"[Magus] Rhynne, [Armsmaster] Byron, I beg your pardon for this sudden intrusion," Serena said with her usual singing voice and a perfect curtsy. "I am in the care of Altia and Nero since they rescued me. I believe the news of my predicament reached your ears, yes?"
Byron made eye contact with Nero and mouthed 'you rescued a princess?' making an OK sign. He thought he was being subtle. Thought.
"Yes, we did hear of your kidnapping. That's the pretext of the whole war, after all. Would you mind sharing your side of the story with us?" Rhynne asked.
Serena took a seat by the kitchen table and spoke slowly. "No, not at all. I'll tell my side of the story, but I beg my friends to help me where they can. It is not my story alone." She seemed calm but her heart was like the ocean during a storm. Only her rigorous upbringing as a princess kept her from breaking down.
"Can I get you something to drink? Chamomile tea?" Rhynne suggested, her keen senses and intuition glimpsing past the young woman's mask.
"That would be lovely, thank you," Serena replied.
She needed tea. Altia kept a hand on her shoulder and Serena tenderly held her fingers. Then she spoke of the engagement proposal, her reluctance and eventual rejection, prince Tyre's anger at being denied, the kidnapping. She glossed over the violence she suffered at his hands but even Byron could figure out what happened to her. Her captivity in the leonid palace, her "rescue", the six months alone trapped in the Dungeon, meeting Nero and Altia. The couple gave their input as they retold the three months they spent inside the Dungeon.
Amaryllis was grinning like the cat that ate the mouse all the time. She was basking in the story and the emotions.
Nero and Altia took over as they told of the plan to get Serena out, the backup contraption that was never used, a box with an air pump respirator meant to hide Serena inside Daisy's body as they left the Dungeon, the black Skill, the crazy race to delve and clear the Dungeons, Holmes betrayal. Nero didn't say which device he used to defeat holmes but judging Byron's face, he'd have to cough that information later. He finished with their rescue, the raiders, the Dungeon instability, and their return.
Nero was staring at Amaryllis during that last part, the pixie's mirth vanishing. He didn't say a word about her outrageous request but he made it sure she knew she was being granted a favor.
"And that's how I gained my third black card. I now can force the Dungeon to respawn everything including the boss, consuming its energy levels faster than it can replenish without leaving. I intend to do that to the Goblin's Den tomorrow. I'll knock that Dungeon from yellow back to gray. It overflowed recently, right?"
Rhynne nodded. "Yes, it did. I couldn't believe the number of creepy crawlers that came out of it. I am afraid it evolved into purple but we can't be sure."
"The military bastards brought some recruits," Byron cursed. "Since the Den generates food and drink cards, they were using the recruits to farm the Dungeon. A lot of them died. We couldn't oppose them as the Dungeon is public."
"Two days after they left, it overflowed," Rhynne added.
"We'll take care of it, mother," Altia promised. "Nero and I can solve it."
"You pretend to delve at night, right? Tomorrow we need to activate the Arbitrii."
That piqued Byron's interest. "You a [Gadgeteer] now?"
Amaryllis snorted. "Kid's anything. He's got a build for almost any tier-I Class. And I believe he has whole decks of Skills and Classes in these pouches of his to tailor a build for each occasion."
Rhynne took a good look at her son. He was gone for less than a month, but thanks to the Dungeon's skewed time lived for several, and grown years. Their eyes met and she gazed tenderly at her son. She was worried something was wrong when Amaryllis appeared with him and Altia was nowhere to be seen, but the evening was surprise after surprise.
"It seems you found your own..." Rhynne paused. She continued with pride. "Not found but carved your own path."
"Definitely a [Gadgeteer]. That shield on your side pouch was modified," Byron mumbled.
"We recruited him," Glom offered. "I must say, the information he offered our team will have us writing research papers for the next couple of years."
The discussion around the table kept burning high. Amaryllis showed them the rendition of the black cards. Nero asked a mana potion from Altia to pay the shelter's upkeep. Glom told of the Attribute strain theory, and how Nero confirmed it on the field. The readings as they demolished Rafflesia. Rhynne brewed several teapots worth of tea. It was early morning and soon the first shades of orange would grace the eastern sky.
"It's late," Nero remarked. "And I know Amaryllis kept us going through the night with her Skill. Again. We gotta work tomorrow, we should at least get some sleep. Dad, mom, come inside and visit my shelter."
"We are leaving," Glom said. "As agreed, Amaryllis and I are using your house during our stay. Rhynne, Byron, thanks for the tea and the hospitality. It was delicious."
"Bye Rin," Amaryllis kissed her cheek. "We'll talk tomorrow. Nighty, night, kids!"
The two small figures left. Nero opened the portal and led his family inside. After Rhynne wondered at the marvels of the illusionary walls of the shelter and Byron arm-wrestled Daisy and unsurprisingly won, they gathered in the house-tree's living room.
"Oh. KIng Eddga's couches!" Rhynne said, surprised. At Altia's puzzled face, she explained. "It is a minor Kingdom Mary and we overthrew. She looted the palace."
