Alexia

After leaving the dungeon, I quickly make my way back to the base. But at some point during my trip, I pause. Then I purse my lips and decide to just continue flying again.

It would be nice to get those remaining four levels that I need to reach the cap of Tier 2, but the only dungeon I’d feel comfortable entering just to leave soon after is the one I just beat. And you can’t rechallenge a dungeon that you have already cleared until at least a month after your last clear.

Plus I don’t like the idea of fighting without my weapon, even if I have a second weapon to use temporarily.

I might have some training in the use of a bow, but some training in it isn’t enough for me to feel comfortable.

On that note, as I make my way back to the base, I practice a little with my new bow, sending what luckily turns out to be arrows made of quantum energy – proving that I don’t need someone to make arrows for me – at any monster I find along the way. And over time I end up growing more used to the bow again.

I even get the skill for combat using bows. One I’m not going to slot.

Once I make it back to the base, I find it as busy as ever, and bigger than the last time I was her. Just like always.

Except this time the difference in size is even more vast than the previous times I’ve come back to the base.

Guess the Council probably helped advertise the base a bit. And with the Covenant linking most of the major players’ locations, it’s not too hard to find other groups nowadays. Especially major ones.

Putting that aside, I completely ignore the gate where people are being checked upon entry to instead teleport on top of the walls, startling the guards there. But they just regain their composure, snap off a quick salute, and return to their work without another word. Although one of them does leave, likely to tell someone I’m here.

I ignore them as I close my eyes and begin sensing through the base, searching for an energy source familiar to me.

After a few minutes of searching, I eventually find what I recognize as Shawn’s energy signature located on the other side of the base. So I open my eyes and teleport a few times to reach him, appearing right in front of the man and startling him into dropping a bunch of logs onto his foot.

The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.

Oops.

The man mostly ignores the logs though, the System enhancement his level gives him making him not really hurt by the weight of logs falling onto his foot as he calms down again and asks, “Alexia, did you need something from me?”

I nod my head and, without wasting any time, ask, “Did the crafter you told me about before happen to join the Retreat with you?”

He looks surprised for a second before answering with a nod, “Yeah, he did. Would you like me to take you to him?”

I nod my head, following which the man completely ignores the logs and starts walking off towards the corner of the base with me following suit. And everyone we pass by, as if on instinct, turns to look at me with either awe or fear in their eyes. Many a mixture of both.

Eventually we arrive at a small wood and stone house at the corner of the base right up against the walls, which I can’t help but wonder if is a good place to have a home or not. Then Shawn knocks on the door and shouts, “Dravik, you have a visitor!”

A shout resounds from within the house, albeit muffled, “Dang it, don’t interrupt me during my work, kid!”

“Oh, well if that’s the case old man, then I’ll just tell The Reaper that you don’t want to work with her,” Shawn says with a smirk on his face that has me raising a brow in amusement.

A muffled bang echoes from the house, followed by a bunch of other bangs and then muffled footsteps before the door slams open to reveal a dwarf. And the moment the dwarf sees me, he immediately starts smiling a very polite smile as he says, “Hello Miss Reaper, how may I help you today? I’m sorry for the inconvenience, but Shawn is just so difficult to hear sometimes that I thought he was nary but a fly on the wall.”

I notice Shawn’s eye twitching slightly at that as the man says, “Oh, really, old man? Are you sure about that? Because you definitely responded.”

“Don’t mind the kid, he’s hearing things,” the dwarf apparently named Dravik says without so much as glancing at Shawn. Then he waves us inside and says, “Why don’t you come inside? Make yourself comfortable!”

I glance between the two, finding this situation more than a little amusing before shrugging and walking inside the house.

And just seconds after I step inside, I hear the door slamming shut and someone shouting, “Ouch! Damn it, old man!” from the other side of the door.

When I look back, I realize the dwarf slammed the door in Shawn’s face, blocking him outside. Meanwhile the dwarf just smiles at me and proceeds to say, “Now, what can I do for ya, Lady Reaper?”

I glance between him and the door, hearing muffled slamming sounds come from it as Shawn no doubt slams his fist against the door while shouting.

This old man is hilarious.

Then I eventually just smirk slightly and focus on the dwarf as I summon my polearm into my hand and ask, “Any chance you could fix this?”

The dwarf reaches out to grab my polearm before looking it over with a light frown. And, after several seconds of shouting that we’re both casually ignoring from the other side of the door, he looks up at me with a smile and says, “That I could, young miss.”

Nice. Looks like I won’t have to go searching for a smith elsewhere after all.

The dwarf quickly begins walking deeper into his house after that while motioning for me to follow, “Come on! Let me show ya to me workshop!”

I glance at the door once more before following after him without another word.