《Steady Advance》


 Boundless Enthusiasm

    Nyes Keven stood shoulder to shoulder with seventeen others in the Grand Cathedral of Halcis, god of Balance. It is her that keeps the peace in the heavens and ushers mortals on their way in life. Nyes doesn''t know any of the others on stage with him despite sharing the same birthday. All of them turning 16 on the same day isn''t even that many, considering there were over a half a million people living here in the capitol.


    He''d never even been in the Grand Cathedral before today despite living here in the city his entire life. It was amazing. A huge arched dome over thirty meters in height marked by statues in a ring around the back of the Cathedral, each of a different hero who brought peace and stability in times of peril and fear. At the center of the rear of the Cathedral was a fifteen meter statue of Halcis herself, hands held out palms up holding scales and a dagger. Just below her hands hung a tapestry going all the way to the floor with her scales on it over calm waters.


    Nyes took all this in as he came in but was most focused on the object that would begin his adventure into adulthood. The skill stone! There was one in every major temple to each of the gods. Granting mortals their first skill. Any skill was fine as you could gain others via hunting certain monsters if you were lucky, or so he''d always been told. We''ll, any skill except one but that thought barely flickered through his head before he pushed it away. No way he got that unlucky. It only went to one out of every hundred thousand or so people anyway so he''d be fine.


    "Come forth." He heard the priest say as he was staring at the stone. The priest was an older man with a slight stoop and silver hair. The girl in front of him moved to grasp the stone. He was close enough now to see details he''d missed from further back. The stone itself was a pinkish gold crystal about 1.2 meters tall. The main body of the stone was a 30 centimeter round spike with two smallest spikes ro either side. These were what he''d seen others grab.


    He watched the girl approach the stone as the priest said "Begin your journey" withh a kindly smile on his face. The girl reached up and grasped the smaller crystal spikes. As soon as she did there was a pulse of light from within the stone and the light seemed to pulse straight into her. For a moment Nyes could''ve sworn he saw her eyes glow as well. It lasted for only a second and she let go, a smile playing at her lips.


    "Seamstress" she squealed. Her happiness with her first skill evident for everyone to see. She was quickly rushed away to reunite with her family as the priest once more said "Come forth".


    Nyes stepped up with nervous excitement, beyond ready to step into adulthood and finally start gaining levels and increasing skills. "Begin your journey" the priest once more intoned. That same warm smile on his face. Nyes grasped the spikes with an eagerness that was palpable. Light pulled from the stone once more and into him. It washed through him body and soul, and in a moment that would haunt his dreams for years to come he heard Skill Advancement.


    "Oh no." He whispered as he began trembling and tearing up.


    The priest rushed to put his hands on the boys shoulders to comfort him."It''s okay. Many are able to live fulfilling lives with this skill". The priest had been around long enough to see the dreaded locked skill given out twice before, so here knew what Nyes had gotten.


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    Nyes looked to his parent in the pews, seated there with dozens of others. Only family was allowed in during awakenings. His parents knew. His father looked devastated while his mother was sobbing on his shoulder.


    The priest waved them to follow and guided Nyes to a different part of the Cathedral. "We can help you if you''ll let us. I know this isn''t what you wanted but it''s not the end of the world."


    "Id really like to be alone for a minute." Nyes said as he continued to cry heavily.


    "Of course. I''ll go speak to your parents."


    He''d noticed his parents hadn''t followed him and continued to make it about them typical. Not that he expected anything else from them. His father was a womanizer who broke his mother''s heart weekly, and his mother was delusional. It was as if the next day she had fully repressed anything bad from the day before. Like all bad things in life were just..... deleted from her mind. Either way they were no help.


    In theory it was an amazing skill, destined to catapult it''s wielder to a life of power and fame. Except for its restrictions, said to have been placed by Halcis herself.


    The full skill read- Skill Advancement: Allows the user to advance a skill by one level over 24 hours. Time to advance a skill doubles.RESTRICTION: User may not use skill stones or skill shards.


    A skill that, with perks, could level any skill near instantly. You just can''t ever gain any other skills to go with it. Nyes began to laugh a bit maniacally.


    "The ultimate skill, if only I could actually use on something. HAHAHA!"


    He sat there for about 5 minutes going back and forth between frustrated tears and unhinged laughter. He just had so much energy built up for today and it was all crashing in on him now. As he was about to really start to lose it , the priest returned.


    "Son, you will be fine. I know from experience." He looked meaningfully at Nyes and gave a sad laconic smile.


    "You got the cursed skill too?


    "I did, though it''s not cursed. It is locked. Have you never heard the story of this skill from the church?"


    "My parents aren''t very religious." Nyes said with a bitter chuckle.


    "I thought as much speaking with them. By the way, it seems my manners have failed me utterly. My name is Thedroe. Let me tell you the story of the locked skill."


    "When the gods were building the world, the created the skill stones and all the skills that go in them as well as the skills in all the shards. To make sure each skill was made well the gods looked to none other than Halcis. Every god had a hand in creating skills, but it was left to Halcis to see that each was fair and not broken. That each skill would give something useful while not being too powerful, follow?"


    With a front Nyes asked "I do but that makes this skill make no sense. It''s too powerful by itself."


    "Exactly. Halcis wanted the god who created this skill to change it so it wouldn''t make a mortals into a demigod nigh instantly. The god in question refused. Any guesses as to who that god was?


    "Just one." Nyes said as his face fell.


    ""Thats right. Rekf, god of chaos. Rekf demanded the skill stay exactly as it was no matter who tried to convince it otherwise. Even when Halcis the only way the skill could go into the stone was to lock it. Essentially cutting whoever got it off from ever gaining more skills. It said ''Fine by me. I just wanted to make something fun.'' "


    "So Halcis locked the skill, but altered the odds of it being given so it would be given only rarely. And to those who receive it, she offers a place as a Priest of Balance to overseas awakenings like myself to make sure they have a place in the world."


    "I really never saw myself becoming a priest, no offense."


    "Ha! None taken. You think I wanted to be a priest growing up? Hells no! I wanted the swordsmanship skill, same as most other boys. But each of us has to play the hand we''re dealt..... Your folks already left. Why don''t you spend the night here in the novitiate''s quarters and think it over? A new day may bring with it a new perspective eh?"


    Nyes blew out a long breath, expelling with what felt like a lifetime of anxiety and worries. "That actually sounds nice. Thanks."


    "Right this way."


    They got up and headed to the novitiate dorms.

 Frightful Luck

    Nyes didn''t know how long he''d spent feeling sorry for himself in the tiny cramped room before he''d finally fallen to sleep from sheer emotional drain. The room wasn''t much more than a cot, a chair, and a small table to eat or read at. Apparently novitiates lived fairly austere lives despite the opulence of the rest of the Cathedral.


    He woke after some time with a pain reminding him he hadn''t eaten today. He''d been too excited that morning and the events of the day had kept him too distracted to eat.


    He poked his head out the door. "Hello?"


    No response. Well, that''s alright. It felt like the middle of the night but surely he could find a bite to eat if he poked about long enough. Moving quietly down the hall he passed several other dorms, a few with the sounds of snores in them. He wandered along until he found himself back near the main area of the Cathedral. He heard voices that sounded like they were trying to be quiet.


    Curious, and hopeful that it was someone who could point him toward the kitchens, he went ahead. When he got close enough he heard something that made him freeze in his tracks.


    "Keep it down you imbeciles. Any of the priesthood comes in before we''re done and we''ll have to kill them. You, go make sure this trash didn''t draw any attention."


    Nyes''s blood turned to ice. He heard someone approaching the hallway. Knowing panic would see him dead he cast his eyes about, looking for a place to hide. He leaned on the wall to flatten his profile between two smallest pillars when he heard a faint click.


    The wall pulled inward and he stumbled into a hidden alcove. He must have accidentally hit a hidden switch! He quickly pushed the wall back into place, thankful that it was quiet. Someone wanted this place to remain hidden.


    He heard steps go by outside and keep going. He nearly fainted in relief. With no imminent threat of death, he took a moment to look around the alcove he''d found himself in. It was small, round, and about two meters in diameter. There was a little switch next to the door he''d entered through, one on the opposite side of the wall, and a small stone bench. Maybe this was a way for priests to enter the Grand Cathedral without being seen?


    If he figured correctly, the other switch would open a door just behind the tapestry hanging from Halcis''s outstretched hands. Maybe he should stay put until morning?


    No! He heard people talking about murdering priests for Heaven''s sake. He should at least listen and see if he could figure out who these people were.


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    Firming his resolve, he pushed the switch. Thankfully the door opened just as quietly as the other had and he heard the people again.


    "Nothing in the halls milord." This voice was deep and slow. Like that of a giant.


    "Good. We''re ready. Keep this idiot still while I get into place." This voice was light and regal, and brimming with arrogance. He sounded like the kind of guy you wanted to punch within the first minute of meeting him.


    Nyes heard a metallic click and something began to hum. He could feel the hairs on his arms stand. Feeling a bit more brave, he decided to try and get a peek at whatever was going on.


    He pushed the door open slowly as the hum grew slowly. He heard a few footsteps, but no one approached his location so he slipped out and to the edge of the tapestry. In the middle of the Cathedral there was a man tied to a large metal ring like contraption. He was directly behind the skill stone. In front of the skill stone were a couple of men fussing about a strange device. They were turning little knobs on the sides of a metal box with a round pipe coming from it. Between the pipe and the box was a large mana crystal that was slowly getting brighter and changing color to match that of the skill stone.


    "We''re ready now milord."


    About three meters behind the the captive there was what could only be a noble, and if Nyes had to guess the owner of the arrogant voice.


    "Finally. Let''s get this done. Honestly, I don''t know why the gods deign to bless gutter trash like this such powerful skills. When you''re ready Silas." Off to the side was a massive man I black leathers. He was easily the largest man Nyes had ever seen at 2.4 meters and probably the owner of that deep voice.


    Nyes risked peeking out a bit further to see the poor man tied up. Unless he was mistaken, this was one of the others who underwent awakenings with him today. He''d gotten a rare skill Mimic. It allowed the user to copy the skills of others for a time to varying effect.


    The boy was obviously furious. He was straining at his bonds for all he was worth. Right as "Silas" pushed the final switch and the hum grew louder the man thrashed hard. Hard enough to have torn something, but also hard enough to make the metal ring he was attached to tilt backwards.


    The following events felt like they took an hour to finish but occurred over less than 5 seconds. The noble jumped out of the way as the captive began falling toward him. The mana crystal flashed and sent a beam of light out the metal tube. The beam went through the skill stone and into the poor captive even as he fell.


    The beam of light seemed to suck something vital out of the captive as it went through him. It came out the other side of him and he seemed to deflate, but where the beam would have then struck the noble there was only empty space. Nyes couldn''t really appreciate that fact as the beam kept traveling in a straight line..... directly into him.


    He fell back into the hidden alcove as, for the second time that day he heard a voice in his head. Skill Mimic gained. ¡ã**¡õ*


    He knew he had seconds to act. He reached up and pushed the switch to close the door and sat still as a corpse. The sounds of metal clanging and a panicked shout reached him even though the closed stone door. Like this Nyes sat until his rear went numb from sitting on the stone floor.


    He stood up and opened his status for the first time since getting his blasted skill, both terrified and hopeful of what he''d find.


    PERSONAL STATUS


    Strength: 16


    Dexterity: 14


    Constitution: 16


    Wisdom: 8


    Intelligence: 10


    Charisma: 12


    Free Points: 0


    Skills


    Advancement


    Mimic


    Blessings


    Nyes continued to stand there, stunned. He was ecstatic that he had another skill, but devastated that it had likely taken a life for him to acquire. He finally sat on the little stone bench and tried to process all that had happened on this strange day

 Unexpected Hope

    He sat there for at least 30 minutes before he even thought of leaving the hidden room. He was sure the villains would have left immediately as they had made quite the ruckus,  ut he wasn''t taking any chances. When he was sure the coast was clear he hit the switch for the hallway door.


    He could immediately hear people talking from down the hall in the Cathedral. He crept out slowly, making sure no one saw him and no one else was in the hallway. He made his way down the hall and looked in. No one was looking his way so he walked in.


    The first thing he noticed as he walked closer was the body of the young man who been held captive. He was gray, like all life had been drained from him. He had bleld from his nose and ears a bit, but looked like he was asleep otherwise.


    "Hey! Who are you?!" A large man in well used but high quality looking steel plate armor asked as he''d noticed Nyes and began stalking toward him.


    Before he could speak someone else said "Thats the young man from earlier I told you about Zafas. Stop scaring him. He was probably drawn out by all the commotion."


    The warrior, Zafas, stopped but told Nyes "You need to get back in your room. Sun''s not up for over 2 hours yet and we don''t want you here in this mess." Saying that he turned back around and began speaking to one of the others 8 people in the room, fully expecting to be obeyed.


    Nyes turned to leave but Thedroe caught up to him. "I''ll walk you back. Dark deeds are afootthis night."


    "Actually, I got up because I''m starving. Any chance we could grab something before I go back to my room?" May as well fix at least one small problem before he began pondering his tremendous change in fate.


    "Certainly. I could use some sitey myself at this hour." So he led them to the kitchens. The place was huge and Nyes knew he''d be horribly lost if he tried to navigate himself.


    They entered the kitchens and found a short, matronly woman already there setting out ingredients. "Why are you in my kitchen?" Her tone was one of annoyance and reluctant acceptance.


    "Helga, be nice. This young man is famished and I told him we''d get him a little something before he went back to bed. He''s therapy that got Advancement today AND he just saw the dead man in the Cathedral. Help the lad out."


    Her face immediately softened. "Oh you poor dear. Let me get you some cheese and sausages. Maybe a little bread. I''d offer more but we haven''t started cooking anything yet I''m afraid." Helga started getting things for him. "And I''ll bet you want some sitey, you know, since you''re here anyway?"


    A guilty smile appeared on Thedroe''s face "Well if it wouldn''t be too much trouble?"


    "Ha! You have a problem with that stuff you old goat. As much as you drink can''t be healthy, but surely. Since you''re here and all." She chuckled as she put a pot of water on one of the stoves to boil.


    "What happened to that man? The one in the Cathedral. He was dead right?" Nyes asked, figuring playing dumb was his best bet here.


    "We don''t know. All we know is someone was in there, we heard a loud clang and some rumbling and by the time anyone reached the Cathedral he was lying there dead. Did you know him? He was in the group you awakened with earlier."


    "No. I recognized him from earlier but I''d never seen him before today."


    "Well whoever did this will regret being born when Zafas catches up with them. He''s the High Templar of Halcis. He''ll make sure they Lady''s scales are balanced or burn the world to ash trying." Thedroe said this as if it was a forgone conclusion that the killer/s would be caught.


