Date: 2021-09-02 04:00:00+00:00
Keywords: Fantasy; Fiction
Description: A progression fantasy with LitRPG elements. Duncan grew up in an isolated valley, determined to become a hero of legend. Chosen by the Gods, he is thrust into a world he knows little about and must grow stronger to face powerful invaders from other worlds.

The Hero of the Valley

Volume 1

Gary Spechko

Copyright © 2021 Gary Spechko

All rights reserved

The characters and events portrayed in this book are fictitious. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is coincidental and not intended by the author.

No part of this book may be reproduced, or stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without express written permission of the publisher.

ISBN-13: 9781234567890
ISBN-10: 1477123456

Cover design by: Gary Spechko
Library of Congress Control Number: 2018675309
Printed in the United States of America

Contents

Title Page

Copyright

Prologue

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Interlude 1

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Interlude 2

Chapter 20

Chapter 21

Chapter 22

Chapter 23

Chapter 24

Chapter 25

Chapter 26

Chapter 27

Chapter 28

Chapter 29

Chapter 30

Chapter 31

About The Author

Prologue

Seven beings of immense power assembled around a table intended for 20.  The table projected an image for them all to see, and the being controlling it spoke.  “The world I have chosen for this round is Medim, a relatively small world with large land masses, half a dozen sentient species, and an above average mana density distributed unevenly across the surface.  Additionally, thousands of dungeons have formed where the mana is most concentrated.  There, creatures from a thousand worlds have been drawn to feast on the concentrated mana.  So, there’s something for each of you to work with.   Finally, the gods of Medim are ancient and have grown complacent.  They have formed pantheons and agreed not to interfere directly in the affairs of the world, lest they destroy it.   You have one thousand local years to establish your empires and eliminate your rivals.  Last being standing wins.  In the event that more than one of you remains on world at the conclusion of the competition, I shall choose the winner based on who has the most dominant position.  Begin…. Now.”

Seven portals flared to life, and seven demigods stepped through them, each sent to a random location in Medim.

Chapter 1

It was Duncan’s seventeenth birthday, and he was going to enter his first dungeon.  His entire life to this point had essentially been one big training montage, and he was suitably excited. He’d spent the previous day visiting his family in Easthaven as he’d done monthly since his move to Stonewatch at age fourteen.
I knew this was going to be a rough visit
, he thought.
Mama has always opposed me delving, and now the time has come, she’s not taking it well.
His mother had been pecking at him the entire visit.   Fortunately, the rest of his family was supportive, and he’d managed not to say anything to offend his mother.  He tried to sneak out of the house to avoid a confrontation, but she ambushed him on the way out.  “You be careful in there, Duncan!  Stay in the back, let the real delvers take care of the monsters.”

I am a real delver, damn it!
Exasperated, but trying not to show it, Duncan replied, “Mama, Pyotr is an experienced leader.  You’ve known him for ages, since before I was born.  You know he’ll take good care of me.  His team is one of the best.”  First time delvers were always escorted by a full group of very experienced veterans.  Novice delvers were well prepared, but you never knew how one would react when first exposed to real combat, so the guild took no chances.

“I know, I know, but it’s a mother’s prerogative to worry.  If only you’d had a gemstone affinity, or a music affinity.  Something normal.  Body and Blade are just so… so martial.”  Duncan rolled his eyes at her as she continued, “This is your dream, I understand.  I do! You will do us all proud and come back a fine hero.  Just be careful.  And maybe try not to kill anything this time.  It’s your first one.  Can’t you just watch?”

Duncan embraced his mother.  She would never change.  “I’ll be fine, mama.  I’ll be out before dark and I’ll send you a message to let you know I’m safe.”   He took the bundle she was holding – his breakfast wrapped in a cloth – and tucked it into his pack as he headed out the door.
That was… not nearly as awful as it might have been.
Once outside, he could no longer control his nervous energy, and took off for the guild hall at a run.

From a young age, he’d wanted nothing more than to be a dungeon delver, an adventurer bringing back treasures to supply the valley.  To be a hero.  On his fourteenth birthday, he had been tested for magical affinities, as all youths were.  He was found to have a strong affinity for body, and a strong affinity for blades.  Duncan had been ecstatic.  His mother had been devastated.  His affinities were ideally suited for becoming a dungeon delver.  He wouldn’t be throwing around elemental magics with his affinities, but body and blade were a strong combination.  Based on his affinities, he’d been accepted into the advanced training offered by the Delvers Guild and had moved to their training facility in nearby Stonewatch.  Should he do well in the guild training, he would be offered a chance to delve the valley’s three dungeons.

In order to qualify as a junior delver with his affinities, Duncan had to demonstrate basic proficiency with a variety of melee and ranged weapons.  In addition, he had to show proficiency with leather, mail, and plate armor (by completing an obstacle course in a competitive time whilst fully kitted up).  Had he shown any elemental or healing affinities, the requirements would have been quite different, of course.  But he was of Body and Blade.  His blade affinity would eventually allow him to create Techniques that imparted his blows with mana effects, improving cutting and piercing power, and strengthening his blades.  His body affinity should allow him to develop Techniques to reduce his bleeding, to cleanse his blood of contaminants such as poison, to dramatically increase his muscle endurance, agility, and power, and potentially even regenerate when injured.

Of course, Techniques were difficult to acquire.  Some geniuses could, on rare occasion, spontaneously create a Technique through a burst of insight.  Older masters with sufficient understanding of their Techniques could pass them on to younger students through long hours of mentoring.  And, infrequently, Technique stones could be found as treasure in dungeons, providing an instant mastery (to one degree or another) of a single Technique when absorbed by a person with an associated affinity.

The Delvers Guild had two Blade masters, and several students on the path of the Blade.  Similarly, there were three Body masters in the guild, and half a dozen students on that path as well.  Duncan studied diligently with the masters as their time allowed, and traded pointers with the other students as well.  The lessons were hard, the Techniques complex, and understanding near impossible to achieve without stress.  A student upon a blade path was far more likely to grasp a blade Technique after using his blade in a series of life and death fights than a student who trained in safety, no matter how diligently.  It was the same for all the martial paths, be they mage or melee.  It was a harsh world, and only the strong advanced.

The run to the guildhall wasn’t a short one.  Easthaven was an hour’s travel from Stonewatch, the fortified town closest to the Goblin dungeon, where he was to meet the team.  But his steady pace ate up the distance and he arrived with plenty of time to spare. Where Easthaven was a village of three score houses on the edge of a picturesque lake, Stonewatch was a fortified town, with foreboding walls grown from the local granite by Earth-affinity masons.  It contained five hundred homes and was home to a large campus of the Delvers Guild.

Rather than going to the student barracks, Duncan made straight for the main guild hall. The common room was mostly empty first thing in the morning.  He sat at table in the corner and pulled out the breakfast his mother had given him.  He unwrapped the package, and there on top of his food he found a pendant.
Wow, mama may oppose me delving, but she’s really trying to keep me safe.
His parents were fine jewelcrafters who made a good living providing protective and utilitarian jewelry to the citizens of the valley.  His mother had gifted him a pendant of shielding – it would absorb a small portion of the force of each attack he received, be it momentum from a physical blow, or energy from an elemental attack.  Each attack it dulled would consume a portion of the gem’s imbued mana.  When it ran out of mana, the gem in the pendant would dissolve, but until it did, wearing the pendant would be akin to wearing a second suit of armor.  It was a magnificent gift, and Duncan felt an upwelling of emotion as he fastened the pendant around his neck.

Not long after, the delving team he’d be accompanying arrived.  Delvers typically operated in groups of three to five, depending on the capabilities of the delvers involved.  Some Techniques and affinities just meshed well, and delvers with synergistic Techniques could operate in smaller groups without incurring greater risks.  His escort team was a well-established group of four led by Pyotr, who was an old friend of Duncan’s parents.

The team dropped their packs and took seats around him.  Pyotr was over a hundred years old but looked to be in his thirties.  Lean and strong, with a thick mane of curly hair, pronounced eyebrows and a thick beard, he radiated competence.  As delvers gained experience and mastery, they adapted to the concentrated mana in dungeons, and it sustained them.   Their bodies stayed in peak physical condition, they aged incredibly slowly, they needed less and less food and water, and they became far sturdier than normal folks.  If it weren’t such a dangerous activity, Duncan was sure the world would be overrun with nigh immortal delvers.

“Good to see you here and ready to go, Duncan.  Let me introduce the team and go over the plan.  I’m Pyotr Isilich, Stone and Spirit.  I’m the group’s guardian.”  He gestured to a tall woman with dark skin and intensely green eyes, wearing matte black mail armor, with a sword at her side and a shield strapped to her back, “This is Aiphe, healing and life.  She’ll be keeping us alive and well.”  Next was a short man with a barrel chest, completely bald on top but with a massive beard.  He wore full plate armor and carried an impressive battle axe.  “Anton Stonespear, Earth, Lava, and gemstone.  He’s focused on control and damage.”  Pyotr pointed at the fourth member of the team, “Yiska Iceblood.  Water, ice, and decay.  She’ll be focusing on damage in this dungeon.”  Yiska was a plain woman of average height with brownish hair and dark eyes.  She wore leather armor and offered Duncan a smile that lit up her face.

Duncan shook hands with each of them.  “Nice to meet you all.  I appreciate your time and expertise. I’m Duncan – Body and Blade.  I’ll try not to mess up.”

Pyotr grunted at that.  “Now, this is a training run.  We’ll be delving the Goblin Caves dungeon.  It generally contains relatively weak goblins and some cave salamanders.  It’s a series of caverns, mostly dry, with a large supply of delicious cave mushrooms.   It has a threat rating of low.”  His eyes pinned Duncan.  “That’s low to experienced delvers.  Half a dozen goblins or an adult cave salamander would do you in, novice.  There is no such thing as a low threat dungeon to a novice.  The density of the mana alone will be enough to wear you out.”  He paused to make sure Duncan was reacting appropriately – it wasn’t uncommon for novice delvers to think the Goblin Caves a walk in the park due to the way intermediate and experienced delvers spoke about it.

Duncan nodded, and made no comment, so Pyotr continued, “Guild rules state that on your first run, you observe, you learn to recognize the monsters, you familiarize yourself with the terrain and the mana density.  You do not separate from the group.  You do not leap into combat.  You do not draw attention to yourself.  Is this understood?”  As he frowned at Duncan, his bushy eyebrows formed a deep vee, and the tips waved in the air.
Don’t laugh, don’t smirk, don’t smile.  Serious!
Duncan nodded again, mostly so he could look down for a moment.  “Yes sir!”

“Alright then, it’s a bit of a walk to the dungeon, so let’s get a move on.”   The group picked up their packs and moved out, the serious tone of the briefing over and the experienced delvers chatting amiably amongst themselves as they led Duncan toward the dungeon and the start of his career as a delver.  They set a casual pace, so Duncan was able to keep up and even enjoy the view as they climbed the hill towards the cave entrance.

The Goblin Caves dungeon was a short hike up a picturesque trail from Stonewatch.  When they arrived, Pyotr entered the hut the guild maintained at the entrance.  He signed the group in and greeted the guild healer who’d been meditating on a mat in the corner.  There was always a healer on duty outside each dungeon in case something went wrong and a party came out in need of help.

That done, the group started their final prep, equipping their weapons and helmets, limbering up.  Duncan’s nerves got the better of him, and he ducked into the hut’s outhouse to evacuate his traitorous bowels.
Fight or flight, indeed, he thought.
At least now I won’t have to go while we’re in there!
No one said anything when he emerged, and it was with a bit of relief that he entered the dungeon through a shiny silvery portal that hung in the air in a shallow cave.

The first thing he noticed was the weight of the mana in the air.  It pressed down upon him like a blanket, each breath requiring a little more effort than normal.  By contrast, the other delvers took deep breaths, clearly enjoying the richer atmosphere.  The caves were naturally dim, lit only by a phosphorescent lichen.   Pyotr withdrew two glass spheres from the extra-planar space in the delvers’ bag he carried.  He tossed one to Duncan and tossed the other into the air.  It hung three feet above his head and lit the room with a soft glow.

Duncan focused his mana on the orb and copied the throw.  His sphere lit up with barely a flicker and bobbed above his head.  A little more concentration and it floated up high enough it wouldn’t interfere with sightlines if people were looking at or past him.
There we go.
Duncan hadn’t developed any Techniques yet, but his mana control was sufficient to support a light.  It would hang above him now until he chose to move it or extinguish it, a gentle drain on his mana that his natural regeneration was (barely) sufficient to overcome.

The party moved deeper into the caves, Pyotr in front, followed by Aiphe and Yiska, with Anton in the rear, just behind Duncan.  Duncan gripped his boar spear across his body so that the tip wouldn’t threaten an ally and moved confidently.  This was what he’d been training for.

The caves had a gentle slope down from the entrance, barely noticeable, really.  The walls and ceiling had a sheen of water in places, and a trickle flowed along the edge of the floor as they descended a wide tunnel.  The tunnel split on occasion, and each time Pyotr chose a branch without hesitation.  He’d been here a great many times and had a mental map of the place.

Their first encounter with goblins took Duncan by surprise.  Half a dozen goblins came charging around the corner ahead, wielding spears and pig iron daggers.  They flung themselves at the party with wild abandon.
They must have seen the light approaching,
Duncan thought.  Fortunately, the rest of his group weren’t surprised in the least.

Anton gestured and several spears thrust out of the ground, angled toward the goblins.  Three of them were impaled, their advance halted. Of the remaining three, Pyotr brained one with his mace as it launched itself at him, Aiphe cut one down with her sword, and Yiska produced a spray of ice shards that shredded the face of the one nearest her.  Duncan felt his stomach twist – that was not a pretty sight.

The three goblins impaled on Anton’s stone spears wailed, trying to free themselves, whether to advance or flee Duncan couldn’t be sure.   Pyotr stepped aside and waved Duncan forward.  With a grimace, Duncan thrust his boar spear into each goblin, as firmly and precisely as he could.  He’d been well-trained, and his thrusts were true.  The three goblins were slain with a single blow to each.  Anton’s spears faded and the bodies dropped to the ground.
Stone-aspected mana spears, then.  Not actual stone drawn up from the floor.
Duncan was faintly nauseated from the fight, but his mind was still processing details.

As the others collected the goblins’ gear and deposited it in Pyotr’s bag, Pyotr kept an eye on Duncan.  Fortunately, the youth didn’t vomit or cry.  Nor did he seem unaffected – someone whose first kills didn’t upset them in the least was a cause for concern, too.  Duncan’s reaction was as good as Pyotr could hope for.

Around the corner they found two baskets of small cave mushrooms.  The goblins had been harvesting them, it seemed.  Those went into the storage bag too – the mushrooms were delicious, more valuable than the poor-quality iron of the goblins’ weapons.

They continued to advance through the dungeon, running into several more goblin harvesters, with very similar outcomes.  Pyotr’s team was significantly overpowered for the goblin dungeon.  They continued to allow Duncan to finish off incapacitated foes, and even to fight an injured one on two occasions.  He acquitted himself well.

“Two goblins ahead down the left branch,” Aiphe said quietly.  “No others in range.”
Oh!
Duncan thought.
She can sense them with her life magic.
His constant wariness had been redundant.  No one had told him.  That said, he wouldn’t always have a life mage with him, so wariness was a good habit to get into.

“Right, then” Pyotr said just as softly.  “All yours, Duncan.  You’ve done well, shown a steady hand and good composure.  Let’s see what you can do.”

“Wait, what?” Duncan said.  “On my own?”  The group had already allowed him to do more fighting than he’d expected.

“Go.  We’ve got your back if you need us.”

Right.  Goblins are weak.  I’ve got this.
Duncan crept down the left branch of the tunnel, spear ready to thrust.  He stepped around a bend and saw them waiting for him.
I’m carrying a light – of course I can’t sneak up on them.
The goblins leapt to attack, as every other pack had done.  Really, they were bundles of pure aggression with next to no sense of self preservation.

The one on the left had a dagger, the one on the right a spear.  Duncan leapt to his right and thrust at the spear wielder, taking the outside line.  The goblin parried with his spear, and Duncan disengaged under the parry and buried the tip of his spear in the goblin’s chest.  It sank in right to the cross guard and the goblin collapsed without even a scream.  Duncan yanked hard on his spear to clear the tip from the corpse and took a step back to re-establish distance as the dagger wielder had to step around its fallen companion.  He feinted a thrust to the face, and the goblin didn’t so much as flinch in its advance, just tilting its head out of the way as it passed the spear tip. Duncan withdrew the spear quickly, slashing the sharpened edge of the broad spear tip across the goblins neck in a draw cut.  Dark blood gushed, but it had been advancing in the direction of the cut, so it wasn’t the killing blow he’d hoped for.

The goblin stabbed him in the side.  His pendant absorbed some of the blow, and his hardened leather armor took the rest of the force.  He was unscathed, but furious with himself.  The feint had been foolish.  He slammed the haft of his spear into the goblin, shoving it away as he stepped forward with his left foot, then immediately stepped back with the same foot and repeated the draw cut.  This one had the intended effect, and the goblin dropped, neck severed to the spine.

“Not bad at all!” Pyotr had rounded the corner in time to see the end of the fight.  “You made quick work of them, and not even a scratch.”   Duncan’s “thanks” was pretty curt – he knew he could have done better.

They collected the gear and the mushroom basket from the goblins and moved on.  His bona fides established, the rest of the group backed off a little further so that Duncan could get some more real fighting in, and he started to feel better.  His teamwork improved, and he was able to earn several more legitimate kills fighting in the group, using Aiphe and Pyotr as his shield wall.

As they advanced through the dungeon, the goblins they faced changed somewhat.  Gone were the mushroom harvesters, replaced by guards who all used spears and bucklers.  The delvers had no troubles though, and remained unscathed as they fought their way through.

The final cavern was the largest.  It had groves of giant mushrooms and a pond had formed from the runoff from the walls and ceilings of the caves.  The goblin chief and his bodyguards were entrenched near the back, the pond preventing access from one side.  There were at least two dozen guards and two large cave salamanders had apparently been tamed and stood with the guards.  The salamanders were almost three meters long and had jaws capable of crushing bone.

“That’s a lot of guards.” Pyotr said.  “Many groups would try to draw some out into the caverns, or snipe away from range to whittle them down and draw them out of their defensive shell.  But it’s been a long day and I could use a beer, so we’re just going to kill them where they stand.   Everyone ready?”  The experienced delvers grinned, clearly ready.  Duncan was caught up in the moment and grinned right along with them.

It was a massacre.  Pyotr and Aiphe strode forwards together. When they were about fifty feet from the goblins, Yiska started launching spears of ice-aspected mana at them.  The goblins charged.   Anton repeated his earlier stone spear barrier Technique and impaled all the goblins who approached on the left flank.  Pyotr activated a spirit affinity aura Technique, and all the goblins were compelled to focus their ire on him.  Duncan stepped up behind the shield bearers so he could attack from behind the cover of their shields.  Anton added more stone spears beside the group, forcing the goblins to attack from the front.

As the goblins rushed the shield wall, Pyotr activated another Technique, and the stone floor softened to something akin to ankle-deep quicksand in a twenty-foot square in front of him.   The goblins floundered through it, and it hardened back to stone, trapping their feet.

The delvers finished off the group with no difficulty and no damage taken.  Duncan was suitably impressed – had his entire student barracks faced this room, they’d have been hard pressed to win, and would definitely have taken multiple casualties.  The team looted the room, and they made the long walk back to the entrance in good spirits, running into a couple more mushroom harvesters on the way back.

Once outside, Pyotr confirmed to the healer on duty that they were fine, signed the logbook to confirm they were out, and led them back down the hill to Stonewatch.  They turned in their loot to the guild appraiser’s office, where it was duly written down as their contribution.  Nothing interesting enough for any of them to claim as personal loot had dropped, but that wasn’t unusual for the goblin dungeon.   The iron would be melted down and used by the valley’s various crafters, and the salamander hides would likewise be useful.  The mushrooms would be added to their food stocks.

That done, Duncan took his leave from the experienced delvers, happily accepting their warm congratulations on successfully completing his first dungeon and graduating from student to delver.  He rushed back to his barracks where his year-group of twenty-ish boys and girls greeted him with cheers and warm embraces.  Someone pulled out a bottle of spirits, and they toasted his advancement.  Several of them helped him carry the contents of his footlocker to his new private room, one of the perks of being an actual delver.   It had been a very good day indeed.

Chapter 2

Life as a novice delver wasn’t a big change from that of a student.  Duncan no longer had to share a barracks room with 23 other youths, but he still used the communal bathing facilities and shared the communal kitchen, dining hall, and training field.  He trained with the same masters, and many of the same sparring partners.   But twice a week he got to delve the goblin dungeon.

After the initial delve with Pyotr’s full team, Duncan settled into a normal routine.  One or two novice delvers, two or three intermediate delvers (who each had a couple of years’ experience and had developed at least one full Technique for each of their affinities), and one experienced delver formed each group.  One experienced delver could often clear the dungeon solo, so there was still a degree of safety, but that didn’t mean the experienced delver could necessarily clear the dungeon and protect their entire team, so there was still sufficient risk for the younger delvers to advance.  The greater the peril one experienced, the faster one advanced, so the guild tried to balance the risk and reward.  Teams of intermediate delvers ran the dungeon without any experienced delvers to protect them (and without novice delvers to hinder them) to increase their risk and reward.  Once they reached that stage, they were able to delve the Wilderness dungeon if they had two experienced delvers with them. But that was a ways off for Duncan.

The goblin dungeon wasn’t nearly as easy with a normal group as it had been on his training run.  His companions had only one or two Techniques, and those weren’t nearly as advanced as those of experienced delvers.  Groups of mushroom harvesters could be a challenging fight for some groups, and the chieftain room at the end was almost always very difficult.  Duncan quickly learned that he simply didn’t get used to pain.  Being stabbed or cut or bludgeoned was always awful.  The relief that accompanied healing magic was the only thing that kept him going.  Some people with body affinities developed pain tolerance techniques, but he had no Technique for it yet, nor did he have the mind magic necessary for an ignore pain Technique.  The one time he’d encountered a goblin shaman he’d discovered that being burned and electrocuted was no better than being stabbed.

He repeated the dungeon with a wide variety of companions.  There were almost a thousand delvers in the guild, so the dungeons saw a lot of use.  They were used to extract resources, treasure, and knowledge, and they powered much of the economy of the valley.   Experiencing the dungeon so many times with so many people using so many different Techniques exposed him to a variety of risks and challenges.  The dungeon rarely felt the same, even with similar creatures within.

Dungeons were fascinating things.  They seemed to spontaneously occur where the ambient mana in the world pooled in sufficiently high concentrations that it would be harmful to life in the area. The delvers guild’s scholars espoused a theory that when it was empty, the dungeon generated creatures and traps and treasures.  A group could clear a dungeon out entirely, but if it was left untouched for a short while, it would repopulate with new monsters.  Given that dungeons almost always refilled with the same sort of creatures or traps, it was assumed that each had a static pool of monsters to choose from.

Dungeons also seemed to feed on those who died within them.  Corpses (and any gear left on them) disappeared an hour or so after death, absorbed by the dungeon.   And delvers couldn’t leave a dungeon carrying a corpse, be it delver or monster, even in an extra-planar container.  The portal out simply didn’t work if you were carrying a corpse.  If you died in a dungeon, it would be your final resting place.

While dungeons only needed a little rest between visits to reset, that wasn’t true for delvers.  After each delve, Duncan returned to the guild hall in Stonewatch where the group leader would turn in the loot they’d collected (every group leader had an extra-planar storage space in a bag issued by the guild).  Then he’d return to his room or the meditation gardens and meditate on the delve just completed.  He’d review his actions, and those of his teammates, and study the tactics of the creatures they’d faced.  In doing so, he built the foundations in his spirit that his Techniques would later build upon.  Later, or the next day, he’d adjust his training to accommodate what he’d learned.

He made a list of the intermediate delvers he meshed well with – it was never too early to start thinking about a group when he reached that stage and could delve with a less rigid group composition.  Very few guardians were anywhere near the ability of Pyotr, so it was rare that he came out of a delve without having taken at least some damage.  On several occasions he joined groups that didn’t have a guardian at all – everyone had to face their own share of the monsters.  Strangely, despite the wounds he inevitably received on those delves, those were his favorites.  He just liked being in the thick of things.

Months passed this way, and he gradually grew stronger and more experienced, his nascent Techniques boosted by the risks he took in the dungeon, and by the training of his masters between delves.

Chapter 3

Ten minutes into the dungeon delve, Duncan knew something was wrong.   He’d entered the Goblin dungeon with Pyotr, Antoni, and Mairi – a strong group.  Pyotr was slumming again – Duncan suspected his mother had asked Pyotr to look after him, because he was the experienced delver in Duncan’s group too often for it to be happenstance.  Antoni and Mairi were intermediate delvers; Antoni was a competent healer with two years’ experience delving and two healing Techniques already, and Mairi’s fire magic could devastate goblins.  Duncan was using a boar spear again – the extra reach and cross bar helped keep monsters at bay should they turn their attention to him.  He still had no real Techniques of his own, but he could keep the bladed tip of his spear sharper than a grindstone could manage, and stronger than normal steel, and he could control his own blood enough that he didn’t bleed from minor wounds (although they still hurt.  Pain came from tissue damage rather than bleeding, it seemed).  His skin had hardened somewhat but was still weaker than his leather armor.

They had entered the dungeon as usual once they’d completed their final ready checks.  The moment they left the entrance chamber to step deeper into the cave complex they were set upon by frantic goblins.  Eight of the ugly creatures swarmed them, with no rhyme or reason.  Duncan set his spear to receive the charge of one, and it impaled itself on his point, only the crossbar preventing it from running all the way up the spear to attack him.  With its short limbs and dagger, it couldn’t reach him.  A second goblin struck him on the arm with a bone club, the blow softened by his pendant and his leather armor, doing no serious harm.

Three goblins leapt at Antoni, and he was knocked back a step as they piled into him, biting and stabbing with poor quality daggers.  Antoni activated a healing aura Technique and stood his ground.  The pain in Duncan’s arm immediately faded – the blow wouldn’t even leave a bruise.

Mairi activated her fire shield technique, and the goblin attacking her shied back.  At that moment, Pyotr’s Aura of Attention came to life and all the goblins turned to him.  With his heavy armor and tower shield, he easily withstood their attacks, lashing out with his mace in reply.

The goblins were dispatched in short order, none of them doing enough harm to cause Antoni to cast a direct healing spell.  His healing aura kept the group in good shape.

“That was invigorating!” Pyotr exclaimed.  “They were a bit more lively than usual, and closer to the entrance than normal.  Something may have riled them up.  Let’s be more careful than usual going forward.”  The rest of the group indicated agreement, and Duncan kept an eye on the passage deeper into the cave complex as his companions quickly looted the goblins and stashed the stuff in Pyotr’s storage bag.

They moved forward, Pyotr in the lead, followed by Antoni and Mairi, with Duncan bringing up the rear.  The next few caverns were mostly empty – just a few cave mushrooms growing along the walls.  Mairi harvested them quickly and Pyotr tucked them away.

The next chamber was a bloody mess.  There were at least a dozen dead goblins scattered around, many of them in pieces.  Blood and viscera coated the floor.  “Oh shit,” Pyotr said.  “Something big must have entered the dungeon.”   Duncan felt a wave of adrenaline hit as his fight or flight reflex kicked in.  The wide eyes and tense body language from his companions suggested they all felt the same way.  Creatures generated by dungeons weren’t generally hostile to each other, though in some wilderness dungeons, there could be an entire ecosystem of predators and prey.  The goblin dungeon wasn’t that sort of dungeon, though, so if something was killing the goblins, it was likely from outside.

Antoni bent to check a goblin’s body.  There were great gashes along the torso, inches deep, in four parallel lines.  “A beast did this.  These are not wounds from weapons.”

Pyotr was decisive.  “Back to the entrance.”  He looked at Duncan.  “Sorry lad, you’re too new for this.  Something that could do this needs an experienced team.  I’ll come back with…”  His words were interrupted by an anguished scream from Mairi.  She was driven to her knees as a terrible blow shredded her robes and her back.  Behind her, barely visible in the low light of the caves, a massive black panther loomed.

The team reacted well.  Antoni flooded mana into his healing Technique, trying to staunch the gaping wounds on Mairi’s back.  Pyotr activated his Aura of Attention to make the beast focus on him.  Duncan lunged at the panther, thrusting with his boar spear.  And met only air, as the huge beast simply vanished.   Duncan spun wildly, trying to see where it had gone.  White hot pain made him cry out as claws ravished his flank from waist to thigh.  The cat was gone a second later, only to appear beside Pyotr and swipe at him.

Fortunately, Pyotr’s stone armor Technique was up to the challenge – the claws etched deep gashes in his physical armor but didn’t penetrate further.  His mace lashed out, clipping the panther on the shoulder, but the beast didn’t so much as flinch.  That in itself was just as terrifying as the damage the monster had done to Mairi and Duncan.  Pyotr’s blows routinely pulped the skulls of goblins, but the panther shrugged off the blow.

Duncan shifted his weight to his good leg, hobbling toward Pyotr and the panther.  Mairi launched a thin streak of fire at the cat, which singed its fur but provoked not even a yowl.  She activated her fire shield as her wounds started to knit together under the effect of Antoni’s healing technique.

The cat swiped hard at Pyotr again, and again failed to penetrate his armor.  It promptly vanished, and Duncan screamed as savage claws ranked across his back, shredding his leather armor and the flesh underneath.  His pendant prevented a negligible amount of the damage.  He collapsed to the floor in pain the like of which he’d never felt before.  Sweet relief hit as Antoni turned his attention to Duncan, the healing technique soothing the pain as it repaired wounded tissue.

“It’s ignoring my Aura,” Pyotr called.  “Everyone get your back to the wall behind Mairi!”  Duncan scrambled to his feet to obey.  The cat had vanished again.

As they stood against the wall, straining to see their attacker, Antoni continued to heal Mairi and Duncan.  “I can’t keep this up too long,” he said.  “My mana reserves are depleting fast.  I’ve done more healing in the last minute than I do in an entire delve normally.”

“To the entrance, now.”  Pyotr directed.  The group started shuffling along the wall, Duncan in the lead and Pyotr guarding their backs.  The moment they started to move, Antoni cried out as the panther appeared and disemboweled him with a vicious blow.  Instinctively, Antoni flooded his wounds with healing mana as he slumped back against the wall.

Mairi let loose with an absolute flood of fire from both hands at point blank range.  She must have gone through half her mana reserve in two seconds flat as her flames engulfed the panther, burning hair, crisping skin, and charring the meat below.  The panther yowled in pain and disappeared again.  Mairi sucked in great gasps of air as she recovered from the exertion.

The cat reappeared directly in front of Mairi and impaled her with both front paws.  She still had her fire shield active, and the cat’s paws smoked as they struck, but they struck true.  Mairi was pinned to the wall by the attack.  And the panther followed up by ripping her throat out with its mighty fangs.  She slumped to the ground, slain outright, and the cat vanished again as Duncan stabbed wildly at it with his boar spear and Pyotr slammed his mace into its flank.

Duncan was terrified.  The cat’s extreme mobility and incredible damage were far beyond anything he’d faced in training or his previous dungeon delves.  His spear felt useless – he felt useless.  Mairi was dead, Antoni was holding his intestines in place with his arms as he tried to heal himself, and the damned cat was appearing and disappearing at will.

Again the cat appeared, Blinking into existence next to Antoni and clawing his face off.  Duncan’s frantic thrust struck the panther in the shoulder, where Mairi’s flame attack had charred the flesh a handspan deep.  The boar spear penetrated a good ways into the wound and the tip grated on bone.  From the other side, Pyotr’s mace struck with considerable force, breaking ribs and collapsing the beast’s side.

The panther disappeared, immediately reappearing directly behind Pyotr.  It repeated the attack that had disabled Mairi earlier, both sets of front claws impaling Pyotr.  This time, his armor failed him and the claws pierced deep into his back.  Pyotr grunted and activated his most advanced defensive Technique, and the stone floor flowed up around him, encasing him in dense stone armor, rooting him in place, and trapping the Panther’s claws inside his body.

The panther roared, and as it struck at Pyotr’s neck, Duncan thrust his boar spear over Pyotr’s shoulder and into the beast’s mouth, piercing its soft palate and striking deep into its brain.  It flailed wildly for a moment, and Pyotr’s eyes widened as he felt its claws flex in his innards.  Then the cat died, and Pyotr collapsed from his wounds.  The stone pillar protecting him receded into the floor and he disappeared under the dead weight of the panther.

Frantically, Duncan pushed at the corpse of the panther.  It weighed significantly more than he did, and he struggled to get it off his mentor.  Eventually he had to use the butt end of his boar spear as a lever to push it aside enough for him to check on Pyotr.  The panther’s claws came out of the guardian’s back with a gush of blood.  Duncan applied pressure to the wounds, and the bleeding quickly slowed.  Pyotr had a passive regeneration Technique - he should recover over time, leaching strength from the stone.  For now, though, he was unconscious and defenseless.

Duncan checked on Antoni and Mairi, but both were clearly dead.   He removed their gear and stored it in Pyotr’s storage bag.  Their families would be grateful for its return.  The bodies he had to leave for the dungeon.  Dungeons fed on those that died within them - that was the rule.  He turned his attention to the panther.  Around its neck, it wore a simple leather collar with a dark crystal pendant hanging from it.  Duncan took that and stored it in the storage bag as well.  He skinned it as best he could and took its claws and teeth.  He had to leave the body for the dungeon, but he was entitled to its treasure, and the hide, claws, and teeth of a powerful spirit beast were treasures in their own right.

Then he sat down to wait for Pyotr’s regeneration to progress far enough for him to awaken.  There was no way Duncan could drag Pyotr out of the dungeon with his stone armor.  He was really hopeful the cat had been alone.

Some time later the corpse of the cat melted into mana along with the bodies of Antoni and Mairi, and the cloud of mana dissipated into the dungeon.  The cycle of life in a dungeon was cruel, but efficient.

Not long after the bodies disappeared, Pyotr opened his eyes and groaned.  Duncan made sure he was in Pyotr’s line of sight, but still kept his eyes on the entrance to the deeper caverns.

“What happened?” Pyotr asked.

“When you immobilized the panther with your stone technique, I was able to stab it in the mouth and kill it.  Antoni and Mairi’s bodies were taken by the dungeon.  Their gear is in your bag.”  Duncan sounded cold and emotionless to himself.  Just the facts for now.  Mourning could happen when they were safely outside.

Pyotr sighed heavily. “Alright then.  Let’s head out.  Another experienced team can run through here later on to make sure that was the only large threat in here.”  He climbed to his feet, picked up his mace and shield, and secured the planar bag to his belt.  With a shake of his head, he indicated Duncan should lead the way out.

Once they were outside, the attendant on duty immediately used a healing Technique on Pyotr and triggered the alert beacon to call for backup.  Two delvers had failed to return, and the two that had looked uncommonly torn up.

In less than an hour, leading figures from the Delvers Guild had gathered in a back room of the guild hall in Stonewatch to hear Pyotr’s report.  Pyotr was succinct in the retelling up to the point where he was rendered unconscious by the claws in his back.  He gestured to Duncan to take over the tale from there, and Duncan quietly explained how he’d killed the panther with the spear thrust into its mouth, and how he’d recovered his groupmates’ gear and looted the panther while he’d waited for Pyotr to regenerate.

Pyotr took over again.  “We don’t know if the panther was generated by the dungeon, entered by the entrance in our valley, or found another way in.  The dungeon looked normal, at least as far as we could see, so it seems unlikely that it has changed types.”

