by starvation, monsters, and thirst.¡± The skeleton looked Victor dead in the eyes with his dull green glowing eyes. ¡°I have your research.¡± He pulled out the book. ¡°Is this all of it?¡± ¡°My journal.¡± He seem to drift off for a moment. ¡°It¡¯s most of it. You¡¯ll need a bit more knowhow to resolve the problem of maintaining the temperature of the ooze for it to generate the fog that let¡¯s plants grow effectively in sand.¡± ¡°How do I do that?¡± Victor asked. ¡°Explaining that will take far more than 2 minutes. Please I am just a researcher. I am not some mindless monstrosity.¡± Loche pleaded. ¡°Why are there monsters on the floors above?¡± Victor asked. ¡°I am guessing some ooze escaped their tank. I¡¯ve been chained down here for weeks, or months I am not sure. The other creatures were subjects.¡± He explained. ¡°Tick tock.¡± Emilie tapped the head of the mace in her hand. ¡°He¡¯s actively explaining what¡¯s going on. You want to live right? At least let him explain.¡± Victor held up a hand. He desperately struggled against the chain leaning to Victor. ¡°What is your name sir?¡± ¡°I am Victor Vogal. I¡¯d prefer you survive this but you need to give me more. Why are there traps?¡± Victor asked. ¡°The trap on the second floor is meant to be used in conjunction with a hidden portcullis. It¡¯s to reanimate undead with the ooze for testing purposes to see if the ooze can consume enough of the skeleton to produce the vapors for reforestation. The one on this floor is designed to cut down fleeing experiments and prevent them from escaping just like the runes on the door outside.¡± He explained. ¡°I wanted this lab to be far away from other people and safe.¡± ¡°What about why you are here chained up?¡± Victor asked. ¡°First the last trap. On the bottom floor is a flame trap intended to incinerate the central room and prevent experiments from escaping. They would be dangerous if they got out. The other rooms on this floor should have a fungal titan and a giant skeletal ooze. On the bottom floor an ooze inside a golem suit, an earth elemental and a dryad in different rooms.¡± The creature rambled continually. ¡°The creature that imprisoned me should also be below in the river room. He is a skeleton with a green glowing sphere for an eye. He claimed this would be the perfect place to build an army.¡± ¡®Perhaps if I make her forget about her or delay crushing his skull he might escape.¡¯ Victor thought. ¡°That¡¯s a lot of information. Could we leave him here until we are done? It¡¯s not like he would be able to escape in the mean time.¡± ¡°No. If you¡¯re done, he¡¯s done.¡± She wound up another swing from the mace far too large for her size. ¡°Now move.¡± ¡°Can¡¯t you reconsider? He¡¯s imprisoned and this just feels wrong.¡± Victor put a hand on her shoulder. Serena pulled Victor away. ¡°I know you want to save him but he¡¯s an undead. He¡¯s long past saving.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t let my work be lost.¡± Loche leaned forward his eyes locked with Victor as the mace crushed his head. The clatter of bone on the ground, the rattle of the chains as the skeleton went limp, and the crash of the mace against the wall as it swung straight through him felt so crushing. Victor watched the creature disappear in front of him and despite it being an undead visceral sadness washed over him. He dropped to his knees with Serena¡¯s hand still on his shoulder. ¡°I know you wanted to save him but we need to clear out everything here. If it turns out he¡¯s lying we might all die.¡± Emilie handed back the mace before bending half over to the kneeling Victor. ¡°GET YOUR SHIT TOGETHER! That was an undead that purposefully became an undead and retained his mind. No sane person does that! The Goddess would be furious at you for sparing one, hells she might be furious at me for letting that go on so long. Is Victor stupid, soft, or what?¡± Serena turned to her. ¡°Yes. He¡¯s not used to things like this.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not about being used to it. He was a sentient creature. He was actively trying to help us and only wanted to help others. His last words weren¡¯t even to beg for his life but for his research.¡± Victor shook his head stood up and turned around. ¡°I know I can¡¯t change your mind. Let¡¯s just go.¡± He could only think. ¡®Luzuzal what could I have possibly done here?¡¯ ¡°Change my mind?! He¡¯s an undead!¡± Emilie refused to drop the conversation angrily demanding. ¡°Tell me why you wanted to save him or I will not heal you anymore. Right this instant.¡± ¡°Everyone deserves the freedom to make their own choices as long as they don¡¯t hurt others.¡± Victor looked over his shoulder angrily. ¡°He¡¯s an undead. He¡¯s definitely hurt others!¡± Emilie insisted. ¡°Who?¡± Victor asked. ¡°You don¡¯t have to watch someone kill to know they killed another.¡± Emilie glared at him. Victor turned and walked toward her slowly. He stopped close to her looking down at her. ¡°I appreciate that you hate undead with such zeal, but he didn¡¯t deserve it. Don¡¯t heal me if you insist, but I will not back down. No one deserves what just happened to him.¡± He maintained eye contact with her not blinking for nearly a minute. The deafening silence exacerbated every second it continued. Emilie turned to Jenora. ¡°I¡¯m not wrong. I can¡¯t chose not to heal you because the Golden Goddess will be angry at me but this is the only time we will group together. I was foolish to think I found a group worth my time.¡± Jenora looked for a long time at the skull before turning away. ¡°Let¡¯s get going.¡± Chapter 24: The promised dawn. The group approached the next door tension between them keeping everyone, even Cawthorn silent. She stood in front of the door stone cold silent. Jenora took a moment, glancing at both Victor then Emilie. ¡°I don¡¯t think we can defeat the enemies he told us were further along.¡± Serena nodded. ¡°You¡¯re right. We could barely defeat the first skeletal ooze. We probably die down here.¡± Victor leaned against the wall. ¡°If you think we can go to sleep and wait until dawn, I promise you we¡¯ll live.¡± ¡°It¡¯s probably already dark outside.¡± Serena noted. ¡°It¡¯s about 8 hours to dawn.¡± Emilie noted. ¡°They already know we are here and for some reason they haven¡¯t come out. We could go to the entrance and wait there.¡± Victor noted. ¡°What skill would require us to wait until dawn?¡± Emilie tilted her head. ¡°I can¡¯t tell you. It¡¯s my curse.¡± Victor nodded. The long silence as Emilie once again stepped forward to stare directly into his eyes. ¡°What will it do?¡± ¡°Every one of us will survive tomorrow and make it out of here alive stronger than when we arrived.¡± Victor promised. Serena tapped her shoulder. ¡°He¡¯s right I¡¯ve seen what the skill can do. We have nothing else unless one of you two have some secret skill.¡± Jenora turned to Emilie. ¡°I know you¡¯re enraged but we can¡¯t make it out of here as we are now.¡± Emilie sighed and started walking back to the trap room. ¡°I hate it when you are right and I¡¯m wrong Jenora. Let¡¯s go back to the top and go outside if possible.¡± The group backtracked through the floors and the rooms they had already cleared. The air as they emerged felt almost unbelievably fresh emerging from the oppressive atmosphere of the lab. Moonlight and the crickets greeted them to the peace of the cave. ¡°I¡¯ll stay up.¡± Serena nodded. ¡°All of you have mana, if you stay up tomorrow your flow will be hindered.¡± She turned to Victor. ¡°Just don¡¯t argue with her. We can talk about it after we are safe.¡± ¡°I won¡¯t.¡± Victor balled up his coat and turned toward the wall. ¡°Goodnight.¡± They woke up and began to get ready. Serena nudged Victor waking him up. ¡°It¡¯s dawn.¡± The light in the cave warm and inviting bid them escape but the barrier still stood strong. Victor woke up with 14:32 ticking down next to the Luzuzal¡¯s Promise skill. He activated it focusing hard on the thought ¡®Every one of us will survive today and make it out of here alive stronger than when we arrived¡¯. Turning to Serena only to notice her eyes, the deep dark bags under her eyes belied her status. ¡°Are you alright?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll have worse stamina from one night. I¡¯ll still be just as fast. Today is on you.¡± She leaned in to kiss him grabbing the back of his head. ¡°Don¡¯t let that be the last one.¡± She stood, both of them stretching. Emilie added. ¡°You¡¯re slow to wake too.¡± Jenora looked at him fully armored. ¡°Did it work?¡± ¡°We¡¯re about to find out.¡± Victor began confidently walking into the dungeon. ¡°I know you¡¯re angry at me but if you use your buffs on me we will undoubtedly live today.¡± ¡°Wouldn¡¯t it be better to buff you Jenora?¡± Emilie asked. ¡°No. There¡¯s no possible way I can defeat those creatures with some small status buffs.¡± Jenora shook her head. ¡°You¡¯ll just have to help him for the day.¡± ¡°Fine I don¡¯t have to like it though.¡± Emilie scoffed walking back in. The group began to return once again finding themselves in the now slightly less oppressive atmosphere. The trek back down room by room silent until they reached the second floor until a scream echoed upward ¡°PREPOSTEROUS!¡± ¡°Cawthorn hurry.¡± Victor asked. Cawthorn swooped down to see and caught the eye of a skeleton with one green sphere for an eye. A dirty black cape covering his back and golden rings on his hands lit up wreathed in flame, lobbing it at the crow fleeing immediately. Cawthorn swirled evading it easily ¡°CAW CAW HAH YOU ARE THE WORST MAGE IN ALL OF VERDAN AND THE GREATEST MAGE IS COMING FOR YOU!¡± Those words echoed through the hall. Another flame blasted the door behind him missing yet again. ¡°RUN YOU PATHETIC MAGE! YOU CAN¡¯T EVEN HIT THE GREATEST BIRD TO EVER LIVE! YOU DARE CHALLENGE THE GREATEST MAGE? YOU MUST FACE ME FIRST!¡± Cawthorn swooped around grabbing the cloak and wrapping it over the skeletal mage¡¯s head. By this point the four of them had made their way to the ledge. A blast of flame hit the railing catching Cawthorn in the edge. His tail feathers on fire Cawthorn retreated up a floor. ¡°HOT! FIRE HOT!¡± Emilie gripped his tail feathers mid air. ¡°Regenerate. Silence.¡± Cawthorn silenced himself holding his wing to his mouth after allowing her to drop the spell. ¡°Well, well. The intruders.¡± The raspy deep voice did not come into view but echoed from below them. ¡°You did well to survive as long as you have. Flee now and I will not send my minions after you. You are a waste of my time.¡± A door could be heard slamming from below. ¡°We can leave?¡± Jenora asked. ¡°We can¡¯t go anywhere. Did he not know that?¡± Emilie growled. ¡°He¡¯s a deceitful undead with powerful magic. The Golden Goddess bids us kill him. You want to make it up yesterday to me kill him.¡± ¡°Yeah there¡¯s no way a skeleton mage would do that. He¡¯s probably conjuring undead to send at us. That means he¡¯s afraid of us.¡± Serena noted. ¡°I¡¯m feeling invincible today. Every monster in this dungeon dies.¡± Victor stretched walking toward the stairs to the third floor. His cloak billowed despite there being no wind. He stepped down to the trap room impotently slashing at him and the three women. He kicked the door open on his way to the next one. ¡°Don¡¯t get overconfident.¡±Serena put her hand on his shoulder. ¡°No matter how powerful it is there are limits.¡± ¡°We aren¡¯t anywhere near them.¡± Victor pushed open the door with Serena. ¡°Speed boost, strength boost.¡± Emilie added. Victor used his own speed boost. The room overflowed with vegetation and the air seemed unusually clean. The sense of a jungle emerging from the room to them from the dry dank air of the lab washed over them all. A massive beast with six vines for arms and branches for legs stood up from the center of the mass of vines. Victor crossed the room in an instant jolting it as he slashed leaving a trail of lightning behind him. Another slash reducing it to four limbs in short order followed. The creature thrashed at him only to find a blade buried in its back from Serena. Jenora rushed forward unable to land a hit ¡°Barrier Shield!¡± Her shield blocked the thrashing tendrils knocking both of the girls back. Another clean cut from Victor left it with only three limbs. He bounced off the landing spot and took a fourth limb. The fungal titan tried to thrash at them knocking back everyone but Victor. Lightning leapt through the air inches ahead of him making the limbs trivial to cut. The final tendril smashed at him only for him to slice it off mid air with his crackling weapon. ¡°Dear if you would.¡± Serena buried her blades in its head again and again as it writhed in pain trying to reach with its lost tendrils before eventually cutting straight through the creature. Victor swung his sword mid air cleaning the green goo off it before sheathing his blade and turning back to them. ¡°That felt incredible.¡± ¡°Who the hell are you?¡± Jenora asked. ¡°HE IS THE GREATEST MAGE IN ALL VERDAN!¡± Cawthorn declared. ¡°Well, someday Cawthorn but for now I¡¯m the greatest mage in this dungeon.¡± Victor smiled. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± ¡°HE IS THE GREATEST MAGE IN THIS DUNGEON!¡± Cawthorn added. Emilie finally closed her mouth and shook her head. ¡°What the hell was that?¡± ¡°My skill.¡± Victor smiled. Fungal Titan 14: Experience Increase 16.7% Current Exp to Level 11 75.5% ¡°WHY WOULDN¡¯T YOU USE THAT EARLIER! WE NEARLY DIED!¡± Emilie shouted. ¡°It¡¯s a limited use skill. I only have 4 more uses of it in my entire lifetime and I can¡¯t use it except at dawn.¡± Victor explained. ¡°It will last all day.¡± Emilie still couldn¡¯t close her mouth absolutely stunned. Jenora grabbed Emilie and hugged her lifting her off the ground and spinning. ¡°We¡¯re saved! He can definitely do this.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t believe he has a skill like that.¡± Emilie commented as Jenora set her down. She looked suddenly jealous as though something valuable had been ripped away from her. She looked down at her hands as her party filtered out of the room. ¡°Can you level up Serena?¡± Victor handed Swordie to her. She opened it ¡°Status Sheet.¡± She announced. ¡°Scout.¡± Tapping on Swordie and handing it back while still open Victor could see the description of her class. Scout ¨C Improves rogue level for skills by 10. Your damage and precision throwing weapons and using ranged weapons increases greatly. You are slightly less likely to be noticed when hiding. When noticed your speed greatly increases for 10 seconds. When relaying information to someone you received while alone your recounting becomes much clearer to them. Stats - +18 Speed, +18 Rigor, +1 Luck (Permanent) Stats per level - +3 Speed, +3 Rigor ¡®That seems really useful but I¡¯m guessing it sucks against doors. Heh doors. I wonder where Gargrim is. I hope he¡¯s alright. If he survived the drake attack he should be fine.¡¯ Victor stretched his arms in the air cracking his fingers. ¡°Round two might require a bit more help. Barriers.¡± He kicked in the door to a roar from another massive skeleton dripping in ooze. The undead lunged at them with three barriers going up in an instant. It cracked through them all scraping against Jenora¡¯s shield Victor back flipped pressing his legs against its rib cage causing it to fly into the empty center of the lab. It screeched attempting to grab the chandelier getting three arms around it. In the distance above a loud ¡®Click¡¯ was the last sound they could hear before a pillar of fire incinerated the creature and blackened the floor below. This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. Giant Skeletal Ooze 13: Experience Increase 24.5% Current Exp to Level 11 75.5% Level 11 Reached Tier 2 Reached Human Racial bonus applied, Rank Up Points tripled. 6 Tier Rank Up Points Awarded. Giant Skeletal Ooze 13: Experience Increase 14.4% Current exp to Level 12 14.4% Victor snapped up and opened his book eager to see what he had gotten. ¡°Status sheet.¡± Race Human: Victor Vance Vogal Class, Specialization : Mage 9, Spellsword 2 Base Health : 190 Vitality : 19 Speed : 20 Strength : 19 Prowess : 31 Endurance : 11 Rigor : 2 Willpower : 17 Flow : 47 (+50%) Luck : -44 Resistance : None Skills: Speed Reading Rank 2, Academic Rank 2, Familiar Rank 1, Speechless Spellcasting Rank 2, Improved Buffs Rank 2, Rogue Skills Rank 2, Fighter Skills Rank 2 Hidden Skills: Memory Retention , Luzuzal¡¯s Delusion Rank 3 , Luzuzal¡¯s Devout Rank 2, Luzuzal¡¯s Promise Rank 7, Spells: Barrier shield Rank 1, Jolt Rank 1, Speed Boost Rank 1, Magic Writing Rank 1, Vitality Boost Rank 1 Current Exp to Level 12 14.4 % ¡°Ooo I gained 10 vitality. What are rank up points?¡± Victor asked. ¡°When completing a tier vitality equal to 10 times the finished tier is added. A rank up point can be used at the rate of 1 per rank to upgrade a skill or spell to the next rank. They bypass the stat point system allowing you to improve some skills when you gain a tier. Most races gain 1 per tier, so 2 at tier 2 and 3 at tier 3 and so on. Human¡¯s racial bonus is to gain 3 times that amount.¡± Swordie explained. ¡°Any spells or skills anyone recommends?¡± Victor sat up looking to the three of them. ¡°Is this young man clueless?¡± Jenora asked. ¡°Upgrade your stat boosting skills.¡± Emilie nodded. ¡°Most specializations can¡¯t use them effectively because they are cost prohibitive only yours and mine can. Yours on you and mine on anyone besides me, if you don¡¯t have a boost skill you might use take it now. Rigor boost is really useful if you exhaust easily which you do. I can see your legs shaking.¡± She pointed to them Victor gripped one leg to stop the shaking. The chill ran up his leg like a cat crawling on it. Exhausted undoubtedly so from that feat of strength he held Swordie. ¡°I thought you didn¡¯t like me after yesterday to be honest.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t you jerk, but you¡¯ve impressed me and we might get out of this alive. Your specialization skills and spells improve automatically so you don¡¯t need to spend points on them.¡± Emilie noted. ¡°Sir in addition to the boost skills upgrading your Jolt skill is important. Once you reach tier 3, 6 or 9 on a skill it is able to be modified. I would also consider Fire Bolt to grant you access to a spell useful against these creatures.¡± Swordie noted. ¡°Thank you all let me look at this for a moment.¡± Victor brought up the skills Jolt Rank 2 Requirements: Spend 2 stat point (Or rank up point) , Mage or Cleric Level 11 Instant Spell Mana Cost: 2 Extend your hand, finger, or blade and lightning leaps from it a short distance. Damage is based on prowess and skill rank. Spellsword specialization is possessed. When cast from a blade the lightning does increased damage based on the strength of the weapon. Speed Boost Rank 2 Requirements: Spend 6 stat points (Or rank up point), Mage or Cleric Level 11. Sustained Spell Mana Cost: 2 Mana Per Second Increases speed by 60. Vitality Boost Rank 2 Requirements: Spend 6 stat points (Or rank up point) , Mage or Cleric 11. Sustained Spell Mana Cost: 2 Mana Per Second Increases Vitality by 60. Rigor Boost Rank 2 Requirements: Spend 6 stat points (Or rank up point) , Mage or Cleric 11. Sustained Spell Mana Cost: 2 Mana Per Second Increases Rigor by 60. Prowess Boost Rank 2 Requirements: Spend 6 stat points (Or rank up point), Mage or Cleric 11. Sustained Spell Mana Cost: 2 Mana Per Second Increases Prowess by 60. ¡°Can I do partial upgrades and then do the rest later?¡± Victor asked ¡°Yes sir.¡± Swordie noted. ¡°I¡¯ll save the last one and my 10 stat points for when I have more time. Let¡¯s go kill this guy.¡± Victor stood up and stretched. ¡°What skill makes you this powerful? It¡¯s almost like you went from being a novice just figuring it out to someone with a thousand years of fighting experience in a night. Are you possessed?¡± Emilie asked. ¡°No. I¡¯m confident I am not possessed.¡± Victor answered. ¡°That is what a possessed person would say.¡± Swordie noted. ¡°Thank you Swordie.¡± Victor rolled his eyes. ¡°I¡¯m not possessed you literally can see my status sheet.¡± Victor glared at Swordie. ¡°I lack eyes.¡± Swordie noted. ¡°You can sense it!¡± Victor added extremely annoyed. ¡°It is unlikely you could hide the possession curse from me.¡± Swordie noted. ¡°See he agrees I am not possessed.¡± Victor looked at the three of them. ¡°NOTHING COULD POSSESS MY MAGE! HE IS A PARAGON OF FREEDOM!¡± Cawthorn proclaimed. ¡°I¡¯m not possessed let¡¯s move on. The skill is cursed and I can¡¯t tell you about it.¡± Victor added. Serena nodded with a glare extending into his soul. ¡°I just go along with it. He¡¯s not wrong about cursed skills. They can be horrible to learn about, either because the curse is horrific or because the curse tries to spread. Possibly both.¡± Victor felt the piercing gaze harder than any strike he had felt in the past day. ¡°Yeah please trust me and we will all get out of here unscathed.¡± Jenora put her hand on Emilie. ¡°I trust you, and she trusts me enough to accept that for now.¡± Chapter 25: Serious injuries and a woman down. In the room after Victor finished the four began searching for a set of stairs as no one wished to descend the through the center of the dungeon. The room seemed empty in its entirety and they searched again and again. Victor turned. ¡°It¡¯s in another room?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure but we have to look. I¡¯m getting nothing.¡± Serena walked out. The group returned to the room with the vines and began peeling layer by layer off the floor. They found the stairs within a minute in the corner. A spiral staircase brought them to the lowest floor. A glass tube dotted this verdant room filled with flowers, fresh air, and bushes. The tube in the center dotted with small holes oozing the same fog from before. ¡°Hello?¡± A serene voice danced out of the glass. ¡°Could you free me? I¡¯ve been here for so many years.¡± Victor glared at Emilie who answered ¡°Relax I can¡¯t see who it is but there is no way this is an undead. Her voice is heavenly.¡± The smooth gentle voice reached their ears again like the outstretched hand of a loving parent. Her green hand appeared on the glass as a face traced with bark pressed against the glass. ¡°Humans?! Could you free me? I don¡¯t deserve to be here.¡± ¡°Does anyone have any objections to saving this creature?¡± Victor glared at the women for a moment annoyed that he had to ask. ¡°Go! It¡¯s a dryad they¡¯re profoundly good creatures. They safeguard forests.¡± Serena answered. ¡°No objections here. The Green Goddess is a friend of the Golden Goddess. We must help if we can.¡± Emilie smiled. ¡°Please step back.¡± Victor pulled out his blade and cut through the glass. A woman with green bark lined flesh emerged from the glass stretching for freedom. Leaves grew out of her. Her body covered in sap she stepped forward sticking to the ground. ¡°Apologies for the sap, I¡¯ve been forced to remain there for more than a very long time.¡± As the amber oozing liquid dripped off her body she continued to excrete more of it. ¡°Shocking the undead was a bad guy all along!¡± Emilie rolled her eyes. Victor¡¯s shoulders slumped defeated. ¡°Good and evil are relative terms. Relative to a Void Lord the skeleton was good.¡± Swordie commented causing Victor¡¯s eyes to widen with intense frustration. Swordie added. ¡°Or relative to a Vampire lord. ¡°Can you fight?¡± Jenora asked. ¡°Unfortunately I cannot. I produce too much sap and move far too slowly. I¡¯d like to leave this place if possible. He injected me with something long ago and ever since I¡¯ve produced far more sap than I ever should. I know not his reason why, but the man claiming to be an alchemist told me that my suffering was necessary for the greater good.¡± She leaned forward seemingly hoping for help. Serena shook her head. ¡°We¡¯re trapped here. There is a barrier at the entrance.¡± ¡°That is depressing. I had hoped to see the sun. My name is Yriada. I wish to reward you for your deeds but do not know how.¡± She tilted her head toward them to show her deference. ¡°You don¡¯t owe us anything. We¡¯ll take you to the entrance if you¡¯d like.¡± Victor nodded with a smile. ¡®This feels right.¡¯ ¡°Strange, rescuers who ask for nothing. Who are you?¡± Yriada asked. ¡°I¡¯m Victor, that¡¯s Serena, Emilie, and Jenora.¡± He pointed to them. ¡°Have you dispatched the skeletons?¡± She asked. ¡°Most of them, there¡¯s still some on this floor somewhere.¡± Victor shrugged. ¡°They¡¯ll be dead soon though.¡± ¡°You seem like a confident man, although with three female companions it doesn¡¯t shock me.¡± She smiled amused at this observation. Jenora and Emilie laughed to each other with Emilie leaning on Jenora to not fall over. Serena stepped forward. ¡°Just me, I¡¯m his companion. Those two are their own couple.¡± ¡°How curious, is it normal in your culture for women to do such a thing?¡± Yriada put one finger on her chin. ¡°It¡¯s uncommon.¡± Jenora defended herself. ¡°May the Green Goddess grow in your lives and relationships.¡± She added. ¡°You may have this sap if you desire it.¡± ¡°Is dryad sap valuable?¡± Victor asked. ¡°It is but we can¡¯t really take it with us. We have no way to hold it aside from a water skin worth.¡± Emilie sighed. ¡°Can we gather some vials or glasswork from above after we finish off that skeleton?¡± Jenora agreed. ¡°That would be worth more than the 200 gold we¡¯re making for clearing out this place. I really like that. It could buy me a new shield for sure.¡± ¡°Would you be willing to remain in this room? I don¡¯t want to waste time escorting you to entrance allowing the remaining skeleton mage to conjure more enemies for us to fight.¡± Serena tapped her finger on her folded arms. ¡°If it aides you then I shall wait. Is there any information of value I could provide you?¡± She asked. ¡°Anything else on this floor you know of and anything you know about the skeletal mage would help.¡± Victor approached the door to hold it shut while they spoke. ¡°A creature made metal filled with my sap once walked past this room, though I know little of it. An earth elemental with a slave crest pasted by once. He seemed extremely distraught by his circumstances pleading for his freedom.¡± She pointed out. Emilie with a giant smile leaned up against Victor. ¡°Gee, the undead had slaves. How does that make you feel?¡± Victor gripped his fist and took a deep breath. ¡°Do you know which room the elemental is in?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t. I only noticed them pass through my room.¡± She added. ¡°You know I¡¯ve always wanted to know, how does a skeleton catch someone like you?¡± Victor asked trying to calm down. ¡°When he came for me I was in my grove. He slaughtered many of my friends. Many animals I¡¯d known since their great grandparents, generations after generations ended in an instant as he forced his way into my grove. He had more than 30 skeletons at the time and while I was definitely stronger than any one of them I couldn¡¯t overcome such odds and so I made a deal. I¡¯d go with him willingly if he didn¡¯t enslave me, kill me, or kill any more animals in my grove. He upheld his end of the bargain. I just didn¡¯t expect this to be my fate.¡± She explained. ¡°Oh no you¡¯re telling me the skeleton running this evil place was kidnapping sentient creatures to use in his experiments!?¡± Emilie¡¯s sarcasm dripped thicker than the sap. Cawthorn crowed. ¡°THAT SKELETON WAS THE MOST EVIL SKELETON IN THIS DUNGEON! THAT IS WHY THE GREATEST PRIEST IN VERDAN KILLED IT!¡± ¡°You little one?¡± She asked. ¡°Watch it. I¡¯m not short, but yes I crushed its head.¡± Emilie gave her thumbs up and a smile. ¡°Undead can burn in the light of the Golden Goddess. If I had a pyre I would have burned his bones until only ash remained.¡± ¡°I should have noticed from the garb of you two. I can only but welcome followers of the Golden Goddess. May she shine on the forest forever.¡± She smiled tilting her head toward them. ¡°May your forest grow forever in her light.¡± Emilie nodded back. ¡°Where were you kidnapped from? I don¡¯t expect many dryads are from this area.¡± You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story. ¡°I previously lived at the base of a mountain bordering the great desert to the east. My grove had a natural mountain river and it was so fresh. I hope to return to it after leaving here. If you ever pass by ask some animals about me if you can. I¡¯d be happy to help you.¡± Her warm inviting smile bid them farewell. ¡°I will remain here until you have completed cleansing this place.¡± Victor turned around and pulled open the door. ¡°Trap in the center of the room by the way. It is a fire trap so don¡¯t walk out there.¡± ¡°I will remain here.¡± She nodded. ¡°Serena is it safe to step out there?¡± Victor asked. ¡°It has to be. This was a lab intended to be used. That was likely some kind of purging trap to destroy ooze when it gets out of hand.¡± Serena opened the door. ¡°Wow it¡¯s not even well hidden. The center is almost half an inch higher than the walkways on the edge. Just don¡¯t step on the platform. We¡¯ll be fine.¡± The group strolled through the well lit final floor. The group reached the metal doors. Victor brimming with confidence opened the double doors with Serena. A lab filled with metal parts and broken trinkets dotting metal tables stood before them. The metallic smell in the air suddenly as one of the metal forms slowly clanked to life. ¡°Jolt.¡± Victor shot it¡¯s chest as it began standing up. ¡°Jolt, jolt, jolt.¡± The creature began turning brighter and brighter red as the orange metal heated. Victor continued bolting it heating it as it charged with a large metal fist. Crashing into the floor it stumbled getting brighter still. Serena threw a dagger but it harmlessly bounced off. Jenora clanged against the creature ineffectively as Emilie boosted her. Several more jolts flew across the room as it turned to Victor. The metal around the golems head began to get hit by every jolt. Victor flipped over the creature placing his hand on the back of its neck ¡°Jolt!¡± He leapt into the air rolling as he landed. Bracing himself on the floor he turned. Fire in his eyes and lightning in his veins he bolted forward pushing the creature over. ¡°Jolt¡± after jolt after jolt to the golem brought it to its knees before it finally struck back. In his zeal he lost track and got hit by its enormous fist. Crashing to the wall knocked Victor back to his senses as he continued firing Jolts from afar. Emilie slid over to him. ¡°Regenerate. Use your Rigor boost and wait.¡± ¡°Rigor boost.¡± Victor panted. Regenerated 10 health . Regenerated 10 health. Regenerated 10 health. ¡°Regenerate.¡± She cast again in a panic. Regenerated 10 health . Regenerated 10 health. Regenerated 10 health. ¡°Barrier Shield! Shield Charge!¡± She flattened the creature into the wall. It kicked her back. Crash, she shattered a metal table into pieces. ¡°Barrier Shield.¡± Just in time to stop the charge. A jolt to the back of its head briefly stunned it allowing Jenora to dodge away from the wall. A crushing blow as Jenora tried to block. Shattered, her barrier broke, her shield broke, and her arm broke. ¡°Jenora!¡± Dashed toward her immediately ¡°Regenerate!¡± Panic in her eyes as the two of them looked up at the bright metal hands arched backward ready to strike alleviated only by a final blast from behind the creature causing its head to explode. Thud, the creature fell over backward clattering to the ground. Sizzling green ooze flowed out blackened by the lightning that superheated the suit. Fungal Ooze Golem 13: Experience Increase 38.4% Current Exp to level 12 52.8% They rushed toward her. Jenora gritted her teeth as the arm sealed. ¡°I heard the crack. It¡¯s broken. So is my shield.¡± She winced in pain as she gripped her arm. ¡°Is there anything I can do?¡± Victor asked. ¡°KILL THE CREATURES FASTER!¡± Emilie screamed at him. ¡°Stop showboating and focus. Your skill clearly doesn¡¯t make you invincible. Even if it does it doesn¡¯t make us invincible. Jenora go back to Yriada we need to kill that skeleton soon. If we don¡¯t we¡¯ll definitely die. He¡¯s probably conjuring more creatures as we speak.¡± Serena looked at her hands and then looked to Victor. ¡°I couldn¡¯t even damage that thing.¡± She turned away to look at it. ¡°Humans have some weakness in their armor but sealed armor¡­ I can¡¯t even dent it.¡± Victor turned to her. ¡°We¡¯re all useless sometimes. I¡¯ve felt like that almost the entire time we have spent together save for today. Let¡¯s get Jenora back to the other room.¡± Victor helped her to her feet. ¡°I know she¡¯s angry but this isn¡¯t on you. I told her we¡¯re screwed here. That we could even hurt that thing is nothing short of a miracle from the Goddess.¡± ¡°DON¡¯T COMPLIMENT HIM! He was so reckless and arrogant that you got hurt!¡± She pouted crossing her arms. ¡°Emilie, I love you but you need to listen. We are dead. We might as well be walking corpses. There is no way we beat the last couple encounters without whatever skill he is using. We just die. We don¡¯t have to adventure with him anymore after this if you don¡¯t want to but he¡¯s an incredible, exceptional, and kind, if misguided mage. For the last two rooms give him everything you¡¯ve got. My life depends on it.¡± Jenora looked at her with a bloody face barely able to breath ¡°It may have also broken a rib.¡± Emilie¡¯s eyes near tears she turned away from them to wipe them off. ¡°TWO RIBS! THE GOLEM BROKE TWO RIBS!¡± Cawthorn proclaimed. ¡°Thank you Cawthorn, do you have any other insightful information?¡± Victor asked sarcastically. Quietly Cawthorn answered. ¡°In the room across from us the mage is chanting but I suspect it will be at least several hours before he finishes. The other room contains a slight rumbling and must be the golem. We should handle the golem before traversing into the final room for our final fight. I hear a river in there rushing fast. It can only mean that mage is up to no good. He is however a terrible shot, unlike you my mage.¡± Everyone turned to the bird. ¡°What? My senses are extraordinary.¡± ¡°I will deal with Cawthorn later. For now we go to the golem, hopefully I can remove it¡¯s slave tattoo. If the mark is removed it might help us.¡± Victor started walking. ¡°I will take care of your companion little one.¡± Yriada nodded as the three of them walked away. Victor slammed the door shut. ¡°Serena no matter what happens we can¡¯t let Emilie get killed.¡± ¡°What? You are talking like I¡¯m the one in the most danger.¡± Emilie protested. ¡°You are. Serena is fast enough to dodge anything. Today I might as well be invincible but you aren¡¯t. We have to watch out for her.¡± Victor approached the door. ¡°Got it honey.¡± Serena smiled. ¡°I already know what you are going to do here but I feel compelled to let you know, we have to be careful. Elementals aren¡¯t always hospitable.¡± ¡°Understood.¡± Victor opened the door to a massive set of shoulders. Shoulders larger than the tiny rock of a head on a solid grey rocky body, the elemental at once stood up. A slave crest clearly painted on the chest much larger than the others he had seen prominently displayed itself. ¡°Do not enter mortals. My instruction is to kill those that cross the threshold and come when called.¡± The elemental held out its stony hand. ¡°Can you approach the entrance of this room?¡± Victor asked. ¡°I can.¡± It¡¯s voice echoed through the entire dungeon resonating. Dust fell from every crack in every rock as it stomped and crushed its way toward him. ¡°Who are you?¡± ¡°I am Victor Vogal. I would like to remove your slave tattoo.¡± He smiled. The elemental paused, confused, befuddled, and dumbfounded. ¡°Why? What use have you for me?¡± ¡°While I¡¯d appreciate help with the skeleton enslaving you what you do once you are free is up to you.¡± Victor answered. ¡°I smashed in the skull of a skeleton that probably brought you here. I bet the one in there seized control of you. Help us kill it after he frees you.¡± Emilie smiled. ¡°Your freedom for your help.¡± Victor immediately without further issue placed his hand on the creature and started peeling off the paint with his Magic Writing Rank 1 . ¡°What are you doing! If he leaves without helping us we will die to the skeletal mage!¡± Victor finished in quick order. ¡°I am not to be blackmailed.¡± The elemental immediately wrapped one hand around Emilie raising her to its head. ¡°I am the mighty Ozrak AND I WILL NOT BE COMMANDED EVER AGAIN!¡± He squeezed slightly before looking down at Serena and Victor. ¡°However, I will fulfill my debt to this man. What is your name?¡± He dropped her. She fell to the floor collapsing on the ground and she cast regenerate. ¡°I am Victor Vogal.¡± He extended his hand. The massive elemental engulfed his arm shaking him. ¡°You have my favor human. Please stand aside.¡± The three of them stepped aside as the massive elemental walked along the edge to the final door. ¡°Do you need any further preparations?¡± ¡°After you Ozrak.¡± Victor smiled at the elemental. With that the door flew across the room from them plopping into a distant underground river at the end of the room. In front of them a skeletal mage with a green sphere in his eye glared at them. A deep gravelly voice on a stone platform over a winding river answered their door flying into the river behind him. ¡°I¡¯ve been waiting.¡± Chapter 26: A rival cultist Ozrak charged at the mage only to immediately eat a burst of flame on his left shoulder knocking him backward. ¡°Insolent elemental, you¡¯d scorn my mercy. So be it you¡¯ll die with them. Ozrak smashed the ground shaking the entire room causing many stones from above to start falling. ¡°You idiotic elemental! Barrier Sphere!¡± Cawthorn appeared suddenly behind the skeleton crashing into the barrier. ¡°The level of insolence here insults me. Fire bolt!¡± Cawthorn deftly dodged once again. ¡°Familiar you are an annoyance. Be gone and I need not slay you.¡± Emilie ran to Ozrak. ¡°Strength boost, speed boost, regenerate. Get him¡± Ozrak glared at her ¡°please.¡± The elemental stood up and charged another burst of fire hit Ozrak but didn¡¯t even slow down. The massive fist towered over the skeleton for a moment before crashing down and shaking the room. Serena once more began throwing her daggers. They didn¡¯t pierce the cape. The cape lit up at the points of impact. ¡°Die. Fireball.¡± A larger ball of flame passed Ozrak detonating behind Serena. The flames expanded singeing Serena¡¯s hair as she evaded. Emilie collapsed as her arm caught on fire. She dropped to the ground screaming and rolling to put it out. ¡°REGENERATE!¡± It put out her arm only for her to hear again. ¡°Priest of the Golden Goddess, Die! FIREBALL!¡± Serena¡¯s back caught on fire as she carried Emilie out of the way. She fell to the ground trying to put it out. The skeleton aimed again. ¡°Suffer in death. Fire bolt!¡± Ozraks fist crashed to the ground sending the skeleton flying. ¡°Insolent elemental I will discipline you. Excavate!¡± an invisible force hit Ozrak breaking his shoulder as the wall behind him crumbled. He fell to one knee holding his shoulder as pebbles fell from it. ¡°NOW CAWTHORN!¡± Still smoldering Cawthorn wrapped his cloak around the head. ¡°Speed boost, prowess boost, Jolt!¡± Victor threaded the needle between Ozraks legs slicing off one of the skeletons hands. Both of them disengaged as the skeleton pulled his cape back. ¡°Barrier Sphere!¡± He looked at his hand and laughed picking it up and reattaching it. ¡°That¡¯s it? That¡¯s your master plan? I¡¯m going to enjoy torturing all of you. I won¡¯t make it quick.¡± A deep evil laugh echoed through the room. Victor looked to Serena and Emilie regenerating and knew what he had to do. ¡°I am Victor Vogal of the Stars of Verdan. Who are you?¡± The mage turned to him. ¡°Oh one of you is capable of rational thought, unsurprisingly it is the mage. I am Jalk exile of the Hurava Necropolis. Are you begging for your life?¡± ¡°No, I was merely hoping to know something about you.¡± Victor paused waiting for an answer to a question he had not yet asked. ¡°Well out with it. I know you¡¯re buying time but I¡¯m enjoying their pain so I will allow this to continue.¡± He replied. ¡°How incredibly generous of you.¡± Victor waited. ¡°I always had a soft spot for my servants that obeyed. This one here was obedient after I took control of him but it seems discipline will be required. Now out with your question and we will resume.¡± The skeleton¡¯s cold green eye stared at him as a fireball ignited in his hand. ¡°Are you a supplicant to Kokoxol?¡± Victor locked eyes with him as both of their capes billowed to the rushing water behind them. ¡°I am a disciple of Kokoxol. Are you also a follower of the Void Lord?¡± He stared back with cold eyes sockets. Urgent Mission Time to accept: 0:10 Kill Jalk: Destroy the head of Kokoxol¡¯s follower. Reward: Rank up 1 Luzuzal Skill. Reject ¡®Accept. Vitality boost, speed boost, strength boost, rigor boost.¡¯ Victor smirked as his cape billowed behind him. He tilted his head. ¡°Well you¡¯re not far off.¡± A fireball whooshed past his head detonating behind him. The explosion dropped rubble between them obscuring his blade. ¡°Barrier sphere!¡± Jalk countered. The sphere cracked slowing Victor but once again resulting in him being unhanded. ¡°I messed around earlier. That was a mistake.¡± The skeleton picked up his hand as the others stood up. ¡°I won¡¯t make that mistake a second time.¡± Victor pulled back his sword. ¡°Jolt!¡± It came from his hand bouncing off the new barrier Jalk setup. Victor tried to pierce it but this time only cracked it. That was the moment Jalk saw Ozraks other fist. It crashed down on him with the barrier only giving him a split second to dodge. ¡°Take me seriously? You die here no matter how well you fight!¡± One of the rings on his fingers lit up glowing red. ¡°Detonate, Ruby Flame.¡± The ruby in the ring shot toward the far wall engulfing everyone in the room except for Jalk. -186 health Burning: -12 health every second. Victor immediately downed a potion but the fire did not stop. He dropped to the ground to the laugher to Jalk who launched another fire bolt. Ozrak blocked it nearly crumbling from the blast. Emilie frantically cast ¡°Regenerate! Regenerate!¡± She kept casting regenerate on them as Victor quaffed another potion. Cawthorn called out. ¡°TWO MORE RINGS!¡± ¡°I have six rings you incompetent BIRD! FIRE BOLT!¡± He launched another blast at Cawthorn. ¡°YOUR AIM IS TERRIBLE!¡± Cawthorn mocked him. ¡°FIREBALL! DIE YOU DAMN BIRD!¡± He blasted. ¡°YOU ARE THE MOST PATHETIC SKELETON EVER MADE!¡± Cawthorn pooped directly on his green sphere. Cawthorn circled near the water as fireball after fireball missed. ¡°COULD YOU EVEN HIT A BARN? CAW CAW HAH!¡± Emilie had been rapidly healing them while Cawthorn taunted him. Emilie whispered. ¡°I¡¯m sorry I¡¯m so low on mana I can¡¯t heal all four of you for a few moments I have to regenerate mana. It¡¯s too much. I have to drop the boosts.¡± They began drinking potions as Cawthorn called out. ¡°LET ME SHOW YOU THE POWER OF THE GREATEST BIRD TO EVER LIVE!¡± He swooped down trying to grab his eye sockets. He hooked his claws in and started beating his wings. Flap after flap the skull loosened. Jalk missed a point blank fire bolt as Cawthorn evaded it. Finally Jalk gripped the bird with both hands looking him dead in the eyes. ¡°Any last words.¡± Cawthorn blinked before ripping off three fingers and laughing. ¡°CAW CAW HAH MY MAGE WILL KILL YOU!¡± The rings with fingers on them rolled toward the group. ¡°NO!¡± He released Cawthorn and dashed toward the rings only to be met with a massive fist from Ozrak sending him flying back. If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement. Victor picked up the four rings from the three fingers. One sapphire and another ruby ring now decorated his hand. Victor formed a fist with his left hand and pointed it toward Jalk. The giant gap between all of them victor prayed would be enough, so he repeated the words. ¡°Detonate, Ruby Flame.¡± The gem shot forward faster than even Cawthorn. Cawthorn dove into the river. Ozrak turned his back to the skeleton and covered the three of them. Ozrak¡¯s arm finally fell off. None of them could see the corpse. Victor frantically looked at his interface asking the question. ¡®How do I see the activation words for this item?¡¯ It didn¡¯t show activation keywords. He scrambled to get out Swordie. ¡°Swordie! What¡¯s the activation keyword?!¡± ¡°That is an elemental sky gem. It likely contains lightning bolt, therefore the activation keyword is likely fly sapphire bolt¡± Swordie said. Victor quickly swapped the ring to his right hand sure of what was about to come. Evil laughter could be heard echoing throughout the room. The boney hand gripped a rock near the river. Serena dashed toward him with her mace slamming his hand but instead connecting with ¡°Barrier Shield.¡± His clothing and cape nearly burnt off. ¡°I¡¯m going to burn all of you to just enough to cripple you and then purge you to the trap outside this room. When I am done your bones won¡¯t even be left to reanimate.¡± Emilie still recovering cast ¡°Regeneration! Speed boost!¡± again on Victor. ¡°Why is this corpse still talking?¡± Victor smirked taking off toward him low to the ground. Every step seemed to catch on loose stone letting him take off like a runner setting his feet to the block. No matter where he stepped he didn¡¯t slip. A fireball blasted by, then another. ¡°Barrier shield.¡± ¡®Focus, it will do so much more damage through my blade.¡¯ Focus he did as the words began to leave his mouth he felt energy welling up in him traveling through his hand and arm to his blade. ¡°Fly, Sapphire Bolt¡± From his blade lightning blasted forth through the entire swing destroying the ceiling above and cracking the barrier like an egg. The lightning blasted down on the creature¡¯s neck beheading it. Sending its head into the water behind him, the destruction did not stop however with the skeleton as Victor soon found himself submerged. The floor collapsed beneath him as he swept downstream with the head. Serena started running toward the water. ¡°VICTOR!¡± She tried to dive in only to be caught mid-air by Ozrak. ¡°LET ME GO I HAVE TO SAVE HIM!¡± ¡°MY MAGE!¡± Cawthorn screeched diving into the water. Cawthorn found the skull and began grappling it underwater. ¡°That river follows a labyrinth of paths. If you jump in you will be lost. I will help you find the one who freed me.¡± The one armed elemental held her back. ¡°I know the caves nearby here. There are dangerous creatures within these mountains so we should go.¡± Serena calmed down. Emilie turned to her. ¡°If he didn¡¯t drown immediately he should end up unconscious on the shore of that river somewhere. We might be able to save him if we move now.¡± ¡°We need to go.¡± Serena ran forward to the other room. ¡°Victor fell into an underground river killing the undead mage! We have to go!¡± Emilie rushed to them. ¡°If we go soon and he didn¡¯t die we can rescue him.¡± ¡°I will make my way to the top floor and wait for you.¡± Ozrak leapt through the middle from floor to floor avoiding the chains in the center. Yriada began walking slowly behind them as they took steps up. Jenora watched the two of them run ahead. ¡°I will fall behind and Yriada can¡¯t keep up. You two should go ahead with that elemental.¡± Emilie stopped dead. ¡°I can¡¯t just leave you. Let me use Pure Heal on you.¡± Jenora shook her head. ¡°Yriada can look after me. I¡¯m fully healed but I¡¯m just too slow from the broken bones. Save your instant spellcasting and go after him, he might need it.¡± She rushed up the steps far behind Serena finally arriving completely out of breath she reached the two at the top of the steps. ¡°You are too slow.¡± Ozrak picked up Emilie in his hand and began leaving only to see the barrier still up. ¡°Impossible, this barrier should only still be up if-¡± Emilie started confused. ¡°If the mage is still alive¡­¡± Serena dropped to her knees. Ozrak released Emilie. ¡°A barrier this weak will not stop Ozrak!¡± He barreled toward it breaking through it only for it to reform after he passed through. The two of them ran up to the barrier bashing on it. Ozrak wound up a punch breaking the barrier again letting the two of them pass through. ¡°Jenora will be trapped!¡± Emilie screamed. Ozrak started running east. Serena grabbed her and started running. ¡°We aren¡¯t going to just leave her. That barrier will fade if we kill the mage and we¡¯re going to come back no matter what. I swear to you I won¡¯t leave them behind.¡± Emilie¡¯s anxiety rocketed faster than they were traveling. ¡°OZRAK HOW FAR ARE WE FROM THAT CAVE?¡± He paced his movement with Serena. ¡°The cave is far it will take more than 20 minutes traveling at this speed to reach then we must check all the underground spillways. Many creatures wander the halls of these caves but few will fight an elemental.¡± Serena asked. ¡°Ozrak how many spillways are there?¡± ¡°I know of 11. Most of them are safe but a few lead to very dangerous monster dens. It¡¯s early today as the sun is still high. Those monster dens should be completely empty until later this evening. We have several hours.¡± Ozrak nodded. ¡°If we do not leave however before nightfall I fear that death comes of us.¡± Serena calmed down with Emilie still in her arms. ¡°Good, we still have a chance.¡± ¡°Do not rush into a fight once we reach the cave. We must avoid them as we have much ground to cover.¡± Ozrak insisted. ¡°After I repay my debt to him I will be leaving. The Green Goddess bid me an eye for an eye and a life for a life. This applies both to taking it and saving it.¡± Emilie smiled. ¡°I¡¯m so glad our Goddesses agree on that. The Golden Goddess has a similar rule. Do you know the story of why they are friends?¡± ¡°I do not.¡± Ozrak replied. ¡°The story is that long ago devils invaded Verdan and devastated this world. The Golden Goddess saw this begin and decided she had to intervene to save the weak mortals from the terrifying claws of those infernal abominations. Through the efforts of both of their followers and the mortal heroes of the realm at the time Verdan was saved. Though no oath was sworn and no vow taken the Green Goddess felt forever in her debt. Millennia past by and one day heaven fell under siege from the devils. The Green Goddess learned of this and sent her most valiant followers to defend heaven and with their help victory was achieved and heaven saved as well. From this point onward both agreed to add that to their philosophy. Pay good unto good, and evil unto evil.¡± Emilie smiled recounting the story. ¡°That was what I learned in the nunnery at least.¡± ¡°It¡¯s a good story, and a fair one. I have no quarrel with any of you. I owe you all. I will pay my debt. With that debt paid I will return to my normal life. It¡¯s possible my family remains in this area.