The origination of a Skill can come from more than just a milestone level. Great feats, repeated, might contribute to the formation of a related Skill. They can be Quest rewards if you can believe it. They can appear in the midst of combat, or reveal themselves at the lowest point in someone's life. There's always something that heralds a Skill. They do not come to an individual without reason. Do not expect to hack away at monsters with a sword and achieve a [Slash] Skill, oftentimes actual skill precedes the Skill.

-The Origins of Skills and Abilities, The Untethered Tomes

Oz blinked, "The wrong Dungeon?" He said in shock. "Not [Mountain Heights]?"

"An Epic Dungeon. The [Appraiser] passed me once he realized it, so that's something." Jayke said irritably. "Supposedly, its entrances are guarded but I ended up wandering in one that was unmonitored."

Both Jayke and Oz were perusing the shelves of the Coterie's public library. He had stacked Bezial's crate upon each other, but the top held all the monster parts. It was resting at his feet. The Coterie building had magical maps carved into the walls, subtle pulsed of lights showing various wings. The library section had an entire wing to itself, a subordinate structure that went deeper into the mountain.

Upon arrival, the [Librarian] had directed them to the correct aisle once Jayke had expressed interest in the Shattering. The bookshelves were thrice his height. The floor was a short velvet carpet and the entire library was quiet, only interrupted with the shuffling of other scholars.

Oz looked bewildered. "How could you possibly have survived?"

"The Rarity is misleading, it comes from the unique monsters and environments it houses. Of the many biomes, I think I got lucky. According to the [Appraiser], the threats were all around Level 20. Or thereabouts." Jayke replied absently. "I was an ant among giants and in a deadly environment. I hid most of the time."

Oz relaxed. "Level 20 threats? That's... not too bad. Harsh, but if you were very careful you could probably manage with your shields. I could probably have managed too if hiding places were numerous." He said. "It's definitely survivable but... I'm assuming you have another combat Class then? At least that's what I can tell from the past month."

Jayke looked at him, pausing in his perusing of the shelf contents. "Why's that?"

"You're like me. Calm during danger. That [Invisible Enemies] Quest, for example. I'm not sure what kind of magic you used on me but judging from the way my vision lit up with their forms, I'm guessing it's a highly technical kind. Completely different from your shielding magic." Oz was rubbing his chin. "Might be another [Mage] Class. Besides that, I can't think of any other way you could kill anything with only shields." He finished with a shrug.

"Are [Mage] Classes automatically considered combat Classes?"

"I notice you deflecting so I'll leave it at that." Oz chuckled. "And no, but generally they're applicable in some way to combat. Meaning you can level it up through fighting. They're a bit odd in that sense since the study of spellcraft and experiments can do just as much if not more towards leveling. That would usually mark them as non-combat Classes so I suppose they fall into a more versatile category."

"Huh, interesting," Jayke replied before looking at Oz pointedly. "Well, if we're guessing each other's Classes then you're probably something like a [Slime Mage]."

Oz had a small grin. "I suppose it's not the easiest thing to hide. Even if you were unaware of the Class you might be able to guess it. At least tell me I was close to guessing yours?"

"Spot on," Jayke confirmed, saying nothing more. He was more surprised at the fact he had correctly guessed Oz's Class. 

"Well if you have two [Mage] Classes under your belt and access to Skills from both of them, I don't find it too unbelievable you survived. Epic Dungeons are usually in the Level 40 threat range, but if what you said was true the Dungeon you entered was probably on the cusp of a Scarce Dungeon in terms of actual danger. As a rule, most Rarities can be categorized into general threat levels but some Dungeons earn their Rarity in another manner other than that." Oz explained. "It's still more than I was asked to risk in an Unusual Dungeon. [Mountaintop Heights] was no trouble for the right slime, but there were some complications."

After Jayke had found the book, Notes on the Shattering, he and Oz found a table. He placed his crate of parts at his feet. The volume in the library became louder, on the level of quiet voices, once they approached the seating areas.