The highest ranking guild officer present, a tall mage named Agamar, who had strong affinities for both fire and ice, responded, “We’ll have Becca’s team completely clear the goblin dungeon to ensure it’s safe and there are no other large predators lurking.”   Becca’s team was comprised of some of the strongest delvers in the valley – the guild was taking no chances in checking out potential new danger in the dungeon.

Pyotr began pulling Antoni and Mairi’s gear out of his storage bag.  “We’ll need the guild to return these to their families” he said.  Everyone paused a moment to bow their heads in respect for the dead.

“Of course,” Agamar replied.   “And we’ll have their ceremony in two days’ time in the main guildhall.”  Family and friends would gather to tell tales of Antoni and Mairi’s prowess and of their lives outside the dungeon.  Food would be eaten, drinks consumed, and tears would flow.   A delver’s life was a dangerous one – the guild lost a dozen people or more a year.

Once they had reported to the guild, Pyotr and Duncan stopped by the guild’s appraisal office.  They had only a little junk from the goblins they’d encountered, but Duncan felt sure the trophies from the spirit beast would be valuable.

The guild appraiser was duly appreciative of the quality of the pelt, claws, and teeth.  But when he picked up the crystal on the collar, his face went ashen, and he sat down heavily.  “This isn’t a gem,” he said.  “It’s an affinity stone.”

Pyotr and Duncan both leaned forward over the table.  “Which affinity?” Pyotr demanded.

“Space.”

Duncan was full of excitement.  “Is that why the cat was teleporting madly all over the place?  A space affinity?”  If he could do that, he’d be a real powerhouse.

“Possibly,” Pyotr replied.  “A mastery of space magic techniques could allow teleportation, I expect.”  He smiled wanly.  This was a rare find, but it came at a high cost.

“Do you want it?”  Duncan knew that, as the senior delver on the team, Pyotr had the right to claim the stone if he wanted to use it himself.

The question hung in the air like a weight over Duncan’s head.  He was more anxious about this than he’d been about facing the panther in the first place.  Pyotr smiled at him.  “Nah, son, you use it.  Between my stone and spirit affinities, I’ve a full slate of techniques as is.   You’re blank as a newborn, lots of room for growth.   And it’s my job to hold my ground and keep the baddies focused on me.  Flitting around the battlefield is not my thing.”

Relief flooded Duncan and he sagged as he relaxed – he hadn’t even known how tense he’d been.  “Thank you Pyotr – I am profoundly grateful” he said.

“You are most welcome, Duncan.  Let’s hope something great comes out of this to help mitigate our loss.”

Duncan returned to his room and sat on his cot.  His mind whirled and his thoughts were conflicted.  He got back to his feet and visited the meditation gardens to process the events of the day.  It took him hours longer than usual, but at last he stood up, his mind clear and his stomach complaining.  He returned to his room and ate some of his delving rations, unwilling to venture out to find food.

When he woke the next day, he still felt the weight of the day’s activities.  After his morning ablutions, during which he had to endure the sympathy and questions of the students and other novice delvers in the bathing room, he made his way to the common room for breakfast, only to be directed to a side room instead, where his family were all waiting for him.  His mother engulfed him in a hug the moment he entered.  “We heard you lost half your team yesterday! What happened?”  And so he had to explain yet again, although he edited out all the details this time around, saying only that his team was set upon by a giant teleporting cat that had entered the dungeon, and that it had killed Antoni and Mairi.

His mother wasn’t deflected.  “You should stop delving.  It’s too dangerous.”

“I’m sorry, mama,” he replied.  “I can’t talk about it now.  I need time to process.”   Duncan extricated himself from his family as politely as he could manage, and fled back to his room, breakfast forgotten.

Once alone in the blessed silence of his room, he pulled out the affinity stone and examined it again.  It was a black rhombohedral crystal as wide as it was tall.  It didn’t glow, or pulse or anything.  It was just a matte black crystal that happened to be able to drastically boost his Space affinity.  He took a few preparatory breaths, then placed the crystal against his forehead and pulled at it with his mind as he inhaled.  The crystal dissolved into a cloud of mana that melted into his head.  There was no pain, no struggle.  He just fell unconscious.

Chapter 4

When Duncan awoke from his enforced sleep, the first thing he noticed was that he was starving.  The second thing he noticed was that his bladder was uncomfortably full.   So he staggered to his feet and after a quick visit to the lavatory at the end of the hall, he headed to the dining hall, where he cobbled together a huge makeshift breakfast in the middle of the afternoon from the snacks that were always available.  Wolfing it down, he noticed that everyone in the room was giving him a wide berth.  He wasn’t very social at the best of times, but usually folks just ignored him rather than actively avoided him.   As he finished eating, he became aware of an unpleasant odor permeating the room.  He flushed crimson.
That’s me.  That smell is me.  I reek of rancid sweat.
He leapt to his feet and ran from the room, barely taking the time to return his dishes on his way to the bathing room.  He stripped off his clothes, then hesitated.  If he threw them into the communal laundry pile he would contaminate the lot.  The bathing room attendant looked at him in horror, holding her nose.  She pointed at a door in the corner. “Private bath.  Take your clothes with you.”

Duncan did as he was told.  The room he entered had a large empty tub, a table, and a recessed area with a drain in the floor.  There was an empty clothes basket in the corner by the door.  He deposited his soiled clothes and moved to the tub but couldn’t figure out how to fill it.

The door opened and the attendant entered, looking like she was geared for war.  She wore a heavy robe of some material he couldn’t recognize, with no warp or weft to it.  Her hair was hidden under a cap of the same material, and even her hands were covered.  She had a clip over her nose.
Come on,
Duncan thought.
Surely I don’t smell *that* bad.
The attendant was holding a bucket in one hand and what appeared to be a triangular stick in the other.  “Stand over that drain, facing the wall,” she said.  “Spread your arms and legs.  Gah, I need danger pay for this.”

“What has happened to me,” Duncan asked.  “Is this some sort of prank?”   The attendant raised the stick and he hurriedly turned to face the wall and spread his limbs as instructed.

“You’ve had what some outside mystics would call a breakthough.  We see it once every few years.  Your body has ejected all the impurities it contained.  And you, sir, had a lot of impurities.” She laughed.  “At least I can’t smell it anymore.  I’m going to use this stick to scrape that stinky sludge off you into this bucket.  Then I’m going to pour hot water over you for a while.  Then I’m going to get a new stick and a new bucket and repeat the process.  While I’m getting that new stick and bucket you will wash your hair with the super soap in that bottle on the shelf.  Head and groin both.  Understand?”

He nodded, and she began scraping his back.  The scraping actually felt pretty good.  She scraped his back, shoulders, arms, butt, and legs, then told him to turn around.  “Sorry,” he said.  “Mind of its own.”  She just shook her head and scraped his front in the same order she’d done his back, with the same ruthless efficiency.

“Right, now stand under the water and use that soap on all your hairy bits.”  She touched a rune on the wall, and a deluge of extremely hot water poured out of holes in the ceiling and disappeared down the drain at his feet.  “I’ll be back in a few minutes with a new bucket and stick.”  She dropped the stick into the bucket, and left the room, taking the bucket and laundry basket with her.

When she returned, he’d used half the bottle of soap and felt much better, although the soap was so strong it made his skin itch.  Even so, she turned off the water and scraped him down again with the new stick.  “So,” he asked, “what did you mean by a breakthrough?”

“Ask one of the guild officers or instructors.  I just mind the baths.  You know everything I do about breakthroughs.  That sludge was your body’s impurities and you were very impure.”  She whacked his butt with the stick.  “Scraping’s done.  Use the rest of the soap on your entire body.  I’ll bring you some clean clothes.”  With that, she turned the water back on and left, taking the bucket and stick with her.

When she returned with his clean clothes and a towel, she used the rune to end the flood of hot water again.  Passing him the towel, she asked “Where did this breakthrough happen?”

“Uh, in my room, maybe? I woke up really hungry and didn’t notice the smell until I finished my meal in the dining hall.”

The attendant was flabbergasted.  “You mean they actually served you food smelling like that?  They’ll have to fumigate the dining hall.   And they’ll probably have to burn your bedsheets, too.   I’ll notify the dorm attendant.  What’s your name?”  He told her.  “Well, Duncan, I’m Annie White.  I can’t say it was a pleasure to meet you, but I’ll have a good story as a result.   You’re free to go.”

Duncan left the private bath and ignored the strange looks he was receiving from the few folks soaking in the baths.  He went straight to his room, but when he opened the door, his eyes began to water.  He slammed it shut again and hunted down the dorm attendant.  “Hi, I’m Duncan, room 114.  I uh, had a breakthrough in my room, and it smells like a monster died in there.   I’m so sorry.  Annie White, the bath attendant can explain.  I’ve uh, got to go see someone who can explain it to me.”  He rushed off.
Oh, she doesn’t look happy.  I’m going to need to bring back gifts.

The teaching staff at Stonewatch were primarily there to train the kids who arrived at fourteen until they were ready to graduate to delver status at seventeen or eighteen.  Many were masters of specific affinities who only taught a couple of days a month and were rarely on site.   Only a few instructors and administers were on-site most of the time.  So Duncan found himself knocking on the door to the office of Repdam Bookworm (descriptive cognomens were very common among the people of the Valley).

“Enter!” bade a deep voice.  Repdam Bookworm was a large man who looked like he bent horseshoes for a living. His salt and pepper hair was trimmed short, and he had a musketeer moustache and goatee.  His strongest affinities were Mind and Lightning, and he was one of the most capable delvers the guild had, but rumor had it he rarely delved these days.  He taught theorycrafting to the new arrivals because it fascinated him.   Theorycrafting was the study of how affinities interacted and how one could combine Techniques from one’s strongest affinities to develop the best combination for survival and success in delving.  Duncan felt confident that if anyone knew what had happened to him, it would be Repdam.

“Hello, Sir.” Duncan began.

“Good afternoon, Duncan. What can I do for a promising novice like you?  Have you advanced enough to need help with a delving build?  Body and Blade, as I recall, hmm?”  Repdam remembered the affinities of every student who’d passed through Stonewatch in the past eighty years.

“Well sir, something strange happened to me last night or this morning, and I’m hoping you can explain it to me.  You see, I found an affinity stone on a monster in the goblin dungeon yesterday and when I used it, I passed out.  I woke up this afternoon absolutely starving, so I went to the dining hall for food, and I noticed I smelled really bad.  Like end of the world bad. I ran to the baths, and the attendant there, Annie, I feel really bad for her, she had to wear protective gear, she made me use the private bathing room with the water from the ceiling, and there was this rancid grease all over me that she had to scrape off with a stick.  She said maybe I’d had what outsiders call a breakthrough and that I should talk to you about it.”

Repdam leaned back in his chair, causing it to creak in warning.
He really is a big dude.  I’m not sure that chair’s going to survive.
“There’s quite a bit to unwrap there.  Affinity stones are very rare drops from dangerous dungeons.  We’re lucky to see one a year in the Naga dungeon.”  The Abandoned Mine, or Naga dungeon was the most dangerous, and most rewarding dungeon in the Valley.  “To have one drop in the goblin dungeon is unprecedented.”

Duncan explained about the cat monster in the goblin dungeon. “And then the appraiser said it was a space affinity, and Pyotr thought it was unsuited to him, so I got it.”

Repdam nodded.  “Antoni and Mairi will be missed.  Good people, both.  It’s a rare occurrence that a dungeon will spawn a creature that is hostile to the other creatures in it.  And almost unheard of for an outside creature to find a way into a dungeon by any means other than the portal.  I cannot imagine a panther like you describe roaming our valley and wandering into the goblin dungeon, though.  Surely it would have attacked someone in the valley and drawn attention to itself that way…”

“Sorry, lad.  My mind wanders… it’s just so fascinating.   So you had a traumatic experience, then used an affinity stone.   Did you meditate to process the experience after the dungeon before you used the stone?”

Duncan confirmed he had.  “I meditated in the gardens after returning from the dungeon and slept.  I didn’t use the stone until the next day.  Yesterday, I think.  I honestly don’t know how long I was unconscious.  I was very hungry when I woke up, though.”

Repdam opened a large ledger on his desk.  “You did the dungeon on the seventeenth day of Spring, and today’s the nineteenth.  So you only lost the one day.  Still, that’s a long time to be out after a breakthrough.”

“But, what is a breakthrough?” Duncan asked. “I’ve never heard the term.”

“Essentially, it’s a sudden advancement in your understanding of your affinities and Techniques.  You learned more from the traumatic experience in the dungeon than you were able to process through meditation, and the extra understanding imparted by the affinity stone pushed you forward.  You will doubtless have an easier time developing some actual techniques now.  Things your masters say will make more sense, and you’ll intuitively start to use your affinities better on your delves.”

“What about the rancid sweat, the stench, the sludgy stuff I was covered in?” Duncan pressed.  “The bathing attendant said it was my impurities being expelled by my body.  What does that mean?”

Rempdam harrumphed. “A lot of this has to do with how people in the outside world view affinities and Techniques.  Normally we’d not tell you anything about this unless you were taking a trade caravan outside the Valley.  No good comes of talking about the outside world.  It’s dangerous.  But in a nutshell, there are two not entirely incompatible schools of thought.  In the first, people who develop their affinities and train Techniques are called Cultivators.  They treat the process of advancement as a spiritual journey.  To them, mana is the very stuff of life, they call it Chi or some such.  It sits in a spiritual organ somewhere in the lower belly, and they practice cycling it from there through their bodies.  In their minds, it is this that strengthens their bodies as they gain experience and mastery.  They’ve quantified levels of advancement based on the density of their mana in their spiritual organ, which they call a dantian or a core, or a core that sits in their dantian.  Something like that.   Anyway, in this tradition, when you move from one mastery tier to the next, your body becomes purer, more refined, and impurities are expelled through the skin and bowels.”

“Even for them, though, it’s generally nowhere near as extreme as what you’ve described.  Maybe your diet is poor?  Maybe you had a really big leap forward in understanding.  Hard to say.  But it’s not harmful to you, except maybe to your reputation.  Let’s hope you don’t get a cognomen like Duncan the Stinky or some such.”

Duncan was mortified.  This was exactly the sort of situation that generated such things.
How many people saw me in the dining hall?  Or the bathing room?  What sort of stories is Annie telling about me?
But his voice was steady as he replied, “Then I’ll have to do something special to earn a better one.”

“Good lad!” Repdam said.  “Now, if you’ll indulge an old man, I’d like to retest your affinities.  There should be no one in the testing room, and we should know what that affinity stone did.”

Duncan agreed – he was also very curious about the space affinity he may have received.  As they walked to the testing room, he asked, “How does the other school of thought in the outside world think of affinities and Techniques?”

“They’re crazy.” Repdam said.  “They quantify everything.”  He opened the door to the testing room and gestured for Duncan to enter.  “A long time ago, some group of mad scientists came up with a physical item that can be absorbed into a person’s soul space.  They’re easy to craft – enchanters produce them in vast quantities.  So when you first get tested for your affinities, you absorb one of these ‘soulgems’ and it catalogs everything about you.  How strong you are, how dextrous, how much mana you have - they have a standard unit of measurement for mana, and for life, for everything really.”

“And then they apply math to all those numbers they got from quantifying everything about you and assign you a numerical level.”  Duncan could almost see steam rising off Repdam’s head.  “The sum total of everything about you, reduced to a number!   So you get idiots going on about how they’re level fifty six and they have three hundred mana and five hundred health or whatever.”

“And don’t get me started on attribute stats!  How do they define intelligence?  Is it deductive reasoning?  Recall? Mathematical aptitude?  No!  It’s some co-efficient of the damage you do when you invest a specific quantity of mana into a damaging spell Technique against a target with known resistance values!”   Repdam was on a roll now.  “Preposterous!  And to top it off, much of their society is built around what level you are. A couple of centuries back, they found a way to make the soulgem effect inheritable, and now almost everyone in the outside world uses it. You must be level fifty to enter this dungeon.  You must be level twenty to join the city guard.  No one over level eighty is allowed to compete in this tournament.  Your leathercrafting skill must be over five to become a journeyman in the leathercrafting guild.  Yes, they quantify skills as well.   Crazy, I tell you.  Insane.”

Duncan was both a little horrified and intrigued. “How do they know what their numbers are?”

“They run a little mana through the gem in their soul space and it displays all the statistics in their mind’s eye.  On an imaginary scroll.”

“But then, how do you know someone’s telling the truth when they say what their numbers are?”

“People with these gems in their souls can see the level of other people with soulgems through some interaction with their own soulgem.  And apparently you can share your numbers, or some of your numbers, with other soulgem users. It’s considered rude to ask to see someone’s numbers beyond the very basics, though.  Much is extrapolated from the level.”

“Can you show someone fake numbers?”

Repdam snorted. “Apparently not, but who knows, really?   Anyway, sit down and channel your mana through the affinity array.  Let’s see what’s changed for you.”

Duncan gripped the handles on either side of the large array of crystals and began to channel mana into it. “How do your affinities factor into your level?  A strong ice affinity and and a strong mind affinity are completely different.  I don’t see how they’d be able to balance that.”

“Exactly!” Repdam crowed.  “They can’t, really.  And that’s why you should never trust someone’s level as a measure of their threat.  It’s a crutch, and it can only hurt those who rely on it.  The quantifiers (that’s my term, not theirs, I have no idea what they call themselves) break affinity levels down further than we do.  We label affinities as weak or strong, with the dividing line being whether or not the affinity is strong enough to justify developing Techniques for it.  They use negligible, weak, moderate, strong, and outstanding or some such.  That said, as far as I know, they don’t count affinities towards their level system directly, because they measure the strengths of one’s Techniques, and the strength of one’s affinities affects that, so it’s already taken into account indirectly.”

“How do they deal with people who don’t have a soulgem?” Duncan asked.

“They fall back on our methods.  The weight of the person’s presence.  The quality of the gear they wear.  The things they see them do…”  Repdam’s voice trailed off as the crystal array lit up displaying Duncan’s affinities.

The array contained dozens of crystals, each representing a known concept.  Quite a few glowed with varying degrees of intensity, showing Duncan had weak but measurable affinities to them.  Five, however, glowed significantly brighter than the remainder.  “Five,” breathed Repdam.  “That’s… astonishing.   Body, Mind, Spirit, Blade, and…” He checked a chart, not knowing the fifth offhand.  “Space.”

Five?
Duncan had never heard of anyone with five strong affinities.
What did that stone do to me?  What does this mean?
He began to grin.
This could be amazing.
He turned to Repdam, ready to celebrate.  Repdam was also grinning, a manic look in his eyes.
Uh oh,
Duncan thought, his own grin fading.
That can’t be good.

Repdam said “Having five strong affinities means you’ll need to choose from over a hundred known Techniques, active and passive, plus whatever you come up with on your own… Space is rare, and I don’t think we have any recorded Techniques for it, other than crafting those storage bags.  To come up with a viable build should be easy.  To come up with twenty viable builds should be easy.  To come up with the build best suited for you will be nigh impossible.    We’re going to have so much fun theorycrafting and testing!”

Well, shit.

Chapter 5

Duncan followed Repdam back to his office.  Once they were seated, the theorycrafter spoke.  “I will not tell anyone of your additional strong affinities.  That information is yours to share as you see fit, though my recommendation is to not share it at all.  If that knowledge gets out, you will become the object of more attention than you’ll enjoy.  Your peers will want to challenge you, your betters will want to test you, and the guild leadership may decide you’re valuable enough to be protected, meaning you’ll be escorted on all your delves as you were on your first, which will drastically slow your advancement.”

Duncan nodded.
Right then.  No telling anyone anything.  I’m still Body and Blade.  Pyotr knows about the affinity stone, so I’ll let him know about the space affinity.  But I really don’t want babysitters.

Repdam continued, “I, of course, will be mentoring you.  Wrangling five strong affinities into a cohesive whole will be extremely challenging, and I don’t want you to be another failure.”  At Duncan’s questioning look, he said “You’re not the first to have so many affinities, not by a long stretch.  Various noble families or guilds in the outside world have from time to time tried to load up promising young talents with additional affinities.  Affinity stones are rare, but there are thousands of dungeons in the world, and extreme wealth has a power of its own.  However, with very few exceptions, each recipient struggled to manage the affinities and failed to achieve enough to justify the cost.  Keep in mind, that no matter how many strong affinities a person has, there is a finite limit on the number of Techniques you can imprint on your soul, just as there’s a limit on the number of Techniques you can activate concurrently.  No one I have known has ever mastered more than ten active and ten passive Techniques.”

“You, at least, have come by your affinities honestly, thanks to your own efforts.  Mind, Body, and Spirit affinities can be very complementary.  Indeed, the Cultivators in the outside world all focus on those three even if their natural affinities lie in other areas. So we have a template to build from.  But we must be very careful to only select Techniques that fit your combination of affinities and that combine to form a cohesive whole.”

Duncan interjected, “How is it you know so much about the outside world, Repdam?  And how is it that so many of us do not?”

“The Valley is isolated both by geography and inclination.  The nearest city is a three-week journey through wilderness as dangerous as a dungeon, and it’s considered a frontier outpost.  Real civilization is a month or more away. So we don’t see many travelers.  Beyond that, the Matron protects the valley with a massive spell formation which prevents anyone from scrying within, and which physically prevents outsiders from entering.  It’s a dangerous world, and the best way to stay safe in it is to pass unnoticed.

“That said, a small number of experienced delvers have traveled outside of the valley.  I spent some years wandering the lands South and East of here, but that was over a century ago.  There are generally a few of us out and about at any given time, and they send messages with important news, although, honestly, not a lot that goes on in the world affects us here.  We are essentially self-sufficient.

“Now, back to you.  How do you see yourself as a delver?”

Without hesitation Duncan replied, “A blademaster.  I have always wanted to be a blademaster.”

“How fortunate for you that you have such a strong Blade affinity, then” Repdam mused.  “I have often wondered if early childhood experience determines one’s affinities.  There is compelling evidence that it contributes at least somewhat…

“Sorry, my boy, got sidetracked for a moment.  Your body affinity is well suited, as is.  If you focus on internal mind and spirit Techniques, I think you can greatly improve upon your base, and shore up some weaknesses.”

“I’m sorry, sir.” Duncan said, “But what do you mean by internal Techniques?  I assume there are also external Techniques.  How does this relate to active vs passive Techniques?”

“No relation at all.  They’re completely different things.  An internal Mind or Spirit affinity Technique is one that is focused inwards, towards yourself.  A shield against mental attacks, for example.   An external Technique is one that is directed towards others.  Mind Spike, or Telepathy for example.  Spiritual Oppression is an external Technique with both passive and active elements.    A spiritual shield is an internal passive Technique, always on.

“I can demonstrate.  Every experienced delver exudes an aura of competence, just by dint of being experienced.  Even the weakest Spirit affinity allows for this.  Most of us passively suppress the aura such that it’s barely noticeable.  If I stop suppressing my aura…”  Duncan suddenly felt like a prey animal faced with a dangerous predator.  There was a pressure on his… soul, maybe, that he couldn’t quite describe, and Repdam exuded menace.  A scream came from another room, accompanied by the sound of breaking glass.   The pressure vanished, and Repdam leapt to his feet and opened the door.  “Sorry!” he shouted.  “Didn’t realise anyone was still here.  Maybe vacate the area for a few minutes.”

He closed the door and winced at Duncan.  “Oops.  Let’s not tell anyone about that.  Anyway, that’s passive Spiritual pressure.  It’s kind of a survival instinct thing.  Apex predators are able to intimidate lesser creatures just by being present.  Now, active Spiritual Oppression…”  He paused a moment. “You’re just a novice, but you have a strong Spirit affinity.  But no training.  Maybe, just… this.”  Pressure crushed down on Duncan.  He slid off his chair, dropping to his knees, and cowered behind Repdam’s desk.  Blood dripped from his eyes and ears.
I’m dead.  He’s going to kill me and I don’t even know why.

As quickly as it had arrived, the pressure abated.  “Shit! Too much.  I’m sorry my boy.  Very sorry.”  Repdam produced a handkerchief from somewhere and passed it to Duncan.  “Wipe your eyes and ears with that.  You’ll be good as new by morning.  That was active Spiritual Oppression.  It’s not even a real Technique, just force of will.  You simply focus on someone and think murderous thoughts at them.  It’s magnificent for intimidation out in the world.  Never had cause to use it in the valley.  Anyway, a passive Spiritual Shield Technique would protect you against Spiritual Oppression, as well as actual spiritual attacks.”

Duncan resolved to train a Spiritual Shield Technique immediately.
How strong is Repdam?  Are all the experienced delvers as strong as that?
He took his seat again, carefully sliding it a few inches further away from the dangerous old man across the desk.

“Yes, well,” Repdam sounded a bit abashed. “You’re probably suffering a bit of information overload.”
Not information overload, you menace – actual Spiritual damage!
“So I’ll just get to the point.  Many of the cultivation sects have a concept wherein the mind and spirit and body can preserve an ideal sense of self to the point where you don’t take damage from being struck, or you heal instantly.  Doesn’t matter which.  The point is, if you can impose that ideal version of yourself on reality, you’re really hard to kill.  And that’s what I think you should aim for.”

Duncan gave it some thought.
That sounds pretty ideal, honestly.  I don’t want to be a mind mage or a spiritualist.  I just want to be the best blademaster ever.
“I think that’s a valid goal, and I’m willing to work towards it.  How should I start?”

Repdam stood.  “Go get some dinner and meditate some more – try to get a feel for what’s changed.  I’ll put something together overnight for you to look at in the morning.”

*     *     *

Duncan looked at the parchment Repdam had provided with Techniques for him to attempt to master.

Affinity

Active Techniques

Passive Techniques

Blade

Blade Echo

Tempered Blade

Body

Regeneration

Coagulation

Hardened Skin

Mind

Tranquil Mind

Ignore Pain

Spirit

Spiritual Shield

Space

?? Blink?  How would that work?

That’s a lot, given I haven’t acquired a single Technique yet.
On the plus side, he’d already been working on Tempered Blade (making his blades stronger and sharper than they could otherwise be), Coagulation (controlling his own blood to prevent bleeding), and hardened skin, and could already make them work to some small degree when he actively concentrated on them.

All his passive Techniques would start out as active – he’d have to concentrate to make them happen.  Eventually, they should become familiar enough to him that they’d always be on, some using only a trickle of his mana until they were stressed, some reserving some portion of his mana reserve.  His mana pool and mana recovery would have to be sufficient to support all of them, which meant he needed a deep mana pool and good recovery.  Fortunately, both of those were bolstered by his Spirit affinity.

His meditation had gone well the night before.  He’d been able to clearly feel his mana swirling inside him for the first time.  He had imagined it pooling in his core and circulating through his body from there, taking the imagery from Repdam’s description of cultivators, and it had felt somehow right.

He put the parchment away and headed to the training field.  One of the younger student year-groups was already training under the watchful eye of a couple of masters.   Duncan ran laps around the field for a while, focusing on trying to feel his body working.  As he settled into his stride he focused on his breath, keeping it consistent and relaxed despite his elevated heartrate.  It was almost a meditative state.

After an hour of running, he felt more invigorated than tired.  He grabbed a wooden longsword waster from the bin beside the practice dummies and ran through his longsword forms for a while, again focusing on his body and breathing.  Once he was thoroughly warmed up, he tried to activate his Tempered Blade Technique as he ran through the forms again.  He was thoroughly pleased to see the canvas cover on the practice dummy part under the attacks from his suddenly sharp wooden practice sword.  Rather than destroy the dummy, he moved to the side and continued his forms against the air, only occasionally striking the dummy to see if he’d been able to maintain the Technique.  He was thrilled to discover he could maintain the Technique for a full hour without running out of mana or losing concentration on the Technique or his form.

Chapter 6

Dungeon day!  Becca’s team had thoroughly emptied the goblin dungeon and found no other abnormal monsters.  The group rotations had resumed, and everything had gone smoothly.  Buoyed by his success with the practice dummies, Duncan decided to use a longsword for this delve.  He brought his boar spear along just in case, but he’d store it in the group’s storage bag.  When he arrived for his pre-delve briefing, he was unsurprised to see Pyotr there as group leader.
Something is definitely hinky with the team rotations.
The rest of the team hadn’t arrived yet, so Duncan took advantage of the privacy.  “Pyotr, do you suppress your spirit aura?”

The guardian looked a little surprised but answered readily enough.  “I do.  All the experienced delvers do as a matter of course.  It makes non-delvers quite uncomfortable if we don’t.”

“Could you release it for a moment?  Don’t actively oppress me, just don’t suppress it.”

“We’ll have to go outside,” Pyotr said.  “Too many people in the guild hall at the moment.  How about I do it when we get to the dungeon?”

“That’d be great, thanks,” said Duncan.

“What brought this about?” asked Pyotr.

“Repdam released his aura yesterday.  It was heavy.”

Pyotr laughed.  “That old man could oppress me.  He’s one of the most powerful people I’ve ever met.”

“Why do you call him old?  Aren’t you over a century too?”  Duncan was feeling daring today.

“I’m a hundred and seventy eight,” said Pyotr smugly.  “And that old man has at least three hundred years on me.”

Duncan was flabbergasted.  “I mean, I knew experienced delvers could live a long time.  But five hundred years?”

“The more powerful you get, the more slowly you age.  Also, the less you eat and sleep.  I bet Repdam eats and sleeps out of habit more than need.”

The path ahead of me is much longer and much steeper than I’d thought.

Duncan’s musing were cut short by the arrival of the rest of their group.  Samantha was a nature mage, tall and slender with long blonde hair and lots of freckles.  She wore hardened leather armor, much like his own. Gretchen was a life affinity healer with a strong group healing Technique.  Short and stocky, she wore plate armor and carried a sword and shield.
She’s a mini-Aiphe,
Duncan thought. And Eric was a novice fire affinity mage a year older than Duncan.  He was slender and very tall, with unruly brown hair and a trimmed beard, wearing a long red robe.   Pyotr quickly ran through the briefing and the group headed up the hill toward the goblin dungeon.

About halfway up the hill, Duncan felt a vague uneasiness.  Samantha and Gretchen looked around wildly for the threat they sensed, and Eric dropped to one knee.  The feeling immediately vanished and Pyotr apologized to Eric.  “Sorry lad, I didn’t think it’d hit you that hard.”

Samantha stepped forward and kicked Pyotr in the shin. “That was uncalled for!”

“Aye, it was.  Duncan wanted to know what it felt like when this old fool unsuppressed my spirit aura.  I thought it’d be a good lesson for all of you.”

Great, now I’m getting the stink eye from everyone.  Interesting how much stronger Repdam’s aura was, though.  I guess there are experienced delvers and really experienced delvers.   That “quantified levels” thing is starting to make some sense.  Though I guess I probably shouldn’t say so to Repdam.

The five of them reached the dungeon with no further difficulties and got to work.  As they entered the dungeon, Duncan noticed that the mana density in the dungeon didn’t weigh him down at all.  In fact, it felt just like the air outside, or perhaps just a little richer.
The first indication that my breakthrough did something!
Duncan’s longsword felt light in his hands and he was able to maintain his Tempered Blade technique consistently without any strain on his mana.  The goblins were no threat, thanks to Pyotr’s guardian aura Technique.  They consistently tried to get to him, ignoring better targets unless they were unable to reach the veteran delver.  Duncan always felt a little guilty when Pyotr was leading the group – it was too easy.
I wonder if I’m progressing too slowly because there’s no risk, no real test of my skills.  But really, I can focus on my Techniques, and there’s no timeline for success.  On the other hand, I’ve been doing this same dungeon for months, and there’s not a lot of variety.  The wilderness dungeon is said to be scarier and far more varied.

They had just finished up a group of six harvesting goblins in a mushroom forest in one of the larger caves when they were rushed by multiple cave salamanders.  The eight-foot-long creatures had dark scaly skin that helped them blend into the background.  They ate primarily mushrooms, but aggressively defended their territory (the goblins seemed to have worked out an accord with them, however, and goblin chiefs often had cave salamander guard dogs).

As the salamanders closed to about three meters, they spat great gobs of saliva at the group.
That’s new,
Duncan thought as he twisted to avoid a nasty looking orb.  Pyotr raised his shield and one blob splatted against it, sticking and slowly dripping down the lacquered wood.  The blob Duncan had dodged struck Eric behind him, and Samantha was clipped by two, one of which went on to splash against Gretchen’s reflexively raised shield.  The fabric of Eric’s robe dissolved immediately, and he gave out a panicked scream as the acidic saliva burned him.  Samantha swore as her leather armor started to dissolve as well.

Pyotr activated his guardian attention aura, Gretchen activated her group healing Technique, and Duncan leapt forward to engage the salamanders, trusting they’d turn their attention to Pyotr.  Samantha tossed a handful of seeds at the ground between the party and the charging salamanders, and a field of thorny bushes sprang up.  Duncan swerved to avoid being entangled.  The salamanders plunged into the bushes and found their skin insufficient to ward off the wicked thorns.

Behind Duncan, Eric activated his Fire Shield Technique, and promptly screamed again as the acidic saliva dripping down his chest proved to be quite flammable.  His Fire affinity reduced the damage he took from the flames, and the flames were consuming the acidic saliva, so he was actually a little better off than he’d been moments earlier.

Pyotr advanced to the edge of the plants to engage the entangled salamanders and Duncan skirted the edge.  He thrust his longsword as he stepped into range, striking a beast in its open mouth, much as he’d done with the panther a few days earlier, and to the same good effect.  As the salamander dropped, Duncan withdrew his blade and hacked awkwardly at a second, bigger, salamander that was rushing forward to close the distance.  His sword struck the creature’s side, but it was a percussive cut rather than a slice, and did little damage.
Shit, they’re fast.  Should have stepped back.
The salamander twisted its head to get a good angle and bit hard into Duncan’s torso, its sharp teeth penetrating both his armor and his shielding charm.  Debilitating pain swept over Duncan, and he lost his sword as the salamander shook him like a rag doll.

The goblin dungeon is too easy.  I’m bored.  I want to move on to the wilderness dungeon.  Hah!  Oh Gods that hurts.
A wave of healing magic took away some of the pain as Gretchen’s group heal washed over him.  Duncan snatched his dagger from its sheathe at his waist and focused his will on activating his Tempered Blade Technique as he stabbed at the eye of the oversized salamander. His dagger scraped off the bony eyebrow ridges twice, leaving short gashes around the eye before plunging home at the third attempt.

The salamander let out a pained hiss and threw him sideways, directly into the thorn bushes and the two trapped smaller salamanders.  Thorns ripped at his exposed flesh but didn’t penetrate his armor.  One of the trapped salamanders was already dead, its head pulped by Pyotr’s mace.  The other was fully focused on Pyotr and completely ignored Duncan’s flailing form in the bushes beside it.

The biggest salamander charged around the thorns to get at Pyotr, Duncan’s dagger still protruding from its eye socket.  Eric hit it with a stream of flame darts, Gretchen’s two group heals having gotten him back in the fight.  The salamander didn’t even react as the darts impacted against its side, leaving scorch marks on its skin.  Samantha struck at its legs with a thorny whip made out of a vine, but she failed to entangle it.  Pyotr braced for impact, the stone underfoot flowing up to form a pillar around his body.  He took the charge on his shield, using the pillar as a brace, and the salamander stunned itself crashing into the immovable object.  Pyotr followed up with an overhead swing of his mace that drove Duncan’s dagger pommel-deep into the eye socket.  The beast collapsed.

The group easily finished off the last entrapped salamander and Samantha dismissed the entangling thorns.  Duncan lay next to the salamander corpses and enjoyed the soporific effect of Gretchen’s healing magic.
Still lots to learn in this dungeon, it seems.

