[You have reached Level 17. Power is but a tool, but refinement is eternal. Wield both wisely.]
Justin blinked awake at the Voice's incursion.
[You have two attribute points to distribute.]
Justin locked both in Charisma.
[Your Charisma is now: 48]
[Your Amulet of Equilibrium has ascended, granting you +8 to all non-dominant attributes!]
Justin smiled. Beautiful.
[As a Level 17 Gentleman, you have two new skills to choose from. Choose wisely—there is no going back!]
Justin reviewed his options.
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Flashy Display (Rare): A true Gentleman knows how to make an entrance...as well as an exit. Emit a flash of light that blinds all enemies in a fifteen-foot radius for one second, allowing you to reappear in a new location up to fifteen feet away. You must be able to see the target position. Your Charisma is boosted by 5 for the duration of an encounter. (Cooldown: 90 seconds)
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A Proper Sendoff (Rare): A Gentleman never strikes in anger—only with impeccable form. Deliver a single devastating strike that deals double damage. If a Proper Sendoff incapacitates or kills an enemy, this skill immediately refreshes. (Cooldown: 24 hours)
----------------------------------------
Justin got a chill from the implications of the second skill.
"Goodness," he said. "That has a chance to get...very interesting."
He already knew the right answer, but, per usual, he went through both skills, weighing the pros and cons.
First, there was Flashy Display. It was certainly no slouch. In battle, this would be a game changer. It made escape all the easier and allowed him to reposition without worrying about nearby enemies seeing the movement. It was basically a short-range teleport with an impressive 90-second cooldown.
He remembered that Harrington had demonstrated a skill like this during the social duel, and Lila's Disappearing Act skill was also similar, though hers lasted longer and forced her to physically reposition while giving her more time to do so.
It would give him a second dodge move, let him chase down a retreating enemy, and it allowed him to perform short jumps that might be otherwise unsafe or impossible to pull off. Being able to see a location before jumping to it restricted the move's utility, but it also made sense.
In short, this would be an excellent skill for his rotation.
But then there was A Proper Sendoff. The potential practically had him salivating.
First, he could pop a Dandy's Swagger and perhaps have Lila boost his Power with Bardic Inspiration. Then he could use Sapphire Aegis to absorb a ridiculous amount of damage and store it. Then he could target this enemy with Poison Barb, proccing Add Injury to Insult.
And then...A Proper Sendoff. Combined with Add Injury to Insult, this stood to do four times damage. And combined with the ridiculous damage absorption of Sapphire Aegis...there was no telling just what he might bring down, given the right conditions.
Sure, the move could only be used once a day. But even at four times the damage, if he was reasonably sure the enemy was near death, he could use the skill and be assured that he would get access to it again. Even without the Sapphire Star, it was a strong contender.
It was high risk, high reward. He'd just have to ensure he didn't get tunnel vision trying to line up all his skills.
Flashy Display, no doubt, was far more flexible, and certainly a part of him called out to it.
But given his current abilities, this one was a no-brainer.
Justin locked in his selection.
[You have chosen A Proper Sendoff. A Gentleman must always ensure his enemies depart with grace…permanently.]
The Voice departed, and Justin stood to greet the rising dawn. He checked his interface to see how everything stacked up with his new level.
----------------------------------------
Justin Talemaker
Class: Socialite
Level: 17
Focus: Gentleman
Experience to Level 18 : 2,750/13,000.
----------------------------------------
Attributes:
Power: 20 (B10 + 8 + 2)
Coordination: 20 (B10 + 8 + 2)
Endurance: 21 (B10 + 8 + 3)
Intellect: 19 (B10 + 8 + 1)
Perception: 18 (B10+8)
Charisma: 61 (B48 + 6 + 5 + 1 + 1)
----------------------------------------
Stat-Boosting Gear:
The Sapphire Star: +16 to Base Charisma.
The Cane of the Drake: +6 Charisma, +2 Power.
The Dapper Adventuring Set: +5 Charisma, +3 Endurance, +2 Coordination.
The Amulet of Equilibrium: +8 to all non-dominant attributes.
