* * *

“… job is the gatekeeper! The skill theorist will free the job you want. It is the Insanity job!”

Their job complete, the two men wrapped up their mummer’s play, the two walking away rapidly while continuing the farcical conversation.

“Truly? The Insanity job? It has the power to freely pass the peak?”

“Yes! It will. You will see if you are able to achieve it, but the work is…”

The man trailed off and looked over his shoulder. They’d already walked dozens of feet and turned two corners. With his glance back, the other looked at him nervously and since neither saw any individual chasing them, they both looked at each other before rapidly running down two different alleyways, seeking safety and anonymity. They had no desire to see the results of their play.

The first man, the seller of information, made it several blocks before grunting, the wind knocked from his lungs as he suddenly felt a weakness radiate through his entire body. He looked down to see a sliver of an ice blue needle sticking from his chest, buried deeply into the depths of his heart. He felt his heart shudder, pounding forcefully as it sought to continue pushing blood. The man stared at it, dumbfounded before collapsing to his knees, then falling forward onto his face, already dead by the time his knees hit the ground. The ice needle in his chest buried itself deeper before the end shattered as it was crushed against the road.

The second man almost made it home. In fact, he was only a single turn from his door when the ice needle took him. He, too, stared dumbly and felt the powerful thumping of his heart struggling to pump, then nothing, as the blood in his heart froze over. He remained on his feet another few steps before simply toppling full bodied and stiff kneed to the ground. He did not die quickly, his heart struggling to beat for another few minutes, but the man found himself unable to call out for help. His consciousness faded and then he was gone.

* * *

Joe blinked, almost rubbing an ear with a hand when the man spoke the jobs name, an odd screeching and wretched noise heard before it became clear. It took him a long time to come back from it, oddly. He vaguely remembered the two men continuing their talk as they walked away, business finished, but he cared little for them and instead solidified what he’d learned. He already had all the nine theorists unlocked and leveled to quite a high level. They were all level thirty except the citizen theorist which had only made it to level twenty six.

Huh… should be easy enough. Is it worth it? If it’s just to unlock a max level, then I can wait until I hit the max. There’s really no point to … wait! Maybe… what if it’s not unlocking the max level! What if people just think there is a max level because of the insane growth curve! Five times more every five levels! Maybe… it… reduces that? Or… a huge boost to the learning stat? That would be… But… if it was that great… Joe frowned… How would two nobodies have found it out… Wonder if…

“Joe! You are here!”

Joe broke from his thoughts and turned to see Kilniara and Gwenvair in the courtyard doorway, excitement at finding him evident although they seemed a bit tense.

“Hi. Did you have a good day together?”

Kilniara smiled, her tension eased and she came forward, “Yes, we had a good day.”

“Good. Is everything OK?” Joe asked, wanting to understand their tension.

Gwenvair walked up at that point and stood beside Kilniara but didn’t say anything, glancing at Kilniara. Kilniara stared back, both looking at each other meaningfully before looking up at Joe. Kilniara took the lead.

“A great working swept the city. Gwenvair and the Matriarch are very concerned as no one in the city was able to resist the focus of some greater Clan’s Elite. It … overwhelmed everyone in the city, even Gwenvair and her mothe… the Matriarch.”

“Overwhelmed? What happened?”

“They were overwhlemed,” Kilniara replied, seemingly believing that was explanation enough.

Joe pondered for a bit, wondering whether to wait for Garnedell to come to ask questions or if he could reveal his lack of understanding to Kilniara and Gwenvair. He trusted Kilniara enough to ask but considered Gwenvair for a bit. He decided to continue because he knew he was the cause and if he could pass the word to the Matriarch through Gwenvair, maybe he could calm the city a bit.

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“Can you tell me exactly how they were overwhelmed?”

Kilniara looked up at him, carefully searching his face as she explained, “Everyone in the city fell to their faces, unable to stand. Even the strongest amongst the clan were forced to the ground. Only the Matriarch was able to hold herself from the ground on hands and knees but none were able to move.”

Joe stared at both of them, shock quickly showing, “They were forced to the ground?”

Kilniara stared at him for a bit, then began to smile, “You weren’t overwhelmed?”

Joe looked away, hiding his embarrassment then looked back at the two girls and sighed, “Come upstairs. We need to talk.”

The two girls seemed shocked at what he said, and Joe simply turned and led the way out of the courtyard, picking up his shirt as he passed to head back up to the room. He slid it on quickly before heading into the inn common area. He held the door for the other two before all three went up the stairs quickly, no one speaking.

When they made it into the room, Joe sat on his bed with a sigh while Kilniara sat on her brother’s bed across from Joe. She patted the bed beside her when she looked up at Gwenvair and she came to her, sitting at her side. Joe didn’t notice as his head was still dropped. He remained so for a few moments before looking up once more.

“Gwenvair? Could you offer my apologies to your Mother? I did not intend to harm or bother the city.”

The two sat in silence for a moment before Gwenvair quickly stood, her eye’s wide in shock, “That was you?”

