Congratulations! You have reached Level 5.
Your Class Power Rating has reached 25
You have gained 9 [Archwizard Ability Points]
You have gained 1 point in all [Statistics] and 1 free [Statistic Point].
It was late in the evening on Mindelday, the sixth day of the week by the time I Leveled. Mindel was the [Lawful Neutral] God of Soldiers and Wizards. Because the Dungeon in Everdale was [Chaotic Neutral] past Level 9, the majority of the people in the city were [Lawful Neutral]. This was their day off. Most shops would be closed. There was no point in going back into the city until tomorrow morning so I powered through. I managed to get the [Limit Breaks] for Luck and Spirit before getting a bunk at the Adventurer's Guild. The Points went into [Faith] and [Confidence].
After I woke up I visited the Celestium's temple to get my Karma Quests. I was down to eighteen golds after paying the ten golds for the Karma Quests. If I couldn't get back to working soon, I was going to have to start cutting cores out the monsters to pay my expenses. This time I needed to two Spells and two Metamagic Abilities to unlock the waiver and rewind for another [Lesser Metamagic] Ability slot.
Before going back into the Dungeon I went shopping. I need some specialized items for my next Ability purchase. I finally got to add my moccasins to [Personal Wardrobe]. I put in the second set of my Black Spidersilk vest, jacket, and knickers. Now I could wear the outfit every day instead of every other day.
My scouting had paid off, and I timed it right for the [True Neutral] Floor Boss in the fourth chamber. I only had to wait thirty minutes for the Ambush Alligator Boss to spawn. It had a Magical [Charge] Ability. The [Charge] cooldown was listed in the Dungeon guidebook. Knowing when to [Dodge] made killing it child's play. A quick loop of rope tied up it's jaws. All I had to was sit on top of it and stab it with my sword. The loot was a pair of alligator skin boots with a [Charge] Ability usable once per day. I believe my moccasins were jealous that their thunder had been stolen.
By evening of Fortuniaday, I got the [Limit Break] for Strength. I purchased [Personal Pantry]. I spent two Ability points plus the Point from the Limit Break. The first two Points got my [Pantry] rated at my Class Power Rating instead of my Level. The last point purchased an upgrade that let the food from my [Pantry] exist inside any personal space. I could produce food from [Personal Pantry] daily. The base Ability meant as long as the food was close to me and touching something solid that also touched me, it wouldn't disappear. The upgrade meant that inside a personal space, like a [Personal Palace] or even inside another person, my food wouldn't disappear. That meant other people could it eat it.
I found a quiet spot and pulled out the special gear. I cleaned my hands with a Magical soap, and wiped up with a damp rag I had been keeping in [Inventory]. I pulled my last roasted chicken out and added it to my [Personal Pantry]. It cost one point for the mass of the chicken, one point for the spices, and one point because it was hot. I had twenty-two more points to spend for my [Pantry] at this Level. It was time to visit some fancy restaurants. It was too bad I was starting to run out of money just when I could finally use it for luxury items like gourmet food.
I did splurge on a special plate and a bowl. They were white glazed porcelain. The plate had two rings of silver leafing. One around the outside edge of the plate, and one around the inside of the flat part of the plate. Each silver ring was laid over a black ring of glaze to offset it. The bowl had one ring of silver leaf over a black glazed lip. I bought a fine silver chain that was a stride long with clips at both ends. The silver chain let me summon the plate from the [Pantry] and set it down. Normally any food would disappear unless it was in contact with me. The chain would give me the opportunity to set my plate down while I ate. My Power Rating wasn't high enough go through the full length of the chain and the plate for now. That would come as I Leveled.
I put the plate, bowl, the chain, and a silver fork and spoon in the [Pantry]. They each cost two more points. I summoned my plate and silverware into my hands with a hot roasted chicken sitting on it. It had cost three golds for the hardware but it was worth it. This was a long term investment. Aern'Lenninisal had told me I needed quality eating utensils. It was a matter of social status to use fine china for dining. Without it, I would seem like a rube.
I chowed down in the Dungeon. When I was done, I dropped the plate and fork. They disappeared with the chicken bones before anything hit the floor. The cost of my meals was about to go way down.
