Progress was slow as Alex aimed to make note of every hidden room and corridor the compound held, the tedium of his work dragging out the mapping by a couple of hours. He found himself back in the office twice more over the course of his search. The ease at which he could spy making it tough not to sate his curiosity, though neither instance supplied him with anything more than seemingly random bits of conversation. On his third detour, Alex arrived into an empty room. He hurried to check where the pair had gone, but finding neither heading in the direction of his cell, he relaxed.
Their separation ended up being a boon to Alex’s task, the lack of a distraction making his search more productive. At the end of the office-filled tunnel, rather than a dead end, as he’d come to expect, Alex found another passageway. It was dimly lit and long, easily the longest yet, running parallel to the entire structure, backtracking past the jail and around to a set of facilities that mirrored those on the left.
His search turned up little in terms of loot. Alex did come across a room with a few pieces of weapons and armor, but it was all of common quality, no better than the dagger he’d lost. Part of him had been looking forward to finding a pile of gold pieces, though he knew anything valuable was more likely to be held in a storage device. Ignoring the very greed that had landed him in a cell in the first place, Alex’s search finally came to an end as he spotted the exit.
It was tucked away in an unmarked corner protected by nothing more than a simple lock, making him doubt he’d have found it without the ability to walk through walls. Every tunnel accounted for, he traveled back to the now empty office, making sure he hadn’t missed anything of import.
Even with its recent use, the office was as barren as the rest of the place. Alex had hoped to find a set of keys lying around somewhere, but failing to do so, reasoned one of the three carried them on their person. Remembering the safe he’d spotted earlier, Alex stuck his head through the wall, the lack of light making it impossible to see what was inside. Deciding not to waste any time on that fruitless task, Alex reset his mana and made his way back to the individual rooms to gather a few more pieces of information.
He felt a bit weird about spying on people like this, but a moment's reflection on what they’d done to him eased that guilt. None of the group had indicated they’d seen him whilst he was in his soul form, so Alex saw no reason to worry, but decided to test it on the sleeping pair first as a precaution. Entering Trevor’s room, the man’s rumbling snores echoing off the wall, Alex analyzed him.
***
General
Name: Trevor
Race: Dwarf, Unknown
Level: 35+
Grade: E
***
He altered the prompt as it came in, knowing the majority of the lines would be labeled as unknown. Moving over to the next room, he considered the man’s level. It was lower than he’d expected, but not as low as he’d hoped, especially if he needed to leave early and had to fight both men. Sure, he’d fought a few beasts around that level, but he assumed those fights would seem easy by comparison. Say what you might about Trevor’s intelligence, Alex doubted he’d be able to get through a level thirty-five person, as easily as a beast of the same skill.
Entering Greyson’s room, Alex was surprised to see the man was not only awake, but exercising. He’d removed his shirt to reveal a toned frame, not an ounce of fat visible as he laid into a punching bag. A few seconds passed as Alex watched the man work in horror, the speed at which he struck leaving the captive nervous about a potential fight.
***
General
Name: Greyson
Race: Human, Unknown
Level: 45+
Grade: E
***
“Fuck,” Alex said, or tried to rather. He hadn’t meant to verbalize his frustration, the word had come as a reflex, fortunately it seemed he lacked the ability to speak while using Soul Sight. Alex had been expecting Greyson to be a tough opponent, especially after being beaten so soundly last time, but the man had a clean thirty levels on him. It wasn’t like Alex had any plans to take the man on head to head, but he’d need a severe advantage to land even a single blow.
Resetting his skill as he tried to figure out a viable way to deal with someone like Greyson, Alex moved on to the healer’s room. The woman was nude, standing over the dead body of a small animal as she used a knife to play with its blood. The scene creeped him out nearly as much as Greyson’s display, and Alex quickly analyzed her, fleeing the room the second the information came through.
***
General
Name: Unknown
Race: Human, Unknown
Level: 30+
Grade: E
***
Returning to his body for the last time, a minor headache accompanying him even with a half-full mana pool, Alex debated on what to do next. This was likely the best opportunity he’d get to escape without relying on the plans of anyone else. It was a little past three in the morning and all his captors were in their rooms, seemingly preoccupied with no reason to suspect him of a prison break. Alex hadn’t managed to gain a lock picking skill yet, but had a few utensils in his inventory that might see him through. Still he knew it wasn’t the right time.
Most of that was the exhaustion speaking. He could force himself to stay awake, but didn't want to risk making a life ending mistake, because he lacked a little patience. No matter how he got out, it was bound to cause issues in the near future, Alex was trying to minimize the ones that came his way. As unlikely as it was, even if he managed to pulled off a clean escape in the middle of the night, Alex saw no way to do anything about his prison guards on the way out. With them all in their rooms, and the walls poorly soundproofed, a slight commotion near one, was likely to spur the entire group into action.
