[You have reached Level 16. In such a short time, you have risen to great heights. Remember, life is not always about forcing; it's about listening and surrendering to forces greater than yourself.]
Justin blinked awake. The Voice seemed to be giving a different flavor today, something more in line with a Zen Buddhism approach. Was it trying to tell him to follow its lead?
[You have 2 attribute points to distribute.]
Justin willed both into Charisma.
[Your Charisma is now 46.]
Justin closed his eyes. He knew now what came next.
[As a Level 16 Gentleman, you have unlocked the next tier in your Cane Proficiency boon.]
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Expert Cane Proficiency: You have an intrinsic and instinctual understanding of cane combat, with a deep repertoire of sequences, combos, feints, counters, and disarming techniques only achievable through thousands of hours of practice. Few can ever be your match on the battlefield with your chosen weapon.
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Justin nodded in satisfaction. He would be glad to have earned this very soon.
[If you are ever unsure of what comes next, life itself is the greatest teacher. The hardest part is letting go.]
With that, the Voice departed.
Justin relieved Eldrin of the watch, and then settled in for the next few hours. It was hard to take the middle watch, and even harder to stay awake. To stay alert, he stood, practicing his new moves quietly in another larger room directly across the tunnel from the living area.
Justin swept the cane in a fluid arc, performing a series of practiced strikes and counterattacks,. The cane spun with a precision that surprised even him, slicing through the air in a graceful, deadly rhythm. Each step felt deliberate, the motions instinctual. He barely had to think about the combos—his body seemed to anticipate the movements ahead of time. It was as if the weapon were a natural extension of himself.
Not wanting to tire himself out too much, he stopped, satisfied. He could definitely see the difference in this tier of cane combat.
He then stood, thoughts swirling over his journey thus far. How much time had passed since he'd first entered Eyrth? A couple of months, at least, but such were the events that it felt as if years had passed.
He allowed himself to think about things he hadn't thought of in seemingly forever. Earth. Home. Whether he had made the right call to stay behind.
And then his mind drifted to the events of Harrington's party, what Valdrik had said about other Earthers. They were out there somewhere. Did he want to make contact and try to unravel the mystery of why Earthers were being drawn here? Or did he want to "go native" and settle down somewhere quietly? He certainly had enough money now to make that a real possibility.
At this point, the second option appealed to him far more. He didn't know what it looked like in practice, but he would take it one day at a time.
When it was time, he woke Lila for her watch. He gave her time to process her level-up before he went back to sleep.
Over breakfast, they shared their new abilities. Lila reached Level 15 and got a boon called Swift Reflexes; every time she successfully evaded an attack, it reset the cooldown on her Acrobatic Tumble and Disappearing Act skills.
Eldrin unlocked a new tier in his Animal Bond boon. Besides deepening his connection to his Shadowflight, it gave him the ability to recall the animal once per day to his side. It wouldn't just help him with this current gate predicament, where he'd be forced to leave Shadowflight on the surface. It would allow Eldrin to take bigger risks with Shadowflight, sending it into certain danger with the ability to recall the bird to him instantly.
"It's almost like the gods know you need that," Lila said.
Eldrin shrugged. "It may seem that way. But I knew Level 16 would grant this upgrade. It's part of why I'm so willing to come down here and take this risk."
"Makes sense," Justin said. "I have Expert Cane Proficiency, so that should help."
"We'll need every advantage we can get," Eldrin said. "Time to pack up."
They did so, but before Justin left the room, he packed the Star of Elara. He didn't want to do that, but it was shining way too brightly. If they ever got into a fight, he would quickly don it. It was in an outside pocket for quick access.
They headed to the door, but before opening it, Eldrin retrieved his Wayfinder's Compass. The golden needle was pointing directly beyond the door, in the direction of the tower. Justin was relieved that nothing had changed there.
Within minutes, they were on their way. Eldrin navigated the narrow streets carefully. Any time the golden needle shifted, he followed it at the first opportunity.
They didn't run into any trouble until the slope evened out and they found themselves in the city proper. Justin was surprised by how modern it looked. It wasn't exactly comparable to a modern-day city, but the buildings' sizes certainly were. He would have called them "skyscrapers," because in this underground realm, the name didn't seem proper.
