Bob walked back into the servants' tavern; his shoulders slumped as he contemplated a nice long nap.
The kids had all met their goals, bringing in over ninety mana crystals each. This was more than enough, after taxes and fees, to allow them to take their first level.
Which was great. Orson, Wayna, and Charn all had paths in mind, and Bob couldn't but be curious to see what Orson would be able to do as an Armsman. Wayna and Charn, as a Druid and Priest, respectively, were taking paths that more closely mirrored Bob's experience as a spellcaster.
The problem was Nora.
She'd asked him if she could talk to him about her path before they took their first level, and Bob had reluctantly agreed but begged off the conversation, for now, citing a need for sleep before he started shepherding another batch of kids this evening.
Both Frank and Jakob intercepted Bob as he entered the tavern.
"Bob," Frank greeted him with a smile before reaching up to rub under Monroe's chin, "Monroe, it's good to see you both."
"Frank, Jakob," Bob nodded to each in turn, "what can I do for you two?"
Frank chuckled and jerked a thumb over his shoulder towards the persistent effect dishwasher, which was now the only visible evidence of the morning's excitement.
"That really helped, but now it's kind of in the way," Frank's grin was wide, "can you get rid of it?"
Bob shrugged as he replied, "Sure, although you're going to want to point me to the nearest drain so I can dispose of the dirty water."
Jakob held up a hand and interrupted, "Before you start on that, I wanted to let you know that you're clear to shepherd six more freshers on the first floor of the Dungeon from eight pm until midnight," Jakob grinned and went on, "then I managed to squeeze you into a group from midnight until three am, and then you have a solo slot from three am until six am, all on the twenty-sixth floor of the Dungeon."
Bob's spirits lifted a little. Three more hours on the twenty-sixth floor provided a good chance to pull an Affinity Crystal.
"It looks like Karri offered to add you to their group," Jakob continued, "so you'll meet up with them as soon as you're done with shepherding your freshers."
"That's great," Bob grinned as he dug into his satchel and pulled out four mana crystals from his two-hour delve on the twenty-sixth floor and handed them to Jakob, "here, I forgot to give you your due for scheduling me last night, or," Bob covered his mouth as he yawned, "this morning rather."
Jakob beamed at him and tucked away the crystals with a nod of thanks before clasping his shoulder for a moment and then heading out of the tavern.
Frank had watched the conversation with interest and now spoke up.
"We've any number of drains in the kitchen if you can move the water?" Frank asked.
Bob nodded and walked over to his make-shift dishwasher. He released the mana he had locked into the persistent effect pattern for his control water spell and then recast the spell, maintaining concentration on it.
He then dropped his persistent effect control earth and control fire spells, causing a tiny ember of coal and piece of stone to fall to the bottom of the trough.
Finally, he recast his control air spell, shaping the air around the water, holding it in place, before he dropped his persistent effect control air spell.
Bob wordlessly motioned to Frank, who led him into the kitchen.
He followed behind, maintaining control of both spells as he guided what appeared to be a globe of water out of the dining area and into the kitchen, where Frank gestured towards a large sink with a collection of pots and pans waiting to be washed.
Bob carefully molded his control air spell over the sink and its contents before releasing both spells, filling the sink with water without a splash.
"That's a damn neat application of magic," Frank said respectfully.
Bob shrugged and replied, "Just the elemental control spells and persistent effect," Bob rolled his shoulders, "any level nine curator could do it."
Frank chuckled and clasped his shoulder, "Sure, lots of people have the skills, but putting them together that way is still a clever application."
"Any chance I can have a basket of sandwiches and some fresh cod ready for me around seven-thirty or so this evening?" Bob asked as he reached up to give Monroe a long, slow pet.
"Sure can," Frank said agreeably, "sounds like you're going to have a long night, so I'll load you up accordingly."
"Thanks," Bob had to cover a yawn again, "I'm going to get some sleep; I'll see you later on, yeah?"
Bob barely heard Frank's reply as he turned to make his way to his bed.
"You surely will."
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Bob was rubbing Monroe under the chin, enjoying the big cat's purrs as he walked into the Under Cathedral a bit more than seven hours later.
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Voren was talking to Annisa quietly while a group of six kids huddled together on the far side of the room.
"Voren," Bob said respectfully as he walked up to the two followers of Vi'Radia, "Annisa, how are you both this evening?"
Annisa favored him with a dazzling smile, and Voren provided a genuine smile of his own. Bob almost missed the subtle nod from Annisa to Voren, who spoke.
"Good evening Bob," Voren said, "Annisa is taking over for the evening, and I was apprising her of the schedule."
"It looks like you'll be quite busy," Annisa laughed lightly, a lovely sound, "I have you booked from eight to midnight on the first floor, shepherding the children," she nodded towards the group of kids, "and then delving with Karri's Krew on the twenty-sixth floor until three am, then staying down alone until six am, correct?"
Bob nodded in agreement and gave them both a smile as he turned to look over at the shoulder before gesturing for the freshers to approach.
Four teenage girls and two boys walked over and stood beside Bob.
"If you haven't introduced yourselves yet," Bob said, "then you should meet Voren and Annisa," Bob gestured towards each in turn.
"They are the ones who stand watch over the Adventurers who delve into the Dungeon, ready to heal anyone who needs it," Bob advised, "they deserve your respect, and it is my personal policy to offer them a few crystals from each hour of my delve, outside of a tithe to the Church, as a thank you for their efforts."
