《Working Class》


 Chapter 0: Another Day

    The Gold District was the most expensive part of Zephtal to live in, but at midnight, the darkness that covered the normally brilliant architecture lost a lot of its sparkling appeal. This thought ran through the Ranger''s mind as he sat perched on the rooftop of Nelson¡¯s supply store, munching on some potato chips he had bought on sale that day. Quests like these always annoyed the Ranger, despite the minimal amount of work it required. Sending a fake message to a couple of people, setting up a trap, and waiting with chips were all that was on the day''s to-do list.


    Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

 Chapter 1: The Grind

    The air in the guild dorm room was musty, which is to be expected when 4 young men share a single room. As was the norm, Jordan was the first to wake up, the morning light leaking through the cheap curtain right into his eyes. As he started at the ceiling he felt the exhaustion immediately from his inconsistent sleep schedule. He thought living with 3 wizards would be cleaner and quieter, but his roommates were frat boys who could start fires with their minds. They were nice guys though, and they were also smart enough to come to Zephtal as a party. These guys were living in the dorms stress-free, stacking money, and casually looking for an apartment, a luxury Jordan did not have.


    ¡°What time is it¡± he whispered sleepily as he pawed for his glasses on the nightstand, finding them after pawing around for what felt like hours.


    He hovered his right hand over his viewing stone and poured a small amount of den into it. He was still trying to get used to channeling this strange magic, but the stone only needed a small amount. A moment later, it lit up and displayed his Home Screen. He put his glasses on and squinted at the glowing rock.


    Jordan sighed, looking at the familiar stats that had not changed in a week now. He forced himself out of bed, thanking his luck he got the bottom bunk. Navigating a ladder this early in the morning would feel like brain surgery to him. Changing into his cheap leather armor, he thought about the challenging road ahead of him. With no prospects of a party at this point, it looked like he would be flying solo for a while.


    The Guild wasn¡¯t opening for an hour, and Jordan made a point to check the materials he had left. A quiver with 10 arrows, a beginner bow, and 2 minor health potions were all he had to his name. He sighed slightly before standing up and putting on the last of his gear.


    ¡°Just need to grind,¡± he said to himself tiredly.


    It wasn''t fresh and new anymore, he had been an official adventurer for over a month now, and one can only keep their plucky optimism for so long before the reality of their situation sets in. The Everwatch Adventurers Gulild was world famous for working with the strongest, most noble heroes on the continent of Myrkath. What was not as well advertised was the pay of low-level adventurers, which was minimum wage. Jordan wallowed in his lack of funds for a moment before finally gathering his gear and heading for the Guild.


    It had been a month since he arrived in the city, but the Gold District of Zephtal still felt like a different world from the small village of his childhood. The morning light made the gaudy structures shine in an almost blinding way and the windows of each building were adorned with different kinds of fabulous gems. As the name would suggest, each building in the district had the same golden paint job, even the Everwatch Dorms that Jordan had been living in for the last month. When Jordan first arrived at his lodging, he only had one thought.


    Tacky.


    7 am was when many people in the district started their morning commutes, and as Jordan joined the crowd of people walking through the streets, he could feel their judgmental eyes on his basic starting gear. At this point, however, he had become so used to it that he made a bit of a game out of it. His favorite move was making eye contact with the people staring at him and waving while walking in their direction. You would think running in a 30,000 gold dress would be difficult, but it¡¯s amazing what rich people will do to avoid talking to poor people. As he continued down the street, he felt around in his pack for his coin pouch and found it, sadly being able to count all his money in the same motion.


    The financial situation was very clear to Jordan and he was not a fan of it. He arrived in Zephtal with no money, but he knew from his uncle the guild provided free housing in their dorms to new adventurers for 6 months after their registration. What he was not told was in exchange he had to do 3 quests a week with no pay for the guild or he would be kicked out upon the conclusion of the week. A studio apartment close to the guild was at least 1200 gold a month, but in exchange, he could keep all his earnings. He wouldn¡¯t be able to make any progress in this city until he had the money to live comfortably and eventually afford to upgrade his gear. Also if he was being honest, he did not want to have to continue living with wizards that stay up until 4 am shooting each other with electricity.The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.


    It does not make for a restful night''s sleep.


    As he turned the corner, he saw the now familiar site of the Everwatch Adventurers Guild. The Guild had been around for the last 200 years, and Jordan heard many stories growing up of powerful wizards and unbeatable fighters that had saved the world many times due to their training at Everwatch. He knew from a young age he wanted to follow in their footsteps, but he also knew now that his path would be more¡­unique.


    While the gold district was full of shiny jewelry and flashy designs, the Guild building was designed in the same way every branch was: a simple stone staircase that led to a 3 story plain white building with a large purple raccoon mascot named Tulie above the entrance. ¡°Wish me luck that I may make a step towards escaping poverty today Tulie,¡± he thought as he climbed up the steps and opened the simple wooden doors.


    The inside of the guild always reminded Jordan of a stuffy office more than a hub of fantastic heroism. Jordan always thought it was their attempt at seeming humble and one with the people. The sound of papers shuffling, passive-aggressive customer service voices, and uncomfortable small talk reminded Jordan of everything he hated about interacting with others. The lobby had a large board in the middle of the room that displayed all the current quests and could be grabbed by any adventurer and turned in to any of the employees. In front of the board was the main desk, where employees would be stationed to answer questions and submit quests. The rest of the room on the first floor was very bare, with the only decorations on the walls being paintings of the adventurers Miranda Ren and Thomas Benet, the founders of Everwatch.


    Jordan approached the board and began scanning for low-level jobs he could take to meet his weekly quota for his housing. The week had only started 2 days ago, but he had been able to snag 2 low difficultygathering jobs and if he could get another easy one today, the rest of the week''s jobs would be all profit. As he scoured the board though, one other posting in particular jumped out at him.


    A group of vampire spawns have infested a house in the floating district, exterminate them, and bring an ear for each one as proof.


    It was unlikely, but Jordan looked around anyway. He had only done solo missions so far, and even though he knew finding a party was unlikely, it still hurt a bit to see the averted gazes and sometimes even looks of pity. He understood why they thought this way, though.


    Rangers were considered one of the less useful classes. The skills a low-level ranger has are objectively less useful than the other classes like wizards, fighters, and clerics. Though they have advantages when it comes to tracking and perception, their shortage of useful combat skills causes them to be looked down upon when it comes to allowing them into one¡¯s party. Of course, a high-level ranger is very useful and powerful, but they are few and far between due to the high difficulty level at the beginning of their careers.


    Jordan conceded he wasn¡¯t getting any help today, and he sighed moving on from the vampire quest and pulling down a notice for a pest extermination in the floating district. He brought it over to May, the receptionist who had onboarded him the first day he arrived. May was very tall, about 6¡¯4, and being a Dragonborn didn''t do anything to tone down the intimidation factor. She wore the standard Everwatch uniform, a set of heavy armor that looked annoying to do office work in. Jordan assumed it was a branding thing, but it felt like it was a bit much. Despite the powerful exterior she presented she spoke in a soft, almost timid voice that Jordan found he still couldn''t get used to.


    When working for the guild, the process is the same every time. Adventurers will look through the jobs posted on the board, take the one they want, and turn it into a guild employee. The employee will confirm they are of an appropriate level, and upon confirmation enter the quest into their system. If a quest is completed, the posted points and gold will be rewarded. Failure means the party will not receive gold and will usually lose some amount of points to be determined by guild management.


    ¡°Hi Jordan, early riser as usual, what do have today?¡± she asked softly as he handed her the posting. ¡°Slick rats at the floating district Georginas huh? Dang I liked their chicken wings, that¡¯s too bad¡± May said as she began pouring den into her viewing crystal.


    ¡°I know it''s a shame, I went there my first night and played pool with a guy from Orquime. He destroyed me and then I think offered for me to come to his house and meet his wife which felt weird so I went home instead¡± Dom said sleepily.


    He only realized after he finished talking that what he said was a wild way to make small talk in the morning, but he was too sleep-deprived to care. Last night had been relatively peaceful, but living with 3 wizard roommates deserved an official challenge rating for the guild.


    May being the kind soul she was, ignored Dom¡¯s strange anecdote and began touching various options on her viewing stone. Her other hand floated above the document and the glowing symbol of Tulie on the flyer''s right corner faded. The moment the glow faded, the viewing stone flashed bright purple. After a moment, the stone returned to its normal state, and may handed over a mason jar with an image of Tulie on the lid.


    ¡°Ok Jordan I have your quest registered in our system, just put the right ear of each rat you exterminate in this jar and bring it back to us. You will then be awarded 1 point and will fulfill your dorm cost for the week, good luck and stay safe¡± May said, giving a by-the-book fantastic customer service smile, albeit in a barely audible tone. Jordan sleepily thanked May and put the jar into his pack. He began walking to the front entrance and took notice of the other people looking at postings intentionally averting eye contact, even seeing a Wizard and Druid whispering and pointing. Jordan wished that if people were going to be rude they¡¯d have the common decency to at least hide it better.


    As he went through the doors, he noticed the city begin to wake up. The shops opening, the fruit vendors slicing up the day''s product, and couriers loading their cargo for yet another shift, each one of them with a look of tired determination.


    Jordan came to this city hoping to follow in the footsteps of the heroes his family told him about as a child. The brilliant sorcerers, the noble paladins, and even the ¡°lame¡± rangers were all legends that had inspired him to come to this strange city, without a copper to his name, in hopes of becoming a legend himself. However, as he looked around at the people getting ready to grind through another hard day of work, he thought he looked much more like them than the heroes of his childhood.

 Chapter 2: Slick Rats

    Once you pass the border separating it from the Gold District, gravity itself shifts by the sheer amount of den in the air.This place is home to the Guild of Infinite Thought, a group of sorcerers and wizards dedicated to trying new, experimental magic.Their leader, Franklin Fent, was a half-orc sorcerer who was revolutionary in the modern applications of den transference and was a black-ranked adventurer.In Everwatch, black was the highest rank an adventurer could achieve, followed by brown, red, blue, purple, green, gold, and white.


    Fent had conducted an experiment 10 years before that had caused a massive shift in the gravitational field of the entire district. was caught in the explosion the experiment caused and hasn¡¯t been seen since.The citizens of the district were evacuated, and once it was discovered they could no longer freely walk through the streets, most ordinary citizens left.The Adventurers Boon Skill was required to control den, so people who weren¡¯t adventurers were unable to stop themselves from floating along with the buildings.Once the normal people cleared out, the Infinite Thought had complete control over the area.


    Very few people approached the area since it was unknown what kind of unthinkable projects they were working on.However, that didn¡¯t stop Georgina¡¯s from opening a location.The Zepthal staple, a Georgina¡¯s diner could be found in every district, usually with multiple locations.They were also a very common pest control quest, so Jordan was not a frequent client.It did impress him, however, that they were determined enough to build a location in the floating district.


    Behind it, Jordan could see the street floating about 5 feet above.stepped forward, opened the gate, and began his ascent.As he floated further in the air, he closed his eyes to focus.Telling the den in your body what to do was a learning process.Jordan knew as he got used to it, the process would become easier.That being said, this was his 3rd time ever trying this, so there was much to be learned still.


    When he attempted to move it, however, it felt as if a hot liquid was moving through his body.Not burning hot, but too hot to be comfortable, especially when it reached the legs.Once he felt the den in his feet, he focused on matching it to the amount in the air.It took several minutes of him floating in place, but eventually he landed on the street, looking at the Gold District below.


    Looking at the light foot traffic around him was all Jordan needed to paint a clear picture of the type of people who chose to live in this district.Every person he saw had either a staff, wand, or magic hat and they all were muttering to themselves.Whether it was about the results of a failed experiment or a chant to an ancient spell, he could never be sure.


    Burgers, chicken wings, and now slick rats were on the menu.Even if the deals were hard to beat, everyone who does low level jobs for Everguard knows to stay away from Georgina¡¯s.He pulled the mask on his cloak to his face and threw the front doors open, flooding light into the darkened restaurant.


    However, the most intense smell was the oil from the rats themselves. The moment the door opened, Jordan was met with a chorus of squeaks and the squelching sound of the vermin attempting to skitter away through a thick layer of film on the floor.Slick rats were one of the random experiments of the Infinite Thought.Rumors were they attempted to experiment with implanting permanent spells into animal, and a rat and grease spell were the first and only result.The fact that the experiment caused the normal size rats to grow to the size of large dogs most likely played a role in the lack of any further experimentation.Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more.


    The difficult part about slick rats is their unpredictable movement patterns, but the reason they¡¯re unpredictable is because the rats are just unable to stabilize themselves and lose their footing every time they try to move. Jordan drew his bow and aimed it at the closest rat to him.As he drew the arrow back, he felt his untrained hand begin to shake.


    Relaxed Hand is one of the first 2 skills Rangers receive upon joining Everwatch.It steadies the users hand automatically through the use of den.Jordan took his shot, hitting the first rat directly in the head, killing it instantly.


    He managed to hit a second rat, piercing it to the floor by the leg.He looked around him, holding his breath as he examined the horrendous battlefield.3 rats bolted into the kitchen, and the other 2 slammed into each other while trying to regain their footing.Jordan knew he had to be decisive, the more time he gave them to find places to hide, the longer he would have to be in this stink pit.He jumped in the air to avoid the grease pool around him and aimed at one of the remaining 2 in the lobby, exploding the left eye of his unfortunate target.


    As he landed, the remaining rat charged at him, and he knew he didn¡¯t have time to draw his arrow and fire off a full shot.


    The kitchen knife he had taped to the bow stabbed into the rats skull, falling in a gurgle of blood and grease.As effective as that was, he really wanted better weapons.He was going to have to wash that knife thoroughly.


    After retrieving the arrows from the previously killed rats, he opened the kitchen door, funneling his remaining prey toward him.These were essentially practice shots, and the final rat was dead shortly after.The job was not quite done, but Jordan knew he had to step outside and purge the odor of the tainted Georgina¡¯s from his nostrils, even if it was only temporary.


    Using one of his arrowheads, he removed the ears of each rat, placing them in the jar with Tulie¡¯s beautiful smile shining back at him.Once his grizzly work was done, he walked briskly outside.Being out in the open air was something the average person took for granted.You don¡¯t know what you have until you¡¯re in a diner with garbage can size piles of rat greasy rat waste.


    Most of them were dressed in standard wizard robes, the most common being the Grey robes of the Infinite Thought. Considering slick rats were their invention, Jordan wasn¡¯t the biggest fan of them at the moment.He did have to admit though, some of their inventions were very useful.


    own thoughts to notice him.


    More than one person in the half mile walk had a mini cauldron that was boiling floating beside them.Not a single person looked like they had slept more than 2 hours, with their eyes bloodshot and faces gaunt.Every one of them was more dedicated to their craft than Jordan could imagine.Of course he had goals and ambitions but he was also going to allow himself a full nights sleep when his roommates kept their antics to a minimum.


    Looking up at the magical marvel of technology, he thought of where he might go when he was settled and had free time.


    It would be a long road to make that kind of money though, Jordan thought smiling to himself.Ranger abilities are more useful in the nature environments outside the cities obviously, and the jobs are compensated


    The only ones with the skills to guide them are Rangers, which is why they are compensated so well.However, these dangerous missions will usually require a base level of 15, which most adventurers spend the first 20 years of their careers attempting to achieve.Most people that try to be rangers give up and switch classes, starting from scratch with a skillset more suited to traditional dungeon crawling and missions within cities.


    That wasn''t the path Jordan wanted though.  He wanted his adventuring career to be full of travel and exploration.  He didn''t care about getting rich quick, though he wanted to be not poor quick.


    He was on his way back to Everguard to turn in a jar of ears for a quest he was not getting paid for.He was broke, no party, and smelly.


    Call it instincts, intuition, maybe even the den contained in his body.Something was telling him that today was different.Was it good, bad, both? He didn¡¯t know, but he recognized this feeling.He felt the same way on his 14th birthday, a day he wasn¡¯t allowed to forget.

 Chapter 3: The Alchemist

    After a few minutes of struggle, he finally managed to touch the ground of the Gold District once again. Passing by the Gold Districts Georgina¡¯s location caused a small amount of nausea for him, but that wasn¡¯t enough to distract him from the message painted on the front door of the jewelry shop next door.


    Paying someone like Jordan to kill slick rats meant that his money and points were not going to other, more skilled adventurers who could deal with other problems.Ever since the rift to the elemental plane opened outside of the city, along with other issues throughout the districts, people have been clamoring for them to funnel its resources into paying high-level adventurers more and to delegate the smaller tasks to civilians that can make use of technology or alchemy to do the job.


    No low-level adventurers meant no future high-level adventurers, and that would make business difficult for Everwatch.Jordan could empathize with the scared citizens having to witness these problems that are out of their control and being upset.


    Entering the guild, Jordan was met by the usual avoidance of eye contact, though this time it felt less personal as he did smell like a large dead rat.He made his way up to Mays''desk and placed the jar of ears on it, noticing her slightly wince at the sight of his ¡°trophies¡±.He was sure May had seen her share of monster body parts in her day, but it takes a long time to be numb enough to not react to a jar of greasy ears.


    ¡°Wow, you¡¯re getting faster at these Jordan.You wrapped that up in less than three hours, they didn¡¯t give you too much trouble I assume?¡± She asked in her usual whisper as she picked up the jar with a napkin and gave it to one of the other guild workers who took it into the back room.


    Normally this quest would be a full day''s pay for 3 hours of work, this time of course being an exception pay-wise due to the dorm quota.Receiving the normal pay would be pretty good though, considering minimum wage would require an extra 5 hours of work for the same money.This allows the guild to seem generous, but the proof of success components the adventurers turn in, such as the ears, are sold by the guild to local shops.Along with the equipment they sold and the pricey skill training classes they offered, the Guild could definitely afford what they paid Jordan and then some.


    She and Jordan both knew her job was to make him get as much work done as she reasonably could, and they both knew Jordan still had visible brain matter on his armor.


    As I wash the grease and guts off myself and consider my life decisions, I¡¯ll contemplate whether I¡¯ll come back to work today or ever¡± Jordan said in a sarcastic tone with a hint of truth to it.The vacant look in his eyes was all it took to convince May of his sincerity, and she entered his quest as completed into the system.


    We¡¯ll see you next time¡± May said, giving a flawless customer service smile while also clearly only breathing through her mouth.Jordan thanked her and as he made his way towards his coveted shower, a figure in a grey cloak slammed into his legs, knocking the wind out of him as he slammed on the tile floor.The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    He kicked his legs out to get his assailant off him, and as he rose to his feet he looked at the man for the first time.He was a young birdman, probably early 20¡¯s, and Jordan screamed.Partially because of a traumatic event involving a seagull he had as a child, and partially because he had never seen a Tengrathi in person before.


    Jordan was still caught off guard and a little upset at being tackled out of nowhere, but it was clear this guy was not trying to threaten him.


    Management asked him to stop but I think it¡¯s funny so I let him¡± May said from behind Jordan.


    Let¡¯s just say work is difficult and I can¡¯t afford the most filling meals off of this awful pay.I just need to sit down and collect myself.¡± he said sitting on a nearby bench with a sad, slightly squawky voice.Jordan felt empathy for him at that moment.He was fortunate enough to have roommates who were generous with their takeout, or he would have gone to bed hungry a few nights to make ends meet.He walked over to the bench he was sitting on as the Tengrathi man continued talking.


    I can¡¯t take any quests today so I¡¯ll rest up at home once I get my wits about me¡± he said, clearly still shaky and unstable.


    I don¡¯t know how to make adult friends so I think that¡¯s what this is¡± Jordan said.The people in Jordan¡¯s life had always said he was a little more blunt than necessary.¡°What¡¯s your name?¡± He asked.


    ¡°My name¡¯s Bryn, nice to meet you,¡± he said cautiously.


    Bryn looked confused, but he eventually followed after him.He partially wanted the food, but this man was so strange it piqued his curiosity.The pair began walking to Hasty Nelson¡¯s, the grab-and-go convenience store version of the Adventurer supply store.


    It was a simple, unpretentious place where you could escape the judgment of the city for a moment.Being one of the few places he could afford what they sold, it felt as if he belonged there, a rare feeling to him in Zephtal.He grabbed 2 of the chicken-flavored instant bowls and checked out at the front register, receiving a raised eyebrow from the clerk as he smelled Jordan¡¯s stench.They filled up their bowls with hot water and sat on the sidewalk in front of the store.


    He looked over at Bryn who was staring at the bowl.


    It¡¯s not as good though¡± Jordan said.


    ¡°Tengrathi are birdfolk born of the god Korvan, we have a godly bloodline and are not at all related to chickens,¡± he said in an offended tone.


    Before Bryn could say anything else, Jordam dug into his meal viciously.Before too long, Bryn also begins eating.He paced himself politely for about 10 seconds before also ravenously devouring his chicken bowl.Once the pair finished their meals, they basked in the glow of their full bellies.


    What class are you?¡± Jordan asked.He assumed Bryn was a monk, or perhaps a caster who used a wand since he didn''t see any weapons.


    ¡°None, when I came to Zyphtal 4 months ago, I immediately went to Everwatch to be onboarded.After they did their tests, they told me I was incompatible with the Adventurers Boon Skill¡±.Jordan let out an involuntary ¡°oof¡±, to which Bryn nodded in agreement.


    This skill lays the foundation of what an adventurer can do because it is what allows den to be channeled.Den is the magical power adventurers use, and a common misconception is that casters like wizards and druids are the only ones that use den.


    The use of a skill consumes some amount of den, and the Adventurers Boon is what allows someone to utilize their den in accordance with their skill.Without it, den cannot be channeled, which means no class, no skills, and no way to get stronger.

 Chapter 4: Misfits

    As difficult as it was to be a solo adventurer, he couldn''t imagine how difficult it would be to do quests without the boon.Someone without a boon could swing a good quality sword at a slick rat and do no damage.The den that is channeled into even basic attacks makes a monumental difference.


    He was genuinely concerned for his safety, it would not take much for him to be killed.


    But my time there is up in less than 2 months, and the job market outside the guild is terrible.I learned about alchemy as a way to make cheap supplies for Guild jobs, so I was hoping some shop in town would hire me.Apparently the market for alchemy work is awful¡± Bryn said, shrugging his shoulders.


    Right now my plan is to keep taking jobs for the guild everyday, then to live on the streets for a week or two while I get the remaining money together.It won''t be pleasant but at least it¡¯s not forever¡± he said, drinking the last of his soup broth.


    Good luck, Ranger isn''t the class I would have chosen but it seems like it suits you¡± he said getting up to leave.


    ¡°180, why do you ask?¡±.


    ¡°There¡¯s a vampire spawn quest in the floating district that I''m short on points for.If we do our homework we can probably exterminate them without having to fight ourselves.I''ll give you whatever you need of the reward money to get back home, and in exchange I keep the rest of the money and all the guild points¡±.


    Not only was he helping this guy who really needed help, but by himself 20 guild points would take at least 2 weeks to get.If he could get that all in one day, higher-paying jobs would be just on the horizon.


    While the question was harsh to say to someone he had just met, Jordan knew how difficult living like this was with no prospects of joining a party.While it was dangerous, this was a quick fix to all of Bryn¡¯s problems, and Jordan was counting on that temptation to work in his favor. If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.


    He was struggling and it was clear to him he would never be able to become a stable adventurer without the boon.This one job would be able to save him months of struggling, and he would be able to immediately start working at his cousin¡¯s package delivery service back home.His situation would be stable for the first time in months¡­ if he lived.


    One hit from most creatures would down him instantly, and any attack he made would do no damage.There was no guarantee he would be safe, and a vampire spawn would be an unpleasant way to go.


    ¡°My first adventure buddy!I have got to send a letter back home.My aunt always said I was weird and wouldn¡¯t make friends, but look at me now.Still weird, but with a new friend¡± Jordan said, unaware of the slight trauma dump he had just committed.While he had the ability to think critically when it mattered, Jordan was a strange young man who had no filter.


    Bryn was nervously preparing mentally for having to go near combat, even if he wasn¡¯t participating.Jordan on the other hand was radiating with happiness, however that quickly went away when he caught a whiff of himself.


    Never eat at a Georgina¡¯s if you value your bathroom¡± Jordan said, noticing the random splotches on his armor.They had taken on an a unique color that couldn¡¯t say he¡¯d seen before.


    Then you fry them up and you¡¯re good to go¡± Bryn said, a look of nostalgia washing over his face.


    ¡°You¡¯re surprised a bird man eats bugs?¡± He said with a raised eyebrow.Jordan did indeed think that, but he felt that continuing to comment on Bryn¡¯s avian appearance would be in poor taste.They continued down the street, the citizens of the Gold District crossing the street to get away from Jordan.


    He had considered experimenting with alchemy, but the first potion he mixed grew barnacles on his elbow and he quickly gave up.


    If you drink it you get resistance against low level undead, seemed like it would be helpful in caves or dungeons.Part of the reason I agreed to go with you is because I knew I could give you this and at least be slightly helpful¡± he said.


    Don¡¯t pretend like you¡¯re useless when you¡¯re not, especially when you¡¯re throwing in what is basically an anti vampire potion.False humility not hot at all, don¡¯t you want to be hot?¡± Jordan said passionately.


    He had never been around someone so strange.The way he chose to construct his sentences was poetic yet nonsense at the same time, and he never thought this wouldbe the first and only time he partied up with someone.


