After I found the dungeon I hurried home while thinking as fast as I could. I was rapidly having to reevaluate my plans. With a dungeon I could bring in enough wealth to support the village without having to open the pass. That was actually a good thing since declaring myself king might have led to some awkward questions from my neighbors, and not those in the village. When I first came up with this plan I was expecting to have to swear to one of the local kings as a duke or something. That was part of why I hadn’t let myself be pressured into marriage yet, the king of Serisol has two daughters only a few years younger than me. Now though, I have something valuable that doesn’t require me to rule the whole chain of valleys. I could be an independent marquis or count and no one would care as long as I allowed the Guild into the dungeon. Okay, a marquis isn’t something that can come out of nowhere, but an independent mountain barony could work if I spun it right.
I felt out with my new sense and found what I needed. There was an unclaimed fief about a quarter of the way back to the village if I made a slight detour up to that promontory. I climbed up an old trail and found the foundation of a tower house. It looked like it had been picked clean of much of the stone generations ago. Probably to make the very settlement I called home given how close it was.
I climbed down into the basement and started digging through the built up dirt. Half an hour later I found a black piece of basalt among the feldspar and sandstone construction. I reached out and touched it with both my hand and my Authority.
-You have found the Cornerstone of the Fief of Tibor, this Fief is under your jurisdiction and has not rightful holder, do you wish to revive this Fief.-
“Yes.’
-Place an appropriate object against the stone to carry the Authority.-
I reached into my pouch and pulled out the signet of the noble who had the keys. I pressed it to the stone.
-Name this Item.-
“Signet of the House of Andur”
-This Fief is now tied to the [Signet of the House of Andur], the bearer of this Sovereign Authority shall have the title of [Lord of Tibor], or [Knight] if their path allows.-
“No, I want this fief to be a Barony.”
-Fief size is not sufficient for a Barony. You may expand the Fief within your other domain as long as you do not overlap an existing Fief.-
I suddenly was subsumed by my sense of my holding. By instinct I reached out to the border of the Fief and stretched it. First to cover the dungeon, then out to the settlement. I could feel that I was not quite there and pushed it as far into the lowlands as I could. It now comprised the entire ravine in which the dungeon lay to the east to the village and surrounding farms in the west. It extended towards the pass a good half day's walk from either. Just to be safe I tried to push the northern boarder all the way up the mountains but I hit another fief’s boundary half way up where a streambed lay. Satisfied I returned to myself.
-This Fief is now tied to the [Signet of the House of Andur], the bearer of this Sovereign Authority shall have the title of [Baron of Tibor] if their path allows.-
“Yes”
-Do you wish to restrict the title of [Baron of Tibor]?-
“Yes, the bearer must have the Noble Leadership Skill at level Twenty.”
-Accepted-
-As the rightful overlord do you wish to confer the title of [Baron of Tibor] onto someone, and the rights and duties thereto?-
“Yes, As Sovereign of the Crown Lands of Borinal I hereby recognize myself as the current Baron of Tibor until such time as I find one of character fit to serve into posterity.”
-Confirmed. Checking suitability.-
-You have a [Noble Leadership] skill of twenty four-
-Do you wish to swear fealty to the [King of Borinal]?-
“Yes. I, Tarkhan Sel’Andur, do swear my feal and zealous service to Tarkhan Sel’Andur, King of Borinal, that he may hold and keep me, and I may give justice and care to him and whatsoever people and lands he may give into my keeping.”
-You are now SOVEREIGN of the [Barony of Tibor]-
-As the first bearer of the Regalia [Signet of the House of Andur], you may choose to imbue it with a magical property appropriate to its associated rank: Spatial Storage, One quarter increase in the effect of Charisma, or Increase resilience against (element). Choose-
“Spatial Storage.”
-Your may only have one active noble title at a time, would you like to be known as [King of Borinal] or [Baron of Tibor]-
“I would like to be known as Baron of Tibor within the Barony and outside of my lands. I would like to be known as King of Borinal in the rest of the crown lands and the crown city, and to others should I make myself known.” I knew this was not an uncommon practice for traveling high nobles to do. Plenty of people could justify ransoming a duke but few could see the value in doing so to a knight. It also allowed officially warring parties to engage in polite fiction when trying to do something like arrange a marriage as part of a peace treaty. Quite a few wars over the years had been reignited when one partner of the bridal peace was cuckolded from scorn.