Alex didn’t consider himself particularly bloodthirsty. Even after all that had been done to him, he found a certain appeal in not hurting them but he knew that was unrealistic. Running now would only give him, at most, a six-hour head start. If they’d managed to find him in a city of hundreds of thousands, Alex didn’t doubt they could do so again in a forest with a far lower human population. He had no plans of returning any funds, especially after recent experiences, nor did he want to be locked in a deadly game of cat and mouse for the rest of the tutorial. Not harming anyone today might be seen as an act of kindness, but if Alex was right about the type, it was more likely to be presumed as weakness. Which was unfortunate since, while Alex was weak, he couldn’t afford to be seen as such.
None of that even considered the levels he needed or the group’s mysterious boss, nor what he’d do after leaving, or any of the hundred other issues the tutorial had lined up for him. The fact was Alex needed to not just escape, but do so while giving himself the best chance for survival in the long run, slinking away in the dark of night wouldn’t do that.
Downing another quick meal, his stomach having already finished digesting his earlier food, Alex affirmed his decision to stay until the woman enacted her plan. He wasn’t looking forward to spending the day hoping the men wouldn’t come and cripple him, but Greyson had seemed pretty cowed by the healer’s commands. Letting out a yawn, Alex stored the remnants of his meal as he laid down. There was plenty more to do, and he’d be up again soon, but for now he would rest. Sleep claimed him near instantly.
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Alex wasn’t out for long, nerves rousing him after only four hours. A quick glance around the cell showed no signs of anyone having visited, which was good for Alex since, in his exhaustion, he’d forgotten his body was meant to be more injured. Groggily, he shifted into a sitting position before launching into Soul Sight to do a quick circuit around the place.
The entire jail area was still empty, though Trevor was up and eating in one of the kitchens. Greyson was back in his office, making Alex wonder if the man ever slept, while the healer, whose name he realized he still didn’t know, was doing exactly that, sprawled out under a blanket. Seeing he still had some time, till the men arrived for their question only session, Alex read through his notifications.
***
Your skill [Meditation] has advanced to Level Twenty-Three.
Your skill [Mana Manipulation] has advanced to Level Four.
Your skill [Mana Manipulation] has advanced to Level Five.
…
Your skill [Mana Manipulation] has advanced to Level Seven.
Your skill [Stealth] has advanced to Level Eight.
Your skill [Stealth] has advanced to Level Nine.
…
Your skill [Stealth] has advanced to Level Eleven.
Your skill [Soul Sight] has advanced to Level Seven.
Your skill [Soul Sight] has advanced to Level Eight.
…
Your skill [Soul Sight] has advanced to Level Fifteen.
***
That was interesting, Alex hadn’t expected Stealth to level while he’d been using Soul Sight, but it made a strange level of sense. The skill was all about concealment, and he was essentially hiding in plain sight while in his astral form. The system allowing one to affect the other was a bit odd since the synergy was tangential at best, but Alex wasn't complaining. If the link held, it meant he had a way to power level Stealth, which would aid in his escape. Still, it did reinforce the fact that people with the right skill set would be able to see him while using in his soul form. Noting that he’d been lucky no one present possessed such a skill, he ate another quick meal before getting to work on finishing the path linking his mana pool to his legs.
Alex was tense as Sixth Sense picked up the men arriving an hour later, but remained flat on his stomach as they approached, ready to spring at a moment's notice. Playing the injured victim was easy with his recent experience, and the cuts that still marred his skin only added to his efforts. Face down, his skill showed Trevor readying to kick him awake, then pausing mid-motion as he remembered their new orders. Instead, the short man crouched, roughly jostling Alex in a way that would have aggravated a few of his injuries.
The questioning that followed was so light, Alex felt he would have known something was off even if he hadn’t been there for the conversation last night. There was still screaming, but the lack of physical violence was a clear indicator something had changed. Eventually the men made a show of leaving with a promise to return shortly, and Alex had to suppress a smile as they lingered longer than necessary, obviously hoping he’d crack.
As they finally exited his cell, Alex extended Sixth Sense to watch them go, switching to Soul Sight as they got further away. Neither spoke as they walked, the pair eventually splitting up at the fork. Seeing they were unlikely to return, Alex got back to working on his skills. With Dodge having already been linked the night prior, he started on Silent Strike, eventually reconnecting the skill a little over an hour later. From there he moved to work on Thorn’s Touch, which took him nearly two hours even with his levels in Mana Manipulation. During breaks he tried using a few of the kebab skewers as improvised lock picks, but that failed spectacularly, making Alex chuckle at how pointless all that deliberation had been the night before.
Eating another snack to congratulate himself on his own victory, Alex checked on the other’s locations once again. The healer was still sleeping, and Trevor was reading, of all things, while the woman who had co-inhabited his room was now nowhere to be seen. Still, as odd as it was to see that the barbaric man was literate, Greyson’s absence was what worried Alex the most. The man had been in his office when he’d checked half an hour ago, and his disappearance forced him to spend a few minutes scouring the compound.
