In the brightest days void of all shadow, there were great beings that roamed the lands. They were less the inhabitants of the land than they were the very landscapes in which they presided. They were Titans.

-Book of Legends, The Titans

The nest below had been too quiet for too long. Jayke had to check eventually before something else smelled the death and did so before him. He sent orb turrets ahead of him, letting them drift around as soon as he made them. Each one took about ten seconds to make, a necessary setup time.

He watched their movements, looking between the gaps of their arbitrary pathing for anything that might indicate an invisible scyther. There was nothing forthcoming.

Jayke sighed, he popped into his [Safehaven] and donned the [Cave Scale Armor]. If he was caught out of position, running wasn't an option anymore. The extra defense might help against the scythes or whatever the queen had up her sleeve if she proved to be the victor.

Jayke slid down some angled branches, making his way to the ground. He didn't even approach the nearest opening. He sent more orb turrets inside, directing away any others that drifted too close to him. There was nothing that distinguished him from any other movement. Then there was a loud sharp cracking noise and a keening roar. It morphed into a pain-filled wail and Jayke steadied himself.

He frowned. The crack came again and so did the wail. His orb turrets were firing at something. 

Jayke enveloped himself in protective armor to layer over his [Cave Scale Armor]. Then he called out [Reinforce] feeling his limbs stiffen. He powered through the limited range of motion. Approaching the opening as layered and as cautiously as he could reasonably get, the sight that greeted him was somewhat sorrowful. He looked down at the scene.

A mass of writhing insects. Silvanids crawled over the bisected body of the [Giant Silvanid Queen], pulling the two halves of her desperately together, trying frantically to become the stitches she needed. She was alive still, staring hard at the [Giant Tree Scyther] with an unwavering multifaceted gaze. The [Giant Tree Scyther] had lost all of its legs, silvanids were eating at it slowly. A dead [Giant Silvanid Elite] lay motionless in front of the scyther.

Then one of Jayke's orbs wandered close to the scyther and it twitched. They shot forcebolts and cracked its abdomen, creating a fracture in the chitin. Two more of his orbs wandered nearby. The silvanid queen was watching them warily. She was well acquainted with them by now.

Neither had died yet.

Up above, Jayke was conjuring more orb turrets. If there was anything he'd practiced more during that time in solitude than anything else, it was letting turrets kill all the big monsters for him. He considered himself an expert in that regard. It was a little cruel that they weren't immediate deaths like Jayke was used to witnessing but he knew they would just as happily kill him if the roles were reversed. The sound of his magic at work was reassuring.

The queen wasn't forgotten by the roaming orb turrets either. A wave of silvanids tried blocking the shots coming at her, but the moment the first forcebolt connected against her the resultant keening scream was ungodly. Her torso had ripped. Just like that. Her entire body twitched, twice, three times, before she stilled. She had just been that close to death.

And the scyther? Its guts began to flow out of its cracked chitin. The remaining silvanids, now noticeably disorganized, feasted on the open wound and flowing organs. Jayke's turrets were destroying any silvanid that came near to them.

Jayke was still trying to figure out how to get down. He spotted the runic circle, still glowing beneath the [Giant Silvanid Queen]. 

Eventually, he managed to find an entrance closer to the floor. Jumping down, he rolled onto his back which was already protected by both physical and magical armor, absorbing the impact and coming to his feet. He crushed a few silvanids in the process.

Jayke steered clear from what he finally realized was just another interpretation of a regular praying mantis. Its arms were still twitching in its last death throes but it couldn't get the angle on the bugs that were feasting on it. Jayke was well aware of thing's speed and spatial awareness had it had the angle it might've been able to save itself.

Jayke began practicing his sloppy forcebolts on its face. He'd managed to refine the weak slap of magic into something resembling the strength of his past shieldshots. A basic understanding of the forcebolt was what allowed him to apply them to the orb turrets but it was just a basic understanding. His turrets could execute that to perfection but Jayke was more inconsistent. A few more forcebolts to the scyther's face and it died silently, going completely still as its head was knocked backward.

He waited for long moments to make sure it was dead before he began the process of hacking away at its arms. The process was him simply blasting the chitinous joints. Eventually, they cracked and he came away with giant long scythes. Both of which went into his [Safehaven]. He needed to make sure he spent a day cleaning his [Safehaven] after, it was a mess. He gathered any number of large pieces of chitin that came away from the scyther.