    They continued walking as Bryn tried to steady himself.He had not laughed that hard in a long time, and hadn¡¯treally laughed at all recently.He finally caught his breath, finally feeling a little embarrassed at his loss of composure.


    I need constant validation and jokes are the way I achieve that, so I appreciate your service¡± Jordan said giving a salute.Bryn managed to keep himself from laughing again, but it took effort.As they arrived in front of Everwatch, they were both surprised at how short the walk felt.For the first time since both of them arrived in Zephtal, they thought the next job might be more fun than the last one.

 Chapter 5: Spawn

    When he had returned home after accepting the quest with Bryn, he immediately darted to the shower, nearly scalding his skin to get the thick layers of oil and viscera removed.After thoroughly washing his armor and finally plopping in bed, he smiled thinking about his day.He took comfort on knowing there were other misfits working for Everwatch, and even if Bryn wouldn¡¯t be around for long, it gave him hope that he could eventually form a party of his own one day.


    Vampire spawn were an enemy he hadn¡¯t fought before, and he was curious what they were like.He had told Bryn he had more of a concrete plan, but shooting something in the head usually worked pretty well.Plus they had that sunburst concoction that Bryn made, so he was sure they¡¯d be fine.The dorm was going to be more peaceful for the next couple of days as his roommates had gone on a dungeon hunt, which usually took awhile but the payout was worth it.He finished getting his gear together and made his way back to Everwatch.


    He went through his notebook, taking notes on what he had learned at the library the previous night.As he had thought, vampire spawn were weak to the sunburst potion, but they likely wouldn¡¯t need it at all.While they¡¯re fast and about as strong as low level fighters, they have an uncontrollable bloodlust and are not capable of rational thought. Their instinct to feed is what drives them, so setting up a trap would be fairly easy.He double checked the contents of his pack, ensuring he had brought the ingredients and supplies he would need.When he looked up again, Jordan was crouching down, his face inches away from Bryn¡¯s beak.


    Jordan rubbed his chin, jogging slightly to catch up.


    Anyway, do you have any thoughts on how to tackle this? I figure we stay far away, I shoot until they¡¯re dead, and we have the sunburst as back up in case things get rowdy.We get home before 10 and get drunk in celebration¡± Jordan said, clapping his hands together as if he had accomplished something.


    He had feared Jordan wasn¡¯t much of a planner, but it seemed he had underestimated that hunch.¡°I actually have an idea I¡¯d like to try first.¡± Bryn said.¡°I did some research on vampires last night and got some supplies based on their weaknesses¡± he said as he opened his pack and pulled out 2 jars, one filled with a red liquid and one filled with a murky black sludge.


    ¡°The black one is called Delirium Drought.It¡¯s a concoction using ingredients that are easy to find by the river outside the city wall.If you mix them together with water and oil, it forms this mixture that messes with the senses of undead creatures, like vampire spawn.Once they inhale the fumes they¡¯ll be stunned, slowing their speed and reaction times.¡±Bryn said, putting the jars back in his bag.


    Had he not liked the plan? Did he not want him questioning his plan?Bryn was about to apologize before Jordan cut him off.


    This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.


    I can react well in the middle of combat and I¡¯m not that stupid, but strategy is not my strong suit.You came up with that plan in a night man, that brain¡¯s gonna be a big loss to the Guild. Half the people who sign up are idiots who want to swing big sword real good you know?¡± Jordan said.


    As they proceeded to the floating district, Jordan paused before getting to the gate with a panicked look on his face.


    It¡¯s ok though, just get on my back and I¡¯ll carry you¡± Jordan said as he squatted down to allow the significantly taller Tengrathi on his back.


    As he let Jordan down, he began to float away as he rushed to channel his den correctly.


    Bryn burst out laughing as Jordan flew around like a balloon running out of air, before he eventually grabbed him and allowed him to channel his den.As they came down to the street, Jordan looked embarrassed and slightly woozy.


    The pair arrived at the location they were given upon taking the quest.The house was small, only one bedroom, a living room, and a bathroom. As the pair approached the house, Bryn took his jars out of his bag and handed the blood to Jordan.


    Throw the jar into the middle of the room and get your bow ready.Once the blood attracts them and they come running for it, I¡¯ll throw the draught to stun them.If the quest is correct and there¡¯s only 4 of them, you should have at least 15 seconds of them being easy targets.¡± Bryn said with confidence.


    Shall we?¡± Jordan asked smiling.Bryn nodded, and they approached the front door of the house, opening it slowly.


    The living room couch and chairs were torn and on their sides, and the floors were coated in what was hopefully dried blood.Jordan wasted no time, aiming the jar for the center of the living room.Once the jar shattered on the ground, he drew his bow, the steady hand skill feeling increasingly familiar.Seconds felt like hours as the pair stared at the mess of blood and glass.


    4 pale creatures skittering on all fours with disturbing speed crashed into the living room, the sound of them sniffing the air disturbing Jordan with how loud it was.They all wore plain cloth as clothing, and their skin was covered in scabs and bruises.Jordan could see their black eyes locked onto the blood and they rammed into each other, biting their brethren to get even a little closer.


    The moment the glass of the jar broke, he could see the effect it had.The spawns movements became sluggish, and the jittery twitching that had made finding a target difficult slowed to a pace that Jordan was very comfortable with.


    Jordan lowered his bow after his final arrow found its mark and let out a deep breath.He looked over at Bryn who was standing a few feet away and smiled, raising his hand for a high five.Bryn gave a sigh of relief and quickly came to the door, delivering the high five requested of him.


    Bryn followed and the pair went over to the spawn corpses.The draught had made them sitting ducks, and non moving targets with the relaxed hand skill makes it almost impossible to miss.Jordan looked down at the corpses thanking his luck Bryn came with him.In actual combat, he would have been lucky to take out 2 of these himself.He took out 2 knives, handing one to Bryn.


    Bryn had not gone on any missions involving combat, and the smell of dead vampire, blood, and river weeds was not appetizing in the same way rat was.He took a long time carving through the ears, gagging every so often.He finally finished and put them in one of the Tulie jars, and looked up to see Jordan was not there.¡°He must have already finished and I couldn¡¯t hear him over my gagging¡± Bryn said as he stood up.He looked toward the door thinking he would see Jordan there.


    His eyes were pure black, except for the glowing red pupils.Most vampires have purely black eyes, but the red pupils indicates the presence of a true vampire.

 Chapter 6: Hazard Pay

    Bryn stood as still as he could, not wanting to provoke the creature that had locked eyes with him.  He hadn¡¯t paid too much attention during his research to the section about true vampires.  They were supposedly as smart as people, a bite can turn anyone into a spawn, and they were rare, usually moving from place to place. He also knew was that they were powerful enough that a quest involving one normally required a group of at least 3 blue class adventurers.


    It looked like a gaunt, yet handsome man was the one responsible for crushing his windpipe.He didn¡¯t even realize what had happened to get him here. One moment he was about to get up after cutting off the spawn ears, the next he was up against this door.He felt his assailants boney elbow dig into his throat further, and he could feel himself begin to lose consciousness.Before he could, he felt the pressure on his throat relax slightly, and saw a potion bottle roll on the floor.He uses what little vision he still had to look over at Bryn, who had just thrown that bottle.


    He crashed to the floor, coughing and wheezing as he landed.He looked up just in time to see a potion in midair and Bryn on the floor having narrowly dodged the vampires strike.


    As it landed in Jordan¡¯s hand, the monster began its 2nd attack on Bryn.Jordan didn¡¯t know what infusing den into a potion would do, but he had no time to question it.If he didn¡¯t do something immediately, they would be dead within a matter of seconds.He gripped the potion tightly and attempted to pour all of his remaining den into it.The energy flowing through his body felt like lava, and the potion become painfully hot immediately.The last thing Jordan remembered seeing was the vampire land on Bryn and an explosion of blinding white light.


    He attempted to look around, but couldn¡¯t move his body at all.All he could see was darkness, but he was conscious.Was he dead? That seemed possible based on what just happened.


    It sounded like a man around his age, thought the voice seemed quite tired.


    ¡°This is what¡¯s important: you and the people you will meet are too important to be this stupid.I would advise less stupidity in the future, or this city will be in flames within the next 5 years.¡±The voice said.


    The first thing he noticed was the pain in his arm.He looked down and saw his arm had been bandaged heavily, and he felt like he had been asleep for days.Looking around the room he saw he was on the couch in the Everwatch break room.He had gone in here once before when he was onboarded, and it was as plain as he remembered.No decorations on the wall, two couches, a coffee table, and a single window opposite the door was all that was in the room.


    Jordan got up and poked Bryn¡¯s forehead a few times, but he lightly slapped his finger away and rolled over.Jordan then grabbed the glass of water on the table and lightly trickled it onto Bryn¡¯s face.He finally stirred, wiping the moisture off his face in confusion as he sat up.When he saw Jordan standing, a look of surprise and relief washed over his face.He paused before saying anything, and gave a sarcastic smile as he spoke.If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    The vampire had slammed his back right on the doorknob and he could still feel the bruise.¡°So what happened? The last thing I remember the potion you gave me blowing up¡± he said.


    ¡°That was a theory I was working on.Alchemy at its core is mixing ingredients to make something new.The more volatile an ingredient, the more intense a reaction is.I¡¯ve had several experiments that bubbles over making a huge mess, and I even had a couple explode on me.I figured that there wasn¡¯t a more volatile ingredient than den, and we didn¡¯t have any other chance so I risked it.¡± He said.Jordan couldn¡¯t believe this guy.In the middle of a battle they were badly losing, he did a live experiment that worked.He wasn¡¯t just resourceful and good at strategizing, he might be a genius at alchemy.


    The reaction caused an explosion like I thought it would, but it was the sunburst potion so it hurt the vampire way more than us.Unfortunately, you couldn¡¯t get out completely unscathed¡± he gestured to Jordan¡¯s bandaged arm. ¡°But better than being dead¡± he said.Jordan thought back and he didn¡¯t even realize when he caught the potion that it was the sunburst.Bryn had said we probably wouldn¡¯t need it, did he just have it in case of something like this?


    He was only dazed for a few seconds, but it let me get away from him and grab you.Once we got outside I knew we were safe since the sun was still out.A couple of the local guards saw us and helped us back to the guild.Once we got here, one of the clerics patched up your wounds, it just needs a little time.The intensity of the explosion was about the same as a level 8 fireball, so you were lucky there wasn¡¯t any permanent damage¡±. Bryn said looking slightly guilty.Even though he had saved their lives, he was also confident when tossed the potion that it might do a lot of damage to Jordan.


    You came in clutch Bryn.You saved my life and held your own against insane odds.I hope I can become as good of an adventurer someday as you were in that house.¡± Jordan said proudly.


    He didn¡¯t take compliments well.¡°No problem, I¡¯d be dead if I didn¡¯t do that so it works out for both of us.By the way I chewed out that annoying manager Ernie.Have you ever met him?¡± He asked.


    He was a short, round human man that was easy to hate on sight.Jordan could never figure out why, but he hated that guy.¡°Yeah Ernie¡¯s the worst¡± he said with disdain.


    After I handed you over to the cleric I asked him why a monster 10 levels above us was at the job.He told me it was a mistake with their scouting spell and that a blue party would go take care of it. He tried to give me some sort of corporate nonsense after that, but I eventually got him to properly compensate us.¡± He said, pulling out a brown cloth sack and dropping it on the table.It landed with a thud, the jingling of coins revealing the contents within.


    He hadn¡¯t ever had that much money at once, and he was salivating at the thought of the snacks he would be celebrating with.¡°A master negotiator too I think I¡¯m falling in love.I can¡¯t believe you talked that cheapskate down, I just hate him so much.¡± Jordan said shaking with excitement and unfounded rage toward Ernie.


    Jordan was so caught up in the moment he forgot this meant that Bryn would be going home tomorrow.The thought saddened him, but he made sure to put on a happy face when he talked.¡°Let¡¯s celebrate with an actual dinner before you head home, my treat.Even if it¡¯s money you got for us the thought still counts as far as I¡¯m concerned¡± Jordan said laughing a bit too loudly.


    As he sat forward, he looked Jordan in the eye and he could see the excitement going through Bryn¡¯s mind.

 Chapter 7: And They Were Roommates

    The apartment was pitch black until the viewing stone on the night stand blared it¡¯s alarm. Jordan had recently changed it to be a recording of a dragon chewing on bones so he would be more motivated to turn it off and get up immediately. As he tapped it and put on his glasses, he was curious to see how much the quest yesterday had done for him.


    06/9/1 7:00 am


    Name: Jordan Hamilton


    Race: Half-Elf


    Class: Ranger


    Level: 4


    Guild Score: 845


    Skills


    Adventurer¡¯s Boon


    Smell Weakness (Shark)


    Swift Hand


    Natures Credit


    He hadn¡¯t leveled up but he couldn¡¯t help himself from smiling at that big number. It was only 2 months ago that he had been struggling with pest control and herb collection that didn¡¯t even pay him. He felt much more relaxed in the last couple of weeks, even if he was doing a new job everyday. Bryn was insistent they get the work done early or he would procrastinate, and as uptight as he was, Jordan had to admit it was effective.


    He got out of his twin bed and began walking toward the window to open the curtain. After doing so he realized how pointless that was, forgetting in his sleepy state where he now lived.


    The Shadow District was a section of Zephtal that was covered in a permanent darkness spell. 30 years before, a sorcerer that excelled in alchemy began an illegal drug trade in this district. Eventually the guild put out a quest for his life, and before the party assigned to kill him finished the job, he used a lethal amount of den to cast a Diabolic Trigger spell, essentially a bomb fueled by dark magic. He used so much den in the attack he died immediately upon casting it, but the explosion destroyed 5 city blocks, killed everyone in the radius, and kept the district in darkness.


    The rent was cheap as heck though. 1500 gold for the first month and deposit was a steal.


    After receiving the bonus that Ernie had been bullied into giving them, Bryn and Jordan went to eat at Blackerby¡¯s Blackberries, a local pastry shop with delicious blackberry pie. As they feasted, Bryn told Jordan he had decided to stay in town and continue adventuring if he was willing to continue working with him. When Jordan argued that it wouldn¡¯t be safe for him Bryn, the fact was brought up that Bryn did most of the heavy lifting on the previous job. Jordan had to agree with that point and they agreed to form a long term party.


    As Jordan went into the kitchen he saw Bryn making coffee. He was wearing pajamas and Jordan was challenging himself everyday to not laugh. It was proving to be the most difficult task he had taken on as an adventurer. ¡°Morning, we still going to Nelson¡¯s today?¡± Bryn asked, biting into a piece of dry toast.


    ¡°Yeah I need my stomach to finish whatever it¡¯s doing and then we can go. Shouldn¡¯t be more than an hour, did you finish the project you were working on yesterday?¡± Jordan asked grabbing his own cup of coffee.Stolen story; please report.


    Bryn sat down on their living room couch. After a thorough cleaning, you would never be able to tell this couch was picked up on the street. The 2 bedroom apartment was well lit, as was necessary with the lack of daylight. There were no decorations on the wall, and the only furniture beside the couch was the large viewing stone on the floor.


    ¡°It¡¯s got some weird side effects, but it does cast the invisibility spell for 10 seconds every time. But we shouldn¡¯t use it until I deal with the vomiting aspect of it.¡± He said, rubbing his stomach slightly. Bryn had been experimenting like a madman since moving to the Shadow Apartment, putting an alchemy station in his room after the first week.


    Jordan didn¡¯t mind at all. The results could be weird, or just flat out bad sometimes. But the good results gave them unique advantages depending on the quests they take. Potions tend to be the most expensive part of a an adventurers inventory, especially if the party has no true healer. The fact that Bryn has been able to make basic potions at home has been a godsend to their budget.


    After an hour passed, the duo changed out of their pajamas and into their adventuring gear. Bryn had upgraded to a sturdy crimson red set of robes enchanted with 5 defense crystals. Since Bryn lacked an Adventurers Boon, he would be downed upon receiving one hit from an enemy. The defense crystal prevents all damage one receives upon being hit, but it shatters upon use. Normally this is too expensive of an option, but this was the only choice Bryn had since he wouldn¡¯t move well in heavy armor.


    Jordan has taken on the main combatant role, with Bryn supporting and staying out of the main fight. After doing daily quests for a month, Jordan upgraded his gear for the first time. His basic leather armor was enchanted with Quick, which gives an 8% boost to speed. He also upgraded his bow to the Everbow, still a cheap option but designed with mobility in mind, weighing half the size of his previous bow with a 10% increase in damage. The final upgrade to his gear was the starter level sword he got from Nelson¡¯s. Nothing special but better than a kitchen knife.


    Finally, They attached their headlamps and made their way to the Guild.


    The Darkness of the area surrounded them like an evil fog, the intensity of the dark magic that birthed it sending a chill down Jordan¡¯s spine. While they were stable financially and finally out of the dorms, they were both eager to continue working. This neighborhood was objectively creepy and the fast food restaurants were all awful.


    The nice part about the Shadow Apartment is that it¡¯s near the border to the Gold District, and as the pair crossed into the sparkling gaudiness, the pure shine nearly blinded them. Nelson¡¯s was on the way to the guild, and the order ahead option was something Bryn took advantage of quite often. Jordan admitted it was convenient to pick up supplies by ordering through the viewing orb, but he felt himself missing the social element.


    Jordan approached the lockers and poured den into number 3, and it popped open revealing Bryn¡¯s ingredients and Jordan¡¯s arrow additives.


    ¡°Back in my day people used to talk to each other.¡± Jordan said imitating an old man.


    ¡°Shut up Jordan, interacting with you all day drains my social battery before I leave the apartment.¡± Bryn said, grabbing his order and checking his ingredients for damage. Jordan took his additives and placed them in his pack. ¡°I wonder if I¡¯ll get to experiment today.¡± Jordan asked as he patted his pack.


    ¡°Don¡¯t antagonize things we don¡¯t need to antagonize, unless you want to pay for more defense crystals.¡± Jordan shook his head, knowing he barely had any money leftover after putting what he needed to toward savings. He needed to get out of that creepy neighborhood though.


    As they approached the entrance to Everwatch, Bryn noticed a trio of what appeared to be barbarian dwarves whispering and pointing at them. He tried to ignore them, but he still wasn¡¯t used to the attention. It¡¯s not as if he and Jordan had done anything amazing considering their level, but the fact that he had no class and Jordan was a Ranger made it impressive they were still working at all.


    As they entered the guild and approached the board, Jordan spoke up as they looked.


    ¡°Once we hit 1850 we¡¯re Gold rank. We should try to knock that out in the next quest all at once since it takes 3 weeks for the benefits to kick in¡± he said looking at the mid level jobs. ¡°Should we try the dungeon that opened in Shadow? We should get experience with those kinds of jobs early if we can¡± he said pointing to a specific posting.


    A dungeon portal has opened in the downtown area of the Shadow District. Clear out the left wing of the first level, confirming with a provided detect creature stone that all hostile creatures in the wing are deceased.


    Reward: 500 gold and 20 guild points


    Required Guild Point Total: 900


    ¡°We really got lucky with that spawn quest with the points. This job looks like it would be way harder and take way longer for the same amount¡± Bryn said.


    ¡°Well that¡¯s because it¡¯s the dungeon, there¡¯s a chance of loot. The guild says it makes up for the low point total, even though it¡¯s random so you could get screwed.¡± Jordan said.


    ¡°Let¡¯s do it, I¡¯ll do some gambling today, and either way by the end we¡¯re Gold¡± Bryn said enthusiastically. Jordan bowed, which Bryn thought was strange, before heading to May to turn in their next quest. As Jordan walked to the desk, he felt the familiar eyes of his fellow adventures on him.


    It felt a little different now though.

 Chapter 8: Just Desert

    Chapter 8:


    The waiting room of the Cleric Clinic was finally emptying, and as Rufus locked up for the day, he found he was getting increasingly frustrated with their staffing. Business had at least doubled in the last month, and he was the only blue ranked healer in the place. He¡¯d begun to feel drained on a daily basis, and he promised himself he would talk to Marvin about hiring another cleric, or at least a a paladin.


    Despite not loving the increased workload, he had to admit their services were desperately needed. Dungeons don¡¯t pop up everyday, and there would only be another 5 days at most before the red and brown parties get called in to shut it down. This meant an abnormal amount of overconfident idiots would be getting severely injured in these dungeons, and they became Rufus¡¯ problem quite quickly. As he went out the back door, he looked up at the shining sun hovering over the Gold District, before pulling a package out of his pocket.


    ¡°Such a beautiful day, but so many limbs being lost¡± Rufus said, rolling what he was about to smoke.


    Going back and forth between the Shadow District and The Gold District was starting to give Jordan a headache, so he was glad to see the dungeon was only 2 blocks away from the border. As they walked through those 2 blocks, Jordan looked around at the crumbling architecture and the ancient road. The lack of visibility in the area meant that maintaining it was tricky, which was part of the reason rent was so cheap.


    The pair arrived in front of the address on the quest, and were met by a middle aged halfling man wearing the Everwatch uniform armor standing in front of barrier of den. The entrance to the dungeon wasn¡¯t visible, and the man spoke before they could get any closer.


    ¡°Hello gentleman, this is the entrance to a dungeon. If you¡¯re adventurers please provide the detect creature stones you were provided with.¡± The man said in the deepest voice either of them had ever heard. Jordan stared at him in stunned silence, and Bryn took a few moments to come to his senses before presenting the stones. The halfling briefly examined them, while Jordan used his finger to see if there was anything in his ear. He gave them their stones back and motioned for them to go to the barrier behind him. As they approached, the pale blue energy shot out at them. The gelatinous substance covered the pair and pulled them into the den barrier.


    Bryn spine shivered with how uncomfortable this felt, and he hated every time he had to use these. He was also creeped out by how much Jordan seemed to love it. As they plopped out the other side, Bryn looked over and saw Jordan smiling contently. He looked over and they made eye contact, Jordan¡¯s smile fading immediately.


    ¡°It gives me tingles shut up¡± Jordan said, leading the charge to the dungeon entrance. Bryn shook his head and followed as the pair saw the entrance for the first time. The outside was the same as any dungeons portal, a bright red wooden door standing alone. Jordan opened the door, excited to see a dungeon with his own eyes for the first time.


    A dungeon is a phenomenon that is not yet explained by magic or science. All that is known about them is about once every 4 months at the same time in every major city in the world, they appear. They spawn in random locations in the city, this time being the shadow district. However, the past year had seen dungeons pop up in the Flower District, on the border of the Gold and Floating, and once at city hall.


    Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.


    These dungeons have 20 levels filled with danger, and if left unchecked they will pour out into the city. The only way to shut them down is to kill the final boss, which is usually a brown or black level quest. However, these adventurers don¡¯t just grow on trees, so lower level adventurers are called in to clear the way for the heavy hitters to finish the job. These jobs were considered to be very lucrative, as dungeon treasure can be rare and extremely valuable.


    As the party entered, they were immediately bombarded with a dry heat. As they walked in they heard their footsteps begin to crunch on sand, and as their eyes adjusted they saw the Desert Dungeon before them.


    The room they were in had a massive stone obelisk, shaped to look like a Tengrathi man, in the middle surrounded by 3 stone passageways. As the pair pulled their masks on, Jordan pointed at the statue and looked at Bryn.


    ¡°It¡¯s you¡± Jordan said.


    ¡°It¡¯s not me you¡¯re just being racist¡± Bryn said, grabbing a potion from his pack and uncorking it.


    Jordan took out the additives he had bought at Nelson¡¯s and began applying them a few of his arrows. Knowing the environment would make his selection much easier. ¡°I¡¯m not being racist, you both have the same emotionless stone face. You also both seem to think sandals are a good look on you.¡± He said, noting that both Tengrathi were indeed wearing sandals.


    ¡°They¡¯re comfortable, why wouldn¡¯t I want to be comfortable in combat?¡± Bryn said, as he finished his potion and put the bottle in his bulging bag. ¡°We need a storage bag bad man, this is getting ridiculous¡±. He said lugging the bag on his back.


    As Jordan pointed to the left path the pair started towards the section they had been assigned. ¡°I know we¡¯re doing well now but let¡¯s not get crazy. Do you want to live in the Shadow Apartment forever?¡± He asked condescendingly.


    ¡°No of course not, I already hated that place but I think our neighbor smokes too¡± Bryn said sighing.


    ¡°Oh man that sucks¡± Jordan said unconvincingly, as he considered whether he should take up the habit again. As they continued walking, Jordan smelled a faint hint of¡­ something.


    As he tried to put his finger on the scent, Bryn grabbed his shoulder and they stopped. He rummaged through his bad and put a small vial of purple liquid in Jordan¡¯s hand. ¡°Drink this, I think there¡¯s illusion magic up ahead¡± Bryn said, drinking his own vial. Jordan drank and gave the vial back to Bryn, his face scrunching at the bitter taste.


    ¡°Are herbs every cherry or cool lime flavored or something like that?¡± Jordan asked.


    ¡°Yeah they just don¡¯t work¡± Bryn said nonchalantly as he looked around the wall to his left. Now that he had mentioned something, Jordan did notice the den in the air felt different in this space than it had when they first entered.