Most of the buildings' glass sidings were shattered and hanging in jagged shards, while a few still stood remarkably intact, untouched by decay. Glowing mushroom trees grew among the wreckage, making it difficult to see too far into the distance. It was both a good thing and a bad thing.
Several times, Justin caught sight of the massive tower looming in the distance. They were definitely getting closer, and the compass's needle never swayed from that goal.
They stepped over some roots intertwined with the remains of ancient, rusted machinery, the purpose of which he couldn't begin to guess. Justin supposed they had once been powered by ether crystals.
At one time, hundreds of thousands of gnomes must have lived here, along with the others who had been drawn here.
Eldrin took a sudden turn, ducking into one of the skyscrapers. Justin and Lila followed without question. As the Ranger entered the shadows, he practically melted into the darkness. Justin could only see a faint outline, but he somehow knew that if an enemy were looking right at Eldrin, it wouldn't see anything at all.
A minute later, Justin looked over his shoulder to see a band of Fyrspawn walking back. Their guttural voices carried easily into the wreckage of the buildings. His grip tightened on his cane.
Things were about to get very real.
They exited the opposite side of the building, finding an empty avenue. In the median was a set of tracks, along with a derailed, steampunk-inspired train. Clearly, the gnomes' technology was on a level unlike anything they had seen so far on the surface. But despite their sophistication, they had not been able to survive the Godswar.
Looking to the left, the avenue led directly to a bridge that crossed the glowing river. And that bridge was filled with Fyrspawn. Strangely, it almost looked to Justin not like a contingent of warriors or guards, but almost like they were holding a market of sorts. It was strange to think about, but maybe this place was a Fyrspawn colony rather than any sort of military encampment.
Assuming they could sneak past that bridge somehow and make it to the tower, they might actually have a chance.
For now, the needle was still pointing toward the bridge.
Eldrin nodded in that direction, and Justin and Lila followed low to the ground.
Faster than Justin would have believed, they were at the banks of the river, sheltering within a set of ruins. Not fifty feet from them, Justin could see a Fyrspawn manning its stall, offering what appeared to be various fungi for sale.
Justin followed Eldrin's gaze toward the area under the bridge. The plan was obvious: swim across that river all the way to the other side and take shelter underneath the arch.
You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.
It would get them across the river for sure, but they would also be sopping wet. Justin wasn't sure if Eldrin's Pathfinder's Stride would prevent a water trail from giving them away. Justin could use his Ring of Hygiene to dry off, but the other two would have no such luxury.
Within minutes, they had entered the frigid river. Thankfully, the water was placid and not dangerous. Whatever caused it to glow didn't seem to be harmful in any way. The unfortunate part was that the river was so still that it was hard not to make ripples that spread downstream, giving away their position. Justin could only hope that no one above was paying any attention to that.
It took about five minutes, but they reached the other side. They rested a few minutes, and Justin used his ring to dry off. There was no sense in being a martyr just because the others had to stay wet. Lila stuck her tongue out at him, but that was to be expected.
Eldrin watched his compass closely, still pointing directly at the tower. They were practically there. They just had to emerge from beneath the bridge, head across the street, and enter.
Of course, doing so without being seen by any Fyrspawn, at this point, was completely impossible unless they were invisible. Only Eldrin and Lila even remotely had a shot at making it that far, Eldrin with his gold-tier Shadowstep Boots, and Lila with her Disappearing Act skill. Even so, that only gave her a short time to reposition somewhere safely.
From the way both were looking at Justin, he could tell they were thinking the same thing that he was.
Justin tried to communicate his thoughts with his gestures. Hopefully, they would get the picture. He held up a one, pointed at Eldrin, then a two, then pointed at Lila. Then he held up a three and pointed at himself, then pointed at the Sapphire Star and shrugged.
Surprisingly, they seemed to get the idea. Justin had been worried he would have to switch to Elea's Whisper just to get the message across clearly, but they had been working together for a while.
Eldrin went first, sticking to the shadows as much as possible. He actually remained invisible for a good amount of time, only coming out of invisibility at a few spots the buildings' shadows didn't reach. He waited about a couple of minutes before dashing across the road and taking shelter behind a pile of rubble next to the tower. Justin and Lila waited a minute. No one had seen a thing.
