Abbot Rinner finished going through the scroll with Thea. He thoroughly detailed patterns describing a number of [Skills] and [Classes] for advancement. It had been a long time since he’d seen her this excited about anything, and was glad she decided to return with him to visit the reclusive [Patttern Sage].
“You didn’t have to do all this. Thank you so much.”
He waved her off dismissively.
“Fair trade for the wine you brought. A rare vintage I haven’t had the pleasure of tasting in over a century. I dare say I got the better end of this bargain.”
He turned his ice blue eyes to Raith.
“And now for you.”
Rather than a scroll, the elf produced a thin, neatly bound book from somewhere within his silvery robes.
“I must confess, this was a truly enjoyable undertaking. Rarely are my skills so delightfully challenged.”
He handed the book to Raith, who took it appreciatively and skimmed the pages. “Wait. There are [Warrior] patterns in here, too.”
“Of course there are. It would be a travesty if you continue to neglect your gift, and it would be beneath me to allow such an offense to continue.”
“What is an [Oneiric Champion]?”
“A [Warrior] with powers affiliated with the dreaming.”
Raith’s heart stopped. He hadn’t told anyone of his talk with Amaris or his lineage. Not even Nyhm and Thea. As much solitude as there seemed to be in the monastery, real privacy was almost non-existent so there hadn’t been a good time to discuss it. He was careful in his response.
“That seems like an interesting direction, but why did you choose it?”
“I didn’t choose anything. The threads are what they are, and I simply put them to the most efficient use. You will find that your [Rogue] class takes a similar turn in that direction, although somewhat less conspicuously.”
He breathed a sigh of relief and looked at the other new class. [Lithestrider Scout]. That sounded pretty cool, but he wasn’t sure about the first [Skill] suggestion.
“[Hawksight] for the initial upbraid? That seems pretty weak for second braid [Skill]. Can’t enhanced sight can go in an unbraided slot?”
Rinner looked offended at the effrontery.
“It only seems weak because you are hopelessly ignorant. You said you wished for a perception [Skill] that can allow you to track while leaping through the trees. A hawk’s eyes can spot a mouse from over a mile away. Process visual information twice as fast as a human, enabling them to track fast moving prey with precision. They perceive more colors than humans, making it easier to detect subtle shifts in patterns and distinguish creatures who are camouflaged.”
Even Thea’s eyebrows went up at the description. Raith had to admit, that was considerably better than he initially thought.
“How do you know all of this stuff?”
“Centuries of study, young man. And these [Monks] are especially fond of stitching animal powers. Now, would you care for my assistance, or do you intend to blunder through this on your own?”
Raith paged through the book again and knew he didn’t want to risk messing up these incredibly complex patterns. It was a miracle he’d gotten the first ones right, and if he'd known then what he knew now he may not have attempted it.
“I’d be grateful for the help.”
Braiding up and stitching his [Skills] was unbelievably faster with the help of an expert. Even if he’d managed to do this without messing it up, it would have taken at least half the day instead of just under an hour. Being able to observe how it was meant to be done and getting some helpful tips also made him a lot more confident about being able to manipulate the familiar again in the future.
After a profusion of thanks and goodbyes, Raith took one last look at his pattern before they walked back up to the trail.
Class One: [Scholar: Bookworm]
Level One Skill: [Subversive Reader]
Level Three Skill: [Greater Mental Endurance]
Level Six Skill: [Read Magic]
Level Nine Skill: [Decipher Script]
Class Two: [Warrior: Rope Dart Wielder]
Level One Skill: [Ricochet Shot]
Level Three Skill: [Exigent Offense]
Level Six Skill: [Lesser Speed]
Level Nine Skill: [Spinning Deflection]
Class Three: [Rogue: Thief]
Level One Skill: [Lesser Stealth]
Level Three Skill: [Distinguished Guest]
Level Six Skill: [Featherfall]
Level Nine Skill: [Trap Trammel]
First Braid
Class One: [Scholar: Rare Tome Procurement Specialist]
Level One Skill: [Mnemonic Library]
Level Three Skill: [Duplicate Book]
Level Six Skill: [Scriptsense]
Level Nine Skill: [Quilltongue]
Class Two: [Warrior: Rope Dart Adept]
Level One Skill: [Enhanced Agility]
Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more.
