The next morning I stopped by Bloomemia's office to see what I could do about getting my job back. She lived in the Faction headquarters building, near the temples. Esquires of the Elven Alliance were allowed to live there if they offered legal services to faction members. She told me to only come by during office hours when she gave me her card. I had been up all night fretting over what to do. I showed up as early as could.
The carriage from the porter station dropped me off a half hour before I was allowed to see her. The main branch of the Faction was one of the largest buildings inside the temple complex. It had even more landing pads than the Adventurer's Guildhouse in Everdale. There were five floors for incoming flights and two towers instead of one. I could see people standing near the railings of the space between the two towers on top of the building. There must be a courtyard up there.
There were multiple double door entrances all around the sparkling white building. I headed toward the one with the biggest entrance. It had a canopy covering the roadway were the porter had let me off. The attendant at the desk inside was very friendly. She directed me down a hall to a waiting area. It had several wooden benches, but was mostly open space. A large window looked out onto Celestium's temple, which was visibly larger than the other temples. There were paintings of elves that I didn't recognize on the walls. Some wore blue robes of the clergy. Some had armor. They all looked regal or imposing.
At nine o'clock sharp a tone sounded in the room and a set of onyx doors swung open. I walked to the opening expecting to see someone. Instead I saw a long hall filled with shimmering gray portals. Next to the first one was a number and name. I looked at Bloomemia's card. It said number twenty three. I made my way down that far, and her name was listed above the number twenty three. I couldn't read much elvish, but I did know my numbers.
I touched the gray portal in front of me, but it wouldn't let me pass. It shut off when I tried to enter. As soon as I withdrew my hand it turned back on. I tried a few times. I looked around. I didn't see a doorbell or any signaling device. There was no one in the hallway with me. I stared at the portal trying to figure out what to do.
Suddenly, Bloomemia's image was in front of me. She wore a bright red dress, and was sitting behind a huge wooden desk.
“Mr. Swindall,” she said said with curiosity. “Why are you here today?”
“My job got hijacked. I thought you could help me,” I said.
She smiled as she shook her head, and invited me inside. The first room inside her [Personal Palace] was a small waiting room. The room was six stride square. Besides the entry portal there was a pair of sliding wooden doors in the center of each wall. The ones to the left had been opened to reveal the office Bloomemia was in.
I went in and explained everything. When I was done, I asked what I should do. She took a few moments and stared off in to space before speaking.
“Did he really say that Awaesha'Feleen rented all the public training rooms and staffed them?”
“That's what he said,” I confirmed.
“Mr. Swindall, I am Harmin's Esquire. I do not work for you. I can keep a confidence though. If you tell me something, and it does not affect Mr. Meadowwalker, it can stay private. I am offering to keep your confidence because what you are telling only makes sense if Awaesha'Feleen has used some type of [Divination] Magic. She would not be committing this many resources unless the predicted outcome will be catastrophic for her. You do not have to share your secrets, but if not with me, you should consult with another Esquire on this matter. If you want to tell me why Awaesha'Feleen might be doing this, I will do what I can to keep it confidential.”
I had so many secrets. I debated revealing I was godspoken just to see her reaction, but I could start with the small secrets.
“I'm tutoring her son, Aern'Lenninisal in the Spells for him to learn Magical Structures. She's been trying to keep him from studying them so he wont be able to get his Grand Class any time soon. I have been trying to help him establish a relationship with a young elfess. I plan on taking him into the Dungeon and secretly Leveling him while building his Karma so he doesn't need to worry about Quests. He doesn't know that yet though.”
Her eyes kept getting wider with each proclomation. When I was done, she composed herself and asked, “By relationship, you mean a courtship, Mr. Swindall? Nothing illicit?”
“Yes. She's the love of his life. I don't think he'll be happy until he marries her. You can call me Eric,” I said.
She stared off into space again before surprising me more than I had surprised her. “Eric, I believe you should consider defending yourself against murder. What you are proposing would destroy her so completely we must consider that she would commit [Chaotic Evil] acts and take the Oath of Penance for her deeds. I cannot believe that you could achieve your goals against her, but for some reason she does. You are walking a dangerous Path.”
Murder? Murder! “What is the Oath of Penance,” I asked as calmly as I could.
“It is an Oath that seals away the consequences for commuting [Evil] acts. It may only be taken once, but as long as the Penance is followed, the consequences of [Evil] will not affect the Oathtaker's afterlife,” she explained.