-There is a settlement in your land under your control, would you like to incorporate this settlement into a Town or Fief?-
Back to that, I guess it was time to return home and talk to the elders and see about making the settlement a propper town. I would have to get a group out here to fix up the seat of the fief as well. At least dig out the dirt and put a wooden floor and building on the foundation. Pretty shabby home for a baron, but I make a pretty shabby baron, let alone a king. It didn’t matter, it was the actions that made the ruler, not his habiliments.
I made my way back to the village just as the sun was setting. The militiaman on the palisade saw me and called down, “No luck on the hunt this time, m’lord?”
“No big game, but more luck than one would think.” I called back with some cheer. On my way to my house I stopped in with the Elders to ask them to meet with me in the morning. Then I was home. I could smell the large kettle of soup we’d taken to always keeping on the fire for the people who came to see me. My brother was sitting at the table helping my sister with her reading, the same way I had with him when I was younger. Kelder was in the far corner doing maintenance on some of the militia’s wooden shields, sanding away any splinters before they could blossom into cracks. Kelder Lee was a large man with shoulders that could hold up the mountains themselves. He was of old mountain stock with light honey brown eyes and the early salt and pepper hair so many of the mountain’s men get that looks like an iron cap from a distance. It was a contrast to my family's black hair and eyes, a legacy of our Khanal ancestry, one of the three great imperial peoples.
“I did it,” I declared to the room, “I found the lost capital and claimed our birthright.”
They all looked up in shock. They all started talking at once and I waved them down. I shared excitedly, “I found the capital, I found the vault with the regalia and I claimed part of the kingdom. The Spirit of the World recognizes me as King of Borinal. What’s more, there were cultivation supplies and manuals left by our ancestors. Even better, I found a dungeon only a day's walk from here. I plan on Awakening Kelder and a few others to farm it before letting the adventurers guild know about it. We will Awaken you two when you are old enough as well, don’t give me that look.”
“Who are you thinking of Awakening?” Kelder asked.
“You, as I said, and Gavel Cob. Other than that I’m not sure. We will need a healer from what I read and Old Gran Cosh won’t do so I was thinking of Miss S’Morinin? Maybe one of the better guys from the militia? What do you think?” I asked.
“I think you need a woman's opinion,” said a new voice from the doorway. I turned to see Amala Singan standing there in my doorway with a basket under one arm. She was a little shorter than me with the honey golden eyes of the mountain people. Her lowland blood told through in her skin the color of light rye bread and her hair that was a riot of chestnut curls. She stared at me with a knowing smirk and for a heartbeat I forgot how to breathe.
“Amala,” I said, and was very proud that my voice didn’t crack, “what are you doing here? How long were you listening?”
She smiled and said, “I saw you come back from hunting without a kill and brought over the leftover chicken and some vegetables for your soup pot. And, I was standing out there long enough, your majesty.”
“You can’t tell anyone about that, Amala,” I said, “I’m serious.”
“Oh, I think I can,” she said with an evil little smile. “I could leave right now and go tell some lowland lord the pass is here to be claimed. I would be set for life.”
“I could arrest you,” I said, turning suddenly serious. “The penalty for treason is death.”
“You wouldn’t do that,” she replied, her smile turning patronizing. “The trial would reveal the secret to everyone. Besides, you don’t have it in you to kill a woman, you are better than that. No, we are going to be fine, because I don’t want some lowlanders coin. I want to be awakened. I want enough power that no one can drive me from my home again.”
I thought about it for a moment and decided that she wasn’t the worst choice. I had even considered her when I was thinking about it earlier. She was smart, driven, and, as shown by the present gambit, she was no shrinking flower. I was a little nervous of having to spend so much time with her, but excited as well.
“Alright,” I said, “but if we do this, you are committed to working with us for the foreseeable future. We can’t let anyone else know about the king thing, either. As you said, it could turn bad for all of us.”
“Well, if we’re not going to tell anyone about you being King,” Ganzaya asked, “how are we going to explain you being a real lord to people?”
So I told them.
=====
“As I have told you before,” I said to the Elders the next morning, “when I was awakened I had a redacted title. I was told this was likely a noble title from a fallen kingdom. This bit of information is why I have been searching the history books for the past few years. I found a ring in the contents of my family’s chest that was a noble signet. I don’t know how familiar you are with local history or imperial laws regarding succession, but the ring gave me the rights to a Barony on this land that was part of the Kingdom of Borinal. The kingdom fell in war but was never claimed by the invaders since the regalia were hidden away somewhere in the mountains. This meant that the barony is still a vassal of the king. In order to claim the title someone in my family would have to swear to the king. Since the king was dead, the way into the capital was lost and no one in my family had been awakened in generations, it was a moot point until now. I found something interesting reading the codex of imperial law we use though. ‘In the absence of the liege the vassal may swear to his seat.’
