As I left the room, I gestured for Koto to follow up and resolve this slave situation. Several people from Koto's settlement rested outside the room when I stepped outside. Taking a moment, I look at each of their information pages.
- Nariko (Enslaved to Drake) Level 4 Hunter/Level 9 Tailor
HP: 14/20
MP: 5/5
Cost to redeem: 20 Silver to 2 Gold
Leiko (Enslaved to Drake) Level 4 Mage/Level 12 Alchemist
HP: 6/10
MP: 14/30
Cost to redeem: 1 Gold to 50 Gold
Kyki (Enslaved to Drake) Level 3 Hunter/Level 8 Woodworker
HP: 4/10
MP: 5/5
Cost to redeem: 15 Silver to 1.5 Gold
Nyoko (Enslaved to Drake) Level 2 Mage/Level 7 Enchanter
HP: 3/5
MP: 8/15
Cost to redeem: 10 Silver to 1 Gold -
Seeing similar stat for the others ranging from level 2 to level 5, with not one of them being a warrior, I wasn't too shocked that they couldn't hold out for too long with their trial if they weren't expecting it to be a fight.
Setting everyone's cost to the minimum, I then hand over the funds to return to me so they can be free again. If I didn't have silver, I set the threshold to be in gold and then handed them the gold they needed. Once this had been worked on, I left the manor and found the remaining people. For those who are conscious, I did the same thing, and they were able to be free. Koto's been following me this entire time. Once we finished the task for the time being, I asked Koto, "What should I expect out of you and your people? I know you didn't mean what happened to your settlement to hurt them, but here we are."
"Honestly, just like those who lived through that, I am glad we are here. I am sad that we brought trouble in the form of the boss monster, but I am glad we survived. I think we will work for you in whatever capacity we can. We have all learned that we should also work on our classes. None of us thought we would have this opportunity. But honestly, this is better than I could hope for."
I give her a questioning look. "What do you mean?"
"With this planet not fully integrated into PUN yet, it gives a lot more freedom to work on our settlements without the machinations of others. While I know I don't have a settlement anymore, that doesn't mean that everything is over for me. I have to find the spot that fits best for me, and what better way than with a new settlement that hasn't been fully integrated?"
"Quite the astute assessment, Ms. Koto. I want to speak with you separately if I could." Laxreal came up from behind us.
This spooked Koto a bit, but she quickly nodded before she followed him; from what I could tell with the direction, they were headed to the undead residences. Wanting to find Ritotorous and ask him some questions, I reach out. It doesn't take long before I feel he can hear me. "Hey, Ritotorous, I think it is time we talked. I haven't seen you in a while."
Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.
"Hello, Drake. I will be over with you shortly. Give me a few minutes." That's all he responds before he stops talking.
Shrugging my shoulders, what's a few minutes? I can wait until he arrives before I can continue on my way. Thinking about what I should do next, I decided to focus on the rewards I had received from the various quests I had completed.
I still had the crystal of death-attuned mana, a crystal of corruption-attuned mana, two wealth chests, a resource box, a couple of different noble chests, my experience bags, and a level-up token.
Heading back to the manor, I get started on those things.
- Laxreal's POV -
Bringing Koto to my tomb was quite the experience. The entire time, she was skittish about something. I can only think it was because she was heading to what the living would call their final resting place. When we finally entered my abode, we headed down the stairs, and inside my resting chambers, Ritotorous was there.
I give him a slight bow and gesture to Koto. "I have brought her here, but I want to be privy to the conversation. I am Drake's advisor, and I should have any information that you two might share as well. It would be a boon to both of you. He seems to think for a second before I feel a connection.
"As you say, we must help that boy in many ways. How is he doing?" He asks me.
"You haven't seen him recently? I would have thought, being his familiar, you would be more in tune with how he has been."
"He tends to let me do as I wish, which I think is foolish if I was a usual familiar. But I can't say that I blame him for his willingness to give me the freedom to do what I want. I will go and talk with him after this is over."
My eyes flicker with an untold emotion before bowing lightly again, "As you say."
"What are you doing?" Koto asked. "I've heard of sentient familiars, but it isn't normal for a low-ranked settlement to have an option for something like that."
"Well, as you could guess, this is a sentient familiar; more than that, he started a group to become protectors for Drake and me," there is a clatter of armor behind me, and one of my guards comes forward to stand behind me. "While we don't want to keep Drake in the dark about everything, we need some semblance of obscurity so he can still be the leader he is learning to be. And that is what we would like your help with. I have heard that you have more information about things than us."
She nods at my statement, "Yes, I have more information, and why should I share it with you? If I keep hold of it, I could also get a position beside Drake."
"Because," Ritotorous' voice says, connecting to both of us, "While Laxreal will be in charge of Drake's security and mental state, having someone more versed in the professional side of things with PUN could be worth more than you could think. While we have wonderful crafters, no one has specifically taken charge of the different responsibilities of a head crafter. We think you would be a good fit in this case since most of the people you brought with you are filling a gap we had. Dedicated crafters."
I nod in agreement, "So, there isn't a need for you to hold onto all the knowledge instead of working with us."
Koto takes a deep breath and starts telling us everything she knows.
- Drake's POV -
Entering my manor, I head upstairs to my room before opening my different rewards. The crystals sit off one side since I don't know what to do with them in their current form. I know they have the mana attunements that would work for half of my current ones, but there is an itching feeling that I should wait for them before I try anything with them. Next, I will open the Noble Garb Chest and the Small Iron Noble Chest.
When I open the first of the two chests, I find a set of finely made pieces of clothing.
- Simple Nobleman's Jacket
Requires Noble class
Provides no stat bonuses; this jacket will fit whoever is the first to put it on.
Simple Nobleman's Trousers
Requires Noble class
Provides no stat bonuses; this pair of trousers will fit whoever is the first to wear them.
Simple Nobleman's Shirt
Requires Noble class
Provides no stat bonuses; this shirt will fit whoever is the first to put it on. -
After taking the garments out of the chest and placing them in my room's closet, I opened the next chest.
- Minor Nobleman's Signet Ring
Requires the user to be a Baron.
This ring provides a +10 to Charisma when worn by someone of a noble class.-
Considering this ring is for someone with a higher noble rank, I can't help but be a little happy with the circumstances. Ten Charisma will more than double my current amount, and when I become a Baron, it should be just under half.
Figuring I should use the experience bags and the level-up token, I quickly do so. When I use the experience bags, the provide me with more than the last large bags I received.
- Large Bag of Experience: Provides 150 Experience to the user's class. -
Using all five of them gives me a total of 750, along with my remaining 77. It is enough to push my class level to 9, and by using the level-up token, I can finally get my class up to level 10.