Stupid System. I can't kill bunny rabbits but apparently there's get out jail card for murder.
“What should I do,” I asked.
“Halt your plans. Do not work against her. Do not be alone, if you can help it,” she said.
“I have to be alone. I'm going into the Dungeon today. Am I suppose to abandon Aern'Lenninisal? Do you really think she'd kill me over this,” I asked in a panic.
“You do not have to abandon anyone. Magic that predicts the future is dependent on observing future actions from an intent. It is nearly impossible for [Divination] to detect a future intent alone. It can look at what you might be willing to say about your plans, but not what you are secretly harboring within your heart. As long as you commit to making no overt act or statement toward your goals, the Diviners may take that to mean the pressure they have applied has worked. You do not have to abandon your friend, just your goals. The other way to do it, is to use Magical countermeasures, such as those that exist in this office. It is highly unlikely that Awaesha'Feleen would commit murder. It is too obvious. I would be remiss if I did not raise the issue for consideration though,” she explained.
A chime sounded. She waived her hands and staired into space with a vacant look on her face.
“Intriguing,” she said.
She waved her hands again, and then there was a letter attached to my arm. The writing on the letter was in elvish and I couldn't read it. I looked up to ask Bloomemia to read it for me, but she had one on her arm too. I waited for her to finish reading hers. When she looked up, I asked, “Could you read this for me?”
“Certainly, but I believe I know what it will say.”
Be it known!
The temporary provisional work permit of Eric Niall Swindall is hereby suspended. Evidence has been heard that he has not performed work under the permit during the last week. The conditions of the permit are for weekly work. The permit holder may apply with his case officer for reinstatement for good cause. Until such a reinstatement, the permit holder shall not solicit in Aeseiriral for work that will take place outside of our jurisdiction so as to be within the spirit as well as the letter of the [Law].
Done this third Saadisday of Griffon in the year two hundred and seventy four thousand, six hundred and fifty one.
Emshealana
Tribune of Aeseiriral.
Tribunal of Helansia Burrough, Eleventh Circle of Aeseiriral.
I was irate, “They took over last night as an excuse to shut me out this morning! How is this [Lawful Good]?”
“With creativity,” Bloomemia said. “They even closed the loophole about holding the training session outside of the city.”
“Leanosel, my case worker, only works on Bestaalday. I have to wait eight days to fix this! Can I even leave the city if my work permit is suspended?”
“You are a member of the Elven Alliance Faction now. Did you acquire a Faction Identification Shard?”
“No,” I answered.
“You can get one at the front desk here at headquarters. Even without that, your work permit should be good for entry,” she said. “What are you going to do?”
I needed to do something about my frustrations. “Delve.”
----------------------------------------
The [Chaotic Evil] Dungeon was packed. I knew because every party had at least one person with a Virtue. I had taken a nap before I left for Everdale. I was hoping getting into the Dungeon late in the day would help with the crowds. If it did, I would have hated to have seen how many people were here earlier.
It was still possible to Level, I was just going half as fast I normally did. The Dungeon guide from the Adventurer's Guild laid out the best routes to take for grinding. I kept running up on the party in front of me, and I would have to slow down or back track to another path. The monsters respawned every hour but the swamp was quiet compared to the last time I was here. By ten o'clock at night most people had left, and I was able to reap without too many interruptions.
It was early the next morning when I got the [Limit Break] in Intelligence. I bought [Lesser Metamagic]. It felt good. I finally had a Wizard based Ability. Now I needed a Metamagic Skill or Style to use it. I originally planned to get [Accelerate Casting] as my first Metamagic Skill, but with my discovery that I can use a [Limit Break] to get Virtues, I was putting off acquiring most Skills until Tier 2 when they would be more efficient.
I didn't even want to take a Style yet. Styles were Skills that modified other Skills. [Djinn Style] would increase [Fire] and [Air] Magic, but also [Fire] and [Air] Spirit Arts. It was useful for improving aerial combat. Aern'Lenninisal had already learned [Zodiac Style]. He used it in training to improve his physical strikes and resistances. It was essential for his Summoning.
Because Styles could modify Magic they worked in a [Lesser Metamagic] slot. I had become hesitant about buying a Skill at Tier 1. I thought about just getting a throw-away Style to satisfy my Karma Quest. I considered getting [Gangnam Style] to say hello to the pretty ladies but rejected the notion. I might actually want that later. Instead I settled on [Training Style].
