Chapter 4

The perks of leveling…

Mark Collier

Congratulations! You have leveled up!

New ability earned! Hire guard.

Please select a Specialization.

I just blinked as I stared at the notifications. It had taken three months. Granted that was extremely fast for a merchant. But compared to the speed at which an adventurer could level, hitting twenty was something that could be done in less time. Okay, that was a lie. Much like me, the adventurers would need to be power leveled. And while they are facing down death at every turn. The hardest thing I had to do was ask my girlfriend for a loan.

Well, technically she called it a gift. I called it a loan. I wanted to see if I could get the first-tier discount at the System Shop and justify purchasing anything from it. Through my earnings from the loot sales, my job as a security agent, various investment deals at the market, I had earned just under 80,000 gold. Rica had also invested in my future. I was now the proud owner of the first-tier discount in the System Shop.

I hesitated to purchase guard services for the time being. Who heard of a guard for a sweeper? My first priority was to do something about the quests sitting in my log. As I thought about it, I dumped my twenty free stats into Intelligence and wisdom. I felt that that was probably the best way to learn more of the information the system was blocking me from. A high settled into my brain as the stats jumped ten points apiece.

I had zero gold and that was the only thing stopping me from purchasing her pet. That meant riskier jobs. Maybe a night shift? Tyler and Rica said that since they had maxed out the level their skills could gain from the first dungeon, they would be starting on the next dungeon tomorrow. That meant better items and equipment to sell. I still refused to get rid of the holy gear gained from their rescue of me. I didn’t need the quick levels that badly. Plus, it would be awesome to open my first shop with high-quality goods right off the bat.

For now, though, I had a tough decision in store for me…

Stock boy – the duties of a stock boy include keeping track of inventory, adding the appropriate amount of goods for the coming day, and sorting out bartered goods. (+1 strength, +1 Constitution, +1 Intelligence) Plus player advantage – Identify skill.

Sweeper class – the duties of a sweeper include cleaning up any spills, removing a dirt and dust from the floor and shelves, and cleaning any gunk and gore from bartered goods. (+1 Agility, +1 Dexterity, +1 Wisdom) Plus player advantage – Clean spell – This spell may be cast on an item to remove the remnants of filth from items.

I was kicking myself now. I could have had a magic spell from the very beginning? Damn it. Even if it was a bullshit spell that did nothing, it would have been awesome to cast magic. Then again, it might be better if I chose stock boy first. As awesome as magic was, it could get a better value on my bartered goods if I could Identify them… Shit.

***

“Rica, Tyler.” I said to each in greeting once I arrived at home. “How’s the hunt for the dungeon going?”

“You would think that it would be easier.” Tyler groaned, turning his gaze on Rica. “But someone managed to piss off the guilds in town and they refuse to give us a guide.”

“Well, if that slimy little elf bitch looks at my man again…” Rica stated. “I’m going to roast her ass.”

Tyler rolled his eyes. “She was gaping at the quantity of goods we were handing over. Not Mark.” He focused on me. “No offense, Mark. But you’re just not that sexy.”

“Right…” I drawled. “I can see why too. I mean the dwarf girl at the tavern was looking at the size of your gut, not something else that is nearly eyelevel.”

“Exactly!” Tyler grinned. GO BRO-CODE! “But no. We’re close. It might take another day or two.”

Rica glared at the two of us. I could tell that she was happy we were getting along though. “So, did you pick your new specialization?”

“No.” I said seriously. “Last time I got drunk and didn’t really think it over. But this time I might need some help.” I held up a hand to forestall any questions. “It’s between sweeper and stock boy. They’re both going to take a long time to level. However, I can’t decide which is better. Stock boy is kind of a strength build and comes with the Identify skill. It would definitely help with purchases. Sweeper is a bit different… it’s an Agility type build with a Cleaning spell that could come in handy.” Plus… MAGIC!

“Stock boy.” Rica said immediately. She had been trying to get me to invest in strength from the very beginning.

Tyler frowned at her comment. “Okay, Mark. Just like last time. Money is not really an issue. What’s your gut say?”

“They’re both great.” I answered honestly. “I want to make the most that I can as fast as I can. But I mean… magic! I’d love to be able to cast spells.”