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    "Thats good." They paused as Helga brought over a platter of cheese and sausage with bread and water plus a cup of sitey. "I wanted to asked about my skill. Has anyone ever managed to figure out how to gain another skill after getting it?"


    Thedroe looked apologetic as he said "I''m afraid not. About 300 years ago the crown prince got the skill. The king at the time was devastated. He turned every scholar in the kingdom toward researching a way for his son to gain skills. They spent 10 years trying before they gave up and spent half the kingdom''s wealth in doing it. The poor prince killed himself and the king was overthrown."


    "Many others over the years have tried as well. Not one has ever succeeded. Best to give up on that hope now and move on as best you can. I can tell you it does get easier if you look for meaning in other ways."


    Nyes stared at hom for a second before asking "What if someone did? What if someone got a skill that allowed them to keep getting others?"


    "Well..... I suppose that would be amazing great feat. Their name would go down in history. They''d also likely die soon thereafter if it was the skill holder themselves that figured it out. Can''t imagine the powers of the world allowing someone with Advancement to run amok if they could gain skills like everyone else. The gods allseem to agree, except for the mad god of chaos of course."


    "They''d kill me?!" Nyes was beginning to feel terror edge out his hope from earlier.


    "Well if you were discovered before you got powerful enough to defend yourself sure. That is if you could pull it off in the first place."


    "I spent plenty of time thinking the same thoughts as you are right now. The greatest minds in history have tried to to do what you''re talking about and, to a man, they''ve all failed. No need to fret over the impossible lad." Thedroe had meant that as a comfort. It was actually a useful warning.


    He''d have to level secretly. Keep it to himself if he wanted to survive. If what he suspected was true anyway. He might be getting his hopes up for nothing. Wasn''t this the perfect time to test it though?


    He stopped talking and golfed down his food. It helped that he was famished. Thedroe and Helga chatted a bit as he ate.


    "Would you like some more dear"?


    "No ma''am. I''m feeling pretty sleep now that I''m full. Plus I''ve had one burner of a day."


    "Language young man. This is a church after all." Thedroe admonished gently.


    "Sorry sir."


    "Oh none of that. Just call me Thedroe. Everyone does."


    "Right. Thedroe. Well thank you for the food Helga." He went to shake her hand but she pulled him into a hug.


    "You''re welcome lad. Now off with you. You need sleep and I''ve worked to do."


    He was nt listening though. He was looking at the notification he''d gotten from toughing her.


    Mimic activated. Choose one of Helga''s skills to Mimic- Cooking, Cleaning, Sewing, Endurance, Alchemy, or Espionage.


    He quickly picked one he wanted, noting her odd mix of skills.


    Endurance selected. Duration 10 minutes.


    "You alright lad?" Helga asked.


    Realizing he''d spaced out there for a moment while in his notifications he stammered "Oh, uh yeah. Sorry the day just caught up to me is all."


    "Let me get you back to your room then. Thanks Helga."


    She waved without looking up as she''d already gone back to prepping the kitchen for the day. Thedroe walked him back to his room in silence until he got to the door. "Get some sleep Nyes. You''ll feel better tomorrow."


    Nodding thanks Nyes entered his room and sat down on the cot. He pulled up his notifications again looking them over. He still had 5 minutes left on his borrowed Endurance. Next he tried activating Advancement on his Mimiced skill.


    Advancing Endurance. 24 hours remaining.


    It began counting down as he watched. Feeling giddy he knew it would work he began punching his arms in the air while stifling his shouts. He had awoken path forward! He spent a couple of minutes thinking about his future until...


    Advancement canceled. Target skill no longer available.


    The timer on his Mimiced skill had ended. His gut dropped for a moment, then he thought he''d just need to improve his Advancement. You got a perk to skills when getting them and at levels 25, 50, 75, and 100. The first four perks were typical and the fifth was said to be more powerful as a capstone perk.


    He opened up his list of level one perks.


    Steady Advance- Stops time from increasing subsequent skill levels.


    That was the only available perk for Advancement but it was exactly what he was looking for. He picked it immediately. Perks tended to floow along the same vein, meaning that the next perk would likely have something to do with the time it took to Advanvce too. He just had to wait for another 24 days to see if he was correct.

 Now It Was?

    Nyes had made some plans before going to sleep. He''d also set his skill to rank up for the first time. It would finish sometime before dawn the next day, but that was fine. He figured he could just use it again when he woke up each morning.


    As he drifted off, in that moment between wakefulness and slumber, there was a little drop. It felt almost like one of those dreams where you were falling but was so brief it didn''t startle him awake.


    His next thought was, huh?


    He was sitting in a plain wooden chair. In front of him was a small, squar  wooden table. On the sitting on the table, at the other edge, was a 20 centimeter tall.... lizard. It was shiny kind of. Almost like polished wood. It was green with dark yellow scars all over its body. There was black thread stitching through all the scars. The lizard had two giant legs for its size with two small arms on its upper body. The arms looked all but useless honestly. It''s head had bony ridges above its eyes that were light brown and it''s eyes were something else. It kind of hurt to look directly at them but they were purple maybe. Or the smell of alcohol?


    That was a weird thought to have about how something looked but Nyes felt it to be accurate. The upper jaw was typical for a predatory lizard, filled with teeth and such. The bottom jaw was comically small however. It gave the appearance of a ridiculously over pronounced overbite. His brain started to question his environment right about then.


    "What i"


    "I stole your dream." The sound came from the lillte lizard, but it hadn''t moved to speak. It was an odd voice to say the least. Like different people saying each syllable of each word spoken in varying tones, pitches, and genders. The sounds were in Nyes''s head.


    ......."What?" He was very confused.


    "I stole your dream. Ate it actually. Used the gap to bring you here for a little chat. Tasted like lemon Christmas."


    "I don''t know what that means. What''s Christmas? And is this really happening?"


    The voice sounding amused "It did happening! It need to happen to have protected you. You now had my blessing. And before you ask, yes. I am a god."


    He just sat there for almost a full minute processing that. This certainly didn''t FEEL like a dream. And there was a certain presence from the little lizard thing that felt much larger than it seemed. "Okay. This is either happening or I''ve lost my mind."


    "It is happened.


    "That! You keep using past and present wrong! And I looked at my status right before I fell asleep. The blessing section was there but empty."


    "Nope. I just don''t use time the same way mortals do. There was no blessing until this dream happened. Now it was there. Had to happen that way to keep Halcis from destroying you immediately."


    "Why?! Why would she want me dead?" A goddess wanting him dead was going right to the top of his big ol list of problems.


    "Haha! Because you break the balance!" This time the voice made Nyes brain hurt. His left eye twitched and he felt the sound of trumpets somehow and tasted half past three. "The  Advancement skill." The voice said with less force and Nyes felt himself less likely to die.


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    "She thought she''d locked it down forever. That no one would ever be able to use it the way I intended. All it took was a megalomaniacal princeling, some sould magic, and a very unethical use of the skill stone (coupled with secret research the nobles have used for centuries now for their own selfish gain) and BAM! You broke her rules. I''ve been delighted all day."


    "That would make you Rekf, god of chaos right? And I''m right? I can gain skills with Mimic and then increase the level to keep them?" He was excited now. He had confirmation.


    "Mostly. You''ll keep the skill levels you gain. The one you borrowed with Mimic will go away and you''ll have to regain that one, but that no problem for you now is it. Ha! Bonus info! You gain the skills with whatever perks built into them. For free. You still get to pick five more total for the skill once you max it out. Isn''t that great?"


    "You''re saying I get their perks plus mine? Wait though. Did you say princeling?"


    "Oh yeah. The noble you refer to as Lord Snootley is the current crown prince. Nobles like him have been stealing rare skills for a long time now. They figured this out not too long after that one prince got Advancement. Tragic really. They almost had it figured out in time."


    "So that guy was crown Prince Ferdin? And how does your blessing help?"


    "Yeah, you should probably steer clear of him though. He''ll be able to feel that soul magic in you because it''s his. And the Blessing of Rekf makes it so the bitch of Balance cannot see, hear, touch, taste, or smell you. She cannot see evidence of your passing, perceive you magically, or hear other people tell her about you. It makes her completely unaware of you in the past, present, and future. Serves her right too. She wants everything so balanced and pristine. Even Proga god of Order understands that chaos and Order are two sides of a coin that both serve a purpose. Halci is like the worst Karen micromanager ever."


    "Karen? So I''m not going to be smote for existing then? But the prince can sense me if I get near him and will likely kill me anyway? That just fabulous."


    "Only until you get strong enough, then you can just squash him like a soap bubble."


    "Okay okay, stay away from the prince, safe from a goddess who would want me dead if she could perceive that I exist, and get stong fast. Is that all you wanted to tell me?" Nyes noticed that their surrounding had been subtly shifting this whole time. He was now sitting on a large multicolored cube and Rekf was sitting on aboulder. The sky, which had been nighttime and starry, was now gold and glittery. Like it was falling but never seemed to move.


    "More or less. And I wanted to meet the man who brought my fun little jab at Halcis to reality. Honestly after 14,000 years I''d begun to lose hope."


    "This is all a lot to take in. Thank you though? I owe you a huge debt it seems." Nyes had always been good at compartmentalizing and rolling with the punches.


    "You''re welcome kid. I should put you back in your dreams now. Too much godly exposure isn''t healthy for mortals but you''ll be fine, probably. Might bleed from the ears a bit but no permanent damage done." The little lizard moved for the first time, but it looked like a statue that levitated up from the log it was sitting on and began floating.


    "I may contact you in the future and it was truly nice meeting you."


    "You too. I have to ask though, why do you look like that? All the other gods looked like mortals races, more or less."


    "Hmm... well I''ll tell but I wouldn''t spread it around. No one would believe you anyway. This is a child''s toy I found floating through a dead universe at the edge of reality. I stuffed myself into it because if I were to be present in a universe, that universe would unravel almost instantly. Picture a drop of soap dropping into a big spot of grease. I''m the soap, reality is the grease. Even the other gods would evaporate if they ever saw me in my true form. I come from outside reality itself, but it was really boring there. Okay bye!" With that he floated up into the turpentine and disappeared.


    Nyes sat there for a moment, his head pounding now even in this not dream state. One problem he disnt know he had solved, a multitude of others to go.

 Rude Awakening

    I woke up several hours later to someone knocking on the door. My head felt like someone had split it like a melon and stuffed it with angry bees. When I tried to open my eyes they were crusted shut so I had to pry them open with my hands. Is that blood? I looked at my pillow and yep, that''s blood. A lot of it.


    "Cidrakas? It''s well into the day. Are you alright?" Thedroe asked from outside.


    "I''m fine. I''ll be out in a few minutes." I sluggishly got up and looked around. There was no way I was letting anyone know about the absolutely insane dream. Vision? Whatever that was, and that meant covering this up. The problem with that is that there''s no water in here to clean up with. Thinking as quickly as my screaming brain would allow, I formulated a plan.


    I took my shirt of and used it to aggressively scrub at my eyes and ears. I left my nose be. I used as much spit as I could produce quickly and cleaned up my eyes and ears as best I could. After I''d done as good a job as I was going to be able to used my finger nail to scratch the inside of both nostrils until the bled, held my shirt up to my nose, and opened the door to find Thedroe standing there.


    "Halcis''s mercy! Were you attacked?" He grabbed my shoulders and began inspecting me.


    "No no! Nothing like that. I get nosebleeds in my sleep sometimes. Ever since I can remember. I''m fine but the linens are probably ruined." It was the best lie I could come up with so quickly.


    "Oh blessed balance. I''d thought you injured by some miscreant for a moment. No worries about the linens. We''ll get them changed but let''s get you looked at just in case eh?"


    Bless the old man. He was such a genuine soul. "I promise I''m fine. It''ll stop in a few minutes on its own. I could use a place to wash though. And maybe a fresh shirt?"


    "If you''re sure I suppose. I''ll take you to our bathrooms. They''re quite nice. One of the benefits of working within the Cathedral is access to a hot bath any time, day or night."


    I started walking with him, glad to have him distracted. He chatted about the Cathedral and the benefits of working for the Church of Halcis. I made positive but noncommittal noises while nodding my head. It took us only a couple of minutes to reach the bathrooms. He was right, they were nice.


    Ten large rectangular tubs lined the middle of a large grey tiled room. Along one wall were little closeted areas for changing and along the other were large ceramic basins with mirrors above them. This was far nicer than the bathroom in our home. As the capitol, we had sewers and running water to homes. The water was cold as a wraiths embrace though unless you could afford a heating enchantment. Which we couldn''t.


    "Here we are. You''ll find towels over there in that cabinet. Just place them in the basket under the basin you use when you''re done. You''llhave it to youreself this time of day. I''ll have someone bring you a clean shirt. I won''t see you again until this evening as I have errands to run before tonight''s awakenings. Novitiate Derk will be the one to guide you. He can also answer questions if you have any. Now get cleaned up and get a proper meal. You''ll feel right as a ray of sunshine after."


    "Thank you Thedroe. You''ve been very kind." Hearing this he smiled, gave a slight nod, and walked away. I turned to the basin and took a look at myself. Sure enough, the bleeding had stopped. I retrieved two towels and returned to the basin. Surprisingly, there was a bar of soap on the back of it. No smell to speak of but it was nice to have.


    I set about cleaning all the blood off. Last night was surreal. I''d gained my first skill, thought my life was over, stumbled into a solution even if it were horrific in how that came about, chatted with an actual god, and felt as much kindness from these strangers as I''d ever felt in my life. I was used to my father being callous and my mother being useless. I had friends that I felt more love from. My life was ver, well, chaotic all of a sudden.


    Rekf had given me more information than necessary. Everyone was taught not to trust him due to his nature, but he seemed to like me. Then again I''d always been a bit naive. I wouldn''t give him my trust, but I could at least give him the benefit of the doubt.


    After making myself presentable I looked at the bath. A nice soak would hopefully help with this headache, then I could take Thedroe''s advice and get a proper meal. After filling the tub with steaming hot water I stripped. Just as I was stepping into the bath a voice frome behind me asked "Cidrakas?"


    I turned my head and realized I had my bare backside pointed at the young man who spoke. I hopped into the tub with a flushed face that had nothing to do with the heat of the water. The guy was a little shorter than me, probably about 1.6 meters. Medium brown hair, average build with a slightly wide face and round nose. He was dressed in a maroon robe and holding a shirt.


    "Derk I take it. Sorry about the full moon. Haha." May as well rolling with it.