Voren smiled graciously while Annisa raised an eyebrow.
"Every time you delve into the Dungeon," Bob said, "you'll need to make sure they know where you are going, and for how long, so introduce yourselves to them, while I see if I can't find a weapon or six, as none of you seemed to think that killing monsters might be best done with a weapon rather than your bare hands."
Bob stepped back and turned to dig in his satchel. Or rather to persistent effect a summoning spell for a bronze bound club six times, locking away one hundred and twenty of his mana.
He quickly finished and turned to find the last of the kids nervously giving his name to Voren.
Bob gave Voren and Annisa a half bow and then gestured for the children to follow him down the stairs, muttering as he went.
"Another group of kids who didn't even bring weapons to the Dungeon."
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Annisa considered the man who had just walked down the stairs with a group of children, and she turned to Voren, who had just finished noting Bob's delve into the ledger.
"That was odd," she said.
Voren paused and took a moment to think before replying, "He seems to have a great deal of respect for not only the Church, but more specifically the Watchers, which I have to agree is regrettably rare from those outside of Harbordeep."
Annisa nodded. Voren often seemed unapproachable, but the truth was he was a man of deep thoughts, and she valued his insights.
"The Adventurers Guild hasn't had a Shepherd in quite a long time," she mused.
Voren pursed his lips, his brow furrowed.
Annisa waited patiently, knowing that it was well worth waiting for Voren to voice his opinions.
After a minute or two of companionable silence, Voren spoke.
"He is definitely a spellcaster, likely a curator," he said slowly, "and while I don't sense any Divine Blessings of Vi'Radia, he doesn't carry the stink of any of the Dark Gods. I suspect he might follow one of the nature deities, which isn't uncommon out in the smaller villages."
Voren continued, "He definitely came to Harbordeep prepared, as he was able to purchase his token outright, and he is quite well equipped, although I think his staff is outdated."
"His familiar," Voren went on, "is quite nearly as well equipped as he is, which speaks to the man's character as well."
Annisa paused before replying, "I hadn't caught the familiar bond."
Voren shrugged and stated, "I've seen him several times now, and while he treats the cat like a pet, if you watch the cat's behavior, it's definitely a familiar."
Annisa considered that for a moment.
"The Curator path does offer more than enough additional skills that taking a familiar, while not an optimal choice, certainly wouldn't hinder your development," she said slowly.
"Did you Evaluate the cat?" Voren asked with a smile.
Annisa shook her head, "It didn't occur to me," she replied.
"I think it's right around level fifteen, give or take a few levels," Voren said with a smile.
Annisa blinked and gave that fact a little consideration.
Voren was more skilled with his Evaluate skill than she was with her own, which was why he took the daytime post, despite her higher rank.
Bob had a full set of level twenty or so enchantments and enhancements on his armor, save for Beauty. His familiar had a full set as well.
That spoke to a well-curated Dungeon with a craftsman in the town who was rather skilled, at least in terms of the fifth tier's limitations.
The Watchers had members in the dozen largest towns outside of Harbordeep, but all of the Dungeons in those towns were averagely curated at best, and only two of them had managed to establish the same culture of support and respect that was present here.
None of them had reported an up-and-coming curator, which meant Bob wasn't from those towns.
The Watchers kept an eye out for Curators who had the talent and drive to push to the next tier. Those rare individuals almost always joined expeditions and founded new villages, which was an opportunity to establish the Church, and the Watchers, on the first floor, so to speak.
Being so far from Harbordeep, founded and populated by restless, ambitious citizens, New settlements were a concern for the Church. Historically, nearly half of those newly settled towns had either been infiltrated by or even established by cultists of the Dark Gods.
Adventurers tended to be terribly self-sufficient, and as such, the Church couldn't always count on them inviting a member of the Clergy along on an expedition.
The Watchers did their best to insert an agent into every expedition that left, and keeping an eye on Curators who would likely be part of an expedition was the cornerstone of that tactic.
By identifying such individuals early on, an agent could attach themselves to the Curator, build a relationship with them, and request an invitation to join their friend if they decided to join an expedition.
Bob was clearly motivated, and by his choice to shepherd children in a strange city, clearly compassionate.
His lack of a blessing of Vi'Radia was a concern, but he didn't carry that subtle taint of darkness she'd learned from painful experience to detect from cultists.
Voren had watched her quietly as she ordered her thoughts. Another reason to appreciate the man, as he rarely felt the need to fill the silence with small talk.
She sighed as she glanced over at him.
It was regrettable that he delved for the other team, she thought, not for the first time. He was handsome, kind, and thoughtful.
"We should see about sending an agent to the town he arrived from, Holmstead," she said finally.
Voren handed her the ledger.
"I'll see who is available for an extended assignment," he replied.
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"The Gods have a hard-on for Adventurers!" Bob bellowed, "Because WE KILL EVERY MONSTER WE SEE!"
He'd read as a child, electricity being an unreliable luxury in his mother's apartment, where the only television was in her bedroom.
He'd seen 'Full Metal Jacket' as a freshman in high school, and his takeaway from the film hadn't been what his teacher had intended.
"The first rule of Delving is Caution," Bob yelled with a grin, watching the kids smash centipedes frantically.
As he launched into his recitation of the Rules, Bob considered that being a Shepherd wasn't that bad.