    ¡°Bingo¡± Bryn said, pointing to a series of symbols carved into the wall. ¡°If I take note of these and turn them in I can probably make Ernie give us a bonus¡± He said sketching the shapes in his notebook. After copying them down, Bryn used a knife to cut into the symbols. As the symbols were cut into, Jordan could feel the den begin to settle.


    ¡°How did you know that was coming? Was there information on illusion magic traps in this dungeon?¡± Jordan asked.


    ¡°No, but I¡¯m so weak to these types of magic without the Adventurers Boon I could feel the effects before we were in its radius, you¡¯ve looked like you have no mouth to me for the last 2 minutes. The chant for a trap spell has to be written 100 feet before the radius of the main spell starts, so once you grew bunny ears I knew we must have been close¡± Bryn said, staring slightly above Jordan¡¯s head. Jordan took in the information, but he wasn¡¯t surprised anymore. Bryn did at least one crazy thing per quest.


    As they weaved through the tunnels, they found the entrance to the section they were looking for. Jordan held out his hand to prevent Bryn from continuing, as the smell was filling his nostrils and was unfortunately familiar: demonic wet dog.


    ¡°Stay here, I¡¯ll scout ahead. Do we have any concrete data for a Desert Dungeon?¡± Jordan asked, readying his bow.


    ¡°No there wasn¡¯t one on record. The Guild assumed they would mostly be environmentally based, so a desert dungeon was a hypothetical they gave advice for in the latest newsletter. What are you smelling?¡± Bryn asked.


    ¡°Demon or dog, maybe both¡± Jordan said as he approached the door.


    Bryn thought briefly before answering. ¡°They said there could be a hellhound variant called a sun hound, have a dispel arrow close.¡± He said, fumbling in his bag while he spoke.


    As Jordan opened the door, they found section they were assigned stood before them. The ceilings very vaulted, making it seem enormous. The sand coating the floor made Jordan¡¯s footing feel unstable, and he could have sworn he felt it moving. The air was hot and suffocating, with the leather armor sticking to him like glue.


    After taking in his surroundings, Jordan looked across the room, and noticed the smell was at its strongest by far. As he focused on the figure coming closer to him, he could make out its green color and the spikes on its collar. Was that a collar? No it just has spikes in it.


    ¡°Hey Bryn is a cactus dog a thing?¡± Jordan asked as he took aim.

 Chapter 9: New Tricks

    Jordan did not know that a howl could sound spiny, but as the prickly hounds ran towards him, their howls felt like they were stabbing into his skin. The creatures before him were bright green dogs about the size of a small horse. Their spiny skin was broken up by occasional desert flowers, and their bright purple eyes were piercing. He steadied himself and took aim, barely noticing his Relaxed Hand Skill activate as he fired his first shot. He and Bryn had been working everyday with him as the main combatant, so the bow felt like it was an extension of his arm these days. As the arrow flew towards one of the dog¡¯s eyes, it roared and released a swarm of needles from inside its mouth, throwing the arrow off course.


    Jordan had already begun running, taking in the full scope of the room they were fighting in. Rangers were naturally gifted when it comes to perception, and Jordan felt the power of the Adventurers Boon supernaturally fueling his sight and awareness. As the wolves changed direction toward him, he went through the options.


    ¡°The first plan is kill them all with headshots, that¡¯s out. Onto plan number 2¡± Jordan said as he searched the quiver on his back for the coldest arrow. As he found it, he jumped in the air, spinning 180 degrees and shooting the winter arrow in the middle of the pack. The ice shards from the enhanced arrow shot out, impaling one dog in the chest and stopping it dead, while the others continued their pursuit. Jordan frowned as he came back down and resumed his run around the room. Those things were 7 silver each, just getting one kill was abysmal. Fortunately the room itself was shaped like a circle, which made setting up for Bryn much easier. Jordan continued on his route, knowing taking out one more of these by himself would be easier in the long run.


    He took out a small, metal cube from the bag on his hip. As began channeling his den, he hoped to tone it down a bit compared to his last time experimenting with the Doom Cube. Once he felt he got the correct amount in, he tossed the cube into the pack.


    ¡°Long, that¡¯s long for sure¡± Jordan thought as the cube landed 10 feet behind the pack.


    ¡°He¡¯s gonna be furious¡± Jordan said, dashing for the entrance to the room he had started at. The explosion could be heard from the other side of the room, but Jordan didn¡¯t have time to look back. He could see Bryn standing behind a pillar shining his lamp, indicating the circle was finished. As Jordan crossed the entrance he could see the pack behind him, and he blasted den into the alchemy circle that had been drawn in the sand below him. As he landed in the stone hallway, he saw the circle glow bright purple. The dogs leaped through the entrance, and as they passed over the circle, they stopped in midair.


    Confused for a moment they began kicking their legs and biting the air. One attempted to shoot needles at Bryn, but they were stopped a few feet in front of its face. Jordan sat on the ground panting, exhausted from both the running and large amount of den he poured into that circle.


    ¡°Sub me out coach, I¡¯m spent¡± Jordan said, as Bryn grabbed his arm and helped him up.


    ¡°You¡¯re out of shape. Your body still isn¡¯t used to the armors speed and it¡¯s tiring you out quicker. Just because you have an Adventurers Boon doesn¡¯t mean you can skip cardio¡± Bryn said as wrote in his notebook.


    ¡°Don¡¯t make fun of my fitness just because you¡¯re jealous of my body. How much did this circle cost?¡± Jordan said as he looked at the cactus dogs continuing to struggle. This was the 4th different type of Convergence Circle Bryn had tried in the past 2 weeks, and Jordan hoped to get some consistency with the costs soon.The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.


    Bryn finished writing and put the notebook back in his pack as he spoke. ¡°1 gold for trapping up to 3 enemies is solid, but if they¡¯re higher than level 3 it needs more den so this one will be reserved for taking out grunts, but not for a final boss I think. That pattern worked well, is the perception boost helping as much as you thought?¡± Bryn asked as Jordan took out the floating prisoners. The Cactus Dogs would be a new creature they could report to the guild, grabbing a small bonus as they did.


    ¡°Yeah I can take in a decent amount of information quickly, it¡¯s more about processing it and communicating it in a timely manner that I¡¯m concerned about¡± Jordan said as his arrow flew in the creatures eyes.


    ¡°No one would guess you¡¯re smart on the battlefield based on the way you talk and act, but you¡¯re insanely talented when it comes to battlefield tactics, you¡¯ll get it down¡± Bryn said. Jordan smiled at the insult veiled as a compliment and finished the dogs for good.


    The dungeon had not been open for long and this phase of exploration emphasized the importance of information. The smaller level creatures usually had hints or were related to features the final boss had, so the guild paid for reports on any new creatures or traps. As Bryn took samples from the dead Cactus Dogs, Jordan examined the room they had just fought in.


    The round room was covered in sand with an intense heat much like the other rooms, but there were 6 different holes in the wall leading to stone pathways that were reported on the quest, each of them being 2000 feet long. Exploring each of these would take all day, and Jordan was already feeling tired from the first fight. ¡°Bryn, can we spare a den potion. If I use Credit we should be able to find every creature.¡± Jordan said.


    ¡°Yeah if we¡¯re taking tomorrow off we should be fine, grab them out of my pack¡± he said pointing his head to his bag. Considering his friend was wrist deep in a Cactus Dog mouth, he did not mind getting it himself. Rummaging through Bryns bag made it obvious to Jordan that he wasn¡¯t kidding about needing a storage bag. They were expensive but held up to 1000 lbs, it would pay for itself quickly. Drinking the potion gave him a familiar warm feeling, and he could feel the magical energy being restored in real time.


    After walking back to the center of the room, he knelt down and touched the sandy floor with the palm of his right hand. Activating the Nature¡¯s Credit Skill, he felt the magical energy flowing through him as he attempted to truly feel his surroundings. The den in his palm shot into the floor, and green roots grew out from underneath Jordan¡¯s feet. As they spread further, they began to snake down the passageways, and he could feel all the life force in the area at once.


    Nature¡¯s Credit was a skill Jordan had acquired at level 3, and it allows him to borrow upon the power of nature to gain insight into his environment within 1500 feet, easily enough to cover the whole section they were assigned. The environment itself became mapped out in Jordan¡¯s mind, and the aura of each living being in the area became known to him. The cost came at his skills being disabled for 1 hour, another downside that made the Ranger class appear weak to other adventurers.


    ¡°What are we looking at?¡± Bryn asked walking over from the dog corpses.


    ¡°There are 9 confirmed creatures, none of them had an especially powerful aura so we can probably take them out with lures and traps if we want to go right away¡± Jordan said, looking through his pack for more Doom Cubes. He felt something hit his head, and looked down to see a paper bag with his name on it. He instantly realized how hungry he was upon seeing the lunch he had packed.


    ¡°You already wasted enough money with that first cube today. Let¡¯s take a break while you get your skills back and then finish¡± Bryn said, opening a container that appeared to have rice and some mixture of vegetables. Jordan pulled his apple out and took a bite, enjoying the sweet flavor more than he thought he would.


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you ever pack yourself anything different?¡± Bryn asked. ¡°Every quest we go on is apple and turkey sandwich, how are you not bored of that yet?¡± He asked as he popped a piece of broccoli into his beak. The chopstick usage he displayed was impressive considering the size of his talons.


    ¡°When I make them I can taste the love in them. It makes it taste more delicious than any rice bowl ever could¡± he said, taking a bite of the love sandwich.


    ¡°Don¡¯t people usually say that about their spouse making the food, not themselves?¡± Bryn asked as he studied his notes while continuing to eat.


    ¡°I think they do but I don¡¯t think there¡¯s anything wrong with loving yourself. Plus my other favorite food are chicken nuggets and it feels like it¡¯d be offensive to eat those in front of you¡± Jordan said.


    Bryn sighed deeply as he put down his bowl and folded his hands. ¡°I¡¯m not a chicken Jordan, how many times do we have to have this conversation?¡± He asked trying to keep his composure.


    As Jordan continued eating and antagonizing Bryn, he made an effort to keep track of a new presence his Natures Credit had just picked up on. It came through the main entrance of this level of the dungeon so it couldn¡¯t be a monster they were assigned to kill.


    But whatever this presence was, violence dripped from its aura.

 Chapter 10: Over Encumbered

    As the sand began to fly into his face, he pulled his mask over his mouth and he noticed sand begin to leak from the stone walls around them.Bryn seemed to take notice as well and began organizing his pack and standing up.


    I heard rumors from May about the reports from the purple and blue parties that went down today.There¡¯s some sort of wind-based Djinn mini boss they¡¯re having trouble with.¡±He said as Jordan dusted himself off and lugged his gear on his back.


    He could still feel where the Nature¡¯s Credit Skill had guided him, and he led the way as Bryn continued to speak.


    It¡¯s good work for us, but the dungeon is too dangerous for civilians.Even if they put plenty of guards around the entrance, people hate the idea of monsters being at their doorstep.Some hate it so much that they move out into the country, where no dungeons have ever appeared.Getting rid of the dungeon quickly is good for business, and giving adventurers good incentives makes them work efficiently, which in turn is good for everyone¡¯s reputation.¡± Bryn said.Jordan hated the politics of the workplace, but Bryn loved the gossipy aspect of it, so Jordan smiled and nodded as he rambled.


    A couple of scorpions the size of small dogs and a floating eye were swiftly shot down by Jordan¡¯s arrows as Bryn studied the Convergence Circle they would be using for this floor''s final boss.


    It was considerably stronger than the thorny dogs they had just killed, but it was still manageable at their rank.Based on the desert environment, Bryn had narrowed down the specific circles he would need and continued to study the pattern until Jordan spoke up.


    Bryn looked over and saw a passageway that appeared to lead into a room similar in size where they had fought the Cactus Dogs.¡°I have a hunch, let me lead,¡± Jordan said as he readied his bow.The path to the entrance was cramped, with the sand pouring from the stone walls making the tight space feel even more claustrophobic.The hot air was suffocating to Bryn, as he panted and poured water over his head.The tengrathi¡¯s inability to sweat was something Bryn was quite ashamed of, as he found the panting he was forced to do was not exactly dignified.


    There were 2 main differences between this room and the others, however.


    The body of a hippo, the back of a crocodile, and the legs of a lion were the anatomy, and Jordan was not sure which feature was the most dominant.However, he was personally disturbed by the hippopotamus aspect the most.


    Dungeons were known for creating new monsters that didn''t exist in the world before.Many creatures that adventurers are contracted by Everwatch to dispose of were brought into the area by escaping from a dungeon.There were no concrete theories as to how the creatures were created in the dungeons or why, with this unique creature being another confusing example for future researchers.¡°I thought it was going to be a big snake, I was getting big snake vibes,¡± Jordan said, sadly slumping against the wall.Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.


    ¡°When you used Credit you said this one didn''t feel particularly strong right?¡± he asked as Jordan sat on the ground, sorting through the arrow additives he had left.


    Did you do any homework on what the weaknesses of a hippo atrocity are? That''s a work in progress on the name by the way¡±Jordan said.He had a paralyze and flash additive left, along with the big boy but that shouldn''t be necessary.


    He felt the den in his body uncomfortably travel through his body and into his nose.He took 3 deep inhales, aiming his Smell Weakness Skill at his target.The stink of this strange monster filled his nose, and he shuddered at the unpleasant aroma.As much as he hated the process, the glowing outline around the hippo atrocity made his objective clear.He readied his now and turned to Bryn.


    As it soared through the air, Jordan took a moment to take pride in how far his skill had come.His aim had always been exceptional compared to his peers even as a child, and his arrow struck its target yet again.It cried in pain, its scream that of a goat, which made the situation even more disturbing.Jordan''s moment of pride was ruined by the noise, and he continued slightly sadder than before.


    Jordan sprinted through the room to his grotesque target.Keeping count of the time the paralyze additive gave him, he pulled his sword out as he approached the creature''s neck.


    His sword cut through it like butter, the beast''s purple blood shooting out like a geyser above it.The scales on its back scraped on the stone floor, and its furry legs went limp.


    ¡°No stains this time, when I cleaned up slick rats I was covered in viscera every night.How do you like viscera I''m thinking of adding it to my vocabulary¡± Jordan said.


    You work on commission and part of that commission is documenting new creatures, how many tongues does it have?¡± Bryn said, examining the corpse.


    I haven''t been to the casino in 5 weeks I''m itching for any form of gambling¡± Jordan said walking to the wooden box at the end of the room.


    The chests contained random contents but were profitable enough that the incentive of chests alone drew parties to dungeon quests.Bryn looked down briefly at the corpse before following Jordan to the chest.


    Jordan began to reach toward the latch with his left hand but paused before pulling it back.He spit into his right hand, reaching back to the box again.


    That''s the motto that I made up in the moment.I''m hoping there''s a god out there that likes improv.¡± Jordan said.Opening the box, the pair looked in and saw a hefty amount of gold inside.It was nothing record-breaking, but Bryn estimates there was at least 300 gold inside.


    We should wrap this up soon, I want to spend some of this money.¡± Bryn said, writing their acquisition in his report.Adventurers kept all of the treasure from the chests they found but were encouraged to report the results to the guild so they could gather accurate data.


    The pair covered their ears in pain, and as they lowered their hands, Bryn noticed a smoking hole in the chest.They looked toward the origin of the sound toward the passageway entrance and saw 2 figures.


    The man he was with looked much stranger though.He seemed mostly human, but his right arm appeared to be made of some sort of metal.He was tall and lean wearing a black vest with no shirt underneath.He wore brown leather pants with holsters on both legs, and the black boots on his feet crackled with den.

 Chapter 11: Greed

    His parents were hard-working people who did not coddle him, and if he did something wrong or did poorly in school he would be terrified to go home and deal with his mothers wrath. Whenever he was in trouble, it amazed him that the youthful elven glow she was normally enveloped in could be swapped for the face of a terrifying authority figure at a moment''s notice.The moment she felt like he was endangering his future through his stupid actions, she had a tendency to overcorrect through discipline.Luckily, his father managed to calm the both of them down when necessary, and the support his parents gave to both each other and him allowed him to have a stable and safe childhood.He hadn¡¯t truly had to meet the malice of others face to face.


    The vampire had the instinct to kill him, and he tried to do it.The event, while traumatizing, was something Jordan could pass off as essentially a wild animal attack.But as he looked at the blank white eyes of the metal gunman across the room from him, he truly felt intelligent malice for the first time.


    His stride was relaxed and cocky, and he sighed while approaching as if doing chores.The small cleric following behind him, carrying a staff in one hand and a book with a purple cover in the other.His sharp elven face gave a look of apathy as he leaned on his staff to walk.They oozed with an aura of superiority, as if they had the word bully stamped on their foreheads.As they approached, Jordan could feel his muscles tense, and his hand slowly inched to his bow involuntarily.


    He spoke with a calm smoothness that oozed of practiced deception.We heard some new kids were in the area and wanted to see if we could help out.¡± Joshua¡¯s tone was condescending, speaking to the pair as if they were children who got caught stealing candy.Bryn narrowed his eyes and frowned.


    I¡¯m sure you know how dungeons work, the longer tenured adventurers get the loot.If you took that, you might get in trouble with the guild.You could call it a bit of an overreaction, but uncle Josh is just looking out for you¡± he said with a disturbing, toothy smile that paired horribly with his blank eyeballs.


    However, the dungeon was open to anyone who presented a detection stone, so another party could enter the dungeon and go wherever they want.It was frowned upon to steal other parties loot, but not explicitly against Everwatch rules.


    He had taken in his usual breaths to activate it, but nothing was happening.Did these guys not have weaknesses? No, the skill doesn¡¯t work like that.Everything has a weakness, opponents with higher levels still have them, you will just never touch them.


    Using this skill will make your opponents vision of you slow upon activation.


    As they continued walking closer, Bryn looked over at Jordan with confused panic on his face.


    Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.


    Someone in my heads ringing bells and¡­whatever¡± Jordan said as he pulled Bryn off the platform the chest was on.The effect of the feign skill was clear as Joshua confidently aimed at where Jordan had stood 2 seconds ago and fired.Bryn and Jordan immediatelytook of for the passageway entrance.They had improved considerably at their jobs in the previous 2 months, and their chemistry while working together was making their party surprisingly successful. Unfortunately, they¡¯re still a ranger and an alchemist.The firepower they possess is nowhere near that of their peers, meaning that evasion and strategy had to be their strongest weapons.


    The lack of cover made Joshua¡¯s position enviable, and Jordan knew it as the pair ducked and dodged.He changed the pattern of his run to be able to see his opponents better, and saw the positions they were taking.As expected, Joshua sat crouched next to the chest, aiming his rifle at the 2.The cleric was running toward them, and had tossed his staff to the side.


    I¡¯ll try and take out his talkative friend.If you see I¡¯m struggling, use a smoke potion to bail.I still have outs if I need them, so let¡¯s try to fight.¡±Jordan said as he barely dodged a shot from Joshua ¡°Plus I have a friend back home named Harry.He owes me money, and this will let me get some aggression out¡± Jordan said, grabbing his bow off his back.He turned and immediately fired toward Joshua, causing him to dodge and momentarily lose his position.


    ¡°Find the weakness, hit it quickly, retreat¡± Jordan whispered to himself.This mantra was repeating in his head whenever he fought, and the illusion of control this phrase provided always helped to calm him.Taking his breaths in again, his normal Smell Weakness activated.While he was happy for that in this moment, he needed to figure out how to switch between the two.The clerics right knee began glowing, and Jordan made note of that as he aimed his bow.Before he could fire, his vision went white.


    He could only see white, and randomly fired the arrow he had ready.He stopped and dropped his bow, as he began touching his eyes frantically.As panic began to set in, his vision returned.He took a moment to adjust his eyes, and the first thing he saw clearly was Harry¡¯s smiling face.The elf¡¯sright gauntlet cracked into Jordan¡¯s side, knocking him several feet over.He landed face down in the sand, his bow clattering to the ground.


    Based on the sound he heard at least 2 or 3 ribs were broken, and his mouth was filled sand as his moans of pain involuntarily left his body.He forced himself to push through the pain in his side and stood up, knowing he would not be able to take another hit like that.


    Or it could really hurt and I¡¯ll die, one or the other¡± Jordan said as he charged at Harry once again.The pain he felt was intense, but the adrenaline pumping through his body pushed it out of his mind.He unsheathed his sword and lunged at Harry, who quickly sidestepped and went for another blow.


    This was a risky tactic considering he had no more ways to cover himself, but his curiosity combined with the effectiveness of a successful result pushed Bryn to use his remaining smoke potion to protect himself from Joshua.The circle was difficult to see in these conditions, but this was the easiest one to draw.Just as the potion began to fade, he drew the final line and immediately drank his last enhance potion.He sprinted out of the cloud, the effects of the potion making him even faster than Jordan, albeit for about 10 seconds.


    The 4th shot he fired hit Bryn square in the head, though it was absorbed by his defense crystal.


    We both have our big boys left, this should work¡± Bryn thought as the cube flew through the air.Before the cube began descending, a loud bang echoed through the room.The cube exploded in the air, the explosion of fire uselessly fading above.


    ¡°That shouldn¡¯t be possible¡± Bryn thought, swerving sharply in an attempt to throw off his aim.A doom cube was bulletproof, except for the small red button on its side used to activate it.Joshua had to reload, aim, and hit that small of a target in seconds.How skilled of a marksman was he?


    ¡°Jordan bail!¡± Bryn shouted, sprinting to the passageway entrance they had originally entered from.The more the defense crystals fell, the more Bryn felt his mortality.The fear pushed him forward and tunnel vision took over. He didn¡¯t see or hear anything as he sprinted to the passageway.Arriving at the entrance he saw Jordan was not with him.Looking back to the battle, Bryn saw what transpired while he ran, and he wasn¡¯t sure what to make of it.

 Chapter 12: The Cost Of Business

    He had a feeling this section boss wouldn¡¯t be detectable through Nature¡¯s Credit, the skill only detecting creatures 3 levels above him or lower.That being said, how could something this massive be so fast?


    Steam poured from its nose, and the burning body of the cleric exploded as its hands erupted in flames.Though this all intimidated Jordan, what had scared him the most was the beast''s speed.


    In the moment he had dodged, Jordan had managed to pull off the right gauntlet from Harry¡¯s wrist and violently shoved him as hard as he could.The distance between them gave Jordan the time to aim his bow again, but Harry recovered quickly and charged headfirst back into the battle.As he prepared another strike with his remaining gauntlet, he stopped moving.


    ¡°What is happening, ranger?¡± He said in a surprisingly soothing, feminine voice.The sound of his voice surprised Jordan so much that he stumbled in the sand momentarily.


    I¡¯ll give you the summary.I put a paralysis additive on you when I took off the first of these¡± Jordan said, as he ran up to Harry and took his remaining gauntlet.He pointed to his wrist and Harry looked down to see a yellow paste-like substance on his wrist.He scowled underneath his mask, feeling a small amount of movement return.


    ¡°This looks fun, it¡¯s probably not for me in the long run but I love trying new things.Sorry, you have to be out of commission in the next 5 seconds, can¡¯t have you moving.If you ever stop being a mean thief we should hang out, I don¡¯t know any other elves, just birds¡± Jordan said, which he followed by throwing several consecutive punches.Harry fell to the ground, bruises immediately forming on his face.


    Bryn had already used his last smokescreen, so Jordan knew he needed to try to take advantage of it and finish the gunslinger quickly.


    No blood poured as the flames that engulfed the Minotaur''s hands immediately cauterized any wounds.This creature was massive, but it was able to appear in front of him in a matter of seconds.


    In an instant, it dropped the cleric''s body and dashed at Jordan.


    If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    Way too fast.


    He felt it pop out of place, and the screaming pain on his skin indicated he had received a serious burn.As he fell to the ground, he immediately gathered himself and began his run to the other side of the room.


    The Minotaur was the boss of the section they were assigned and was not something they could kill easily.They had originally planned to clear out the rest of the dungeon and set up the battlefield to their advantage as they had done in previous missions.


    That strike had been excruciating, but it showed this section boss¡¯ size was deceiving: its strength is speed not power.


    Jordan peered over his shoulder and saw Joshua firing at the beast, the blue den crackling around his boots increasing in volume around him.As he continued to take shots, the bullets began glowing with den as well.After the 3rd one hit its leg, the Minotaur turned to Joshua, steam exiting from its snout.


    After the cloud of sand settled, Jordan could see he had gotten lucky.Joshua lay pinned against the wall behind the treasure chest by the Minotaur horn.The creature had pierced his chest, and blood flowed from his mouth like a bursting dam.


    A burst of ice exploded from the rifle, and the beast flung its head back in shock.It appeared to Jordan that Joshua used similar additives to him. The Minotaur tossed him to the ground with a flick of its neck and stood completely still.The lack of movement was early until a mountain of steam began pouring from the ice covering the Minotaur''s head.After a few seconds, the creature was unfrozen and again turned its attention to Jordan.It looked to the corner of the room where it saw its target, standing with his bow aimed.It snorted confidently and took off toward its target with menacing swiftness.


    ¡°Thanks, Uncle Josh, I might not have had the time to get here if it wasn¡¯t for you,¡± he said as he aimed the only arrow he owned that was painted black.


    He knew the math worked out, that Minotaur would have to be at least as strong as the true vampire from their first quest to survive this.But seeing a creature with that terrifying of a presence was entirely different from reading numbers on paper.


