“Can you understand me now?” Lyra crossed her arms as she asked that question, even though this was the first time he had seen her Arthur knew that she was not in a good mood and it would be best to answer her question.
“Yes I can. How did you do that?” Arthur was quite interested in that little light show, at first he was confused but if something like that could help him in other was then it was definitely something to look into.
“I am a mage and I have practiced magic for many years now. Now we should get back to the topic at hand. Who are you and how did you access the dwarven settlement?” Lyra gestured towards the open double doors as she asked, but Arthur could tell it was more of a demand than a question.
“My name is Arthur, and I don’t remember how I got inside.” Lyra raised her eyebrow but said nothing. “All I know is that there are these little green creatures that are running around and killing one another before eating each other. There was also a short skeleton walking around too, that was also very strange.”
The explanation of the ‘short green creatures’ made Lyra nod in understanding, but the skeleton comment had her a little confused. “Why don’t we continue this discussion in a more private setting.” Lyra said as she pointed towards a large tent on the opposite side of the cave they were in. Arthur gave a small nod and followed her along with the armored man with her towards the tent.
As they started walking the crowd around them slowly dissipated and returned to what they were doing before.
The interior of the tent was quit large, but its purpose as a command center was made quite apparent by the table in the very center of the room and the orb projecting the image of an older man with grey hair. *“I assume this young man here is the source of the disturbance I just witnessed.”* The man said as he watched Arthur follow Lyra and Citro.
*“That is correct sir, Lyra please cast the comprehend languages spell on him so he may answer the questions he is asked.”* Citro answered the man and Lyra complied by repeating the process, but Arthur was the one to begin glowing.
“There, now we can have a proper conversation.” The man gave a light chuckle. “Now I must ask, how did you access the dwarven settlement?”
“I am sorry but I don’t remember how or even when that happened.” Arthur gave the most honest answer. Something about the man gave him the feeling that he was just being nice, and that he normally wasn’t such a considerate person. But he pushed that to the back of his mind for the moment as it wasn’t very relevant at the moment.
“So what exactly do you remember?” The man said as he appeared to be learning over the table on his end. It gave Arthur a bad feeling, like the man was waiting for something. “I am sorry but I don’t remember anything before I was inside the ‘dwarven settlement’.” As Arthur gave that response the weird pressure slowly faded and the man stood upright again.
Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.
“That is quite troubling, but what of your class on your HUD?”
“My HUD?” Arthur was quite unfamiliar with that word and he looked to both Citro and Lyra for clarification.
“You HUD is the floating translucent text that you can call up on command, it shows your physical, mental, and magical attributes. Your class is a representation of what you do and what you know, in functionality it gives you a learning boost to certain skills.” Citro spoke up and gave Arthur a brief run down as to what the older man was talking about.
Arthur took a moment and thought about the HUD and willed it to appear before him. When it did he took a look at the class and the few bonuses it provided even though he was fairly certain he remembered what they were.
/- - - - - -\
Name : Arthur
Level 2
Exp : 650
Next Level at : 900
Mana : 2/2
Class : The All Knowing
Class Bonuses :
Advanced Learning
Photographic memory
Jack of All Trades
\- - - - - -/
“It says my class is called ‘The All Knowing’.” The three looked at Arthur with a bit of confusion, they were expecting something more simple and familiar. The name of the class being ‘The All Knowing’ implies some sort of scholar or researcher.
“And what sort of class bonuses come with it?” The old man asked after a moment of contemplation.
“Advanced Learning, Photographic memory, and Jack of All Trades.” The three went quiet at the answer they were given. Those three were incredible on their own, but this random person who just crawled out of an ancient dwarven settlement just so happened to have three of the best ones known.
“Well it appears you are a very lucky young man, those are three of the most coveted class bonuses in the world. I would recommend that you keep that to yourself for the time being, and if anyone does ask just tell them about your photographic memory.” The old man nodded to Lyra who retrieved a piece of paper and some ink. “Now I think it is time for you to tell all of what you encountered within that old settlement.”
***********
A brief discussion ensued in which Arthur told them about everything he saw and fought in the ancient dwarven settlement known as Dom Badaher. He covered the short green creatures, the walking skeleton, and how large the settlement really was. He estimated it could easily house five hundred people with a bit of upkeep.
“Thank you for your time young man, but we have some important matters to discuss given the information you have just given us. I will permit you to remain with the expedition given you helpfulness and if you so wish you may take part in it, if you do I will see to it that you are rewarded for your efforts.” The old man said to Arthur who simply thanked him and left the tent. But just a few moments after he exited he felt a hand smack him from behind and a voice with it. “Well hello there lad. We’ve been waiting to talk to you for a while now.”