Ellia led Dex and Princess towards the most prominent part of the room: the crystal. “Being a member of the Echelon has its perks,” she said, placing her hand on the surface of the crystal. “We have our own quest crystal on campus. You need not wait in line at the square. Here, you will accept quests that are available to our House. Some I assign, and some are automatically generated.”

“Generated? What exactly generates the quests, if not you?” Dex questioned, growing increasingly confused. It seemed like everything here simultaneously did and did not have some sort of divine interference. Things seemed too random, like his quest to kill the cragtooth, yet so purposeful at the same time. He just couldn’t wrap his head around how all of this worked. At least not yet.

“I do not know,” she replied bluntly. “All we know is that quests come and go, as with life itself.”

“A little dramatic,” Princess pointed out.

Ignoring his familiar’s remarks, Dex spoke to Ellia. “I almost forgot to say thank you for giving us a chance.”

“It is my pleasure,” she said. “My biggest asset is a keen sense of opportunity.”

Not being sure how to respond to that, Dex pointed at one of the shimmering doorways. “So what are those, exactly?”

“These are our portals.” Ellia walked them to the left-most one. It glowed a similar blue to the crystal, although a little darker. “This one is the home portal. Whoever walks through will end up in their home. It simply makes resting after a difficult quest a little easier, since you don’t have to walk home and all that.” She said, waving her hand away like that wasn’t one of the coolest things Dex had ever heard.

A moment of hope passed through Dex. Maybe this would take me back to Earth? He knew in his heart he was wrong, but figured he would find out soon enough, anyway.

“The next four portals, green, yellow, orange, and purple, are all for flicker quests. Do you know what that is?” Ellia asked.

Dex shook his head. “No idea.”

“Imagine a world that exists for but a moment. Created and destroyed as you enter and exit it, respectively. These worlds flicker into existence for the sole purpose of whatever quest you are on.” She explained, walking them past the purple door towards the next group. “These we can deal with later, when you become strong enough to attempt them.” She walked him past three more doors. The first was a deep crimson, its light swirling like a pool of blood. Second, the light was pitch black. Dex felt he could barely call it ‘light’ at that point. Lastly, the light was a deep gray. Its light moved like smoke. Almost as if something was breathing it in and out.

“The last door,” Ellia stopped in front of the pink one Oren and Finn had entered, “takes you near your current quest in the real world, should that be where your quest is. It also acts as our point of return, should you need an emergency recall.” She held out her hand. A small blue crystal, similar to the giant quest one, sat in her palm. “This is for emergencies only. Shatter it and you will be shot back here, through this portal.”

Dex took the offering, putting it in his pocket. “Thank you,” he said. “So, when can I get started?”

“Check your available quests, since you’re so eager.” Ellia smiled, motioning towards the quest crystal. “I have already assigned you the first in your training line.”

He wasted no time and approached the crystal, touching it with his palm. A series of options appeared in front of him.

[Quest available: Hunt the Predators - Difficulty: 1]

[Quest available: Buried Treasure - Difficulty: 1]

[Flicker quest available: Demon of the Lake - Difficulty: 3]

[Flicker quest available: Trial of Ascension - Difficulty: 10]

[Assigned quest available: One Hit - Difficulty: 5]

These were some interesting names, piquing Dex’s interest. He also took note of the ‘difficulty’ tags, which he hadn’t seen anywhere else before. Maybe it was because these were House quests? Figuring he could glean more information by checking the rewards, he focused on each quest one-by-one, relaying each one to Princess so she felt included.

[Quest: Hunt the Predators]

[A nest of purple and green voregar are terrorizing the friendly wildlife in Eazewood. Eliminate them to restore balance to the nature in the area]

[Slay the voregar: 0/22]

[Reward: 2,200 points]

[Reward: Voregar claw seal]

That’s a lot of points, Dex thought. And what is that seal? Deciding not to dwell on it, he moved on.

[Quest: Buried Treasure]

[A long-lost artifact can be found somewhere in Eazewood]

[Find the artifact: 0/1]

[Reward: 1,000 points]

[Reward: The artifact]

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“Well, that one doesn’t tell us anything.” Princess echoed.

“It does say it’s buried at least,” Dex protested.

“Are you going to go around digging up the entire forest?” She argued.

“Well, an artifact could be anything, it could even be a boa- nevermind.” He interrupted himself, realizing Princess wouldn’t get the reference. She tilted her head in confusion, but Dex waved it off. “Obviously not. I’ll just check the next one.” Dex moved on.

[Flicker Quest: Demon of the Lake]

[A small village is being harassed by a demon. Slay this foe to free the village and claim the love of their people as their hero]

[Slay the demon: 0/1]

[Reward: 10,000 points]

[Reward: ??? Scroll (Tier 2)]

“Tier two,” Dex echoed. “That has to be worth it.”

“We have no gauge for how difficult a three is. Better to be careful, or maybe ask Ellia.” Princess replied.

“I suppose you’re right. Either way, I’m going to finish the list.”

[Flicker quest: Trial of Ascension]

[The Trial is waiting]

[Ascend the mountain and claim its rewards: 0/1]

[Reward: 100,000 points]

[Reward: Class Ascension Crystal (Tier 3)]

“Whoa,” Dex said aloud. He noticed the point reward on this one was much higher than the others, but it seemed to match the difficulty. And what is a class ascension crystal? This world has much more to offer than he originally thought.