It was midmorning before I earned the [Limit Break] for Constitution. [Training Style] would increase how fast I learned a Spell. I would always need to practice Spells, so I wouldn't have to worry about having time to train [Training Style]. Every time I trained I would be training it. It was a the perfect meta-Skill for my Metamagic slot. I applied the Style to practicing [Mattersight].
This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.
Congratulations! You have applied a Style using your Lesser Metamagic Ability. You have completed your Karma Quest! You are awarded the Boon [Rewind Ability Count: Lesser Metamagic].
You gain 10% Experience toward Level 5, 10 [Law Karma Points] and 10 [Good Karma Points].
I smiled at my success, but that Quest wouldn't benefit me for a while yet. It was a good stopping point. The Dungeon was starting to fill up. I returned to the surface. I took the fork in the road that led back to town instead of returning to the nearby landing pad to call for a Guild porter. I sprinted down the road that wound through the mountains. [Recharge Stamina] was keeping up with the drain from both the [Sprint] Skill and the [Sprint] Ability. I needed my Night Ram Overcoat and long-johns to deal with cold, spring winds as I sped along. The morning sun felt good on my face after so long in the Dungeon.
The next junction intersected a larger road. There were Dungeon entrances in both directions, and the city was to the left. I went left, but followed the second road sprouting off the main thoroughfare to the [True Neutral] Dungeon Entrance. The road ended at a guard station at the bottom of a wide staircase. The guard station was in an opening in the cliff to my right, while the stairs went up the sixty stride before turning right and going into the mountain.
A guard stepped from stone doorway. I pulled out my day pass. He just nodded and waved me by.
“When was the Level 4 Floor Boss last killed,” I asked in broken High Common.
The guard perked up, “Who was murdered by a Floor Boss?”
My High Common wasn't as good as I thought. It took some pantomiming and patience but I worked out that it was just after noon yesterday. That surprised me. I was expecting it to be some time in this morning. I just wanted to check the when it was killed for coming back tomorrow morning. I had plenty of time to get down there and snag a Floor Boss kill today.
I thanked the guard and climbed the stairs. The narrow ravine to my left was only eighty stride deep, but that made it a hundred and forty stride to the bottom from the stop of the stairs. I didn't give it second look as I went into the mountain. The stairs continued going up for six or seven strides before leveling off. They went straight back into the mountain for nearly thirty stride before the pathway started going down again. The access into the mountain was paved, but only part of the walls were smooth, carved stone. Much of the tunnel seemed to be a natural opening.
A descending set of stairs snaked its way down into the heart of the mountain for about two hundred strides. When I reached the portal to the first floor, there was light streaming out of the Dungeon entranceway. The first floor was a single large open cavern. At the top sat a glowing ball that served as an artificial sun. [True Neutral] Dungeons tended toward natural surface settings, and artificial suns were very common. There were four in the nine Levels of this Dungeon entrance.
The First Floor a was pastoral setting. Open fields of grass were separated by patches of shrubs, with an occasional tree. Dire Rabbits ran away from me as I walked down the path headed to the Floor Boss Chamber. In the distance I could see a few Adventurers collecting materials. Some picked fruit from trees while others gathered herbs. Dire Sheep grazed while a variety giant birds flitted around. Nothing dared approach me. No Level 1 monster posed any threat to me.
The empty Boss Chamber led to a floor full of fungi based monsters. I lit a torch instead of my lantern. The flame helped clear the musty smell. Nothing challenged me. Level three was a forest world with another artificial sun. Packs of wolves and singular bears were the main enemy. [Force Punch] to the nose repelled frontal attackers, while [Local Portal] dealt with the ones who tried to circle around behind me. Fighting with [Map] let me watch my surroundings from a top down perspective.
I had to kill the Forest Grizzly outside the Boss Chamber twice before the Boss respawned. The Alpha Dire Wolf Boss was a powerful and agile creature. It easily avoided most of my tricks with [Local Portal]. It could roll away form [Portals] opened under it and I wasn't able to spear it with sharp rocks from [Portals] opened in front it. I could interrupt its charges and pounces with well placed barricades from [Local Portal]. As it repositioned I would snipe it with [Force Punch]. If it ever got close it might have posed a threat, but the tactics I developed from my Dungeon guide made the battle a foregone conclusion.