Rica rolled her eyes. “Trust me, take the strength build. Next time take the agility build.”

“I also gained an ability.” I admitted before making a choice.

“What ability?” Tyler asked.

“Hire guard.” I grinned. “Not like it’ll do me much good.”

“Fuck that.” Tyler laughed. “Take Stock boy, work the nightshift and hire one of us. You said that we’re only gone for a couple of hours when we leave town, right?”

“Yeah.” I nodded. “So, you’re both in favor of Stock boy, then?” That hurt for some reason. But I let it go. They were both good classes. And the whole reason I brought it to them was because I couldn’t decide.

“Yes.” Rica stated. “Now, try to hire me.”

Warning! This player is too high of a tier to hire. Please choose someone else.

“Sorry.” I shook my head. “You are too high tiered.”

“Shit.” Tyler groaned. “We hit tier two a week ago.”

“Level forty?” I asked, confused. The adventurer tiers were a bit different than townsfolk. I could be tier 2 at level twenty. So long as I had been willing to focus solely on security class. But that wouldn’t be feasible if I wanted to be emperor.

The thing about the Emperor Class, is that it ruled over all the kings. The highest adventurer class, there were a few requirements to gain it as well. You must level-up to prestige and gain a noble title. Each time a person Prestiged they gained another rank of nobility. The max prestige rank was the king rank. The system for adventurers and worker classes are completely different. Probably because an adventurer could just kill stuff to level, a blacksmith or leatherworker couldn’t. It was the difference between rapid growth and a steady pace.

The problem with a non-combatant trying to gain that is that usually one of the kings would remove merchants or traders before they could approach that level. My main goal to skirt around that was to take over some unclaimed territory. My sister and the Black Dawn party, as far as I knew, were working on gaining the strength to secure land within the Dead lands.

“Yeah.” Rica nodded. “It was unavoidable. I wanted to make sure you leveled quickly.” She looked disappointed.

“Maybe I can still do that plan.” I stated. “The night shift allows for double XP. I should be able to get to the cap in half the time. And if I can manage to hire a local to guard me, then I should be able to level my hire guard skill. I’m not sure how it works, but I imagine that eventually I can hire you guys. It goes by slots and says that I gain bonuses for every other level. Maybe it just takes two slots for a tier 2 guard. Or I will gain a bonus that lets me do so.”

Congratulations! You have chosen the Stock boy specialization!

Congratulations! You have gained the Identify skill.

I grinned as I felt the points from the new specialization soak in. I knew from experience that it would take until tomorrow morning for my stats to settle throughout my body. Sure, I would receive a slight boost right now. But it wouldn’t be until tomorrow that I would feel the full benefits of it. In the morning I would meet with Charlie and work on my options.

Identify’s effects were immediate though. I learned that it not only identified items, but people too. Granted Rica and Tyler just gave me a bunch of question marks. I suspected that the name displayed was only because I knew it already.

“Ooo.” Rica grinned as she gripped my arm, feeling the slight improvements as they occurred. “Won’t be long now.”

“Did you hold off on physical stats just so Mark could make his claim?” Tyler chuckled.

“No.” Rica balked. “My class just doesn’t require a high strength or constitution.”

“Will that change once Mark makes an honest woman out of you?” Tyler snorted.

“Wait.” I interrupted. “Don’t you have a mixed class?”

“No.” Rica answered. “I have the option to be a spell sword. I have yet to claim it. As it was a level up choice, I haven’t found the need for it yet.”

“Right.” Tyler chuckled. “I don’t recall you getting the Archmagi option.”

“I still could!” Rica protested.

***

“Oh, look.” Charlie snarked. “You are only partially normal. A perfectly normal starter choice. Perfectly normal stats I imagine. And you only leveled your security class about four times faster than any normal person. You do understand that you are doing yourself a disservice.”

I shrugged. “I’m not settling for being a landed baron.”

Charlie chuckled. “Well, I do recall saying much the same thing when I was your age. Careful though. You’ll go broke at this rate.”

I nodded. “I want an overnight Stock boy position and a guard.”

Charlie rolled his eyes. “How did you manage to get that ability already?”

“Rich friends.” I shrugged. “Adventurers.”