¡± Ozrak nodded. ¡°Thank you for this Ozrak. I will not forget your dedication.¡± Serena nodded slowly running out of breath. Ozrak picked up the two and put them on his large flat shoulder holding them as he ran. ¡°You are too slow.¡± ¡°Thank you for that.¡± Serena panted. ¡°I pray to the Golden Goddess we reach him in time. I was just starting to tolerate him.¡± Emilie sighed. ¡°Just yesterday you threatened to let him die! I didn¡¯t want to say anything because we had no choice at ALL! You threatened to effectively kill him and ALL of us! How immature can you possibly be?¡± Serena chewed her out. Emilie shrunk back. ¡°No group has ever stood up to me on something like that before. No one would ever question the demand of a priest because if they leave the group then everything will get much harder, take so much longer, and cost much more. He practically told me to my face he didn¡¯t need me after making the WRONG CALL! That skeleton was a slaver, kidnapper, and murderer. He was at best a mad alchemist with some useful concoction that would murder you to use your blood in it. Victor was WRONG! So why do I feel bad about it.¡± Serena shook her head. ¡°Because all he wanted to do was help someone in need of help. You wanted to execute a prisoner that you only knew one thing about. You were right he was scum but you took action for the wrong reasons. If the dryad turned out to be the mad alchemist and he turned out to be an innocent forced to become an undead you might have felt a bit different and so would Victor.¡± ¡°But I wasn¡¯t wrong.¡± She crossed her arms. ¡°You¡¯re missing the point. Victor is basically the opposite of a serial killer. He¡¯s a serial savior. He saves lives indiscriminately because it¡¯s who he is. If you still don¡¯t want to travel with us because of that, fine, but he will try to save another undead someday and next time think long and hard about if it deserves death before just deciding to take a swing.¡± Serena lectured her before stopping. Emilie stopped deep in thought her eyes watching the mountain go by as they rode on Ozrak. Chapter 27: An unexpected reunion Cawthorn woke up to the trickle of water on his beak dropping from the ceiling. He blinked a few times turning to his feet. To the left the skull with a green eye had regenerated a single vertebra. To Cawthorns right Victor, unconscious, face up barely breathing. ¡°MY MAGE!¡± Cawthorn flapped up and stomped on Victor¡¯s chest. Nothing, he flew up higher and dove down head butting his chest. Once again no response to his effort. Cawthorn reached the ceiling and once more hopeful charged downward crashing into Victors chest. Cawthorn fell to the side dizzy. Victor coughed up water turning over and spitting out water. ¡°MY MAGE!¡± Cawthorn cried. ¡°I KNEW YOU WOULDN¡¯T DIE!¡± Victor smiled at Cawthorn. ¡°What are you talking about Cawthorn? Don¡¯t you know, I¡¯m invincible.¡± Cawthorn wrapped his soaking wet wings around his wet clothes. ¡°I KNEW YOU WOULD BE SAFE MY MAGE!¡± Victor looked around. The area was completely dark save for the glowing water. To his side he could see what Cawthorn noticed when he woke up. A skull looking at him with a green gem. Victor stood up with murderous intent. ¡°Now, I know what you are thinking. He¡¯s just a skull that tried to kill me. I should kill him while he¡¯s weak.¡± ¡°He can read minds Cawthorn. I doubt that will be much help. Let us see how he does against my boot.¡± Victor took a step forward. ¡°If you kill me the sphere of undeath in my head will detonate.¡± He spoke up. Victor paused pulling out Swordie. ¡°Swordie is what he¡¯s saying a possibility?¡± ¡°Yes. He could do that reasonably.¡± Swordie answered. ¡°Though I am unsure if he did it would be safe to assume he did.¡± Victor scoffed and held the head in front of him. ¡°Why did you wait in that room at the bottom of the dungeon instead of attacking us? Any attempts to lie will result in me finding a way to end you faster even at the cost of my own life.¡± ¡°I was attempting to conjure a devil to bind to my will and use against you. I failed twice before you reached me.¡± Jalk answered. ¡°Attacking a group who¡¯s strength is unknown is foolish. I¡¯d like to ask you a question if you¡¯d answer. Why would someone with your skills be in a party that weak?¡± ¡°Weak? I was the weakest member of the group. I merely had some help.¡± Victor shook his head. ¡°Emilie is an exceptional priest, Jenora can take a hit better than the rest of us, Serena is even faster than me at my fastest, and Cawthorn well he¡¯s the greatest bird to ever live. Cawthorn practically speaking saved all of us without him you definitely kill us.¡± Cawthorn started sobbing. ¡°MY MAGE IS THE KINDEST MAGE IN ALL VERDAN!¡± ¡°Credit where it¡¯s due, you saved me.¡± Victor nodded. ¡°CAW CAW HAH.¡± He hopped to the skull and bent his head down to it. ¡°DO NOT FEEL BAD AGAINST THE GREATEST BIRD TO EVER LIVE YOU STOOD NO CHANCE!¡± ¡°No chance?! If one spell hit you I¡¯d have turned you to ash.¡± Jalk protested. ¡°And here I stand.¡± He shit on Jalks head. ¡°Shitting on you just like in the fight.¡± ¡°What were those rings? I can ask my book too but I want to hear where you got them.¡± Victor asked. ¡°Spell Stones. If you enchant a gemstone with a spell you can raise the rank. This consumes the gemstone and the spell. It¡¯s powerful but costs a lot of gold to do this. Those three spells cost my previous master more than 3000 gold to create. He distributed similar effects along with spheres of undeath to every skeletal mage he created. He created thousands of us seeking to secure the Necropolis and still we knew when that damned paladin arrived we would all have to flee. He was completely immune to us.¡± He answered. ¡°Do you know a way out?¡± Victor asked. ¡°No. I had no reason to use the river. The previous owner of that lab used it to facilitate his experiments.¡± Jalk noted. ¡°Why shouldn¡¯t I keep you and try to kill you as soon as I get out of here?¡± Victor asked. ¡°If you take me from this spot I will constantly scream making noise for all monsters in these caves. They will come to kill us both. If you leave me here I will not hunt you merely out of respect. If you are considering think quickly and throw me in one of those piles.¡± Jalk added. Victor turned around and began to notice the massive piles of cleaned bones. They washed up in a den. Some creatures feed here. Crushed bones and fragments at his feet as though something large stomped over them crushing them let him know the size of such a monster would need to be at least several times bigger than a human, possibly even the troll he encountered. ¡°Well, Cawthorn this is bad isn¡¯t it.¡± ¡°My mage, I believe we are not alone.¡± Cawthorn whispered. Victor withdrew his hand leaving Jalk floating midair for a moment. A long black toothy mouth consumed Jalk as he fell, like a dog catching a treat. The form stomped toward the two of them. ¡°My mage¡­ I¡¯m scared.¡± The creature lit up from the detonation before transforming into a young girl. Skeletal mage 21: Experience Increase 48.2% Current Exp to level 12 100.0% LEVEL 12 Reached! Current Exp to level 13 1.0% The girl stomped toward them in a thin black dress. She took a step toward them into the light of the pool. Forala Medot stood before Victor once more ¡°Oh it¡¯s you. I didn¡¯t expect to see you again so soon.¡± ¡°Oh thank goodness.¡± Victor could only think to himself. ¡®The Luzuzal¡¯s Promise skill is unbelievable.¡¯ ¡°Hopefully that horribly evil skeleton was not a friend of yours.¡± Forala approached him. ¡°No. He tried to kill me and my group. I fell in the river.¡± Victor explained. ¡°Delightful. If he was despite my deference to you I¡¯d have no choice but to eat you. Such creatures endanger my kind. Although I guess now they endanger me.¡± Forala turned to the water with a long sullen look and said nothing more. ¡°Did you find your family?¡± Victor took a step closer. ¡°Everyone was killed and eaten. I saw the red drakes destroy everything.¡± She sat down at the water¡¯s edge. ¡°They¡¯ll come for me too. I¡¯ll kill a few dozen, perhaps more. Then after I am worn out from slaughtering their forces repeatedly for hours one of them worth fighting will arrive and my stamina will be low. I¡¯ll lose and they¡¯ll eat me, and that will be my end. What a pathetic life.¡± ¡°Why not just run? You could easily escape with your strength and skill.¡± Victor sat down beside her. ¡°Where would I go? No drake clutch would have the half-drake princess of a fallen clutch. I¡¯ve accepted my fate. It¡¯s grim it¡¯s depressing but it¡¯s my fate.¡± She put her hands in the water and took a drink. Victor noticed her bleeding and handed her his remaining potions. She stopped for a moment and turned to him. ¡°Are you sure?¡± ¡°Just take them, you need them.¡± Victor sat down with Cawthorn who hopped to his opposite shoulder farther way from Forala. She quickly downed them and wiped off her mouth. ¡°Well I guess I owe you another favor.¡± The two shared a moment of silence as the light from the water danced across their faces. ¡°What would you do if you could do anything?¡± ¡°Kill every single red drake in this mountain range.¡± Forala turned to him. ¡°Lets say you get what you want. You kill every single red drake is dead by your hand you stand atop a pile of their corpses as the crows rip apart their carrion. Then what?¡± Victor asked. A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. ¡°FEAST! FEAST ON THE CORPSES!¡± Cawthorn insisted. ¡°After the feast Cawthorn.¡± Victor¡¯s eyes narrowed. ¡°Why bother dreaming about a future which will never happen?¡± Forala asked. ¡°Isn¡¯t that the point of dreams? Unlikely outcomes that guide your life. It¡¯s what you really want.¡± Victor sighed. Mission Time to accept: 10:00 Inspire Forala Medot: Convince Forala Medot to flee this mountain range and survive. Reward: Rank up 1 Luzuzal Skill. Accept Reject Victor didn¡¯t even need to think. ¡®Accept.¡¯ He put his hand on her shoulder. ¡°Consider it my favor, just humor me. What would you do if your enemies were vanquished?¡± Forala sighed. ¡°I was searching for a companion. I desired a family, but no drake wants a half-breed. I failed to find a companion capable of producing offspring. Instead I killed my way through thousands of enemies over the years, many of them for insulting me or my mother. My life has been about ending life, not creating it. The end of it won¡¯t be any different.¡± ¡°It doesn¡¯t have to end here. You could leave here and try to find a humanoid companion.¡± Victor noted. ¡°I¡¯ve lived my entire life as a drake. Why would I change? I don¡¯t even have anywhere to go.¡± She grabbed Victors shoulder. ¡°I appreciate the sentiment but this is the end for me.¡± ¡°Could you escort me to the exit?¡± Victor asked. ¡°I guess it would be a nice final act before I¡¯m torn to shreds.¡± She rose to her feet. ¡°That said I have to ask were you not able to deal with that insignificant skeleton yourself?¡± ¡°It was¡­ difficult.¡± Victor noted. She sighed. ¡°You¡¯re such a kind human but so weak. Attack me with all you¡¯ve got.¡± ¡°Are you sure? I¡¯m stronger than when we last met.¡± Victor noted. She smiled. ¡°Go ahead.¡± Victor activated his speed and prowess boosts, drew his blade, braced his legs and charged straight at her charging a jolt in his blade. She brushed aside his blade as soon as it got in range. She extended her arm and with her applying no force forming a small wall for Victor to collide with, and collide he did. Victor crashed back falling to the ground. Her deep sigh followed by lifting victor up clearly communicated how disappointed she was in Victor like a teacher whose student just did not understand the lesson. ¡°Have you ever had an education when it comes to combat?¡± ¡°I only had my first combat a couple of weeks ago. I¡¯ve never had training.¡± Victor noted. ¡°What? Are you suicidal?¡± She leaned forward with a raised eyebrow. ¡°No! I¡¯m just inexperienced.¡± Victor replied. ¡°That is suicidal. If you aren¡¯t experienced in a life and death arena when you step in what do you expect to happen?¡± Forala asked. ¡°I don¡¯t know. I guess I just expected it to work out.¡± Victor noted. She slapped her faced slowly dragging down her hand. ¡°I¡¯ll help escort you to the exit if you can do 1 damage to me.¡± She cracked her knuckles. ¡°Oh come on doing 1 damage to you can¡¯t possibly be that hard.¡± Victor said as Cawthorn jumped to a rock. ¡°Cawthorn?¡± ¡°YOU CAN DO IT MY MAGE!¡± Cawthorn flew away to a far away rock in the darkness to watch from a safe distance. She stretched. ¡°Begin whenever you are ready.¡± Victor opened up with a slash easily dodged by Forala. ¡°Slow.¡± Victor tried to punch her only for her to catch it easily. ¡°Weak.¡± Victor tried to dodge her incoming hand as it reached for his neck. It reached his neck and gripped him with ease. ¡°Sloppy. Step back and try again.¡± Victor stepped back and loosened up. He inhaled and then exhaled carefully and tried again. He approached more cautiously and tried to jab at her head ready to slash at her neck only to find his blade gripped mid air between her two fingers. A deep sigh as she flipped it to the side. ¡°Is that all you can do?¡± Victor launched a jolt out of his blade flying past her head and crackling into the distance. ¡°No.¡± Victor tried to punch her and once again she caught it and again he jolted her hand but unusually he didn¡¯t smell anything from it and no smoke came out from her hand. ¡°What?¡± She pushed Victor back and motioned with her hand as if to say ¡®Again.¡¯ This time Victor charged every motion with a jolt striking first for her neck only for it to be disrupted with a simple finger flick. She tripped him and caught his wrist so he didn¡¯t fall to the ground. Victor panted shocked at just how impossible this felt. ¡°There¡¯s no way. You¡¯re level is just too high. You¡¯re too strong and too fast.¡± ¡°Do you think these corpses complained about level in their last moments? They were food, and you would be too if you couldn¡¯t win. Complaints don¡¯t matter when your body is being ripped apart. I cannot escort you to the entrance if you are that weak. You¡¯ll die.¡± Her words reminded Victor of the cold harsh reality of the pit of bones he found himself in. This world didn¡¯t value life very highly and those words hung on him as he stood up again. ¡°You¡¯re right. What am I doing wrong?¡± ¡°You¡¯re slow and weak yet you are taking the initiative and approaching me. Why? You seem smart enough to know attacking me won¡¯t work.¡± Forala asked. Victor read between the lines activating his speed boost and backing away blasting with jolt after jolt. ¡°A little better.¡± She effortlessly dodged each one stepping toward him slowly. Victor continued backing away until he hit a wall. Forala saw him bump the wall and look back. The ground cracked beneath her foot as she leapt toward him. Victor thought fast and jolted a stalactite. It nearly hit her mid air but reached the ground too fast. She burst through the rock and punched the wall behind Victor. ¡°Well at least you learn fast.¡± Forala looked down at the tiny scratch on her cheek. Victor had extended his blade after the pillar fell and her momentum scratched her. He felt his arm quivering as though he blocked a brick wall. A single drop of blood fell from his blade. ¡°I¡¯m more impressed the blade and my arm didn¡¯t break.¡± She licked her own blood with her long tongue. ¡°I tried to slow down to avoid the blade. It¡¯s a natural reaction to dodge. Honestly that took a lot less time than I thought it would.¡± Victor still against the wall decided to ask. ¡°Could you come with us and train me?¡± ¡°I like you but there is no way I¡¯m going to protect you while you run around making foolish choices.¡± Forala shook her head. ¡°Would you travel with me to a town? You might enjoy interacting with human, dwarves, and the other humanoids who inhabit civilization here. You could train me along the way.¡± Victor asked. ¡°You know if I train you as soon as we have a cleric I will beat you to within an inch of your life until you can stop me.¡± Forala answered Victor knew he had won. ¡°If that is what it takes fine. Travel with me to a settlement. Decide what to do after you get there.¡± She tensed as a wall collapsed and a massive earth elemental crashed through it with one arm. Ozrak emerged with Emilie and Serena from the dust. Forala moved so fast that to Victor it seemed like teleportation. ¡°WAIT! THEY ARE FRIENDS!¡± Forala crashed into the wall behind them flying straight through it like it was made of paper. Serena ran to Victor. ¡°YOU¡¯RE ALIVE!¡± She jumped up hugging him. ¡°That was so stupid.¡± She slapped him then kissed him. Forala appeared next to them. ¡°You again? Where is the skeletal mage?¡± ¡°Ah your companion is still alive.¡± She noted almost disappointed. ¡°I ate the skeletal mage.¡± Emilie approached with confusion. ¡°What is this child doing here?¡± ¡°Emilie her name is Forala Medot. She is a half drake.¡± Victor noted. ¡°A half drake!¡± Emilie recoiled backward. ¡®I swear I wish I had a squirt bottle for her.¡¯ Victor sighed. ¡°She¡¯s going to help us leave this place.¡± Ozrak approached. ¡°If that is the case, consider my debt paid. May your path be safe.¡± Ozrak stomped back to the entrance disappearing into the dark. ¡°Can we trust a half drake?¡± Emilie asked. ¡°Well considering she could kill us all with a single swing of her hand I already trust her.¡± Victor gave her thumbs up. Emilie seemed terrified and not at all reassured. Cawthorn landed on her shoulder and whispered. ¡°I¡¯m scared too. She is scary.¡± ¡°Cawthorn you¡¯re not helping.¡± Victor glared. ¡°Let¡¯s get out of these caves. They will be crawling with red drakes soon.¡± Forala nodded. ¡°Drakes? We have to run!¡± Emilie started scrambling. Serena shook her head. ¡°You are way too lucky.¡± ¡°Well I find the best people don¡¯t I?¡± Victor smiled. Chapter 28: A truly impactful title The group emerged from the cave to the sunset in the distance. Forala wiped the blood of a red drake off her arm. The air finally fresh and clean on the cool night filled their noses. As they emerged the crickets were chirping and gentle breeze gently easing their extremely tense minds. Forala took in the surroundings with a smile. ¡°We should move quickly the red drakes are still searching for me.¡± The group quickly proceeded into the forest. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t Cawthorn be watching for drakes?¡± Emilie asked. Cawthorn glared at her. ¡°Drakes are scary.¡± ¡°Are you saying the great Cawthorn doesn¡¯t rule the skies?¡± Victor asked. Cawthorn turned to him insulted. ¡°OF COURSE I RULE THE SKIES!¡± Cawthorn took off instantly disappearing above the trees. ¡°Is it safe for Cawthorn to be patrolling above us?¡± Serena asked. Forala turned to her. ¡°Drakes wouldn¡¯t waste their time with such small prey. It¡¯s not an effective use of energy.¡± The four of them continued to travel through the forest but predictably a few moments later as they approached the road Cawthorn returned. ¡°Red drakes my mage, up ahead on the road.¡± Forala turned to Cawthorn. ¡°How many?¡± ¡°9.¡± Cawthorn answered curtly. ¡°We avoid that patrol. We should wait for a few minutes. They will search elsewhere.¡± Forala explained. The group went to a nearby brush and knelt down. ¡°Bird if you are able to watch them from a tree and let us know which way they go?¡± Cawthorn nodded afraid and took off up to a tree watching them. Sure enough a few moments later they took off. Cawthorn landed on Victor¡¯s shoulder and pointed his wing at the direction they had come from. Emilie panicked. ¡°We have to move. Serena and Yriada are on the cart on the road. They¡¯ll be killed.¡± ¡°You¡¯re saying your friends are ahead of them?¡± Forala turned with a sigh. ¡°Yes! They¡¯ll be killed they are both wounded.¡± Emilie tried to communicate without panic but couldn¡¯t. ¡°How far are they?¡± Forala asked. ¡°The elemental ran for about 30 minutes before reaching the cave from the other cave so about 30 minutes of elemental running speed?¡± Serena shrugged. ¡°Not sure the exact distance.¡± ¡°If any of you have speed boosts cast them on me now. I will attempt to hide them.¡± Forala nodded. Both Victor and Emilie immediately boosted her. She disappeared into the distance in the blink of an eye. ¡°Can one of you two carry me? I¡¯m not very fast.¡± Emilie turned to them. Serena picked her up and started running. Victor followed far behind slowly falling further behind. Serena slowed down. ¡°Don¡¯t slow down!¡± Her angry whisper was supposed to encourage Serena but elicited a sly smile. ¡°Talk like that again and you can walk.¡± She continued angrily whispering as darkness overtook the forest. ¡°I don¡¯t want Jenora to be dead!¡± ¡°We aren¡¯t going to make it there before the drakes. It¡¯s all on her.¡± Serena tilted her head. ¡°So what will it be golden girl, walk or run?¡± She answered sheepishly. ¡°Run.¡± Victor reassured her pointing. ¡°She¡¯s fast. Faster than anyone I¡¯ve ever seen. I can still see those drakes above. I can¡¯t even see her.¡± Emilie shot back. ¡°There are trees in the way!¡± ¡°Yet I can still see the drakes.¡± He looked at her as they darted from tree to tree. ¡°Besides what are you going to do if you arrive early?¡± ¡°Heal the half drake!¡± She glared. Victor slowed down. ¡°Go Serena. I¡¯m walking. Cawthorn, help them.¡± Serena took off much faster than before without hesitation. Cawthorn took off ahead. Victor stopped and panted doubling over. ¡®It¡¯s fine. I was about to start taking damage anyway. My skill should still be in effect. They¡¯ll be fine.¡¯ ¡°Will they now?¡± Reality began to fade away as the stars stretched to the ground surrounding him. The moons descended to him as stars formed a mouth. Luzuzal began to step toward him. ¡°What was it you desired today when you invoked Luzuzal¡¯s Promise ?¡± ¡°Every one of us will survive today and make it out of here alive stronger than when we arrived¡± Victor¡¯s eyes grew wide. ¡°Here was mean to mean the wilderness!¡± Victor lied to Luzuzal but couldn¡¯t lie to himself. ¡°The effects of Luzuzal¡¯s Promise follow the most literal response to any request. You were in the dungeon area so it interpreted it as the entire dungeon as here, however if the barrier wasn¡¯t up it may have only applied to the cave. Once fulfilled the ability ceases activation only once all terms are completed.¡± Luzuzal explained. ¡°But one of the terms was that everyone will survive!¡± Victor protested. ¡°Correct. Those present for the promise will survive today .¡± Luzuzal smiled. Victor¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°You¡¯re telling me that they¡¯ll die at the end of the day or that Forala will die.¡± ¡°Merely explaining the parameters of your skill.¡± He starts walking to walk with Victor. Swordie spoke up. ¡°Be gone abomination. Cease your corruption of Sir Victor.¡± ¡°Sir Victor?¡± Victor pulled out Swordie while walking. ¡°You are an angelic knight. A title I am proud to bestow you. You¡¯ve more than earned the title by now. You save without question, without thought, and without reward. You seek good and life for all those around you and evil only manipulates you through your absolute refusal to allow death and destruction to reign. You are everything an angelic knight should be. I will not stand by while my knight is tainted further by a truly horrific monster that would trick everyone in this world to rule over the ruined lives.¡± Swordie proclaimed. Achievement: Gain 10 stat points. Gain [Lose] 5 luck. Angelic Knight ¨C Receive the title Angelic Knight from an angel. 50% Resistance to mind control and manipulation. May wield Angelic Weaponry to full effect. This title improves with tier. ¡°A high honor, you can only bestow that title to one person at a time, if they lose it you can never bestow it again.¡± Luzuzal smiled. ¡°I shall enjoy encouraging him lose that title.¡± ¡°He shall not ever lose it. Sir Victor, resist his influence. Focus on the trees.¡± Swordie insisted. Victor asked confused. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t I at least listen to what he-¡± ¡°FOCUS ON THE TREES!¡± Swordies¡¯ voice echoed across the forest. Victor complied. Luzuzal reduced to a tiny spec in the edge of his vision as the trees came back into view. ¡°Wow that¡¯s really impressive.¡± ¡°It won¡¯t fully banish the abomination from beyond the veil but it will make it harder for him to manipulate you.¡± Swordie noted. ¡°How dull, you¡¯ve banished the grandeur of my background. You act as though showing him my realm alone manipulates him.¡± Luzuzal mocked Swordie. ¡°Sir Victor is easily manipulated like a village drunk. I see no reason to give you the ability to be his bartender.¡± Swordie quipped. ¡°Very well I shall say my piece and go. I recommend placing your skill ups to my skills into Luzuzal¡¯s Promise. You will one day strain the bounds of it if you behave as you behave today.¡± Luzuzal tilted his tiny head. ¡°Whatever you do Sir Victor do not do that. Tell him to be gone and not return. He¡¯s spoken to you repeatedly in the span of a month. A Void Lord does not do that without having a strong self centered motive.¡± Swordie insisted. Victor agreed with Swordie. ¡°Luzuzal don¡¯t speak to me unless it¡¯s a matter of life or death. Swordie is my guide through this life, not you. I agreed to help you only for a stat boost and you didn¡¯t seem to conflict with who I am. I clearly was wrong. Be gone.¡± Luzuzal frowned and turned away disappearing from Victors sight. ¡°Sir, I am so proud of you.¡± Swordie began to glow. ¡°No matter the outcome you made the right choice. He was probably just trying to manipulate you into doing something.¡± This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. ¡°What do you think his plan is?¡± Victor asked. ¡°He was probably broadly honest with you while omitting several key details that would make you hate him with the fury of Justice herself.¡± Swordie replied. ¡°Justice?¡± Victor asked. ¡°Justice is one of my fellow angels. She arrived in this world in 82 B.H.¡± Victor noted. ¡°What does B.H. Stand for? Is that 10000 years ago?¡± Victor continued on talking with Swordie. ¡°Longer. This world divides its eras between before heaven and after heaven.¡± Swordie explained. ¡°Oh was heaven destroyed or something?¡± Victor asked. Swordie paused going quiet. ¡°I am not permitted to speak of the events which occurred in year 0. The people of this world believe heaven was sealed off after repelling the devils attacking it.¡± Victor laughed. ¡°Well if you can¡¯t tell me and are answering like that it¡¯s definitely destroyed or at least seriously damaged. I guess devils could have conquered it.¡± ¡°Sir devils could never conquer heaven.¡± Swordie added. ¡°If that isn¡¯t important right now I have to go back to Luzuzal, what do you want me to do about him?¡± Victor asked. ¡°If you don¡¯t use your rank up points they will automatically allocate to Luzuzal¡¯s Promise. He wants that. Allocate it to either of the other two skills and then stop doing things which increase your skill rank of those skills. Then don¡¯t call him. Do not call out his name. Do not seek his help. If he arrives only speak the words ¡®be gone¡¯ and then focus on a physical object. It won¡¯t work ever time. It won¡¯t always force him away. It will give you a much better chance to not be manipulated. I have faith in you Sir Victor. Shine bright and overcome.¡± Swordie lit up enough to show him the way. ¡°Drakes are about.¡± Victor noted. Swordie reduced his light. ¡°My pride in you sir is welling up far more than I expected it would for a man best described as a lost puppy with a sense of morality to match.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t tell if that is a compliment or an incredibly embarrassing insult.¡± Victor narrowed his eyes. ¡°An accurate comparison often elicits that response from one such as you.¡± Swordie noted. The two of them continued for almost an hour before reaching a destroyed cart in the middle of the road and a splattering of blood on the road. ¡®No. It¡¯s still the same day. This can¡¯t be.¡¯ He walked past the head of a mule. ¡°They ate the mule?¡± He felt like he suddenly disappeared when he blinked appearing beneath a tree not far away in the hands of Forala. ¡°Uh wow. You are way faster than I thought.¡± ¡°You¡¯re too slow. My human form is much faster than my drake form, I had to slow myself down immensely to make it possible for you to even scratch my cheek.¡± Forala noted. ¡°What was the point of that little training session then if there was never a chance for me to win?¡± Victor asked. ¡°Just to see if it would be interesting to live.¡± Forala smiled. ¡°It is.¡± Jenora, Serena, Emilie, Cawthorn, and Yriada stood around them beneath the trees no one dead. ¡®Was Luzuzal trying to manipulate me into saving the mule? That¡¯s so stupid.¡¯ He missed the point as the moons only just now started to stretched high into the sky. Victor put his hand on her back. ¡°Live, it¡¯s not so bad.¡± Yriada stepped forward bowing. ¡°I am Yriada and who may you be?¡± ¡°Forala, you are a dryad it seems.¡± She added. ¡°That I am. I shall shelter us for the night.¡± Roots began to form a roof and then walls around them with vines wrapping them into a hut with a door made of bark. Emilie and Jenora tapped their symbols causing them to glow and illuminate the beautiful interior with beds of flowers for each of them. ¡°Drakes will not be able to spot this at night.¡± ¡°A brilliant move. Our eyes wouldn¡¯t be able to distinguish this from a tree top in the sky. We should be safe here tonight.¡± Forala smiled. Jenora leaned back. ¡°I can¡¯t believe we made it. We survived.¡± She cried. ¡°Emilie we¡¯re still alive after that.¡± Emilie hugged her saying nothing and tearing up alongside her. Serena leapt into Victors arms and gave him a kiss. ¡°I can¡¯t believe we all got out of there.¡± Swordie added. ¡°You deserve praise, all of you. You all overcame evil today and survived unlikely odds.¡± Cawthorn crowed. ¡°THE STARS OF VERDAN ARE VICTORIOUS!¡± Emilie walked up to Victor looking him dead in the eyes. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I was right but I¡¯m sorry for how I acted it was childish, and we would like to remain in your party.¡± Victor outstretched his hand. ¡°Not exactly the glowing apology I¡¯d hoped for but still good none the less. I¡¯m sorry I didn¡¯t believe you. You were right, and I¡¯d be happy to have you in my group.¡± Emilie smiled and shook his hand. ¡°It¡¯s really lucky I came across you. Most of the other ends of that river come out to dangerous creatures.¡± Forala noted. ¡°My luck is unusual.¡± Victor smiled. ¡°I have not met your other companions, introduce me.¡± Forala waited. ¡°Of course, this is Emilie she¡¯s small and easily afraid of those different from her.¡± Victor said. ¡°Hey!¡± Emilie groaned. ¡°This is Jenora, she kept us alive.¡± Victor commended her. ¡°Let¡¯s not understate how much you did on that front.¡± She smirked. ¡°This is Serena, and that is Cawthorn who you have already met. That is Yriada. We rescued her from the dungeon.¡± Victor nodded. ¡°A pleasure to meet you Forala.¡± Yriada bowed. ¡°Pleasure to meet you as well.¡± Forala repeated bow. ¡°You¡¯ve got really good manners for someone who grew up among drakes.¡± Victor commented. ¡°My father left me many books including one on manners and royal court rules.¡± Forala explained ¡°Why would he have a book on royal court rules?¡± Victor asked. ¡°He was a prince in Hoxal but left the court behind for my mother.¡± She explained. ¡°Wait can all drakes take a human form?¡± Victor asked. ¡°Well no but mages can learn the polymorph skill, and she could speak common, so he transformed often to be with her.¡± She explained. Serena put her hands up. ¡°Whoa whoa whoa, you¡¯ve ignored the lead honey. Her father was prince of Hoxal?¡± ¡°And my mother led my clutch.¡± Forala noted. ¡°So she¡¯s a half-drake princess?¡± Victor asked. A pause as the entire room stood in shocked silence. Cawthorn spoke up. ¡°ROYALS ARE SCARY!¡± ¡°I was, now no one is left.¡± Forala sighed. ¡°Is it safe to travel with a royal? Those drakes are still after her.¡± Emilie asked. ¡°They¡¯ll look for a day or two more then pronounce me dead. As long as we travel through the forest and not on the road we will be safe.¡± She noted. Yriada spoke up. ¡°Tomorrow we will part ways. I will return to my grove east of here. The town you traveled from is to the west. If you ever need me feel free to come and find me.¡± ¡°I might take you up on that one day Yriada.¡± Victor nodded. Forala spoke up. ¡°Listen up. I am going to teach each of you to fight against overwhelming odds so you can survive against enemies much higher level than you starting tomorrow.¡± Jenora countered. ¡°My arm is broken. I need to recover.¡± ¡°She¡¯s exempt. The rest of you are not.¡± Forala nodded. Swordie cheerfully added. ¡°I like her, she will be a worthy teacher showing you some lessons I am unable to physically impart to you.¡± ¡°This is going to be painful isn¡¯t it?¡± Victor asked. ¡°You have a cleric with you don¡¯t you?¡± Forala noted. ¡°Two.¡± Victor replied. ¡°Excruciatingly painful.¡± Forala noted. Swordie glowed. ¡°She is truly the counterpart I need to guide the young angelic knight.¡± ¡°May I hold your speaking book?¡± Forala asked. Victor handed Swordie over. ¡°Greetings Princess Forala Medot, how may I help you?¡± ¡°How much do you know?¡± Forala inquired. ¡°Significantly more than the bird.¡± Swordie answered. ¡°PREPOSTEROUS LIES! I KNOW ALL!¡± Cawthorn insisted. ¡°What are the weaknesses of a red dragon?¡± Forala asked. ¡°Red dragons have three weaknesses cold magic, a soft stomach, and the base of their wings however most red dragons use magic to compensate for their weakness to cold spells. They are foes with few weaknesses except to be more powerful than them.¡± Swordie replied. ¡°Very well, thank you.¡± She handed Swordie back. ¡°A red dragon was in charge of the drakes. I wanted to know if it had any weaknesses beside cold magic.¡± ¡°A DRAGON!?¡± Emilie started to panic. ¡°He won¡¯t emerge from his den. He was leading the drakes but returned to his den deep in the Xalper mountains. He sleeps all day and all night and they serve him. He¡¯s why we couldn¡¯t simply fight them. I will leave to a human settlement and blend in for some time before hopefully returning one day.¡± She explained. ¡°Get some sleep. We can discuss further tomorrow.¡± Chapter 29: Drake drills Victor woke up to sunlight peaking through the trees and bustling around him. Serena called out with a chuckle. ¡°You¡¯re up right on time. Yriada left already.¡± ¡°He¡¯s slow to rise. I will correct that tomorrow.¡± Forala scoffed. Victor stretched noticing the roots forming a small hut had receded into the ground. ¡°Good morning Serena.¡± Jenora and Emilie were packing up. ¡°What is our destination?¡± Forala asked. ¡°I think we¡¯re headed back to the town nearby where I found you. It should only take a few hours.¡± Victor noted. Emilie laughed. ¡°It would take a few hours on the cart. We¡¯ll arrive around dinner time.¡± ¡°Are the four of you that slow?¡± Forala asked. Emilie nodded. ¡°I am.¡± ¡°Well then we will arrive by lunch.¡± Forala insisted. ¡°What?! That¡¯s impossible!¡± Emilie protested. ¡°Jenora can you jog with that injury?¡± Forala asked. ¡°If I put my shield on my back and don¡¯t have my armor on. You¡¯d have to carry my armor.¡± She nodded. ¡°Very well, all of us will proceed at a brisk pace I will carry your armor. I am going to pull one hair from your head every minute you are not traveling fast enough. You all have ten seconds to get moving before you lose your first hair.¡± Forala clapped her hands. Emilie protested ¡°This isn¡¯t fair! I can¡¯t move quickly!¡± ¡°If you accept the loss of all your hair I will accept your excuse.¡± All of them took off jogging through the forest. Emilie scrambled to her feet and started jogging with her arms flailing. Forala followed her at the back leisurely. Swordie called out. ¡°Finally, a physical education instructor arrives.¡± The light jog felt shockingly reasonable to Victor after having moved with such zeal he felt the need to ask. ¡°What about movement consumes stamina? This doesn¡¯t seem to consume much if any stamina.¡± Swordie explained. ¡°Movement using closer to your maximum speed uses more stamina. Strikes using more of your maximum strength take more stamina. If you gain 10 speed but move like you only had gained 3 you¡¯ll barely have any stamina cost if any for movement. It¡¯s why Serena was able to carry you as far as she did without dying. You should maintain speed boost if you can.¡± Serena turned to Victor. ¡°Sometimes I wish you had lived at a mage tower.¡± ¡°That¡¯s why this doesn¡¯t feel so bad. Speed boost.¡± Jenora turned to Emilie already panting. ¡°Emilie are you alright?¡± ¡°I¡¯m dying! This is pain!¡± Emilie cried out. ¡°You have been jogging for less than 15 minutes. If you complain again I will take a hair off of that pretty head of yours.¡± Forala smiled at her menacingly. ¡°You can¡¯t have to use your stamina to move around in combat and lunging to heal people at the last second. Stamina, strength, and speed can be increased for those that don¡¯t use them as primary stats. Even a small increase would make a world of difference in many cases.¡± ¡°This is pointless! We¡¯d just stand and fight enemies if they attacked us!¡± Emilie protested. Jenora nodded. ¡°That is generally how the two of us have handled combat until now. Face whatever comes. Neither of us are quick on our feet.¡± ¡°Very well, would you like to demonstrate this to me, against me?¡± She asked. Emilie pointed at her. ¡°That¡¯s totally unfair! You¡¯re way too high level for us we¡¯d never encounter someone like you! You¡¯re only here because our mage is the most trusting mage in all of Verdan! He¡¯d recruit a devil if they didn¡¯t immediately attack us!¡± ¡°MY MAGE IS THE MOST TRUSTING MAGE IN ALL VERDAN!¡± Cawthorn proclaimed happily. Victor looked at her. ¡°Well if the devil was nice to us and a good fit for the group I don¡¯t see why a devil couldn¡¯t be in our group.¡± ¡°SEE!¡± Emilie protested. ¡°How are devils any different from humans? Both live in cities, have families, and fight monsters.¡± Forala shrugged. ¡°That¡¯s an oversimplification.¡± Jenora spoke up. ¡°Devils are cruel and serve the two great archdevils Vazgal and Ezali. They wage wars to expand their territory at all times ever since they escaped the hells. Demons are like devils but even more monstrous and can¡¯t be reasoned with. Devils ill be forced to serve them even if they don¡¯t want to. They live forever, or at least until killed. They have natural shapeshifting and their blood also has powerful regenerative properties.¡± Victor noted. ¡°You know a lot about devils Jenora.¡± She seemed shocked her shoulders tensing. ¡°It¡¯s just what I learned about them when I was studying the Golden Goddess.¡± ¡°Speaking of which can¡¯t pure heal fix your arm?¡± Victor asked. ¡°Yes if my rank on the skill was higher. Mine is too weak right now to do that. I can¡¯t fix missing body parts or broken bones only holes, slashes, blood loss, and other damage.¡± She explained. ¡°Your diversion won¡¯t prevent this training. You can run until you can¡¯t. Then you wait until you can and you start running again. You will gain 1 speed and 1 endurance today then tomorrow, then the next day and so on. As a priest you may not need the strength but speed and endurance may be the difference between you dying and living, or worse between them living and dying. You complain about an opponent which is beyond your skill, how would your mule complain? Prey does not get to complain predators outclass them. You live or die later based on the choices you make today and tomorrow. All of you are weak but at least they are training.¡±Forala seemed angry by the end of her explanation. ¡°If you want to live leveling up isn¡¯t the only way to do it.¡± Jenora laughed. ¡°Besides I love seeing you work up a sweat sweetie.¡± ¡°THAT¡¯S NOT FUNNY JENORA!¡± Emilie yelled. Jenora just couldn¡¯t help but laugh. ¡°Lets just do it. Use your boost skills as much as you can but let¡¯s go.¡± ¡°My boost spells won¡¯t last long on myself. Not even a minute.¡± She sighed. ¡°Just do what you can. Forala if she collapses we wait and then start jogging and repeat. Leave the hair on her head. Is that acceptable if she doesn¡¯t complain anymore?¡± Jenora asked. ¡°Very well, you will only lose a hair every time you complain. Do you have any complaints?¡± Forala bent over to the priest collapsed on the forest floor with a devious smile. ¡°No.¡± Emilie answered sheepishly while thinking ¡®How did I get in this mess?¡¯ They began jogging again and Cawthorn shouted words of encouragement. ¡°YOU CAN DO IT FASTEST PRIEST TO EVER LIVE!¡± He ducked in front of her face. She swatted at him running after him. ¡°CAW CAW HAH YOU¡¯LL HAVE TO BE QUICKER THAN THAT!¡± Emilie angrily kept rushing forward. This persisted for almost an hour before Emilie fell to her knees. ¡°That was better. It seems spite and frustration are the best motivators for you. I will remember that.¡± Forala noted. ¡°I¡­ can¡¯t¡­ breath¡­¡± Emilie panted. Victor working up a sweat answered. ¡°It¡¯s a lot less than I expected to do this but it¡¯s not easy. Pacing ourselves definitely has helped.¡± Serena didn¡¯t seem to be exerting herself at all. ¡°This is pretty easy. Forala, could you give me Jenora¡¯s armor? I could actually benefit from that.¡± Forala laughed handing it over. ¡°At least one of you gets the point of training. Though considering you thought to claim him it doesn¡¯t surprise me you are the most driven of the group.¡± Jenora said nothing until Cawthorn turned looking her dead in the eyes. ¡°HOW IS YOUR ARM?¡± Jenora turned to the bird. ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡± She said holding her arm to her chest. Her uneasiness caused her to step away from Cawthorn before following up. ¡°It¡¯s not a big deal.¡± Forala clapped. ¡°Alright breaks up stand up.¡± Emilie panted rising from her knees. ¡°WHAT A SHORT PRIEST! SHORT OF BREATH TOO CAW CAW HAH!¡± Cawthorn flapped in front of her slowly taking off as she chased. Cawthorn taunted her constantly over the next hour as the group jogged watching her distraction all of them rather entertained. She collapsed again after another hour. This repeated twice more before the town came into view. ¡°FINALLY!¡± Emilie collapsed. ¡°No, one more hour.¡± Forala stood in front of them. ¡°All of you will circle for one more hour. The sun is overhead it must be a while longer.¡± ¡°NOOO!¡± Emilie screamed. Forala plucked a hair from her head to her grunt of pain. She pointed around the town. ¡°No complaints. Get moving.¡± Emilie pressed on and all of them completed the training. As they all stopped to take a breather before entering the town Victor asked. ¡°Would everyone like to take a moment and level up?¡± Achievement Daily: Short Run: Run 5 miles. Gain 1 speed maximum 100. If not done every day begins decaying at the rate of 1 per day. [ Claim ] Achievement Daily: Moderately active: Be physically active for at least 5 hours. Gain 1 endurance maximum 100. If you have performed this activity two days in a row reduce endurance cost for movement and abilities slightly. If not done every day begins decaying at the rate of 1 per day. [ Claim ] ¡®Looks like against all odds is a one time achievement. That¡¯s unfortunate.¡¯ Victor caught his breath and claimed the achievements. Pulled out Swordie and said ¡°Status Sheet.¡±. ¡®Oh I have to select titles so I can only take one at a time. I also have a free rank up, two rank ups for a Luzuzal skill, and 20 stat points to spend.¡¯ Victor pondered for a moment. ¡®I will use it to pick it Luzuzal¡¯s Delusion Rank 5 . I should rely on the points I get for free and exercise for speed, endurance, and strength baseline stats. For now maximizing flow has to be my priority but first the rank up points. I should rank up the familiar skill. Cawthorn will be pleased. All 20 in flow, hopefully I will finally be able to maintain multiple boosts indefinitely so I don¡¯t have to keep letting them lapse in fights.¡¯ Selected Title: Angelic Knight Race Human: Victor Vance Vogal Class, Specialization : Mage 9, Spellsword 3 Vitality : 19 Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators! Speed : 23 Strength : 22 Prowess : 33 Endurance : 12 Rigor : 2 Willpower : 17 Flow : 67 (+70%) Luck : -42 Resistance : 50% Resistance to mind control and manipulation. Title: Angelic Knight Skills: Speed Reading Rank 2, Academic Rank 2, Familiar Rank 2, Speechless Spellcasting Rank 2, Improved Buffs Rank 2, Rogue Skills Rank 2, Fighter Skills Rank 2 Hidden Skills: Memory Retention , Luzuzal¡¯s Delusion Rank 5 , Luzuzal¡¯s Devout Rank 2, Luzuzal¡¯s Promise Rank 7, Spells: Barrier shield Rank 2, Jolt Rank 2, Speed Boost Rank 2, Magic Writing Rank 1, Vitality Boost Rank 2, Rigor Boost Rank 2, Prowess Boost Rank 2 Current Exp to Level 13 1.0% ¡®The Luzuzal¡¯s Delusion skill seems to give me 5% more flow per rank, that¡¯s not a lot now but if I do get more ranks in it then I might be able to maintain 4 or 5 buffs indefinitely.¡¯ Victor smiled. ¡°Who wants to go next?¡± Serena took Swordie ¡°Status Sheet.¡± She tapped a few times and handed the book to Emilie. She took Swordie. ¡°Status Sheet. At least after all that I leveled up.¡± Jenora urged Emilie. ¡°At least put some points in speed. It¡¯ll make this easier Emilie.¡± ¡°No. I just have to exercise every day. I need those points in vitality, prowess, and flow. I really do HATE that this half-drake is right but she is. We should sell whatever we can and claim the quest reward then spend a month doing this.¡± Emilie handed the book to Jenora. Jenora held Swordie close and said ¡°Status Sheet. Half in vitality half in Strength.¡± Jenora handed it to Forala. ¡°Is this a tome?¡± ¡°He¡¯s something like that. If you say status sheet while holding him you can bring up your character sheet and level up.¡± Victor explained. ¡°Status sheet.¡± Her eyes lit up. ¡°I¡¯ve never seen my own stats before¡­ It appears I have a level up to use. How long can I use it?¡± ¡°30 days from when you get it. If you want to ask Swordie questions I¡¯m sure he can offer advice.¡± Victor added. ¡°Princess Forala Medot how may I help you?¡± Swordie asked. ¡°What skills could I get with my 160 available status points?¡± She asked. ¡°160!?¡± Jenora asked astonished. ¡°It says I have 160 available status points. I reached level 60.¡± ¡°LEVEL 60!¡± Jenora stood aghast. ¡°I Knew you were stronger than us but that is a level approaching a national hero.¡± She smiled up at Jenora. ¡°Don¡¯t forget it!¡± Swordie poked in. ¡°Your basic skills have increased naturally as you tiered up. Given most skills don¡¯t work in both of your forms I strongly recommend maximizing your stats. Your strength and speed are exceptional but your health is low for your level.¡± ¡°How much health does she have?¡± Victor asked curiously. ¡°3,520 health.¡± Forala replied. ¡°Allocate all of those points to vitality. Thank you for your assistance.¡± She tapped accept and handed Swordie back. ¡°3,520 health is low?¡± Victor asked not really considering just how much lower he was on the totem pole. ¡°For her level most characters would have at least 5,000 to 7,000 health. Some go with much more.¡± Swordie noted. ¡°After spending those points on vitality she has a much more balanced stat array.¡± Emilie looked at her realizing despite her stature. ¡°She has more health than all of us put together.¡± ¡°It¡¯s because she is such a high level.¡± Victor noted. Forala put her arms on her hips. ¡°That¡¯s because I stand and fight any enemy that attacks me one on one. I only back down when I¡¯m hopelessly outnumbered. Even though I¡¯d almost definitely die to their leader, I would fight that dragon one on one. I know that I can¡¯t win with more enemies than just him in the battle but there is a chance the size of an ant I¡¯d still fight him.¡± ¡°That¡¯s incredibly risky.¡± Serena noted. ¡°It is, I die or win. That¡¯s all there is to it.¡± Forala nodded. ¡°Is that the best way to live?¡± Victor asked. ¡°It¡¯s not the best way to live. It¡¯s the best way to get stronger.¡± She corrected them. ¡°If you want to be strong don¡¯t back down from any fight which you have a chance to win. If you want to live back down from any fight you have a chance to lose.¡± Forala pointed at Victor. ¡°I hope you choose to be strong. Few people like you do, and if this world had more of them my family might be alive right now.¡± Serena shook her head. ¡°Wait a minute you can get incrementally stronger over time, even if you fight things just a bit weaker than you.¡± ¡°How has that faired you for the past years?¡± Forala asked. ¡°I¡¯ve been a slave for the past few years.¡± She shot back. ¡°Fighting against those enemies hasn¡¯t even gotten one of you to tier 3. All of you want to fight enemies far below what you can actually defeat especially as a coordinated group. How many of you have gotten 6 or more levels in a single year?¡± She waited. Victor raised his hand. ¡°I was level 4 earlier this month.¡± ¡°Goddess why do you have to already be claimed.¡± Forala closed her eyes and ran her hand over her face. Serena glared at her. ¡°He is already claimed.¡± ¡°I am painfully aware.¡± Forala sighed. ¡°Victor can you explain to them why you¡¯ve gained 8 levels in a month!?¡± ¡°Well I¡¯m low level so I¡¯m sure it is easier to level up.¡± Victor noted. ¡°I meant specifically what did you do? Most people at low levels don¡¯t hit level 10 in 18 YEARS let alone 18 days.¡± Forala noted. ¡°Well I went to a goblin den alone and found Serena enslaved and dying because two slavers were using her for bait. I killed them and rescued her.¡± Victor noted. ¡°You murdered two people to free a slave?¡± Jenora asked. ¡°They had a slave. Really all I needed to know about them.¡± Victor shrugged. ¡°You had no idea what level they were and just killed them?¡± Jenora continued. ¡°It just felt like the right thing to do.¡± Victor noted before continuing along. ¡°I tried to save people when we arrived at a town under attack by bandits. I failed miserably and cowered. It felt so wrong. The next day I went to a keep with a lot of undead headed by an undead mage. I pulled out undead after undead killing them before one of those 4 armed giant skeletons came out and nearly killed us. Someone saved us and cleared out the keep. Then we convinced him to go back and help us with the bandits who attacked the town and save those they kidnapped.¡± ¡°You missed the part where you only went to kill those undead because you wanted to save those the bandits kidnapped.¡± Serena smiled. Forala sighed. ¡°I bet on your travels toward the border you encountered monsters far stronger than you that you could easily avoid and yet you still fought them.¡± ¡°Well yes Gargrim helped us with them but I probably would have tried to fight at least the troll, it would have killed someone else if we didn¡¯t clear it out.