He turned around and regarded the queen. Even in death, her eyes were as if she could see right through you. He regarded her for a moment. The spark of intelligence in her eyes had given him pause before. Jayke didn't have enough sympathy for all the deaths of monsters he'd ever caused though. The morality of her extermination was a foregone conclusion - the silvanids had attacked him first. She was bisected and the size of a cow, but parts of her were still good. He plucked her insectile, webbed wings. All into the [Safehaven]. The remaining silvanids were useless against his armor, even after the [Reinforce] Skill wore off.

With a shield, he pushed away all the bugs and the silvanid queen's corpse. He was ready to leave. The runic circle was wooden, caked with bug juice and insect parts. He grimaced, scrunching his nose. He'd smelled worse before but still. He was ready to leave this place. 

He stepped on the runic circle. "Please work." He said simply.

He sighed in relief.

As before, the runes peeled off like stickers. Coming into the air surrounding him, searing magic that spun faster and faster and faster around him in circles. Once the first loop of symbols became indistinguishable from a solid ring of light, the next peeled itself from the thick patterns and motifs that decorated the ring around his feet, repeating the process.

There was an intense blue flash and Jayke opened his eyes. He looked around the damp cave, the crawling vines, the rushing water. He was exactly where he'd started. He stared back at the runes, realizing they were unlit again. Then he stared at the waterfall, realized his skin was crawling, and opted to take a fucking bath.

He took off his [Cave Scale Armor].

He could make easily make out the other side of the falls and found it absent of danger. With a running start, he dived through the waterfall and into the pool beyond it. The chill shocked him into life and he laughed, kicking water into the blue sunny sky. He backstroked around the small pond, his surroundings immediately lighting up in various colored outlines. No threats so far as he could tell, but the shimmering shield layering his skin was a countermeasure for just that. He released it, feeling the water rush to the parts of him that he'd covered.

As he swam his thoughts turned sour as the immense task of a delve into an Epic Dungeon finally caught up with him. "What the fuck is wrong with the Coterie? That wasn't worth any fucking membership." Jayke frowned hard.

Dripping wet and in a bad mood, he stepped out of the pool and inched his way back into the cave. There was something waiting for him there and he almost forgot that that entire thing had probably counted as an encounter. He approached curiously, the rewards appeared even after leaving the Dungeon? That was good news, he'd forgotten about them. He'd been so focused on leaving before anything else came across the hive that he had mindlessly exited the Dungeon.

[Runic Skies] had been hell. He didn't fathom how anyone could survive that. Were the people here just that crazily capable? Or was the Coterie actually insane? Once he returned, he supposed he'd find out.

Reward: Item: [Silvanid Ichor] (Rare)

The combined essence of a hive's ancestral knowledge of structures and buildings. Silvanids are master builders, without any direction or blueprint, they can find material and create architecture from nothing but pure instinct. [Architects] and [Builders] are often inspired by works of nature, more so from the very first builders. For a fleeting moment, that knowledge can be absorbed and even grasped in the short span of inspiration this ichor represents.

It didn't really pertain to him, unfortunately. He'd heard talk of trustworthy [Merchants] and [Traders] who kept their mouths shut. Apparently, there was a lot of trade going on in Nubilum that wanted to avoid attention. Unsurprisingly, non-combat Classes could level other ways than danger.

Jayke did note the Rare tag, it was presumably better than the [Cave Scale Armor]. He wondered if this kind of haul was expected from an Epic Rarity Dungeon. He had an eerie feeling that it most definitely wasn't, at least not for a singular person. Jayke's [Safehaven] being the prime grounds for the assumption.

He stashed everything away and donned the [Cave Scale Armor] again, registering that he was, in fact, in a cave. The stones that overlapped each other were slightly tingly to the eyes. Vibrating gently. "Cool."

He hadn't leveled which was both surprising and not. Surprising because he felt he'd been through a lot, but not surprising either given the fact it had only been... a couple of days? He wasn't sure, but despite all the chaos, his previous levels had taken him a few weeks.

He hadn't really thought about what levels meant for him beyond the milestone Skills associated with them, but the numbers had to represent something. The System appeared to everyone differently, Jayke's was simply akin to a computer screen. The concepts were all there for everyone, just represented in a myriad of ways. For example, Jayke had spotted Oz flipping through an imaginary book and he could've sworn the movements Ercur did with her hands represented an imaginary deck of cards. So the numbers meant something. He'd read that their increase connotated subtle shifts in the individual that were relational to their Classes. 

