The next week went by in a blur. I did several quests a day slowly building up level Exp, but didn’t level up because that would slow progression. Due to that I decided not to check it to often. Otherwise I would be temped to level up. I bought a Silver rank monster guide from the guild. That took some convincing from Electra, but she caved when I said if I didn’t know what I was looking at I wouldn’t know how to get away from it. In reality I knew that I would end up fighting the beasts just like I had before and hated being behind the learning curve.

I went over to Sara’s twice and helped her while learning the basics of Artifice contraction. It was hard not to considering how many things I used Analyze on. I was shocked at some of the prices as well. Some were as little as 5 silver, but some for high level adventurers like I had were 50-100 gold. When I found that out I tried to give mine back, but Sara got rather angry with me saying I had better be wearing them whenever I went out… I didn’t tell her I didn’t because it seemed strange to wear jewelry to go to work. She saw my expression though and demanded a promise that I would wear them so I caved.

Flare and I weren’t able to see each other due to her schedule, but she sent me several letters telling me about her day and asking me about mine. I told her about my hunts and learning about Artifices. I wasn’t used to being pursued. I had had a few relationships. I had one that lasted a while, but didn’t make it through medical school. Medical school is rough on relationships… 100 hour weeks once you get in a residency and stress and all that went with it. I loved the stress of a busy ER, but even that can take too much from you after a while and if you aren’t careful that can burn up your friendships and loves. I made sure this time though that I took time from hunting. Just like the ER it had a similar feel to the stress that I liked, but just as Kittie had said I couldn’t let it go without a break.

During a morning I decided to relax and just take some time to read I decided to check my status page and see where I was.

Name: Jake Smithson

Race: Human

Level 34 (1512%)

Age 25

Main Categories and sub categories displayed

Wisdom 11 (Mana 5, Mana Control 2, Knowledge 1, Mana Regen 3/10min)

Intellect 9 (memorization 3, recall 3, Speed of thought 6)

Strength 15 (Attack 24, speed 12, endurance 4)

Constitution 15 (Resist Poinsons 1, Vitality 8, Protection 6)

Agility 10 (control of movement 4, balance 3, learning new skills 3)

Will 10 (Discipline 4, Ability to overcome adversity 2, desire to win 3, resistance to charm or intimidate 1)

Charisma 19 (Good Looks 8, Luck 5, Communication 3, negotiations 1, leadership 2)

You can level up 15 levels. Level up now?

Yes. No.

You have 62 skill points.

Assign skill points now?

Yes. No.

Skills list: Analyze 10, Axe Mastery 15, Bow Mastery 7, Fire Magic 2, Injury Evaluation 2

Mana Manipulation 20, Night Vision 2, Space Control 15, Sword Mastery 3, Time Control 8

Tracking 10, Sword Mastery 3, Water Magic 4, Camouflage 10, Cooking 1

I would need to level up soon. As soon as I passed over into Silver rank territory I would need to halt progression until I could safely get my Silver rank card. That wasn’t going to be while I was in the capital for sure. I could keep upping skills… boy did I have a lot of skill points… but the stat points would stagnate. I had a couple ideas on where I wanted to put points, but I had to be careful as this would be it for maybe even years. Before I put them anywhere, I needed to Analyze a lot of monsters and figure out what would be the most advantageous. I would be working alone after all.

A week from the Art Gallery exhibit I hadn’t had a letter from Flare in a couple days and was expecting one with our dinner date details. I woke up and went to check with the front desk. Nothing there so I went to the Guild and asked there as well. As I didn’t have anything I was looking at my board when I thought. I still have her Jewelry in my Inventory. I had forgotten it completely. Looking for an excuse to see her I thought… I could go and give it to her. Hmm. Would that be too pushy on my part? Well, she had been the pushy one up to now. If she didn’t like it I could always just drop it off and leave. I would just read the room and go with it.