Whether it was the furniture in the building or the palace itself, Rhynne didn't explain.
"Aye, good fight, that. That damn minotaur was strong," Byron reminisced and threw himself on a couch. "The guy was a tyrant but he had good taste. He was after your mother! Bastard."
To Nero's relief, his father didn't spit on Altia's new rug.
The time for jokes ended. A brooding silence overtook them. Rhynne was the one to speak. "Princess Serena, what is Your Highness going to do? Could you stop the war?"
Serena's head dropped the slightest amount. "I am no longer a princess. My family wants me dead. My name is being used as a pretext for a war of conquest. I'm more useful to them as a martyr than as a tool for politics, all the more now that I lost my virtue. No. I sent my father a letter renouncing my title and inheritance through an agent of the Kingdom that was attempting to retrieve my Skill cards at the capital. I have some leverage on both Kingdoms that might make them believe I'm better left alone.
"But no, [Magus] Rhynne. I cannot stop the war. Most of the time in my recent life I was happy just surviving. Excuse me," Her mask broken, she sniffled.
This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.
Serena's demeanor and respectful way of speaking arose suspicion in Rhynne's mind. Nero noticed that but said nothing. How would he explain that during the almost whole year she spent inside the Dungeon, Serena changed? By the time he met her, she was almost feral. He swallowed the chuckle that almost escaped when she asked for their leftovers. "I want the duck". Her entrapment in that Dungeon was a humbling experience where she shed all the pride and haughtiness that was almost a natural part of her station.
Rhynne hugged the nereid girl. "It's okay. I just hoped... nevermind. And don't call me by my Class. We're all friends here."
"That's true. I now remember you," Byron said. "seventeen years ago. You were an adorable little lady. Then we got a task from your parents, and it took longer than expected. Long enough for Nero to happen--"
"Byron!" Rhynne glared at him.
"Well, it paid enough for our retirement, so that was the plan all along," He continued with a throaty laugh. "But Rhynne is right. You don't need to worry about your pretty fins. You're safe with us. Any friends of my boy are our friends."
Serena wiped her tears then summoned her courage. "I know I am imposing, but there's a request I want to make. Not as the former third princess of Coriander, but as myself. I'd like to... I want..." She was breaking down.
"I know, I know," Rhynne soothed her. "It all makes sense now, why Mary came with you. You want to be adopted by us, right?" Her head hidden in Rhynne's robes, Serena nodded.
That was news to Nero. He thought the pixie came on a whim, but what would be that reason? He didn't voice his question.
"Byron?" Rhynne asked.
"We always wanted a baby girl. And if having her under our wing is going to send a jab back to the Water Palace, so be it. But not now. It is time for you to sleep at least a bit. We're going home now, Rhynne."
Byron stood up, said his goodbyes to Altia as it was her house, and walked past the door. Rhynne stood up, pulling Serena by the hand.
"She's coming with us," She told Nero. "I hope you don't mind handing your old room to your sister."
"No, mom. I'd love to," Nero said. He then grasped the hand of his new sister. "You go home now, Serena. We'll see each other tomorrow."
----------------------------------------
Nero only got three hours to sleep. Altia gave him a new concoction she learned at the Lyceum, a stamina potion. At first sight, it was ironic that this particular potion was harder to brew than either health or mana. Nero thought that for a moment but then remembered his lessons about the nature of Essence. Essence could be converted into mana easily as they were two facets of the same coin. New flesh and blood were a bit harder but not so much, as monsters were entirely made out of Essence. Stamina was a measure of the body's physical and mental energy. But being tired or rested were natural states. Differently from a wound, there was nothing wrong with a tired body.
Dressed in his white Lyceum uniform, Nero arrived while Glom was giving his usual speech regarding the activation of the Arbitrium. It evoked a feeling of nostalgia. While it was only two months before, five if you count the time spent inside Rafflesia's Meadow, to him it felt like more than a year.
Glom broke protocol and said. "And now, I want you to hear a word from my assistant, Nero. He hails from the nearby minnid village of Hom and is a registered Adventurer. Nero."
He hesitated for a moment. Glom waved his hands forward and Nero quickly thought of a speech.
"Ahem. Greetings. As Glom said, my name is Nero and I am an Adventurer. I've delved in more than ten Dungeons and saw death, wealth, wonders, and danger in equal measures. I know you are eager to go, level, make a name and fortune for yourselves. There are some things I want you to keep in mind. You, the faun in the back taking notes, good job. That's the first advice. You need to know your enemy and study. Tactics, builds, what cards to use. The second piece of advice I'll tell you about is this. Don't settle for white Classes and Skills. Take your time. Don't rush your advancement. Seek the right cards. You might get a little headway in the rank-I Dungeon if you get a white Class and Skills now, but you'll sag and struggle to survive even before you reach the second tier. As Skills rose in grade, they become more powerful. My third advice is to know your cards and their value. I brought some pamphlets from the capital and the average price range for the most common cards is listed there. It is a good source to base your choices on. Do take note that the prices at the capital are inflated. A cow there costs ten times as much as it does here!"