“Over the last few years I have been searching the countryside while hunting,” I told them. “On my last trip I finally found it. I had to climb a sheer cliff to reach it, but I found the City of Libor. Once there I found the place that the throne once sat and swore the old imperial oath. It worked and I am now officially the Baron of Tibor.” The story I had cooked up and refined last night was mostly true, the only lie was finding the signet in my family chest. I left out a lot and said things in such a way to lead them to the wrong conclusions, but the rest was all the truth.
“What exactly does this mean?” Elder Dec asked in her creaky voice.
“It means that I now have the power to force any Awakened bandits to surrender, unless they are working for another noble.” I said. “It also means that I can grant that power to you and any of the militia officers.”
The whole council brightened at that. Other than Elder Reece who had been appointed from the refugees they all remembered the massacre that killed my family. I let them discuss things among themselves for a bit before I brought things back to the matter at hand. I told them about the ability to make this a Fief or a Town.
“If we make the settlement a Fief, I will have to appoint a lord to oversee it and you will be subject to them in truth, the way you have been subject to my family by tradition.” I said to the frowns of the council. “On the other hand if I make it a town, while it is still subject to me and the barony, it will be more independent. The council will rule, and while I would retain the right to override you, your decisions would hold the weight of Sovereign Authority within the bounds of the town, even without Awakening. You would also be sworn to the imperial charter of laws. Should anything happen to my line and the barony go fallow you would be able to swear in new Elders on a copy of the charter and keep the Authority of the town itself alive.”
“Why is this important?” Elder Reese asked. “I know that authority is important in the lowlands. It is part of why conscription is happening. A lot of people came up here to get away from all that.”
“Do you really think I am going to raise an army and go hunting lands and titles?” I asked back. “Of course not, I claimed this title to protect the people, as I have always done. It is good I did as well, it revealed the presence of a dungeon only a half day from us. I think it was only a matter of time until some bandit lord or monster claimed it, and they would be raiding the village soon after.”
If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.
I waited a moment for the noise my revelation caused to die down before continuing, “That is the main reason I want the settlement to incorporate. I intend to notify the guild of the dungeon. It is the law, and an unmanaged dungeon can lead to quite a few risks for the area. With the adventurer guild coming to the area there will come a lot of coin and resources. The taxes we can pull from the dungeon alone will be enough to support our growing population for some time, not to mention the services the adventurers will pay for. Elder Smith, your apprentices could open their own shops in town and there would be plenty of work to go around. Elder Reese, you spoke to me last year about the Creme family that used to run an inn in the lowlands. There are plenty of opportunities here if we are ready.
“I am going to help a small group of people awaken. I would include all of you, but from what I know there are serious dangers of awakening anyone over forty summers, most don’t survive the process. I am going to take this group to the dungeon and train up to tier one. That is the minimum to join the guild. We will also be collecting goods to sell, to get us seed money for the town and the outpost I plan to build nearer the dungeon. The outpost will hopefully keep most of the adventurers out of town unless they need something. I expect it to take two to three weeks of us working the dungeon before we head out to the lowlands to contact the Guild. Let’s say a little over a month until the first of the adventurers arrive. I would want the town to have a few dedicated guards and formal tavern so the adventurers won’t be drinking in the streets, maybe take over the old grain storehouse we don’t use just inside the gate. Ideally I’d like to have the outpost started with a bunk house, a place where they can buy hot food, a shopfront with basic supplies where we can also buy the dungeon loot for cheap, and a small inn for the higher class folks if we can manage it. Does this sound doable to everyone?”
I listened as the Elders all signed on to my plan. I spent the next several hours answering questions and working out details. By the time we broke for lunch we had agreed that we would make an announcement tomorrow and formally incorporate the settlement into the Town of Timucin. It was my father’s name and I was touched when Elder Cob suggested it. We went to our various tasks. I had left the spare armor and old weapons with Tully Smith to salvage what he could while the other Elders went to talk to those who could help with building our outpost. I went to my home where hopefully Kelder had gathered those who would be my adventuring party, and the foundation of my revitalized realm.
