“Why don’t we all calm down,” Fras said, his hands in a defensive position as we stood in the clearing around the Dungeon entrance.
“How are you okay with this? He lied to us, put us all in danger, and you are defending him?” Kira shouted, pacing back and forth angrily.
“It doesn’t change anything,” Isamaar stated firmly. “He was capable enough that we didn’t question his strength, so what is the issue?”
“It’s the principle,” she said, glaring at the Dwarf. “How can we trust him after this?”
Pausing, Fras glanced over at me and then back to Kira. “I’m not saying he wasn’t in the wrong for withholding this from us, but at the end of the day, does it really affect anything? He was plenty competent when it comes to fighting, and besides making a few dumb decisions, it went smoothly enough.”
He looked my way, giving me a wink.
“This coming from a murderous thief,” she growled.
Fras’s face fell, turning stern.
“No one is forcing you to be here,” he said, losing his normally upbeat mood. “You are welcome to leave at any point.”
“That’s not- I-” she began, but couldn’t find the words to finish.
“Listen, I know I lied, but I knew no one would have taken me seriously, no matter my ability if I told you I was still at such a low Level. I am sorry that I deceived you and I promise that there won’t be any more secrets that could potentially put you in any danger. I know that I was capable of this, otherwise, I would not have gone in the first place.”
I looked at each of them.
“If you don’t want to continue, I understand. You are free to keep whatever loot you gathered, and we can part ways here.”
They all looked at one another.
“We have an agreement,” Isamaar said. “As long as there aren’t any other secrets you’re keeping from us that will put my life in danger, I’m fine continuing.”
“I’m with Isamaar on this,” Fras added. “You’re more qualified than I am to be delving into these Dungeons. I don’t have any issues with staying on the team.”
I turned to Trennel.
“You know I’m fine with it.”
I gave him a weak smile.
Having met me when I first arrived on this continent, he was the only one who already knew that I had been obscuring my Level.
“Kira?”
She twisted her staff around in her hands while looking at the ground. Her face contorted in deep thought as she seemed to mull over the conflicting feelings for wanting to continue and finding out that she had agreed under false pretenses.
“I don’t know.”
“We’ll meet back at the village in the morning and if you decide you wish to continue the delve we can go from there. Is that fair?”
She didn’t look up but nodded her head in understanding.
“Alright, I have some errands to run while we have some time. Everybody is free to stay at my estate if you don’t already have accommodations.”
“I have already booked an inn in Requara, so I’ll be heading back to find some company for the evening,” Fras said, his smile returning to his face. He gave a small salute before turning and walking back into the forest.
“I also have a few items I must attend to in the city, so I will see you at dawn,” Isamaar said.
“Alright then, we’ll part ways here and I’ll see you all in the morning.”
Turning in the direction deeper into the forest, I bid the rest of my team farewell.
Kira and Trennel took off together in the direction of the village, as Isamaar walked a bit further south, towards the city.
***
“You really didn’t need to say anything,” Mel said. “Why not just tell them you didn’t get as much Experience from the Dungeon?”
We were deeper into the forest, heading further north, away from any settlement that were on any local maps.
I kept an eye out for any movement, now that we were off the warded paths, attacks from summons became more of a possibility.
Did I need to tell them? No. Would it cause further issues if they end up finding out down the line? Absolutely. It’s the same thing I was warning Trennel of with his identity. We don’t know each other well yet, but trust is a key factor in how well we work as a team. Why would I break that by continuing to lie about something that isn’t even an issue anymore? I’m already Novice now, and they shouldn’t have any problems with my capabilities now that we’ve had some time to fight together.
I pushed passed a thick bushel of ferns, moving aside their blades as I entered a bright clearing.
The full moon hung clearly overhead, shining light down on the grassy meadow. In the center was a single boulder at shoulder height.
Walking over to it I decided this was as good of a place as any and climbed up the side of it, hanging my legs off the edge.
Do you think I did the right thing?
“I think you did what you thought was the right thing.”
That’s not an answer.
“Hey look a distraction,” she said, indicating the flashing notification in my peripheral vision.
“Har har,” I said out loud, smiling.
“What’s done is done,” Mel said, taking on a more serious tone. “Kira was the only one that hadn’t either already fought you or didn’t know your Level to begin with. If she doesn’t come tomorrow you will just have to use that winning personality to find some other schmuck willing to risk their lives for easy Levels. That shouldn’t be very difficult, especially if you decide to go through official channels.”
One of the books in the Library came to mind.
Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.
It was titled as: Cordial Nobility. It was mostly etiquette and protocols for public events, but there was a passage on hiring mercenaries through more socially acceptable means.
One had to go through the Mercenaries Agency and fill out multiple forms and clearly label the assigned duties and compensation. At its core, it was just hiring ex-Adventures or bandits, with a detailed paper trail and at an extreme price hike.
Maybe…
“Stop moping. The dust will settle where it settles and you will just have to wait to see where it does. Now seriously, check your damn notifications so I can get my corporeal form.”
That’s right, I forgot you are getting a body with the upgrade to the Library. I’m sorry, I wasn’t even-
“Quit apologizing and open,” she yelled, poking me in the chest. “Hurry up.”
