Riley plodded next to the wagon. Scattered drops of rain peppered against his head. With his mana humming along, he looked out at the nearby fields. This is boring. I’m not even tripping. We’re going that slowly. He turned towards the wagon and sighed.

“Hole!” a woman barked from up front.

Riley jogged to the front of the caravan and looked at the massive puddle in the road. The wagons approached and swerved around it.

One didn’t quite make it. Its wheel sunk, burying itself in the mud. Riley waded forward. Grabbing hold, he lifted with several others. With a powerful pull by the horses, the wagon resumed its way forward.

Wonder if I can move dirt. Riley focused on that, trying to get his magic to sing in harmony with it.

The dirt refused to move, sing, or do anything. It sat there while he applied his will and mana to it. Giving up before he ran out of mana, he turned and jogged toward a beckoning seventeen-year-old.

“Hi, I’m Wayne.” The brown-haired boy grinned and held out a hand.

“Simon,” Riley replied, shaking it.

“Boring, right?”

“Yes,” Riley said with a groan.

“Want to come spar with us? I’m getting a group.”

“Sure, I guess.” Riley followed toward the back of the train, dodging around puddles in the dirt road. He looked off into the distance. A large forest stretched along the river. Could I fish while we walk? That seems fun.

The clatter of swords hitting each other rose, pulling Riley’s attention back. Wayne swung furiously, his wooden sword slashing forward and slamming against a shield.

Riley turned and jumped on the back of the wagon, perching on the lip like a bird. He watched as the other boy stabbed forward. Wayne knocked the blow aside with his shield and swung again.

Ducking down, the other boy dodged and swung for Wayne’s legs. His blow connected and sent Wayne crashing to the muddy ground. Wayne vaulted up and began swinging recklessly.

Riley shook his head, turned, and looked at the wagon. There had to be something interesting to do that didn’t involve mud.

“Come take a seat,” a woman said, gesturing at the bench.

Jumping onto the wagon, Riley ran along the edge and slid onto the bench. Then he turned and smiled at the woman.

[Helga - Level 247. Merchant - 221. Guard - 221. Tailor - 178.]

“You are a graceful one.” Helga extended her hand. “I’m Helga.”

“Nice to meet you, mam. I’m Simon.” Riley shook her hand and smiled. “What skills do you get from Merchant?”

“Thinking of trying for it? I’d hoped the time requirement would push me higher. It’s working, but the crystals are hard to come by.”

Riley nodded. “It would be useful. Even haggling is useful, and I don’t have a skill for it. Do you get things like that? What else do you get?”

“It’s not what you’d expect. Honestly, our biggest gains are in charisma, insight, and observation. You need to appraise things and then sell them.”

“Makes sense… Are there any tricks to getting those skills?”

Helga grinned. “Sure. We can practice. How much is my wagon worth?”

Riley looked at it. I have no idea… “A noble?” he asked more than answered.

Helga laughed. “Let’s start with the basics, then. There are ten gold to a noble, ten silver to a gold, and ten sil to a silver, right?”

“Yes’m.”

“And you typically pay a sil or two for a very cheap meal.”

“Right,” Riley replied.

“Now, you probably know the things down in the sil range. They are smaller. The silver will get you something fancy, like a used book or a new clothes.”

Riley nodded and errantly itched at his own soggy clothing.

“You hunted,” Helga steered her wagon around another massive puddle. “So you know that a deer could likely be sold for a gold and five if you could turn it into meals and get the hide?”

Riley nodded.

“But really, you only get one?”

“Yes'm.”

Helga leaned over and steered around another pothole. Riley turned to see the two boys yelling at each other. Both were covered in mud. Wayne was swinging furiously and yelling at the top of his lungs.

Helga spun. “Stop yelling at each other! Behave honorably or stop!” she shouted.

Riley chuckled and grabbed a leaf from a passing tree, twirling it in his hands.

“Sorry. Now, where was I? Right. Your deer. So, how much work does it take to get one?”

“A day or so.”

“Right. This wagon took metal and took a week for them to build. The metal alone would run you a noble. It cost me five after a great deal of haggling.”

It makes sense. I forgot about the metal. Leaning over, Riley studied the underside and wheels. It still seemed expensive. “How do you afford expensive things, then? Do you carry around sacks of gold?”

“Use the bank or use spirit crystals,” Helga replied. “They run roughly a silver for a tier-F. A tier-D is a noble, assuming you get permission from the nobility.”

“So, an S-tier?” Riley asked as he jerked up and back into the seat. “That’s ten thousand nobles? That could buy a whole castle, right?”

“Not quite, but it could buy a manor or a lot of land. However, good luck getting your hands on one. Breaking into the D-tier is difficult enough for us. C-tier requires noble approval and is nearly impossible. I paid a pretty penny to make it this far. Your father clearly worked hard.”

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Riley nodded. “He did.” He turned and looked at his dad. Dad really did. A smile spread across his face.

“Now,” Helga said, “We start again. Be quick and find flaws. What would you pay for that wagon up there?”

Riley studied it, beginning a game of appraisal that lasted for several hours and through several fights from the boys behind him.

As the sun finally set, the caravan pulled off to the side of the road. Riley went to help get firewood while Wayne followed.

“Come on, spar with us. Don’t be cowardly,” Wayne said as he followed.