That in mind I opened up my map. I had marked her house and was about to plot a course there when I noticed a marker in the middle of the river. That was odd. It was traveling West on the river. I zoomed in on it and was shocked to see it was Flare, Windy and Mindy. They had to be on a boat, but I could only see them because my map was so big now. They were about to pass out of reach of even that. I considered going to their manor and checking if she had had to leave on a trip and had left a note for me. This didn’t smell right though and if I didn’t head that way I could lose them if they went down a tributary. I decided that I would just go.

I couldn’t think of a good reason she would leave without saying anything. I started to run. Time Slow set to regen I moved fast. It wasn’t fast enough though. I was losing the boat going down river. It was fast. It had the current, but it also had to have an Artifice to help it move that fast. I knew everything would cancel once I leveled up so I couldn’t camouflage to do it with people around. I just ran and then got to the river. Running along side was fast, but with direct lines of sight I got an idea. I waited for a less populated area that had a sight line about a mile long and Instatraveled. That caught me up a bit and gave me a little time to stop everything level up and then do what I had been planning with my 30 Exp points.

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6 to mana regen. I chose this over mana as Sara could see my mana pool and if it suddenly grew I would be in trouble. No one had an increased mana regen rate so people wouldn’t expect it. Then 12 to speed with the obligatory 6 to speed of thought. 4 to endurance which should help with a lot, but this looked like a marathon I was about to do. Finally, 2 to resist charm so that no one could see through my camouflage. I wanted a couple points in poison resist as well, but that would have to wait for the next couple levels. This made the most sense to me fighting humans, especially. I felt the change in my mind as much as my body this time.

The speed at which I came to discissions was fast as well. I realized I needed to take an extra minute to apply some skill points to my Axe. It was my main weapon recently and the one I had the most experience with. It had really grown on me. I decided to max it out. I had learned from Sara that skills maxed out at 50 at the master level so I added 35 to it. I would save the rest until I knew what I was dealing with.

YOU HAVE LEVELED UP AXE MASTERY

At level 25 your have reached the advance stage. You are one with your weapon and it protects you as much as it deals damage to your enemy. Few are those with your skill.

…

YOU HAVE LEVELD UP AXE MASTERY

At level 35 you become a master of the Axe. You have chosen this to be your weapon. Others may stand back and shoot arrows or hide behind shields swinging bits metal they call a blade, but you stand toe to toe with the strongest of foe and trade mighty blows.

…

YOU HAVE LEVELD UP AXE MASTERY

At the pinnacle of those who wield mighty weapons your name will go down in history as the man who could not be stopped because of his mighty AXE. LEVEL 50

I didn’t have my Axe in my hand when I leveled up. I instantly regretted that. It felt like a piece of me was missing. I pulled it out of my Inventory and tied it to my back. I didn’t need to test it out. I could feel what I could do with an Axe. There is no feeling to describe it. It was like explaining to someone what it was like to breath. My axe just WAS. I also pulled out my armor and my potion belt and put them on.

With that I started running. I cast Camouflage and Time Slow. I set the regen point so that my mana came back up to full within about 15 minutes then I moved it to the regen point. Doing that I was able to keep the boat on my map. I had lost some ground, but was running so fast now that I was making up time. It was slow going though. The terrain was tough and I was attacked several times by monsters I didn’t even stop to get cores from. They were Silver rank and had just enough Charm resist to see through my Camo. I never got tired physically though. I was cycling mana the entire time. Between my new endurance and that I was able to keep running at a pace that made my mind boggle.

Their boat was traveling at a speed that would rival boats back home. By the night I had caught up and lost a few miles so many times I was really getting frustrated. When it got too dark to travel at the speed I needed I cast night vision and kept going, but the boat didn’t slow. I eventually succumbed to not physical, but mental fatigue. had to resort to catnaps just 10-15 minutes long or I would lose them. I jumped with Instatravel when I could, but that was not very often and when I did, I had to slow down to regen my mana. I wasn’t sure it was helpful for the little jumps I could make in the dense forest near the river right now.