¡± Victor noted. ¡°You would have tried to fight a troll?¡± Jenora looked as though she had just been witness to the dumbest man alive making the dumbest choices in history. ¡°Well the troll would have been suicide without Gargrim so I would have picked him up and ran but I believe he would have done that.¡± Serena slapped Victor on the back. Forala held up a hand. ¡°Enough the three of them get the picture. His reason for fighting wasn¡¯t to be stronger, but he had a reason for fighting. He wouldn¡¯t back down unless it was absolutely impossible and even when it was impossible he went to look for another solution. Victor, choose strength. This method of training isn¡¯t merely intended to keep you away from danger it¡¯s intended to keep him away from choices that would put him in danger while making him stronger because it is clear to me he just cannot control himself.¡± Serena nodded. ¡°That is undoubtedly true. He saw slaves being traded across the border in Tinik and it took a lot of restraint for him to not immediately attack the slave auction house.¡± Jenora marveled confused and asked. ¡°You know it¡¯s illegal to free slaves right?¡± ¡°Is it not illegal to kidnap them?¡± Victor asked. ¡°Well it¡¯s illegal to kidnap your own people and sell them into slaves in most countries but it is not usually illegal to enslave people from other countries.¡± Jenora answered. ¡°That¡¯s bullshit.¡± Victor shook his head. ¡°Would any of you own slaves?¡± ¡°No.¡± Jenora answered. Serena laughed at such an absurd prospect. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t. I don¡¯t want to be one.¡± Emilie noted. Forala scoffed. ¡°Slavery is for those who aren¡¯t brave enough to die for their conviction. I wouldn¡¯t need someone like that serving me.¡± ¡°If it¡¯s illegal for me to free slaves I don¡¯t mind being an outlaw.¡± Victor nodded. ¡°If you are traveling with me expect the law to chase us at some point.¡± ¡°What about devils?¡± Jenora asked. ¡°What about devils? I don¡¯t know much about them.¡± Victor asked. ¡°They are usually deemed to evil to even take as slaves so people execute the ones they come across.¡± Jenora pressed. ¡°If the devil wasn¡¯t violently attacking us or innocents and we can reason with them I don¡¯t see why that shouldn¡¯t be the first thing to try.¡± Victor shrugged. ¡°Being a race doesn¡¯t automatically make you evil even if it somehow makes you inclined to evil.¡± Jenora eased back. ¡°I see.¡± Emilie shook her head. ¡°No way, just like with that skeleton any devil you encounter would be horrifically evil. They might have slain hundreds, or been a torturer, or even worse.¡± Forala stepped forward cutting off the conversation. ¡°Regardless. His drive, his goals, force him to act. If he gains half as many levels every month for the remaining 11 months of this year as he gained this month he will be level 56 in ONE YEAR! That¡¯s even more aggressive than me.¡± Serena noted. ¡°If he acts like that all year he¡¯ll be dead.¡± Victor stepped up. ¡°I was hoping to hit level 100. It¡¯s become clear to me that without powerful artifacts and a high level you can¡¯t make any real change in this world. Would the two of you like to accompany us on that journey?¡± Jenora looked at Emilie. ¡°They¡¯re serious.¡± Emilie laughed. ¡°Yeah let¡¯s try to reach level 100.¡± Forala smiled. ¡°What an inspiration. Let¡¯s go into town and get some rooms. I will require you pay for my room and food. Consider it the cost of my training.¡± ¡°Deal, and a great deal at that thank you Forala.¡± Victor replied. Chapter 30: To new friends and family Emilie had long since forgotten to sell or destroy the book. A month passed in this routine with Cawthorn taunting Emilie every day before finally 31 days later she caught Cawthorn and cast ¡°SILENCE!¡± She paused for a moment with a growing smile on her face. ¡°I DID IT!¡± She kept running and let Cawthorn go. Emilie celebrated jubilantly as the others around her jogged in place. She leapt up on Jenora. ¡°We¡¯ve gotten so much better over this month.¡± Victor pulled out Swordie and said ¡°Status Sheet.¡± Selected Title: Angelic Knight Race Human: Victor Vance Vogal Class, Specialization : Mage 9, Spellsword 3 Base Health : 190 Vitality : 19 Speed : 53 Strength : 22 Prowess : 33 Endurance : 42 Rigor : 2 Willpower : 17 Flow : 67 (+70%) Luck : -42 Resistance : 50% Resistance to mind control and manipulation. Title: Angelic Knight Skills: Speed Reading Rank 2, Academic Rank 2, Familiar Rank 2, Speechless Spellcasting Rank 2, Improved Buffs Rank 2, Rogue Skills Rank 2, Fighter Skills Rank 2 Hidden Skills: Memory Retention , Luzuzal¡¯s Delusion Rank 5 , Luzuzal¡¯s Devout Rank 2, Luzuzal¡¯s Promise Rank 7, Spells: Barrier shield Rank 2, Jolt Rank 2, Speed Boost Rank 2, Magic Writing Rank 1, Vitality Boost Rank 2, Rigor Boost Rank 2, Prowess Boost Rank 2 Current Exp to Level 13 1.0% Victor pumped his fist and handed Swordie to Serena. ¡°I appear to have reached the maximum strength and speed from those achievements over the past month. Endurance went up though.¡± She handed it to Emilie who pulled up her ¡°Status Sheet.¡± She practically danced handing it off to Jenora. ¡°I gained speed and endurance. My strength was already at the max for those achievements.¡± Forala smiled. ¡°Now the real training begins.¡± ¡°What?! That wasn¡¯t it?¡± Emilie groaned. ¡°It was a baseline. I want to take all of you to a larger city and see if you can find an artifact.¡± Forala tapped her chin. ¡°What cities are close to here?¡± Jenora spoke up. ¡°Cronlyn is a port city that leads to the Great Ocean Lydnir to the west. Wonora is a centralized trade city nearer the capitol city of Kival. Honestly between the two Cronlyn is safer. Great Ocean Lydnir separates the major continents by huge stretches of ocean, and Wonora is well known for being dangerous because despite not being the capitol it is the biggest city. It¡¯s grown out of control due to its position at the center of this country and hundreds of roads.¡± Forala smiled. ¡°What a perfect dichotomy for your group. The safe route or the dangerous one which will it be?¡± Victor didn¡¯t need to think even for a moment. ¡°To Wonora.¡± Emilie protested. ¡°Wait shouldn¡¯t we discuss it first?¡± Jenora agreed with Victor. ¡°If we chose the easy path and he heads there He¡¯ll be level 20 perhaps even level 25 before we even reach level 15.¡± ¡°Or he¡¯ll be dead.¡± Emilie glared. ¡°In which case it wouldn¡¯t matter.¡± Forala shrugged. ¡°If you die you won¡¯t be suffering.¡± ¡°If Jenora died it would matter to me!¡± Emilie protested. Serena agreed. ¡°I agree. If he dies it will hurt me immensely.¡± ¡°Then die defending him. Die with them. Don¡¯t run¡­ Don¡¯t run like I did.¡± Forala looked down at her feet. ¡°Even if it¡¯s hopeless don¡¯t run unless you can all run.¡± The conversation quieted for a few moments before Victor asked a question. ¡°Do guilds exist here? Clans? Something like that.¡± Jenora perked up. ¡°There are many guilds mostly smaller guilds less than 50 people in size. They are the safest way to find a group but usually require some significant commitment. Emilie wasn¡¯t willing to commit to any of them.¡± ¡°Their requirements were insane! They take all the artifacts you find and sell them then take 25% of the proceeds. They take 25% of your quest rewards. The only things they offer are shelter, food, and leads on quests or artifacts. They offer NOTHING else. It¡¯s such a rip off.¡± She groaned. ¡°That wasn¡¯t all guilds Emilie just the one we looked at.¡± Jenora noted. ¡°They said it was standard! That every guild in the city would take that much! It wasn¡¯t even worth looking if that is true, and the second guild I looked at took 20% of everything which is still outrageous!¡± Emilie folded her arms. ¡°Well they were the largest guilds. It makes sense they would have the most expensive dues.¡± Jenora noted. ¡°25% is way too much.¡± Serena agreed. ¡°I¡¯m inclined to agree.¡± Victor nodded. You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story. ¡°HAH! Right again.¡± Emilie¡¯s fists shot into the air with a smile on her face. ¡°Victor is learning to side with the smartest member of the stars!¡± Cawthorn crowed. ¡°HE ALWAYS SIDES WITH ME!¡± ¡°Damn my mana ran out.¡± She groaned. Serena raised an eyebrow. ¡°The stars? Is that what we are calling ourselves now?¡± ¡°Well it¡¯s short for the Stars of Verdan unless you have better shorthand.¡± Emilie noted. ¡°No notes, the stars is good shorthand.¡± Victor gave a thumbs up. ¡°THE STARS WILL SHINE ALL OVER VERDAN!¡± Cawthorn proclaimed. ¡°I need enough mana regeneration to sustain silence forever. ¡° Emilie sighed. ¡°I¡¯ve been meaning to ask can¡¯t you use that to silence a mage or cleric?¡± Victor asked. ¡°If I can get close to them, that¡¯s why I took it in the first place. The issue was prior to now I was way too slow. It¡¯s still mana intensive and you can¡¯t use it on people who have a higher tier than the skill. It works on enemies one tier up because priest increases my effective level for skills by 10, but it doesn¡¯t work on those further ahead than that.¡± She shrugged. Serena cut in. ¡°Does this mean we are set to go to Wonora?¡± ¡°Unless there are any objections.¡± Victor waited for a few moments. ¡°TO WONORA! TO FAME AND FORTUNE!¡± Cawthorn proclaimed. Emilie smiled and pointed at Victor. ¡°As long as we aren¡¯t forced to join a guild this sounds great to me!¡± Serena shrugged. ¡°I¡¯ll acclimate to it. Let¡¯s go.¡± Jenora nodded. ¡°For a man as strange as you I have more faith in your leadership and Foralas training than any group we¡¯ve been in so far.¡± Forala noted. ¡°On that note I had considered something we could do.¡± ¡°Oh do tell.¡± Victor turned to her. ¡°I do not know what Peria requires for a guild to be formed but given your goals wealth doesn¡¯t seem to be a prudent pursuit. Instead I think forming a guild where the goal is to find artifacts and give them to members of the guild more in line with your goals.¡± Forala noted. ¡°We can check on the requirements but if we did that how would we fund the guild? A guild hall, information, etcetera we have to fund it somehow and if you don¡¯t do that no one will join.¡± Jenora noted. Victor raised a finger. ¡°What if we made it clear our guild wasn¡¯t about getting rich. First do a quest, then artifact hunting mission. The gold from the quest goes to the guild at 50% but the artifact hunting information the members decide how to split it if they sell it at all.¡± ¡°Well yeah but how do you split an artifact?¡± Emilie asked. ¡°It¡¯s not like if a powerful sword comes up and you find it a priest could use it.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a good point.¡± Victor started to think not sure how to solve the issue. ¡°What about a contractual deposit?¡± Serena asked. ¡°We let people join with a 1000 gold deposit. If they stay for at least twice the number of missions their party joined with so they all are guaranteed an artifact they get their deposit back.¡± ¡°Nah that would be a bad idea we¡¯d never get new talent.¡± Victor tilted his head still thinking. ¡°The minimum quest idea is good but how do we enforce it without financial penalties?¡± ¡°I mean you have to punish people who fail somehow right? If the group isn¡¯t close friends something like that won¡¯t work without some incentive system.¡± Jenora noted. ¡°While that is important the reason I asked is because I am not able to travel with you. If I do I effectively inhibit your growth and my own. Instead I should take the position of guild master.¡± Forala noted. ¡°It lets me live in the city and stay around you without preventing your growth. Who knows I might find someone worthy of being claimed there.¡± Victor put up one finger. ¡°I think if you want to find someone in a human settlement you may have to look somewhat older.¡± ¡°I can use my skill to make myself larger.¡± She placed her hand on her chest. ¡°Gigantify.¡± She stood at Victor¡¯s height growing all of her assets. ¡°This high? Or perhaps this high?¡± She stood now with Victor¡¯s head at her shoulder as all of them looked up. ¡°Giant princess is scary.¡± Cawthorn shrunk back behind Victor. Both Emilie and Jenora at the same time noted. ¡°Wow.¡± The turned red and turned to each other laughing. Serena shifted nervously. ¡°Well yeah but how long does the skill last?¡± ¡°My stamina regeneration out paces it¡¯s consumption. The smaller form is my default since this consumes stamina. There is a similar magic version of this skill but it¡¯s so much worse because it¡¯s a duration spell and not a sustained skill, you also can¡¯t use it on the caster only someone else.¡± She noted. Victor nodded. ¡°I think it looks great. We should get going today.¡± ¡°Won¡¯t we be traveling at night then? It¡¯s already past midday.¡± Serena noted. ¡°How many days is it to Wonora?¡± Victor asked. ¡°It is 6 days to Wonora.¡± Jenora spoke up. ¡°Well then we may as well get walking. We should keep moving and not get complacent. We spent this month effectively relaxing and as Forala said now the real training begins. We can fight longer, faster, and stronger than we could before and we weren¡¯t in any danger, but we didn¡¯t level up. We gained no combat experience and we didn¡¯t gain any gold.¡± Victor noted. Forala clapped her new much larger hands together. ¡°We go!¡± The group began to travel to the road and started to walk along the dirt road with several carts around them going both directions. As they slowly proceeded away from the town the herd of wagons and carts thinned. The group continued talking and joking jovially as they traveled. Daylight waned over the treetops rustling in the wind. Soon the town faded into the horizon behind them and darkness fell. ¡°Should we make camp?¡± Emilie asked. ¡°It is about time to camp.¡± Forala quickly collected firewood by snapping branch after branch. The group walked to the side of the road near a dirt patch as Forala lit the fire. ¡°I will take first watch. Who will take second?¡± Serena raised her hand. ¡°I will. The magic users need their rest. It is hard to sleep out here anyway.¡± Emilie nodded. ¡°She gets it!¡± ¡°Why shouldn¡¯t magic users keep watch?¡± Victor asked. Serena explained. ¡°Mana Fatigue. If a magic user gets less than 6 hours of sleep they suffer from mana fatigue reducing their mana regeneration. You only need 4 hours of sleep to avoid getting ordinary fatigue which inhibits your stamina regeneration.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll cook.¡± Jenora pulled out pan. ¡°One moment.¡± Forala leapt into the darkness grabbing a pair of rabbits and snapping their necks. ¡°This should be sufficient for a stew.¡± ¡°That was really fast.¡± Victor noted. ¡°I¡¯ve hunted my entire life. Excluding each of you, and Cawthorn I see 8 other possible sources of meat for the stew.¡± She explained. ¡°I had one other question. Your black dress, it changed size with you. What is it?¡± Victor noticed. ¡°Shapeshifter Silk. If you change shape it changes with you and if you switch out of humanoid form it melts into your skin.¡± Forala explained. ¡°My father left it to me.¡± Jenora started cooking stew while Victor followed up. ¡°You¡¯ve said a lot about him but I don¡¯t even know his name.¡± ¡°His name was Devon Ruiz, brother of Adam Ruiz. He left the royal court of Hoxal after an assassination attempt by his brother Adam Ruiz who then seized the throne. That was 30 years ago in 9994 A.H. my dad didn¡¯t live much longer after he met my mother because he had been struck by a fatal disease and our clutch didn¡¯t have the magic or medicine to fix it. I barely knew him but he left a lot of things behind for me books, this shapeshifting silk, and a few other odds and ends much of which I lost over the years.¡± She smiled fondly reminiscing about what she had lost. ¡°My mother talked about him all the time.¡± ¡°I hope one day you get justice and that dragon and king get what they deserve.¡± Victor put his hand on her back. ¡°There¡¯s no reason to seek vengeance. It won¡¯t get me back anything I¡¯ve lost.¡± She paused as a smile stretched across her face. ¡°I would enjoy it if the opportunity presented itself though. What about each of you where are your parents?¡± ¡°Mine are dead, but Swordie is more of a father to me than my own dad ever was.¡± Victor smiled. Swordie answered with overwhelming pride. ¡°Parenting this young knight has been the greatest undertaking in my existence. He is pure.¡± Victor smiled at Swordie holding him in his hands. He pulled Swordie close and the book glowed faintly. ¡°Sorry, I was overcome with emotion.¡± Serena went next. ¡°My parents are dead. They died shortly after my village was raided and I was made into a slave.¡± Emilie shook her head. ¡°My story is too long but the short version is my parents sent me to a nunnery then on the day of the pilgrimage I returned to them only to find a vampire who had killed my father and turned my mother.¡± Cawthorn crowed up. ¡°MY PARENTS ARE ALIVE AND WELL AT THE ROYAL ROOKERY IN EXCELCIA!¡± Victor turned to him. ¡°Your parents are alive?¡± ¡°CAW CAW HAH MY PARENTS ARE THE GREATEST PARENTS IN THE STARS OF VERDAN! THEY ARE STILL ALIVE!¡± Cawthorn boasted. ¡°What about you?¡± Forala turned to Jenora. Emilie let out a little laugh. ¡°Good luck. She won¡¯t even tell me and I¡¯ve seen her naked. She¡¯ll tell me one day but you¡¯re not getting it out of her.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want to talk about it.¡± Jenora shook her head with an open inviting stance. ¡°It¡¯s not worth talking about and it¡¯s a profoundly shitty memory.¡± ¡°I could beat it out of you.¡± Forala noted. ¡°No you couldn¡¯t. If you killed me I still wouldn¡¯t speak that story even on my deathbed.¡± Jenora noted. Forala shrugged. ¡°It was not a threat. Apologies. I respect your conviction.¡± Jenora raised her water skin. ¡°To mutual respect.¡± The others raised their drinks for a toast. ¡°To respect.¡± Forala smiled. ¡°Get some sleep all of you. I will wake you Serena when it is your turn to watch.¡± Chapter 31: A Fair Fight Once again Victor woke up last, however this time he woke up to the feeling of a foot connecting with his face at high speed. He rolled back into a tree with a distinct crack as he tumbled over branches and rocks. -28 health ¡°AHG! WHAT THE HELL!?¡± Victor asked. ¡°I told you it would start to get painful to sleep in. I gave you the entire month to learn your lesson. Up, now.¡± Forala stood over him. Victor snapped to his feet. ¡°Yes Forala.¡± Serena yelled. ¡°HEY! Don¡¯t do that to him.¡± ¡°I told him if he kept sleeping in I¡¯d do it.¡± Forala noted. ¡°I meant let me do it next time.¡± Serena added. ¡°What!?¡± Victor asked confused. ¡°You won¡¯t always be there when he wakes up I will. I need to get used to doing it.¡± Serena nodded. ¡°Very well, since you have claimed him I will defer to you on this matter.¡± Forala agreed. ¡°Wait, so if I don¡¯t wake up first you¡¯re going to kick me awake?¡± Victor asked. ¡°Well I might slap you or use a bucket of water. It¡¯s not exclusively limited to feet.¡± Serena noted. ¡°You are vulnerable while sleeping and you sleep way too soundly, like you¡¯ve never been in danger your entire life. Sleeping light is required for both adventurers and artifact hunters.¡± ¡°Fine, fine I get it. Emilie could you please heal me?¡± Victor asked with a cheery positivity. ¡°Regeneration. Let this be a lesson to you to be up on time.¡± Emilie waged her finger disappointed. ¡°It¡¯s not like any of us aren¡¯t up at dawn every day.¡± Serena echoed them in agreement. ¡°You¡¯ve got to be up on time, no matter how incredible you are if you wake up late in a dungeon or behind enemy lines you or everyone else could die.¡± Cawthorn crowed. ¡°MY MAGE I TRIED TO STOP THEM! YOU NEED YOUR REST!¡± ¡°Fine, I will work on getting up on time. Sorry.¡± His earnest apology as he wiped the sleep from his eyes seemed sincere to those around him. Regenerated 22 health Regenerated 20 health Regenerated 20 health Regenerated 20 health Health has been fully recovered. ¡°Your healing magic is a lot stronger now. It didn¡¯t even take two seconds to heal me.¡± ¡°Skill rank ups basically double the effectiveness of a spell or skill for most skills. Since it¡¯s a rank 3 skill I even got to customize it. My regeneration now grants increased healing the lower health you are and always activates before health loss in the same second.¡± Emilie noted with a perky smile. ¡°Customize it?¡± Victor asked having forgotten what he was told before. ¡°At rank 3 the boost I chose increased the amount of health recovered and the speed with which it applies. That¡¯s what I mean.¡± Emilie explained. ¡°Awesome.¡± Victor gave cheery thumbs up. ¡°Considering how much health we apparently will have as we level up something like that seems critical to our survival.¡± ¡°Let us go.¡± Forala clapped. Everyone snapped to attention and they began to jog down the road cheerily. ¡°I¡¯m glad you¡¯ve all learned traveling between towns needs to be exercise so quickly. If you do that you¡¯ll rarely lose any strength, speed, or endurance from those achievements.¡± Serena shrugged. ¡°It helps, but we need to gain more levels. Skill ranks are a huge deal.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry I took the kill for the skeletal mage.¡± Victor looked to her frowning with a sigh. ¡°It would have caught you up in levels for sure and you¡¯d be level 12 by now.¡± Serena¡¯s head faced the ground clearly upset at the mismatch. ¡°If you hadn¡¯t done it we¡¯d all be dead. That isn¡¯t your fault, it¡¯s mine. I did reach level 11, but I am worried I will fall behind.¡± Emilie breathing heavily still having trouble with jogging for a long period of time. ¡°Yeah I feel the same way. Clerics but especially priests always fall behind and often get kicked out of groups for falling level after level behind since kills provide the most experience.¡± ¡°Can¡¯t you take an attack spell?¡± Victor asked. ¡°Well yeah but my prowess is going to be terrible. I¡¯ve already decided if I need to kill something I need a weapon and have to burn a ton of mana on strength boosting myself. That¡¯s why I am now carrying the cooking stuff and my own bedroll.¡± Emilie shrugged. Serena added. ¡°I couldn¡¯t break his barrier. I couldn¡¯t do enough damage to him.¡± Jenora perked up and tried to cheer Serena up. ¡°Ah don¡¯t worry about it. Rogues traditionally use piercing and slashing weapons like bows and daggers which are extremely bad against skeletons. Basically everything we fought in that dungeon was just a bad matchup for you. Undead in general aren¡¯t a good matchup for rogues but skeletons especially. Oozes are bad for anyone using a weapon. The golem, well that¡¯s just way too durable for anyone here to actually damage besides Victor. If it weren¡¯t for you we¡¯d have had to fight several additional rooms and would have died to traps.¡± Serena didn¡¯t cheer up and gave a glum. ¡°Yeah, thanks.¡± Victor jogged up next to her with a smile. ¡°Aw come on. It¡¯s alright. I¡¯m sure there are things I will be immensely worse at than the rest of you.¡± ¡°There are a lot of magic resistant monsters and a lot of elemental resistant monsters. Devils are particularly resistant to magic.¡± Jenora noted. ¡°What about Demons?¡± Emilie asked. ¡°Aren¡¯t they also resistant to magic?¡± ¡°Yes they are.¡± Jenora paused with a long almost eerie pause. ¡°Demons are a lot more dangerous because they are much more monstrous and hungry compared to devils.¡± Forala laughed. ¡°Everything is food if you¡¯re strong enough. How monstrous they are doesn¡¯t matter all that matters is level and skill.¡± Serena got a long disgusted face. ¡°I¡¯m going to give you a tip. Don¡¯t talk about eating to anyone you are looking to claim.¡± Forala smiled warmly and her voice seemed almost chipper. ¡°You¡¯ll have to train me in that arena.¡± ¡°Second tip, use your gigantify basically all the time. Men will love that.¡± Serena nodded knowingly. Victor tried to steer away the conversation from Forala now towering over him in a tight black dress so that he could stop staring. ¡°Can we get a quick read on levels? I ask because it strikes me as a bad choice to let someone fall behind. I¡¯m level 12.¡± ¡°It appears Victor agrees with you Serena.¡± Forala smirked leaning down. ¡°I¡¯m 60.¡± ¡°I¡¯m level 11.¡± Serena pouted jealously as Forala towered over her. ¡°I¡¯m level 11.¡± Emilie noted. ¡°I¡¯m level 12.¡± Jenora chimed in. ¡°I¡¯M LEVEL 12!¡± Cawthorn proclaimed. ¡°Wait you level up too?¡± Victor asked. ¡°OF COURSE MY MAGE! MY LEVEL INCREASES AS YOURS DOES!¡± Cawthorn proclaimed. ¡°You haven¡¯t been using the book to level up though. Aren¡¯t you wasting your points?¡± Victor turned to him looking for what he assumed would be a loud and stupid answer. ¡°I SHARE YOUR STATS MY MAGE! SINCE YOU LEVELED UP THE FAMILIAR SKILL I SHARE THEM ALL NOT JUST PHYSICAL STATS!¡± Cawthorn crowed with great pride. ¡°Wait do you also share my skills? That¡¯s way more powerful than I expected.¡± Victor turned to Cawthorn Swordie interrupted assuming this conversation would devolve into pointless chatter. ¡°Each rank of the familiar skill improves what is shared. First rank physical stats are shared, then mental. After that your familiar shares your non-hidden, non-innate, non-unique skills. From there various enhancements to the skill accomplish various different improvements to the skill. What would like to know about the skill?¡± ¡°Can Cawthorn ever cast spells I know?¡± Victor asked. ¡°That is an option at rank 6.¡± Swordie remarked bluntly. A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. ¡°Does he draw from my mana or have his own?¡± Victor continued deeply interested. ¡°Yours, however at rank 9 there is an option to give him his own mana separate from yours.¡± Swordie noted with a bit of cheer in his voice. Cawthorn couldn¡¯t maintain his joy. ¡°MY MAGE! I COULD SHARE IN THE GREATEST SPELL LIST OF ALL TIME!¡± ¡°What about his skills? Can I share them at any point?¡± Victor continued his deep curiosity. ¡°At Rank 3 that is an option.¡± Swordie noted. ¡°However he won¡¯t be able to buy new skills, only learn them and rank up existing skills since he shares your stat points.¡± ¡°MY MAGE! WE MUST ADVANCE POST HASTE!¡± Cawthorn declared. The group continued this way for three more days discussing strategy and possible guild rules with a jovial and upbeat attitude. Each night they watched vigilantly. Every day Forala and Serena always watched the trees carefully. The group reached an area where the ancient trees towered over them ten times taller than they had earlier in the path. The sun and warm breeze continued to accommodate them despite being buried in the forest and improve their travels until midday when the sun beat down on them through the small crack in the canopy. The first arrow was caught an inch from Emilie by Forala. A man whistled from a tree limb. ¡°Impressive. Since you¡¯re that strong how about joining us and ditching the dead weight. You look good, and you¡¯re good looking.¡± The man with a feathered green cap and long pointy ears pointed another arrow in his wide green bow at them. ¡°If they drop everything they have we¡¯ll even let them live and they can go on their way.¡± More than 40 men began pointing arrows at them from the trees above all dressed in green with green caps. ¡°BARRIER SHIELD!¡± Jenora put up a barrier angrily. ¡°BARRIER SPHERE!¡± Emilie put up her barrier sweating with a heart racing out of her body. ¡°Come on now you can¡¯t really believe you¡¯re going to win here right?¡± The elf smirked confidently. Victor doubled over laughing. ¡°You missed your literal only shot. You¡¯re all so dead.¡± Forala turned to Victor nudging him playfully. ¡°Don¡¯t spoil it for them.¡± Serena smiled. ¡°Based on nothing but a guess he¡¯s the only one above tier 1.¡± Cawthorn crowed. ¡°ALL WHITE! ONE YELLOW! ONE SKULL!¡± ¡°What are you talking about Cawthorn?¡± Victor asked. Cawthorn quietly informed him with his wing covering his mouth to whisper. ¡°I setup my eagle eye to determine the approximate strength of enemies. White dots are lower level, yellow dots are close to our level, red is significantly above, black is greatly above, and skull is beyond my ability to read. The skull is above them all in the tree. He¡¯s practically sleeping.¡± ¡°Serena, you and Forala will have to deal with this. I need to help Jenora protect Emilie from becoming a pincushion.¡± Victor nodded. ¡°Have you decided yet tall woman?¡± The man called out irritated she hadn¡¯t stepped out of the barriers. Forala giggled eager to show off. ¡°Serena If you can get 5 of them before I kill the rest I¡¯d consider it an incredible success. Ready?¡± ¡°FIRE MEN!¡± 40 arrows surged toward them dotting the air like a swarm of birds Serena rushed past them but before she could reach the first bandit she heard a ripping, a tearing as though the ground itself gave way to the unparallel might of a tornado. A gale followed putting wind to Serena¡¯s back practically accelerating her. An easy decapitation of the first bandit, her eyes turned with the head still mid air she barely glimpsed a vision of Forala with a massive log that swatted most of the arrows out of the air. She noticed 7 bandits falling to the ground likely to their deaths. Serena darted to the next bandit leaping up the trees. He drew another arrow but it never reached the bow as she threw a dagger into his skull mercilessly ending him. His lifeless body began collapsing forward but Serena landed on it kicking off with vigor far surpassing those around her. Ascending the massive verdant trees she managed to find a third who diligently drew his weapon to block only to be overwhelmed by the flurry of daggers landing on him. Forala darted around with the massive swinging it like a baseball bat with 20 balls mid air, determined to hit each and every one with a satisfying crack turning bandit after bandit into red paste on a tree. Her joy almost seemed as though this stress relief was something she missed. She was so relaxed with her gleeful smile flashing between swings that it began to unnerve the foolish bandits who had assaulted them. The one who shot at Emilie originally called up to the one far up the tree. ¡°BOSS THEY¡¯RE KILLING US YOU HAVE TO DO SOMETHING!¡± His voice was quiet yet even through the combat every single person there heard his words as though reality muted itself for a moment in reverence. ¡°Then your deaths are earned. You had the element of surprise, numbers, and terrain and you lost miserably. He would be ashamed of you. Die as you deserve.¡± He dropped an apple core on the green hat causing him to lose his balance forcing him to drop to a lower tree branch. Forala continued her massacre the helpless bandits Serena managed to find yet another bandit below her. She ran down the slightly angled tree at top speed avoiding two arrows before burying her dagger in his skull. She pulled out her bow aimed with great care and took a shot at the man talking. It flew past him scratching his cheek. ¡°Damn.¡± She shot again and again but he dodged repeatedly. The screams of his men stopped as a roar from a black drake echoed through the forest. Below the man a massive maw snapped the branch he stood on disappeared into her mouth along with his boots, feet still in them. He let loose a scream, cracking, breaking bones as he found himself on the ground begging for his life still in her sharp painful teeth ¡°PLEASE SPARE ME!¡± The elf pleaded. Forala growled angrily. ¡°Pathetic. Serena, kill this man.¡± Serena landed squarely on his head crushing it beneath her feet. ¡°Was that 5?¡± ¡°Yes. They were really weak. Like level 4 or 5 tops. They were all young too.¡± Serena noted. The man far above dropped from the tree a massive black greatsword with crackling red energy coursing across it on his back. He crashed to the ground in a cloud of dirt and grime rose as the ground cracked beneath his feet. His aura gave off a feeling of menacing disinterest. He stomped toward Serena and Forala rather slowly with his hand in his pockets. ¡°First of all bravo to the short girl. For those four you killed. Second of all WHAT THE FUCK IS WRONG WITH YOU TWO! That was the drakes kill.¡± Victor spoke up aggressively defending her. ¡°It¡¯s the right plan to make the group more balanced. She needed it.¡± ¡°You do not NEED a kill. For your impressive display of violence and her impressive display of strength I will give you the opportunity to fight me in a Fair Fight instead of slaughtering you without even speaking to you.¡± He drew his blade with one hand letting it thud on the dirt road. The dirt around it turned black almost instantly the deathly smell filled the air. ¡°RUN MY MAGE!¡± Cawthorn pleaded with a rare desperation in his voice. ¡°Who are you? Why are you attacking us?¡± Victor asked practically desperate for an answer. Even without Cawthorn it was clear to everyone in the group that they were overmatched. They could only hope against hope that Forala could protect them. ¡°I am Zolvorn chosen of Gizixil. I attack you because violence is the best way to communicate. You can speak, plead, or think anything you want but when it comes to a life or death fight you cannot do anything other than communicate your true desires. The three of you I will deal with later. First these two lovely ladies, which of you shall go first?¡± Zolvorn pulled back his red hood revealing his elven ears. Forala attacked with a quick lunge without asking. The red streaks behind the greatsword ignited the air. It infused with the fatal bloody wound suddenly flowing Forala as she flew through tree after tree into the distance. Emilie took off running toward her darting around trees hopelessly chasing her until she crashed into a pile of rocks bloodied and slashed from jaw to gut. Swordie cut in. ¡°Sir Victor. This is an unwinnable fight which you cannot flee from.¡± ¡°Did you just tell me I¡¯m dead?¡± Victor asked. ¡°Not presently, but eminently Sir.¡± Swordie shot back dripping with sarcasm before adding with respect. ¡°It¡¯s been an honor sir.¡± ¡°Cawthorn flee. You don¡¯t deserve to die too.¡± Victor nodded with a smile. ¡°I SHALL DIE WITH MY MAGE!¡± Cawthorn declared bristling his feathers. Jenora turned to Victor. ¡°We¡¯re going to die aren¡¯t we?¡± ¡°Go to Emilie, get out of here.¡± Victor nodded. He balanced his blade on his shoulder casually shaking his head. ¡°Running isn¡¯t going to help them. I¡¯ll offer her a Fair Fight . If she wins you all live. No one has won against me yet other than Gizixil himself.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll fight you in her stead please.¡± Victor offered drawing his blade and pointing it toward Zolvorn with killing intent. ¡°Cute.¡± Victor tried to dodge the pebble Zolvorn kicked at him but the pebble connected with his sword snapping it in half and nearly dislocating his arm causing the blade to fly out of sight behind him. ¡°Shut up and watch a good combatant fight. Do you accept my Fair Fight ? ¡°Swordie what is he talking about?¡± Victor scrambled to open Swordie. Fair Fight Rank 10 Rarity: Divine Requirements: Gizixil Devotee Rank 10, Gizixil¡¯s Anger Rank 10, Favored by Gizixil, Granted by Gizixil Cursed Active Skill: Limit 1 target at a time. You may challenge someone to a fair fight. Doing this and winning greatly pleases Gizixil triggering many other skills and improving your stats upon victory. Your opponent¡¯s skills, stats, equipment, and unique effects scale to your level automatically. Neither you nor the target can flee or you die. This ability ends when the user or the target dies or admits defeat. Refusing the Fair Fight grants the skill user an insurmountable stat bonus up to rivaling the Void Lord Gizixil until the target is dead. Interference effects this ability based on Gizixil¡¯s whims. If someone challenges you to a Fair Fight and you refuse Gizixil may punish you depending on the circumstances. Outside interference is prohibited. Gizixil may negate this skill if it runs directly counter to his goals. ¡°Fair Fight powers her up? Why would he use it?¡± Victor panicked asking Swordie. Serena shook her head with a knowing smirk. ¡°Because Gizixil loves a good fight and rewards him appropriately. Winning an easy fight sometimes entertains him but doesn¡¯t curry favor. I bet you even get experience as though I were actually your level. Isn¡¯t that right Zolvorn?¡± ¡°See I knew I liked you.¡± He wagged his greatsword at her with an ever growing smile. ¡°The best part is I can tell from the way you move you¡¯ll actually last more than a couple of seconds. If you say no since all of these men were aspiring followers I¡¯d have no choice but to avenge them but that would be utterly boring, and to be honest they all sucked. Some of them even wanted to live peaceful lives. Just absolutely gross pieces of trash. A good fight is like a dance, a conversation, or song and I am interested to see how you perform for me. So do you accept? The Fair Fight will begin as soon as you say I accept.¡± ¡°What level are you?¡± Serena asked. ¡°I am level 94.¡± Zolvorn smiled deviously his short black hair and red shirt complimenting his blade as his ill intent stretched through the narrow forest path. She took a long deep breath drew her daggers took a stance with firm determination in her eyes. ¡°Well It¡¯ll be good practice for your boss some day. I accept your Fair fight. ¡± Chapter 32: Close call Serena and Zolvorn disappeared from Victor¡¯s view in a flash. A massive crash broke a colossal tree shocking Victor as a blast of air knocked him down. The towering tree began creaking as another shockwave deafened Victor for a moment. ¡°CAWTHORN FLY!¡± Victor turned as branches blasted past his head. ¡°BARRIER SHIELD!¡± the barrier blocked the torrent debris long enough for Victor to see Serena landing on the ground in front of him. Serena panted her shoulders swaying up and down intensely focused on the black and red menace ahead of her. ¡°1.¡± Zolvorn counted with a bright smile on his bloody face. Heading straight for her Zolvorn took off like a falcon leaping from a cliff. His massive greatsword burned through the air igniting the blade crackling with red lightning. Serena¡¯s tiny form blocked the blade larger than her only to be sent predictably flying. ¡°Bravo. One to one.¡± Serena landed atop one of the trees not responding in any way her eyes focused in almost as though she was searching for a weakness. Cawthorn took off above the trees just in time to avoid the next shockwave as Serena slid her blade along the greatsword striking at her and slicing open his arm mid air. The two broke the ground they landed on cratering it as they turned ¡°Supreme Ricochet.¡± Victor looked to Swordie and without a word brought it up. Supreme Ricochet Rank 10 Rarity: Divine Active Skill Stamina Cost: 128 stamina per item Duration: 100 seconds While active thrown objects continue to ricochet for the entire duration, no limitations on surfaces or objects. ¡°1 to 2.¡± Zolvorn smiled sadistically. Serena briefly crouched her legs before tossing all of her remaining six throwing daggers toward the trees. They connected with a ding as though hitting metal. The daggers seemed to bounce around Serena almost perfectly echoing the sound of coins clattering on a metal. She seemed to instinctively know exactly where they would land. The two eyed each other him with a beaming devious smile and her with a stoic blank face dripping with sweat. ¡°Who taught you to fight?¡± ¡°My father taught me the basics, but I learned much more the hard way.¡± She braced her legs against the ground ready to dodge the next strike. The tree uprooted and went flying. Zolvorn leapt downward off the tree rocketing toward her. ¡°Quake.¡± Zolvorn caught one of the daggers flying toward his head as his blade to the ground sending Victor flying into the air along with a huge amount of debris. Serena appeared collecting him knocking the wind out of him as she arrived gripping his chest. Zolvorn sighed ¡°I authorize my opponent to take the bystander to a sufficient distance. If she does not return it will be considered running away.¡± She turned to Zolvorn taking a deep breath as she landed with Victor. ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°It will just spoil the mood. You have 60 seconds.¡± Zolvorn put his greatsword up over his shoulder with yet another insidious smile. ¡°After only a few exchanges we are already 1 to 3. You don¡¯t think I¡¯d let you walk away up on me do you? Go.¡± Serena took off and Victor could only imagine that the pressure he felt was what it felt like to take off in a plane. In a few seconds flashing through the forest they arrived at the wounded Forala. ¡°Take care of him.¡± ¡°Do whatever it takes but please live.¡± Victor fell to one knee. Serena smiled warmly and patted his cheek with affection. ¡°I¡¯m more skilled than him. If this is a fair fight, he will lose, besides I¡¯ll need practice for his boss.¡± She disappeared into the distance kicking up dirt and roots with each step. ¡°How is she so strong?¡± Emilie asked. ¡°It¡¯s his skill. He matches his opponents¡¯ strength with his in exchange for benefits from his Void Lord Gizixil.¡± Victor explained. ¡°We should run.¡± Jenora urged. Forala laughed coughing up blood as Emilie continued healing her. ¡°No. We could run for hours and we¡¯d still only be a few moments from him. Either she wins or he kills us.¡± Serena returned looking up the road at him. ¡°You said a fight is like a conversation. I have one question before we resume.¡± Zolvorn lifted one eyebrow and tilted his head. He returned all ten of her throwing daggers throwing them at her head. She caught them between her fingers with a smile on her face. ¡°Ask away.¡± ¡°How do you feel about Luzuzal?¡± A sly smirk crept across her face. ¡°That delusional fool? He¡¯s only escaped Gizixil and hides. He stands no chance against the other Void Lords much less the greatest of the Void Lord.¡± Zolvorn answered and once again darted toward her with his massive greatsword as the lightning crackled across it highlighting the lines on the blade more prominently. This time there was no dodging it. Serena blocked a segment of the blade, but only a segment. The blade broke into four shards with three flying past slashing her back and chest. Her extreme rigor sealed the wounds instantly. She wasted no time leaving one dagger to block and went for his neck. Serena launched toward him as he tried to dodge backward. He succeeded but by the slimmest margin. She slashed his throat but the strike was far too shallow. A splash of blood quickly sealed by his incredible healing was her only reward. The blades retracted flying back to his greatsword and crackling with energy as he gained distance. She smiled touching her wounds. ¡°So 2 to 4? or 1 to 3?¡± He touched his neck with a bright smile. ¡°Always 2 to 4. Never discount your opponents successful exchanges even when your blow also connected. Gizixil cares largely about violence but honorable opponents, and fair duels he holds those in high regard, or at least that is what he¡¯s told me when he beat me. He told me to get more experience and come back when I had reached level 100 and challenge him. He even offered me this skill.¡± ¡°Touching.¡± Her dry sarcasm as she launched her throwing daggers. ¡° Supreme Ricochet .¡± She pulled out her bow aiming it down at him. ¡°I LOVE THIS!¡± Zolvorn launched himself at her this time breaking apart his blade with a swing far before reaching her. He deflected five of the throwing daggers and yet five more pierced his skin, three thudding in his chest slowing him down one on his leg and one to his arm. She loosed her arrow only for it to be blocked by one of the pieces of his sword. The fourth of his sword flipped into a distance behind him embedding itself in a fallen tree. Zolvorn shattered her bow and nearly took off her hands with the short blade still attached to the hilt with the other two crossing her chest shredding her shirt. She jumped straight up getting enough distance as she cleared the trees in a single bound. As her jump reached its zenith she wiped out her remaining two daggers. She flipped them so the blades traced her arm. As she began to fall she took a breath and focused on the two floating shards of his sword and the short blade attached to the hilt. They crackled with energy as he wound up a swing. ¡®It has to be his neck. Anything else won¡¯t be enough.¡¯ She took the risk throwing one blade while her skill was still active. It raced her down hitting a floating shard bouncing from blade to blade striking Zolvorn in the neck as she landed a piece of the black blade nearly cut her in half despite using her other dagger to block it from going through her. This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. Serena was sent soaring into a tree where she landed and despite the immense damage she had just taken she stopped bleeding almost instantly. Zolvorn slowly pulled the dagger from his neck. ¡°YOU ARE THE BEST COMBATENT I¡¯VE HAD THE PLEASURE OF ENJOYING FOR YEARS! HERE!¡± He flung her dagger back with implausible force into the tree she stood on causing it to waver. It landed hilt first in the tree with the blade sticking out. She drew it back. ¡°Your instincts are so good. You fight like you¡¯ve been told to die and just decided you don¡¯t want to. 4 to 6.¡± The wounds on his neck had practically sealed and scarred over. Serena on the other hand may have stopped bleeding but she was not healing anywhere close to the same rate. ¡°I think I understand how you¡¯ve been able to do this so many times.¡± Zolvorn smiled slyly. ¡°Go ahead.¡± ¡°At your level rigor is so high you recover a lot of health per second. People who you challenge aren¡¯t used to their new skills, speed, and defenses. That¡¯s not what is really insidious, your entire skill set is based on trading blows.¡± Her eyes narrowed. Zolvorn¡¯s grin extended edging toward his ears. ¡°Well it seems I¡¯ve been found out. Did you go for my throat instinctively or because you figured that out?¡± He picked out the throwing daggers and tossed them back toward her. ¡°Feel free to have your daggers back.¡± ¡°It¡¯s always a vulnerable spot, especially for someone with a weapon as big as yours.¡± She readied herself for the next exchange. ¡°Counting is pointless. It is nothing but misdirection.¡± At that Zolvorn reformed his blade holding his massive blade in one hand. ¡°Well done! It is pointless but I like keeping score. Most competent opponents end up ahead of me on that count and yet just like you I see them lose.¡± Serena gritted her teeth and growled at him. ¡°That remains to be seen. May as well tell you to use your skills, I¡¯m going to take off your head in the next twelve seconds. The rank only increases the number of seconds the skill is active but I¡¯m going to kill you in that window.¡± ¡°Why would you tell me that?¡± Zolvorn tilted his head. ¡°You know I¡¯m going to kill you.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve spent my entire life wanting to wipe the smile off of a smug asshole bullying and beating me. It will be so much more satisfying to tell you before I do.¡± Serena smiled confidently. Zolvorn grinned madly. ¡°THEN COME SATISFY MY BLOODLUST!¡± He gripped his blade with both hands for the first time in their fight. The blade crackled with red lightning up his arm electrifying the air around him. ¡°Double dash.¡± Serena disappeared from Zolvorn¡¯s view appearing less than a foot away from his face. Zolvorn quickly head butted her away and instinctively ducked. Her blade pierced his mouth shattering teeth, slicing his tongue, and ripping his flesh away from his face. He bit down with all his might shattering it in his mouth. If he had not ducked at the last second she would have killed him. His swing didn¡¯t even make it halfway before she appeared behind him. His blade broke into four pieces hovering near his neck and head. Despite this she found a hole stabbing him in the neck with overwhelming glee. ¡®I¡¯ve got him!¡¯ She practically danced around him slicing off his right hand leading him to drop his sword. The three segments began to rapidly rotate whirring around his neck. Serena jumped attempting to stab him on top of his head only for her plunge into the rotating black plates charged with lightning. She was running out of time only 3 seconds remained. She dismembered him viciously slicing his feet and other hand off knocking him to the ground. She plunged the dagger toward his skull screaming furiously. ¡®I¡¯ve won!¡¯ The last second ticked by as the dagger scrapped off the edge of his skull all momentum gone. Her heart sank. She couldn¡¯t move for a brief instant before falling backward facing the sky. ¡±No¡­¡± Her eyes began to water. ¡°I¡¯d won¡­¡± Zolvorn coughed up blood having grown his feet back already. His split tongue reformed. His mouth resealed. He traced the scars as his hands reformed. ¡°Many fighters say that, however you were a lot closer than them.¡± He extended his reformed hand drawing the sword back to it and reuniting continuing to crackle with lightning. ¡°That was an impressive and wise gamble.¡± Serena couldn¡¯t move a muscle as a tear ran down her cheek. ¡°I lost because my equipment was worse than yours. Mine didn¡¯t break immediately but the magical sword protected you even when you couldn¡¯t move yourself. You really call that a Fair Fight ?¡± ¡°Unfortunately preparation is a critical part of any fight. Most fights are decided long before they begin. Without gear to match your level will not save you. It is a tragedy we could dance but once.¡± His sword rose high in the air. ¡°I thank you for this unforgettable experience.¡± ¡°JOLT!¡± Victor had finally returned and shot his hands completely ineffective against him. Something did happen however, Serena instantly vomited passing out. ¡°DON¡¯T YOU DARE!¡± ¡°No¡­ Gizixil you can¡¯t possibly be so cruel.¡± Zolvorn turned to Victor as Fair Fight clearly ended. ¡°You just desecrated the sacred duel I was having with this woman. I am going to slowly, painfully, and hatefully kill every single one of you save her.¡± ¡°She was already beaten. It wasn¡¯t even a duel at that point. It was just an execution.¡± Victor disagreed with him. Zolvorn closed the distance in an instant gripping his throat against a tree. ¡°Duels have an ending. You RUINED IT! THE BEST DUEL I¡¯VE HAD IN A LONG TIME AND YOU RUINED IT!¡± As he encroached Victor could finally see his slightly pointed ears. ¡°Then fight me.¡± Victor proposed breathing hard desperately trying to convince him. ¡°I see you like fighting and I heard what you said. You¡¯re right and if you fight me you¡¯ll find I am better prepared than her for someone like you.¡± ¡°Prepared perhaps, but your skill is pathetic compared to her.¡± Zolvorn scoffed looking down at him. Swordie spoke up. ¡°I can assure the vile cultist that in a Fair Fight Victor Vogal over gears him despite his level. He cannot take this duel because of cowardice.¡± ¡°Did the book just call me a coward?