Dairin is amazing today, and the sky is so clear that one can see even the smaller craters on its surface. And when it hangs directly overhead, it leaves an indelible impression.
Wait.
Overhead? Dairin? How long was I out?
Blinking, I gauged the position of the sun and the Day Sister and realized that it was around noon. I tried to move a little to check my condition. I remembered that the fight with the Monkey King didn't go exactly as planned and that I took quite a beating. There were no critical injuries, but even with my "Enhanced Body," I should have been in bed for at least a day because of the bruises and wounds I got. But now I felt surprisingly good, definitely better than I should have after such a fight. Licking my dry lips, I tasted the sweet and cloying aftertaste of a healing potion familiar from my "past life."
And then I remembered that when I came out of the dungeon, I was met by the sheriff!
Oh! Trouble!
What did I say to him? I vaguely remember. The massive Core overflow I experienced, plus numerous injuries, affected my brain no less than downing a bottle of vodka, and not a small one, at that. I think I asked him to be my Anchor. Yes, that was it.
An Anchor is a person who stays close to someone undergoing Elevation and "holds" them in reality, preventing them from dissolving into the vast void. We, earthlings, don't need such help under normal circumstances, but my condition after leaving the Monkey's Lair couldn't be called normal by any stretch. If it weren't for Ender's help, I would have had to release the excess energy to avoid dying. Just discard a ton of prana and mana because my copper Core shell couldn't contain that amount of energy.
Immersed in thought, I "looked" at my Core. The new "iron" shell securely held the currents of Spirit and Magic. Moreover, the speed and density of these flows inside my Core were now almost one and a half times higher than what the "past me" had at the same rank!
This is not just good, this is fantastic! The Four were much stronger than others even before they embarked on the Path of Ascension precisely because the energy density of their Cores was higher than that of ordinary people. And now my currents of Spirit and Magic are not inferior to Katashi's energy! This discovery showed that the risk I took was worth it. Absolutely worth it.
Emerging from contemplation, I remembered what I had said to the sheriff. My cheeks flushed slightly.
"Hey!" Ender suddenly loomed over me. "Why are you blushing? Are you feeling worse?"
"Huh? No." Shaking my head, I decided to confess. "I just remembered what I said, and I feel embarrassed."
"Really?" The corners of the sheriff's lips twitched slightly.
"I compared myself to Evelan himself!" I rolled my eyes. "Embarrassing. Where is He, the son of Eyrat, and where am I, a beginner tunneller of the... iron rank!? A person should not compare themselves to true heroes."
"Oh, I see, but it seemed to me that you were serious."
"I was not myself."
"Well, it's clear that you weren't yourself! Are you out of your mind?!" The sheriff lashed out at me. "Who put you up to going into the Lair alone?! The fact that you came out alive is a Miracle! Divine providence, no doubt."
"Ender, what providence?" I asked angrily, propping myself up on my elbow. "The gods fell twenty centuries ago. Eyrat and both his sons sacrificed their lives, stopping the armies of demons that threatened to engulf Ain. And the Five Survivors in the Demonic War sealed their Souls in the Divine Seals, which protect our world from another Invasion deep within the Five Inverted Great Towers! There is no one in Ain to help mortals, we are on our own! There is no providence, no gods, no help from above!"
I was surprised at the anger with which I spoke. Why? Because I simply told the truth. When the Second Invasion begins, none of the local gods will rise from oblivion, stand with us, or help us. We, earthlings and the sentient beings of Ain must stop the legions of demons. Ourselves!
"Hey, let's calm down; you shouldn't get agitated right now," the sheriff said softly but firmly, putting his hand on my shoulder.
"I'm fine." I got up to my feet, patted myself down, and then stretched.
Nothing hurt. But I need to be careful: after Elevation, you feel somewhat dazed for a while, and it's problematic to think clearly.
"Thank you." I turned to Ender and bowed to him - bowed with all my respect. "Without you, things would have turned out badly for me."
The sheriff didn't say anything in response, just shrugged his shoulders.
Looking at myself, I realized that I was covered in filth. To be precise, not only in filth but also in dried blood, entrails, and clumps of nend fur. Squatting by the extinguished campfire, I scooped up a handful of ashes and scrubbed my palms and forearms. While doing this, I noticed a small half-burnt pouch in the ashes, the kind worn on the chest. Picking it up, I sniffed.
"Light Step" - that's what the alchemical compound previously stored in this pouch was called. The purpose of this powder was to ease Elevation, making it less dangerous. This alchemy only works on metallic ranks and costs, as my "memory of the future" suggested, ten gold in the shops of Pentapolis. Ten gold! When I only had two silver coins left in my purse. And even if I sell all the mountain crystals and the Heart of the Monkey King that I obtained in the Lair, I won't be able to amass that sum.
I looked up at the sheriff and asked, trying to keep my voice calm:
"Ender, how much do I owe you?"
In response, the sheriff looked me up and down, clicked his tongue, and said something I wasn't expecting:
"You need to get cleaned up. Let's go to the stream - it's not far from here."