----------------------------------------
Stat-Boosting Buffs:
Draconic Luster: +3 to Base Charisma.
Heroic Ascension: +1 to Base Charisma. (One-time boost from coring the Cane of Valoria)
Refined Presence: +1 to Charisma.
The Essence of the Hoard: +1 to Charisma and Intellect.
----------------------------------------
Justin closed his screen.
Over breakfast, everyone shared their new unlocks. Lila reached Level 16, earning her fourth tier of Harmonic Amplification, granting +8 to any attribute of her choice while using Bardic Inspiration.
Eldrin, like Justin, reached Level 17, granting a new rare skill called Apex Instincts, which granted 30% increased attack speed, damage, and accuracy for twenty seconds, while also guaranteeing a dodge for the first attack that would have hit him while the skill was active. It was a strong, well-rounded skill that would be useful in all situations.
They packed up within a couple of minutes. Justin gazed at the ruins. From here, they looked empty.
"What's the plan?" he asked. "I still have a few hours before Sapphire Aegis is available."
"Let's check out the temple again," Lila said. "If most of them are low-level, it might be a good chance to get some experience."
"Or we can make a circuit to the other side of the temple, see if there's anything to the north." Eldrin nodded toward the dunes south of them. "That way is definitely south."
"I like the idea," Justin said. "We can go into the temple once we have a better picture of where we are."
"Sure," Lila said. "Ready when you all are."
They followed Eldrin along the edge of the plateau. The Wayfinder's Compass was still pointing toward the complex—the place was surely rife with even more treasures. But for now, it made sense to see if they could learn more about their location.
"So," Justin said, as they walked on the mesa's eastern extent, "these Varkiss are the lizard people, right?"
Eldrin nodded. "Yes. They tend to live in southeastern Atelinar and the islands off the coast there, called the Varnathi Isles. They're known for being the best sailors on Eyrth, though the less charitable would call them the best pirates. You almost never see them in Aranthia in colder seasons, given the climate, though I've seen a number of them in Velandia. That's as far south as my travels have taken me."
"This place is probably even further south," Lila said.
"True," Eldrin said. "The constellations definitely align with our being in the Southern Hemisphere of Eyrth."
"Where is Velandia?" Justin asked.
"The largest city on Eyrth," Eldrin said. "Famous for the Velandian Locks."
"What is that? Some sort of canal, right?"
"That's right. It occupies a narrow isthmus that connects Serenthel to Atelinar. Easily the most strategically important location for a city in the world. It used to be the seat of a great empire, also called Velandia. But over the last five hundred years especially, its power has waned, to the point where Velandia and a few islands are its only holdings."
"I see," Justin said.
They had made it to the northern part of the plateau, revealing more dunes and, in the far distance, a line of dry, brown mountains, quite tall and capped with snow.
"That's a sign," Eldirn said. "I'm willing to bet that's the Barrier Range, which splits Atelinar in half east to west. Which would put us south of the Barrier Range. There are certainly better choices for a gate."
"Glad we got that figured out," Lila said. "Should we explore the ruins some more?"
Justin adjusted his fedora. "Sounds good to me. I'm eager to try out my new skill."
"Only use it if you're sure it can lock in the kill," Eldrin said. "You don't want to be caught without it."
"Very true. Let's move."
They approached the temple from the north, where there was another entrance. This one was a bit smaller. The compass still pointed directly at it.
As soon as they entered, they found themselves in some sort of atrium. A notification flashed before Justin.
[Danger lurks ahead.]
"Stop," Justin said.
Everyone came to a stop. Justin looked at Eldrin. "Do you feel anything weird?"
"Nothing. It might be your Adventurer's Guile from your new clothing."
"Yeah. I just got a warning."
Justin scanned the area where the atrium turned into a narrow corridor. He could see the faint outline of various doorways along the hallway, almost as if they were being highlighted for him.
"Do you see those hidden doors?"
Eldrin and Lila both shook their heads. "I'd need to get closer to sense danger." Eldrin knelt, picking up a broken pottery shard and handing it to Justin. "See if you can set it off."
Justin nodded, tossing the shard right between two of the hidden doors.
