Maya climbed downstairs to the main level travelers hall almost bouncing with happiness. She finally had an actual build path, one which should more than make up for her current lack of health in the long run.

An unforeseen side effect of doing a complete 180 from her original build was the sudden inversion of the balance - while she'd had around 200 energy and 300 health before any of the switching started, now she had around 200 health and 450 energy. But it would even out again the stronger she grew, and she could always compensate with equipment for any lack if it became a problem.

There was still the question of her secondary class...

Then her eyes widened as a ridiculous, insane thought occurred to her. She'd unlocked a second class. She could get a new class in addition to Trickster. Without trying to abandon Trickster, adding a new class wouldn't trigger the soulbind lock if it was her secondary class.

What if... what if she went with Rion? What if she took Diviner as her secondary?

She laughed aloud at the beautiful irony. If she could be in on both sides of the fight, if she could directly interface with the Oracle?

This would be awesome. Utterly insane, but awesome.

She forced herself to moderate her expectations. If it didn't work, she could always come back for Mage or take a quest for something else later. But if she could?

Aaah, it was too great an idea to let go. She ran back to the academy, hoping Rion would still be there. Unfortunately, he had already departed, and no one knew when he would be back.

"Anyone can give me a lift out to zone five?" Maya asked.

"Sure, but I need to come back. Will you be alright on your own?"

Maya considered, then shook her head. "I suppose not. I need someone else, then." If only Sevard were here...

Well, he had appointed Zanetta as his replacement. Maya grinned. "That's fine, I know someone else I can ask. Thanks!"

She ran out of the academy and toward the leypillar, waiting until she was out of earshot of anyone before calling for the other trickster.

"Zanetta, Zanetta! Are you available?"

"Hello? May I ask who’s calling?"

"Oh, sorry. This is Maya. Sevard's friend. I was wondering if you have time to escort me through Zone Five?"

"Yes. Where are you?"

"Kalyx leypillar."

"I'll be right there."

Maya grinned and hurried onward, reaching the leypillar in plenty of time. The single merchant with his wagon looked up at her hopefully, but she shook her head. The city was so close, only the truly desperate would buy from him at his inflated prices.

She paced, bursting with energy, eager to have the chance to be useful in a fight, boiling with the excitement of her beautiful, evil idea. Then she glanced at the leaderboard, finding Xaneta at the twelfth position. Level 49. Oh, so it was spelled with an X. Weird.

Then Xaneta appeared and Maya had to do a double take.

She looked like Shardlord.

Not really, not when Maya looked closer; she was a vampire like Sevard, not a felinis, and she carried a saber on her belt and a trident across her back. But in carriage, in confidence, and in the pure beauty of her perfectly-matched, obviously high tier equipment, all in gold and pearlescent ivory. Her arms glinted with a sheen of magic, perhaps not as thick as Shardlord’s, but no less impressive.

The offer to transit to [unknown area] appeared, and Maya accepted.

"How do I unlock it properly so I can do it myself, by the way?" she asked as they reappeared in the plains outpost.

"Enter the zone by its edge from another zone. It would only take an hour or so to trek out to the south border if you want to do it now."

Maya considered, then shook her head. "Not now, maybe another time. Right now, I need to get to the northern river."

Xaneta frowned. "Why there? There's nothing out there but some old ruins."

Maya very suddenly remembered that Xaneta was also a trickster. And however much Sevard may trust her, it didn't mean Maya could trust her. She wasn't even sure how far she could trust Sevard, with something like this.

"Just meeting a friend," she said quickly. "He'll be helping me with my quest, but that's the landmark he set as our meeting spot."

Xaneta shrugged. "Then let's go."

They hadn't been traveling for more than a few minutes before they were ambushed by a group of dire-turtles. Maya had plenty of experience dying to these savage warriors from her trip through the plains with Sevard, and had no desire to repeat the experience. Thankfully, Heart of Magma had a nice long charge-up which allowed Xaneta to grab aggro before Maya started slamming the lava orbs into their enemies. And since she didn’t have negative luck today, she didn’t even have to worry about being targeted for no reason like last time.

Maya focused on killing one dire-turtle while Xaneta fought her way through the rest, then even got in one hit on the last before Xaneta finished him off.

"It’s nice not dying," Maya commented.

"Impressive damage for a tier 2," Xaneta said. "Much better than I’d have expected."

"I have some advantages," Maya said, grinning. "A girl has to have a few secrets."

"I have advantage and secrets too, and I wouldn’t have been able to sustain that spell long enough to take out a dire-turtle at your level."

"But you’re not a mage build, are you?"