    He put on a smirk. "No worries. We''re used to communal bathing here. A few bare backsides are bound to happen. Here''s your shirt. I''ll be just outside when you''re done." Saying this he laid the shirt on the edge of the next bath and walked out.


    You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.


    I sighed and cleaned up quickly since he was waiting. By the time I dressed the headache was much more tolerable. I found Derk standing just outside. "Sorry for the wait."


    "No apology necessary. I''ll take you the the dining area if you''re ready?"


    "Sounds great. I''m starving."


    The dining area was fairly plain. Just rows of long tables with chairs. A window to the kitchens allowed for serving. There were quite a few people here. Most looked to be novitiates, but there were a few priests and templars here as well. We got in line and were served what looked like sliced pork with asha greens and a roll. The drinks were water, tea, and spiralberry juice. I hade the tea while Derk got juice. We sat at a table to ourselves and dug in.


    He could tell I was famished so he waited until we were done before asking "What could you like to do now? Feel free to ask any questions you like to figure it out."


    Thinking for a moment, and glad the headache was finally gone, I decided a little more knowledge would go a long way. "Is there a library here? Or a skill advisor I could speak to?"


    He grinned and said "Yes and they''re in the same place. Come on."


    We got up and put our dishes in a large tub to the side of the serving window the headed to the library. It was as impressive as the rest of the Cathedral. Dozens of floor to ceiling bookshelves could be seen from the door and that was only the first floor. The smell of old books filled the air and I loved it. Just inside the entrance was a wide desk with severe looking old man sitting there. He had grey hair with wild eyebrows that looked someone tried to scare them off his face. Lines on his face spoke of a nigh permanent scowl.


    "What do you want?" He had a rumbly voice, deeper than I expected from a little old man.


    "Head librarian Stephens, this is Cidrakas Lasalis. Yesterday he received Advancement and asked to both seek the knowledge of books and speak to a skill advisor. He would benefit greatly from your counsel." Derk said this in as tone one would use to try to calm a stalker just before it pounced.


    The scowl mostly disappeared and his voice lost its edge. "I see. Well you''ve come to the right man then. I''d challenge you to find anyone more knowledgeable than myself on the subject of skills and the Balance System. Let''s have a seat in my office. I''ll tell you anything you need to know."


    We entered a large office at the back of the library. In a word it was lavish. Smaller bookshelves sat behind a opulent desk made of dark wood and polished to a shine. Trinkets lined the front edge of the desk that looked to be made of brass and steel. Laying on one corner was a pocket watch made of silver and gold. An ornate pen sat in a holder next to some notes and files. All in all this was the most posh room I''d ever seen.


    After getting settled Stephens got straight to the point. "Tell me what you know of the Balance System, awakening, and skills. I must first see what you already know."


    Fair. "Awakening through a skill stone is what gives us access to our first skill. We may then rank up the skill and gain levels. Levels are gained at each skill threshold, 1, 25, 50, 75, and 100 for a total of five levels maximum from each skill. Most people only ever complete, or cap, 1 to 3 skills in their entire lives. Most people will end up with between 5 and 9 skill, with most ending up no higher than rank 50 to 74, a few at 75 to 99, and 1 to 3 at 100. Classes can be made with complimentary skills of certain minimum ranks. This is heavily dependent on individual disposition and affinity with certain skills. Classes grant abilities in line with the skills used to create them. And most people end up no higher than level 25 over the course of their lives."


    "Exceptional individuals can have as many 20 to 25 skills and the true elite such as our king or the elven imperatoris can have 50 skills or more. The highest level individual ever known was Aleksander Andradis, ancient king and founder of the Mondraste Kindgom, at level 144." Having dumped pretty much everything I knew, I looked at him expectantly.


    Stephens let out a small hmphh that sounded somewhere between satisfied and disappointed. "Not bad for a public school education. Now let me fill that in a bit. Average levels and skills are nearly meaningless. Each individual varies wildly. It''s more art than science. The first skill granted at awakening tends to set the tone of a person''s life."


    "There are theories that the first skill imparted fulfills a deep need within the individual. There is a great deal of circumstantial evidence to support this. My first skill was Scholar''s Mind. It increases the intelligence stat primarily but can also perk into memory and recall. I was always a studious child and craved knowledge, so I couldn''t have asked for a better initial skill. The counterpoint to that theory is a big strapping lad who gets Dancing. He claims to have always wanted to be a warrior or a blacksmith, but does he have a secret yearning to dance that he''d never admit even under threat of death? We can only suspect."


    "Classes are what we build with the skills we learn. As you stated they require a certain competency in each requisite skill and have much to do the individual. Why doesn''t every soldier gain a class? Say Warrior, Stalwart, Bulwark, Ravager, or Dervish to name but a few. Just you do something, even if you do it very well, does not mean it''s something you really WANT to do. Most scholars agree that a person has a true passion to do something will that person gain a class for it."


    "We again take myself as an example. I possess the class Learned Scholar. It has abilities to help me absorb and comprehend information many times faster than most people. It also assists in recall and information gathering. Now if I hadn''t had a parrion for learning then I do not believe I''d ever have gained my class. A great many circumstances have to align for an individual to be granted a class is what I''m saying. Now, ask any questions you may have."


    That was interesting and filled in a few blanks for me. I still had questions though. "I''ve always loved reading and gaining knowledge, although I don''t believe I''m particularly intelligent and my stats seem to agree. I can use my mind as best I can however."


    "Sir, I may be able fool but I have to believe that there is hope for me. I''ll spend my life trying to overcome my restrictions. I may be doomed to fail, but I''ll not quit. I don''t want you to feel as if I''m wasting your time however, so let''s treat this as thought experiment. If you had Advancement and found a way to gain other skills, what would your wishlist be? If you had all options available and were able to curate a list of skills to make you as powerful as possible, what would that list be?"


    A manic gleam came into Stephens''s eyes and he cracked a small but satisfied grin for the first time. "Now you''re speaking my language."

 Best Plan I Got

    This. This right here was what I''d been hoping for. Stephens is probably the best person in the world to make a plan for how to best abuse Advancement. I may have the skill, but he had the knowledge of how to best use it. I listened as he gleefully laid out my plan.


    He pulled out some paper and grabbed his ornate pen and began making a literal list "You know, this is actually a thought experiment us scholars engage in for fun from time to time. We''ve all done it at least once. First off you''d want all the stat boosting skills. Warrior''s Might, Lightning Speed, Enduring Form, Monk''s Soul, Scholar''s Mind, and Bard''s Charm. These are the most direct boost to personal power and can allow for a controlable way to guide your growth. At worst each would allow you to double your stats."


    "Next you would want all the magic skills. Healing, Curse, Mental, Illusion, and all of the elemental magics. Each is powerful in its own right, but together they could make you an Archmage. A class that makes each magic truly powerful and can combine them to create Origin Magic, one of few skills available only via combination. That is a little known secret that the nobility likes to keep quiet so I''d keep that little nugget of wisdom to myself if I were you." He made eye contact with me until I nodded that I understood. Seeing that I did he moved on.


    "Next we come to skills like Paragon for the increase it gives in stats per level and your body. It makes one grow larger and faster. An odd skill and difficult to grow. It may appear to have no downside, but it is only ever granted to individuals in dire need like those about to lead a crusade against dark forces or someone pursued by a cult who''s trying to take them out. Acceleration for the unparalleled boost in speed and coordination. Another little known fact is that it speeds up mental faculties involving movement, threat assessment, and danger recognition."


    "Next would be to increase defense and survivability with skills like Poison, Mental, and Curse Resistance. Each of the elemental resistances as well which when aquired and raised to rank 50 would combine into the single Elemental Resistance skill. Rare but very useful. Resilience to boost physical defense. Enhanced Senses for detection and a different kind of defense. Dodge, Insight, and Detect Lie for similar reasons. And of course Enchanting and Alchemy, the only two crafting professions that require a skill. Both monstrous useful."


    He looked up in thought for a moment while tapping his pen against his lips, thinking briefly. "From there we move to the monster skills. Regeneration, Darkvision, Water Breathing, and Telepathy would be must haves. Flight as well. After that there are a plethora of more mundane but highly useful skills that would make life much more pleasant. Things like Meditation, Etiquette, and Cleaning. Cleaning especially is a woefully undervalued skill at high levels and a large part of what keeps a cith looking so nice." He had been furiously writing this whole time, obviously listing off many more skills than he''d said aloud.


    He wrote for a few more seconds and looked up at Derk. "Run along and fetch A Primer on Skills for me. That is the single largest single volume on skills and their functions we possess." He waited for Derk to nod and leave before he continued.


    "One of the most beneficial perks of a high intellect and skills that support knowledge gathering is that my deductive reasoning is quite keen. For instance, if a young man were to come into my office and ask me for the help you have then I could easily read his tone, word choice, facial expression, and body language to intuit a great deal more than he''d said. I could even deduce that he actually had a method of circumventing Advancement''s harsh restrictions without him saying a word about it." He looked at me with a neutral expression for several seconds after saying this as my heart hammered in my chest


    "If admitted as much I''d technically be obligated to report it as that is under the Lady of Balance''s purview, but this is just a thought experiment so no need for that. Coincidentally Acting and Subterfuge would be the first things to aquire for a person with secrets that needed keeping to preserve their life."


    Derk returned at that moment, bring with him a release of much of the tension that had been building in the room. "Here it is sir."


    "Very good. Cidrakas, take this and study it but make sure to returns it in the same condition it is in right now or I''ll have your hide." He handed me the book. Large with a black leather cover with the title in white across the front. "Take this little list as well so you can study on the skills youre determined to find a way to get. Heh. I honestly hope you do succeed lad. It would make for a wonderful case study. Did you have any other questions?"


    I pounced on the chance to leave like it was a rope tossed to me as I plummeted off the edge of a cliff. "Oh no sir. You''ve been most helpful and informative. And please, call me Cid. All my friends do." I stood to leave even as I spoke.


    "It was nice to meet you Cid. I''ve duties to perform and I have to make sure none of the thick lingered dolts in this place destroy my books. Good day and happy studying." Saying this he opened a folder on his desk and began studying the contents.


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


    As we left the library Derk asked "What would you like to do now?"


    "I''m going to drop this book off in my room and go see my parents. Probably visit some friends as well to tell them what happened. Probably pick up my belongings as im fairly sure I know how the conversation with my parents is gonna go. I''ll head back here as soon as I''m finished so you dont need to go."


    Derk looked a little surprised. "Oh I can''t actually leave the grounds. None of the novitiates can. Not until we''re full members of the church at least. I''ll be doing laundry for a while, so if I''m not there when you return you can look for me in the dining room."


    "Alright, sounds good. Thanks Derk." I walked back to my room and laid the book on the small table. The bed had been remade while I was gone with clean linens. I sighed as I headed out to see my parents. I really hated talking to them. They''d tried I guess, but they really weren''t cut out to be parents. I''d learned how to be a decent person in spite of them, not because of them. Basically looked at what they did and do the exact opposite.


    It took about 30 minutes to get to their house on foot. I''d stopped thinking of it as my home the second I saw their reaction to my awakening. Dad would still be at work but mom should be home. We lived in a decent neighborhood. Not too fancy but we did okay and we had great neighbors.


    Knock knock. "Mom, you home?


    All of 3 seconds went by before my mother ripped the door open in a hurry. She looked awful. She''d been pretty once. Short with curly brown hair and a nice figure and green eyes. All the worry and stress my father had put her through had aged her well beyond her years. She had deep worry lines on her face and bags under her eyes. She''d obviously been worrying over me but I''m sure she''d find a way to make it about herself with five minutes of my arrival.


    "Oh Cid!" She tackled me in a hug, weeping into my shirt. She was a fan of the melodramatic gesture. Openly ugly crying in the street and wailing loudly was right on brand for her. I let her go on for a few seconds before trying to usher her back into the house with little success. I just disengaged from her and walked on in to rob her of her source of drama. It was the best option.


    Following me in she asked "Where have you been? We were worried sick. Are you going to join the church of Balance now?" The rapid fire questions told me she was in coping mode. A reset in the form of delusions was the next step in the Marta Lasalis playbook.


    "I plan on staying there for a while so I can figure things out yes. I''m not joining the church though. I just came by to pick up my things."


    "You''re leaving me?! How could you do this to your mother? I raised you son. Do you even love me?" More alligator tears.


    There it is. Took about 2 minutes for her to make this all about her. "Yes mom, I love you. I''m a man now and have obviously been dealt a major twist in my life. The people at the Cathedral can help me figure things out. You had to know I''d be leaving eventually right?"


    "What will the neighbors think? They''re going to think we kicked you out, that''s what. You''re going to abandon us just like that?" She had her first balled up at her sides. Huh. She''d actually meant part of that.


    "If by abandon you mean leave to begin my life as an adult like any other person, then yes I''m abandoning you." I''d taken the conversation to my room and began gathering my things. I just threw everything on my bed I intended to take which wasn''t much besides clothes. I had a thick walking stick made by my father. One of the nicest things he''d ever given me. Carved from Phoenix Ash, it was a rich dark red with whorls carved below the handhold and a nicely carved Phoenix on the top. Beautiful and fireproof. Strong as steel too. Dad had made it at the carriage shop he worked at. That plus the 1 silver 28 bronze I had was the sum total of my worldly possessions.


    "Just like that? You''re leaving me alone with your father?" She was genuinely hurt this time. I couldn''t spare her any sympathy though. As a narcissist, she was going to lash out at any sign of weakness on my part. Plus she''s the one who buried her head in the sand and pretended my father hadn''t bedded half the city.


    "You could leave too if you''re unhappy mom. I know you''ve been miserable for years." Id finished gathering everything and just used the bedsheet as a makeshift sack to carry it all in and grabbed my walking stick.


    Mom''s face switched instantly from sadness to rage. Through gritted teeth she said "You''re father loves me and I loved him. You wait until he gets home. He''ll show you!"


    Of course it didn''t work. It never did. Admitting she was in a failed marriage would make it at least partially her fault in her mind, and she of course could do no wrong. "Hes at work mom."


    "I''m right here son." I turned to see my father in the doorway. He was livid. I knew the tone well.


    "Shouldn''t you still be at work?" I was standing there holding my sack, ready to go but he was in the doorway.


    "Gregori''s wife from next door was leaving to bring him lunch just as you arrived. Told me when she got there. Where do you think you''re going boy?"


    "I''m leaving dad. I''m a grown man now and there''s nothing you can do to stop me." I never understand why he pretended to care. His actions sure showed he didn''t.


    "You will show some respect to your mother and me!" He nose to nose with me, having to look up at me because I was taller than him now. At 1.8 meters to his 1.6 he''d been left behind.