They salvaged the salamander skins and recovered Duncan’s dagger from the salamander’s skull and his longsword from where it’d been flung and moved on.  The rest of the dungeon run went smoothly and they emerged from the dungeon several hours later tired but content.  After they trudged back to Stonewatch, they turned in their loot to the guild appraiser (mostly junk, as was normally the case from the goblin dungeon) and went their separate ways.  Pyotr motioned Duncan to follow and led him to a table in the common room.  They grabbed a couple of drinks and sat down to chat.

“So, another unusual monster type in the goblin dungeon.  That’s two in a row for us,” Pyotr said.

“At least this one wasn’t as tough as the panther,” Duncan replied.  “It was just a variant of the usual cave salamanders.”

“It could be just a coincidence.  Still, keep your eyes peeled whenever you’re in there.”

“Speaking of coincidences,” Duncan said, “You’ve been my group leader twice in a row, and way more often than anyone else since I started delving.  Did my mother ask you to look after me?  Have you been deliberately asking to lead my groups?”

Pyotr nodded, not ashamed in the least.  “Yup.  Least I can do for a friend.  And I enjoy the delves.  I can’t join every group you’re in, but I do those I can.  These last two have been more interesting than normal, too.  Why, do you not want me in your groups?”

“Delves with you feel easy.  Your aura removes almost all the risk. And we’re taught that we improve faster when we’re subjected to real risk.”

Pyotr did that thing with his eyebrow. “Last delve, we lost two groupmates and I came closer to dying than I have in years.  Today a giant salamander almost ate your lunch while it was still in your belly.  I think you’re getting plenty of risk.”

Duncan grimaced. “Ok, you have a point.  But those two fights notwithstanding, the rest of the dungeon felt boring.  And I’ve only been delving it a few months - I don’t know how you can stand it over and over again.”

“That’s fair,” Pyotr said.  “I delve the wilderness and naga dungeons at least as often I help out in the goblin dungeon, so I get some variety, at least.  All you get is those ugly mushroom caves.  So, all you have to do is get a couple of active Techniques and prove you’re ready for a step up.  You’ve done the goblin dungeon what, thirty times now?”

“More than that, I’m sure.”

“Well Becca moved to the wilderness dungeon after forty-one goblin cave delves.  That’s the record to beat.   Now, I have a delve in the naga dungeon tonight, and it’s a two-hour hike to get there, so I’m off.”  Pyotr grabbed his pack and headed for the door with a wave.  “Good luck, lad.”

Duncan popped into the dining hall for a bite to eat before heading to the meditation gardens.  He needed to process the fights today.  His error against the salamanders still bothered him, and he went over the fight repeatedly in his head.
Could I have prevented the big one from closing?  Once I was extended in the thrust that killed the smaller one, I don’t think there was any way to recover distance on the big one.  Should I have not taken the chance to eliminate one opponent immediately?
Several hours passed as he meditated, idly cycling his mana through his body as he processed his fights.
I held onto Tempered Blade the entire dungeon, even when I was in that salamander’s mouth.  It applied to the dagger after I lost the longsword.  Feels like I’m well on the way to making that a passive Technique.  I don’t remember if Coagulation was working or not – hard to tell, when I’m being healed by someone else. Ignore Pain was definitely not working.

*     *     *

The next day was a hard training day.  Repdam had Duncan practicing forms against a hardwood target dummy using a wooden sidesword waster and shield.  Duncan had to focus on his sword forms, and on maintaining his Tempered Blade Technique on the wooden blade.  Wood held the concept of blade poorly compared to metal.  Additionally, Repdam had Duncan try to hold the concept of a tranquil pool of water around his mind, reflecting or absorbing mental attacks.  And since Repdam had a strong mind affinity of his own, he peppered Duncan with tiny Mind Spike attacks as he worked through his forms.  Every time he was hit by a Mind Spike Duncan flinched.  The goal was to take the Mind Spikes without flinching.
This is too much.  How am I supposed to focus on all these things at once?
That, of course, was the point.  His defenses would have to become second nature, true passive Techniques.  Duncan struggled to maintain both Tranquil Mind and Tempered Blade.  If he focused too hard on his mental defenses, he lost the blade Technique.  If he focused on Tempered Blade, his mental defense would collapse, and he’d take a stinging jolt to the brain.  Repdam considered that an additional benefit – Duncan was slowly training up his Ignore Pain Technique through continual exposure.

Every half an hour or so Repdam would cast a Mind Soothe Technique to heal the mental damage he’d been doing to Duncan.  They continued in this vein for four hours before Repdam called a break for lunch.
The one saving grace was that my sword forms are so ingrained after years of practice that I didn’t have to focus on those.  Still, that’s proof that I can do something without having to actively focus on it.  Tempered Blade is close because I’ve been working on that the longest.

After lunch, the torture got worse, as Repdam turned to theory.  Neither of them had any idea what to do with his space affinity.  Duncan focused on the Blinking around that the panther had been able to do on the assumption that it was using space magic to do so.   Repdam wanted to know how it used space magic to do so.  “Do you punch a hole in space?  If so what’s on the other side?  How do you get from your hole in space to where you want to be?  Do you have to tunnel through whatever’s on the other side of space to reach where you want to be?  Do you have to punch another hole in space when you get there?  Does whatever’s on the other side of space obey the same rules that this side of space does?  Is ten meters here the same as ten meters there?  Do you have enough mana to punch a hole in space?  If you’re not punching a hole in space, how do you move?  Dragging yourself across that distance with Telekinesis is one thing, but that’s not Blinking, and not space magic.”  The questions kept coming, and Duncan had no answers.

Eventually Repdam asked “What if you pinched the space between where you are and where you want to be?  No, that wouldn’t allow for movement. Could you fold it?  Create a longitudinal wave in space?”

Duncan tried to pinch the space between his thumb and finger.  He felt a surge in his mana, but nothing happened.  He tried again, and again.  Each time, he felt that something was happening, but he couldn’t tell what.  “I’m trying to pinch the space between my thumb and finger.  I can feel my mana doing something, but I can’t see what it’s doing.”   He tried again, pinching harder.
Oh wait.  There’s a gap in my finger. Wait, what?  How is there a gap?
He lost his concentration and the end of his finger fell off.  “Argh!” he screamed.

Repdam took him by the arm and steered him out to the practice field where there was a healer on duty. Duncan focused on his Coagulation technique to prevent the wound from bleeding as they walked.  He tried to dial the pain down, but if he succeeded in that, it was to such a small degree that he didn’t notice it. The healer had no difficulty reattaching the fingertip and seemed rather blasé about the whole thing.
I suppose he deals with training injuries all the time.

“Well, that was very exciting!” said Repdam as they returned to his office.  “It looks to me like you were able to pinch or fold a small segment of space.  Your finger entered the fold and passed through the space between the folds and exited.  Admittedly, the gap was pretty small – you only folded a tiny bit of space.  But it was there.  Now do it again but focus on where you want to place each end of the fold.  Try for about a handspan distance.    And don’t touch either end.

Duncan picked up a quill from Repdam’s desk and used it as a pointer. He spoke as he made the effort.  “I’m going to put one end of the fold here, next to my thumb.  And the other end here, next to my fingertip.”  He visualized a disc in each place, which took a few seconds, and then squeezed with his mind.  It felt like he was lifting a heavy bar, but he felt his mana flowing.  He poked the tip of the quill into the disc at his thumb and watched it emerge from the disc at his fingertip.  He withdrew it and inserted it again, with the same result.  “Yes!” he exulted, and promptly lost control of the construction.  His discs (windows?) disappeared, and the tip of the quill was snipped off just as his fingertip had been earlier.

“Fascinating!” Repdam said.  “Do the ends have to be in parallel with each other or can they face different directions?  Does the angle of entry equal the angle of exit? How large can the endpoints be?  How much distance can you put between them?  Is there a mass limitation on transit?  Does it cost more mana to move additional mass, or to increase the size of the endpoints or increase the distance between them?  Can you move the endpoints once they’ve been established?  Does it cost additional mana over time to maintain the endpoints?”

Good questions, one and all,
Duncan thought, and he spent the rest of the afternoon trying to answer them, at the cost of a splitting headache as he tried to understand the concept.  In the end, he determined that the windows (it made more sense in his head to call them windows rather than discs or planes or endpoints, since he could push stuff through them) did not need to be parallel, but that he was not very good at placing them at the angles he wanted.  The angle of entry did in fact match the angle of exit – the flat surface of his entry window was the flat surface of his exit window, no matter the angle the windows had to each other.  He could not move them in any way once they’d been established.  They allowed two-way traffic, but he couldn’t insert anything from the “wrong” side of each window – he could pass something through side A of window 1 and have it come out of side B of window 2.  But the windows didn’t even exist from the other side.  That had an interesting effect – when Repdam thrust a practice sword through window 1 from side B, it passed through the space the window occupied without encountering anything.  The windows could be up to ten centimeters wide before Duncan lost control of them.  And they could be up to thirty centimeters apart if he kept them very small.  The larger he made them, the shorter the separation distance.  It didn’t cost him more mana, as far as he could tell – it just got really hard to keep his concentration.
You know, that quantification thing with the soul gem would really help with determining this.
And the mass of objects passing through the windows didn’t seem to matter either.  Anything that could fit could pass through without straining Duncan at all.  Light passed through, as did sound.  Physical and mana constructs passed through as well.  Duncan was able to put two small windows at a thirty-degree angle to each other, and when Repdam tossed a rock through, it came out with the same momentum at the new angle.  If they tried to pass something too big through the window, it got stuck on the edge of the window.  Repdam held an arrow vertically by its head and passed his hand under the window.  The arrow hit the edge of the window and stopped.  “Hmm,” said Repdam. “So it doesn’t pass just a portion of the item through the window, cutting it.  That could have been a very strong attack.”  He tried tilting the arrow as it entered the window.  He could see the portion that passed through appear at the exit window, but he couldn’t push it any further once the arrow encountered the edge of the window.

“Yet it cut the end of my finger off when I lost control earlier,” said Duncan.  “So if something is partway through when the effect ends, it’s cut.”

“I suspect you’re going to lose a few swords that way as you learn.   Now let’s test to see if it works on spell effects.  Create a window here, exiting here, at as big an angle as you can manage.”  Repdam waited as Duncan did as he was told, then fired a small lightning bolt through the window.  It passed through the same way physical objects would, to Duncan’s growing satisfaction.

Repdam wasn’t done yet.  “Can you change the dimensions of the window?  Instead of say, a ten-centimeter diameter circle, can you make it a twenty centimeter by one centimeter rectangle?”  It turned out that while Duncan could change the shape and dimensions, he couldn’t change them that much yet.  He did manage a 12cm by 6cm window after several efforts.  Repdam grabbed a wooden waster from where it had been leaning in a corner of the office and brought it down, hard, on the edge of the window.  The waster snapped cleanly, the tip flying dangerously near Duncan’s face before crashing into the opposite wall.

“Well, well,” said Repdam. “It’s an immovable object.  If you gain sufficient control over the size and shape of these folds, and can create them quickly enough, you may be able to use them as an unbreakable barrier to cutting attacks.”   Duncan couldn’t suppress a huge grin.
This is going to be incredible, he thought.

They stopped testing when Duncan simply couldn’t concentrate enough to create a window pair.  “Great work, Duncan,” Repdam said.  “Get some dinner in you and try to meditate on your progress for a while before you sleep.  I’ll have some more experiments ready for us in the morning.”

Morning arrived, and true to his word, Repdam had more space affinity experiments for Duncan, along with a set of drills to improve his control over his windows.  He needed to work on the speed with which he created them, control over where each side of the window appeared and faced, the distance between the two, the size and shape of them, the angle between the planes of them, the orientation of the planes, and the distance each could appear from him.  They agreed to call the Technique Space Folding.   Duncan resolved to work on the drills whenever he had free time.  He couldn’t wait to incorporate space magic into his fighting style.

Chapter 7

Pyotr wasn’t around for Duncan’s next delve into the goblin dungeon.  The experienced delver leading the group was Jacopo, a healer with an ice affinity to go along with his healing.  The two intermediate delvers were Lesym, an aggressive melee fighter whose daggers afflicted foes with a fast-acting poison, and Tatia, a mage with Earth and Gravity affinities.  Duncan had worked with Lesym before, but the others were new to him.

The group entered the dungeon and was soon making short work of the goblins.  Without a guardian, they each had to face attacks from their foes.  Duncan wielded his longsword conservatively, never overextending, trying to remain untouched.  Lesym leapt at the goblins, almost as aggressive as they were, his daggers injecting poison with every blow he landed.  Once poisoned, a goblin would start to slow down a few seconds later, losing coordination and eventually just collapsing and dying.  Few lasted that long though, as the rest of the group brought a lot of damage to the table.  Jacopo could summon walls of ice to block off extra attackers, and threw daggers made of ice-infused mana that he summoned in his hands.  Tatia used her earth magic to loosen rocks in the ceiling overhead and increased the effects of gravity on them to bring them down on goblin heads with crushing force.  Jacopo’s healing kept everyone in great condition.

They reached the final cave in record time.  But instead of a goblin chief and his cronies, a group of much larger creatures was waiting for them.  “Hobgoblins!”  Jacopo sounded pleased.  “An uncommon variant.”

With a crack, a large chunk of the roof above the hobgoblins broke loose and crashed to the ground among the hobgoblins, who’d reacted quickly and scattered as it fell.  Still, Tatia’s opener crushed at least one unfortunate hobgoblin.  The rest rushed forward to attack, except a couple who were armed with longbows.  Those took cover in the rubble.

Jacopo summoned a large ice wall at least sixty feet wide and ten feet tall directly in front of himself.  There was a gap dead center.  Duncan stood to one side of it, Lesym matching him on the other.  If the hobgoblins were reckless enough to come through the gap one at a time, the delvers would attack from both flanks.  Jacopo and Tatia stepped back a little to create some space.  Jacopo threw a series of ice daggers through the gap at the approaching hobgoblins.  The wall completely neutralized the enemy archers.

Sure enough, a hobgoblin charged through the gap in the ice wall towards Jacopo.  Duncan swung a hard horizontal cut at knee level and Lesym stabbed the hobgoblin in the arm with a poisoned dagger.  The monster fell to the ground, screaming.  A second hobgoblin followed close on the heels of the first.  Duncan thrust up towards the creature’s armpit, his point easily penetrating the creature’s lamellar armor thanks to his Tempered Blade technique and the improved strength his body affinity provided him.  Lesym stabbed this one in the arm on the opposite side, too.  Duncan’s thrust had been devastating – the monster dropped its wide-bladed sword and staggered.  Jacopo’s ice dagger felled it a moment later.

The third hobgoblin to enter the gap dropped to one knee as it suddenly found it weighed far more than it normally would.  Recognizing the gravity field, Duncan whipped his longsword around in a flashy overhead cut.  As the blade entered the gravity field, the effect added extra momentum to his cut, and the blade cleaved deep into the creature’s torso.  The hobgoblin collapsed, taking Duncan’s suddenly heavy sword with it.

Rather than pull his dagger, Duncan focused on Folding Space in a head-height window in the gap in the ice wall.  It was as far from him as he’d ever placed the Technique.  He put the exit window just a few centimeters behind the first, which would allow him to make the pair a good ten centimeters wide and didn’t make an obvious visual anomaly in the air. The next hobgoblin leapt through the gap before he could activate the Technique and charged at Jacopo and Tatia.  Lesym nicked it with his daggers on the way past.  Duncan ignored it and focused on activating his Fold Space Technique.

The next monster through the gap was the Hobgoblin chief.  It came through at a full charge – and its head clipped the window of his folded space.  It looked like the chief had been hammered in the head by an invisible mace.  It crashed to the ground at Jacopo’s feet.  Two more hobgoblins followed in rapid succession, their plan obviously to overwhelm the delvers.  Neither saw the small window of folded space, and both clipped their head on it, though neither as cleanly as their chief had done.  They each maintained their feet, but both were obviously stunned.

No longer able to sustain the Technique, Duncan let it drop and scooped up the second hobgoblin’s sword from where it lay nearby.  He turned to the nearest hobgoblin and struck it from behind with a Technique-enhanced cut to the neck.  It dropped to the ground, clutching at the gaping wound in its neck, then grew still.  The hobgoblin that had preceded the chieftain through the gap stood in front of Jacopo, impaled on an icy spear.  The chief was just climbing to its feet, and Lesym had taken advantage of the final hobgoblin’s stunned state to stab his poisoned daggers into both sides of its neck.

The chieftain was having a really hard time getting to its feet as Tatia’s gravity Technique pressed down on it.  Duncan stepped forward and plunged his borrowed sword into the chieftain’s back, while Jacopo skewered it with another ice spear.  It soon stopped attempting to rise and lay still.

Once it was down, Jacopo asked, “What knocked down the last three through the hole?”

“Uh, an invisible blade Technique I’ve been working on.  It takes some prep time, and I can’t hold it for long.” Duncan explained.

“Well nice work.  Let’s loot these real quick so I can dismiss the ice wall.  We’ve still got at least two archers to kill.”

The archers proved easy to defeat.  They were still hiding in the rubble from the collapsed ceiling, so Tatia used her earth affinity to entrap them with the rubble and dropped more of the ceiling onto them.  As they looted the corpses, Lesym spotted a chest against a nearby wall.  He flipped the lid open.  Duncan winced, but there was no trap or anything.  “Mostly coin, I think,” said Lesym.  The chest went into Jacopo’s storage bag, and they started the long walk back to the dungeon entrance and on to Stonewatch.

Back at the Delvers’ Guild, they turned their loot into the appraiser.  “A chest,” he said, “in the goblin dungeon?”

Jacopo replied “Hobgoblin variant.  We got lucky.”   There were a lot of coins and a ring in the chest.  Sadly, the ring wasn’t enchanted or anything.  But together with the gear from the hobgoblins, it was the best haul Duncan had seen from a dungeon (affinity stone not included).

Duncan was really pleased with the delve.  They’d taken out the hobgoblins without being harmed, and without a guardian.  His Fold Space Technique had worked, and had been incredibly effective, though the ice wall funneling the hobgoblins into a tight passageway had been very fortuitous for him.  After a quick dinner in the dining hall, he spent some time in the meditation gardens reflecting on the delve.

Three delves in a row he’d encountered non-standard monsters in the goblin dungeon.  The odds against that felt pretty high, from what he’d gathered from other delvers.  Beyond that, his Tempered Blade Technique had become quite reliable.  His Fold Space Technique wasn’t reliable enough or fast enough to use in normal combat, but he’d only used it for the first time a couple of days earlier.  He envisioned being able to fold space such that he could stab empty space beside himself and have the blade pierce the back of an enemy’s head.  To do that, though, he’d need to focus more on piercing attacks.  While his longsword could be used for thrusts, it was primarily a cutting sword.
Maybe I should work on using two broadswords.  I have the wrist strength, thanks to my strong Body affinity and hard physical training.

*     *     *

The next day was dedicated to training.  He began with his usual grueling run to build endurance and followed up with some sword forms using two broadswords.  It was a style he hadn’t practiced much, and it showed.  He felt awkward and somewhat sloppy.
I won’t be able to use these in a dungeon until I’ve improved significantly.
Looking around the training field, he saw no one he could spar with productively, so he ran to the Guild office to book some training time with one of the blade masters he’d worked with in the past.  Their time was valuable, but every novice was entitled to individual training, and there weren’t that many novices who worked with blades.  He was pleased to be able to book two hours the following morning.

As he left the office to return to the training field, he felt a stabbing pain in his head.
Mind Spike, damnit.
He focused on his Tranquil Mind Technique, and it dulled the edge of several more mind spikes as he returned to his practice site, where Repdam was waiting for him.  “Tell me about your delve yesterday.  What Techniques were you able to employ?”  Neither of them mentioned the mind spikes, which continued as Duncan related his experiences in the dungeon.

“Very good!” Repdam sounded quite pleased.  “To fold space in the middle of combat, even with such fortuitous positioning is well done.”  Duncan went on to explain his idea of using two broadswords so he could implement more thrusting attacks into folded space windows, and Repdam nodded.  “Of course. You’ll keep the first window near you because you’ve got no range yet, and the second window will remain close as well.  If you can maintain good point control you can keep the windows quite small.  If you thrust over your opponent’s shoulder and put the first window there, and the exit window facing the back of his head, he’ll never even see the window.  So two things then.  First, we work on your point control, then we go back to my office to work on window pairs.”

He grabbed three wasters from the bin nearby and tossed two to Duncan.  “Let’s see your brace of swords techniques.  Spar with me at your full speed.  I’ll match my speed to yours.”

Duncan was surprised.  “I didn’t know you practiced the sword, sir.”

Repdam grinned.  “I dabbled a bit in my youth.  And while I don’t have a strong body affinity like you do, I have old age and treachery on my side.  And hundreds of years of delving.  As we advance, we get stronger and faster, even without a strong body affinity at first.  Come boy, let’s see what you’ve got.”

Duncan launched a probing attack, which Repdam casually slapped aside.  His riposte was too fast for Duncan to see, let alone react to, and it left a welt on his chest. “No messing around.  Try to hit me.”  And so Duncan went all out, but Repdam responded to every attack with a solid parry or a fluid dodge.  Duncan could tell the old man wasn’t good with a sword, but it didn’t matter.  He was so fast and so strong that all he had to do was basic parries.  Duncan tried some disengages and deceptions.  They worked, but Repdam always had time to recover and parry again before Duncan could land.
Matching my speed, my ass.  I can’t even see his sword move at times.

Eventually Repdam lifted a hand to end the bout.  “You have ample skill for a novice – better than many a delver.  I can offer you no advice on sword technique, because I don’t know any.  Like most delvers, or adventurers, as we’re often called in the outside world, I rely on the speed and strength gained from my advancement, and on mana-enabled Techniques.  Were you as strong and as fast as me, you could defeat me easily in a swordfight.  But were you as strong and as fast as me, we wouldn’t be having a swordfight.  We’d toss Techniques at each other that could demolish cities.  Victory would likely go to whomever threw the first attack that the other couldn’t counter.”   He pulled a dagger from his robes and slashed it across his hand.  The wound healed before it had time to start bleeding.

“I have no Body Techniques beyond my passive Regeneration, nor any Healing Techniques.” Repdam said.  “What I do have is sufficient advancement to heal from any minor wound in short order.  As we advance, our body affinity naturally grows.  While I didn’t test as having a strong body affinity originally, my affinity has grown over the years, as is the case for all delvers.  Body is the one affinity that we all end up strong in.  You just have a starting advantage there.  No, do not despair, boy.  Your training is not wasted.  A skilled fighter will always have an advantage over an unskilled fighter all else being equal.  Meaning advancement levels being equal.  Your weapons training will prove valuable against anything you’re likely to face in the next hundred years or more.”

“How many people are as advanced as you, sir?”  Duncan asked.
Despair’s not far off it
, he thought.
He’s so far above me, he may as well be a god.

“In the valley, only the matron is stronger than me.  In the outside world, perhaps one person in a million will match my level of advancement.”

“Then why are you here?  You could do anything you want, go anywhere you want.”

“But here is where I want to be, and what I want to do is protect this valley and its magnificent social experiment.  And teach talented youngsters how to make the most out of their Affinities.”

“Social experiment, sir?”

“Can’t tell you, it might skew the results.   Look, Duncan, you’re a promising talent.  Work hard, test yourself in delves, develop your Techniques, and you can achieve greatness.”  There was a sudden itching sensation in Duncan’s head. “Oh, and forget I mentioned any social experiment.”  The itch vanished as though it had never been there.  “And work especially hard on your mental and spiritual defenses.”

They retired to Repdam’s office, where Duncan worked hard to build 10cm folds in space that would let him hit someone in the back of the head by thrusting over their shoulder.  Progress was… miniscule.  Wrapping the fold to produce a one hundred and eighty degree angle would be very challenging. Forty five degrees was the best he could manage, and he could only do that a few centimeters from his hand.  But he’d only just begun work on his space affinity, and he could clearly see the potential.

After Dinner, Duncan meditated on the day’s lessons.
Repdam is at the peak of human achievement, I guess.  But most of the time, he’s a perfectly normal person.  Mostly.  If he can achieve that level of advancement, why can’t I?  Especially since he’s taken a personal interest in my Affinities and development.  Train hard, test myself, develop strong Techniques.  The plan is simple.  Just work hard.

Not far away, Repdam smiled.  To his mind affinity, Duncan’s surface thoughts may as well have been shouted to the heavens.  The lad had taken the correct lesson from the day’s events and wouldn’t need to have his memories altered further.  It was always better to meddle as little as possible.

Chapter 8

The following morning, Duncan worked on his brace of swords technique with Olga Cutter, his blade master instructor, and started working on the Blade Echo Technique.  The Technique was simple in theory – when he struck with a bladed weapon, one or more blade-aspected mana “echoes” would strike a moment later.  It would provide a significant force multiplier to his physical attacks.

Olga was young for an experienced delver, a short brunette with a powerful frame, with strong Blade and Metal affinities.  Her preferred weapon was a short-handled battle axe, and when she slammed it into a target dummy, the five echoing strikes that followed half a second later tore the dummy apart.  She explained how the technique felt to activate, and the intent necessary to make the echoes hit the target.  The Technique was intuitive for people with a Blade affinity – almost everyone with the affinity had a version of this Technique.   Duncan found he could create a ghostly echo relatively easily after the two hour session.

“Nice work, Duncan,” said Olga.  “You’ve got the basics.  Now it’s just a matter of feeling the reality of the impact of your blade and pushing that into the echo so that it becomes more solid and does more damage.  Don’t try for additional echoes until your first echo is as solid as your real strike.  And keep up your physical blade training and skills – a blade echo will never strike harder than the blow it echoes, no matter how much mana you pour into the attack.  If your physical blow skips off your target’s armor because you angled the blade wrong, the echoes will do the same.”

Olga took her leave, and Duncan spent the remainder of the morning practicing creating blade echoes.  He could feel the strain on his mana reserves as he struck the target dummy with repeated echoed attacks.  His echoes remained a pale shadow of his blades, but he could consistently create an echo with each attack.  He found that he could use his Tempered Blade Technique with the Blade Echo Technique without difficulty - he’d mastered the Tempered Blade Technique enough for it to become passive.  Continued practice with it would improve the edge and strength of his blades, just as continued practice with the Blade Echo Technique would create better echoes that would gain damage as they became more real.

And so the next month passed, with Duncan delving the goblin dungeon every three or four days, and training his Techniques and weapon forms the rest of the time.  His meditation provided ever greater clarity into the workings of his mana.  He fancied he could even sense the paths his mana flowed along to his limbs and organs.  His Techniques developed at a rapid pace.  Concepts that were out of reach before his breakthrough simply made sense.  He took anatomy lessons to learn how the body worked to increase his understanding of his body Affinity.

The goblin dungeon continued to throw non-standard monsters at Duncan’s group every time he entered the dungeon.  This made him very popular with other delvers, despite the added risk.  It seemed he wasn’t the only delver bored with the usual fare in there.  Repdam started drawing up a whole new line of experiments around the phenomenon.  “The fact that only your group gets the unusual monster spawns suggests that they spawn after or as you enter.  We have always been under the impression that the dungeons only import or create new creatures when there are no delvers inside.  Maybe it’s the act of entering the dungeon that triggers the monster spawn.  Which suggests the dungeon creates the monsters as a response to you. But how is it making the non-standard monsters?  Where does it find them in the first place?”

Fortunately, none of the additional monsters were as dangerous as the panther that had started the whole thing.  Still, Duncan got a much more diverse dungeon experience than many of his peers.  As the month came to a close, Repdam, Agamar and Pyotr met Duncan on the training field to test his Techniques.

“Welcome Duncan,” Agamar spoke.  “We are here to test your Body and Blade affinities to determine if you’re ready to move on to the wilderness dungeon.  You’ve spent less time in the goblin dungeon than most who take this test, but I understand you’ve had some lucky encounters that have aided your advancement.  Pyotr and your theorycrafting instructor have vouched for you and sponsored your testing.”  Duncan looked inquisitively at Repdam.
Does Agamar not know who or what Repdam is?
Repdam’s face gave no indication of, well, anything.
Or maybe Agamar thinks I don’t know who or what Repdam is.

Agamar continued, “I understand you’ll be demonstrating the Tempered Blade and Blade Echo Techniques from your blade affinity, and several passive body Techniques as well?”

“Yes sir. Hardened Skin, Coagulation, and Regeneration.”

“Very well.  Let’s commence.  First strike the target dummy full force without any Techniques.”

Duncan had to concentrate to not use Tempered Blade.  It was automatic now that any blade he held became preternaturally sharp and strong.  He threw a strong horizontal cut at the dummy’s head.  It would have split a goblin’s skull.

“Now demonstrate your Techniques.”

Duncan threw the same shot with Tempered Blade and activated his Blade Echo technique as well.  His sword slammed into the dummy’s head, carving a deep notch in the wood.  A fraction of a second later a second notch appeared as his blade echo struck almost as hard half an inch higher.

Agamar examined the dummy, then turned to Duncan, raising his arm.  In an instant, his body was covered in a thick armor of ice. “Now strike my arm with your Techniques.”   Duncan did so, sending ice chips flying, but not breaking through the mana-imbued armor.  “Now change weapons and do it again.”  He had Duncan repeat the process with one- and two-handed axes, longsword, dagger, and broadsword.  Finally, he said “Acceptable.”

They moved on to the Body Techniques.  Agamar created a dagger of ice and slashed at Duncan’s arm. His Hardened Skin resisted the first two cuts but split at the third as Agamar struck progressively harder.  Agamar checked the wound to see if it was bleeding (it wasn’t) and watched as it slowly healed up under Duncan’s Regeneration Technique.  “Again, acceptable.   You’re cleared to enter the wilderness dungeon in a standard group, and the goblin dungeon with an all-intermediate group, provided you have a healer present.  Your regeneration isn’t nearly good enough for you to be self-sufficient.  None of your Techniques are strong yet, but you have made a start on a wider variety of Techniques than a typical novice.”

Duncan thanked the guild officer, and Agamar took his leave.  Pyotr offered his congratulations and departed as well, saying “I’ll get you on a wilderness dungeon delve with me in a few days.  We’ll start with the Woodlands area.”  The Wilderness dungeon was a massive place.  It contained woodlands, plains, a swamp, and a jungle.  Delvers generally picked one of the biomes for each Delve.  The dungeon was large enough that it was common for three or four groups to enter together, each working a separate biome.

“Now,” said Repdam, once the others had left, “Let us test your other Techniques.” He hit Duncan with a Mind Spike.  And another.  And another, each one slightly stronger than the one before.  Duncan grimaced.  “Not bad for a novice, lad.”  Repdam used his Mind Soothe Technique to heal the mental damage he’d inflicted, then unleashed his presence.  Duncan felt the weight of it, not flinching until Repdam oppressed him with his spirit.  Immediately Duncan was forced to his knees again.  If not for his Coagulation Technique he’d have bled from his eyes and ears again.

Repdam eased off and suppressed his presence once more. “We have to find you an instructor for Spiritual Shield.  You’ve got a naturally strong spirit thanks to your affinity, but you’re not leveraging it. Perhaps your friend Pyotr can help you there.  His aura of attention is a thing of Spirit. Now, let’s see you fold some space.”

Duncan demonstrated his progress. He could extend his reach a full meter with a window large enough to stab through.  And he could change the angle between the windows up to ninety degrees if he kept them close.  He squared off against a practice dummy, opened a window just over its shoulder, folding space ninety degrees so the exit window pointed at the side of the dummy’s head and thrust his practice blade through it.  It looked to him like his sword had bent as he struck the dummy’s ear. He withdrew his sword and the window closed.  “Still not fast enough to use in a fight, but it’s coming along.”

“Indeed it is,” Repdam agreed.  “Don’t use it on a delve unless there’s a dire need.   Keep practicing in your copious spare time.  Speaking of which, when is the last time you socialized with anyone, or visited your family?”

“Um, before the Panther fight, I guess.”  Duncan shrugged.  “I still talk to lots of people, on delves and taking instruction and such.  It just feels like a waste of time to just talk with people when I could be practicing or meditating.”

“Well tomorrow you’re going to visit your family before your mother comes looking for you.  Honestly, I’m surprised she hasn’t already done so.”  Repdam was firm.

*     *     *

As he jogged towards his family home in Easthaven, Duncan practiced creating space windows beside him and seeing how far past them he could get before he lost control of them.  It was only a forty-minute run, and he arrived in time for breakfast.

His parents were thrilled to see him.  “You look great,” his mother gushed, as his father nodded agreement. Even his younger brother Seth was impressed with his improved physique.  “You didn’t look like that last visit – what happened?”
I guess I am stronger after the breakthrough, and leaner.
Duncan explained how his training regimen had picked up and that delvers gained strength as they got more dungeon experience thanks to the mana density and stuff (he didn’t want to explain that ‘stuff’ was risking his life – his family already knew that, but if he brought it up, his mother would seize the chance to bemoan the path he’d chosen to walk).

Seth was not deterred.  “Yorel has been a delver for two whole years, and he doesn’t look like you.”

Duncan had to think a moment to place the name.  “Yorel’s a lazy fire mage.  I don’t think he does any physical training, and he doesn’t have a strong Body affinity.”

After breakfast, he accompanied his family to their store.  It was mostly a workshop, with a small area in the front they used as a storefront.  Most of their products were made to order, so the storefront was pretty sparse.   Seth was apprenticed to their parents, having inherited their gemstone affinity.  Duncan spent a surprisingly pleasant day telling watered down tales about his delving adventures and hearing the gossip from around Easthaven.  No customers entered the store, but a steady stream of neighbors and friends dropped by to talk with the family.

Duncan ran back to Stonewatch after dinner and went straight to the meditation garden.  His meditation was, surprisingly, almost as productive as after a day of training.  Perhaps the day hadn’t been a complete waste of time.

Chapter 9

True to his word, Pyotr had a group put together for the wilderness dungeon a few days later.  The wilderness dungeon was clear on the other side of the valley, so Duncan had a three-hour run to get there.  He ran in his armor, one sword at his right hip, one over his right shoulder, his pack on his back.  When he arrived, he’d broken a sweat and was happy to sit down for the delve brief in the large inn that sat outside the dungeon entrance.

Pyotr had brought Aiphe and Yiska from his normal group, and Samantha, an intermediate-ranked nature mage Duncan had worked with before as well.  “We have three experienced delvers in this group, in case Duncan’s penchant for attracting unusually powerful creatures carries over to this dungeon, too.  We’ll be doing the woodlands region, as it’s usually the least dangerous.”  He looked at Duncan, “Still, that’s twice as dangerous as the goblin caves, so don’t let your guard down.”

Aiphe spoke up, “There’s too much background noise in the wilderness dungeon for my life sense to pick up any but the strongest presences in the woodlands, so I won’t always know when we’re about to be attacked.”

Pyotr continued, “We can usually expect to encounter giant insects, wolfmen, hobgoblins, perhaps even some sprites.  The giant spiders and wasps are generally venomous.  The wolfmen are strong and fast but aren’t tool users.  The hobgoblins wear armor and wield weapons and work very well together in teams.  Sprites are powerful spellcasters, usually with nature or life affinities.”

“If all goes well, we’ll be inside the dungeon for about eight hours, but we have a twelve-hour window if we need it.  Anyone have any questions?”  There were none, so they gathered their gear, storing extra weapons and rations in Pyotr’s storage bag, and headed into the dungeon.

Duncan wasn’t sure what he had expected on the other side of the silver portal, but the dungeon was astonishing.  Bright light shone from overhead, courtesy of an intense white sun in a cloudless blue sky.  To the North and East, a wide plain disappeared off into the distance.  To the south and east, the ground softened into a murky swamp.  And to the west a woodland stretched as far as the eye could see.  The place was huge.
It’s like another whole world in here.  It feels like this dungeon is larger than the valley.