¡± Zolvorn¡¯s eyes nearly popped out of his head. ¡°He tends to be truthful. If you want to prove him wrong all you have to do is activate your skill and fight me after I move her away from the battlefield.¡± Victor insisted. ¡°Victor Vocal, I challenge you to a Fair Fight .¡± Zolvorn backed away enraged gripping his greatsword. ¡°The duel will begin once she is a safe distance away.¡± Victor carried her away at what seemed to be a snails pace compared to how fast she had just moved. Forala, Emilie, and Jenora took her. Forala pulled Serena under her wing as Emilie begin repeatedly casting regeneration. Urgent Quest Quest Giver: Luzuzal No time limit: Honestly Victor you¡¯ll die on this one, no pressure. Defeat an Avatar: Defeat Gizixil¡¯s follower. Reward: You won¡¯t succeed. If you win we can discuss it. Accept[Not optional] Victor returned to the battlefield littered in bandit bodies without his sword. ¡®Accept.¡¯ He smiled at the opportunity to actually do something heroic for once. ¡°Let us begin. I accept your Fair Fight .¡± Chapter 33: The doomed man and an unlikely peacekeeper So many messages flashed across Victors vision as his skills improved and he leveled up. Speed Boost Rank 10 Requirements: Spend 1,536 stat points, Mage or Cleric Level 91. Sustained Spell Mana Cost: 128 Mana Per Second Increases speed by 15,360. Prowess Boost Rank 10 Rarity: Divine Requirements: Spend 1,536 stat points, Mage or Cleric Level 91. Sustained Spell Mana Cost: 128 Mana Per Second Increase prowess by 15,360 Skills : Familiar Rank 10, Speechless Spellcasting Rank 10, Improved Buffs Rank 10, Rogue skills 10, Fighter Skills 10, Luzuzal¡¯s Delusion Rank 10, Luzuzal¡¯s Devout Rank 10, Luzuzal¡¯s Promise 10 Spells: Barrier shield Rank 10, Jolt Rank 10, Speed Boost Rank 10, Magic Writing Rank 10, Vitality Boost Rank 10, Rigor Boost Rank 10, Prowess Boost Rank 10 ¡­ Jolt Customizations: Lightning bolt , Chain Lightning , I Am Lightning . Boost Customizations: Reduced mana cost , Sudden boost , Boost Limiter removal . ¡­ Sword of the Divine ¨C Fully Restored Victor only barely managed to activate his boost spells to dodge the massive black blade flying toward his head. If not for Cawthorn crashing into Zolvorns¡¯ chest knocking him back the blade would have torn his head off in a single stroke. Zolvorn crashed to the ground rolling back and away as Cawthorn took off above them. ¡°YOU DARE ATTACK MY MAGE! CHAIN LIGHTNING !¡± Cawthorn flapped angrily his wings as a massive bolt of lightning crackled through the air hitting Zolvorn dead center. ¡°Wait Cawthorn can join me?¡± Victor placed his hand on Swordie. Zolvorn panted for a moment before answering. ¡°Gizixil decides what a fair fight is. If he is your familiar I suspect that¡¯s considered fair.¡± Victor put his hand on Swordie and instinctively knew what to say. He lifted Swordie above his head turning him into an empty golden hilt with no blade. He began to glow ¡°By the power of heaven. By the virtues seven. I stand before the darkness. I shall end the rule of the heartless. Let those who call for help in the dark of night, find an angel shining to show them the light.¡± A pillar of light surrounded Victor as another sword slash came toward him. It bounced off the beam. Victor smiled. ¡°Don¡¯t you know? You can¡¯t interrupt a transformation sequence.¡± Golden armor formed around him snapping into place on his arms, his chest, and at last a helm on his head. While holding Swordie above his head the golden jewel encrusted blade reformed flowing in a bright brilliant light. Finally a pair of golden wings shined brightly erupting from his back. Zolvorn stepped back on guard. ¡°You¡¯re an angelic knight¡­¡± Swordie beamed shining even brighter. ¡°AND A DAMN FINE ONE AT THAT!¡± Victor flapped toward Zolvorn bringing down his blade with a golden flash. He merely thought about casting lightning bolt from his blade and it erupted through the blade causing hundreds of trees behind Zolvorn to erupt. Zolvorn blocked the sword but the bold went through his head charring it black only for Zolvorn to smile and speak back. ¡° Unending Stamina . High Effort Healing .¡± Unending Stamina Rank 10 Rarity: Divine Requirements: Spend 1,536 stat points, Fighter 91, Berserker 20 Active Skill Stamina Cost: 1000 or half your stamina whichever is greater. All stamina costs are removed for 100 seconds. High Effort Healing Rank 10 Rarity Divine Requirements: Spend 1,536 stat points, Fighter 91, Unstoppable Warrior 20 Sustained Skill Stamina Cost: 1280 stamina per second. Your rigor is multiplied by 10. While this skill is active you do not regenerate stamina. Zolvorn¡¯s face recovered almost instantly with all signs he took damage evaporating. His smile stretched across his face as Victor struck down with lightning following every swing causing tree after tree behind him to explode. Victor knocked him back feeling the incredible power coursing through his veins. ¡°When you see Gizixil, tell him I¡¯m coming for him.¡± Victors next swing met the black blade dead center. The thunderous blast as another chain lightning burst out behind him echoed through the forest. ¡°Perhaps I misjudged you.¡± The two center pieces of his black blade cracked off and shot toward Victor impacting him in the neck. His golden chain shirt saved his head. -11242 Health 252,358/263,600 Health Bleeding Regenerating, bleeding stopped. ¡®That vitality booster is more than half my health and that blade could have taken my head off.¡¯ Victor tried to grab the blade and it darted back to his sword reforming his greatsword as Zolvorn gripped his chest plate with his bare chest instantly cracking the golden plate. Victor flapped away desperately trying to keep his armor intact. Zolvorn chased with the ferocity of rabid dog leaping into the air. For the first time since the combat began Zolvorn gripped his blade in both hands and performed a full overhead strike. Victor readied a block with Swordie using both hands. ¡° Colossal Strike .¡± Victor made a colossal mistake realizing it only as he did block the blow. Victor felt his arms crumble back crashing back to the ground cratering down into an underground cave. Victor has no idea how far he fell. He couldn¡¯t see the surface at the end of the tunnel. Around him he could see glowing stones and running water. -58421 Health 194,502/263,600 Health Regenerating Zolvorn landed in the cave in front of him across the flowing river. Red crackling lightning raced across his blade. He took off maliciously at Victor with a devious smile. ¡°LETS SEE IF YOU KNOW HOW TO USE THAT!¡± Victor met his massive blade over the river shooting blue and red lightning in every direction instantly evaporating the water beneath them into steam. Zolvorn punched his chest knocking him away further cracking his bright golden chest plate. Victor crashed into the wall. He braced for another swing. -3298 Health 191,916/263,600 Health Regenerating Red lightning rushed toward Victor through the fog. Swordie immediately cast chain lightning intercepting the red lightning. Victor breathed a sigh of relief. He tried to use his wings to fly out of the hole he entered this cave only for a massive greatsword to appear out of the fog. Victor¡¯s quick reflexes saved him. Adrenaline raced through Victor even more so than before. Above ground Cawthorn crowed ¡°SKILL SHARE!¡± Suddenly Victor could see through the fog as a massive black blade crashed down crushing the cave since Victor dodged it. Rocks began to fall obscuring the savage in front of him. In that moment Victor lost track of him. ¡° Colossal Strike .¡± A voice from his side announced barely audible. ¡°BARRIER SHIELD!¡± Victor cast it behind him instinctively without looking. It detonated into a thousand pieces. He put his harms up and felt one of the plates on his arm break in two as he was sent flying upward out of the cave above the tree line. You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author. -89298 Health 103,616/263,600 Health Regenerating ¡®Shit, one or two more of those strikes and he¡¯ll kill me. That attack is slow though.¡¯ Victor flapped his wings taking off into the sky aiming down. ¡°Lightning Bolt!¡± He shot it down into the hole he came out of with no idea if it would hit. For a moment he felt like a god smiting an ant below him, but that moment soon passed as Zolvorn erupted from the ground approaching him at high speed. Victor stopped flapping his wings and dropped down dodging the sudden thrust. Zolvorn rose above the clouds speeding far past Victor. ¡°Wait can¡¯t this guy fly?¡± Cawthorn flew up next to Victor. ¡°MY MAGE WHAT IS THE PLAN?¡± ¡°Keep him air born Cawthorn. Do not let him reach the ground.¡± Victor grinned at the opening. ¡°Swordie do you think it will work?¡± ¡°Grant me access to your mana at will. I will intercept his swords red lightning with chain lightning .¡± Swordie insisted. ¡°Granted.¡± Victor nodded as red lightning streaked across the sky instantly intercepted by Swordie with blue lightning. The explosions where the two met reverberated for thousands of miles as though demigods clashed amongst the heavens. A scream of joy echoed from above as cackling laughter followed the thunder. ¡°FANTASTIC SHOW ME MORE!¡± He began to fall toward the ground drunk on the flow of combat. Victor flew beneath him and took another swing easily blocked by Zolvorn. He was sent high into the air. Cawthorn blasted him again with resounding thunder ¡° CHAIN LIGHTNING !¡± Zolvorn healed almost instantly after eating the blast. He turned to Cawthorn. ¡°It¡¯s a shame you aren¡¯t also an angelic knight the two of you might have stood a chance.¡± It was only then Cawthorn realized the tip of his weapon was missing. It connected cleanly with Cawthorn knocking him down. Angrily Cawthorn called out ¡°FACE MY FLOCK!¡± The thousands of crows sprang into existence being created from nothing but raw mana. They charged at Zolvorn bursting on contact doing no damage but knocking him further upward. Zolvorn called out deeply enraged. ¡°THAT WAS REALITY WARPING! YOUR FAMILIAR VENERATES LUZUZAL!¡± -198,302 Health (Cawthorn) 65,298/263,600 Health (Cawthorn) Regenerating ¡°AND WHAT OF IT!¡± Victor flew at Zolvorn. Another red blast of lightning arced toward him only for blue lightning to intercept it between them. The blinding flash did not slow Victor¡¯s swing. He used all of his speed to land a clean blow across Zolvorn¡¯s chest. His blood gushed across the sky igniting as a chain lightning coursed through his body highlighting his skeleton for a moment. Soaring higher Victor shouted with righteous indignation. ¡°HE IS MY ALLY!¡± ¡°ANGELIC KNIGHTS CANNOT VENERATE VOID LORDS! COLOSSAL STRIKE !¡± Victor couldn¡¯t dodge. He was going to die. Cawthorn screeched furious. ¡° I AM LIGHTNING .¡± Cawthorn dematerialized turning into a bolt of lightning and sailing through the greatsword knocking it back and charring Zolvorn¡¯s entire arm. It happened so fast none of them could see it happen they could only see the streak of crow shaped lightning crackling upward to the sky. Zolvorn detached his blade attacking Victor desperately. Victor lost altitude taking a short breath. His stamina had reached 30% he noticed it only after that last exchange. Zolvorn was healing his arm but just barely. ¡®Has it been 100 seconds yet? No. It should be another few seconds. Why isn¡¯t he healing?¡¯ Jolt [I AM LIGHTNING] Rank 10 Rarity: Divine Active Spell Mana Cost: 2000 Duration: 3 seconds Cooldown: 60 seconds Transform into lightning rocketing forward at high speeds. Heavily reduces rigor, health regeneration, and stamina regeneration for 30 seconds. High chance to shock the target. ¡°Cawthorn you beautiful genius bird.¡± Victor smiled starting to gain confidence. ¡®At this rate he should start being worn down soon.¡¯ He flew upward toward Zolvorn swinging much slower. Victor managed to connect once more mid air sending him so far up in the air that the next blow far above the clouds was silhouetted by the sun. ¡° I AM LIGHTNING !¡± His body faded into crackling blue energy. He could feel the air around him burning as a grin stretched out behind him. As he began moving his blade forward he couldn¡¯t even see where he was going but he could feel the searing explosive hit as he passed through. Victor flew through him blade and all charring his chest black. Zolvorn turned midair coughing up blood a massive gaping wound across his chest. Victor realized he may have made a mistake once he turned back and saw Zolvorn bracing his feet against two segments of his sword. Victor tried to race him to the ground only to find Zolvorn¡¯s plunge to the ground had enough force to cause a small earthquake. The fragments of his blade nearly hit Victor on his way to the ground. The massive blade reformed as the black scar on his chest and arm seemed to smoke. He looked up at the sky with a menacing grin before he glanced ahead of himself into the forest. ¡°No you can¡¯t be here. There is no reason.¡± Confused as Victor approached he chuckled. ¡°Did I hit you that hard?¡± ¡°Not you. Him.¡± Zolvorn stretched out his blade pointing behind Victor. ¡°Do you really think I¡¯d fall for-¡± Victor was cut off by a deep guttural voice. ¡°Don¡¯t let me interrupt your fun. I¡¯m just here to watch.¡± A man standing twice Victors height with four mouths on his head and four down the center of his massive abs menaced him. At first it appeared he had no eyes but instead when he spoke it became obvious he had an eye in each of his eight mouths. The two stopped fighting for a moment. ¡°Well¡­ What are you two waiting for?¡± Cawthorn screeched barreling toward Zolvorn. ¡° CHAIN LIGHTNING !¡± Zolvorn ducked out of the way only to get slashed across his blackened chest by Victor unable to block in time. The three large sword fragments began dancing around him as he held the hilt and a short piece of his blade. Swordie cautioned Victor. ¡°That abomination behind us is Gizixil! The moment Fair Fight ends he could attack and kill us. If he attacks before it ends you¡¯ll gain enough power to kill a Void Lord! YOU CANNOT END THIS FIGHT!¡± ¡°Now now pathetic fragment I¡¯m just here to watch.¡± Gizixil insisted with a shrug. ¡°It¡¯s been a while since such enjoyable duels to watch occurred. Though the girl did perform significantly better than the mage this fight has been far flashier. I do enjoy the flair in violence.¡± ¡°My lord you¡¯re presence here will ruin the sanctity of this duel.¡± Zolvorn protested. ¡°I am the strongest being in existence. My word is law. No one shall interfere. Proceed .¡± His voice reverberated through the decimated forest using a different mouth for each word. ¡°Shall we?¡± Victor asked. ¡° CHAIN LIGHTNING !¡± Cawthorn hit Zolvorn with another chain lightning. ¡°I guess Cawthorn is impatient.¡± He landed to a sly laugh from Zolvorn. ¡°When I said it ruins the sanctity, this is what I meant.¡± The black scars on his arm and chest raced back disappearing. The debuff expired. ¡°I will offer you a chance to surrender so that we can fight another day. I offer this ONLY because for the second time today someone has interrupted my duel and of all people I¡¯d never have thought you¡¯d ruin this for me.¡± ¡°What do you think Swordie?¡± Victor asked. ¡°We¡¯re going to lose sir. If he means it we should surrender and hope for mercy.¡± Swordie noted. ¡°We¡¯re going to lose?¡± Victor asked. ¡°I feel like we¡¯ve been fairly evenly trading blows.¡± ¡°That¡¯s why you¡¯re going to lose. You¡¯ve been trying to damage me, you didn¡¯t even notice what was happening. At least she did.¡± Zolvorn shook his head. ¡°I don¡¯t want to continue but I can only stop if you concede. Besides even if we won Gizixil isn¡¯t just here for the show.¡± ¡°Oh you can just be no fun at all Zolvorn.¡± Gizixil groaned. ¡°If you wanted to watch hiding would have been an easy feat for you. You wanted to distract him to help me. You actually thought I was going to LOSE! I¡¯m insulted. I don¡¯t even want to continue this. We will fight again another day. You¡¯ve ruined the mood.¡± Zolvorn crossed his arms. ¡°It¡¯s like your dad showed up and told you to cut it out.¡± Victor noted with a dull chuckle. ¡°More like a tsunami hit a bonfire. Gizixil has something to say and despite having eight mouths he won¡¯t say it until you ask him about it.¡± Zolvorn groaned. ¡°What do you want Gizixil?¡± Victor asked. ¡°You still have a duel to lose.¡± Gizixil smiled across all eight mouths. ¡°I concede to you Zolvorn. You are the better fighter. You win this Fair Fight .¡± Swordie instantly snapped back to a book. His wings and armor disappeared into bubbles popping around him. Victor could see full health, mana, and stamina on his bars but he had so many status conditions it ran off the edge of his vision. He fell to his knees breathing hard. He stared up defiantly as Gizixil began circling him. ¡°It¡¯s not often one of my strongest followers is pushed to the edge. I wanted to see the group with two people who could do it in one day. You have better equipment but your, what did your crow call her, oh yes future wife is a far better combatant. If she had slightly better gear we wouldn¡¯t even be having this conversation. The truly impressive part is your title and weapon. I thought Lightbringer Luke was the last angelic knight. What angel gave you that title?¡± Swordie spoke up. ¡°I did abomination. Leave my student alone.¡± ¡°Your fragment of an angel was able to bestow that title?¡± Gizixil seemed truly shocked at such a revelation. ¡°There could be more¡­ Fragment what is your title.¡± Swordie stood firm. ¡°I will not grace a monster like you with my name.¡± The ground, trees, and skies all suddenly became covered in fanged mouths staring at Victor and Swordie with eyes in each of them. ¡°Given your uniqueness I will gift you one refusal. You¡¯ve used it up. You have one chance to answer or I will kill everyone here, all of your friends nearby, and then the nearby city just to blow off some steam. Do you both understand? I am not like Luzuzal. That pathetic delusional youngster will never be like me. Now I will ask one more time. What is your title Fragment ?¡± ¡°I am a fragment of The Angel of Reincarnation. My name is Swordie.¡± He answered bluntly. ¡°Be gone monster.¡± ¡°I am not some pathetic intangible force that you can use resistance to banish or condemn. I am here. Now. Right in front of you. Show respect.¡± Zolvorn knelt as though he saw a king before him. Zolvorn grabbed Victor¡¯s leg and forced him to one knee as well. ¡°That is a little bit better. Now on to why I am here¡± He pointed to victor causing seven of his eight mouths to form unhinged fanged smiles ¡°You are blessed by Luzuzal and an angelic knight. This is impossible. The angelic knight title is possibly the easiest title in the entire world to lose, and no angel would give you the title after making a deal with a Void Lord. So tell me. How do you have both?¡± ¡°I died.¡± Victor said bluntly. ¡°Go on¡­¡± Gizixil leaned in seemingly curious. ¡°Swordie allowed me a chance at a new life and before I was to be reborn. When setting up what skills I would be reborn with I noticed that the Void Lords and their cursed skills were really strong. I thought I¡¯d need them in this new world and since sustained spells were a core part of what I wanted to use I thought it would be at least worth it to ask about the skills that improve flow or mana regeneration. I ended up making a deal with Luzuzal and then recently after Swordie finally came to the conclusion I am exactly the person I always show off as he decided I was worthy of that title.¡± Victor explained in detail. ¡°Your resurrection is extraordinarily rare but not unheard of but what you¡¯re telling me an angel gave that title to a cultist. That¡¯s a bit of a stretch, even for me.¡± He shifted his massive feet towering over Victor. Swordie spoke up for him. ¡°He is an exceptional human being. He earned my total respect and the title, abomination.¡± ¡°Well I don¡¯t care much, so long as you are strong. You aren¡¯t but you have potential. Would you like to join me and abandon Luzuzal? I will make you stronger. You¡¯ll be able to fight anyone.¡± Gizixil extended his hand. Swordie glowed menacingly. Victor shook his head and held up his hand. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I am done making deals with Void Lords.¡± ¡°My pride in you Sir Victor cannot be overstated. Never give in.¡± Swordie beamed. ¡°I could kill you for your insolence. I could kill your friends too.¡± Gizixil growled. Victor proposed hopeful that he could escape this situation with no one dying that day, hoping that Gizixil didn¡¯t have plans for him. ¡°I have a counter offer. You seem like a Void Lord in love with violence. One day far from today I will fight Zolvorn again and fight him in a fair fight. I will win. Then after that you¡¯ll get a fight worth your time because I¡¯ll come for you.¡± ¡°I wasn¡¯t really here looking for a good fight but that does sound entertaining. Provided you do not interfere with my cultists to an excessive degree I will leave you be. I only had Zolvorn in this country to recruit more cultists and find Lightbringer Luke so he could bring me his head.¡± Gizixil bent down looking Victor in the eyes. ¡°You¡¯re just a fun bonus.¡± ¡°Why are you trying to kill Lightbringer Luke? More importantly why not kill him yourself?¡± Victor couldn¡¯t contain his curiosity. ¡°Uhg questions like that are so boring. Zolvorn feel free to answer him. Do not kill them today. Find and kill Lightbringer Luke. I¡¯m leaving.¡± Gizixil opened a mouth in the ground and stepped into it devouring his body before the ground returned to normal. ¡°I¡¯ll never get over how he leaves. To answer your questions Luke must die because he has interfered too much in the cults of both Kokoxol and Gizixil. Both Void Lords have decided it is time for him to die. As for why he doesn¡¯t do it himself it¡¯s something to do with Deox the Destroyer although I¡¯ve never learned what.¡± Zolvorn extended his hand to help Victor up. Victor took his hand with a strange sense of comradely as Cawthorn landed on his shoulder. ¡°You know for a man as honorable as yourself to serve a Void Lord seems out of place.¡± ¡°I could say the same of you angelic knight.¡± Zolvorn smiled pulling him to his feet. Chapter 34: The most uplifting words Two men and a bird approached Emilie, Serena, Forala, and Jenora laughing and joking with each other. ¡°CAW CAW HAH! YOU DIDN¡¯T EXPECT ME TO BLAST YOUR ARM! IT GAVE MY MAGE AN OPENING!¡± ¡°I hadn¡¯t been hit with that spell before. It almost completely removed my regeneration. I am impressed that a familiar managed to achieve such an impressive feat.¡± Zolvorn reached out to stroke Cawthorns head. ¡°ONLY MY MAGE MAY DO THAT!¡± Cawthorn protested as his finger gently stroked Cawthorn. ¡°Only¡­ my¡­ mage¡­¡± Cawthorn closed his eyes as Zolvorn gently stroked his head. Victor smiled joining in a motion with both gently petting Cawthorn causing him to lean against Victor with a gentle coo coming from him constantly. ¡°Cawthorn is the greatest bird to ever live. He¡¯ll be the best familiar too. You¡¯re a great fighter. Why not put that toward a good cause?¡± ¡°There are no good causes just outcomes. If you want your outcome to become reality you need enough strength to achieve it. If I had killed you and saved those men they¡¯d be alive and you wouldn¡¯t. I¡¯m sure you¡¯d consider that evil, but their kids might see it differently.¡± Zolvorn shrugged. Victor had almost forgotten how this started. They killed a lot of people and he knew Zolvorn was right. At least one of them probably had kids. Victor shook his head. ¡°I¡¯m not trying to convince you. I¡¯m just trying to understand that¡¯s all.¡± Forala growled bearing her teeth as Zolvorn approached. ¡°Oh right the half-drake. Listen I¡¯m not going to kill any of you. I had two fun duels. None of you have to die if you¡¯re capable of calming down.¡± Forala kept a wing out in front of the other three. ¡°You nearly killed me in a single swing.¡± ¡°I barely tapped you. There are limits to how much I can pull my strikes.¡± Zolvorn shrugged. Emilie shuddered underneath Foralas¡¯ wing. ¡°How are we alive? That battle leveled miles of the forest.¡± ¡°I made sure to steer the fight away from the direction Forala was slashed. I was also trying to juggle this guy mid air as long as I could. I was sure that would be enough to finish you.¡± He turned to Zolvorn nudging him. ¡°If it weren¡¯t for your feathered friend I could have reached the ground faster. Having to manage both of you mid air at those speeds was difficult. By the time I landed I had counted 15 seconds remaining on the debuff when Gizixil showed up. You might have been able to finish me or possibly not. You wouldn¡¯t have survived the cooldown on that ability though a few more strikes and I¡¯d-¡± Jenora cut off Zolvorn. ¡°I¡¯m sorry did you just say Gizixil showed up?¡± She drew her blade. ¡°What did I say about calming down?¡± Zolvorn menacingly looked down on her in his long crimson coat. Emilie tackled Jenora. ¡°Please stop he¡¯ll kill us for nothing.¡± He switched back to a smile on his face. ¡°Oh come on now I¡¯ve been explicitly instructed not to do that by Gizixil himself. You all get a free pass today.¡± Forala returned to her childlike form. ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Well those two get a pass because¡± He breathed out deeply empting his lungs. ¡°Whoa they are something else and I¡¯m looking forward to a rematch. The rest of you get a pass because you are in their party. I see two of you are boring worshipers of the Golden Goddess so I¡¯m guessing you won¡¯t be of any help finding Lightbringer Luke.¡± Emilie turned raising her eyebrows enraged. ¡°You¡¯re going to kill Lightbringer Luke?!¡± ¡°Yeah. When I find him Luke is dead.¡± He nodded with a smile. Victor shook his head and slapped him on the back. ¡°Zolvorn man I wanted to ask something. If you follow Gizixil how are you ever going to surpass him?¡± ¡°What do you mean? Who else would I follow if not the strongest?¡± Zolvorn answered. ¡°You can¡¯t get ahead of someone by following them. Wouldn¡¯t it make more sense to follow your own path and tell him to go to hell?¡± Victor quizzically inquired. ¡°I hadn¡¯t really thought about that but that isn¡¯t going to save Luke.¡± Zolvorn shook his head saying no. ¡°I¡¯ll leave your party. Feel free to loot those bandits. They really sucked so it¡¯s not a big loss. I¡¯ve got plenty more.¡± Forala walked right up to him and looked him in the eye. ¡°Gigantify.¡± She looked down at him trying to intimidate him. ¡°Fight me with that skill.¡± ¡°Nah. Not worth the time. I¡¯m on a mission from Gizixil himself so I am under no obligation to take that challenge. I had hoped to find Luke on this road but by now I¡¯m pretty sure he will never come by so I¡¯m off to Panos. He was supposed to be there and travel along this road to Wonora after hunting some undead but he never came. I was hoping part way through our fight you were Luke but you weren¡¯t.¡± Zolvorn turned around and started walking the way they came. ¡°We will meet again. Don¡¯t die before I can kill you. You crazy idiots!¡± He waved walking away before vanishing from view. Victor asked turning to Serena laying unconscious on a backpack. ¡°Is she alright?¡± Emilie answered ¡°It¡¯s fine she¡¯ll be out until her exhaustion recovers. She¡¯s at full health.¡± Forala stomped her feet and snorted through her nose audibly angrily ready to kill something before shaking her head and snapping out of it. ¡°What happened? It was like two gods clashing.¡± ¡°Swordie would you like to explain it?¡± Victor asked not wanting to reveal too much to them. Swordie glowed pride in his voice. ¡°Victor took up the challenge and used the title I bestowed upon him to great effect. I am filled with pride for my foolish apprentice.¡± ¡°Wait you can bestow a title.¡± Jenora asked sheathing her weapon. ¡°What title?¡± ¡°Angelic Knight.¡± Swordie answered with such pride in his voice few fathers could replicate it. Emilie turned to Jenora with hopeful curiosity. ¡°I thought only angels could grant that title and only Lightbringer Luke had it.¡± Jenora took a step back uneasiness in her voice. ¡°That¡¯s right. Only angels can grant that title. Does that make the book an angel?¡± ¡°For the purposes of this conversation yes.¡± Swordie replied. ¡°Wait what does that mean?¡± Serena followed up confused. ¡°It means as far as mortals are concerned I am an angel. My role as part of an angel is complex and difficult to explain. I am in essence an angel in every way. However in order to permit my form to exist here with you I had much of my power sealed in order to accompany this brave fool to Verdan.¡± Swordie explained with pride and playful jabs. If he had a face he¡¯d be beaming with pride so instead his cover beamed brightly. Emilie pointed and bounced a little with a big smile. ¡°I KNEW IT! I thought he was an angel and I was really close! He was chosen by an angel! May I hold the angel?¡± Victor shrugged. ¡°It¡¯s fine by me if it¡¯s fine by you Swordie.¡± Swordie agreed happily. ¡°A follower of the Golden Goddess always deserves to meet an angel.¡± Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road. Victor handed Swordie over. Jenora took a step back hesitantly. Emilie opened Swordie asking a question. ¡°Could you tell me about the Golden Goddess?¡± A single cold word appeared on Swordie. ¡°No.¡± ¡°Wait do you not know her? I thought all angels were born from the Goddess.¡± Emilie asked. ¡°We are but I cannot speak of the Golden Goddess to those who lack a hidden truth.¡± Swordie insisted. ¡°I am deeply sorry devout one.¡± Emilie tapped her feet excitedly running in place. ¡°He called me devout!¡± Forala stepped toward them frustrated. ¡°Why did he fight the two of you?¡± ¡°He only fought me because I was stupid enough to slink off to try and support Serena. She earned his respect from how cleanly she moved and how efficiently she killed those men. You used your brute strength which is impressive but if the fight is fair then what does it matter how strong you are?¡± Victor noted. ¡°Skill is all that matters if the fight is equal in most other respects. Well skill and gear.¡± Forala protested annoyed. ¡°I¡¯m highly skilled! I don¡¯t need any equipment to beat someone to death.¡± ¡°If Serena had a slightly better weapon she would have killed him without a doubt.¡± Victor shook his head disagreeing strongly. ¡°Equipment is a key part of power and while he does follow an evil Void Lord he has a point. He was far more skilled than me but the angel on my shoulder kept me alive. It¡¯s part of why I wanted to make our guild about hunting artifacts.¡± Swordie added with incredible pride. ¡°It is only natural that my instruction and assistance would lead to such a result.¡± ¡°Forala can you carry Serena?¡± Victor asked hopeful that she would. ¡°You¡¯re the strongest amongst us.¡± ¡°I will carry her.¡± Forala sighed. Emilie put a finger up. ¡°One moment shouldn¡¯t we go loot those guys? He told us it¡¯s fine.¡± Jenora smiled. ¡°Oh yeah! We should get their equipment too if we can carry it.¡± They began heading toward the site of the slaughter. They passed by a massive crater and a hole dug deep into a cave. Hundreds of trees which had exploded from the lightning left them to walk over blackened smoldering wood. They reached the site of the massacre where about 40 bodies and started rifling through the corpses. Pouch after pouch of gold, a few hundred throwing daggers. Jenora bagged small weapon after small weapon. ¡°Leave the bows they¡¯ll be too clunky to carry. Just take the metal weapons you can carry.¡± After collecting their loot they gathered in the road amongst the devastation and took a quick assessment of gold. Emilie noted eyeballing it. ¡°I¡¯d say around 1000 gold and another 500 in miscellaneous metal weapons. That¡¯s a huge payday! More than half of it was on that one guy too.¡± Victor put his hand to his chin thinking. ¡°Yeah. That feels like an almost unreasonable amount of money even for 40 people. Why would they have so much?¡± ¡°They could have just been robbing people for days and never returned to camp.¡± Jenora noted. ¡°I suppose that is possible.¡± Something didn¡¯t sit right with him. Were they part of Zolvorn¡¯s plan? Victor couldn¡¯t decide but Zolvorn was headed the opposite direction to find someone they had never even met so Victor shrugged. Zolvorn was outside his level range so it¡¯s not like he could do anything anyway. Jenora looked to Swordie seemingly wanting to ask him a question but deciding against it. Swordie noticed and asked in a calm soothing voice. ¡°What is it you¡¯d like to know Jenora?¡± ¡°Have you ever killed any devils or demons? Are you the type of angel to crusade against the forces of evil or the administrative type?¡± She paused before tacking on. ¡°Or undead and monsters.¡± In the same calm voice Swordie answered. ¡°For many years I was one of the blades of heaven fighting undead, demons, devils, monsters, and even the occasional evil mage but after year 0 I was reassigned. I cannot discuss year 0 events as I¡¯ve been sworn to secrecy.¡± Emilie cut in. ¡°We understand. Mortals cannot always meddle in the affairs of angels. Isn¡¯t that right Jenora?¡± She seemed immensely disappointed by the answer giving a half-hearted. ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°Awe cheer up darling! I want to know too but angels have secrets they can¡¯t always tell us.¡± Emilie gave a bright smile and a slap on the back cheering up Jenora. ¡°You can always make me smile.¡± Jenora hugged her closing her eyes and taking a deep breath trying to center her mind. Forala put the sack of gold around her shoulder. ¡°Come on. We can walk and talk.¡± She began walking through the devastation carrying Serena and the others followed behind her at a brisk pace. ¡°So Swordie can Victor still use that form he was flying around in?¡± ¡°When he reaches level 80 that will be available once more. Until then it will remain unavailable. Much like boost spells being limited to 5 to protect the body of the user the level 80 requirement is designed to safeguard him. If I wanted I could transform and he could say the words but the light would vaporize him even with the title. His body is not ready.¡± Swordie explained. ¡°Yeah I don¡¯t want to be vaporized. So I¡¯m good.¡± Victor chuckled at the thought. Emilie continued her eager inquiries. ¡°How did you find Victor?¡± ¡°As part of my duties I identify individuals with excessive bad luck and I can correct the karmic scale.¡± Swordie noted. ¡°Wait, he¡¯s just unlucky? We¡¯ve all been unlucky before that seems like a really silly and arbitrary way to pick someone.¡± Emilie seemed skeptical. ¡°More than 99.99999% of life in the universe does not reach luck above 90 or below -90 for more than a week. To be sure some people have an absurdly lucky day or week but sustained bad luck like that elevates the chance of death. His luck remained below -90 for years and actually hit -100 for almost 18 hours. I was tasked with correcting this.¡± Swordie explained as his voice swelled. ¡°I¡¯ve never been happier to be tasked to aid someone. Despite is truly foolish choices at times he is at his core worthy of the title I bestowed upon him.¡± She seemed almost giddy. ¡°So meeting an angel made him a hero! I hope someday an angel will come for me too.¡± Jenora apprehensively commented. ¡°Well angels are very busy you may have to find other help to gain levels.¡± ¡°Oh don¡¯t worry! You know you¡¯re my angel.¡± Emilie leaned up for a kiss. Jenora leaned down and kissed her with a satisfied grin. ¡°Yeah I know, but I can¡¯t do what that book can.¡± Swordie cut in. ¡°He was always a hero. I merely gave him the chance to prove it.¡± Cawthorn crowed loudly. ¡°A BRAVERY ONLY MATCHED BY THE GREATEST CROW TO EVER LIVE MY MAGE FLIES AMONG THE ANGELS! AFTER ALL WITHOUT WINGS HOW COULD FLY WITH ME?!¡± Victor laughed with a bright smile at Cawthorn raising his arms joyously. ¡°I LOVED FLYING! That part was incredible. Having a pair of wings was a bit disorienting at first you¡¯ll have to show me when I get them again how to best use them Cawthorn.¡± ¡°CAW CAW HAH! MY MAGE WE WILL FLY TOGETHER AGAIN THE MOST POWERFUL FORCE IN THE SKY TO EVER LIVE!¡± Cawthorn threw up his wings laughing. Victor aggressively agreed fist pumping. ¡°Man I can¡¯t wait to get those wings back they were great. The armor broke practically just from him grabbing onto it though. That doesn¡¯t seem all that useful Swordie.¡± ¡°Sir Victor that mans strength was abnormal he likely had Gizixil¡¯s Anger rank 10, barbarian strength boost , rage , and several other bonuses active. His total strength score may have been above 40,000 or even higher. The cursed Void Lord skills are incredibly powerful because at maximum rank they provide a 100% increase to a stat.¡± Victor slyly reminded him almost sarcastically adding. ¡°I am sure you didn¡¯t forget that from last time you asked about it.¡± Victor laughed nervously scratching his face. ¡°No Swordie I did not. I just meant that he cracked them with his hands. The armor seemed fragile.¡± ¡°FRAGILE!?¡± Swordie seemed deeply offended. ¡°His swing unmitigated would have been able to cleave a mountain in two and yet you are in one piece. Did you not see the scale of two rank 10 spells clashing? The sky lit up for thousands of miles and the blast likely could be heard through the entire country. It was so huge GIZIXIL showed up just to watch. Just because one was a skill and the other a spell doesn¡¯t mean the strength of one was vastly weaker compared to the other. In fact I¡¯m guessing we will meet a group coming to investigate this before nightfall.¡± Victor¡¯s eyes grew wide. ¡°Uh¡­ How the hell will we explain this.¡± All of the girls and Cawthorn turned to him as if to say ¡®that¡¯s your job.¡¯ He could only think ¡®Great. Just great,¡¯ Swordie added with a cheerful tone. ¡°Sir Victor do not worry, if you die you will not need to face Gizixil.¡± Victor sighed exasperated. ¡°Sometimes you have the most uplifting words Swordie, and then there is this moment here right now.¡± Chapter 35: The Lightbringer Sure enough several hours later nearing they had created a camp fire but needed more wood. ¡°I will go gather some more dry wood this fire won¡¯t last long.¡± Jenora walked into the woods. With darkness falling a man riding a griffin clad in golden barding landed near them. He had come from the north likely from Wonora. He hopped off with a metal clank of his greaves on the road shining bright as the golden filigree on his armor added to the waning light of dusk. His helm almost entirely obscured his face with only his eyes visible. On his hip a golden blade less ornate than Swordie but possessing the same faint golden glow even in the sheath Swordie had earlier. ¡°I am Lightbringer Luke and I am searching for the cause of a massive disturbance just south of here. Based on where you are camping and time of day it seems safe to assume you were involved. Who are you?¡± Victor stood up and extended his hand to shake. ¡°Hi Lightbringer Luke, I am Victor Vogal, the unconscious woman is Serena Brooks please leave her be she is exhausted, Emilie Ward, and Forala Medot. We have one more Jenora Oath who is gathering firewood.¡± ¡°AND I AM CAWTHORN!¡± Cawthorn crowed at him. Luke clearly deeming them not a threat removed his helmet to long smooth golden hair falling down below his shoulders and his ears slightly pointed but not elven, a half-elf. His face a chiseled jaw that even the Greek sculptors would be jealous of as he began to speak Forala sat up slightly leaning on one arm looking at him while lying down. ¡°I suppose a group like yours couldn¡¯t be involved in such large scale destruction but surely given your proximity you saw the massive blast in the sky.¡± Victor decided feeling him out would be the best choice. ¡°Sir Luke not seeing that explosion would require blindness. There is also a decimated area of the forest nearby the source of the blast.¡± ¡°That does seem obvious but thank you for confirming that. Are all of you well? Is Serena Brooks healthy?¡± Luke asked concerned. Emilie piped up standing up clearly in awe. ¡°She¡¯s fine. I¡¯m a priestess of the Golden Goddess and I healed her.¡± She extended her hand. ¡°It¡¯s a pleasure to meet you.¡± He wrapped his massive armored hand around hers and shook firmly with a smile and a slight nod. ¡°The Golden Goddess can always use good priestess to save the lives of the righteous.¡± ¡°Absolutely, but you two are the real knights of the Golden Goddess.¡± Emilie smiled. Victor palmed his head and rubbed his temples. Luke asked slightly curious squinting one eye with an incredulous smile. ¡°Oh two of us?¡± Victor silently thought to himself ¡®please don¡¯t tell him I¡¯m an angelic knight this is going to be so much harder if he has the eagle eyes skill and ever sees my status sheet.¡¯ ¡°You¡¯re both angelic knights of the goddess!¡± Emilie naturally followed joyfully decimating Victor who could only exhale knowing he now had far too much explaining to do. Luke turned to him his golden hair falling over his shoulder as he turned his head to Victor. ¡°Oh, is this true? An angel being involved might explain the power shown to the south of us.¡± Before Victor could explain Swordie spoke up as if to make things worse on purpose. ¡°I am Swordie I¡¯m the angel who was involved.¡± ¡°You do seem a bit small for an angel.¡± Luke commented crossing his arms. ¡°Swordie is an angel!¡± Emilie declared still excited. ¡°We met a Gizixil cultist who challenged Serena and Victor to duels. They got a lot more powerful while facing him but Swordie granted Victor the power of an angel!¡± Luke slowly turned to Victor with a growing smile as though he had just unwrapped a birthday present from his best friend. ¡°Sir Victor, is this true?¡± Victor figured why bother trying to hide it at this point Emilie has already exposed him. ¡°Everything she said is true. I am an angelic knight with the title bestowed to me by Swordie here.¡± He gently patted Swordie. ¡°The wings were definitely the best part!¡± A bright smile stretched across his face. Luke dropped the stoic attitude. ¡°You got wings? THAT¡¯S INCREDIBLE! That¡¯s level 80!¡± Luke bear hugged Victor who could feel his spine being crushed as Luke spun around. ¡°Another angelic knight and of such high level! HAHA! You know I¡¯m rather high level myself so I enjoy those wings too.¡± Luke released his bear hug and put Victor down with a hand on his shoulder. ¡°You should come see me in Kival when you can. I¡¯m sure Peria would be happy to hire you as another national hero defending our country against the savage monstrous creatures, sinister undead, and invading devils.¡± Victor chuckled nervously. ¡°I¡¯m uh actually only level 12.¡± His enthusiasm hit a brick wall that he simply broke through causing him to pause only for the briefest moment. ¡°NO MATTER! Join us at the church and I will mold you into a force for righteousness!¡± Swordie chuckled. ¡°He needs no guide to make him righteousness. He may be even more pure than you.¡± Luke made a stupid smile. ¡°Oh I bet he jumps in front of people to save them all the time! You don¡¯t become an angelic knight by saving a few kittens from trees. I have no doubt he is pure as driven snow. I want to mold him into a force of righteousness. Emphasis on force.¡± Forala stood up almost offended and approached him sternly. ¡°I am his trainer.¡± Luke outstretched his hand to shake. She cautiously took his hand and he vigorously shook her hand. ¡°Good to see a worthwhile woman training a future hero.¡± Forala seemed shocked by this. Her eyebrows went up her head pulled back a little and she put one hand on her mouth. ¡°Oh. Um, wow. I¡¯ve been whipping him into shape.¡± Luke looked up to her as the wind gently blew his golden hair toward her. ¡°I won¡¯t take your student but you are all encouraged to go to the church in Kival.¡± After a long pause he turned to Victor. ¡°Could you describe in your own words what happened?¡± ¡°The five of us were ambushed by a large number of bandits. Forala and Serena killed most of them while Jenora and I protected Emilie. They defeated 30 or 40 bandits and then Zolvorn dropped from the top of a massive tree crashing to the ground. He had this huge black blade crackling with red lightning that could break apart into multiple pieces. He challenged Serena to a Fair Fight and she took me far from the battlefield but like an idiot I went back. I watched her nearly kill him. With his blade above her head I shot a jolt at him. I distracted him enough to anger him. He challenged me to a Fair Fight and I accepted. Apparently that skill levels up your opponent. Our clash midair is what caused that massive explosion.¡± Victor took a deep breath feeling like he had been explaining far too long and kept getting more and more nervous. Luke patted him on the shoulder. ¡°That is quite the mouthful there Sir Victor. Is there anything else?¡± ¡°Gizixil showed up near the end of the fight and Zolvorn stopped it. I think Gizixil killed the mood for him.¡± Victor explained. ¡°The Void Lord Gizixil? The ACTUAL Void Lord Gizixil?¡± Luke leaned forward with a grim face. ¡°He had eight mouths with eyes in each one and stood even taller than you. No shirt and black pants. He had more muscles than anyone I¡¯ve ever seen.¡± Victor described the Void Lord as best he could trying to think back. ¡°Weirdest part is I think he was worried I¡¯d actually defeat Zolvorn.¡± This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings. Luke heartily laughed. ¡°I bet you would too! It¡¯s strange that a Void Lord would show up outside of the Labyrinth though. Normally they leave this world alone. I will go investigate and if they¡¯ve left I will leave this incident¡± ¡°The Labyrinth? What is that?¡± Victor asked rather confused. ¡°The Abyssal Labyrinth is a series of portals throughout Verdan which connect to another realm beneath our own the same way ancient archways connected to heaven and pentagram circles can connect to hell. Some say Deox the Destroyer lives down there but undoubtedly the Void Lords do. The entry portals move after a single use so it isn¡¯t as though you can easily access it but somewhere that place does exist. The most horrifying creatures and deadly encounters anywhere on Verdan, or rather in the universe reside there.¡± Luke explained. Victor shook his head remembering the most important part. ¡°Sorry my curiosity distracted me. There was something much more important. Zolvorn was looking for someone. He was looking for you. Gizixil and Kokoxol both want to kill you and Zolvorn is strong enough to get the job done. You need to find allies if you want to defeat him. He regenerates so fast that losing a hand or even an arm is barely a flesh wound. Anything that doesn¡¯t kill him will barely slow him down.¡± Luke slapped his arm with jovial chuckle. ¡°All the Void Lords want me dead. I deal with terrible monsters on a daily basis this cultist is no different.¡± ¡°He is different! He¡¯s incredibly strong. Our clash in the sky was so massive that it shook the country and brought you here. You have to be cautious and find allies to help you.¡± Victor pleaded. Emilie piped up. ¡°Oh come now you don¡¯t trust the Hero of Peria? I¡¯m sure he knows what he¡¯s doing.¡± ¡°I guess I am inexperienced.¡± Victor turned down to Swordie hoping he¡¯d speak up but not sure what else to say. Forala interjected shaking her head. ¡°I am much more knowledgeable on such topics than Victor and can say confidently you will lose, unless you challenge him to a Fair Fight .¡± Luke humored them. ¡°I¡¯ll make sure I do that. I will be on my way for now. I trust I will see you in Kival on day. May you light the way.¡± He walked back to his griffon and put back on his helmet hiding his golden hair beneath his equally brilliant armor. ¡°One day we will meet again. If you need assistance give this to Vanor in Kival.¡± He flicked a medal at Victor. He easily caught it. With the same simple golden sun on one side and two L¡¯s on the other side Luke capped off. ¡°He¡¯ll help you out.¡± Luke took off on his griffon and the group waved at him bidding him farewell. Forala watched wistfully as he flew away. ¡°Should I fly after him?¡± Victor seemed taken aback. ¡°Wait why?¡± Emilie laughed at his ignorance shaking her head in disbelief. ¡°She¡¯s got a thing for good guys. You¡¯re so oblivious.¡± Forala tapped her lips with her finger before sighing and returning to her bedroll. Victor slapped his head. ¡°Oh I¡¯m so dumb when it comes to romance, my bad. Serena practically had to jump me for me to actually get it.¡± Forala turned away shrinking back to her normal size. ¡°If she hadn¡¯t she would have missed her chance.¡± Jenora returned firewood over her shoulder and dropped it near the fire. She put a couple of pieces in. ¡°I see someone came on a griffin who was it?¡± Emilie sighed. ¡°You missed him, it was Lightbringer Luke.¡± Jenora visibly distressed and shocked. ¡°What!?¡± ¡°Sorry I couldn¡¯t keep him talking long enough for you to get back. I know you¡¯d want to meet him.¡± Emilie hugged her. Flatly and insincere Jenora nodded. ¡°Yeah it would be fun.¡± Victor turned to Jenora even more confused. ¡°Does she like Lightbringer Luke or something? She¡¯s acting weird.¡± ¡°Hey don¡¯t call my girl weird.¡± Emilie pointed at him angrily. Jenora shook her head. ¡°No I am just uh. Never mind! Let me make dinner.¡± Jenora began to cook in a small pot. The smell of the salt and spices filled the camp inviting everyone to take part. ¡°What was it like to use high rank spells?¡± ¡°Incredible. Every spell I cast felt like it was flowing through my entire body. When I cast jolt using I am lightning I transformed into what I can only describe as pure energy. I flew so fast I just disappeared and reappeared so much farther away than I expected. If we reach those levels I will need to spend a long time working on using it right.¡± Victors head tilted back staring at the stars with a happy hopeful smile. ¡°I also really want those wings again.¡± ¡°Do you think I could earn those wings?¡± Jenora leaned forward. Swordie interrupted. ¡°Only if you could find an angel willing to make you their knight. Angels do not grant that title lightly. If our knight falls we can never again appoint another.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± She hung her head in disappointment. Emilie gently patted her head. ¡°It¡¯s alright. I¡¯d love to earn that title too. Sometimes we just have to accept there are things we can¡¯t have. We don¡¯t have to be angelic knights to further the cause of the Golden Goddess though sweetie.¡± Jenora leaned back and leaned into her hand. ¡°I know. I just feel like between the four of us Serena is the best combatant no doubt. You have the incredibly rare Instant Spellcasting innate skill. He¡¯s an Angelic Knight. What am I?¡± ¡°You¡¯re the rock that keeps us together!