"Well, for [Protection Mage] and [Code Mage], I wonder what shifts they would convey?" Jayke hummed only a second before he suddenly paused. "Is that why I can remember the states of my code magic easier? Or why focusing on multiple shields is easier now?" He remembered a time when recalling his detection spell was an effort, or when his protective armor was hard to manifest in completion. Two simultaneous shields used to be an effort to maintain but now he was past that. He could do the same in full magical armor.

"Woah," Jayke said.

He pondered the odd System again. He'd read up on it sure, read the theories and speculations of others. Jayke intuitively understood that higher levels were better. But this? What kind of benefits were expressed in other Classes? He'd read about [Kings] that oversaw vast stretches of land. What would the high levels of a [King] entail?

"That might be just the tip of the iceberg for me too. I might be changing with every level and I won't even know the effects until they become obvious." He said to himself. "Others Classes must be the same."

His revelations stemmed from Coby Tuuli. He quite enjoyed the guy. The book Jayke had long ago gotten from Chee was an accounting of Tuuli's travels which was aptly named Account of My Travels. In it, he mentioned these subtle effects. As it turned out, the Skills one achieved in their Class often directed these subtle effects. His [Lesser Data Sense] would surely explain his apparent ease at memorizing his code magic. As for his [Protection Mage] effects, it was a harder thing to pinpoint since his only usable Skill was [Reinforce] and that was a recent development.

Both Classes would, theoretically, be influenced by their respective proficiencies. [Code Magic] and [Protective Magic]. "Is that why proficiency Skills are so coveted? As you level higher they benefit your learning?" Jayke rubbed his chin.

It was a valid assumption but the Skills already did that by themselves. It was vague at first, especially when he arrived, but the thing about Skills was that when you attained them, you knew them. Would it make sense for the proficiency Skills to influence these level up shifts towards an effect that they already fulfilled? 

It was questions like those that made him covet the stores of knowledge the Coterie possessed. He had talked to Oz about it but Sterext was the one who had given the full description. In Nubilum, those stores of knowledge were formidable. In an environment as magically inclined as the Mountains of Rune, there was bound to be something about his arrival here, his magics, or simply his general curiosities.

Sterext had mentioned vast libraries, encyclopedias of magical creatures and plants. Beyond that, the documentation of various Classes and Skills. There were a number of texts dedicated to speculations on the System. Those speculations, and the notion of recorded magical theories, were what drove Jayke the most. What was the reason for his fast leveling? Could there be magics that bridge worlds? Teleportation? Jayke didn't know. The thoughts consumed him for moments on end.

Then Jayke stepped out of the cave and looked to the skies. That was what Bezial had told him to do. From his vantage, he couldn't make out the other floating mountains. He could only see the flying wisavs, like feathered kites above. The mist of the waterfall nearby only made the scene more beautiful. The lack of hostile creatures made it even more pleasant.

He needed a ride back and apparently there was a Skill particular to [Transporters] called [Transport Sense] or something or other. 

Minutes passed while Jayke was contemplating the stops he'd make before arriving at the Coterie. He needed to ask around about things and address something he'd been putting off too much for fear of the answer.

Then a shadow passed overhead and Jayke shot to attention as Bezial soared past him laughing. He stood straight up as his wisav spiraled down. Like a surfer on a wakeboard, he dismounted as his mount coasted to a stop. He grinned at Jayke. "Ho there! Needed a lift did you? I could sense it for miles more!"

"Hey Bezial!" Jayke waved.

"Well, don't just stand there. Unless you're going for another swim?" He laughed, Jayke's clothes not escaping his notice. 

He motioned Jayke onto the wisav and he complied. The state of dampness Jayke found himself wouldn't be a problem according to Bezial. The man chuckled at Jayke's dripping clothes telling him they'd be dry in a few minutes. They kept the conversation going as preparations were made to take off once again. Jayke played with the soft feathers of the beast, its triangular wings undulating as if caught in some invisible wave of air.

Jayke had been curious where he stood amongst the other testers. He asked Bezial as much once he was comfortably secure.

"You're right in the middle of the pack if that's what you're asking." He replied. "Some have made it back, some are still out. The Practioner's Coterie pays a handsome amount for picking up their testers. Always worth my time to pick em' up."

"You're kidding. Some are back already? I could've sworn I was early."

"No doubt about it." He glanced back at Jayke. "Where are those crates of mine? You didn't lose them did you?"