Level Three Skill: [Enhanced Endurance]
Level Six Skill: [Enhanced Strength]
Level Nine Skill: [Piercing Shot]
Class Three: [Rogue: Thief Acrobat]
Level One Skill: [Squirrel Running]
Level Three Skill: [Acrobatic Evasion]
Level Six Skill: [Enhanced Speed]
Level Nine Skill: [Fade]
Second Braid
Class One: [Scholar: Scholastic Wayfarer]
Level One Skill: [Read Enchantment]
Class Two: [Warrior: Oneiric Champion]
Level One Skill: [Rippling Dreamstrike]
Class Three: [Rogue: Lithestrider Scout]
Level One Skill: [Hawksight]
He was ecstatic to finally upgrade speed, and while he’d wanted another evasion skill, [Fade] would greatly help with his stealth abilities. In case he had any lingering doubt, the first look down from the mountain drove home the value of his new [Hawksight]. What had been a uniform mass of treetops was now teeming with birds and squirrels flitting about. Each individual leaf stood apart from the others with a clarity he could not have previously imagined.
“Look, a grick.”
Thea shaded her eyes from the sun and peered down towards where he was pointing, then shook her head.
“I see naught but trees. Happy with the new eyes then?”
He nodded and the two friends chatted excitedly about their paths and new [Skills] the entire walk back.
Predictably, the news that it was finally time to go had the opposite effects on Nyhm and Tolliver. While the [Mage] eagerly ran off to pack, Raith pulled his moping brother aside.
“I asked Abbot Tukes which herbal lore book was the best one that they had here for beginners.”
Nyhm nodded.
“The Apothecary’s Guidebook, by Delano Glenhome. I plan to pick up a copy in Old Valen if I can find it, but they’re not very common.”
Raith reached into his satchel and pulled out a tome, passing it over to his confused brother. The elfling read the title and gave a broad smile that turned into a frown a heartbeat later.
“I won’t steal from Abbot Tukes, Raith.”
“Good to hear. Neither would I.”
“Then how?”
“I have a [Scholar] [Skill] that lets me duplicate a book once a month. Tukes said it was ok if I used it on this one. It’s yours to keep.”
Nyhm looked at the book reverently for a minute, then up at Raith.
“I don’t know what to say. Thank you.”
“It’s the least I can do for you looking out for me all these years. Here, lemme put it in the satchel and we’ll finish getting packed.”
The elfling took a step back and clutched the book protectively.
“I want to carry it.”
Raith puffed up his cheeks and blew out a long stream of air.
“Alright, fine. Someone here has to have a pack that will protect it well enough for the trip. Let’s go ask grandpa.”
It happened that their grandfather did have a backpack that Nyhm could take. Made of tanned drake leather, it was waterproof, fireproof, and would stop an arrow in its tracks. Brennan had slain the beast in single combat many years ago and had the entire hide turned into leather goods.
“It’s the relic of an old man’s ego. I’ve no use for the thing any longer, and if I need one I’ll just go kill another drake.”
The team said their farewells, and Raith made sure to let Noni know how appreciative he was for her training. He quite nearly got a smile in response, which was a pretty big win. Several monks asked them to deliver letters to the Courier’s Guild, who would relay them to their families. Raith happily agreed to help.
The thought of asking for a [Quest] to do the task crossed his mind, but that would have been pretty ungrateful after the world-class training he and the team had just received.
In good spirits, the Myth Seekers finally headed back out onto the road to Old Valen. In less than a week they should arrive at Janekstown for their first tower climb.
“Do we still want to hit the tower?” Thea asked.
“Of course. Why would you ask?”
Tolliver interjected.
“She has a point. The plan was to use the tower to facilitate teamwork training and safely level to the second braid. We have accomplished both of those tasks. While perhaps not safely, I daresay considerably more quickly and effectively.”
They wound their way down the mountain a bit while mulling it over.
“We’re already nearly there, and I would like to see a tower. Besides, Janekstown is an adventuring hub. There will be plenty of [Quests] if we don’t want to stay long. Does that sound alright to everyone?”
They all nodded in agreement.
“Aye. And it should be a good place to spend all our money?”
Raith stopped dead in his tracks and turned to Thea.
“What money?”
