Chapter 35
The seasons changed. The Core Stone which was now called Alpha was content. Snow drifted from the sky and touched its surface, promptly melting from the low heat that the Core Stone generated.
Perhaps, even, it was happy, if happiness were a thing that it could feel. It had been nervous when it had been claimed by the new Controller. It had been frightened when it had been disconnected from the primary network. It had been hurt when the synchronization with the other two Core Stones on the new network that the Controller was building had turned turbulent. It had been concerned when it had been moved so far from its original location. It had been relieved when it had been allowed to level and recover some of its missing hit points.
Now it was happy. Or it would be, if happiness was something that it felt.
It had plenty of territory from which it could draw mana. It had a dungeon, larger than the one it had inexpertly built for itself. The Controller had used his experience and imagination in a way which Alpha could not in developing the new dungeon. And that dungeon even had challengers, providing Alpha with a constant stream of experience.
Often, immediately before a new wave of invaders arrived, the Controller would appear first and fill the dungeon with Spawned minions. Burrowers on the first floor, Rock Spiders on the second, gnolls for the third, and that was as far as the invaders usually went. The Korgoath who co-inhabited floor three were less than pleased to have gnoll neighbors, but that was okay with Alpha. Alpha generated the same amount of experience if a Korgoath killed a gnoll as it did when a human killed one.
Two of the three Outworlders that Alpha, Beta, and Gamma had brought into the world continued to challenge Alpha’s dungeon, along with a Warrior, Sorceress, and the Controller himself. While the summonees had initially been restricted to the first floor, slaying the Burrowers with their new powers, they had gradually gotten enough levels to allow them to proceed deeper into the fledgling dungeon and catch up with the initial party.
Other challengers came and went as well. Humans, typically lower than level ten at the start of their delve.
Nobody hunted the Korgoath on level three, and few attempted to delve into the snake and spider pit that was level four. None of those that did ever reached the fifth level, where a juvenile minotaur awaited them. It was somewhat of a waste, to alpha’s eyes, to have those resources go unused. It wished to gain the experience of having those combatants fight against the dungeon’s challengers, but it could not force the delvers to dive deeper than they wished.
Still, Alpha generated a constant stream of resources from its top three floors, and it was content.
~~~~~~
Vella never forgot her fear of the new monsters of the valley, remembering how close that the Flame Lynx had passed by her when it had killed the Tree-cat. But she gradually recovered and adjusted to the new normal. Eventually, even, she began to go out and play again, and to run errands for her mother, and simply resume participating in the events of village life in her capacity as a Child.
She did have a few special tutoring sessions with Elder Lukan, who humored her requests, though he thought her efforts were a waste of time. It was better to waste her time trying to unlock an impossible class for herself than it was to spend them in a state of paranoia, frightened at every moment that the lynx would appear behind her and lunch on her as it had lunched on the Tree-cat.
The new lord arrived in the valley just before the first snowfall. She saw him occasionally when her errands brought her into town, and when she did she would curtsy like her mother had taught her. Lubald Worth never paid her any mind.
The Lynxes continued to make themselves a menace. Nobody was hurt, fortunately, but the animals and livestock of the village were slain by the creatures regularly. The other children had spotted the monsters as well, but fortunately they had been carrying the deterrent powder with them at the time and emerged from the encounters unscathed.
Efforts to hunt the monsters proved unsuccessful. The lynxes were simply too elusive. They didn’t fall for the traps that were set for them, and attempts to track them to their lairs were always met with frustration. Lubald, the great hunter who was supposed to save them from the scourge, began spending more and more time in the inn, going through the innkeepers stock of Worthmus brandy at a prodigious rate.
The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.
Vella tried to put the state of the valley out of her mind and simply focus on schoolwork and being a kid.
The stranger arrived in the valley unexpectedly shortly before the winter solstice. Strangers were not especially foreign to Tilluth, but very few of them rode griffins, which is the reason this particular one stood out. It was enough to draw even Vella’s attention. However, while most of the children were gawking at the beast, Vella followed the man who’d rode in on it.
The stranger went to the Weaver’s shop. Vella hadn’t followed up much on the Weaver drama as the family attempted to sell its surplus cloth in the nearby city of Tuksan, but she knew that when Sue Weaver had returned from her business trip there she had been extremely frustrated, unable to find anyone willing to take the volume of product they had for a price that was reasonable.