Oz and Jayke recounted their delves before Jayke got to reading. He omitted what he thought particularly unbelievable or suspicious. He still wanted to keep the nature of his magic and his capabilities a secret but there was an unmistakable connection he'd forged with Oz and Ercur over the month traveling. Lacking contact with anything for a year had made him yearn to share his experiences, he was just stepping cautiously.

"Off a branch?" Oz said incredulously.

"Through the mountain?" Jayke shot back.

They both laughed. Oz had had his own hardships. In [Mountaintop Heights], apparently it was a struggle just to find an entrance into the mountain that was in the Dungeon. The man had made a slime to burrow straight through the mountain and make his own entrance. From there he had cleaned out any digging creatures that came after him. Dire Moles and Shell Burrowers more often than not.

Jayke recounted the [Giant Tree Scyther] as it had passed by him. He told Oz of the strange creatures he encountered and the giant Mammoth Tree that was an entire ecosystem in its own right. He debated mentioning his escapade to harvest the sap from the [Whitecrest Gatherblossom] but kept that part and the [Giant Silvanid Queen] to himself. He had the sudden urge to tell Oz about his [Decoction of the Mammoth] but stopped himself before he could get any ideas. That was a needless risk.

"At least you could see your enemies." Oz frowned, crossing his arms and furrowing his brow in some frustration at the memory. "I had to feel them. There wasn't any other way other than linking with my slimes and utilizing their weak sense of vibration. Once I came to the cavern system, it was a relief."

"You said you ran into a Creature?" Jayke asked him. "Did you try to go after it?"

"There's not too much risk on my end for trying. I sent a myriad of slimes. To no effect." Oz explained. "They were obliterated. That [Earthen Dire Mole] was naturally resistant to acid. The rest of my slimes didn't do much to it. That's the nature of slimes though. They would have needed time to adapt to something like that."

"What Rarity was it?" Jayke said curiously.

"Unusual to match the Dungeon. Nothing Rare like what you came across. But enough of that," Oz replied. Then he looked to the book Jayke had picked out, well less than a book and more a collection of notes, despite its bound spine. "Why the interest in the Shattering?"

"You know about it?" Jayke looked at him. "Ah, you lived in a library or something right?"

"Or something, yes," Oz said sarcastically. "You could've asked me about it. I'm at least passingly familiar with its effects on the world at large. It's the only World Event recorded with any degree of reliability. Many old texts referencing it confirm each other, verifying their authenticity."

"I'm looking for humans," Jayke responded as he flipped through the book. The world he was in was apparently called Aez, he spotted the name as he skimmed the book. He caught himself realizing that his previous statement probably warranted an explanation. "Specifically, those like me. History might point to where they are. I hadn't known there were human subraces either, so I'm interested in those. Apparently, the Shattering's the cause."

Oz leaned back and looked at Jayke surprised. "You're a human?" Oz was rubbing his chin intently, examining Jayke closely. "How did I not notice? It's always difficult identifying your kind. Aside from rounded ears, the combination of all their racial features is the only thing that sets them apart. They share too many traits similar to the other Thinking Races."

"Oz you're freaking me out." Jayke smiled blandly.  "You've seen a human like me before?"

He stopped himself and made eye-contact, realizing his specimen was, in fact, a person. "Ah, sorry. It's just that your people are in some sense as adaptable as slimes. I never guessed that you were one either." He explained hurriedly. "I've only had the pleasure of meeting an attuned human prior. Which one are you?" He asked.

"I've only known myself as human. Rksu called me pureblood though, told me to look up the Shattering."

"I can save you some time then, at least when it comes to the Shattering. I'm not particularly versed in human histories." Oz offered. "The Shattering I can cover in the general sense. Though your book might be better for anything specific."

"By all means." Jayke gestured. He flipped idly through the book as he listened.

Oz looked at Jayke and nodded. "First of all, the Shattering was a World Event." He began. "I can give you the short of things but understand that the Shattering is analogous to apocalypse. That alone should describe the scope of its effects."

Jayke paused, suddenly completely focused on Oz's words.

"It's not too surprising you're unaware of it. Most people aren't." Oz spoke. "Even though [Historians] consider it the beginning of history."