The crowd laughed. Nero waited for them to stop.
"Respect the Dungeon and avoid other delvers. Know your strength and move forward cautiously. If you draw two or three monsters, it will end badly. Keep a potion slotted in your Arbitrium at all times but hold on summoning the potion."
He would continue but someone from the crowd shouted. "Yeah, nice boasting, you wimp! We all know you are Nero Zero, and you are nothing but a bag of wind. All he said are lies!"
The strong, hairy, and brutish ursus beast-folk man was probably a lumberjack and had an Arbitrium in his left wrist. Nero checked his current build, he was an [Gadgeteer] as he expected to help Glom activate the Arbitrium. A demonstration was necessary. He turned his back to the man, while the crowd started to doubt his words. Nero switched to [Archer], ate a bean to get the big bonus on Agility, then switched again to [Warrior].
"Yeah, hide your tears, you little piece of--"
Then Nero was right next to the man, tapping him on both shoulders with his right hand.
"You were saying?" Nero asked.
More than twenty yards separated the dais where he was speaking and the ursus man.
"What was that?" He asked.
"[Dash n' Slash] with [Mobile Strike]," Nero answered and walked back to the dais.
"How do you have an Agility that high?" The lumberjack asked. There are about thirty yards between us.
"Twenty-four, actually," Nero replied without turning his back. "It could be thirty too," He bluffed. Twenty-four was his limit.
Back on the dais, Nero resumed his speech. "I wouldn't be able to do that if my Class was white. It isn't. And yes, my level is zero but there are more types of cards than people on this continent."
He sighed. "Two months ago, twenty-six of my tribe got their Arbitrii. Because we went into the Dungeon without warning, only eight now remain. I see sixteen new faces here. The Dungeon is dangerous. It is lawless. Do all of you know the monsters in the Goblin's Den?"
The satyr that was taking notes raised a hand. "Giant rats, rock serpents, creepy crawlers."
"Correct. The rats are dangerous enough. If you see a tunnel with sand, turn back. Do not go. Even if you think the rats are easy."
"And my shop will be open for all of you," Razzer boasted from the back of the crowd. "I'm sorry I was late. It was tough to restock with Honeywitch basically closed to outsiders. I'll open after lunch, and I am eager to trade with all of you. My client Nero up there is correct! Don't settle for mediocrity! I got a good selection of green Classes and Skills!"
Nero fought to not grind his teeth. The leopard-folk merchant should be a naga for all the venom he had in those fangs. But as unsavory types went, he was harmless if compared to the other ones he was expecting to see but didn't.
"Glom, where are they?" Nero asked.
"I didn't see any either. I expected them to be here to overhear the level caps but I am not seeing anyone. Let's move on."
Nero went inside the workshop to get the crates of bandoliers and belts. The bracers were in Glom's dimensional pouch. He used the opportunity to switch back to [Gadgeteer]. He activated the bracers, bound the accessory under Glom's supervision, calling the level caps. There was nothing worthy of note, all of the above one hundred and below a hundred-fifty. As far as tiers went, the same. Then one girl, an eanling ewe, screamed in pain and fainted. Nero saw the number and felt a bead of sweat drop down his face.
"Two hundred and fifty-three," He said with a trembling voice.
He held the girl feeling her soft wool coat. The eanling race were sheep beast-folk, with digitigrade legs ending in hooves, round ram horns, a pronounced nose, and an elongated mouth that looked like a snout but still had all the dexterity of a beast-kin's mouth, and wool all over their body. Their clothing was loose and colorful, and some of them even dyed their wool or harvest it for sale. Eanling wool was a luxury good and a member of their race could live comfortably just selling their own wool.
It wasn't frowned upon because, in ancient times, they held proudly to their wool, refusing to be considered mere sheep. But the demand for the luxury commodity caused them to fall into slavery. They were freed later but the stigma remained. Now all eanling communities made a point to supply their wool so that wouldn't happen again.
Nero put her lying down on the dais. She was one of the last and he could do the activation from the ground. The next in line was her brother apparently.
"Thank you for helping my sister, master [Gadgeteer]," he told Nero. "I'm Knazer of the eanling and I am in your debt."
"Are you ready?" Nero asked. "Yes. I hope I don't pass away like her."
Nero connected the points, drew the strands, and connected the bracer. He screamed loudly but didn't faint. Nero read the number. "Two hundred and forty-nine."
It was a shame. By one point he wouldn't reach the sixth tier.
Finally, the guests of honor showed up. Two bystanders in the crowd took off their cloaks, showing the livery of the kingdom of Bast.
"Greetings, villagers! We are from the knights and have an excellent opportunity for you. Enlist now and we guarantee you a fast-track to level ten and a full-green set of Class and Skills."
It meant that the eanling siblings were about to be drafted into the knights, as it was the law in the country. Nero sighed, the purpose behind that law too nefarious.