    They lacked firepower and had considerably more potion expenses just to allow Bryn to participate in the field.Due to these weaknesses, they made up for it the best they could.They budgeted well, took on jobs every day, and had nightly hour-long meetings where they discussed strategy and tactics.They had worked together so much they had developed an unspoken chemistry, which is why Bryn knew he didn¡¯t need to tell Jordan what that circle did.


    Jordan would just need to use his secret weapon to provide the extra firepower needed to finish a section boss.


    The black arrow he had nocked began to be surrounded by the electricity as well, and Jordan used his Relaxed Hand Skill to force his hand to steady despite his dislocated shoulder.The sand around him began to rise off the ground as the air itself hummed with the energy of the Long Range Convergence Circle, a design Bryn had picked specifically for him.Jordan smiled at his friend¡¯s thoughtfulness and released the arrow at the inferno charging toward him.

 Chapter 13: The Long Run

    Crackling black and blue energy swirled around the creature and exploded with a blinding flash of magical pressure.The force of the blast blew Jordan off his feet, causing him to crash into a nearby wall.Once the ringing in his ears quieted down, he attempted to steady his vision as he looked around the battlefield.


    As Jordan drank, he felt the strength the Cost Of Business arrow had taken from him.The arrow had been enchanted with a Cost spell, which traded the health of the user for a single, deadly shot.This combined with the Long Range Circle allowed Jordan to take a shot with the equivalent power of a level 9 adventurer, albeit only once and nearly keeling over from exhaustion afterwards.


    They hadn''t been in a situation where their last resorts were necessary and he was concerned about the toll it would take on Jordan.


    ¡°I could feel the arrow draining me as I fired it.That and using the rest of my den on the Long Range Circle has left me quite exhausted.You should give me food and money since I''m so tired¡± Jordan said sarcastically, plopping on his back in a dramatic fashion.


    Bryn walked over to the Minotaur''s corpse which was still smoldering.


    The sandy floor below the beast had been transformed into a glass-like substance from the heat of explosion, and Bryn marveled at the power their party was able to unleash.


    Yet here he stood, the battlefield transformed by the sheer power his party had demonstrated.The image of what remained of the minotaur atop the glass floor reminded Bryn of one of the modern art pieces his mother loved, and he began to get lost in the image.


    I was doing funny haha jokes so you''d know I was ok but I''m as functional as a bag of expired grapes right now.¡± Jordan shouted from across the room, snapping Bryn back to attention.Bryn helped Jordan over to the side of the room where they made a temporary camp.They still needed to clear out the remaining small enemies from the section, and Jordan would need time to recover.


    They were unable to find Joshua¡¯s body after the fight.Jordan assumed he must have escaped in the chaos, and the pair decided not to pursue him any further.Considering his party member was killed in front of him and the gaping chest wound he received from the minotaur horn, the two of them decided not to tell anyone about what he had done.Uncle Josh had enough to deal with.


    Using the detect creature stone, they confirmed all enemies had been eliminated and left the dungeon.The contents of the chest along with the reward money proved to be a handsome payout for the pair, and the guild points they were awarded would officially make them Gold level, in about 3 weeks when the paperwork cleared.


    ¡°The burden of this heavy bag is making me sleepy.I¡¯m going to go home, take my medicine, and read my book by the fire.¡± He said walking in the direction of the Shadow District.


    Jordan stood still, torn between his options.He was an adult man, and he was within his rights to say no and go home.However, he also knew that he would regret not eating a free piece of that delicious pie.


    Bryn began politely eating his cake at a normal pace, while Jordan devoured his like he had been starved for weeks.Blackerby¡¯s Blackberries was the local delight of the Gold District, the only place in the area where rich and poor came together.The product was cheaper and higher quality than any other bakery in the city, and the friendly environment combined with the heavenly aroma of baked goods calmed Jordan in a way nothing else could. Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.


    He cleared his throat loudly, and as Jordan looked up with his face covered in jam, Bryn shook his head and laughed.


    not my fault if you grow up to be a bad adult.But seriously wipe your face, I know people here¡± Bryn said shoving a napkin at Jordan.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to hear it, especially after you tried to baby bird me when we ate at Georgina¡¯s last week.¡± Jordan said with his mouth full.


    Whatever let¡¯s get on to business, you bother me¡± Bryn said as he pulled out a file.


    What do we got?¡± Jordan said, looking at the file Bryn opened as he sipped on his drink.


    But I have some crazy plans, and you deserve to be in the know about the crazy¡± Bryn said nervously.While he knew the two of them had a good partnership, he knew this was a hefty proposition.


    He sat back and looked toward the ceiling, pondering Bryn¡¯s question.What   He had a good life back home, his parents were good to him, and he even had a small group of friends he was close with.He could have stayed home, worked a normal job, and remained safe and content.


    The road ahead for him to make a good living adventuring was difficult, full of risk and uncertainty.Sure he liked being friends with Bryn, and he had gotten used to living in this city, but nothing was really tying him down here.Realistically he could leave anytime and go back home, with the world continuing to turn, ignorant to his existence.


    He wanted to form a guild that was known in every corner of the world.He wanted to travel to new countries, uncovering mysteries and fighting powerful enemies.He wanted to visit home after he had become a legendary adventurer so he could see how proud his parents were.He wanted to make more friends like Bryn, and have his own circle of companions that he could rely on.


    When did he become¡­ passionate?


    He passed it to Jordan, the bold letters at the top catching his eye.


    All weapons and items are legal, and the arena will take place on a shifting battlefield.


    First place will automatically be awarded with the opportunity to create an independent guild.


    As enticing as those numbers were, he wasn¡¯t sure what Bryn was getting at.¡°Seems we¡¯re getting ambitious my feathered friend.Well I¡¯m listening¡± Jordan said as he leaned back into his chair while crossing his arms.


    He sighed as he looked into the sky, seemingly lost in thought for a moment.


    I realized it after I saw you fire that shot yesterday.We can make this work, and we can make it work better than other people can.We might be weaker than the other parties, but I think we try harder and strategize better. This tournament is in 8 months, and I truly believe that if we try, we might be able to win.¡±Bryn said as he leaned forward getting progressively more excited.¡°That might be a bit too ambitious, but if we win 3 or 4 rounds, we¡¯ll be so ahead on points and money we can start our own guild by the end of the year even if we don¡¯t win.¡± Bryn¡¯s eyes burned with determination, and Jordan could tell he was completely serious.Having their own guild would make recruiting easier, along with the other advantages their own guild would provide.


    Your passion is always welcome, if not a little scary.But we do have some work to do to even qualify.¡± Jordan said as he looked at the large 3 staring back at him.¡°Also is this amount of points even possible in this amount of time?¡± He asked.


    We need to keep our eye out for a 3rd party member that could be permanent.This would be the preferred plan since we need to grow our party eventually anyway.If we can¡¯t find anyone, worst case scenario we hire an independent and go from there.¡± Bryn said as he flicked through the other papers in the file.

 Chapter 14: Tunnel Vision

    He had to admit it smelled better than the Georgina¡¯s extermination he did 3 months ago, but slick rats are an enemy modern hygiene could never be prepared for.As he turned the corner, his Sense Weakness skill detected his targets injured leg less than 100 feet away.He was thankful his skill had evolved to not rely on smell any longer, specifically on this mission.


    He stopped 6 feet before the corner and took the hood off his cloak, tossing it in front of him.Once the cloak passed the wall, a small shadow pounced on it, stabbing a knife directly into where the neck would be.


    Just as Jordan drove his sword toward the goblin¡¯s neck, it disappeared in a cloud of red smoke.Jordan accidentally inhaled some and began coughing loudly, before he felt a sharp pain in his calf.The goblin had appeared behind him, and went for another strike with its dagger.


    He screamed in pain as blood and spit flew from his mouth, and Jordan grimaced as he felt some of it land on his leg.¡°That¡¯s going to need a lot of disinfectant¡± Jordan said as he turned around.The goblin shrieked with rage, and with red den crackling around his dagger, Jordan knew from the report what was coming.


    That trip was to sign up for a Journey Quest, a type of quest sponsored by the Zyphtal Everwatch Branch that allows adventurers from the city to take on quests in far off locations.Instead of normal quests that take 1-2 days and are finished within the city, Journey Quests require the party to leave the city and live in the quests location for 1-3 months.Due to the requirement of leaving their homes, these quests pay extraordinarily well, both in gold and guild points.


    Bryn had reserved their spot already, so all they had to do was qualify when the day came.Soon after the battle with the Minotaur, the Desert Dungeon was closed by a party of black rank wizards.With that source of quests cutoff, Bryn did the math and figured out it would be more beneficial for them to split up and do individual jobs.


    His most recent quest was to track down Bermuth, a goblin rogue who had gone rogue (haha) from Everwatch and was doing work for Red Hank, an infamous crime boss who controlled the flow of illegally modified weapons and potions for most of Zypthal.


    Jordan took a brief moment to think of his options, knowing he couldn¡¯t take that strike or even let Bermuth get close.If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.


    Normally he preferred fighting with a bow, having the mobility and range it provided played to his strengths better in combat.However, that morning when Jordan looked at his viewing stone, a new skill popped up.


    A peculiar skill was unique to its owner, with no other adventurer having that skill.Although, because no one else had it, there was no way to know his the skill worked outside of trial and error.


    He sighed as he got up, lamenting the fact this peculiar skill was still a mystery to him.As he traveled through the sewer, he found the entrance he had come in from and climbed up.


    As he made his way down the street, he noticed an unusual amount of noise coming from an alley he was approaching.Peeking around the corner he saw 2 men, a large half elf and a skinny human,in hoods cornering a young elven woman.She had a look of fear on her face, and the men were surrounding her.


    ¡°Ok guys let¡¯s calm down, I''m sure you can see how bad of a look this is so-¡± Jordan said as the 2 figures immediately dashed toward him.¡°Ok surprisingly aggressive!¡± Jordan shouted as he jumped back.He took a moment to examine the assailants, his perception improving with every level he gained.Based on the speed at which they were moving and the gear they had, they couldn''t have been higher than level 4.


    The human kept low, going for Jordan¡¯s leg with a dagger.Spinning out of the way of the blade, he struck down on the small man, cutting deeply into his back as he let out a pained scream.The elven man dashed and got behind Jordan, a ball of lighting forming in his hand.He threw the crackling sphere of den at Jordan, who barely ducked out of the way as it exploded against the wall next to him.Jordan looked over at the wall, hoping to assess how strong his magic was.


    She must have tried to escape when the fight started, and he was too focused on the fight to notice.He didn''t even remember she was there for a moment.All he had been focused on was swinging his sword and figuring out this skill.It would have been simple to change his positioning to ensure her safety, but he dove right in so he could use his sword.


    With blinding speed, Jordan took his bow off his back and fired a shot into his leg.The man fell to the ground once again, his moans of pain echoing through the alley.Without looking, Jordan equipped a paralyze additive and fired at the elf, striking him in his shoulder before he could fire off another spell.


    He watched anxiously, hoping he was still within the potions time limit.He breathed a deep sigh of relief as he saw the burns fade.He walked over to the paralyzed elf, smacking him in the head with his bow as he fell unconscious.After taking the girl to the nearest Cleric Clinic, Jordan reported the thugs to the guild and began his walk home.


    Rangers are generals, captains, and¡­ leaders.But a leader doesn''t let someone innocent get hurt to feed his ego.If something like that happened on the Journey Quest, both he and Bryn would be dead very quickly. Jordan tightened his fist as he walked, the frustration he felt with himself nearly causing him to shake.


    ¡°It¡¯s my job to see everything, I need to remember to look¡± he said, the darkness of his home district feeling oddly comforting for the first time.

 Chapter 15: Useful

    The Fungon herb was a common poison used for additives, and the guild had been getting flooded with requests for them since the Elemental Rift started popping out Dark Leopards.Those adorable kittens are fast and can tear your throat out, but a drop of the poison made from the herb that Bryn put into his basket would kill it instantly.With no water in the Elemental plane, the creatures that lived there had no evolutionary need to build immunity to these herbs.


    He had used the extra money they earned from the Desert Dungeon to buy it, and not only was it worth every copper, he was able to afford the extra cost of getting it in navy blue.


    Since he and Jordan had started doing their own quests, he decided to commit to growing his value in combat.The Journey Quest would be difficult if Jordan had to handle most of the combat himself, and Bryn wanted to eliminate that potential tension as soon as possible.


    Crackling with den and standing over 8 feet tall, a lightning turtle was one of the more imposing animals that roamed this forest.Rumored to be another experiment from The Guild Of Infinite Thought, these creatures resembled large sea turtles aside from the energy that constantly surrounded them.Unfortunately for Bryn, the turtle had noticed him first.Using the Lightning Dash Skill, it shot at him with unbelievable speed.


    He tumbled into the bushes on the side of the path, his face smacking into the dirt.As he got up, he looked down at the prototype on his wrist.There were more reliable ways to get out of this, but what was the point of making the Arsenal Watch if not for situations like this?


    Once Bryn was on his feet again, he looked down at the watch.The brass on the outside of it covered the delicate machinery inside.Bryn could feel the slots in the watch that the potions would be injected through, and he hoped the tubing would be fully protected by the metal shell.


    He turned the dial on his watch to the vial holding the enhance potion and pressed down, the pressure injecting the potion directly into him.He felt the effects immediately, without the usual delay that drinking a potion has.It was only about a minute, but every seconds counts when giant turtles are involved.


    It wouldn¡¯t have been impossible to beat the turtle on his own, but his quest was already over.Fighting monsters off the clock tends to lead to a quick burnout.


    More testing needed to be done, but this investment felt like it had been worth the money and then some as far as he was concerned.The injection took effect immediately which meant the offensive capabilities were as promising as him enhancing himself.After dropping the portion of his haul owed to the guild, Bryn threw his hood up and made his way to his next destination.As he crossed the border from the Gold District, he turned his headlamp on and followed the usual route he took.


    There is a wooden door with a bright red handle in this alleyway, and a password was needed to enter.As Bryn approached he knocked 6 times on the door, as was policy.He immediately heard a gruff voice from the other side.


    Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.


    ¡°It¡¯s pickles by the way¡± he said as the door creaked open.Behind it stood a young gnome man who couldn¡¯t have been more than 2 feet tall.He had rosy red cheeks and wore a button that had a logo of potion bottle.His bright green polo shirt and pleated khakis accompanied his large blue eyes filling with tears.


    Remembering things isn¡¯t my thing, I work better with my hands.I¡¯m just not an idea guy.¡± He said in a trembling voice.


    Carl used to live in Bryn¡¯s dorm and had fallen on hard times.It was difficult to look at the gnome with anything but pity, so Bryn recommended Carl for a job watching the door of the Midnight Market.They hired him immediately since no one had been hired to watch the door, which seemed like a major oversight for an illegal operation as far as Bryn was concerned.


    A group of alchemists created a base in the sewer system years ago, eventually expanding it to serve as a market for alchemy ingredients.However, the shadiness of the location turned it into a popular place for illegal drugs, weapons, and experimental ingredients not approved for sale yet.


    The door he had walked through appeared on the outside to lead into one of the buildings along the alley, but in fact it led directly down to the sewers below.


    The stench of the sewer was overpowered by the strange mix of smells coming from the market stalls. Alchemists of every age and race would come to the market and set up stalls, hoping to make big deals and expand their business even further.While many of these vendors had unique items, Bryn knew exactly where he was going.


    However, Bryn had only been to one stall since he began visiting the Midnight Market.13 stalls down from the wooden door he entered through on the right stood a stall draped in blood red curtains, the rat skull on the front confirming to Bryn he had the right place.


    The suit jacket was so baggy it made the elf seem as if he were a child wearing his father¡¯s jacket.Most might have mistaken him for a child if not for his worn, elderly face.For an elf to have visible wrinkles, they must be at least 800 years old, and Frank passed that milestone long ago.


    He handed the bag over and Frankpoured the contents on the table.As tough as his exterior seemed, Frank had welcomed Bryn the first day he had visited the market, and had earned himself a loyal customer in exchange.


    Frank was nice, but he was still a businessman who wouldn¡¯t pass up a good deal from a naive kid.¡°How much are we looking at?¡± Bryn asked.


    Bryn knew his wrinkled friend was lowballing him, yet he didn¡¯t want to look cheap by arguing over a couple gold.That instinct left him quickly as he remembered the quality of apartment he lived in.


    You have to do better than that¡± Bryn said, crossing his arms.


    ¡°You¡¯re annoying, but in a funny way, so I¡¯ll work with you more than you probably deserve.Looking for trade at all?¡± Frank asked, standing up and showing off his spindly legs.


    Frank shambled over to a safe in the back, channeling den into the lock and causing it to pop open.He grabbed a piece of paper from it before closing the safe once again and creakily walking back to the front of the stand.¡°I made a recipe for exactly that a couple years ago, you can have it for all of these plus 5 gold.¡±He said, placing the paper on the table in front of him.


    I could get a decent amount more gold from one of the other vendors around here¡± Bryn said sternly.Frank looked at Bryn unfazed and chuckled slightly.


    More than that, you¡¯re crazier about this potion crap than anyone I¡¯ve ever met, so I know that


    After unrolling it and skimming over it, he knew he would be able to adapt the recipe fairly easily.¡°You¡¯re robbing me but it¡¯s a good quality product that you give me in exchange so I¡¯ll forgive you.Thanks again Frank¡± Bryn said with a smile as he began to walk away.Before going too far, Bryn stopped and turned around.¡°Oh I forgot to mention, I tested the prototype today and it worked like a charm.When are you going to be able to make more?¡± Bryn asked as he walked back over.


    ¡°Not for a few months, but you¡¯ll be the first person I tell when The Dead Rat is open for business¡± he said excitedly.

 Chapter 16: In Town For Work

    As he blindly swiped his hand before finally smacking it down on the snooze button, he hoped that Bryn had made waffles like he said he would.Looking over at the screen, he admired the progress he had made in his first 6 months, though it was frustrating that he hadn¡¯t figured out that peculiar skill yet.


    7:00 am


    After rotting for an additional 15 minutes and 2 more alarms, Jordan rose to greet the day.


    He gathered what he would need for the trip, trying to remember if he had put the cleaning spray for his bow with the other items he had stashed in Bryn¡¯s storage bag.It was hard to overstate how good of an investment that had been, especially since Jordan didn¡¯t have to pay for it.


    The two of them hadn¡¯t been world class interior decorators, but it had at least felt like someone lived there.Jordan looked to the kitchen, and saw Bryn cooking up chocolate chip waffles, presumably with the only remaining dishes in the apartment.


    Bryn turned to him with a raised eyebrow, his beak scrunching up to show his annoyance.


    You¡¯re a sick freak.¡± Bryn said as he slid 2 delectable chocolate chip waffles onto a plate and handed them to Jordan.The aroma alone could make Jordan weep, but he stopped himself as the tears would make his waffles less crispy.He ravenously dug in, and as he did Bryn served his own waffles and stood at the counter.


    We¡¯re not coming back after the ship leaves and Morton doesn¡¯t have the same kind of shops we do.¡± Bryn said like a mother checking on her child.


    Bryn looked at Jordan with surprise, not because he was eating a waffle with his hand, that was normal for him.Bryn was impressed at Jordan being unusually prepared, though he would be less impressed if he knew Jordan had just tossed everything he owns into the storage bag randomly.


    It was small, the hot water was inconsistent, and Jordan was pretty sure to this day there was a rat living in the roof.However, this apartment was the first they were both able to call their own.As they left through the front door for the final time, Bryn looked one last time and smiled.Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.


    We were always working anyway, it¡¯s not like this place was ever home for us.¡± Bryn said unconvincingly.


    ¡°Yeah this place sucks.The next apartment we get when we come back is going to be way better.¡±


    It might even have a gym, I hate having to exercise at home.¡± Bryn said excitedly.


    Our lives are really looking up.¡± Jordan said as the two continued down the hall.¡°We just have to remember how hard it was to get out of here, because I¡¯ll live on the streets before sharing a place this awful with you again¡± Jordan said, yelping as Bryn smacked him in the back of the head.


    They had signed up for this Journey Quest months ago, but had only received the details of their destination the previous week.For the next 2 months, Bryn and Jordan would be living in the country of Morton.


    Originally, Morton was a small island nation that specialized in selling a resource specific to their country, the Gwon Fruit.This fruit was known to not only be sweet and delicious, but also gave temporary boosts in combat.Centuries of peace in Morton were disrupted by Lord Yamuthe, the first demon king.While it was debated as to how he did so, he eventually rose to power in Morton and used the profits from the Gwon Fruit to wage war on several neighboring countries.


    Their battle and the ensuing magical fallout turned the once serene and tropical nation into a dark, scorched battlefield.By the end of the fighting, Yamuthe was killed and Syreph was missing.With their leaders fallen, the two countries attempted to rebuild.However, the scars of war were apparent all across Morton, and Bryn and Jordan were positive their trip would be far from relaxing.


    The pair went up to the gangway of the ship, presenting their Journey passes to the armor clad Orc attendant.These passes had been provided when they accepted the journey quest, and would serve as proof that they were on guild business should their presence in Morton ever be questioned.As they boarded the ship, Jordan looked around, taking in what would be home for the next 2 weeks.


    The dark wooden material was reinforced with iron, and the small passenger capacity gave it plenty of speed without sacrificing supplies.The attendant pointed them to their room, and as they walked in that direction, a door opened and a goblin man wearing only red gym shorts toppled out onto the floor.He was soaked with sweat, and his green skin was steaming.


    His voice was dry from presumably dehydration, but still managed to intimidate the pair with its raspy authority.¡°One of you get me water please.Goblins explode when they reach a certain temperature so this is for your own safety as much as mine.¡± The man said as his voice strained from the lack of moisture.


    Once the whole bottle was drained, he tossed it against the wall next to him, letting out a loud belch.The aroma filled the hallway immediately, the intensity of the smell causing Bryn to back up slightly.


    My health isn¡¯t what it used to be and these days I have to do anything I can to stay as beautiful and physically attractive as possible.I started getting a cold this morning and I¡¯ve been trying to kick it all day.Eustace said smoke would work so I set my bed on fire and tried inhaling the smoke.What do you have to say for yourself Eustace!¡± The goblin shouted toward the main entrance.


    You can¡¯t trust anyone under the age of 65.How old are you buddy?¡± The goblin said as he scratched his back (hopefully).


    We would have to chill outside of work hours of course.¡± He said with the rasp in his voice somehow getting worse after drinking water.


    I¡¯m one of the only people that takes these solo missions anymore, most rogues that work solo aren¡¯t doing standard quests these days¡± Luther bragged. ¡°Im also supposed to brief some newbies on their mission, maybe they¡¯ll end up being fans of mine once they¡¯re in my very cool aura¡± he said as Jordan struggled to listen.


    ¡°Why yes I am, it looks like you guys are my contacts.Don¡¯t fall in love with me now, as difficult as it may be to resist.¡± He said pointing finger guns at the party.

 Chapter 17: The Rundown

    It had been an hour since its departure from Zephtal, and the only 3 passengers were gathered around a table in a makeshift meeting room.This ship was used to transport cargo with adventurers being a second priority, and that could be felt intensely in the cramped space Bryn, Jordan, and Luther were huddled up in.Luther had allowed the boys to settle in and unpack their things after their steamy meeting.The pair had the impression they would each get their own room, but that was clearly not the case as they found each other room to be full of various spices and furniture meant for Morten.


    The king size bed would fit them both, the nightstands on either side had viewing crystals, and the closet was just big enough for their luggage.The pair met Luther in the meeting room.He was no longer shirtless, now sporting a hooded maroon cloak and form fitting leather armor.His pointed ears stuck out of his hood, and his red eyes stood out sharply on his wrinkled, green facd.Looking at him now, Jordan would have been slightly intimidated if he hadn¡¯t just seen this man sweating and panting profusely.He seemed much more composed now, leaning back in his chair without a care in the world.Jordan and Bryn joined him at the table, the cheap wooden stools creaking below them.


    ¡°I¡¯m assuming no one told you the specifics of your mission?¡± He asked.They both shook their heads nervously, as this was something that Bryn especially had been nervous about.They hadn¡¯t received any details when accepting the quest, and even when they were assigned to Morten, they were just given the ship details and location.


    ¡°Don¡¯t start molting buddy, it¡¯s nothing serious.You accept the mission, the guild gives you a handsome contact point¡± he said as he gave a wide mouth smile and pointed both his thumbs at himself.¡°And you get the mission details on the way.These Journey Quests take a ton of resources for both Everwatch and the people that requested your service, so they want to make sure the adventurers don¡¯t get cold feet if they don¡¯t like something they hear in the briefing.¡± He said concisely.Bryn was impressed at how knowledgeable the goblin seemed, despite his strange behavior.


    Jordan could tell Luther enjoyed the feeling of giving information he had that other people didn¡¯t, and he couldn¡¯t help but respect that about him.¡°This town is comprised of a mostly demon population, and is essentially a marsh town.It¡¯s humid like you wouldn¡¯t believe, moisture is your enemy so stay dry.The village is next to a swamp that¡¯s known to be thick with den, it¡¯s probably what the toads are attracted to.¡± Luther said, nodding at his revelation.


    The aftershocks were so intense it cause the ground to split all the way through to Dragmoor, and the town has been trying to recover ever since.¡± He said as he took a knife from his pocket and began spinning it around his finger.¡°It¡¯s pretty cool I can do that without looking huh?¡± Luther said as he made eye contact with Jordan.


