Lauren!" Mitch's panicked roar in the distance. Too far away to help his girl as the trio of ghasts leaped for the desperately fleeing Lauren as one. And why the hell had she been allowed to separate? Wards and curses! She had no direct magical attacks that Jack had seen!

Flickering thoughts that did no good at all, Jack's hand already jutting out with the spell he had poured so much of himself into.

So why not some more?

"Ignis Sanguis!" Jack screamed, hit with a sudden, terrible flash of insight. An aberration of magic he knew would be foolhearty in the extreme to dare.

So he did it.

Igniting his essence with the power of Fire, Blood and Flame exploding forth in liquid death.

Lauren screamed and stumbled with a cry, chanting as fast as she could as she shoved out her hands for the lead ghoul howling for her throat.

"Lauren!"

Before being sent flying, head over heal, by an incredible blast of wind.

Jack could sense her collapse even as his world became one of fire and pain.

He saw her panicked, desperate eyes. The eyes of a girl who had drained herself utterly, pushing herself beyond all hope as three nightmarish living corpses howled like ravenous wolves, eager to tear her limb from limb.

Before collapsing in a brutal heap, the sound of brittle bones snapping as a Tier 3 hex took full effect overshadowed by the horrific screeches of 3 shriveling ghouls now covered in searing liquid flame.

Saving Throw versus catastrophe made!

Congratulations! You have discovered Bloodfire! A bloodmagic variant of Firestream! Similar to Summon Bloodbee, for the expenditure of your own potency (experience pool), you may shoot forth liquid bloodflame!

Bloodflame enjoys caustic liquid properties! Targets struck will continue to burn, for so long as you concentrate (paying mana costs equivalent to initiating spell. No further experience or HP cost need be paid.) These flames cannot be extinguished, for so long as you concentrate! Thanks to spiritual nature of attack (experience point potency expenditure) all attempts to ward or neutralize Bloodfire will suffer a penalty equivalent to your modified willpower check!

For long moments Lauren locked gazes with a trembling Jack, her gaze caught somewhere between horror and gratitude as Jack at least had the presence of mind to clench his bloody fist as the ghasts continued to shriek and burn, stumbling back to his dizzy feet when one tangled ghast flailed to it's shriveling feet, blazing white hot like a sulphur flare before tripping over its own feet once more. And then there was nothing left save three superheated pools of ash.

And a dozen fires blazing merrily away underneath the thick foliage.

Aqua Effusorium!

Still crouched up in a half ball, Lauren continued to stare at him wordlessly as he stumbled about the clearing, putting out the final traces of flame as the frenetic sounds of battle cries, shouted spells, and general chaos had faded back in the clearing.

Until at last, he was done.

You have successfully cast Basic Healing! You have healed 30 Health and 1 Light Wound. You have temporarily depleted your mana!

"Jack?"

But Jack couldn't say a word, shivering with dizziness and an awful sense of impending doom as he forced himself to channel is most painful, and perhaps vital, skill. Only now realizing he was both injured and had lost a significant amount of blood before tying off the blaze, to say nothing of how depleted he felt, using such a large chunk of his saved level-up experience in a spell that just might have saved his friend's life.

A grip both delicate and powerful gently raised Jack to his feet. "Come on, Jack. I think the fighting's over. Let's head back to the group.

He gave a quick exhausted nod, feeling both lighthearted and dizzy as he and Lauren broke back into the clearing, the earth churned with blood, battle, and rapidly decaying body parts, seeming to melt down to magots and squirm back into the earth, right before their eyes.

All save the poor farmer Jack hadn't been able to save, eyes wide with the horror of his own death, his neck a shredded mess of ravished flesh their enemies had left them no time to heal.

"Lauren!" And in the blink of an eye, a smiling Mitch was holding the girl he adored close, Lauren sobbing in his arms. "Oh god, babe. I'm so fucking glad to see you okay. You're okay, aren't you?" He held her tight, his powerful, armored body shuddering against her own.

Her tears had somehow transformed to a triumphant smile. "I'm okay. Not a scratch. How are you, Mitch?"

The powerfully built warrior chuckled ruefully. "A lot humbler. A lot fucking wiser. Moral of the story is, never try to drain an undead corpse. Not unless you're a necromancer, undead, or a hell of a lot higher level than I am."

"And these fuckers are a hell of a lot deader than any of us so fuck it, all's well that ends well," said a smirking Sin, smiling at his oddly refracting blade of shadow.

