Once Vittorio managed to pry the laughing Glorias arms off him she told him that no, there was no Company hall in Imone. They’d have to go on to Pogna - an actual city! - to find one. She’d already looked into it of course, having planned to join for years. Pogna was three days travel from Imone but Gloria said they should be able to sleep in inns every night at least.

They met back up with Celeste who had finished her errands on the street outside. She was just about as excited as her daughter about the days events, hugging her and laughing as Gloria told her she’d done it: She was going to be an adventurer. Unsurprisingly she had a pack ready with clothes, travel foods, simple tools, and other knick-knacks useful to have when setting off. What was a surprise for Vittorio was that there was a second pack.

“I had it prepared just in case”, Gloria said. “I hoped you’d join me and knew there was no way you could go back or get anything ready ahead of time on your own, so… It’s not much. Some biscuits, cheese, dried fruit, a waterskin, and some of Zaccheos old clothes. Nothing nice but good enough to walk in.”

“There’s a few coins there as well”, Celeste added. “Gloria should have enough for the two of you to sleep indoors at least but I wanted you to have some of your own.”

Vittorio was, quite simply, overwhelmed. Part of him had always tried to explain or even excuse Glorias friendship with him as just them being of age and living near each other, and later as a companion to go get a class. This he couldn’t so easily explain away.

“Thank you”, he said softly. “I uh… thank you. Though, I do have money, Celeste. I should be fine. Everything else is more, far more, than enough.”

As he tried to hand the small money pouch back to her she smiled and shook her head. “You’re a good kid, Vittorio. Or a good man now I guess. Ah, you two being adults is going to take some getting used to! I want you to have that money. If you don’t need it now then keep it for emergencies. Consider it payment for keeping my daughter out of trouble.”

“I don’t think there’s enough money in the League to afford that.”

“Hey!” Gloria punched him in the shoulder with a mock frown as Celeste laughed.

“Anyway, what class did you get Vittorio? Gloria has already told me all about hers.”

“Oh yeah, you never said!”

“It’s… a bit of a strange one”, Vittorio said uncertainly. “It’s called [Pactmaker] and it makes me able to talk to these… spirits? Or something? Master Kahe looked in his book and even the [Class Guides] don’t know what they are. But I can talk to them and make pacts that give me other abilities. I haven’t yet because I have to do something for the spirit in trade.”

Celeste and Gloria looked surprised. “That is strange”, Celeste said.

“Yeah, it must be really high rarity. Is it Rare? Legendary?”

“It’s uh, Unique actually.”

“Unique?”

“Yeah. Master Kahe said that means there can only be one. In the whole world.”

The women were silent, shocked, for a long moment.

“Are you serious?”, Gloria finally asked.

“Yeah, yeah. It’s… pretty weird, huh?” Vittorio laughed nervously.

“Weird? That’s amazing!” Gloria said and hugged him again. “And you thought you weren’t going to get anything but [Shopkeeper]!” She broke off the hug and held him at arms length. “But… is it a combat class? Are you going to join me?”

“It’s hybrid. It looks like it depends on the ‘spirits’. I have three I can make pacts with: One non-combat, one combat, and one hybrid. I can’t see exactly what abilities they give without making a pact but the Interface says enough for me to kinda guess.”

“Can you do it? Get abilities and see what happens?”

“Well… I need to do things in exchange. Or give them things I guess.”

“Like what?”

“Uh, let’s see.”

Attributes Class: Pactmaker Class Form a pact Status Enter a deal for power. Available pacts: 3 Log The Exchange

Prerequisite: Know the true value.

Mark: Your nose falls off. It regrows when the pact ends.

Price: 1 gold per day.

Benefits: Gain skills to buy and sell goods, often at another's expense.

Type: Non-combat

Traits: Assess value, attention to detail, deception

Activities: Buying and selling, inspect goods

The Singular Direction

Prerequisite: Progress.

Mark: Your pupils appear to be fixed, staring straight forwards.

Price: Learn something new every day. The first thing you learn each day does not provide experience.

Benefits: Spur yourself and others to act. Highly aggressive combat stance. Minor ability to alter your environment.