She smiled innocently.
“Oh, did I forget to mention the [Quest] reward for curing the Grins included a substantial sum of gold.”
“How much gold are we talking about here?”
“Five thousand each.”
“Randy gods. That’s more money than I’ve ever seen in my life.”
Thea nodded in agreement, but held up a finger.
“Yes, but it goes fast buying adventuring gear. It’ll get a decent enchanted weapon or armor, but nothing too fancy. Certainly no relics or legendary items.”
Her caution did little to tamp down his excitement. Maybe he could commission a new dart while they climbed the tower. He looked down at his tattered skirmisher leathers. Or maybe some nice enchanted armor! That would be amazing. They picked up their step, a little more anxious to reach the city.
At least Raith and Tolliver were.
Nyhm’s newfound passion meant stopping every fifty feet to look at some shrub or flower. Thea was no help at all, and the two of them were constantly pointing things out to each other, plucking leaves and referencing his new book for their uses. It turned what should have been a six day hike into nine, but Raith didn’t complain. It was fun to see his brother so happy for once.
Raith and Tolliver kept up on the scouting while the other two foraged around. [Squirrel Running] while tracking was fast and effective, not to mention an absolute blast. They only encountered one surprise on the entire trip, when Tolliver somehow missed an ogre that had wandered near the trail.
Thea noticed it first as she approached a clump of black clover she wanted to grab for Nyhm. A shuddering snore from behind a tree almost made her jump out of her skin, and she called Raith and Nyhm over to investigate.
Lying face down in the leaves was a ten foot tall brute, snoring away and smelling like unwashed ass. Not as foul as Farmer had been, but still pretty bad. The three paused a dozen feet away and Thea whispered.
“This is weird, right?”
Raith consulted his library and confirmed.
“Very. They rarely travel alone, and sleep in caves or crude huts with their tribes.”
“Should we kill it?”
All three of them squirmed at the question. Ogres were notoriously violent and sometimes ate people. When it woke up, the next passersby might get hurt. But none of them wanted to murder the thing while it slept, either.
“What’s that in its neck?” Nyhm asked.
Raith looked, and sure enough there was a small arrow poking out of its neck, complete with little feathered fletchings. Much too small even for a halfling. Looking around nervously, they became suddenly concerned about diminutive snipers. He couldn’t see anything, but the feeling they were being watched didn’t go away.
“Let’s just get out of here.”
They all agreed and quietly backed away, hurrying down the road to put some distance between themselves and the ogre in case it woke up. The rest of the journey was blissfully uneventful, and after so many long weeks, the Myth Seekers finally arrived at the Pruxling.
There was no bridge, but an old grizzled boatman made the crossing for a small toll and they didn’t have long to wait. Unlike Beckhaven, which sat right on the river protected from flooding by high stone walls and canals, Old Valen stood a day's march away with oft-flooded farmland in between. In their final, eager approach, the stone walls of the city loomed in the distance, the famous Boxes rising behind them.
Long before the Kingdom of Tethia existed, powerful [Earth Mages] erected the three Boxes of Old Valen. Each was composed of six massive slabs of stone, three hundred feet square. Four stood upright supporting the horizontal one on top while another served as the base. They sat in a neat row running exactly north and south parallel to the river.
No one knew what their purpose had originally been, but one of the first leaders of Old Valen believed the structures meant a dungeon lay beneath. He nearly bankrupted the city on his fruitless excavation, and the Boxes remain a mystery to this day.
“What do they use them for now?” Nyhm asked, awed at the size of each single slab of rock.
Tolliver gave a wry chuckle.
“Shopping and housing. The center one is primarily manufactured goods like clothing, jewelry and leathers. To the right is a food market, while it’s mostly bars and restaurants to the left. The upper floors are apartments. All very expensive and high end. Rent in the Boxes is supposedly quite steep.”
“Must be rich dwarves,” Thea muttered. “Who else would pay premium for no windows?”
They arrived at the gate, and a pair of guards interrupted their conversation long enough to give them a once over before resuming their chat. Tolliver seemed to know the drill and continued on through without acknowledging the guards at all. He looked back over his shoulder as the other stood outside dumbly.
“Shall we head to the guild and claim our reward?”
Thanks for reading! Don't forget to the story.