Joe looked at Gwenvair, worry stretching a grimace across his face as he nodded, “I do apologize. I did not mean to do that or have that happen at all. Again…”

Gwenvair stared at him, wide eyed and said nothing. Kilniara also seemed utterly shocked, looking at Joe with awe but also with a sense of glee and happiness.

“What were you trying to do? Did someone offend you?”

Joe quickly shook his head, chuckling a bit, “I didn’t mean to do that at all. I had no intention to do that to the city. I was only looking for my home. The skill… I apologize. It seems to have some unintended side effects. I am truly sorry,” Joe ended while looking at Gwenvair.

Gwenvair, seeing him looking at her with concern, quickly came to herself and rejected his apology vehemently, “No! No! There is no need to apologize!”

Joe shook his head, “I’m grateful for your willingness to forgive me, but I still did disrupt the city and cause a lot of fear. I’m truly sorry. I’ll make sure to only do that out of the city.”

Gwenvair seemed to be breathing quickly, fear obviously driving her and Joe started again, “Please, don’t be afraid. I had no intention against the city. I truly am sorry.”

Gwenvair stopped her breathing at that, then grinned, shaking her head, “I am not fearful at all, just… very surprised and excited. I cannot believe… thank you so much for accepting me!”

Joe smiled and nodded, laughing, “What? Oh… uh… of course, but I still am sorry. Even it was an unintended accident, I should have been more careful.”

Gwenvair shook her head and ignored him, “You have no need to apologize to me!”

“Then to your mother?”

Gwenvair shook her head again, “I will offer your apologies to her, but I believe she will not be concerned at all!”

Joe sighed in relief, “That’s… a relief. I really didn’t know that … I didn’t… I’m sorry. Um… could you keep it… quiet?”

Kilniara giggled at Joe’s reaction and Gwenvair glanced at Kilniara, then back at Joe, and soon began laughing herself, finding Joe’s worry humorous and she shook her head, “Please, calm your worries. Mother likely will be excited by your power, not worried or bothered.”

Joe quickly shook his head, rejecting Gwenvair’s claim to his power, “It… it really wasn’t much. It was just a basic skill.

Gwenvair’s eyes widened, “Truly?”

Joe laughed, “Yes. Truly. If you get the job I show you, you… either one of you could use this skill as well! It is not that great. Well, it actually is a pretty powerful skill, but it is not unique to me. You could get this skill easily.”

Gwenvair’s excited breathing returned as she stared at Joe, “You will teach me?”

“Sure! It’s no problem at all!”

Gwenvair’s face broke into a beatific smile as she leapt forward and wrapped her arms around him, if a bit stiffly, “Thank you!”

Joe quickly glanced over at Kilniara, but saw her smiling brightly at Joe. He looked at her, quirking an eyebrow, but Kilniara only nodded, smiling still. Joe released a sigh of relief, grateful to have Kilniara so willing to trust him, and he carefully reached up and returned Gwenvair’s hug.

“You’re welcome.”

Gwenvair stepped back, ending the hug a bit abruptly as soon as Joe tapped her shoulder’s a few times but she didn’t seem offended by Joe’s return hug. She stared at Joe and nodded, “I must leave! I should tell my mother of this so she may recall the guards and calm the city.”

Joe smiled and nodded, “Probably a good idea. See you tomorrow at the dungeon?”

“A promise,” Gwenvair replied, “But we will have to soon prepare for the monster tide.”

Joe smiled, “I already did so. Please tell me when the tide arrives and I will finish preparations then.”

Gwenvair nodded quickly, “I must go, but I will give details later. But just so you may prepare more carefully, the tide seems to be occurring this ten-day, if a bit late in the ten-day.”

Joe nodded, “Thanks.”

Gwenvair stared at Joe a bit, seeming to jiggle uncertainly in between the two beds before she once again abruptly lunged forward and hugged him quickly.

“Thank you. Truly!”

Joe laughed, chuckling as he glanced at Kilniara, verifying her happy smile was still on her face and he quickly returned her hug.

“It’s nothing. Don’t worry about it.”

Gwenvair pulled away and turned, leaving the room quickly but spoke as she left, “Your gifts may seem plain to you, but they are everything for such as us.”

Joe smiled and nodded, “Maybe, but I’m willing to share.”

She turned at the door, holding it opened and looked back, “So then, thank you.”

Joe laughed again, “Then, you're welcome.”

Gwenvair smiled brilliantly at that and fled the room, the stairs hardly heard as she slipped down them. Joe looked towards Kilniara and smiled, grateful to see her genuinely happy. She stood and walked over to him before sidling into his lap, sideways.

“Thank you… very much. Your trust is… Thank you,” Joe told Kilniara.

Kilniara laughed, nodding, “She is… will be a good Queen. A very good Queen.”

Joe smiled, “Yeah… I think she will be an amazing queen!”

Kilniara reached forward and hugged him, pecking his lips, “Yes, she will be.”

“Hey… you mind testing something with me?”

Kilniara looked at him and smiled, “Sure. What do you need?”

“I want to figure out a job.”