Type: Hybrid

Traits: Leadership: Force, Learning: Studying, Use weapon: (Small blade, Unarmed)

Activities: Combat, learn

Strength of Weakness

Prerequisite: Rebel against a supreme.

Mark: Bruise and bleed more easily and in greater quantities. This does not increase damage taken.

Price: Use the Harmlessness ability on a friend for a time. You will know when this has been achieved.

Benefits: Some stealth as well as buffs and offensive combat abilities focused on taking down single enemies.

Type: Combat

Traits: Deception, Reactions, Weapon use: (Club, Small blade, Spear, Unarmed)

Activities: Combat, Feign meekness or inferiority

“One wants a gold per day.” Gloria made an outraged sound. “Another just wants me to learn something new every day, and the third wants me to use an ability on a friend.”

“Oh, well you can do it on me!”

“But I don’t know what it does! I don’t think it’s dangerous, but it’s called ‘Harmlessness’ so who knows?”

“Vee”, Gloria said in a serious tone. “You’re not going to find out without doing it. What better time is there? We're safe, mom is here, and we have nothing else to do today.”

“Master Kahe did say the cost never seemed to be dangerous… Okay then.”

Vittorio tried to activate his Make A Pact skill, and simply wanting to do it seemed to work. The world went dark before his eyes as his mind once more reached The Place Which Is Not. He could sense them there, all of them. His mind struggled to make sense of the geometry of The Place but could not. The entities surrounded him though there were no directions; They were separated by indescribably distances yet were everywhere and nowhere; They moved and shifted without movement or time or space.

Three stood out to him and though they were both identical and nothing alike, he knew them. He reached out to {Strength of Weakness}. As his mind touched the entity it was flooded by a jumble of intents, will, and meaning. He was only able to grasp the smallest sliver of it all but thought he understood {Strength of Weakness} a bit better: It was a fighter feigning weariness to strike a surprising blow, a king dressed in rags being passed by assassins, a bully humiliating the strong.

> Mortal mind {Strength of Weakness} communes with. Why?

I seek to form a pact with you, {Strength of Weakness}.

> This your mind sees. Terms mortal are known to. Does mortal terms accept? Price paid must be.

I do.

> Pact formed is. {Strength of Weakness} ally reveal to.

A spike of discomfort hit Vittorios mind as the barest trickle of the entitys power flowed into him. He could sense both restraint and a mild disinterest from {Strength of Weakness}, and gathered that this was both as much as he could handle and as much as the entity was willing to give.

His mind lurched back to his body. The world came back into view, revealing Gloria and Celeste looking worried and horrified.

"Vee! Are you alright?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. Why? What happened?"

"Well, kind of a lot. First your eyes rolled back and you just stood there. I talked to you but you didn't answer."

"I didn't hear you. I was... talking to a spirit."

"I assumed it was something like that, but then you started changing. You're really pale and it kind of looks like you..." Gloria looked to her mother.

"It looked like you withered."

"Yeah! That's it!"

"You've never been exactly muscular, but now you look like skin and bones."

The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

Vittorio looked down at his hands and sure enough, they were terribly pale and thin. His veins and bones stood out clearly, and he really did look sick.

"It's part of the pact I made", he said, trying to calm them. "It's fine and I'll go back to normal when it ends. Every spirit changes you as part of the deal. I can't say I'm happy about it, but- oh, I should check my skills! See if it was worth it! Give me a moment."

Attributes Race: Human Class Susceptible to healing Status All healing affecting you is increased. Log Class: Pactmaker Passive skills Class Attributes Mentality, Personality Gain experience in the class when using Traits associated with an Attribute. Class Traits Adaptability, Deception, Learning: Experience, Reactions, Weapon use: (Club, Small blade, Spear, Unarmed) The natural rating of traits are set at a minimum of Adequate. Gain experience in the class when using the Traits. Class Activities Combat, Feign meekness or inferiority, Negotiate Gain experience in the class when engaged in the Activities. Active skills Commune Open your mind to contact with those who dwell in The Place Which Is Not. Form a pact Enter a deal for power. Available pacts: 3 Pact Passive skills Harmlessness

Other creatures perceive you as harmless and unimportant. This may allow you to go where you are not allowed or be ignored in combat, but may draw the attention of those who prey on the weak. You may use the Active skill Make harmless to transfer this effect.