The glowing blue loot ball appeared on top of the stalagmite as usual. The prize was a rare wolf pelt cloak that improved sense of smell, giving a boost to the [Tracking Skill]. I used [Mattersight] to find the Boss' core and cut it out. On the way back out the next Boss Chamber had reprimed. With my [Double Temporal Flow], the Level 3 Myconid Warrior Boss couldn't lay a hand on me. It had a spore cloud that did some Status damage, but nothing [Recharge Mana] and [Recharge Chi] couldn't handle. I didn't get a lootball. I guess the Floor Boss had to be my Level or higher. I did take its core. The first Boss Chamber had a Night Ram. After I collected its core, I put the whole body in [Inventory]. It took up three [Inventory slots]. Its fleece is what my overcoat was made of, so I thought maybe I could sell the wool.
Jogging back to the city took an hour. At the end of the trip I came out of the tunnel through the mountain elevated high over the city. I could look down into the castle complex in the middle of the temples. The view of the Everdale Capital Segment was amazing. The sparkling white stone of the [Good] temples was a stark contrast the Grey Black Stone of the of the castle and other temples. The Adventurer's Guild was very conveniently located right by the tunnel entrance.
The Guild bought the Night Ram for a silver. I was charged forty copper for four hours rental on a bunk to sleep in. It felt good to not be constantly loosing money. I used the shower to rinse the monster guts off me and changed into my pajamas and bathrobe. I pulled wet leathers back out to dry. [Inventory] made life so easy. The bunk was nothing but a stone platform in a common room. I had to use my own bedroll. I didn't care about that. I drifted off wondering what I was going to do about Awaesha'Feleen.
When I awoke later that evening, I tried to check out the postings to see if there were any materials I could collect while I was delving. My ability to read High Common was a bit better than my ability to speak it. As best as I could understand, there wasn't much for the Levels that I was at. Besides paying very little, it required going to difficult to reach places. My rules about no poisons, no traps, and no ambushes left me without an offer I was willing to take.
I went back to grinding in the [Chaotic Evil] part of the Dungeon until around four in the morning. I manage to [Limit Break] Strength and got the Virtue [Kindness]. I moved over to the [Neutral Evil] Dungeon to try for the Level 3 Boss Chamber, but I found a party waiting to enter. I asked what time the Boss was due to respawn. They told me it would be at around eight o'clock. I went back to the [Chaotic Evil] Dungeon. The round trip had cost me two and half hours.
I killed monsters until noon, when the number of Adventurers started to make hunting difficult. I camped out at the Floor Boss Chamber. I was getting close to Leveling. I didn't want miss the opportunity to fight this Boss. Not just for the loot, I wanted to improve my
I studied the empty chamber first. I was a spacious cavern with a large pool in the middle. That's were the Boss would be. It was an Abyssal Swamp Horror Boss. My Dungeon guidebook described it as a pitch black tentacle monster that like to drown victims in the shallow pool. A small stream trickled in from the left side and drained out to the right. The flow continued past the pool, disappearing into a low spot. The stone forming the right edge of the pool dropped off pretty steeply.
Satisfied that the terrain would do for my strategy, I used [Training Style] to rotate through my Spells that were under-leveled. I had most of day to wait, but I didn't want to miss my opportunity. Four times, Adventurers came up to see me waiting. They were a little surprised to see one person waiting for a Floor Boss, but I was in line first. [Lawful Good] people can be pleasant to deal with. Unless your name's Awaesha'Feleen.
More than eighteen hours later, my patience paid off. As soon as the doorway to the Boss Chamber went black, I started pumping Chi into my Virtues. The ratio of 10 Chi to a bonus of 1 to my Strength for one hundred and thirty three seconds wasn't what was important. Every Virtue I had active gave me another shot at resisting a Carnal. After I had all five of my Virtues up and running, I lit a torch and charged with my lantern open. Fighting this creature blind would be easier than most, but I preferred not to. I dropped the lantern upon entering the room, but didn't stop running toward the pool. An inky black mass erupted from the water. I dismissed the [Identify] notification. I knew what opponent was.
There were a lot of tentacles. More than ten, too many to count. This was not some octopus. The main body was covered with various types of oversized eyes and mouths. Some were reminiscent of animals, but most were hominid. The thin lips and metallic eye colors of elves, the pouty mouths and big teeth of gnomes, and the familiar shape of a human woman's mouth covered in lipstick all floated about the bulbous mass attacking me. There was no fixed arrangement of its features. Black tentacles were hurled at me from different directions. It's large form loomed over me as I closed the distance.
