“Who asked you to look for your brother?” I asked after walking in silence for a while.
Gertie replied. “My father told me to bring him back.”
“What happened?” I asked, smelling a quest.
“It was a big misunderstanding, actually,” she sighed. “Grom’s head can be harder than his hat sometimes.”
I waited for details but she stopped talking, lost in thought.
“I’m going to need more information if you want my help convincing him to come back,” I tried.
You’ve got an incoming call.
It was an alert from my phone. Gertie’s ears twitched at the ringing sound I thought only I could hear.
“I’m sorry, I need a moment,” I said as I stepped away to answer the call.
She nodded. “It’s okay. Take your time.”
Were NPCs supposed to know about out-of-game communications? Technically, the call had come in-game but most systems had safeguards that prevented game assets from acknowledging real-world events. It was yet another thing that made The World different than other games I’d played.
“Hello,” I answered in a low voice while peering at Gertie to see her reaction.
She watched in silence from a few feet away as we both continued toward Homestead. Jed ripped into me when he answered. “You better be close! I found us a guild.”
“Already?” I asked. The game just came out.”
“Yeah!” He barked. “These guys mean business. They all know each other from another game. We’re going to take a boat to another continent called Elysium. We heard about this thing called The World Tree that should have top-tier raids. You need to get here tomorrow or I’m going without you.”
I groaned and he yelled some more. “What is it? Where are you? Don’t tell me you’re still in that starter town.”
I replied weakly. “I got a quest and…”
“Argh!” He howled. “You and your quests. Drop it and get over here right now. Do you even want to be in a guild with me?”
“Well, yeah but…” I replied weakly.
“But nothing!” He snapped. “Look, Man. I’m done fighting for you. Either you’re here tomorrow or you’re not. If you don’t show, you’re on your own.”
“I understand,” I replied.
He sighed and the fire seemed to go out of him. “What level are you now?”
“You’re not going to believe this but I just hit twenty,” I replied.
“What? How?” He balked. “That’s impossible.”
“I got into a scrap with some mountain trolls and dwarves,” I replied. “And I won…somehow.”
I didn’t go into detail. He didn’t deserve it after giving me so much crap about questing.
“It doesn’t matter,” he replied after a long pause. “We will be power leveling once we get to the world tree. I’ll probably be fifty by the end of the week. This is your last chance. I don’t know if I can get you in if you show up late. You’ll have to apply just like everyone else.”
“That’s okay,” I sighed, not sure I wanted to at this point.
I was going to tell him about the secondary classes before he went on his rant.
“Whatever,” he huffed and ended the call.
I sighed and returned to Gertie.
“Who was it?” She asked.
“How much of that did you hear?” I asked, still curious about how much she knew about the real world.
Gertie replied. “Just your side. I didn’t mean to eavesdrop but I was curious.”
“It’s okay,” I sighed again. “I just got into an argument with my brother. I was supposed to meet him.”
“Oh,” she said, looking at her feet. “Brother’s can be a pain in the ass, huh?”
“They can,” I found myself agreeing with her. “What did yours do?”
“Nothing, really,” she replied. “He just got into it with Dad and ran away.”
“About what?” I asked.
My question was answered when a loud “Boom,” shook the ground. I hadn’t noticed, but we’d arrived at the mine in Homestead.
“That,” she pointed toward the mine. “Grom has a few unorthodox methods when it comes to mining while Dad is a bit more conservative.”
“He says it isn’t mining,” I replied.
Gertie laughed. “It gets the ore out. Besides, I can’t judge. Dad would wring my neck if he knew how I mined. I’m just better at hiding it than Grom is.”
“Can you teach me?” I asked, hoping for a class.
This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.
She ignored me and headed into the mine, shouting as she went. “Grom! Get out here. We need to talk.”
As expected, we encountered a cave-in a short distance into the mine. Grom was wearing his protective hard hat and wriggled as he strained to use the skill Break Stuff to clear debris. It was almost comical from an outsider’s perspective. Gertie waited with her hands on her hips for him to fully extricate himself before laying into him.
“Not goin’ back,” he muttered as he made a show of dusting himself off.
“You have to!” She said, crossing her arms. “You can’t expect me to be Queen, especially considering the reason you left.”
“You’ll be fine,” he said with a smirk. “Besides, Dad still doesn’t know about you, does he?”
I was confused, so I asked, “Does anybody want to explain what’s going on here?’
“I told you,” she replied, rolling her eyes. “Grom and Dad are having a creative dispute.”
“That’s right,” he grumbled. “I’m no miner.”
“Neither am I,” she replied.
“What’s that got to do with it?” I asked.
They both looked at me like I’d grown a third arm. Finally, Gertie explained. “Dwarves mine. It isn’t fancy. We want to modernize dwarven techniques.”
I finally understood. Grom wasn’t a miner. He was an Excavator. If that was the case, then what was…?
“What class are you, Gertie?” I asked, before correcting myself. “I mean, what do you do instead of mining?”
Gertie blushed and looked away but Grom guffawed and slapped her on the back. “You didn’t tell him?”
She squeaked, nearly inaudible. “No.”
Grom grinned. “You need to see what she does. It’s quite…explosive.”
“Argh!” Gertie growled at her brother. “You know I don’t tell anyone about that. What if he tells…”
“You don’t like it when someone airs your secrets, do ya?” He asked, the grin getting wider with every word.
“Whatever,” she said, adding a scowl for good measure. “If you want me to tell him, I might as well show him. Come with me, Veritas.”
When Grom started to follow us, she pushed him back. “Not you! Stay here.”
