I quickly glanced around, taking in the room we found ourselves in. It was empty, with two closed doors, leading me to assume we were safe enough for the time being. Charles still held me, no doubt waiting for a response. Unfortunately, I did not know the answer to his question; why would the Order want me here? There was a chance that Charles was making the whole thing up, though that did not seem all that likely. I stared up into his still tear-filled eyes. I was confused, a bit afraid, but also quite angry.

"Why did you bring me here?" I growled out the words, and no doubt I was very intimidating.

Charles blinked in seeming surprise. "The Order gave me a quest to!" He answered as if that made the outcome self-evident and sensible.

I studied him for a time, but feeling confined by how I was held, I pushed at him to let me go. Which he did. While he was not exactly steady on his feet, he stayed upright without me, albeit with a grimace and a hand to his side. A quick sense told me he had not brought any of the undead-tainted objects with or within him.

I let out a sigh, "Do you always do what the Order asks of you?".

His expression told clearly he thought the question strange, "Yes, of course. Though this is only my third quest ever!" His answer was emphatic and proud enough that I became slightly worried for this idiot. I considered carefully how to phrase my next question, while filing away that apparently he had received another quest sometime between the two I now knew of.

"Are you a member of the Temple?"

At that question, Charles flinched, and tears began rolling down his cheeks anew. Uncertain how to react to this, I patted one of his shoulders a few times, wondering if you said 'there, there' to grown men who cried, or were you supposed to pretend nothing was happening?

"She told me they were safe, that I should keep them with me in case they gave me a clue." Charles' sad and tear-filled voice brought me out of my musings on crying men, and I spent some time parsing the implications of what he was saying.

"We grew up together, we have been friends forever, she was ... " His voice trailed off as a slight blush crept up his cheeks. Right, a bit too much honesty even for this moment.

"... but with this, she... she tried to kill me, didn't she? She is a Cleric, the Grand Healer, she told me she was certain they were safe. With her Abilities, she would have known." He looked into my eyes as he sobbed out the words, something hopeful in his expression, as if I would refute his claims. I pinched the bridge of my nose and sighed.

"Did you lose Constitution from what happened to you?" Charles nodded slowly, his face going paler as an even more forlorn look came over him. While pure incompetence on the Cleric's part was an option, that was exceedingly unlikely from someone holding office with the Healers. So, attempted murder then?

"I lost some Constitution to the Undead Drain, which the Order informed me I suffered from. I thought it a disease, and went to her to be healed." He shook his head, sadly.

"As I woke after you had removed the shards of the arrow, I had lost far more Constitution. I found the arrow and the shards, and compared them to what I had carried with me. They were clearly the same thing, though shaped differently." 

He shook his head sadly, "But, she is of the Temple! She follows the will of the Order. Perhaps I am meant to die." His voice went softer and softer until he finished at barely a whisper. I wanted to slap him!

"People change, people are always more complicated than what they seem, if I know that so should you, do try to be less of an idiot!" Apparently I had said something right, as Charles had started nodding and he seemed to rally himself.

"Yes, you are right, I did not think this through. My quest instructs me to keep you safe as we defeat the tenth level. So we are on the side of the Order!" I was uncertain if I appreciated how his bright smile and sparkling tear-filled eyes made me feel. Uncomfortable, that was for sure.

I had a hard time imagining what he was going through, doubting a life long friend, and then receiving evidence, if not proof, that she tried to kill him. I had simply never trusted that way. This was an evening for unpleasant thoughts, it seemed.

So other than being overly trusting of the Order, it seemed Charles was not actually bad. Still a bit stupid though, but I had now started wondering if that was not true of me as well, as I seemed to be far too willing to forgive this mountain of a man.

"Wait, your quest is not complete?" I shook my head at what was inconsequential at this time.

"Forget about that, the next time you get it into your head to do something the Order tells you, involving me, talk to me first! If you thought this was such a wonderful and amazing idea, I would have assuredly agreed!" I was quite certain my sarcasm was coming through clearly.

Charles did look more than a bit sheepish, which I approved of wholeheartedly, as I glared at him.

"I promise, I will consult you about what affects you. But I got the quest! It might have been of paramount importance to get you out of there immediately!" I did not like the way he looked at me, as if he was assigning some of what he felt for the Order onto me. I shuddered at the thought.

"Did the quest mention anything about any urgency?"

"No." Charles scratched his head and grimaced.

"Unless the sky is falling and we are at imminent risk of dying, speak up, before making decisions in my stead!"