Xaneta shook her head. "True. Energy spec?"

"Yep. Pretty squishy right now, but I’m going to pick up some sturdiness the next few levels until I’m able to take a few hits."

"Tanking classes are almost as OP as speed builds." She smiled. "But we both know what matters most."

"Do we?"

"Luck."

Maya laughed. "You’re not wrong."

They fought their way northward, but thankfully Xaneta was a significantly better tank than Sevard had ever been. Maya was only targeted once, and though it took a full fifth of her health Xaneta immediately reclaimed aggro. And all that despite the fact that Xaneta’s luck was apparently in the negative today - she’d designated Maya as their party looter since Maya’s +10 was ‘good’ compared to Xaneta’s roll for the day.

By the time they finally reached the river, the sun was fully set and the dimness of evening beginning to fade into the dark of night. Maya hadn't seen any sign of more beasts for several minutes, which seemed a good sign. Perhaps the Oracle's temple protected the region from the random monster spawns.

Then she saw the glint of firelight on a distant hill, and stopped to gape. Rion hadn't been lying. The Oracle's new temple was impressive, even from a distance. The twilight dimness hid its shape, but the light of torches glowing between columns lit up the outer courtyard and lent the whole structure a brilliance that glinted off what Maya gradually realized was magic, used decoratively to draw curving designs across the inner walls. She started toward the building, eager to see the details up close. The intricacy of the patterns looked like it must have taken hours if not days to lay in.

"Whoa," Xaneta said softly, and Maya jumped. She'd forgotten the other trickster was still here. And it was too late to pretend there wasn't anything to see. "I've never seen that before," she said, starting toward it.

Maya scrambled to think of anything she could say. If it were Sevard, she'd make him promise not to tell the Trickster. But Xaneta? She didn't know anything about her. Maybe they could pretend it was just a random building, nothing important. But any attempt to actively conceal its presence or purpose could be construed as an admission that she knew too much.

Ugh, ugh ugh, why had she assumed she could just send Xaneta away and not worry about her finding the temple? Why did it have to be a glowing beacon on top of a hill? Gahh!

"Rion?" Maya shouted. "Yinon? Anyone home?" Maybe if Xaneta saw Maya had been safely delivered to her friends, she’d be quicker to leave.

"Ah, is that your friend's house?" Xaneta asked. "It's very nice."

Maya blinked at the unexpected answer to her problem. "Yes, he's been staying here for a while now."

A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

"I didn't know there were any player housing lots available this far out."

"It's been claimed for a long time," Maya improvised. "But they only started building on it recently. Oh, look, there he is. Thank you so much for your help. I really appreciate the escort."

"You'll be good?"

"Yep! Thank you. You can get back to your trial maze. I'll call you if I need anything else."

Xaneta hesitated as though she wanted to say something, but eventually shrugged and nodded. "Have a good evening." Then she tossed a Dust of Recall into the air and stepped into its field of glitter.

Maya waited until she'd actually disappeared, then ran toward the hesitantly approaching Yinon.

"Yinon! It's me, Maya— uh, Stader! Do you still have room for another acolyte?"

Yinon grinned. "Of course! Did you happen to bring any blocks of iron with you?"

"Oh, hmm..." Maya checked her inventory. "Actually, yes. I was doing some impromptu crafting the other day and ended up with more than I had time for. I have... nine."

"Excellent. We only need five more."

Maya handed them over, then laughed when Yinon hugged her. "Did Rion make it back?"

"Not yet. He's a bit low level for this area, so he'll probably be taking it slow and stealthy. You've come to see our progress?"

Maya nodded. "And I'd like to borrow the orb if you don't mind, I need to talk to the Oracle."

Yinon laughed. "Well, I actually don't have the orb any longer."

Maya froze. "Did it get stolen?" she asked, before realizing that of course that was stupid. He wouldn't be this happy if it was a bad thing. "What happened?"

"It's part of the temple now, but of course you may use it. Come, I'll give you a tour."

Maya followed him up to the outer court, which wrapped halfway around the hill in shallow tiers. The columns were spaced evenly around in a semicircle, leading up to the central area. The temple itself was small, nothing extravagant about it, aside from the spirals of magic painted across its walls.

"How did you do that? With the magic?"

"A lot of work." Yinon grimaced. "That's the main reason we're not further along. I still have to lay in the patterns on the whole courtyard before it'll fuse, and any disturbance means hours of careful repairs. Do you have any idea how hard it is to get magic to stay where you put it? That stuff is clingy. If you walk anywhere close to it, it'll start sliding around trying to get to you."

"You make it sound like an aggressive stalker."