It was Fortuniaday afternoon when I had come back to the Dungeon. Over the next night I earned a [Limit Break] in Constitution. I used it to get the [Resist Poison] Spell from the [Body] College I had plans for [Resist Poison]. This altered my no poison rule. Valoriaday followed Fortuniaday. Valoria was the [Neutral Good] goddess of Priests and Champions. The small contingent of [Neutral Good] people in Everdale used Valoriaday as their day of rest. The [Neutral Evil] Dungeon entrance was almost empty. Poison was a big theme of [Neutral Evil] Dungeons. [Resist Poison] gave me a shot at a Level 5 Floor Boss.
Level 4 of the [Neutral Evil] Dungeon entrance was desert themed. The broiling heat radiated down from an artificial sun. That was fairly unusual for a [Evil] Dungeon. I stayed on the main path to Boss Chamber, but I still had to deal with Giant Scorpions, Fiendish Rattlesnakes, and Demonic Giant Antlions. At least the antlion pits were obvious. Having to cast [Resist Poison] every few minutes didn't really delay me at all. The Floor Boss was Great Desert Scorpion Boss. It was four stride wide, six long and its tail was five strides high.
The first time I tried to block the scorpion with a [Local Portal] didn't go well. It was way too big to let it get close to me. I had to use the Spell Power in [Local Portal] to increase the range of the Spell. It let me open a [Portal] two strides away instead of one. More distance meant smaller [Portals]. Instead of a big [Portal] close by, I ended with a small one further away. The scorpion was able to shift itself around the barricade I put in front of it. Its body spun, and it got an attack off against me. I [Dodged] its claw, but it hit me with the stinger. [Just a Fleshwound] saved me, but I had to change strategy.
Instead of setting one of the [Portals] flat on the sand to make a barricade, I opened both [Portals] facing the monster. I put one at each claw. Now it was running into itself instead of the ground. It still had a shot to hit me with the stinger, but I put another [Portal] in between me and the poison barb flying at my heart. The other side was right next to me. My short sword cut the stinger off. The poison threat from this creature was over.
Once its shell was breached I used [Local Portal] to keep my distance and attacked the bloody stump with [Force Punch]. In the end I think I just wore it out of Stamina. The prize was a one use Elixir that reversed the damage and effects of any Tier 1 poison. That wasn't good enough for me. I used the next [Limit Break] to get [Purge Toxin] from the [Blood] School of Magic. Getting the second spell unlocked the ability to get another [Lesser Metamagic] slot from my Karma Quest.
The next [Limit Break] went to [Boxing Style]. If the pattern to the Karma Quest held I was going to have to get multiple Styles or Metamagic Skills every Level. I couldn't take a few junk Styles and wait until Tier 2 to pick the Skills I would be using to fight for real with. I had accepted the [Punching] Skill. I wouldn't be able to [Limit Break] it now. As good as [Force Punch] was, I wouldn't be using it forever. There were much better Spells. I decided to maximize my attacks for now and [Boxing Style] did that. I went all in with the next [Limit Break] and got [Empower Spell: Force Punch] as a Metamagic Skill. That finished the rewind Karma Quest.
The Level 4 floor of the [Chaotic Evil] Dungeon was undead. The Crushing Damage from [Force Punch] did little to the zombies, which were naturally resistant to it. The skeletons snapped like twigs though. The Zombie Bugbear Boss was a bit different. [Local Portal] would cut its flesh but not its bones. I went to trap a foot, and the portal pulled off the rotten flesh to reveal a tibia and a fibula. [Force Punch] shattered the bones. Once I crippled it, I could batter it from range.
I took a break to get some rest at the Adventure's Guild. It cost me six hours round trip to get back in the Dungeon, but I got the last few hours in to [Limit Break] my second point in [Truthfulness] before I had to head back to Aeseiriral.
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On returning to the Guildhouse I found two messages from Aern'Lenninisal. The first reminding me not contact him directly or his mother would find out, and the second wishing me well as I get on with my life. I knew elves took a lot longer to learn Skills and Spells but I didn't realize it applied to everything.
I was assigned a new room since I had been gone for almost a week. I cleaned up and changed into my elven finery. Black Spidersilk with lace hanging from my wrists and neck. The shoes were a little scuffed from me wearing them, but other than that my clothes were spotless. [Personal Wardrobe] to the rescue. I had to think of this next part as a job interview, because it was. Getting my temporary provisional work permit reinstated was literally the only way I could get paid for training the elves in Harmin's care.