Jack glanced down at the corpses that still hadn't decayed, noting three distinct types of dismemberment. One where the bodies were both burned and bisected, one where the skulls had been split open like logs, pulverized, or heads had been as much ripped as sliced free of necks by inhumanely powerful blows from a weapon that Jack suspected needed a good sharpening, but when had there been time? And a handful of bodies where the heads had been cleaved off with surjical precision.

"Shadow blade?"

Sin smirked. "You got it." he spat on one of the shriveling corpses. "Turns out backstabs do absolutely nothing against these fuckers. But with six inches of shadow that cuts through anything, at least against this level of foe, all you need to do is dodge-roll and cloak, and get in a good cleaving slice from behind."

He frowned at Julia, trembling in Mitch's arms.

"What happened?"

"I got separated," Julia whispered, shaking her head. "I thought I had everything under control, I was hexing, using wind, backing up Sharon's play." She swallowed, eyes growing wide. "Sharon, is she okay?"

Jack's gut twisted in sudden apprehension, before Jacob's calm words washed over them. "She's fine. Talking to the farmers, getting the details from them."

Julia closed her eyes in what looked to be profound relief. "Good. I was afraid, after those ghouls ambushed us... but thank god she's okay." She then explained the rest of what went down, giving Jack way too much credit, he thought, with the way everyone was looking at him so intently.

"Fire and water, man. Those two elements can't be beat," said Mitch with a smile, squeezing Jack's shoulder hard enough to make Jack wince. "Seriously, Jack. I owe you one."

"You owe him three," said Sin with a smirk, his gaze turning serious. "And I owe him two. And I hate being in debt to anyone."

Jack shrugged. "Then don't feel indebted at all."

Sin furrowed his brow. "Are you an idiot? That's gold, Jack. in this world, nothing is more important than making the right allies. The instructors made that damn clear that's how things this world. And if you knew what to look for, the same holds true on Earth as well."

Jack's smile turned sad. "Held true. Earth was lost, remember? Besides. I'm interested in friends, not markers. And friends have each other's backs. They don't keep score."

Sin shook his head, turning to meet a smiling Jacob's gaze. "Kid's as much of a paladin as you, Jake."

"He's got the heart of one, thank god for that. Now let's hope he can keep his head on long enough to be worthy of that idealism." His gaze turned intent. "You really want to think about taking on a class when you can, Jack. Even if its not some elite build you'd data-mine from your favorite sites if we were back on earth..."

"I know," Jack whispered. "Any build's a good build if it keeps you alive. And on Hardcore League, the only good builds are the ones you can live to enjoy."

"That's right," Jacob said. "The shit we're running into, these aren't the easy mode challenges we were all but promised was the norm, not just along the road, but pretty much everywhere frequented by mortals or by the rebirthers who all walk the Path of Immortality and never get beyond first level. Way I understand it, most mercenaries never face harder monsters than bandits, wild beasts, and the occassional horror that slips out of a Wild Regio Pustule."

Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

"And weaker than those magma golems," said Julia. "But for whatever reason, the world's throwing serious heat our way."

The paladin nodded. "So you'd best prepare yourself to face it. Now I already know you have a knack for spells, but I saw the way you were moving around the battlefield."

Jack nodded. "My father was a mercenary, once upon a time."

This earned a hard smile. "There's a lot to be said for picking a warrior's class, Jack. Your survival pool is unbeatable, and you've already shored up the one serious weakness Warrior's have. You can already cast spells at zero level. You can already synergize something fierce with your ice shield and earth armor. You'd be a warrior to be feared if you play your cards right, even if the interface still says you're a basic class."

Mitch nodded. "What combat paths are open to you?"

"Warrior and Scout," Jack said, before thinking better of it.

Mitch smiled. "Well, if you're ready to commit, or just want to get in some weapon practice, you know where to find me."

Jack smiled. "Thank you, Mitch."

"Guys? We have a problem," said Sharon, returning to them as the carriage readied to go.

Mitch looked back at the farmers, just a handful of survivors gazing back at them with the careworn desperate looks of men pushed to the brink of exhaustion. "Sharon, what's going on?"'

Sharon's dark almond eyes were an instant weight on Jack's soul.

Somehow, she knew exactly what she was going to say.

"Another rift has opened. Just outside their village."

