“Absolutely not.” Verin was fast to nip the idea in the bud. “Normally I would begin by saying ‘explain yourself,’ but the notion is so far-fetched, I do not believe there is any need. We have devoted almost our entire time here to getting stronger. You would ask us to take what is likely the very singular course of action that would decrease our levels?”
I had to agree with Verin here, but at the same time, I doubted Cal would have brought it up without a good reason.
Plus, she hadn’t told me to sunder my class, which meant I was essentially free to sit this conversation out. I doubted that was her intention, of course, but still. Good job, Cal!
“Okay, hey, I did say it would be unpopular, but think about it. What’s your highest class-aligned skill right now? Be honest.” Seeming to already know the answer, Cal fixed Verin with an expectant stare, not letting her worm her way out of the question.
In return, Verin mumbled the answer so softly, I wondered if Cal would even be able to hear her: “... Etiquette.”
My fears proved unfounded as Cal launched her hands into the air. “Etiquette! Exactly. Now tell it to me straight. Do you think Etiquette is going to help us get out of here? Or outside of that, let’s say you want to level it up to fulfill some of your class quests. Are you seeing any good balls or dinner parties around for you to train the skill?”
Verin bristled at the attack, her already straight back only seeming to straighten further, putting the full extent of her etiquette on display. “Naturally, I did not take a class that was solely dedicated to fighting. Given my future, it can only be expected that my class encompasses a number of rulership skills. It was chosen -- with the aid of a class token -- exactly for that reason. It is likely one of the finest classes in the entirety of Sylum for someone of my age and level.”
Cal kneaded at her temples as her point landed entirely off the mark. “I’m not saying it’s not a good class for Sylum or that it’s not a good class overall. I’m saying it’s not a good class for here. You said it yourself! Half your class is dedicated to rulership. Tell me how that’s helpful here or how that’s going to get us out.”
Idly, I tried to think of possible ways nobility skills could help us. If we built out enough of our home, could we turn it into a settlement? Maybe Verin would get some sort of bonuses if we did, or failing that, rulership skills probably empowered the subjects of a ruler, right? Maybe if I swore allegiance to Verin in some way, I could activate some of her skills. Admittedly, all of that felt like a bit of a stretch, but…
“I will admit that many of my skills may not be useful during our stay here, but afterwards-”
In a move that was sure to upset the noble’s sense of etiquette, Cal shouted over her. “Exactly! That’s exactly your problem. That’s all you do, think about what comes after we get out of here. After, after, after. Every time Tess starts building something permanent here or comes back with cards or beds or anything else, you look at her like she’s grown a second head, because you can’t imagine this place as being anything but temporary. It’s just something you have to politely endure for a few months before it’s all just an unpleasant memory. Well guess what! It won’t be!
“What is it going to take for you to understand that we’re not going to escape next month, or the month after that, or the month after that. If -- and really, with our performance in the desert, it’s a big if -- we ever escape this place, it’s going to be years from now at this rate. Actual years. Stop thinking so much about your city in a literal different dimension and start thinking more about here!”
Even with all the time I’d spent with Cal, the outburst was unexpected. Was that what she really thought, though? That we were going to be here for years if we ever escaped? As bleak as it was, I had to admit my own thoughts mostly mirrored hers. Surely Verin had to know that too, didn’t she?
As the high noble sat there, mute, however, it dawned on me that perhaps Cal had actually hit the mark, several things finally falling into place.
When was Verin ever the type to train all day? Sure, it wasn’t like she had all of her equipment, but I probably could have made her some wooden canvases. I doubted anything she made here would be half as good as what she normally did, but for her to forgo her drawing for months? It wasn’t like the Verin I’d come to know.
If she was viewing this as just one, abnormally long dungeon run before she got to go home, though, I could start to understand the changes I was seeing.
Either keen to strike while the iron was hot or maybe even offering an olive branch, Cal continued as Verin sat silently.