I met Bloomemia at her office. Harmin was still traveling outside of Aeseiriral, so she would be the one accompanying me to see Leanosel. We went over the formalities and the paperwork before heading to the immigration office. Bloomemia called us a carriage. She told me she would bill it Harmin. I was just glad I didn't have to pay. I was watching my finances closely now. I had been out of work for two weeks.
We arrived early and sat on benches outside the office. Leanosel waved to us as arrived. Bloomemia motioned for me to halt when I stood to follow him into the office. We waited outside until the previous immigration officer left after finishing her hour long service. As soon as she left, Leanosel opened the door and invited us in. We sat down and Bloomemia went over the details of the last week. She explained that my temporary provisional work permit had only been suspended because Awaesha'Feleen had interfered to take over the training.
“You are sure that Jernkallis said that Awaesha'Feleen did not want to interrupt the training,” Leanosel asked.
“Yeah. He tried to make it sound like he was doing me a favor,” I replied.
The immigration officer leaned back in chair and stroked his chin, before saying, “I was with Brindaesal at Tergamein thirty two decades ago. It was heard that the popular opinion was we should have attacked the orcs sooner. They had forced a Dungeon break in an attempt to start pressuring the southern elven cities. Brindaesal made us wait and watch the numbers build. Monster after monster climbed out of the Bubbling Crude. So many came out I was ready to run for the hills. It wasn't until the monsters started to overrun the orcs that he gave the order to attack. Brindaesal was a Legion Legate back then. His patience won him the battle and eventually the position of Battlelord.”
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He leaned forward and pick up my application, “I hate to be hasty, but I agree with Awaesha'Feleen. I am denying your application to reinstated you temporary provisional work permit.”
He began scrawling all over the application.
I deflated. I turned to Bloomemia to ask what to do next, but she held up one finger. As soon as Leanosel had finish stamping the document, he pulled another pile of papers out of his desk drawer. He continued at a fevered pace, stamping and signing. Several papers lit on fire and disappeared. When he was done he looked up with smile.
“I hereby grant your provisional work permit. If Awaesha'Feleen thinks our youth need training you had better get to it,” he said handing me my paperwork.
“Thanks, Leanosel. You had me going there for minute,” I said with a crooked smile.
“Patience is the watchword of elven culture. When I heard Awaesha'Feleen was willing to forgo it, I knew it had to be for an important reason. That makes you important, Eric Swindall. Prove us right,” he said offering me his hand.
I shook it and we started to leave. On the way out he said, “I hope to see you around.”
Once we were outside the office, Bloomemia turned to me and asked, “Can you begin training tonight?”
I was a little shocked. “Yes. That was fast. Do you think you can let everyone know in time?”
“That will not be a problem. The sooner Harmin is making money, the sooner he will be happy,” she shot back.
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I had just sat down to eat my roasted chicken when someone knocked at the door. I put my fork in my mouth and held the plate of chicken in the other. I couldn't let go of it or I would lose lunch. When I opened the door, it was Aern'Lenninisal.
“Early as usual,” I quipped.
As soon as I spoke the fork fell out of my mouth and disappeared.
“Oh well,” I said. “Looks like I'll have to eat with my hands. Come in.”
I sat at the small table. He leaned against the wall and watched as I ate. After a few bites, I asked, “What?”
“You have returned. You have not asked me to leave, even though you lost your job because of me. Why?”
“You owe me buddy. I've spent over four months teaching you. I mean to collect,” I said.
“I will honor our contract. Will you?”
I put the chicken leg down.
“I can't be seen teaching you Spells right now. Harmin's Esquire, Bloomemia explained it to me. It's complicated. Come by her office with me tomorrow. She can explain it to you,” I said.
“It is not necessary. I understand. Mother has changed your mind. I know the reasons,” he said stoically.
I turned my attention to back to my chicken and stuffed my mouth. At the same time I made a party invitation to him.
When he joined my party, I sent him a silent message through [Party Chat], 'No you don't. Accept when I offer again.'
I swallowed and said, “I'm not sure I do. You owe me some lessons, but I have to make it clear I'm not teaching you. There is lots of complicated stuff she said. It's better if you hear it from her so we don't make a mistake and get your mother mad at me. Plus, you have to show me around and recommend some dishes. I have [Personal Pantry] now.”
