Jake managed to just about stumble through the process of getting his reward and claiming his Wyrdgeld from the dead monsters, barely even paying attention to what he got as he put the coins in his pouch.
Thankfully, Felix’s Trait started to kick in as soon as they were out of the Dungeon, and by the time they got to the inn that Ari had found, Jake was in better shape.
That wasn’t to say that he was in any good shape to hold a conversation or focus on anything, but Felix had no expectations of him doing anything but resting, so that didn’t really matter.
Jake gladly went straight up to the room he’d been assigned to and beelined for the bed, collapsing down into it with barely enough thought left in him to trigger his rank up.
Sufficient Wyrdgeld is present, presenting ascension options for Tier I Rank VI.
You have sufficient Wyrdgeld to achieve Rank VII. Would you like to proceed to that Rank?
“Yes,” Jake said, his eyes closed as he kept a firm grip on his mind. He would be awake and aware exactly as long as he needed to be for this.
Confirmed.
You currently have two Trait slots available and two Skill slots available.
At this time, you have unlocked the following Skills and Traits that may be purchased.
Skill - Infused Strike - Uncommon - 200 Wyrdgeld
Trait - Lesser Endurance - Uncommon - 200 Wyrdgeld
At this time, you have sufficient Wyrdgeld to upgrade the following Skills and Traits.
Skill - Personal Plexus (I) - Very Rare - 80 Wyrdgeld
Trait - Lesser Noble Constitution (I) - Rare - 40 Wyrdgeld
At this time, you have insufficient Plexus Points to make any upgrades.
Would you like to purchase or upgrade a Skill or Trait?
“No.”
Congratulations, you have ascended to Tier I, Rank VII. The expended Wyrdgeld shall be used to refine your physicality.
Would you like to discard any Skills or Traits at this time?
“No,” Jake said for the final time, his exhausted mind slipping into sleep before the changes could begin.
-**-
Jake woke early the next morning feeling completely rested, which was somewhat of a shock. He’d pushed hard the day before, and yet he felt like he was waking from a long sleep after a relaxing weekend.
Felix’s Trait was the only thing that Jake could think of that could account for it, and he supposed that he had gone almost directly to bed after finishing the final bout of training. There must be a timelimit for recovery after the training, but clearly, it worked well with sleeping.
Then again, Jake had been giving it everything he had, especially during that last delve, so perhaps it was that effort part of the Trait that was aiding him?
Regardless, Jake quickly dressed and made his way down to the inn’s common room. Ari and Felix were already present and speaking with a scruffy-looking man, who quickly left after he saw Jake approaching.
“Jake, we have good news,” Felix said as Jake sat at the table with them. “Our friend just passed on a message from Michelle. She’s confirmed that we have at least another three days to get back. That means we march east today to get to the other Dungeon, and then we spend all of tomorrow there as well. After that, we cut back to the south and will be on the correct side of Casthorpe for when matters develop further.”
“How long will it take us to get to the next Dungeon?” Jake asked, trying to work out how many delves he had and if he could manage it all.
“We’ll be there by noon. I expect to manage three delves with all of you, and then we can push on just the two of us if you are willing.”
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Jake did his best to work out how much he’d get from all that and nodded. “I think I’ll need to.”
“Excellent,” Felix said, starting to get up and head to the bar before pausing and looking back to Jake. “I should mention that even by Dungeon standards, this one is odd, but I’ll continue to buy everything any rewards you get for their base rate in Wyrdgeld.”
Jake nodded his thanks but felt a little confused. Just how odd was this Dungeon that Felix felt he needed to warn him in advance?
-**-
Barely an hour from when Jake woke up, they were all on the road, giving Jake the chance to stretch his legs and get used to his new rank. Jumping up two ranks was a little disconcerting, to say the least, but he was already starting to settle into it.
Felix had them doing short runs, both to quicken their pace and as endurance training. Given what Jake knew about Felix’s Trait, he made sure to push himself, trusting in its power to help him recover for the next one.
Between runs, Jake considered his options from the night before and how the Skill he’d been offered had changed. Last time, it had been Minor Infused Strike, a Common Skill. This time, it had been Infused Strike, an uncommon Skill.