    This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.


    ¡°I suppose what¡¯s most important is your job:for the next two months, you¡¯ll be the towns protectors.You¡¯ll be doing daily patrols on the town¡¯s borders, following up on any reports by the citizens, and dealing with the groups that have been harassing the town.¡± Luther said as he sat forward slightly more seriously.


    Nevermore is definitely harassing¡± Luther said, causing both Bryn and Jordan to tense up slightly.Nevermore is a well known criminal Guild led by former adventurers, their influence apparently spreading outside of Zephtal¡¯s borders.¡°I dealt with a small gang of them back home, they were trying to steal a scroll from a museum I had taken a quest to guard.¡± Jordan said, his tone quieting.¡°They were frisky but I was able to hold them off until the town guards arrived.Is it a large group?¡± He asked.


    They won¡¯t take their entire faction and invade or anything, so just make sure the few that come by don¡¯t cause too much damage.¡± Luther said picking at his teeth with his fingernail.


    Whether or not the bandits are still operational after your 2 months are up isn¡¯t your problem.May I finish?¡± He asked.


    ¡°Other than the bandits there¡¯s been 2 other reoccurring issues:the plants and the Trip Toads.¡± He said as the pair both reacted to the mention of the latter.¡°The town has unusual plant growth that seeps into the walls of the buildings and into the roads.It seems to be stemming from a large unopened flower in the middle of the swamp outside town.No one seems to know what to do with that, I would say just trim the plants every day and do as much damage control as possible.¡± He said shrugging his shoulders.The nonchalant way he presented their job to them bothered Bryn, but he held his tongue as Luther continued.


    These are some nasty fellas, a gift that came from a demon alchemist¡¯s little experiment.They¡¯re about the size of a horse and the toxic sludge constantly oozing from their pores both poisons you and makes you hallucinate.For whatever reason, the toads form packs, and they¡¯ve holed up outside of town.Apparently at least once a week they come down and cause mayhem for a while before leaving.They¡¯ll be the easiest though, their patterns are usually predictable and some basic traps will do the trick.They might even leave if you keep snagging them.Of course if you kill all the threats, you¡¯ll qualify for the elimination bonus.¡± He said with a smile, showing off his yellowed and strangely pointy teeth.


    What I¡¯ve told you up to now is the bare minimum of what you need to do for the quest to be considered completed upon your arrival.You¡¯ll get the reward that was advertised, nothing more, nothing less.But, each threat that the mayor Dragmoor signs off on as being eliminated adds 1000 gold and 400 guild points.You don¡¯t need to solve this towns problems long term, but you do have some incentive to do so, which is what the mayor who paid for this quest is hoping for.¡±Luther said breathing heavily as he leaned back in his chair.Despite his boisterous attitude, it seemed like talking this much had really tuckered him out.


    He looked over at Bryn, who was writing in his journal furiously.While he was a borderline genius with how quickly he picked up alchemy, his short term memory is awful, so Jordan understood why Bryn was writing at such a rushed pace.


    Wiping his mouth, Luther spoke with drastically dipping enthusiasm.¡°Any questions folks? I¡¯ve drained my social battery for the day, so I¡¯d like to go into my room and stare out the window for an hour or 2¡±.Bryn opened a fresh page in his notebook, and had his pen ready in hand as he spoke.

 Chapter 18: Who Are You?

    Bryn noticed Luther¡¯s equally confused, albeit less theatrical, expression and put his pen down.


    They called it Malefic-something.¡± Luther said scratching his chin.


    Where did you see this?¡± Bryn asked excitedly.


    ¡°Calm down kid, heart problems run in my family and I haven¡¯t done a single thing to prepare for that¡± he said gesturing for him to calm down.¡°I saw those weird kids in Dregmoor.My last mission there only ended a year ago so they¡¯re probably still around.¡± He said as Bryn wrote this in his notebook with the enthusiasm of a true alchemy nerd.


    I¡¯ve done my part for the younger generation, see you when we dock.¡± Luther said, immediately falling asleep in his chair upon finishing his sentence.The loud snoring and drool pooling on the goblins lap was an obvious enough cue their briefing was over, and the party went to their room as the Boon continued to rock gently.


    After a little while, Jordan was going over the additives he had brought.He saw he had a good supply of stun effects but not much for outright kills like poison.


    Without looking up, Bryn continued to annotate the page he was on as he spoke.


    To answer your question, it can but it depends how good at it I am.The potions and draughts I¡¯ve made with ingredients back home were much more stable and safe for alchemy than what is available in Dregmoor.That¡¯s mainly due to the effects from the war with Syreph on the environment, since the fighting caused a massive influx of den in the area.Because the ingredients were so dangerous, the alchemists of the area leaned into it and created a brewing technique that was high risk, high reward.¡± Bryn said, licking his thumb and flicking to the next page.


    You¡¯re using chemicals and fire.I¡¯ve heard fire¡¯s hot so that already is a big hurdle in the safety department.¡± Jordan said nodding his head.


    If you follow the recipe, you can¡¯t mess it up.On the other hand, this technique is easy to mess up, but it allows you to get more from each ingredient.I don¡¯t know the details of how it works, but based on the rumors I¡¯ve heard it could be a key to me being able to fight without eating into our costs too much¡± Bryn said continuing to make notes on his notes.Jordan looked at Bryn slightly sadly before nodding.While he didn¡¯t feel this way, Jordan knew that Bryn felt like a burden on their team, and had a tendency to push himself too hard to overcompensate.


    Bryn looked pleased to move on from the previous topic, and opened his journal to where he had been writing during their meeting with Luther.Jordan looked out the window of their room as Bryn flipped through the pages, admiring the stars that shined brilliantly in the clear night sky.Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.


    ¡°I have a few theories to try with them.Extreme temperature change would be the easiest way to go, what do you think?¡± Bryn asked.


    ¡°Well before we get into any strategy, we should establish something else first: do you want to just coast like Luther was hinting about? We could just do the bare minimum and collect the easy money and points.It might do our bodies good to take it easy before the tournament.¡± Jordan said, tilting his head slightly and raising his hands palms up.


    As he thought through the logic, he felt his indecisiveness creep up on him.It was a good point that they had worked themselves into the ground in the past 6 months to survive in their difficult circumstances, and resting might be more helpful in the long run.


    ¡°You¡¯re such a try hard!The possibility of not doing the best possible job freaks you out, it¡¯s so funny to see happen in real time!¡± Jordan said, laughing loudly as tears began to come out of his eyes.


    As he wiped the tears from his eyes, Jordan continued.


    If we¡¯re in a party, that means we¡¯re doing every part of the job as best we can, no crumbs remaining.Am I right?¡± Jordan asked with a smile.


    Can we get back to it now that you¡¯re done ridiculing who I am as a person?¡± Bryn asked sarcastically.


    The hours passed as the two of them discussed their various strategies for the quest ahead.The night eventually drew to a close, and the pair went to bed, exhausted after a long day.As he fell asleep, Jordan felt a familiar sensation.


    He could sense that he was conscious, yet remained in utter blackness, unable to move.


    What¡¯s the point of having immense magical power if you can¡¯t be dramatic.¡± The voice spoke with a familiar tired energy, and Jordan recognized it as the voice from his dream after his first mission with Bryn.


    I¡¯m a little hungry, is dream invasion snacking a thing?¡± Jordan thought.He couldn¡¯t physically feel his stomach rumbling, yet he knew in his mind he was getting peckish.


    He was standing in a room that looked similar to his childhood room in his home village.In fact, it was.The twin bed was made neatly, the same as he left it the day he left for Zyphtal.His father¡¯s painting was on the wall, an image of Jordan fighting as a ranger that he had commissioned for his 10th birthday.He smiled fondly on his father¡¯s art, the detail still impressive all these years later.


    The man before him was wearing a plain white robe, sandals, and had an eyepatch over his left eye.His dark brown beard was neatly trimmed, and bald head shined with an unnaturally bright sheen.


    Do you remember what I told you last time?¡± He asked sternly, the energy he spoke with increasing the more he spoke.


    I put a lot of money on you and I have 3 helps, so I¡¯m going to burn this one early.Try to make better progress on your own from here.¡±The main said snapping his fingers.Jordan attempted to shout, but the room disappeared along with his body, and he was returned to the darkness.


    He slowly opened his eyes, squinting as he adjusted his vision.He could see his body again, and he was standing in a throne room wearing an emerald cloak.The room was made entirely of stone, though it was difficult to see through the thick vines that covered every surface.He looked up and saw an empty throne, covered in vines with a stone statue on either side.To the left was an eye, wide open and it felt to Jordan as if it was staring into his soul.On the other side was a simple crown, yet the aura around it felt strange and¡­wrong.Despite the ominous atmosphere in the room with him, Jordan felt compelled to walk forward.As he began taking his steps, he accidentally crushed a vine under his foot.Looking down he saw his foot was covered in red, spiky thorns.Despite a couple dozen barbs clearly sticking out of his foot, he felt no pain.He continued forward, with the vines continuing to impale his body with thorns.As he arrived in front of the throne, he realized his body was made of more thorns than flesh.Still, he felt compelled to sit on the throne.As he did, only one thought came to mind.

 Chapter 19: Wet Bird

    While it was clear the room was flooded, he had no issues breathing, even as he felt his lungs with fill water.The room itself was tastefully decorated, with scenic paintings of various ocean themed subjects adorning the walls.The table he sat at was made of what appeared to be refined coral, and the stone chair he sat on went well with the color scheme, despite how uncomfortable it was.


    It looked remarkably similar to a normal day in Zyphtal, with people of all ages and races occupying the busy sidewalks.The main difference was that people outside were wearing what appeared to be glass bowls on their heads.


    The water breathing spell is rechargeable, and the disposable scrolls are like 8 gold each now.¡± Bryn heard someone say as he snapped his head away from the window.Before him sat a small figure, wearing a tattered tunic and a leather vest.The black hood over his head looked old and worn, and the blank white mask he wore covered his entire face.¡°But buying the rechargeable one in the first place is 80 gold and who has that just sitting around when they desperately need to save more money?¡± The figure said raising his hands.His voice sounded intentionally playful to Bryn, and he couldn¡¯t shake the feeling that the man in front of him was a talented and experienced liar.


    The figure seemed to notice his face contort and spoke up.


    ¡°My names Raphael, and no matter what, the spell I cast means I¡¯m in charge of your dreams for the next 5 minutes.So I have a deal: you¡¯re going to answer some questions for me, and in exchange I¡¯ll give you some advice from a seasoned adventurer.Or we can just chill for 5 minutes, it¡¯s up to you¡± he said, sitting back in his chair.


    He was trapped and conceding to the demands of his captor left a bad taste in his mouth, but his curiosity got the best of him.


    As he stretched out his legs under the table, Raphael continued to speak.


    ¡°Mom and dad were fine.They didn¡¯t really like each other by the time I was a teenager and it was pretty clear they were holding off on separating until I left the house.I haven¡¯t talked to them since I came to Zyphtal but I assume it¡¯s 2 different addresses at this point.They tried their best to be good to me, and I never was homeless or went hungry.I received a good amount of education and was adequately prepared for the world.¡± Bryn said, surprised at the sudden tightness he felt in his chest as he thought of his parents.Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.


    ¡°So what did they do wrong?¡± He asked.


    The sound caused Bryn to jolt up with a look of panic on his face.Raphael stared directly at Bryn, and without speaking, began to take off his mask.The face beneath was not one that Bryn recognized,as Raphael revealed himself to be a Kobalt in his mid 20¡¯s, his dark grey skin nearly blending in with the stone of the chair he sat in.His large eyes stared unblinking at Bryn, his mouth twisted in an angry frown.


    ¡°I guess they were never¡­ extra happy.Everything was fine, good enough, passable.But they never made me feel like I was capable of anything special.¡± He said, the truth sounding strange coming out of his mouth as opposed to being locked in his mind.


    You should be honest with me, I¡¯ve got a lot riding on you so it only benefits me to help you.¡± Raphael said, his sharp teething forming an intimidating grin.¡°Now next question, what are you proud of?¡± He asked, Bryn¡¯s eyebrows raising in a now familiar fashion.


    Every attempt to make a sound was met with silence, and Raphael shook his head slowly.


    Even if you don¡¯t trust me, you should be wary of the warning I gave you about the control I have in here.Don¡¯t be sloppy Bryn, you know outside of combat you have to be the brains.¡± He said.Bryn glared at him, but sat back down and crossed his arms.Raphael smiled, snapping his fingers and restoring Bryn¡¯s ability to talk.¡°What are you proud of Bryn?¡± He asked calmly.


    ¡°I¡¯m proud of us.I¡¯m proud of Jordan and what he¡¯s been able to accomplish.By the time we left Zyphtal he was one of the higher ranking first year rangers, and that¡¯s with having a party member with no adventurers boon.¡±He said, the image of Jordan seeing this causing him to be immediately nauseous.


    Bryn sighed deeply, but begrudgingly continued.¡°I¡¯m also proud of¡­ myself.I never thought I¡¯d be an adventurer that not only survived, but is making a good living without the boon.But I thought outside the box, worked everyday, and tried really hard which resulted in me being useful.Hell, I saved Jordan¡¯s life once.¡± Bryn said, surprising even himself with his suddenly boisterous attitude.


    Bryn could immediately feel embarrassment wash over him, and he sunk into his chair as Raphael finished his applause.


    ¡°I think I made a good choice picking you.The folks in the elemental rift have been getting a very clear look at what¡¯s happening on the Fentorph plane, and the unique way that you two handle your quests is must see viewing.This is only my first help, so I still feel pretty good that I¡¯ll come out ahead¡± Raphael said, his sudden rambling confusing Bryn enough to rise in his seat.


    Raphael smiled and sighed slightly as he stood from his chair.Bryn once again noticed the massive eyes of his Kobalt companion, and felt almost entranced, as if he was being hypnotized.


    As he sat motionless, Raphael slowly walked around the table until he was next to Bryn, his blue hand laying gently on his shoulder.

 Chapter 20: Dregmoor

    The white sand and overcast sky only added to the gloomy atmosphere.Once the ship had pulled into the creaky dock, Jordan looked carefully as he stepped off of the gangplank.Bryn opted for the safest approach, flying a few feet above the ground as Jordan walked next to him.


    The port was bustling as the duo made their way off the dock, allowing Bryn to descend. Jordan looked down at his compass, following the instructions Luther had given the pair to take the trail to the west.Once locking onto the correct path, they began the 10 mile walk to the town of Dregmoor.


    Considering this would be their home for the next couple of months, he knew his biggest advantage as a ranger would be getting the feel for the environment.The wildlife of the area was unique, with the fighting from the capital causing unique changes to this day.Small drakes the size of crows flew through the air, snapping at the flies and mosquitos they were hunting.Looking to the side of the path, the dirt turned into wet grass, eventually going downhill into a small marsh.


    The path itself was damp and borderline muddy, but preparing with the proper boots made walking manageable.Jordan looked over at Bryn, who was joining him on the ground.


    ¡°I don¡¯t fly a lot so I¡¯m a little out of shape, but I¡¯m not afraid of falling into that stagnant, brown ocean by walking right now.Mark my words when we come back to that dock, it¡¯ll be in pieces¡± Bryn said, slapping a mosquito on his head while he spoke.Jordan laughed as they continued on, and within the hour, a large metal gate became visible on the horizon.As the pair approached, they noticed it was open and continued through.


    Every house was made of wood, the walls covered with damp moss.The structure of each building looked like it was built on mud, which might have been the case, as the crooked angles made several of them appear to be on the brink of collapse.Jordan looked around at the residents of the town, most of them putting up their hoods and looking away, although a few had lingering glares that made Bryn nervous.


    The indication that someone is a demon is a right eye that is completely black, while the other is completely white.There is a wide variety of demons, such as dwarves, elves, and even Tengrathi, but they mostly keep to themselves on Morten due to historical conflicts between the 2 countries.


    Immediately breaking out of his panicked state, he angrily turned to Jordan.


    I can¡¯t handle that man, I need to make a good first impression or my self esteem¡¯s gonna plummet¡± Jordan said as he gripped Bryn¡¯s sleeve. ¡°Don¡¯t mess this up for me my self esteem¡¯s absolutely crucial to the success of this and all our missions¡± Jordan said, dramatically shaking Bryn¡¯s arm.Bryn shoved Jordan off of him, embarrassed at his companions behavior.As Jordan dramatically stumbled away, he smiled at Bryn¡¯s now relaxed demeanor as the pair made their way to the Really Good Inn.The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.


    The rooms were mostly clean, the amenities were sparse, and the continental breakfast was stale.However, all of these were free, and Jordan was already plotting what goodies he would stuff in the storage bag.As they approached the Inn, Bryn was relieved to see this building was in better shape than the others.It appeared to be made of stone, and the angles at which the building stood looked significantly more stable.It was the standout in a circle of buildings that surrounded a fountain the middle of the courtyard.The water poured from a statue of a strange fish with 4 mouths, and Jordan shuddered at the idea of meeting a beast like that in person.


    The lobby of the inn was simple, with a cheap coffee maker and a series of milk and sugar options on the table to their right.A cheap couch and glass table were in the middle of the lobby, and the walls had simple paintings of the landscape of Dregmoor.An elf woman stood at the front desk, wearing a simple navy blue blazer and a gold name tag with the name Regina.Jordan looked at her eyes with fear out of instinct, though he tried to compose himself.He would have to get used to a demon¡¯s eyes, after all.


    How can I help you boys?¡± She said, her voice sweet and motherly.Upon closer inspection, Regina appeared to be a middle aged elf, roughly 300-500 years old.Her straight black hair rolled just past her shoulders, and her smile was sparkling.The barely noticeable wrinkles made her face appear soft and welcoming despite the intimidating beauty.


    Jordan Hamilton and Bryn¡­¡± Jordan paused for a moment before turning to Bryn.¡°Have I never asked what your last name is?¡± He asked, as Bryn looked at him with a look of bored annoyance.


    As she pulled up their information Jordan nudged Bryn with his elbow.


    Regina turned away for a moment and grabbed 2 small keys hanging from the wall behind her.She placed them on the desk, along with a few documents and a pen.


    Everwatch has provided you each a room for the next 60 days¡± Jordan and Bryn looked at each other excitedly.They had feared since boarding the Boon they might be forced to share the same room yet again.¡°Continental breakfast is every morning from 2:30 am-3:55 am, and sheets are only cleaned upon request.Any questions?¡± She asked as the pair began signing the paperwork.


    It¡¯s best to get down here right away, we have a permanent resident named Benny that houses as much bacon as possible right when we open.¡± Regina said, as she took the signed documents and pushed the keys toward the pair.


    ¡°How¡¯s your room?¡± Bryn asked as Jordan came down the stairs.


    I don¡¯t need anything fancy for beauty sleep to work it¡¯s magic¡± Jordan said as he gestured toward his face.Bryn stared blankly for a moment before retrieving his notebook from his pack.


    The pair walked out the front door and began walking to the southeast path that was labeled on the map.


    He landed hard on his back, his pained wheeze sounding like a broken squeaky toy.The vision returned to Bryn¡¯s eyes, and he Jordan on the ground being attacked by a figure in a white robe. Bryn dove into the figure, tackling him off of Jordan.As he scrambled up and drew his bow on the assailant, Jordan heard a loud shout from across the courtyard.


    Wearing full plate mail and carrying a mace, he approached quickly due to his large strides. Once he was within a couple feet, his overwhelming presence could be felt by all three of them, though the fanny pack was dampening the mood slightly.

 Chapter 21: Strategy Meating

    The wooden floorboard creaked no matter where you stepped, and the moss growing on the outside of the restaurant made Bryn pessimistic about the state of the hygiene in this particular establishment.Though he was much more concerned about Jordan and this Vince character, who were giving each other death glares across the table.


    He explained that Vince was a former adventurer who had returned home to Dregmoor after hearing about the issues the village had been having since the war ended.


    You¡¯re a heathen¡± Jordan said, pointing a finger in Vince¡¯s face.Vince squinted his eyes, confused at Jordan¡¯s odd choice of insult.The tiefling demon pushed Jordan¡¯s finger away, turning his nose up at the half elf.


    The rest of the table got their meals, each being a plate of just meat as those were the only options at the Donkey Diner.Grabbing a fork for his high protein feast, Reggie raised the mask of his helmet.His bright red skin contrasted distinctly with his eyes, and he began shoveling sausage into his mouth with reckless abandon.


    We are all in the same business, which is protecting this town right?¡± Reggie said, Vince scoffing at the comment.¡°Something to say Vince? I¡¯m sure it¡¯ll be positive and heartwarming as always.¡±


    ¡°Every party you¡¯ve hired from Everwatch was a team of lazy slobs.They did the bare minimum patrols, only occasionally dealt with the bandits when they raided our businesses, and just drank and partied while the town suffered.I shouldn¡¯t have attacked you two, and I¡¯m sorry about that, but your organization hasn¡¯t given me any reason to give you the benefit of the doubt¡± he said, ravenously eating the bacon with both hands as he spoke.


    They had assumed that based on what Luther had said, doing the bare minimum was an option a lot of people chose in this tiring line of work.Bryn did not stop eating however, and spoke with hamburger patty falling from his mouth.


    So you don¡¯t have to believe we¡¯re heroes or anything, just believe we¡¯re greedy enough to finish the job.God this is so good, how have I never just had a hamburger patty with gravy?¡± Bryn said, the aforementioned gravy dripping down his beak.


    Vince chuckled and resumed housing his bacon as Bryn continued speaking.


    Is there anything we should know about them?¡± Bryn asked as he chugged his water before resuming his attack.


    ¡°I was told Luther would tell you the basics, did he remember or was he steaming too intensely again?¡± Reggie asked, clearly aware of Luther¡¯s¡­eccentric nature.


    Their patterns haven¡¯t changed at all.If you take the northwest path you¡¯ll run into their pack.It¡¯s 15 strong and they all travel together.5 houses have been destroyed from their rampages in the last month, and we¡¯ve had over 40 people hospitalized from the weird mind freak sludge that leaks out of them¡± Reggie said, his voice becoming slightly more distraught.If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    ¡°I¡¯ve fought a couple, and even if you can overcome the trippy aspect, the toad is still the size of horse and can leap 10 feet in the air.If it lands on you, you¡¯re squished like a bird that a large toad fell on¡± Vince said, dabbing the grease off his mouth with a napkin.


    He looked over at Jordan, who had his arms crossed and a soft smile, though his eyes looked deep in thought.Bryn smiled upon seeing this now familiar look and sat back.He picked up his pack from the floor, beginning to sort through it silently while Vince and Reggie looked on confused.


    ¡°Rest assured gentlemen, unless there¡¯s some crazy discovery on our recon, the toads will be gone by the end of the day tomorrow.Rangers honor.¡± He said, giving some sort of strange salute with both hands folded together against his forehead.


    He looked at the two of them before shaking his head and chuckling.


    I¡¯m the smart one, Jordan¡¯s the main fighter and the social butterfly, but I handle all the traditional smart people tasks¡­ except combat strategy¡± Bryn said, poking his finger into Jordan¡¯s head. ¡°This brain can figure out combat strategy on the fly.Once he gets that weird look on his face, the plan will be in his mind within a minute.¡±


    Those two things are what my brain is for, and I¡¯m an adult with a job so I think I¡¯ve done ok for myself¡± Jordan said, Bryn patting his head condescendingly in response.


    ¡°In conclusion guys, we¡¯ll take care of things around here.Believe in us, and how broke we are.The more broke we are, the more desperately we need the commission.¡± Bryn said definitely.


    ¡°Thanks for the meal guys, it was by far the most meat I¡¯ve had at once so the bathroom is going to be an experience tonight.¡± Jordan said as Bryn grimaced.


    Jordan heard where it came from and followed the sound, the other 3 at the table following after.Pushing through the door, several bystanders stood looking at the fountain.The largest elf Jordan had ever seen stood before him, standing at least 10 feet tall and made of pure muscle.He was holding a human man by the throat, and they were clearly not friends.


    The curved sword was crackling with purple den, and the rage boost skill was clearly beginning to take hold. The human wore simple rags, and his left leg dangled lifelessly.Jordan didn¡¯t need Sense Weakness to see how broken it was.


    I don¡¯t feel like picking which skill to kill you with.¡±he said, his grip continuing to tighten.The man attempted to speak, but no sound came out.


    He screamed at the man, eyes bulging and spiddle spraying from his mouth.


    The issue is that the man was not in his hand anymore, and the sword drove through nothing but air.The elf looked to his left to see the man he had been holding, and a young half elf in Ranger gear.


    As he gasped for air, Bryn rushed over, pulling healing potions from his pack.


    As he wielded both weapons, Jordan drew his bow and aimed.

 Chapter 22: Chemistry

    He knew that based on the symbol displayed on the barbarians breastplate that he was a lieutenant for this particular Nevermore gang.This meant he was at least a level 10 adventurer, and he could feel his middle aged bones ache at the thought of joining this fight.He looked on as Jordan charged forward, hoping he could stick to crowd control.


    For this maneuver to work, he couldn¡¯t give his opponent any time to think.The massive scimitar in the elf¡¯s left hand swung powerfully at the approaching arrow.Upon making contact, it exploded in a surge of frigid magic, as the sword was now covered in a thick layer of ice.