"Don't worry, I've got your crates," Jayke assured him. "Is there somewhere I can unload everything, safely?"

"Really?" He asked with a raised brow. After Jayke didn't respond, "I'll take you to a friend of mine then. Upstanding guy, won't do you wrong."

Then they were flying. And just like the first time, Jayke enjoyed every minute. The chill from wet clothes whipped by the wind did little to stop his enjoyment. His [Fire Feather] was keeping him warm. He got to his knees, wisav feathers grabbing him, and smiled as the wind caught against him. Bezial, standing up straight and cross-armed, looked back with a grin. His talons were gripping the feathers and keeping him anchored.

The wind slowed down to a breeze and Jayke saw wild wisavs chasing after each other. "You said its an omen for the wild ones to come up close, right?" He asked his pilot.

"Good fortune, yeah." Bezial responded. The man seemed as entranced as Jayke was with their flying spirals. "They say the wild ones are closer to the old stories of Rune. Wise beasts that knew whose hearts flew high in the sky alongside them, even if grounded by the bodies of mortal men." He smiled. "Windslicer here was wild too. Oh, the things he used to do to earn that name. There was no one in the sky was wild as him or me."

The wisav mount drifted left and right in a lull. Some old response in the movement. Bezial grinned at a hidden language Jayke couldn't comprehend. Speaking of languages, he'd noticed that his orb of translation wasn't working on every single one. Some of the more exotic people he walked by were speaking in tongues he didn't comprehend. The thought brought him to the other testers until eventually, his mind drifted back to the Coterie.

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"Do a lot of people die during the Coterie tests?" Jayke asked. "You said you've been picking up their testers for a while now. Do the transporters ever get a headcount?"

"Course we do," Bezial responded. "A handful of people always die." He said. "That's the way it is though. It's always the younger ones trying too early. Or the older ones who are much too old." He directed Windslicer left, out of the way of a flock of wild wisavs. "The Coterie likes to keep their members small, but from what I hear no matter the lethality of the combat tests or the difficulty of their non-combat proctors, most have agreed its worth it. Besides, there are a lot more organizations with an eye on the places where hopeful magical practitioners gather. If you fail, chances are someone approaches you either way."

"I'm not sure if it's worth all the close brushes with death. Just for access to their libraries and teachers?"

Bezial looked at him dumbfounded. "What do you think you're testing for? That's not all you get."

He blinked at Jayke. Jayke blinked back. 

"Uh, what else is there?"

"The Coterie is a power, friend. They span across anywhere mapped. Well, mostly. That's how large they are. And with that size? They're only a fraction of the Adventurer's Guild in number. Their selection process is not standardized, their proctors are often nonsensical. The Coterie isn't as structured as a regular guild. The [Mages] there do what they want because they can. They're selective because they can be. They're an understandably eccentric sort, in general. There's immense clout associated with membership, it's why so many people die in these tests. They refuse to call it quits." Bezial stared at him in disbelief. "Anyone who's ever joined had been enabled to live their best life provided they actively strive to advance their magic to new heights."

"What do you mean clout? That can't justify all this. None of that can, that's insane-"

"Access to limited libraries, knowledge as you've said. Some heavily regulated cities employ restrictions on known Dungeons or Locations. They let most all Coterie members through just for the sake of garnering favor. And that's not even touching on the sheer social status associated with the godforsaken brooch! People go crazy over that!"

It was information overload and Jayke was parsing through everything. "Plus, if you're in the Adventurer's Guild or, hell, even the Transporter's Guild, that kind of status bumps up your rating. They'll let you take hard requests and you'll be making a lot of money." Jayke blinked. "That means recognition. Once your skillset is known, they'll know you're the Coterie [Mage] for that particular thing. A lot of requests will be funneled towards you and it only does wonders for leveling." He said. "And I'm sure I'm still missing most benefits. I'm certain the Coterie keeps other things well within the membership."

Jayke's eye twitched. That certainly explained things, to some extent. [Runic Skies] had been a deathtrap, he had survived on luck and ingenuity. Without a single one of his Skills, he would've died. But maybe in the face of all those benefits, he might, might have been able to picture someone down on his luck risking it all. 

"Bezial, change of plan. Can you take me to the Coterie first?"

"Afraid you might sell something valuable on accident?" Bezial chuckled. "Fair logic, the Coterie might like what they see. Remember to keep a small share of the stuff for me. And don't give em' my crates!"