"Well, that's how I feel sometimes." Yinon sighed. "But enough of my complaints. Apart from the magic, and the beast attacks, things have been going quite smoothly."

"Beasts? Not players?"

"Why would players be involved? We're in the middle of nowhere."

"But I thought Rion said—"

"You saw Rion?"

"Not here, back at the academy. He said you'd had problems."

"Yes, constantly. Supply problems, beast problems, everything that can go wrong. But we've persevered and won't give up. We're still making progress despite everything."

Maya frowned, uncertain now. Had the other tricksters been attacking, or not? Was this divinely targeted misfortune, or just happenstance?

"I didn't encounter any creatures anywhere nearby," she commented.

"Because I've been running a sweep every few hours to keep their numbers down before they can stampede. We already lost the outer columns twice to those stupid steeren. I can't afford to replace them again and it would mean another week lost to grinding for ingredients."

"Steeren?"

"Local herd beasts. Good for grinding pelts, but also good at trampling and smashing things when the leours spawn."

"Leours?" Maya felt too ignorant, she hadn’t spent enough time here to know the local fauna.

"Big monsters, like a cross between a cat and a bear, but way bigger."

"Oh, right, I’ve seen those." She’d fought one with Sevard once, but she’d been practically useless at the time. "Is there anything I can do to help?"

"Not at the moment, not without the quest. You'll have to ask the Oracle."

Maya followed him into the small round building. Structure, perhaps, not truly a building, but a half circle of walls and open windows, the architecture rounded and ornate. Yinon pointed to the orb, blue and white, resting in a perfect indentation atop a pillar. For a moment it felt dizzily familiar and she frowned as she tried to recall why she'd find it so, then the moment passed and she stepped forward. "May I?"

"Go ahead."

She placed her hand on the orb and whispered her question. "Can I ever become a diviner?"

The invitation appeared, and she accepted. Seer's Glade faded into existence around her, its moonlit forest now including a perfect duplicate of the half-built temple Maya had just left. Indeed, the transition was so smooth she might almost believe the forest had simply appeared out of nowhere to surround her, rather than being moved to an alternate layer of reality.

"You return," the Oracle said. "I thank you for your service, but cannot permit my brother's liars too much power within my agents. You understand, I'm sure."

"But the fact that you brought me here means you at least are willing to hear me out, right?"

The Oracle’s voice remained uncompromising. "I am not in a position to refuse help when it is offered, regardless of its source," she said reluctantly. "And you have proven yourself loyal to your word even beyond where it could benefit you."

"I've done more than that," declared Maya. "I've done everything I can to conceal your presence here, and to prevent you from being discovered. At great personal cost. I don't like to boast, but if ever there were a time to declaim my feats it is now. I trust you a great deal more than I trust the Trickster, and from what I've seen I like your agenda more than his. But his class offers me benefits yours simply cannot provide."

"So why have you come, if you do not desire what you request?"

Maya smiled. "I do. I have unlocked a second class slot. I can be a trickster/diviner, if you'll grant me the opportunity."

The Oracle fell utterly silent for a long moment. "You ask a great deal," she said quietly. "More than any other has dared."

"But I've also proved my loyalty time and again, and sacrificed more than you'll know to keep my promises. I have soulbound my first class, and cannot change that. But I can take a second. And, if you'll allow me, I'd like that second to be yours."

"You realize that secondary classes do not provide the same benefits as primary classes?"

"I assumed something of the sort. The stat bonuses are halved."

"Indeed. And you will always have a weaker connection to me than to my brother."

"I cannot undo the decisions I've made in the past, but I can choose how to make decisions moving forward."

"And you would seek to bind yourself at the blade-edge between sworn adversaries? You would dance the wire between truth and deception, hope and despair, freedom and justice?"

Maya grinned. "Sounds like fun."

"I don't know why you imagine this to be a wise decision. But if you truly seek my class, you may petition along with the others when the temple is completed. I have already chosen a Champion, and it shall not be you."

"That's fine. But before I go, can you at least give me a rundown on what your class actually offers, specifically?"

"Diviners are the eyes of truth, able to discern the abilities, attributes, secondary derivatives, and equipment stats of those they encounter. Coupled with the Seer specialization, they can also see class and specialization, and primary derivatives."

"Is there any point where you unlock a second specialization?" Maya asked. She suddenly wanted Seer back. Knowing an enemy's exact health total was too big an advantage to pass up, though not quite as big an advantage as an energy pool over double its previous size. "You once said I could only have one class and specialization, but I have a second class now, so…"

"Yes. At Tier 7, or level 60, a secondary specialization becomes available. There are also a few specific ways to obtain it at tier 6, if you discover them, but it is unlocked in general at level 60. Like classes, the secondary will not be as powerful or impactful as the primary."