Julia groaned. "Oh no. Please, Sharon. Please don't say it."

"It's wild, it's hostile, and it's pouring out undead."

Mitch cursed, glancing back at the villagers who paused only to bow and clasp their hands in gratitude before leaving just as fast as their now untangled horses could take them. "What's the name of the town, Sharon?"

Sharon's bitter laughter washed over them. "I think you already know."

Mitch flashed a smile that didn't reach his ice-cold gaze. "Loamsville. The town Lord Hecklebart insisted we come to the aid of, before he would surrender his custodial duties over Silverforge Manor."

Sin clenched his fists, looking ready to explode. "We were set up. That bastard of a noble set us up!"

Lauren looked as confused as Jack felt. "But wait, that's not possible, isn't it? We checked the manor maps. That town abuts a shallow pocket of regio that opens every solstice, and is free to any adventurer to explore. It's not hostile, hell, according to the records, even rebirthers on the Path of Immortality can clear it as first rankers all their lives!"

Jack frowned. "I'm sorry, can someone please explain?"

Sin glared, before rubbing his face, his tone immediately shifting. "Alright newblood, it's like this. The Dutchy of Greycliff, wherein we currently reside hosts the capital city of Greyspeak. The law of the land is commoners can own their own farms and businesses, but they can only hire on a handful of helpers. Which means there are thousands of small businesses and very few clothing or steel mill operations choking out the competition and forcing everyone to work as wage slaves." He flashed a bemused smile. "Clearly idealists, probably the first generation of those who walked our path, had something to do with it."

"And that has to do with our present situation because..."

"Because only nobles can own land! Save for independent farmers, or plots of land awarded to you by the Duke or his representatives, no one not of noble blood can own land or property or buildins."

Jack blinked, then he got it. "So, we have a vibrant middle class of independent business owners and craftsmen, but they still pay rent to the land barons who are, in fact, real barons in truth. What keeps them from charging rents so steep that the craftsmen aren't serfs in all but name? or otherwise gouge hapless citizens as much as they possibly can?"

Sin shrugged. "Fuck if I know. Probably some crap that whatever idealists founded this Dutchy stuck into their Bill of Rights. And yes, this dutchy actually has a Bill of Rights. I'm sure it's been twisted and gouged and neutered by the powers-that-be, but at least the nobles have to pretend a certain amount of equanimity."

"And the Bill of Rights makes it clear that Rebirthers, especially those who dare the Path of Peril, can establish their own Houses, or Guild Halls, within the city. With that comes certain independent land rights. Most particularly, we can purchase or earn small parcels of land outside the city limits, and no one can tax us or enter our home unannounced," said Jacob.

"And the law makes it clear that any abandoned House, whose earlier occupants died or left for new lands, may be claimed by a new adventuring party who agree to claim the house and stand ready to help defend the city in times of emergencies," said Lauren, flashing a bitter smile. "Luxurious manors that, in some cases, are infused with enchantments assuring an ever-full larder, spotless linens and furniture always in perfect condition. Prizes nobles would no doubt kill for to call their own."

Sharon chuckled coldly. "But of course, there is the test, lest nobles be forced to give up the magically enchanted manors they are eager to keep in their family's custodianship for as long as they possibly can. So, to protect against frauds and charlatans, adventurers have to prove that they can actually enter Regio. This can be accomplished by obtaining a dungeon core or other prizes you'll only find in delves. Or, in the case of entering stable delves we are expressly told never to close, such as the delve that pops open every full moon in the town we're heading to, all we need is a note declaring that we seemed to fade away like a mirage or like a fragment of dream as we approach a beautiful tower seen glimmering in the distance.

Jack's gaze was filled with wonder. "Really? Exploring stable realms overlapping our own is like walking into a dream?"

Sharon shrugged. "Honestly, I don't know for sure. Because the only delve any of us ever dared was the one you joined us on. And the only man or woman who can write a note attesting to our feat is the village elder who's fleeing in that cart right there!"

And Jack couldn't help but frown at the well-dressed man with salt and pepper hair now gazing at them from the wagon top, having hid from the entire encounter.

Jack cursed softly under his breath. "So. No note from him, even though we saved his life. And there's no way we can prove we're adventurers unless we risk our lives in another mad delve. And do it twice over, because then we'll have to claim the core and piss off the whole dungeon into making a last stand!"