I walked in to see six faces of varying expression. Kelder looked stoic and slightly amused as was usual for the good natured giant. Amala looked like she was ready to bounce right out of her seat. My sibling just had knowing smiles on their faces while the last two both looked to be switching between curious and annoyed.
Gavel Cob was a friend and one of the best shots with a bow I had ever seen. He was of mountain stock like Kelder, but where Kelder was tall and broad, Gavel was of average height and thin as a whip. He looked slight but it was all corded muscles that could move faster than many would suspect. His hair hadn’t quite reached the iconic iron look that most men had, but it was getting there around the temples. That he looked like that at nineteen is why some historians described Borinal as a country of old young men.
Zaya S’Morinin was of old imperial blood like my family, but didn’t breed as true. She still had the almond shaped eyes and golden skin, but her hair had picked up dark brown highlights in the black waves. Her vigilant eyes were a green brown hazel rather than black, showing imperial Pantic blood had been mixed in with the Khanal heritage. Unlike the brightly dressed Amala, she wore the simple gray dress of a herb woman with its many pocketed skirt and button back sleeves for when she had to get her hands dirty.
“So Lord Tarkhan,” Zaya asked, “why are we here? If I don’t get back soon Old Gran is going to hurt herself doing the weeding. That woman has almost ninety summers and still acts like she thinks she’s twenty.”
“Well, Miss S’Morinin,” I said with a grin. “I think you might have to neglect helping in the herb garden for a while. You are here to see if you would like to Awaken. You as well Gavel. We have discovered a dungeon in the area and need a team to explore it.”
I really enjoyed the look of shock on their faces at that. I have to be the serious lord so often I have to take a minute every now and then to enjoy messing with the people my own age. Once I was done snickering I explained the situation to them. At least the situation as far as the council knew it. I disliked lying to them but the fewer people who knew the secret the better.
With everyone present and agreed, I pulled out the chests I had been left. I looked at their once again shocked faces and said, “Alright, the small white one contains awakening elixirs and other things we will need to awaken you. First though we will need to find each of you a cultivation manual that will work.”
I opened the blue chest that stood as high as my chin. It folded open to each side and contained shelves of books. I reached up to the first shelf and pulled out a stack of booklets. These were the only things written in the local language, though it was an archaic version of it. They each contained only the first steps of each cultivation method. I explained the basics of cultivation to them and had them read through each method to find one they felt comfortable with. This was surprisingly effective since even before forming a dantian you could draw in a little Aether, you just couldn’t retain any. If you did this with a cultivation method that did not suit you it would be quite uncomfortable, whereas if you found one that was a perfect fit it would feel pleasant. That was part of why I was able to do so well when I first brought in Essence. I had practiced breathing like that since I read about it as a child because it was pleasant and calming.
By evening they were all comfortable with their cultivation and we moved on to the awakening. “I want you to all sit in a circle around the decanter. Start breathing like your manual told you and when I tell you drink the draught of awakening. When it takes effect you will see a fog inside the decanter. When you can see it, raise your hand. Once you are all ready I’ll open the decanter and you need to pull in as much Essence as you can. Follow your method and bring it down to below your navel. Once it is there you want to wind it into a ball, imagine it is like winding a ball of yarn or rolling a ball of wax. If you have trouble, raise your hand and I will try to help you.”
It went just as I said. It was the first time I had seen it done from the outside. The mist that was Essence flowed into them, not through their mouths but as if it was passing into their entire face. They took it in and then a little bit came back out again with their breath. As it left it seemed to come apart into nothing. I could tell that Amala was having trouble before she raised her hand. Rather than small puffs, she was letting out bursts of uncollected Essence. I moved over to her and placed my hands on her back and pushed my unconverted Aether into her. It was harder than I thought but a breath later I could feel her cultivation. It was similar to mine but much less refined. She was taking the power into where she was building her dantian but it was going back out before she could incorporate it. I used my Aether to make a kind of valve so she would stop losing it so fast and let her get her dantian started. Once she had the beginning of it she could handle it on her own.
The decanter released the Essence slowly, letting them pace themselves and do the best they could. Soon enough it was over and they all had at least a level one dantian. Zaya’s was a little bigger and Kelder’s was almost to level two. Though they all had a little essence infuse their bodies there were no concentrations or problem areas.
“So that’s it, we’re awakened now?” asked Gavel.
“That depends, can you tell me your tier and level?” I said, remembering Kyle giving me the same question. When they all shook their heads I went on, “that’s because there is one more step in the process. I didn’t tell you because if something went wrong in this first step it could kill you to do the second before fixing it. You all did fine though. First, you are partially awakened now so you should be able to use this.”