Yiska spoke up, “Amazing, isn’t it?  It’s always mid day in here, no matter the time outside.  There are never any clouds, never any rain.  Except in the Jungle, off to the East.  It’s always misting rain in there.”

Duncan loved it.  “It’s so much better than the goblin caves!”   Everyone laughed at that, and Pyotr led them into the woods.

Pyotr spoke as they hiked.  “There’s often a hobgoblin camp straight west from the dungeon entrance.  We’ll head there first.”

A thought occurred to Duncan, “How do we find the dungeon entrance when we want to leave?”

“It’s directly below the sun.  In the Woodlands always head East until you reach the plains or the swamp.  If you reach the plains, turn right and head South.  If it’s the swamp, turn left and go North.  The entrance is where the zones meet.”

As they walked, Duncan marveled at the way a dungeon could represent an outdoor space.  It really felt like they were wandering through a wooded area.  The trees were different than those in the valley, with wider leaves and a larger spread, almost like great big green mushrooms.  There was a gentle buzzing sound coming from somewhere overhead, getting louder.

“Wasps!” Aiphe called out.  Dropping straight down on them from the canopy above came at least a score of wasps the size of sheep.
How do those things even fly,
Duncan thought.  He drew his swords and took a step away from the group to allow himself room to swing them.  Pyotr activated his aura of attention Technique, and immediately followed up by encasing himself in a pillar of stone as the wasps swarmed towards him.

Yiska was flinging ice shards with impressive accuracy and speed.  They punched through the chitin armor of the wasps with little popping noises.  It took two or three shards to drop a wasp, though – they were much tougher than they looked.

Samantha used her whip to lash at a wasp, hoping to hit a wing.  Her Entangling Thorns Technique wasn’t helpful against flying creatures, so she was reduced to her melee attack.

Aiphe and Duncan attacked the wasps swarming around Pyotr with their swords.  Aiphe had the strength of an experienced delver and good form, which helped make up for her lack of Techniques with her weapon.  Duncan’s Tempered Blade let him crack the chitin on the wasps with relative ease and his Blade Echo almost doubled the damage of each swing.  Every attack that landed dropped a wasp.  But they were both fast and agile in the air and were constantly moving as they tried to attack the stone pillar that Pyotr had become.

One of the enraged wasps that couldn’t reach Pyotr due to sheer numbers turned on Duncan, stabbing him in the back with a stinger the size of a dagger.  His hardened skin, leather armor, and shielding pendant each took some of the force out of the blow, and it only penetrated an inch, but that was enough. The pain was astonishing.  Wasp venom is a paralytic, and his back muscles clenched hard as it took effect.

Aiphe gestured at him, and his muscles released as her heal brought sweet relief.  It was short-lived though, as another wave of pain swept through him and his muscles spasmed again.  “Sorry!” she shouted over the buzzing of the wasps.  “I can heal the damage, but I don’t have anything to neutralize the poison.  It’ll wear off eventually.”

Yiska yelled “Clear!” and Aiphe said “Away from Pyotr, quickly.”  The pair of them retreated to where Yiska and Samantha were standing, a good ten meters from Pyotr.  Yiska activated a Technique, and a yellow-green cloud engulfed the wasps and Pyotr.   The wasps began to decay as Duncan watched.  Their delicate wings shriveled, and they fell to the ground.  Some still crawled around Pyotr, stabbing at his stone armor with their stingers, but most just lay there, feebly waving their legs.

Yiska canceled the Technique and the noxious cloud dissipated.  Pyotr let his stone pillar fade away and stood unharmed.  The group finished off the crippled wasps, Duncan wincing as his back continued to spasm every few seconds as the venom and Aiphe’s healing battled in his system.

“How does a group without an invulnerable guardian with a Spirit affinity Technique to hold the creatures’ attention deal with that?”

“Lots of area effect Techniques and strong healing.  Also, most of us have stronger defenses than you.  You’re young yet, and your Body Techniques aren’t sufficient to deal with some of the creatures in here.  That’s why we delve in groups.  Not everyone is suited to every fight.  You contribute where you can and lean on your team for support.”

Duncan looked at Samantha, “Do you have a defense against those?”  She nodded, and a thick layer of bark appeared around her, covering her completely.  “Right, just me then.”

Aiphe punched him in the shoulder. “Stop pitying yourself. You’ve advanced to the wilderness dungeon a full year faster than most do.  Show us you deserve to be here or go back to the goblin caves and take the time to improve your body Techniques against things that don’t hit quite so hard.”

“Not the goblin caves!” Duncan’s protests brought a round of chuckles to the group.  “I understand.”

“You could also look at plate armor,” suggested Pyotr.  “You might lose some mobility, but it’d help until your Hardened Skin Technique improves.  I still use it even with my stone armor Technique.”  The guild provided armor, crafted from the metal harvested from the various dungeons.
Definitely something to consider,
Duncan thought, nodding at the guardian.

He helped harvest the stingers and venom glands from the wasps, not thrilled with the messy work.
This is gross, but the parts are valuable.  I can deal with a little viscera.

Pyotr led them further West in search of the hobgoblin camp.  “Not far now,” he said.  “It’s usually in a clearing just ahead.”  But as they approached the clearing, they saw no hobgoblin village.  Instead, there was a massive spider nest spanning multiple trees.  “Spiders.” Pyotr’s voice was flat.  “Venomous, and huge. Not as fast as the wasps, fortunately, but that’s a big nest.  There could be a lot of them.”

“I’ll open with a Cloud of Decay on the part of the nest closest to us,” said Yiska. “It should weaken them.  Pity we don’t have a fire mage today – that nest would burn nicely.  When they come at us, Samantha you entangle the biggest group you can.  Pyotr will hold the attention of any that get close.  Duncan and Aiphe can chop chop, and I’ll shoot any flankers.”

Everyone acknowledged the plan, and Yiska created a cloud of nastiness in the nest.  Immediately, half a dozen spiders the size of mastiffs boiled out of the nest and came charging at them.  Simultaneously, a spider popped up on either side of the group, exiting cleverly concealed hollows in the ground.  Duncan turned to engage the nearest spider as Pyotr activated his aura and Samantha waited for the spiders from the nest to group up as they approached.

Duncan’s target veered towards Pyotr, lured by the guardian’s aura.  Duncan followed it and struck deep into its bulbous abdomen with each sword in turn, his Blade Echo adding an additional strike for each sword.  The abdomen was shredded but neither hit was fatal – all the vital bits were up front, out of his reach.  The damage was enough to draw the spider’s attention from Pyotr though, and it spun to face him.  As it did, Duncan withdrew a step to gain some distance.  He thrust with his right-hand sword at the spider’s fangs, mostly as a distance finder, then took a passing step to his left with his left foot and brought his left-hand sword down in a cleaving cut, leaving a deep gash in its thorax near its eyes. His Blade Echo was superfluous, and the spider collapsed.
Haha – technique is every bit as important as Technique!

Pyotr smashed the head of the other nearby spider and turned to face the group arriving from the nest.  Samantha’s Entangling Thorns burst from the ground around the pack of spiders, slowing them drastically.  The thorns didn’t seem to be doing much damage, but the spiders had trouble extricating their legs and bodies from the writhing vegetation.

Pyotr, Aiphe and Duncan moved up to the edge of the entanglement to engage the spiders as they worked they way through it.  Yiska caused a blizzard of ice shards to fall on the spiders, leaving them looking torn and bedraggled.  Samantha, wary of additional hidden spiders, activated a camouflage Technique, and blended in with the nearby underbrush.  She lacked a strong single target attack, and so was content to save her mana for Entangling Thorns.

Suddenly, a ball of fire streaked in from the direction of the spider nest and exploded into a conflagration around Pyotr.  Duncan screamed as his skin blistered and cracked.  Pyotr and Aiphe seemed to weather the attack relatively well, though Pyotr’s eyebrows suffered somewhat.

“What the fuck is that?” Yiska screamed.  On the nest were three creatures that looked like massive spiders with a human torso grafted onto the thorax where the eyes would normally be.  Two of them held large bows, while the third was suspiciously unarmed.  A massive wall of ice sprang up between the group and the nest as Yiska activated her Ice Wall Technique.

The wall provided cover and allowed them a moment to recuperate.  Aiphe healed Duncan and Pyotr snapped, “Duncan, Samantha, get to cover!”  Duncan and Samantha retreated behind a large tree, keeping an eye out for more spiders.  Yiska moved forward to stand with Aiphe and Pyotr.

A series of fireballs splashed against the ice wall.  Yiska cocked her head, analyzing her wall. “The fireballs are strong, but the wall will hold for a while.  Anyone seen those things before?”  No one had.

The creatures must have agreed with Yiska about the strength of the fireballs relative to the wall because the fiery assault soon stopped.   Seconds later, five of the creatures appeared atop the wall.
Did they just run up the ice?
Duncan wondered.  In addition to the two archers and the likely spellcaster, there were two creatures wielding naginatas, long-bladed spears with a relatively short haft.  Those two leapt off the wall and charged the veteran delvers as the archers opened fire and the spellcaster activated another fireball Technique.

Flames washed over the senior members of the party.  As the flames receded, Duncan saw Yiska enclosed in a suit of armor made entirely of ice.  None of the three seemed especially bothered by the fire.  The two archers each fired an arrow which split into three as they flew.  All six slammed into Aiphe’s shield and she was knocked back a step.

Yiska responded with an ice spear that plunged through the curtain of fire that leapt up in front of the enemy spellcaster, impaling the creature’s human torso.  Pyotr activated his Aura Technique and thickened his stone armor.  As one of the naginata-wielders approached, he stepped to meet it, his angled shield deflecting a hard downward cut, and his mace lashing out to retaliate.  He struck the human torso and Duncan saw that he, too, had an echo Technique of sorts.  Two barely opaque echoes of his mace appeared and struck the torso of the monster.  It screamed in agony but didn’t fall.

Aiphe met the second melee foe with sword and shield.  They traded blows, neither one appearing hurt by the exchange.

More arrows struck, courtesy of the archers on the walls.  Both Pyotr and Aiphe were hit by the arrows, but the ones that struck Pyotr bounced off his armor and the ones that struck Aiphe were pushed out a moment later as she healed herself.

Yiska gesticulated wildly and a large globe of water appeared around the head of first one archer, then the other.  They reacted by trying to move out the water, but the globes moved with them.  One of them fell off the wall trying to avoid the water, and the other leapt off.

The fire caster reacted with a new Technique of its own.  A fiery tornado appeared at its feet and rushed toward the group, growing rapidly as it approached. Pyotr stood his ground and let it wash over him, emerging unscathed.  Aiphe and Yiska were tossed up by the force of the whirling fire and landed awkwardly.  Yiska lost concentration on her water Technique and the globes of water splashed to the ground, freeing the archers.  The two melee monsters were burned by the tornado but were too heavy or gripped the ground too well to be thrown.  The spiders in the Entangling Thorns effect were cooked alive by the tornado.  They did not stir after it passed.

Next to Duncan, Samantha raised her arms and Entangling Thorns gripped the naginata-wielding creature that had been attacking Aiphe.  Duncan fumed silently – he had no ranged attacks, and he dared not run out to attack – he suspected he might not survive if he were hit by the archers.

The archers began circling around the group, trying to force Pyotr and Aiphe to present their shields either to them or to the caster and melee and thereby present their backs to the other.  They were very fast, and they fired as they moved.  Again, Pyotr and Aiphe were struck and again, the arrows bounced of his armor and were expelled from her body as she healed.

Yiska fired off another large ice spear at the spellcasting monster.  It pierced the barrier curtain and struck the human torso once more.  The spellcaster was knocked backwards off the wall.  Pyotr smashed his wounded target again with his mace, and again the transparent echoes struck behind his physical attack.  The creature’s chest cavity collapsed, and it dropped to the ground.  Aiphe charged one of the circling archers, leaving the trapped melee for now.  She swung hard at it, and it used its bow as a staff to block the attack.

The remaining archer was perhaps three meters from where Duncan and Samantha were hiding, facing towards Pyotr.
Fuck it.
Duncan hurtled out from behind the tree, plunging his Tempered Blade-enhanced swords into its abdomen, using his Blade Echo Technique for added damage.  His blades pierced deep into the creature, and he withdrew them as fast as he could.
So glad they penetrated; I’d have looked a right fool if they’d bounced off.
He stepped back as the monster spun towards him, but it swung the bow like a staff, and had plenty of reach.  The staff slammed into his swords as he attempted a block, and he was knocked off his feet, barely able to hang on to his swords.

Thorny vines entangled the spider legs and body, preventing it from pouncing on him.
Thanks Samantha!
He regained his feet and faced off with the creature, staying just outside its reach.  It swung a sweeping horizontal strike and he stepped in behind it, only to have the monster check the swing and bring the bow back to strike his right arm hard and knocking him down again.  He lost his right-hand sword.
Shit, he thought.
Arm’s probably broken.
He scrambled back to his feet and again stood just outside the monster’s range.

The monster struggled to free itself from the entangling thorns even as it took wild swings at Duncan.  From just outside its range, he took a few seconds to build a Space affinity window, only to see a large chunk of ice protrude from the creature’s chest.  It collapsed to the ground as he let his Technique fade, unused.  Aiphe used her healing Technique to heal his injuries, and he looked around the field to see they’d won.  All the spider hybrid creatures were down.

“Thanks for the entangle, Samantha.  Saved me from taking a beating.”

“Happy to help,” she replied.

Yiska had allowed her ice wall to dissipate back into mana.  The body of the spellcasting monster was visible beyond.   There were no immediate threats, so they took a little time to loot the bodies.  The hybrid creatures wore close-fitting armor made from an unknown hide on their torsos, arms, and heads. Some of the pieces were badly damaged, from the ice spears in particular, but much was salvageable. The bows were sturdy, too, and went into the storage bag along with the armor.  They were able to recover fangs and venom glands from the spiders.

“Good fight,” remarked Pyotr.

“It was,” said Aiphe. “Not often we get to fight unknown demonic spider people.   Are we going into the nest?”

“Hells yes,” enthused Yiska.  “If there are passages large enough for these things, we’ll have no trouble moving around.  These were intelligent tool users with Techniques.  If they had a lair in there, it could have some real interesting loot. And guards.”

Aiphe nodded.  “They weren’t especially dangerous. No one took much more than a scratch.  Well, ok, a bit of Duncan’s flesh got burned off, and something broke his arm, but the fight didn’t strain my healing at all.”

Duncan had to speak up.  “It wasn’t just me.  Pyotr’s eyebrows got singed.  Look how uneven they are now.”   Pyotr fished out a mirror from the storage bag, an alarmed look on his face, and everyone laughed.

“Bah.  That settles it.  We’re going in.”   Pyotr led the way to the massive nest.  Up close, Duncan could see that was built as a shell around several large trees.  The webbing itself was like thick rope, sticky, but not especially so.  He wouldn’t get trapped by touching it, at least.

The entrance the spiders and the weird hybrid creatures had used was near the top of the nest.  Rather than try to climb up the webbing, they decided to check the entire circumference of the dome for an entry closer to ground level.  A minute later, they found one.  Two more of the big trapdoor type spiders leapt out of their hidden burrows as they approached, but they were easily slain, and the group ducked into the nest.

Inside, the nest was spectacular.  The translucent dome altered the color of the light, giving everything a slightly washed-out appearance.  Rope-thick strands of webbing criss-crossed the interior space.  There were no spiders in sight – their initial assault must have drawn out all the ones that’d been here.  Under the center of the dome, a large burrow led down into darkness.

“Oh goody,” said Samantha.  “Tight spaces, no natural light, no plants.  You take me to all the nicest places, Pyotr.”

Pyotr pulled two light orbs out of his storage bag and tossed one to Duncan, activating the other and setting it overhead.  Duncan followed suit.  “Single file,” said Pyotr.  “Me, Yiska, Samantha, Duncan, Aiphe.  Armor Techniques active in case we’re ambushed.”  A layer of stone formed over his armor, Yiska was enveloped in ice, and Samantha grew out her bark armor, muttering under her breath about how it chafed when she had to move in it.  Aiphe and Duncan had no active armor Techniques, so they just followed the others into the burrow.

The burrow was a maze of tunnels.  A steady stream of spiders attacked them as they advanced, but rarely more than two at a time, and in the cramped quarters, they couldn’t get past Pyotr to reach the rest.  A few times, they were assaulted from behind by spiders coming at them from various passages they’d passed, but Aiphe warded them off with her shield and chopped them to pieces with her sword.

Eventually the tunnel widened into a large egg-cavern.  An enormous spider queen and two of the naginata-wielding hybrids stood in the center of the cavern.  The two hybrids rushed at the party, while the queen stood her ground, a sickly green ball of light forming between her fangs.

Pyotr rushed forward to meet the hybrids.  “Queen’s a caster. Spread out in case it’s a splash attack.”  The rest of the group quickly followed him into the room, spreading out as they engaged the hybrids.

The Queen launched the green ball over the heads of her hybrid allies toward Yiska who stood in the back of the room.  Yiska summoned a small wall of ice to block it, and the ball splashed across the surface of the wall and dripped down.  A nasty looking mist began to rise from the liquid.

Duncan and Aiphe engaged the left hybrid while Pyotr and Samantha attacked the one on the right.  The hybrids turned out to be skillful weapons users, dancing around and maintaining range with their longer weapons.   Samantha entangled the one nearest her, and Pyotr closed on it, fending off the naginata with his shield and landing some solid hits with his mace.  Duncan and Aiphe spread out to come at the left hybrid from two directions.  It continued to back up, keeping them both in its front arc.

The queen shot a wave of small green bolts that blanketed the room.  Everyone was struck by at least one.  The poison dripped off Duncan’s chest piece but didn’t penetrate.  The fumes rising off it made his eyes water and his lungs burn, though.

Suddenly a swarm of spiders burst into the room from entrances all around.  There were dozens of them.   Samantha dropped the largest Entangling Thorns field she could manage along the party’s right flank, and Yiska produced a long ice wall along the left flank.  Many of the spiders were caught by the Entangling Thorns, but those on the left just ran over the wall of ice as though it was plain stone.  The party was forced to clump up a bit to prevent the spiders from overrunning them and taking them from behind.  Aiphe activated her healing aura, and its gentle pulses felt reassuring to Duncan as they counteracted the damage from the poisonous fumes.

The queen launched another big poison ball and it splashed down right in their midst.  More fumes blanketed the area, and the poison burned wherever it managed to splash onto exposed skin.  Yiska used her Cloud of Decay Technique to cover the spiders trapped in Samantha’s Entangling Thorns.  Pyotr finished off his hybrid opponent with an overhead smash of his mace and turned to face the onrushing spiders, his Aura of Attention drawing them to him.

Aiphe and Duncan methodically cut down spiders as they swarmed past to get at Pyotr.  The hybrid still lunged at them and dodged about outside their sword range.
I really need a ranged attack, thought Duncan.
I’ll have to ask Repdam about learning Mind Spike.
Seeing their predicament, Samantha entangled the remaining hybrid.

The spider queen rushed forward, scattering smaller spiders as she attacked Pyotr.  Her fangs shredded his shield and carved deep gashes in his stone armor.  Rooted as he was by a stone Technique, Pyotr stood his ground, unmoving and unyielding.

Yiska launched an ice spear and it shattered against the queen’s chitin.  Samantha used her vine whip on the spiders attacking Pyotr, but their chitin was too tough for her to do real damage.  Aiphe and Duncan engaged the entangled Hybrid, Aiphe clearing the naginata with her shield and striking under it with her sword.  Duncan cut at its legs with both his swords, unable to reach the body without stepping into the thorns and becoming entangled.

Pyotr smashed his mace into the queen’s face, and she backed off a step. He followed, keeping up the pressure, ignoring the attacks of the smaller spiders swarming around him, their fangs poking ineffectually at his stone armor.

The spiders in the Entangling Thorns on the right flank succumbed to the accumulated damage from the thorns and the Cloud of Decay.  The spider queen spun in place and a massive blob of webbing shot out from her abdomen, covering half the room and entrapping everyone but the spiders, which seemed immune.  Pyotr struggled to free his arms, tearing at the webs.

Duncan was stuck fast.
Why didn’t I learn Mind Spike, damnit?
He struggled to free his arms.  His preternaturally sharp blades were able to cut the webbing, but he had difficulty moving his arms enough to bring the blades to bear.  The hybrid, free to attack while its opponents were entangled, slammed its naginata into Duncan’s chest, his armor and hardened skin insufficient to repel the blow.  A burning pain engulfed him.  The hybrid tore the naginata out of the wound, and Duncan almost blacked out.  His Coagulation and Regeneration passive Techniques helped keep him alive and the pulse of Aiphe’s healing aura repaired torn flesh.

A spear of ice impaled the hybrid as Yiska noticed Duncan’s peril and intervened.  She didn’t need to move to use her Techniques, fortunately.  The hybrid rocked back under the attack, badly wounded, but able to cling to its weapon.  Aiphe used her focused healing Technique and Duncan’s chest began to rapidly reassemble itself.  He found he could breathe again.

The spider queen bit down hard on Pyotr, causing his stone armor to crumble in places and eliciting a roar of pain from the guardian.  A pillar of stone grew out of the floor at his feet, fully engulfing him.  A dozen smaller spiders continued to swarm around him, biting ineffectually at him.

Samantha used her Entangling Thorns to trap most of the swarming small spiders around Pyotr.  His pillar was unaffected by the thorns, as was the spider queen.

The hybrid thrust its naginata at Duncan again.  He twisted violently, leaning to the side as much as he could to avoid the attack.  The naginata barely sliced through his hardened skin, leaving a shallow wound that didn’t bleed, thanks to his Coagulation Technique.

Aiphe used her healing Technique on Pyotr.  Yiska threw another ice spear at the remaining hybrid, striking it again.  It slumped down into the thorny cushion of Samantha’s entangling technique.

The queen slammed her fangs into Pyotr’s pillar, causing the ground to shake with the force of the attack.  Yet the pillar withstood the blow.

Duncan continued to try to free himself and was able to use his left-hand sword to cut enough of the webbing off his right arm to release it.

The spider queen continued to slam furious attacks into the pillar that protected Pyotr.  Yiska surrounded his pillar with her Cloud of Decay, and the trapped spiders writhed in agony as their eyes dissolved.  Their thick chitin was affected too, but it would take some time before the cloud ate through to their tender insides.  The spider queen herself didn’t react to the cloud.  Yiska switched to a blizzard of ice shards that finished off the remaining smaller spiders but did little to the queen.

Pyotr’s stone pillar receded to his waist, and he smashed his mace into the queen’s face, or at least the spot between the eyes and the fangs.  It flinched back a moment, then struck him again.  No longer protected by the pillar, his stone armor was insufficient to block the attack entirely, and the fangs pierced his torso.  He roared in anguish as the queen injected her venom.

Yiska continued to fling ice spears at the spider queen, Pyotr continued to hammer away at its eyes and mouth, and Aiphe kept a constant stream of healing going to Pyotr.  Duncan eventually cut himself free, and ran to the back of the spider queen, well away from its fearsome fangs.  He attacked the joints on its rearmost leg, with some degree of success, but didn’t do enough damage for the massive creature to take note.

“Mana’s becoming an issue here,” called out Aiphe after a few minutes.

Time to do something dangerous!
Duncan ran back around to the front of the spider queen, standing right next to Pyotr, trusting to his Aura of Attention to keep the queen attacking the guardian.   He joined Pyotr in slamming attacks into the mouth of the massive spider, their echo Techniques increasing their damage significantly.  Aiphe had freed herself and moved up as well and joined in with her sword even as she continued to heal Pyotr directly and kept her healing Aura active on the entire group.  Yiska continued to throw ice spears every few seconds.

Another minute passed, and Duncan began to despair.  Then the spider queen simply collapsed without fanfare, its legs going limp.  Everyone continued to attack for another few seconds until Aiphe called out, “It’s dead.”

“That was insane,” said Yiska.  “I cannot believe how durable that thing was.”

“I really need a ranged attack beyond my entangle,” complained Samantha.  “I’m sorry I couldn’t do anything to help with the queen.  And, uh, can someone cut me loose, please?”

“Me too,” Yiska added.  “Fortunately, I didn’t need to move to attack.  And your entangle helped take out dozens of those spiders.”

Duncan and Aiphe cut the webbing off Samantha and Yiska while Pyotr took a look around.  “Over here!” he shouted.  “There’s a treasure chest!”

Keeping his stone armor active, Pyotr opened the chest while everyone else kept their distance.  It wasn’t trapped.  In it, they found a small pile of coins, a silvery-white robe, and an engraved stone.   “Nice!” proclaimed Yiska.  “Now let’s loot the rest before stuff starts to disappear.”

After they’d looted all the creatures, they were pretty filthy from the spider ichor.  Yiska sprayed them all down with summoned water.  “We should head back.  I know we’ve only been in here for a few hours, but we should report the new monsters, and I could really use a nap.  That fight really strained my mana pool.”

No one objected, and so they headed back to the surface of the burrow, eventually finding it after only a few dead ends.  There seemed to be no spiders left in the burrow at all.  Once up on the surface, they jogged back to the dungeon entrance with no further encounters.

Outside, they all took rooms at the inn for the night and gathered to get their loot appraised.  The guild maintained an appraisal hut and quartermaster at the inn in addition to the healer duty station.  The entire inn had been built to support the dungeon delvers, after all.  The naginatas were very good steel, with strong wooden hafts.  The appraiser didn’t recognize the wood but was able to determine it was incredibly dense and strong.   The bows were a very heavy draw weight, and the armor they’d taken off the hybrid creatures was a form of treated drake hide, very sturdy given its weight.  The robe was made of spider silk and conveyed a strong toxin resistance to the wearer.  It was also incredibly durable.  The engraved stone was a Technique stone, teaching the Air Affinity ‘Wind Blade’ Technique.  No one wanted any of the items (although Duncan hemmed and hawed about taking a naginata), so the appraiser recorded their contributions to the guild and bade them farewell.

“I must report the new monsters to the guild,” Pyotr said as they left the appraiser’s hut.  “Who’s coming with me?”   Duncan’s head was buzzing so he begged off and went to his room to meditate.
So much to process today.  I fought well enough, but I really need a ranged attack.  Mind Spike seems like a viable option there, and I’m sure Repdam can teach it to me in short order.  Also, my defense is really weak.  My hardened skin doesn’t seem like it’s as effective as it should be, given my strong body affinity.  I need to find someone to talk to about that.  Same with my regeneration.  Maybe I should give some thought to wearing plate armor as Pyotr suggested.  I have the strength to wear it without having to worry about being weighed down, thanks to the body affinity.  If I get a set that fits me well, it shouldn’t hamper my agility much.  I don’t do a lot of acrobatics anyway.  I need to talk to Pyotr about his echo Technique – I haven’t seen that before.  And Yiska showed some new Techniques today too – the water globe on the head thing was neat.

After his meditation had cleared his head, he realized he hadn’t eaten since the Delve, so he headed down to the common room to get some food.  There, he found the rest of his team having an after-dinner drink, so he joined them while he ate.

Pyotr said, “So it seems your penchant for luring out new monsters applies to more than just the goblin caves.  You’ll do your next few delves in the wilderness dungeon with veteran teams, like today.  A less experienced team may not have survived that spider queen fight.   If the pattern of you attracting dangerous monsters on every delve continues to hold, the guild will officially label you a trouble magnet, and you’ll doubtless be invited to a few teams as a result.”

Aiphe added, “Be very careful who you group with.  There’s a wide variation in abilities among the veteran delvers, just as much as there is among the intermediates.  Get yourself some better defense, too.  You’re entirely too squishy for a melee fighter.”

Duncan nodded. “I agree my defense is weak.  I’ll talk to the quartermaster about some plate armor when I return to Stonewatch tomorrow as a short-term fix.  I’m really feeling the lack of a ranged Technique as well.”

Pyotr replied, “I’m heading to Stonewatch in the morning as well.  We can go together, and I can put in a word for you with the blacksmiths there.”

“That’s perfect,” Duncan said. “I’ve got some questions to ask you on the way.”

The group said their goodbyes and retired to their rooms to meditate or sleep.

Chapter 10

Duncan and Pyotr walked back to Stonewatch together.  “Alright lad, you said you’ve got some questions?”

“I do.  First, I saw a lot of new Techniques yesterday.  What was that echo Technique I saw you use with your mace?”

“Spirit Echo.  It’s similar to your Blade Echo Technique, obviously, but it uses my Spirit Affinity.  The echoes bypass physical armor and harm the opponent’s spirit or soul directly. I suspect that was what killed the spider queen yesterday – we certainly weren’t doing much physical damage to it. I’m surprised you were able to see it though – it’s generally invisible to people without a strong Spirit affinity.”

Duncan blushed.  “That’s one of the things I wanted to talk to you about.  After the panther fight in the goblin dungeon, I had something called a breakthrough.”

Pyotr interrupted, “Hah!  That explains some stuff.  Rumor has it you got really sick and soiled your bed.  Apparently two of the dorm attendants got sick after cleaning it up.”

“What? No!” Duncan was mortified. “Why are people even talking about me?  And how is it everyone knows about Breakthroughs but me?  I’m sure they weren’t covered in the student curriculum.”

“You’re a seventeen-year-old novice, lad.  Everyone knows more than you.  Your knowledge is a tiny drop in a vast ocean of ignorance.   And people are talking about you because you attract unusual monsters in dungeons. Veteran delvers trade favors to get assigned to your delves.  Everyone wants something new, especially in the goblin dungeon.”

“Oh.  I had no idea.  Anyway, after the breakthrough, I now have some additional strong affinities.  You know I used the space affinity stone, so I have that, and mind and spirit.”

Pyotr’s eyebrows twitched. “Woah, that’s quite a gain.”

“So, I’m hoping that you’ll train me in Spirit Techniques.  Repdam is helping me with Mind and Space – he’s got a whole training regimen for me, really.  But I don’t want to tell everyone about the affinities – Repdam says the guild might coddle me and hinder my advancement if they find out I have five strong ones.” Pyotr snorted at that. “I trust you though, and you have strong Spirit Techniques.”

“Repdam just wants to be able to train you himself.  You’re his new theorycrafting experiment.  You’ll probably turn into a hero of legend or something and he’ll be insufferable.”
That’s… harsh.  But it feels oddly accurate, too.

Pyotr thought for a moment.  “Alright, I’ll train you in Spirit Techniques.  But I want to see what you’re doing with your Space Affinity.”

Duncan was thrilled.  “Ok, so the only thing we’ve figured out so far is this folding space thing.  But it’s really versatile.  Only I’m no good at it yet – it takes a lot of concentration, and I can’t do it fast so I don’t use it in combat yet.  I think of it as a window.” He concentrated.  “This side of the window is here, and I fold space so the other side of the window is over here, facing another direction.”  His space window appeared in front of him and he stuck a sword through it, the blade coming out of space a few inches away at a forty-five degree angle.  He withdrew the blade and let the window collapse.

Pyotr just stared at him.

“Pyotr?”

Pyotr waved at him weakly.

“Pyotr, are you ok?”

Pyotr sat down at the side of the road and began to laugh.  He laughed so hard that tears rolled down his face and he struggled to breathe.

“Pyotr, seriously, what’s wrong?”

“I gave that up casually because I didn’t want to be Blinking around a battlefield.  I had no idea.  That… is amazing.
I could have been a hero of legend.”  He snorted. “Well, I guess I have to help you become one instead.”

Duncan had no idea what to say.  “I, er..”

“It’s alright, lad.  We cannot change the past, and I’m excited to see where you can take this.  And I really do have a full slate of Techniques already.” Pyotr paused for thought. “Assuming you can speed it up and increase the distance between the sides of your window, you could thrust here,” he mimed thrusting well offline, “and have the blade strike your opponent in the back of the neck or wherever you wanted.  What are the limitations of the windows as you understand them?”

Duncan explained that light passed through, and that the windows were clearly visible if the two sides weren’t perfectly aligned and demonstrated the way that things that only partly passed through the window got stuck, like with a real window. “So it’s kind of a feature and kind of a limitation.  I can’t swing a weapon through the window at its current size, but I can thrust.  It’s why I’ve switched primarily to two broadswords instead of using the longsword.  The broadswords can cut and thrust, while the longsword is primarily a cutting weapon.”

They continued their discussion as they walked. “What Techniques are you looking to learn from Spirit?” Pyotr asked.

“I’m not sure what’s possible.  I need Spirit Shield, and I want to learn that Spirit Echo.  Will I be able to use it conjunction with Blade Echo?”

“Eventually, perhaps.  Both of those echo Techniques are active Techniques that take concentration to activate.  If you’re thinking of striking through a portal window with Blade Echo and Spirit Echo, you may have to wait a century or more.  That’s a whole lot of concentration needed.” Pyotr cautioned.

“Good thing I have a strong Mind affinity, too, then, huh?” Duncan grinned, and Pyotr huffed and muttered something under his breath about heroes of legend and life being unfair.

“I would like to learn the Aura of Attention, too, but I was wondering if there’s an opposite to that, an Aura of Inattention, if you will.”

“You need to understand how Aura of Attention works,” explained Pyotr.  “It’s not a compulsion or anything.  It just makes you come across as extremely aggressive and annoying.  Unintelligent creatures will attack you almost exclusively unless someone else damages them enough to make them turn away.  For sentient creatures, it’s more a sensation that someone is doing this all the time.”  Pyotr puffed his chest out and began bouncing back and forth on his feet in Duncan’s personal space.  “You wanna go, huh?  Huh?  You wanna fight?  I’ll kick your ass, bitch.”  He poked Duncan in the chest for emphasis.

Duncan grimaced.  “That feels almost like a compulsion to me.  I wanted to hit you and I knew it was just an explanation.”

“The point is, sentient creatures will pick their targets based on more than just a desire to make you shut up.   The aura of inattention, as you call it, is a little different.  It makes you seem nondescript.  If you’re walking down a busy street with it active, people won’t pay attention to you.  You’re not invisible to them or anything, you just don’t stand out.  If you’re running around naked while everyone else is dressed, or if you’re on fire, you will still be noticed, because those things stand out on their own.  In a fight, some monsters may be less likely to attack you if they feel someone else is a greater threat, but it’s no guarantee.”

Duncan nodded.  “That still feels worthwhile.  Anything else you think I should learn?”

“Just one, really.”  Pyotr began to shimmer and became transparent for a moment, then reverted to normal.  “That’s called Spirit Form.  It’s very mana intensive to maintain, and quite difficult to move with, but you become insubstantial.  People with low Spirit Affinity won’t even see you.  Physical attacks won’t affect you.  Oh, and you can’t speak in that form – you can’t generate sound waves.”

“That’s amazing!”  Duncan was excited by the possibilities.

“It is, but there’s a steep learning curve.  When you first learn to do it, you’ll find you can’t bring items with you.  So they’ll all drop to the ground, and when you end the Technique you’ll be naked.  Eventually, you’ll learn to take some items with you – Mana-infused items are actually easier than normal items, because your spirit can sense them.  But even now, I have trouble passing through solid objects with gear.

“And with your Space Techniques you may be able to move without going incorporeal, so that may not be a concern for you.”

“Thanks, Pyotr.  I really appreciate you being willing to help me with these Techniques.”  Duncan was excited by the possibilities.

“You’ll need to have a discussion with Repdam about how many Spirit Techniques you want to learn.  We’re still an hour from Stonewatch,” Pyotr said, “so while we’re walking let’s work on your Spiritual Shield.  Envision a bubble around you, a cloud of Spirit mana….”