“Ah.” Charlie smiled. “Yes, the tier 2 adventurers pissing off half the town. That Rica sure has a short fuse. I have to admit though, that setting up a trade deal with them was a wise move. It’s probably why you are leveling so fast. Most adventurers want to keep their riches like trolls and dragons. I don’t know how you managed it, but good job.”

“Yeah…” I sighed. “If you know a demon kin that doesn’t have a short temper, I’ll know you’re a liar.”

“I suppose that’s true.” Charlie chuckled and began going through some paperwork. “It’s looks as if you did well when you were working with Gertrude. She even noted that you had a record number of caught thieves in the last week. She stated that she would be more than willing to help supply a stall for you once you’re ready. Congratulations on setting up your first connection. I’ll mark this contract as complete. You may collect your gold from the clerk later.” He began digging through some papers. “I’ll have to send a request to the Adventurer guild for a tier 1 adventurer. You may interview them or just accept whoever they send. However, I recommend that you just accept the first one that they send. At least until you gain some reputation and level that ability.”

“Why?” I asked.

“Refusing an adventurer can have some negative consequences.” Charlie explained. “Right now, you do not have any reputation. Therefore, it would be unwise to refuse them and gain a negative reputation point before you even get started. I do not recommend paying more than a silver a week, however. At the level of guard that you will receive they will not be worth any more than that. If you choose to pay less, your reputation will climb at a much slower rate though.”

“Okay.” I nodded. “A silver a week. How long before I gain some levels with it?”

“Typically.” Charlie scratched his chin. “About a single reputation point a week. Ten weeks and you gain your first level of reputation. I recommend, if you have the money to spend, either giving the guard a raise of a silver or hiring someone better. The key to leveling this ability is how much you spend. But you can’t just throw money at it either. It’s an ability that grows over time type of issue. This is more about management. You’ll need to pay the guard you hire accurately while not overspending or under spending.”

“Seriously?” I asked. “I can’t just throw a gold a week at the problem and power level it.”

Charlie shook his head. “Your idea of leveling is severely skewed. No, you cannot power level it. This falls under the management side of the Trader Class. If you fail to pay your employees properly, your reputation will reflect that. The only people that will work for you will be those looking to take advantage of you. Underpay them and you will get a reputation for being miserly, no one will want to work for you. But if you pay them fairly and do performance evaluations you will gain the respect and attractiveness that will draw in the desired employees.”

“Fine.” I huffed. It’s not like that’s a specialization or anything. More of a convenience that will come in handy down the road. “What have you got for me, work wise?”

“I actually have an overnight position at a warehouse that you would be perfect for.” Charlie said, passing me a sheet of paper. “They’re just starting out and haven’t made much use of the hired guard ability. I suspect that unlike you, they couldn’t afford to get the skills and abilities right out of the gate. You know, like a normal person.” He gave me a flat look. “So, they are willing to pay extra for someone that has a guard.”

“How much?” I asked.

“Your silver stipend.” Charlie stated. “You’ll be making quite the profit with that ability in the coming specializations. Many traders would be willing to pay the cost. If you manage to reach Tier 2 with that ability, you’ll be happy to find some that will pay double. So long as a guard of that tier can be found.”

I grinned. “Sounds perfect. Do I go to the Adventurers Guild from here? Or wait until tomorrow?”

Charlie shook his head. “I’ll have to send a notice to the guild as well as notify your new employer. You should be able to meet both tomorrow in the square. I’ll try to set up the appointment with the adventurer first. But if that is not obtainable, I’ll be sure to send him by your new place of employment.”

“Cool.” I gave him a small mock salute as I stood. “I guess that means I’m free for the day. See ya’ when I need new employment.”

“Or a new guard.” Charlie muttered as I walked away.

***

The sun shone down bright as summer began to fully come into effect. I whistled a jaunty tune making my way through the market. The merchants at the stalls were calling out their wares as I passed. This was more of an open market than the quiet solitude of a full-blown store. It was livelier, vibrant, and loud. I could smell fresh cooked meats, baked breads, and sweets.

“I got sweet hot and salty balls.” Called a vender as I passed. It made me chuckle as heard the phrase. There was no way I would get anywhere near his balls.

