Xekuan hugged his sister: “Yeah, it’s me. The [protector] of this place noticed you guys and sent me because I speak the best Mainlandish.”

Kiresula asked: “Are you okay? It must have been difficult for you to get used to the community here.”

Xekuan made a vague gesture: “I am trying to get used to it. Learning a new language is hard, but people are generally quite hospitable. It’s right now a bit of a breath of fresh air not to get screamed at by my father.”

Kedsel smiled: “Yeah. I get that! That was the one thing I appreciated about being on the run. Was he very angry after I ran away?”

Xekuan nodded seriously: “Very much so. He was unbearable. I mean, even more so than usual.”

Kedsel shuckled: “Is that possible?”

Xekuan nodded: “He screamed at us during the entire dinner and then kept us up to scream at us until midnight. That was one of the reasons why I got reassigned to Jetahkalesa. I let out my mood at work and became a bit too rowdy trying to understand and come to terms with what they did to you.”

Kedsel flinched in empathetic pain: “That sounds horrible.”

Xekuan smiled a crooked smile: “Yeah. At least it has been resolved now, one way or another. I don’t expect that father will ever want to look at us again. Well, maybe you, as you don’t look glitchy and have a blue status screen.”

Kedsel looked unhappy: “It would be barely better than homelessness. But I don’t think that he would even want me if I don’t remain in the Order. He always wanted us to follow him into the Order. He never saw us as our own people. So if I fail out of the order, there will be heck to pay.”

Kiresula listened, but could not help suggesting: “Maybe you can remain here? I am sure that the place needs a guard. Or I can ask Haina to take you dungeon delving as well. You seem to have resistance to synthic magic beyond what others do.”

Kedsel smiled: “Do you really think that I will get out of the grasp of the order?”

Xekuan nodded: “I feel that you can get out if you just seem really close to glitching. They will think that you are a risk to their reputation.“

Kedsel looked unhappy but nodded.

Xekuan continued: “We just need you to gain a synthic class. Even if the Holy Order will remove your class as [Holy Guard], you will still not be classless.”

Kedsel nodded cautiously: “Is it true that this is possible?”

Kiresula nodded: “Yeah, as I mentioned, Mayana has 2 synthic classes. And so do I, but you know, I am a glitchling.”

Kedsel looked surprised: “If that is true… there would be no reason to discriminate against glitchlings as they can progress. But the Holy Order still does it…”

Kiresula nodded: “They see the green elements of our status as holes when looking at the status with their skills. And as the units in the green system are… more like copper Kurush when those of the blue system are more like golden Lira.”

“They are worth less?” Kedsel asked.

Stolen story; please report.

Kiresula breathed in: “Kinda… numbers are higher. And thus more granulated. My [Fortitude], that is the equivalent to [Endurance], is over 300 at level 7 and 3. So, if your green attributes exceed your blue ones, you actually do experience being weakened. Unless you are a glitchling, that is. Our stats in the blue system are like a half Kurush.”

Kedsel nodded: “I understand what you mean. So, I am going to weaken when I gain a synthic class?”

Kiresula nodded: “I would assume so, until you level up. I didn’t notice it with Mayana, but I can notice how different the stats feel to me.”

Kedsel understood: “So, you are telling me that there is a second system that the Holy Order doesn’t recognise because there is a temporary decrement in the effective abilities, independent of the stats and because their spells don’t recognise the green system? And in addition, that you plan to use this to find a way around the interrogations of the Holy Order?”

Kiresula nodded: “Yeah, that is what I am saying.”

Kedsel sat down on a stump: “I didn’t expect that when you said that the glitching was a reset. I thought you were crazy. But this… this is amazing. But it is also scary.”

Kiresula raised an eyebrow: “How so?”

Kedsel explained: “If green spies infiltrate the country, the Holy Order cannot protect against them. If green terrorists plan attacks, we have no means to find that out until it’s too late!”

Kiresula was dumbfounded for a moment: “I have not thought about this. But that would be solved if the Holy Order accepted us into their ranks and got over their prejudices.”

Kedsel scoffed: “Not in this millennium. Maybe when the Holy Order has been defeated by hordes of classed glitchlings.”

Xekuan smiled: “Sounds like a plan! Let’s go to the main building that we inhabit to get you classed.”

Now Kiresula sounded confused: “I thought that Kju would do so?”

Xekuan grinned: “He taught us how to become a [Synthic Cleric] and Alichi became a cleric. However, as Kju has given most people classes, Alichi hasn’t had a lot of chances to level up.”

Kedsel nodded and they walked into the ruins until they reached the general living area. Eventually, they reached the place and Kiresula had to breathe in audibly: The place was lit up not just by daylight but by spells. The walls were covered in plants that her Herbal Knowledge completely blanked on. There were actual beds, which looked very comfortable. Kiresula asked: “What happened?”

Xekuan laughed: “Many Level 1s that want to have a lot of fun with their new skills.”

Kiresula met Alichi, a glitchling who looked dainty and young, she looked as if a gust of wind could sweep her off her feet. They talked in Je-ashvehanu and Kanzoo and Zaiké joined in and updated her on the news of the settlement, probably wildly exaggerating how many delves Yi-é did.

Alichi went to Kedsel and asked questions which Kiresula had to translate. She asked if Kesel had a good idea for the initial class. Kedsel had not, but she mentioned how she wanted to be tough and able to survive hardship. Alichi explained that this was enough and asked her to concentrate on that image and touched her forehead. Kedsel stumbled and caught herself. Then, Kiresula noticed the accumulation of synthic energy in Kedsel form into a stable core at the same time, there was a glowing light originating from . Kedsel opened her eyes and looked shocked: “I am a [Survivor]. I have two classes. This is actually real!”

Kiresula hugged her. “I am so happy for you! I hope that you can gain your own green levels.”

Alichi said something which Kiresula took a moment to translate: “This is a special class. This is what the system started with. It exists to protect the glitchlings. When it was new, there were no classes, just this. This is what I found out.”

Kiresula looked at her in confusion: “‘What the system started with’? This sounds as if the system was… invented? Or created?”

Alichi shrugged: “I am not sure. This is just what I realised when the system assigned this class.”

Kedsel asked for a translation and Kiresula did so. Then, she responded: “Maybe the glitchling system originated from the blue one.”

Kiresula responded: “Or it’s the other way around?” She then translated what had been said to Je-ashvehanu. There was a moment of silence when she had a thought: “It might even relate to this place. This dungeon was aware of synthic magic, unlike most others. This place attracts glitchlings. So the mage who created it must have been aware of synthic magic.”

Kedsel raised an eyebrow: “I think that I will research some about this place after I am released from the Holy Order. Let’s go to Ilkshehir!”