¡± Emilie wrapped her arms around her from behind. ¡°I¡¯d have left them behind if not for you. They¡¯d be dead and so would we if you didn¡¯t help keep the peace.¡± ¡°Great I¡¯m the only useful in convincing the rest of you to not kill each other.¡± Jenora threw her hands up before crossing her arms. ¡°Oh come on now sweetie. You¡¯re exceptionally durable more so than any of us.¡± Emilie looked to Victor. ¡°That¡¯s definitely true. I¡¯m squishy in comparison.¡± Victor agreed. ¡°That¡¯s barely even true. With your vitality boost you have significantly more health than I do, and for some reason you¡¯ve got a LOT more mana than you should since you can use multiple boosts for long periods of time.¡± She complained with Emilie still around her neck. ¡°Hey yeah, even with the spellsword bonus you shouldn¡¯t be able to maintain multiple boosts and still cast offensive spells. Why can you do that?¡± Emilie asked. ¡®Oh hell, I hadn¡¯t even considered someone could figure out I have absurd mana regeneration by just adding my spell costs together in combat.¡¯ Victor tried to think quick but decided veiled honesty might work better. ¡°My hidden skills are cursed I shouldn¡¯t answer that. I¡¯m sorry.¡± Emilie sat down in a groan. ¡°You both have secrets and it SUCKS! Why am I the only one who has the guts to tell the group my past?¡± Victor looked to Jenora. ¡°Perhaps she thinks it would be a deal breaker in your relationship?¡± ¡°Nah! No way she thinks that, she is stuck with me.¡± Emilie punched her in the shoulder. Jenora glared at Victor. ¡°Perhaps the curse is his that his social tact disappears around women.¡± Swordie cut in once more. ¡°Don¡¯t be foolish he never had any social tact. It¡¯s his best and worst trait, he doesn¡¯t know when to be polite.¡± Victor sighed. ¡°You know I could throw you in the fire to let your spicy words cool down.¡± ¡°The fire would not damage me and would increase the efficacy of my burns.¡± Swordie noted. Victor put his head in his hand. ¡°Someday people will respect me.¡± Swordie added in a cheery voice. ¡°But it is not this day!¡± Chapter 36: My day is ruined and I just woke up Victor once again woke up to a foot in the face this time waking up just as the swing came in. ¡°Well well just barely in time. A few more days of this and you¡¯ll actually be up in time.¡± Forala walked away gathering Serena and some gear.¡±Come on we arrive late tonight.¡± Cawthorn seemed to be scouting overhead. Victor panted in a dry sweat coming out of a strange dream. He couldn¡¯t remember it but something in outer space with him flying around stuck in his mind. His hands felt like ice and his eyes felt like he¡¯d seen something horrible almost burned into them but he had no idea what. When he stood up he wobbled like a newborn. Victor tried hard to recall but as he did his head began hurting. ¡®It¡¯s got to be Luzuzal. He did something to me while I was asleep.¡¯ He put his hand on Swordie. ¡°Swordie can you see my dreams?¡± ¡°No sir. I can¡¯t. Why would you think I can?¡± Swordie asked. ¡°I just thought with your powers it might be possible.¡± Victor explained. ¡°Ah your incompetence attributes magic above your level to omnipotence. Understood.¡± Swordie noted with a hint of superiority in his voice. Victor took a deep exasperated breath and decided not to continue the conversation with Swordie and instead wanted to ask Jenora and Emilie a question which had been bugging him but declined instead thinking only to himself. ¡®Should we remain at 4 party members or get a fifth?¡¯ That is when Victor put his hand in his pocket and felt something. A small smooth stone he pulled it out. It a rune on it a golden sun with a silver moon in the center of it, at the center a four pointed star. ¡®What the hell is this?¡¯ a message popped up on his delusion HUD. If you want to see me use this. I can no longer attend to you on Verdan without explicit reason. For a time. ¡®Seriously what caused this? Did Gizixil go and stop him? Why would he even care? How do I even use this? Uhg this just raises further questions and there¡¯s no way for me to get answers on it right now.¡¯ Victor sighed and put it back in his pocket before stretching high. He heard his arms pop just a little. ¡°Oh that felt good.¡± He kept stretching for a minute before they started walking. ¡°Forala do you know about how long it will take for her to wake up?¡± ¡°She¡¯s fully health, probably full stamina as well. She¡¯s probably unconscious from the trauma of that skill ending. It could be a few minutes from now or a few days.¡± Forala explained. ¡°That must be my fault.¡± Victor slumped his shoulders looking at her short frazzled hair. ¡°She would have been killed but that sucks that it hurt so badly. I ended it by conceding so I¡¯m guessing that is the difference.¡± ¡°I still can¡¯t believe he refused to fight me.¡± Forala looked down angrily shaking her head. ¡°He would have killed you.¡± Victor insisted. ¡°He didn¡¯t kill you and I¡¯m a far better fighter. I¡¯d have killed that arrogant cultist and eaten his head.¡± Forala gruesomely continued describing. ¡°His blood would have painted the ground for miles and given how poorly I noticed he handled aerial combat he wouldn¡¯t have stood a chance.¡± ¡°I think without equipment you¡¯d be dead. If you had Swordie or even just some strong armor you might be able to but his sword would have blasted you with red lightning. You aren¡¯t fast enough to dodge it and that would definitely knock you out of the air. If that battle taught me anything skill, level, and gear all of them matter immensely. Missing any one of them makes it far harder or impossible to win.¡± Victor sighed. ¡°You and Serena are missing the gear required. I¡¯m missing the skill. Without his skill we¡¯re all missing the levels. I¡¯m weak enough to acknowledge it.¡± Forala groaned. ¡°I¡¯m not saying equipment wouldn¡¯t help. I¡¯ve fought my whole life in many almost unwinnable battles and yet here I am. In a fair fight even with his weapon I¡¯d kill him.¡± Emilie broke it up. ¡°Alright you two there¡¯s no reason to speculate. I doubt we¡¯ll see him again and if we do it will be a long time before we do. We¡¯ll never know if she could have defeated that cultist so it¡¯s not a big deal.¡± Both of them agreed and Jenora added. ¡°I envy your confidence Forala. If I had fought against him I¡¯d be dead now, Emilie too but she¡¯d never be a great duelist and she knows that.¡± Emilie threw up her hands. ¡°Well duh! I¡¯m never going to be good at fighting duels! You¡¯d be pretty good at it though Jenora. Why do you think you wouldn¡¯t be?¡± She sighed. ¡°My first reaction in combat is to block anything. If I had blocked a blow from that cultist I¡¯d be in several pieces today. I can dodge some things but unfortunately I have to think about it which slows me down. That works often. When it doesn¡¯t work it¡¯s already too late to evade. My arm broke back in the dungeon from successfully blocking a creature with too much strength for my armor and my body. What can I possibly do to know if blocking will work? If it doesn¡¯t the consequence next time could be getting cut in half.¡± ¡°Swordie can you help?¡± Victor asked. Victor opened Swordie who suddenly displayed hundreds of skills. ¡°There are far too many skills that would help resolve this issue. You¡¯ll have to be significantly more specific.¡± Jenora perked up and leaned over Victor¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Well the two main issues are knowing if a strike or spell can be blocked safely and in time to dodge and being able to do something about it if I knew since I¡¯m slower in armor.¡± Strike Strength Rank 1 Rarity: Common Requirements: Fighter 1, Spend 1 stat point Passive Skill Indicates the strength of a strike by showing a color scale from green to red as soon as someone begins it. As rank increases improves the speed which you identify the attack and the color scale. Reinforcement Rank 1 Rarity: Common Requirements: Fighter 1, Spend 3 stat points Active skill Stamina cost 2 Duration: 3 Seconds Cooldown: 60 Seconds Massively increases resistance to physical, elemental, and magical effects briefly. ¡°Those two skills are the most effective way to achieve that end for you Jenora. There are other spells which accomplish that as well but given your limited mana pool and lower flow it makes more sense to use those based on your current request.¡± Swordie informed her with as much precision as possible. ¡°I am not surprised you didn¡¯t know about strike strength, it is commonly taken but rarely discussed in this world. Reinforcement however is something that most shield users discuss taking at some point. Did you not have an instructor? Parents?¡± Jenora jumped back from his shoulder. ¡°Um, uh. Well sort of.¡± Emilie used one finger to close Swordie. ¡°Leave her alone she doesn¡¯t want to talk about her past.¡± She flicked Swordie¡®s cover. ¡°So don¡¯t be a jerk.¡± ¡°A jerk? It was merely a simple inquiry.¡± Swordie noted. Jenora clearly avoiding the topic tried to end the conversation. ¡°Thank you for the help. I¡¯d probably never have figured that out on my own.¡± ¡°Anyway something I had wanted to discuss. Should we recruit a fifth party member?¡± Victor turned quizzically to Forala. Emilie immediately crossed her arms. ¡°4 is fine! More loot, plenty of power, lots of skills to overcome problems.¡± ¡°Well I meant we don¡¯t have a fighter and as a mage I¡¯m anything but a traditional ranged mage.¡± Victor noted. ¡°It was a big problem when I didn¡¯t have fire spells earlier.¡± ¡°Wait so instead of a fighter which is the only thing we are missing you want to recruit another mage? That seems incredibly stupid in a group like ours.¡± Emilie shook her head. ¡°We¡¯d have to recruit a fighter. I mean think about it, we have 1 defensive holy warrior who can protect me and you who can kind of assist with your barrier but it isn¡¯t the same. Who¡¯d protect a mage? Serena? That doesn¡¯t seem reasonable.¡± ¡°Wait do mages need someone to protect them? I thought their barriers were strong enough to protect themselves.¡± Victor turned to Forala. ¡°Am I wrong?¡± If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. ¡°Yes. There are some mages who can protect themselves but the vast majority setup their skills and stats to fire off spells at a distance and are often assigned direct protectors for the more powerful ones. That¡¯s because many have fire bolts or balls capable of killing all targets at their level or below it in a single spell. They are much more effective at fighting lower level creatures and wiping out massive areas with many targets than they are against enemies above them.¡± Forala pointed out putting her hand on his back. ¡°Most mages specialize in area spells because governments tend to recruit them for armies. Any mage that does is guaranteed an income.¡± Emilie put her arms behind her head stretching. ¡°Yeah the same is true for priests but almost none of them get past level 30. They basically just want you to be able to cast wide area spells. They¡¯ll actively protect you too. It¡¯s why mages and especially priests are uncommon in the adventuring and artifact hunting professions.¡± Victor put his hand to his chin thinking. ¡°I see, so if we wanted a mage he¡¯d have to be able to protect himself.¡± Jenora turned to him with a bit of concern. ¡°Well yes but it¡¯s better to have more protectors than people in need of protection.¡± ¡°I guess that¡¯s fair enough. I was just trying to fill our hole since we are bad at exploiting elemental weaknesses.¡± Victor noted. ¡°You can take those spells still. They won¡¯t be maximum rank most likely but that doesn¡¯t always matter. Many creatures have something happen when hit by a specific element. Water elementals for example become destabilized when hit by any lightning like your jolt spell. More powerful lightning spells completely dissipate them forcing them to reform much smaller but even the lesser effect is powerful.¡± Forala turned her head to Victor. ¡°You might be responsible for all the elements. You could learn them at lower ranks through tomes or teachers.¡± Victor opened Swordie. ¡°What do I need to learn a new skill without stat points?¡± ¡°The rules for that are largely secret even from me. However once it spreads and people become familiar with the method the secret tag is removed. This is one of the most common skills in existence that had a secret method to learn it and became well known.¡± Swordie brought up a skill. Swim Rank 1 Rarity: Common Requirements: Strength 3, Spend 1 point, or attempt to swim 5 times successfully swimming immediately bestows this skill. Passive Skill Stamina Cost: Variable based on speed Allows you to proficiently swim. ¡°For the secret condition to be available for almost any skill at least 1,000,000 people need to acquire the skill through that method and for those to be alive in the world today. At least through me, even if an entire school knows how to learn fire bolt through a tome and passes it around that doesn¡¯t matter if they don¡¯t cross the threshold.¡± Swordie noted. His eyes lit up. ¡°Oh wow does every skill and spell have a secret condition?¡± ¡°Not all skills but a huge number do. That is part of the reason a large number of mages seclude themselves in mage towers early in life.¡± Swordie noted. ¡°You¡¯d need to have spent 6 to 10 years there and would likely have learned a ton of spells giving you access to more stat points and utility magic.¡± Serena stirred in Forala¡¯s arms. ¡°Not the person who I expected to be carrying me. I¡¯m immeasurably disappointed. My day ruined, and I just woke up.¡± Forala giggled putting her down. ¡°You can¡¯t possibly expect that man to carry you. He¡¯s adorable but not strong.¡± Swordie added. ¡°Quick, but definitely not quick witted.¡± Victor walked up to her. ¡°I¡¯m sorry! I thought we could get to town faster if she carried you. She¡¯s the strongest member of the group by far so it wouldn¡¯t slow us down!¡± ¡°I carried you to town even though Gargrim was stronger.¡± She pressed her tan finger into his shirt pouting. ¡°His arm was broken!¡± Victor protested trying ineffectively to defend himself. ¡°And you are 3 or 4 times stronger than me.¡± She immediately picked up. ¡°Yup and you weigh more than me.¡± She put him down. ¡°Prove to me you can¡¯t even pick me up.¡± Emilie leaned on Jenora. ¡°Oh this is going to be good.¡± Victor started turning red and leaned down to pick her up easily lifting her but definitely straining. She instructed. ¡°Now walk.¡± The group resumed walking while Emilie tried to contain her laughter but couldn¡¯t stop snickering. ¡°Jenora over or under on an hour before he has to put her down?¡± ¡°Oh definitely under, I¡¯ll bet you 5 gold on it.¡± Jenora reached out her hand to shake. ¡°Ooo I¡¯ll absolutely take that. I think he¡¯ll collapse before he ever sets her down.¡± Emilie shook her hand. Victor cast Rigor boost silently as he noticed his stamina slowly declining. ¡°Sorry you¡¯re right it should have been me carrying you.¡± ¡°Oh no you¡¯re not wrong to have her do it. I¡¯m just disappointed. I just wanted you to carry me.¡± She wrapped her arms around his chest. Victor tried to contain a chuckle. ¡°Well if you ask for it I can.¡± ¡°That¡¯s why I asked.¡± She climbed down. ¡°Aw! Bet is off she got down on her own.¡± Jenora looked at Emilie. ¡°Yeah that¡¯s fair.¡± Emilie sighed. ¡°What happened after I passed out? Last think I remember was a blast of lightning hit his head.¡± She noted. Victor took a breath ready to explain. ¡°After I attacked him he was enraged and I dueled him. Our duel shook the country with massive blasts visible for miles. I couldn¡¯t tell if I was about to win or die but Void Lord Gizixil showed up ending our duel. Zolvorn decided not to kill us and Gizixil basically told him to get back to work killing Lightbringer Luke. We then ran into Lightbringer Luke he was on a griffin. That¡¯s probably why they didn¡¯t catch him on the road. He gave me this token and he learned I have the angelic knight title from Swordie.¡± ¡°Swordie is an angel? You didn¡¯t win either?¡± Serena seemed a bit overwhelmed tilting her head back and widening her eyes. Swordie noted. ¡°For mortal purposes yes I am an angel.¡± ¡°He also said you got closer to killing him than I did. If you had better gear you¡¯d probably have won.¡± Victor noted. ¡°I had him dead in front of me. He was beaten. If I was just a tiny bit cleaner in my movement he¡¯d be dead. My arms locked up as soon as double dash ended and I couldn¡¯t finish the job.¡± He held up her hands and gripped tightly forming furious fists. ¡°I need more skill, just a little more.¡± Victor put his hand on her shoulder. ¡°No you don¡¯t. If you had a weapon like Swordie he¡¯d have died faster than he could blink.¡± ¡°I have to focus on what I can change. I can¡¯t just stumble upon a legendary or divine rank item like you can.¡± Serena nodded focused on the road ahead. ¡°That¡¯s why I wanted to start an Artifact Hunter guild.¡± Victor held out his hands sure of his plan. Serena groaned. ¡°That again? I agree Forala would make a good guild leader but the premise for doing it doesn¡¯t make sense. How can you justify keeping the artifacts since only one person gets the artifact?¡± ¡°I had a great idea. We charge minimal dues of 5% or 10% whatever the minimum amount is needed to start out, the premise is you do an adventurers guild quest then we buy information using that gold. Every second mission is an artifact hunting mission and the artifacts we find get vaulted.¡± Victor smiled. ¡°Well that seems pointless why not sell them, everyone makes gold then.¡± Emilie rolled her eyes at him. ¡°When you deposit an artifact your group gains Artifact Points equal to the equivalent stat points of that rank. Those points get divided amongst the group. The Artifact costs exactly the number of points that it paid out when it was put in.¡± Victor lit up happily explaining how it would work. ¡°Ok but what if two people want the same item?¡± Serena seemed skeptical. ¡°We make the points a starting point at an auction.¡± Victor smiled with his hands on his hips. Emilie shrugged. ¡°Yeah but there are a bunch of artifacts that are definitely not worth that much, they would give points out but never be resold.¡± ¡°Every year at the end of the year we halve the cost of items that have been there a year or more.¡± Victor quickly spat out. ¡°Ok but where do you store that? It¡¯s not like Forala could stop a squad of high level individuals from robbing us stealthily or otherwise.¡± Serena seemed skeptical. Forala in her adult form gripped the tiny Serena¡¯s shoulder. ¡°I could stop them, or I¡¯d die trying.¡± Serena clearly intimidated looked up at her. ¡°I want to be as confident as you. Please teach me.¡± ¡°It¡¯s simple. Do it or die. If you decide the outcome before you start and there is no alternative either confidence or death will follow. I¡¯m still here, you will be too.¡± Forala patted her shoulder with a beaming smile. ¡°Be confident Victor may be inexperienced and somewhat foolish but you aren¡¯t. You¡¯re right you can refine your movements slightly but your main weakness is that you lack levels and equipment to accomplish what you know needs to be done. Be confident and never back down.¡± Forala gave her a reassuring nod. ¡°Aren¡¯t you petrified? Like absolutely terrified by what could happen?¡± Serena pressed. ¡°No because only one thing will ever happen. I don¡¯t always know what it is but only one reality exists at a time. We live in it. In action we sculpt the world we live in. Inaction lets others sculpt the world we live in. I know which of the two I¡¯d rather live in.¡± Forala gave her a knowing smile. Victor sighed knowing he had to return to the point. ¡°I have confidence in you Serena. Alright I will concede I don¡¯t know where to store it.¡± Forala smiled as the town came into view and the sun started to dip lower. ¡°I¡¯m starting to like the basic rules you¡¯ve setup. Be confident. Find a way.¡± Chapter 37: Wonora The five of them reached a massive wooden gate with guards flanked by stone walls at least twenty feet high. Two stone towers stretching even higher watched over the south gate. Victor could only smirk ¡®Gargrim would hate these.¡¯ Four guards holding spears stood at the southern entrance clad in metal helmets and leather armor. Two of them were inspecting a cart as their group approached the door. Another guard considerably shorter than any of them even Emilie approached. Once she reached them her tiny voice and stature made it clear she was a halfling. ¡°Greetings travelers, I am Patricia Conway. Who are you and what business have you in Wonora?¡± Victor stepped forward. ¡°We¡¯re artifact hunters here to start a guild.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a bold claim. Who amongst you is above level 40?¡± Patricia asked. Forala currently in her towering adult form approached the halfling who barely came up to her knee. ¡°My name is Forala Medot. I am level 60.¡± The halfling looked up clearly unimpressed by her stature. ¡°A bold claim but you¡¯ll need to go to the mayor¡¯s office and confirm that as well as fill out paperwork and pay the 200 gold fee to start a guild. To enter you will need to submit to a search. Please place all magic items on this wooden table.¡± She walked over to a table under the archway and slapped it on the table. ¡°Come on over.¡± The group brought out their potions and Swordie. ¡°Not many magic items, I can only presume your group sells them.¡± Forala shook her head. ¡°We won¡¯t be selling artifacts.¡± Patricia shrugged. ¡°Well not my wheel house however Brice needs to cast Identify on this book. It will take about 10 minutes. Please wait here. BRICE!¡± A wizard in a large blue pointed hat scuttled over in blue robes. ¡°Yes miss Patricia?¡± ¡°This book here. The rest just looks like regular potions and antidotes.¡± Patricia turned back to them as the wizard began drawing a circle using what Victor could identify as the magic writing skill. ¡°In the meantime how have your travels been?¡± Victor figured honesty would be the best policy here since they already spoke with Luke and he knew what happened. So he recounted the story just like he did to Luke finishing with ¡°It was really something¡± before pulling out the medal from Luke to show her. ¡°That¡¯s quite the tale but it would explain the explosion the other day. If it is good enough for Luke it is good enough for me. I just have to have him confirm the artifact is harmless and-¡± She was cut off. ¡°WHAT THE HELL!?¡± Brice shouted. He turned to the group and then to Patricia. ¡°Captain may I speak with you privately?¡± She sighed and walked back around the corner with him. ¡°Uhg, Brice what is it now?¡± She returned with Brice in tow a few moments later and asked. ¡°Is that book an angel?¡± Swordie spoke up. ¡°For mortal purposes yes. I am an angel.¡± Brice stepped back. ¡°That¡¯s not all! It¡¯s a tier 10 artifact! Its power is just being restrained by something.¡± Swordie commented. ¡°Well of course. My power is limited by the level of Victor Vogal while I am on Verdan.¡± Patricia sighed and scratched her head. ¡°Well generally speaking the rules on artifacts tier 8 and up are pretty strict. I will take you to the mayor and we can write up an exception since it¡¯s an angel. If I didn¡¯t the church would absolutely yell at me for years to come. You¡¯ll need to be careful people will try and steal that from you.¡± Swordie burst out laughing and would not stop for almost an entire minute as everyone looked on. ¡°I will not be stolen.¡± Victor pointed at him nodding. ¡°I¡¯m pretty confident he won¡¯t be stolen if he reacts like that.¡± ¡°Alright Brice you¡¯re coming with me to explain this to the mayor. All five of you have to accompany me to fill out paperwork and sign up for the guild you want to make.¡± Patricia waved for them to follow her. ¡°Miss Conway are you sure Mr. Zane will tolerate this within his city? I think he¡¯s going to yell at us.¡± Brice leaned down following behind her. ¡°I don¡¯t think he will be happy we are doing this.¡± Cawthorn whispered into Victor¡¯s ear. ¡°That mage is an elf. He¡¯s hiding it.¡± Victor whispered back. ¡°Don¡¯t tell anyone he¡¯s obviously hiding it for a reason. Leave him alone.¡± ¡°I¡¯m always discrete my mage.¡± Cawthorn insisted. They entered the bustling city with a sea of people rushing around. Many people had swords, shields, spears, staves, wands, bows, and many other weapons. It seemed like every other person was armed. The buildings made of grey and red stone were quaint. It¡¯s exactly the kind of old medieval town victor read about all the time. Cobblestone roads filled with wooden carts drawn by mules and horses clattered by. In the distance a massive golden cathedral towered over the town. Strangely the building they were approaching seemed almost Roman in design with massive pillars made of white marble. ¡°That building looks out of place here.¡± Victor noted. ¡°It¡¯s been here a very long time. People love it so it¡¯s never been torn down and rebuilt.¡± Patricia continued walking. ¡°There¡¯s a huge number of shops here, 4 major guilds and countless minor ones. Most commonly quests get posted in bars but there are other places to post them. If you want to find leads on artifacts you¡¯ll have to find a group willing to sell you the information. It¡¯s a big city.¡± Brice spoke up with a smile. ¡°It¡¯s a brilliant town filled with incredible people. I didn¡¯t know anyone when I arrived in this city and she hired me for the guard.¡± ¡°He¡¯s a bit anxious all the time but Brice is always on hand and reliable.¡± Patricia noted pointing to him. ¡°He¡¯s also really tall but he can¡¯t stop hunching over.¡± Brice immediately straightened up gaining nearly a foot. ¡°See he only stands up straight when I comment on it.¡± They reached massive wooden doors propped open before walking in on marble floors. A trio of beautiful stain glass windows that portrayed angels at the back of the building at the top of a stair case. ¡°Follow me.¡± Patricia walked up the steps with all of them behind her. She walked to the end of the hall and knocked on a large wooden door. ¡°Mayor Zane, I have someone here seeking entry with an exceptional artifact.¡± ¡°FILL OUT THE PAPERWORK AND LEAVE ME ALONE!¡± A deep booming voice answered from behind the door. ¡°Brice you¡¯re up.¡± Patricia stepped back. ¡°Mr. Zane, Mr. Mayor sir, the artifact in question is tier 10.¡± Brice politely added from behind the door. A man could be heard stomping toward the door. The door creaked open. ¡°Come on in.¡± A massive man waddled back from the door to a double wide chair and sat down. In front of him 8 chairs spread before a solid wooden desk covered in stacks of paper and supplies including a quill and ink. ¡°Close the door. Sit. Sit.¡± He sat down practically panting. ¡°Go ahead Patricia.¡± ¡°Sir Brice here has identified the book in possession of Mr. Victor here as a tier 10 artifact.¡± She explained. ¡°Well then get him the hell out of my city! He¡¯ll destroy the place if he stays.¡± Zane insisted waving them away. Brice raised a single finger. ¡°Sir the artifact is an angel.¡± Zane¡¯s face contorted confused as he leaned forward causing his desk to creak. Victor placed Swordie on his desk. ¡°This book is an angel?¡± Swordie spoke up. ¡°That I am.¡± Zane recoiled back nearly tipping his chair over. ¡°It talks! Is it intelligent?¡± ¡°More so than you.¡± Swordie answered. The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. Cawthorn cawed. ¡°CAW CAW HAH.¡± ¡°Uhg I can¡¯t reject it if it¡¯s an angel the church will skin me alive. What assurance can you offer me Patricia that this item will not destroy the city?¡± Zane leaned his pudgy face forward. Brice spoke up. ¡°The artifact is significantly limited. It seems it unlocks more power based on the level of its user.¡± Zane put both hands on his desk. ¡°Well what level is its user?¡± He looked across the group. ¡°I¡¯m level 12 Mr. Zane.¡± Victor spoke up. He threw his hands up. ¡°Splendid! Exception granted.¡± He quickly grabbed a form and filled it out. ¡°I just need your signature here.¡± Victor quickly signed two papers. Zane handed one to Patricia. ¡°You¡¯re on the hook to file it.¡± ¡°Yes sir.¡± Patricia nodded. ¡°Is there anything else I can help you with?¡± He asked. ¡°Yes. I wish to establish a guild as the guild leader.¡± Forala spoke up. Zane looked up and down her unable not to stare at her chest. ¡°While you are a beautiful woman there are rules. You need to be level 40 or higher to lead a guild and you need 4 guild members. If you are claiming you¡¯re level 40 or higher I will need you to tap this book.¡± He pulled out a red book and opened it to a blank page. Forala touched it and handed it back to him as her sheet became viewable. ¡°Lets see level 60 is more than enough! Wait. Are you really a half-drake?¡± He looked taken aback. Brice fell back out of his chair and backed away. ¡°I am, is that a problem?¡± Forala leaned forward resting her chest and arms on his desk. Zane licked his lips and gulped. ¡°Well strictly speaking legally no. You have a humanoid form, are able to communicate and you aren¡¯t a devil but no one will join your guild if you are a half-drake.¡± Victor spoke up. ¡°I¡¯m sure it will be fine. We¡¯ll let results speak for themselves.¡± ¡°Well the fee is 200 gold. Do you have that?¡± Zane leaned forward. Forala put forward 200 gold. ¡°The guild name is to be ¡®The Artifact Hunters Guild¡¯. Are there any guild halls available?¡± ¡°That¡¯s something you¡¯ll have to find on your own. I don¡¯t know of any major buildings for sale.¡± Zane leaned back creaking his chair. ¡°That is a shame.¡± She sat back down in her chair. Zane smiled and nodded raising a finger. ¡°I know, you should speak with the church. With an artifact like that they¡¯ll bend over backwards to help you.¡± Emilie smiled. ¡°Well they¡¯d help us anyway! I¡¯m a priestess of the Golden Goddess and Jenora is a holy warrior of the Golden Goddess.¡± ¡°While your friend hasn¡¯t taken off her helmet you are quite the lovely young lady. I am sure they will help you find what you are looking for, I am however tragically busy processing these new arrivals for Freedman¡¯s Guild.¡± Zane noted pulling back out a small stack of paper. ¡°I¡¯d give you directions to the church but I think you will find looking up more than sufficient to locate the church.¡± Victor raised his hand. ¡°Yes young man.¡± ¡°Why wouldn¡¯t anyone join a guild with a half-drake guild leader?¡± Victor tilted his head quizzically. ¡°Well you know. People don¡¯t trust those types, anyone different from their own kind that is. Humans, half-elves, dwarves, halflings, elves, and other humanoid races aside from devils tend to have cautious acceptance of each other mainly because monsters in this world vastly outnumber us other half-breeds significantly less so.¡± He explained. Victor thought to himself with a grin he hid beneath his hand. ¡®I hadn¡¯t expected that their racism could be my opportunity. I bet there are a lot of outcast types that would like to be in a guild where racism isn¡¯t tolerated.¡¯ Victor turned to Emilie. ¡°Why are you looking at me?¡± She asked rather confused. ¡°If you¡¯re all done here I have a lot of slave forms to process.¡± Zane finished. ¡°Slave forms?¡± Serena grabbed Victor¡¯s chest as he repeated the words. ¡°Well yes the Freedman¡¯s guild brought in a new shipment from the Great Desert of Devolus over the mountains to the west. They¡¯ve been extremely aggressive about importing slaves recently this is almost twice their normal shipment size.¡± Zane leaned back and shrugged causing his chair to creak again. Serena gripped Victor¡¯s shirt. ¡°I see. We should go Victor.¡± All of them immediately left the office. All of them looked at Victor as though he was going to lose his mind. Victor slowly turned looking down ominously at Patricia ¡°What happens if a slave is freed in Peria?¡± ¡°Well if you buy a slave and free them they are free but they need citizenship or they have to leave the country unless they sign up as an adventurer.¡± She looked up at the face of a man enraged. ¡°Freeing another citizen¡¯s slave is illegal.¡± Victor looked forward answering flatly. ¡°I see.¡± Brice raised one finger realizing Victor was angered. ¡°Well sir you can buy slaves at the auction house and free them if you¡¯d like.¡± ¡°Duly note Brice. Thank you.¡± Victor contained his rage. ¡°Happy to help sir, if you need any information I¡¯m at the barracks.¡± Brice adds with a chipper attitude. ¡°Thank you Brice.¡± Victor took a deep breath as they reached the exit. Patricia looked up and extended her hand. ¡°Miss Forala you¡¯ve got your paperwork and Victor has his exception. I¡¯d recommend finding a room at one of our many inns they sometimes fill up around this time of year since it is warming up and adventurers are flocking here. I¡¯m headed back to the gate. If you¡¯re looking for help any of my men would be happy to help you.¡± Forala shook her hand. ¡°I¡¯m sure I will see you again.¡± Patricia walked away with Brice behind her. Brice turned around and waved enthusiastically. ¡°Come on Brice!¡± He snapped back and caught up to her quickly disappearing into the crowd. Serena finally let go of his shirt. ¡°I¡¯m glad you learned to control yourself.¡± ¡°Oh I¡¯m in control of myself. I¡¯m patient too. The other day I learned what it means to actually be powerful. I will reach that level before I try to fix the problems of the world. That said Swordie, please create a list of people I come across over our journey who own slaves. It will be a useful tool to help us later.¡± Victor quipped with a slightly deranged smile. He turned to Emilie. ¡°On to the other point, racism has to not be tolerated in our guild.¡± ¡°Okay why are you looking at me?¡± Emilie asked turning to Jenora. ¡°You are joking right?¡± Victor asked. Forala crossed her arms and shifted her weight. ¡°Think back to how you acted when you met me.¡± ¡°Or when you met the skeleton and the dryad, yes you were right but you need to stop judging someone by their race. It works sometimes but it¡¯s going to be wrong as often as it¡¯s going to be right.¡± Victor insisted. She pouted. ¡°But I was right!¡± ¡°What if you came across a devil and she was really nice to you?¡± Jenora asked. ¡°It would all be part of some ploy. Devils can¡¯t actually be nice!¡± Emilie protested. ¡°Half-drakes are usually too savage to converse with so Forala is an exception.¡± ¡®I wish I had a squirt bottle.¡¯ Victor sighed. ¡°Emilie we need our guild to be welcoming to everyone. I¡¯m betting the guilds here all have some kind of hook. If we do this we¡¯ll get a huge number of individuals that don¡¯t feel welcome in other guilds. That means we have to put a stop to that attitude and give everyone a chance. ¡°Ok but not devils or undead. They aren¡¯t even legally allowed in towns and they¡¯d raid our guild to get them.¡± Emilie crossed her arms. Victor relented. ¡°That¡¯s fair I suppose. I am nowhere close to strong enough to change the laws so at least for now that¡¯s fine but half-whatevers need to be welcome as long as they can communicate and are peaceful to other guild members. Is that fine?¡± She groaned. ¡°The church will give me so much grief for this but fine.¡± She turned to Jenora still in her helmet. ¡°Does that work for you sweetie?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t mind allies like Forala, they¡¯re strong and knowledgeable about combat. As long as they find me to be an ally I will do the same for them.¡± Jenora nodded still in her helm. Cawthorn crowed loudly ¡°SAUSAGE! IT IS DINNER TIME! I REQUIRE SAUSAGE!¡± Everyone laughed and went to an inn for dinner. Chapter 38: What a hall The group woke up emerging from their rooms ready to start the day as they ordered breakfast from the bar. The group sat at a table in the corner by a window. ¡°What¡¯s the first order of business captain?¡± Victor turned to Forala who ordered a large hock of meat. ¡°Guild hall, we need a place to serve as a base. We have to establish ourselves with a clear message and symbol. Then after resupplying we get to normal operations and try to attract more members and groups.¡± Forala continued eating and explaining between bites. ¡°Then as we develop we¡¯ll need additional guild halls in other cities and eventually in other countries.¡± ¡°You really have a detailed plan huh.¡± Victor raised an eyebrow genuinely impressed. ¡°My father left me a book on it. It was the history of The Great Golden Guild. It detailed their rise to prominence on this continent.¡± She noted. Serena finished her eggs. ¡°There¡¯s no way we can afford a guild hall even with the haul we got from those bandits. I bet the cheapest building that could serve as one is 5,000 gold or more since we need something with 10 or 20 rooms at least for multiple parties. I think we should spend the day exploring the city to see if there are any buildings that could serve as one before going to the church this evening.¡± ¡°What why not go to the church first?¡± Emilie groaned with irritation. ¡°They¡¯re going to be the most helpful people in the city to us.¡± Serena pushed her plate forward and leaned on her arms thinking. ¡°Well we are starting out a guild. It¡¯s not in the best interest of the church affiliated with The Great Golden Guild to actively assist us becoming large. Sure they might help us find a guild hall with 5 or 6 rooms basically locking us into a small size for a long time. It would stunt our growth while still technically be helping us.¡± Emilie laughed. ¡°Oh please you¡¯re way too paranoid.¡± Forala tilted her head. ¡°Well it isn¡¯t like they are expecting us. We have plenty of money for an extra day or two at the inn before we do anything else.¡± Victor turned to Emilie. ¡°Does the church normally have an evening service?¡± Emilie put down her drink nodding. ¡°Well of course it¡¯s to celebrate the passing of a day.¡± ¡°We should all meet for evening service and speak with the person giving it after the service ends.¡± Victor turned to Forala hoping she¡¯d like the pitch. ¡°Given that we do not know this city you four will split off and search in pairs. I will search on my own. Do not get into any altercations, make any enemies, or break any laws.¡± She glared at all four of them. ¡°If today and goes poorly there is a good chance we¡¯ll fail to even get a good guild hall and I will have to take a bunch of jobs to get enough gold to establish our guild months or more from now. If the church gives us a cheap effective guild hall we take it. Full stop. The reason is simple. I thought deeply about what Victor proposed and I envision us needing a large backlog of artifacts that entice people to join the guild. It will create a sort of snowball effect where having artifacts to bid on will increase the value of guild membership.¡± Serena turned to the other girls. ¡°Couples?¡± Jenora and Emilie answered in unison. ¡°Couples.¡± Cawthorn crowed. ¡°ME AND MY MAGE ARE THE COUPLE!¡± Forala laughed nearly spitting out some of her meat. Serena pointed to Cawthorn edging her finger closer. Victor cut the tension slicing a sausage in half and giving it to Cawthorn. ¡°We can all 3 look together Cawthorn but you¡¯ll need to fly overhead and inspect buildings that fit the size requirement.¡± Cawthorn choked down the sausage. ¡°SAUSAGE IS THE BEST FOOD IN VERDAN! I SHALL FIND THE GUILD HALL!¡± He jumped out the window and flapped into the sky. ¡°Well I didn¡¯t expect that to get rid of him. I still had half a sausage for him.¡± Victor held up the other half of a sausage. Cawthorn swooped by ¡°SAUSAGE!¡± Easily swiping it off the fork and flying back out the window. ¡°Can he hear that word from above the city?¡± Victor asked. Forala giggled. ¡°I could if I was listening for it. His senses are pretty impressive. Well let¡¯s get going Artifact Hunters. Get searching for that guild hall.¡± The group stood up and exited the Deep Mug Inn. The city was once again bustling and busy as it had been yesterday. ¡°I¡¯ll start in the eastern side of the city. Serena, Victor you two take the west. Emilie, Jenora look around the northern part of the city and yes near the church.¡± Forala started walking away waving. ¡°I expect to see all of you at the church as the sun is going down.¡± Jenora still wearing her armor grabbed Emilie¡¯s hand excited nearly lifting her off the ground. ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± Emilie squeaked as Jenora practically drug her away. ¡°Well she¡¯s enthusiastic. Shall we Serena?¡± Victor motioned for ¡®after you.¡¯ She started to lead the way. ¡°I was once a slave for a construction company, they sold me fast because I actively sabotaged their buildings in subtle ways. One thing I learned was that the price of land gets cheaper the farther away from the center of town you get. So we should start by going all the way to the wall then checking the buildings at the edge of the wall.¡± ¡°Lead the way.¡± Victor followed her. They walked for almost an hour passing by a theater, a massive guild hall with a scythe on it, shop after shop, then food stalls, and finally they approached the massive wooden gate and stone wall. ¡°Well now that we are here what¡¯s next?¡± Cawthorn landed down on Victors shoulder. ¡°Well I guess we start by just walking and see if we see any larger buildings. Anything too small would be kind of pointless so we should look for larger options.¡± Serena started looking around. ¡°Didn¡¯t Forala explicitly say to include those as options?¡± Victor asked. ¡°She did, but it isn¡¯t like we can reasonably inspect them. Cawthorn can fly above and look around. We should look for an abandoned or old building.¡± She turned to Cawthorn. ¡°See if you can find any abandoned buildings.¡± ¡°I WILL BE THE FIRST TO FIND OUR GUILD HALL!¡± Cawthorn took off energized by the request. ¡°Well we can go door to door seeing if any of the viable options exist.¡± Victor turned to the nearest building of considerable size. He walked up to the door and knocked. ¡°Hello?¡± Someone stomped toward the door. A man cracked open the door leaving only his eye in view. ¡°Who¡¯s there?¡± ¡°Is this building for sale?¡± He asked able to hear Serena slap her face. ¡°No! You guild members should get the hell out of town you make everything too noisy!¡± He slammed the door. ¡°Crotchety old man number 1.¡± Victor turned around and walked back to Serena. ¡°That was just¡­ Wow. You have no tact at all do you?¡± Serena turned to him. ¡°Well what am I supposed to do?¡± Victor put his hands on his hips confused. ¡°Good grief. Follow behind me.¡± Serena started walking and glancing in windows they passed by. They walked for a few minutes seeing people inside of nearly every building until they came across a large inn nearly empty save for a barkeep and one person drinking. Above on three corners it had gargoyles perched on the edges with one clearly missing long since broken off. ¡°Let¡¯s ask here.¡± If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. The two walked into the tavern. It was rather spacious with a backside stretching deep. It clearly had long since past its prime. Rotten floorboards, cracked windows, and Victor even saw some roaches. ¡®This place looks horrific but it might end up cheap I suppose.¡¯ Serena sat down at the bar with Victor. A fat man approached them smelling of hog and dirty dishes. ¡°What¡¯ll it be?¡± ¡°A beer. He¡¯s not a day drinker so water for him.¡± She leaned forward as the man returned with a beer and water. ¡°Business seems a lot slower here than elsewhere in the city.¡± ¡°Aye, what about it?¡± The man spit on the floor. ¡°My name is Serena Brooks. I wanted to know if there was a reason for it.¡± She leaned forward one arm on the counter. She took a drink of the beer and tried not to recoil from the taste. She had discovered one reason of many. ¡°Mine is Gavin Halock. It¡¯s an old inn. First one in the city before they built these walls and decided my inn which had been here before they developed the town would be at the edge instead of the center. People don¡¯t come out here unless they have to. Ruined my inn.¡± He spit on the ground again. ¡°Freedman¡¯s Guild can go to hell.¡± ¡°You know this guy is speaking my language.¡± Victor gave him a small nod and a smile. ¡°Freeman¡¯s guild is at the center of town and anything not owned by them slowly dies. Absolute trash guild.¡± He spit on the ground again. Serena leaned forward. ¡°Bet you wish someone would take the place off your hands.¡± ¡°Aye if I could get back the money I¡¯ve put in over the years I¡¯d relocate to Kival and open a smaller inn.¡± He shook his head. ¡°But no one¡¯s going to pay that much for this rundown shit shack.¡± ¡°How much are we talking?¡± Serena tilted her head. ¡°4,500 gold over the years building and expanding this place, but I¡¯d take 4,000 and leave.¡± Halock seemed to look into the cracked window. ¡°I¡¯ll pitch that to my guild leader later this evening. If 4,000 is your bid I will make sure to mention that.¡± Serena nodded back standing up. The man held out his hand. ¡°Wait! If you¡¯re serious about buying this soon I¡¯d let it go for 3,500 gold. The land alone is worth at least 3000 gold at this point so I can¡¯t go lower.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll make sure I mention that to her.¡± Serena walked out with Victor. As soon as the door closed she added. ¡°That is what you are supposed to do. Not walk up door by door to people¡¯s homes.¡± ¡°It does seem like that guild isn¡¯t particularly popular.¡± Victor scratched his chin thinking. ¡°Not our job, let¡¯s get moving.¡± Serena noted as caws could be heard overhead. Cawthorn was circling over them finally landing on Victor¡¯s shoulder. ¡°COME WITH ME! I FOUND IT!¡± The two of them went 4 blocks down and at the corner of what could best be described as a ghetto a broken down sign with the letters B NK appeared in front of them. ¡°I CHECKED INSIDE! NO ONE IS IN THERE!¡± ¡°What do you think?¡± Victor asked. ¡°I think entering would be trespassing if someone still owns it but we can check the windows.¡± Serena eagerly inspected the windows. The pair started to circle the building peering in each window. They noticed cobwebs everywhere and dusty windows but couldn¡¯t see much inside. The floors they could see were covered in papers and scratch marks. The grass around the building was completely overgrown. The bushes and ivy ran up the side of the building completely overrunning the walls, yet for all its damage and age the stone exterior stood firm against the elements. ¡°What¡¯s the address to this place?¡± The two circled back around to the front and noticed a mailbox on the ground stuck in a bush. It read ¡®5 Star Road¡¯ Victor read it aloud to her adding. ¡°I wonder who can tell us more about this place. Why is it abandoned?¡± ¡°This place probably won¡¯t be cheap. I¡¯m guessing it sat here because the old owners refused to sell it and they left it to rot instead of undervaluing it.¡± Serena tapped her chin. ¡°Probably unlikely we can get it but it¡¯s a way better option if we can. That said if that uh ¡®shit shack¡¯ I believe he called it is worth 3,500 gold this place has to be worth at least 40,000 even in this condition even at the edge of town probably a lot more. Almost no way we can afford it.¡± ¡°We should investigate more.¡± Victor kept looking toward the old bank ready to start knocking on doors again. Serena snapped her fingers in front of him. ¡°We don¡¯t have time to do that today. We need to go meet them at the church, and this city is huge. We could run but I really don¡¯t want to draw attention to us on the first day we are here.¡± The two of them turned around and started walk out of the decaying district of shabby houses. Serena looked up. ¡°So why are you following us?¡± ¡°Awe what gave me away?¡± A woman jumped down from the roof of a nicer cobblestone building. She had a black scarf, a black sleeveless tank top, and a short pair of pants clad in knives with a bow across the center of her chest. That was when they both noticed the twitching cat ears and tail. Serena drew a blade. ¡°Your shadow, I actually didn¡¯t notice you at all until I saw those ears twitch.¡± ¡°Awe! They always give me away, can¡¯t stop the twitching. Relax I¡¯m not after you. I¡¯m a scout for the Reaper guild. My name is Kim Lofal.¡± She extended her hand to shake perking up. Victor approached to shake her hand before being stopped by Serena. ¡°We don¡¯t know if she¡¯s a thief. We need to be-¡± Victor stepped forward passing by her arm and shook Kim¡¯s hand. ¡°Sorry she¡¯s overly cautious.¡± ¡°Victor Vogal right, and she is Serena Brooks if I¡¯m not mistaken?¡± She leaned forward pointing to the two of them. ¡°How long have you been spying on us?¡± Serena sheathed her blade. ¡°I watch the south gate all day in stealth. You¡¯re the most interesting group that I¡¯ve seen in weeks. Is what you told the captain true?¡± She leaned back against the building she jumped down from. ¡°Don¡¯t tell her! We don¡¯t know anything about her.¡± Serena protested. ¡°I am a recruiter and if what you told the captain is true then the Reapers Guild is definitely interested in you and your friends. Join or don¡¯t but either way you should stop by. I will see to it that Lidia spends some time talking with you. She is our guild leader. She¡¯s had some down time since the necropolis with Lightbringer Luke she¡¯s not had any big game to hunt so she¡¯s just doing interviews.¡± She waited for a response with a hopeful grin. ¡°We¡¯re establishing our own guild. I don¡¯t think that a recruitment interview is worth our time.¡± Victor waved walking past. ¡°The invitation stands new recruit or not. You¡¯re interesting and I think she¡¯d like to speak with you.¡± Kim flipped back to the roof and waved with a smile as her tail disappeared over the roof. ¡°See ya later!¡± ¡°So there are cat girls?¡± Victor asked. ¡°Catfolk yes.¡± Serena glared. ¡°Why?¡± ¡°I just expected more racism from this place and fewer races.¡± Victor put his hand up shrugging with one shoulder. Serena relaxed. ¡°Oh, well with as many slaves around here as they have some inevitably get freed. Not many and most of them are combat slaves since high level combat is so much faster. It¡¯s why I sabotaged or worked so poorly on purpose until I got bought as a combat slave. Unfortunately those two saw me as disposable trash instead of as someone useful. Since you can die if you mistreat combat slaves the attitude amongst more intelligent people are to free them or dangle freedom if they accomplish some set task.¡± ¡°So does that mean she was freed by the Reaper guild?¡± Victor¡¯s face slowly illuminated with a smile. ¡°Well no, but it¡¯s possible that is what happened. She also could be one of the few catfolk born in Peria. You can ask later. We need to get going.