This continued for two days on the big river. I started to day dream about sleep. Finally I suddenly started to catch up to them quickly. They must have stopped! My mental exhaustion left me and I ran with renewed vigor. I came out about 7 miles from their location and saw they were stopped in a port town. It was right on the coast. We had come that far? I didn’t slow down my pace. What would be the point? No human, Beastman or even Elf could see me now in Camouflage. I ran right through farms and down streets heading straight for where my 3 marke… wait there were 4 now? I looked and it was Rolf. I bristled. I didn’t know what was going on yet, but I really didn’t like it now.

I kept going and my map led me right into a warehouse district. I slowed as I came up on the building they were in. There were guards outside and a quick circuit of the building found the only access was a second story window that was open. I was so tired I just paid the skill point for the climbing skill and leveled it up to journeyman level

YOU HAVE LEARNED THE CLIMBING SKILL

The fly on the wall, spider boy, and you. None of you can be slowed down by merely having to travel vertically. Don't turn into a cat burglar now! This skill will level with increasing skill and less likelihood of falling.

…

YOU HAVE LEVELED THE CLIMBING SKILL

At level 15 you have reached the journeyman tier. You will only fall should someone push you, a piece of what you are climbing falls off or an earthquake happens. Even the smallest protrusion is your stair upwards!

I instantly new how to get to the window and was there in seconds. I didn’t go right in, but listened at the window. I heard voices and listened. If this was a business meeting and Flare was fine I would slink away and try to bury my head in the sand and never speak of this again. The next few words allayed my worries on that front.

“Why can’t we have a little fun with them while we wait. Your boss won’t want all of them pure will he. Just save the Elf for him and let us have some fun with the others.”

I didn’t recognize the voice, but I marked it for death. The next voice I did recognize.

“I suppose you are right but in the wrong direction. My master wouldn’t be caught dead taking an Elf slave lover. The noble woman is his. You have can have the Elf and her dirty half sister.” Said a voice that could only be Rolf. I would know it anywhere since he first kicked me out of my own campsite.

I pulled myself the rest of the way into the room through the window I had been hanging from. There were three men. Two sailors and Rolf. Between them on the ground laid the three women I had been chasing for nearly 48 hours. I took a second to think about what to do. That is what I would like to say. Honestly I was mad and tired and just wanted a bath and a bed. I still wasn’t sure what was going on here, but I wanted to make them pay for whatever they had done to the ladies and for making me run for TWO DAYS STRAIGHT! I’m sure it was more the former… mostly.

I went up behind Rolf and canceled Camouflage. The two sailors could see me, but he couldn’t, standing there with my axe on my shoulder. The sailors blanched just as Rolf started to turn I stopped time walked over and took out the sailors. When I restarted time Rolf turned to look behind him and then looked back when he heard the heads hit the floor. He saw me and I waited just long enough for him to register that it was me and said “I warned you I would take your head.” He looked at his men with surprise and horror and then back at me. Then I stopped time and walked back over and kept my promise.

Starting time again I walked over and bent down in front of Flare and pulled off her blind fold. Her eyes met mine and looked beyond me at Rolf dead on the floor. A look of relief came over her and she would probably have smiled, but the gag was getting in the way. I put my finger to my lips for the third time in our relationship and removed it. She stayed quite, but finally gave me a wry smile while I moved on to her wrists and ankles. At which point she moved to her sister and I moved to Mindy.

Once everyone was free, I took a look around the building. No one else was inside and we were in an office overlooking the working area where there were a lot of crates and tables. Once I confirmed we were alone I closed the window. They wouldn’t be climbing out that with a guard nearby. They didn’t have Camouflage and I couldn’t give it to them. I had them take the swords of the fallen men. I knew they weren’t proficient in them, but I did know that since their experience with the bandits the Elfwoods sisters had started fencing lessons on top of their offensive magic practice. I was a little jealous they had gotten a teacher before me. Now though I wasn’t sure I ever would. The Axe was mine.

I told them my plan. I would take out the guards on one side of the building and they would come out that way and we would make our escape. We would head back to the boat dock and hire a boat to take us back right away. We didn't know who to trust here and speed was of the essence.

We were about to enact my plan when the outer door opened and who should walk in but Mr. Pompous and 10 of his henchmen.