More venders called out as I searched for a specific vender. Rica and Tyler had given me some goods to sell off. It was just simple copper rings, rusty daggers, and bone shards for some reason. But whatever they were used for, I had no idea, just that they were probably the most valuable items of the loot.

Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

So, my plan was to start with the alchemist in hopes of selling off my wears before he ran out of coins and potions. The guy used this opportunity to stock up as well as sell his potions. I had made the mistake of showing up in the evening once and learned that he didn’t hesitate to purchase an insane amount of ingredients to improve his class. Which usually left him flat broke at the end of the day. Honestly, I didn’t blame him. I would do the same thing.

“Paul.” I greeted him as I sat the pouch of bones on the table. “Got a hundred-forty-three nose bones here. I’ll take that much in silver for it.”

“Ha!” Paul barked with laughter. “You are way too early to get that sort of rate. I’ll give you one gold for it.”

I smirked. “Now, come on Paul… you know as well as I do that these are the very best goblin nose bones, you’ll come across today. How many other people bring in bones that are scorched clean for your benefit? One gold twenty-five silver.”

“Scorched clean?!” Paul balked. “Nearly burnt to a crisp! I’ll barely get any alchemical ingredients. One gold ten silver.”

I shook my head sadly. “If you would prefer… I’ll make sure that my adventurers bring the mucus glands in as well. One gold twenty silver.”

Paul shuddered. “I appreciate the thought. But please don’t. All I can afford is one gold fifteen silver.”

“Deal.” I left the bag and scooped up the coin. “Rica and Tyler said that they’ll be starting the slime dungeon soon. Anything in particular you might want?”

Paul nodded as he thought about it. “If they have some vials, I could use some jelly from the base monsters. But I would rather purchase as much as you can gather of the King Slime jelly. I take it they’ll be running this quite often?”

“Yeah.” I agreed. “There mainly training up their base skills and spells.”

“You might have them gather all the cores that they can.” Paul gestured to a stall across the road. “Jenny over there would appreciate as many of those cores as you can get. They’re great for enchanting. At least at her level.”

I nodded my thanks. “I’ll mention it to them.”

Making my way to the blacksmith shop that I typically sold daggers and rings to for scrap materials, I crossed paths with a familiar face.

“Well, well, well…” Tommy stated, resting a hand on his dagger. “What do we have here?”

“Tommy.” I nodded.

“It’s Thomas, damn it.” Tommy scowled. “And it looks like you’re no longer a security guard, Mark.” He thumbed the pommel on his dagger and glanced around. “I think it’s about time you learned some respect for the Thieves guild.”

Intelligence check made.

Wisdom check made.

Charisma check made.

Negotiator check made.

Congratulations! Would you like to place a wager?

5/5 Available.

Y/N

“What do you want?” I asked as I accepted the prompt.

Tommy recoiled as I asked the question.

Please state your wager. (Note: wagers may alter the difficulty of your rescue mission. The more you are hampered the more experience you receive. You may now gain experience for negotiating favorable terms. This will cause your rescuers to lose out on the experience gained.)

I grinned. “I bet you’ll regret this.” I said with a chuckle knowing that wouldn’t count as a wager. “Now, I would like to wager a notification to a person of my choosing that you won’t live through the night.”

Tommy frowned. “Who could you possibly know?”

“Gonna half to put those daggers up for that information.” I guessed and rightfully so. Apparently, with five points in negotiator, I could make a wager for each point in it that I had. And I was sitting at five.

Tommy growled. “That’s not how this is supposed to work.”

I just smiled.

“No bet.” Tommy sneered and tried to grab my arm. His hand recoiled as a bolt of lightning struck it.

“Fine!” Tommy growled. “Yes, to the notification, no to the daggers. Is there anything else you would like to wager?”

3/5 Wagers Available.

“Yes.” I stated. Suspecting that he must be able to use a stat, skill, or ability to decline my wagers, I decided to save the best for last. “I wager my ability to call for a town guard against your ability to cover your tracks.”

“Deal.” Tommy smirked. “Anything else?”

Damn! I thought that one would get him to burn one.

“Final destination.” I stammered. “Against 50 gold.”

“No deal.” Tommy smiled. “Done yet?”