Lila let out a breath and shot forward. Her strategy was different. She stuck to the shadows, but unlike Eldrin, she was completely visible. She moved slowly and methodically. She only used Disappearing Act when she was close to the street, which was the most open part. Justin saw her shadow sprint and join Eldrin. He only caught her figure for half a second after the skill ended, and then she was gone.
Justin waited a minute. No alarms had been tripped. Maybe he would get lucky.
But it was just as he thought that when, out of nowhere, a couple of Fyrspawn demons came down the slope and walked right under the bridge. They had only to look up the slope, directly where Justin was sheltering under the arch.
These two demons were actually quite small. To the point where Justin wondered if they were children. Each had a line and what appeared to be a tackle box. One threw a stone in the water, skipping it across the placid surface.
Justin eased toward the side. The two little demons started talking, their voices surprisingly calm and high. Justin was sure now that these two were kids.
Please don't turn around, he thought. There ain't no way I'm killing kids, even if they are demons.
Justin appeared from beneath the bridge, running to the first pile of rubble that both Eldrin and Lila had used. Neither kid looked in his direction.
He ran into something very fiery and very hot, and his coat instantly caught on fire.
There was a high shriek, and Justin kept running. Not knowing what else to do, he activated Vorthak's Flame. Somehow, the demon's fire was completely subsumed by his own flames, though his skin was slightly burned. The damage wasn't too bad; he'd just have to walk that one off.
He glanced behind, only to see what he had run into: what appeared to be a smaller demon who was now staring at him. That was all he had time to see because at least a dozen demons were swarming toward him.
Eldrin and Lila came out of hiding, weapons drawn. Justin went straight for the steps leading up into the tower. Two guards stood on the outside, each placing a hand on their fiery swords. Justin couldn't be sure, but it seemed their faces, wreathed in flame, were surprised, perhaps even afraid.
And surprisingly, neither was moving to attack.
Both created fire shields around themselves, at last drawing their swords. One barked an order in that grating tongue of theirs.
They just needed to get by. But why weren't the demons attacking?
Justin didn't dare to hope that they might actually be...peaceful?
There was nothing to do but try.
He popped off a Dandy's Swagger, spreading his arms wide in a welcoming gesture. "My friends! We wish for the privilege of using your wonderful gate. What do you say? We will pay you handsomely!"
Both Fyrspawn stared at him blankly. They clearly did not understand him, and he had seconds before they made any rash moves.
But that was when Justin got another idea.
He said the exact same thing, but in the Eastern Seraphim dialect of Goblinese. It was a long shot, but if they were underground and somewhat close to the Seraphims, well, someone here might speak it.
To Justin's shock, the lead guard actually responded in a broken version of the Goblin language. "Who are you? How you here? How does human have Flames of Vorthak?"
"Is trick," the other one growled. "Vorthak no like humans!"
Justin held out his hands in what he hoped was a peaceful gesture. "My friends, there's no need to fight. Vorthak and I have something of an...arrangement. It would be impossible for me to have his flames unless I had his blessing, right?"
The two demons exchanged a glance, unable to refute the logic. Good. Justin was grateful that the demon he'd bumped into on the street had burned him. He wouldn't have figured this out otherwise. The flames were giving him a chance at the very least.
Now, he just had to make the most of it.
By now, they were thoroughly surrounded by at least thirty of the Fyrspawn, of various sizes. Even the two kids from the river were here now, and some of the demons had a distinctly feminine shape and softer features, with a light that tended more toward yellow than red.
"You still no answer, human," the first Fyrspawn said. "Why you here?"
"I'm here on a diplomatic mission," Justin said easily. He reached into his pouch, producing a gold coin and a winning smile. "I trust this will help smooth things over?"
The demon came forward, swiping the coin from his hand faster than he would have thought possible. Justin had not expected that to work so well. At a look from the other guard, he flicked a coin his way, too.
The demon inspected the coin close to his eye, then let out a low, satisfied growl. "Gold. Yes. You have more?"
"I do," Justin assured him. "But only if you let us inside the tower to talk to your leader."
"Tower closed."