    "RESPECT! You must be fully outside your mind. Like the respect you show your wife with your whoring? Or using work as an excuse to avoid your family? Tell me, how many bustard half siblings do I have. I know of at least 3 of them already but it has to be at least a dozen right?" We were both shouting now.


    He was too shocked to respond. I''d never come back at him like that before. I knew that respect was due parents from their children, but that usually required they''d been shown some at some point in their lives. I had not. I shouldered past him and made it to the front door before his brain reset.


    "Don''t come back here you little shit. You''re not welcome here anymore." He slammed the door before I could respond.


    That was fine. I was finally of two of the most toxic people in the city. I headed back to the Cathedral feeling lighter. Like a ten ton weight had been lifted from my soul. I headed to the dining room to grab an early dinner. Not seeing anyone I knew, I just gobbled down my food and headed to my room.


    I spent the evening reading the book I''d been given and plotting out my future.

 On We Go

    I woke up early the next morning, not something I usually do. I don''t sleep until midday or anything, but i rarely get up before the sun unless I have to. I had good reason to today however.


    Advancement complete. Level 2 achieved.


    I immediately set it to start again and went to wash up for the day. I''d only accomplished half of what I''d set out to do yesterday. Dealing with my parents hadn''t left me in a sorry mood and I''d wanted to shake that off before I talked to my friends. That was my goal for today. I went back to my room and got dressed, thankful to have different clothes to change into today. I placed the book under my pillow because I was paranoid and headed out.


    On my way out I ran into Derk. "Hey Derk. Sorry I didn''t see you again last night. I was in a foul mood after talking to my parents and didn''t even go to see my friends. Just went straight back to my room for the night."


    "Oh no worries. I have to inform you though that since it appears you''ll be staying here you will need to work. You''ll have to pitch in with cleaning the Grand Cathedral, serving in the dining room, and one other task of your choice. You seemed to take an interest in learning so maybe ask librarian Stephens if he''d let you work there. If not then the kitchens always need hands for prepping service. You''ve met Helga right?"


    "Oh yeah, I have. Sweet woman."


    He grinned a dark little grin. "Sweet woman, yeah. As long as you''re not working for her. If you are then she''s like some all seeing kitchen goddess. She runs a tight ship in there and she''s fair, but if you mess up she''ll give you a tongue lashing like you wouldn''t believe."


    "Really? I''d have never guessed. I''ll ask Stephens first then. Anyway I''m off to talk to my friends. Let them know where I''m at and how I''m doing. When do we clean the Cathedral and can I serve at breakfast? I''d like to get that out of the way early in the day."


    He looked a bit surprised. "Thats great actually. Most novitiates don''t want to serve breakfast. They like the later meals because they use the morning to study the scriptures. I''ll get you signed up for tomorrow morning. As for cleaning, it''s just after the awakening ceremony in the evening since that''s the last official function for the day. You''ll need to start tonight on that so make sure you''re back in time please."


    "I''ll be back long before then. I still need to talk to Stephens after all."


    "Make sure to call him either Scholar Stephens or head librarian Stephens to his face. He may be more relaxed behind closed doors but for official duties he wants professionalism."


    "Thanks for the tip. I''m off". I gave a little smile and wave as I left. I liked Derk. He was very easy going and just pleasant to be around.


    Into the city I went, headed to three different places. Aurelia and Livia were likely to still be at home this early in the day as they were both younger than me. Gais had awakened two months prior though and would be at work. He''d gotten Blacksmithing and would be at his uncle''s smithy. Livia would be helping her father sell pottery soon and Aurelia would help her mother in her Enchanting shop, Akaia''s Wonders when she opened at 10. Her mother claimed it was indecent to do business before a nice leisurely breakfast.


    We were lucky to even be friends with Aurelia actually. She came from a much wealthier family than the rest of us but we''d all been friends and attended the same school before her mother had become well established and we''d been close ever since.


    Since Livia was going to be busy soon I headed to her house first. I knocked on the door and heard someone ask "Who is it?.


    "It''s Cid." The instant I responded the door was flung open and Liv shot out like she''d been fired from a catapult, tackling me in a hug.


    "Cid! We all heard the news. We''ve been so worried about you. What took you so long to come see your friends you idiot." She banged her head into my chest and I laughed. She barely came up to the bottom of my ribs. She stepped back and I could see she was playing.


    Liv was a little thing. Short and thin with sandy blonde hair. She had thin delicate features and was like a mother hen for our little group. Always worrying over us.


    "As you can imagine I''ve been dealing with quite a few changes to my life. Cut me a little slack."


    "I know and I''m so sorry Cid. You''re still my friend no matter what."


    "Actually I''ve made peace with my skill. It''s not ideal but I''ll live."


    She looked shocked. "Really? I thought you''d be devastated. I know you''ve were planning to get something Grand and rub it in your parent''s faces. Heh heh"


    I played it off like it was no big deal. I couldn''t let any of my friends know that I''d broken the restrictions of the skill. I couldn''t let anyone know, yet at least. "Really. I can still have a life and I''m still free of my parents. That''s the important thing."


    Sympathy dozed from her as she said "You''re right. You''re finally free. I do worry for you though. A murder in the Grand Cathedral itself?! What monster would do something like that?"


    "I know but that was a once in a lifetime crime. They have Templars on guard at night now inside the Cathedral. I''ll be fine." At least I hoped that was true.


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


    "Thats good. Are you going to see the others too?"


    "Yeah, they''d kill me if I didnt. I''ll go see Gais first just to let him know I''m okay then I''ll go see Aurelia since she has the most free time. I''ll ask if you guys can visit me at the Cathedral and let you know soon."


    She smiled as she said "Tell Gais to have a good day for me okay?"


    "I will. You know he''s going to ask for your hand as soon as you awaken in a month right?"


    "He better. The big idiot. He''d be lost without me."


    "Ha! Well if need to get going. I have work to do back at the Cathedral later and need to finish up here in the city."


    "Alright but you better visit again soon." She stepped in for another hug.


    "I will. Give your parents my best." I squeezed her and headed off.


    The smithy where Gais worked was in the crafting district between our neighborhood and the one where Aurelia lived so I could hit him on the way. I waved at a few people I knew as I walked until I got to The smithy, Publius'' Parts. He specialized in making different bits and bobs for carts, tools, and fixtures. All sorts of little things really. It was a more niche market but he''d done well for himself.


    I walked round the side of the building down an alley to the back where the forge was since that was where Gais would be. I saw him hammering away at what looked to be the makings of a shovel. I waited for him to finish as I knew startling him could cause him to ruin the piece he was working on before speaking up. "You should hit it with your head since it''s way harder that that hammer."


    He turned around and gave a big honest smile. He was like a giant puppy. Loyal and friendly. He was my height at around 1.8 meters, thickly built with muscle, and a  handsome devil. Black hair and chiseled features that made girls blush just saying hello. "I don''t want to break it though." He laughed as he put down his tools and walked over.


    "I know you''re busy but I wanted to let you know I''m alright and staying at the Cathedral. I spoke with Liv first so I know you know my situation. She said to have a good day by the way."


    "She told me everything. I''m so sorry Cid." He gave me a look that said he meant it too.


    "I''ll be fine. Don''t worry about me. I''m headed to see Aurelia next and I''ll see you guys again soon. I''ll make sure to tell Liv if you can visit me. She''s the responsible one of you two."


    The got a big grin. "I love that woman. Gonna marry her as soon as I can."


    "You better. That''s a direct quote from her by the way. Anyway I''m gone. Don''t want to get you in trouble."


    "Eh, my uncle likes you. Plus he''s not a slavedriver and I always get my work done. Take care Cid. I''m happy you''re free." He reached out and grasped my forearm in a shake.


    "There''s the upside. Later Gais."


    One more visit to make. Aurelia lived in a much nicer neighborhood but it was fairly close. A half our later I was knocking on the door of a large stone mansion. Her butler answered. "Hello Cidrakas. I''ll inform miss Aurelia of your arrival. Please wait here in the foyer."


    "Thank you Dura. You can call me Cid you know."


    "Of course mister Cidrakas." That was attached least the 500th time I''d told him that. I knew he never would, but it made me laugh. A couple of minutes later Aurelia came downstairs.


    "Cid. I''m glad you''re alright. I heard about the murder at the Cathedral. Ghastly business that." She walked up and gave me a hug. She was a beauty. Long brown hair with green eyes complemented her pale skin. She was a bit taller than Liv her head coming up to my sternum. She had a athletic figure and was wearing an emerald green dress.


    "Yeah that was shocking to say the least. I''m fine though. I wanted to let everyone know that I''m okay. I''ll find out if you guys can visit and leave the details with Liv. I saw her and Gais on the way here."


    "Come, let''s go to the sitting room. Mother may be in there and we can chat a bit." I filled her and her mother was indeed there, sipping tea and sitting in a large cushioned chair.


    "Cid, how lovely to see you. Aurelia told me about your unfortunate awakening. You have my sympathies dear." She was a tall, statuesque woman with curly auburn hair and elegant poise.


    "Thank you Mrs. Bellus. I''m alright though. I still draw breath and where there is life there is hope."


    "Good lad, that''s the right spirit to have. Tea?"


    "No thank you ma''am. I''ll be leaving shortly. I just wanted to let Aurelia know I''m alright and see how she''s doing with her birthday being in 8 days." I flashed and smile at Aurelia.


    Her cheeks turned a few shades darker. "I am fine thank you. Perfectly composed."


    "Uh huh. Well either way I just wanted to pop by and assure everyone that I''m alright."


    "I''ll leave you two to chat then. Good day Cid, and take care." She stood up and left the room.


    "Mother was worried about you too you know."


    "I appreciate it but I''m fine, really."


    "Not about your awakening, well that too, but about the murder. There were traces of soul magic at the scene and the only known practitioners of soul magic we currently know about are the royal family themselves. The king, the crown prince, and the youngest princess. She''s 16 herself though and only awakened six months ago so it''s highly unlikely to be her." Her look turned dark with meaning.


    "And you think the king or the crown prince are LIKELY to be responsible?" I didnt like where this conversation was headed. I wanted as little to do with this topic as possible.


    "Who know. I''d certainly not say so in public of course but it''s worth considering."


    "Consider it considered then. It has nothing to do with me anyway. What are your plans for your birthday?" I redirected away from the topic.


    "Hm. Well mother has a party planned the day before, you have to come. No excuses. The day of will be spent in quiet consideration of what I want before the awakening ceremony. That is supposed to increase the chances of getting what you want as your first skill. I may even see you there since you''re staying at the Cathedral."


    "I''ll see what I can do." We spent several more minutes talking before I told her I needed to leave. It would take about 45 minutes to return from her house and I still needed to speak with Stephens before helping clean the Cathedral.


    I headed to the library and asked if the head librarian was in. He was and I was directed back to his office after about 10 minutes.


    "Hello young man. Have you been reading that book I lent you?" He was seated at his desk going over paperwork again.


    "I have. It''s been very helpful. I was wondering if I could work here in the library as a matter of fact."


    "Ah. I think you''d make a fine addition to the library. You''d mostly be tasked with reshelving books and fetching books for those here to study. Also a fair amount of dusting. We endeavor to keep it tidy here after all."


    "That sounds fine sir. I appreciate the position." I meant it too. I had a great deal to study.


    "You start tomorrow then just after breakfast since you''re serving in the dining room then."


    "How did you know that?" Only Derk knew and I doubt he''d told Stephens yet.


    "You''ll find that very little happens withing these walls that I do not know. I''ll see you tomorrow." He looked back down at his work in a clear dismissal.


    I returned to my room and read for a bit before my cleaning shift. The Cathedral was huge so it looked like every single novitiate was there sweeping, mopping, dusting, and picking up and refuse as well as general tidying. It didn''t take too long with all of us there.


    Back in my room I read some more before bed and fell into my new routine the next day. Like this the next 3 weeks passed by.

 Now Were Talking

    I was awake but lying there in my little bed, looking at my Status after achieving level 25 in my skill finally.


    PERSONAL STATUS


    Level 3


    Cidrakas Lasalis


    Strength: 18


    Dexterity: 16


    Constitution: 18


    Wisdom: 10


    Intelligence: 10


    Charisma: 12


    Skills


    Advancement 25


    Mimic 1


    Blessings


    Blessing of Rekf


    I''d finally rakned up the Advancement. the next perk reduced the time from 24 hours to 12 hours just as I''d hoped. Turns out it''s a well documented fact from the materials I''d been reading. With only one perk tree the reduction goes 24 >12 > 6 > 3> instant. The capstone was exactly what I needed and it would take me roughly 22 more days to get there. I''d spent my stat points as well, 2 each on Str, Dex, Con, and Wis. My Wis score had always been a bit low and it was nice to bring it to an average level.


    Next I looked at my Mimic skill. The original owner had chosen to boost its strength by 25% but I wanted to know what perks were available.


    Mimic Perks


    Boost: Increase the strength of targeted skills by 25%.


    Prolong: Double the duration of targeted skill.


    Efficiency: Reduces the cost, if any, of the targeted skill by 25%.


    The first and second options were incredibly useful. Prolong was useless to me though as I''d be keeping the skills indefinitely. I''d have to see if there was another increase to Boost past the normal capstone ability though or if I''d have to take one instance of Efficiency.


    Closing out my Status I grabbed my clothes and went to get washed up. As I bathed I thought about my life for the last 3 weeks or so. Aurelia''s party was fun and a nice time hanging out with my friends. We''d talked for hours about life and our hopes and dreams. Gifts were given and songs were sung. My gift was a copy of A Primer on Skills. I could get it at a decent price of only 30 copper, still a considerable sum for me but she was one of my oldest friends.


    The next day her awakening went perfectly. She recieved Enchanting just as she''d hoped. The girl was blessed I swear. Her life couldn''t fail to be wonderful by all appearances. I''d been allowed to assist and congratulated her immediately.


    I got dressed and went to serve breakfast. It was nice to get to know everyone in the church of Halcis. Most novitiates were only a little older than me with a handful of older ones training to be war priests. They spent time training with the Templars so it took longer. I saw most of the administrative staff at least once a week as well. They tended to keep odd hours as they were very busy all the time. Especially Zafas.


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    The man had been like a wolf on a scent since the murder. He''d questioned the staff, city guards on patrol that night, neighboring churches, all to no avail. He''d even sent inquiries to the Royal Guard but had been shut down hard and now he was out of leads. A fact that made him take on the demeanor of a wyvern with an infected anal gland. It was best to stay out of his way for now. It was probably for the best though. There is no way he was going to be able to touch prince Ferdin. Not unless he was willing to start an inquisition and subsequent holy war against the crown, and that was in no one''s best interest.