Windslicer swerved and Jayke noted the soft feathers once more. The wind parted before them.

----------------------------------------

"I'm here for the test, just came from the Dungeon," Jayke told the Coterie member. It was a taller man with kind eyes. He was at one of the receptionist areas. He wondered what kind of magic the man held.

He gestured helpfully, looking no different from an ordinary individual. He was a paler man than most, but it wasn't sickly, it was simply his color. "Over there, you can find the [Appraisers] don't worry they'll keep their mouths shut if you've got something really precious."

"That's convenient."

The man rose his brow. "Is it?"

There were a handful of lines. His fellow testers stood in them and he waved as some of them noticed him. He'd made small acquaintances with everyone. He didn't see Oz. There was a man standing in front of each marble door leading people in as the previous person left. Once the doors closed, they sealed completely to the wall like some trick of the light.

"Yep." Then Jayke made his way to the next available one. He made his way to a free [Appraiser] but paused as he stepped in front of him.

"Hello again." It was the same man from before. Jayke instinctually looked over at the reception desk. The man waved at him from there. He smiled, kind eyes again but now gently amused. "Do not underestimate the Coterie, little tester." He gestured. "Inside you go."

Jayke jerked in place but ended up following his bidding.

Jayke looked around at the blank room. There was a marble table in the middle and nothing else. The man made his way to the opposite side. "I am Rksu. Member of the Coterie. I'll be appraising the success of your delve." The words were punctuated by the closing of the door. "I'm assuming you have a bag of holding or something similar as you've come bare. If you'd like we can sell anything you don't intend on keeping straight from the Coterie, they'll be logged of course."

"Jayke Cipher." He introduced himself. "How are there more than one of you?" Jayke asked immediately.

"I'm a Coterie member." He replied. "There are a hundred copies of every Coterie member you've ever seen. Once you join you'll get copied ninety-nine times just like I did. Just like everyone did. It's an amazing process really." He was distinctly sarcastic.

He laughed, clarifying. "I'm joking of course. You won't believe how many people believe that. It's a Skill of mine if that wasn't obvious from the start."

Jayke guffawed before catching himself. Rksu grinned and Jayke suddenly decided he liked him. Jayke addressed him. "I've got a Skill. I'd rather not show it either. If you could somehow guarantee I'm not watched?"

Rksu nodded as if Jayke's concerns were ones heard thousands of times over. "This room is warded against scrying spells and is under the effect of one of my own Skills. It's called [Perfect Privacy]. Unless there's some randomly powerful individual interested enough in this singular room, then no one's looking through here. It's no guarantee, but it's about as close as we can get."

"And you?" Jayke asked.

"We can draw up a magical contract, or if you're agreeable I can implement one of my Skills. I warn you I'll be rightly annoyed if it's not worth it."

"What's the Skill do?" It seemed handy.

"It is a verbal agreement to which I'm bound. The wording must be precise otherwise the Skill will dissipate after an inordinate amount of time if no exit conditions are specified." Rksu said. "Alternatively, you can just trust me." He laughed as Jayke looked at him.

Jayke spent a few minutes working with Rksu on some iterations of the wording. Jayke had a lot of input but Rksu neatly deflected anything he wasn't comfortable agreeing with. Eventually, the came to something that was both agreeable to them. It was succinct.

"I shall not disclose or disseminate any information regarding your Skills or your Dungeon haul learned during this appraisal save for the fact of your success or failure. Moreover, this binding shall last a year beginning from now. Additionally, I can attest that the success or treasures of others interest me solely for academic study. I have never been a man involved with crime, nor have I ever stolen something or sabotaged a tester prior, and nor do I intend to spread gossip and secrets of those who hold my trust." He appended the last two sentences as a bonus to what Jayke had expected. "That is my [Verbal Binding]."

Then a sudden sureness encompassed Jayke when he looked at the man. He realized it was the Skill. And he understood completely that Rksu was bound to his word. A year from now, sure his Skills might be revealed, but there was only so much he could prevent. A year from now he could be anywhere, and again, he doubted someone would really care too much about it to investigate some random stranger. The nature of information was such that eventually people became informed of it. Jayke couldn't help that, but the buffer was nice.

"Handy."

"Indeed."

"Can I fill the room?"

"Fill the room-"

A metal door appeared. Iron and glass. It slid open as Jayke approached.