Unable to find him, Alex ran through his memories, trying to think of what could have taken the man away. Alex didn’t know if it was an irregular occurrence or not, remembering that day when Greyson had left Trevor for the entire session, but worst case he could be going to get more guards or something. Running out of places to check, he flew up to the surface, the few seconds of total darkness as disorienting as ever. He found the man in question a moment later, sitting alone on a rock near the hidden entrance, face as impassive as ever.
The space looked a bit different in the light, but having scouted the area shortly after waking, Alex had added it to his mental map. To say he was far from the city would have been an understatement, it was at least ten miles. That idea had boggled his mind some when Alex considered just how big the tutorial would need to be for that to be true, but adapting to the extraordinary had become easier as of late. He made a few more trips over the next thirty minutes, never staying for long enough to run out of mana, but unable to focus on anything else as he tried to figure out what Greyson was up to.
The monotony of the situation came to an end as Alex flew up once more, his arrival synching with that of a hooded figure, their form seeming to fade into existence as they exited the tree line. The person removed their covering to reveal the face of a beautiful woman, their blond hair spilling out in a mess as it broke free. It took a moment for Alex to realize he was staring, though the reason came to him as they spoke. He recognized her. Everything was different, except maybe the hair, but between that self-satisfied smirk and the voice, he was sure of who it was.
“I told you I would find you,” Dora said, her grin near predatory in the morning light.
“Hello, mistress Dorothea,” Greyson greeted with a slight bow, “I was the one you spoke to back in the city. Master Eric has asked me to act as liaison for these negotiations.”
Why was she here? And in an adult form no less. As he’d become accustomed to doing lately, Alex pushed all his wayward questions away, instead focusing on the present, only to be interrupted by a notification.
***
Citywide Announcement - Residents of Endor his majesty, King Leonis Salm, Eye of the Heavens and the Piercer of the Void, has given word that the warden of the forest shall soon launch another of their heinous attacks. While the city’s defenses shall be more than enough, your king has graciously allowed for any and all who wish it to participate in the battle. A Quest has been issued.
Tutorial Quest - Citywide Quest - The King’s Call (2)
An attack is being led on the city by forest inhabitants. The throne of King Salm has entrusted to you these tasks: take up arms in defense of Endor, drive back the foul beast, and show your power as a warrior by culling those that dare step foot on our claimed lands. For to the victor, go the spoils.
Rewards: Variable
Accept (Y/N)
Quest - Tutorial Quest - Main - Subquest 1.3: Once is Chance, Twice is Coincidence
The city of Endor is once again being invaded by the beasts of the forest, Will you fight even without your life on the line, or will you feign weakness in front of this ever-growing threat?
Rewards: Dependent on number of invaders defeated.
6: (1) Spin on Larry’s Lucky Wheel™
8: (1) Achievement Unlock Token
14: (1) Scroll of Copy Skill (Transcendent)
20: (1) Scroll of Copy Class (Legendary)
26: (1) Scroll of Wish (Rare) (Tutorial Only)
32+: All kills above this threshold grant one level.
Invading Beasts Defeated (0)
Accept (Y/N)
***
The volume of the sigh Alex let out when he realized the quest wouldn’t kill him was so loud it echoed off the enclosed space. He was back in his cell, having been so fixated on absorbing the quest’s information he’d entirely missed being flung back down to his body after running out of mana. Reading over the differences in the quest slowly this time, Alex saw why it would have been worth accepting anyway. All the rewards had technically been made more difficult to earn in terms of kill requirements, but without survival on the list, getting one of those achievement unlock tokens, or even a copy skill scroll might have been possible. If the title was anything to go by, the quest would be back next week, at least by then he’d be free… or dead. Taking a few breaths to still his racing heart, Alex made his way back up to the surface.
“-mised your boss he could have a seat on the royal council, with a twenty thousand gold bonus biannually in perpetuity. What’s a few thousand gold now, when you get nearly ten times that yearly for doing nothing. Just release the boy to me and within a few months none of you will even recognize your old selves.” Dora seemed exasperated, their negotiation’s not having gone well during Alex’s absence.
“Look Princess,” Greyson said, his tone still polite, though Alex could hear the undercurrents of disrespect when he called her by her apparent title.
‘Wait Princess?’ But the man continued, ignoring Alex’s unknown question.
“The boss’s terms were clear, give us something now or no deal. We will however keep him alive if you agree to put the boss on the council with the bonus, he’ll be released to you when the job is done.”
Were they talking about him? Alex didn’t know why Dora would be involved in his rescue, but it felt too unnatural to be coincidence. It could just be more tutorial fuckery. Tuning back into the silence as he tried to consider the situation from all angles, Alex watched as Dora stared silently not at Greyson, but to his side, more in his direction. It went on for a moment, Alex moving when he realized, her eyes following the motion. Greyson cleared his throat, speaking once more, and she looked away with a blink.
“Look, you need us, so take the bosses deal as is or give us something better if he’s so special to you. Word of warning though, you might want to pay off his debts before he loses what little bit of himself he has left.”
His time up, Alex found himself back in his body, wholly unable to make sense of what just happened. When he went back up a few minutes later, both had already left.