Rocko nodded his approval, "That works well with my next suggested course of action."

'Oh, and what's that?' James asked.

"You need to improve several Skills, and I hope you will gain a couple of new ones—specifically Deception and Acting. Deception is lying, basically or subterfuge, but it all boils down to the same thing. Acting is similar, but it is in deed and not in words. Walking with a limp when you don't have one may be considered subterfuge to distract someone from your real intent or to underestimate you, but it is considered Acting by the system because you are pretending." Rocko explained.

'I remember you mentioned pickpocketing as well,' James added.

"Slight of Hand," Rocko corrected. "It can include pickpocketing, but it is more about moving objects with your hands without people noticing. Also referred to as Palming. You can pick up a Skill for those specific Skills, but it limits you. Slight of Hand is not a Master Skill but is more of a general Skill."

'Like a Merged Skill. Like Perception or Evasion,' James suggested.

"No. Sleight of hand is not a Merged Skill. Perception and Evasion are an example of a Merged Skill, but in truth, they are really considered to be Master Skills," Rocko corrected him.

'So, a Merged Skill is a Master Skill, but not all Master Skills are necessarily a Merged Skill?' James asked.

"Correct." Rocko nodded, "Master Skills can be Merged Skills or Evolved Skills."

'Now you're just trying to fuck with me,' James grinned.

Rocko shared the grin, "Na, not this time. Your Glrick Sword Skill is an Evolved Skill."

James nodded, 'Okay, so you have a plan for me to get all these wonderful new Skills?'

Rocko smiled, "Oh yes. And then some. You will hunt down Roland and find out all you can about him."

James frowned, 'Why?'

"Three reasons," Rocko said, holding up his fingers to count. "First reason is that you don't trust him, which will give you a chance to learn more about him. The second reason is that this will give you a chance to learn a shit load of new Skills you will need and to level them up quickly. The third reason is that you need to adjust your mindset regarding dealing with other Champions and your unwillingness to hunt down and kill them."

James growled, "My mindset is that I don't kill people without cause!" His vocal outburst drew some stares and some looks of concern. James was still in town, and a few people were walking on the streets. One woman changed direction and hustled away from him. Frowning, James slipped into a dark alley to change his appearance again.

Rocko waited for him to finish dressing before continuing, "I don't disagree with you, James. But what you don't realize is that you have a cause. This Challenge used to focus on not getting into the bottom 100 and losing a rank for your Patron. After that, no one cared, as the Champions of the major gods almost always secured the top 10 spots. This new Challenge has changed things. The greater gods are not satisfied with Champion vs Champion battles but are now including the populous. James, Kingdoms are rallying to battle Champions. Kings, Princes, Bandit Lords, and mighty people are coming out of the woodwork to battle with a Champion to gain power, wealth and fame. Something that was frowned upon previously is now encouraged."

James nodded, 'I know all that. But that is the people against the Champions. The Champions fighting each other has always been there.'

Rocko shook his head, "Not like this. Before, Champions would avoid each other unless there was a personal grudge. Now, they are actively hunting each other as well. I can't give you much information on what is going on in this Challenge specifically, but all you have to do is ask your friends, or fuck, just read a bulletin. They are all talking about the chaos and mayhem that this Challenge has created."

'And this means I have to put my morals aside and start killing other Champions?' James growled.

Rocko sighed, "Yes. If that is what it takes to win, then yes. But remember three things. One, the Champions don't stay dead, but the non-Champions do. Second, you were brought here to ensure that your Patron makes it to the top 500. You are several hundred away from that goal. Third, the only way we can stop the Challenges from happening again is for you to be the last Champion standing."

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'Good point. You never told me how we are supposed to break the Challenge and prevent more from happening. How is it broken by me being the last one?' James asked.

"It's complicated. I can explain later if you want, but we need to focus on your Skills," Rocko deflected.

James folded his arms across his chest at looked over at Rocko, 'I ain't moving until I get an answer.'