"A World Event that spanned all of Aez, predictably." He began. "It was a fundamental changing of the world that marks the beginning of recorded history. Well, just after the beginning. It was called the Shattering because that was what it did to organized civilizations. Kingdoms, cities, towns, villages. Everything shattered once they arrived. Powerful creatures from beyond. So far as we know, they were all Level 90 threats or higher, levels which are unheard of today. People rose against them, the brightest stars of the Thinking Races, the highest leveled."

Oz breathed. "The origin of those creatures and the question of their current existence is unknown. There are no records of the outcome of the final battles. The creatures were described in little detail. Beings capable of walking upon Aez and bringing ruin within the radius of their large auras. Nightmares. Little is known beyond that irrefutable fact."

Oz continued. "The creatures alone weren't the only things that heralded the World Event. The world had expanded, quadrupling in size. That was the estimate after the chaos. To this day, the force behind that expansion is unknown. Kingdoms were shattered, yes, but in the light of the very world cracking, some were just torn asunder. The creatures were theorized to be the result of that expansion rather than the cause, long after the Shattering. New lands popped up, unexplored, and filled with the unknown. There were attempts to map the expansion but the Uncharted remains just that to this day."

Oz looked at Jayke's intense gaze. "It's a common history to scholars. The layman wouldn't usually be acquainted with it. It was a long time ago after all. The entire thing broke apart races, humans presumably among them, and caused the rise of various subraces that had found themselves in drastically different environments."

"The world expanded?" Jayke said in disbelief, taking in the entire story and what it might mean. "That's possible?" The world apocalypse rang in his mind.

If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it's taken without the author's consent. Report it.

"It's a fact. Old maps indicate geography thousands of miles apart as being right beside each other. If we pull those locations together omitting the geography between we can reproduce those maps to perfection." Oz shrugged then grinned. "There've been theories. Personally, I like the idea that the world leveled up. Maybe it gained a Skill that increased its surface area. Who knows? Can Aez even level? It's the question of [Philosophers]."

Jayke scoffed half-heartedly, a bead of sweat rolled down his forehead. He swayed. The world blurred as memories and recollections threatened his psyche. Oz noticed.

Oz sat up. "Jayke?" His heart was beating fast.

The apocalypse that struck his world was a sudden and terrible thing. Horrifying. It took billions of lives. He'd long since given up on reasoning its causation. It became the truth of his world. A fact of reality. Just like the Shattering had been. Was there a force behind it? A reason? The question shook him.

It rang through his mind with a painful clarity he was unprepared for. Like the fresh lashing of a whip. Could this Shattering have been a similar event to what his world had gone through? Could they be related? Dead bodies filled his mind. Not the objects he'd forced himself to see them as. No, they were familiar faces. Coworkers, neighbors. People. Friends.

The creatures that ripped into them. Here? He thought he saw something among the bookshelves. Something grinning with too many white teeth, bright where all else was shadowed. Dripping saliva and burning the shelves. He breathed faster, eyes unfocusing. He blinked and it was gone.

He steadied himself, clamping down on those deep-seated emotions with a heavy breath. Oz was leaning forward concerned. Jayke, unsteady, looked at him with a weak smile. Between the blue man and the healing slime in his palm Jayke was pulled back to his current reality.

He took a shaky breath, looking around to confirm where he was. "Sorry, bad memories."

"Again?" Oz sat back slowly, tucking the slime into his robe as if it the most normal thing in the world.

"What kind of human subraces are there?" Jayke asked, calming his heart. He pointedly moved past the episode.

Oz gave him a sideways glance. "You realize it's not normal to wake up screaming every couple of nights right?"

"I know Oz." He replied weakly. "Just glad it was all of you who had to lose sleep over it."

Oz sighed.

Jayke smiled, some strength returning.

Oz looked at his wan expression and continued unprompted. "Attuned, Scice, Nyas, Kinec, and Pureblood. Each subrace correlates to a specialization." He said, answering Jayke's earlier question.