“No, thanks,” Riley replied, picking up soggy wood from the forest floor.

“Coward,” Wayne said dourly. “I could beat you without a shield.”

“Yep.” Riley turned and saw him pull out the wooden sword. “Seriously?”

“Come on. Let’s see if you are strong enough to be a guard.”

“Pass.” Riley walked back toward the camp. The sound of footsteps reached his ears. Burning a bardic inspiration, he darted to the side and slammed a branch into Wayne, sending him sprawling on the ground.

Riley stepped on him on the way past. “You wouldn’t last in a street fight. Don’t try starting one.” He jogged back to the wagons and set down the branches.

Helga looked at the soaking wet wood. “I don’t suppose you can ranger us up a fire?”

“Sure,” Riley said as he began drying out a pile of wood.

Roger walked over and formed a quick pile. Then he sparked it with flint and his knife. Blowing lightly, the small pile of kindling caught flame. He began feeding it while Riley handed him the dry pieces.

“You can do magic?” Wayne asked with wide eyes, staring at the now dry wood.

Riley kept his focus on the wood, slowly drying off the wood.

“Aye. All rangers get a little,” Roger said, pushing Wayne back. “Don’t break his concentration.”

“Can he harvest spirit crystals?” Wayne asked. “Let’s go hunting!”

“That’s illegal without a permit,” the caravan leader said as she walked over. She looked at the fire and nodded in approval. Then she spun and went to find someone to cook.

Riley dried the small pile and started stacking the wood next to the fire to dry. As dusk descended, the sun lit the sky one final time for the day.

Taking a seat, Roger leaned against a wagon. Riley sat next to him and fidgeted.

“Go ahead and read,” Roger said with a wink, handing him the book.

Giddily, Riley took it and flipped it open. He flipped to the next chapter.

Ritual casting is an essential staple for all casters. This uses ambient mana along with mana from the caster. It allows for a far greater efficiency, boosting the strength of the spell by nearly a factor of four. However, the cost depends on components, focus, and time.

You must acquire a magical focus to center yourself and construct the spell…

Riley looked up. Where am I going to find that? He sighed and turned back to the book.

Helga took a seat nearby. “Interesting lad. Reading?”

Roger nodded. “I taught him. He’s working on his ranger spells.”

“Did you train him to be a ranger?” Helga asked.

“Hunter.” Roger tossed a log on the fire. “I assume he aided some animal during the trial and had a knack for magic.”

Helga nodded. “He could make a promising merchant if you wished to contract with me. You could aid in protection, and I could help teach him.”

Roger quirked a brow.

“Come now. With your skill level, it would be an ideal trade. I’ll give him a sample for the trip. I’m certain he can unlock the class with the right crystal.”

“It’ll take too long,” Roger said, shaking his head. “I don’t have the coin to let him go through a place of power.”

Helga’s smile grew. “And I could help with that. What do you say?” She held out her hand.

Riley pulled out of his book and shook her hand. “Deal,” he replied.

Roger chuckled and did the same. Riley turned and shot him a wink before returning to the book.

Wayne came walking up. “Come on, Simon. Let’s go hunting. You have a license, so it’s legal.”

“Once the sun sets,” Riley replied, flipping the pages in the book. He opened one on Ice Magic and happily began reading.

Water and ice are one and the same. To manipulate one is to manipulate the other. The key is in the state of the water…

Leaning back, Riley took an offered piece of jerky and practiced while he read. An unobserved quiet fell on the surrounding meadow while he did. A chill spread through the air, and a shadow flickered toward the group, spreading malevolence in its wake.

Riley Milvsky

Level: 44

XP: 40813

Bard (C)

Level: 25

Inspiring Song F Bolster your allies with magic and music. Strength and Move Speed increased by 1 for one minute. Costs five Bardic Inspiration and impacts allies within ten meters. The radius of influence expands by one meter for each additional inspiration spent. Psychic Spike F Wield your mana to cause psychic damage to a target. Cost varies based on allocation. Manipulate Water F Manipulate the water around you. Cost varies based on amount.

Assassin (C)

Level: 25 + 12

Assume Disguise S +30 charisma. Enhance your current disguise by altering your displayed information and taking on the disguised form. Grants +5 levels to the assigned class. Perception and Insight suffer -250 levels against your disguise and -50 levels against your deception or stealth. Penalty applied: Gods’ Oversight. Dancer's Form B +10 speed. +2 levels to assigned class. You may use a charge of inspiration to boost your movement speed by an additional 5 for a minute. Death's Cloak A Slain enemies will grant experience to your base level and active classes. +3 levels to the assigned class. Perception and insight suffer -25 levels against you. Penalty applied: Covenant. Ambush B +10 speed. +2 levels to the assigned class. Costs one stamina to use. On use, you teleport to a shadow within 20 meters. Penalty applied: Covenant.

Ranger (C)

Level: 24

Predatory Sight E Your perception and insight are boosted by 5. This boost is not reduced by low light or no light.

Pretty E Your appearance is better, but it could be even grander. Use 1 mana to get a little help from Beauty! (Upgrade me again!) Penalty applied: Unequippable. Beauty may alter your appearance at her whim.

Spell Thief (C) Level: 16 Inactive.

Dexterity: 174 Strength: 88 Speed: 81 Intelligence: 88 Charisma: 143 Stamina: 149 Mana: 162 Inspiration: 69