"Thank you." Maya frowned. That was way too far away. There was no way she'd reach level 60 anytime soon. Even Domitius wasn't close to 60, and he was being pushed forward by a whole cult of obsessed fans.

"Then I shall add you to the group allowed to progress the temple's construction, and upon its completion you have permission to return and petition for my class."

"Thanks." Maya would have to give this some thought. The forest and the Oracle faded, her answer given, as a new quest appeared.

New Mission: Restoring Truth - Assist in the reconstruction of the Oracle's temple. Rewards: increased reputation with the Oracle, potential access to the Diviner class and Seer specialization.

"Did you get it?" Yinon asked.

"Yep, quest given. I can now assist in the construction." Maya looked around and noticed building option menus begin to pop up as she focused on each element of the area. She smiled, familiar with the construction menus from her previous quests building a gazebo in town and repairing the perpetually-flooded Windy Creek bridge and dam. "I've got a few hours left before my next appointment, is there anything in particular I should start on?"

"Whatever you can add, it all needs to be done eventually. Just pick something." Yinon returned to his painstaking task of painting magic onto the stones, which looked more like trying to herd unruly insects into a pattern. Maya chuckled, then crossed to the outer courtyard pillars. They were supposed to have a supporting superstructure and a network of beams and lattice pattern overhead, requiring several particular metal frameworks. Their ghost patterns appeared in Maya's interface as she contemplated.

"I was planning to do some smithing tonight before my luck turns bad," Maya mused. "Hey, Yinon? You have the overhead supports handled yet?"

"No, haven't started on them. You want to do 'em?"

"Honestly, I'd probably be best as a supplier rather than a worker here. Anything around here is apt to kill me in a few seconds, and I have advantages in crafting that most players don't."

Yinon looked up from his magic-herding and nodded. "Sounds good. Rion makes runs back to town every few days for supplies, I'll have him check in with you. Craft any of the items you think we'll need. So far, I've been working full time to keep the beasts at bay and make what progress I can, and Rion is being run ragged delivering goods and building when he can, but I don't have anyone else strong enough to protect the site so we can't exactly trade off. Having a third person helping to procure supplies and craft materials will speed things up a lot."

"Glad to be of help." Maya reached in her inventory for a dust of recall, but discovered she'd used her last one without realizing it. "Don't suppose you happen to have a Dust of Recall to spare? I'm fresh out."

"Sure." Yinon handed over a stack of the dust, and Maya thanked him, then used it to teleport back to the leypillar, and from there transited to Nirsym.

Nirsym City, a walled desert city close to the ocean, was the primary crafting hub for anyone beyond the basest beginner. The teachers, equipment, and materials available at Nirsym were unrivaled. Expensive, too, but between grinding with Sevard and a few lucrative trades - and her ability to craft high-end armor worth more than the material cost - Maya had enough gold to get started. Not enough to buy everything - not by a long run. The sheer cost of the temple as a whole was beyond insane. Thousands and thousands of gold, plus the weeks of effort.

Maya wondered what trials Domitius had to accomplish to become the Trickster's first genuine champion, not someone who slipped in with a glitch. Clearly a lot, if it involved unlocking multiple new zones; so much that Maya couldn't help worrying that rebuilding the temple was only the first step in the Oracle's quest chain. The construction alone was already expensive enough to dissuade any but the most dedicated. Maya was surprised Rion was so determined to carry through, though he'd been added rather incidentally.

If she spent everything she had, she'd be able to finish about a fifth of the ceiling supports required for the construction of that one specific element.

She may be willing to do a lot, but impoverishing herself utterly was a step too far. She took half her available funds, bought resources enough to make 10% of the ceiling, then another seventy gold to buy random crafting supplies for herself. She could craft some armor pieces and flip them for a profit, not enough to make up for the cost of the quest materials, but if she did the same every day she could slowly build up the deficit, and then do it again.

Right. She still had a few hours of +10 luck before she had to resign herself to most of a day at -100, best to put it to good use.

Wait, had she ever done her trickster class quest for today? She brought it up, and immediately remembered why she hadn't. Right. Kill a quest-giving NPC. Just thinking about it made her stomach twist up weirdly. She didn't feel right murdering an innocent NPC, especially a quest-giver! But... the luck penalty for not even trying…

Ugh. No wonder she'd put off making a decision about whether to try it or not.

She could still put it off a bit longer. Maya put it firmly out of her mind.

Time to do some crafting.

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