“And look, I get it. I’m probably the closest of us to reaching level 25 after all the experience I gained with Hexaura. Do you think I want to throw that all away? But it just doesn’t make sense. A third of my class is about being a fake priestess, which I only ever needed to fool my dad. Another third is about finding secrets, but specifically geared towards infiltrating buildings and organizations to figure out where they’ve hidden things. The last third is basic rogue skills, but pretty much no real combat skills. Does any of that sound like it's built for a dungeon like this?”
Admittedly, it did feel like Cal’s contribution to fights was pretty lackluster. Finding the hidden rooms in the desert palace had been impressive, but it hadn’t done much for us, either.
“Honestly, even my Legendary skill isn’t coming in that much handy considering that it's fueled by stamina and mana. My class mainly gives me Dexterity, Intelligence, and Charisma, with some rotating points to Wisdom and Perception. It is an awful set of stats for almost anything useful. When I upgraded my invisibility skill with Hex, it separated from my class, so there’s no reason not to switch to something with more Endurance and Wisdom to power it. I’m betting your stat spread is pretty useless too, right?”
I expected Verin to remain silent, but almost mechanically, she grumbled out a response. “Intelligence, Wisdom, Perception, Charisma.” As she said the final two, she lowered her voice, as if the stats would signal her defeat.
“Right! Right. You know that’s not useful here. And there’s that shiny class-sundering gem down with Sett. It’s not like I’m forcing you to do anything, but it just makes sense. So be honest. Why wouldn’t you?”
Idly, I wondered if Cal had some sort of public speaking or persuasion skill. She had to, right? Given her Charisma and her status as a princess, it was probably a must-have. Even outside that, I wouldn’t have been surprised if it was a class skill with how much an Infiltrator must have needed to persuade people. Although maybe that fell more under Deception?
When Verin finally did reply, she whispered so softly that not even I could hear it. When prompted to repeat herself, she averted her eyes, only barely raising her volume.
“... I wouldn’t get a good class.”
While I could parse the words themselves, I couldn’t understand the sentiment behind them, a problem it seemed that Cal shared as well.
“Not really following. You want to speak up?”
At last, Verin could handle no more, the casual needling finding its way under her skin. As her whispers transformed all at once into shouts, it was all Cal and I could do to sit there with our eyes wide.
“I would not get a good class! There. I have said it. If I were once again to visit the class spiral, I would not be surprised if all of my options were Rare at best. Perhaps this is not something you have to worry about being the direct disciple of a god with a Legendary skill and the Prestige to match, but I am not so lucky, Lady Calilah. My family, at great cost, acquired a minor class token that allowed me to select the Epic class that I have. I am unlikely to receive a truly helpful class without one, so I will not be sundering my class. Unless, of course, you believe a class token will simply appear out of thin air?”
Was that… was that true? With how she tended to conduct herself, I had this idea of Verin as more advanced than the two of us. She could pull entire vacation homes out of her spatial equipment and hook me up with a high-leveled chamberlain with the snap of her fingers. Then again, that was her family’s wealth, wasn’t it? Just going off of what she’d accomplished and what Prestige she’d earned for herself, I supposed she hadn’t done nearly as much as me or Cal. In fact, save for visiting Emer’Thalis, had she ever spent time traveling out of Sylum?
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Distantly, I followed along as the two of them continued to verbally spar until something Verin had said finally caught up to me. While having little desire to butt in, I realized I probably had to.
“Um. Sorry. Would this help?” The other two paused as I brought my arm forward, summoning up my latest mark. A small black coin formed on my wrist, momentarily stunning my companions.
Minor Class Token (Peace Restrictive)
“Lady Tess, where did you… No, never mind. You would be willing to give me this?” Far from continuing her earlier arguments, Verin stared transfixed at the mark.
“Sure.” It wasn’t as if I was using it. “It says it’s ‘peace restrictive’, though, if that matters.” Between the two of them, I was guessing at least one of them would know what that meant, especially given that both their families had been rich enough to purchase them a token in the first place.