    I finished serving breakfast and headed to the library. Stephens had been a good mentor, as he seems to have taken it upon himself to become one for me. He know far more than he let on and I was glad he''d seen fit to keep it to himself so I kept my mouth closed and played along.


    "Morning Floris." I waved at the librarian on desk duty this morning. Quiet young lady. Mousy little face and glasses with her long brown hair in twin braids as usual.


    "Morning Cid." She didn''t even look up from the book she was reading.


    All right then. I went to the returns and began putting them away. I was an hour into my day, shelving books on the second floor when I heard someone speaking from the next aisle that caught my ear.


    "The royal family takes it very seriously. They''re sending a team of investigators to assist High Templar Zafas next week." A soft, high pitched male voice said.


    "You dont find that odd? That they''re sending someone at all? This should have no bearing on them and they never get involved in the church''s affairs. And they just happen to be the only known practitioners of soul magic. Not suspicious at all." A deeper, more gruff male voice. They were being quiet not only because they were in a library but also because of the potentially editions nature of their conversation.


    "I''m telling you they''re only trying to help."


    "Think for a minute. If there was something to be found, Zafas would''ve found it by now. With his and the Seekers skills, they can figure out what my late great grandfather at for lunch on his 3rd birthday a hundred years ago, yet they can''t get one hint of a clue on something this recent and big? No they royals are covering their own rears."


    "If that''s so then why send anyone at all, hmm? Why not just let it go to a dead end?"


    "Because they''re paranoid. They want to know what Zafas knows. And to determine if he knows too much. It doesn''t smell right im telling you."


    High voice sighed. "Well now you just sound like a paranoid loon. My father told me if they turn up nothing that one of the royals themselves would come by to look at the soul magic. That proves they''re dedicated."


    "You think they find themselves guilty? Now who''s the loon?"


    "Oh enough of this. We have work to do."


    The other grumbled and they walked off leaving me frantic. I wasnt worried about the investigators. I could just avoid them, but if prince Ferdin came later he could feel the remnant soul magic in me because it was his. My time here at the Cathedral might be coming to an end if he were to come as I''d have no choice but to flee.


    I finished the reshelving and sat in a quiet corner in thought. I''d have to make plans. If it wasn''t the prince I should be okay, but if he''s the one coming I''d have to leave. I needed to find out who was coming. Librarian Stephens might know who the royals were sending. He was practically clairvoyant.


    Near the end of my shift I headed to Stephens office. Knock knock.


    "Come."


    "Librarian Stephens, might I have a moment?"


    "Whats on your mind Cidrakas?" He gestured at a seat.


    "I heard some rumors that the royal family might be sending some people to help investigate. That''s not normal is it?" I kept my tone light to lower the chance he''d be suspicious.


    "True. They''re sending some people at the end of next week. A futile action if you ask me. Nothing that should concern you though. Simply curious are we?" His question was innocent enough but he was tricky. His face gave nothing away.


    "Not just that. I''d also heard a royal might be coming. I wanted to know if there was protocol on how we should act and if it differed depending on who showed up." It sound reasonable to me.


    "Ah, not to worry. Simply be on your best behavior when they arrive and do not address them unless they address you first. It shouldn''t matter which one comes as your behavior should be the same but I believe they''ll send princess Carmen. She''s one of the most beautiful young ladies of her generation I hear. Is that why you''re so interested?" He gave a smile that could''ve meant anything but seemed far too knowing.


    "Maybe a bit. I just didn''t want to make a fool of myself by breaking some rule I don''t know and make the Cathedral look bad." I gave a self deprecating smile.


    "You''ll be fine. You conduct yourself quite well. I''d honestly be surprised if you had to interact with her at all though. She shouldn''t be here long and will be working whilst here. If that''s all then?"


    I nodded frantically as if I were nervous. "Thank you for your time."


    I kept to myself until after cleaning duty that evening. I was immensely relieved but I couldn''t shake the feeling that I''d still need to be prepared for a catastrophe.

 Shouldnt Have Said That

    Exactly one week after I''d heard the rumors of a royal investigation team coming they arrived. There was much fuss made about jurisdiction and proper etiquette and so forth from Zafas, not that it didn''t any good. The Grand Cathedral was closed off the entire day except for the daily awakening ceremony. They spent most of an entire day looking around in the Cathedral and I was able to avoid them entirely. I''d begged off cleaning that evening by faking a stomach illness. They were more than happy to confine me to my room for the evening after learning of it.


    Six days later we got word that princess Carmen would be arriving that evening. This is the part that had me sweating. She was supposed to arrive shortly after the evening cleaning, not wanting to further disrupt the functions of the church. This should hopefully allow me to avoid her entirely, it was perfect. I really shouldn''t have said that, even to myself because I jinxed myself thoroughly.


    We were just finishing up cleaning when the princess came in early. I was doomed immediately, but not for the reason I would''ve thought. She was perfect. Short at only about 152 centimeters with chestnut brown hair and chocolate brown eyes and the most gorgeous smile I''d ever seen. She had a figure that could only be described as voluptuous and full bodied. I had never seen someone to which I was so immediately and powerfuly attracted.


    I had frozen, staring. I was doomed. I had long ago sworn to fall in love only once due to my father''s philandering. I couldn''t stand the thought of leaving from woman to woman. It''s why I''d never fallen for a girl growing up despite being around some real beauties, including Aurelia. My mother tried to push me toward her for years but I''d only ever been able to see her as a friend. I figured I''d either die alone or when I saw the one, I''d know.


    It not like I was ugly or anything either. I was 188 centimeters tall with an athletic frame and wide shoulders. Brown, close cropped hair and a stong jawline with a face I''d been told repeatedly was quite handsome. I''d just never cared. Vanity had always seemed like a weakness to me so I avoided it.


    Wait! Maybe she''d be a horrible person and I could simply walk away. To determine that though I''d have to speak to her somehow. Her knights didn''t look like they''d just let me stroll up and ask "You wouldn''t happen to be a terrible person would you?". And I wasnt even supposed to speak to her unless she spoke to me first. All I could do is try and stand nearby and look for an opportunity. So closer I went, drawn like a moth to the flame.


    I looked over and saw Derk as I walked. He was in charge as the senior novitiate here tonight and I gave him a look and a grin. He looked confused. I hoped he''d forgive me. I steode right up next to Zafas and to the lead knight I said confidently "It appears we''re done for the evening. You may begin whenever you''re ready. I''ll stay nearby in case you should need anything." Fortune favors the bold after all.


    The lead knight was taller than me by a scent few centimeters and looked to be around his mid thirties. Powerfuly built with a rough face and stern expression he spoke. "Good. We''ll sweep the room before princess Carmen begins. Stand there and dont move." He proceeded to give orders to the dozen other knights with him. Some posted at the entrance while the rest wlswept through the room, ushering out the rest of the cleaning crew as they went. I caught a look at Derk as he left and he just grinned at me and shook his head.


    All this time I''d been withing 2 meters of princess Carmen not daring to even look at her. With her knights away except for the lead knight I looked at her and smiled an honest and hopeful smile. She immediately blushed and looked down for a moment then snapped her head back up. She looked embarrassed more for looking down than having blushed.


    "Your cooperation is most appreciated novitiate...." She left the word hanging, and obvious prompt for me to supply my name.


    "Cidrakas Lasalis your highness, but everyone calls me Cid." Her voice was lovely. Everything about this woman drew me in.


    "Cid then. Would you mind telling me a bit about the Cathedral and the events of the night of the murder?"


    She seemed genuine and willing to help. I''m doomed. "Certainly. We first heard a loud crash and metallic clang. No one heard any yelling. Then there was a rumbling and by the time anyone reached the Cathedral the perpetrator or perpetrators were gone and only the body remained. Has the condition of the body been described to you yet?"


    "In great detail, yes."


    The knights finished their sweep and returned at that moment.


    "All clear commander Gallus." One of the other knights reported.


    Callus turned to the princess and said "Begin any time you''d like your highness." He gave a slight bow of the head.


    She looked away from him and around the Cathedral, her eyes taking in something the rest of us couldn''t see. "I''ll be casting a revealing spell now. Everyone remain still and quiet please." She looked around for a moment to ensure we understood. She then began moving her hands almost like she was shaping a ball of bread dough, just with more exaggerated movements. A few seconds later her hands began to glow as pale gold. Over the next several seconds the color changed to match the glow from the device prince Ferdin had with him that night. No one knew this but me and I remained frozen.


    She held her hands over her head and broght the down in front of her quickly, lime she was throwing something on the ground. At the end of this movement she brought her hands together in a sort of clap. At this point the events of that night replayed in a way.


    A ghostly beam of light appeared right where the device had been. It shot forth into the skill stone, without making it flash this time. It continued on and passed through the victim had been, flaring brighter for a fraction of a second, until it looked like it struck the wall, but I knew it didn''t. It had hit me. I was briefly lit by the same color, albeit much dimmer than the rest of this light show.


    My eyes widened and I stifled a gasp. I looked around, praying that no one else noticed. Thankfully everyone seemed to be looking at where the beam had apparently struck the wall. Everyone except the princess. She had her head turned and was looking directly at me.


    Welp! I guess I die now. I had hoped to accomplish a great deal more. Shockingly the princess looked away after a moment and the energy of the spell dissipated completely. It had felt like there was a pressure that had gradually built in the room that I was only noticing now that it was gone.


    A few more seconds went by until the princess finally spoke, looking toward Zafas. "There was indeed soul magic used here though it felt off. Like something twisted it into knots then tried to rip it apart. I''ve never felt its like before. I''ll have to discuss this with my family and do some research, but this corrupt soul magic could''ve been perpetrated by a foreign agent."


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    "What were they trying to do? Not to be impertinent, but it is my sacred duty to defend the church so I must know what happened and why." Zafas sounded as calm and conciliatory as I''d ever heard him.


    "You do not get to make demands of the princess Templar! Know your place." Commander Gallus sounded angry.


    "He meant no disrespect and is only trying to do his duty Gallus. Please be slient. As for the purpose of the magic, I must confess I have no clue. This why I must seek council with my family for more answers. You have my word that as soon as we discover any answers you''ll be the first one contacted High Templar Zafas." She bowed her head fractionally toward him in a show of respect.


    Zafas looked surprised. "You have my deepest thanks and the respect of the church of Halcis then your highness." He performed a formal bow, going a full 90 degrees at the waist.


    "There is little else to discover here I''m afraid and if the soul magic used hadn''t been so powerful then there would have been nothing at all to find. We''ll take our leave and interrupt you no further. I do have one final request however."


    "Whatever your highness needs." Zafas told her.


    She looked and pointed at me. "I need to speak with Cid in private for a moment to clarify some things."


    My heart stopped. I''d been waiting to hear the guillotine fall and here it came.


    "Certainly your highness. Cid go with the princess and answer all her questions to the best of your ability."


    "Yes sir." It wasn''t like I could run surrounded by a full squad of knights and Zafas''s men.


    "We''ll speak in my carriage. It is warded and we will not be overheard." She turned to walk out, and sad look on her face.


    I followed along wondering what my life could have been. I''d never get the chance to know now it seemed.


    At her carriage, parked directly in front of the Grand Cathedral, she waited for one of the knights to open her door before saying "Gallus, you will wait here while I speak with Cid."


    "Your highness, that is hardly proper decorum. And..."


    She cut him off. "Outside Gallus. I won''t be long and Cid seems like a trustworthy man."


    "Yes your highness."


    She stepped in with me right behind her and commander Gallus staring death my way the entire time.


    One inside and seated with the door closed princess Carmen waited a few seconds and asked "Why did that soul magic resonate with you. You clearly are no mage. You were there that night correct? Please do not lie to me." She had a pleading, almost pained look on her face.


    I knew there was no point in lying and she seemed so caring and genuine. "Yes I was your highness."


    "Tell me everything you know or saw of the events of that night."


    So I did. I told her about the device, her brother, my acquiring the Mimic skill, and already having the Advancement skill. I told her all of it and held nothing back. If I was walking into the angel of death''s embrace then at least it was an embrace I wouldn''t mind.


    "You''re sure it was my brother the crown prince? And you really have a way past the lock on Advancement?"


    "I''m afraid so. As far as I can tell, he used his device to blast the skill out of his victim and into me, though he was aiming for himself. As far as I can tell I can use Mimic to borrow skills then Advance those skills to keep them. I even get the target''s perks. I haven''t been able to use it fully yet because I need the capstone for Advancement''s perk first but it should work."


    "I am both glad and disappointed at this news. Disappointed because my brother killed a man to steal his skill, and glad that you weren''t involved. I felt drawn to you the moment our eyes met." Her face flushed and she smiled that heartbreaking smile at me.


    "I''m sorry about your brother as well but does this mean I''m not going to die?" I was confused and hopeful. And my heart was still fluttering like and idiotic bird.


    "Why would you die? No. I intended to talk to the king and confront my brother. He needs to be punished. I hope you''ll be rewarded, preferably with a title. Then you could court a noble. Or royalty." She grinned at me. It was an inviting and hopeful grin and I knew then and there I''d never feel for another woman the way I felt for Carmen right now.


    "I have never been attracted to a woman as immediately or powerfully as I am toward you. If this is a trick or a trap I don''t care. To have a chance to be with you is now my heart''s greatest desire. And even if it means I die, I shall pursue your hand with all my might for all the days of my life." I was breathing heavy. She the world, and I was held to it by her. I no longer cared about consequences.


    "I''ve been nothing but honest with you as it seems you have been with me. And if you mean what you say then I can promise to give you a chance. We still need to get you a title first for it to be official or even possible though." She was leaning towards me now. Her breath also coming fast.


    I reached out, silently asking to hold her hand. She gave it and it felt like I''d been struck by lightning at her touch. Not in pain but my whole body felt alive at her touch. We were both grinning like idiots.


    "Are you sure the king will side with you? I''d rather die than see you come to harm over me."


    "More sure than anything I''ve ever done. If the king refuses to punish my brother then I''ll renounce my title. I want no part of a family that kills its subjects to gain power." She looked angry at that, and a bit skeptical.


    "I''ll trust you but can you delay telling him as long as possible? I''ll cap Advancement in 8 more days, then I''ll start gathering other skill quickly. If I could become powerful enough I wouldn''t have as much to fear." Also I''d feel like I could protect the new most important thing in my life.


    "Not for long. I can maybe buy 3 days doing research first on obscure soul magic before I approach father. Beyond that I''ll just have to hope that he upholds justice in private as much as he claims to in public."


    "I''ll be ready. Even if I have to flee, I''ll return for you." I gave her hand a squeeze in reassurance.


    "Let''s hope it doesn''t come to that. I''ll try to find anyone reason to return to see you, or maybe sneak out." She said with mischief in her eyes.


