"You should probably intervene," Mel said, standing next to Isamaar.

What am I supposed to do? I can't take a side. Isaac is already Journeyman and will be needed in the beginning, as well as being a package with Kira, but won't participate in the Mother Dungeon which is when we will need the most help. Whereas Isamaar will be Journeyman by then and will actually stick around.

"It's not ideal and I know your distaste for involving yourself in others' drama, but this will need to be mediated. If you don't do something you will lose at least one of your team and it will delay your training further."

Yeah fuck that, I'm not gonna put off my training for this, I better squash this now so we can get a move on. I thought, stepping forward between the two dwarves.

"I have a contract with Isamaar for the duration of this delve. I'd suggest that if you are unhappy with this, you may take that up with me. I'm not going to delay further due to your personal issues with him." I said to Isaac, his eyebrows furrowing beneath the blanket of matted black hair that framed his face. "I reviewed his file in-depth, and they had no evidence of his guilt. They only sentenced him to quiet the public opinion, since they needed to appear to make progress in the investigation. They found no motive, no physical proof, all they had was guilt by proximity. If you have proof he committed these crimes you should have presented it to the courts. Since you have not done this, I will assume you are basing these statements on your own emotional perspective rather than entertaining the possibility that he may be another victim of whatever happened to his team. So I ask; do you have proof?"

"It's a feeling in my gut, and I trust my gut." He said not backing down.

"Like I said; emotions. We have no room for empty accusations. If you wish you back out now, do so, but you will not make me break my word because you have a gut feeling."

Isaac stared up into my eyes, less than a stride away. "I will not put my life or that of Kira's, in such unnecessary danger."

"Fine," I said. "Then you may leave while I discuss the mission for those who will be staying on my team."

Without delaying, his brows twitched, and he pushed passed me while leering at Isamaar on the way out.

"What are your thoughts on the matter, Elder?" I asked.

"He is a free citizen and has the Lord's and young Lord's blessing to be here. But my personal feelings do not matter, as the condition for Kira joining has not been met with the exit of Isaac."

"Understood," I said, trying to hide my disappointment at losing another member.

Kira stood abruptly, I thought she was going to follow the Dwarf out, but she bowed to Elder Bainer and spoke in a calm and level tone.

"Grandfather, you have allowed my training in the hopes that I would grow strong enough to succeed in this world, as well as to protect myself and those who are unable to do so themselves. You gave me your blessing to join the Farmers Protection Guild for these reasons. You are a thoughtful man and have no doubt, considered the ramifications of what the young Lord intends to do. He had Isaac's blessing, aside from anything that happened today, which lends credibility to his capabilities. Not only could this be a pivotal moment in my path, this will bring immediate relief to those who have called this region their home for generations, and have nowhere else to go." Kira said, never raising her head to look up. "I give my word that if it becomes too dangerous I will retreat, but I must at least try. I have been treating the symptoms for over two years. We must-"

"Kira, enough." The Elder said, his face softer and his tone gentle. "I know you are not helpless, and you have your father's courage. But how will I explain this to your mother? She was hesitant to allow you to go with Isaac, let alone without him."

"If I can convince her…" She petered out lamely.

"I would give you the opportunity, just to see her reaction." Bainer laughed. "You know as well as I how stubborn my daughter can be."

"I am an adult, Elder!" She said firmly, standing straight up and looking directly at him. "I ask out of respect, so as to not go against your wishes. I am going to do this, but I wish for you to agree to it."

"I cannot give my blessing. You are barely a Novice yourself, it is too dangerous. You do not need to do this. You will go to the academy and grow stronger there under guidance from those who will keep you safe. There is no need to be impatient and reckless."

Kira turned to me, looking me straight in the eyes, ignoring Bainer. "Will you bar me from your team, on my grandfather's request?"

"I'm owed members," I said plainly, looking towards the Elder. "Are you rescinding payment for my help with the dungeons?"

"No, young Lord. But I cannot send my granddaughter into those dungeons."

"That's not what I asked. Did you or did you not say you are not able to give the Farmers Guild orders as they are not under your command? That it was at their discretion?"

"I did but this is-" He started.

"Then, no, I will not reject your request to join," I said, addressing Kira. "I won't be a part of whatever drama becomes of you disobeying your family, however. Do not expect mediation from me. You are simply allowed to accompany me, and if you slow us down, I will remove you from the group."