As he finished speaking, he took a bar of soap from his belt pouch and tossed it to me. Despite having worked as a sheriff in a peaceful town for several years, Ender hasn't forgotten his tunneller habits and still carried the basic necessities: a couple of healing potions, a flint, a sharpening stone, several alchemical powders of various properties, and soap.
The stream, which was more like a small river, was indeed just a five-minute walk away. The water had already warmed up under the sun's rays, and after undressing, I fully immersed myself in it. First, I scrubbed off the top layer of dirt with sand, then rinsed myself. I repeated the procedure three more times. Only after that did I use the soap. The sheriff watched approvingly how I fashioned a primitive scrubber out of grass and reeds and started cleaning my back.
"Tuan has been watching me all this time, hasn't he?" I asked.
"Of course," Ender smiled. "A job's a job, and I'm used to doing it well. The fact that we have drinks together in the evenings doesn't affect my duty in any way."
"I'm not upset. I'm just surprised I didn't notice being followed. Pass on my regards to Tuan."
"I will," said the sheriff, maintaining a completely unfazed expression. "He doesn't show it, but he's very proud of his tracking skills. He'll be pleased that someone appreciates his abilities."
Cleaning off the remnants of the nends and getting myself in order was even more challenging than killing those monsters. I spent over an hour rubbing myself with river sand and the grass scrubber. While I was busy with this, Ender, with my permission, was sorting through the pieces of mountain crystal I had brought from the dungeon. The sheriff had a much better understanding of which shard was valuable and which could be thrown straight into the stream.
This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it
Mountain crystal on these islands is much more valuable than obsidian. But since it could only be obtained in the cave where the Monkey King resides, local tunnellers didn't mine it. They were content with volcanic glass, which was extracted without excessive risk.
As I washed my hair for the third time, I finally felt the characteristic squeak of clean hair under my fingers.
"If you weren't waiting for the Overflow, I wouldn't have gone into the Lair without your permission," I said, starting to wash my pants.
In the world of Ain, dungeons play the same role as mines for valuable minerals on Earth. Bloody wars can break out over precious ones. To clear someone else's dungeon without the permission of the local tunnellers or authorities is something that could get you beheaded. The only exception is dungeons close to Overflow. But even then, clearing them without asking the locals first is considered bad manners.
In response, Ender showed me three large druses of mountain crystal and, setting them aside, said:
"This will be enough to cover the fine."
The sheriff's behavior was really stressing me out. Yes, we had a few good drinks together, one could say we even found some common ground, but still, his behavior was excessively friendly, considering the circumstances. This was clearly not without reason, and it was making me nervous. I would have preferred it if he had taken everything I obtained and locked me up for a couple of days. That would have been more understandable than this kind of attitude.
After washing my pants and what was left of my shirt twice, I hung the clothes to dry and, wrapping myself in the cloth Ender had provided, sat down on the grass next to the sheriff.
"Ender..." I called to distract him from the calculations he was making in his head.
"Yes?"
"Let's not beat around the bush," I said, spreading my hands. "Because of my actions, you could get into trouble, and you'll have to say something to the council of elders, explain yourself. I know I went against the unspoken rules of the tunnellers and violated traditions. Moreover, you helped me with the Elevation, became my Anchor, and even spent a decent amount on me. Yes, I saw the bag from the 'Light Step.' I owe you. A lot. So how much?"
Setting aside a particularly transparent and pure piece of mountain crystal, the sheriff looked me squarely in the eyes.
"You didn't ask for the 'Light Step'; I gave it to you myself without asking. So it wouldn't be fair to include that in your debt," Ender said. I was lucky that Ender was so fair; many in his position wouldn't have mentioned that detail. "I've already taken the fine for the elders. Next, the tax. You're not a local, so by standard rate, one-third of what you obtained goes to the town." I nod in agreement. "Another quarter goes to the treasury because you are not a member of the Guild, and therefore you don't have the right to use their privileges, tax breaks, and discounts."
"I agree." I nod again.
"We've settled the issue with the town and your unauthorized expedition into the Den." He clasped his hands together behind his head. "Now there's just a trivial matter left..."
"How much?" Trying to keep my composure, I asked as calmly as I could.
"First, answer one question." The sheriff began to drill me with his gaze. "Where the hell did you come from?!"
Grinning from ear to ear, I began to speak, holding nothing back:
"Me? That's simple! I came from another world. Well, not so much came as was transported by some powerful entities, which I call questers. Just a few days ago, I was working as an ordinary clerk on Earth..."
For the first few seconds, Ender listened to me attentively, then his gaze seemed to drift, and within half a minute, he held his head in his hands, after which he asked in a quiet voice:
"Stop! Stop!" I obediently fell silent. "I hate, hate this feeling when someone seems to stir my brains with an invisible spoon! I can't stand this Sacred Knowledge! I got it - you can't tell me."
"I can," I object. "But no one will understand me."
"What?! Doesn't matter!" He spat on the grass. "You could have warned me, and I would have put up a mental barrier."
"You can use a 'mental barrier'?" I was surprised, as this was a technique usually available only from the opal rank onwards.
"Bloodline skill." He shrugged.