“Ew,” Cal helpfully offered. “Probably not worth it then. If she uses that, the class options she gets won’t focus on offense at all. Most of them will probably even have penalties against direct damage. Worth it in some situations, but not in a dungeon.”
Oh. That was a shame. I started to dismiss the mark before Verin lunged out to grab my arm.
“Wait. I will use it. A lack of direct damage does not entail being useless in combat. A peace class may focus on defense, healing, or applying status effects, for example. If both of you are dealing large amounts of damage, this may be a better choice to round out our party in any case.”
I expected Cal to contest the point, but she simply shrugged. “I’m a little skeptical, but it’s not my mark, and it’s not my class. This mean you’re on board with my plan, then?”
If a touch hesitantly, Verin eventually nodded. “I cannot say the thought particularly thrills me, but your point has been made. Very well, then. Let us try it.”
Glad to have reached a conclusion, I willed my mark to Verin.
You are attempting to transfer your Minor Class Token (Peace Restrictive) to Verin’Sylus. Would you like to proceed?
One confirmation later, and it was done, the black ink of the mark traveling down my arm until it met Verin’s skin. Seamlessly, it passed from me to her, depositing itself on her own wrist before sinking into her skin. The transferred mark seemed to make the entire prospect of sundering her class more real for Verin, and her expression hardened.
“I suppose we have some preparations to make, then, don’t we?”
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Verin’s words proved to be truer than I’d realized. At first, I expected the two of them to sunder their classes immediately, but as I was quickly informed, that would be a drastically foolish decision.
Sundering a class would instantly strip someone of all the experience they’d earned from their class quests. On the flip side, it would not take away any experience earned from fighting monsters or leveling skills.
Unfortunately, the bulk of the experience both of them had earned had come from class quests, which meant there was a chance that switching classes could reset them to a significantly lower level. In the worst-case scenario, even with better classes, they would grow so weak that we wouldn’t be able to go out hunting together anymore. If that happened, it would take them ages to reach the necessary levels to be safe and useful in any fights.
The solution, thankfully, was very simple: fighting more monsters before they sundered their classes. With the extra fighting experience, they’d be guaranteed to lose fewer levels, regardless of what classes they chose.
The delay wasn’t entirely ideal, but it did have one unintended bonus. With a clear goal before her, Verin finally seemed to regain some of her drive. Our trips to the desert immediately resumed, Verin having either completely gotten over her experience in the crypt, or else putting on a convincing enough face to fool me. Truthfully, I wasn’t sure which was more likely.
Rather than continuing with our brief trips close to the desert border, however, we took longer forays. The sandstorm and the proceeding palace were fresh on our mind, but we were fairly certain the desert had no more surprises for us, and even if we did get sent back underground, I was confident we could escape less scathed than we had the first time. We needn’t have worried though -- the sandstorm never repeated itself, leaving us to carve through as many scorpions as we could find. Over and over, we spent three days fighting before retreating to the camp for two.
While the main benefit of our schedule was raw experience, that wasn’t to say my skills sat stagnant.
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Serenely, I sat with my back against a thick tree trunk, letting the fresh forest air fill my head with thoughts of Emer’Thalis. With both my armor and my weapon dismissed, each thought took great effort to form. Even so, one sentiment pushed itself to the surface.
Taking a while. Maybe I needed to move somewhere else? I briefly considered it before deciding it would be too much effort. Sinking into sedentariness, I closed my eyes, deciding to take a brief nature nap.
My vulnerability, however, did not go unnoticed. With a growl, one of the forest’s many stealthy stalkers pounced at me, too fast for me to react.
Or, at least too fast for me to manually react. My skills had no such issue.
Reactive Armor activated!
Damage blocked!
My full set of plate armor appeared around me right as the Vitality Panther crashed into my chest, both its weight and its paws doing no damage. Rather than use the opportunity to hold the stunned feline down, I pushed it off of me, moving from my tree to a clearer space.