That did the trick. Immediately, stone scraped, and all the doors opened at once. Out came a dozen Varkiss mummies, each ranging from levels 12-16. They looked around for the source of the threat before their glowing red eyes locked on Justin.
Eldrin and Lila immediately kicked into action. Lila started singing and boosting Coordination while Eldrin immediately set to work firing into the mass of mummies. He was doing so far more quickly than usual, each arrow a direct headshot that wrapped their eyes in darkness. He was certainly using his new skill, Apex Instincts.
The author's tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.
By the time the first mummy reached Justin, half had already gone down. Justin popped Dandy's Swagger, doing a taunting yet invigorating jig.
Justin activated Poison Barb. "They say to respect your elders, but for you, I'll make an exception."
The reptilian mummy hissed as Justin smacked it in the head, spreading ice with the attack.
He dodged a tackle, proccing Elegance in Motion, then unleashed a flurry of swipes that hit twice as hard. Just as the mummy was about to crumble, Justin drew the cane back.
"And now, for a proper send-off."
He swiped with his cane as hard as he could. A flash of yellow alighted at the point of impact, and the mummy flew through the air, knocking over a trio of other shambling mummies like bowling pins.
[A Proper Sendoff has been refreshed.]
The rest were quite easy to beat down. As the mummies focused on Justin, he kited them, dodging as needed while the others took care of the rest.
The final mummy, larger than the rest and Level 16, became the focus of Eldrin's arrows and all twelve of Lila's knives. As Justin stabbed and jabbed with his cane, the mummy teetered on the edge, about to fall as if in a drunken stupor. Justin waited a second for Poison Barb to go off cooldown.
"Oh dear," Justin said. "Am I being too rough?"
The mummy went still as Justin's barb took hold.
"Batter's up!"
He activated his new skill and channeled his inner Babe Ruth, swinging with all his might. The mummy arced through the air, landing on the wall and disintegrating. Justin placed his cane on his shoulder.
[A Proper Sendoff has been refreshed.]
Lila watched, her eyes wide. "It's not even fair anymore."
Even Eldrin was impressed. "That's some strong synergy, lad."
"Not too shabby yourself, Ranger," Justin said.
[You have gained 250 experience points! Your experience stands at 3,000/13,000.]
"That experience isn't bad at all," Justin said. "This might be a good grinding location."
Apparently, the concept of grinding was familiar in this world, too, because Eldrin nodded in recognition. "Maybe. But if we keep encountering the same types of creatures, the experience rewards will fall accordingly."
Justin arched an eyebrow. "Why?"
"The gods reward risk most of all. So the key is a variety of enemies, undertaking new challenges. The point is to keep things fresh."
"I imagine there's plenty in this place to occupy us," Lila said. "I'm with Justin."
Justin smiled. "Glad to see you've come around to my way of thinking."
"Always have a retreat path," Eldrin cautioned. "But we're in a safer position to explore with our new skills and gear."
"After you," Justin said.
"Stay close."
They headed back into the main antechamber, following the compass's lead and poking around. There were more Varkiss mummies, always between the levels of 12 and 16. They either appeared solo or in groups of four or five.
The temple definitely seemed a bit more lively this morning, perhaps in response to the group's incursion yesterday. Each mummy group granted a bit of experience, but nothing too crazy. Justin had racked up another 100 experience, bringing his total to 3,100/13,000.
That was how they found themselves standing before an open threshold, leading into a large chamber beyond. The compass's golden needle pointed like the nose of a basset hound on the hunt.
A notification flashed in Justin's vision.
[Danger lurks ahead.]
"That's a guardian room, unless I miss my guess," Justin said.
"Yeah," Lila agreed. "Guardian room written all over it."
Peering beyond, it was hard to see anything. It looked like an interior room of sorts, except the entire floor wasn't a floor at all, but rather sand.
"Better not be a sandworm type of boss," Justin said.
"Ugh," Lila said. "Maybe we can skip this one."
"The compass wouldn't do us dirty like that, would it?" Justin asked. "Let's have a bit of confidence in ourselves."
"You're obviously feeling good about yourself today," Lila said.