“One last one.” I returned his smile as he gaped. “Current location marker on myself included in the notification, against 500 gold.”

“You can’t do that!” Tommy bucked at my demand.

Wagers have been placed.

Notification has been sent.

A trail has been marked. Your companions will be able to follow a sparkling trail.

A beacon of your current location has been placed on the map of your rescuer.

“I just did, Tommy.” I chuckled. “Now, lead the way.”

“I could kill you right here.” Tommy threatened.

“No.” I laughed. “As many times as I have been captured, I know that that is not an option.”

“How many times have you been captured for a quest?” Tommy grumbled as he led me toward the slave market.

“A half-dozen or so.” I shrugged.

“How could you have pissed so many people off?” He asked a bit stunned.

“Oh, I didn’t.” I explained. I was probably way to calm for something like this. But I was ecstatic that I would remember it this time. “Most of them were on my trip here. It was only supposed to be a two-week journey.”

Tommy frowned. “How long did it take?”

“Ten years.” I grumbled.

“Ten… years?” Tommy came to a halt and just blinked at me. “What could have taken ten years?”

“An Angel.” I stated blandly. “Some bandits, a wolf-pack, goblins… I think. Other stuff. I didn’t really get the full story.”

“An Angel…” Tommy looked quizzically toward the sky. “Where have I heard that before?” A short-few-minutes passed as he puzzled it out. When he did, his eyebrows shot up. “The Michael incident! You were the victim of that?! Oh, shit! Didn’t those guys prestige from that? Fuckin hell, man. Don’t tell me that demon bitch is here! Wait, that wasn’t within the last ten years… it was-”

As Tommy’s panic settled in, I had a sudden realization. This soon to be dead asshole had just explained more of my missing history than anyone had since I had gotten here.

Just as I was about to ask, two things happened simultaneously. Tommy was splattered into a gory mess as a giant minotaur with an axe smashed into him. Then to add insult to injury… or death, a few dozen fireballs slammed into the bloody pulp that was left.

Congratulations! You have earned 346 XP!

“That was some smart negotiating, little buddy.” Tyler laughed as he slapped my back. “Good thinking with that beacon.”

“Heh.” I laughed with him in disbelief, as I couldn’t believe my luck. “Yeah… I even got some XP from it.”

“That’s great!” Tyler cheered. “Did you have a guard yet?”

“Nah.” I shook my head. “Tomorrow.”

“Baby!” Rica squealed as she approached. “I was so worried. He didn’t hurt you, did he?”

“No, Rica.” I smiled. “We didn’t even get very far before you guys showed up.”

I couldn’t help but kick myself for the shitty luck. I’m not sure if it was a good thing or not that they had caught me so fast. On the one hand, a member of the Thieves Guild who wanted to sell me off to slavery or murder me or I don’t really know, was dead. On the other, my only lead to my missing history was dead.

“Thanks for coming so fast, guys.” I put on a forced smile. “I appreciate the save.”

***

Rica drove me into the corner of our library. Her natural strength manhandled me like a child. She forced kisses upon me as she pinned me to the wall. I struggled to gain a modicum of control and her tail wrapped around my waist as it held me tight. Lust had taken over any semblance of control.

“R-Rica.” I whimpered uncontrollably. “Please… not like this.”

Rica ignored my protests as she stuck her tongue in my mouth, claws dug deeper into my skin, and I cried out in pain.

Rica recoiled as if I had struck her. “I-I’m sorry. I don’t know what came over me.”

I held her in a hug as she loosened her grip. She slowly fell into it rigidly.

“I love you soooo much.” Rica whimpered. Her breath was hot, and I could feel a dampness form on my shoulder. “It’s just really hard sometimes.” She sniffled silently for a few minutes. “Like earlier when you proved that you were stronger. I couldn’t control myself when we got home.”

I looked over the remains of the room. After we got home, something came over her. Rica ripped my shirt off before I even realized. I tried to run, and she chased me. I toppled into shelves, tables, and chairs, and she just blasted through them. She had me pinned for longer than I could count, until I finally got those words out. Her robes had been ripped open, revealing naked breasts and a fiery hot wet patch pressed against my crotch. Her legs had been wrapped around me and her tail made sure I could not escape.