"Very cold-blooded." Mel laughed rolling an illusionary ball back and forth on the floor. I lifted an eyebrow but stayed silent. I hadn't known she could make other objects appear in my vision other than what was in my Library.

"I understand." She bowed to me before turning back to the Elder. "I will go, and I will inform Mother. I promise to be safe, but this is my decision."

The Elder had pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration. "You are too much like your mother sometimes. Just know that I will be explaining to her that I was against this."

"Can we be on with it? I have limited time, and we still need to discuss the plan, and then get started." I said.

"Limited time?" The Elder asked.

"I have just over seven and a half hours today before I must return for lessons at the estate."

"I see. Is this to be a regular allotment?" One of the other Elders asked. He wore a brown suit that was a bit small, suggesting he had put on weight and hadn't had his clothes altered.

This book's true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.

"Fourteen hours of combat training per day for now."

"Are you to travel back daily?" The same man asked.

"For now, yes. As we progress, I will be fulfilling my duties while in the dungeons, while the rest of my team may exit the dungeon and rest for the remainder of the day."

"We shall move on to the main topic of this meeting then," Bainer said, still looking at Kira. "I would like to hear your plan and what measures are being taken to ensure your success."

"First I believe introductions are in order for my team." Looking around at the four, I continued. "You should introduce yourselves to each other before we move on."

Standing, Kira went first. "My name is Kira Yune. I am an Alteration specialist with the Sound Affinity. I am proficient in auditory illusions and my Class is Seismic Tracker. I can track using vibrations, but it's limited and can be interfered with by large groups. I prefer to fight with magic, but can defend myself with my staff."

She sat back down, still looking confident, but not meeting gazes with any of the elders.

Fras walked behind an empty seat and introduced himself. "My name is Frascani Minupo or just Fras. A pleasure, to be sure. Fire Affinity Trap-smith. I'm well acquainted with locks and wards of many varieties. And with enough preparation, I can boobytrap an entire area, turning it into an automated killing room. My weakness is close-range, but I do have a few options in that category."

At that moment, a sudden rush of information on the spells widely available to Novice Trap-smiths flooded my mind. It happened quickly and without much sensation. It was as if the knowledge had always been a part of me, and I was just recalling it as if I were looking at the pages in front of me.

"That is from one of the Class textbooks in your Library. It references another more detailed book, specifically written by and for Fire Affinity Trap-smiths, but we don't have that one yet." Mel said, now holding the textbook she spoke of in her hands.

Is that what it's like when I fully absorb a book?

"Yep, pretty seamless. This is the main reason Librarians are so valuable. Who wouldn't want unlimited knowledge and the memory to keep track of it all? All you have to do is collect the right books." Mel said.

Trennel stepped up, giving a sidelong glance at Kira and the elders before speaking. "My name is Trennel. I am a Space Affinity Mage with an Engineer Class. I build automatons and drones that do most of my fighting. I can also do short-range travel, but it costs a substantial portion of my Mana, so not a great opening method for a battle, but good for a quick escape to regroup. I am not especially talented in any type of melee style, so I tend to prefer long-range."

He sat back down quietly. I noticed he hadn't given his family name, and nobody present seemed to know of his title. Not that it was any of my business, but I was curious. I resigned myself to ask him privately later.

Next was Isamaar, who remained shaken to the right of me, still collecting himself after the confrontation previously. "My name is Isamaar Kosiva, I'm a Void Class Mage with an Ice Affinity. I'm an experienced Adventurer, with time in a few dungeons, though mostly on summon horde contracts. I employ mostly Conjuration and Elemental Spellforms, with a preference for melee combat with dual-wielded daggers or shortswords."

Thinking over the group's strengths, I was pleased to find that there was a wide range of diversity in fighting styles that would certainly make up for any deficiencies in any single member. The only thing we lacked was a healer, but we had potions for that, and those would be enough for now.

I realized no one had said their levels, assuming they all had the Identify spell. Double-checking my own level, I saw it was still set to Level 46. I wanted to have room to increase it without raising suspicion for why I was getting stronger but wasn't advancing closer towards Novice. "As you know, I am Typhen Cerilius. Please just call me Typhen, and not young Lord, Master, or Sir. I have the Karmic Affinity, but currently, no way to use it. I think it is worth being said that I cannot use Spellforms due to damage to my Core. I can still use Mana and I have several Abilities, but I cannot cast spells."