He pouted but did as she asked. Together, we made our way deeper into the mine. Once she walked a sufficient distance, she took off her pack and rummaged through it. Then she did the last thing I was expecting. She took out a bundle of red sticks.
Dynamite
Class Item
Warning: This item is explosive!
“What are you…?” I began, at a loss for words.
“You wanted to see,” she replied, rubbing her hands together after placing the charge.
She then guided me back out of the mine. When we got to Grom, she grabbed his hand and dragged him along as well.
“Wait,” he stammered. “What are you up to?”
“Showing him,” she declared triumphantly.
Once we were outside and clear of the entrance, she clapped her hands together and bellowed. “Kaboom!”
The ground quaked again and a thick cloud of smoke and dust blasted out of the entrance. When it cleared, the entire entrance had caved in. Gertie rubbed her hands together with a self-satisfied expression on her face.
“You did that on purpose!” Grom accused her.
She laughed. “Are you ready to come home now?”
“No!” He snapped.
“Well, there’s no point in staying here,” she pointed out.
Grom sighed, looking defeated.
“Can you teach me how to do that?” I asked, ignoring their quarrel.
Gertie gave me an appraising look. “It isn’t as simple as what Grom does. Are you sure?”
“I don’t care,” I replied, practically drooling over her backpack. “I want to learn.”
She sighed. “Very well. It’s your funeral. Just be warned, that protective gear won’t save you if you misuse what I teach.”
“That’s okay,” I replied. “Sign me up!”
Gertrude has offered you the class: Demolitionist
I accepted before she had a chance to take it back.
Notice: Secondary classes are limited to half the level of the Primary. Additional restrictions apply.
You may change your Primary class at any time.
Warning: Doing so may result in the loss of levels.
I wasn’t expecting that.
“Will choosing Demolitionist as my primary class reset Excavator to level one?” I asked, hoping either of the siblings would know.”
The system answered instead.
If you choose Demolitionist as your Primary Class, Excavator will reset to level 1.
“Well, that settles that,” I sighed. “I guess I’ll keep Excavator as my main.”
You have accepted the class: Demolitionist
Manapool Added
Trait Obtained: Fireproof
Skill Obtained: Make Explosive
Skill Obtained: Detonate
Skill Obtained: Detect Weakness (Structure)
Proficiency Obtained: Explosives
Proficiency Obtained: Alchemy
I checked my stats to see how much mana I started with.
Veritas
Primary Class: Level 20 Excavator
Secondary Class: Level 1 Demolitionist
Level: 8
HP: 2000/2000
MP: - 200/200
SP: 4000/4000
“Is that all the MP I get?” I asked.
Gertie chuckled. “For level one, yes. It will increase as you level but will never be more than half of your primary.’
“I see,” I replied, not sure I fully understood. I’d have to check a wiki later…if one existed, that was.
Grom cast a weary glance at his sister. “It looks like we have to raise this human together.”
She rolled her eyes. “What difference does that make? I always said our classes go well together.”
“I don’t see how,” he argued. “You said it yourself. My gear doesn’t protect against explosives.”
“Life isn’t all about jumping in and asking questions later,” she shot back. “We can teach him to be a little prepared.”
“I’ll leave that up to you,” he replied.
“Does that mean you’ll return with me?” She asked.
Grom looked at the collapsed entrance to his mine and back at me again. “Fine! I’ll come but I’m not making any promises. I’m not backing down against that old fool.”
“Dad will have to understand,” she replied, patting him on the back. “I think it’s time we approach him together.”
----------------------------------------
We made it back to the broken mountain in time to see a pair of very happy women emerge from the hidden cave in a sea of dwarves.
“I got three levels,” Sasha sang as she threw herself at me in a hug. “We killed rats.”
Nelly was in a good mood too, though she didn’t hug me. “Card Battler is even better than I thought.”
Following her was the largest rat I’d ever seen. I thought it was going to bite her until it nuzzled her leg.
“That’s her pet monster,” Sasha pointed with a giggle. “The first one she killed turned into a card when it died, and she put it in her heart like you tried to show me. She didn’t even have to take her clothes off.”
“I can’t believe you tricked poor Sasha into getting naked,” Nelly said, giving me the stink eye.
“I didn’t tell her to do that,” I replied defensively. “She did that all on her own.”
“How do you have access to a heart deck,” Nelly asked, raising an eyebrow. “And what’s this ability to make cards by drawing them?”
“It’s a secret,” I replied, holding a finger up to my mouth. “Also, I’d appreciate it if you don’t tell Anna about this.”
“Why?” She asked.
I wasn’t sure if the class trainer could take my ability away twice but I didn’t want to risk it.
“I just don’t want her to know,” I replied. “Is that okay?”
Nelly shrugged. “I guess I don’t mind.”
“So, level five, huh?” I asked, changing the subject.
Sasha beamed. “Yeah, I got the hang of Power Thrust. In the end, I killed two rats at once.”
“Impressive,” I replied. “Did you learn the skill; Kabob?”
“Should I have?” She asked, truly curious before realizing I was joking. “Very funny!”
It was Nelly’s class that turned out to be the most interesting. Her heart deck came with ten slots, and she already filled half of them. As it turned out, Anna gave her a special deck when she accepted the class. Along with a slew of starter monsters, she’d gotten an assortment of skills along with the promise that she could get even more by playing Card Battle with people she came across in the world.
“Let’s head to Drunderhold!” Gertie announced.
Her announcement was met by cheers from the dwarves and a scowl from Grom.
The girls looked confused. “Where are we going?”