"I suppose I am," Justin said. "I got a fancy new skill, and I guess if things really get bad, Sapphire Aegis is our backup. We'd lose a day of gate exploring, but it's nice to know we have that option."
"True," Eldrin said, humming thoughtfully. "Well, I'm all for it. Let's just be careful."
Justin adjusted his fedora. "Showtime."
They entered the room, and as soon as they stepped onto the sand, the door slammed shut behind them.
That was when the center of the sand floor shifted, and out came a giant red scorpion.
It wasn't a worm, yes. But this thing was probably just as bad.
Justin's monocle logged it.
----------------------------------------
Giant Venomfang Scorpion
Rank: Guardian
Level: 20
----------------------------------------
"Level 20," he called out. "We've got this! Stay behind me."
He switched to Lathalon's Grace. This thing almost certainly had poison as a main attack.
Eldrin and Lila wasted no time in peppering it with attacks. Lila sang, boosting Coordination once again. Justin kept the scorpion focused on him, popping off a Dandy's Swagger to boost his confidence and buff Charisma.
As the scorpion scuttled forward, Justin unleashed his Drake's Breath to deal some steady ice damage and slow it down a bit.
It hissed as its tail struck with lightning alacrity. Justin barely had time to use Gentleman's Sidestep to avoid the blow. Taking advantage of Elegance in Motion, he stepped forward, landing hit after hit while nimbly dodging the scorpion's counters.
But not every counter. The scorpion hissed, landing a bite with its twin fangs. The wound was visceral and deep, spreading white-hot pain.
[Sunrot Toxin has been reversed by Lathalon's Grace!]
The wound was bad, but not so much so that it triggered Justin's instant heal from the Ring of Regeneration. It instead procced multiple heal over time effects: one from his ring, another from his Affinity, and another from Lila switching her song to one that boosted Power.
Between the healing triple threat, the wound knitted itself in seconds.
Meanwhile, Justin continued to deal damage with his cane. The scorpion was especially quick, so Justin was having a hard time dodging, even with all his bonuses. He took a hard side swipe with the tail but turned the fall into an adroit roll.
But the health regeneration of his ring and Lila's song switch couldn't go on forever. He still had the health regeneration of Lathalon's Grace at least.
Justin created some distance, waiting for Gentleman's Sidestep to go off cooldown. Lila and Eldrin kept pace behind him, not allowing the scorpion to get near.
The scorpion tried to scuttle by, but Justin charged, attacking the scorpion's unprotected side.
He activated Poison Barb. "Getting flanked wasn't part of your plan, was it?"
The scorpion wheeled around again to face him, but Justin unleashed another round of Drake's Breath, dealing double damage from Add Injury to Insult. The scorpion was on the back foot and bloodied, so now was the time to finish it off.
"Say hello to Morvath for me," Justin said.
He activated A Proper Sendoff and stabbed with the cane.
What happened was completely unexpected. Ice bloomed from the point of impact, completely encasing the scorpion in a block of ice. It stood completely frozen, but after a few seconds, Justin received a notification.
[You have gained 1,500 experience points. Your experience stands at 4,600/13,000.]
The others, gathering their breath, waited as a shiny silver chest rose from the sand in the center of the chamber.
"That one was Level 20, but it was tougher than that Revenant yesterday," Justin said.
Lila was already going for the chest, giving it a kick, which was somehow enough to open it. She peered inside.
"Nice," she said. "Weapons! And a Silver Ascension Crystal!"
The others crowded around.
Eldrin picked up his weapon, a silver longsword with a scorpion-tail pommel. The chest provided the information without the need for advanced scrying.
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Sunrot Blade
Type: Longsword
Tier: Silver
Core Restriction: Power, Coordination, Endurance
Edified Grip: +1 Power
Sunrot Coat: Upon striking mortal flesh, this blade inflicts Sunrot poison.
----------------------------------------
Eldrin nodded approvingly. "A deadly blade."
Justin arched an eyebrow. "Question: if you have two enchanted weapons, do you get to benefit from both at the same time? That's something I never thought to ask."