Vella followed the stranger inside the shop and pretended to browse through the knickknacks as though she were searching for a new toy. Instead she was listening to the conversation. Sue was showing the stranger several example of her husband’s cloth, and the man was making suitably impressed noises.
“I am quite surprised at how high quality this is,” the stranger said after examining the fifth sample. “I heard that your husband had a specialized class, but I was not expecting it to make this much of a difference. My clients will pay very well for this.”
Sue, smiled, and she asked “May I know exactly who it is that you represent?”
“My name is Anaxis,” the stranger said. “I represent many people. The person who wishes to buy your cloth, however, is the queen of Koratia, Her Majesty Gloracia. She also wishes to extend an invitation to your family on behalf of her kingdom.”
Sue went still for a moment. “I knew it. This has something to do with Tom, does it not?”
“I assure you I have been entirely genuine, Mrs. Weaver. I came here intending to simply buy your cloth for an outrageously overpriced sum and dump it in a ditch after name dropping the queen. Instead I actually intend to ship it to Her Majesty. But yes, your son is the reason I am here. The queen of the great country of Koratia wishes to be on good terms with your son, and what better way to start than to invest in his family?”
“And what sort of hooks does this investment come with?”
“None at all,” Anaxis insisted. “I am uncertain why you are so suspicious of me, Mrs. Weaver. Do you treat all of your customers with such hostility?”
“Not all of my customers are foreign agents,” she said.
“I have done nothing illegal. I immigrated to Welsius openly and make no secret that I maintain ties to my homeland. While some might accuse me of being a spy, I prefer to think of myself as a diplomat. Trade between our two nations is so rare and fraught with difficulty, the few who can manage it with any reliability are assured a certain degree of latitude in their dealings. King Fenard might be displeased with me for making an overly generous offering, yet could he truly blame a Merchant for accepting the best offer on the table?”
Sue Weaver was silent for a moment, then she exhaled. “Let me show you the warehouse,” she said. She turned to her other customer and said “Vella, if you’re going to do anything other than eavesdrop I need you to make your purchase now. I’m going to be closing the shop early today.”
Embarrassed to be caught out in her curiosity, Vella excused herself from the shop and walked home. It was a curious bit of gossip she’d earned with her snooping, and she was looking forward to telling her mother. She was so focused on digesting the bits of the conversation she had overheard that she almost missed the sound of growling.
She turned, and she saw it again as it dropped out of Stealth. It was the same one that had killed the Tree-cat weeks ago, before the weather turned cold. She was certain of it. And now it was back for her, crouching, ready to pounce.
She grabbed the pouch of deterrent powder out of her pocket and dusted herself with it, just like she was supposed to. The monster huffed, but didn’t leave, so Vella grabbed another of her pouches, opened the draw strings, and threw the opened bag at the creature, the irritant inside spilling out and dusting the air.
The animal’s growl intensified. She swallowed. That was supposed to work! The adults had promised!
There was one last thing she could try. The lessons that Elder Lukan had given her.
She had never been able to do more than make a spark large enough to light a fire before, but as she attempted to cast her magic this time, she felt something shift inside her in response to the iron fear and determination she felt in her gut. She chanted the magic words, pictured the images she was supposed to picture, and she grabbed at that something she felt moving in her veins and she pushed it at the lynx.
The lightning bolt was weak and pathetic, barely more than a spark. But it surprised the lynx, which yelped and jumped back. Unharmed by her best attempts at magic.
It snuffed the air again, and vanished back into stealth. Her level ten Child senses were unable to detect it unless it wanted her to. She turned and walked back home, determined not to run or cry or scream, although she wanted to do all three.
This was the new state of things in Tilluth Valley. A little encounter with a Flame Lynx was nothing. She still had one pouch of the deterrent powder left, so she’d be okay until tomorrow when she could pick another one up from the stockpile at the schoolhouse. She even considered not telling her mother how brave she had been. Briefly.
Then something happened to take her mind off of the Flame Lynx entirely.
Congratulations! You have unlocked a new Class!
Please visit the nearest Core Stone in order to process your system upgrade!
The nearest Core Stone to your vicinity is 0.6 kilometers southwest of your present location.