I handed Kelder the Codex of Language. When he touched it he waved in front of his face letting out a shout. I almost fell over laughing. When I caught my breath I told him, “That is the voice of the world asking if you want to learn what is in the book. It is in the old language, which this codex will teach you. Just touch it again and answer yes.”
Kelder glared at me a little, but there was no malice in it. He took the book from my hand and learned to read in an instant. They all used it in turn and I returned it to its place in the chest.
“Now when I tell you, cultivate Aether in the same way you just did the Essence. Don’t stop till your dantian is full to bursting. You should be able to feel it in the air around you. When you do you will hear the voice of the world and see the words in front of you, just like with the book. Answer the questions quickly and honestly. Once that’s done we’ll figure out the rest of this stuff. Okay, start.”
One by one they froze for a second. Amala was first and came back looking pissed. Gavel followed a second later and looked confused. Kelder looked a little shaken but alright. Zaya was the last and started balling the moment she came back to herself.
“I didn’t leave them,” she said pleadingly, looking around at us. “You have to believe me, I didn’t leave them.”
“It’s okay, Zaya,” I said. “No one else knows what questions you were asked and it is an extreme taboo to inquire. What I can tell you is that many think the questions are about making us confront the differences between what we say to ourselves and what we truly believe. If the voice said you left someone, then whether it is factually true or not, some part of you believes it. You will need to settle the argument with yourself and no one else. I do understand, I went through this immediately after my fathers death.”
My voice seemed to calm her down. I had them open their statuses and went over what everything ment. Only Amala was without a title. Kelder received Steadfast which the red book had said was about loyalty. Gavel got the Subtle Hunter title that granted him the stealth skill. Zaya got three: Voice of Compassion of which I could guess but knew nothing; Tenderheart which increases the potency of healing magic; and the last title was redacted meaning she was probably descended from some lost nobility.
I thought about those who were to be my party. Zaya was obviously the healer, we had recruited her for her leanings that way to begin with. Kelder was already an accomplished warrior so his path would have to lean in that direction. Gavel was to be our scout, but with his stealth title there were a couple of rouge paths that might suit. Amala was a strange one, always wanting to be the center of attention, maybe she should be a bard. They were supposed to be rare and quite useful enhancing the other members of the party. I pulled out a path manual for each of them to look over, the highest grade one I thought might work for each. As it handed them out I said, “Read the introduction and if it feels like something you could do, assimilate it. Each path is usually described by the base class of the ‘middle step’ by which they mean tier five. That is when all the major Essence structures are finished and things diversify. That is why some of the paths split at higher tiers. For instance, the one Kelder has says it is a path for a [High Mountain Sentinel] tier five, however it has instructions to bring him to either an [Indomitable Sentinel of the High Passes] or a [Paramount Bulwark of the Mountain Lords]. Just look and if you attune it let me know the compatibility. Even if it isn’t a perfect fit it will still help you gain skills and you can attune up to half your intelligence stat in paths.”
“Nope,” Amala said as she read the beginning of the introduction. “I am not going to be a [Troubadour of the Four Winds]. If I am going to go adventuring I want to use magic, not play accompanying music while you have all the fun. Nor am I writing songs to your glory, my lord. I want to throw fire.”
I was a little surprised. That Path started out at grade eight but became grade thirteen once you advanced past tier five. It was one of the most powerful paths I had. I thought Amala would be happy with it. I took the path back and looked through the others. There were only three that were true mage paths. The Red Book claimed mage paths were hard to learn initially but easy to follow at first. However, they could be just as easy to falter later if you picked up a skill that was counter to the higher tiers of the path. The rarest was a grade eleven stormcaller, then a grade 9 earthmover, and lastly the grade six [Sorceress of the Crimson Flame]. I handed her the book and she dove into it.
Kelder grunted and handed me back his book. He smiled as he checked his status and said, “It says the compatibility is ninety three out of one hundred. Is that good?”
“Better than mine,” Zaya said handing me her book, “with a compatibility of thirty one out of one hundred I don’t think I was meant to be a [Beacon of Heavenly Light] even if I do like the idea of healing all around me with just my presence. I think it was the non violence. I know I will have to smack someone eventually.”
I laughed and looked through the other classes that could heal until I found one I thought she would like. It required time in certain terrain, but given the dungeon I didn’t think it would be a problem.