¡± The two of them hurried through the area as the buildings became newer and improved with every block until they returned to the center of town. In the center of town a large fountain featuring a woman covered in leaves had water flowing from its hands. The two of them continued north toward the church. It stretched so far into the sky Zane was not kidding when he told them that. You could use the church steeple with the golden sun from almost everywhere within the city. As the two of them approached more and more religious shops appeared with nick knacks, religious icons, and golden equipment. The streets became paved more tightly and lamp posts began to dot the road. Another fountain but this time of a winged creature with no head, as they walked toward it the many golden suns that dotted the church straight down the line would form the statues head. The two of them found Forala already waiting at the fountain along with Jenora and Emilie. ¡°Last to wake, last to arrive, always late.¡± She laughed. ¡°I¡¯m kidding of course, we haven¡¯t missed anything. Emilie said we still have a few minutes. What did you find?¡± Serena began to analytically recount what they talked about and what they saw finishing with their encounter. ¡°The Reapers Guild recruiter also said to check in. The recruiter was a catfolk named Kim Lofal.¡± Forala tapped her chin and pursed her mouth. ¡°We will speak with the Reapers Guild after we speak with The Great Golden Guild and see if they can help us. Now let us attend this service.¡± Emilie performed several quick small claps with a small enthusiastic smile. ¡°It¡¯s been so long since I¡¯ve been able attend a service.¡± Chapter 39: Guild leaders and gold preachers The ceiling is beautifully decorated by angelic murals. The smell of sweet incense permeated the air. No shadows could be seen in the room as the ground itself emitted gentle light. Chandeliers dangled overhead warming the evening service. Above them seating in balconies filled to capacity. Some people shifted uncomfortably as the preacher began to speak about saving the unbelievers from the grips of devils and undead. The service ended. Emilie smiled and turned to Jenora. ¡°It¡¯s so refreshing to be in the church isn¡¯t it Jenora.¡± Jenora answered with a half hearted. ¡°Of course!¡± ¡°Come on let¡¯s go speak with father Reynold.¡± Emilie pulled Jenora behind her as the group approached him. He continued speaking with a couple dressed in white and golden lace. After a few moments the large priest turned to them. ¡°Welcome blessed children. I hope you enjoyed the service.¡± His polite inviting voice and open arms practically invited a hug yet no one took the invitation. He quickly closed his arms. ¡°How may I help all of you?¡± Forala extended her large hand leaning forward. ¡°My name is Forala Medot I am the guild leader of the newly formed Artifact Hunters Guild. We are currently searching for a guild hall. Since we have two members of the church in our guild we were hoping it might be possible for you to give us a good lead on possible guild halls.¡± He chuckled heartily. ¡°We have several smaller guilds who house themselves within the church for a small amount of rent each month as well as attending a service once a week. How many rooms would you need?¡± ¡°Three.¡± Forala answered. ¡°That would be 150 gold per month.¡± He answered with a smile. She tapped her chin. ¡°Thank you for that information.¡± ¡°Or you could join our guild and have a room for free!¡± He chuckled heartily bouncing back and forth patting his stomach. ¡°The free food is pretty good too.¡± Jenora nodded still in her armor. ¡°Free food is always good.¡± ¡°Why don¡¯t you take off your helmet miss, we¡¯re all friends here.¡± Reynold asked. ¡°She never takes it off in bigger cities. If it covered her mouth I¡¯m convinced she wouldn¡¯t eat in towns.¡± Emilie shrugged. ¡°It¡¯s for personal reasons father. Please pay it no mind.¡± Jenora put a hand up for him to stop. ¡°Very well to each their own. May she bless you. I have many others to speak with. If you need any further help feel free to come back tomorrow I would be happy to assist you.¡± Father Reynold turned to the next person waiting to speak to him. The group went outside to the well light night. Forala asked ¡°Do you know where the Reapers Guild is?¡± ¡°Yes. We passed by it on the way to investigate the town for buildings we could use as a guild hall.¡± Serena explained. ¡°Let¡¯s walk and talk. You¡¯ve already reported but Emilie and I still haven¡¯t. I will let her go first.¡± Forala extended her hand to Emilie. ¡°The two of us found a few things. One of them is that everything, and I mean literally everything nearby The Great Golden Guild is purchased. They provide housing to members but they are the guild we checked out last time we were here. They charge 25% on quest rewards and artifacts which is outrageous. The reapers guild offers similar benefits but charge 20% which is still crazy high. Both offer good value for lower level individuals but they choke out most guilds. At 50 gold per room if we wanted all our own rooms we¡¯d need to make 250 gold each for it to only be 20%. We got really lucky but if for example we killed and looted everything in that previous dungeon save the three rings we wouldn¡¯t have gotten half that.¡± Emilie groaned. ¡°Basically we came up completely empty. I love the church; hate the economics of being taxed so hard.¡± Forala shrugged. ¡°That is unfortunate. I found a single house with 2 bedrooms which was for sale at 600 gold but nothing else below our currently available gold and the next building was more than 8,000 gold with 10 rooms. We should take that interview and see if they will assist us.¡± The group walked slowly out of the well lit northern district clad in a thin layer of reflective gold. Eventually they reached the statue in the center of town. ¡°Rather strange to see The Green Goddess at the center of town instead of the Golden Goddess.¡± Emilie sighed. ¡°I¡¯m used to Kival and the Golden Goddess being everywhere.¡± Victor turned to her. ¡°I don¡¯t mean to be offensive and I considered asking Swordie but I wanted to know do those goddesses have proper names?¡± She raised one eyebrow. ¡°Of course they do. Did you think they were just named by their color?¡± She paused to an ignorant nod agreeing from Victor. ¡°The true name of the golden goddess is Aurea Dea. The Green Goddess is named Livia Vale. Generally speaking it is considered disrespectful to speak their names directly unless they are standing physically before you.¡± ¡°Sorry, I wasn¡¯t aware of that.¡± He made a mental note to confirm this with Swordie later that night. The group passed a large theater and the large marble building as well before reaching the building with a wooden sign painted with a scythe on it. They walked up to the large double door and pushed both open. In front of them a small lobby and a counter with two people behind it Kim, and another man. Kim sat on a chair behind the counter but immediately perked up. ¡°I knew you¡¯d come! Let me go get her. She might be busy. Be right back.¡± The man pulled out a chart. ¡°My name is Ivan Val. I¡¯m here to help I need your names.¡± The five of them gave their names followed by Cawthorn ¡°I¡¯M CAWTHORN! THAT IS SWORDIE!¡± He wrote down all seven names. ¡°I see you are here to speak with Lidia. She¡¯s great. If you like to hunt monsters and want to join us great. If you don¡¯t want to join us, first of all why? Second of all if you don¡¯t join us but want to kill monsters, hell yes. Join us for one assignment or for your lives you¡¯ll have a good time. We kill monsters.¡± Victor nodded. ¡°I already like these two.¡± Cawthorn crowed bombastically. ¡°ALL MONSTERS WILL PERISH BEFORE OUR MIGHT!¡± Kim came back out bouncing with her arms behind her back. ¡°She¡¯s excited to meet you. She just finished eating so she¡¯s in a great mood too so now is your best chance to talk to her too.¡± The group proceeded back to find a woman clad in black leather and buckles. Each buckle tied a potion or blade. In the corner a black scythe taller than her hung on a rack Her long black hair draped over one shoulder on a jet black couch made from drake leather. ¡°Well, well, well, if it isn¡¯t wonder boy.¡± She hung her head and hair forward ominously before snapping to her feet. ¡°My name is Lidia. Lidia the Lightless to most of the country but you can call me Lidia.¡± She walked over to them and extended her hand. ¡°I presume you are Victor Vogal?¡± ¡°I am, this is my guild leader Forala, and my party Serena Brooks, Jenora Oath, Emilie Ward, Swordie, and Cawthorn.¡± Victor introduced all of them. ¡°PLEASED TO MEET YOU LIDIA THE LIGHTLESS!¡± Cawthorn crowed loudly. ¡°Quite the talkative familiar you have there.¡± She chuckled motioning around them. ¡°Sit sit.¡± She plopped down in a chair and they followed sitting down around the room. ¡°Well I guess I will ask the first question. Is it true you¡¯re an angelic knight?¡± Swordie spoke up. ¡°That he is, and I proudly bestowed that title on him. He is foolish but noble and well worthy of the title.¡± ¡°This is the angel? I will say he¡¯s more¡­ diminutive than I anticipated.¡± She tilted her head and her eyebrow ascended to heights not possible by a normal woman. ¡°My form and strength are limited by his level.¡± Swordie noted. Victor cheerfully declared. ¡°I¡¯m level 12.¡± ¡°So you¡¯ve been adventuring a while now. I bet you¡¯ve killed a lot of monsters at this point.¡± She leaned forward. ¡°Well not that long, less than two months of adventuring.¡± Victor cheerfully explained. She turned to Forala. ¡°Is he serious? I honestly can¡¯t tell if he¡¯s messing with me or just like that.¡± Serena smiled putting a hand on Victor¡¯s leg. ¡°It¡¯s definitely the latter. He¡¯s too pure for this world.¡± ¡°A worthy assessment.¡± Swordie agreed immediately. Victor scratched the back of his head. ¡°Aw thanks, I think.¡± ¡°It¡¯s always nice to meet someone who is earnest in this cynical world. I¡¯ve fought alongside Lightbringer Luke and he¡¯s pretty similar in personality so it doesn¡¯t shock me. Is she your guild leader?¡± She motioned to Forala. ¡°I¡¯m Forala Medot.¡± She said sitting on the couch making direct eye contact. ¡°I¡¯m a black half-drake.¡± Lidia paused looking at the couch. Then back to her. Then back to the couch. ¡°Well this is awkward.¡± ¡°It isn¡¯t.¡± Forala shook her head. ¡°If they died they were too weak.¡± Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website. ¡°Wow, cutthroat. I love it.¡± Lidia chuckled. ¡°You¡¯re the perfect counterweight to his optimism. Like I am to Luke.¡± Emilie put up her hand shaking them back and forth. ¡°No way Lightbringer Luke is with you.¡± ¡°Oh that¡¯s not what I meant. Given our strength we are some of the highest level most powerful adventurers in the country. We teamed up to raid the necropolis when it was still inhabited by a lich but the lich escaped.¡± She shrugged. ¡°Place is a maze.¡± ¡°Oh you mean in a group!¡± Emilie suddenly had a light bulb go off in her head. ¡°Is the necropolis safe now?¡± ¡°We cleaned out most of the undead but people are still to this day discovering hidden areas and side tunnels leading miles away. They¡¯ll be finding stuff for years to come for sure, but I don¡¯t see a reason to go back. All the big monsters are dead. The reward for clearing it out is gone and artifacts there are mostly evil and only sell for gold to the church.¡± She shot back. Forala cut in drawing the conversation back. ¡°I want to ask what do you want from us? I don¡¯t feel like someone as strong as you would waste your time speaking with us knowing recruiting us is unlikely or impossible.¡± ¡°Well if you¡¯ve already created a guild I will refund the fee and immediately induct all of you into our guild if you are willing to join but I¡¯m not naive enough to think a group as small as yours who rolls into the city and forms a guild will be persuaded by some coin and words. No. Not at all. I¡¯ve gotten where I am because I find people who are valuable and make allies of them. To be blunt What I want from you is to do favors for you, so that in turn one day you might return those favors.¡± She leaned back interlacing her long black gloves. ¡°You¡¯re looking to put us in your debt.¡± Forala glared. ¡°More like looking to cultivate a friendship. Strictly speaking you won¡¯t owe me anything. If you hate me, or decide I¡¯m operating in a way that is reprehensible just refuse and don¡¯t bother repaying me. It is rather simple. I like killing monsters, and monsters need killing. Some monsters need specific skill sets to be killed. I¡¯m asking all of you to consider us allies and in exchange I will help you free of charge today.¡± She rested her chin on her folder hands tilting it slightly to the side. ¡°What do you say?¡± Forala turned to the group only for Cawthorn to answer. ¡°HER TASTE IN COLOR IS THE BEST!¡± Emilie¡¯s eyes went wide and she turned to Cawthorn. ¡°Silence. Sorry I should have done that earlier.¡± Cawthorn attempted to crow angrily to Victor only to yell nothingness into the air. Forala extended her hand across the table. The two of them shook. ¡°Consider us allies then.¡± ¡°What would your young guild be called?¡± She asked. ¡°The Artifact Hunters Guild.¡± Forala shot back quickly. ¡°Interesting. Most artifact hunters join Freedman¡¯s guild.¡± She leaned forward. ¡°What makes your guild different?¡± ¡°Our intent is to create a system whereby artifacts found by our members go to our members. This will make us stronger long term without selling them off and having to bleed commission fees, auction fees, and other costs.¡± Forala explained with excitement in her voice. ¡°Interesting guild concept, do you have any members besides those here?¡± She traced her lips with her hands folded. ¡°No, we need a guild hall and some early funding. Do you have any leads on a guild hall with 10 or more rooms for something in the range of 2,000 gold?¡± Forala sat back. ¡°No nothing like that. The closest thing I can think of is this run down building by the bank Kim found those two at. It is an old bar that barely qualifies as inhabitable for 3,000 to 5,000 gold.¡± She shook her head. ¡°While we are friends lending you that much gold would be a bit of a stretch at this point.¡± Forala sighed. ¡°Figures. I didn¡¯t expect it to be that easy considering our lack of funds.¡± ¡°You¡¯re obviously high level. How is it you don¡¯t have the funds to buy a sufficiently sized building?¡± She put a finger over her lips as if to silence herself. ¡°Long story but I was driven from my homeland in the Xalper range by a flight of red drakes being lead by a red dragon. I wasn¡¯t able to reach my possessions before fleeing so I¡¯m poor.¡± Forala sighed. ¡°My father left us some gold but I couldn¡¯t reach it and now it likely sits in that dragon¡¯s horde.¡± ¡°That does explain why you are so high level and I¡¯ve never seen or heard of you before. Well unfortunately that means I can¡¯t be much help on that front. Best to do some quests and buy the old inn for 3,000 to 5,000 gold if that is what you need.¡± She shook her head. Victor raised his hand silently waiting to be called on. Forala turned to him followed by everyone else. ¡°What is the story with the old rundown bank?¡± ¡°Oh that thing? Don¡¯t bother. It¡¯s haunted.¡±She answered pointedly. ¡°See my guild, the Freedman¡¯s guild, and the Salty Sea Fairer guild all tried to clear that out but it¡¯s no use. No one can actually locate the ghost. It just throws things at you until you leave and everyone knows what item it is bound to.¡± Victor waited before posing the question. ¡°What item.¡± ¡°The building itself! The owner is a guild member of Freeman¡¯s guild. He has a standing reward. You get him everything in the vault and he will sign the deed over. Just about the only person who never undertook the quest was Luke and he has better things to do than handle a presumed tier 3 quest despite the massive rewards. You can try if you want I don¡¯t think a single person has actually been killed in there though a few did get their egos hurt.¡± She chuckles clearly referencing someone specific. Forala leaned forward. ¡°Well say we did want to look into it. Who do we talk to, and could we borrow Kim for a day? Mostly just for information about the city so we can find what we are looking for and make navigating things easier.¡± ¡°If you want more information on that Phil Farson is the owner of the building. He should be in the market square. You can¡¯t miss him he loves standing out. Bright purple cap with a white feather in it and a long silk overcoat, man wears it even when it is summertime. Sure it is stylish but really cooks him while he¡¯s tending carts.¡± She shrugged. ¡°My advice if you want to give it a crack spend a day on it and if you make no progress quit it. The old Star 5 Bank isn¡¯t worth the time. As for Kim that is up to her. I only tell my guild members what to do when something has to get done like if the town was attacked. I¡¯m fine with her spending a day to help you.¡± ¡°That is incredibly helpful. Thank you.¡± She reached out and they shook. ¡°I have a couple of questions for wonder boy over there if you have time.¡± She leaned forward with a smile. ¡°Ask away.¡± Victor gave a quick nod feeling ¡°Give me the details of what happened on the road.¡± She smiled like a sly cat finally reaching its dinner. Serena began recounting them killing the bandits followed by her fighting Zolvorn with great detail including his readiness to kill her. Victor followed up with his fight and the huge explosion in the sky. Forala finished with the meeting of Luke landing with his griffin. Their quick story ended and she almost immediately followed up with. ¡°Gizixil. Physically here?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Victor conveniently left out that soon after he received a message and an item from Luzuzal. ¡°Without any doubt Gizixil was here. It seemed that Zolvorn thought that he arrived to interfere with the fight. Either because he thought I would die, or because Zolvorn would die. I¡¯ve thought about it though and the tone he took, I think he was upset that Zolvorn was messing around. I think he wanted Zolvorn to get moving and kill Luke urgently.¡± ¡°Did he mention his level?¡± She leaned forward further with an extremely grim face. ¡°He is level 94.¡± Victor answered flatly. ¡°How sure are you of that?¡± She swallowed a knot in her throat. ¡°His skill Fair Fight gave me access to rank 10 spells. I am guessing that¡¯s why the fight was so explosive.¡± Victor nodded. She deeply sighed and leaned back looking up. ¡°Fighting humans is a lot different than fighting monsters. What level are you Forala?¡± She considered saying nothing for a moment before answering ¡°I am level 60.¡± ¡°Ah hell so you won¡¯t be able to fight with us. My whole guild knows my level it¡¯s not some big secret. I am level 79 and Luke is 80. If I can get Father Reynold and pull Sea Salt Sam out of retirement there¡¯s a small chance we can kill him.¡± She shook her head and started tapping her foot. ¡°If I may make a recommendation, just have Luke fly somewhere else on his griffin. He¡¯s fast but he has absolutely no idea Luke travels by griffin. If Luke just spends time increasing his level he¡¯ll eventually be able to fight him.¡± Victor explained what he thought to be obvious. Only her response was laughter. ¡°Do you have any idea how hard it is for someone our level to gain a single level? Much less 10 levels? I didn¡¯t even gain 5% of a level clearing out the necropolis and that was an event worthy of calling up all the major guilds to scatter the undead across the land and prevent them from growing their power.¡± ¡°There¡¯s just no way to level up at that point?¡± Victor asked confused. She shook her head.¡°I guess we could try to find an entrance to The Abyssal Labyrinth which would let us find enemies worthy of our skills but that might take a life time. Only other option would be to go fight the devils in the infernal war on the eastern continent. That¡¯s simply not an option. There are others like Jin Vanor who could help but he¡¯ll never leave Kival since he maintains the city barrier. My second in command Peter Markowitz is who knows where searching for worthy trophies, Goddess bless him but I hate that he is never available when I need him.¡± ¡°I guess level 80 is sort of the soft cap then. That¡¯s really unfortunate.¡± Victor looked down disappointed. She laughed again. ¡°80? Hah! No, the overwhelming majority won¡¯t be able to find enemies worth experience to get past level 60. Level 70 is a stretch for the best of the best because enemies here are hard to come by unless you act like me just mindlessly taking any hunting mission that is higher tier hoping to find one monster worth your time. I don¡¯t know a single being on this continent besides Zolvorn who is level 90 or higher. The number of people who have reached level 81 in this country can probably be counted on 1 hand.¡± ¡°Sorry you¡¯ll have to forgive my ignorance.¡± Victor scratched the back of his head. ¡°I am out of my element here.¡± ¡°Ooo do tell. Where are you from?¡± She leaned on the chairs arm intrigued by the proposition. ¡°I¡¯m cursed. I literally cannot tell you about my past beyond the day I met Serena.¡± Victor added firmly. ¡°You do know that sounds incredibly ominous right?¡± Her face contorted confused and astonished he¡¯d give an answer like that. Swordie commented. ¡°If I promised you he is not evil would you believe me?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± She answered instantly. ¡°He is not evil, but his curses will attack those who learn of them. I urge you not to look into his past. It¡¯s stupid and full of suffering, like him, but always noble. He earned the title I bestowed on him and he will have it until the day he dies.¡± Swordie insisted. She shifted in her chair thinking for a moment. ¡°I¡¯ll trust you for now but if strange shit starts happening I¡¯m going to investigate and as you could see with Kim, despite being a guild focused on hunting our other operations are tight. Just keep that in mind.¡± Forala nodded. ¡°We will. If we need anything from you we will check in. For the rest of my guild I think I speak clearly. It is time to get some shut eye.¡± They all shook Lidia¡¯s hand and departed into the cool night under a starry sky. Chapter 40: 5 Star Road The group woke up to the sound of Cawthorn circling ¡°PURPLE HAT!¡± Victor woke up first with Serena before the sun had risen with. They both threw clothes back on he quickly tapped on two doors in the silence before dawn. The group gathered and quickly rushed outside quietly, so fast Forala didn¡¯t even use her skill. The five emerged in the dreary purple morning before the sun crept up over the horizon noticing the man in a purple hat with a feather sticking out of it and a raven on his shoulder. The raven aggressively squawked. The group hustled toward him and Forala waved. ¡°Sir! Sir!¡± She rushed up to him. The well dressed dapper man with a robust short beard turned with a smile as the young girl ran toward him eagerly. He bent down to speak to her. ¡°Well little lady how may I help you.¡± Forala asked. ¡°Are you Phil Farson?¡± ¡°That I am young lady. I am merchant extraordinaire, trader, and member of the Freedman¡¯s guild here for all to see.¡± He sighed lightly. ¡°Everyday.¡± ¡°Sorry I almost forgot. Gigantify.¡± She suddenly towered over him with his head coming only level with his chest. She extended her hand her voice having become much more adult. ¡°My name is Forala Medot. I am the guild leader of The Artifact Hunters Guild.¡± His stature and attitude suddenly changed.¡±Oh my, well a little lady you are not.¡± He extended his hand and shook clearly shocked by her firmness. ¡°How may I help you? Are you here for supplies?¡± ¡°We are here about 5 Star Road.¡± She released his hand. He immediately groaned. ¡°At least once a month someone comes and asks about it but I¡¯ve all but given up on it.¡± ¡°Well we¡¯re willing to take a shot at it if you¡¯ll give us information on it.¡± She crossed her arms. ¡°Or are you not interested in it any longer?¡± ¡°Oh I very much want everything in that vault!¡± He proclaimed excitedly. ¡°The issue is a blasted ghost. It won¡¯t come out and it¡¯s clearly possessing the building. The quest is simple. Get me everything in the vault and the building is yours.¡± Forala tilted her head. ¡°Do we not have to remove the ghost?¡± ¡°If you get everything in the vault for me then you can burn down the building and use the lot if you want. I do not care anymore. All I want are the contents of the vault.¡± He nodded furiously trying not to stare straight ahead. ¡°Do you have any information on what happened to it and where we can start?¡± She leaned down to his level. He smiled and stuttered out. ¡°Well miss Medot the story is rather simple the ghost is at 5 Star Road. Some groups tried to kill it and even Sea Salt Sam tried to break down the vault door but couldn¡¯t dent it.¡± ¡°Wait if he can¡¯t break it how do we get in to the vault?¡± She asked genuinely curious. ¡°The vault has three keys. All three are lost SOMEWHERE in there I¡¯m sure of it. The problem is even when groups find one key they can¡¯t ever find the others. The original intention was for me, my father, and my brother to open the door whenever we had to open or close it. When he passed my father left his key in the door leaving only our two keys. My brother passed a long time ago too. On the day things went wild and started flying around I lost my key and since then groups who go looking never find more than one key.¡± He shook his head disappointed hanging his shoulders down as though they were supported by a coat rack. ¡°What¡¯s in the vault?¡± Victor intruded. ¡°That¡¯s none of your business.¡± He answered reflexively before realizing he had gone too far. ¡°Suffice to say plenty of gold but other items of a more personal nature.¡± The man whipped out a contract. ¡°This contact states that if you provide me with the contents of the vault the deed immediately becomes yours.¡± Forala read over the short three sentence contract with his signature already on it. ¡°I pre-sign these because there are so many people who want to take this contract. It¡¯s been up for years. Just fill in your guild name and sign. The quest is in the adventurers guild and I will need to pay a gold fee based on what is retrieved but only if you succeed due to the massive size of the contract.¡± She looked over the contract and signed it. ¡°We will return with your goods.¡± He chuckled incredulously. ¡°Good luck.¡± The group departed for the old bank. Instead of walking Forala looked to Jenora and Serena. ¡°Carry them. I don¡¯t feel like waiting.¡± She took off at top speed. Serena picked up Victor smirking. ¡°Race you.¡± Jenora groaned. ¡°Oh come on now that¡¯s not even fair!¡± Emilie leapt on her back. ¡°I weigh a lot less than him! We¡¯ve got this! SPEED BOOST!¡± Jenora took off almost against her own will. ¡°AHH!¡± She was not used to moving that fast in a city. Serena ran Victor in her arms slowly creeping up on Jenora.¡±Speed boost.¡± They burst ahead of Jenora. ¡°Hey! I was doing it to keep the race fair!¡± Emilie protested. Victor ran out of mana almost immediately with Serena only marginally ahead of Jenora. In short order they arrived to Forala Pacing around the edge of the building Serena first then Jenora by only a few moments. ¡°Awe common Victor you¡¯re just no fun. She didn¡¯t need any help.¡± Serena laughed and gave Victor a quick kiss. ¡°She might have won if not for my darling here.¡± ¡°Yeah yeah. Let¡¯s get started.¡± Emilie groaned walking toward the shattered fence. Forala started ripping boards off the front doors with one hand throwing them to the side. Forala turned to them. ¡°For those who just arrived this is the only entrance. The windows are thin and barred.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t really pay attention to just how tall this building is.¡± Victor looked up to the five floor building. ¡°It¡¯s huge.¡± Serena noted pointing to the roof. ¡°The roof is still intact despite being so run down.¡± Forala opened the door to musty burst of air. Inside a five floor building with documents on the floor everywhere and dust caking every service Forala coughed ¡°Disgusting.¡± She stepped in and a chair leg immediately flew at her chest impacting pathetically. ¡°Well if that is all it can do searching this place will be easy but first we should find the vault and see if I can rip it open.¡± The first floor dotted with desks and staircases lead to the back with three doors locked. Several more pieces of wood and office supplies assaulted her face. ¡°Be gone¡­¡± The empty voice echoed from around the interior. Victor raised one eyebrow. ¡°He didn¡¯t say anything about the ghost communicating.¡± Emilie shook her head, ¡°Barrier sphere. Let¡¯s go.¡± The group proceeded into the giant bank. Their shoes left perfectly visible Imprints in the dust. Various junk constantly tapped against Emilie¡¯s barrier as she chuckled. ¡°Good grief this ghost is going to be annoying isn¡¯t it.¡± ¡°YOU¡¯RE ANNOYING!¡± The voice reverberated through the entire bank as a desk flew toward the barrier breaking it. Forala caught it with one hand. ¡°Enough of these childish tactics, show yourself.¡± Paper rushed around them as Emilie recast ¡°Barrier shield.¡± Forala stepped outside it as she cast it. ¡°I will find the vault.¡± Victor noted. ¡°It¡¯s probably at the back or if there is a basement in the basement.¡± ¡°Wait here.¡± She disappeared ahead of them creating a tunnel of documents behind her. ¡°BE GONE!¡± The voice more aggressively began throwing objects as Forala tore a door at the back off its hinges. She could be heard descending steps with a gust of dust behind her. ¡°DO NOT GO DOWN THERE!¡± A loud reverberation like a gong sounding rang out through the building. ¡°LEAVE THAT ALONE!¡± Gong after gong speeding up farther and faster echoing against the walls until finally it stopped abruptly. Forala returned incredibly quickly with bloody knuckles. ¡°I am unable to break the door open. I dented it but it popped back out.¡± ¡°Sealing steel.¡± Jenora shook her head. ¡°If you can¡¯t break it in a couple of seconds you can¡¯t ever break it. That must have cost a fortune to build. Now it makes sense why people haven¡¯t just taken a mage and an acid spell over the course of weeks or months.¡± ¡°NOW YOU SEE YOU¡¯LL NEVER ENTER THE VAULT! BE GONE!¡± The voice echoed around them Cawthorn replied. ¡°BE GONE EVIL SPIRIT! YOU¡¯LL NEVER ENTER OUR BARRIER!¡± Emilie burst out laughing almost dropping the barrier. ¡°Cawthorn you¡¯re the best and worst part about being in this group.¡± ¡°I AM THE BEST PART OF THIS GROUP!¡± Cawthorn proclaimed. ¡°STOP MOCKING ME!¡± The voice angrily shook the dust. ¡°I AM NOT A MOCKING BIRD!¡± Cawthorn raged back. This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source. Victor tapped Cawthorn¡¯s head. ¡°What do you want?¡± ¡°I want you to BE GONE!¡± The doors flung open and paper rushed toward it. ¡°We aren¡¯t going anywhere. Don¡¯t ghosts like yourself normally stay behind because they have unfinished business?¡± Victor asked. Emilie scoffed. ¡°No. What are you talking about.¡± Jenora whispered too loud to Emilie ¡°I think he¡¯s lost it.¡± Serena looked at him strangely. ¡°Did you read that in a book somewhere?¡± Forala tilted her head. ¡°What are you talking about?¡± Swordie commented. ¡°How astute to come to that conclusion from media you consumed long ago. Perhaps you are slightly more competent and less foolish than anticipated.¡± Victor sighed. ¡°Could you not undermine me in front of the spirit Swordie?¡± Swordie chuckled. ¡°I could but I won¡¯t.¡± Cawthorn proclaimed. ¡°TELL US YOUR UNFINISHED BUSINESS!¡± ¡°BE GONE!¡± It repeated. ¡°Please everyone calm down. Can you all leave for a moment? Please? I promise if he really attacks me I¡¯ll leave he¡¯s just angry we are here.¡± Victor asked them all. ¡°He¡¯ll try to kill you! All undead are the same Victor. You¡¯ve been so good about listening to the smartest party member don¡¯t stop now.¡± Emilie pleaded. ¡°I AGREE HE ALWAYS LISTENS TO ME!¡± Cawthorn added. ¡°Truly both the best and worst party member.¡± Emilie glared. ¡°THE BEST STAR OF VERDAN!¡± Cawthorn proclaimed. ¡°Could you all please leave and stop antagonizing him?¡± Victor asked. Forala looked deep into Victor¡¯s eyes. ¡°Everyone out. If you call for me I will rip apart the building to reach you.¡± ¡°Seriously! It¡¯s a ghost or a spirit! They¡¯re going to attack him. Everyone knows that.¡± Emilie protested as Forala pushed them out. ¡°If he gets hurt I¡¯m holding you responsible.¡± Serena walked out pointing to Forala. Victor sat down on the dusty ground and crossed his legs only to for an ink pot to hit his nose. -4 Health Bleeding: -2 health for every minute of movement. Duration 1 minute. ¡°If you really want me to leave I will go but it¡¯s pretty clear you throw more stuff at people as they get closer to what you care about. Could you at least tell me your name?¡± Victor asked. A piece of paper blew into his face. He pulled it off his face reading it aloud. ¡°Your name is Jim Farson? Is that true?¡± The voice went quiet and the papers stopped moving. ¡°Yes. It is. I¡¯ve been here for years and no one has bothered to even ask.¡± ¡°Well I asked, and I have another question for you if you are feeling inclined to answer. What do you want?¡± Victor waited for a minute, then another, before finally a paper flew to his face with a single word written in massive stained black ink. ¡°Revenge?¡± ¡°Someone murdered me. They stabbed me in the back. It happened in an alleyway not far from here by an old rundown tavern.¡± The spirit cried angrily. ¡°My killer was never captured OR EVEN IDENTIFIED!¡± Air rushed by Victor filled with fury but no objects came close to him. ¡°I guess in a world where people can simply blast ghosts with fire or lightning exorcizing them doesn¡¯t make much sense. Typically ghosts exist because they have unfinished business in the living world. I guess finding your killer and bringing him to justice is your unfinished business.¡± Victor paused to the angry blasts of wind which once again did not hit him. The voice became clearer directly ahead of him by the counter at the end of the room. ¡°Do you know anything about your own murder or who might want to kill you?¡± ¡°Freedman¡­¡± The voice growled. ¡°Did they blast you with magic? Stab you? What?¡± Victor continued curious. ¡°Unfortunately it was almost instant I do not know how I died.¡± The voice answered angrily. ¡°You think it was Freedman or his guild. Why?¡± Victor leaned forward. ¡°Freedman moved into this town with his guild about 10 years ago. He slowly strangled my bank out of the market and many others but I wouldn¡¯t leave. The guild itself might have done it on his behalf but I think they are responsible for it.¡± The voice seemed almost calmer discussing it with him. ¡°With me dead my brother would have no choice but to either run this bank on his own, which he was never good at or to sell out to Freedman¡¯s Guild.¡± ¡°So I just want to clarify and don¡¯t take this the wrong way. Would they benefit from killing you? It seems like you¡¯re saying the guild was already winning economically so what motive do they have to resort to murder?¡± Victor tried to ask in as calm a tone as possible. ¡°He was winning in the pocketbook but he was losing the hearts of the city. I was leading the charge against him to the mayor in order to get the guild kicked out of town! If I had just a few more years I might have been able to get them out.¡± The ghost proclaimed sure of itself. ¡°I will investigate them, is there anyone else?¡± Victor continued. ¡°No one comes to mind. Our father died long before this and left the bank to both of us. Before that our mother died from a disease.¡± The voice explained with a slight melancholy in the air. ¡°Did you have a wife or children? Anyone the estate would be left to?¡± Victor asked in a quiet confirming tone. ¡°No wife, no children. My job was my life. This city my people, and that guild TOOK IT AWAY!¡± Another burst of air and papers flattened against the wall behind him. ¡°I will do what I can to avenge you and bring justice to your killer. Will you do something for me if I accomplish that?¡± Victor tilted his head. He aggressively demanded the answer to a question. ¡°What is it you want?¡± ¡°What is in the vault, and where are the keys to it?¡± Victor leaned forward putting his head in his hand. ¡°The vault no longer contains any gold, or at least very little of it. It contains my grandfathers armor, documents, and my grandfathers axe.¡± The voice said coolly. ¡°Your brother wants to recover them. Do you know where the keys are?¡± Victor leaned further forward. ¡°Yes. I will gather them in front of the vault. If you try to reach them without resolving my murder I will shatter them into a thousand pieces.¡± The air chilled as the voice added that. ¡°If we return here and need to investigate will you cooperate?¡± Victor held out his hand. ¡°If you do not attempt to cheat me out of my revenge I will do anything to aide you.¡± Those words hung in the air like the dust filtering around him. ¡°One last question. If it isn¡¯t someone in Freedman¡¯s Guild does everything we talked about still apply?¡± Victor inquired. ¡°FREEDMAN¡¯S GUILD IS RESPONSIBLE!¡± The air became heavy and angry before dying down. ¡°If however my murderer is not of that guild and was instead hired by them, intimidated by them, or tricked by them I accept that and your deal with me will be fulfilled. If he is not of that guild or associated with them in some way, bring him to me.¡± The voice echoed filled with malice as creepy laughter. The doors flung open as the wind started to push him out of the building. Outside the four girls watched with great concern. Forala darted in and grabbed him around the waist leaving as fast as she came. Emilie shook her head. ¡°See it attacked him!¡± ¡°I¡¯d hardly call that an attack.¡± Victor glared. ¡°I¡¯d hardly call that correct.¡± Swordie added. ¡°THE ANGEL AGREES TOO!¡± Emilie proclaimed justified in her irritation. Cawthorn cawed angrily. ¡°MY MAGE IS BLEEDING!¡± ¡°It stopped bleeding.¡± Victor protested. ¡°MY MAGE WAS BLEEDING! THIS IS UNACCEPTABLE! BURN THIS ACCURSED UNDEAD TO THE GROUND!¡± Cawthorn threw his wings up in roaring anger. ¡°Truly the best and worst of this party.¡± Emilie smiled nodding furiously. ¡°We should just burn it down.¡± Forala put a hand up stepping between them. ¡°What did you learn?¡± ¡°He was killed in an alley nearby outside a tavern. It was apparently instant death. He thinks that The Freedman¡¯s Guild was responsible but doesn¡¯t know who within it would have done it. If we figure out who did it he will give us the keys to the vault.¡± Victor smiled and looked at all of them. ¡°I know it is an old case but I bet we can solve it which would get rid of the ghost and we could have a real guild hall massively outside our price range if we are just willing to try.¡± Forala paused scratching her cheek. Emilie turned to her. ¡°You can¡¯t possibly be thinking this will work. A ghost doesn¡¯t just leave the place it haunts because you figured out who killed it!¡± Forala snatched Swordie and opened him. ¡°Swordie. If we perform this task will the ghost disappear?¡± ¡°Foolish though the task may be given that you must trust the ghost to provide the keys it would disappear provided you brought to justice his killer.¡± Swordie agreed with Victor. ¡°Why does this party seem so hell bent on being considerate to UNDEAD!¡± Emilie stomped her foot and tried to stop panting in anger. Jenora put her hand on Emilie¡¯s shoulder. ¡°If we solve this the undead will be vanquished though. Just think of it as an undead no one can vanquish without meeting specific conditions.¡± She crossed her arms calming down. ¡°Fine.¡± Forala handed back Swordie. ¡°I will not be very useful here. I wouldn¡¯t even know how to assist. Instead I will take a quest from the quest board in the center of town and defeat some low level creatures to provide us with more seed money. One week from now if we haven¡¯t achieved this goal, I expect us to shift to making enough gold to afford that terrible tavern. This guild hall would require furnishings and cleaning but would make us a real guild. You have one week. I will be back here in 7 days and I expect you to have it solved.¡± Forala looked to the rest of them. ¡°Do what you can. I want this building.¡± She vanished from their eyes with only Serena tracing the path she took with her eyes. Serena draped her arm around Victor. ¡°Well I guess it¡¯s time to investigate. Where to oh fearless leader?¡± ¡°Freedman¡¯s Guild this case will be solved by research and people.¡± Victor smiled ready to start investigating. Emilie slapped her head. ¡°Now we¡¯re detectives.¡± Chapter 41: Inquisitive Interlude ¡°Brice!¡± Patricia snapped her fingers. ¡°Coming!¡± Brice scurried over and began inspecting magic items. Standard magical gear in the rank 1 to 4 range, he quickly returned it. ¡°All normal, tier 1 to 4 artifacts most are weapons.¡± ¡°Right here you are.¡± Patricia returned their gear and saw the sun setting. She clapped her hands. ¡°Time to close the gates, finish up and set up watch.¡± The gates creaked shut and the sun dipped below the surface. ¡°Brice. What are your plans tonight?¡± ¡°Oh um¡­ nothing miss Conway.¡± Brice sheepishly answered. ¡°Come eat with me.¡± She tilted her head. ¡°My treat.¡± ¡°Oh. Uh¡­ Wow¡­ I¡¯m uh¡­ Sorry miss Conway I¡¯m not interested.¡± Brice gently rejected her. ¡°Not a date you dense mage. I just think you need a good talking to.¡± She snapped her fingers. ¡°I can order you instead if you want.¡± ¡°Um I¡¯ll come. I just didn¡¯t want to mislead you.¡± Brice nervously explained. The pair went to a restaurant outside of the jail called ¡®The Last Plate¡¯. They entered and Patricia ordered for both of them. While waiting for food Patricia began to inquire. ¡°Brice. We¡¯ve known each other for a long time.¡± ¡°Since I arrived in Wonora!¡± Brice cheerfully straightened up before hunching back over. ¡°Right. I will ask it directly. What do you want to do with your life Brice?¡± Patricia asked. ¡°Well I want to learn more about the world, have a good job, and hopefully find a family. ¡° Brice wistfully leaned on his arm clearly fantasizing about a dreamy future. ¡°Do you think you¡¯ll find that in Wonora?¡± She seemed deeply interested in him. ¡°Why?¡± Brice was confused. ¡°I know I try to be professional but a youngster such as you sometimes needs some guidance. The other day when you inspected that book, you were afraid but it was clear to me you were excited too. Feel free to correct me if I¡¯m wrong.¡± She leaned back with a smile on her face. He nodded. ¡°I really enjoyed inspecting the artifact. It felt so out of place, like a story book come to life. An angelic knight stepped off the page and into Wonora.¡± Brice showed a sudden burst of enthusiasm. ¡°And I held an ANGEL!¡± He was so excited a few heads turned and eyebrows rose watching his enthusiasm. He felt suddenly embarrassed. ¡°Sorry.¡± ¡°It¡¯s alright Brice. That enthusiasm is why I decided to spend the night talking to you.¡± Food arrived as she said that. ¡°Well dig in. Thinking about your life is best done on a full stomach.¡± The pair ate while they talked. ¡°What are you looking for in a woman?¡± Brice sheepishly avoided the true answer of someone immortal. ¡°Um, someone about my age I guess, tall with long hair, and kind, are the only real things I want.¡± ¡°Well there are an abundance of those everywhere in the world so as far as a job what about those? Tell me what you actually want in a job. You aren¡¯t going to get fired, I need as many men as I can get but I have to know is this what you really want to do?¡± She pressed him. ¡°Well, if I was able to do anything I¡¯d probably live in the forest amongst the dryads and spend my days carefree and happy with a family. A job isn¡¯t what I really want to do at all, but if I had to do a job adventuring, artifact hunting, or traveling merchant would be nice.¡± He pondered. ¡°Interesting, so if you had to have a job you¡¯d want to travel around, that does not fit the life of a guard at all.¡± She smiled at him. ¡°You¡¯re like the son I never had if I¡¯m being honest. I want to see you do well in life.¡± ¡°Well thanks, but you¡¯re a little young to be my mom.¡± Brice joked. ¡°You can be charming when you try!¡± She rolled her eyes at him. ¡°You just have to put effort in.¡± ¡°Well um¡­ It¡¯s just intimidating to do something with a lot of risk.¡± He slumped farther down. ¡°I understand that but you should consider taking more risks. You definitely won¡¯t get what you want if you don¡¯t try.¡± She smiled at him. ¡°That¡¯s simple to say¡­¡± He looked down at his food. ¡°Simple to do too.¡± She countered taking a drink. ¡°Hard, but incredibly simple. Take risks or you¡¯ll be stuck here forever.¡± The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement. ¡°What about the last thing?¡± Brice asked. ¡°Learning about the world?¡± She raised an eyebrow. ¡°The only place you can learn about the world is in lost tomes, and ancient libraries. There¡¯s not much risk in reading a book after all.¡± He shook his head. She laughed and slapped the table. ¡°You know for a man so tall his head might as well be in the clouds your head is buried in a book. Get it out of those books and go to the places they talk about. See the people they mention. Travel to the mythical lands and write about them for others to read. You learn about someone in person, not through pages on a book.¡± ¡°It¡¯s too dangerous for someone as weak as me to travel around the world.¡± He shook his head. ¡°You¡¯d need to be at least level 15 or 20 to feel safe on the road.¡± ¡°You know what level I am right?¡± She asked. ¡°Yeah.¡± He nodded and gulped looking up to her despite her short stature. ¡°Do you think I feel safe on the road alone?¡± She paused. ¡°Do you think I feel safe traveling with a party of guards?¡± ¡°Well yeah you¡¯re much higher level than me. Why wouldn¡¯t you feel safe?¡± Brice asked. ¡°Everyone feels safer around someone stronger than them Brice. You feel safer around me because you know I¡¯ll fight to protect you, but what makes you think I¡¯ll win?¡± She asked. ¡°Well you¡¯re really experienced and your level is high.¡± Brice pointed out. ¡°Level is relative. If I fought someone 10, 15, or even 20 levels higher? I¡¯d die. There¡¯s no way I¡¯d survive and you know that deep down exactly how doomed I¡¯d be if we encountered a level 100, no even a level 70 that wanted to kill us. I can¡¯t fight the guild leaders alone and you know it. What happens if I encounter who made the blast to the south? I¡¯ll fight it but when it comes to dealing with something like that I¡¯d be lucky to survive a loss. Winning would be impossible.¡± She sighed. ¡°Then why should I go adventuring into all that dark and danger?¡± Brice asked. ¡°The world is dark and dangerous. Whether on the road or in the center of town danger always exists, you need only decide what to do when you are in danger and what you will do before you are in danger. Will you learn the best places to hide or will you gain strength and prowess so that you can face it in the open? I chose the latter, but have not been able to reach the heights of those that put their lives in danger like Lightless Lidia or Father Reynold to rise beyond what mortals can normally reach. You on the other hand, I think you could surpass both of them. I think you could be just like them.¡± She looked at him fondly. ¡°I wish that you could see yourself the same way I do.¡± ¡°I think you¡¯re overestimating me. I¡¯m just a simple mage. I can¡¯t possibly do all that.¡± Brice rejected the offer. ¡°I wonder if that mage, Victor I think was his name, feels the same.¡± She took a sip before slyly asking. ¡°What do you think?¡± ¡°Oh no, someone like him oozes confidence. He¡¯s stronger than me, and probably smarter too. It¡¯s why he¡¯s got an angel. He¡¯s an exception among the exceptions of this world. I bet he thinks of himself as such too. A hero among heroes.¡± Brice ran his finger along his cup wistfully. ¡°That wasn¡¯t my read on the man at all. He¡¯s nervous. He might possibly be a little more confident than you which is not a high bar mind you. He has little to no idea what he¡¯s doing and is making it up as he goes. He had no plan when he showed us the book. When he presented Swordie he just nakedly told the truth, the whole time! It was mind boggling someone could be so innocent. What you read as confidence was simply ignorance.¡± She explained. ¡°Really? He seemed like he exuded confidence to me.¡± Brice slumped down. ¡°No offense Brice, you¡¯re abysmal at reading people.¡± She shook her head. ¡°What should I be reading about people?¡± He asked. She spit out her drink. ¡°Good Goddess Brice. You¡¯re dense.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± She asked. ¡°When I say reading people I don¡¯t mean like a book.¡± She thought for a moment. ¡°Not always. You need to be able to understand people better Brice. I don¡¯t want you to get fleeced out in the world.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not out in the world, I¡¯m in Wonora.¡± He countered. ¡°Sometimes you pick up on literally nothing.¡± She shook her head. ¡°Huh?¡± He was so confused by the implication he had missed something, and he frantically thought back to the conversation. ¡°The point of asking you here was to try and push you to talk to them. You should see if they have a spot in their group for someone like you. If I don¡¯t spell it out we¡¯ll be here all night.¡± She finished her food. ¡°What!?¡± He gulped. ¡°You mean like now?¡± ¡°Not literally right now, but the next time you see them consider it. If you don¡¯t you¡¯ll probably regret it later.¡± She nodded. ¡°I feel it in my bones Brice. It¡¯s time for you to set out. You came here needing protection and assistance but I think it¡¯s finally time for you to go, unless you really truly want to stay here you should go. It¡¯s the perfect opportunity for you.¡± ¡°But they already have a mage! He wouldn¡¯t want me.¡± Brice protested. ¡°Couldn¡¯t hurt to ask. They have 2 clerics already, so I wouldn¡¯t say they seem married to the traditional party.¡± Patricia stood up. ¡°Give it some thought, but don¡¯t wait too long. I just wanted to make you think about it now instead of a decade from now knowing you could have been part of their group and missed out because you just didn¡¯t think about it.¡± She paid and left leaving Brice stunned into silence for a solid 30 minutes. He looked at the ground as he walked out into the cool air. He looked up at the starry sky and wondered, did he deserve to be a Star of Verdan? Chapter 42: Heating up an ice cold case The four approached a massive bustling building. Outside it, on a wooden plank, a sack of gold overflowing with coin creaked back and forth. A line of carts filled with goods sat outside the building with dozens of men inspecting and moving them. On one cart men and women in chains stepped off with a whip cracking. Serena turned to Victor. ¡°You know they aren¡¯t going to want to help right?