I had to acknowledge, at least to myself, that there was a possibility there might have been some degree of urgency. The undead was one possibility. Might Charles' quest have been more about not being where we were, rather than being here, in the Deep? If so, that might actually make more sense.

But it did not seem as if Charles had reached a conclusion about what to do through careful consideration. He had been emotional about the betrayal and attempted murder, then gotten a quest and completed it, no questions asked. Which seemed quite stupid from my perspective. Unfortunately though, I could see how it sort of made sense from his point of view, a thought I would not be sharing with him.

"Can you forgive me? I will bring you out of here safely, and the Order will reveal its plan for you!" I rubbed my forehead, had I just convinced myself he was not that stupid? Yes. Yes, I had.

Hopefully he was better at fighting than at thinking. I recalled something mother had said, that intelligence and critical thinking were not the same, one was innate and the other a skill acquired. How would I have behaved now, if no one had ever even suggested that I should question all that went on around me? I put those musings aside for another time.

The room we were in was square, with two doors on opposite sides and otherwise empty. The floor, walls, and the ceiling were made of stone inset with intricate patterns. It was rather bright in the room, but I could not spot a source of light; just as during the day, without knowledge or sight of the sun it was hard to explain the prevalence of daylight.

I had never been in a Dungeon before and did not know all that much about them. But this should be a 'safe room' where we should be unaccosted, at least for a time. From what I understood, getting to the tenth floor as we had was something rare, expensive, and also quite dangerous. In general you could only challenge a floor if you had defeated the one previous. There were plenty of cautionary tales of people who had done what Charles had done to me: entering somewhere beyond their ability, being unable to defeat the floor they were on, thus unable to leave as they could not access an exit on the present floor and could not retreat to the preceding one.

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While I might be wrong, as stories were not always the truth, this probably meant I could not enter the ninth floor since I had not defeated the eighth. Which led to the conclusion that leaving was probably impossible for me at the present. Somehow though, the kind of Portal Stone Charles had used circumvented this rule. It also probably meant that he could leave without issue, if he had attuned it to the location himself.

I though, would have to defeat this floor in order to leave, if there even was an exit at the end of this floor, which I sincerely hoped there was! I needed Charles, that was rather obvious.

What I wanted now though, was to eat and sleep. At least one of those I could do something about.

Charles was still waiting patiently for my response, so I gave him a short nod and a yes. His face broke into a smile once more, and I turned to check on my belongings.

I peered into my satchel with resignation. I had left quite a few beads of Acid Splash behind when Charles had brought us here. I was down to three Copper beads of Ice Lance, one iron and one glass. I had four Copper beads of Acid Splash and one iron. I had around twenty of Minor Shield and Minor Heal and a handful of different Fire Burst enchants. All in all I was rather ill-prepared for a Dungeon.

I looked at Charles, uncertain of how to proceed, only to see his expression change into what I could only call mischievous.

"Checking on your weapons are you?"

He fished something out of his pants pocket and threw it to me, and catching it I could see it was a small stone.

Stone of Fire Burst

Will explode with a burst of fire when hitting a target.

Damage: 12

Quality: Average

"So, what do you need to do to prepare?" At my horrified expression, he shook his head and continued.

"I assumed quite some time ago that you are not a Mage. This stone is not imbued, you have some other Ability to make them, I assume."

I wrestled with my thoughts for a time, but this did not really change anything, if Charles thought I was on the side of the Order, he would help me. If he got a quest to push me off a cliff, he would probably do that too. And the Order could read my mind. This was just wonderful, I could see how this might push people toward revering the Order. It was one way of getting peace of mind: instead of worrying, just assume the Order was good and benevolent.

Then again, could the Order give a quest to kill someone? Surely that was possible, but what were the rules? I would have thought it would happen more often if there were no limitations. Like the corrupt Guards working with the undead, surely they would be a good target? And the man with the apples?

I wrestled with the fact that I was surprisingly drawn to the idea of trusting Charles. Despite everything. Perhaps I should stop thinking of him as the stupid one?

I looked around once more, confirming that the room had a smooth and empty floor, lacking in anything enchantable. I considered for a moment, and decided to sacrifice my copper coins to enchant more Ice Lances.

Copper coin of Ice Lance

Throws a sharp lance of ice at a target.

Damage: 30

Quality: Good

I honestly felt happy I was so used to copper that I could enchant all of them without issue, even though they gave me no experience anymore. The coins were a bit bigger than the beads, which I assumed was why they did more damage. It had felt as if there was an extra fold in the wave of thin threads at a point just before they crystallized with the spell structure, was that something related to size?