The Ranger shook his head. "You only benefit from the one you are actively using. Some classes can dual-wield, though. It's usually unlocked with a boon. In that case, yes, you would benefit from two."
"I see," Justin said. "Good to know."
Lila reached for her new set of throwing knives, a set of six chitin-handled blades.
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Sunrot Knives
Type: Throwing Knives
Tier: Silver
Core Restriction: Coordination, Charisma
Perfectly Balanced: +1 Coordination.
Sunrot Coat: Upon striking mortal flesh, this steel inflicts Sunrot poison.
----------------------------------------
"They're silver-tier, so they're weaker than my current knives," Lila said. "But maybe we'll run into something that's weak to poison."
"Can't you just add them to your current rotation?" Justin asked.
"I could," Lila said. "But because of what Eldrin just said, they would only function as regular knives unless I specifically attune to their enchantment. If I wanted to use the Sunrot effect, I'd have to override the enchantment on my Chromatic Knives."
"Yeah, but shouldn't it switch back and forth, like Eldrin swapping between his bow and sword?"
"It's different because they’re the same weapon type," Lila said. "The enchantment only auto-switches if I swap between weapons that serve different combat roles—like a throwing knife versus a stabbing dagger. Since these and my Chromatic Knives are both throwing weapons, I have to pick which enchantment applies. Eldrin can switch freely between his bow and longsword because ranged and melee weapons are separate categories."
"That makes sense," Justin said.
Last, he reached for his new cane, made from a dark gray, almost black wood with a head reinforced with silver. From the head protruded a blade in the shape of a scorpion’s barb.
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Sunsting Cane
Type: Cane
Tier: Silver
Class Restriction: Socialite, Diplomat
Edified Grip: +1 Power
Sunrot Blade: Upon striking mortal flesh, the blade inflicts Sunrot poison.
----------------------------------------
"Nice," Justin said.
He doubted he would use it unless he came across a known enemy that was weak to poison. But it was nice to have, if only to add to his collection. Though he doubted it, he might get a dual-wielding boon later on or something.
For now, he placed it in his pack without coring it.
Which left the Silver Ascension Crystal. As it stood, he had a few bronze-tier items in his pack, including his Ilvari Boots and Squire's Armlet.
But he also had his Ring of Hygiene. It was already quite useful, but he wondered what it would do if it were silver-tier.
Only one way to find out.
He reached for his crystal. Instantly, it was absorbed into his body.
[You have absorbed a Silver Ascension Crystal. Please select one bronze-tier item to upgrade to silver-tier].
Justin set his thoughts on the Ring of Hygiene and confirmed it.
[Your Ring of Hygiene has ascended to silver-tier! It now confers the following benefits:]
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The Ring of Hygiene
Type: Accessory
Tier: Silver
Dapper's Touch: Once a day, become perfectly clean in body and apparel, and get your hair cut and groomed to your exact specifications.
Wardrobe Shift: Instantly change into any clothing you own, so long as it is within five feet of your person. This enchantment cannot be used in combat. (Cooldown: 5 seconds.)
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Justin smiled. The upgrade would pretty much be useless on the battlefield, but he wasn't mad about that. Being able to change clothes mid-combat could be pretty broken. But it was a nice quality-of-life upgrade.
Justin tested it out, instantly putting on his parka.
Lila's eyes widened. "What did you do?"
"Upgraded my Ring of Hygiene," he said. "I get instant wardrobe changes now."
When the cooldown refreshed, he switched back to his Dapper Adventuring Set.
Eldrin smiled. "That could be pretty powerful, actually. Can it be used in combat?"
Justin shook his head. "No. But still handy."
"Even so, I could imagine a scenario where you spy an enemy from a distance and see that it deals fire damage. Well, imagine you have clothing that is resistant to fire. Your ring would make that easy, as long as you haven't engaged in combat yet."
"Good point," Justin said. He wondered if it applied to weapons, too. He summoned his new Sunsting Cane, waited a few seconds, then switched to his Cane of Valoria. Then back to his Cane of the Drake.
"Damn, this is really nice," Justin said. "But even if it allowed instant changes in battle, I couldn't just use the Cane of Valoria for the Gentleman's Rebuff, then swap for the Cane of the Drake. Because they're the same type, right?"