Justin looked at the open doors behind the demon. "No. Tower open."
"Tower closed," the Fyrspawn repeated, his tone firm, eyes narrowing with suspicion.
Justin raised an eyebrow, his smile never faltering. "Ah, but it’s clearly open. I mean, look at those doors—wide open, just begging for someone to walk right in." He pointed at the threshold, his voice casual, as if discussing a mere inconvenience. "It’s almost as if you’re not even trying to keep folks out. I’m sure your leader wouldn’t appreciate that kind of...carelessness, right?"
The demon blinked slowly, clearly perplexed. The other one, watching the exchange, growled again. "You mock us."
"Mock? No, no, my friend," Justin said innocently. "I’m simply stating the obvious. You don’t want to disappoint your leader, do you? And you’re doing such a great job of keeping us out with your...um, impressive fire shields. But those doors? They're practically begging for some attention. Don’t you think?"
The first Fyrspawn hesitated, looking back at the door, then at Justin. He seemed to be running the calculations in his head. "Not so easy," the demon grumbled, as if he were arguing with himself. "We have orders."
"Of course, of course," Justin said, his hands raised in a gesture of understanding. "Not easy at all. I respect that. But we are here on an important diplomatic mission, and I assure you, the consequences of keeping us waiting outside could be...undesirable for everyone involved."
"Undesirable," the lead demon growled thoughtfully. "What this mean? You fight us?"
"Oh, no, no, no," Justin said. "I would never. We are fire friends, see? I got the Vorthak's Flame, just like you."
"No Vorthak's Flame," the demon said, pointing to himself. "I have the Ashralok's Flames. You stupid, human."
"Well, I wouldn't say that. Ignorant, maybe. Stupid, no. That's a bit harsh."
The demon gave a grating laughter. "You funny, human. Where you learn to speak like goblin? You make Crispin laugh."
"Crispin? A fine name. I'm Justin, by the way. As for where I learned Goblinese, well, let's just say I helped Queen Grizshara with a delicate matter involving a slice of pie."
"Grizshara? You come from her? Why you not say so?"
Justin nodded earnestly, sensing an opening. "Yes! She wants to talk. Important things. About the gate."
The two demons exchanged a glance. Eldrin and Lila watched in complete befuddlement. Justin had neglected to mention the Vault had given him fluency in a very specific dialect of Goblinese. At the time, he'd believed it completely useless, almost like a joke from the System.
Well, he definitely didn't think it was a joke now.
The demon finally snorted, his fiery eyes scanning Justin once more, then the others. He looked like he was about to speak when the other Fyrspawn beside him stepped forward, still clutching the gold coin. "You want inside...talk about gate...yes. That makes sense. We let you inside, but you take care, human. If you lying..."
The Fyrspawn suddenly brightened, and Justin felt the heat lick at him, despite the strength of his own flames.
Justin grinned and gave an exaggerated bow. "No worries there, my overly zealous friend. We have a lot to talk about—after all, what is diplomacy without a little exchange, right?"
With that, the guard growled, "Follow me, human."
As the guard went into the tower, a few more of his fellows joined him. Justin noticed these guys had the jagged swords, whips, and raw size of his buddies trying to take down that tree. Escape now would be tricky, if not outright impossible.
They needed to find and activate that gate.
Justin glanced at Eldrin and looked at the compass hanging from his neck. Still pointing to the tower.
"Please tell me we aren't being led to an execution or something," Lila said.
Justin swallowed. "Well, if that fellow is to be believed, he's taking us to someone in charge. Someone who can tell us a bit about the gate."
"So, he mentioned a gate?" Eldrin asked.
Justin nodded. "He confirmed its existence. He thinks we are emissaries from Queen Grizshara. It seems they know each other somehow."
"As friends, I hope," Eldrin said.
"It sounds like a strange coincidence," Lila said. "They are hundreds of miles apart. How could they possibly be in contact with each other, but more than that, speak enough of each other's languages?"
It was a strange happening, but maybe it wasn't so strange after all. Justin was already beginning to get an idea of why that might be the case.
Either way, it was time to put his Charisma to good use.
And by "good use," he meant magically talking his way out of whatever mess they were about to walk into.