Nepthys arrived an hour or two later, neither Jake nor Alan spotting her until she sat at the table with them, killing their conversation.

“Thanks for coming,” Jake said, breaking the tense silence.

“I promised you answers, but I would ask that we converse further in a more private setting,” Nepthys had an odd accent, one that Jake didn’t recognise, and Port Emerald had a lot of foreigners come through.

“Of course,” Jake murmured, giving himself a shake as he gathered his thoughts. This wasn’t the time for his mind to be wandering. “Let me go request one of the back rooms.”

Leaving Nepthys with a concerned-looking Alan, Jake arranged for one of the back rooms as well as for a fresh round of drinks for the three of them. Worst case scenario, Nepthys didn’t like coffee, and her mug went to either him or Alan.

Fortunately, with all the additional people in the tavern, no one took particular note of the three of them slipping away.

“So,” Jake said as Alan shut the door behind them. “Where should we start?”

“I should perhaps explain what you encountered today,” Nepthys said as she took an exploratory sip of the coffee Jake had given her. “I will say that this is not common knowledge and is restricted from non-Classers for both their safety and ours. Are you sure you wish to know more?”

“Yes,” Jake didn’t hesitate before giving his answer, though the same couldn’t be said for Alan. Eventually, though, the Scholar nodded for her to continue.

“Very well. The two we fought today were Corrupters; they are non-Classers who have made a pact with dark entities to gain power. The power they wield is the antithesis of the System and Classers in general. We keep this a secret to limit the number of people who seek out this power and to limit the number of innocents who misunderstand what they are getting into.”

“They were non-Classers, incredible,” Alan murmured thoughtfully, a sentiment Jake could agree with. The blasts of power the two Corrupters had been throwing around were no joke, that was for sure.

“Exactly, many would see such power and ignore the obvious costs and downsides in favour of an alternative to Ascending.”

“So what was their plan today, then? What happened to that guy on the boulder?” Jake asked, trying to understand what they’d stumbled into.

“Corrupters gain power through several methods, but one of the more direct methods is to sacrifice Classers in a ritualistic manner that involves extracting their organs. You can understand why we keep this from lower-tier Classers as a general rule.”

“Gods,” Alan looked pale but was hanging in there.

“That’s horrid, and I can see why you keep this from being common knowledge. The idea of people hunting Classers is an uncomfortable one.”

“Just so,” Nepthys said with a nod, seemingly pleased that Jake was following the reasoning behind her actions. “Is there anything else you’d like to discuss?”

“Actually, yes, there is,” Jake tapped a finger on the table before gesturing to her. “You’ve mentioned ‘we’ a few times. Are you part of a larger group? When the Corrupter saw us, he called us Inquisitors, whatever they are?”

“That is the name given to the Class chain I am on. He must have assumed you were with me,” Nepthys said, somewhat reluctant to talk but eventually continuing. “We are a widespread group dedicated to rooting out and destroying any trace of Corrupters and the magics they use. Our Patron grants us abilities towards this end, but the current policy of the Triarchy means that most of us are kept out of Strovia and the Triarchy heartlands.”

“A brave stance to outright say that you have a Patron,” Jake said, leaning back in his chair thoughtfully.

“I will likely be leaving after our conversation, so it matters not,” Nepthys said, shrugging slightly.

“Well, hang on, I’m not exactly going to be spreading this around, and I’m sure Alan won’t either, right?” Jake gave Alan an expectant look, prepared to argue with him if needed, but Alan was quick to agree.

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“I’m no lover of the Triarchy or their rules. Your secret is safe with me,” Alan said, hesitating before getting to his feet. “Thank you for explaining the situation. I’m glad we acted to assist you, but I’m sure that Jake has more questions, and frankly, I don’t want to know more at this point. We’re only tier one, and this is beyond what we should be dealing with.”

Jake felt a little disappointed that Alan was leaving things there, but at the same time, it gave him a chance to press for more information. “I do have a few more, but I’ll come and find you when I’m done, alright?”

“Alright, just be careful,” Alan said, taking his coffee with him as he slipped out of the room, leaving just Jake and Nepthys.

“What other questions did you have?” Nepthys asked, cocking her head slightly to one side.

“What is Skryx?” Jake went straight to the term that Ivaldi had used, hoping it was an important one.