“[Druid of the Eternally Vibrant Greenwood]? I do like plants,” she said with a sigh as she began to read. A few minutes later I was getting Gavel his fifth path to look at and almost jumped out of my skin when Zaya swore loud as a soldier.
“What?” Kelder and I both asked.
“Compatibility Perfect.” was all she said.
I was shocked, I didn’t even know that was possible. I congratulated her before I looked at my 45% on the broken enforcer path and decided I needed to learn my own paths. I unwrapped the three books bound in cloth the colors of iron and lilacs. The color that marked our people, and the color of the mountain sky at twilight. It was a simple flag in the imperial style, no beasts or other charges, just a lilac field cut by a wide iron gray chevron. The books inside were all bound in guilt leather and had the imperial olive tree embossed on the cover.
The first was a mage class, or maybe a spellsword. It was the path of the [Khevtuul of the Elemental Tempest]. The Khevtuul was the Imperial elite strike force. They evolved from those that guarded the royals of one of the parent empires before the unification. They were the elite of the elite. Reading the intro of this path manual I could see why. They would be versed in a dozen weapons and this path at least would be able to channel the elements around them to strike at their foes from any angle. I closed the book and placed my hand on the cover.
-Assimilate first step of the [Khevtuul of the Elemental Tempest Path] Grade 14-
“Yes.”
I suddenly understood what it would take to become a [Warrior of the Elemental Steps] and understood why I only had a 73% compatibility with it. I would never be a good horseman. It was a shame since it was my ancestors who contributed this class tree to the empire.
I looked at the second path, [Blade Dancer of the Unstoppable Tide]. It was an interesting path, the description becoming almost philosophical at times. It also seemed I had inadvertently already taken the first steps since it required the battle trance skill. It seemed to be built around it. I could see the possibilities with this class. The only problem was it didn’t lend itself to shield use which might cost me my Aegis. If nothing else it will help me in learning sword skills and empowered strikes. I attuned this path as well.
-Assimilate first step of the [Blade Dance of the Unstoppable Tide Path] Grade 12-
“Yes.”
I was already qualified for the first class of this path with 97% compatibility. I could tier up right now even though the Red Book told me it was a mistake. According to my ancestors the habit of early and rapid advancement was brought about to get soldiers to the field as quickly as possible in the chaos after the collapse. Higher tiers gave more stats per level so the faster you went up in tier the more of your Essence went in terms of stats gained. In the mass press of poorly trained bodies that was the second war of invasion the army with the highest statistics won more than they lost. The problem is that they lost quality. I heard it talking to the adventurers all those years ago, “the true high grade classes are unusable, you have a lot of power but you are spent in moments, and then dead.”
The truth was that by rushing ahead in the lower Tiers, people weren’t building up the foundation they needed to build the more powerful class on. I was glad I had only reached level four as it was. My family’s cultivation secrets told me of something only a few paths hinted at. A true cultivator needed multiple dantians before advancing to tier one. There were several different arrangements, from just two to seven, but my first dantian was so developed that I was going to go with three. Three levels worth of Essence for each.
I reached the last book, the path of the [Mountain Legate of the Unconquered Legion]. This path was obviously one that had been developed locally. The Mountain Legate was a master of tactics and skills designed for the terrain around us. He was also a legionnaire through and through, with sword and shield the beating heart of this path, as well as the ability to preserve those around him. Reading the introduction I was sure that this was my likely path.
-Assimilate first step of the [Mountain Legate of the Unconquered Legion Path] Grade 12-
“Yes.”
It wasn’t a perfect fit but it was just as good as the Blade Dancer. I looked up to see the others watching me. I looked around sheepishly until Gavel passed me a book.
“Sorry, I was in the middle of finding you a path manual when I got distracted,” I apologized.
“No worries, man, that one was just right, ninety one of one hundred,” he said.
I looked at the book, [Loyal Jager of the Mountains Shadow] grade nine. I frowned and told him, “I think I just put this book down because Zaya startled me with her foul mouth. It is a retainer path. If something happens to me you wont be able to advance any more.”
“Then I guess I just won’t let anything happen to you then,” he said with a shrug. “Besides, it is a scout/archer/stealth mix. Plus I don’t want to waste anymore of our time. If we get some down time I’ll come by and look over a few more, but none of the others felt remotely like me.”
“Alright, then I guess we need to divide these skill scrolls and the adventuring gear. Tomorrow we train, the day after we head for the dungeon.”