    My heart leapt. "I can''t wait to see you again." I Ieaned forward and she met me halfway. Our lips met and I knew my life was complete. With her by my side I''d conquer the world. It was a timid and gentle kiss and it was bliss.


    Bang bang bang! "Princess, are you nearly finished?" Gallus bellowed.


    We separated quickly, both flushed and panting. "Yes Gallus. One more moment." She said through a window she opened a cracked to respond.


    "Be safe and know that I''ll think of you til we meet again." I pulled her in for another peck.


    "You better careful. Stay quiet and wait for my return." She told me. We''ll both took a moment to get ourselves under control. I opened the door trying to look afraid as I did so.


    Gallus eyed me suspiciously then got in and closed the door as soon as I was out of the way.


    I stood there for a moment and watched them drive off before going inside to see a smiling Derk and an annoyed Zafas.


    "How did the questioning go newly self appointed royal ambassador? Just bugger right on off shall I since you seem to have this handled." His face was red and the vein hin his forehead was puffed up and pulsing.


    "I''m so sorry. I took one look at her and my brins flew out my ear. I had to be closer to her, speak to her. I''ll accept any punishment you deemed necessary but I''d do it again."


    Zafas looked like he was going to explode for a second  efore he took a long, slow breath. "I''ve been young before too and know how much an idiot youth makes of us all. That being said you will report to the training grounds tomorrow after your morning chores. It''s time to beat some sense into you. Now get to bed. Your day is going to be long and painful tomorrow." He turned and stormed off at that.


    I watched him go quietly for a moment before Derk spoke up. "You got more balls than brains, that''s for sure. Not that you have enough blood to operate either right now." He chuckled.


    "Yeah maybe. Worth it though. I got to speak with the princess."


    "JUST speak to her?"


    "Yes you ass! We just met and she is a lady burn it."


    "Calm down there hot shot. I didnt mean anything by it. We do need to get you in bed though. Zafas won''t kill you tomorrow, he''ll just make you wish you were dead. Haha!"


    "Yeah. Totally worth it though." We walked off to our rooms.


    In my room I thought I need 8 days and she can buy me 3. I''ll need to learn as much as I can tomorrow. Zafas may be trying to kill me, but I might be able to turn this into training I sorely needed now. Yesterday I ranked up Advancement again and put the 2 stats into strength. I''d be weak compared to most but I''d be as prepared as I could be.

 Still Worth It

    I went through the next morning as usual, dreading the afternoon with Zafas. I had personally drawn his ire. I headed out the back of the Cathedral to the training grounds. This is where the templars and battle priests trained every day.


    As the sun broke over the horizon, casting its golden rays across the sprawling landscape, the training ground came to life. Nestled on the outskirts of a bustling medieval town, the field was expansive, bordered by dense thickets of oak and pine that whispered tales of valor and perseverance. The ground was a patchwork of well-trodden earth and grassy patches, marked by the footprints of countless warriors sharpening their skills.


    At the center of the training ground stood a large wooden pavilion, its weathered beams bearing the scars of time and the battles fought in its shadows. Here trainer''s voices echoed as they encouraged young recruits and seasoned veterans alike. A mix of men and women, all clad in simple linen tunics and leather armor, gathered around, their faces a blend of determination and camaraderie.


    To one side of the training ground, a series of wooden targets stood at varying distances¡ªsome life-sized figures, others simple straw-stuffed dummies, all designed to test the archer''s aim. The scent of fresh wood mingled with the earthy aroma of the ground, while the sound of bowstrings snapping echoed like a battle cry. Archers, both novice and expert, took turns releasing their arrows, watching them soar through the air, aiming for the center of the bullseye painted brightly on each target.


    On the opposite end, a wide sparring area was marked out with logs and stones, creating an arena-like space for melee combat training. Here, knights clad in practice armor sparred vigorously, their swords clanging loudly as they engaged in mock battles. Their faces were lit with excitement, sweat glistening on their brows as they gripped their weapons with fierce resolve. The sounds of metal striking metal, punctuated by the shouts of encouragement and advice from onlookers, made for an exhilarating atmosphere. Nearby, a few combatants practiced with wooden staffs, honing their skills in unarmed combat and grappling, their movements fluid like dancers in a deadly art.


    Scattered throughout the grounds were various other stations dedicated to different aspects of warfare. One area hosted a series of stone and wooden props simulating fortifications, allowing soldiers to practice storming walls and engaging in siege tactics. Another corner was dedicated to the use of shields, where recruits worked on their defensive maneuvers, learning to protect themselves amidst the clamor.


    As I entered I heard the clang of metal and the twang of bowstrings settled into a rhythm¡ªa chorus of training that spoke of not just preparation, but of tradition and honor. This training ground was more than just a place for physical combat; it was a crucible where young warriors forged their identities, learning not only the art of warfare but also the values of teamwork, discipline, and perseverance¡ªessentials for any fighting force in the medieval world.


    Out of nowhere Zafas appeared clad in training gear, full of barely restrained excitement and righteous fury. "Here!" He threw a set of training gear into my arms with a looked of demented joy. "Have someone help you get dressed the meet me in the ring over there. Time you learned respect young man." He stormed off toward a training ring on the right. One of the simple circles of bare earth marked off by a wooden ring in the ground.


    I huffed out a breath and headed off to the side to put on the training pads and leather helm. As I struggled to get the pads on one of the nearby trainees must have taken pitty on my efforts. "Need a hand?" I looked up to see a man a little shorter than myself with a wide stocky build and yellow hair grinning at me. He looked to be in his early twenties.


    "If you''re wouldn''t mind. I''m apparently in for a beating today." I followed this with a self deprecating chuckle.


    "You have no idea. I''ve rarely seen the High Templar this worked up. Not since Larat over there accidentally started a fire in the gear storage room over a year ago. Worked the man half to death AFTER beating on him all afternoon. It was brutal." He gave a rueful shake of his head as he began helping me don the pads.


    "Oh joy. Honestly I need some martial training. I need to know how to defend myself in case I''m ever attacked. At least to a basic level."


    "You''re still going to get hammered into the dirt today, literally. If you take it like a man and express a willingness to learn though it should go a little better. How''s that feel?" He''d finished helping me don the pads.


    I moved and twisted around a bit to get a feel for them. "Pretty good. Not as constricting as I''d feared."


    "They''re linen and padding. Not very heavy. Real armor is a fair amount heavier unless you go with leather. Even then the movement and weight vary a great deal depending on the make of the armor and type of leather used. Best get to it though before he gets even angrier. Had any experience with a weapon?"


    "None whatsoever. I heard a mace or a spear is good for beginners."


    "Go with a mace. Spears are for reach but that won''t help you today and a spear is more difficult to carry around and use well in a city due to tighter spaces. I''d say a simple bar mace. Get to it. He''ll point you towards the weapons." He gestured with his head and I turned to see Zafas staring at me while pacing like a caged beast.


    I firmed my resolve and squared my shoulders ad I walked over to him. Showing fear would only make it worse. I stepped right up to him and looked him in the eye as I spoke. "Reporting as ordered sir."


    A grim smile appeared that didn''t reach his eyes as he said "At least you have some measure of spirit. Too bad I inted to break it today. Do you know why I''m angry Cid?"


    "Because I stepped well beyond my authority. Because I showed disrespect to the church itself and you specifically. And because I broke protocol and decorum sir." I''d had plenty of time to think on it.


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    "And you''re self aware to boot. That''s good. Had experience with any weapons?"


    "I''m afraid not sir. I believe a bar mace might suit my needs as a beginner though."


    "True. The weapons rack is over there. Pick one that suits you and return." He pointed to the middle of the training grounds next to the wooden pavilion.


    I jogged over and looked at the weapons. There were a great many and I wasn''t sure which mace was a bar mace. I asked a young lady who walked over at about the same time. "Which of these is a bar mace ma''am?"


    She looked at me with sympathy and pointed. "It''s that one. Looks like a cross from the end."


    It looked like a metal stick with a brown leather grip. I picked one of the longer ones at about 1.2 meters. I tested the weight finding it to be about 7 kilos. Hefty but I was fairly strong and felt I could handle it so I logged back over to an impatient Zafas.


    "The bar mace is a simple weapon. Try your best to hit me. If you become too injured to continue you will be healed. Do you understand?"


    "I looked forward to your instruction sir." I bowed.


    "Hmph. Begin." As soon as the word left his mouth he sped toward me like a shooting star. I''d never seen a person move that fast and only had my mace raised halfway when his blunt warhammer pounded into my gut.


    I dropped on the spot and threw up immediately. There was blood in it. It felt like I folded in half from the impact before I''d crumpled to the ground. It took me about a minute to stop heaving and catch my breath.


    "You''re slow. That''s normal for the first time a person ever holds a weapon. Try to watch my hips and feet, not my weapon. Let''s see how you swing that mace first though." He picked me up by the back of the pads just between my shoulder blades like I was light as a feather. I was so screwed.


    He stepped back and bit and I set my feet. I gripped the mace in both hands and swung at his head, intent on removing it. He blocked the strike with contemptuous ease and I was sent off balance. I felt a sudden impact in my right side, right in the kidney. Down I went for the second time.


    "Heal him." Zafas said to a nearby priest who leapt to obey. I felt the agony in my side vanish as the priest channeled healing magic into me and was able to breathe easily once more.


    It was then that I noticed the training grounds had gotten much more quiet. I looked around and almost everyone was watching Zafas pound the stuffing out of me line a toy. Zafas noticed this too.


    "Back to work the lot of you! This is not a show for you to watch!" He roared at everyone who shot back into whatever they were doing like a demon was after them.


    He looked back at me and said "Try not to telegraph your movements so much. After a bit more we''ll get you a shield. I think it may suit you and your desire to find some defense. Again."


    For the next hour he beat on me. He gave helpful instructions the whole time which was nice I suppose. I had to be healed a total of 11 times in that hour. I did get a bit better by the end, able to block a strike on occasion before being decimated.


    "Go back and grab a shield. A simple round shield should do." He rested his hammer on his shoulder and waited.


    I went to get a shield as fast as I was able. Physically healed but fealing like a well beaten rug. I returned and he showed me how to hold the shield and gave brief instructions on how to deflect blows with it. I thought I may have a chance to defend and lessen the beatings at least a bit


    I was wrong. He was an expert with his hammer and it only took him a moment to get my shield out of position before slamming it into me over and over. For almost 2 more hours he pummeled me. At various points I suffered a broken right upper arm, broken right leg and hip, several broken ribs, a crushed right hand, and several more internal injuries. I had to be healed another 20 times by 3 separate healers. It was by far the most brutal thing I''d ever gone through.


    When it was nearly dinner time he called a stop. "Enough for today. If you truly wish to learn you may return tomorrow. The lessons will be more instructive and less punitive. What did you learn today?"


    "Respect. And perseverance." I said huffing for breath like a fish out of water. I was barely on my feet at this point.


    "Very good. I''m glad you understand this was necessary. You''re healthy and strong for your age. You may not be able to level and gain skills like most but rigorous physical training can still have benefits. To a point at least. Generally you can gain between 5 and 8 points to the physical stats through training. You''ll be paired with a different instructor tomorrow. Go get cleaned up and dont forget to eat. It''s important after all that healing." Having said his piece he walked off toward the pavillion.


    I shuffled over to the weapons rack and deposited the mace and shield. My limbs felt like lead and I felt like an old man, stiff in every joint. The same man from earlier came over to help me doff my training pads.


    "He worked you over as bad as I''ve ever seen and I''ve been here for over 8 years. You just kept getting up though. That''s good. If you hadn''t it would have been much worse. And he''s not making you stow and clean all the gear. He must have taken pity on you because you took it like a man."


    "It could have been worse?!" The only way I can imagine it being worse is if he''d actually killed me.


    "Much. Imagine being put back on your feet after you ran out of the strength to get there yourself. And then having to put away and clean every single weapon and pad. Alone. It would''ve taken you half the night. And he actually gave you instruction throughout. Heed his advice. It may have been brutal but he''s a master of combat."


    Having gotten all the gear off I noticed both blood and sweat soaking every inch of my clothes. "I''m not sure I could''ve survived that."


    "He''d never kill one of us here. He''s a good man. Harsh but fair. Best hurry to the baths. Gets crowded after daily training. Oh, and dont forget to check your status before you sleep. You''ll likely have a surprise waiting for you." I then noticed everyone stowing their gear and heading out so I rushed to bathe.


    I made it just before the rush and went to eat as instructed. I just sat there for a bit after eating, too tired to move when Derk walked over.


    "How bad was it?" He asked with a mocking grin.


    "About as bad as I expected, although it apparently could have been far worse."


    "And?"


    "And I''d absolutely do it again. Totally worth it. Haha." I cradled my ribs. Laughing hurt. Laughing shouldn''t hurt.


    "Yeah, that''s about what I figured. You up to cleaning tonight? I can excuse you if you''re not feeling up to it." He asked with a little concern.


    "Nah. I''m sore, not dead. I can handle it." I got up to put away my plate and we walked out together chatting amiably.


    After cleaning that evening and getting back to my room i collapsed into bed. I barely had the will to look at my status before succumbing to sleep.


    PERSONAL STATUS


    LEVEL 4


    Strength: 21


    Dexterity: 16


    Constitution: 19


    Wisdom: 10


    Intelligence: 10


    Charisma: 12


    Blessings


    Blessing of Rekf


    Amazing! I''d gained a point in both Str and Con. The available stats to be gained there were limited but welcome. I didnt have the energy to be too excited but I was happy. I was smiling as I blacked out.

 Pain Means Its Working

    The next day saw the same routine as always but I did some research while on shift in the library. Stephens didn''t care so long as we got our work done. It turns out the mental stats could be raised through training and study as well. It was just a bit more difficult. Also I got a rundown of what each did specifically. All the stats had a unique role to play that went as follows.


    Strength is the most obvious. It provides more direct physical power. It also has an effect on speed as stronger muscles can propel a person faster. It also adds a very tiny bit to your physical resilience as bigger muscles absorb more force. To avoid being slow and clumsy your Str should remain within four points of your Dex.


    Dexterity is the catch all used to quantify a body''s dexterity, agility, finesse, balance, and physical coordination. That is all a lot to describe so to make it simple it is simply described as Dex.


    Constitution is another one that encompasses a few different things. Overall physical health, resilience, stamina, and endurance all fall under Con.


    Wisdom is a bit odd. It''s less mental and more spiritual. Apparently it goes up a bit for most people just through aging, which seems appropriate because the elders of a community seem the most wise. It''s mostly about thinking deeper about things and knowing yourself. It also governs mental resilience alongside Intelligence equally somehow.