*     *     *

Once they reached Stonehaven, they stopped by the quartermaster’s office to confirm Duncan had enough contribution credits to have a set of plate armor made.  It turned out he had plenty – the unusual loot from the unusual monsters on his delves resulted in more credits than normal and he’d been using the same gear since he started delving.  The quartermaster gave him a requisition chit and recorded the transaction.

Pyotr led him to a large smithy on the edge of town.  Inside, it was noisy as half a dozen smiths worked on various projects.  There was a young apprentice at the counter.  “How can we help you today, sirs?”

“I need a word with Vasily.  Tell him Pyotr is here to see him.”

“Yes sir.  He may be a short while, though – he’s working on an item and may not be a position to hand it off to someone or pause.   Please feel free to browse our selection of ready-made armor and weapons while you wait.”  The boy directed them into an attached showroom, much better lit than the forge itself.

Pyotr looked around idly, while Duncan examined some sideswords and broadswords. They all appeared to be about on par with his own pair, not surprising since his came from the guild, and this smithy clearly did consignment work for the guild.  It was possible his had been made right here.

Some time later, a massive smith entered the room and embraced Pyotr. “Good to see you, my friend!  Do you need replacement gear, or repairs on your own armor?”  The man was even bigger than Repdam, and completely bald, though he had a massive moustache and beard, which Duncan thought might be a liability in a forge.

Pyotr laughed. “I do need some repairs, at that.  A spider the size of a house ripped my cuirass to shreds yesterday, through my stone armor.” He pulled his armor out of his storage bag, and the smith winced.

The smith turned the ruined cuirass over to examine it from all angles.  “Pyotr, my friend, that has seen its last fight.  It needs to be melted down for scrap.  I will make you a new one, even better.”

“I appreciate that,” Pyotr said, “But the real reason I’m here is that I need a full set of plate made for my young friend here.” He gestured to Duncan.

“Ah, my apologies, young man.  I did not know you were together.  I am Vasily Ironbeard, master of this smithy.  I am pleased to meet you!”

Duncan smiled.  “I’m Duncan, novice delver.  I have a chit here from the guild for a full suit of custom fitted plate.”

“A novice getting custom plate?  There must be a story behind that.  The misers at the Delvers Guild would never spring for that for a novice.”  Vasily looked at Pyotr.  “You must tell me the story while we measure you both for your new armor. Come this way.”   He led them past the counter into the depths of the forge, and to a room in the back.  Two apprentices took a lot of careful measurements and noted them down on a slate board.

As they did, Pyotr told Vasily, “Duncan is a trouble magnet.  Dungeons hate him.  Every time he enters, the dungeons send unusual or unique monsters after him.  We fought the house-sized spider together yesterday.”

Vasily nodded somberly.  “If you are fighting things that can do this to a cuirass through Pyotr’s Technique, you will need good armor indeed.  I will make it myself.  Come back in two weeks and we’ll see how it fits.  With luck it will be complete in three.”  He gave Pyotr another massive hug and went back to work without another word.

*     *     *

Duncan’s next stop was Repdam’s office, so he arranged to meet Pyotr in midafternoon for Spirit Technique training and bade him goodbye.

Repdam was waiting for him.  “How did the wilderness dungeon delve go?”

Duncan explained about the new monsters and the enormous spider queen. “And so, I really think I need a ranged attack like Mind Spike.”

“So it’s not just the goblin dungeon that is affected.  The wilderness dungeon gave you a unique encounter on your very first delve.  Absolutely fascinating.  I wonder what it is about you that triggers it.  As to needing Mind Spike, I’m of two minds about that.  Don’t forget that, unless you’re incredibly special, you can only learn a maximum of ten active Techniques.  You’re already looking at Blade Echo and Fold Space.  It seems likely that you’ll eventually get a short-range movement technique from your Space affinity, given the panther had one.  As a blademaster, I think you’ll do better with a short-range teleport technique to close distance than with a ranged power.   That said, you do need an attack that doesn’t do physical damage, in case you run into something you can’t hurt with a sword.  You’ll want a non-combat movement technique eventually, too.  You might get one from Space, but you can get one from your Blade affinity for sure.”

“Wait!” Duncan interrupted.  “How would I get a movement technique from my Blade affinity?”

Repdam grinned at him. “There’s a famous Blade Technique called Flying Sword.  Essentially you stand on the flat of a sword (typically a wide bladed greatsword or some such) and use your Blade affinity to move it.  Takes some getting used to, but it looks ridiculous, in a good way.”

Are you shitting me?  I honestly can’t tell.
Duncan stared hard at Repdam, looking for clues that the old man was pulling his leg.  “That sounds… good?”

“As flying Techniques go, it’s pretty awful, really.  You have to balance on a sword, there’s wind resistance to worry about, it’s easy to get knocked off, and you have to lug around an oversized sword just to stand on.  But it’s a real possibility.  Just not a real good one.”  Repdam was more serious now.  “It’s really easy to load up with the first ten Techniques that sound good and to cripple your build completely as a result.  Far better to start with Techniques you know you need and to train them to the point that you’re brilliant with those Techniques than to take a wide variety of Techniques early and spread yourself too thin, and then find out that you don’t have the capacity to learn another Technique that you really need.”

That does make a lot of sense,
Duncan mused.  “So I should make a list of what it is that I need, and what I want, and leave some room for stuff I discover later that I only then find I out I’ve always needed but didn’t know it?”

Repdam nodded.  “And that’s where I come in.  I’ve seen an awful lot of Techniques, both here and in the outside world.  I can’t claim to know everything about every affinity’s Techniques, but I’m a good resource for you.”

Duncan pulled out the piece of parchment that he was keeping track of his Techniques on.  “So what do you recommend?”  They went over the list for a couple of hours, and came up with an improved list that they both felt would work well for him:

Active Techniques

Blade Affinity – Blade Echo – Attacks with a bladed weapon generate additional attacks of blade-affinity mana that duplicate the damage of the original weapon.  True masters of the Technique can have up to 5 echoes that each do the same damage as the original attack.

Space Affinity – Fold Space – Create a fold in space through which things can pass.  The edges of the window can also function as an impenetrable bar to block percussive attacks (for example).  Shape, size, distance between sides of the fold, distance from caster, duration, local, and speed of casting all improve with practice.  Unsure to what degree.

Space Affinity – Blink – we know the panther could do it, so there should be a way for me to do so too.  Distance and casting time unknown.

Mind Affinity – Mind Spike – deals mental damage to any target in line of sight. Provides both a ranged option and a non-physical damage type option.

Body Affinity – Surge of Strength – increases strength for a short while.  Makes me hit harder and lets me lift more and perform feats of strength as needed.  Duration and strength bonus both determined by mana expenditure, becomes more efficient and more powerful as the Technique advances.

Body Affinity – Surge of Agility – increases agility for a short while.  Improves balance, placement of blows, the ability to dodge attacks, jump farther and higher.  Duration and agility bonus both determined by mana expenditure, becomes more efficient and more powerful as the Technique advances.

Passive Techniques

Blade Affinity – Tempered Blade – increases strength and sharpness of a wielded blade.  Provides additional damage as the Technique improves.

Body Affinity – Regeneration – wounds heal faster than normal.  At first this is not fast enough to be helpful in combat, but becomes very useful when fully mastered

Body Affinity - Coagulation – reduces bleeding from wounds.

Body Affinity - Hardened Skin – reduces physical and elemental damage taken.

Mind Affinity - Tranquil Mind – reduces mental damage taken, improves chance to resist fear effects

Mind Affinity - Ignore Pain – reduces the effects of pain.

Spirit Affinity – Spiritual Shield - reduces spiritual damage taken, reduces effects of oppression

Space Affinity – Personal Space pocket – extra-dimensional storage space for my stuff

Duncan was especially excited about the Personal Space Pocket Technique.  It was like the storage bags the delve team leaders carried, only better.  The storage bags were essentially just sacs that were larger on the inside than the outside.  The personal space would let him add and remove things with just a thought, the things inside were effectively weightless, and the capacity would increase as he grew better at the Technique.  Best of all, it was a known Technique in the valley – the person who made the bags for the guild knew the Technique and should be able to teach it to him.

He was a little concerned that he was starting with eight passive Techniques, but he didn’t think he could really afford to pass on any of them.
I’ll just have to be very cautious in picking up any additional passives
.  The six active Techniques all looked complementary.  If he could Blink around the battlefield, he wouldn’t need ranged attacks, and his Folded Space Technique may eventually provide some range for his sword thrusts anyway.  Mind Spike offered him an alternative to physical damage against targets with very good armor.  The remaining active Techniques he had planned would improve his fighting significantly, and as he became more experienced, he would eventually be able to use more and more of them simultaneously.

Duncan regretfully decided that Spirit Form didn’t really fit his build concept, and Spirit Echo was mostly redundant with Blade Echo.  He might revisit that one later on if nothing better presented itself, though.

Once they had established their plan for Duncan’s Techniques, Repdam said, “Alright, I will construct the spellform for Mind Spike slowly.  Follow along and try to feel the mana I use to do so…”

Interlude 1

The Greater Lich Ezekiel, Scourge of Nemiseth, First of his Kind, Conqueror of Worlds was having a bad century.  The plan had been simple – seek out some powerful old mages who were afraid to die, teach them how to become liches with the lure of eternal life, use them to create armies of lesser undead, raise hordes of skeletons and zombies from the ancient battlefields of the world, and march on the living, using dead enemies to replenish those armies.

But it turned out that Medim was one of those worlds where becoming powerful meant absorbing enough of the ambient mana that one became extremely long-lived, anyway.  The promise of eternal unlife was a lot less appealing when powerful mages could expect to live well over a thousand years without the whole undead stigma.

So, Ezekiel was forced to make his offer to weaker mages who wouldn’t reach such exalted heights due to a fear of dying in a dungeon somewhere.  Increasing their power after they became liches was viable, but time-consuming, and he only had a thousand years to conquer the world, and six other demigods to defeat.  Fortunately, there were still a few powerful mages who were afraid of dying or ascending to a higher realm where they’d be considered weak, so his force wasn’t as underpowered as he’d initially feared.

It took time to help his newborn liches grow powerful, to begin to raise ghosts, spectres, ghouls, vampires, bone knights, dreadlords, and other mid-grade undead.  And he had to be careful to do so without being seen.  He didn’t want that uppity dragon queen, for example, finding Ezekiel’s first armies and wiping them out with a few applications of white-hot flame.

Therefore, Ezekiel worked in the parts of the world with lower ambient mana to start with, where the more powerful dragons were far less likely to fly.  Conveniently, those were the areas where most of the humans lived, and where most of the ancient battlefields lay.

Now, after a hundred years of toiling unnoticed in the dark, he was ready to begin his campaign of conquest.

Chapter 11

Duncan’s delves over the next two weeks were back in the Goblin dungeon.  The dungeon continued to throw unusual creatures at him, some more dangerous than others.  The worst was a pair of incorporeal shadow creatures that were entirely unaffected by non-magical damage and difficult to see.  Duncan had had to resort to his barely trained mind spikes to do any damage at all.  Fortunately, there had been two elemental mages on his delve team that day, and the creatures were relatively frail.

The Space affinity trainer was a wrinkled old woman named Esther who stared at Duncan with rheumy eyes and mumbled her words.  She started by showing him how she made the storage bags for the Delvers Guild, because the Technique was easier with a physical frame.  Instead of creating a plane with the sides in different places as Duncan did with his Fold Space Technique, she used her mana to blow a hollow into the entrance to the bag, like she was creating a soap bubble.  She showed him how to anchor the effect to the opening of the physical bag.  The bag would reserve a portion of the owner’s mana in order to preserve the space.
That explains why the delvers guild assigns a bag to the group leaders – they should have the mana to spare.

The next stage would be to create a personal space anchored to an item, but which didn’t rest the weight of the contents on the item; the final stage would be to create a space anchored to the caster’s body.  After the first stage he would be able to create a version that kept each item separated instead of being tossed into a communal space, so to speak.  And the amount of storage in the space was dictated by his skill with the Technique and the amount of mana reserved.

As with so many of his Techniques, he wouldn’t be able to use it until he’d practiced more and advanced his training.
I wonder if I’m spreading myself too thin, learning all these Techniques at once.  But they’re all so damned useful.

The two weeks Vasily had asked for were up, so Duncan returned to the smith to have his armor fitted to him.  The plate was beautiful, ash grey rather than shiny steel.  He was made to wear a thick gambeson, and two apprentices held the pieces in place while Vasily marked the armor to indicate where straps would have to be attached to provide the closest fit and best protection.  The leather backing was marked as well, to be cut and shaped for the best fit.  Vasily noted that it was light for delver’s plate.  “You’re young yet and haven’t grown into your full strength.  I’ve hardened the steel as best I can, but it won’t compare with what I’ve made for Pyotr, because his armor weighs two hundred kilos and that’s a little heavy for you at the moment.”

Duncan nodded, “I understand.  Steel will be a big improvement over the leather I’ve been wearing so far.  This will do very well indeed.”

“It’ll be ready for you in a week.  Takes a bit to add all the straps and buckles and ensure the leather underlay and the gambeson are ideal.  We only do the metal here, so we’re waiting on the other crafters now.”  Vasily shooed him out of the smithy, doubtless eager to get back to the forge.

A week (and two Goblin dungeon delves) later, Duncan’s new armor was ready.  The dungeon had presented two more new challenges – a war party of mushroom people wielding spears in their pasty white hands, and a five-meter-long venomous snake, which had almost killed two of his comrades before his group managed to slay it.  Vasily had done a fantastic job on the armor.  It fit perfectly and Duncan couldn’t wait to delve in it.  Pyotr’s heavy cuirass was also ready.  Duncan lifted it and staggered under the weight.  The single piece had to weigh a hundred kilograms.

Pyotr had promised to take him back into the Wilderness dungeon once he had the new armor, and so he had a delve scheduled for three days later.  Duncan practiced his swordplay in the new armor in the meantime and was very pleased to discover it didn’t impede his movement at all.  He could even perform shoulder rolls in it.  His dodges were a little slower due to the additional weight, but he felt the added protection more than made up for it.

Repdam also inspected the new armor and approved.  “You should look at getting some enchantments added to it,” he suggested.  “I suspect your account with the delvers guild can cover a couple.  I would suggest something to reduce the weight a little, or to further harden the steel.  Also, a self-repair enchantment.  The mana drain on those should be pretty negligible.”

Duncan agreed so Repdam took him to the enchanter the guild had on contract in Stonewatch.  Getting the enchantment runes added to the armor was quick and easy, but the materials were rare and expensive.  Fortunately, as Repdam had expected, Duncan still had sufficient credit to cover it, even after the cost of the plate itself.  All the loot from the rare creatures he’d encountered was a big boon.

So Duncan entered the Wilderness dungeon with a suit of plate that felt as light as his leathers and that could withstand a blow from most creatures a normal delver could expect to find in there.  He was with Pyotr’s entire experienced party – Aiphe, Yiska, Anton, and Pyotr were all present.  After the spider nest, they weren’t taking any unnecessary risks.

“We’ll try for the hobgoblin encampment again,” Pyotr said.  “It was a spider nest last time Duncan was here, so I’m interested to see what’s new this time.”  He led the way west into the woodlands portion of the dungeon.

They walked for almost an hour, without encountering anything.  “Is this lack of monsters normal?” Duncan asked.

“Not normal, but not necessarily abnormal,” Yiska replied.  “Still, keep your eyes open in case you just jinxed us.  The hobgoblin village should be in a clearing ahead.”

A few minutes later they arrived at the clearing they’d been searching for, but once again there was no hobgoblin camp.  Instead, a squat stone tower stood in the center of the clearing.  A wooden door banded in metal was visible on the side facing them.

Anton spoke, his voice a deep rumble. “Well, that’s a first.  You guys weren’t joking when you said the boy always changed things up.”   Duncan wanted to complain that he wasn’t a boy, but given his companions were all probably over a century old, the description wasn’t necessarily wrong.

“I can’t detect any life in or on the tower from here,” Aiphe said.  “We can probably approach.”   They moved forward cautiously and paused outside the door.  “Still nothing,” Aiphe confirmed, and Pyotr tried the latch.  The door swung open silently.

The room inside was dark, so Pyotr took two lights out of his storage bag and tossed one to Duncan, placing the other over his head to light the way.  Duncan copied him.  The group entered what appeared to be a waiting room.  Four comfortable chairs were spaced evenly along the walls.  A desk and chair sat next to a staircase that led up along the inside of the wall.  A second staircase led down below-ground.  Two statues of armored knights were placed so they appeared to be guarding the door. Duncan eyed them warily, but they didn’t come to life and attack or anything.

There were no papers on the desk, nothing of value anywhere in the room.  “Up or down?” asked Pyotr.

“No signs of life in either direction,” said Aiphe.

“Up,” suggested Yiska.  “We know it’s a short tower, so there’s probably only a second floor and a roof if we go up.  No telling how far down it goes.”

Pyotr nodded and led the way up the staircase.  The second floor appeared to be an empty barracks.  Four cots, made up and ready for sleepers, occupied the room.  Each had a footlocker next to it and a chamber pot underneath.
Reminds me of the student barracks in Stonewatch, except for the primitive toilet facilities, thought Duncan.  A metal ladder attached to the wall led to a trapdoor in the ceiling.

Pyotr tested the ladder to make sure it would handle his weight.  “I think maybe someone lighter should go up first,” he said.  Yiska climbed up nimbly to the trap door and removed the bar keeping it closed.  She lifted the door and climbed to the roof.

“Nothing up here but a lousy view of the trees” she called down.  “It’s not much of watch tower – the trees are all taller than the tower.”  She climbed back down, and everyone trooped back down to the main floor.

“Down it is,” said Pyotr and led the way.   The stairs wound down in a spiral for a good twenty meters before terminating in front of another metal-bound door.  Pyotr lifted the latch, and it swung open silently.

Beyond the door lay a passageway with two doors on either side, and another at the far end, perhaps twenty meters away.  “Still no signs of life” Aiphe reported.   The group advanced to the first pair of doors, and Pyotr opened the one on the left.  Behind was a small bedroom, with a desk and chair, and a wardrobe.  A chamber pot could be seen under the bed.

The other three side doors led to identical rooms, so the group advanced to the door at the end of the passage.  Pyotr looked at Aiphe.  “Still nothing,” she said.  Pyotr opened the door and when nothing came out, led them into the room beyond.

The room appeared to be a lab of some kind.  Bookshelves lined one wall, three desks occupying the others.  In the center of the room was a raised dais with a large arched frame standing on it.  Again, there were no occupants anywhere.

Aiphe took a look at the bookshelves while Yiska examined the archway.  “Lots of books on enchanting!” Aiphe called out.  “This could be amazing loot.”  Pyotr started dumping the books into his storage bag.

The archway was covered in runes.  Yiska produced a ball of ice and tossed it through.  It fell to the ground on the other side, and she breathed a sigh of relief.  “Doesn’t appear to be a portal or gateway, at least.  Or if it is, it’s inert.”  The rest of the group relaxed slightly and began to look around as well.

The sound of heavy footsteps approaching the door made everyone tense right back up. “I can’t detect any life!” Aiphe said.  Pyotr and Aiphe formed a shield wall, while Anton and Yiska stood back and to each side.  Duncan stood directly behind the shield wall.  Coming down the passageway towards them were the two statues from the main entrance.  “Golems, maybe” called out Pyotr.  He braced to receive their charge.

Anton activated a Technique and the floor in front of Pyotr turned to lava, extending five meters down the hallway.  The statues splashed right into it, wading through as though it were water.  Stone flowed up from the floor beneath Pyotr’s feet to provide him with extra armor as he activated his Aura of Attention.  Aiphe activated her Aura of Healing as well.

The statues entered the room and Yiska hit them with a spray of ice shards.  The statues ignored the ice, each advancing to melee range with Pyotr and attacking him.  Their fists slammed into his shield, and he stood unharmed.  “Something’s coming!” Aiphe called out.

“Thieves!” came a voice from down the hallway.  The voice was soon followed by a cloudy ball of some sort that sped into the room and exploded above Pyotr’s head.  Duncan was thrown back by the force of the blow, directly through the archway, which was definitely no longer inert.

As he flew backwards through the archway, Duncan’s world went black.  For long seconds it felt like he was falling from a great height.  His vision returned as he was hurled through another archway into a room that very much resembled the one he’d been in.  He crashed to the ground, stunned for a moment by the impact.

When he recovered, he looked around his new environs.  The room really was almost identical to the one he’d left, but the bookshelves were sagged and rotting, the desks had long since collapsed, and the place smelled of mildew and urine.  The door to the passageway was entirely missing from its frame.  The archway appeared intact, looking just like the one in the dungeon tower.  He got to his feet and leapt through it.  Nothing happened.  He turned and leapt through it in the other direction.  Nothing happened.  This gate appeared to be inert.

Chapter 12

With no immediate return through the gate possible, Duncan turned to checking his surroundings for danger.  The air quality was poor, the floor coated in an unpleasant whitish substance that produced an eye-watering smell when disturbed.  Motion above him caught his eye and he ducked, swords raised to intercept an attack.

No attack came, but the ceiling was covered in small, winged mammals hanging from the rough stone.
Bats.
There were occasionally giant bats in the Wilderness dungeon; these appeared to be the non-monstrous kind.
There must be hundreds though; if they swarm me, I’m still in trouble.
Duncan reduced the mana going to the light suspended over his head, and it dimmed.  As quickly and quietly as he could, he left the room.

The passageway appeared identical to the one in the dungeon tower, save that it, too, was full of bats.  Duncan didn’t even check the side rooms; he made a beeline for the exit and the stairs up.  The door to the stairwell was missing, the floor still coated in guano, as were the stairs.  Even the stairwell ceiling was covered in bats.

Duncan took the stairs as quickly as he dared, emerging onto the main floor of the building with his swords leading the way.  The room was a mess, but not as bad as the underground level had been.  The stuffed chairs had been reduced to their wooden frames, and a thinner layer of guano covered the floor.  The door was entirely missing, but the stairs up were mostly intact.

A few steps took Duncan to the exit, and he emerged onto a wild prairie.
This is definitely not the same tower.  Am I in the plains section of the Wilderness dungeon?
A look at the sky wasn’t encouraging.  The sun looked like the sun in the Valley of the Mists, not like the artificial dungeon sun in the wilderness dungeon.  It hung low in the sky, as though it were early morning or late evening.  With no way to tell which direction was North, he wasn’t sure if the sun was rising or setting.

With no immediate threat present, and nothing to see from the doorway, Duncan took the stairs up to the second floor, with the thought of scouting from the roof of the tower.   There were only a few bats attached to the ceiling above the stairs – apparently the creatures preferred the more enclosed space below ground.  The barracks-style room that comprised the second floor was in the same sorry state as the rest of the tower.  A few bats hung from the ceiling, and a thin layer of guano coated the floor in many places.  The beds were ruined.  The footlockers were intact, though when Duncan opened them, he found only remnants of rotted cloth.

The trap door to the roof was intact, the bar still in place.  The metal ladder attached to the wall was rusty but appeared sturdy enough to take his weight.
I’m glad I’ve got reduced-weight plate
, Duncan thought as he began to climb.  He slid the bar out of the metal braces set into the trap door and placed it in a metal bracket on the wall that was doubtless there specifically for that purpose.  He shoved hard on the door, expecting it to be heavy, but it lifted easily, hinged on one side.

Nothing attacked him or fell down from above, so he pushed the trap door all the way open.  Climbing up, he found the top of the tower to be wind-swept bare stone.  A low crenellated wall surrounded the space.   From up here he had a good view across the open plains all around him.   Towards the sun, the ground rose in the distance to what seemed to be a series of hills or a low mountain range.  In every other direction, the land continued flat as far as his eyes could see.  He spied a forest in the distance in one direction.   No sign of civilization anywhere.
But I’m in a tower that was clearly constructed by people, so it stands to reason there are people around somewhere.

My first consideration has to be food and water.  All of mine is in Pyotr’s storage bag, along with my spare weapons and delving gear.
Duncan took a quick inventory.  He had his new plate armor, his two swords, a dagger at his waist, and a small pouch on his belt that contained a little dried meat and a few coins.  Counting the coins, he found he had fifteen coppers, eleven silvers, and two gold coins.  In the valley, that would be enough for a villager to live on for a month.
But I have no idea if my coins are any good wherever I am, or what they’re worth.
He removed the perforated steel face plate from his helmet and took a bite of the dried meat.

The sun had inched a bit higher in the sky in the time he’d been on the roof, so he assumed the mountains lay to the East.
Streams flow from high ground to low, so if I walk North or South, I should eventually come across a stream flowing out of the hills.
Reattaching his face plate and checking his weapons, he left the tower and started walking North.

It was a lovely day for a walk.  The sun was pleasant, the temperature neither too warm nor too cool, a gentle breeze out of the east preventing him from overheating in his plate armor.  The ground was firm, covered in knee-high grass, and wildflowers abounded.  The buzz of insects and the wind in the grass were the only noise.

After an hour or so of walking, he came across a small stream meandering through the grasslands.  Removing his faceplate once more, he sated his thirst before re-attaching it.
I have nothing to carry water in, so I should follow the stream.  If I go downstream, it will eventually merge with other streams to form a river, I think.  Or maybe a pond?  In any case, people build at the edge of water, so I’m most likely to be able to find people, and find out where I am, if I stick to the water.

He turned left and started to follow the stream, hoping to come across a village or a road sooner or later.  He could hunt, had he brought his bow, or trap, had he brought his survival kit.  But everything was with Pyotr.
That has to be the biggest argument for carrying my own storage bag going forward.  Although, in fairness, we were in a dungeon with a known exit.
Now, of course, he was alone with nothing but his fighting gear.

Another hour’s walk, and he came across an area where the ground had been torn up along the edge of the water for a good five meters on both sides of the stream.  Traces of the passage of a number of large creatures were evident.
Animal herd, by the look of it.
Duncan couldn’t find a trace of human footprints alongside the animals, so he assumed it was a wild herd of something, hopefully herbivores.

It was starting to get warm in the sun in his plate armor, and Duncan began wishing for some shade.  In the distance, he saw a small copse of trees along the stream he was following and picked up the pace, looking forward to some shelter from the sun.  And so, he was taken by surprise when a group of goblins rose out of the grass around him and attacked.

There were six of them, all wielding spears tipped with stone points.  They stood under a meter tall, with mottled green skin under hide armor.
They’re well suited to hiding in these grasslands,
Duncan thought.  The goblins thrust at him with their spears, aiming for the joints in his armor, but it was good plate, and his joints were well protected.  Their attacks slid off his armor as he twisted and stepped through their attacks, drawing his swords as he did.

The goblins emitted high pitched yipping noises as they attacked, working to keep him surrounded, trying to hit the back of his knees, where only mail protected the joint.  The poleyns on the sides of his knee cops left only a small vulnerability directly behind him, and as long as he kept his feet moving, it was a very hard target to hit.   The goblins’ armor was nowhere near as good as his own.  If he struck the hide with a cut, it would offer some protection, but their necks, faces, and joints were relatively unprotected, and his Tempered Blade Technique allowed his swords to penetrate their thickest armor with relative ease.

He chopped the six goblins down with no difficulty, the whole fight taking less than a minute.  He checked for more, then wiped his swords on the goblins’ clothing before sheathing them and checking the bodies for loot.
Cleaning rags are in Pyotr’s bag, too, damnit.
The goblins had no loot, as he’d expected.  Their hide armor and their spears weren’t good enough to carry around with him without a storage bag of his own.
I have learned how to make one – if I can find a bag somewhere, I’ll have to give it a try.  Surely I could sell this hide armor for at least a little coin if I find civilization.

As he finished his inspection of the bodies another wave of goblins burst from the grass around him and attacked.
I swear this stuff is only knee high – how are they sneaking up on me?
There were a full dozen goblins this time, but the fight went the same way, the goblins unable to penetrate his armor, and his Technique-enhanced attacks making short work of them in turn.  He gave the bodies a cursory inspection, wiped his swords and armor as best he could, and moved on towards the copse of trees and the shade it offered.

As he drew closer to the trees, he saw there were buildings within – a farmhouse and a barn, maybe.  From a distance, they looked dilapidated and abandoned.  The trees themselves were deciduous – he’d seen them before in the wilderness dungeon – nothing like the evergreens of the Valley.  It felt like he was a long way from home.

Another wave of goblins ambushed him as he approached.
Oh! I wonder if the goblins are using this as a lair, he thought as he demolished them.  Even as he fought the group attacking him, he saw another wave of them charging out from the buildings, running on all fours with their spears strapped to their backs.
Aha! That’s why I couldn’t see them in the grass, they stay really low when they move like that.
There were enough goblins attacking him now that he began to worry about being dragged to the ground and swarmed.  He started moving faster, trying to avoid having more than two or three within weapons’ reach at any time.

After a few minutes of fairly intense slaughter, the goblin assault ended.  Once again, he took the time to perform a cursory loot check, but he wasn’t expecting anything worthwhile, and didn’t find anything.  He wiped his weapons and armor off again as best he could using the goblins’ clothing, and moved into the woods towards the ruined farmhouse.

As he entered the trees, his foot caught on something low to the ground.  A branch with several sharpened stakes whistled towards him, released by the tripwire.  Duncan threw his arms up to block and tried to dodge.  The stakes struck him and knocked him back, but to his great relief they didn’t penetrate his armor.
What the fuck?  I thought I was in real trouble there for a moment.

He returned to the dead goblins strewn across the field behind and grabbed a spear.  Moving into the trees, he carefully prodded the ground ahead of him as he went.  He triggered and avoided another tripwire stake trap, and found a deep pit filled with spikes, the tips smeared with feces.  The thin layer of brush over the pit would have collapsed under his weight, and that would have been a particularly unpleasant way to die.

He reached the farmhouse and kicked in the door.  Inside were six goblins.  Four carried the typical goblin spear, a much bigger one had a mace and shield, and one wielded a long staff with feathers and claws tied to the end.  The one with the spear gestured and a little bolt of lightning flashed across the room, striking Duncan in the chest. He gave a startled yell.
Ow.  That really hurt.  That caster has to die fast, or I could be in a world of trouble.

Duncan leapt forward, cutting at the spears that were jabbed at him, clearing a path.  His hip smashed into a goblin spearman’s shoulder, knocking the small creature over.  Ignoring the rest of the goblins, he lunged at the caster, one sword taking the staff offline to prevent a parry, the other thrusting at his target’s face.  It landed cleanly, and the goblin died from the single blow.  The blade echo that followed made a real mess of the creature’s skull.

The largest goblin smashed his mace into Duncan’s exposed side, but his armor took the blow.  Duncan recovered forward and spun to face the remaining goblins.  They formed up to face him.  Stepping forward he ignored the spearmen and swung his right-hand sword down in a smashing overhead strike to clear the chief’s shield and followed it with a cross-body diagonal cut from his left-hand sword that smashed the creature’s collarbone and cut deep into its chest.  It dropped with a gurgle and lay twitching as the remaining spearmen futilely poked at the hardened steel of Duncan’s armor.  He waded into them, dropping them easily with cuts whilst inside the range of their spears.

That was pretty easy, actually.  Getting this plate armor has made a world of difference.  Not having to worry about weak goblins poking me with sticks really lets me dish out a lot of damage at a good rate.  That shaman or whatever, though… that still hurt.
Fortunately, Duncan’s fledgling regeneration Technique would have him completely healed from the lightning burn in a matter of minutes.

The goblin chief’s mace and shield were of a higher quality than the tribe’s spears, though the shield had a deep gash in the top where Duncan had struck it.  The shaman’s staff was clearly just a casting focus – it was battered and worn and looked pretty fragile.  There was nothing else of interest in the room – the goblin chief had converted it into some sort of throne room.

The kitchen was empty as well – the goblins had been using it for storage or perhaps as a refuse dump, Duncan wasn’t quite sure which.  Regardless, it contained nothing that interested him.   The bedroom, though, that was clearly where the chief had slept.  There was a large pile of bedding, mostly comprised of animal hides, and a small chest against the wall under the bedding.  Wary of traps, Duncan poked and prodded at the chest with his borrowed spear, pushing it into a corner.  It didn’t have a clasp, so he used the tip of the spear to lift the lid.

The chest contained a mixed lot of loot.  Some carved animal bones, some coins (mostly copper, a little silver) that vaguely resembled the coins Duncan had in his own pouch, and a small sack of some sort of grain.
Thank goodness the coins aren’t too different from my own.  That means I should be able to spend mine here when I find people.
Duncan ignored the animal bones, added the coins to his own coin purse, and poured the grain out of the sack.
That sack is going to become my storage bag.

There was nothing else in the house, so he moved towards the barn, sweeping the ground in front of him with the borrowed spear.  He reached the barn door without incident, only to be swarmed by at least fifty unarmed and unarmored goblins that tore at him with their black nails and tried to bite him with their sharp yellow teeth.   He cut them to pieces, wading into the barn, chopping at them as they came within reach.
Are these the non-combatants?  The young?  Dungeons never have any of these.
He felt a bit nauseous.  Killing warrior monsters was one thing – killing monster babies was quite another.

Once the attacking goblins were dead, he backed out of the barn.
If there are mothers and babies further in, they can just stay there.  There’s clearly nothing of value left from the farm itself.
He returned to the farmhouse, collected the chief’s mace and shield, and continued West along the river, no longer wanting to stay in the shade of the trees with the scores of dead goblins for company.  He did retrieve some of the twine the goblins had used to make their tripwire traps so that he could repurpose it for snares.

Half an hour later, he dropped the loot and used the stream to scrub off his armor and weapons, drying it on rags taken from the chief’s bedding.   Then he sat down to make a rudimentary storage bag.  Opening his newly acquired grain sack, he created a disc of space in the mouth of the bag, then pushed the center of it into the bag, much deeper and wider than the bag itself.  He tied off the threads of his casting to the edge of the sack – and his storage space promptly collapsed.  It took him three more tries before he was able to keep the space active.  He dropped the mace and shield into the bag, and noticed the weight in his hand, and the strain on his mana increase.  It was a tolerable strain, but he noticed it.

He fashioned a shoulder strap for the bag from the twine he’d salvaged and slung the bag over his shoulder.  It would interfere with his fighting, but he could just drop it at the first sign of trouble if need be.  The bag was rudimentary – he couldn’t pull items out with a thought but had to reach in and root around for what he wanted, or dump the contents out en masse.  It didn’t reduce the weight of the items it contained either, but the weight didn’t strain the bag itself.  Instead, the bag itself seemed to get heavier.

As prepared as could be, he continued West along the stream.  By noon he’d finished off the remainder of his dried meat, and his belt pouch now contained only his coin purse.  The afternoon passed without him seeing another soul, neither person, nor monster, nor animal.  As the sun set, he made a rough camp at the edge of the stream.  He lay down at the edge of the water and held himself motionless, peering into the depths, hoping to see a fish.  After an hour none appeared, so he changed tactics, and watched the edge of the water, hoping to see a small animal coming for a drink.  Again, he was disappointed, and resigned himself to sleep hungry.  He’d used his twine for his shoulder strap, so snares were no longer an option.

He sat down to meditate on the day’s happenings.
I do hope that the rest of the group were able to kill the golems and whatever cast that attack that threw me through the portal, and that they got out safely.  No one came through the portal after me in the hour that I spent in the bat tower, so it’s possible that it triggering was a one-off thing.  Regardless, I’m alone now, and this feels like the start of a grand adventure.  My family probably thinks I’m dead.  Sorry, mama – I’d let you know I’m ok if I could.

