Mayana, Kju and Kiresula were in the carriage to Jetahkalesa. The outside rushed by and the [cleric] looked pretty peeved: “Do you know how much of a bureaucratic nightmare it was to get all of you out here? Previously, I could excuse it doing a torture session, but randomly to Jetahkalesa? That was one hard sell. I had to tell them that this was about the whereabouts of Kedsel and I really hope she will agree to come with us or else.”
Kju nodded: “You can tell them that we told you Kedsel was brought to the black cat dungeon. Dungeons sometimes work with each other, so this passes some kind of muster.”
Haina looked at Kju in confusion: “What is the black cat dungeon?”
Kju looked really happy about the question: “A moribund dungeon in the ruins. It had not been delved in quite a while. Really fond of beetles.”
Kiresula nodded: “Really fond of the darn things.”
Haina looked confused: “That sounds like an easy challenge?”
Mayana shook her head: “Let’s just say that I will need to get back to this dungeon when I get a few dozen levels.”
Haina looked shocked but nodded.
Most of the journey happened in silence. Kiresula and Mayana held hands and looked into each other’s eyes. They shared moments in which they ignored the world and just spent some emotionally intimate moments that didn’t need words, just understanding and love.
Eventually, the carriage stopped. The synthic magic was visible in the distance. Kiresula, Mayana and Kju alighted and walked to the side of the ruins that was near Memleket. They listened for anything that sounded like an approaching person. For a long time, they heard nothing. Kiresula climbed a tree to get a better view of the area – as well as a better listening position. She heard nothing for quite a while apart from the noises of the animals and the wind. She waited, keeping her breath quiet. She did Serenity to increase her magic reserves, but concentrating on the patterns of magic and shaping it to increase absorption was difficult as her mind had issues focussing. She knew that she had to persuade Kedsel to come with her, that this was of highest importance for her own liberty. She had no idea how to manipulate anyone, so she could only hope that the truth would help her. She felt like pacing, but of course, this was impossible in her current situation.
She eventually heard steps that sounded human. Fast ones. She jumped down and rushed to the source of the noise. A person was chased. And the thing chasing the person was a monster. A Cehennem Ketshisi also known as a hellgoat. A goat that had fire affinity and right now tried to spit fire at the fleeing human. Not a huge plume like a dragon, but instead small bullets of fire, the size of Kiresula’s palm. Kiresula ran towards the hellgoat and beat it with a [Fire Strike]. The animal bleated and spewed a flame at her which she dodged with a mixture of improved physical stats and blind luck. Another [Fire Strike] to the face of the creature. She then fired a [Bite of the Elemental Beetle] into the hellgoat’s nostrils, then another one, then hitting the eyes. The hellgoat bleated again, this time more piteously, it then turned around to look for easier prey. She turned around to the person who looked at her wide-eyed. “Are you alright?” she asked. Then, she looked a bit better: The person was wearing a cloak that obscured almost everything, but she thought that she might have recognised that person by the gait. She asked: “Kedsel?”
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Kedsel shook her head for a moment: “Kiresula‽ You’re a glitchling. But you fought like a classed person‽ How did that happen‽”
Kiresula put her hand on the shoulder of the former holy guard: “That is why I called glitching more of a reset. But let’s meet up with the rest of the group: Mayana and Kju.”
Kedsel shook her head: “Can we talk alone? I don’t want to be exposed to a huge group of people.”
Kiresula nodded: “Sure, however, let’s get a bit closer to the ruins, so that Haina can’t be in earshot.”
Kedsel nodded and followed her carefully, she seemed utterly exhausted and scared.
As they reached the area of synthic magic, Kedsel bristled and only after a moment stepped into it. Kiresula saw that there was a spike of magic originating from her as if she was casting a spell. Kiresula looked surprised and so did Kedsel.
“What happened?” Kiresula asked.
Kedsel explained: “I am not sure… but I suddenly feel much better.”
Kiresula raised an eyebrow: “I would like to read your green skill description.”
Kedsel explained: “There are 2 skills. Because I delved twice. But sure: Synthic Resistance: Prevents the glitching at moderate levels of accumulation. And: Synthic Healing: When your accumulation of synthic magic crosses a threshold, accumulation is used akin to inherent synthic magic for refreshing, healing or resistance. I am not sure what this means…”
Kiresula explained: “From what I understand, you don’t glitch easily and recover slightly if you encounter a significant amount of synthic accumulation. This seems to be something to save your tail before you gain a synthic class so that synthic magic isn’t shapelessly accumulated anymore but instead formed into a synthic core. This will be far less relevant later but might still come in handy in a pinch.”
Kedsel raised an eyebrow: “Synthic class?”
Kiresula nodded: “That is what I wanted to talk to you about. Basically: There is a second system: A green one. And you kinda joined it by gaining one of its skills. The Holy Order doesn’t believe in these skills because their spells cannot see the green classes, attributes and skills. So they think these don’t exist.”
Kedsel raised an eyebrow: “So, there is a different system that affects glitchlings?”
Kiresula grimaced: “Not just, but mostly. Mayana also is in the green system.”
Kedsel opened her eyes in shock: “That… happens to others as well?”
Kiresula nodded: “That kinda brings me to the reason why I would like your help in getting with the Holy Order: So, there is one cleric, Kju. He can help you gain your primary class. He in general can help people in the green system to gain classes. So, we hope to get as many glitchlings as possible classed so that they can live some kind of life. Haina has a limited idea of what we glitchlings can do, and doesn’t know of the second system, but he is aware of broken magic becoming more and more of a problem. That more and more of the dungeons fall to broken magic, that broken magic becomes more and more prevalent, breaking more and more magical items and devices. So, yeah, he wants us to help against the emergence of synthic magic. But that requires us to travel. WhIich we barely can right now. Haina got some excuses so far, but says that he cannot keep it up. He thinks that after you give information to the Holy Order, we will be freed. And I can see ways how you get out of the interrogation using synthic magic and classes.”
Kedsel raises an eyebrow: “What do you mean?”
“I can convey an 8 hour status immunity to you that should get you through an interrogation,” Kiresula explained. She paused, bit her lips and murmured to herself.
A voice interrupted them: “Also, I know that the Holy Order will remove your class as you will be removed but you can be completely fearless about that: You’re not restricted to just one class in the new system, so you can rather swiftly return to your capabilities.”
Kedsel gasped: “Xekuan‽”