While you are under the effect of Harmlessness your other Skills granted by {Strength of Weakness} have additional effects.

Weak strikes seek weak spots

Instinctively know where to strike enemies. If your attack would deal less than low damage, it instead deals low.

Harmless (active): While the enemy is above critical health, only you are aware of extra damage dealt. This is a Mental effect.

Active skills Make harmless Transfer your Harmlessness ability to a willing creature. You may reclaim it at any time. Guilt of violation

Grant all members of your group a small amount of damage reflection. Reflected damage is Mental. Against intelligent creatures this manifests as painful regret of one's actions. This effect lasts until removed or a person leaves the party.

Harmless (active): Reflected damage from attacks targeting you is tripled.

Inversion of fates

The next blow an ally receives has its lethality reversed: Extreme damage becomes negligible, high becomes low, and vice-versa. You can use this ability often.

Harmless (active): When applied to yourself, has a chance of instead causing an enemy to entirely avert their attack.

The weakest link, reforged

Party-wide buff that raises the lowest rating of each Trait in the party to parity with the second lowest rating. Has no effect on groups smaller than 4. This effect lasts until removed or a person joins or leaves the party.

Harmless (active): When one of your traits would be increased this way, it is instead increased to the third lowest.

Talents Generic Deals Occult Transformation Class: Pactmaker

Vittorio wasn't sure exactly what to make of it, but some of it sounded pretty good. And as he'd hoped, Harmlessness wouldn't hurt Gloria - not directly at least. He thought he understood the reason for the price and what {Strength of Weakness} had said:

> Pact formed is. {Strength of Weakness} ally reveal to.

It must want other people to... experience it? Learn it? Regardless, it might be affecting Gloria and Celeste right now so he might as well try to explain.

"Okay, I got some skills. Lots of things for fighting, but Harmlessness - the one I need to use on you, Gloria - is a bit odd. It says it makes me seem weak and unimportant?"

The women looked at him blankly. "What?", Gloria finally asked.

"Yeah, it says 'Other creatures perceive you as harmless and unimportant.' Do you?"

Gloria looked confused. "Maybe? But with the physical changes it's kinda hard to tell. You look ill, Vee. Of course you don't look dangerous or something."

"Well... what if I moved it to you then, and we'll see what happens?"

"Yeah, sure" Gloria said before breaking into a cocky grin. "I doubt it'll work though. Who would ever think I'm unimportant?"

"Ha ha" Vittorio replied before reaching for Make Harmless. As he tried to make it affect Gloria he felt just the slightest resistance before it finished. He then looked at Gloria and considered what he saw.

It was strange. He knew she had the effect on her and so he knew his thoughts were being warped, yet he couldn't avoid it. What he saw was not the free-spirited, confident, curious young woman he'd known all her life, who had worked hard to achieve her dream of becoming an adventurer. Instead he saw a confused, erratic girl who wanted to play with swords, more likely to hurt herself than her enemy. A bumbling fool of no consequence.

"Oh wow", he said. "This is kind of terrifying." He saw Celeste looking at her daughter with concern, like she'd made a huge mistake.

"Is it working then?" Gloria asked. Vittorios gut reaction was to ignore her and that it was a stupid question. With some effort he could push through it.

"Yeah. It's making me think these wrong things, and it's kind of making me want to be rude to you. I can't help but think what it will do to people who don't know you if it's doing this to me. I think it might be pretty useful though, like I know you could beat me up but if you wanted to fight me I don't think I could really bring myself to really fight back. It's really weird."

"Yes", Celeste croaked, her voice hoarse. "It's bad. I... It's... It's making me doubt things and... Vittorio, can you remove it? I don't want this, not now. Not today."

He again used Make Harmless, but this time the effect was immediate. He could feel it settle on him and at the same time the thoughts and feelings he'd had about Gloria changed. He didn't feel tricked or deceived, just like he'd changed his mind. A very strange feeling.

Celeste grabbed her daughter in a hug, though Gloria mostly looked confused. Vittorio decided to leave the pair alone for a while and walked over to the temple of Myton.