I sighed. “Your inner demon wouldn’t accept that though… It’s not the way of your people.”

“Frugh!” Rica growled in frustration. “Why can’t you just be a warrior?!” She howled. “You could have had me years ago.”

I stroked her hair calmly. “I’m sorry.” I whispered. It was my fault…

***

“The name is Fayt.” The bulky looking female elf greeted me. Granted it could have been her armor that had made her look bulky. That and the giant two-handed sword slung across her back. “I’m a level twelve adventurer with a warrior class. I believe that I might be the guard you have agreed to meet with. If I may inquire as to my duties, I would like to know what I’ll be doing.”

“Mark, it’s a pleasure to meet you.” I felt my charisma kicking in. “As to your duties, I’m going to be working the nightshift at a local warehouse and in need of protection during the that shift.” After a moment’s thought, I quickly added. “My girlfriend would probably like it if you could guard my person the rest of the day. We do have a spare room if you require lodging and you’re welcome to join us for dinner.”

The elf frowned for a moment. “Will I be allowed to adventure as well? When will I have free time?”

“When Rica is home.” I stated. “I know that you may not gain as much experience as you would monster hunting, but from what I understand, the gains are similar. Besides that, they are steady. And as far as I understand, the longer that you are consistently guarding me, the more that those experience points multiply.”

Fayt’s eyebrows rose in shock. “How would you know that?”

I tapped my head. “Trade secret.” I technically didn’t know that. I had overheard a conversation between Gerald and another guard were having. He was explaining why a permanent personal guard was the route to go.

Fayt seemed to way her options. “Why would you need a personal guard?”

“I’ve been a hostage a few times.” I shrugged. “Besides, you are not the only one trying to gain levels.”

“Oh, yeah…” An aha moment appeared on her face. “I heard that low-level merchants are prime targets for kidnapping quests…” Then her face scrunched up. “How bad is it?”

“Well, I’ve been here a few months and been kidnapped twice.” I explained.

“That’s not too bad.” Fayt mused.

“Not that bad?” I asked in shock. “You try having your mind go blank for weeks at a time, only to wake up and find out that something had happened. It’s not pleasant.”

“Good point.” Fayt agreed. “I suppose that I can agree to be your guard. I will require a few hours to get my things from the Guild Hall and move them to your place.”

“That’s fine, Fayt.” I waved off her concerns. “I don’t actually start work until this evening. Rica is the one that is more concerned about me needing a guard.”

“Rica?” Fayt asked.

“Yeah, you’ll meet her tonight.” I nodded. “Don’t let her demeanor scare you. She’s a sweetheart.”

Fayt frowned, nodded, and left.

Having little else to do, and a promise to Rica. I went home until my shift at the warehouse.

More than a little happy to be out of the heat, I practically ran home. At least as fast of walking as was politely necessary. Stripping down to just a little more than my underwear, I activated a wind/ice enchantment and settled in for a cool afternoon of reading.

The book covered a broad range of leveling tactics for a low-level merchant. I had read it before, but it never hurt to check it over to see if I had missed anything. The purchase/sale everything you come across method was one that was established already. It was recommended early on to contract out adventurers to acquire goods to sell.

Hiring guards at an early level was recommended for those looking to reach nobility and a steppingstone on the way to having a personal army. So, long as I continued to have a single guard, I could continue to level it.

Thoroughly leveling each specialization was recommended but not required. This was where the book varied from what Tyler had explained. I suspected that this was done on purpose to put a cap on merchants and traders. That way you can never reach a level to outrank the current king.

Purchasing skills from a kingdom affiliated trader was also recommended. I just snorted at the blatantly obvious trap. That would give someone a way to track your abilities. It was also recommended to purchase as many as you could as fast as you could. A laughable joke that I had figured out for myself. It was better to save your points until after you had reached a noble rank. Besides, by the time I reached that level, I could afford to make my purchases through a heavily discounted System Shop.

As I continued to read, I found that there was little I hadn’t already learned. Which was rather unsurprising, considering that I had read this particular book three times. It just felt like I was on the edge of learning something new. I wasn’t sure what, but I got the feeling that it had to do with my Intelligence and Wisdom stats.

“I’m home!” Rica interrupted my thoughts as she came in. “How did it go today?”