The goblin fights showed the value of the plate armor I’m wearing.  It’s not even scratched from the stone spearheads.  Goblins simply aren’t a challenge for me anymore, no matter how many there are.  Having that horde of unarmored ones swarm me at the barn was unsettling though.  I don’t want to be a murderer of helpless goblins.  Although, I suppose even the armed ones were helpless against me.  I don’t want to murder innocent goblins?  I don’t want to murder innocents at all.

Duncan circulated his mana through his body as his thoughts turned from the past to the future.
I have no way of getting back to the Valley of the Mists.  I don’t know if I’m even on the same world as the valley.  And if I am, I don’t know where the valley lies in relation to anything else.  I know it’s isolated – a three week walk from the nearest city.  I know it’s secretive, hidden from scrying. I know it’s in a mountain range, and I believe it’s near an ocean.  That’s not a lot to go on.  So what do I do?  I cannot honestly imagine finding a way home, but, really, I don’t think that bothers me.  There’s nothing there I will desperately miss.

I think I want to see the world.  I know I want to become the best blademaster I can be.  A hero of legend, Pyotr said.  That sounds like a grand idea.  I know which Techniques I planned out with Repdam, and I know how to delve.  So on to adventure!

Chapter 13

Duncan awoke at dawn, both sore and hungry.  Sore from sleeping in his armor; alone in the wilderness he didn’t dare remove it.  And hungry because he hadn’t seen a fish or animal at all the night before.  Grumpy, he performed his morning ablutions, grateful at least to have the stream so close at hand. Then, accompanied by the rumblings of his belly, he continued following the stream West-ish.

Less than an hour later, he saw a small deer of some sort drinking at the stream ahead of him.  Immediately, he used his Mind Spike Technique to hit it before it could run off.  The mental attack seemed to stun the creature, and he cast it again, and a third time, at which point the deer simply collapsed on the spot.   Duncan ran up to it and cut its throat to ensure it was dead.  He spent an hour skinning and butchering the animal, only to realize he had no easy way to cook the meat.

His survival skills weren’t up to the task of making a fire without a flint, so he put the meat and hide into his storage bag, noting the additional mental strain and determining it wasn’t too much.  He continued his walk along the edge of the stream, looking for likely stones he might be able to use to strike a spark.

Soon after his encounter with the deer, he was greatly relieved to come across a road.  Well, a cart track.  It crossed the stream, disappearing into the distance to the North and South, with no indication of a town or village in either direction.  Leaving the ready water supply from the stream would be a risk, but the road was probably the better option to find people.   Taking a long drink, he turned to the North and followed the track at a jog.

Perhaps two hours later, he saw something in the distance, and another half hour after that brought him to a small walled village.  As he approached, an old man who’d been sitting in a chair at the gate got to his feet and grabbed a spear from where it was resting against the wall behind him.   He stood, casually leaning on the spear as Duncan came closer.

Once Duncan approached within twenty meters, the old man shouted “Halt, Stranger.”  Duncan stopped, relieved that they spoke the same language.  Seconds later the man shouted again, “Why’n ye nae a tag?”

Err, whoops, maybe we don’t share a language after all
.  Duncan spoke slowly and clearly.  “I’m sorry, sir, I don’t understand what you said.”

The old man pulled a whistle on a string out of the top of his shirt and began blowing it madly.  Nonplussed, Duncan stood his ground, waiting to see what would happen.

Within a minute three more villagers came to the gate, all armed, though none wore armor.  One of them, a portly man in what appeared to be early middle age, given his balding pate, stepped forward and spoke, “Greetings, stranger. What brings you to Axford?”

Well at least this guy speaks clearly.
“Hello, sir.  My name is Duncan.  I’m a traveller from a distant land, and I’m lost.”

“Be ye human or elf, or something else?” The man relaxed his stance a little, no longer looking like he expected Duncan to leap forward and attack him.

Elf?
“I am human, sir.”

“Take off your helmet and show us.”

Duncan checked the walls for archers.
If they’ve got a good archer and I remove my helm, I could be in trouble if they prove hostile.  But I am wearing full plate and probably look intimidating to them…
Slowly he unbuckled the straps that held his helm on and lifted it off his head.

The man approached until he could see Duncan’s face clearly, then smiled broadly and said, “Well then, welcome to Axford, lad.  I’m James Miller, the mayor.  Follow me.”  He gestured towards the village and began walking away.  Duncan hastened to follow, dropping his helmet into his storage bag.

The mayor led him into the village, waving at the other men who’d come to reinforce the gate guard.  They waved back and wandered off to return to whatever it was they’d been doing.  Duncan looked around with interest.  The village was comprised mainly of wooden buildings, which was interesting as Duncan had seen no woodlands nearby.  The walls were wooden too – he wondered how expensive it had been to bring the lumber all the way here to the middle of nowhere.

He realized the mayor had been talking.  “We’ll get you situated with old Heldt, who runs the local pub.  We don’t have an inn, but he has a couple of rooms above the pub he lets out when a messenger or traveler comes through and needs to stay the night.”

“Thank you, sir.”  Duncan followed the man into one of the largest buildings in the village.  It wasn’t yet mid-day and the place was empty except for a wiry grey haired man behind the bar who acknowledged them with a grunt and a wave.

“Heldt, this is Duncan. He’s a traveler who’s gotten a bit lost and will be staying the night.”

Duncan chimed in, “I would really love a meal, too.  Do you serve lunch, Heldt?  If not, does anyone?”

Heldt nodded and said, “I can offer lunch.  Stew left over from last night, or fresh eggs from Mabel’s hens.   3 bits for the meal, 20 for the room.”

Duncan dug out some copper from his belt pouch.  “Er, how does your currency work here?”  At the incredulous looks from both men he said, “I really am from a distant land.”   It turned out the coinage worked the same way it did at home, the same everywhere, apparently.  A bit was a two-gram copper coin.  There were ten-gram and twenty-gram denominations as well, worth five bits and ten bits respectively.  One hundred bits to a silver, one hundred silver to a gold.  He put twenty-three bits on the bar for Heldt and followed James to a table near a window.

“So, lad, tell me your story.  You’re awfully young to be wearing such fine armor, you’re wandering alone with no gear, and you’ve got no soul gem.”

“Aha!” Duncan interjected. “I’ve heard of those.”
So this probably is my own world, then.  Unless soul gems are common everywhere.
“I’m from a small village in a valley in the mountains.  I fell through a portal in a dungeon and ended up in the wilderness near here two days ago.  I’ve been looking for civilization since.”

“A dungeon, hmm?  So you’re an adventurer then.  Let me see what I can do to help you.  You’re in the Arnite Empire, pretty close to the center of it, actually.”  At Duncan’s blank look, he continued.  “You’ve never heard of the empire, so you must be from really far away.  What country is your valley in?”

At that moment the door was flung open and two young men rushed in.  “Ooh, there he is.  Look at the armor!” said one.  He was tall, well built, with sandy hair and green eyes.  He wore a simple cloth shirt and pants, and his feet were in soft leather boots.  He had a dagger at his belt.  The other one was shorter, with dark hair and eyes, and a slender build.  His clothes were of a slightly higher quality, but of the same cut and fashion.  He, too, wore a dagger at his belt.  “He’s a nobody. And just a kid. What’s a nobody doing with armor that fine?”

The mayor stood.  “Now boys, we’re having a private chat here.  Why don’t you go back to what you were doing?”

The dark-haired one interrupted. “Shut up old man.  You can’t tell us what to do.”  He turned to Duncan, “What are you doing here, nobody?”

Duncan’s reply was curt.  “Speaking with the mayor.”

Heldt came out of the back, carrying a bowl of stew and a trencher of bread for Duncan.  He addressed the two young men, “Oy, you lot had best not be making trouble in my bar.”

“No trouble, Heldt” said the sandy-haired one, tugging on his friend’s arm.  “We’re just leaving.”  He looked at Duncan.  “We’ll see you around, kid.”  The two left, giving him dirty looks.

Well, that was rude.  They didn’t even know me, and they want to pick a fight.
Duncan looked at James, “Is that sort of behavior normal here?”

Heldt put the stew and bread in front of Duncan and returned to the bar.  The mayor said, “We have our share of young hotheads, I’m afraid.  Those two visit the nearby dungeon and think that makes them special.”

Duncan snorted. “Those are delvers?  That’s… wow.”

“Delvers?” asked James.

“Oh, that’s what we call people who clear dungeons where I’m from.”

“Ah, and where is that?  Before those two interrupted us, you were telling me what country your valley is in.”

“Not exactly,” said Duncan.  “I don’t know what country it’s in, if it’s in one at all.  It’s a month’s travel to the nearest city, and no, I don’t know the name of the city either.”

“I’m starting to get the feeling that your valley was really insular as well as really isolated,” replied James.

“Could be,” said Duncan.  “Anyway, I find myself here without any equipment, or any idea where I am.  Is there somewhere in this village I can buy some basic supplies like clothes, a bedroll, a tent, a flint, a waterskin, and the like?  And a pack to put it all in?”

“Robert Jones’s general store should have most of what you’re looking for.  It’s just across the street.”

“That’s great news,” said Duncan.  “Oh. I killed a small deer early this morning and have the meat still.  Is there a place I can sell it?  I should do that while it’s still fresh.”

“Heldt can probably buy that. Heldt?” James called, “You willing to buy a little venison?”

“Yeah, I guess I can do that,” the barkeep replied.

Duncan went to the bar, “where should I put it?”  Heldt waved at him to follow and led the way to the kitchen.  He gestured at the counter.  Duncan reached carefully into the storage space in his sack and pulled out the meat he’d butchered earlier.

The barkeep said, “I’ll give you 5 bits and a piece of advice for that.  Do not let anyone know you’ve got a storage bag.  It’s likely to get you killed.”

Duncan was astounded.  “I… had no idea,” he said. “No one would do such a thing where I’m from.”

“Well, in the real world, people will rob you blind and kill you to get their hands on your money or your gear.”  He placed 5 bits on the counter for Duncan.  “Some people would look at the quality of your gear and your lack of a soulgem and think you’re a dangerous lad.   Others would look at your youthful face and your lack of a soulgem and think you’re easy pickings.”

Duncan nodded his thanks and returned to his meal and the mayor.  “Will those men seek to rob me or harm me?”

The mayor pondered, “It may be that they’ll try to provoke you into a fight and kill you for your gear.  It’s mighty fine gear, and you do appear young and inexperienced.  Without a tag to announce your level, you’re a mystery.  Some folks will decide the unknown is too risky.  Others will decide that you’re weak.  Those two are hotheads.”

Duncan said, “If they attack me, I will maim them or worse.  If they act like dungeon monsters, I will treat them as dungeon monsters.”

“I understand, lad, but we can’t have any trouble here.  Let’s get you the gear you wanted and perhaps you should be on your way.”  At Duncan’s nod of agreement, he called out to Heldt.  “Sorry, Heldt, to avoid trouble, Duncan’s going to travel on today.”  Heldt just nodded and returned the 20 bits Duncan had paid for the room.  “If you head North along the road from here, you’ll come to Lydham in two or three days.  It’s a much bigger place than this, and you’ll be able to find a branch of the adventurer’s guild there.”

As he followed the mayor across the street, Duncan asked, “how dangerous is the dungeon nearby? What monsters lie within?”

“It’s rated level ten,” the Mayor replied.  “Mostly just kobolds, I hear.”

“What does the rating mean?”

“Ah, right.  Dungeons are rated at the level of the group they’re best suited for.  So a level ten dungeon like ours is appropriate for four adventurers with an average level of ten.”

“I don’t understand the level system,” said Duncan as they entered the general store.

The shopkeeper overheard them, and said, “Greetings, gentlemen.  You, sir, must be from far away.  How did you get all the way to Axford without a soulgem?  It’s illegal to not possess a soulgem in the empire.”

“Poorly targeted teleport,” said Duncan.  “How do I get a soulgem, if they’re required?”
I don’t want to have to kill every guard and official I meet in the country just because I don’t have a soulgem.  The way Repdam explained them, they seem quite useful, anyway.

“I have some on a shelf somewhere,” the shopkeeper replied.  “Every general store and inn in the empire is obliged to keep a few on hand, just in case.”

“What will happen if I use a soulgem?  How do I use a soulgem?” asked Duncan.

“You absorb it like a Technique stone,” said the mayor.  “You know how to do that?”  At Duncan’s nod, he continued.  “Once you’ve absorbed it, it will display your level and class to anyone who inspects you using their own soulgem.  And you’ll be able to see the values for all your own statistics and Techniques.  It’s quite a brilliant system, and I don’t know what we’d do without it, honestly.”

“Here we are,” said the shopkeeper, returning with what appeared to be a simple glass orb.  “Just absorb this, wait a minute or two, then send a trickle of mana into it.”

Duncan took the orb hesitantly.  “Go ahead lad,” said the mayor.  “it’s required by law, and it won’t do you any harm.”

“Yes, yes,” muttered Duncan.  “I don’t want to have to cut my way out of the village for being a criminal.  Do I need to sit down for this or anything?”

“No, not at all.  You won’t even notice it.  Completely unobtrusive.”

The mayor’s been friendly throughout.  I’m either going to have to trust him or make a break for the edge of town.  Well, here goes.
Duncan put the orb against his forehead and pulled it into himself.  It vanished, and Duncan didn’t feel a thing.

“That’s it?  Really?”
I was really expecting a headache or lightheadedness or something.

“That’s it,” said the shopkeeper.  “Now, while we wait for it to take effect, what goods are you looking to buy?”

“I need a small backpack, a bedroll, a small tent, a flint, a waterskin, some oil for my weapons and armor, several polishing cloths, some simple clothes, pots and pans, a bowl and utensils, and a warm cloak.”

The shopkeeper nodded and set off around the shop to collect all the items.  “Ah, there we go,” said the Mayor.  “Level 12 warrior.  Impressive for your age, though I must admit, with that armor, I thought you’d be a higher level.”

“What determines one’s level?” asked Duncan.

“It’s the sum total of all the ranks of all your Techniques.  If you look at me and try to identify me, your soulgem should display my class and level.”   Sure enough, as Duncan tried to figure out what level and class the mayor was, a bar of text appeared over the mayor’s head.  It read
Level 14 Tradesman
.

“Woah, that’s… strange.”  The text faded as soon as Duncan stopped looking for it.

“You’ll get used to it.  It’s very helpful for telling people from undead, for example.  If you’d had a soulgem when you approached the gate, old Henri wouldn’t have thought you were a monster and summoned the militia,” the mayor said.  “Now, when you’ve got some time to read the details, you can get a full account of your own statistics by closing your eyes and sending mana into the soulgem in your soulspace.  It’s a lot of information, so I suggest doing it somewhere where you’re comfortable and safe.”

The shopkeeper, a
Level 12 Tradesman
, returned with all the items Duncan had requested.  Duncan tried on the backpack to make sure he could wear it over his armor, and that it wouldn’t impede him in a fight.  It felt good.  Given the choice, he’d want to remove it before a fight, but if he had to fight in it, he certainly could.  “How much for all of this?” he asked.

“One silver, fifty,” replied the shopkeeper.  Duncan produced two silvers and waited for his change.

“Uh,” said the mayor, “do you not haggle where you’re from?”

“What do you mean by haggle?” asked Duncan.

“Oh boy,” said the shopkeeper.  “Look, I want the most money I can get for these items, and you want them for the least money you have to pay.  So, I set the asking price higher than I expect to end up with, and you offer less than you expect to pay.  I explain that I have to eat the cost of storing these items in my inventory, you point out that clearly some of this stuff has been just taking up space for years.  We each try to convince the other that our price is the more fair one, all the while coming closer to a price we can both agree on.  Look, we’ll demonstrate.”   The mayor and the shopkeeper then haggled over the cost of the items Duncan wanted, and eventually agreed upon 1 silver 37 bits.

“Do you understand how it works?” asked the shopkeeper.

“I do,” said Duncan, “But I’m not going to be good at that.  Prices are set by the guild back home, and you just pay the marked price.”

“Well now you know better, and the price for that knowledge is 13 bits, bringing your cost to 1 silver and fifty bits.”  He placed 5 10-bit coins on the bench for Duncan’s change.  Duncan just shook his head as he swept the coins into his belt pouch.

“I should also point out that in bigger cities, pickpockets will try to steal your coin from your belt pouch, so you should keep most of it secreted away somewhere,” said the mayor.

Duncan shook his head in disbelief.  “Your world is full of thieves and murderers.  How do you get by?”

“Carefully, lad.  Carefully.”   The shopkeeper was quite cheerful having gotten his asking price for the goods he’d sold.  “I don’t think all that gear is going to fit in your pack, even with the bedroll hanging off the bottom.”

“It’s fine,” said Duncan.  “I’ll make it work.  Thank you for the goods, and the education.”  He left the store and turned to the mayor.  “Is it ok if I go back to the pub for a bit and look at my status in one of Heldt’s rooms?  I’ll still leave today, I just want to make sure I understand the soulgem stuff before I leave.”

James nodded, “That should be fine.  I would expect those two hotheads to leave you alone until they’ve had a few drinks tonight, anyway.”

Duncan thanked the man for his time and returned to the pub, where he offered Heldt ten bits to use an upstairs room for an hour or two.  The barkeep happily accepted and showed Duncan to a small room with a bed, a chamber pot, and a small window overlooking the street.

Duncan sat on the bed and removed the storage bag enchantment on the grain sack, after dumping the contents onto the floor.  He then spent the better part of an hour putting the same enchantment on the small backpack he’d picked up.  He stored all his new gear in the backpack, and while the weight increased as expected, it took up no extra space on his back at all.  He was quite pleased.

Then, he closed his eyes and fed some mana into his soulgem, and a huge parchment full of information appeared.

Name:

Duncan

Class:

Warrior

Level:

12

Profession:

Adventurer

Strength:

92

Intelligence:

73

Dexterity:

76

Wisdom:

58

Agility:

88

Endurance:

90

Concurrent Active Techniques:

1

Health:

4200

Health Regen:

360/hour

Stamina:

1020

Stam Regen:

1200/hour

Mana:

4392

Mana Regen:

2538/hour

Mana Reserved:

651

Affinities:

Body

Outstanding

Death

weak

Mind

Strong

Lava

weak

Spirit

Strong

Gravity

weak

Fire

weak

Poison

negligible

Air

weak

Blade

Outstanding

Water

weak

Ice

weak

Earth

moderate

Decay

weak

Stone

moderate

Soul

moderate

Lightning

weak

Corrosion

negligible

Gemstone

moderate

Space

Outstanding

Nature

negligible

Healing

moderate

Life

Metal

weak
moderate

Shadow

Blood

Moderate
negligible

Techniques

Active

Rank

Passive

Rank

Blade Echo

2

Tempered Blade

2

Fold Space

1

Regeneration

1

Mind Spike

1

Hardened Skin

1

Tranquil Mind

1

Spiritual Shield

1

Personal Space Pocket

1

Skills

Rank

1H swords

4

2H swords

4

1H axes

3

2H axes

3

Shields

3

Spears

4

Daggers

3

Bows

3

Plate armor

2

Mail armor

1

Leather armor

3

Anatomy

2

Survival

2

Skinning

1

Meditation

2

Holy shit, that’s a lot of information!  So, uh, level first.  If my level is the sum of my Technique Ranks, you can get to my level twelve by either having a lot of Techniques at low rank or a couple at high rank?  But how high do ranks go?
Duncan focused on his Blade Echo Technique and the parchment changed to display that he was at rank two out of a possible ten.  But when he focused on his Mind Spike Technique, it told him he was at rank one of eight.
Something is off there.

If I look at my stats, there’s no baseline.  Is ninety-two strength good?  What’s the maximum?  Maybe this quantification stuff isn’t as good as I was expecting.  Argh, same with health, stamina, and mana.  I have no idea what those numbers mean.  I suppose if I check after a battle, I can see how much they’re down.  What’s that mana reservations thing?
As Duncan focused on mana reserved, the parchment in his mind changed to show:

Tempered Blade: 50
Personal Pocket Space: 500
Armor Hardening: 25
Armor Weight Reduction: 25
Armor Self Repair: 50
Soulgem: 1

Woah, that pocket space requires a huge amount of mana.  Well, Esther did say that it would become far more efficient as I improve and don’t have to use the bag as a focus point for the Technique.

Ok, on to affinities.  Looks like there are five ranks of affinities defined, and I have the very best rank in Blade, Body, and Space.   Mind and Spirit are in the second rank… wait, does that explain the difference in Blade Echo and Mind Spike maximum ranks?  I can have rank ten Blade Echo because my blade affinity is Outstanding, but only rank eight Mind Spike because my Mind affinity is only Strong?  And my Healing affinity is moderate, could I get a viable healing Technique with that?  Healing is a make-or-break ability for a delve.  My current regeneration is rank one and I regenerate three hundred and sixty health an hour.  My maximum health is four thousand two hundred. No, really?  As long as I don’t die from a fight, I can regenerate to full health in less than a day with rank one Regeneration?  That’s great.  It’s not fast enough for in-combat healing, but for my general survival, that’s very good news indeed.

Following the math, if a moderate Healing affinity lets me have a rank six healing Technique, well, I guess that’s as far as math takes me.  After that it’s guesswork.  Aiphe probably has an outstanding affinity for Healing and high rank Healing Techniques as well.  And I bet that even if her healing Techniques were only rank six, they’d heal for more than someone whose affinity was only Moderate.  So I don’t know if a healing Technique would be a worthwhile choice for me.  It would certainly be useful in the short term but the long term viability is less promising.  Of course, if I die due to lack of healing in the short term, I won’t make it to the long term.  And if I were able to find a Healing affinity stone…

On to skills.  My weapon skills seem pretty high rank for my age.  I guess three years of dedicated training in the valley and most of year as a delver paid off there.  Still, I would like to get more weapon and armor training in – there’s clearly a long way to go.

Duncan dismissed the parchment from his mind’s eye.  He returned to the bar below and asked Heldt to wrap up a meal for him. Then he donned his helmet and left the pub, heading North along the street.  Just outside the village’s north wall, a wide river flowed.  A bridge wide enough for a single wagon to cross spanned the water.
Guess at some point they upgraded from Axford to Axbridge but didn’t change the name.
Duncan addressed the watchman at the gate, “Which way to the Kobold dungeon?”

The watchman gestured, “Follow the river East for a kilometer.  It’s on the North bank.”

With a wave of his goblin spear, Duncan crossed the bridge and turned East along the bank.  Time to see what a dungeon outside the valley was like.

Chapter 14

The dungeon entrance was in a muddy cave right at the water’s edge.
I wonder if this entrance floods in the Spring
.  There was no hut outside, and no one around.
I guess there’s no access control or support here.  Let’s have a quick look.  I can always retreat if it feels too difficult.

Duncan entered the cave and stepped into the dungeon.  It appeared to be a cave complex with muddy floors and high ceilings.  There was no natural light, so he pulled out the light sphere he had in his pack and tossed it overhead.  It provided decent illumination for about twenty meters.
It’ll attract monsters, too, he thought.  He drew one sword and used the goblin spear in the other hand to poke the ground ahead of him as he advanced.

The passageway he was exploring opened into a larger cave where several creatures he assumed to be kobolds were poking around in the mud, looking for something.  As soon as he entered, they charged at him, wielding little axes.  They were essentially one-meter-tall humanoid lizards with mottled grey skin and forked tongues.  They didn’t wear armor or clothing.

These things look to be about as dangerous as goblins,
Duncan thought as they approached, which is to say not dangerous at all. As long as I don’t slip in the mud, this should be easy.
He dropped his goblin spear and drew his second sword. The kobolds attacked with abandon but with little skill, and when their weapons connected with his armor, they did no damage to either the armor or him.  He dispatched the creatures with a series of hard cuts, not bothering to use his Blade Echo Technique.  Their weapons were crude, and he had no interest in carrying them with him, so he just left them with the bodies.

He did go investigate what the kobolds had been searching for and came across a small bag containing mushrooms.
This really is just like the goblin dungeon!
He added the bag of mushrooms to his storage space – they’d be a welcome meal later.

He advanced through the caves, always taking the left turn when he had a choice, so that he’d be able to find his way out again.  He ran into and destroyed several more groups of kobolds before he came across something more interesting.  He entered a cavern with a large pool of murky water against one wall.  Three human-sized frogs were lazing at the edge of the pool.

Duncan advanced on them cautiously, swords in a guard position.  The frogs ignored him entirely until he approached within ten meters of the closest, at which point all three advanced on him quickly.  The closest one opened its mouth and its tongue shot out at an incredible speed, impacting the center of his breastplate.
No damage done.
He was yanked forward as the frog used its tongue to pull hard on him.  The tongue was stuck to the metal of his breastplate.

He managed to stay on his feet as he took a stumbling step forward, but two more tongues struck him and pulled.  He was dragged off his feet and towards the three, each pulling in a different direction, and with varying degrees of force.  The result was him being shaken like a rag doll.  He flailed his swords at the tongues, cutting them, but not deeply enough to make them release him.  They dragged him towards the pool, backing into the water.

Shit, they’re going to drown me!
Duncan swung harder against the tongues, activating his Blade Echo Technique.  He managed to sever all three tongues before he reached the water, and he scrambled backwards away from the pool.  The frogs didn’t follow, instead choosing to wait in the water, only their eyes visible.
I’m not coming to you; let’s see if you’ll come to me.
He used his Mind Spike Technique to attack the leftmost frog.  After two strikes, it dropped beneath the water entirely, out of his sight.  He switched his target to another pair of beady eyes and attacked it until it too disappeared underwater.  He switched to the third frog until it also dropped out of his sight.

He took a quick moment to close his eyes and look at the soulgem numbers.  His mana was down to half but regenerating slowly.  He dismissed the info and checked the pool again, looking for the frogs to resurface.  Every time he saw a pair of eyes above the water, he attacked with Mind Spike.

Suddenly, all three burst out of the water and rushed him, accompanied by a much, much bigger fourth one.  The big one’s tongue came at him at speed, but he was already in motion, trying to both dodge the tongue and cut at it.  He was partially successful – the tongue missed his chest but struck his right arm and stuck to the metal.  His left-hand sword struck deep into the tongue and the blade echo that followed severed it.  Duncan tumbled forward and the frogs were on him.

The smaller frogs were sluggish from the mental damage they’d sustained from his Mind Spikes, and that allowed the big one to reach him first.  It opened its enormous mouth and tried to swallow him whole.  Duncan thrust into the open mouth with both swords, trying to reach something vital through the frog’s soft palate.  The mouth engulfed him from head to waist, and he felt the pressure as his armor’s faulds were crushed against his thighs by its teeth.  He continued to stab wildly at the inside of the creature’s mouth.

Something grabbed one of his legs and pulled it sideways.  Something tore in his groin and the pain threatened to overwhelm him.  The frogs might not be able to penetrate his plate armor, but they could rip him limb from limb if he let them.

His sword must have hit something vital, because the big frog collapsed around him, releasing its pressure on his hips.  The frog that had ahold of his leg dragged him out of the larger frog’s mouth.  As soon as he was out and could see the frog that had his leg, he attacked with a Mind Spike, stunning it.  He sat up as best he could with one leg trapped and stabbed the frog with his right-hand sword, adding a Blade Echo.

The frog died from the assault, but Duncan’s relief was short-lived as one of the remaining frogs bit down on his head from behind.  He tried to use Mind Spike on it, but apparently he needed a visual cue for that Technique to work.  So he stabbed his swords overhead as the final frog latched on to his leg and tried to rip it off.  More muscles tore in his groin and hip.

The frog biting his head let go and retreated – he must have struck something vital or done enough damage with his flailing swords.  His head hit the ground and the frog with his leg dragged him towards the pond.  He could see that one, so he used Mind Spike on it, and it paused, stunned.  He used the Technique a second time, and it died.  Duncan rolled over and twisted around to look for the final frog.  It was retreating to the pond, but still visible, and so he hit it with Mind Spike as well and it too died, collapsing as its mind simply stopped working.

Duncan just lay sprawled in the mud for a few minutes, the pain in his groin and hips quite debilitating.  He closed his eyes and looked at his soulgem.

Health 1652/4200
Stamina 713/1020
Mana 1099/4392

All three numbers were slowly ticking up as he regenerated.  He blinked away the numbers and looked around the room.  There were no other threats that he could see, but if there were another frog in the water, he’d be in real trouble.  He levered himself up on his elbows and dragged himself back until he had a wall he could lean against.
If any kobolds enter the room, I’m pretty much reduced to Mind Spike for now.  What I wouldn’t give for a healing Technique.

After a little while he thought,
I should loot those before the dungeon absorbs them.
He found he was able to stand without too much pain and approached the corpses carefully, trying to avoid slipping in the mud and further injuring his muscles.  He found nothing to harvest on the frogs, but the largest one had a crystal embedded in its head between its eyes.  He popped that out with his dagger and stored it.
Hopefully that’s a Technique stone.

He moved back to the wall and ate the food Heldt had provided him earlier, waiting for his regeneration to heal him up enough to walk and fight, and feeding some mana into the self repair enchantment on his plate to repair the damage done to his faulds by the big frog.

Two hours later, he continued the delve.  He ran into several more groups of mushroom-gathering kobolds, and a couple of groups of better armed kobolds that he assumed were guards of some sort.
Must be getting close to the boss room now, he thought.  He checked his status.
2812/4200 health.  Good enough.  It’s a kobold dungeon, so it should be a kobold boss, or something similar.

He advanced more cautiously now, hoping to be able to spot the dungeon boss before having to engage so that he could retreat if need be.  Two more guard groups and he came to what appeared to be a kobold throne room.  A human-sized kobold in armor sat on a stone chair, with two armored spear wielding kobolds beside him, and two bow wielding kobolds sitting down, playing dice or something against the back wall.
Alright, I can handle these,
Duncan thought, and stepped into the room.

The two bowmen scrambled to their feet, grabbing for their bows.  The kobold leader stood up from its throne and hefted a large two-handed axe, and the spearmen took guard positions in front of the leader.

Duncan used a Mind Spike on one of the archers.  It cried out, clutching its head.  The rest of the kobolds, deciding that Duncan had a ranged attack, rushed to close the distance.  He had time for one more Mind Spike before they reached him.  As they entered distance with their spears, Duncan stepped left to keep one spear wielder between him and the leader.  He used his right-hand sword to clear the spear to the outside line and stepped in with a thrust from his left-hand sword, using his Blade Echo Technique.  The sword took the kobold in the throat, and it dropped.  Duncan withdrew with his right foot, pivoting on his left.

The kobold leader stepped in with a broad horizontal cut.  Duncan yielded ground to avoid the blow.  He needed the kobold to switch to a more vertical cut before he’d close distance and engage.   The spearman thrust at him from beside the leader.  Duncan ignored it; it wouldn’t reach him unless the kobold stepped forward, which would put it in the way of its leader’s axe.  Two arrows struck his armor to no effect.  The little bows the kobold used didn’t have the power to pierce plate even with steel-tipped arrows.  The stone-tipped arrows they had were no danger at all.

The kobold leader threw an upwards cut at Duncan’s groin.
Smart move, he thought, that’s a weak spot on plate armor.  I wonder if he noticed my limp from the frog fight injuries.
He stepped left to avoid the attack and keep the spear-wielder out of the fight.  That exposed his back to the archers, but he didn’t fear their arrows.

The big kobold used the momentum from his upwards swing to generate power for a diagonal cut down towards Duncan’s neck.  Duncan stepped in and left, his left sword parrying the forearms of the attacker instead of the axe itself, and his right thrusting low at his target’s abdomen.  The kobold vambraces resisted his cut at the arms, despite his Tempered Blade – he’d performed a parry not a cut, and there was insufficient force to do harm.  The kobold’s attack was steered past Duncan, though, and that was the primary goal.  Duncan’s right-handed thrust pierced the armor over the leader’s belly and caused a deep wound.  He withdrew his right foot again, pivoting hard on his left foot, drawing hard on the sword and trying to widen the cut as he withdrew the sword.  His right side was now to the archers, and one arrow shattered on his plate, while another bounced off the kobold leader’s chest.

The big kobold let out a roar and a red haze appeared around it.
He has a Technique?
Its axe moved significantly faster, and Duncan gave ground as he avoided being hit.  The kobold was recovering from each swing faster, too, indicative of a significant strength increase.  It whipped the axe back and forth with horizontal cuts as though it were weightless, giving Duncan no time to step in and attack.  Instead, he used a Mind Spike on his previous archer target, and it dropped.
One archer, one spearman, and the big guy to go.

After a full minute of yielding ground and failing to find an opening to counter the large kobold, Duncan saw the haze around it flicker and dissipate.  The kobold looked exhausted, barely able to swing its axe at speed.  Taking advantage, Duncan stepped in behind the suddenly slow attack and thrust at the kobold’s face, adding a Blade Echo.  He struck true, and the creature dropped.  It had been bleeding fiercely from the gut wound and had nothing left to give.

Duncan finished off the remaining spear wielder with no trouble, having killed the second archer with Mind Spikes whilst retreating from the leader.  He took the leader’s axe and armor, storing them in his backpack’s personal space.  He looked around the room and found a small chest behind the chair.  He flipped it open with a spear and discovered it contained a decent amount of coin. The chest went into his storage as well.

Well that went well.  Took no damage at all from the boss room.  I wonder if the frogs were an unusual addition to the dungeon – they were so much harder than the boss.
Duncan was still hurting from the fight with the frogs but getting better by the hour.  He started looking for the dungeon exit – the cave complex was a bit of a maze, but not as bad as the Goblin dungeon back in the Valley.  Two hours and three more scavenging groups of kobolds later, he found the exit and stepped out into the early evening air.

In the cave, he saw three people – the two men who’d been so rude in the pub, now identified as
Level 10 Warrior and
Level 10 Mage
, and a third person he didn’t recognize, a
Level 11 Healer
. “Killed a few kobolds in our dungeon, did you?” said the sandy-haired warrior.  “Give us your gear and your loot, and we’ll let you live.”

It was a pretty small cave, maybe five meters deep and eight meters across.  Without pause, Duncan hit the healer with a Mind Spike, drew his swords, and leapt to attack.

Clearly, the trio had been expecting him to talk, to negotiate, or to run.  They were not expecting him to attack one versus three.  The Mind Spike momentarily stunned the healer, and that allowed Duncan to close the distance with a single step and lunge with his left-hand sword.  The healer was wearing mail armor and carrying a mace and shield.  Duncan’s sword passed over the shield and into his target’s neck, the blade echo striking a moment later.  The thin layer of mail parted easily under the effects of his Tempered Blade.  The healer dropped with a gurgle, probably not yet dead, but certainly out of the fight for a moment.

Duncan whirled on the other two as they recovered from the surprise attack.  The sandy-haired warrior brought his longsword up into the guard of the proud lady, sword over his head, tip to the ceiling.
Really? You’ve got like two options from there, and they’re both descending cuts.
The slender dark-haired mage thrust a hand at Duncan and a shadowy bolt of something struck him.  His armor did nothing to help – the magic passed straight through to Duncan, and he felt a sharp pain in his chest.

Duncan advanced quickly, his right-hand sword rising to gather the blade of the longsword into his quillons and direct it offline.  With his left-hand sword he thrust at the chest of the mage.  A shadowy suit of armor appeared around the mage, and his Tempered Blade slid right through it and into his chest.  A blade echo followed up, causing even more damage.  Duncan withdrew his right foot, pivoting on his left, trying to put the mage between himself and the warrior.

Duncan’s parry had sent the tip of the longsword into the mud.  The sandy-haired warrior passed forward with his left foot and used the false edge of his longsword to cut at the inside of Duncan’s left knee.  Duncan met the attack with a cut of his own from his right-hand sword, at the right wrist of the longswordsman.  Both attacks hit.  Duncan’s armor absorbed most of the energy from the longsword attack, and his hardened skin didn’t part under the blow.  Duncan’s own cut missed the wrist but slashed the hand instead.  Fingers were severed, and the warrior howled in pain.