    The elf roared as his room temperature scimitar in his right hand began crackling with den, and he charged at Jordan with fury. He recognized the barbarian skill Storm Might, as the electricity from around his sword began to envelop his entire body.This ability greatly increases the power of the user¡¯s next attack once a day, and considering both the size and speed of his opponent, that attack would take Jordan out of the fight immediately.


    The crackling blade pierced the air next to Jordan, and he unsheathed his dagger as he attempted to leap on his opponents back.


    ¡°Gotcha¡± he said as he swung the frozen blade with unnatural speed.Despite the added weight of the ice, it appeared the barbarians striking power was unaffected.Just as Jordan was about to be hit, an explosion of light blinded the combatants.Jordan shielded his eyes, missing his target and landing hard on the floor.The distraction had caused bandit to barely miss his head, the chill of the ice breathing down his neck as it had passed.He looked over and saw Vince, holding out a hand and smiling.


    His expression darkened, and his normally friendly and bright eyes were filled with intense anger.Bryn had seen that look only once, and while he understood Jordan¡¯s frustration, he still felt bad for the poor cleric.


    Sit¡­ Down.¡± Jordan said, his voice filled with a calm yet terrifying authority.Vince looked visibly shaken up and stepped back, the barbarian roaring as his vision returned.


    As the ice shattered and the sword remained intact, Jordan had to admire its craftsmanship for holding up to a level 2 additive.


    Another arrow launched toward the barbarian, the den crackling around him yet again.However, the blue color indicated what Bryn had been afraid of: the Pile On Skill, a barbarian ability that greatly reduces damage from a weaker opponent temporarily.Bryn changed the settings on his Arsenal Watch as the bandit dashed toward Jordan yet again. Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings.


    ¡°Help me I¡¯m scared!¡± He screamed, flailing his arms wildly.Bryn cringed at the scene before him, though he had to admit it adequately confused their opponent for a moment before he resumed his attack.As the pair approached him, Bryn began to throw a punch to his right.


    A blade coated in a potion of the users choosing shoots out at the push of a button.This allowed Bryn to take the fight to his opponents, though even with the enhanced reflex potions he took, it was still relatively easy for a seasoned adventurer to dodge his strikes.


    Over their time adventuring and strategizing together, Jordan¡¯s fighting style and preferences were ingrained into Bryn¡¯s mind as much as if they were his own.So when Jordan began his flailing, Bryn knew what to expect:fake left, before a hard commit right, and use the remaining animal spirit to disengage.When those exact motions happened before Bryn¡¯s eyes, he stood still, his arm out as Jordan passed by.The moment he passed, Bryn pressed that button, extending the blade and scraping against the barbarians exposed side as he chased after Jordan.


    Jordan had leaped onto a lamppost, perching on the top as if he was actually the bird he had borrowed power from.He leaped down and landed on the barbarians back, a pained wheeze leaving his mouth.


    It¡¯s not as good of a way to make friends as you might think¡± Jordan said, crossing his arms and nodding his head as if he was being philosophical.


    ¡°This potion only lasts for 23 seconds¡± he said in monotone.


    ¡°Another job well done, you want to go to the tavern down the road?I bet if we take some of the Toad Trip Juice we can ask them to put it in our drinks and have just a weird night.¡± Jordan said as he pulled his arrows from the dead bandit.


    Vince had pushed his way between the two of them, and proceeded to get up in Jordan¡¯s face.


    Look Vince I¡¯m a pretty chill guy, I¡¯m pretty laid back.But you really hit a sore spot for me.Just because you have an adventurer¡¯s boon doesn¡¯t mean you know what to do with it.You threw a blinding spell into the middle of a combat situation with 2 people on your side that you didn¡¯t communicate with.¡± Jordan said as if lecturing a child.


    He looked down, and sighed deeply before pushing away Vince¡¯s hand.


    The one you saw me use was for Peregrine, which allows me to increase my speed.Pretty nifty right? What¡¯s unfortunate is you didn¡¯t get to see the coolest part.I can switch between animals as long as I have den, and one of those animals is a slime.Slime¡¯s can¡¯t be hurt or do damage, so when the sword would have made contact, I was going to switch so I wouldn¡¯t be hurt.¡± Jordan said, as Vince began to look slightly flustered.


    ¡°Yeah I figured you weren¡¯t watching the whole battlefield, you were only watching the fight in front of you.If you had been paying attention, you would have seen me rushing in.The moment that barbarian would have landed that strike on Jordan, I would have been in position to inject him with the paralysis draught way earlier.¡± Bryn said, holding up his Arsenal Watch.Vince looked at both of them, stuttering and unable to think of what to say next.


    As Vince fell silent, Jordan spoke calmly yet seriously.


    You chose a support class, so hit the books.¡± Jordan said, brushing past Vince as he looked down in shame.

 Chapter 23: Ya鈥檒l Have A Punch Card?

    Reggie continued to perform crowd control as Jordan and Bryn left the battlefield.  Vince was also talking to the citizens, addressing each of them by name.  His care for this town was apparent, even if his attitude left a lot to be desired.  No one had been harmed in the attack, and some of the villagers had volunteered to assist Reggie in the disposal of the barbarian¡¯s body.  Jordan looked back at the scene behind him, admiring the teamwork of the community.


    ¡°I saw an alchemy shop while we were fighting, we¡¯re stopping there first¡± he said.


    While the town itself was small, the Main Street was bustling with activity.Various vendors were selling fruit and jewelry, though as the two passed by, none of the wares they sold looked familiar at all.Jordan looked at the selection, noticing that all the citrus fruits seemed to have limbs.A demon-dwarf man waved his produce in the air, shouting to anyone walking by his stall about his buy one get one sale.His primary seller appeared to be an orange with skinny arms but exceptionally thick glutes and thighs, and the 2 adventurers both stared for a moment before moving on.


    The disturbing, twisted smile on the gnome salesman¡¯s face spooked Bryn to his very core, and he pushed Bryn until they were moving down the street once again.After walking for a few more minutes, Bryn nudged Jordan and indicated they had arrived at their destination, pointing to a beaten down shack in between a barber and a convenience store.


    The wood that made up the store¡¯s foundation appeared to be old and crumbling, the frame standing almost diagonally with how wobbly the structure was.As the pair approached, an abhorrent smell entered Jordan¡¯s nose, causing him to immediately cover his nose and begin coughing.


    Bryn strode to the front entrance, excitedly opening the door with a loud creak as Jordan followed behind.A bell jingled, and the pair were greeted by a narrow walkway that was surrounded by potion ingredients.The various shelves around the store were thrown together as haphazardly the building itself, though the actual product looked to be well cared for.


    As they approached the front desk, a demon-orc sat before them, his face buried in a book.His white lab coat and thick round glasses contrasted with his massive size.Standing at least 8 feet tall andweighing at least 300 lbs of muscle, Jordan felt wary as he cleared his throat to get the man¡¯s attention.


    If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.


    ¡°Oh so sorry gentlemen, I suppose I should make an attempt at running my business¡± he said, closing his book and folding his hands in front of him.¡°My name is Maeve, and welcome to Dreg Draughts.How can I help you?¡± He asked politely.His voice had a boyish sweetness to it, and Jordan relaxed slightly as Bryn began speaking.


    Do you have any recommendations on dealing with them?¡± Bryn asked, his pen at the ready.


    ¡°Oh the trip toads, everyone¡¯s favorite.Last week a couple of them hopped into town and wrecked a bunch of stalls.Poor George had to run all over town to get all the thick oranges that ran away in the chaos.¡± he said as he stood up from his chair and walked over to a shelf behind him.Jordan shuddered at the thought of the thick oranges running rampant, and by the time he got over it, Maive had returned with 2 vials, one of them pink and one blue.


    I assume you live in Zyphtal right?¡± He asked.


    He said, putting his finger on the blue potion. ¡°The same recipe is also used for arrow and bullet additives.¡± Maive said, the image of the barbarian elf¡¯s frozen scimitar passing through Jordan¡¯s mind.¡°This is a version of that same potion, but I¡¯ve added in a piece of core from a humming fruit.This fruit gives a temporary boost in speed when eaten by a person, but broken down into a potion and mixed correctly it can increase both the speed of the potions effect and the overall potency.¡± He said, as Bryn furiously copied down the information.


    This means the most effective way to deal with them is from the inside, so if you can make them consume this potion, they¡¯ll freeze over in a matter of seconds.¡±He said, moving his finger from the blue potion to the pink one.


    invented it yesterday.¡± Maive said, smiling slightly at Bryn¡¯s look of excitement.¡°It¡¯s made with a special blend that I won¡¯t divulge completely, but the basis of it is the toad slime itself.¡± He said, the chunks floating in the concoction making that abundantly clear.


    You do need to drink a full 32 oz for it to have effect though.¡± He said, the thought of drinking that much of the chunky liquid more intimidating to Bryn than fighting the toads themselves.


    This shelf was almost bare, a standout amongst the others that were nearly overflowing.Only one item occupied the space of the shelf:a small, blood red cactus.


    Did he associate the color with something from his past? Why were the thorns so spiky? What would it feel like if one of them poked him?All of these thoughts ran through Jordan¡¯s head simultaneously on repeat, and his surroundings began to melt away before him as all that he could see in that moment was the plant¡¯s crimson flesh and the piercing black spikes that protruded from it.He stuck a finger out and lightly touched one of the spines, pulling his finger back in immediate pain.


    Why did the thorns hurt him? He couldn¡¯t explain it but the pain wasn¡¯t just from a plant¡¯s natural defense system, it felt¡­ personal.Like the spine was mocking him.


    The sound from his mouth was a guttural, ancient language he had no prior knowledge of.The words he spoke had been forgotten to time, and his voice became unnaturally deep.He reached his hand back out to the cactus and began to touch his fingers to the spines again, the blood again starting to flow.


    He felt his other arm being pulled away, as the reality of the shop came back into his vision. He saw Bryn standing in front of him, a look of panic and confusion on his face.Maive emerged from the back room, holding a towel and some sort of red potion.Jordan tried to recognize it, but no names came to mind.The only word in his mind was a name: Thornfather.

 Chapter 24: Melee

    As he put on his glasses and stopped his alarm, he checked to make sure his stats hadn¡¯t changed from the day before.


    6:00 am


    Since they were essentially doing one large job over the course of several weeks, adventurers on Journey Quests received experience once a week instead of when the job is done.Jordan stared at the peculiar skill for an extra beat before gathering his equipment together.He was still annoyed he had never pursued investigating it further since the previous incident, but it couldn¡¯t be helped.


    He looked up from the book he was reading, examining Jordan for slightly too long as he made his way down the stairs.It had been 2 days since the incident at Dreg Draughts, and Bryn still clearly had his concerns.Maive assured the both of them that Jordan¡¯s exposure to the Toad Slime in the pink potion had caused the hallucinations, while his and Bryn¡¯s tolerance to alchemical fumes had spared them from a similar experience.


    Though he had felt fine for the past day, Jordan could still feel Bryn examining his every move.


    ¡°You just wanted to know how it felt to trip off that stuff.I can see you looking at me like a lab rat, trying to see if there¡¯s any leftover weirdness.You¡¯re a sick nerd freak, my friend¡± he said, pointing his finger at Bryn.


    A toad can you make you believe you¡¯re some sort of cactus god, it¡¯s insane!How would I not want to know everything about it?¡± He said, his feigned sympathy dropping away completely.


    I don¡¯t know most things, and I¡¯m very happy and incredibly flexible, watch¡± Jordan said, touching his toes with ease as he spoke. Bryn knew not to push the issue any further, and was also slightly distracted at how flexible Jordanindeed was.The pair left the inn, waving goodbye to Regina as they left.


    This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.


    They both nodded awkwardly and waved again, the pair having already realized that it would be better to get on Regina¡¯s good side if at all possible.Exiting through the creaky door, the two of them made their way to the town center, passing the fountain that was still stained with the elf barbarian¡¯s blood.


    This area housed the local government buildings, and was the town¡¯s geographical center.Jordan stopped in front of town hall, and began preparing to cast Nature¡¯s Credit.Bryn stood to the side, organizing several bottles of pink and blue potions.


    That assumption appeared to be correct, and Jordan began feeling the den flow through his body as his skill took hold.


    The range of it had been more than quadrupled, with Jordan absorbing the knowledge of the environment within a mile of where he stood.He could feel the presence of both the toads and the rapidly growing plant life, fortunately though they were on different paths that led out of town in opposite directions, so they could handle the threats one at a time.


    I can feel it continuing to grow and it¡¯s worse than Vince or Reggie said it was¡± Jordan said as stood up from the ground, the roots his spell had created being left behind.


    ¡° I have no clue, I figured we could deal with the toads and bandits while I tried to figure it out, any ideas nature boy?¡± He asked sarcastically.


    The plant life itself isn¡¯t dangerous, so if the villagers keep on top of its maintenance it won¡¯t get out of control.But I was able to track the source to about 3/4 of a mile to the northeast, so we¡¯ll have to get rid of whatever¡¯s up there I assume.¡± Jordan said.The pair walked around the perimeter of the town, doing their daily security checks.The toads and bandits had relatively consistent patterns of attacking the town, and Bryn had begun leaving Convergence Circles at the paths leading in from the marshlands.


    After finishing the perimeter checks, the pair made their way to the southwest, where Jordan had felt the presence of the toads from.The town being as small as it was, they had gotten to the dirt road leading to the marshlands within a few minutes.


    The dirt path quickly turned to a muddy slop, and the slightly sweet smell of rotting vegetation filled Bryn¡¯s beak as he followed behind Jordan.


    While he had a feel for the area already, Nature¡¯s Credit gave him a snapshot of the environment upon the usage of the skill.Any change to the environment afterwards would not be known to Jordan, and he kept this in mind as they moved forward.


    As he paused, Bryn heard a sound that indicated why they stopped: croaking, a lot of croaking.


    As he stared forward silently at the small marsh they were about to cross, Bryn took the hint that he should also remain silent.After a moment, 3 dark figures emerged from behind the rotting trees further down the path.These trip toads were horse sized, and dripped with a viscus yellow fluid.Their green skin was splotched with purple, and the bulging eyes in their skulls appeared to be looking in every direction at once.


    Jordan reached his hand over to Bryn, who had already pulled out a pink potion to hand to him.After removing the top and chugging the contents of the bottle, Jordan grimaced at the bizzare texture as he handed the empty glass back to Bryn.


    Though he hesitated for a moment, Bryn acknowledged that Jordan needed real life practice with this skill.¡°Just don¡¯t let it get below 50%¡± he said, with Jordan smiling widely as Bryn handed over the two swords he had been carrying.


    Rangers were known to duel wield on occasion, and Jordan loved the aesthetic of the style, though the reality of it was impractical for someone with his skills.That is, until recently.


    The toads took note of him and began hopping toward him, the distance of each hop covering at least 10 feet.As they approached, Jordan activated his newest skill: Environmental Symbiosis.


    First his arms, then his legs, and eventually his entire body became covered in a cloak of thick, grey fog.His mouth and nose became covered as well, until the only part of his body exposed were his piercing green eyes.As the fog enveloped the swords as well, Jordan could feel the power of Dregmoor flowing through his muscles.In the right corner of his vision he saw what Bryn had mentioned before.


    A sword raised in each hand, Jordan charged forward with unnatural speed.

 Chapter 25: Hunting Season

    Jordan could feel his health being sapped slowly as his body was strengthened.  He was moving at least 5 times his normal speed, but the power he had gained wasn¡¯t coming from inside of him, rather from the marshlands he stood in.


    He excitedly informed Bryn, barging into his room at 4 in the morning.After a talk about boundaries, the two tested out the ability behind the inn.Much like against the toads, Jordan was immediately covered in a suit of fog, and his physical abilities had been greatly enhanced. Unfortunately, it became clear that his aim with the bow at this new speed would need a lot of work, and he opted to use this form as a way to have a melee combat option.


    Heck, I might not even look.No, I should probably look.¡± Jordan said as he approached the first toad.He had no training with swords outside of practicing on a dummy, but he was a seasoned adventurer with a healthy amount of experience in defeating enemies while in far worse circumstances.Surely he could come up with a brilliant, last minute strategy to best his foe.


    The supernatural strength Jordan¡¯s current form bestowed on him allowed him to cut through the thick layer of slime covering the toads warty skin, and a deep gash was sliced into the amphibians neck.Purple blood began gushing out, coating Jordan in gore.He had no time to dwell on his unsanitary circumstances, and pushed off the ground forcefully as he dashed toward his next target.


    The beast stood its ground and a large lump began to gather in its throat. As it began to swell at a rapid pace, Jordan immediately recognized the warning signs of something dangerous.He had no idea what ability this toad was about to use, but dozens of uncomfortably slimy images whisked through his mind.He changed course, pivoting to his left and charging the 3rd toad.As Jordan hastily closed the ground between them, he could see the toads legs begin to bend as it prepared to jump.It wouldn¡¯t be possible to strike at the toad before it became airborne at this distance, and when it eventually comes down in a random spot, Bryn will have a more difficult time lending support.


    The toad had already began its jump, and by the time the sword left Jordan¡¯s hand, there was no way for his target to adjust as the sword pierced directly into its forehead.A pained croak could be heard from above, though it continued to sound farther away the more the toads body continued to rise.After finally reaching its 10 foot apex, the toad¡¯s corpse came crashing down to ground.Just as he confirmed his kill, Jordan heard a loud squelching sound from behind him.


    He barely had any time to react, and was not able to dodge quickly enough, with the orb hitting his leg.The pain was immense, and Jordan screamed as he ran forward.He had avoided being completely covered by the attack, but the pain was difficult to ignore.It felt as if his leg was eating itself, the texture of the slime giving a sense of uneasiness on top of the pain.Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.


    He stood up and made eye contact with Jordan, giving a thumbs up as he did.Jordan frowned, knowing that meant the convergence circle was ready.While having that bailout was an important safety measure, he had been hoping to wrap up this fight before needing it.He looked at the circle and then back to the toad before finally looking at the number in the corner of his vision again.


    ¡°That¡¯s above 50%, guess my hands are tied¡± Jordan said as he dashed once again toward the final toad.The beast¡¯s throat began expanding again, and Jordan knew from last time he had about 6 seconds to reach his target.He would probably be ok, but a little insurance wouldn¡¯t hurt.


    He felt the den flood his body, the use of the 2 skills simultaneously causing his body to push itself farther than it ever had before.


    He felt himself move as if he was being pushed forward by a fiery explosion, and his legs became a blur.For a moment as he ran with his sword pointing at the toad¡¯s head, he could have sworn it was moving in slow motion.Almost as soon as it began to form, Jordan sword pierced the acidic bubble in the toads throat, killing it instantly.


    As he pulled the blade out and swung it to fling off the excess blood, he looked at that number again.


    He concentrated on the Environmental Symbiosis skill, deactivating its effect as the cloak of fog faded from him.Bryn flew over to where Jordan was, having had more exercise flying with his disgust at walking around in the mud.


    Not only is this skill awesome, but it can stack.Think of something, try it, it works, science!¡± Jordan said, hoping his rhythmic speech pattern and confidence would distract his friend.


    ¡°I know you¡¯re not stupid enough to actually get killed by toads, but if you had used your bow you wouldn¡¯t have gotten hit.¡± He said, pointing at Jordan¡¯s noticeable burn.The acid had melted through the coat of fog and his clothes, leaving a patch of fabric missing on his charred knee.Bryn tossed Jordan a healing potion, his flesh being restored on his burn as he drank.


    Bryn had a feeling he could convince Maive to help them butcher and package these corpses in exchange for some of the haul.With the storage bag available to them, the pair had made a point to begin collecting the bodies of the creatures they kill.The additional money for selling the materials and meat would make up for the cost of the bag in a single day, though they still needed the tools for the butchering.


    As they made their way back down the path, Jordan felt overcome by a monstrous presence.It felt like it came out of nowhere, and though he couldn¡¯t see anything, he felt the predatory bloodlust in the air as thick as the fog itself.The chill he felt in his spine was unlike anything he had experienced before, and he began listening to his surroundings intently.


    With the path before them blocked, the pair looked up toward the direction of the fallen tree¡¯s stump.Standing next to it was a presence that flabbergasted Jordan, as he couldn¡¯t imagine how he didn¡¯t notice it sooner.


    As its legs began to bend, Jordan re-activated his Symbiosis, the cloak of fog enveloping him once more.


    However, as the alpha left the ground, the tress around it snapped like twigs as it burst into the air.Flying at least 30 feet high, the impact of this creature upon landing would be immense.As it began to descend upon the party again, Jordan raised his swords in front of him, the unfamiliar weaponry intimidating him with every foot closer the Alpha came.

 Chapter 26: The Lost One

    He pinpointed where the toad was aiming, and was able to dodge while remaining close enough to counterattack.As the enormous beast landed, the ground shook violently, and Jordan was barely able to maintain his balance while he activated his Sense Weakness skill.He felt the familiar warmth behind his eyes, scanning his opponents body.


    His eye caught the glow coming from the alphas left eye.After taking a moment to identify his target, he launched forward with the power of the symbiosis fueling his enhanced speed.


    The fog of Dregmoor flowed from his body, and he thrust his sword forcefully in his target¡¯s direction.Just before the blade made contact, he heard a deafening croak that rang in his ears.


    turning around to see Bryn flying through the air.He crashed into a tree, the large burst of blue light indicating the loss of multiple defense crystals.Looking over at the direction Bryn had flown from, Jordan saw the Alpha.He wasn¡¯t sure if it was some sort of psychic trick or some sort of teleportation ability, but he didn¡¯t like it one but either way.Jordan raced over to Bryn, scooping him into his back and dashing away from the monstrous beast.


    Thepath they were fighting on was narrow, and he scanned the battlefield for more space.While retreating to the wet marshland would provide more room to work with than the narrow dirt road, the thick mud would restrict movement too much.¡°Any more violent ideas?¡± He asked.


    They had no surefire way of beating this creature, especially with Jordan not having fully recovered from the previous fight.The trip toads hadn¡¯t been researched very thoroughly, as they had only popped up in the Morten marshland areas in the last couple of years.While the hallucinogenic effects were obvious, abilities such as the acid spit ability that had injured Jordan would come as a surprise.That was also the case with the Alpha, though with even more risks.


    Drop me here and we¡¯ll rush him together.¡± Bryn said.Jordan stopped and put Bryn down, returning his attention to the Alpha. Its bumpy green skin flapped as it stomped toward the two, and Jordan charged forward, the fog trailing behind him.


    The technology to make these wasn¡¯t available in Dregmoor, which is a shame considering their destructive power when compared to potions.He activated the cube, tossing it toward the toads face as he slashed at the creatures legs.


    Jordan swung his sword into the toads leg, the limb as thick as a tree stump.Despite the immense girth of his target, Jordan managed to slice more than halfway through.The beast fell to the ground for a moment, attempting to regain its balance immediately, thought it struggled as purple blood poured from its leg.


    For a moment Jordan was confused, but as the sack began to glow with several different colors, he understood what Bryn¡¯s impromptu strategy had been: put all of their explosive materials in one bag, and throw it.Yanking his sword out of the Alpha¡¯s leg, he followed after Bryn as the two of them sprinted toward the fallen tree, and dove into the bog below as the sack made contact.Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.


    It was as if an entire army fired their cannons simultaneously, then decided it wasn¡¯t enough, doubled their number, and fired again.The variety of elemental magic and the sheer amount of den caused the air to feel like electricity was flowing through it, and Jordan took shelter in the waist deep murky water with Bryn beside him.


    ¡°Do you think we got it?¡± Jordan asked, the smoke of the explosion obscuring his vision.He looked at the percentage in the corner of his vision as he attempted to assess the battlefield.


    As the smoke cleared, the Alpha lumbered forward.The scorch marks on its wrinkled skin and the blood pouring from its mouth indicated it hadn¡¯t been unscathed, yet it was still much less dead than the two had been hoping for.


    Almost immediately once they started moving, Jordan could feel the ping of his Nature¡¯s Credit skill in his head.Some of the targets he had spotted earlier were closing in on their location, and they were still at least a mile away from town.


    He crashed into Bryn, both of them falling to the ground.Looking up, Jordan saw they were now surrounded by 3 more trip toads, their synchronized croaking sending chills down Jordan¡¯s spine.As the two stood up, the fallen tree was crushed under the webbed foot of the alpha, its presence extinguishing any hope of escape.


    As he held a sword in each hand, Bryn held his hand to the dial of the Arsenal Watch.They were surrounded on all sides, with most of their weapons used up, and their enemies closing in slowly.


    Jordan looked at his friend and smiled sadly.They had done so well, and so much better than anyone expected them to.The ending taking place in Dregmoor, an unceremonious mauling by toad, was so lame.


    That wasn¡¯t to say that he didn¡¯t have dreams or desires, more so that he was satisfied with what he was doing in his own life, and he didn¡¯t feel the need to save the world.If he made a good amount of money, was able to take pride in his work, and enjoyed the relationships he had in his life, that was enough.Though he had to admit, adventuring with Bryn and eventually being the big heroes that saved the day didn¡¯t sound too bad.As the toads came within a few feet, Jordan watched their throats begin to expand, and he looked once again at the number.