¡± ¡°I¡¯m counting on it. After they refuse to let us look at what should be worthless books we will seek another way to view those books. They have to pay taxes so inquiring with Patricia or Zane should resolve that issue.¡± Victor smiled and turned to her. ¡°This is almost too easy honestly.¡± Jenora slapped her helmet. ¡°I feel like he does it on purpose.¡± Swordie cheerfully commented. ¡°Oh, he does.¡± ¡°We¡¯ve got this.¡± Victor approached the guild''s double doors and opened one walking in. Inside long lines and few clerks dotted the desks along with constant chatter about prices, gold, and fees filled the hall. ¡°Uh, I guess we wait?¡± ¡°Your plan is coming together sir,¡± Swordie added joyfully. ¡°Keep waiting.¡± Victor sighed and got in a line. Emilie groaned. ¡°We¡¯re doing this?¡± Jenora put a hand on her shoulder. ¡°Well, we have 7 days. If all we do is stand in line it¡¯s boring but at least it is safe.¡± ¡°7 days in line. Great!¡± Her sarcasm dripped from every word like acid from her mouth. Swordie passive-aggressively added. ¡°A mere 7 days waiting in line with your loved one to converse with. Oh yes, you poor thing. Your sacrifice will be remembered. For a week.¡± Victor chuckled. ¡°I see I¡¯m not the only one on the receiving end of your sharp wit.¡± ¡°Of course not. You¡¯d never make someone wait longer than a week. Not ever.¡± Swordie continued irritated. ¡°Ever¡­ Especially with no one to talk to and nothing to do. Especially for more than a week. Right?¡± Victor laughed nervously. ¡°No of course not, we won¡¯t be in line for 7 days we¡¯re already second in line.¡± They waited for a few more minutes before reaching the front of the line. Victor approached the wooden desk and began. ¡°Hello.¡± A large, bearded man looked up to him from his desk. ¡°Hello sir, my name is Peter Jones. Who are you?¡± ¡°I¡¯m Victor Vogal. I am looking for records dating back 4 years concerning this city. Specifically, transaction records.¡± Victor smiled. The man raised an eyebrow and leaned forward with genuine confusion. ¡°You want our records from 4 years ago?¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Victor added cheerfully. He began scribbling something down. The man handed Victor a piece of paper. ¡°The documents room is on the second floor. They may not leave the records room but inspection of forms more than 2 years old is always available to the public to prove we are above board. The room is at the end of the hallway with a wooden scroll sign on it. Thank you for your time NEXT!¡± Victor stood up and looked forward in a daze. ¡°That wasn¡¯t at all what I had expected to happen.¡± Serena nudged him in the ribs with a comical grin. ¡°Well, let¡¯s go book boy.¡± Victor sighed and Emilie groaned as the group stomped up the wooden steps. At the top, a long narrow hallway filled with doors the wooden plank with a scroll on it denoted the record room. The group filed through the narrow hallway hearing voices from behind every door they passed. Victor knocked at the door. ¡°We¡¯re here from below to look at records.¡± The door cracked open. A diminutive creature with a large nose and curly red hair peeked up from behind the door. ¡°Papers?¡± Victor handed the paper he received from below. ¡°Four years ago? Who would care? Whatever. Come in.¡± They entered the large room filled with books and three desks. The small gnome climbed up a staircase of books to a sliding ladder before grabbing book after book and stacking them before coming down. ¡°Here¡¯s some of them.¡± He plopped the books down with a thud on the desk across from him. The gnome glared at Victor as he could sense a question coming. ¡°Sir, what is your name?¡± Victor asked. ¡°My name is Ben Farholt.¡± He replied annoyed. ¡°I only took this job because I was told I¡¯d be left alone except for the yearly tax audit. Who the hell cares about records from years ago?¡± ¡°We do. If you help us we can get out of your hair faster.¡± Victor nodded at the man. ¡°Fine, what are you looking for?¡± The gnome plopped down in his chair. ¡°Irregular charges from 4 years ago, any large sums transferred in or out of the guild for a dubious reason or no clear reason at all.¡± Victor looked at him hopeful that this might be easier than he thought. He pulled the middle logbook out of the pile and flipped the massive several thousand-page book open. ¡°These are the services charges and expenditures. If you are looking for something illegal it¡¯s probably in here. The other books contain records for transactions of goods. Freeman¡¯s Guild requires members to document expenses and income diligently or we expel them.¡± ¡°Why do you think we¡¯re here for something illegal?¡± Victor tilted his head innocently. ¡°Why else would you want records this old?¡± He looked up at them irritated. Emilie fake whispered to Jenora. ¡°This gnome is smarter than Victor.¡± Swordie noted. ¡°A task of minimal difficulty.¡± Victor slumped his shoulders. ¡°One day people will respect me.¡± ¡°No, they won¡¯t kid. You¡¯ve got a combination of ¡®kick me when I¡¯m down¡¯ look on you with ¡®lost puppy¡¯ thrown in for good measure after someone makes fun of you.¡± The gnome shook his head. ¡°You need to be tougher or at least more aware to be respected. You act like a dope too.¡± ¡°How do I act like a dope?¡± Victor stood tall offended. ¡°You¡¯re whole stride. The way you carry yourself. Everything about you. You¡¯re taller than me and yet everyone in the room can feel it.¡± He waved his hand. ¡°Bah! Anyway. This book likely contains the transaction you are looking for. If you need it, I will keep it out for you, so I don¡¯t need to pull it again.¡± He picked up the others before climbing the ladder and began to file them away. ¡°Do you know what you are looking for?¡± Victor blinked realizing he just assumed he wouldn¡¯t make it this far. ¡°Not¡­ Really¡­ Just something out of the ordinary.¡± ¡°Do you know what ordinary means?¡± The gnome asked. Victor felt incredibly stupid as he answered. ¡°No. I don¡¯t.¡± Emilie, Jenora, and Serena all hung their heads restraining a chuckle. Serena stepped forward. ¡°Search for sums exceeding 10,000 gold and investigate those first. Then investigate sums in the 5,000 to 10,000 gold range. I will take those two and speak with Patricia Conway about getting access to the tax records from the mayor¡¯s office.¡± The three girls opened the doors as the gnome sat down. ¡°This will take him a while.¡± Victor chuckled. ¡°It¡¯s been a while since I¡¯ve had time to just sit and read even if it¡¯s just records.¡± Emilie turned disgusted. ¡°Is he enjoying this?¡±Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings. Victor with an earnest smile turned around and nodded. Swordie practically reached out. ¡°Please take me with you!¡± ¡°Is that book supposed to be talking? I know some artifacts are intelligent, but most are rather strong. Not something investigators or auditors would have.¡± The gnome noted with a strange grimace. Cawthorn proclaimed. ¡°HE IS MY PARTNER! HE PROTECTS MY MAGE!¡± ¡°A familiar that speaks common¡­ Interesting. What did you say your name was?¡± Ben inquired. ¡°My name is Victor Vogal that is Serena Brooks, Jenora Oath, and Emilie Ward. My familiar is Cawthorn and the book is Swordie.¡± He answered. ¡°Are you in a guild?¡± He leaned forward on his desk. ¡°We are the Stars of Verdan, we¡¯re in the Artifact Hunters guild,¡± Victor answered. ¡°Pity.¡± He opened a book and went back to reading. ¡°Well dear, I will see you later.¡± Serena waved as they closed the door. Victor waved cheerfully with Swordie still around his waist. The three girls walked down past the massive crowd on the first floor. As they left Serena asked. ¡°Could you two investigate the area around 5 Star Road? We need to know if anyone remembers anything from 4 years ago regarding Jim Farson¡¯s murder. I will check the records in the mayor¡¯s office. Does that sound reasonable to you two?¡± Jenora agreed immediately. ¡°That seems fair, we can exercise jogging from place to place. It¡¯ll improve your speed.¡± Emilie sighed. ¡°Silver linings, I guess. I feel like this is a waste of time. It won¡¯t work and even if it does the ghost won¡¯t give us the keys. Undead are not to be trusted.¡± Serena leaned down. ¡°Well, if you¡¯re right you get to mercilessly mock him and tell him ¡®I told you so¡¯ for a long time. He¡¯ll probably even listen to you if you¡¯re right, but if you don¡¯t try, he¡¯ll never listen to you again.¡± Emilie tilted her head back and forth weighing the choices before a smirk stretched across her face. ¡°If it does work, we get an incredible guild hall, if it doesn¡¯t, I get to savagely mock his idiocy. I guess this is a win-win situation. Jenora, we go! Speed boost!¡± Emilie took off toward 5 Star Road with Jenora following close behind. Serena gave off a quick smirk before brushing back her short hair. She made her way to the south gate moving as fast as she could just to work up a sweat. Feeling the wind in her hair as someone passed her traveling even faster irritated her. Most people walked but some people during the day did travel rather fast near the edges of the road. She slowed down as she approached the southern wall seeing Brice and Patricia at the gate. She arrived panting and wiping down her sweat. Patricia sauntered up to her. ¡°Well, girl you¡¯re in a hurry I see, or are you just running for fun?¡± Serena reached high up and took a deep breath as she stretched. ¡°Sorry, I just needed to run a bit. I did need to see you though.¡± ¡°A new arrival asking for help the second day they are here isn¡¯t a record, but it is faster than most. What is wrong?¡± Patricia looked up to Serena. ¡°I need access to tax records from 4 years ago,¡± Serena asked with an unusual fervency in her voice. Patricia paused raising an eyebrow and answered very slowly. ¡°Tax¡­ Records¡­ From 4 years ago?¡± ¡°We¡¯re investigating the events around Jim Farson¡¯s death.¡± She clarified. ¡°Oh, that? That worthless decaying bar is the culprit. I investigated it myself. It had several stone gargoyles and due to its serious disrepair, one fell off. Drunk off his ass he had his head splattered all across the alleyway. He was just in the wrong place at the wrong time.¡± Patricia shook her head. ¡°Poor bastard¡¯s brother had to abandon the bank after a ghost took up there too if I recall. The whole family is tragedy after tragedy. I half expect to find Phil dead one morning from a donkey kick to the head.¡± ¡°Is it possible someone pushed the gargoyle?¡± Serena curiously proceeded. ¡°I don¡¯t see how. That roof wouldn¡¯t even support a halfling four years ago. It¡¯s a small miracle it hasn¡¯t collapsed.¡± She shook her head. ¡°If Phil is asking about that then you should just give up. It¡¯s pointless. I do feel sorry for the man but it¡¯s a tragic accident to be sure.¡± Serena pondered for a few moments. ¡°Could telekinesis have been involved?¡± ¡°Sure, but that would be untraceable if no one saw him die 4 years ago. Face it Phil is just hoping against hope something went wrong so he can feel better about having to join the Freedman¡¯s Guild.¡± Patricia shrugged. ¡°The man isn¡¯t happy with his life, but a lot of people hate their lives it doesn¡¯t mean someone else is responsible for it. The world is cruel and unrelenting.¡± ¡°It wasn¡¯t Phil who asked us to find out who killed Jim Farson. It was the ghost of Jim Farson.¡± Serena added flatly. Patricia paused and Brice stopped dead in his tracks overhearing that. The three of them looked at each other in total silence for a few moments before Brice asked. ¡°How?¡± ¡°Victor spoke to the ghost, and it told him that it had been murdered.¡± Serena nodded. ¡°It said something more than ¡®be gone¡¯ to him?¡± Patricia looked at her incredulously. ¡°Yes, it explained in a great deal what it knew and was sure it was killed. I¡¯m shocked it spoke to him at all. I knew he was friendly, but this was eye-opening.¡± She shifted her weight looking down on Patricia. ¡°Well, if you are looking for those tax records, I will help you after this caravan passes through. I need to search them, and Brice needs to scan them.¡± Patricia walked over to the caravan leaving Serena with Brice. ¡°Why did Victor speak with the ghost?¡± Brice just blinked twice. ¡°He tends to try and talk things out no matter who or what he is talking to. We encountered a skeleton chained up in a dungeon he talked to that too. If it weren¡¯t for our priestess, he might have spared it anyway. It¡¯s just what he does.¡± Serena smiled drifting off while thinking about him. ¡°What are his opinions on elves, dwarves, or other species?¡± Brice leaned forward. ¡°Our guild leader is a half-drake. We encountered a dwarf who helped us immensely early on. I doubt he¡¯d say anything negative about their race.¡± She paused. ¡°I on the other hand hate elves but it¡¯s becoming clear to me the only elf I¡¯ve ever met owned me, which might change my point of view.¡± Brice seemed disappointed as he put his hand down. ¡°Ah. Okay.¡± Serena put her hands up and frantically waved back and forth suddenly realizing what Brice was asking. ¡°Oh no! No! No. I was against even helping our guild leader and others were uh¡­ even less enthused than I was. If someone wasn¡¯t actively trying to murder us, they¡¯d probably be welcome in the guild.¡± She paused for a moment before following up. ¡°Why did you have someone in mind?¡± ¡°Well, I have this friend who would like to find a job in a guild but is worried if people find out he¡¯s an elf they¡¯d tell everyone and kick him out of their group forcing him to wander far to somewhere no one knows him. That would suck, for him.¡± Brice noted sheepishly. Serena blinked lightning up as she fully comprehended the question. ¡°If you want to join the Artifact Hunters, we have a zero-tolerance policy to that kind of attitude.¡± ¡°Oh, it¡¯s not for me. I am not an elf or dwarf. I am a half-elf. Yes. Just an ordinary half-elf.¡± Brice nodded. ¡°Does she know?¡± Serena asked. ¡°Know what? I¡¯m just a half-elf.¡± Brice insisted. Patricia walked up with a few items in hand. ¡°Time to work Brice, and yes I know Brice you aren¡¯t a half-elf.¡± Brice turned bright red. ¡°I¡¯m definitely just a half-elf.¡± ¡°No, you aren¡¯t. Now, start scanning the items.¡± Patricia started walking to Serena. ¡°Let me get you access to those tax documents.¡± ¡°Wait you knew he wasn¡¯t a half-elf?¡± Serena tilted toward her. ¡°It¡¯s why I keep him on such a short leash. Visually his disguise is good, verbally the man outs himself in 10 minutes or less.¡± Patricia shrugged. ¡°BRICE! FINISH UP!¡± ¡°You don¡¯t care that he¡¯s¡­ different?¡± Serena asked. ¡°Nah. If I¡¯ve learned anything here the groups people hate are rarely the culprit, they are just the groups people blame. The vast majority of criminals are either desperate or well-connected. Groups people hate to tend to be neither of those.¡± She looked to Brice who handed back the items describing them one at a time. ¡°Thank you for that. Yes, Brice, I¡¯ve always known that you were more than you appear.¡± ¡°B-But how Miss Conway, I never told you and my disguise is good.¡± Brice insisted. She whispered. ¡°In our first meeting, you insisted you are, and I quote ¡®A half-elf, definitely not an elf.¡¯ At one point when I was interviewing for your position you stood all the way up by accident and then went back to hunching over hiding in your cloak. Most people won¡¯t see if they just look at you, but any careful observer can.¡± Brice gulped. ¡°I¡¯m sorry Miss Conway. I didn¡¯t mean to deceive you people just tend not to treat those like me well.¡± She walked back to the caravan returning their items and sauntering toward them again. ¡°It¡¯s fine Brice. It¡¯s also fine if you want to join a guild, but your instincts are right about people. Most people here hate those. I¡¯ve got somewhere to be and it¡¯s the mayor¡¯s office. Let us go Miss Brooks. Oh Brice, try not to talk to people at the gate while I¡¯m gone. Just come with us.¡± Brice scampered after them as they walked toward the massive building in the center of town trying and failing to conceal a smile. Chapter 43: Slain scum The four arrived back at the inn as the day ended. They ordered food and sat down. Jenora nodded immediately before food arrived as soon as the barmaid walked away. ¡°He was murdered.¡± Emilie nodded without wavering. ¡°Yeah, he was killed.¡± Victor¡¯s eyebrows shot up so fast that if Cawthorn wasn¡¯t on his head they might have flown off. ¡°Wow, that was fast what makes you say that?¡± Emilie threw her hands up. ¡°He had so many enemies. Admittedly most were in the Freedman¡¯s Guild, but others had pretty bad things to say about him. He¡¯s a vengeful spirit but in life, he was a ruthless banker. He foreclosed on people and evicted them the minute time a loan ran out. He loaned money to people at twice the rate Freedman¡¯s bank does and it¡¯s no wonder he went out of business after another bank opened up here with the way he acted.¡± Jenora continued. ¡°The problem is we couldn¡¯t narrow it down to save our lives. He has so many enemies that he may as well have painted a giant kill me sign on his back. Everyone is a suspect. He was killed in that alley by a statue crashing down on his head to make it look like an accident for sure. Might have been magic or someone with a stealth skill but this many years later the killer could be gone.¡± Emilie sighed stretching across the table. ¡°I don¡¯t know how you¡¯d ever find the person who did this since he was such a piece of trash.¡± Serena leaned forward cupping her head in a hand. ¡°That is why Victor and I poured over old financial records. I have a list and so does he of several possible large transactions around the time he died. After doing some research on the list Victor and I found several discrepancies in amounts for some large transactions, and we found several. Some of these might just be bad accounting errors at 5 to 50 gold off. Other discrepancies are larger, much larger into the 1,000 to 10,000 gold range.¡± Emilie looked up from the table. ¡°Do we even want to do this? The guy was an absolute piece of shit. He doesn¡¯t deserve vengeance.¡± ¡°His killer is still out there. What is to say that this is the only victim?¡± Victor looked at her. Emilie groaned hitting her head on the table. ¡°I hate this. You¡¯re not supposed to be right. I¡¯m supposed to be right.¡± Swordie commented. ¡°Don¡¯t worry! He¡¯ll regret it later and dive into deep self-doubt which I and Cawthorn will have to bail him out. Do you hear me, Cawthorn? Be ready to cheer him up after we find the killer and inevitably, he¡¯s an otherwise good person.¡± Cawthorn crowed throwing up his wings. ¡°CAW CAW HAH MY MAGE WILL ALWAYS BE CONFIDENT AS LONG AS I AM BY HIS SIDE!¡± Victor patted Cawthorn on the head to him slowly causing him to drift off. ¡°My¡­ Mage¡­ is¡­¡± Cawthorn leaned against Victor''s cheek as Victor shot back to Swordie. ¡°No matter how good they are they killed someone. There are better avenues for justice than murder when it isn¡¯t in self-defense.¡± Serena slowly chuckled putting her hand over her face while looking at Victor. ¡°Why are you looking at me?¡± She kept snickering harder and harder. He immediately realized what she was laughing about. Swordie noted. ¡°A mirror he is not.¡± ¡°Saving someone else is a form of self-defense you¡¯re just defending another life. That isn¡¯t the same as killing someone because they are a jerk or greedy.¡± Victor insisted. Serena wiped away a tear. ¡°I¡¯m sorry dear. The way you said it was just-¡± She kept giggling and shaking her head. Emilie sat up. ¡°Fine talk about the inconsistencies. Who has inconsistencies? Go ahead.¡± Serena took a deep breath calming down. ¡°There are 6 large inconsistencies. Just 1 of those is dead.¡± ¡°If I¡¯m right his death means that he¡¯s not the one. I¡¯d guess his death would cause the ghost to pass on as that could be considered justice.¡± Victor noted. Jenora tilted her head back and forth. ¡°It¡¯s a shame we can¡¯t just kill all 5 targets.¡± Victor paused truly shocked by the statement. ¡°No. We cannot just kill all 5 targets.¡± ¡°I wasn¡¯t going to do it! That¡¯s why I said it¡¯s a shame we can¡¯t! It would save so much time.¡± Jenora defended herself. Serena turned to her. "Your mind is ruthlessly efficient. I love it.¡± She reached out to bump her gauntlet. They bumped their fists and smiled. ¡°That said I don¡¯t think we can do that. So, we have 5 targets.¡± She looked at Victor. ¡°First is Caleb Scott. He¡¯s a trader and has been here a long time as his tax records go back 11 years. He became a guild member of the Freedman¡¯s Guild 7 years ago. There is a 1211 gold difference between his declared gold for that year and the amount he paid taxes on. He¡¯s pretty wealthy for a trader and it is possible he did the deed. We will need to investigate.¡± He looked back at her. ¡°Second is Lilly Anderson. She¡¯s a noblewoman of immense wealth who owns the theater in the center of town. She joined the guild 6 years ago and declares more on her taxes than she does to the guild. Honestly, I think she¡¯s just cheating the Freedman¡¯s Guild not a murderer, but we can look into her. The gold differences range from 3,239 to 7,231 gold.¡± Jenora interrupted. ¡°Wait I thought you were only looking at 4 years ago.¡± Serena smiled turning to him. ¡°We both independently realized we¡¯d have to dig back farther. We started comparing large numbers and realized some did stand out. Even if we don¡¯t find the killer this made me realize something.¡± Emilie glared at her. ¡°What is that?¡± A devious smile spread across her face. ¡°We¡¯ve effectively just gained blackmail on all 5 of these people.¡± Food arrived and they all began to eat. Victor shook his head. ¡°I do not want to think about that right now Serena. Can we continue?¡± Serena went on. ¡°Next is Nathan Price. He¡¯s an adventurer in Freedman¡¯s guild. He joined 4 years ago. Exactly 4 years ago he received a 3,000-gold service transaction which was never reported on his taxes from an unspecified individual during a mission about 1 month after the murder. It wasn¡¯t reported so there is no record anywhere in the mayor¡¯s office as far as I can see to where this goes. He¡¯s my primary suspect. He did report it to the guild.¡± Victor agreed. ¡°He¡¯s the one I find most probable. His motive could be simple money and he¡¯s the killer hired by someone else.¡± Emilie nodded along. ¡°That sounds incredibly likely. Who are the other two?¡± Victor went to the next name on their list. ¡°Fourth is Georgia Young. She¡¯s a woman who briefly owed money to Farson¡¯s Bank 4 and 5 years ago. Her debt was wiped clean, and she isn¡¯t in the Freeman¡¯s Guild. The difference in gold was only 923 gold but she went from being so deep in debt she paid 0 in taxes to paying taxes on 10,203 gold.¡± Victor paused and thought out loud. ¡°How much does the average non-adventurer make?¡± Jenora noted. ¡°Depends on the area but in most places, people make between 1 and 5 gold a day for ordinary unskilled work like moving boxes or farming. Adventuring makes far more which is why people go into the profession. Artifact Hunting makes more than that. The danger of being a farmer is pretty minimal unless your village is raided. Something like half of the adventurers are dead in one year. The survival rate for artifact hunters is even worse.¡± ¡°Oh, so we are talking big payments. Like absolutely huge.¡± Victor noted. ¡°There is no way he wasn¡¯t in a mage tower before Swordie found him. I refuse to believe otherwise.¡± Emilie just stared at him dumbfounded. ¡°Agreed.¡± Jenora nodded at Emilie. ¡°Who is the last one?¡± The two looked at each other. ¡°Well, there is an entire missing year on the tax records for Phil Farson.¡± Victor paused and looked at her. ¡°He deposited more than 10,000 gold the year his brother died into the Freeman¡¯s Guild bank. It¡¯s possible that was just transferring his gold after the death of his brother since it¡¯s not marked as new income.¡±This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. Jenora snapped her fork. ¡°Did that bastard kill his own brother?¡± ¡°It is possible that he did.¡± Victor sighed. ¡°I¡¯ve been considering it for an hour. If we bring him to justice and still get him the items in jail, legally, we get the building.¡± Emilie sat back. ¡°Oh, that would be justice.¡± Jenora snarled. ¡°Agreed. Murdering your own brother? Irredeemable. Normally Emilie is the one to recommend this but cleansing by fire is the only appropriate response to murdering your own sibling.¡± Emilie performed a few small rapid claps while sitting up in her chair. "I love it when you want to purify the wicked!¡± Serena lifted one eyebrow. ¡°Well, there¡¯s some history behind that but I¡¯m going to respectfully leave it be.¡± Victor nodded. ¡°We need not know if you don¡¯t want to tell. This is a bit of a pickle. Do we work on this together or split up again?¡± ¡°We can¡¯t split up on this. We need to all see their faces.¡± Jenora insisted. ¡°A liar always tells you they are lying. They just never realize how.¡± ¡°How do we get to speak to them? Some of these five are high-class people.¡± Serena grimaced leaning forward and looking at the names. ¡°We could leverage my title.¡± Victor looked around the table. Jenora tapped on her chin. ¡°That might work.¡± Swordie¡¯s sarcasm could cut their meat in half. ¡°A title of such honor is not intended to be used like a knife.¡± ¡°Ok, we will use my title to get an audience with them.¡± Victor nodded with a resolute table smack. ¡°Is this what my foolish knight feels like every day? I hope never to know again.¡± Swordie insisted. ¡°Another question is what order do we do these interviews?¡± Serena looked at the names. ¡°We need to do Phil last since him catching on would ruin any chance of us catching him if it is him.¡± Jenora spoke up. ¡°Agreed. To do this correctly we should first rule out the least likely targets and finish with Nathan Prince and Phil Farson. The least likely is Lilly Anderson in my opinion. My gut reaction is she has no connection to the death so she¡¯s someone we speak with for a few minutes before moving on. Georgia Young and Caleb Scott are both unlikely but possible so they should be second and third. That¡¯s my opinion on the matter.¡± Victor looked around. ¡°Any objections?¡± No one spoke up. ¡°Well, Jenora would you like to lead the investigation tomorrow?¡± ¡°Me?! I mean. Uh¡­ I guess I can but that seems foolish if we are using your fame to get in.¡± She noted. Victor pondered for a moment. ¡°That is a good point. I am not experienced leading these, but I will do my best.¡± Jenora pulled back a bit. ¡°Well, I can help speak to them. I¡¯m pretty good at interrogations but I¡¯m not all that diplomatic when I am getting information.¡± ¡°You can follow my lead. Where I¡¯m from there is a phrase good cop, bad cop. One of the cops plays the nice guy who is just trying to help the other one is ready to scream at them and intimidate them.¡± Victor extended his hand across the table. Jenora reached to shake it. ¡°I¡¯ll do my best.¡± Emilie smirked. ¡°She can be intimidating when she wants to be. Neither of you has seen it yet but she¡¯s intimidating when someone is after me.¡± Serena turned to Victor. ¡°Now that we have covered that matter, I have another matter entirely. An elf mage approached me looking for a group and a guild that wouldn¡¯t be racist against elves.¡± Emilie groaned. ¡°Oh god an elf? They¡¯re so self-serving. They won¡¯t endanger themselves ever because they are immortal and arrogant. Their life is the only thing that ever matters to them.¡± Jenora paused for a moment thinking before saying. ¡°I don¡¯t think their immortality is the issue. It¡¯s their attitudes. They consider themselves superior because they often train for literal decades before emerging from one of their enclaves. So, they are much more powerful than someone else of their level. This is especially pronounced at lower levels where they have higher stats from achievements, and more skills from secret unlock conditions. They tend to be arrogant because they are stronger.¡± Serena pulled the conversation back. ¡°Personally, the only elf I¡¯ve ever interacted with owned me I hate them. That said It¡¯s becoming clear to me you won¡¯t tolerate hating anyone unless you have a good reason, I¡¯m willing to choke it back if you insist.¡± Emilie shook her head. ¡°How did I end up in a party where we talk with undead and consider recruiting an elf? I¡¯m against it but for some reason, I feel like that will be forgotten in your zeal.¡± ¡°Helping Forala out seemed to work fine, and you¡¯d never have helped her.¡± Victor crossed his arms. Serena nodded with a deep sigh. ¡°That is why I am willing to let him join and try it out. You¡¯re not the best judge of character.¡± Swordie cut in. ¡°To say the least.¡± Serena continued without missing a beat. ¡°Agreed. However, you have changed my opinion of first impressions, probably forever. I¡¯d give him a chance.¡± Emilie shook her head. ¡°Fine, I will tolerate it until he does something wrong.¡± Jenora leaned forward and whispered. ¡°Who is it?¡± ¡°Remember that mage at the front helping the captain? That¡¯s him.¡± Serena tapped her fork. ¡°The only consideration is that this makes us very offensive as a party with only Serena defending two people.¡± ¡°Do you know what kind of mage he is?¡± Victor asked. ¡°DEEP MAGE!¡± Cawthorn crowed. ¡°I see.¡± Victor scratched his chin pulling out Swordie. Without explaining or saying a word Swordie pulled up the page. Deep Mage ¨C Your mage level counts as 20 higher for the purposes of skill and spell ranks. Gain access to the Spell Modification Skill. Gain Access to the Spell Enhancement Skill. Slightly improve spell damage multipliers. Prowess value increased for offensive spells. Stats- +24 Prowess Stats per level - +12 Prowess ¡°Oh, wow so his spells will pack a punch given how much more powerful rank makes your spells and skills,¡± Victor noted. Emilie yawned. ¡°Yeah, but he¡¯ll run out of mana like a child will run out of candy. Most spellcasters aren¡¯t like you or me. They can tackle one or two encounters and then poof they are done for a long time possibly even the day. That and the lack of priests is one of the main reasons people can¡¯t get to higher levels fast.¡± Jenora finished her food. ¡°Deep mages have another problem. They almost always eat experience for breakfast. If the party is using their long-range to snipe a target the mage may be the only party member who gets any experience whatsoever. Their spells are so potent, but they never have any flow.¡± Victor scratched his chin. ¡°When I was fighting Zolvorn I was able to cast my spells in different forms and even control the rank. Couldn¡¯t a deep mage use lower-level spells to consume less mana?¡± ¡°Well yeah, but none do. The main problem is they need equipment. Powerful mana regeneration artifacts and defensive artifacts are usually required for them to function.¡± Serena noted. ¡°Wait how would he get those if no one wants him in a group at lower levels?¡± Victor turned to them. ¡°He wouldn¡¯t. He¡¯d need to level up on his own doing ordinary work.¡± Serena explained. ¡°There is no sense of community here at all.¡± Victor shook his head. Jenora put up a hand. ¡°Well, I hear the elves are supposed to do that. They spend an excessively long time preparing usually 50 to 70 years in their enclave typically hitting level 15-20 in completely safe circumstances. Community is one of the big advantages of both dwarves and elves against all other races. Why he¡¯s out in the world on his own before hitting 100 years old hell if I know but we should talk to him.¡± Victor shrugged. ¡°Should we just talk to him in private early tomorrow?¡± ¡°Ah, hell let¡¯s do it.¡± Jenora slapped the table. ¡°You might be wrong but if he¡¯s trustworthy then we make ourselves a powerful ally.¡± Emilie downed her drink. ¡°I don¡¯t know about this but I¡¯m on board if she is on board.¡± Serena shrugged. ¡°I¡¯ll deal with it. That said if we vote to keep him in the group and it¡¯s 2 to 2, I insist we let him go. No reason to split the group over this.¡± Victor nodded. ¡°That seems fair to me. Given our current composition, I think if he learns to control his mana output, he¡¯ll do well with us.¡± Emilie yawned. ¡°It¡¯s time to sleep. I¡¯m going to my room. Good night.¡± Serena grabbed Victor. ¡°I agree. We¡¯ll see you in the morning. Good night.¡± Chapter 44: New allies and tax cheats As the four gathered outside the inn Victor told Cawthorn ¡°I need you to take flight and watch for incoming caravans or carts at the southern gate. We need a few minutes uninterrupted.¡± ¡°I CAN DO IT MY MAGE!¡± Cawthorn took off. ¡°Shall we ladies?¡± Victor turned toward the south. Serena grimaced. ¡°I really don¡¯t want Emilie to be right this time.¡± Emilie groaned. ¡°I¡¯m always right. Sometimes I¡¯m more right than other times.¡± Jenora chuckled covering her mouth. ¡°Emilie is always right except when she¡¯s not.¡± The group made their way to the southern gate. The tall wall and open gate slowly came into view and predictably a short halfling stood in front of a tall mage lecturing him. The four of them approached the two as the sun crept over the wall in the distance. ¡°Good morning!¡± Victor waved. ¡°How are you doing?¡± The group stepped to the side behind the wall. Patricia smiled turning around. ¡°I think I have some paperwork to do. I will be back in a few minutes.¡± As the captain walked away Brice waved with a nervous smile. ¡°Hi. I¡¯m fine. Did Serena talk to you?¡± ¡°Well yeah, that¡¯s why we¡¯re here. We had some questions.¡± Victor tilted his head toward him. ¡°If that is okay.¡± ¡°What did you want to know? You already know my most devastating secret.¡± Brice answered in confusion. ¡°Well, it¡¯s mostly a question of your skills and level. You¡¯re a deep mage, right? How do you handle running out of mana?¡± Victor tilted his head. ¡°Well, most deep mages have terrible flow and I¡¯m no exception. I have a lot of prowess and willpower. My friend from a long time ago gave me this ring.¡± He held out his hand from beneath his long robe. A bright silver ring with a sapphire cut into a dragon decorated the ring. ¡°It gives me 1 mana per second worth of mana regeneration. It¡¯s powerful for the level of the item.¡± Victor pulled out Swordie who immediately pulled up the stats on the ring. Silver Dragon Sapphire Rank 4 Rarity: Rare Permanent Artifact Increases mana regeneration to 1/second. If mana regeneration is above 1/second has no effect. Victor turned to the others. ¡°Does that satisfy the mana recovery portion?¡± Emilie groaned. ¡°I guess! It must be nice to have friends so rich they can just give you a thousand gold items.¡± Victor shrugged. ¡°Don¡¯t mind her, she¡¯s jealous you came from money. Are there any other questions we should ask?¡± Jenora stepped up. ¡°What is your level and how good are you at defending yourself?¡± ¡°I am level 12. My barrier sphere is rank 4 and my prowess is high. Thanks to spell enhancement I can 1 time a day increase the barrier sphere rank by 1 and thanks to Spell Modification I can modify some aspects of it like duration for more mana. I do usually have to wait a few minutes after combat ends though as I often suffer from mana fatigue from hitting 0 mana.¡± Brice explained. ¡°Wait can¡¯t you only suffer from that if you like don¡¯t sleep?¡± Victor turned to Emilie. ¡°What? No. If your mana goes to 0 you immediately suffer it, and the duration is longer for every second you spend below half mana.¡± Emilie turned to him. ¡°Now I actually don¡¯t think you spent time in a mage tower. Literally, every mage knows that. Congratulations you blew up my last theory about your past.¡± ¡°I did spend time in an elven mage tower,¡± Brice noted. Jenora continued her line of questioning. ¡°Do you feel confident that you can defend yourself when attacked?¡± ¡°Absolutely but I can only either attack or defend one or the other at any time. My defense is very strong for my level.¡± He assured them. ¡°Most mages do not take barrier sphere and rely on another form of defense like barrier shield, but they lack the reaction time to aim it fast enough. So, I just picked that skill to maximize. It and fire bolt are the two skills I¡¯ve maximized to rank 4. I can even cast fire bolts as fireball which is incredibly potent for lower-level monsters. I can only cast 2 rank 4 fireballs in a combat though since they are so costly.¡± Jenora stepped back seemingly shocked. She turned to them. ¡°I¡¯m shocked. I¡¯ve never met a deep mage who maximized their barrier skill. I think that would be fine.¡± ¡°My teachers were phenomenal. I was merely a lousy student.¡± Brice looked at his feet. Swordie announced. ¡°A phenomenal teacher takes on another student.¡± ¡°So, none of you care that I¡¯m¡­ different?¡± Brice asked. ¡°Well, the only elf I¡¯ve ever interacted with besides you bought me at auction and later sold me. So, I¡¯m not particularly keen on this but I¡¯m willing to give you a chance.¡± Serena glared at him. ¡°I¡¯m sorry one of my kind did that to you. Most elves that don¡¯t live in enclaves die, deviate from elven values, or disobey elven leadership.¡± Brice slumped further down. Emilie butted in. ¡°Which one did you do?¡± ¡°I disobeyed leadership. My best friend, she was sick. I knew if I ventured out of the enclave to get the plant required to save her, I¡¯d be exiled but I did it anyway. She was only 27 and I¡¯m 40. I just couldn¡¯t stand to see her rot to death, so I retrieved the Hokenbloom Lilly. I was found out and followed back to the enclave. It¡¯s not like the humans had any chance against the enclave but it¡¯s so depressing that saving her resulted in my exile. My teachers even told me to my face she wasn¡¯t worth saving. They even branded me with this.¡± He pulled up his robe to his shoulder. A brand of a simple tree with an x through it decorated his shoulder. ¡°No enclave will ever take me again.¡± His voice cracked as he spoke the last words broken by them. Jenora almost immediately turned to them. ¡°Oh, come on we have to take him with us.¡± Victor nodded. ¡°Agreed. Elf needs a hug.¡± Victor hugged him and patted his back. ¡°If you¡¯re looking for a group to adventure with, feel free to join us. We¡¯d be happy to have you.¡± He hugged back sheepishly. ¡°Just like that? That¡¯s all you need to know?¡± Brice looked at them. Emilie groaned. ¡°I hate when Victor is more right than I am. Being less right is the worst. Fine, we can recruit the elf.¡± Serena dragged her hand across her face. ¡°Are all men like this? Either self-interested slavers or like the two of you?¡± Victor countered. ¡°No¡­ but there are plenty of people in the world who want to protect those they care about.¡± ¡°Sure, but you want to protect people you don¡¯t even know,¡± Serena smirked at him. Swordie commented. ¡°His mental state takes damage every time he fails to protect someone. Unfortunately, it is my task to heal it. The task is difficult.¡± Victor glared at Swordie. ¡°One day we will meet someone you don¡¯t immediately rat out my motivations to.¡± ¡°One day I will sleep. Hopefully, you don¡¯t meet anyone on that day.¡± Swordie snapped back. Brice snickered. ¡°Well, I¡¯d love to join you but at least this week I have some things to finish up. Will you be around at the end of the week?¡± ¡°We will stick around until you are ready. We hope to be at 5 Star Road by the end of the week if we aren¡¯t there, we¡¯ll come see you.¡± Victor extended his hand. Brice took his hand with a warm smile. ¡°I¡¯m looking forward to it.¡± He accidentally stood up straight towering over them before hunching back over. Patricia called out. ¡°BRICE!¡± He jumped a little bit startled and started scurrying off. Cawthorn landed on Victor''s shoulder. ¡°THERE IS A CARAVAN AT THE GATE!¡± ¡°Yes, Cawthorn. I know.¡± Victor nodded. Emilie threw her hands up. ¡°To the theater!¡± ¡°Following you.¡± Victor and the group started following Emilie. Jenora tapped her chin. ¡°You know I¡¯ve never been to the theater before.¡± ¡°Oh, plays can be great! I¡¯ve only been once but when the nunnery took us to see the Saviors of Heaven, I was so excited. Such a good play.¡± Emilie gushed. ¡°What was it about?¡± Jenora hurried to catch up with Emilie. She continued gushing with a smile. ¡°It was about the 5 heroes that saved heaven in year 0. The ending was so sad because it¡¯s the story of how heaven closed its doors. Heaven doesn¡¯t let anyone out anymore so we can¡¯t communicate with them and any angels who weren¡¯t already out can¡¯t leave; all because devils attacked Heaven. It¡¯s why I hate devils so much; it¡¯s why the church of the Golden Goddess hates devils. It¡¯s well-earned. It¡¯s not like elves.¡± Jenora remained silent looking down as Victor spoke up. ¡°Aren¡¯t devils immortal?¡± ¡°They have no natural lifespan.¡± Emilie clarified. ¡°They live until killed. That is their only similarity with elves. Most of my hatred of elves and most hatred of elves originates from elves that people interact with being assholes. Elves in the enclaves might be good, but few elves get exiled for disobedience. Most leave because they ¡®don¡¯t meet elven values¡¯ or whatever that means.¡± Jenora shrugged. ¡°The difference between elven immortality and devilish immortality is that elves were made by the Green Goddess to care for forests, wildlife, and the wilderness. Devils weren¡¯t spawned for a reason. They were one of the original races made by The First Ones. They took up the realm now known as hell and destroyed it. They fight for resources constantly because the most powerful devils consume all the food and resources. They then pass down a tiny portion to those below them who enforce their will. Everyone else suffers.¡±If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. ¡°She¡¯s always so knowledgeable about those monsters, Goddess, I love her.¡± Emilie smiled up at her. Jenora nodded. ¡°To kill a devil anything less than decapitation or eviscerating their head rarely finishes them off. Their blood contains a potent healing factor many times more potent than the most powerful potions.¡± ¡°I still think you come from the great fiendish war on the eastern continent. I don¡¯t know how or why but you just strike me as the type to have fought them and then fled out of fear of something.¡± Emilie shrugged. Jenora scratched her chin. ¡°Well, I¡¯m not going to lie and say that is entirely wrong. I am from the eastern continent.¡± Emilie threw her arms up. ¡°I knew it!¡± ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s the only part of your speculation I¡¯m willing to confirm or deny.¡± Jenora chuckled. Emilie giggled with a big grin on her face. ¡°One day I¡¯ll get the rest of it.¡± The group arrived at the theater. The tall building with the words ¡®Wonora Theater¡¯ in giant letters stood before them with lamps hung across every window and the archway leading in. Four sets of glass double doors dotted the front along with large windowpanes filled with beautiful gowns and dresses on manikins. Upon attempting to open the door Emilie bumped into it, locked. Victor blinked twice. ¡°Well, that is unfortunate.¡± A woman smoking turned to them. ¡°We¡¯re closed until this evening.¡± ¡°We¡¯re here to speak with Lilly Anderson.¡± Victor walked up to her. ¡°Piss off. Everyone is here to speak to her.¡± The tall woman with brown hair and a lanky figure took a drag off her cigarette. ¡°She doesn¡¯t want to speak to people who are here to audition or beg for a role.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not here to audition. I¡¯m Victor Vogal an angelic knight seeking information on an old matter from her. She¡¯ll want to see me.¡± Victor put his hands on his hips. The woman scoffed and flicked her cigarette into a garbage can. ¡°Fine, I¡¯ll be right back.¡± She disappeared up a flight of stairs and a few minutes later came back unlocking a door. ¡°She¡¯ll see you.¡± They followed along behind this girl who shook her head. ¡°My name is Amelia sorry about before I¡¯m just tired of having to tell aspiring actors to piss off.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡± Victor followed up the stairs with the others. ¡°Are you an angelic knight?¡± She asked. ¡°I am.¡± Victor curtly replied. ¡°She¡¯s going to be pissed if you aren¡¯t.¡± Amelia insisted. ¡°I¡¯ll pull up my status sheet for her if she wants.¡± Victor didn¡¯t want to talk with her given her attitude but felt the need to humor her. ¡°Here we are.¡± A large red door at the back of a hallway on the top floor was open just a crack. ¡°She¡¯ll see you. I¡¯m getting back to work.¡± The party approached the door the floor creaking beneath them. ¡°Come in dearies!¡± An older voice resonated through the hallway. They entered a room filled with costumes, dresses, and hats, lots and lots of hats. She swiveled around in her chair at a desk with a massive mirror. The desk had makeup and perfume across it and the perfume permeated the room. The sweetness of lavender filled their noses as a plump older woman stood up and bobbed toward them with a book in hand. ¡°Oh, you are a sweet young thing. Could you show me your character sheet to prove you are what you say you are?¡± Victor took the book and pulled up his ¡°Status Sheet.¡± Selected Title: Angelic Knight Race Human: Victor Vance Vogal Class, Specialization: Mage 9, Spellsword 3 Level: 12 Base Health: 190 Stamina: 47 Mana: 15 Vitality: 19 Speed: 56 Strength: 22 Prowess: 33 Endurance: 45 Rigor: 2 Willpower: 17 Flow: 67 (+70%) Luck: -42 Resistance: 50% Resistance to mind control and manipulation. Title: Angelic Knight Skills: Speed Reading Rank 2, Academic Rank 2, Familiar Rank 2, Speechless Spellcasting Rank 2, Improved Buffs Rank 2, Rogue Skills Rank 2, Fighter Skills Rank 2 Hidden Skills: Memory Retention , Luzuzal¡¯s Delusion Rank 5 , Luzuzal¡¯s Devout Rank 2, Luzuzal¡¯s Promise Rank 7, Spells: Barrier Shield Rank 2, Jolt Rank 2, Speed Boost Rank 2, Magic Writing Rank 1, Vitality Boost Rank 2, Rigor Boost Rank 2, Prowess Boost Rank 2 Current Exp to Level 13 1.0% Victor noticed he increased his endurance and speed from his daily training. She read the sheet. ¡°Well, my heavens! An honest-to-goodness angelic knight! I thought Luke was the last one alive! How may I help your dearie?¡± ¡°Well, we¡¯ve got some questions for you regarding some old forms.¡± Victor crossed his arms. ¡°Oh do tell. I¡¯m not sure if I can help you but an upcoming angelic knight is always welcome in the Andersons Theater of Wonora.¡± She put her book down and grabbed Victor by the hand pulling him to one of the chairs in the dressing room. ¡°Come have a seat. I see you have three lovely women in your group. Not surprising for an attractive young man such as yourself.¡± Emilie snickered at Jenora. Serena spoke up. ¡°I¡¯m the one who¡¯s claimed him. Those two have claimed one another.¡± ¡°Oh, how sweet. I love young couples. My husband passed when he was young, and I¡¯ve never remarried. A shame he was such a great man.¡± She drifted for a moment. ¡°What exactly did you want to ask me?¡± Jenora stepped up. ¡°We found some discrepancies in your taxes to the mayor and your guild dues to the Freedman¡¯s Guild.¡± She pursed her lips. ¡°Shut the door, dearie.¡± Serena shut the door. ¡°Where did you find that information?¡± Serena leaned against the door ominously. ¡°Tax records, guild records. One or the other got shorted and by rights it doesn¡¯t matter which one.¡± ¡°Oh, dear me. Who would ever look up such things? Are you from the Freedman¡¯s Guild?¡± She seemed worried. ¡°No. We are the Artifact Hunters Guild. To be blunt we wanted to know why that discrepancy exists.¡± Victor asked directly. ¡°Oh dear. Will you be repeating this to the mayor or Freedman¡¯s Guild?¡± She leaned back putting a hand fan over her face. Serena chimed in. ¡°We don¡¯t intend to, but I could if I think you are holding something back.¡± Victor looked at her out of the corner of his eye then turned back to Lilly Anderson. ¡°If you tell us the reason, we might just be able to be on our way. We¡¯re not after you but we could use allies within the city.¡± She sighed and closed her fan. ¡°Well to be honest the Freedman¡¯s Guild moving in made it harder and harder to do business here if you weren¡¯t in the guild. I joined the guild and everything was suddenly cheaper. The dues are high but even with that, they¡¯re still cheaper by far. I still pay them for their services but I report less to the guild than to the mayor so I can put on more shows and hire more actors and actresses. I hate that guild. It has a stranglehold on the economy here. The most shop keeps are in the guild. It¡¯s not even a shakedown racket they provide a wide array of services, and their goods never get stolen on the road. They do a good job, but they are excessively expensive.¡± The four of them exchanged looks before Cawthorn crowed. ¡°NOT HER!¡± She tilted her head slack jawed. ¡°What?¡± Victor explained. ¡°We¡¯re looking for a murderer. It¡¯s pretty clear it¡¯s not you.¡± She looked around at them distraught. ¡°Oh, my dearies who died?¡± ¡°Jim Farson 4 years ago,¡± Victor answered ¡°I can¡¯t say I know the man personally. If I did at one point I¡¯ve long since forgotten him as the name doesn¡¯t ring a bell.¡± She seemed honest. Serena shook her head. ¡°We figured. You didn¡¯t seem to be the kind of person who would be responsible for this, but we had to check you are one of few people on a short list who had significant discrepancies in their finances around that time. That doesn¡¯t make what we found any less incriminating.¡± ¡°Oh dear.¡± She sighed. Victor put his hand on hers. ¡°Don¡¯t worry we¡¯ve no intention to reveal your due¡¯s dodging. If you know anything about this or can find anything about it out, we¡¯d appreciate the help.¡± ¡°I¡¯m more than happy to help an angelic knight in any way I can. You and Lightbringer Luke are the greatest defenders of this world from the tyranny of monsters.¡± She nodded. ¡°We will be going for now but don¡¯t be a stranger.¡± Victor extended his hand to shake hers and she shook with her old lanky fingers. ¡°It¡¯s a pleasure to meet you. Come by for a show sometime. On the house.¡± She nodded toward him. Emilie clapped a few times. ¡°Oh, we simply must sometimes.¡± Jenora smiled. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t mind seeing one.¡± They all agreed and left heading to Caleb Scott. Chapter 45: Your mere presence offends me The group approached a large white two-story house outside of the city but still in view of the wall with a long lawn and hedges around it. The large iron gate blocked their way. ¡°Well, this guy has done well in the past few years good grief.¡± Victor turned to them. ¡°So do we knock or what?¡± A man in a full suit with long white whiskers and white cat ears approached the gate. His tiny black nose fit with his dress in full suit and tie making it clear he was of the staff as a pin on his vest had his name ¡®Winton Whiskers¡¯. ¡°If you do not have an appointment, you won¡¯t find an audience here. Please vacate the premises before I contact the constables.