Duncan rotated his hips, bringing the right-hand sword back up in a rising cut to the mage’s head.  He took another jolt of the shadowy magic as he did, but his blade struck true through the shadow armor.  The Blade Echo that followed half a second later sheared the top of the mage’s skull off from his ear to the crown of his head.  He dropped.

The sandy-haired warrior retreated a step, bringing his longsword into close guard, the tip pointed at Duncan, his hands close to his chest.  Duncan took advantage of the space his opponent granted him to move to the healer, who was still clutching his neck on the ground, and stab him in the armpit, using Blade Echo to ensure the damage was sufficient to end the man.

“What the fuck, man?  What the fuck?”  Sandy-hair was freaking out.  “Don’t kill me!”  He started edging towards the cave entrance.

Duncan gave him no opportunity to flee.  He took a passing step forward, swept the longsword offline with his left-hand sword, and landed a Blade Echo-enhanced strike on his opponent’s unprotected face.  The man dropped his longsword, clutched his face and fell to the ground.  Duncan stabbed him through the hands into the face again, and he stopped moving.

I just killed three men,
Duncan thought.  He was angry more than upset, though.  They had waited to ambush him as he left the dungeon.  Had they not been so stupid and arrogant about it, he might have been dead.

He quickly stripped the bodies of their gear, storing it all in his personal space pocket.  His backpack was starting to feel very heavy.  One at a time, he dragged the bodies into the dungeon and stashed them in a dead-end passage.  The dungeon would absorb them within the hour.

He left the cave and headed further East along the river.  If anyone knew the three had gone out to ambush him at the dungeon and came looking, they wouldn’t expect him to go this way.  Shortly before full-dark, he made camp.  He fried up some of the mushrooms from the dungeon and found them delicious.  He washed his gear with water from the river and oiled his armor and swords with one of the rags he’d bought in the village.  Then he put his armor on again and sat down to meditate.

What an eventful day. The soulgem is interesting and having it will help me blend in here.  As Repdam said, though, I can’t trust it to gauge the threat of an enemy.  Someone could have a bunch of non-combat Techniques and have a high level as a result.  Or have one very good Technique with a few ranks and be an absolute monster for his level.

The kobold dungeon was educational.  I will never forget that a monster that can’t get through my armor isn’t necessarily a non-threat.  Those frogs could have drowned me or torn me apart – they nearly succeeded at both.  If my magically sharpened sword hadn’t been able to sever their tongues, my story would already be over.  A hero of legend with no legend.

The ambush afterward.  Well, I’ve killed people now.  They acted like dungeon monsters, so I treated them like dungeon monsters.  Really it wasn’t any different than fighting the kobold boss.  It was just as intelligent as them.  People out here are nothing like the people of the Valley.  They lie, they threaten, they try to kill.  I cannot trust most of them and I don’t know which ones I can trust.

I won the ambush fight because a) I didn’t hesitate and b) my non-Technique combat skills were much more advanced than those guys.  I need to keep up the training, not just of Techniques, but also of normal skills.  Tomorrow, I’ll head towards that town to the North and see what the Adventurers Guild has to offer.

Chapter 15

Duncan woke sore once more.
I wonder if there’s a skill for sleeping in armor.
He cooked another panful of dungeon mushrooms then cleaned up his campsite, refilled his new waterskin, and headed North.  He planned to drift towards the road as he went.  It was a lovely day, with not a cloud in the sky.  As the sun heated his armor, he started to look for a place to rest during the heat of the day.  He came across a shallow overhang from a hill and decided to spend an hour there working on his Space affinity Techniques. He began by working on folding space, changing the angle between the sides of his windows, changing the shape, changing the distance between the sides, changing the distance from him, and the speed of creation.  It was such a hard Technique.  Then he moved on to creating what he thought of as bars – long narrow windows with the sides close to each other that he could use to block incoming cuts and swings.  Because these would stay close to him and they only folded a small amount of space, he had high hopes he’d be able to use them in combat soon.  It was the speed of creation and the placement and orientation that he had to master.  Finally, he moved on to the personal storage space Technique.  He took everything out of his storage space and focused on trying to make the space more isolated from the bag that housed it.  If he could make it isolated enough, the weight of the items inside wouldn’t carry over to the container.  He also worked on trying to keep the items within in their own separate space from each other.  If he could make it a partitioned bag, that would help his progress towards being able to summon items of the bag instead of having to dig through it whenever he needed something.

Since he had the items already out of the bag, he examined the gear he’d taken from his ambushers.  The longsword was plain but well-made.  It would make a good backup weapon for him.  Sandy-hair’s mail armor was low quality, though.  Duncan wondered if he’d gotten it off the kobold boss.  The healer’s mace and shield were of the same quality as the longsword.  Again, they’d serve as decent backup weapons for him if he needed to switch to blunt damage.  The healer’s mail armor was significantly better quality than sandy-hair’s.  The mage had nothing of use at all.  Between the three of them they had a handful of silver and copper coins, which Duncan added to his purse.

The kobold leader’s two-handed axe was surprisingly good quality. Its armor, however, was just as bad as sandy-hair’s.  The chest he’d found in the boss room contained six silver and over a hundred copper coins.  Duncan moved most of his coin to the chest, which he stored in his personal space.  He left three silver and 50 bits worth of copper in his belt pouch, and he tucked a gold coin into each of his boots, just in case.

The crystal from the frogs, Duncan assumed to be a Technique stone.  He had no way of identifying or appraising it, and he was loathe to learn a Technique to do so.
Hopefully the Adventurers Guild has an appraiser the same way the delvers guild does, back in the valley
.  His break over, he repacked all his loot and set off again across the prairie grass.  Maybe he just felt better after his rest, or maybe his training paid off a little, for the pack felt a touch lighter than it had.

Duncan hiked through the grass for the remainder of the afternoon, enjoying the sunshine and the flowers.  He spotted a couple of ground squirrels and killed them with Mind Spikes, giving him a little meat to go with his dungeon mushrooms for dinner.
Having a ranged non-physical attack is proving to be a good idea. As much as I want to be a blademaster, the Mind Spike was instrumental against the frogs and the ambush yesterday.  And today it provides dinner.
After his meal, he practiced sword forms in the grass, sparring invisible enemies for a couple of hours.

He was awoken in the night by the sound of footsteps.  He rolled out of his tent, swords in hand, and by the light of the moon, saw well over a dozen people staggering past his tent, as though they were drunk.  Some of them noticed his movement and turned to face him.  They were falling apart, clearly dead.  The ones that had seen him moved towards him at an increased pace.  A shift in the breeze brought the stench of rotting meat to his nostrils.

He met their charge with his swords.  He cut low, severing a leg on the first one to reach him, then danced beyond its reach, beheading another with a strong horizontal cut.   The sound of combat drew the attention of the remaining undead and they all turned to attack him.  Most shambled towards him, but one which had been at the front of the pack, raised a staff and used a Technique.  A greenish cloud appeared around Duncan, eating into his flesh and gear.  Yiska had used the same Technique to great effect on several delves.

Duncan sprinted forward to get out of the cloud, and to close the distance on the caster.  He used one Mind Spike, but it seemed to have no effect on the undead.  Two of the slower shambling zombies tried to intercept him as he ran; he ignored one and shoulder-checked the other, knocking it off its feet.  He reached the undead spellcaster and used his left-hand sword to knock the staff off-line and thrust with his right-hand sword.  The spellcaster whipped the back end of the staff around to block the thrust, and retaliated with a thrust of its own, striking Duncan in the chest, almost taking him off his feet.

Oh shit! Zombie mage has skills!  And it’s fast.
Duncan pressed the creature hard, driving it further away from the rotting zombies that shambled towards them.  He paused his assault for a moment to strike down a zombie that came too close, and the spellcaster took the opportunity to throw a ball of green nastiness at him.  It struck his chest and sunk into his body.  He felt a sudden heavy weight on his lungs and strained to get a breath.

Gotta kill this quick, or it’ll kill me.
He ignored the zombies entirely, pressing the spellcaster hard again.  He parried a diagonal strike to the outside and drove his blade down the staff to strike the creature’s hand, stepping forward and thrusting at its torso with his other sword, landing a Blade Echo-enhanced strike.  The spellcaster belched a cloud of green gas in his face, and his eyes watered and his lungs burned as he staggered back a step to regain a safe distance.  The spellcaster took advantage of the distance and launched three green spectral daggers that ignored his armor and sank into his body with a horrible burning sensation.

How many Techniques does this thing have?  It’s winning.  Every time I give it distance, it casts.
He charged forward again, cutting hard at the caster’s hands on the staff, disarming it.  It belched more gas into his face, but he continued forward, slamming his shoulder into its chest, knocking it back a step.  He passed forward and took its head off with a strong horizontal cut and a Blade Echo.

The remaining zombies continued to shamble towards him, trying to grapple him, but they were slow and easily slain.  Duncan checked his status, surprised to find he still had half his health remaining.
I thought that mage almost killed me with those spells.  Does this soulgem keep proper track? Maybe I got a defective one.
He then methodically dismembered all the bodies.
I have no idea what makes them rise, but they shouldn’t be effective in pieces.
A couple of the zombies were wearing cheap jewelry – the grave goods they’d been buried with, he assumed.  The undead mage had a belt pouch with a few silvers in it, strangely.
Who’d sell goods to an undead mage?  What would it buy?
The mage’s staff was sturdy, too, shod in iron at both ends, with engravings on both the wood and the caps – Duncan discarded his goblin spear, and chose to use the staff as a walking stick / trap finder.

I’m not getting any more sleep tonight, at least, not anywhere near these things.
He packed up his tent and camp, and started walking generally North, then paused.
Those undead came from the East.  Should I try to see where they came from?
He returned to the scene of the fight and tried to track the zombies, but soon discovered that tracking by moonlight in a field of resilient grass was difficult.  Sure, there were places where grass was broken off or crushed by the zombies, but less than he’d expected to find.  Soon enough he was just wandering eastward, figuring they’d be going in a mostly straight line.

Dawn arrived, and he could find no signs the zombies had passed near where he was, nor any deviation in the landscape of gently rolling prairie in every direction.  With a shrug, he turned back North.  He wanted to get to Lydham eventually, and he was running a little low on water.

Hours later, he came across a tiny stream flowing Northwest and decided to follow it.  With only a single waterskin, he couldn’t really afford to wander around randomly, even if he could Mind Spike small animals to provide food.  Ground squirrels seemed quite abundant – he ran into several colonies over the course of the day.  Fortunately, all of them had been of regular size – no aggressive giant squirrels attacked him.

He stopped to meditate in the shade of a small clump of bushes near the stream for a break from the heat of the day.  Then he practiced his Space affinity Techniques for another hour or two before lying down to enjoy the glorious day.

He woke around sunset, hungry, thirsty, and mindful of the call of nature.
Plate armor is really great protection, but there’s a lot to take off when I need to shit.  This would be the perfect time to ambush me; I’m entirely helpless.
But the moment passed without incident, and he took the opportunity without armor to bathe in the little stream.  Then he prepared the last of his dungeon mushrooms and a ground squirrel for dinner and continued his walk Northwest along the stream.

He followed the stream for two more days before he noticed a change in the land.  Instead of endless prairie, he saw fields of some sort of grain ahead.  As he got closer, he spied a farmhouse in the distance, not far from the stream.  Continuing on, he saw three men approaching him through one of the fields.  He stopped and waited for them.  They wore study clothes, wide-brimmed hats, and carried spears.  He was able to identify them as a
Level 20 Farmer and two
Level 8 Farmer s.  They stopped on the other side of the stream, about ten meters from him, and the eldest said, “What is your intent here, warrior?”

“I’m looking for Lydham,” Duncan replied. “I figured following this stream would eventually lead me to a road or people.” Realising that he probably looked intimidating in his full plate armor, he added, “My intentions are peaceful, I mean you no harm.”

“You wander the plains alone?” the farmer shook his head at Duncan’s perceived folly.  “Well, you’re not wrong.  If you follow the stream another five hundred meters, you’ll come to the riverside road.  Take the road West and you’ll reach Lydham before dark.  Stay on that side of the stream, and we’ll have no trouble.”

“Thank you,” replied Duncan.  “I’ll stay away from your home.  I’m looking forward to getting to town.”  With a wave, he continued on his way, noting that they were following at a distance on the other side of the stream.
If my family were in that farmhouse, and an armored stranger showed up, I’d be a little worried too.

As he passed the farmhouse, he noticed trees in the distance.   The stream did lead to a road, wider and smoother than he’d expected.  The stream trickled across the road and emptied into a much larger river.  Across the river the grasslands continued for less than a kilometer before disappearing into a dark forest that spread for many kilometers to the West and North.

Duncan followed the road West, passing the occasional wagon or pedestrians.  None were armored, and all stayed well clear of him.  Not long after, he could see a walled town or city in the distance.  As he drew closer, he decided it was a city.  It was much bigger than Stonewatch.   There was some kind of farmer’s market outside the wall to the North of the road.  Dozens of stalls were set up, selling all sorts of produce and meats and crafts.  It was late in the day, and most of the stalls were in the process of closing, it seemed.  He resolved to come back another day to browse.

He approached the gate, noting the two attentive guards on duty and the gatehouse just beyond the gate that doubtless had a few more in case of trouble.  There was a short lineup to get in, which he joined.  He noted that some of the people ahead of him were paying the guards for entry.  The guards didn’t seem concerned by his presence or armor.  “Purpose for your visit?” said one.

“I’m here to see the Adventurers Guild,” Duncan said.
That sounds better than ‘I’m just wandering around trying to figure out what to do with my life’.

“Figured.  Go straight until you come to a square, then go North three streets.  Big building with the guild heraldry.  Twenty-bit entry fee.”
Huh, I wonder what the fee is for.  Pays for the guards, maybe?
He dug the copper coins out of his belt pouch, paid the guard, and was waved through.

The city was crowded.  The walls were three meters tall and there was a two-meter gap between them and the closest buildings as far as he could see in either direction.  The big thoroughfare he was on looked to have businesses on it; this close to the gate he saw a few inns and some stables.  There looked to be warehouses to the North and a series of residential apartments, maybe, to the South.  Duncan approached a laborer who appeared to be taking a break on a wagon nearby and asked, “Is there an affordable inn around where I won’t get cheated or robbed?”

The
Level 8 Tradesman snorted, “I dunno who’d be robbing an adventurer, but The Empty Gallows is clean and the innkeeper’s honest.  Two streets West, one North.”   Duncan thanked the man and walked off to the West.

To get a comparison, he stepped into the first inn he came across.  “Welcome to the Loaded Wagon Inn, sir,” an overweight man in fine linen clothes said.  “Will you be staying the night or are you just here for food and drink in the common room?”

“How much is a room?” Duncan asked.

“One silver, twenty bits, including dinner and one drink, plus breakfast in the morning.”  The man’s reply made Duncan’s eyes bug out behind his faceplate.
Oh yeah, I should probably remove the helmet, or at least the faceplate, while I’m in town.  But that’s six times as much as what Heldt wanted in Axford.  Nicer place, though, and two meals included.

“I’ll, uh, think about it and maybe come back.”  Duncan turned and left.  Removing his faceplate and dropping it into his backpack’s personal space, he followed the laborer’s directions to the Empty Gallows, and found it easily, as it had a large sign depicting a gallows hanging above the door.  He entered the common room, which was quite crowded with people eating dinner, and a young harried-looking woman approached him.  “What’ll it be?”

“How much for a room?” Duncan asked.

“Sixty bits including dinner and breakfast.  You buy your own drinks.”  That seemed reasonable.  He reached into his belt pouch, but she waved him off. “Pay Oscar at the bar.  He’ll get you a key.”  She hurried off to help some people waving at her from a nearby table.

Oscar was the innkeep.  He took Duncan’s money, gave him a key and pointed him to the stairs.  “Third floor, room 8.  It’s the first one on the left.”  Duncan found the room to be clean.  It contained only a bed, an empty chest, and a chamber pot.  He removed his armor and stored it in his personal pocket space, then decided he needed a bath before changing into clean clothes.  So he went back downstairs to ask Oscar.  He was charged an extra six bits, but the bath was excellent.  He had a small tub to himself, and there was a curtain around it for privacy.  The runes to fill the tub and heat the water were simple enough that he had no trouble.  He washed his dirty clothes in the tub when he was done, then switched to a set of the clean clothes he’d bought in Axford, storing the damp clothes in his personal pocket space.  He’d lay them out overnight to dry.

Dinner in the inn was an experience.  He shared a table with a number of drovers who’d arrived with a caravan earlier in the day.  He listened to their stories of the road and watched the serving women good-naturedly fend off their advances.   The inn was quite full, and Duncan found the press of people to be overwhelming.
I guess I prefer the solitude of camping in the wild.
After he’d eaten, he excused himself and returned to his room to practice his space affinity Techniques and meditate.

Chapter 16

In the morning, Duncan secured directions to the Adventurers Guild and went there directly after his breakfast.  It looked like an oversized inn, really.  The entryway led to a large common room.  There were tables scattered around half of it, and a bar at the end.  There were also two desks on the other side of the common room, and what appeared to be a large notice board.  A few people were browsing the board, and a few more were eating breakfast at the tables.

Duncan approached one of the desks.  The
Level 22 Warrior behind the desk smiled at him.  “What can we do for you?” he asked.

“I’m considering joining the guild, and am wondering what services you offer members,” Duncan replied.

“We offer a range of services.  First off, we have an introductory course for all new members that goes over the basics of dungeons and adventuring, and teaches you to get the most out of your soulgem.  All the stuff your mother got wrong, we like to say.”
It’ll be interesting to see what they teach that’s different from the Delvers Guild, and the soulgem part sounds useful.
“Beyond that, we offer a board of jobs that are available to our members, from monster elimination to escorts, to fetch and delivery jobs, and so on.  The jobs are rated by difficulty, so you know you’re unlikely to be taking a job that’s too hard for you.  We offer training from more experienced members, an appraisal service for dungeon loot, help with finding a group to do dungeons with, and an internal exchange for Technique Stones.  At this chapter house, we also offer room and board cheaper than the local inns.”

Well that’s quite a bit.
“What are the costs?” Duncan asked.

“It costs a silver a year for membership up to level twenty, three silvers a year for level twenty-one to fifty, and so on.  Members over level one hundred pay a gold a year.   On top of that, the guild takes a small cut of the payment for jobs from the job board (that’s already taken into account, though – the value shown is the value you’ll get) and takes ten percent of the proceeds from any sale on the Technique Stones exchange.”

“Fair enough,” Duncan replied, pulling a silver out of his belt pouch.  “Do I pay you?”

“Yes.  I’ll give you a medallion that shows you’re a member of the guild.  You’ll need to bind it to yourself with a drop of your blood.  That will identify you to the guild.”  The warrior passed Duncan a copper medallion on a leather thong.  He also provided a needle and a small cloth.  Duncan picked up the needle and pretended to poke himself with it, instead using a tiny sliver of blade-aspected mana to poke a hole in his finger.
Better safe than sorry.
He touched the blood to the medallion, and it took on a faint sheen.  “I will need your name for the records.”

“Oh, I’m Duncan.”

“Do you have a cognomen?  We need something a little more specific.  Maybe the place you’re from?”

“How about Duncan of the Valley?”

“That will do.  Congratulations, and welcome to the guild.  I’m Shearen.”  The man took the needle and cloth back and dropped them in a bin beside the desk.  “I’m on desk duty here this month, so you’ll probably see a lot of me. I’ll answer any questions I can.   Your introductory class will happen in three days – we run them once a week.  Until you’ve completed the course, you cannot take jobs from the notice board or join a guild dungeon group.  You can, however, take advantage of our member rates for training, our appraisal services, and the Technique Stone exchange.  Also, if you’re interested, I can rent you a room in this building for twenty silver a month.  It includes breakfast each day.”

Duncan thought about it. “I don’t know how long I’m going to be here, honestly.  What sort of dungeons are there nearby?”

“There are six dungeons in the area, ranging in level from fifteen to sixty.  The forest to the North has the two higher level ones.  There are also lots of monsters in the forest itself.  We offer jobs in the forest to adventurers from level twenty to fifty.  To the West, there’s a level fifteen lizard man swamp dungeon, and a level twenty mountain dungeon with harpies.”  At Duncan’s look, he said, “big flying chickens with human heads.  They have a nasty sonic attack.   To the northeast, there’s a level thirty Orc dungeon and a level forty Ogre dungeon.”

“Can I get back to you in a day or two?  I’d like to check around the area first.”
Maybe I can get a better deal from Oscar if I pay by the week.
“In the meantime, I’d like to see the training on offer, and the appraisal service.”

Shearen nodded, “Certainly.  The appraisal room is down the stairs over there.  We have a secure vault below ground.  The list of trainers in the area and what they teach is on the right edge of the notice board.  We update it weekly.  If you have any questions, come find me.  It doesn’t look to be very busy this morning.”

Duncan thanked him and headed for the stairs down.
First, let’s get rid of all this extra weight.
He paused.
Er, I shouldn’t show my storage space, right.  I’ll have to go buy a big sack and put the stuff in that then bring it in.
He diverted to the notice board and took a look at some of the jobs.
Escort an herbalist in the woods. For level twenty to thirty.  Cull a giant squirrel infestation on a farm, level ten to fifteen. Kill the undead mage raising zombies to the Southeast.  Hey! I did that one.  It says level twenty to thirty though.  Maybe it wasn’t the same one.
He grabbed the job off the board and took it to Shearen.  “I killed an undead mage leading about twenty zombies Southeast of here three or four days ago.  How do I tell if it’s the one this job is for?”

Shearen gave him an odd look.  “That job was posted a month ago.”  He opened a drawer in his desk and pulled out a parchment.  “Says here it killed two level fifteen adventurers, so the level was raised from fifteen.  What can you tell me about it?”

“It was much faster than I expected.  Very good with a staff, too.  And it hit me with four different Decay Techniques.”  Duncan thought back. “Oh, and it had a belt pouch with coins.  I thought that was strange for an undead.  Where would an undead shop?”

Shearen leaned forward.  “Do you have the staff, by chance? The creature we’re after had a very distinctive staff.”

Duncan nodded.  “Let me go get it.”  He left the building and walked back to the Empty Gallows, where he pulled the staff out of his storage space and walked back to the guild hall.
This is stupid.  People here will try to kill me for my storage bag, so I have to pretend I don’t have one.
He returned to Shearen’s desk and placed the staff on it.

“Come with me down to the appraisal office.” Shearen said.  Duncan followed him down the stairs and handed the staff to the bored-looking
Level 30 Mage behind the counter. “Staff of decay, level 30.  Adds a rank to each Decay Technique you use.  The guild can offer you three gold for it.”

Shearen Blinked. “At level twelve, you killed an undead mage who destroyed two level fifteen adventurers and used this.”

Duncan smiled.
Three gold for my walking stick! That’s great.
“I have good armor and good skill.  Do I need the staff for the job proof, or can I sell it?”

“No, you can sell it.  I’ll mark the job as complete.  You can collect the eighteen silver here once I sign off on it.  Follow me.”  Duncan grabbed the three gold coins from the appraiser and followed Shearen up the stairs and back to his desk.  Shearen marked the job as complete and gave the sheet to Duncan to turn in at the appraisal office.  He did so and pocketed another eighteen silver coins.

The list of trainers was interesting.  Learning to ride a horse from an instructor with rank four horsemanship would cost him two silver. He looked for a blademaster, but the best he could find was sword training from a rank 5 swordsman.  Duncan was rank 4 himself, so that probably wasn’t going to be worthwhile.  Swimming was another skill he thought he should learn, and tracking sounded like a good idea too.
So I’ll probably stick around at least a week.

Duncan dropped by Shearen’s desk and asked to sign up for riding, swimming, and tracking lessons.  He paid the 8 silver coins for the three courses and picked up his schedule for them.  Then he went out to the main street he’d first entered on and bought a large sack for three copper bits.  He returned to the Empty Scaffold Inn and asked Oscar about a weekly rate.  Oscar quoted him 50 bits a day for the week, and Duncan paid in advance.  He went up to his room, transferred all the loot he’d collected from his storage space to the large sac, put his armor on, except only the faceplate, and took the loot back to the Adventurers Guild to have it appraised.

Shearen followed him downstairs to the appraisal office.  “That really is nice looking armor.  Not often we see full plate around here.”

Duncan nodded, “It’s kept me safe in fights I shouldn’t have won.”  He started placing items from the sack on the counter for the appraiser.  He sold all the armor he’d found and all the weapons except the longsword, mace, and shield, which he kept for backups.  They weren’t nearly as nice as his broadswords, but they’d do in a pinch.  The appraiser offered him seven silver for the lot, and he accepted, glad to not be carrying it around any more.

He pulled the crystal he’d gotten off the frog out of his belt pouch and placed it on the counter.  The appraiser whistled appreciatively.  “Technique Stone.  Corrosion affinity.  Acidic Slime. Active. All wounds inflicted by physical weapons accumulate acidic slime in the wound.  Adds ongoing damage, duration and amount dependent on rank of Technique.  It’s listed as very rare.  The guild can offer eight gold for it, or you can put it in the Technique exchange if you like. Guild takes ten percent of the selling price.”

Ooh, that sounds nice.  My Corrosion affinity is weak though, so it’s no good to me.
“Very rare, and only eight gold?  You gave me three for that staff earlier.”

The appraiser frowned.  “The staff was also very rare.  We buy most Technique Stones for between one and two gold.  Eight is a very good price.”

“Ah, I didn’t know.  Thank you,” Duncan said. “Is there a list of Techniques currently available in the Technique exchange?”

“There is.”  The appraiser pulled a scroll out from under the desk.  “It’s sorted by Affinity.  Any addition or removal recorded at any of our facilities automatically updates the scroll at all the other facilities.  You can read it at that desk in the corner.  If you try to take it out of this room, I will kill you.  If you try to destroy it, I will kill you.  Do you understand?”

Ulp!
“I understand.  I will sit over here where you can see me and keep it on the table while I read it.”

“Excellent!” the appraiser smiled at him.  “You sound like a fast learner.”

“That reminds me,” Shearen said.  “As a guild member you can store some or all of your coin with us, at no cost.  You can withdraw part or all of it at any time at any guild hall with a working bank scroll.  It’s like that Technique Scroll, but for coin.   The drop of blood you used on your medallion makes sure we have the right person.  The deposit is signed by your medallion, and you’ll need to provide a drop of blood to make a withdrawal.  Walking around at your level with the coin you’ve earned today could get a fellow killed, pretty armor or no.”

“That sounds like an excellent service.  Thank you!”  Duncan sincerely meant it.  Shearen returned upstairs to his desk, and Duncan took the Technique Exchange scroll to the desk in the corner.  He soon figured out how it operated. If he dragged his finger down the right edge of the scroll, the text magically moved, as though he were unrolling a normal scroll at an incredibly fast pace.  He navigated to the Healing affinity Techniques and began to read.  There were single person heals, group heals, healing auras that pulsed.  Some had a relatively long range, some were touch only.  Eventually Duncan focused on one in particular.

Destrin’s Restoration
Healing Affinity. Active. Targets: Self-only.  Instant. Consumes some of the caster’s mana to dramatically speed Regeneration for a second.  Very lossy. Limited by available mana.  Efficiency improves with rank.  Rarity: Rare.  Cost: 6g

If he understood the Affinity part of the soulgem’s information correctly, his moderate healing affinity would let him reach a cap of rank six in the Technique.  That would surely be enough to bring it to a decent mana to health ratio.  For an emergency heal, it felt pretty perfect.
Really, I’m surprised it’s so cheap at six gold.

He scrolled back up to Blade Techniques.  Blade Echo was one gold.  Tempered Blade was two gold.  Both were listed as common.  There were quite a few others.  Blade Wall, Flying Sword (20 gold! Rare), Blade Explosion, Blade Ward, Shatter Blade.  The list went on.  None really felt like they suited his style, or at least the style he imagined.

The Body affinity section was very long.  Two Techniques stood out:

Surge of Strength
Body Affinity.  Active. Targets: Self-only.  Instant.  Duration: 30s+.  Spend mana to drastically increase your physical strength for the duration.  Strength gain, duration, efficiency improve with rank.  Rarity: Common. Cost:2g

Surge of Agility
Body Affinity. Active. Targets: Self-only.  Instant.  Duration: 30s+.  Spend mana to drastically increase your agility for the duration.  Agility gain, duration, efficiency improve with rank.  Rarity: Common. Cost: 2g

Both Techniques were on the list he’d agreed upon with Repdam.  And they were so cheap.  If he sold the guild his Acidic Slime Technique stone, he’d have just over fourteen gold.
But I can only have one active Technique at a time.  So I can’t have Surge of Strength active and do a Blade Echo attack.  Or have both surges active.  Or Fold Space to attack or defend with the surges active.  If I get them now, though, I can work on ranking them up for when I’ll be able to use them with my current Techniques.  But I’ll also be spreading my gains from advancement really thin if I work on them.  I’ve already got a lot of rank one Techniques.

He scrolled all the way down to Space Affinity Techniques, and right at the top of the list, there it was:

Blink
Space Affinity. Active. Targets: Self.  Instant.  Spend a lot of mana to teleport a short distance.  Range, targets and efficiency improve with rank.  Rarity: Rare. Cost: 8g

Oh man.  With Blink and Fold Space, my build concept is essentially done.  The Body affinity surges are nice-to-haves, but this, I want this.
He could probably spend all day looking through the scroll finding Techniques that were great, but that could very well lead him astray.  He resolved to stop looking for more Techniques until all of his were at rank 5 or higher.

He called over to the appraiser, who was reading something behind the counter. “Are there any affinity stones on the list?”

The man snorted loudly.  “Scroll to the very bottom.”  At the bottom of the list were a dozen or so affinity stones listed.  The cheapest was a Weak Body Affinity Stone for five hundred gold.  A Moderate Fire Affinity Stone was listed at eight thousand gold.
Ok, so I won’t be buying any affinity improvements.  I got so very lucky with my Space Affinity stone.

Duncan returned the scroll to the appraiser and said, “I’d like to sell the guild my Acidic Slime Technique stone for the eight gold.  And I’d like to buy two of the stones on the list.  Blink and Destrin’s Restoration.”

The appraiser looked at him for a long moment, then said, “I don’t normally give unsolicited advice, lad, but a warrior wanting an unpopular Healing Technique and a mana-intensive Space Technique… you’re almost certainly going to ruin your build.  Are you sure you want to do this?  Are these for someone else?”

“Thank you, I really do appreciate you’re trying to help,” Duncan replied, “but I’m certain.”  He paused.  “Uh, I have my coin hidden in my clothes.  Is there a place I can go to take my armor off and get at it?”

The appraiser laughed and sent him upstairs to ask Shearen, who also laughed, but took him to an empty office to let him undress and recover his coins.  That done, he returned downstairs.  He pushed the Acidic Slime Technique stone over to the appraiser and added his only six gold coins.  He’d have to check the contents of the chest from the kobold dungeon when he got back to the inn, but he suspected he had less than a gold coin to his name.

“Alright.  I do hope you know what you’re doing,” said the appraiser.  “I’m entering your purchases in the scroll now.  Neither of the stones you want are on site here in Lydham, but they may make it into this week’s delivery.”  At Duncan’s quizzical look, he explained, “The guild’s head office is in Merryfield.  Once a week, for small cities like Lydham, they ship a box of anything we’ve ordered from the Stone Exchange and anything else the guild here requires.  A high-level courier will bring it through the teleport network along with boxes from other places for other guilds or people here.  The teleport gates are extremely expensive, so everyone chips in for the cost of the courier once a week, spreading the cost out.  With luck, your stones will be here in four days.  If not, it’ll be next week.  Here’s your receipt showing you’ve paid for the two stones.  I have a copy here as well.”

Duncan thanked him and was about leave, when the appraiser asked, “Have you had that armor appraised, by chance?”

“I haven’t, but it was custom made for me.” Duncan replied. “I don’t really want everyone to know what it is.”

“Appraisals are strictly confidential unless you choose otherwise, or someone like Shearen is requesting an appraisal for a quest completion, as you saw earlier.”  He touched a rune behind the counter, and a protective field blocked off the door.  “No one can see or hear anything that goes on in here until I release the ward.  Also, note that no one can appraise anything you’re wearing or holding.  It has to be out of your possession for someone to appraise it.”

Duncan removed his helm and placed it on the counter, curious as to just how good it was.

“Hardened Truesteel plate, with a weight reduction enchantment, and a self-repair enchantment.  Level fifty.  The smith who made this for you was a master, and the enchanter was just as good.  The guild could offer you two hundred gold for the set.”

Oh wow.  I had no idea it was that good.  That’s insane.
Duncan retrieved the helm and put it on again.  The appraiser deactivated the ward and said “You’re an interesting lad.  If you find anything else unusual, feel free to ask for me specifically.  I’m Pierre Ghosteyes.”

Back at the Empty Gallows Inn, Duncan sat down to a quick lunch, then returned to his room to check his finances.  He had a hundred and fourteen silvers, and about two hundred bits to his name.
Not as bad as I’d expected, but I’m going to need to earn some coin before I spend any more.

He had a riding lesson in the afternoon, so he put his coin away in his personal storage space, leaving only a few coins in his belt pouch and headed out to meet his instructor.

Chapter 17

There were five other people in his introductory adventuring class.  Two women who looked enough alike that they might be sisters, who turned out to be a
Level 9 Rogue and a
Level 9 Mage
, a beefy man with thick black sideburns but a bare chin wearing a good quality tunic who was a
Level 12 Warrior
, a short man in an embroidered robe who had a pattern of some sort shaved into his short hair (a
Level 14 Mage
), and a young man in very fine clothes who managed to give the impression he was looking down his nose at the rest of them (a
Level 17 Mage
).  Introductions were made, but Duncan immediately forgot their names.  He’d never been good with names and didn’t feel it was worth the effort to retain these ones.

The instructor was a
Level 35 Mage named Eleanor Burns.
I bet she has a fire affinity, and that’s a cognomen.
She was tall and slim, with auburn hair and green eyes, and wore a loose shirt and pantaloons of an expensive-looking fabric.   Duncan himself was wearing the serviceable clothes he’d bought in Axford, with his swords belted around his waist.

“Let’s get started,” said Eleanor. “You’re here because the guild won’t let you go out representing us until you’ve learned the basics of adventuring.  I’m here to try to teach you enough that you don’t get yourselves killed in the first real dungeon you enter.”

“First, we’re going to go over the information your soulgem provides.  It is incredibly useful information, but your soulgem presents it without context.  I’m going to give you that context.   We’ll start with your stats.  The physical stats are pretty self-explanatory, except perhaps for the difference between dexterity and agility.  Dexterity is your fine manipulation.  In combat, it’s your ability to put your weapon exactly where you intend.  Agility is your ability to dodge, to jump and land without hurting yourself.  Your physical stats are tied to your Body affinity, but they can be trained, and they can increase as you gain levels.  A mage with a negligible Body affinity who doesn’t specifically work on training up these stats through rigorous physical exercise will have physical stats between twenty and thirty at level one.”

Woah, that low?

“The consequence of that, of course, is a low health pool, an inability to wear heavy armor or dodge well, and a tendency to die when struck.  The guild strongly recommends that all adventurers train their body hard and often.  By level twenty, a typical adventuring mage should have an Endurance over fifty and the other physical stats over forty.  A warrior with a Body affinity could start out with physical stats in the fifties or even sixties, and by level twenty, should have them all over eighty.  In absolute terms, someone with one hundred strength can carry a load of two hundred kilograms a short distance.”