I yelled, “[Armor of Justice]!”
The tentacles hit just after the Boon's glow covered me. My arms and legs were wrapped up. Individually the monster's appendages weren't as strong as my limbs, but collectively they were overpowering. I twisted my wrist to push the torch into one of the tentacles, causing the mouths to scream out in pain. The torch was ripped from my hand and dunked into the water.
I activated my [Astral Grimoire] and started casting [Resonating Echoes of Pain]. A huge canine muzzle clamped down over my chest, but [Armor of Justice] protected me. I could feel the monster tugging on my body trying to rip me in two, but my glowing defense wasn't having it. The Swamp Horror switched to different mouth, trying to shove me in an elven orifice. While it struggled with me, I finished casting my Spell. Now it was my turn to hold on to it. It was time to share my pain.
We screamed in unison. The memory of the agony I experienced from Karmic Backlash flooded my awareness. I was losing slightly less than 1 Mana, 1 Chi, and 1 Stamina per second, which was easily overcome by my recharge spells. It wasn't much, but the
Six seconds later the next round of resonance kicked in the pain it was feeling doubled. It tried to disentangle all of its tentacles now, but the pain I was experiencing only helped me hold on tighter. It took a few second for it realize that one tentacle wasn't enough to do the job. My legs were wrapped up again. It separated me from its main body, but it wasn't strong enough to get me to release my hold on it. In order to pull me off of it, it had to grab me. I repeatedly grabbed back.
It screamed again. The third round of the Spell hit it with triple damage. I could see a cloud of Carnals puff out from it's body.
You have successfully resisted infection from 17 Carnal spores of [Adrenaline].
Having five Virtues running as defense gave me some [Confidence], but my concerns never actually abated. Most of the spores drifted down to the water. It wasn't as good as open flame, but some of those spores would be destroyed when coming in contact with the surface of the pool. The [Adrenaline] Carnal gave it increased Strength. At first it tried to throw me out of the pool, but my grip on it was too much for that to work. It stretched its tentacles to edge of the water and started banging me headfirst on the stone floor. [Armor of Justice] prevent all the damage to me. The stone wasn't so Lucky and started cracking.
I began recasting [Resonating Echoes of Pain] just before the fourth round of the Spell Started. The clock on my HUD acted as a perfect timer. The monster was started to get sluggish. At this point the pain was so great, Its screams didn't increase in intensity, probably because it was already at its limit.
In a last ditch effort, it reflexively went for its standard strategy by dunking me underwater. My physical exertion and lack of oxygen had me focusing on recharging my Stamina. It rolled over on me for good measure, but it wasn't very dense. I could easily push the skin of it's body away. What gripped me tightly were still the tentacles, and they suddenly went limp. I retained my grip in case it was a ruse, but I doubted this monster was that smart.
I pushed my way to the surface, dragging the horror behind me by a tentacle. By the end of the fourth round, [Resonating Echoes of Pain] had done 60 points of Mana, Chi, and Stamina damage. I let the Spell play out to the end of the seventh round. By then it had done 160 of each type of damage. I didn't have a kill notification, but if wasn't unconscious it was doing a great job of [Acting].
I tried [Force Punch], but predictably the gelatinous mass absorbed it. I pulled out my short sword and started stabbing and slicing. A minute later-
You have killed an Abyssal Swamp Horror Boss,
You gain 30 XP, 10 [Law Karma Points], and 10 [Good Karma Points].
Claim your trophy!
As the stalagmite with glowing loot ball was rising out the water I was too. I did want to get Carnal spores on me. I used [Measure] to isolate the ones around me, and burned them off with a torch. I spent the next hour cleaning up the spores. I opened [Local Portal] underwater to drain the water in pool, before hunting as many spores as I could. When I was done I went for the loot ball.
Horrifying Headband of [Pain Reduction]
Level 4, Uncommon Magic Item.
Subtract 2 to from all Status damage from Tier 1 sources.
The headband was horrifying. It was slimy to the touch, even though it didn't leave a residue on my fingers. Ears, teeth, and eyes hung off the headband. I put it in [Inventory] and tried not to think of a situation in which I would ever want to wear it.
I tried to get into the Level 3 Boss Chamber in the [Neutral Evil] Dungeon, but I didn't accomplish that before it was time to Level. I spent the next day and a half finishing the [Limit Breaks] for my Virtues. Which led to-
Ding!