"Attuned humans are closer with mana than most, gifted in magic. The Scice are talented crafters; the [Artisians] and [Merchants]. The Kinec are the physical subrace; weapons and fighting. The Nyas are the most varied, highly adaptable to their environments in a way vastly more evident than their cousins. They take many forms depending on their homes." Oz looked to Jayke. "The Pureblood are the smallest in number. They're supposed to be the closest to their ancestors. In them, they have a little bit of everything but no special racial characteristics like their cousins. At least, relative to them."

"Isn't that a weird spread of skillsets?" Jayke mused. "Magic, crafting, and fighting. With no overlap? Aside from the... Nyas, was it?"

"I'm sure there's an explanation. An entire subrace of people doesn't come into existence without the proper factors contributing to them. Humans might've been separated into vastly varied habitats. There might be more subraces, after all."

"Huh," Jayke remarked. "Interesting. You know, Rksu said there was an attuned human taking the tests. I wonder if I can meet them."

"Really?" Oz said with some interest. "The magical races always make for interesting individuals."

So attuned humans counted as magical. "Hopefully not too interesting." Jayke chuckled. He looked at Oz curiously after a moment. "How about you? Are you a magical race too?"

The blue man looked to be considering something before he spoke. "I'd rather not say," Oz responded plainly. "I'm blessed I'm blue enough to pass for a few other peoples though. Maybe I'll tell you one day."

"You sure I can't just figure it out on my time?"

"I'm almost entirely certain you won't and can't."

Jayke sincerely wondered what would ever keep someone from hiding their race but relented. "Fair enough."

After that, they passed into a comfortable silence. Jayke dove into the book he had chosen and Oz flipped through his own.

Jayke was reading up on the Shattering, controlling his emotions as the creatures within were detailed. Notes on the Shattering was a smattering of different testimonies, written records, accounts, notes, and remarks on the events that took place during the World Event. Jayke was searching for similarities, all of the sudden more interested in the notion it might be connected to the apocalypse from his world.

The sudden arrival and worldly upheaval was a distinctly similar feature of both events. The roaming creatures and massive loss of life, check and check. Oddly, that was where it ended. Jayke realized he'd never been too informed on the happenings of his own apocalypse. As far as he knew, there was no expansion of his world. No heroes had faced the monsters and eradicated them. His world had turned to dust. Not a whisper from the military, no large scale retaliations. The world ended as soon as the apocalypse began.

Reading on, many of the details he could glean across all of the texts regarding the Shattering pointed to a world that was largely settled and established. No different than Jayke's really. The connection was disconcerting. Even if there was some connection... it did little for Jayke other than unfold the mystery that was the horror he'd come from.

"Yeah right, Jayke." He mumbled to himself, forgetting where he was. The intense burning desire for an explanation said otherwise, however.  He'd always questioned the why of it all.  

He put the book down. It was obvious after some time with the text that it was a general overview. Some flavor to what Oz had already told him that came in a smattering of different accounts. He'd revisit the research another time. If the Shattering was as all-encompassing as Oz and the text suggested he was sure he'd have no trouble finding more material another time.

"Want to come shopping with me?" Jayke asked Oz.

Oz placed his book down, taking his hand away from his chin. "We can head over to Wind Rest after."

That was the inn Ercur, Oz, and Jayke had all agreed to stay. Jayke had already spent two nights there on Ercur's coin. He owed her that back now that he had the money.

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The library had its own entrance and thus its own exit. Jayke and Oz emerged from there, finding themselves on a mountain path exposed again to the wind. Wisav riders soared above, yelling into the gusts. The path was paved in cobble and allowed a substantial amount of foot traffic.

"It's a beautiful city," Jayke told Oz, carrying his crate of monster parts.

"Truly." He replied. Oz had already questioned the crate so he was aware of who they were for.

While they'd never been to the Coterie's library it was easy enough finding a familiar path. At the very least, they knew the way back to Wind Rest. From there, most of the city was visible. They'd have an easy time remembering their way to the general store and the more specialized crafters.