Alright. Alright. I’m doing it.
Excitement replaced my anxiety about my worries with the rest of my team, as I took a deep breath and opened up the blinking notification.
Ding!
Experience earned!
You have increased your level!
Current Level: 52
Stat Points allocated
+84 Free Points
Ding!
You have Advanced a Tier!
Current Tier: Novice
+12 Free Points per Level
Class options available
The Window disappeared and was replaced by an identical one with three options in gold script.
Class: Scribe
Class: Diviner
Class: Weaver
Is that it? There’s no description.
“According to the books we have on class selections, the Classes usually have an adjacent tie to your Affinity, but you won’t get a description until you select one.”
So which one do I choose?
“Which one feels right?”
I don’t know. They are all kind of vague.
“Do any of them jump out at you?”
Diviner makes it sound like I would be able to see the future but that’s ridiculous, no one can see the future?
“How do you know?”
Can they? I asked, intrigued. I had only ever heard of con artists claiming to be fortune tellers.
“I don’t know,” Mel shrugged. “Based on the information we have, no.”
Not helpful. I said, my shoulders slumping as the grandiose fantasies diminished.
“If we’re going by their connection to the Karmic Affinity, I assume that Scribe will have something to do with transposing connections and Weaver will have something to do with creating those connections. Diviner may just mean the ability to see them.”
How confident are you with that?
“Not at all, it is purely a hypothesis.”
Well, it’s more than I have so I guess it’s something.
I paused, uncertain.
Once I pick one, I can’t go back so I need your help deciding. I don’t want to pick the wrong one.
“There is no wrong choice here. They are each a path on your journey. You just have to choose which one you walk down.”
Biting my lip I examined the three options hovering in the window in front of me.
I guess it's between the possibility of knowing the future and controlling it. I don’t see the point in being able to transcribe the course of events if it is just being able to recollect history, though I can see where it could have value.
Rallying my thoughts and betting on my gut for what would be the best for moving towards my goals I accepted my decision before I could talk myself out of it.
Ding!
You have accepted the: (Weaver Class)
Description: One who is intertwined with Karma has an innate sense on which string to pull to ripple through reality and time, putting forth events into motion that may have dire consequences or great rewards.
Effect: Interact with the Strings of Karma to create various effects in the world around you.
Cost: Variable
Cooldown: One use per Tier
Staring at the prompt, I was speechless.
Am I seeing this right?
“Before you go using it, I would wait to discuss it with the old man first,” Mel said cautiously.
“This could be the key to bringing them back.” I nearly shouted, breaking the silent stillness of the night, hearing a few nesting birds startled by my outburst, fluttering away from their perches in the nearby trees.
“It could be, but it could also be something similar to djinn rules.”
I frowned, knowing the folktales of the trickster beings.
But what if it works?
“He said that you would be able to bring them back once you Ascend, I doubt a Novice Tier Class skill would be that potent, and it may make it worse. You won’t be able to have a redo until Journeymen, so let’s gather some more information before you use your only current chance.”
She rested her hand on my shoulder, trying to comfort me.
The temptation to ignore her warnings ate at the back of my mind, telling me that with this power, I could have what I wanted at this very moment, but I knew she was right. I was woefully ignorant of the consequences of my actions or the repercussions they could have if I did it improperly.
Looking into her deep purple eyes, my thoughts softened and my anxiety diminished slowly. I reached up and placed my hand on hers, surprised that my hand went through it, only feeling my armor.
We better get you a body, yeah?
She smiled softly, the small flake of void metal on her chin quirking up.
Turning back I accessed my final notification window.
Ding!
Your Bonded Familiar has Advanced in Tier!
Current Tier: Novice
Bonded familiar: Homunculus Librarian. (Construct)
Effects: Ability: Library of knowledge (Novice)
Ability: Library of Knowledge. (Epic)
Store and organize memories to view with enhanced recall. Store up to 10000 books 1000/10000 worth of information with perfect recall. (Novice) Able to clear unwanted books from this space to make room for others.
Effect: Create a dimensional space connecting the mortal plane with your Library, giving you the ability to transport items from the material realm into your Library.
Effect: Access to the First additional floor of the Library and its crafting labs.
Effect: The keeper of your Library will gain the ability to traverse this tether and gain a corporeal form to better assist in the acquisition of materials.
Focusing on the wording, I concentrated on the Ability, closing my eyes and trying to sense the workings of the new addition.
Pushing Mana throughout my body, I guided it out through my Pathways.
A soft wisp of a tearing sound echoed in my ears. Opening my eyes a pale blue scar hovered in the air in front of me.
It was around my height and thin as if someone had cut the very space ahead of me with an extremely sharp sword.
Staring at it with awe, I held out my hand to try and grasp it, when a familiar transparent figure stepped out tackling me to the ground.
Mel wrapped her arms around me, burying her face into my neck.
Not fully understanding the sadness welling up inside my chest, I just held her close as she wept silently.
I held her tightly, tears beginning to pool in the corners of my eyes as we sat there, overcome with the sense of belonging that I hadn’t realized was missing since my family had left me.
At that moment, I didn’t care about any silly spells or Abilities, I was overwhelmed with the sense of joy that came from touching the only family I had left.