“Fine.” I shrugged, then shuddered as I felt her eyes crawling over my boxer clad form.

Rica practically leapt into my lap. “Couldn’t wait, could you, love?” Her hand traced my newly formed slightly stronger pec.

“It was hot out there.” I complained. “Can’t you feel the cooling system?”

Rica shrugged. “I haven’t really noticed the difference in temperature since my Constitution reached a hundred.”

I frowned as I stared at her. “Bit high for a mage, babe?”

Rica covered her mouth in shock but nodded slowly.

“Have you gone through a Prestige?” I asked wearily.

Rica nodded slowly, watching me closely, she spoke. “Can you understand me when I say, #@$$%%^&^?”

I shook my head. “Some sort of staticky screech came out at the end.”

Rica sighed. “How much can you understand?”

“None of it.” I sighed in return.

“But you didn’t pass out!” Rica cheered as she planted a kiss on my lips.

I nodded when she broke away. “How long was I really out? The way Tommy made it sound; it was a lot longer than ten years.”

Rica suddenly found something very interesting across the room to focus on. She didn’t speak. She just, sort of slipped out of it, deep in thought.

I cleared my throat. “What’s going on babe?”

“Have you noticed anything different since we got here, babe?” Rica turned to me, tears in her eyes.

“Not particularly.” I hadn’t been paying extra close attention.

“You have been awake for ten years.” Rica explained as she looked away. “The bandits were the very start of everything.”

“What do you mean, awake for ten years?” I couldn’t stop the scowl that appeared on my face. My Charisma wasn’t high enough yet.

“So, the bandits were priests to a… local deity.” Rica explained as she searched for replacement words. While side-stepping my question. “They had marked you for sacrifice. We were too late. Tyler and I were just a couple of inexperienced kids. When we saved you, we thought that that was the end of it.” She wiped her tears away and smiled weakly at me. “You were right, I thought that I had loved him. But… after that rescue, Tyler saw the way that you felt and took a step back.”

I wasn’t sure how to process that. Neither she nor Tyler had ever mentioned anything like that. They just pretended that it was never all that big of a thing.

“A day or two later, it’s hard to remember now.” Rica continued. “That Angel Michael appeared.” She spat and I watched as the spittle flew across the room, hitting the carpet in the process. “He had such a high level. We fought as hard as we could. In the end, he took you. #$@%.”

I clamped my hands over my ears as the screeching rang out. “How long?” I growled out. The noise was unbearable.

“Sixty years.” Rica said reflexively as she recoiled. “I’ll finish the story when you can understand it.” She hugged me gently. “We did Prestige. I had gotten to keep that fireball spell that you loved so much. Tyler kept his favorite. If you could just remember, you would understand why I love you so much. We had to retrieve you from the heavenly realm.” After placing a gentle kiss on my cheek, she sniffled and spoke again. “I’m not that teenage girl that you once knew. Claiming me isn’t about force of strength. You have claimed me in all but the deed. I love you, Mark. It took me a long time to understand that it was always like that.” She placed a hand on my chest and sighed. “We have always been tied to one another. I just wish that you could see it.”

I stared blankly. That… that was a lot to process. My parents were adventurers with high stats, so they were most likely alive, barring a world ending monster threat. What about Becky? Shealla? Gale and Isabelle? Why hadn’t they come to at least verify that I was alive? What is it that the system wouldn’t allow me to learn? How am I even alive?...

“How am I here?” I finally settled on asking. It wasn’t uncommon for someone like me to die during a quest. Thing is… non-combatants stayed dead.

“I wish I could tell you.” Rica admitted. “But, until you can listen to the whole story, I just can’t.”

“Why lie?” I asked.

Rica sighed. “Every time we tried to explain it, you would just get this glassy look in your eyes. But now!” She looked much more excited with those last two words. “We know that you can learn… eventually.”

“There’s not an extra hundred years hiding somewhere in that explanation is there?” I chuckled.

Rica smiled and shook her head. “No, your mind just couldn’t process that much information before.” She frowned as she looked down at herself. “I imagine that I must look like some hag taking advantage of someone young enough to be my grandchild.”