The city itself was only one component of the eye-catching scenery. A glance past it and the world stretched beyond. An infinite wilderness. It was easy to forget they were miles above the ground, or that turning one's head you'd find a trailing mountain range floating behind. Jayke stared at the view as they walked with the breeze at their backs. The Uncharted stretched below, beyond the foreground of the city and past the clouds. Jayke tried to spot the remnants of the Shattering, trying to spot the stretchmarks. He found he was unable to.

Wind Rest was settled on a stone perch, overlooking the city. Only a few other buildings did the same, building outward rather than up or in. It would've seen more precarious if Jayke wasn't aware of the supports below.

They walked the small slope up to the inn. Wind Rest was a beautiful building. Its entrance resided at the top of the outcropping upon which it was perched. The lobby of the inn was the second floor. There was nothing particularly special about the third floor. The first floor was worth mentioning though. It was built into the rock and jutting out of the perch. Part of the inn was the perch.

It was an amazing view.

They walked into the rustic lobby of Wind Rest, their arrival announced by a ringing bell. Jayke stood there with his crate of monster parts and Oz looked around. Some people glanced up from their food, sitting at wooden tables shining with polish. A few of them he recognized as fellow testers. So some had made it back. Most of them hadn't even blinked at Jayke's crate. Lanterns hung from the ceiling, unlit. Opened windows facing towards the sky let in a slight breeze. The [Bartender] was cleaning glasses serving a few souls their drinks.

It was, as a whole, very peaceful and laidback.

That was aside from the moaning men sitting across from the [Gambler] with green hair.

Ercur laughed like a bell, kicked her feet up, and then turned to find Jayke and Oz staring at the whole scene. She shot back up. "You're back! Perfect! I need to go shopping and you two are coming with me!" Just as Jayke remembered her.

"We were just about to find you and ask the same thing," Jayke replied in surprise.

Oz gave Ercur a look as she approached, looking at the men past her. "Recent winnings?" 

"Don't worry they were [Gamblers] too. You can't level up the Class without some challenge, after all. Besides. any non-[Gambler] is gonna know better than that. They've got ways to vet players."

"Ercur have you just been gambling the entire time we've been gone?"

She blinked at him. "Jayke, that's the entire reason I came to this city. Nublium is rich! When you have [Merchants], [Traders], [Shopkeeps] and all those other mercantile Classes in a city as prosperous as one floating on a damn mountain there's bound to be a lot of money circulating!" She put her hands on her hips and grinned at both of them. "Had a feeling you two would show up today. [Lucky Guess]!"

Jayke had actually forgotten that that was her whole motivation. "You're crazy."

"We figured that out weeks ago," Oz remarked.

Jayke and Oz looked at her and laughed. Ercur refused Jayke's money. Oz grabbed some coin from his room. Jayke explained the crate. Then they were off. After some discussion, their first stop was the Transporter's Guild.

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They had to climb a steep slope that hugged the mountain to get there. It wasn't so much a difficult path as it was a long one so Jayke's arms began to burn with the effort of holding the crate. There were a lot of people on the trail, walking up or down, and they didn't seem to mind the cardio. Tall grass blooming with small pink flowers swayed in the breeze, waving at the passerby.

It was easy to track their progress. All he had to do was look up at the sky and follow the wisavs and their riders. They spiraled down not far from them. 

Ercur pointed. "Look that one's huge!" She called into the wind.

She missed the scene as they rounded the path. Her eyes went wide as her gaze lowered. Oz paused too. Jayke couldn't help it himself despite having briefly been here before.

A number of high-altitude platforms extended thinly but sturdily across a wide expanse. An area completely open to the sky that was alive with colorful feathers. Wisavs flying to and fro, landing and taking off from circular platforms. People pointing at the riders as they flipped and swirled on their departure or landing.

In front of the steps of every platform, there were structures that housed outgoing deliveries or incoming packages. The large kiosk in front of them had an attendant and other staff who handled all the bookkeeping. Every platform denoted a particular [Transporter]. From the size of the platform and the parcels people carried, one could tell the type of deliveries a [Transporter] typically accepted or specialized in. A signboard on every kiosk listed the pertinent Skills of each [Transporter] so any looking to make requests could make an informed decision.