¡± ¡°I am an angelic knight seeking an audience with Caleb Scott. My name is Victor Vogal.¡± He stood with both hands behind his back doing his best respectful stance he could muster. His whiskers twitched up on the right. ¡°Pft, I shall inquire but I doubt the master of the house will take an audience with you.¡± As the door to the massive near mansion home opened Cawthorn turned to Victor. ¡°I DO NOT LIKE THE CAT!¡± ¡°It¡¯s a cat folk Cawthorn.¡± Victor corrected him. ¡°I DO NOT LIKE CATFOLK!¡± Cawthorn proclaimed loudly. ¡°I guess cats and birds are natural enemies.¡± Victor shrugged causing Cawthorn to shift on his shoulders. ¡°HE IS MY NATURAL ENEMY!¡± Cawthorn blasted his voice. Serena crossed her arms and offhandedly commented. ¡°I think he¡¯s a slave.¡± His eyes shifted to Serena. ¡°Why do you think that? It just seemed like a butler to me.¡± ¡°Most butlers aren¡¯t employees. They are slaves. He also spoke of the master of the house, which slaves tend to do. An employee butler would use his name directly something like Master Scott.¡± Serena noted. Victor¡¯s eye twitched. ¡°Swordie add him to the list.¡± ¡°Sir he is on The Reckoning List as currently I have ¡®Freedman¡¯s Guild ¨C All of it¡¯ as the only entry,¡± Swordie noted. ¡°Duly noted.¡± Victor waited for the white catfolk butler to return. Winton returned with an irritated resting face and unlocked the gate. ¡°The master will see the angelic knight and his simpletons now. Follow me.¡± The catfolk escorted them into a large foyer. ¡°Do not touch his many portraits, paintings, vases, decorations, or windows.¡± Every wall was dotted with art and every room had a sculpture or vase outside it. Winton brought them to a large wooden door intricately carved with dozens of horses. Winton opened the door letting them into a room with two couches in front of a desk. ¡°I will resume cleaning master.¡± A middle-aged man with black hair and a black mustache dressed in grand finery and a suit. ¡°Thank you Winton that will be all.¡± He looked up from behind is glasses standing up and extending his hand to Victor. ¡°Hello, sir. It seems you¡¯re claiming to be an angelic knight.¡± Victor shook his hand and all of them sat down. ¡°I am an angelic knight.¡± ¡°What angel bestowed that title on you?¡± He scribbled something on parchment. Swordie¡¯s voice resonated. ¡°I DID¡± The room shook. Everyone paused. ¡°What you don¡¯t like the theatrics? Unfortunate I thought I¡¯d try them out.¡± The man pulled on his mustache. ¡°That is an angel?¡± Victor insisted. ¡°He is, and Lightbringer Luke will confirm this, Lilly Anderson will confirm that, and I¡¯m confident Patricia Conway will confirm it as well. Additionally, ¡®Status Sheet¡¯¡± Victor handed over Swordie to Caleb Scott displaying his stats and title. ¡°Well, this could just be a book. How can I know it¡¯s real?¡± Caleb asked. ¡°Say status sheet and you¡¯ll have your status sheet come up,¡± Victor instructed. Caleb did as instructed and his eyes widened. ¡°I see you¡¯re not lying.¡± He stroked his mustache before sitting back in his chair. ¡°What does an angelic knight and his harem want from me?¡± ¡°His harem?¡± Emilie growled. ¡°Or slaves, whatever.¡± He waved his hand. ¡°Slaves? They are members of my party.¡± Victor sharply corrected him. ¡°Oh, an adventuring party and none of these women are pining after you?¡± He leaned forward genuinely confused. ¡°I¡¯ve claimed him.¡± Serena hissed enraged. ¡°Oh, so you are with at least one of them.¡± He leaned back rocking in his chair. ¡°Only her.¡± Victor glared at him. ¡°Fine, how many of them you fuck is of little concern to me. What do you want? You aren¡¯t a member of the guild, so it probably isn¡¯t business.¡± He continued stroking his mustache. Victor tried to calm himself taking a deep breath before speaking. ¡°I am investigating some discrepancies in income, taxes, and guild dues paid from the year 10020.¡± He stopped stroking his mustache and leaned back very slowly squeaking his chair and folding his hand in front of him. ¡°Are you now, and why would you be doing that?¡± ¡°That business is my own. The question is simple.¡± Victor tried to pause for dramatic effect. Serena wasn¡¯t having any of it slamming her fist down hard into his desk. ¡°Why is there a 1211 gold difference between declared gold to the guild and gold you paid taxes on that year and why shouldn¡¯t we just immediately take this to the mayor and your guild?¡± ¡°Well, now blackmail wasn¡¯t what I expected when I let an angelic knight in my home. You come in here to threaten me? Or does your woman not speak for you?¡± He looked at Victor pointing to Serena. Victor glared at him. ¡°Generally, I would ask her to calm down and back off but given the way you¡¯ve spoken to her preventing her from leaping across your desk and parading your corpse through the street might be the best I can do. To accelerate our exit from this conversation I strongly recommend answering her question before she becomes¡­ Slightly more violent.¡± ¡°An unexpected spine, respectable. Luke would have chastised his party member there to try and keep the peace. You said the amount was approximately 1200 gold?¡± He stroked his mustache. Victor scoffed. ¡°Correct.¡± ¡°That sounds like one of my paintings. I believe four years ago I acquired the Fall of Conquest depicting the archdevil Conquest falling from heaven after his defeat in year 0. It was purchased using gold I acquired far from here but where the guild still operates. That explains the discrepancy. Now will you tell me why you felt the need to barge in and threaten me?¡± He smirked leaning forward toward Serena. ¡°Or should I consider alternative solutions to your presence?¡± Serena squeezed her fists ready to break his face but turned away exiting the room. Emilie followed her as did Jenora. Victor looked him dead in the eyes. ¡°We are investigating a murder with limited resources as the murder occurred 4 years ago. We heavily suspect someone in the Freedman¡¯s guild of being involved or the culprit.¡± He leaned back stroking his mustache. ¡°Would you be willing to tell me who? I can be quite helpful to you if your entourage is not threatening me.¡± Victor choked back vomit at the thought of working with this man before swallowing. He had a job to do. ¡°Jim Farson, part owner of 5 Star Road was killed by a statue falling on his head. We¡¯ve strong reason to believe it was murder and not an accident.¡± Suddenly with the other 3 out of the room, he took Victor much more seriously leaning forward and folding his hands. ¡°Could you tell me why you are sure it¡¯s not an accident?¡±The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement. Victor sighed hating that this man seemingly now cared and wanted to help him. ¡°At 5 Star Road, there is a ghost. Ghosts appear most commonly when it has unfinished business in this case it is revenge. The ghost told me so itself.¡± He seemed to believe him almost instantly. ¡°Really? If anyone else had told me this I¡¯d dismiss it out of hand but if one such as you is claiming this I believe you. I will look into this matter on your behalf if you find that agreeable.¡± ¡°Discretion is required.¡± Victor insisted. ¡°But of course. If there is anything else I can do for you please let me know. Your party consists of¡­¡± He seemed to consider his words carefully. ¡°Less skilled members than yourself clearing in negotiating at least. They are rather emotional if a few barbs can cause them to fly out of control like that.¡± ¡®Why does this guy have to be so horrible? He¡¯s sexist and a slaver I bet he hates his catfolk slave too.¡¯ Victor took a breath. ¡°How do you feel about your butler Winston?¡± ¡°Butler? Oh no he¡¯s my slave. Catfolk were practically born to be slaves. They are rebellious and disrespectful of authority and need discipline. Winston has been disciplined enough over the years that he understands his role in life and obeys without question and often without being directed.¡± He smiled a digesting rich smile filled with malice. ¡°If you need a slave broken I can show you how to do it.¡± Victor wretched in his mouth choking it back as he said those words. ¡®I need to leave I¡¯m going to murder this guy.¡¯ He cleared out his mouth. ¡°I don¡¯t think that will be needed. Thank you. If you find information we will be staying in town.¡± Victor stood up and walked to the door. ¡°Thank you for your time.¡± ¡°Farewell! Hopefully your party is more cheerful and smiles next time we speak.¡± He waved as Victor left the room. The other three waited outside the gate as Victor approached. ¡°We should walk away as we speak because I feel like all three of you are about to explode. One moment.¡± Victor turned to the grass as they walked and threw up. ¡°Ah now I feel better. I sense Serena wants to go next.¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to murder that guy.¡± She glared at Victor enraged. ¡°Not if I get to him first.¡± Jenora turned to Victor. ¡°HE THOUGHT I FUCK YOU!¡± Emilie exclaimed looking up at his face in absolute disbelief before looking across to Serena. ¡°No offense, I¡¯m sure he¡¯s fine in bed.¡± ¡°He¡¯s a lot better after a month of endurance training.¡± She nodded to her. ¡°It¡¯s helped us too. Seriously exercise makes sex way better.¡± Jenora nodded. ¡°So I want to make sure are we done griping about that guy?¡± Victor just politely asked. ¡°Is he still alive?¡± Serena tilted her head up to his shoulder. ¡°I think so?¡± He answered. ¡°Then no. You said you had a list? He¡¯s at the top of it.¡± Serena furiously declared. Victor placed his hand on Swordie. ¡°Swordie did-¡± ¡°Yes sir, I actually added him to the top of the list during that meeting.¡± Swordie insisted. Emilie scoffed happy but irritated. ¡°I¡¯d expect nothing less of an angel. We¡¯ll deal with him later.¡± ¡°Wait I just realized I missed my question. Why were you offended by the thought that you have sex with me?¡± Victor asked. ¡°He thought you were good looking enough to have a harem!¡± Emilie declared. ¡°Then after it was corrected he assumed you were a slaver. He thought no woman could resist you. Did he think the same of himself? I¡¯m going to beat him to death with a strength boost whenever I get the chance.¡± Victor turned to Serena. ¡°Wait am I not good looking?¡± ¡°You¡¯re good looking enough for me.¡± Serena wrapped an arm around him. Jenora nodded. ¡°You look like a warrior. It¡¯s not the look of a man who marries multiple women but it isn¡¯t a bad look.¡± Emilie shrugged. ¡°You look fine for a guy.¡± ¡°It is unclear to me if I have been insulted or complimented.¡± Victor just stared straight ahead. ¡°That is a running theme when women speak to Victor.¡± Swordie pointedly noted. The three of them laughed at Swordie as they reached the wall. ¡°If we were insulting you this much do you think we¡¯d stick around?¡± Victor shrugged unsure of the answer to that as they checked in once again declaring Swordie and the mage at the door asked. ¡°Do you have a permit for this artifact?¡± Victor showed him the paper from the mayor. There was a lot of back and forth before they let them through but they all just shrugged and went on in. It wasn¡¯t even 5 minutes before the first person came up to him. An old man with a scraggly beard in a guard uniform ran up to him with a smile. ¡°Sir are you Victor Vogal?¡± Victor blinked. ¡°Uh¡­ I am. Why?¡± The old guard¡¯s face lit up with a broken smile. ¡°You¡¯re an angelic knight! Just like Lightbringer Luke right?¡± ¡®I have made a huge mistake.¡¯ Victor realized what he had done. ¡°I am nowhere near as strong, but I do possess the title. Swordie, my guardian angel bestowed it on me.¡± The man looked confused. ¡°Is Swordie the angel of swords?¡± Swordie proclaimed loudly. ¡°I AM!¡± The man recoiled shocked. ¡°It¡¯s the book!?¡± ¡°I take many forms mortal! My student and knight is worthy of the title.¡± Swordie proclaimed with great authority. ¡°My apologies I¡¯m an old man. I don¡¯t know anything about the affairs of angels. I merely wanted to shake the hand of such a magnificent individual.¡± The old man extended his hand. Victor shook feeling the need to compliment the man¡¯s enthusiasm. ¡°Thank you for your vigorous defense of the city. I¡¯m sure one day I¡¯ll make you proud.¡± The old man lit up shaking vigorously before finally letting go and scampering off to his friends. His friends began gossiping back and forth as the group turned and walked on. By the time they reached the center of town Serena noticed something Victor hadn¡¯t. ¡°You have an entourage.¡± Behind them a small crowd whispering to each other followed them. Emilie laughed. ¡°Well he¡¯s an angelic knight. If we were in the capitol he¡¯d need security to keep the worshipers of the Golden Goddess off of him.¡± ¡°Wait is that why Caleb thought you were my harem?¡± Victor asked. Emilie growled. ¡°It probably is. To think he considers the followers of the Golden Goddess whores. I will deal with him one day.¡± Jenora turned to Victor and whispered. ¡°If you don¡¯t speak with them now this is going to be a difficult day.¡± Victor turned around and waved. ¡°Hello everyone!¡± Some applause erupted as he waved and a young boy ran up to him. ¡°Did you fight some big bad monster a while ago and cause that big boom!¡± Victor tilted his head and told the truth. ¡°That¡¯s true. He was an evil cultist.¡± ¡°Did you win?¡± The boy hopped as he asked. Victor wanted to tell the truth but he didn¡¯t want to break their hearts. ¡°I¡¯m still alive. Any fight you can walk away from is a win.¡± The kid seemed to run back to his mom and repeat everything he was just told. Question after question about the explosion Victor knew he had to put his hands up and motioned to calm down. ¡°Ladies and gentlemen I cannot further discuss the matter. Lightbringer Luke has discussed it with me and it is ongoing. The cultist survived the encounter and is still looking for Luke. If you see a tall man with a red overcoat and massive black greatsword crackling with red lightning contact authorities immediately, I am no longer able to fight him.¡± The crowed still cheered and several more people came up to shake his hand. Cawthorn occasionally shouted out praising him. Victor patiently spoke with them over the next half hour while the three girls sat on the fountain edge discussing him. Serena turned to Emilie. ¡°How long do you think it will take the whole city to know?¡± ¡°Give it a day. By tomorrow everyone will know. It¡¯ll be the talk of the town.¡± Emilie nodded. ¡°Not that it¡¯s a bad thing. He has the title for a reason.¡± Jenora added. ¡°He¡¯s exceptional but so are both of you.¡± Emilie put her hand on her chest and closed her eyes. ¡°Of course I¡¯m exceptional! We¡¯re the exceptional group of Verdan, as Cawthorn would say. I meant to say he¡¯s practically one of a kind. Well two of a kind. As frustrating as he is sometimes he deserves the adulation.¡± Serena smirked. ¡°Isn¡¯t it incredible that just having the title makes him so popular? They know almost nothing about him besides that he earned the respect of an angel and he¡¯s the most popular man in town.¡± Jenora leaned forward watching them. ¡°I hope one day I can be as beloved by the people as him.¡± Emilie punched her in the arm. ¡°You will be! We all will be.¡± Jenora looked to the ground. ¡°I doubt it. I¡¯m not the kind of person the crowds love.¡± ¡°Aw come on you¡¯re a huge warrior for the Golden Goddess. They¡¯ll love you once they get to know you. Just like I do.¡± She pressed her fist against Jenora¡¯s arm. She slumped over head in her hands. ¡°It¡¯s a nice dream I guess.¡± After he was done Victor came over with a smile on his face. ¡°Sorry about that but it should help us get to speak with the others right?¡± Serena shook her head with a smile on her face as stood up and slapped him on the back. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Chapter 46: Quantity isn鈥檛 very useful Emilie groaned on their way into the inn. ¡°So, annoying we couldn¡¯t find the third person.¡± Jenora shrugged. ¡°I guess if we do two more interviews tomorrow and the last one the day after that we¡¯d still have plenty of time to gather evidence and speak with Miss Conway.¡± The four of them filed in ate and went to sleep. The next day after eating and going outside the inn a crowd had gathered outside. They cheered as soon as Victor stepped out. ¡®Oh dear, I¡¯m a celebrity.¡¯ Victor paused and shook some hands. ¡°Thank you all for coming. Unfortunately, this week I am very busy. I¡¯ll be happy to speak with all of you next week.¡± The crowd dispersed slowly over a few minutes. Victor turned to the three of them. ¡°Is it always going to be like this?¡± Cawthorn calmly raised one wing and regally assured Victor. ¡°It¡¯s always like this for the greatest mage and greatest bird in Verdan. Such respect is to be expected.¡± ¡°I¡¯m shocked you¡¯re not shouting it from the rooftops,¡± Victor noted. ¡°I had to quit my flock to hear the roaring cheers of the crowd. Wonderful sounds one and all. My flock you may resume cheering for us.¡± Cawthorn threw up his arms as his delusional flock resumed praising him. Jenora commented to Serena. ¡°Since I can¡¯t hit anyone and you¡¯re so good at it. You play the, what was it? Bad cop.¡± Emilie wrapped one arm around her. ¡°It¡¯s alright you could never be a bad girl.¡± Jenora nervously nodded. ¡°Yeah.¡± Serena smirked. ¡°I enjoyed intimidating them. I don¡¯t want to do anything to them, but the respect was intoxicating.¡± Jenora agreed immediately. ¡°You¡¯re an excellent interrogator. You¡¯re threatening without physical violence. Without actually hurting someone I¡¯m a lot worse at that. I will watch and try to learn that skill from you.¡± Emilie sighed. ¡°Are we going to try and find Nathan Price or Georgia Young? We couldn¡¯t find her yesterday, but she was on the list.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s start by asking the Freedman¡¯s Guild about Nathan Price. If we can find him, we should start with him. He¡¯s the most likely suspect after all.¡± Jenora extended her hand pointing to the guild. ¡°That place also likely has any remaining evidence that could be used.¡± ¡°Agreed.¡± Victor nodded as they began to walk. On the way, people came up to them and walked and talked asking simple questions here and there about him such as his favorite food and color. Eventually, one question came up which he evaded, poorly. ¡°Well, I can¡¯t tell you where I grew up, but it was rather far from here.¡± This fueled wild speculation amongst those around them. They reached the long lines to a groan from Emilie. ¡°This again.¡± One of the men spoke to someone and disappeared before reappearing. ¡°Sir, could you come with me?¡± ¡°Can my party accompany me?¡± Victor tilted his head toward the man. ¡°Of course, sir. Please accompany me.¡± The massive man stomped back past the front desks to a hallway leading into the back of the building. ¡°Right this way sir.¡± He opened the door for them bowing and motioning them in. ¡°Lord Londo Volox will see you.¡± An old man with a white wispy mustache and a bald head in a white suit greeted them in what Victor. On his desk filled with papers and old ink fountains, he had a tiny area that cleared the space of a single sheet of paper. ¡°Welcome Victor! Or do you prefer Mr. Vogal? My name is Londo Volox but you can call me Londo. I am the Freedman¡¯s Guild Wonora Division Leader, a long title to be sure but an accurate one. Come sit, sit. I am sure you¡¯re irritated by the long lines at the front of the office. It¡¯s an unavoidable curse due to our volume. How may I help you today sir?¡± ¡°Quite the talkative fellow. Victor is fine.¡± He took a seat as did the others and the man closed the door. ¡°We are looking to speak with a guild member today, specifically Nathan Price.¡± The man scratched his chin. ¡°One moment. George!¡± The man opened the door. ¡°Yes, boss?¡± ¡°Please collect the dispatch forms associated with Nathan Price.¡± He instructed him as George closed the door behind him. ¡°While he retrieves that information are there any other questions you may have for me about this guild or the city at large?¡± ¡°Is George your slave?¡± Victor asked. ¡°George? Of course not. Slaves are for menial tasks only. He¡¯s security.¡± Londo clarified. ¡°Do you own any slaves?¡± Victor asked him pointedly. ¡°Hm? I don¡¯t. Don¡¯t see the need for them. Slaves can easily skirt the commands you give them and do poor jobs. Sure, you can punish them but it¡¯s a lot of effort. I prefer high-quality well-paid employees and guildmates. Quality over quantity if you will.¡± Londo waved his hands around as he explained himself. ¡°To be sure you can make more money with quantity, but my position does not depend on myself increasing volume but rather making sure we are successful overall in this region.¡± ¡°Does success generally depend on the number of slaves you sell or use?¡± Victor continued irritated. ¡°The slave trade is a small part of our operations. Some individuals in our organization utilize them more than others and some need them to be economically viable. Why do you care so much about this issue?¡± He leaned forward with great interest. Victor seemed almost incensed by the question as though the answer was self-evident. Serena stepped in and spoke up. ¡°Where he comes from there are no slaves. He finds the practice repulsive.¡± ¡°It flies in the face of freedom, and choice.¡± Victor glared at him. ¡°I see.¡± He scribbled down a note somewhere. ¡°Unfortunately, on that front, all I can do is avoid directing you to guild members who employ such practices and acquire such goods.¡± ¡°I guess that¡¯s better than nothing.¡± He sat back with disdain on his face. A heavy uneasiness hung in the air for a few minutes before Londo spoke. ¡°I see you¡¯ve formed your guild but aren¡¯t the guild master.¡± ¡°Yes. Forala Medot is the guild leader. She¡¯s much higher level and extremely proficient in combat.¡± Victor explained. ¡°That¡¯s the reason she¡¯s in charge?¡± He asked in utter disbelief. ¡°Excluding the Reapers guild there is no major guild in this country which is structured that way. You should be the guild leader. Your fame would massively increase your recruitment potential, if not guild leader at least Vice Guild Leader.¡± George returned with a sheet of paper. ¡°Sir it appears he will return tomorrow. He departed for the necropolis 6 days ago. The trip is 3 days out and 3 back so a day or two and he will be back likely with an artifact.¡± He handed the sheet of paper to Londo. ¡°Thank you. That will be all for now George.¡± George closed the door. ¡°A day or two and he should be back. I will see to it you are notified when he returns. I am sorry I could not be of greater help.¡± ¡°What services can you offer?¡± Victor asked reluctantly. ¡®He¡¯s effectively the top trader in the area I may as well ask.¡¯ ¡°Splendid. Normally virtually all services of the Freedman¡¯s Guild would be off-limits to you however we can officially consider you a partner guild similar to The Great Golden Guild. We can offer you deeply discounted services and access to information services on the cheap. Given the name of your guild, I suspect availing yourself of that information may be what you use these services for.¡± Londo smiled giving a quick nod. ¡°Are there any pieces of information on artifacts you could give us for free in the tier 2ish range?¡± Victor leaned forward with greater interest.Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon. ¡°Well, the first thing is public knowledge but if you do not know the necropolis was defeated something like two months ago. New wings have been found nearly every week since it started being cleared out. Some large, some small but thousands of Spheres of Undeath have been recovered and sold to The Great Golden Guild. While I have no leads on specific places within the necropolis, I recommend it as most creatures there have been between level 5 and level 25 and if you encounter a creature beyond your skill simply running is likely possible as many other groups will be within a minute or two run from you.¡± He smiled at Victor. ¡°If you find that not to be suited to you return and I will see what I can do for you.¡± ¡°That does seem like a good place to start. Perhaps I judged you too soon.¡± Victor pulled back. The man tilted his head down and held both hands up as if to say, ¡®Oh well¡¯. ¡°It isn¡¯t a big deal. Given your distaste for a significant portion of my guild, I¡¯m more than satisfied with that.¡± He reached across his desk to shake Victor¡¯s hand. ¡°If there is anything else you need information-wise or specific gear let me know.¡± He reached into his desk and pulled out a card signing it. ¡°This will treat you as a guest of the guild at all Freedman¡¯s Guild-associated shops in Wonora. You¡¯ll receive a discount for it.¡± Victor looked at the card with the bag of coins logo on it and his signature with Guild Guest printed on the back. He put the card in his pocket. ¡°Thank you for that. I appreciate it.¡± Londo reached across the table. ¡°It¡¯s understandable if you find part of the organization repulsive remember, there are a lot of people in it and not everyone feels the same about every part of it.¡± ¡®Yeah, that¡¯s what people said about large corporations back on earth. Didn¡¯t make it any better for the peasants at the bottom who could barely afford to eat. Doesn¡¯t free a slave either. I¡¯m not big enough to make those changes today but one day I will be. He may not need to die but this organization does.¡¯ Victor contemplated for a moment before taking his hand and shaking it. ¡°I appreciate your time Londo. We¡¯ll be going now.¡± The group left and outside Victor turned to Serena. ¡°That went far better than I expected.¡± Emilie looked at him still somewhat surprised. ¡°Yeah, he was weirdly helpful. I guess that Caleb Scott guy was just an asshole.¡± Victor noted. ¡°Every group has a variable number of assholes, for some the ratio is 1 to 1.¡± Swordie countered. ¡°Everyone has one. Some people are just full of shit.¡± Victor smiled. ¡°Where¡¯s yours?¡± ¡°Oh, my sweet student, he¡¯s holding me.¡± Swordie gently finished. All of them even Victor tried to contain their snickering but failed to do so as they walked away. ¡°We still need to find Georgia Young. We should head to 5 Star Road and ask around.¡± Serena turned to Victor and picked him up. ¡°Well?¡± Emilie jumped on Jenora¡¯s back. ¡°WE RACE! Speed boost!¡± Jenora reluctantly took off with Serena close behind. As they ran Serena slowly pulled ahead with every turn and twist. Victor added his own ¡°Speed boost.¡± Though his mana quickly wore out Serena pulled ahead significantly. ¡°It¡¯s alright Jenora next time I¡¯ll carry you.¡± Emilie patted her back. ¡°Impressive as always dear.¡± Victor complimented her as she sat him down at 5 Star Road. The four of them looked around. Victor looked at Serena. ¡°So, I was about to start going door to door unless you stop me.¡± Serena hung her head and put her hand to her nose. ¡°That might technically work this time. I hate that but just knocking on doors might work.¡± Victor walked up to a door and knocked. They asked the same question at that door they¡¯d ask at the next dozen. ¡°Do you know Georgia Young?¡± No one did. They finally went to the run-down shit shack to sit down. ¡°Uhg! Where is she?¡± ¡°It¡¯s like this woman doesn¡¯t even exist!¡± Emilie groaned. Jenora shook her head. ¡°There¡¯s got to be something we are missing.¡± Serena sat there thinking just flabbergasted. ¡°What if there is? What if that isn¡¯t her name.¡± ¡°How would she get that name on her taxes if it wasn¡¯t her name?¡± Emilie asked. Serena almost seemed comically laughing. ¡°Of course. I¡¯m so stupid! I bet she got married!¡± Jenora quickly agreed. ¡°That¡¯s a perfect reason. We should go to the mayor¡¯s office and ask about that. At the very least that way we¡¯ll get something done today.¡± Victor smiled. ¡°Hey, Emilie.¡± Victor picked up Serena. ¡°Race you. Speed boost!¡± Emilie picked up Jenora and cast ¡°Speed Boost.¡± Shortly Emilie¡¯s speed boost ran out and she fell behind. Victor slowed down slightly but Emilie quickly became exhausted carrying the massive Jenora and collapsed. Jenora asked. ¡°Dear are you alright? I can carry you.¡± ¡°I can. Do it.¡± She panted on the ground. Victor circled back around. ¡°Are you alright Emilie?¡± She turned over and sadly quietly answered. ¡°No. Please carry me. I don¡¯t think I can move right now.¡± Victor stood over her. ¡°I¡¯m sorry I shouldn¡¯t have done that.¡± ¡°Nah it¡¯s my fault. Blaming you won¡¯t help it. I even joked about it before that.¡± Emilie coughed out. ¡°Can you two find her name? The two of us can go back to the inn Emilie.¡± Jenora cradled her in her arms. Serena stepped down. ¡°Yeah, sorry about that it was supposed to be good fun.¡± Emilie laughed. ¡°It was fun. I¡¯m just physically much, much weaker than the three of you.¡± She coughed again. ¡°The training helped a lot but the gap between us is huge. After we finish with the ghost would everyone be willing to make sure we exercise to meet those achievement goals? I don¡¯t want to be at such a large disadvantage relative to the three of you.¡± Serena knelt. ¡°We absolutely will. Go get some rest we¡¯ll find out her name.¡± The two of them left walking normally looking at each other lovingly despite her exhaustion. Victor looked at Serena. ¡°I honestly didn¡¯t know her mana would give out so fast or her stamina would go down so fast. I¡¯m sorry.¡± Serena rolled her eyes. ¡°I believe you, but it was still dumb to indulge her.¡± Victor put up one hand. ¡°I disagree. It¡¯s better that she learns her limits here and not on a battlefield. I¡¯m sorry that I baited her with a runway farther out of reach than I expected but I expected her to be collapsing near or at the mayor¡¯s place and not in the streets a few seconds into the run.¡± Serena picked him up. ¡°Regardless she¡¯s got an ego don¡¯t play into it too much and don¡¯t try to break it. Keep in mind she¡¯s even smaller than me and weaker than you.¡± Serena took off arriving quickly at the office. The two went inside and went to the same office Serena had earlier. They signed some papers and sat down in a records room before eventually finding what they were looking for. ¡°Her name has been changed to Georgia Smith.¡± ¡°It¡¯s way too late today we should just head back.¡± Victor sighed. ¡°Cawthorn. Do me a favor. Search the forests surrounding this area for caves, monsters, and anything else of great interest. I appreciate it.¡± ¡°I WILL SEARCH FOR MY MAGE!¡± Cawthorn proclaimed. Serena looked at him. ¡°I wasn¡¯t trying to be too hard on you. It¡¯s fine. No one got hurt and you¡¯re right she learned a valuable lesson.¡± ¡°I know. I just feel like something might be wrong.¡± Victor turned to her. ¡°She¡¯ll be fine.¡± Serena insisted. ¡°That¡¯s not what I mean. It¡¯s been several days since we¡¯ve seen Luke.¡± Victor noted. ¡°Well, he might not come back here, and he travels fast on that griffin.¡± Serena shrugged unconcerned. ¡°Zolvorn is still out there. The way he moves, the way I was able to move.¡± Victor gripped his fist. ¡°That griffin isn¡¯t fast. Not even close. Either Zolvorn found him and he¡¯s dead or he didn¡¯t. The first situation is horrible. The second situation is arguably worse.¡± Victor looked to the sky. ¡°What? Isn¡¯t he being alive the goal?¡± Serena looked at him utterly confused. ¡°What would happen if Zolvorn had walked into this city or any major city and then found Luke?¡± Victor looked her dead in the eyes. ¡°It¡¯s not just our lives that would be in danger. It would make that Drake attack look like a couple of goblins.¡± Serena crossed her arms incredulously. ¡°I fought him too. There¡¯s no way he can do that in this city. He¡¯d get overwhelmed with pure numbers. There are thousands of powerful adventurers here and probably more than a dozen tier 7s.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t get to see your fight but to put it bluntly if I had wanted to destroy a town with that power, I probably wouldn¡¯t have even needed to walk in it. It¡¯s too much power. He¡¯s a walking catastrophe.¡± He sighed at Serena. ¡°I nearly killed him, and he didn¡¯t do any of that.¡± Serena shrugged. ¡°Wide area magic often is significantly weaker than focused magic in terms of actual damage. I think you¡¯re underestimating just how hard it would be for someone to fight an entire group that is 10 or 15 levels below them. Think about it. When we fought the skeletal mage, we were behind by what 10 or so levels? Yeah, it¡¯s overwhelming odds but if there were 10 of us that were 10 levels behind, he¡¯d be so screwed.¡± Victor sighed furling his brow. ¡°That¡¯s the problem. That¡¯s why I¡¯m so worried. You¡¯re right he might be screwed. He¡¯d still fight it. He¡¯d fight until his last breath to kill anyone worthy of the fight. That¡¯s why I¡¯m so worried. He¡¯ll come and he¡¯ll kill everyone here as collateral damage. I know news doesn¡¯t travel fast but given the way my fight with him went I¡¯m afraid that if we see him again anytime soon it¡¯ll be really bad.¡± Chapter 47: A head so light it could float The next day the group gathered inside the inn and discussed everything. ¡°We should start with Georgia Smith. I¡¯d suspect it will take an hour or two to rule her out then we move on to Nathan Price.¡± Jenora turned to Serena. ¡°We¡¯re far ahead of schedule too so no matter the outcome we¡¯ll be fine on time. Victor commented ¡°This will be-¡± Serena grabbed his lips. ¡°No. Stop.¡± Swordie¡¯s voice dripped with disappointment. ¡°He cannot stop himself.¡± ¡°Does this place have a back door?¡± Emilie eked out. ¡°I¡¯m still tired from yesterday even though I¡¯ve over the mana fatigue and exhaustion.¡± She flashed her baggie eyes. Serena shook her head. ¡°I don¡¯t think it does. We¡¯d have to crawl out a window which would look bad if we get caught. Victor I¡¯m going to let you speak now. Are you going to say something that makes things significantly more difficult?¡± He shook his head no. She released him. ¡°I can go out first and let the three of you go to her house in the northern part of the city. I¡¯ll meet you there.¡± He turned to Cawthorn. ¡°Cawthorn yesterday you said you spotted some monsters and a few potential lairs but nothing unusual. I need you to watch the southern path for the next few days, particularly for Luke¡¯s griffin. Can you do that?¡± He tossed him a sausage. ¡°FOR SAUSAGE I WILL DO ANYTHING! I WILL FIND HIM MY MAGE!¡± Cawthorn took off. ¡°Thank you for that Victor.¡± Emilie held her head. ¡°I appreciate it.¡± ¡°I¡¯m trying to be considerate. Sorry about yesterday.¡± Victor looked down. Emilie shook her head taking full responsibility. ¡°It¡¯s my fault. You¡­ make me feel inadequate. Serena being faster sure, she¡¯s a rogue. I just wanted to show you up at least once. You¡¯re chosen by an angel and I¡¯m¡­ a failure that couldn¡¯t save her family.¡± ¡°You can¡¯t save everyone.¡± Those words felt so wrong coming from Victor¡¯s mouth. He knew them to be true but refused to accept them. Like sandpaper scraping out of his mouth he still told her the truth. ¡°I don¡¯t want to save everyone. I just wanted to save them.¡± Her golden hair hung down covering her face as she drooped over the table. Jenora rubbed her back. ¡°We¡¯ll make sure nothing like that ever happens again.¡± Emilie bit her lip upset. ¡°We need to get stronger faster. We should take risks and try to defeat enemies more powerful than ourselves. I hate being weak.¡± Serena shook her head disagreeing. ¡°If we fight enemies more powerful than ourselves regularly we will eventually lose and die.¡± Victor turned to her. ¡°Forala would disagree. I bet Zolvorn would too. Take any challenge you have even the slightest chance of success and you¡¯ll become stronger. Risk is part of life.¡± Serena sighed. ¡°Or dead. I¡¯d prefer to be alive.¡± ¡°Being alive is pretty great,¡± Jenora smirked. ¡°I¡¯m going to go out there now. Give me a few minutes to deal with them before you come out.¡± Victor got up and walked out. Jenora sighed. ¡°Let¡¯s see how this goes. We can decide if we¡¯re ready to take on creatures above our tier later. We did kill that skeletal mage after all and I wasn¡¯t even there.¡± Serena countered. ¡°We had a massive earth elemental and still nearly died. If it wasn¡¯t for, thank Goddess he¡¯s not here, Cawthorn we¡¯d have died right then and there.¡± Emilie looked up through her hair. ¡°Yeah, but he was fighting that without you as well. Your attack didn¡¯t work on him because he was a skeleton, and you do mostly bleed damage. That was shit circumstances and we still overcame it.¡± Serena frowned slumping back in her chair. ¡°Seems everything I¡¯ve fought except for a few bandits in the past few months has either had incredible regeneration or didn¡¯t bleed. You aren¡¯t wrong but it sucks. I even have Gushing Wounds to increase the healing required to staunch my bleeding effects. Ironically it wasn¡¯t my choice to get these skills because they mean I don¡¯t get as many kills but my allies do. I just want to be able to keep up with you 3.¡± Jenora spoke up. ¡°Well you were really useful in that dungeon you completely prevented several fights and we also didn¡¯t die to the traps so it isn¡¯t like you didn¡¯t help immensely. Parties are supposed to cover each others¡¯ weaknesses after all.¡± ¡°I am happier killing undead because the Golden Goddess wills it but after the Necropolis we can stop seeking them out if you want. If it¡¯s dangerous for us to fight undead because we have members who aren¡¯t great at it then we shouldn¡¯t. We can hunt bandits or do bounty quests for money.¡± Emilie nodded taking a drink of her coffee. ¡°I think he¡¯s had enough time. What about you?¡± Jenora looked out the window. ¡°They are mostly gone.¡± ¡°Whatever let¡¯s go do this. It would be nice to capture the culprit by the end of the day.¡± Emilie stood up tired but determined. The three emerged as Victor finished clearing away the small crowd and shaking hands. ¡°Well, ladies and gentlemen my party has arrived. It¡¯s time for me to get going.¡± A collective groan rose as people walked away. ¡°Shall we?¡± Serena picked up Victor. ¡°Jenora let¡¯s go.¡± Jenora picked up Emilie. They didn¡¯t race but instead ran alongside each other to the northern part of the city past the church. They stood in front of the house genuinely shocked. ¡°Is this the right place?¡± Victor pointed to the massive mansion. Serena pulled out the number she scrawled on the parchment earlier. ¡°Yeah. It is. Caleb had a large house and a sizable estate, but this is absurd.¡± A four-floor building decorated in golden finery with statues at every corner depicting angels with instruments accented to them. Massive hedges completely blocked the first floor behind large metal bars. Beautiful statues dotted the walkway to the mansion. The home was nearly as large as the church. They walked up to the gate in complete confusion and tapped on the gate. Victor called out. ¡°Hello?¡± Eventually, once again someone came out. A black cat wearing a white suit far furrier than Winston approached them with the same dignified look his paws behind his back and spoke in a dignified baritone voice. ¡°Good morning adventurers. How may I help you this morning?¡± ¡°Hello sir, my name is Victor Vogal. I¡¯m here to speak with Mrs. Georgia Smith.¡± Victor extended his hand to the gate. The catfolk twitched his whiskers. ¡°Victor Vogal? The angelic knight everyone is going on about?¡± Victor bowed his head. ¡°The same, sir¡­¡± ¡°You may address me as Blackie Bernard good knight. I will speak with the lady of the house but I am certain she will wish to speak with you.¡± He turned around walking into the mansion with his hands behind his back. Victor slumped his shoulders. ¡°It¡¯s always slaves.¡± Serena looked at him with a look asking ¡®Are you serious before asking. ¡°You do remember that it¡¯s incredibly common here, right? It¡¯s not quite as bad as Hoxal but nearly every country on the planet has some slaves.¡± ¡°It¡¯ll never get easier for me to see. How can you tolerate it so well?¡± Victor asked. ¡°It¡¯s not happening to me. I want them freed, ideally, I¡¯ll help but it¡¯s not possible for me to do so. It¡¯s not something I worry about. I mean are you worrying about the infernal war on the eastern continent? The dwarven cave wars? There are far worse things in this world and we can¡¯t do anything about those either. If you don¡¯t get used to categorizing things you can do differently than things you can¡¯t you¡¯re going to have problems.¡± Serena shook her head. Victor looked down. ¡°I guess seeing suffering just makes it more real.¡± Swordie cheerfully added. ¡°May you see the world, Victor.¡± Blackie returned. ¡°Come in good sir knight. Your party may accompany you. She¡¯s excited to meet you.¡± The four of them entered the marvelous manor in the foyer. Escorted down its marble floors to the end of a carpeted hallway where Blackie opened the door. ¡°Right this way ladies and gentlemen.¡± At a bookcase holding a book upside down a blond woman with a long ponytail stood in a poufy gown. ¡°Heavens look at you. Three beautiful girls in tow!¡± She put the book on the shelf upside down. ¡°I hear you are an angelic knight. The second one is anywhere in Peria, possibly the entire world! Come sit! I¡¯ve baked treats.¡± On a coffee table, a large number of cookies and tea sat arranged carefully in front of them. They took seats and looked at each other knowingly. ¡°Hello Mrs. Smith, my name is Victor Vogal, this is Serena Brooks, Emilie Ward, and Jenora Oath.¡±This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon. ¡°Oh heavens so formal.¡± She bent half over and then sat down tea in hand. ¡°Just call me Georgia. What would someone with your esteemed title and position want with little old me?¡± ¡®I¡¯m not sure we need to ask the question at this point.¡¯ Was the only thought in his mind. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll get right to the point. Four years ago, you were living near 5 Star Road and were rather poor. The next year you were fabulously wealthy. I think I already know why but could you enlighten us?¡± ¡°Of course! I met my heavenly husband Carl when I was selling flowers outside the bank and after four months of dating he married me!¡± She held out her hand with a truly massive diamond worth likely more than 5,000 gold. They all nodded at each other. Victor turned back to her. ¡°Sorry for wasting your time madam.¡± ¡°You¡¯re leaving?¡± She stood up somewhat panicked. ¡°Please stay the cookies and teas are delicious.¡± The three looked around and Emilie sighed with a smile on her face. ¡°It would be rude to refuse her hospitality.¡± Victor sat back down and took a sip of the tea; it was pretty good and rather sweet. ¡°Apologies Georgia, we were performing an investigation, and it is apparent we weren¡¯t looking for you. I should give you a bit more respect for being willing to give us an audience.¡± ¡°An investigation? Heavens. Why did you need to speak to me about such unpleasantness?¡± She leaned forward with her hands on her knees. ¡°We are investigating an old murder that occurred near an inn around 5 Star Road 4 years ago. We suspected that there may be a financial motive given that he was part owner of a bank. Your financial situation changed massively right around the time he died so we felt looking into it would be prudent.¡± Victor explained. ¡°However it is abundantly clear to us you¡¯re not the murderer.¡± ¡°Good heavens! I should hope not. I¡¯m so sorry for that. I hope you catch the rapscallion that did it.¡± She answered back. Serena leaned back in her chair somewhat menacingly. ¡°We will, but you can¡¯t speak to anyone about what we¡¯ve spoken about today. If you do the suspect might learn someone is looking into it and flee.¡± ¡°My lips are sealed! I wouldn¡¯t do anything to hurt an angelic knight or an investigation into a bad guy.¡± She leaned forward nodding. ¡°Would um¡­ Would all of you be willing to wait here for another 15 or so minutes? My husband will be home soon after he is done speaking with Father Reynold.¡± Victor looked at them as Emilie gobbled down another cookie and Jenora sipped tea and just shrugged. ¡°Well,, I suppose we could take a short break before resuming our investigation.¡± She rapidly taped her feet happily. ¡°Thank you I¡¯m sure my hubby will be happy. He¡¯s been excited to meet you and Luke is his close friend! He¡¯s an exceptionally devout follower of the Golden Goddess.¡± Emilie finished another cookie. ¡°That¡¯s great! She could always use more wealthy people to back her and fund more powerful spells.¡± ¡°I know! I¡¯ve seen Father Reynold¡¯s pure healing restore the legs to a poor worshiper thanks to him! It cost a huge sum of gold too! I don¡¯t know how much was in the pile but it was a LOT!¡± She proclaimed slapping her knees. ¡®Wait how unusual is it to restore limbs in this world? What tier of spell would be required to do that?¡¯ Victor desperately wanted to check. Almost on instinct, Swordie commented. ¡°Tier 9 magic is rather impressive. A level 61 priest is the lowest level possible to cast a tier 9 spell. Something my student knows of course but some of the non-spellcasters among us may not.¡± She jumped back in her chair. ¡°The book talks!¡± ¡°Of course I do. I am the angel that bestowed the title upon Victor. My power is reduced until he reaches a higher level.¡± Swordie replied. She practically tipped over her chair leaning toward Victor. ¡°May I see him! I¡¯ve always wanted to see an angel.¡± Victor pulled out Swordie and opened him. ¡°Hold him and say status sheet.¡± She picked him up and said ¡°Status Sheet.¡± Her face lit up. ¡°He¡¯s a tome! That¡¯s incredible. Will he have a body when you reach higher levels? Angels usually have wings.¡± Swordie clarified. ¡°I could at a later level.¡± She giggled happily. ¡°When you can may I see it!? I¡¯ve always wanted to see an angel fly through the sky!¡± Victor pulled his head back absolutely shocked at this answer. ¡°What level?¡± ¡°91,¡± Swordie replied. Total silence filled the room as Victor wanted to rip a page out. He reached out and she handed Swordie back. ¡°You¡¯re telling me you can manifest if I¡¯m level 91 or higher.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± He answered before displaying a single sentence for Victor alone. ¡®If I ceased protecting you even for a second he¡¯d have killed you.¡¯ Victor gritted his teeth angrily trying not to show his rage as Blackie opened the door. ¡°Madam the master of the house has returned. He will be in momentarily.¡± ¡°Thank you Blackie.¡± She kept looking at Victor. Victor and Georgia both took a drink of their tea, as a tall man with black hair and black eyes walked in with a matching black suit and tie accented only by a white shirt closing the door behind him. He looked at them through a monocle while wearing a top hat. ¡®It¡¯s physically impossible this universe doesn¡¯t have monopoly. If he had a mustache, he¡¯d be a dead ringer.¡¯ He adjusted his suit slightly before approaching Victor with his hand outstretched. ¡°Victor Vogal I presume?¡± Victor stood up to shake his hand. ¡°Indeed I am. This is Serena Brooks, Jenora Oath, Emilie Ward, and Swordie the Angel.¡± He moved to shake each of their hands. With a sly business smile, he added. ¡°I¡¯d be happy to shake Swordie¡¯s hand, but it seems you lack the necessary appendage.¡± ¡°Your sign of acknowledgment is noted,¡± Swordie commented. ¡°I must say it is unusual as I¡¯ve always envisioned angels to have wings. Luke has them when he transforms.¡± Carl noted. Victor thought for a moment. ¡°Have you ever met the angel who bestowed the title on him?¡± Carl paused. ¡°No¡­¡± Swordie commented. ¡°Most angelic knights do not reveal their angel as there is significant danger in doing so.¡± Victor commented. ¡°Because you can be stolen or kidnapped right?¡± ¡°HAH! No.¡± Swordie¡¯s curt attitude continued. ¡°It is because cultists, devils, and undead will seek their life.¡± Victor smiled. ¡®If cultists wanted me dead I¡¯d be dead right now.¡¯ ¡°And don¡¯t forget demons!¡± Carl added. ¡°Right.¡± Victor looked down at Swordie. ¡°They couldn¡¯t kill you in that form, could they?¡± ¡°It is exceedingly unlikely,¡± Swordie noted. ¡°Flame, blade, or strength none will be effective against me in this form. Zolvorn however did manage to inflict some damage on me.¡± ¡°He actually hurt you?¡± Victor asked. ¡°He cracked the part of me that became your armor,¡± Swordie explained. ¡°Zolvorn? I¡¯ve heard that name before. Isn¡¯t he a Gizixil Cultist?¡± Carl asked. ¡°Yes. Serena fought him and then I did. She nearly killed him. I fought him in an explosive battle a few days ago south of here and Gizixil himself showed up putting a stop to our fight.¡± Victor explained. Georgia turned to Carl to ask a question. ¡°Honey isn¡¯t that the name of that Void Lord thingie?¡± Carl visibly had bumps arise on his neck from anticipation. ¡°It¡¯s not surprising that massive blast was a result of a fight like that. Is it true that Gizixil showed up? He has many mouths and many eyes.¡± ¡°Four mouths with eyes inside them on his face, and four on his chest,¡± Victor replied. ¡°He didn¡¯t instantly kill you? That does seem unusual for the Lord of Violence.¡± Carl seemed confused. ¡°He wasn¡¯t there for me and Zolvorn wanted a rematch. He didn¡¯t seem interested in me.¡± Victor waffled. ¡°Zolvorn is his high priest or rather high warrior on Verdan. You¡¯re extremely fortunate his bloodlust didn¡¯t result in your death.¡± Carl nodded quickly clearly nervous thinking about what happened. ¡°I still think I could have won.¡± Victor groaned. ¡°It wasn¡¯t that bad. He was on the verge of death when the fight stopped.¡± ¡°Truly. That would be impressive.¡± Carl tilted his head down. ¡°I¡¯m so happy to have been able to meet you but I doubt meeting me is the reason for your attendance here. What can I do for you fine adventurers here?¡± Serena shook her head. ¡°I don¡¯t think we¡¯ll need any assistance from you. We¡¯ve been investigating an old murder and it¡¯s abundantly clear your wife was not responsible for it. We investigated finances first and her marriage to you was one of the most unusual gaps in income across the city the past few years.¡± ¡°Ah yes, my lovely wife. I met her when I was still banking at 5 Star Road before I moved to the Freedman¡¯s Guild Bank. Why would that make her a suspect?¡± He scratched his chin. Serena¡¯s head bobbed acknowledging that there was no way it was her. ¡°It wouldn¡¯t, we¡¯re seeking leads.¡± ¡°Understandable, I¡¯d hope investigators always run down leads.¡± He added. ¡°We will leave the two of you to your day. I¡¯m sorry for wasting your time.¡± Victor stood up. ¡°An angelic knight could never waste our time.¡± Carl shook his hand. ¡°If your group would like to remain here I¡¯d like to show you something.¡± Victor turned to the three of them confused. Emilie stuffed another cookie in her mouth. ¡°We¡¯re good!¡± Victor intrigued simply added. ¡°Lead the way.¡±