Fras raised his brow. "None? Like… No Spellforms?"

"None. I can use freeform Mana and have developed a few techniques. I'm also able to use Items and have decent martial knowledge. I'm best in close quarters but lack offensive attacks."

"Lack offensive attacks?" Fras said, incredulously. "Bloody hell mate, after that Witch, I would hate to see what you designate as offensive."

"What Witch?" Kira asked.

"Fucking turned her into dust, he did. Nothing but a pile of bones left. Took less than a few heartbeats, from start to finish."

"That is not something I wish to be throwing around. It does more than it appears, and it is worse than it seems, we would be better off pretending it isn't an option and pulling it out for emergencies."

"What does the Karmic Affinity do?" Trennel asked, breezing by the rest of the conversation.

I looked to where Mel stood, hoping she knew, but she just shrugged her shoulders. "Not sure. It's not in any of the Class books."

"I don't know," I said. "I won't find out until I receive my Class, since I can't find anything on Karmic Spells, though I wouldn't be able to use those even if I did know."

"No spells? Truly? And you still fought Renora and me to our defeat." Fras said, sitting back in his cushioned chair. "I don't know if I should be impressed or embarrassed. You're Mana is active though? I thought you were keeping a barrier up and unable to mask your usage while still in Beginner."

"It's the damage I mentioned. I have to circulate what leaks back into my Core, keeping it passively active."

"Well there goes any chance of stealth," He muttered under his breath.

Ignoring the thief, I addressed the entire group.

"My plan is simple. We are going to patrol for today, get used to one another's fighting styles, and learn to work as a unit before it is life and death. After we are comfortable we will begin clearing out floors of the closest dungeon to bring the quickest relief to the locals. We will take regular rest periods to stay fresh but there is still a schedule to keep, so it will be limited as we find our groove. Are there any questions?" I asked, panning around the lodge.

No one spoke up, so I took that as a good sign.

"They might just be afraid of offending the Marquess, by telling him his plan is stupid," Mel said, breaking the silence.

Is my plan stupid?

"No. But they might think so. It's a simple plan. It's hard to screw up simply. So, simple is good."

Thanks. I thought, sarcastically.

"Then we should head out as soon as possible." I said, looking at the Elder."Do you know where the highest population of surface-dwelling summons is currently?"

"I will add several to your map." Bainer nodded. "The closest is a few dozen miles from here in the northwest fields. Kira knows the way there."

The Elder still looked unhappy with her decision but appeared to not want to vocalize his displeasure here. Kira looked towards me, avoiding meeting her grandfather's eye. "We can be there in a little less than an hour at top speed."

"I would like to be on our way then. Elder," I bowed. "Thank you for everything. I will deliver updates as we progress. Expect the first once we decide we are comfortable entering the first dungeon."

"Thank you, young Lord," Bainer said. All three elders standing to return my bow.

Before we made our way out, the Elder walked over to me and pulled me off to the side, erecting some type of sound barrier spell. He placed a smooth gray riverstone in my palm with a single Rune inscribed into the center, that looked like it was of the Sound Affinity. Instinctively I knew it was a communication rock, a very rudimentary one too. I could see the schematic in my mind from the Novice textbook on Enchanting.

Stone of Calling

(Common)

Type>Item>Tool

(Beginner)

[SET]

Enchantment: Infuse Mana into the Rune of one stone and it will send a brief message to its pair. Uses 1/1

Mel, remind me to find you something amazing, as a thank you.

Leaning closer to my ear, the Elder whispered. "Please keep my granddaughter safe. I know she is her own woman, but she is still my kin. Take this stone, she will not take it from me, so I will give it to you instead. Use it if you believe it is getting too dangerous for her, please. This will not put you in any type of position I assure you, I simply wish to revisit the topic with her once her perspective has widened with time spent in the dungeon."

"I will make no promises, but I'll hold onto it just in case," I said, storing the stone in my ring. With Bainer dropping the barrier around us, I spoke to my team. "Let's head out then."

I turned to lead them out the door, then had an idea. Walking over, I took five of the comfy chairs that sat around the table and stored them in my ring as well. Having somewhere to relax after a grueling fight, that wasn't rock or dirt, was incredibly useful.

"I'm taking these as monetary compensation, in exchange for losing the Journeyman Dwarf."

The two elders looked confused but said nothing as I exited the room.