    ¡°Since you never had a boon, do you want to go out fighting with a sword? Might be kind of cool¡± he said, Bryn chuckling and nodding as he took the blade.It was clearly too heavy as he almost immediately dropped it, eventually precariously holding it with two shaking hands. The pair laughed loudly as the 3 toads acidic orbs flew towards them.Jordan closed his eyes, hoping it would be over quickly.


    The scene around him was unexpected to say the least.Bryn was no longer next to him, and the ground he stood on was completely coated in the acidic slime, the liquid steaming as it mixed with the mud.Despite this, he hadn¡¯t been injured at all.He looked to the toads and saw the 3 that had just arrived crumpled on the ground, covered in large gashes and bleeding profusely.Even the alpha lay dead, and Jordan began to walk before he realized how wobbly his legs were.He settled into a sitting position in the place he had been standing, as it was the only part of the ground not covered in steaming acid mud.After rubbing his eyes for a moment, he looked up to see Bryn in front of him.He was covered in purple blood, though his clothing was nothing compared to the viscera that coated the sword he held.


    While he was happy to be alive, the glazed look in Bryn¡¯s eye concerned him.¡°Hey man, you o-?¡± He asked, but before he could finish Bryn fell forward, face planting in the mud.Jordan stood up and carried Bryn out of the mud, ignoring the immense pain he felt as he dug through Bryn¡¯s bag for the health potions.Both of their skin was sizzling with the acidic mud that coated their bodies, and Jordan sighed with relief as he saw they still had a good supply left.Uncorking 2 potions, he drank one as he fed the second to Bryn, and as he looked at his friend, something popped up in his field of vision.It appeared in the same spot as his Environmental Symbiosis percentage, but this time it had words instead of numbers.


    Peculiar Skill Activated: Sword Of The Lost One Successfully Transferred To Party Member.

 Chapter 27: Recovery

    It was 5 in the morning, and the gloomy sky made for an unsettling environment as breakfast was served.The plate of bacon was freshly cooked, and Vince began immediately double fisting.Reggie sat next to him, wrapping several pieces of bacon around a sausage link as steaming hot coffee was poured into each person¡¯s cup by the Demon-Dragonborn waitress.


    ¡°I feel fine now, I just don¡¯t get what happened.Did you manage to get ahold of Luther?¡± Bryn asked.Before they went their separate ways upon their arrival in Dregmoor, Luther had given them the name of the village he was working in, a town an hour east of Dregmoor named Marshall.While the pair recoveredover the previous week, they had asked Reggie to travel to Marshall and ask Luther if he had any information regarding the situation with Jordan¡¯s peculiar skill.


    6:00 pm


    As frustrating as that was for him, curiosity was the more overwhelming feeling.If Bryn did not have an Adventurer¡¯s Boon, he could not use skills.This was not something that was up for debate, it was simply the core concept that allows skills to exist in the first place.While neither of them had extensive knowledge on peculiar skills, they knew enough that whatever the skill was should still require a Boon.


    Jordan had mostly gotten used to the overwhelming smell of meat, demons were carnivores after all.Though as Jordan was hit by the aroma of 4 different kinds of animals simultaneously, he found himself craving vegetables for the first time in his life.


    Should we be taking advice from this man at all?¡± Bryn asked looking over at Jordan.The meat sweats were pouring down his face, and the tips of his pointed ears were red as Jordan finished his 2nd plate.This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.


    Bryn shook his head as he looked back over at Reggie, who continued to speak.


    He said all peculiar skills have unique activation requirements and are incredibly powerful, but transferring them between people is unheard of as far as he knows.I adventured myself for a few years, and I¡¯ve never heard of a skill being transferable, let alone a peculiar one.¡±Reggie said.


    Thanks for trying, I¡¯ll have to just wait to look into it until I get back to Zyphtal.¡±Bryn said, the disappointment in his voice obvious.While he recovered from the fight just fine, his curiosity over the situation was killing him.Dregmoor didn¡¯t have nearly the same resources for research, and forgetting about this until he went back home was a frustrating conclusion to come to for Bryn.


    The pair invited Vince to the diner since the 4 of them were the only adventurers in town, but there was clearly still tension from the previous incident.¡°When I was in Zyphtal before I came back home, I was in a party with a fighter that could use the Swift Hand Skill.¡±Vince said quietly.


    That skill was one of the first that Rangers are able to use, and is exclusive to them and Gunslingers.A fighter using that skill shouldn¡¯t have been possible, no matter what level of experience they have.


    His confidence had clearly been damaged, and Bryn felt a twinge of guilt until Jordan broke the silence with a loud belch.


    Thanks for that info Vince, are you coming back to Zyphtal anytime soon?¡± Jordan asked as he dabbed his forehead with a napkin. Vince looked caught off guard by this question, hesitating for a moment before answering.


    If you feel like coming back by the time we leave, you should join our party.¡± Jordan said, grabbing a toothpick and going to town as he spoke.Vince looked flabbergasted, stuttering as he attempted to respond.


    You messed up before, but you clearly care about doing the right thing and you can acknowledge when you make mistakes.A cleric is a versatile support class, so in the context of an adventuring party that you have chemistry with, what you do is really important.Hey Bryn we should head out, it¡¯s almost time to do patrols.¡± Jordan said, slipping out of the booth and grabbing his equipment.Bryn nodded and thanked Reggie and Vince for their time, the latter still trying to process Jordan¡¯s comment and continuing to stutter.Reggie smiled as he patted Vince on the shoulder and waved goodbye to the party.As they departed the diner, the minimal amount of light Dregmoor received broke through the sky.


    As they made their way to the patrol checkpoints, the duo discussed the events of the previous week. ¡°So you still can¡¯t remember anything?¡± Jordan asked as he examined the footprints on the southern road.This path led to the bandit¡¯s fortress outside of town, and the traps Bryn had placed hadn¡¯t been activated yet.


    I don¡¯t remember anything until after I woke up in my room.¡± Bryn said.Jordan had carried Bryn back to town, bringing that fact up at every possible opportunity.Though he had been injured severely himself, the look in Bryn¡¯s eyes after the toads had been killed encouraged Jordan to prioritize getting his friend to safety.


    Once they had rested for a couple days, the pair returned to the area the toads had taken residence in and exterminated the rest of the pack.The experience they gained from the previous fights, along with the environmental knowledge gained from Nature¡¯s Credit, made finishing the pack an easy hour of work for the two.


    For the past 6 months, Dregmoor had been terrorized at least once a week when the gang decided to get drunk and cause chaos.Many people had been assaulted and robbed, with the townsfolk living in terror as they didn¡¯t have the manpower to fight back.Jordan and Bryn were prioritizing them next, as the plant overgrowth was still manageable through consistent trimming.


    While the monsters they had faced up to this point provided their own sets of challenges, a group of 50 plus people with Adventurer¡¯s Boons were a different animal.Even the lower level abilities of fighters, wizards, and the other more traditionally powerfulclasses were enough to intimidate Jordan to this day.


    He recognized it as a pair of Den Wire Boxes, a magical device Bryn had purchased in Zyphtal.Once activated, a steel wire reinforced with den shoots out and connects the boxes.As he searched the area for a place to set up the trap, he looked up and saw Bryn was already moving on to drawing a second circle.


    As he placed one of the boxes by a bush on the side of the road, he noticed a familiar smell.Looking closely at the ground, a small amount of blue powder lay scattered by the bush.The smell was memorable to Jordan, the thought of a smoking gun in a desert dungeon flashing in his mind.

 Chapter 28: Support

    The villagers had received their biweekly pay and were splurging on treats they would come to regret in 10 days when looking at their empty fridge, but they indulged nonetheless.Jordan weaved through the bustling crowd, looking for the feathered head of his friend.


    After a few moments Bryn appeared out of the crowd, smacking Jordan¡¯s head as he walked up from behind.


    I¡¯m hungry have you had the Satan pears yet?¡± Jordan asked, staring at the red fruit, its black horns protruding on either side of its stem.


    I haven¡¯t had a calm trip to the bathroom in the last 3 weeks, but I¡¯m even more scared of what the fruit here will do to me¡± Bryn said.


    The plant growth had remained steady, however the maintenance being performed on it was enough to prevent it from causing any real issues.


    He shoved one into Bryn¡¯s hand and held his up.


    Simply wanting the experience to be over, Bryn extended his pear in defeat.After toasting to the power of friendship, Jordan took an ambitiously large bite while Bryn dropped the pear and kicked it.He could have sworn he heard a hiss from the gnome but didn¡¯t have the courage to turn around.


    Looking down into what he just bit into, he saw that the inside of the fruit was dripping with what appeared to be ground beef.It did not taste bad, in fact it tasted like quality meat.Jordan looked up at the gnome, a look of curiosity on his beef covered face.


    Where do you get your produce from?¡± Jordan asked, holding up the fruit.


    He turned around to see Vince, wearing a traditional cleric robe and carrying what appeared to be a storage bag.


    Jordan pondered his answer for a moment, his mind stuck on the pear based mystery he was in the middle of uncovering.Eventually his better judgement won out, and the three of them grabbed a table at the now familiar Donkey Diner.Sitting at the booth in the corner of the restaurant, Vince sighed deeply before speaking.


    Can you teach me?¡± He asked. This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    He shrugged and the pair both looked at Vince, who was sitting nervously but making firm eye contact.He appeared to be serious so Jordan spoke up.


    You want like a pamphlet or something?¡± Jordan said, his attempt at sarcasm failing to lighten the mood.


    I¡¯m barely an adventurer, the only reason I¡¯m even level 3 is because I was in a party that was carried by some other guys.I had the excuse to go back home so they never officially fired me, but it was coming and I deserved it.I was never able to contribute and just threw out heals because that   Bryn could see his frustration, remembering the time before he met Jordan and was doing solo gathering quests.


    Though he didn¡¯t have anything against Vince, he was not willing to dedicate his time for free when a fortress of bandits was still active outside town.


    You don¡¯t need to pay me and I¡¯ll bring my own supplies, I just want to see you work and to receive instruction on how to make the best use of my abilities.¡± Vince said, his eyes pleading with the two of them.


    He picked it up and waved it in the air as he spoke.


    This job has its perks but it¡¯s also extremely dangerous and has a petty hierarchy.It¡¯s going to be a lot of hard work for a support class like yours to get recognition.Even if you were in our party for example, we were living in a studio apartment in a bad neighborhood before we came here.


    Jordan said, nodding his head confidently as he


    After


    Apparently it gets assigned randomly to people who have traveled a lot before joining the guild, and my dad had a delivery business that took him all over Morten.


    When I asked the quiet Dragon lady at Everwatch about it, she said it¡¯s a skill that grows as I explore the world.I need to try and make the people who live in Dregmoor as safe as possible before I go, but I will eventually leave again and see the rest of the world.¡± Vince said confidently.


    Also the fashion is atrocious, you look like a snowman¡± Jordan said condescendingly.Vince¡¯s face fell, and Bryn looked over at Jordan.


    The last time he was involved in combat with us it caused more problems than it solved.We would have been able to take out that elf guy much faster and with less risk if he butted out.¡± Jordan said pointing at Vince.


    ¡°So when you¡¯re in our party, you need to listen to us and follow what we do until you get your footing with how we do things. Also I swear to god if you look cooler than me in a fight I¡¯ll be really passive aggressive for a few days until I move onto something else¡± Jordan said, smiling as he put his hand down.Bryn laughed as he looked over at Vince who looked confused.


    You can work with us in Dregmoor, since the goal for all three of us is making the town safer for the citizens, we might as well.


    Once our time here is up, we¡¯ll decide if we want to invite you on permanently.Deal?¡± Bryn said, extending his hand across the table.Vince¡¯s stressed expression turned to one of relieved happiness, and he excitedly shook Bryn¡¯s hand.


    I swear I¡¯ll listen and be of help to you both, you won¡¯t regret this¡± Vince said excitedly.¡°So what are we going to do first?¡± He asked, his blue face alight with anticipation.


    ¡°Well we have to go figure out how we¡¯re going to kill a fortress of 50 plus adventurers with the 3 of us, so that should be fun¡± he said as he grabbed a much needed toothpick.

 Chapter 29: Scouting

    Creatures that made the swampland their home filled the air with a chorus of off putting noises.As the water of the river below the dirt path shifted with the movement its residents, Jordan moved slowly along the dirt path with Bryn and Vince following behind.The southern road that led out of Dregmoor ran for roughly a mile before reaching the abandoned fortress that the bandits had made their home.


    The drawbridge was open, and Jordan guessed it would stay that way as the chains that operated it were more rust than metal.As the party approached the fort, the raucous sounds of drunken partying became progressively louder.The trio stopped several hundred feet short of the entrance, retreating off the path until they were hidden by a group of gnarled trees.


    Jordan looked over at Vince, whose face was scrunched up into a look of both determination and extreme anxiety.


    If you¡¯re nervous it¡¯s ok, but you also look like you might have diarrhea mid combat.If that¡¯s the case, you should tell me now because that¡¯ll throw this while plan off the rails, as mid combat diarrhea tends to do.¡± Jordan said as fiddled with his arrow load out.Vince looked surprised at his comment and began stuttering immediately.


    Afterwards, he immediately looked embarrassed and went silent again.


    Unless the diarrhea things is actually happening then don¡¯t.¡± Jordan said.


    But if it¡¯s just the fight we¡¯ll be fine.You came with us yesterday, we scouted them like we planned, and we came back home without being seen right?¡± Jordan said with an attempt at a soothing tone.Vince nodded, remembering the instructions he was given on the scouting mission being relatively easy to understand.


    Most of the gang were either fighters or barbarians, the most common class to go rogue from Everwatch.Jordan explained to Vince that this meant they could not engage the bandits in direct combat,but not having to deal with magic made a stealth attack easier.Upon gathering the information they needed, the trio retreated into the cover of night and safely returned to town.


    Vince was concerned that they were making the plan without Bryn present, but Jordan reassured him that Bryn would know his role.After many strategizing sessions, test runs, and combat practice, the day arrived.


    The bags under his eyes had bags, and his bloodshot eyes indicated he hadn¡¯t slept well if at all. Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.


    ¡°We gotta go kill a bunch of guys now Bryn¡­ you gonna be ok to do that?¡± Jordan asked cautiously.The blatant look of concern on Vince¡¯s face made his feelings clear, and Bryn held up a finger while he uncorked a sparkling blue potion next to him.


    However, once the potion was gone, his eyes returned to normal and the bags under his eyes were gone.He coughed a couple times before finally responding.


    This was a mix of some herbs from back home and a weird demon lentil that Maeve grew in his backyard.It¡¯ll keep me alert until I stop dead in my tracks, at which point one of you will have to carry me.So in the spirit of preventing future back pain for you two, let¡¯s get this done quickly shall we?¡± Bryn said, his voice energetic and full of life.Vince looked over at Jordan, who shrugged and lifted his hands up.


    I personally get the same effect from coffee, but to each their own.Where¡¯s Maeve at by the way I wanted to say thanks for babysitting¡± Jordan said while looking around the shop.


    He said something about a loose moose and didn¡¯t elaborate any further than that¡± Bryn said as he picked up his bag and latched the Arsenal Watch onto his wrist.After the trio left the shop, the bustling Main Street slowly transformed into the murky swampland that Dregmoor was known for as they made their way to the souther path.


    Jordan led the way as the trio approached the fortress, and stopped in their previously picked meeting spot to make their final preparations.


    Feeling the effects immediately, he dexterously moved through the trees around the perimeter of the fortress.After arriving at his vantage point, he waited for a few seconds before seeing 3 flashes from across the marshland.Recognizing the signal he and Jordan had agreed on, he sprinted forward.Once he was within a reasonable distance, he pulled the bag with the red x from his belt and tossed it as high as it could.


    The feeling of wading in the swampy waters was unpleasant, though it felt better than being seen by 50 criminals.Once he let enough time pass, he focused his den and activated his Animal Spirit skill.


    He looked over at the spot Bryn had pointed out to him earlier, and saw a familiar bird man crouched in a ready position.He placed the viewing stone next to him and channeled den into it in 3 bursts, taking aim with his bow as Bryn ran forward. Jordan focused just above the wall of the fortress.He believed in Bryn¡¯s throwing arm, but not that much.As he saw the bag launch into the air, Jordan released the arrow he had readied.As it flew through the air, he began running to the path leading to the fort¡¯s entrance.


    The main entrance led towards town, but the other two led deeper into the marshlands.He knew Jordan had the left path covered, and was tempted to take the extra enhance to ensure he could execute his part of the plan before there was too much ruckus.


    This was not because he was extremely confident in his accuracy, more so that if he missed he needed to start moving as quickly as possible to enact plan B.However, as he arrived at the first convergence circle they had planted, he heard a resounding boom echo through the night.


    Deep purples, shimmering greens, and brilliant golds lit up the night sky, like a rainbow meteor shower on a clear night.However, this colorful display was also the most volatile combination of herbs and explosive alchemical ingredients Bryn could find.

 Chapter 30: Trap

    The vibrant explosions of color continued to boom through the night sky above the fort as he dashed through the trees along the building¡¯s perimeter


    As he approached the path, he took the cloth pouch hanging from his belt, unveiling a small glass ball.The inside of it was glowing dimly, and Bryn took a deep breath before dashing to the entrance.


    The already battered walls were crumbling to the ground, and the various supplies scattered throughout the fort were ablaze.The gang itself was not doing much better.If one of them was not actively on fire, they were panicking and attempting to do any damage control they could.As Bryn took in the chaos around him, he shrugged and shouted at the top of his lungs.


    Everyone who had heard him turned their heads to the sky, and as the ball began to descend, the light inside of it grew brighter and brighter.Once it had fallen to be only about 10 feet from the ground, it exploded in a blinding flash of light.Various shouts could be heard from the bandits, and after a moment Bryn uncovered his eyes.


    Once the effects of the flash glass had worn off, a chorus of angry shouts could be heard, and soon after Bryn noticed the sounds of hurried footsteps behind him.As he looked back, he saw at least 10 barbarians and fighters running after him.A variety of axes and swords waved furiously as they shouted a colorful array of profanity at Bryn as they ran.


    While the effects of the enhance potion were helping, the advantages of the Adventurer¡¯s Boon were apparent as they began to quickly close ground on him.As he took note of the approaching bandits, he contemplated using a second enhance potion, despite the risks.However, he decided against it once he saw the wooden box he had placed on the side of the path.


    The moment it made contact, the cube exploded and the box exploded in a cloud of thick black smoke.He smiled as he saw the group of bandits struggling against the quicksand they now stood in.


    After some trial and error, they discovered a recipe involving a breed of mushrooms that were native to a group of demon elf villages a few hours north of Dregmoor. The magical properties of the mushrooms along with Maeve¡¯s knowledge of transmutation alchemy allowed for the development of the Soil Shifter Draught.While quicksand was the only effect it could achieve upon making contact with soil, its potential for the future was unlimited.


    He panted heavily upon landing, his hands immediately going to his knees.¡°How out of shape am I?¡± He asked himself, his wings already beginning to feel sore.


    He saw Bryn in the air on the other side of the battlefield, and laughed at the shaky motions of his aerial movements.Just as saw Bryn land safely, he turned his attention back to the fortress.A group of at least 15 were gathered, and appeared to be coordinating with each other.


    This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.


    He sighed and ran toward the entrance once again, unsheathing the swords he now carried on his back.While the bow and swords limited his overall mobility, the versatility having both provided was worth it.Once he was within 10 feet of the group, a barbarian noticed him charge and yelled a warning to his companions.


    His blades slashed into the barbarians chest, his lack of armor causing the damage to be even more extreme.


    After the second casualty, the group seemed to finally notice his presence, and began rushing toward him.Eyeing the quickly closing gap between the mob and him, Jordan turned to look back at the convergence circle.He felt the den begin to overload his body, as activating Animal Sprit simultaneously with Environmental Symbiosis was not a strain he was used to quite yet.


    Upon landing, he deactivated both skills and immediately channeled almost all of his remaining den into the circle at his feet.The enhanced speed that the Adventurer¡¯s Boon provided even non mobility focused classes such as fighters and barbarians astounded Jordan as he watched the mob chase after him.


    He exhaled deeply before he closed his eyes and sat down cross legged on the dirt path, concentrating on the feeling of den in the air.The tranquility of being one with nature and magic was broken as the first bandit broke through the circle, and Jordan knew it was time.


    Before the first fighter could bring down his great axe, a hand shot from the dirt and grabbed his leg.He face planted into the mud, and as he looked back to see who had grabbed him, he realized it wasn¡¯t who, but what.


    As each additional bandit rushed in, new hands shot from the ground,a new enemy trapped by the power of Bryn¡¯s Convergence Circle and Jordan¡¯s den.The 3 remaining members of the gang avoided the trap, but Jordan managed to pick off the stragglers with some good old fashioned head shots, finishing the last one with a paralysis additive in the shoulder to increase the commission slightly.


    According to the plan, the largest number of enemies would be coming his way.Jordan and Bryn needed to cover the more complicated escape routes, though that meant that Vince¡¯s role was to deal with the biggest mob.And as the first wave became visible upon leaving the main entrance, he truly felt the pressure of that responsibility.


    The charging mob of criminals gaining in number as they ran toward him was a harsh reminder of the dangers of the job.He wouldn¡¯t be swimming in money anytime soon, and Jordan had a habit of chewing with his mouth open and that would be difficult to be around.But he didn¡¯t have any more time to think about it, the circle was fully charged.


    A thick wall of ice standing at least 10 feet tall enveloped the entire mob, with each bandit stuck in the ice as if they had been lost to time.None of them were able to move, and Vince exhaled deeply, both from exhaustion and relief.


    An antidote was guaranteed to each person that turned themselves into the guild, which was morally dubious but would get them a bonus commission.They had a month to make it back to Zyphtal where the antidote was waiting for them, but they had to figure out cost of travel.After meeting at the fortress, the pair of them made their way to the Dregmoor entrance to check on Vince.


    He stopped Bryn, who looked at him with confusion.Approaching the road slowly, Jordan used some of the little den he had left for a short animal spirit.


    Above him stood a hulking demon giant, a glowing purple sword floating above him and aiming at Vince¡¯s throat.

 Chapter 31: Casualty

    Jordan looked on in horror as the giant looked down at Vince, his arm bleeding profusely as he struggled to keep his eyes open.  The giant was dressed simply, a brown travelers cloak with a hood being all he wore.  However, he seemed to radiate with den, and the sword above him appeared to be controlled by him telepathically.


    I¡¯ll hold off the giant and escape once you two have some distance between us.¡± Bryn said, digging into his bag and pulling out 3 red potions.


    ¡°Give me a sword, I can¡¯t afford to get close enough to inject him with the watch, but putting a paralyze additive on this should work.¡± Bryn said, Jordan nodding and handing one of his swords over.He scooped the potions into his bag, and closed his eyes, the fog instantly pouring back out of him.He opened his eyes and peeked at the number in the corner of his vision.


    Distract him, escape, and we¡¯ll get back to town.We can¡¯t beat him until we recover, a spirit sword barbarian is at minimum level 14.¡± Jordan said as the fog formed a mask over his nose and mouth.


    The blade narrowly missed Jordan¡¯s head, and he raced in the direction of Dregmoor.The giant looked on, his expression unchanging and his demonic eyes unblinking.He wore no armor, his bare chest wasan olive green color and bulged with mass. His brown cloth pants were torn in random spots, though he didn¡¯t appear injured at all.As Jordan raced ahead, the giant¡¯s voice boomed as he pointed in their direction.


    You had no idea who you were dealing with you insignificant idiots!¡± He screamed as the floating sword jetted after the pair.Before it went too far, the sword was hit by a glass vial, a small fireball enveloping it immediately after.The sword fell to the ground as Jordan and Vince disappeared down the path, and the giant looked over at where the explosion had come from.


    Though he stared unblinking as he locked eyes with his opponent, his mind was filled with nothing but fear.Obviously he wouldn¡¯t be able to beat this guy, but would he even be able to escape?


    The adventurers protecting the town from the scary bandits.If you knew what was behind the doors of Everwatch, what we do would seem like child¡¯s play¡± he said, his voice dripping with spite.


    What was he talking about?


    He snapped his fingers and the sword began floating around without his guidance, as if it was independently controlling itself.He reached to his back and pulled 2 enormous great swords , holding one in each hand.Bryn felt a chill run down his spine, as fighters with incredible strength would barely be able to use one of those with 2 hands, and he gripped one in each fist as if they were feathers.


    The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.


    He looked ahead at Bryn, his once brown eyes a blood red color.¡°You set my home on fire and attacked my crew.¡± He said, slowly walking towards Bryn. ¡°I will slaughter you and that entire village like I should have done in the first place!¡± He screamed, his voice taking on a demonic deepness.


    What began as slow steps turned to a sprint with super powered speed, the strides of the giant carrying him a dozen feet per step.


    His only hope would have been to inject multiple high level enhancement potions and outrun him, but no amount of potions would make up for this difference in quickness.Bryn stood still and held up his sword.¡°If I can hit him at all, the paralyze additive might buy Jordan enough time to get back to Dregmoor.¡± He whispered, gulping and charging forward as the giant¡¯s quick steps caused the ground to rumble.


    ¡°Even closer actually¡± the voice said as if answering the doubts forming in Bryn¡¯s mind.As he thrust his sword toward the approaching giant, a white light enveloped his entire body.The light expanded rapidly, and Bryn heard a loud boom before being knocked back several dozen feet.