I had long since discovered that the panthers were more likely to attack me if I was unarmed, a fact which I often used to keep the beasts at bay. Today, however, I had a different goal, flooding my armor with spatial mana as the predator flew at me for another strike.
As it approached, I leaned slightly out of the way. Under normal circumstances, the motion wouldn’t have done much. Combined with the strange spatial expansion effect of my armor, though, it was enough to send the panther flying past me as it missed its attack.
Dodge has reached level 8!
Nice. Been a while since I leveled that. Though it was one of my earlier skills, my armor skills had increasingly led me to take hits rather than avoid them, keeping it firmly in the Novice levels.
Dodge, however, was not what I’d come here to work on.
Time after time, the panther lunged for me, rapidly repositioning by diving through the nearby trees. To say that I always succeeded at dodging it would be a gross exaggeration, but even when it struck, it wasn’t able to do much.
Between its attacks, I sent out a number of spatial arrows. With the beast’s agility, the majority of them failed to land, but on occasion, the spatial enhancement worked its magic. With each arrow needing to travel less distance than normal to reach its target, a few of them managed to pierce the creature’s bark-like pelt before it could react.
Unfortunately for my training, the fight couldn’t last forever. Continued use of the advanced mana type left me drained far faster than normal, and when I reached about half my mana pool, I decided to call it quits. Swapping out my bow for a spatial spear, I carefully tracked the panther.
When at last I struck, one step was all it took.
Teleporting directly in front of my enemy with Spatial Step, I braced my spear against the ground, and it sank into the beast’s flesh with ease. In short order, the fight was over.
And as it so happened, so was my training.
You have defeated a Vitality Panther!
Spatial Magic has reached level 10!
Congratulations! You have reached the Initiate rank in Spatial Magic!
Having used my spatial mana in just about every way that I could, I’d finally earned the level I’d been after. Though the Initiate rank wasn’t anything too wild in the grand scheme of things, I was still rewarded accordingly.
For reaching a new milestone, you have been granted a skill augment.
Spatial Elasticity
All spatial expansion and compression effects are slightly magnified. Spells and skills which expand or compress space cost 5% less mana.
Class Quest Completed: Raise an advanced magic school to level 10 (Repeatable)
+2 Class Points
+5000xp
Ten levels down, probably forty more to go? The thought was an unfortunate reminder of just how far I had to go, but I didn’t let it get me down. After all, I’d been speeding up my training lately for a reason: I was hoping to wake up the grand magus whenever Cal and Verin went down to sunder their classes. Admittedly, my therapy sessions had never woken him, so perhaps I’d need to be more forceful, but I was confident he would wake up somehow. Hopefully, he’d be amenable to giving me a new Initiate-rank spatial spell to practice now that I could learn one.
For now, the continuous dodging had left me longing for a real nap. Especially without having used my hammer, all the effort had mentally drained me more than my usual fights. I resolved to go home and call it a day, only opting to handle one final chore before I left.
Already, I’d had two class points from reaching the Initiate rank in Heavy Armor and Hammers. I was leaning towards saving them up until we had a better idea of what threats awaited us in other regions. That was only doubly true now that Cal and Verin would have new classes -- there was no saying how my role in the group might change depending on what sorts of skills they would have.
Still, it couldn’t hurt to do some window shopping and plan out my next steps. With a full four class points burning a hole in my pocket, I let the gray fog consume me, depositing me in my class space.
As I always did, I ran a quick circuit through the three rooms just to make sure nothing had changed since my last visit.
Even so, it came as quite the shock when there actually was a new option waiting for me, all the more so given my lack of any flashy new skills to warrant it.
While I knew the new skill should have been exciting, as I noted exactly what form it took, I couldn’t help but sigh. With equal parts anticipation and exasperation, I walked up to the fifth offering of the Arcane Augmenter path.