    Intelligence isn''t what I thought it would be at all. High Int doesn''t necessarily mean a person is smarter although it tends to be higher in people who are truly smart. It''s mostly about memory retention, processing information quickly, and logic.


    Charisma has nothing to do with looks. I was shocked. It''s just a person''s ability to communicate effectively with others and how persuasive they are. It can also get a tad ridiculous. High Cha people can talk people and even intelligent creatures with low Wis into virtually anything. There was a record of a high level Merchant literally selling his breath to an air elemental Djinn. He told the Djinn it was his breath of life and got paid 30 gold for it!


    After my shift in the library I went back to the training grounds and got geared up before approaching Zafas again with no small amount of terror after yesterday''s beatings.


    "Reporting for training sir."


    "You''re not one of mine but I''m doing my part to toughen you up. Youll be working with Tarstil over there." He pointed off to my right at a wiry, unassuming man who looked like he was nearing 30. "He is our mace trainer. You''ll be working within a shield as well as it seemed to suit you yesterday. Get to it." Dismissed I went to greet my new trainer.


    Tarstil was working with 6 others when I approached him. "Hello sir. High Templar Zafas ordered me to report to you." He turned and I saw her was from Indus. He had medium brown skin and thick black hair with a neatly trimmed goatee.


    "You''ll be Cidrakas then but go by Cid. I see you''re geared up and ready. I''ll spar with you while providing instruction. First we''ll go through basic motions and tactics when using a mace. You''ll hold it like this." He corrected my grip.


    "First is the guard position. You have a shield for a reason and can recieve attacks and retaliate. Hold your shield like this." He angled my body more to the right and corrected my stance. He had me raise the shield up so I could just see an opponent over it. "Fro here you can move the shield as need to block."


    Next he went over how to swing properly, thrusting which was odd to me until he explained that just because I could stability someone with a mace didn''t mean that a thrust wouldn''t still hurt or knock them off balance, overhead strikes, shield bashing, and parrying. He had me practice each move 50 times before we moved on to a light spar. It was at half speed so he could instruct as we went. When I did something wrong he''d make me repeat it until he was satisfied. He demonstrated controlling distance with the shield and footwork to move into a more advantageous position. It was much more informative than yesterday''s "lessons".


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    After about two and a half hours of his instruction he had me pair off with another trainee. "Jessa here has been training with us for 6 months. Her basics are solid and her footwork is excellent. She''s the closest we have to your level unfortunately. Do your best and dont hesitate to go full speed and full strength. She''s likely stronger and tougher than you."


    Jessa was about 1.6 meters tall with an athletic build. She''d been working longer than I had and harder as well having faced each of the other 5 trainees in rotation. I had a feeling I was about to have a woman feed me my teeth.


    "Hello."


    "Hi. Don''t worry, I''ll take it easy on ya." She had thick northern drawl. We got into position and began.


    I didn''t close immediately, wanting to see what she''d do. She stalked to my left like a jungle cat. Her movement was graceful and even. I circled to prevent her from flanking me until she changed speed and direction suddenly. She juked right then leapt straight at me, using her shield to knock mine up and out before bringing her mace down on my collar bone. There was a loud snap and my right arm went numb forcing me to drop my mace with a yell.


    "Halt!" Tarstil called over a healer to get me fixed up.


    "I didnt mean to break anything I swear. I''m sorry." Jessa looked genuinely sorry.


    "Don''t worry about it. I took far worse yesterday. I''m improving my pain tolerance to, heh heh." I laughed a bit to ease her guilt.


    The healer got me fixed up and we went back at it. She was a bit less aggressive now but I still didn''t land a hit. I did get much better at the footwork though emulating her. We continued until dinner then I went and bathed. I really enjoyed the baths here. Evening cleaning came and went and I returned to my room to find a surprise.


    After i closed my door and turned to take in the room I heard "Don''t yell." In a voice in was glad to hear.


    "Carmen?" She appeared in the middle of the room, a vision of perfection. She had on a charcoal black cloak and was wearing a dark blue dress. "You were invisible? Being a princess certainly has benefits." I smiled and my heart demanded I embrace her.


    She hugged me back enthusiastically. "It does. I have news." She backed away to look me in the eyes. "Father is willing to wait for me to finish my research before reporting to him but my brother asked question that make it clear he''s guilty if it wasn''t already apparent. I don''t think he''ll make a move unless evidence is presented against him but he''s suspicious."


    "We expected that to a degree. I''m doing all I can to learn to defend myself but I may have to run if things don''t go well with the king." We moved to sit on the edge of the bed.


    "He won''t do anything directly. He''ll send his man Arns after you if he decides to act. Arns is ruthless and terrifying. He had the Paragon skill. It makes him better initial every way than the average man. He''s despicable. That skill is meant to raise someone as a hero to people with no hope. He saved only his own family when he got the skill and let the rest of his village be slaughtered. If you see him stay away."


    "Gigantic fellow about 2.2 meters tall? Looks like he could tear a man in half with his bare hands? I''ve seen him. He was with your brother that night. I plan on staying as far away from that monster as possible." Arns was one of those guys you look at and know he''s trouble and is fully capable of taking human lives.


    "I''ll try to have the king bring my brother in immediately but if he''s refuses you''ll have to hide. Do you have someplace to go?"


    "I do. I can go stay with an enchanter friendly of mine. Her and her family will hide me if needs be."


    "Your friend Aurelia? That might work but he''d know to look for you there. I did a little digging into you." She flashed and guilty grin.


    "Haha. That''s fine. Hopefully they can get me out of the city if worse comes to worst."


    We spent 10 minutes just talking and holding one another before she had to go. "I would love to stay longer but I can''t be gone long. I''ll be missed. I won''t be able to return until after I''ve informed the king of my discovery. The only reason I was able to get away tonight is because there is a ball at the palace which I was excused from attending due to the importance of my current research. No matter what happens I''ll be back in 2 days after speaking with the king."


    "I miss you already." We shared a short but passionate kiss.


    "And I you". She said after our lips parted. She raised the hood of her cloak and disappeared again. I opened the door and went to use the bathroom to give her an escape.


    I checked my status before sleeping again and saw that the days events gained me more stats, one in a surprising place. My Dex, Con, and Int each went up by a point. Dex made sense with today''s training and so did Con. I took a substantial thrashing again after all. Int was a surprise, though maybe it shouldn''t be. I''d done a great deal of study a d information processing since I''d been here. Still it was a welcome sight as I drifted off.

 Any Second Now

    Training went a little better over the next couple of days. I even cheated a bit and borrowed Tarstil''s Blunt Weapon skill for the first ten minutes of sparring against Jessa yesterday and got a few glancing blows in. That may have been a mistake in retrospect because she felt both challenged and embarrassed at having being struck by a day three novice to combat so she upped her game significantly. This resulted in a broken forearm that had to be healed and by then the duration of Mimic had ended and we continued.


    Tarstil said I was soaking up instruction like a sponge and gaining ability quickly but to remember that I''d always be outclassed by someone with combat skills. Which would be true for most, but I''d be able to gain those skills myself in a few more days so I wasn''t too worried.


    No more stat points had been gained but when I asked Tarstil about it he said that was normal. I''d only gained two in Con due to the merciless beating that Zafas gave me that first day, which was more punishment than training. He''d told me that I probably wouldn''t see more for at least a week and maybe once a month or less after that unless I was undergoing incredible stress and training.


    This was the day that Carmen would be speaking to her father. I had no clue when that was going to happen as she wasn''t sure when he''d have time to speak with her so I made sure I was as ready as I could be. I had purchased a sturdy leather backpack for 50 copper. A significant portion of my funds but a worthwhile investment. I also bought a skinning knife, some flint, a bit of rope and a bedroll. All that left me with 30 copper to my name but I''d rather have it just in case. As the day began I''d packed all this and all my clothes into the backpack with some rations I''d filtered from the kitchens last night. I was as ready as I could be.


    The morning and afternoon went as normal apart from my incredible nervousness. At one point during lunch Derk had asked me if I was alright but I told him I was fine. I was training that afternoon with Jessa when a contingent of the royal guard swept into the training grounds like a storm. Zafas met them halfway to the pavillion and he did not look happy.


    "What is the meaning of this?!" With a scowl he turned and shouted "No one said stop. Keep training!"


    "By order of his majesty the king we are here to arrest one Cidrakas Lasalis. You will give him immediately into our custody." The royal guard lieutenant demanded.


    "And what are the charges? He''s not left the Cathedral grounds for several days." Zafas was not moving.


    "I am not privy to the charges, only that OUR king ordered his capture. You will hand him over." The lieutenant was taller and stockier than Zafas but didn''t have a fraction of his presence. He got in Zafas''s face and tried to stare him into submission.


    "Boy if you think I can be intimidated then you know nothing about me." He gave a savage smile at the man.


    I was going through the motions with Jessa, unable to see a way out without drawing attention to myself when she asked "What did you do?"


    "Nothing. I saw someone important do something bad and now I''m going down for it." It really was unfair, then again I was a fool to have believed the royal family would act any differently. I was a commoner after all.


    "What did you see that would send the royal family after you?"


    "Remember the murder? I saw who did it. I don''t want to get you in trouble too though so I won''t be sharing who." The shouting had stopped and it had gotten quiet when I saw Jessa looked over my shoulder.


    I turned to see Zafas heading toward us with the royal guard in tow. He was several yards in front of them having apparently just walked away without telling them to follow. I''d begun to lose count of the number of times I''d thought this but I was screwed. I handed my mace to Jessa and waited for them to arrive.


    "Cid, it appears the royal guard are here for you." He leaned in close where only he and I could hear. "Why?"


    I was stuck. I could tell him and his position would likely protect him but what good would that do me? So instead I just told him enough to make him believe I wasn''t guilty of some horrible crime. "I saw who killed the man in the Cathedral."


    "Back away from the prisoner!" The lieutenant shouted.


    Zafas stepped back and glared at the man so hard I thought he''d catch flame. "Burn you. I''ll not let this rest." He was in a righteous fury.


    "Cidrakas Lasalis, you are under arrest." Some of his men moved forward and grabbed my arms. I was put in shackles and surrounded as I was marched out of the Cathedral. Outside there was a guard wagon that I was summarily stuffed into. I was alone in the back save for two guards.


    "What am I" Whack! I was backhanded with a mailed fist.


    "Prisoners do not speak unless spoken to!"


    I was awake quick learner. He''d torn the skin on my left jaw pretty badly and I was bleeding.


    We traveled for nearly 20 minutes until we reached the castle. I was shoved out and stumbled to the ground only to be hauled up to my feet by a person I''d genuinely hoped to never see again.


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    "Hello little rat. I heard you like sneaking around and seeing things you shouldn''t." Arns asked with a malicious scowl. He had a thick mountain accent that I hadn''t noticed the night of the murder.


    "I don''t know what you mean sir." I didnt know what they knew so I decided to play dumb.


    "Is that so? Well a few days in our luxury accommodations should help your memory." He shoved me back into the arms of the waiting guards. I was dragged down two sets of stairs before being hurled into a cell with a thick metal door. There was a slot for them to pass food through but that was it. There was no light but before they shut the door I could see a pad in the corner and a hole in the middle of the floor.


    They removed the shackles then stepped out. The door slammed shut with a clang. "Try not to break your leg in the shit hole. You won''t be getting healed even if you do." The pair of guards walked away laughing.


    I took a moment to calm down and went over what I could. They needed something from me or I''d already be dead. Most likely to find out who I''d told. I asked myself if I thought Carmen could have betrayed me but discarded that idea immediately. She''d given me the three days she promised and if she wanted my capture there''s no way she would''ve done that.


    As for what I had, it wasn''t much. A rat chewed mat to sleep on and a hole to relieve myself in plus the clothes on my back. I''d been searched thoroughly before being tossed in. And I had my mind and skills. They likely knew I had Advancement and would assume I had no others. Maybe I could use that. Since there was nothing I could do until I either knew more or capped Advancement I decided to get what rest I could.


    About three hours later my cell door swung open and prince Ferdin walked in behind Arns and another guard. "Hello rat." Arns and the other guard set light globes in the corners adjacent to the door before closing it.


    Ferdin was just as arrogant and insufferable as he was the night of the murder. I wonder if being an asshole could run in someone''s blood. I''d made no move to stand or speak, wanting to see how he''d react.


    "Oh NOW you''re a quiet little rat. That might have saved you before had you been smart but not now. My poor naive sister pleading for father to punish me. As if he didn''t know all along what I was up even if he didn''t know the how. Honestly if little Carmen wasn''t so useful to the family with her soul magic she''d already be dead. Now are you going to tell me who else you told willingly, or does Arns get to play with you for a bit?"


    I did not like the grin Arns gave me at that. "I haven''t told anyone. I wouldn''t have even told Carmen had she not already connected me to the murder and figured part of it out herself."


    He looked at Arns who delivered a vicious kick to my ribs. I felt two of them break and slumped over onto my side.


    "She may be naive but she''s still your better initial every way. That is Princess Carmen to trash like you. Her little infatuation with you will be your death. Now I''m sure you''ll forgive me for not simply believing you. I''m afraid we''ll have to ask a bit more... forcefully. Hahaha."


    I groaned and sat up again, wanting nothing more than to throttle the life from this arrogant bastard. "I''m telling the truth. I told no one that you stole the life and skill of one of your subjects. I told no one that you weren''t jealous of something owned by a peasant. And I told no one that you fled like a coward when you were about to be discovered and have your reputation and image ruined." I knew I''d pay for that but the prick deserved to be told the truth at least once in his life.


    He was shaking with fury as he spoke. "You think you''re a clever little rat. Well I''ll be leaving the dungeon after this to a life of plenty and privilege. You, well you won''t be leaving this cell. Not alive anyway. I''m not even going to ask any further questions today. I''ll simply let Arns show you your place."


    Arns grabbed me and pinned me to the wall by my neck, my feet dangling 20 centimeters off the ground. I couldn''t breathe but was distracted from that by him grabbing my right hand and squeezing it with a terrible strength. I thought I had some clue of how strong he would be based on his size but was totally unprepared for the reality of it. It felt like a castle wall fell on my hand. The agony was immense and it felt like every bone in my hand was turned to small gravel. For the first time I screamed.


    He let go of my hand and let me drop and I curled into a ball around my ruined hand moaning in pain. Prince Ferdin began laughing.


    "That was just a taste rat. You''ll be getting more pain than you can imagine in the coming days. We''re not in a hurry. You have plenty of time to suffer and learn your place." As soon as he finished speaking he spun on his heel and walked away without Arns. The other guard collected the light globes and i was once more left alone in darkness.