He stared at his [Safehaven], like the calm before the storm. The way a man might do in the face of a large amount of work before he just got down and started chipping at it. He lugged the crates out first.

He heard Rksu choke.

Mosquito-hornet stingers filled one of them. Having gathered himself Rksu approached curiously, he stared into the [Safehaven] and blinked. Then he appraised the stingers, picking one up and identifying it immediately. "These are local blood hornets, not from any Dungeon." He said.

"Oh, that's right sorry," Jayke grunted as he placed another crate on the marble table.

"Vorpwing feathers." He said. "Razor-sharp and capable of drawing blood at a touch. A whole crate?" They were from the scavenger vultures he remembered facing.

Another crate, less filled. "Elemental feathers?" Rksu exclaimed. "Not many, but fire, ice, lightning, shadow." His voice quieted as he listed them out.

"So that was the black one." Jayke had collected the molted feathers, they often fell from above and he'd found many scattered around. They weren't of the same effect as his [Fire Feather] but they were alluring in their own right.

Rksu stared at Jayke then stared around. "You went to [Runic Skies] didn't you? I recognize almost all of these. I see bristle fur hide in that crate, four megafruits, tree crawler hides. This is [Runic Skies] no doubt. Mammoth Tree Island." He said. "I know it anywhere. I've done appraisals for countless adventurers delving there."

"That's the one." Jayke hauled out the scythes and wings, carefully laying them next to each other. His expression turned dark and sour. "Is the Coterie insane? Or is there something I'm missing? I almost died four-"

"You pass," Rksu said with wide eyes.

"Huh?"

"You pass," Rksu repeated heavily. "[Runic Skies] is an Epic Dungeon. Its Rarity is heavily affected by the variety of monsters and the unique environments present within it rather than the dangers it presents. That in mind, it's still a breeding ground for at least Level 20 threats and above." He said in disbelief.

"For Mammoth Tree Island, I think you're probably looking at the lower end of the Level 20's threats, depending on your altitude. It's harder the higher you go. As I understand Mammoth Tree Island, the threat levels there have a wide distribution, some low-level threats thrive while high-level monsters dominate the branches." He finished and looked at Jayke. "That's still more than we're asking any of the testers."

Rksu looked at Jayke. "How in the gods and goddesses did you manage this?" He gestured around wildly.

"What? What?" Jayke said in disbelief. "What's everyone else doing? How did I end up in the wrong Dungeon? Isn't that a glaring oversight by the proctors? By the Coterie?"

He dropped the chitin pieces on the table.

Rksu was staring at the scythes and wings. "Tree Scyther and Giant Silvanid." He mumbled. "Gods above man, how did you manage that? What level are you?" He said looking towards his [Safehaven].

"I had just right the skillset," Jayke said sharply. "So? The other testers? All of this?"

Rksu put his hands up in defeat and answered. "They're in an Unusual Dungeon or the Uncommon one . There are only three Dungeons known on the Mountains of Rune, one is Uncommon, one is Unusual, and well, you're acquainted with the last. You must have run into an unmonitored entrance. Every runic circle has some kind of guard who'll kindly redirect you. The other two Dungeons are unguarded."

Rksu smiled wanly at Jayke's face. "Consider it the easiest pass I've given to a tester so far. Hands down. The Mountains of Rune are evershifting, you might have come across a new entrance."

"Fuck you man," Jayke cursed, more at his organization in general than Rksu himself.

He gave a weak smile. "Look, let's get everything you have appraised. Your Skill there is looking cramped, I haven't seen the likes of it before. It's the least I can do. And you can trust me when I say the Coterie isn't so cruel as to send people into what should be death." He said pointedly. "You managed though, so you get to reap the rewards."

Jayke sighed. Then he started removing things from his [Safehaven].

Rksu took stock of everything at once, gesturing to them as he pleased. "All the mundane materials and monster parts will sell for a good amount. You could probably find interested traders looking to pay good or you could just sell it to the Coterie and I'll make sure you get a good deal. They won't be traced to you."

He hummed as some professionalism and routine slipped into his voice. "As for the Items, the [Cave Scale Armor] is a reliable piece of equipment that could probably easily disappear into the Adventurer's Guild if you threw it up on the market. At an Unusual Rarity on a piece of equipment, you've got something good there. Again, you could sell it to me for convenience. 'Me' being the Coterie. Now, the [Silvanid Ichor] might be quite valuable to the right person. It's a specialty item so I'm not sure its exact value, but I am privy to some circles, silvanids are often praised highly for the architecture of their nests and hives. It might mean something to the right Class. The Rarity alone would turn big heads. It's a shame it's a consumable, a permanent Rare Item would be worth a hundred times more. But that's the nature of consumables."