Sin smirked. "Pretty much, Jack. Pretty much that's exactly how it will go down. And you just know that overdressed bastard of a lord will be laughing in his cups as he spits on our graves, having sent yet another group of idealistic idiots to their deaths for daring to think laws or precedent would be allowed to interfere with 'custodian' Hecklebart claiming that magical manor as his own for all time."

Jack shook his head and cursed, the fire in his gut burning as brightly as the light in Sin's eyes.

"Jeezus, Sin. The way you paint that bastard, I want to strangle him just as much as you do."

Sin chuckled softly. "Not even close, kid. But it's the thought that counts."

Jack chuckled bitterly, gazing at the mayor one last time. Before he felt the strangest shiver racing down his soul, when the man's desperate eyes locked upon his own.

"Stop the cart, stop the cart!" Said the man, earning panicked looks from drivers who clearly just wanted to race away as fast as they could.

Jack, heart still racing with the memory of their peril felt a certain grudging respect as the well dressed man found it within himself to dart from the safety of his carriage, fine leather boots instantly sinking into the awful muck at their feet, wretched slop covering jack and his friends. Eyes widened with dread, the sparsely haired man darting quick looks all around. He braced himself with a visible effort of will, before his eyes locked upon the one among their number that looked the least like a gore spattered savage. Or at least, could pull off the hero look with his somehow spotless armor and flawless features, the muck and grime never seeming to touch Jack, that Jack was certain had a perk behind it.

"Noble heroes, thank you once more for your timely rescue!" Said the man in a surprisingly melodious voice. He stopped to give a bow. "It pains me to trouble you any more than I already have, after you all so nobly risked your lives on our behalf." He licked dry lips, anxiously gazing their way. "I... I fear I cannot leave things as they are. For all that I hesitate, no. No matter the personal cost to myself, my poor beleaguered people, need the hope of a hero now, more than ever. I would like... I would like to formally offer you all a quest."

Jack's eyes widened at this, he shared a quick glance with Sharon, who positively beamed, leaning toward him, whispering in his ear. "A quest means we'll actually be rewarded with experience points for completing an agreed upon objective. Just like in the game!"

Jack grinned. "That's fantastic! I didn't know people could do that here."

The mayor paid them no mind, actually lowering himself to one knee, in the muck before a bemused looking Jacob. "Please, Paladin. I beg of you, save the poor town of Loamsville. Our shining light in the darkness of the wilds."

Jack blinked as a message popped up in his interface.

You and your companions have been formally offered a quest. Save the Town of Loamsville! The mayor of Loamsville implores you and your companions to close the rift and save its citizens from peril.

And before a bemused Jack could even think YES, Jacob's gaze snapped around to meet Jack's so fast it seemed inhuman, before giving a slow shake of his head.

The mayor caught their byplay and paled all the more.

Then Jacob put his gauntleted hands upon the man's shaking shoulders and gently lifted the suddenly relieved man back to his feet. "There is no need for that, good mayor. And it goes without saying that we too are committed to doing the right thing. That being said, these are perilous times. For all of us. And though we are dedicated to closing any wild, dangerous rift, there is no way we can accept responsibility for what might be scores if not hundreds of vulnerable villagers. No way we can assure all their safety, when securing a single carriage, your own, nearly cost us our own well-being."

The mayor paled and jerked a nod. "Of course, you are right. Forgive me for implying that—"

Jacob smiled. "So let's modify our focus to the most pressing problem at hand. Discovering the nature and source of the peril, and closing it off, if we judge it within our power to do so."

"And we get partial completion even if all we can manage to do is save another handful of villagers," said a hard-eyed Sin. "Just like we did with you and your men. For no reward at all."

The mayor flushed under Sin's cold regard, Jacob's warm smile neither fading nor contradicting his companion.

After a long breathless moment, the mayor sighed and jerked his head. "Very well. It will be as you say."

Quest Modified! The Mayor of Loamsville has modified the terms of his offered quest. If you and your companions manage to close the rift within the next 3 days, you will be rewarded a full Potency Boon from Mayor Orton. Should you be unable to do so, but at least make a good faith effort, and either directly rescue or bring at least 12 villagers to safety (100+ preferred) you will receive a partial Potency Boon, depending upon the number of villagers saved.

Do you accept this quest? Y/N

Jack stole a quick glance at Sharon, who beamed and gave him a thumbs-up.

You have selected YES!

Altered quest parameters are now in effect.