    As he got up to his feet, he blinked his eyes repeatedly as he tried to adjust his vision.The giant was still standing, though had been pushed back and was sporting several burn marks on his arm.Bryn looked down at his own body, half expecting to see his own burn marks despite the lack of pain.Instead, he saw that his clothes had been changed to a set of steel armor painted to be eggshell white.He looked at the sword he held in his hand and it had transformed as well.Instead of the decent quality blade Jordan had bought in Zyphtal, a pristine white and gold blade, with the cross guard in the shape of golden wings had taken its place.As he walked forward, he felt another presence inside his body.


    Well let¡¯s just say some people where I¡¯m from thought I would be a good fit with your friend, but I think you and I work together better.I had to take over completely last time since our connection was so weak, but now that I¡¯ve gotten more used to you I think we can work together.¡± The voice said, its tone sounding similar to a young man, perhaps early 20¡¯s.


    The black flames licked from his blades, and the glowing sword above him followed at a similarly breakneck speed.His face was radiating with anger, and his eyes were deadlocked on Bryn.


    I¡¯m not going to tell you to trust someone you just met that also invaded your body, but I also don¡¯t think you have that much of a choice.The base form of our connection makes you about as strong as a level 6 fighter, he¡¯d slaughter you.If I take over, I¡¯d find it very unlikely that I¡¯d lose.¡± The voice said.


    As he approached Bryn, he saw him say two words before he began to swing down.


    As the giant looked down at what had blocked his attack, he saw a pair of eyes staring back at him.Though as his opponent pushed him back with an unnatural amount of force, the giant looked back at an unfamiliar enemy.


    An aura of white energy flowed around him, the mud below him slowly melting from a solid to a liquid once the heat enveloped it.As he strode forward, the flaming white energy around Bryn¡¯s head covered his face completely and began reforming.As it continued to swirl, he started sprinting forward and leaped into the air.As he reached the apex of his jump roughly 15 feet in the air, the giant looked up and could have sworn he saw a pair of massive white wings dozens of feet wide flash behind Bryn before he dove down.


    He raised his blade and swung down as he approached his target.The giant held his weapons up and yelled a mighty battle cry as the blades met, and the magical energy crackled through the marshlands.The giant looked at his opponent and felt fear for the first time that day, as Bryn¡¯s head had formed into the shape of a flaming celestial raptor that screamed with fury.

 Chapter 32: The 4th Swordsman

    He checked the hilts of his weapons to ensure the Shadowfire runes he had previously equipped were still attached.Once he confirmed they were, his anxiety heightened.From what he had heard, these adventurers were crafty but were not even level 10 yet.He looked over at the dazzlingly bright opponent ahead of him and wondered if his intel had been wrong, or if something leveled was happening.


    His head remained the shape of a raptor, his jaw snapping and showing off razor sharp teeth.Just as the giant steadied himself, the flaming figure darted at him with incredible speed.He thrust his sword forward, narrowly missing the giants abdomen as he sidestepped out of the way.The giant smirked and pointed his finger down, launching the spirit sword from above right at his target¡¯s neck.


    He was in room made entirely of metal, the only exception being the bed that looked about as comfortable as metal.There was only a steel door and round window, and as Bryn turned to look outside, he gasped and scrambled to get a closer look.Outside he saw a pitch black sky with hundreds of stars, but what caused him to gasp was the enormous planet that the building he was in floated above.


    Before he could process what he was seeing, the door behind him slid open, and he spun around quickly.In walked a young man, early 20¡¯s at most, wearing a blue jumpsuit with a patch sewed into the breast pocket.It had a blue and red design, and appeared to have letters written in an unfamiliar language.His big smile and messy brown hair gave him a boyish charm, while his glasses and patchy facial hair made him appear even younger.


    This is my base of operations for the moment.It would take too long to explain why, but while my power is fully controlling your body, your consciousnesses will stay here until I give it back.¡± He said, his smile never fading as he spoke.The happy demeanor Scott had would have been more comforting to Bryn if he hadn¡¯t just admitted he could keep him trapped here as long as he wanted.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry man I¡¯m not keeping you prisoner here.As long as we survive this fight, I promise I¡¯ll send you back.I chose you for a reason after all, it¡¯s not easy to pull off a skill transfer.¡± He said, Bryn¡¯s expression softening as he felt the stress leave him.


    ¡°If we survive? You mean the fight¡¯s happening now?¡± He asked, looking out again at the astonishing view from his window.¡°Also, how are you fighting if you¡¯re here?¡± Bryn asked.


    ¡°Well technically I¡¯m not personally fighting, but the Titan Ascendance Form is my source of power.Letting the form take over your body is as much help as I can give, but trust me it¡¯s a lot.That being said, a level 14 Spirit Sword Barbarian is a big ask to solo, so we should keep an eye on what¡¯s going on.¡± He said, swiping his hand in front of his face.


    The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.


    As Bryn looked closely, he realized one of the fighters was the barbarian they had been fighting, and he was engaged in combat with what Bryn assumed was whatever was using him to fight.The imposing cloak of flame that surrounded his body sent a chill down Bryn¡¯s spine.


    Once you received the skill I was connected to and used it correctly, you got a connection to the roc titan as well.Of course you wouldn¡¯t be able to use this much of the power without my help, but over time you might end up getting there.¡± Scott said, as he walked over and stood next to Bryn, watching the battle with him.


    As it stabbed into the ground, the magical power it contained caused a shockwave of power to run through the muddy battlefield.The titan dashed backward, regaining its footing as it raised its sword.The giant roared and charged forward, the titan¡¯s beak unhinging and letting out a battle screech as it dashed to meet it¡¯s foe.The flames falling from each combatants weapon sizzled as it hit the wet mud below, and as their blades clashed again, rain began to fall.


    The giant roared in frustration as the cuts on his legs and torso continued to accumulate, swinging his swords in vain as the titan¡¯s quickness was proving difficult to keep up with.It wasn¡¯t long before he was beginning to feel weak from the various wounds, and his frustration boiled over.


    He folded his hands and closed his eyes, a cloak of dark flames enveloping him instantly.The titan launched at the giant¡¯s throat, but just before the blade found its target, it was forcefully stopped by the giant¡¯s hand.He had moved with reflexes not befitting of a creature his size, and to Bryn it was clear the giant had used a skill similar to Jordan¡¯s symbiosis.


    As the cloud began to stabilize and form to his body, the giant began to walk forward.


    Time for the heavy artillery, I¡¯ll need to be at the reigns for this.¡± Scott said,closing his eyes and teleporting away as Bryn looked on in confusion.


    Steam was constantly rising from both combatants, as the flames that coated their bodies reacted to the moisture in the air.The giant¡¯s form finally stabilized completely to a form that resembled his original body, but the blaze that coated his skin obscured any details.If they didn¡¯t know any better, someone seeing this scene would assume the giant to be pure, living fire.


    The black flames of the demon realm were a skill that no one else in the guild had ever perfected to the point he had.His years of training allows his body to be one with the black flames, and no opponent had left behind a body after he entered this form, let alone put up a fight.Once he was within a few feet of the glowing bird, he rained a punch down, intending a one hit kill to be the result.Instead, he saw his fist pass through only empty space.


    He felt a blade remove itself from his back as he fell forward.Looking up, he saw that damn glowing bird standing over him, its blade ready to strike down.


    As the life left his opponent, Scott breathed deeply.He hadn¡¯t felt this exhausted in a few decades, but this experience confirmed his theory.

 Chapter 33: Naptime

    A small crowd had gathered, led in front by Reggie and Regina, and most were holding weapons.As Jordan fell to the ground with Vince toppling off his back, the crowd quickly lowered their weapons and rushed to tend to them.Vince¡¯s arm was still bleeding profusely, and Jordan¡¯s vision began to fade as he started to slip into unconsciousness.


    She pulled out a variety of different potions and tools, shooing Reggie away as she began to work on Vince¡¯s wound.He nodded and turned toward Jordan, running over and shouting.Jordan couldn¡¯t hear him as his ears began to ring, the world slowly fading as he involuntary lowered his head.


    He hoped Reggie would get the hint to check his pouch, and luckily he was a quick study as he reached down and grabbed the potion Jordan had been hoping for.He uncorked the glimmering white elixir and poured the contents into Jordan mouth.He felt the effects shoot through his body and jumped up, his energy levels higher than they had ever been.Reggie fell backwards in shock at Jordan¡¯s sudden burst of movement.


    The sugar rush potion provided a quick burst of energy for 2 minutes before a hard crash, and Jordan knew he needed to hurry and get back to Bryn before the effects wore off.


    Reggie looked on with a bewildered expression, eventually shaking his head and turning back to address the crowd.He had hoped that Jordan could have provided some insight into the rainbow explosion everyone had seen, but Reggie knew Jordan was doing what he thought was best and probably couldn¡¯t be dissuaded.


    Above the rotted trees in the distance, he could see random flickers of light and the clash of swords.Jordan thought as he ran, pondering what the source of the fighting could have been.It wasn¡¯t as if Bryn could wield a sword.Unless¡­


    He was within a quarter mile as he saw an explosion of black flames pierce the fog above the battlefield, only to be met seconds later by an even larger explosion of white flames.As if the underworld and the heavens themselves engaged in combat, Jordan chuckled as he arrived at the scene.


    He stood over the spirit sword barbarian, clearly dead as the blood was still pouring from his neck.The face of a flaming raptor turned to look at Jordan, and tilted its head to the side as if pondering who he was.


    ¡°Snap out of it feathers, we still have work to do.¡± He said as he causally began walking toward the flaming creature.


    The rest of the fire on his body began to dissipate as well, and he began to fall to the ground.He face planted into the mud, Jordan standing above him with his hand sheepishly covering his mouth.


    As he picked up Bryn¡¯s unconscious body, he made his way back to Dregmoor.Upon reaching the path that led into town, he noticed the weeds near the front gate were taller than usual, but he paid it no mind as his sugar crash began to approach.Upon arriving at the group of people led by Reggie, Jordan began to fall as well, receiving his karma as Reggie was unable to prevent him from falling in the muck himself.Upon hitting the ground, it was now Jordan¡¯s turn to be unconscious.


    If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    After a few minutes of stressfully imagining how the fight was going, he found he couldn¡¯t find anything more to worry himself about and simply looked outside.He couldn¡¯t have been staring for longer than 15 minutes, but it felt like it had been years since he had talked to somebody else when he suddenly heard Scott¡¯s voice once again.


    Hope I didn¡¯t worry you, the giant floating sword guy was a piece of cake but the time lag between here and there is pretty rough.¡±Scott said as Bryn spun around in surprise.¡°Anyway, I¡¯ll be sending you back now.Good luck with everything and we¡¯ll talk soon¡± he said as he began to swipe his hand.


    Scott stopped and tilted his head slightly.


    ¡°What makes me a better option than him?I don¡¯t even have a boon.¡± Bryn said as Scott looked on.


    The same boyish smile was plastered on his face, never showing any emotion besides innocent joy.


    Before Bryn could respond, Scott raised his hand and swiped it to his left, and Bryn¡¯s vision darkened immediately.A burst of light hit his eyes, and he shut them immediately.Upon slowly blinking them open, Bryn saw he was now laying in the bed of his room at the Really Good Inn.He looked over and saw a viewing stone on his bedside table that had been charged with den so that it displayed the time and date.


    Just as he lowered his arms and fully opened his eyes, the math finally computed.


    They felt like jelly that had been lying in bed for 3 weeks, and he eventually stood up after a considerable struggle.He slowly paced around the room while swinging his arms back and forth, attempting to stretch out his body a bit before making his way to the door.Upon exiting the room, he noticed the Inn was eerily silent.


    He stood up, his embarrassment overwhelming him despite the lack of audience.He rubbed his beak and looked to see what had tripped him, his concern spiked upon seeing it.


    Bryn looked around and saw that the lobby of the Inn was covered in similar vines, the walls and ceiling being covered just as much as the floor.Bryn tried to process what had happened.He had been out for 3 weeks, clearly the flower outside of town causing the plant growth had accelerated, and-.


    Jordan walked in, his leather armor that had once been brown now turned green.His hood and the sword he held were also green, and he sheathed his weapon as he closed the door behind him.Bryn walked forward and Jordan looked up, noticing his presence for the first time.


    After the hug didn¡¯t stop, he awkwardly patted Jordan on the back as he pushed him away.


    Bryn chuckled before his face turned to a more serious expression.


    Bryn followed behind, and Jordan stopped as he placed his hand on the doorknob.


    Jordan said cautiously.


    Jordan pulled open the door, and Bryn gasped aloud at the sight before him.


    Vines, flowers, and various breeds of plants were visibly continuing to grow as Bryn watched them.A villager Bryn didn¡¯t recognize swung an axe at one of the vines, wiping the sweat from his brow as the vine next to it continued to grow.Jordan looked back at Bryn, a playful smile on his face.

 Chapter 34: Glorified Gardener

    The Really Good Inn located in Dregmoor made a good use of it¡¯s space.  The rooms were cozy, but small enough that there were plenty of rooms available to travelers that come through.  The lobby was also set up to have a small and intimate vibe.  However, as Bryn and Jordan sat at the front desk, the vines that covered most of the room made the space feel incredibly cramped.  The foliage that was sprouting from each vine gave the room a vibrant color that the pair had to admit was pretty to look at despite the property damage it was causing.


    He told him to sit down and he would explain everything, closing the door quickly before Bryn could look around outside at all.Putting his mug down on the counter, he looked up at Jordan who was sipping on a glass of milk¡­ with ice.


    Despite Jordan¡¯s impressive accomplishments as an adventurer early in his career, his most powerful skill was finding the exact right nerve of Bryn¡¯s to hit.


    ¡°Now that we¡¯ve covered how judgmental you are about beverages, let¡¯s talk business.¡± Jordan said, Bryn¡¯s posture stiffening slightly as the tone changed from humorous to serious immediately.


    Additionally, he confirmed that the giant had indeed been killed and the remaining bandits took the deal offered to them and returned to Zyphtal. Both of them were unconscious for a full day after, but Jordan woke up the next day relatively unscathed.However, Bryn appeared to be in a sort of magically enhanced coma.He was breathing and whenever anyone checked on him he appeared to be in good health, but if anyone touched him, his skin would immediately become white hot.


    He had hoped the form would be a sort of substitute to make up for his lack of the Adventurer¡¯s Boon, but a power that puts you into a coma for 3 weeks after using it for 5 minutes isn¡¯t exactly practical.Jordan noticed the defeated look on Bryn¡¯s face, and patted him on the shoulder.


    I¡¯m sure there¡¯s people in the city we can talk to that can help us figure out what this is.¡± Jordan said in an attempt to comfort his friend.Bryn smiled halfheartedly before he spoke.


    Jordan looked at him bewildered and closed his eyes while touching two fingers to his forehead as he tried to process this new information.


    Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.


    From what you told me it made you strong enough to beat a level 14 adventurer by yourself, but at the cost of a 3 week coma.As far as we know, that could have been you getting off easy.I have some ideas of who we can talk to when we get back home, but for now we¡¯ll stick with old school strategies ok?¡± Jordan asked, Bryn nodding in response.Though he was bummed out about the unreliability of his new form, he was also not keen to spend another 3 weeks in bed.


    ¡°In the last week the flower that these plants were coming from morphed into something with teeth.I went to deal with it myself, not exactly thinking I would need backup for a flower.It was weirdly mobile and had a strong bite attack, but I killed it eventually.I was hoping that would stop it, but the vine growth kept going, it even seemed like it sped up a bit.¡± He said, sipping his milk.


    I used Nature¡¯s Credit to get a lay of the land, and I detected some sort of presence in an underground chamber that¡¯s connected to the wild plant growth.My guess is that if we kill whatever is down there, the plant growth will stop.¡± Jordan said, the origin of the green coloring on his armor now incredibly obvious.


    Jordan grimaced and shook his head.


    When I say the plant growth is out of control, I mean it.Most of the villagers are out using machetes to chop down the weeds, but they grow back just as fast.Reggie said if the growth doesn¡¯t stop by tonight, he¡¯ll need to evacuate the village.We¡¯ll go out there soon, and you¡¯ll see that he¡¯s right pretty quickly.¡± Jordan said, a frustration to his tone.


    The people had been nice and were just ordinary people trying to get by, they didn¡¯t deserve to have their homes taken after all they had been through.Though these kind sentiments didn¡¯t mean much if saving the village killed him.


    Walking around the vines made it more cramped than it should have been, but the mobility was returning in his legs and he could feel his joints creaking back to life.


    ¡°To be honest, if you¡¯re able to go, then we should go.I¡¯d feel guilty if we left this town to be destroyed when we could have done something about it.¡±Jordan shrugged his shoulders and raised his hands before he continued.¡°That being said, an entire town that owes us and an extra large payout by Everwatch is a pretty decent reward for one fight.It¡¯s not like I don¡¯t care about the town, but removing the plant monster would benefit us.So if you think you can fight, then let¡¯s go do the best kind of good deed: one that also benefits us.¡± Jordan said as he did several high knees and hip rotations, unconsciously joining Bryn in his stretching.


    Most of it was covered by several vines on the outside of the Inn, and he could see them growing in real time.He thought for a moment about if he was ready to fight, or if he would simply drag Jordan down and get them both killed.Perhaps it was a better idea to cut their losses and bail, they were going to be paid the standard amount anyway.As he was about to voice his thoughts, a memory flickered through his mind.


    ¡°Do you think you¡¯re ready to fight today?¡± He asked again.


    He took a deep breath and exhaled, then began walking to his room.¡°Let me get my supplies and once I chug one of those lentil potions that Maeve gave me I¡¯ll be ready to pull some weeds.¡± He said, his attempt at looking cool giving Jordan slight nausea.

 Chapter 35: The Warden

    Leaving the Inn allowed Bryn to take in some of the damage that the plant growth had done to the town, but he didn¡¯t understand the full scope of the destruction until he emerged from an alley onto Main Street.  It sounded as bustling as the average day, except the activity was chopping rather than shopping.  Dozens of townsfolk were taking machetes and axes to plants, only able to limit the destruction as the vines grew just as fast as they cut.


    Despite the efforts of the townsfolk, even just walking through the street without tripping was difficult.


    ¡°I¡¯m gonna eat so many vegetables when we¡¯re done with this dude, I will have my revenge.¡± He said matter-of-factly.Bryn chuckled as he too navigated carefully through the mess of plant life.


    Reggie was helping with the chopping, his barbarian skills allowing him to make an actual dent, while Vince was talking to a group of demon giants.He looked to be busy, pointing in various directions as he assigned each person a role.His sleeve hung loosely, and Bryn stopped in his tracks.This had been the first time since their respective injuries that they had seen each other, and Bryn wasn¡¯t sure how his presence would be received.


    He immediately walked over to Bryn and tucked the clipboard under his armpit so he could extend his hand.


    If you hadn¡¯t fought him while Jordan and I got away we could all be dead.I hope when this is over I can be a member of your party again.¡±He said, his sincere smile indicating his sincerity.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry you were in that situation in the first place.¡± Bryn said, but was cut off before he could continue.


    It¡¯s No one¡¯s fault but his that my arm¡¯s gone, but a cleric uses support magic and usually isn¡¯t involved in combat anyway.I can still use my skills, so this will eventually be just another day at work.¡± He said, shrugging the shoulder of his missing arm.


    ¡°I just talked to Reggie and told him to evacuate everyone if we don¡¯t come back in two hours.Vince, you¡¯re going to be in charge of the older people.¡±Jordan said, patting Bryn¡¯s head before pointing at the cleric.


    This is only something that you can do, so take care of it for us ok?¡± He asked.Vince nodded and smiled, saying his goodbyes to the two as he resumed giving direction to the various people helping control the plant growth.Jordan and Bryn said their goodbyes to Reggie and made their way out of town.


    The muddy paths of the marshlands began to morph into a strange combination of a lush forest and its original self.Vibrant green vines covered the muddy ground and the dead black trees, with brightly colored flowers decorating most visible surfaces.The swampiness was still present however, and the aesthetically pleasing environment contradicted with the foul smells and difficult terrain.


    But what this thing has been doing? I¡¯ve never heard of this specific combination of abilities.¡± He said, frustrated at his lack of knowledge.


    Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    ¡°Well I have a theory, but slow down first.¡± Jordan said, though Bryn was too deep in thought to hear him.Jordan frowned, and for a moment activated Environmental Symbiosis and jumped on Bryn¡¯s back mid air.


    After emerging from the mud and slapping Jordan on the back of the head, he allows him to continue his train of thought as they continued walking.¡°It strange because the effects shouldn¡¯t be this widespread, but it looks like the work of a Warden.¡± Jordan said, wiping the remaining mud from his armor.


    A warden is much easier to start with, since the base power and skills are triple what a ranger¡¯s are.Now that I¡¯m at level 9, the variety of skills I have compared to a warden of the same level make us close to even.¡±Jordan said, noting that wardens get much fewer skills than rangers do.


    ¡°What makes you think someone from the guild did this?Even a level 20 Druid wouldn¡¯t be able to do this on their own for more than a few days.¡± He whispered, attempting to stealthily approach the opening in the forest/marshland where the source was.


    When I used credit I saw a single entity at the source of the plant growth, and a warden that got supercharged somehow would make sense.The vines with the pretty flowers are their MO.¡± Jordan whispered, holding out a hand to stop Bryn from proceeding.


    ¡°It¡¯s clear.Do you still want to go with plan A? We only have one left.¡± Jordan asked as he lowered the storage bag to the ground.


    Jordan dug a sparkling blue potion out of the bag, taking a swig before handing it to Bryn.


    Bryn chuckled and chugged the remaining liquid.Once he was finished and recorked it, he handed the vial back to Jordan.


    You and I will both be hurting after this, but if we can kill this plant thing it¡¯ll have been worth it.¡±


    of the battlefield and confirmed there wouldn¡¯t be a clear enough area to create any convergence circles.The haphazard layout of the vines on the ground didn¡¯t leave any space for any large drawings. Even though they had plenty to work with even without them, it was nice to have the backup they provided.Once on the precipice of the hole, he opened the bag and pulled out a cartoonishly large smoke bomb, weighing at least 20 lbs.


    Jordan coughed slightly as he dropped the bomb down, hearing it roll and smash into something with a thud.After waiting a few moments, thick black smoke began to pour out of the pit.He backed up several paces and drew his swords.


    He stood still with his swords drawn, listening for any movement.Bryn stood further back, ensuring the volatile supplies he would be carrying were stored properly.Just as Jordan began to fear their plan hadn¡¯t worked, he heard it.


    He had all the information he needed as he activated Environmental Symbiosis, the grey fog that normally coated his body showing a green tint as he prepared to fight.The crater that the plant monster lay next to exploded in a shower of vines as a figure shot into the air.


    Once in view, he saw the figure was a woman, perhaps an elf.Vines wrapped around both her legs, spiraling up from her feet to her thighs.Her torso was covered in flowers in a pattern that mimicked a long sleeve shirt, the petals spiraling all the way down her arms.The flowers were similar to the ones that populated the vines in town, though these were vibrant and colorful to the point of nearly blinding the viewer.Her ears were pointed and her bright yellow hair cascaded down just past her shoulders.Her facial features however, were hidden behind a helmet sized pink tulip petal that seemed to sprout from her neck.


    As she traveled through the air, a green light flashed near her hands, and a long sword appeared in her right hand.As she struck the glowing blade down upon Jordan, his blade met hers in a flash of sage green energy.

 Announcement

    Hello fellow people, Working Class will be going on a break while I do some tinkering on it.  A new version will start daily in a few weeks, and once I start posting the chapters I will announce it on this feed as well.  After reading through what I¡¯ve posted, it¡¯s clear to me that this story isn¡¯t bad but needs significant improvement in a variety of areas.  Taking this break will allow me to improve the story for new readers, and maintain the quality of future chapters for established readers.  I will also be publishing a second book on Royal Road in the next few months that will be an ongoing superhero fiction.  Further details of the superhero story will be announced when Working Class returns, but Working Class will be prioritized over the new story.  Thank you for reading my work, and when I return I will not take any long breaks from posting for the foreseeable future.


    Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more.

 Announcement 2: The return of the鈥?nnouncement

    Hello everyone, I¡¯ve returned from my slumber.  I¡¯m happy to announce working class will resume on 3/17/25.  I will be doing a separate feed for the edited version, which will be on my page obviously but I will still announce its debut with a link when the day comes.


    Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.


    I will be uploading daily on the new feed, and I will occasionally post bonus stories on this feed for funsies.  Hope to see you all soon in a metaphorical sense through reading on the internet, not in person please.

 Oh We鈥檙e So Back

    Hello everyone, Working Class will be resuming on a different feed on my account.  I will link it at the end but it won¡¯t be hard to find if you found this one.  The story will be a repeat up until chapter 35, though the chapters have been heavily edited.  Once chapter 35 finishes, daily uploads will continue the story of working class from where I left off on this feed, but with better editing and a healthy backlog that will allow me to keep up the quality of the story.


    If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    I also have a secondary announcement: another story! I¡¯m looking to release it around June but the official date is TBD, it will mostly depend on if I feel I can do the new story and Working Class justice while releasing both simultaneously.  Thanks for checking out my work, this feed will only be for announcements going forward, and you can follow the daily release of Working Class at the link below.


    https://www.royalroad.com/fiction/109079/working-class