He paused to think and said, “Very well. I will come with you.”
Across [Party Chat] he asked, 'Why?'
'It's better if you don't know until tomorrow,' I thought at him.
I smiled and said aloud, “Good! As soon I finish eating you can start teaching me [Tongues].”
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Only eight people came to the training session out of the normal nineteen. I was surprised Nellamon wasn't one of them. Since I could cast twice as fast and we had half the people, Forna directed me to recharge everyone as they reset between attacks. I was running at breakneck speed all night. The one thing I did [Notice] was that Grelgineer kept giving me dirty looks.
At the end of the night when we were wrapping up, I asked him, “Did I do something to make you mad?”
It caught him off guard, “I...no. I apologize if a gave offense. It is not your problem.”
He turned to go but I said, “But there is a problem.”
Anger returned to his eyes and he said, “Nellamon has gone on expedition with a Legion. We were supposed to go with him. Because of your training he finished in time to make it this year instead of next. If we do not travel with him, he will out Level us and require a new coterie. We have been with him for many years now. I hate to see it end like this. As I said, it is not your problem.”
“Do you mind if I make it my problem,” I asked.
“What do you mean,” he asked suspiciously.
“I mean, do you mind if figure out a way so you can keep up with Nellamon,” I asked.
“How will you solve this problem human? What do you suppose you can do that I cannot,” he asked indignantly.
“I didn't say I had an answer. I just want to see if can solve it,” I said.
He relaxed and nodded. “Thank you, Eric. The sentiment is appreciated.”
I didn't say I had an answer. I did have a solution. I just didn't say it.
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“...and, so long as you do not say you intend to study Structure Magic in public, the [Divination] Magic will not be able to read your intent,” Bloomemia finished explaining to Aern'Lenninisal.
He replied by asking, “Except your office?”
“Yes. Any place that is [Warded],” she confirmed.
“Or person that's [Warded],” I followed up.
She smiled weakly, “Yes, but that is prohibitively expensive.”
“How much,” I asked.
“For complete immunity, short of [Divine] intervention,” she asked.
“Yeah. Complete immunity,” I inquired.
“Between three and four mithral pieces, for an Ultimate Amulet of Scryguard,” she answered.
My jaw fell open. I was not expecting that. That was between thirty and forty thousand gold pieces. Maybe my plan wouldn't work.
When I collected myself, I asked, “What about Spells? That's got to be cheaper.”
“Yes. Then it comes down to who has the highest Level caster. It will not work very well for you. In order to have the Spell cast on you, it is necessary to visit the caster often. Visiting the caster will be unprotected from [Divination]. It is only useful if you do not care if the diviner knows you are hiding things,” she explained.
“There has to be something. I can't believe that there's no privacy on this world,” I said, exasperated.
“There are lower Level Spells and items. If you want to keep a secret it depends on how much you spend. If you guess more than the person searching, you get to keep your secret,” she said with a smile that was genuine this time.
I asked, “How much to we have to spend to keep secrets from Awaesha'Feleen?”
“Two Greater Amulets of Scryguard, one for each of you, will be about 180 platinum pieces,” She answered.
About eighteen thousand gold. “What about renting them?”
“Sixty or seventy golds per month for two of them, but you run into the same problem. The diviners will see you acquire the amulets. Scryguarding is a heavily regulated profession. Renting them will attract more attention than doing nothing,” she said.
“What about Harmin. Does he have something we could use,” I asked desperately.
“Even if he did, why would he lend them to you,” she scoffed.
Something about the way she said it triggered [Notice]. She was much more aggressive than usual. She was hiding something.
“Because he would be making money off it,” I said.
She sat back in her chair, “Go on.”
“I propose a new business, but I'll need to try it out with Aern'Lenninisal to make sure it works,” I said smiling. “Aern'Lenninisal, can you answer some questions for me?”
He looked at me skeptically, but without reservation said, “Yes.”
“You are Level 8, correct?”
“Yes,” he answered.
“I'm human, so it takes 9,000 XP for me reach Level 9 from Level 8. Elves require ten times the XP so that means you require 90,000 XP. Right?”
“Yes,” he said dragging it out, indicating his curiosity.