It was a small, subtle difference, but it meant that his work to improve what he was doing had paid off. He wasn’t at the end of his potential improvements either, which was interesting. There was still work to do in shaping the Wyrd he was infusing and making sure that he was getting the most out of every strike.
Sadly, Felix’s Trait functioned mainly on the physical, so Jake refrained from practising his infusing. He’d need every drop of Wyrd for later.
-**-
“Huh, I was expecting another settlement,” Rhew said as they emerged from a section of woodland and saw their destination.
Rather than a village or town, the Dungeon had nothing more than a few houses and Ivaldi’s shop. Even then, the houses were currently cold and dark, albeit in good condition.
“This particular Dungeon isn’t popular with delvers despite the interesting rewards it can offer,” Felix said, making Ari chuckle.
“That’s an understatement,” Ari said, grinning at the other man before gesturing to the empty houses. “People will come for the odd delve or two, but no one would want to stay here. Some Dungeons are like this, though, where they are more migratory.”
“Just so,” Felix said with a nod, leading the way to the house closest to the Dungeon. “The upside, however, is that accommodation is both close to the Dungeon and free. Anyone is free to use these houses, providing they leave them in the condition they were found in.”
“So, what’s so different about this Dungeon, then?” Alan asked, his growing interest apparent as he looked between the two older classers.
“Well, it is perhaps best for you to see yourself,” Felix said, motioning to Ivaldi’s store. “Gather any replacement equipment you need, and then proceed as you will. This Dungeon will be excellent training for you.”
Jake was more than happy to lead the way over to Ivaldi’s, taking the time to get replacements for his equipment as well as update Ivaldi on everything that had been happening.
He’d been too focused on delving at the previous Dungeon, but now that they were making progress, he was starting to think beyond earning more Wyrdgeld.
“I am sad to hear that your pursuers have caught up with you,” Ivaldi said once the others had left. “Varin has also explained the situation after he received a message from your trainer. Rest your mind that he was able to leave Casthorpe without issue.”
“I’m glad to hear it,” Jake said with a slight sigh of relief. “What of Nepthys? Is there anything you can do?”
Ivaldi shook his head and gave Jake a sympathetic look. “My hands are tied, and I am bound to my Domain. You have made strong progress, if you keep driving forward, you can surmount these troubles.”
Jake nodded unhappily, thankful for the encouragement but wishing that Ivaldi was free to do more to help them.
The big man was right, though, Jake had made good progress, and it was time to get in there and keep going.
-**-
“Well, this is not what I was expecting,” Alan said, breaking the stunned silence that had fallen as soon as they’d entered the Dungeon.
“Yeah, won’t be needing this. That’s for sure,” Rhew said, tossing her torch aside, her eyes not leaving the vista before them.
“I’m not dreaming, right?” Karl glanced over to Jake with a pleading look in his eyes. “There’s definitely a pond with ducks on it over there, isn’t there?”
“Yep, that’s a duck pond, alright,” Jake said, restraining the urge to laugh as one of the ducks let out a loud quack.
“Okay, so glossing over all of…that,” Alan said, waving his hand at the pond and the serenely swimming ducks. “Where are the monsters?”
Jake started to answer before pausing and frowning as he looked over their surroundings once more. They were at the entrance to a sunny and well-maintained garden, with the outer edges bounded by a thick hedge wall.
Right in the centre of the area was a decent-sized pond and three blue-feathered ducks, who were happily swimming back and forth, occasionally letting out a quack or two.
Jake took a few cautious steps forward, eyeing the hedges for any sign of hidden enemies. The ground was grassy but cut short, so there was nowhere to hide than he could see.
That meant that either the monsters were somehow invisible, or they were right there in plain sight.
As if catching his thoughts, one of the ducks turned through a patch of brighter light, which glinted off of the blue feathers on its back in a manner that reminded Jake more of metal than anything.
Karl had also moved forward for a better look, and as he took a further step past Jake, the closest duck paused its swimming and turned to face them, letting out a deeper quack.
Jake watched in growing disbelief as the other two ducks stopped dead in the water, their heads snapping around to stare at Karl.
Jake had just enough time to draw his sword before all three ducks took off, wings flapping madly as they flew straight for Karl.