“If you didn’t know what Corrupters were, how could you have heard of Skryx?” Nepthys’s eyes narrowed as she frowned at him. “I dislike being treated like a fool. I think we’re done here.”

“Wait, wait, I can explain,” Jake said hurriedly, motioning for her to stop before she could do more than get to her feet. “I heard it in context to something else and assumed it was related. I can’t explain more, but I promise that I’m not playing you or trying to mislead you.”

“I find myself believing you, which is odd as it’s such a stupid explanation. No one would casually use that term when talking with an average tier one Classer.” Nepthys regarded Jake curiously as she sat down once more. “Unless you aren’t, of course.”

“I don’t know what you mean,” Jake said, his mouth dry as she fixed him with a piercing gaze. He hadn’t been expecting her to turn things around like this. It had caught him off guard.

“Let me fully introduce myself. My name is Nepthys Sek. I am a tier one Inquisitor Aspirant. My Patron Deity is The Watcher, and I serve them in maintaining the balance by hunting down Corrupters.” Nepthys leaned forward, her eyes gleaming as her gaze pinned Jake in place. “Just who are you?”

Jake was caught by indecision for several seconds as he tried to think of an angle that would work here before he eventually decided the best option was the truth.

Nepthys was clearly far more informed than Jake, and though he hadn’t heard of her Patron, he knew it wasn’t part of the Triarchy.

“I’ve not revealed my Class to anyone, but I’m willing to do so on the understanding that you explain as much as you can.” Jake’s heart was pounding, and he could feel himself sweating as adrenaline surged through him. It was such a small agreement, such a minor piece of information, but if he’d misread Nepthys, it could get him killed.

“Agreed, and I swear by The Watcher to keep your Class a secret if doing so poses no threat of injury or damage to myself or those I associate with.”

“Thank you,” Jake could already see a few ways to get around such an oath, but he hadn’t asked for it, so he appreciated the intent behind it. “Alright. My true name is Jake Khesh, and I am a tier one Dungeon Noble Squire. My Patron Deity is The Great Dungeon, but I have no idea what any of that means. I’m feeling my way through this as best I can, but I feel like there’s a lot going on that I don’t know about.”

“A Dungeon Noble?” Nepthys’s eyes were wide as she stared at him with a shocked expression. “My father said that the Strovian family had been killed alongside the local Inquisitors. How many of you are left? How many Inquisitors are there?”

“I don’t know. I was dropped off at an orphanage as a child, and I didn’t know anything about any of this until I Ascended and got my Class.”

“I’m sorry, that can’t have been easy,” Nepthys said sympathetically, her piercing gaze replaced with one that was much softer.

“It wasn’t so bad until all this started. My Class directly referencing it has been driving home how little I know, though.”

“I can’t imagine, especially not if your Class is as….unusual as my own.”

“Well, I have two Patron gifts, but the weird one is my Personal Plexus Skill. It allows me to ‘bind’ Dungeons, but I still don’t know what that means.”

“But that’s….” Nepthys started to say before stopping mid-sentence. “Of course, you’ve had no one to explain these things to you. I think it’s best that I start at the beginning. What do you know of The Great Dungeon?”

“It’s a deity, that’s pretty much it, oh, and that it’s related to Dungeons somehow, but the name sort of gave that away,” Jake said with a crooked smile that made Nepthys chuckle.

“Well, obviously, I don’t know everything either. I only Ascended last year, so I’m still learning things. Beyond that, we don’t understand everything about how things work. That’s the domain of the gods. What we do know, however, is that The Watcher and The Great Dungeon are part of the same pantheon.”

“That means they’re allies, right?”

“Exactly, they’re allied and work together for common causes. That means we traditionally view Dungeon Nobles as our comrades, and Inquisitors are often found as part of their group. Corrupters will target you if they know what you are, and people like me are your best defence against that.”

“Why, though, what’s even the point?”

“Because Dungeon Nobles are an integral part of how Dungeons work. Without you, they can’t tier up, and lower-tier Dungeons are vulnerable to attack from Corrupters. There aren’t many of you left, but you’re an important part of the System.”

“Wait, so the Corrupters attack Dungeons as well?” Jake asked with a frown, baffled why anyone would want to destroy the Dungeons.

“Yes, some of them may not know it, but they serve the Shrouded,” Nepthys said gravely, her words sending a chill down Jake’s spine.