This time, she laughed more freely and the other three took that moment to rejoin the conversation. The private moment having run its course, Joe took the time to reinforce their failure to handle the pain and what would have likely happened in a real world situation. Garnedell started the next round by asking to try one more time as he wanted to see if he could take the strike but maintain his defense, so Joe accepted his request and began a quick mock battle. Joe used the stick and Garnedell defended himself with his staff. Joe spent most of his strikes against Garnedell’s staff but began to aim past it, teaching Garnedell to respond defensively and appropriately. After a few moments, Joe suddenly increased his speed and landed a strike on Garnedell’s thigh once again before immediately sending another strike for Garnedell’s throat. The strike did surprise him, but Garnedell was able to dance back and bring up his staff in front of him, even though he limped a few strides to get himself back into position.
Joe praised Garnedell’s work, smiling while doing so, and soon the other three asked for similar training. This took the next half an hour or so before Joe was able to begin their normal training sessions once again, inviting Gwenvair to take on a goblin. This time, Gwenvair pushed through her fear and did well. She failed several blocks but Joe stepped in each time and soon Gwenvair became very comfortable in the fight knowing Joe had her well protected.
Their day back on track, he had all four rotate out through one another between the two groups so that they learned to fight with everyone in pairs. Their day didn’t last longer than normal as Joe reached level thirty still well before noon and was able to call the day to an end before heading out.
This time, Gwenvair stayed with them for the meal at the nearest guildhall and even joining them at the bath hall, spending the time with Kilniara where the two spoke together in whispers interjected with a generous amount of giggling and glances at him and the boys. Joe smiled, grateful that Kilniara had found a friend, even if it would likely end when they moved on.
Joe enjoyed his time in the baths, allowing the boys their time to chat while he looked at what his gains for the day were. It was a rather average job focused more on the physical, as he expected and it didn’t really give him much in the way of things but it was still another job. He had hoped that there would have been something a bit useful as the job was called explorer. And while the skills were interesting, they didn’t really give him anything that was useful and actually even were a bit insulting.
Status
Blessings
Current Job
Available Jobs
Current Skills
All Skills
Log
Joe McConnell
Status
Physical Resistances
Magical Resistances
HP
120.00
Physical:
Wind
0
SP
120.00
Piercing
30.00
Water
0
MP
30.00
Crushing
30.00
Earth
0
Attack
90.00
Slashing
30.00
Fire
0
Defense
90.00
Ice
0
Magic
30.00
Gravity
0
Magic Defense
30.00
Explorer
30
Magnetic
0
Strength
105.00
Unselected
0
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Light
0
Dexterity
75.00
Unselected
0
Shadow
0
Agility
75.00
Space
0
Speed
60.00
Spirit
0
Endurance
120.00
Mental
0
IQ
30.00
Sound
0
Wisdom
30.00
Electricity
0
Will
22.50
Learning
60.00
Luck
0.00
The first skill he had was a basic buff to strength, which seemed relatively minor and did nothing else simply called strength +. The other skill he had was one called cold resist, which actually might have proved useful if he was camping out at night or traveling in colder climes. The other two appeared to be relatively interesting but Joe found them a bit insulting simply because he had already got them before from adventurer. Freakin’ cheapskates… doubling up on skills… guess they make sense for the job but… not cool! One was basic map reading and the other was back pack. And what does back pack even do? What good is it? And how would back pack even work as a skill?
In any case, the job was pretty much useless. And… that’s dumb… explorers should have a lot of useful survival skills… what good is backpack… should they have… like… other things? Joe grumbled to himself but did try to find the positives, noticing the nice boost to physical resistances which helped him stifle his complaints a bit. Even now, that boost, if he were to keep this job active, would allow him to surpass his piercing and slashing resistances that he gained on Earth, although it was still woefully inadequate to match his crushing resistance. Despite that, it gave him hope that he might be able to gain physical resistance parity relatively soon. Now I just gotta figure out if I should stay for the whole year or swap over to the new stats?
Joe closed his stat windows and ended up relaxing back into the bath, enjoying his time until he finally called an end to the day as the girls appeared to be having too much fun to end their bathing, and Joe sent a runner to them to head out and away. Gwenvair left them at the entrance to the bath, seeming a bit unwilling but excited enough to have enjoyed the day, her earlier melancholy, as well as Kilniara’s, seemingly long gone.
With it still early afternoon, the boys took off to enjoy the rest of the day while Kilniara and Joe headed to the temple square where he had his arm healed and actually swapped over to his next job: scout. He sighed when he saw it, but didn’t really complain much, simply grateful to be growing so quickly and meaningfully.