"That's right," Eldrin said. "You'd have to wait until the fight was over. But that dagger I gave you back in Whispering Pines would qualify, because it's a different weapon type."
"Got it," Justin said.
Eldrin ended up using his crystal on his alchemy gloves, earned all the way back in the Eldareth Vault. Originally, they had given him a 10% chance of creating a potion or poison of one tier higher in quality. With the silver upgrade, they now gave a 25% increased chance.
Lila chose to upgrade her Amulet of Everblade, earned back in the Guardian Pass, which reduced the time it took for a knife to return to her from 15 seconds to 10 seconds—a huge upgrade that would allow her to throw her knives even faster without breaking pace.
"This should increase my damage by a ton," she said. "I hope I can find a gold crystal to upgrade it even further."
Eldrin looked down at his compass, finding that it was pointing back toward the temple. "Justin, how's that cooldown coming?"
Justin checked. "Thirty minutes. By the time we get to the gate, Sapphire Aegis should be ready to go."
"Let's move out, then," Eldrin said. "It's time to explore another gate."
They returned to the main atrium of the temple without incident. But as they turned, Justin noted the green sheen of a Vault blocking one of the corridors deeper into the atrium, something everyone had previously missed.
They ran there, discovering it was a Level 30 Vault called "The Curse of the Azhdari King."
Justin didn't even bother to read the description—it was long, but the rewards promised a large amount of treasure and a full set of gold gear, rare treasures, and the gold from the king's tomb as a reward.
"That's in the maybe pile for later," Lila said. "It's nice that we know where all the good Vaults are!"
"Let's focus on getting out alive," Eldrin said. "It's like being kids in a candy store, except that a lot of the candy is poisoned."
"Good point," Justin said.
They made their way out of the temple, knocking out a few more low-level mummies, which added 100 more experience points to Justin's total, bringing him to 4,700/13,000.
The morning had been as productive as a Vault, though the fight with the scorpion had been closer than he would have liked.
As tempting as it was to grind here, walking in on another guardian's room could prove to be a deadly mistake. It definitely was time to get out while they were ahead. They could always come back later, more prepared. After all, without Lathalon's Grace, Justin would have been completely screwed.
They passed back through the gate, the Sapphire Star glowing around his chest. They returned to the cool air of the Nexus without incident, finding it just as they had left it.
"All right," Justin said. "Is that compass pointing anywhere interesting?"
As they gathered around, the needle seemed to alternate between multiple gates, making it hard to determine which one to choose. They narrowed it down to six different gates.
"Should we be marking these?" Lila asked. "Although that might not be smart if other people use this place."
"We just need to have good memories," Eldrin said. He pointed to the wall above each gate. "Look. There are words here. I don't see how I didn't notice that before."
Justin frowned. The stone above the gates was rough and worn, the lettering practically invisible, faded by time. To the point where he probably wouldn't have noticed had Eldrin not said anything.
"The letters look...strange," Lila murmured.
"Aye," Eldrin said. "My vision is sharp, but if I didn’t know better, I’d say these are written in the Ancient Tongue. No one has ever decoded that language."
Justin narrowed his eyes at the letters, his vision adjusting—and suddenly, something clicked.
The hairs on his arms stood on end.
"Justin?"
His stomach lurched. He whipped around to the gate they had just come through, his eyes scanning the inscription above it. He willed his cane to become as bright as possible.
Under the clarifying light, the words weren’t symbols anymore.
They were clear. Obvious.
"Gate 22," he whispered, the words falling from his lips instinctively. "Azhdaria."
The silence stretched.
Justin turned back. Lila and Eldrin stared at him. Eldrin looked pale and calculating. Lila’s mouth was slightly open, her eyes darting between Justin and the writing.
"You can read that," Lila said, her voice somewhere between a question and an accusation.
Justin felt a cold weight settle in his stomach. He wanted to deny it, to say it was some kind of trick—but the letters were right there.
His pulse hammered in his ears.
"Of course I can," he said quietly. "That’s English. My native tongue."