Rocko sighed and switched to mental projection, 'When the Challenges were created, each of the greater gods created a condition in which the Challenges would end. Not sure the exact reason for this clause, but it was included. We have found two clauses so far. The first is if none of the Amulets are recovered by the end of the year. This has never happened since, after six months, all the Champions are told where the nearest Amulet is located. We already know this condition won't happen this year because you already found one.'

'Which I think was a setup since it wasn't protected like it was supposed to be,' James agreed.

'Don't disagree with you. The second one we learned about is if all the Champions die before the end of the Challenge,' Rocko explained, averting his eyes.

James was stunned, 'You want me to kill all the Champions and then kill myself?'

Rocko sighed again, 'You don't die, remember. You will have fulfilled your agreement with your Patron, and by killing all the Champions, including yourself, we can end this horror show from happening again in 10 years.'

James took a deep breath and looked around. They had finally left the city proper and were heading towards the forest where he hid his items, "A bit of a bombshell to drop on someone, don't you think?"

Rocko opened his mouth to say something and then closed it to try again. Failing, he just nodded.

"I can understand why," James continued, "I would not have agreed to do it if this was what you lead with. But now that you have me hooked into fighting for your cause, I am less inclined to disagree."

Rocko remained wisely silent.

"But, we have a long way to go before I am the last Champion standing," James declared.

They both walked down the road in silence. James had no intention of killing himself, but he needed Rocko's help to make it into the top 500. After that, he would see what options were available. But self-sacrifice was not one of them.

----------------------------------------

James arrived at Dungeon not long after his conversation with Rocko. Fortunately, the goblins were all gone when he arrived at the cave. Glezda appeared when he arrived and greeted him. They chatted for a while, and James explained he would have to do some travelling but would be back before midnight. Onyx was not pleased with being left behind, but Glezda agreed to keep him company while James was gone. James dropped off the Enchanted items he picked up earlier in the day and removed all his gear, even his boots. The only thing he took with him was a generic Iron Dagger and a small pouch of coin. Glezda was gracious enough to create a couple of different outfits for him and a new satchel he could carry everything in. He didn't want to have anything in his possession that could be identified. That meant that everything had to be changed. With that done and out of the way, he headed into the city.

Rocko had informed him that the name of the city was Sharbotfalls. It had grown around a waterfall that was used to power the sawmill. As the land was cleared, it started to power the flour mill. A century later, the village had grown into a town and finally into a small city. There were no walls around the city, but it was easy to notice the change from rural to urban. The road became stone, the buildings were of better quality, inns and taverns appeared, and side streets shot off from the main road. The other noticeable difference was that more and more people filled the main street and side streets, including guards.

Rocko guided him in picking up the new Skills. The acting was easy. He changed his appearance to be that of an older man with a crippled hand. After speaking to some merchants and buying some food, it was enough to earn him his Acting Skill. The deception was part of the cover as well, as many people asked him what had happened to his hand. He first told an elaborate story, but that didn't garner him the Skill. Rocko explained that most people he talked to probably didn't believe the tall tales he was telling, so he needed to make it simpler.

Once he toned down the story, that of having the hand caught in the cogs of a saw mill, James earned the Deception Skill. The last Skill Rocko wanted him to learn was Slight of Hand, but James prevaricated. He did not want to learn that kind of Skill in the middle of a city that would most likely cut his hand off if they caught him stealing. Deciding to speak to Veronika to learn the Skill, he continued increasing the Acting Skill and Deception Skill while trying to Gather Information about the city.

"You can't just ask people about a specific person. That is a good way to tip people off that you are snooping. You need to ask for more general information and hope that the people you are talking to have the information you need." Rocko explained.

'I have known a few spooks in my time to know what I am doing,' James said defensively.

"Of course you do, but please remember that your Skill hasn't hit the first threshold yet, so your chances of failure are high, and your chance of tipping your hand is not zero," Rocko explained.

James nodded, 'I was going to focus on getting some information on his company and where they are billeted and then learn where they drink.'

Rocko nodded, "Okay, maybe you're not a beginner."

James smiled, 'Just because I haven't done it in this world doesn't mean I haven't done it.'

Rocko looked at him sideways, "Right."