That evening and afternoon proved quite enjoyable as he spent the time with Kilniara wandering the city before stopping at the temple plaza to see the counselors before heading back to the inn to enjoy a supper for two alone as the boys returned a bit later and met them back up in the room after their own meal. Joe and Kilniara simply chatted with one another for a time after that until Joe finally called for bed, his body still finding staying up longer than sixteen hours straight difficult. He slept quite well that night, although he did make sure to note Gwenvair’s comments about the use of mana on weaponry so he could make sure to ask Kukurnal about it. Huh… maybe I can ask tomorrow… at the temple square again? That should be… normal… just go in after my job change, maybe? Or should I go in the morning… it seemed it could be a life or death thing. Gwenvair was… Joe’s thoughts wrestled with the idea and he fell asleep before he could make up his mind.
* * *
Gwenvair sped back home almost immediately after the bath. The bath had been … archaic and inappropriately crowded. Kilniara appeared to be quite at ease, bathing with dozens of other strangers, but she found herself quite uneasy and asked for a more private location. Kilniara seemed a bit nonplussed by the request but snuck off and spoke to some of the staff where they were shown to a private room. Once there, Gwenvair found herself much more relaxed and even began enjoying the time with Kilniara, her open and excited attitude drawing her ever in. It was in those moments that Gwenvair realized that she had a friend; the first she’d ever had in her life, and she was uncertain how to proceed. It was an exhilaratingly terrifying moment that left her giddy and drove her home with a passion she never knew was possible.
When she arrived at her room, she found herself laying on her bed with her mind unable to comprehend or accept the idea of a true friend; one without agenda or expectation. The fear that held her back, however, was the friendship was still one driven by Kilniara’s hidden wish for a connection to the Galgandar clan. But every time that fear swamped her she saw again Kilniara’s open and simple smile and easy willingness to simply be her friend. As she was cautiously optimistic, she still spent time to carefully evaluate the entire day and Kilniara’s actions.
While doing so, a polite knock rang out in the room and her mother called from the door, “Hello, Gwenvair, may I come in?”
Gwenvair sat up quickly, arranging herself appropriately on the bed as she called out to her mother, “Yes, mom. Please come in.”
Her mother came in, looking at Gwenvair intently as she settled at her side, “Is all well? You seem somehow perturbed?”
Gwenvair stared at her mother for a moment before nodding, “Today was… surprising in many ways.”
“Things are going well?”
Gwenvair sighed, “I am too late. He has another.”
Her mother sighed, grimacing, “Truly?”
Gwenvair nodded, “Yes.”
They both fell silent for a few moments, saying nothing as her mother offered silent companionship as comfort. They rested like this for some time until her mother broke the moment by shifted to her side and wrapping her arms around Gwenvair before continuing.
“Do you wish to end this?”
Gwenvair remained silent, both enjoying their moment for a bit before she finally shook her head no, “No. I may have lost the eccentric, but I believe I have gained a friend. Besides, he is willing to train me and I have learned much.”
“You have learned from him?”
Gwenvair nodded.
Her mother said nothing, but a small smile slipped through to her lips, “Good. The training of an eccentric is … excellent.”
Gwenvair said nothing, sitting silently before she continued, fear slipping into her words, “He is terrifying.”
Her mother glanced at her quickly, “He harmed you?”
“What? No! Well, I mean… yes, but no. It was in training… but that is not… No. He did nothing to terrify me, but his power is overwhelming and knowledge… he… he somehow knows… the system.”
“That... You saw it?” her mother looked at her with some incredulity.
“Only some very small examples.”
“Mayhap… just versed… well trained,” her mother offered but said nothing more, waiting patiently as only was wise for if Gwenvair was under a vow of privacy, triggering it would lead to horrifying consequences. Gwenvair sighed, taking a deep breath to prepare before continuing.
“He emptied his health today.”
“What?!” her mother quietly shouted in shock, “What creature did he fight?”
Gwenvair shook her head quickly, “He fought nothing. He emptied seven digits of his own health in only six or seven strikes.”
Gwenvair’s mother gasped, her face paling instantly, “Seven digits in seven strikes? So… strong!?”
Gwenvair stared at her mother carefully, watching the awe and fear flicker across her mother’s face even as it had across hers, to see such power. She waited for her mother to recover before continuing.
“He also emptied it exactly to zero and seemed to know exactly when his health ended.”
Her mother remained silent, frozen to stillness as her thoughts exploded into consideration before finally turning to her daughter and whispering quietly in trepidation, “How?”