    I chuckled despite the pain. I knew something they didn''t. Since Paragon was a heroic skill it would heal the recipient upon gaining it. This was thought to be because usually those who recieved it were injured or dying when they got it. And since I''d just touched Arns who had it...


    Mimic activated: Choose one of Arns''s skills to target.


    I ignored the list and picked the one that would heal me.


    Paragon selected. Duration 10 minutes.


    Instantly the pain vanished. I began to glow faintly and I also began to grow. My hand went numb as did my ribs. I stretched and widened until I was well over 2 meters and more solid than before. When I stopped growing the feeling returned in my hand and ribs without the pain. I felt better in every single way. I flexed my hand and made a fist, all without discomfort. My clothes had torn at the seams in places from the growth. Not ideal but I''d need a way to hide my recovery and this would be perfect.


    I waited until the duration of Mimic wore off and tore a strip off my ruined pant leg to wrap around my hand. If I could stay alive for two more days Advancement would be capped and might have a chance to get out of here once I could steal skills and cap them easily.


    The plan, such as it was. First, survive. Much easier with access to a form of healing from the one injuring me in the first place. Second, steal Paragon and cap it. Third, with the increased stats from skills and leveling break out. Fourth, find Carmen and escape.


    I was uncertain of the layout of the dungeons, let alone the palace. I had no weapons. I had little skill and few skills for now. But I''d had hope and a desire not to die. That would have to be enough.


    From the prolific reading I''d done at the library I knew what PParagon all the way to its cap. Plus I''d read the description when I borrowed it.


    Paragon- Become more in every way. +2 to all stats.


    As a heroic skill it only had one perk tree. You gained +2 stats per tier and +8 at the cap for a total of +16 overall. I''d still have no armor or weapons, but I''d have raw power and surprise on my side. Hoping that would be enough I went to sleep. The pain and stress of the day catching up with me.

 Piss Porridge

    The next day started with me being woken up by three sharp slams on my cell door. "Breakfast!" Follwed by a sarcastic chuckle. The slit opened and a bowl was sat there. I took it and in the wan light there was it looked like porridge. The first taste put the lie to that assumption however. There was no spoon and I was forced to eat with my hands. It tasted like wet paper yet was somehow gritty. It smelled faintly of piss. One bite was all I tried before setting back into the slot.


    "Does your lordship not fancy his morning repast?" The same gruff voice asked. "Prince Ferdin added the flavoring himself. Wanted to remind you who is in charge. Your life will end with a far sight less pain if you simply give him what he wants." The bowl disappeared and so did the guard. I''d have to make sure to kill him if the opportunity presented itself on my way out.


    I had no idea how much time passed as I sat there in the dark, nothing but my own thoughts for company. I wasn''t offered anymore food throughout the day and I thought they were letting me stew in my own misery. Crude but effective. I eventually fell asleep again. I regained consciousness in a flash as the door was flung open and Arns rushed in in a fury.


    "Who said you could sleep rat?" Another guard followed him in and set up the lights. I was once more hauled to my feet by his immense strength and flung into the back wall. I felt something in my spine pop.


    "Are you ready to answer truthfully now? Who else did you tell? Your blacksmith friend maybe? Or that little enchanter girl? We might have to question all your friends if you don''t speak up soon. They can all have cells right near yours so you can hear their screams and know that their torture is your fault."


    "I told no one. Not a soul, I swear it." Not that I thought that would stop him. They were obviously going to keep asking me the same question each day while slowly torturing me to death.


    "We''ll see." He walked over to me, still lying on the ground, and flipped me onto my back. He knelt on the center of my chest with all his weight. It immediately became a struggle to breathe. He had to weigh close to 200 kilos. He reached down and grabbed my left hand, making sure I was watching before he began. He broke each bone in every finger on my hand, one by one. Sometimes he''d let me catch my breath from the screaming before starting again.


    Once he was finished he got up and wiped his hands on his trousers and sighed, like one does at the end of a job well done.


    "I''ll be back little rat. Sweet dreams. Haha!" They guard collected the lights and I was plunged into darkness once more. I used his skill to heal myself and once it wore off tore a stip off my other pant leg to hide my left hand.


    Advancement complete. Skill level 98.


    That notification was highly welcome. In 6 hours I could finish it and finally, FINALLY start acquiring new skills.


    I couldn''t go back to sleep now. I had so much energy running through my veins from the torture and my own excitement at being near the cap that rest was out of reach. I spent most of these next three hours thinking about Carmen. Wondering if she was okay. If she was hurt or scared. Overall just wanting to hold her again so I''d know she was safe. I was basically torturing myself.


    The wait was killing me so I started walking around my small cell. When I got bored of that I started doing jumping jacks. When that got old I ran in place for a bit. I was still brimming with energy despite being very thirsty. Almost two days without a drink were taking a real toll. The healing from Paragon helped alleviate some of the thirst but not all of it. I suspected I''d be in real trouble soon without access to water.


    Advancement complete. Skill level 99.


    Just three more hours. I decided to gamble and try to get a guards attention and ask for some water.


    "Hey! Hey! I need some water or I''ll die." I pounded on my side of the door for a while and kept shouting. After about 5 minutes I got a response.


    "What in all the burning hells do you think you''re doing causing all this fuss?! Shut yer gob!" This was a different voice. He sounded younger.


    "Please sir, I haven''t had a drink in two days. I know I''ll eventually die down here but the prince doesn''t want me dead yet or he''d have ordered it already. Can I just have some water?" I tried to sound as pitiful as possible. It was an easy act.


    "I''m not your servant boy scum. You''ll get fed in a few hours and you''ll get your drink then. Make any more noise and I''ll come in there myself and thump ya." I heard his footsteps retreating down the hall.


    Had it been an entire day since they tried to serve me piss porridge? Doing the math using my skill ups to track it, I suppose it had. I sat back against the wall and tried to quiet my racing mind and rest. Just find a place of peace and comfort in my head. My thoughts went to good times with my friends and finding my heart in Carmen. I''m sure my father would call me a fool. Most people would I imagine. I didn¡¯t care. I knew what I felt and that it was real. I loved Carmen the instant I saw her. From the way she looked at me I knew she felt the same way.


    I started obsessing over Carmen''s wellbeing again and had to stop myself. The adrenaline finally wore off and I began to doze off.


    Advancement complete. Skill level 100. Perk available.


    The notification woke me with a start. This was everything I had been waiting for. I pulled open the skill tree, more like a stick with only a single option, and selected the capstone perk.


    Steady Advance: Advance skill to next level immediately. No cooldown.


    Yes! I opend my status and quickly spent my stat points before looking it all over.


    Personal Status


    Level 6


    Str: 24


    Dex: 18


    Con: 21


    Wis: 10


    Int: 11


    Cha: 12


    Blessings


    Blessing of Rekf


    Skills


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    *Advancement 100


    Mimic 1


    There was a little star next to Advancement now indicating it was capped. Also the torture had apparently upped my Con by 1. I moved on to Mimic''s perk tree. Prolong was still useless but Boost was a must have. Even If it was temporary I couldn''t help but try to pick the most helpful perks. I''d tak the final perk from the Efficiency tree.


    I selected Mimic and began upping it. I intended to shoot it straight to level 100 but it stopped at level 24.


    Warning! Perk must be chosen before skill can increase in level.


    That was good to know. So I went about selecting perks and upping Mimic in turn.


    Boost: Increase the strength of targeted skill by 75%.


    Boost: Increase the strength of targeted skill by 100%


    Boost: Increase the strength of targeted skill by 200%


    Efficiency: Reduces the cost, if any, of targeted skill by 25%.


    With that I had five more levels putting me at level 10 with eight more stat points to spend. I spent 4 a piece on Str and Dex, not wanting to let Dex fall too far behind and become too slow.


    That done I was still exhausted, so it was easy to go back to sleep. Especially knowing that the next time I saw Arns would hopefully be the last time I saw his evil face again. Food came a few hours later as promised.


    "Breakfast!" Again a bowl appeared and a little cup of water with it. I went for the water first and it was the sweetest rank brown water I''d ever tasted. It was foul but I needed it. I went to sniff the porridge next and detected not trace of urine. It still tasted foul but it was food. I put the bowl and cup back into the slot and it disappeared. The cup was actually snatched out of my hand.


    Mimic activated. Choose one of Ranas''s skills to target. Enduring Form, Poison Resistance, Drinking, Cooking, Fishing, Blunt Weapons, or Dancing.


    I''d brushed fingers with the guard when he snatched my cup. It was the same guard with the gruff voice that served the piss porridge from yesterday. He actually had skills I was looking for, though the number he had was a bit low. Drinking being there pointed to poor life decisions. I selected Enduring Form and looked at the perk tree.


    Boost: Increase Constitution by 25%


    Peak Health: Reduce healing time, need for food, need for water, and need for sleep by 25%


    Athelete: Improve aerobic functions by 25%


    All those were great. Even better old Ranas had already selected the first three tiers of Boost for the skill. My current situation dictated I pick Peak Health other three selections. Or maybe two Peak Health and one Athelete. I weighed the options versus my situation for a bit before deciding to go with the two and one option. I wouldn''t be here much longer.


    Boost: Increase Constitution by 100%


    Boost: Increase Constitution by 200%


    Peak Health: Reduce healing time, need for food, need for water, and need for sleep by 25%.


    Peak Health: Reduce healing time, need for foor, need for water, and need for sleep by 50%.


    Athelete: Improve aerobic functions by 25%.


    My body felt better immediately. I felt healthier, my skin felt tighter and smoother, and I was far less thirsty than I had been. I was excited to open my statue and see the changes.


    Personal Status


    Level 15


    Str: 32


    Dex: 28


    Con: 189


    Wis: 10


    Int: 11


    Cha: 12


    Whoa! That didn''t look right. Everything by Con was correct as I''d added my point already but Con should be a third of what it was. Enduring Form should have only taken Con to 63. Still a big jump but not this! I looked through my skills and my eyes stopped at Mimic. It now tripled the strength of the skill it targeted. Did that mean.... I gained triple from Mimic then Enduring Form tripled it again? The math worked and it''s the only answer that made sense. This was Huge!


    I couldn''t wait for Arns to come back now despite the pain I knew would come with his visit. I spent all day expecting his visit. I never knew what time he''d come so the wait was agonizing. Finally night came, which I only knew because the guards changed shifts. Still no big ugly monster man. He was probably going to wait until I was asleep again and surprise me with some midnight torture. Fun for the whole family. That made going to sleep less than fun.


    Eventually I must have drifted off because I woke up hearing "Breakfast!" And my meal for the day arrived. They fed me just enough to keep me alive for now but that was fine. With my new skill perks I''d be just fine, other than the taste. Odd that I hadn''t gotten a visit from mister Nope at all yesterday. Then again he was the personal bodyguard to the crown prince, and the crown prince was a busy man. He had balls to go to, the military to inspect, court to attend, and people to murder for their skills. Lot''s to do.


    As my cup and bowl were taken I managed to brush against Ranas again and took Blunt Weapons this time. I chose perks that increased the total damage by 200% and ignored 75% of the target''s armor. Sadly Ranas only had the first two tiers of Boost for this one but that was okay. Still better than I''d had before. I bumped my Str to 36 and my Dex to 32. Again I waited for big fugly to appear and again he was a no show.


    I spent the next week like this, waiting for more tortureas well as my chance to escape. I''d started talking to myself on day four of my imprisonment. By day seven I was hearing things, only keeping what wits I had by focusing on Carmen. She needed me to rescue her from her wicked family and by all the gods I''d do it. I missed brushing against Ranas to snag a skill twice during the week but I still ended up getting all his skills, even Dancing. I wouldn''t have expected that one from the gruff sounding fellow. I was no level 45 with 9 capped skills. My Str was 61 and Dex was 57. It was insane.


    "Breakfast!" Ranas shouted. He was punctual I''ll give him that. I walked over to the door and reached for the cup and bowl when it slammed open, sending me sprawling with my ears ringing where the door had bashed my head.


    "Miss me little rat?" He stepped into the now clear doorway.


    Oh joy. At least this would be the last time.


    "I''m afraid little surprised you''re still alive with the injuries I gave you. You actually look pretty healthy. Why is that little rat?"


    "Clean living I guess. I didn''t tell anyone. I swear it."


    "Oh we know. We questioned your little friends and I doubt you''d tell anyone at the church. They''d hand you over themselves to keep from going to war with the crown. No, this is just for fun at this point. Today I''m going to break every bone in your left leg. Tomorrow the right one. An arm the day after that. Assuming you keep breathing I''ll keep going until you''re dead. You''re my little experiment. Isn''t that fun?!"


    He bellowed a malicious laugh then stomped on my knee. I screamed as it shattered. I tried to squirm out of the way until he kicked me in the side of the head. I was barely conscious as he continued ruining my leg. All I could do was scream and moan as he had a grand time crushing my leg.


    "Tomorrow is another leg day rat. Try not to die too soon. I want to see how long you can last." He turned to leave and interrupt panicked. I hadn''t actually made contact with anything but his boot. I needed to touch him.


    I summoned all my willpower and tried to lunge at his leg to grab it but missed. "Wait!"


    "What''s this? The little rat wants more already?" He''d turned back to look down at me.


    "My friends. Did you hurt them?" I asked while trying to crawl my way to him. If I could just touch his leg!


    He bent down and grabbed me by the throat to look me in the eye. "Oh I wouldn''t concern myself with them. You have more than enough problems of your own. Not for too long though. Hahahah!" He flung me backward and my leg flopped causing fresh agony to bloom.


    I nearly lost consciousness from the pain but had managed to make contact. It was enough.


    Mimic activated. Choose one of Arns''s skills to target. Paragon, Warrior''s Might, Blunt Weapons, Pugilism, Endurance, Running, Resilience, Swimming, Baking, Athletics, Intimidation, Writing, Climbing, or Tattoing.


    I selected Paragon and felt relief wash through me again. It was much stronger this time as I began upping the skill. At the cap it should have given me +16 to each stat but gave +48 instead because of Mimic''s perks. Con gained a whopping 144 points. I just laid there for a minute breathing and gathering my thoughts before I pulled up my status again just to see the changes.


    Personal Status


    Level 50


    Str: 109


    Dex: 105


    Con: 333


    Wis: 58


    Int: 59


    Cha: 60


    I was floored by the changes. I was even bigger than Arns now at at least 240 centimeters tall and I had the stats of someone around level 320. My clothes were absolutely ruined with my trousers barely hanging on enough to cover my manhood. I always wanted to be strong and powerful but I''d never hoped for something like this in my wildest dreams. All I had to do now was wait for ole monster boy to be far enough away, then I could smash through that door and find Carmen.