“I need 1,000 Karma to qualify for a Greater Boon, so you must need 10,000 Karma. I only earn a Karma Point for killing a monsters about half the time now. Killing a monster at your Level earns 10 XP, so killing 9,000 monsters to reach Level 9 would give you about 4,500 Karma. You would only get a Boon every third Level or so.”
“Yes. That is why we use Quests to gain Karma. A single Quest gives one percent of the Experience required to Level. If we repeat the same Quests ten times, we get the Experience once and the Karma every time. One thousand Quests at 10 Karma per Quests provides the 10,000 Karma per Level we need for a Boon,” he explained.
“Killing regular monsters for Karma gets harder as you Level. They start off giving 1 Karma Point per kill, but that goes down as you go up in Level. At Level 8 the ratio is twenty XP to one Karma. That's only true of regular mobs, though. A Floor Boss always gives 30 XP and 10 Karma. The ratio is three to one. If all you killed was Floor Bosses, you would earn 30,000 Karma for Level 9. Three times what you need. My business proposal is I escort people around Dungeons, killing all the regular monsters, while they kill the Floor Bosses,” I said triumphantly.
Aern'Lenninisal's trademark deadpan was nowhere to be seen.
He turned excitedly to Bloomemia and breathlessly asked, “Can we do this?”
Bloomemia replied. “It is possible. I do not see how Aern'Lenninisal can pay for this. I believe Awaesha'Feleen will hear about the bill.”
“That's part of my price. He gets included or no deal,” I said.
“Why, Eric? Why would you do this for me,” he asked.
I turned him and said, “I'm alone. I don't have friends. I don't have a family. I don't have schoolmates or people I went to college with. You're my friend now. You're the closest thing I've got to family on Elfandrael. You're all I've got. Well, you and Harmin's bathrooms, so why not.”
There was only a faint smile across his lips, but eyes were alight with joy. “Thank you, Eric. I apologize for doubting you.”
“Not a problem,” I said.
“I am still not convinced, Eric. Are you not concerned that you will not have enough Karma for your own Boons. Humans do not have the same standards as elves, but Boons are not to be disregarded lightly,” Bloomemia said with concern.
“I have a Boon that eats XP. I'm getting two Boons a Level. I've got plenty of Karma. I'm not talking about anything new. I already Level by grinding in Dungeons. I'm just trying to get paid for bringing people along,” I said.
She said, “That may work then.”
I could hear the wheels turning, so I decided to throw in a little extra.
“I have a Title,
“You killed a Floor Boss by yourself,” she exclaimed.
Aern'Lenninisal nodded and said, “Yes. I was there to see it.”
“No, I've killed six Floor Bosses by myself,” I said in mock defiance.
“Thing-a-ma-bobs, are expensive,” she said, and after a dramatic pause, “But I can sell that to Harmin. I know he can it sell to anyone he wants. I am still not sure about Aern'Lenninisal.”
I was amazed! There was a word for 'thing-a-ma-bob' in elvish!
“It's not just for him. I've been fighting the [True Neutral] and [Neutral Evil] Floor Bosses in Everdale. I can't get into the [Chaotic Neutral] Dungeon because it's too crowed. I want you to arrange for me to fight all four types of Floor Bosses so I can maximize my kills per Level. Aern'Lenninisal could use some [Chaotic Neutral] Floor Bosses, but I need them too,” I said.
I faced my friend, gestured back and forth between us, and said, “We've done this before. The last time we had Emearia and Selenia with us. The people that follow along can cut cores out the monsters and sell them, if Emearia doesn't want to buy them. That's how we can pay for it. Plus, if Selenia comes with us she can [Heal] me. She'll get Karma at one to one on XP, and it'll go much faster.”
All of the excitement drained out of Aern'Lenninisal's face.
He turned to Bloomemia and said, “Yes. We will need [Healing].”
The trademark deadpan was back. I had to bite my lip to keep from laughing.
“This all sounds wonderful. You still have not explained how you will do this without Awaesha'Feleen finding out,” she said.
“That's were Harmin comes in. He's got some Scryguard Magic we can borrow, right?”
“I will ask him,” she in an affected, non-committed tone. She smiled and said, “This plot you have with the son of Awaesha'Feleen...” She smacked her lips and said, “I like this.”