Too bad, if it's a skill of his lineage, he won't be able to teach it to me, as I am not a member of his family. Not all tunnellers have lineage skills. Only families in which three generations in a row have reached precious or higher ranks acquire skills based on blood. These are often widely accessible high-level skills that a family member can learn much earlier than others. But there are also unique abilities available only to a representative of a specific lineage or family.
The 'mental barrier' Ender spoke of serves as protection against mental magic and helps to listen to Sacred Knowledge without negative consequences. The sheriff still wouldn't have understood what I was saying, but he wouldn't have had the feeling of "someone stirring his brains with a spoon" if he had used this skill in advance.
After venting his frustration through a long and colorful tirade, Ender collected himself and asked:
"Are you planning to join the Tunnellers' Guild?"
"Of course," I replied while checking how dry my trousers were. "But not right away. I want to get the bronze rank first."
"Don't want to take the tests?" The sheriff grinned.
"I'm short on learned skills, techniques, and abilities," I said casually. "And for those who have reached bronze, tests are no longer mandatory."
"I noticed you didn't use any techniques during your training." Ender nodded. "I found that a bit strange. So, that's why." He tried to drill into me with his gaze again. "You are strange. Just like your companions."
"We're not strange, we just come from another world…"
"Ah! Stop, Raven! Just stop!" The sheriff grimaced, rubbing his temples.
"Many people look strange from the outside. Take yourself, for example, an outsider far from home, serving as a sheriff and respected by the locals." I spread my hands. "Isn't that strange?"
"Alright, I get it." Ender waved off my words.
"By the way, where is the nearest Guild branch?" I inquired.
"The nearest?" My interlocutor seemed to think for a moment as if calculating something in his mind. "Depends on the winds and currents. Sometimes from Un, it's faster to get to Kyato, the capital island of the archipelago. And sometimes - to the port city of Tries, which is on the southeastern tip of the mainland. It depends on the wind, yes."
"Are the portals in both cities functioning?" I asked nonchalantly.
"No, the portal network exists only in Tries. Kyato is a relatively new city, built after the Fall." He sighed heavily. "You can only travel by ship across the archipelago."
Most cities of Ain, founded during the time of the gods, are connected by a portal network that allows almost instantaneous travel over long distances. Using them is very expensive, but sometimes it saves a tremendous amount of time. Despite the fact that the gods of Ain fell, much of their legacy continues to work even after twenty centuries.
"Why do you need the nearest Tunnellers' Guild branch?" Ender inquired. "You just reached the iron rank today, and no matter how talented you are, you won't reach bronze any sooner than a year from now." He cracked his knuckles. "And that's me being very generous."
Yes, for the locals, Elevating rank once a year is an incredible result, almost unattainable, but we, earthlings, have to move much faster. In the last battle, which is going to take place in about a year and a half, eighty-seven surviving earthlings participated, and we were all at the mithril rank. But if I were to say that to the locals, they wouldn't understand, even if it wasn't Sacred Knowledge. In the legends of Ain, only Jegur and Evelan advanced through the ranks so quickly. I didn't say anything in response, just shrugged my shoulders, and taking the Heart of the Monkey King, a large shard of black obsidian similar to what I saw in the shop of the Silent Hey, in my hands, I started to examine it.
"In Kyato, you could sell it for two gold coins," the sheriff commented. "Here, they won't even give you twenty silver for it."
"What about in Tries?" I inquired.
"About the same," Ender shrugged. "But I can't say for sure, as I haven't been to the mainland in half a year."
"What about the rest?" I asked, nodding towards a pile of mountain crystals that remained mine after all the fines and taxes.
"Silent Hey will give you about one and a half gold coins for everything."
"Not much," I had hoped for more.
"You'll get even less in Tries," the sheriff spread his hands. "They have a dungeon nearby where mountain crystal is mined," he explained.
"I'm afraid this won't be enough to settle my debt with you," I try not to show any concern; it's better not to mess around with debts in Ain.
Before answering, the sheriff smiles, holds a pause, and only when my fingers start to twitch from internal tension does he say:
"I didn't say I would take your debt in money."
I felt a chill inside me. That's what I dislike, these kinds of twists.
"You said you 'will owe' me." Yes, he's right. I wasn't myself at the time if I said so without specifying the debt details!
"I remember," I say through gritted teeth.
"But then I thought, what kind of debts can there be between friends?" I tensed up even more at these words.
"Ender..."
"I have a different kind of proposition for you," he interrupted me.
"I'm listening."
"When you join the Tunnellers' Guild, they will ask you for the names of two mentors to be recorded on your Page."
"Right..."
"You will name me as one of them," he openly smiled.
For the locals, this is a very important element. The respect towards mentors of those who have achieved high ranks in Ain is no less than that towards hereditary aristocracy. And the teachers of heroes, those who have reached heroic ranks, are known by name throughout Pentapolis.
Turns out, Ender is not averse to vanity! I need to make the most of this.
"You became my Anchor during the Elevation. But that's not enough to call you my mentor. Because a mentor is primarily supposed to teach!"
"So what's the problem?" the sheriff stood up. "Let's go get your spear."
"I need to dry off first..." I muttered, turning away, not wanting him to see my smile.