He looked at the grainy potion of shifting brown. "A [Potion of Desert Blurr]. Intriguing for an Uncommon Rarity, it might fetch something as a novelty, or for any looking to expedition into a desert."

He looked at Jayke. "It's an impressive haul for a single person," Rksu said looking at everything. "Can I ask which ones came to you as a reward by the Great Template? Just curious."

"The armor, the ichor - oh and this," He pulled out the [Fire Feather] from his shirt. "The desert potion is unrelated to the Dungeon."

"Scarce ingredient. The death feathers of Elemental Raptors are extremely valued. That might be one of your best pieces of loot right there." He said genuinely.

The man hadn't flinched at any of the Items, he seemed only surprised that Jayke had managed to get them. He gave off the air that he'd seen similar multiple times before. The ichor was the only thing that had garnered some initial interest and kept it.

Jayke teeter-tottered on the decision until finally, he came down on one side. He'd keep the last item to himself.

"Well, that's everything."

Rksu glanced sideways when the door to Jayke's [Safehaven] just disappeared. Then he began to mentally tally something. "Are you familiar with currency?"

"Only my local denominations." He replied.

"Copper, silver, gold, platinum." Rksu began. He spread out the coinage and Jayke suddenly had a nice reference. "A hundred copper to a silver, a hundred silver to a gold, a hundred gold to platinum."  As he spoke, he pointed out each conversion. The copper coin multiplied itself becoming one-hundred, then the silver, then the gold. Magic. Before his very eyes, the piles of money started lightly sliding over each other with the sound of money. "Call a single copper enough for a cheap and small street-side snack. A silver; a week at an inn. A gold might fetch you a full set of armor. Call a single platinum, say, a big house."

"Woah." Jayke blinked at him. "How'd you do that?"

"I'm not a member of the Coterie for nothing. [Duplimancer]. It's no secret, the clones remember?" Jayke correctly assumed he was referring to his many copies. "The coinage is temporary so don't get any ideas."

The man shrugged but resumed the business at hand. "For all this? Hmm. All the monster parts and fruits, including the Tree Scyther arms and Giant Silvanid wings, I'll call that three gold fifty silver. The [Fire Feather], I'll call another five. The ichor, I'd have to estimate but I'd guess around five as well. The [Cave Scale Armor's] an easy three gold, easily three times as much as a regular full set even just for the torso coverage. The potion might go for a good amount of silver. Sixteen gold."

Jayke looked at the money. "Put aside enough of each monster part to fill a crate. What am I at now? And I'm taking the crates, they're for a friend. You can keep both scythe arms and wings."

"Thirteen gold fifteen silver if you sell it to me right now," Rksu responded, following Jayke's reasoning with his eyes roving the stock. "I'll guess somewhere around sixteen gold if you knew how to find the right buyers by yourself. Maybe more."

Jayke contemplated each of the Items. The [Cave Scale Armor] was too heavy for his taste and he wasn't all to sure how many caves he'd find himself in. Plus, he already had the natural defenses of his magic. With the money he'd be getting, it looked like he'd have more than enough to find something more suitable for protection. The [Fire Feather] was the same deal. It kept him warm and resistant to fire but his protection magic could do the latter. He'd experienced that much first hand after being blasted off a damn branch. The [Potion of Desert Blurr] was too niche and its effects only lasted a minute. He'd be better off selling it too.

Besides all that, he was in the market for a new magical focus. Maybe a sword too after he lost the last one.

"Then done," Jayke said with finality. He went around collecting the parts, double-checking with Rksu to make sure the filled crate was reasonable. "Now what? I know the testing hasn't ended yet but how early am I?"

"Everyone has two more days. As for you, just let me know your proctor's name." Rksu answered. "It was Jayke Cipher, if I'm remembering correctly, right?"

"That's me."

"Proctor?"

"Sterext."

"Oh, he's a tough one to test under. [Diviners]." Rksu scrunched his face. "Did he do that pass-fail thing?"

"Apparently. Only one of his group passed."

"Oh? Lucky you." Rksu didn't seem to appreciate what came off as a small brag.

"No, I passed under someone else initially," Jayke replied. "Morn."

Rksu looked interested suddenly. "How'd you end up with Sterext?"