Putting that aside as not relevant right now, I looked up at Charles, who sat on the floor, studying me with an uncomfortable degree of interest, leading me to turn away again.

"I need to sleep, fighting like this would be unwise." I could see Charles nodding out of the corner of my eye.

"Make sure you are ready before we leave, full Mana, Health, and settle your levels." This sounded like something he had repeated many times before.

Charles studied me for a moment more, "There is nothing I can do for missing Health in this situation, is there anything else you should deal with before sleeping and taking on the Dungeon?" My expression apparently gave me away and he shook his head at me.

"This place can kill you at the best of times, being weaker than you have to be, even though you are not here by choice, would be foolish. I know you are not a Mage, you can create things in ways I have not seen before, you gain more Attributes than what is common. But all that means is that your Bloodline is more powerful than usual, which should make you feel safer, not less. No one wants to risk offending a Bloodline, especially not one as powerful as yours seem to be!"

I could not quite grasp what he was saying, and apparently my confusion was clear enough to make Charles chuckle at me.

"You still don't get it, I see. Eventually someone of your Bloodline will find you, that is always the case. Imagine a hundred people with your class, with a hundred levels each! Or two hundred, all tied by bands of blood and family. No one in their right mind would risk making an enemy like that without a very good reason."

He studied me for a moment. "But that does not make you feel safer at all, does it? Just what kind of family have you had? An orphan would not react as you do, they often seem to seek familial bonds, rather than fear them." I decided I preferred the stupid Charles a lot more, but what he had said made a chilling kind of sense. Would people of my rejected Bloodline come looking for me? How would they know of me?

"I have a class Ability left unchosen."

Charles nodded once more, "What are your options? You should tell me about your class as well, so I have context." I stared at him, quite certain I did not want to do that, and he rolled his eyes at me.

"I swear by the Order and by my hope of the everlasting Life, that I will not betray your secrets." A flash of white light spiraled out of him, leaving me gaping in surprise.

He smirked at me, "Not even Stravos can make me give up what I know now, so speak, and we can work our way out of here."

I refrained from pointing out the major flaw in his logic, since if that turned out to be the case, I would not have a chance anyway. I began to tell Charles of what I was and what I could do, but I still skirted me being an Aberration. If he could attribute my class and Abilities to a Bloodline, I would not do anything to change his mind.

**

I was not sure what I had expected from Charles, but once I had told him what I knew and what Abilities I had to choose between he sat there silently, looking thoughtful, for quite some time.

"You know nothing else I take it? No lore or anything such passed down?" I shook my head and he nodded decisively.

"You should pick Creation: Golem Core then." At my expression, he smiled widely and explained his thoughts.

"While Manipulation: Telekinesis might be more useful in direct combat, that is predicated on things you do not know. You might be able to lift a sword with the Ability, but could you swing it hard enough to hurt anyone? Break armor? How is it limited? How much focus does it require? Are you vulnerable to flanking when using it, being too focused in one direction? All those unknowns make me cautious of this Ability. Also, does it complete like a spell? Are there any additional limits to it, which you do not know of yet? What amount of an Attribute do you need for the Ability to shine? The path forward is too hard to discern."

He grinned, "A Golem would be something you could always trust to have at your back. Making a Golem is a fourth Sphere spell for a Mage, but sentience, that is an eight Sphere spell! It is remarkable, but more importantly: I think I know why the Order want you to be here! This floor has many a Golem on it, giving you ample opportunity to gather parts for one of your own! This must be the Order's intentions!"

I refrained from rolling my eyes at this surge of Order fanaticism, though I admitted to myself that the thought of being able to make a Golem was quite tempting. But the fact that Creation: Golem Core was as remarkable as Charles seemed to think, reinforced the probability that Manipulation: Telekinesis was quite powerful too.

I had reached the point where I believed that this was no longer a question of reason, Charles had pointed out even more unknowns with Manipulation: Telekinesis than I had thought of myself. In the end it was down to a choice of what I wanted, it was not truly possible to know which was the most useful. So: what did I want?

Creation: Golem Core, rank 1

You can coalesce and support a single Sentience Core.

Cost: 575 Mana.

Cast Time: 45 minutes, Intentional

Range: Touch

Upkeep: N/A

While I certainly wanted to sleep, I did have my priorities straight; I began to coalesce a Sentience Core.