Gwenvair shook her head at her mother’s question and continued, “He… knew… his apprentice’s growth, exactly…”
Her mother’s awed fear pulled back at that as she considered then dismissed this, “Of course he would know. It is a master’s duty to track his apprentice’s growth.”
“He did not know Garnedell had grown. Garnedell did not tell him.”
Her mother paused at that, “Then… maybe he was able to guess the time that… that he would…”
Gwenvair shook her head and chuckled, “If there is one foible this eccentric seems to have, it is his memory.”
“But… are you certain?”
“He knew his health, and when exactly it failed. He knew his apprentice’s growth, and knew he’d grown as soon as he’d looked at it. He knows more… than simple titles… simple… He is not simply guessing. He isn’t… giving the general titles all clanners have… that he would have and know as a clanner. He isn’t speaking of known common knowledge. He isn’t simply knowledgeable… he can… understand it…”
“Everyone knows a First or Second in Line’s titles. Every clanner knows these things… a great clan must know more details… Do you truly believe that he knows the titles or that he can understand the system!”
Gwenvair fell silent at that and both considered the ramifications before she looked back at her mother, “I… still think so…”
“Are you… certain?”
Gwenvair ground her teeth then shook her head, “No one can understand it. It is impossible to understand it! Clans have beggared themselves on the promise of it… Yet…”
“But…”
Gwenvair stared at her mother, fearful hope in her eyes, “But… I think he does…” she ended with a soft whisper.
“More than simply knowledgeable.”
“Wouldn’t he have to be… to know his health… to know … be surprised that his apprentice was … had grown?”
“An easy con… to fake surprise.”
Gwenvair shivered at the thought, and acknowledged it, “It… really would be quite easy. But, he doesn’t seem the type!”
Her mother smiled at that, “They never seem the type.”
“He knew… my skill in the sword.”
“All clanners have skill in the sword.”
Gwenvair’s awe at Joe’s actions cooled, “True.”
“There is an easy test.”
Gwenvair looked up at her mother, expectant.
“Have him tell you the level of another; one that you know.”
Gwenvair grew both excited and a bit worried about this, “That… yes… how would we do that.”
Her mother nodded, “It would be wise to think of a plan.”
Gwenvair stared back at her but had nothing to offer, simply sighing, “I will… think carefully on this, but… there is more.”
Her mother’s face flickered between consideration and skepticism, “What?”
“His clan… he spoke of gifted points.”
“That’s… a myth,” her mother replied with a flat voice.
Her mother spent an inordinate amount of time in Gwenvair’s room that night, their talk struggling to reconcile the eccentrics behavior and claims. He was a likeable man, enjoyable in so many ways, but that was the nature of all conmen. He easily shared his wealth, a considerate and likeable trait, but also a way to easily gain trust. The problem, however, was his inordinate wealth and the perfect cores he so easily passed on to them, then crushed and destroyed in front of them as if they were of no concern. So many oddities. They grew ever more concerned about who he was, struggling to figure out how to verify many of his claims. Several were impossible, but one would be more than easy enough and more than proof enough. His claims were too extreme, a few outside the capability of testing, leaning heavily towards disbelief and placing Joe into a rather unflattering light. But, if Joe was a conman, he’d made several crucial mistakes that could be easily verified. And many plans developed, considered, and discarded before the two settled on something they were happy with that night.
* * *
Once again in less than a week, the capital city Library exploded with activity. The librarian and assistant of the recent job acquisitions jerked in surprise when they heard a tinkle of crystal on a tray. Their glance over in surprise turned to shock when they realized why they had heard a tinkle. A job crystal had already formed and when a second job crystal formed, it had not been able to form on the tray. It had instead formed in the air above the tray and previous job crystal before tumbling off the first job crystal to tinkle against the ornate metal tray. The two librarians stared. Two! Two new jobs. As they began their work to catalog the two new jobs, a second tinkle was heard. The two librarians froze, looking back over their shoulders at the three new jobs, all three deep green of partier jobs. Three new… Another tinkle… then another, both deep green. The two librarians stared at each other. Five! Five new partier jobs…
The frenzy of the single job from last week paled in comparison to the uproar that shattered the peace of both the capital city and the entire Aelthron Cradle, even in comparison to the thousands months ago. A single incoming of jobs was phenomenal and incredibly rare, happening over thousands of years. To have another was unheard of. For a third wave to appear so quickly and immediately hinted at only one possibility, a great age was upon them and the change of a great age. Those in power shifted nervously as they began gathering in to survive the storm, protecting their interests while sending forth massive amounts of spies. Those who knew but had fallen into despair gathered their hope once again; their hope, rage, and revenge.
* * *
A great sigh and a rising. He stirred, moaned in frustrated annoyance, then fell silent again.