“You’re only a year older than me.” I laughed. “And I suspect that you are still immature in some ways that I am not.” I pinched her tail and she squealed with delight. “So, get over yourself. If you say that I don’t need to use a force of strength, I’ll believe you. But I still want to do this right. That means getting our families approval. Including Isabelle and Gale.”

Rica was back to frowning. “I… may have burnt some bridges to get you back.”

It was my turn to plant a kiss on her lips. “I don’t care. Sounds like a great time to start rebuilding them. Since I can’t go into the Mage’s Guild. That means you need to.”

“Fine.” Rica huffed with a smile. “But they have refused to speak to me ever since $@#$.”

I clamped my hands over my ears. “I get it. Is there someone else that you want here?”

“My grandfather.” Rica smiled. “He’s the one that took my side.”

I scrunched my face in confusion. “I don’t believe that I have ever heard you talk about him. But if it’s to be a wedding, I suppose that he should be there as well.”

“W-wedding.” Rica blushed with a smile. “You haven’t even proposed.”

“I said I wanted to do it right, didn’t I?” I laughed. “But that means everything, the ritual, the Demon’s Luck trial, and your deity’s favor.”

“Oh!” Rica squealed. “That might get everyone to come around.”

Even as she spoke, I had a nagging feeling that there was more to it than that. I just wish that I knew what it was…

***

Fayt had arrived around the time that I had to leave for work. She openly gaped at Rica as she recognized who it was that I was talking about. It was quite funny to see the facial expressions play across her face as she tried to process the meaning of our relationship. Especially, when Rica not so subtly hinted about the pile of embers that would result if Fayt failed to do her duty.

So, taking her duty extremely seriously, we left. Fayt trailed a step behind and to the left. She watched for threats, and I rolled my eyes. I’m sure that there might be threats out there, but with an abnormally large female elf guarding me… I doubted that there would be an issue.

“Fayt?” I asked as we walked.

“Yes, sir?” Fayt responded in a distant tone.

“Are you a half breed?” I realized that it might be an offensive question. But curiosity got the best of me.

Fayt missed a step. “Y-yes, sir. My mother runs a tailor shop. She is an orc.”

“Cool.” I stated. “She made Rica’s dresses. Small world I guess.”

“More like small town.” Fayt grumbled. That statement was laced with so many complicated annotations.

“Something wrong with living in a small town?” I asked.

“No.” Fayt exhaled in a way that said the opposite. “Just this one. If you haven’t noticed, you’re in a border town.”

“No way.” I chuckled.

I could practically feel her scowl on the back of my head. “My father is from this town. My mother is from a mountain clan just across the border.”

I thought about that for a minute before responding. “I take it that there are quite a few skirmishes.”

“Yeah.” Fayt huffed and did not elaborate.

“As per the contract.” I stated, drawing out the contract for my job. “You’ll need to stand guard at the door while I work my shift.”

Fayt groaned. I imagine at the thought of losing XP for not hovering on top of me at all times.

“Don’t worry.” I pat her massive shoulder. “I’m pretty sure that this will give you double XP for guarding the business as well as me. So, if you stick with me… we’ll have you up to Tier 2 before you know it. Who knows, maybe you’ll want to stay on full-time. Even if Rica can be a bit intimidating.” I couldn’t help but tease her at the end.

Fayt paled.

“Don’t worry.” I relented, it was probably a bit too soon to be joking like that. “Tyler is a pretty cool dude. I bet you’ll like him.”

“Tyler…” Fayt gaped at me. “Isn’t he…”

I shrugged. “Wouldn’t know. I grew up with the big guy. There was this one time he chased me from one end of the village to the other.” I chuckled.

“Why?” Fayt inquired. “Aren’t they old enough to be your grandparents? What could you have possibly done to cause that?”

I chuckled. “Tyler might have a few years on me, but his mom was hot. And the Rica I know, probably isn’t the same as the Rica that you know.”

“What?” Fayt looked me over like I was crazy.

“Yeah, I remember when she was all pimples and pigtails.” I explained. “Plus, her mom is cool.”

Now, completely confused, Fayt lined up next to the door, folded her arms, and tried to look sharp. “Have a good evening, sir.”

“Yes, mam.” I slapped her arm in an attempt to console her and entered the building.