[Assigned Quest: One Hit]

[Can you land a single blow on Ellia Frostsworn?]

[Hit Ellia: 0/1]

[Reward: 2,000 points]

[Reward: Automatic level up]

[Reward: Assigned Quest: First Expedition]

What the hell? Dex thought. Is she trying to teach him a lesson in power difference? There’s likely no way that, at his level and only fourteen agility, he’d have a chance to land a single blow on someone in the Echelon. At least, that’s how he saw it. However, this seemed to be the first quest in the ‘training line’ she mentioned, so it’s not like he had much of a choice. The automatic level up sounded nice as well, and it made Dex remember he hadn’t bothered to look at his personal sheet since he killed the vrakir assassin.

[PERSONAL SHEET]

Level: 4

Points: 4,450

Race: Human (Rank 1 - Earthling)

Class: Weapon Master (Rank 3)

- Physical -

* Might: 15

* Agility: 14

* Vitality: 11

* Endurance: 14

- Cognition -

* Perception: 13

* Adaptability: 13

* Intuition: 16

* Resilience: 12

- Spirit -

* Resonance: 1

* Harmony: 0

* Control: 0

He immediately noticed three things. First, he had leveled up twice since after the fight with the vrakir. Likely, these were from the cragtooth encounter, but he truly had no clue how levels were obtained in this world. Could they be given out for more mundane things, aside from combat? Next, he noticed there was a line that kept track of his points, which was convenient, but also told him that he had spent more on takeout than he initially thought. Finally, none of his stats had gone up. It seemed that just gaining levels definitely did not give him free stats. They must be earned in other ways, such as his Healthy Body, Healthy Mind passive, which he gained when he got his class. After taking stock of his sheet, he decided it was time to try his first quest.

Dex stepped towards Ellia. “What are my odds?” He asked plainly, staring straight into her eyes. They were about the same height, he noticed.

Ellia smiled, clasping her hands in front of her as always. “Anything is possible. You may begin when you choose.”

He set Princess down on the table, setting his sword down next to her. There’s no point in using a weapon. That’s just dangerous.

Standing in front of Ellia again, Dex readied himself. He put his fists up in a sort-of street fight pose and threw a punch forward. She gracefully moved out of the way at the last second, of course. Throwing several more punches, and a few kicks, Dex met nothing but air as Ellia shifted and stepped out of the way of every hit. Her hands were still clasped in front of her and her smile was the same as ever, which was now starting to piss him off. He went for a full body charge and wound up stumbling to the floor as she sidestepped him, tripping him as he passed her. Every movement Ellia made was so precise and calculated, as if she could process information and react a hundred times faster than he could.

“You must realize by now that this approach is not going to work, Dexter.” She said, helping him to his feet.

Echoing to Princess, Dex had an idea. They worked through their plan silently while Dex fumbled through a few more attempts, hoping that Ellia wouldn’t catch on.

Finally, after resetting his stance in front of her, they carried out their makeshift-plan. Princess launched an all too familiar chomp into Ellia’s ankle, causing her to shriek lightly at the surprise. In the same moment, Dex launched a nut-buster directly into her crotch. She had no nuts to speak of, like the vrakir did, but he figured this was his best shot since she couldn’t just sway her head or torso a little and dodge the hit.

It worked. Dex’s shin nearly shattered as it struck between Ellia’s legs. It’s as if he kicked a solid steel wall. How was Princess able to pierce her ankle if her whole body was this durable? That little rat must have some sharp teeth.

Rejoicing in their plan working, Dex reached down and picked up his familiar.

“I’m starting to like you more and more,” He said, giving Princess a light hug.

“Excellent!” Ellia said, clapping her hands together. “The purpose of this was to have you be creative. I hope you understand, in a fair fight I could disintegrate you in a moment. However, by using clever tactics and planning, you can set yourself up for an unexpected victory.”

“Thank you for the lesson,” Dex said, not revealing that they used this exact tactic only a couple of days ago. He rubbed his shin, attempting to scratch away the pain. “But holy hell, you’re durable.”

[Hit Ellia: 1/1]

[Reward: 2,000 points]

[Reward: Automatic level up]

[Reward: Assigned Quest: First Expedition]

[The following passive has been acquired]

[Level 5 passive: Grit of the Warrior - You ignore much of the pain you endure, allowing you to battle closer to death without stopping. You still die from the same wounds as before, however]

“That seems like a double-edged sword,” Dex echoed to Princess after explaining to her his new passive.

“I agree,” she replied. “You could get way closer to dying without knowing it, but the upside probably outweighs it, if you ask me.”

Dex moved back to the crystal, touching it to accept his next quest. He opted to take both the Buried Treasure quest and Hunt the Predators in addition to his next quest in the training line, hoping he could get a two-for-one while he was out. The Buried Treasure one seemed like a long-shot, but it’s not like there was a downside. As far as he could tell, anyway.

“So, I just step through the portal?” Dex asked Ellia, gathering his sword from the table and approaching the pink light.

“Yes. It will portal you near your first quest,” she explained. “If you have multiples, it will pick one automatically.”

“How will I know where to go, since it’s only near?” He asked.

“You won’t.”

Expecting an answer like that, he decided to take the plunge and step into the light. It was almost like walking through a doorway, and when he looked back, there was nothing but forest.

“Whelp, here we are again, Princess.” Dex said, feeling dread about being back in this accursed forest.