This was the Transporter's Guild. Jayke had only come here briefly to seek out Bezial. He'd been more than happy to help him get to the Dungeon.

"Where to?" Ercur asked Jayke, unable to help but look around in wonder.

"Bezial right?" Oz nodded towards a sign. Jayke had forgotten where his platform was.

"Yeah. That's the one."

Jayke read 'Bezial Gale' and idly wondered if it was a nickname. It had to be. He paused at the signboard and read [Transport Sense], [Backbreeze], [Second Wind], and a number of other useful abilities. Jayke hadn't really payed attention to them last time. He seemed popular as it became apparent as Jayke, Oz, and Ercur, neared that his line was quite long. Last time, Jayke had come early in the morning so he missed all this activity before.

The attendant gave him a curt look down her beak. "You'll need to head to the back of line, sir. Bezial and Windslicer are one of our top pairings. He has a backlog of requests. Some from very high-leveled and very demanding individuals." She rustled her feathers at the last statement. "You'll have to wait just like everyone else."

Jayke apologized, unfazed. He'd seen a number of people like her. "I'm just here to make a delivery. Bezial knows me, I took the recent Coterie exam. He wanted some monster parts and his crates back." Jayke explained, hefting up the crates.

The attendant looked at him then down at the crates. "So that's where those went. We were missing some." She leaned over and took the parts with a scrunch of her face, placing the crates behind her. "Thank you, I'll let Bezial know you stopped by. Your name?"

"Jayke Cipher." 

The attendant wrote something down and nodded at Jayke. He thanked her.

Turning around, he found Ercur and Oz spotting wisavs above.

"I've never seen a Transporter's Guild like this." Ercur marveled. "Flying [Transporters], just wow."

"What'd you expect from a floating city?" Oz asked her pointedly. He was looking around in amazement too though. "It really is unbelievable though."

"It probably makes sense if they ever need to deliver something to a place passing below. Flying mounts seem like the way to go. Not to mention the other mountains, if there are even people living there." Jayke reasoned.

"I mean that's how we got picked up. I guess floating mountains push for odd norms." Ercur grinned. She turned around as a shadow swooped overhead. One of the largest wisavs Jayke had ever seen. Ercur was entranced.

The green-haired green-eyed woman had always struck Jayke as something of a wildcard. Vivacious. Lively. He still hadn't gotten her story, but he was pretty curious about it. That went for Oz as well. His interest in slimes was a curious one and that wasn't to mention his quest to learn about his father or his strange hesitance to reveal his race.

Despite all that, the two in front of him despite the month together were still practically strangers. And they were the only people who knew him in this world. The closest things to friends. The only two people that were aware he'd gone through something traumatizing and alone.

How sad was that? It was a sobering thought.

Ercur had learned about his solitude in an indefinite capacity that night they had made a [Wager]. Perhaps some part of Jayke wanted to open up because then who in their right mind would've taken that bet against a self-proclaimed [Gambler]? It was good to talk about it, to get it over with, to open up. Probably healthy too, so he beared her some amount of gratitude. She wasn't the only one who had heard that night. Oz had been awake during the conversation too. He remembered spotting him awake and listening, not quite breathing the way someone sleeping would.

Jayke hadn't commented.

A few days after that Jayke had woken up screaming. The blue man hadn't even bothered to pretend he didn't know why. Oz and Ercur had been concerned the first night but he had waved them away. The nightmares always came, he'd learned to move past them in the mornings when they happened.

Neither of Oz or Ercur had really bothered him about it. Sterext hadn't even questioned or mentioned it but Jayke did notice he never woke up the other testers after that. He was grateful, having that support. Even if they would go separate ways once everything was over.

It was a bittersweet thought. One that overtook the lively ambiance of the Transporter's Guild. He couldn't quite bring himself to admire the beauty of the passing wisavs. The showboating riders. To feel the same way the people around him did, pointing up and cheering every so often.

He shook himself. "You two ready for some shopping?" He asked them with a smile.

Oz turned. "You think we can get a lift down?" He was grinning.