Jayke shrugged. "I was the only who passed under Morn so they put our groups together. Sterext took over from there. I think Morn traveled somewhere in the front the entire month."

Rksu nodded as if that explained it. "Your proctors had to cut straight through dangerous territory to follow the path of the Mountains of Rune. Morn's body enhancement magic is best in the front. And that old geezer Sterext can handle two testers." He looked at Jayke. "Still that's surprising, Morn doesn't usually pass people. She's just as hard as Sterext is."

"I guess I impressed her." Jayke shrugged, grinning.

Rksu squinted. "Make no mistake I'm asking around as we speak. [Duplimancy] is rewarding magic, after all." He said. He laughed after a moment. "But, in all seriousness, this was one of my more enjoyable appraisals. It gets boring after a while. You're free to go, just make sure you check back here the next two days. The deadline is officially nightfall on the last day so be sure to expect something then, your group was already as late as they could get so don't dally."

Jayke paused, feeling the interaction coming to an end before he could ask something. He pushed himself. "Are you still under the effects of your Skill?" Jayke knew he was only stalling, he didn't want to hope. Rksu's Skill was irrelevant for what would be an innocuous question.

"I consider an appraisal done once you leave that door. Was there anything else?" Rksu asked curiously.

Whether affirmative or negative, he didn't know what he wanted to hear. He'd allowed himself to hope, but did he still dare to? He swallowed. "The Mountains of Rune travel all over, right? Have you ever met any of my kind? Humans."

Rksu paused and looked at Jayke up and down. "You know, I didn't want to be rude, but I was curious about you myself. You are human no doubt. I just can't pin your subrace. You look like all of them really." Rksu blinked. "Could you be a pureblood?"

Jayke blinked, demonstrating his surprise quite obviously before answering. "Where I come from there's only those like me." Jayke hadn't expected that. "Pureblood?"

"If you'd like a history book they are free from the Coterie's libraries. I've never seen a pureblood human to answer your question. If you are one. Rather, I haven't seen a human that resembled you. Can I assume you're uneducated of the rest of your... cousins, I suppose?"

"It wouldn't be far from the truth," Jayke admitted, the knowledge wasn't what he was looking for but his attention was caught. How could he ignore the sudden existence of subracial humans? He focused though. "So you haven't seen any people like me before? Ever?" 

"I'm afraid not. If you're searching for a lost person you could always put in a request at the Adventurer's Guild." Rksu added, then to Jayke's confusion, "Pureblood humans are the smallest denomination of your kind. I'm fairly certain you must be one. An oddly hard thing to verify if you're not certain of it yourself. Humans all look very similar. You simply know your people as human, correct?"

"I wasn't aware until just now about the other subraces," Jayke said. Rksu didn't seem to be surprised at someone so disconnected from history. Perhaps that hinted at the state of the world in terms of knowledge and communication.

"If the topic interests you, direct your research towards the event known as the Shattering. A World Event if you can believe it, one which has tangible effects today. Especially in the Thinking Races." He said. "And don't be afraid to ask the Coterie for it, history is open knowledge after all."

"Huh, I might just do that then," Jayke replied. "Are there a lot of humans? I haven't seen any to my knowledge during my entire time traveling." He asked once it became clear that Rksu was unaware of the whereabouts of others like him.

"Less than most races but you can find them almost anywhere in at least some number. They're like slimes in that regard. Sorry, you know what I mean. No notable towns or cities around these parts - er, rather where we picked you up - are human, so that might be why you haven't seen any." He said. "I do believe there was an attuned human taking the test this time around. Not your group, but one from the other branches. Ah, sorry attuned humans are those particularly inclined to magic. Again, read up on the Shattering."

Jayke chuckled. "Thanks Rksu, it was informative. Sorry if the questions held you up." He said apologetically, picking up the filled crate. The monster parts jostled around slightly, mimicking the thoughts in Jayke's head.

"It's no problem, I enjoyed the company." Rksu smiled. "Besides, there are ninety-nine more copies of me. I can afford to slack off."

Jayke considered the possibility of every other copy of Rksu thinking the same thing when the door opened behind him. "Good luck with the rest of your appraisals and hope you have a good day." Jayke told him as he made to leave.

"Likewise." He responded genuinely. Then Rksu regarded the next person. "Next!"

Jayke looked at the next in line, peering over his armful. He would've recognized the scholarly man even without his blue skin.

"Oz!"