I’m a little ahead of the curve there, but I have an outstanding Body affinity, so that makes sense.  Sounds like I could be further ahead if I worked harder on my physical conditioning.

Sideburns flexed his arms and said, “Seventy strength, ladies.”  The sisters rolled their eyes as one, and Eleanor continued her talk as though he hadn’t said anything.

“Moving on to the mental stats, things are quite different.  Your intelligence stat shows how smart you are.  It’s your capacity to learn.  And it doesn’t change as you gain levels.  If your intelligence stat changes three points over the course of your entire life, that would be considered a remarkable occurrence.  Your wisdom is your common sense, your ability to learn from your mistakes.  It can change but does so very slowly.  Your mental stats influence your mana pool and your mana regeneration rate.”

“To provide context for you all, at level twenty, a mage should have over two thousand health, five hundred stamina, and three thousand mana. A warrior should have over three thousand health, a thousand stamina, and three thousand mana.  Yes, a warrior may have as much mana as a mage or healer – mana is based on your mental stats, which don’t change.  So your mana pool only grows with your level, and at about the same rate for everyone.”

My mana pool is larger than that.  Must have something to do with my strong Mind and Spirit affinities.

“What about regeneration rates?” asked Sister two.

“At level twenty, you will typically regenerate just over a hundred health per hour, a thousand stamina per hour, and a thousand mana per hour.  If you have good Body, Mind, or Spirit affinities, those numbers will be a bit higher.”

My body affinity and regeneration Technique really shine on health and stamina regeneration.

“Now we move to affinities,” Eleanor said.  “Your soulgem shows you the strength of all the affinities you have.  If you have no affinity for something, it won’t be displayed.  There are dozens of possible affinities, and most of us have no affinity at all to most of them.  You will likely have about a dozen affinities, with most of them negligible or weak.  Yes, I keep saying ‘most’ – there are always outliers in any statistical model.”

“Pay attention now, this next part directly impacts the Techniques you should choose to build your fighting style.  While you can train Techniques in any affinity that you have, the strength of your affinity dictates both the speed at which you can advance the Technique, and the rank to which the Technique can be advanced.  A negligible affinity means associated Techniques are very slow to advance and have an upper limit of rank two.  A weak affinity means slow advancement and an upper limit of rank four.  A moderate affinity means normal advancement and a rank limit of six.  Strong is faster advancement and a limit of rank eight, and outstanding is very fast advancement and a limit of rank ten.”

“So, you can learn a Technique with a negligible affinity for it, but it’s generally a bad idea to do so.  You should build around your strongest affinities and only use Techniques from weaker affinities to fill in for deficiencies.  The guild offers individual training to help you choose your Techniques, and we strongly suggest you take it.  There is an absolute cap of ten active Techniques and ten passive Techniques that any person can learn.  It becomes harder and harder to learn new Techniques as you accumulate existing ones, too.  The last few active and passive Techniques someone learns almost have to come from Technique stones, because it just becomes too difficult to learn from an instructor once you’ve accumulated several Techniques.

Oh, that’s new information.  I learned a lot of passive Techniques all at the same time.  Maybe that’s why I’m not advancing them despite my high affinities and all the dungeons I’ve delved.

“Now most,” Eleanor smirked, “of you will have at least one affinity of moderate or higher.  People without moderate affinities don’t tend to become adventurers.  Some of you may have two or even three affinities of moderate or higher.  There are rare cases of people having as many as five or six affinities that strong, but at that point, they start to struggle with Technique choice.”

In the Valley, almost everyone had two affinities at at least Strong.  Anything under Strong was considered weak and not worth training.  Was there something special about the Valley, or is this empire unusually weak?  It doesn’t really make sense that a huge empire is the outlier, though.  So likely the Valley is the outlier, and maybe that explains why we stayed so isolated… I have twelve affinities at moderate or higher, five at Strong or higher.  I could blow so many minds if I showed my stats.   ….And that is why I should never do that.  Don’t draw attention, Duncan, you moron.  Showing off will get you targeted and possibly killed out here.

Eleanor went on, oblivious to Duncan’s internal discussion.  “The guild’s recommendation is that you build a set of Techniques based on your strongest affinities, and that suit your temperament and goals.  And then find a team of people whose Techniques and roles complement your own.  If you want to be a front-line fighter and have a strong Fire affinity, there are fire Techniques that will suit that role.  And teams where you will fit in well.  Techniques aren’t everything.”

“Which brings us to skills.  Briefly, skills are all your abilities and talents that aren’t acquired through a Technique.  Your soulgem ranks your ability in a skill from one to ten, the same way it does with Techniques.  But unlike Techniques, your skills don’t contribute to the level it calculates.  We consider this something of a flaw in the system.  A swordfighter with a few sword Techniques but no swordfighting skills won’t live long.  And a swordsman with very high skills can be far more dangerous than his level suggests.  The guild offers training in all manner of skills, and again, we strongly suggest that you take advantage of it.”

“And finally, we get to your class.  The soulgem determines your class based mostly on the highest rank Technique you have, so it’s not unheard of for people to change classes as they improve some Techniques faster than others.  It’s quite common for someone to flip between Mage and Warrior classes, for example.  The three combat classes the soulgems recognize most often are Warrior, Mage, and Healer, though occasionally they’ll recognize a Rogue or Leader.  For people without any combat Techniques, the soulgems will generate classes like Farmer, Tradesman, Laborer, or Crafter, again based on the person’s highest ranked Technique.”

“And that, ladies and gentlemen, is everything your mother would have taught you about your soulgems if she had known it.  We’ll take a short break and move on to Dungeons.”  Eleanor turned and left the room.

Duncan got up and stretched.  He noticed the sisters were whispering amongst themselves, and Sideburns was approaching him.
Argh, go away!
Sideburns said, “Hey, we’re both level twelve warriors, we should compare stats.  What’s your strength?”

“I’m not interested in sharing.”
He wouldn’t believe me if I told him, and he’d demand to see my status, and there’s no way I’m showing that to anyone.

“What’s the matter? Afraid you’re inadequate?” Sideburns sounded a bit belligerent.

“Yes, that’s it, exactly,” said Duncan.

Sister one snorted.
Ah shit,
Duncan thought, don’t get involved.

Sideburns whirled on her, “What?”

Sister two tried shush her, but sister one pointed at Duncan, “His muscles have muscles.” She pointed at Sideburns.  “You look like a barrel with legs.”
Okay, I kinda like her.

The portly man’s face turned a bright red.  He looked at Duncan, “I challenge you!”

Duncan rolled his eyes and addressed the sisters, “I’m not from around here. What are the rules?”

It was the young rich man who answered, “First off, Timothy shouldn’t be challenging a peasant. Setting that aside, however, if you accept the challenge, you will meet at an agreed-upon time and place and fight until one of you is incapacitated or dead.”
Er, these people don’t place much value on life, do they?
“If you choose to decline the challenge, you will lose standing with everyone who matters.  Although, looking at you, I don’t think that’s much of a concern.”

It’s not, though not for the reasons you think, you stuck up prig.
“Then I decline the challenge.  Piss off.”

Sideburns was fuming.  “I will find you and make you pay.”

At that point Eleanor returned, and demanded, “What’s going on here? I was gone two whole minutes.”

Rich kid answered, “Timothy wanted to compare stats with the peasant.  He refused, insults followed, and Timothy challenged the peasant.  Who refused that, too.”

“Idiots,” Eleanor said.  Then, to Duncan, “Why did you refuse the challenge?”

“Had I accepted and killed him, his family would come after me.  Had I accepted and just maimed him, he and/or his family would come after me.  If I declined, it seemed more likely that only he would come after me.”

“That’s not how it works,” she said.  “A duel ends the matter, no matter how it turns out.  Neither he nor his family would pursue the issue.”

“Ah.  In that case, I accept your challenge, Timothy.  After this class, outside the East gate, South of the market?”

“Agreed! I will smash you,” said Sideburns.

“I will officiate, and will bring a healer, if that is acceptable to both of you?”  At their nods, Eleanor continued.  “Then sit down and let me tell you what you need to know about Dungeons.”

The students returned to their seats, and Eleanor jumped right into her dungeon speech.  “The density of ambient mana around the world varies.  Higher densities support more dangerous creatures that require the ambient mana to survive and thrive.  But the mana density of the world seems to be increasing ever so slowly over time.  At some point in the distant past, the gods implemented dungeons to correct, or at least counteract, this increase.

“When the mana density of a region increases to a level where it might be dangerous to the creatures native to the area, a dungeon forms.  The dungeon absorbs the ambient mana and uses it fuel the creation of the creatures and treasures inside.  When the creatures are slain, or the treasures removed, the total ambient mana is reduced, as the dungeon has to use up more to create replacements.  When a person dies in a dungeon, the dungeon consumes their body and mana.  This is the balance to the rewards dungeons offer.  Nothing is free in this world.

“Now, why do we enter dungeons in the first place?  Why not leave them alone?”  Eleanor looked around.

“For the loot!” said Sideburns.  “To challenge ourselves and grow,” said the short man in the embroidered robe.

“Both of you are correct, and that’s why the dungeons take the form they do; to attract individual adventurers.  But why do we as a society organize things like the Adventurers Guild and send so many people into dungeons so often?”

When no one answered, she continued, “It goes back to the dungeons absorbing the extra ambient mana in a region.  If a dungeon absorbs the mana, and no one enters it to fight its creatures or loot its treasures, the ambient mana fills up the dungeon until it overflows.  When that happens, it spawns much stronger than normal monsters which then leave the dungeon and go on a rampage until they eventually settle down nearby and spawn a new dungeon to assist with the absorption of ambient mana.   We send adventurers into dungeons in order to use up the ambient mana and to prevent rampaging dungeon monsters running around the world.  Adventurers help counter the buildup of ambient mana.”

Oh, that’s interesting.  Hmm,
“So if a large number of adventurers were to empty a dungeon multiple times a day, would that dungeon run low on mana and eventually produce less powerful monsters?  Or would it just draw more and more of the ambient mana from the region, and make the region less dangerous as a whole?”
Apparently, the region around the Valley is filled with much more dangerous creatures and dungeons.  Maybe we’ve been making the valley safer to live in.

Eleanor nodded at him, “Those are both possibilities. I don’t know if it’s ever been tried though.  It would take a lot of clears.”

“Now the final part of your introductory class is about forming a group.  If you follow our advice on your Techniques, you will likely be fairly specialized in your class role.  This means that you bring the most effective version of yourself to a group.  There are always people looking to form groups to go through dungeons or complete some of the jobs on the jobs board.  Join as many groups as you can to get a feel for how you work together with various specialties and personalities.

“Most of you are too low a level for even the lizard man dungeon to the West.  You should start out doing jobs appropriate to your level in the area or consider traveling a little further. There’s a level ten dungeon a few days’ travel South, for example.  The guild doesn’t hold your hand – there’s nothing preventing you from entering a dungeon we’ve rated as higher than your level.  There’s nothing preventing you from entering a dungeon solo.   All we can do is urge you to use your common sense and not take unnecessary risks.”

“And speaking of unnecessary risks, that concludes the class.  You will be able to take guild jobs effective tomorrow.  Timothy, Duncan, I shall see you in one hour outside the Eastern Gate.  Anyone who wishes to witness the challenge is welcome to do so.  I must collect a healer on the way.”

Duncan left the room to the sound of Sideburns telling him how badly he was going to hurt him.  He returned to his room at the Empty Gallows to meditate for a short while before going to his duel.  He was, to his own surprise, nervous.
I killed three adventurers the other day.  This guy’s a blowhard.  I can’t imagine he’s a real threat.
His internal pep talk didn’t do a lot to help, and he had to visit the privy before donning his armor to deal with his nervous stomach.

He arrived at the East gate, armored up with his helmet in hand, to find Eleanor waiting, with a
Level 25 Healer at her side.  She gestured at him to follow, and they walked South for a few minutes to a level area where Sideburns was waiting along with the other members of their class who’d come to witness the duel.  A small crowd had gathered for the free entertainment as well.  Sideburns was wearing mail armor and a surcoat.  He had an open-faced helm, and Duncan could see the surprise on his face as he took in Duncan’s full plate.

Eleanor sounded bored. “We are here to settle a challenge issued by Timothy duPlessis to Duncan of the Valley.  They shall fight until one is incapacitated.  The challenger and loser shall each pay half my adjudicator fee and the healer’s attendance fee.  If you require healing, you will pay the healer for that as well.   Do either of you wish to withdraw before we start?”

There’s just an open space to fight in.  I wonder if they’d provide more room if one of the combatants was listed as a mage.  There’s the potential for crowd injury here.
Both Duncan and Timothy indicated they would fight.

“Prepare.”  Duncan put his helm on and fastened the straps that secured it.  He drew his swords and nodded to Eleanor.  Sideburns had a large mace strapped to his back – he didn’t remove it, choosing to stand empty-handed.
A caster?  Or he has fist Techniques?

“Begin.”  Sideburns charged at Duncan, screaming “Boulder Fist!”  A large rock materialized around his right hand and he swung it at Duncan.
Really?
Duncan stepped to his left, parried the attacking arm to the outside with his right-hand sword, and drove his left-hand sword into Sideburns’ exposed armpit.
Blade Echo, bitch!

Sideburns pitched to the ground with a gurgling scream.  Duncan stepped in to stab him again but stopped as Eleanor raised her hand, palm towards him.  “Timothy, can you continue?” She asked.  Timothy was curled up in a ball, pink froth coming out of his mouth with each gurgling breath he took.  He didn’t reply.  “Punctured lung.  I declare Timothy incapacitated.  The duel is ended. Victory to Duncan of the Valley. Healer, attend the loser.”

That’s it?  That was anti-climactic.
The crowd seemed to agree.  It dissipated quickly as people wandered off.  Sister one gave Duncan a thumbs up gesture before she left with sister two.  The two mages also departed, with the rich kid saying, “Not a peasant after all.  Nice armor.”

Duncan spoke with Eleanor, who was watching the Healer attend to Sideburns. “Is there anything left for me to do?  Can I go now?”

She nodded. “Timothy was both challenger and loser, so we shall collect our fees from him.  Congratulations on a duel well-fought.”

Duncan had to ask, “Do you know why he shouted the name of his Technique? It seemed… silly.”

“Mnemonic.  Makes it easier to trigger the Technique.  It’s a crutch, but lots of people do it.  Thanks for not hitting him again.  He should have been able to continue, but I suspect that’s the first time he’s been injured.”

“I see.  Well, thanks for officiating.  Perhaps I’ll see you at the guild hall sometime.”  Duncan took his leave and returned to his Inn for Technique practice, dinner, and meditation.

Chapter 18

Duncan awoke feeling excited.  His Technique stones could arrive today!  He hurried his breakfast and jogged to the guild hall.  Shearen was at his desk, and there was no one in line to see him.  Duncan stepped up, “What time does the courier arrive?”

“You have something coming, do ya?  Well, I can’t say what time the courier will get here, but deliveries will be available at sunset.”

All day to wait.
Duncan offered his thanks and turned to the job board, looking for something he could complete alone in a single day.
Anything that’s purely a physical threat up to level twenty or so should be fine.
He looked through the list and found it dull.
Delivery to some town I’ve never heard of, giant squirrel infestation, that’s still here, escort an herbalist in the woods, more deliveries, caravan guard, potion tester (yeah right), argh, there’s nothing here.  I’m going to have to go kill giant squirrels, aren’t I?
With a grimace, Duncan took the squirrel infestation job to Shearen.

“This one’s been here a few days.  Any idea why it’s still here?” he asked.

Shearen grinned, “Those fuckers are nasty and fast.  We’ve had a couple of folks take the job, then return it.”

Oh, well that sounds better than I had expected.
“I’ll take it.”

He left town at a jog, making good time.  The infested farm was about two hours away, not far off the Riverside road.  So he passed several wagons and groups of pedestrians going both directions, waving to each.
I must look funny, a suit of plate armor just running down the road.

He reached the afflicted farmhouse at mid morning and took a look around for the owners, but it appeared no one was home.  The job listing said the ground squirrels had infested the fields so he went exploring.  Almost immediately after he entered the grain field adjacent to the house, he was attacked by several meter-long squirrels with impressively large teeth.  They swarmed around his feet, biting ineffectually at his legs.
Time for sword practice, he thought, and set about killing them.  He tried for single shot kills, but the squirrels were extremely fast, and more often than not he missed a vital spot on the first attack and had to try again.  Still, he destroyed the group in short order, and cut off their tails as proof.  Six tails went into his personal storage space, and he moved on.

He spent a full six hours walking through the fields around the farmhouse, killing every giant squirrel he could find.  They seemed to be enraged – none fled, none refused to engage him.  He returned to the farmhouse, but there was still no one home, so he cleaned his gear as best he could and ran back to Lydham, arriving shortly before sunset.  He stopped by the Empty Gallows to clean up and to transfer the tails from his personal storage space to the large sack he’d bought.
Ninety six tails.  A good day’s sword practice.

He carried the bag to the Adventurers Guild hall, still wearing his armor, minus the helmet’s faceplate. Shearen was no longer on duty, so he reported to the lady who was sitting at the desk.  “This job is complete.”  He put the job notice on the table. “Do I turn the tails in to you?”

She picked up the notice and said, “follow me down to the appraisals room and I’ll validate the job when they count the tails.”  She led the way downstairs, where they had to wait behind the ward barrier until someone ahead of them was done with a private transaction.  After a few minutes the barrier dropped and a
Level 28 Healer exited, saying “All yours.”

Duncan saw the appraiser on duty was the man he was familiar with.  “Hello Pierre.  Do you have someplace particular you want me to dump a pile of giant squirrel tails?”

Pierre made a face and said, “one moment.”  He stepped through a door behind the counter and returned with a large basin.  “Dump them in here.”  Duncan complied, filling the basin to overflowing.

“Woah”, said the woman from the desk upstairs. “How many is that?”

“Ninety-six,”replied Duncan.

“The job was for thirty!”

“No, the job was for all that I could find.  I needed thirty to collect the reward, but I finished off all the ones that I could find.”

Pierre dragged the basin of tails back into the room from which he’d brought it in the first place.  The guildswoman signed off on the job completion and marked down a small bonus for exceeding the quantity needed. “I’d give you more,” she said, “but the bonus comes out of guild funds – the farmer only pays the base rate.   You can collect from Pierre when he’s done storing those tails.”  With that she went back upstairs to her desk.

Pierre returned shortly and exchanged the job notice for six silver.  Then he paid Duncan another silver for the tails themselves.  Then he activated the barrier ward and said, “Your shipment arrived by courier today.  I need you to sign for it on this tablet with a drop of your blood to mark your receipt of the delivery.  But first, please check to make sure they are what you ordered.”  He slid a small wooden box across the counter to Duncan.

Duncan opened the box and found two silk bags inside, each with a stiff piece of parchment attached listing the contents: one Destrin’s Restoration Technique Stone and one Blink Technique Stone.  “Well, the labels match what I ordered.”

Pierre said, “If you remove the stones from the bags, I can appraise them for you to confirm.”  Duncan did so, and Pierre appraised them as genuine.  So Duncan drew a drop of his blood with a bit of blade-aspected mana and pressed it to the tablet.

“Congratulations on your purchase.  I admit I cannot understand what you’re going for with your build, but I hope it works out well for you,” Pierre said. “If you don’t mind a bit of advice, absorb these somewhere safe where you can rest afterwards.  You should wait a full day between absorbing each one, as well.  A Technique stone can pack a bit of a punch.”

Duncan thanked him and stowed the box in his backpack storage space.
It should just look like I’m placing in the backpack.  It’s not like I’m storing something bigger than the pack.
Pierre made no comment and deactivated the ward barrier to allow Duncan to leave.

Back in his room at the Inn after a pleasant dinner, Duncan debated which Technique to learn first, eventually settling on Blink.  Lying on his bed, he placed the stone on his forehead and pulled it into him.  Immediately he felt a metaphorical rush of knowledge.  His mind felt heavy for a while as it processed the Technique.  And then he felt as though he truly understood the Technique.  It was so much more complete than a Technique learned from an instructor.  There were no gaps in his understanding.

He stood up and Blinked across the room.  There was no sense of motion, no popping sound as air was displaced.  It wasn’t that he disappeared from one place and appeared in another.  His place in space simply changed.  He went to his window and Blinked to a rooftop across the street, and promptly almost tumbled backward off the edge of the building, as he’d only been able to see the edge of the roof and so that’s where he ended up.  He Blinked back into his room, and sat down on the bed, grinning like a madman.

He checked his soulgem status and focused on his new Technique:

Blink
. Space Affinity. Active. Self-only. Range 20m Limitations: Line of Sight, facing cannot change. Cost 500 mana

The mana cost is steep, but I can still Blink a few times in a fight if need be.  I won’t be Blinking around between every strike though.  And the efficiency improves as I rank it up.

He settled in to meditate on his new Technique and the activities of the day, and almost immediately realised he’d been going about his Folded Space Technique the wrong way.  He’d been thinking of it in terms of physics and tunneling through space or folding space, when really it was just making two places the same in space.  Trying to calculate angles and facing and distance was just slowing him down, and really, he wasn’t actually calculating anything – he had just been imposing his experimental framework on his instincts.  He just had to know how to make the two spaces one.  And he did know.

The next morning, immediately after breakfast, he bought three wooden swords and returned to his room at the Inn to practice creating his folds in space and sticking his sword through them to hit an imaginary target from various angles whilst thrusting in an entirely different direction.  It was playing havoc with his traditional sword skills.  Eventually, he put on his armor and headed out the North gate of the city and ran the five hundred meters to the edge of the forest so he could use a tree as a pell.  Fortunately, he could see his target through the fold in space, so as long as he was looking at the fold, his point control was good.  The no-look thrust to the side through a space fold to hit something in front of him was not going to work.

He had to take frequent breaks because he kept running out of mana.  His soulgem told him:

Fold Space
Space Affinity.  Active. Range: 1m.  Size: up to 20cm by 20cm. Divergence: up to 1m Duration: 3s Cost: 200 mana

Divergence must be the distance between the two parts of the fold.  I’m starting to get a lot of high-mana-cost Techniques.  In a fight, I’m going to have to rely on my swordsmanship primarily.  Blinking around, folding space, and Mind Spike will have to be situational.

After several hours of hard work, he could create the fold in space in front of his sword with about a second’s concentration and have it consistently target the part of the tree he was aiming at.  Not ideal, given the pace of a swordfight, but if he needed the odd angle of attack, the delay would be acceptable.  And three seconds was ample time to thrust through the fold and recover his sword before the fold collapsed.

He turned his attention to using the folded space as a barrier.  He focused on creating a twenty centimeter by one centimeter fold with a divergence of one centimeter.  That essentially created an almost invisible indestructible spatial anomaly that effectively mimicked a section of a sword blade that he could place within one meter of himself to parry an attack.  It took half a second to place, which was significantly slower than he could parry with a sword, and it only lasted three seconds, and couldn’t be moved once placed, so its use would have to be tactical.
But it’s another option for the same Technique, and the added versatility is nice.  I’m sure I’ll be able to place it faster as I rank up the Technique.

His experimentation and training had taken the whole day – he’d skipped lunch and missed a riding lesson, but the improvements in his Fold Space Technique were worth it.  After dinner, rather than use the Destrin’s Restoration Technique stone, he chose to meditate on his progress for the evening. He felt he’d made significant gains and wanted to consolidate them before moving on.

The following morning, Duncan felt ready to learn the Destrin’s Restoration Technique.  He used the technique stone and revelled in the wave of knowledge that swept over him.
That is quite the rush.  It feels addictive.
He understood intuitively how his body used mana to regenerate, and how to rush the process using his new Technique.  His mana regeneration was much faster than his health regeneration, so the ability to convert mana to health effectively increased his potential health regeneration by half the rate of his mana regeneration with the Technique at rank one.  Of course, that assumed he was spending all his mana on healing himself, and that certainly wouldn’t be the case.

This soulgem is twisting the way I think about things.  All healing is a way to convert mana to health if you’re just looking at the numbers.  Heal other converts my mana to someone else’s health.  Destrin’s Restoration converts my mana to my health.   I can’t treat combat and healing as ledgers.  When I am injured, the soulgem gauges the severity of the wound and assigns a number value to it.  When I cast Destrin’s Restoration to heal myself, the soulgem calculates the mental strain that results and assigns a number value to that and calls it the mana cost.  But I’m still getting hurt, and I’m still being healed; my numbers aren’t changing – I am.  I can see why Repdam called the quantification of everything the soulgem does detrimental.  It’s useful, very useful, but it also feels inherently wrong, somehow.

I need to test this healing before I need it in a fight.  Which means I need to injure myself.  What kind of person injures himself for an experiment?  One who doesn’t want to be taken by surprise in a real fight, I guess.
Duncan undressed –
No point in ruining a perfectly good pair of pants, after all
– and stabbed himself in the thigh with his dagger.
Argh, damnit, pain still hurts.
The wound didn’t bleed much as his coagulation technique suppressed the bleeding.  And his natural regeneration was healing the wound as he watched.  He activated Destrin’s Restoration, and the wound just… disappeared.  He was good as new and didn’t even feel a strain.
Probably because it was a very small heal.  But I know it works.

So what now?  Do I want to find a group to do a dungeon run with soon?  Tomorrow is my last day at the Inn unless I pay for another week.  I have another week’s worth of riding, swimming, and tracking classes.
In the end, Duncan decided to pay for another week at the Inn, and to spend the week in training.  He had enough silver to get by on, and no pressing need to delve a dungeon with strangers.

At the end of the week, he was satisfied with his two new skills.
Oh, and my three new levels.  Looks like Tempered Blade advanced as well.

Name:

Duncan

Class:

Warrior

Level:

15 (+3)

Profession:

Adventurer

Strength:

96 (+4)

Intelligence:

73

Dexterity:

81 (+5)

Wisdom:

58

Agility:

92 (+4)

Endurance:

94 (+4)

Concurrent Active Techniques:

1

Health:

4880 (+680)

Health Regen:

450/hour (+90)

Stamina:

1090 (+70)

Stam Regen:

1500/hour (+300)

Mana:

4918 (+526)

Mana Regen:

2555/hour (+17)

Mana Reserved:

651

Affinities:

Body

Outstanding

Death

weak

Mind

Strong

Lava

weak

Spirit

Strong

Gravity

weak

Fire

weak

Poison

negligible

Air

weak

Blade

Outstanding

Water

weak

Ice

weak

Earth

moderate

Decay

weak

Stone

moderate

Soul

moderate

Lightning

weak

Corrosion

negligible

Gemstone

moderate

Space

Outstanding

Nature

negligible

Healing

moderate

Life

weak

Shadow

moderate

Metal

moderate

Blood

negligible

Techniques

Active

Rank

Passive

Rank

Blade Echo

2

Tempered Blade

3 (+1)

Fold Space

1

Regeneration

1

Blink

1 (+1)

Coagulation

1

Mind Spike

1

Hardened Skin

1

Destrin's Restoration

1 (+1)

Tranquil Mind

1

Spiritual Shield

1

Personal Space Pocket

1

Skills

Rank

1H swords

4

Plate armor

2

2H swords

4

Mail armor

1

1H axes

3

Leather armor

3

2H axes

3

Anatomy

2

Shields

3

Survival

2

Spears

4

Skinning

1

Daggers

3

Meditation

2

Bows

3

Swimming

1

Tracking

1

Riding

1

Chapter 19

Alright, one more week at the Inn.  I need to see what this area has to offer in terms of adventure. I’ve spent two weeks in Lydham, and I haven’t seen any of the dungeons here, and the only job I’ve done was to exterminate some squirrels.
Despite his internal monologue, Duncan was happy with his progress.  Being able to actually buy technique stones to learn Techniques saved him potentially months or years of experimentation.

He arrived at the guild hall first thing in the morning to see if there was a group going to the level fifteen dungeon that wanted an additional member.  Learning the layout of the dungeon in a group made sense to Duncan.  It turned out the dungeon was huge, and that several groups routinely entered it at the same time.  His plate armor made him stand out in the crowd, and the first group he approached offered him a spot.  Chloe, a
Level 16 Healer
, Miroslav, a
Level 15 Mage
, and Sophie, a
Level 16 Warrior had been on several excursions to the dungeon already as part of a larger group and wanted to try it in a smaller group.

“Welcome, Duncan,” said Chloe, “glad to have a fourth.  Have you been in the dungeon before?”

“Not this one,” he replied, “but I’ve been in several others.  I’m from a distant land and delved some dungeons there.”

“Alright.  You’re certainly geared well enough.  Let’s head out.  We can get to know one another on the way.”

The dungeon was on the North side of the river, so they exited Lydham via the North gate and turned west to follow the North shore of the river.

“So, Duncan,” said Sophie, “Tell us about this distant land you’re from.”  She was tall and broad-shouldered, and had a longsword clipped to her back.  She wore mail armor with a heavy leather brigandine covering her torso.

“Well, it’s a bit strange,” Duncan started, “I grew up in a place called the Valley.  It has just a few small towns and two dungeons.  I don’t even know where it lies in relation to us here. I got knocked into a portal inside a dungeon by an exploding spell of some sort and appeared a week’s journey South of here.”

Chloe laughed, “Well aren’t you the mysterious stranger!   We’re all locals – we’ve known each other for years.”  She was the opposite of Sophie, slender, with bright green eyes and red curls showing under her armored cap.  She wore leather armor studded with pieces of metal.
I suppose that offers a little more protection than leather, but why not just wear mail or plate?  Although she does seem a little frail. Maybe she’s not strong enough for heavier armor to be comfortable.

Miroslav wore an armored robe of some sort.  It had a metal cuirass and pauldrons, but Duncan couldn’t tell if the legs were armored or not. Miroslav’s head was bare, as were his hands.  He carried a staff as a walking stick, but it had metal caps on the end and looked like it could be wielded in combat.  After facing the undead mage weeks earlier, Duncan had a healthy respect for staff wielders.

Sophie said, “Lucky you were in a dungeon with all your adventuring gear when you got teleported.”

“Very true,” replied Duncan.  “I don’t think I would have survived long in the wilderness without it.”

“What do you bring to the party?” asked Miroslav.  “I am a fire and lightning dual affinity mage.  I have a fire shield to discourage things from attacking me, but most of my utility is offense.  I have a big fireball spell that doesn’t affect my allies, and I can throw lighting bolts as well.  Chloe is healing and ice magic; she has ice armor and can shoot icicles as well as heal.  Sophie…”

“…can speak for herself,” she interrupted.  “I’m body and blood affinity.  I’m strong and hardy, and I can make my enemies bleed more than usual, and I heal when their blood flows.”

“Three dual affinities, nice,” said Duncan.  “I was under the impression that’s pretty rare here.”

“Meaning it’s not rare in your home valley, man of mystery?” asked Chloe.

“Truthfully, everyone I know has a dual affinity,” shrugged Duncan.  “My strongest affinities are Blade and Body.  I hit quite hard, and it’s hard to hurt me.  I won’t require much healing.”

“Your strongest two… meaning you have more than two?” Chloe said. Duncan shrugged again.

“We should wrestle sometime,” said Sophie, giving him a frank look.  “Sophie!” said Chloe, looking shocked.  “What?” said Sophie. “I just want to wrestle him… naked… with oil…”

Duncan blushed bright red and mumbled, “Er, um, that sounds like fun.”
Wow, she’s forward.  Cute, too.

“Look at that blush!” said Chloe.  “Now I want to… wrestle him, too.”
Argh. Why am I not wearing my faceplate?
Duncan’s face was so red he was sure it was glowing.

“Me three,” said Miroslav.  “Now, if we’re all done objectifying the poor boy, I want to hear about his other affinities.”

Grateful for the change in topic, Duncan said, “I mean everyone has more than two, right?  We all have lots of weak and negligible ones.  You guys were saying you have two moderate or stronger ones, right?  So your strongest two are fire and lightning…”

“That’s true, although I don’t know about the ‘lots of weak and negligible ones’ part.  But you were clearly implying you had more than two at moderate or higher.”

Well, if I have to Blink in combat, it’ll be pretty obvious, and I don’t want them thinking I’m lying to them.
“I also have a space affinity.  I can teleport short distances, and I have a personal storage space.”

“Wait,” said Sophie, “You can make storage items?”

“No.  I’m not an enchanter.  All I can do is make my own bag bigger on the inside.”

Chloe Blinked at him.  “Nope, not going there.”
Huh?
Sophie and Miroslav laughed.
Oh, wait…

“Show us the teleport!” said Sophie.

Duncan Blinked ahead ten meters, then turned and Blinked back to them.  “Wow, nice,” said Sophie.  She grabbed his arm. “Do it again.”  He Blinked away again and waited for them to catch up to him.  “So you can escape grapples with it.  Ruining my fun.  But that’s a strong Technique.  What’s the range?”

“Up to twenty meters at rank one.  It takes a lot of mana though.”

“You know,” said Miroslav, “We thought we were doing the new guy a favor, carrying him through the dungeon. We’re some of the strongest of our generation in the region.  But you, Mr. Three moderate affinities, you don’t need carrying, do you?”

“Moderate or stronger,” said Sophie. “His body affinity might be even stronger than mine.  Hard to tell under all that plate, but he moves like it weighs nothing.”

Duncan shrugged some more.
I’m doing a lot of shrugging.  I like these folks; I don’t want to lie to them.
“I’m a stranger in a strange land.  I’ve had people try to kill me for my armor.  As much as I like you folks so far, I’ve learned to be careful.  But no, I do not need to be carried in the dungeon.  If I hadn’t found a group today, I was going to solo it.”

Chloe whistled.  “Super confident.  Or crazy.  Now I can’t wait to see you in action.”

“Naked… with oil.” Sophie added.

“Tell me what you know about the dungeon, please,” said Duncan.
Please.

“It mimics an outdoor space, a huge swamp.  It’s probably five square kilometers.  There are lots of camps of lizard men, some spiders, some snakes, occasional other swamp creatures.  There’s occasional quicksand and deep water to worry about, but you can teleport out,” explained Chloe.

*     *     *

“You didn’t say it was this warm!”  Duncan complained.  It was also humid.
I’d worry about rust, but I’ll clean the armor after the run, and it has a self-repair, after all.  Just pay mana.

“It’s the perfect temperature,” said Sophie.  “If it weren’t for all the bugs and monsters we could go for a swim.”
Fortunately, not many bugs are going to get me inside this armor.

They had entered the dungeon a few minutes earlier and were wandering around looking for trouble. They found it as a large alligator surged out of the water beside the trail they were on to attack Miroslav.  It latched onto his leg and shook him, hard.  He screamed and burst into flames, but the alligator didn’t let go.

Duncan lunged at the creature and struck it in the neck with a Blade Echo attack.  His blade pierced the scaly hide and sank deep into the flesh beyond.  Sophie brought her longsword down in a hard cut to the middle of the alligator’s back.  It only penetrated a couple of centimeters before striking the bone of the creature’s spine with a solid thud.  Chloe cast a heal on Miroslav, but the alligator still had its jaws clenched on his leg, so the wound couldn’t heal all the way.

The alligator started dragging the screaming mage back towards the water.  Duncan withdrew his sword and thrust again with another Blade Echo.  Blood fountained as he hit an artery.  Sophie stood over the alligator, reversed her grip on her sword so that the tip was pointing down and thrust through the creature, pinning it to the ground.  It thrashed wildly, releasing its grip on Miroslav and trying to get away.  Chloe continued to heal Miroslav, and the mage fired a lightning bolt that crisped the alligator’s head.  It slumped to the ground, defeated.

Duncan scanned the area, looking for more.  “So, uh, what was that?”

“Alligator.  Ambush predator,” said Sophie.  “They’re not common, thankfully.  Your swords penetrated its armor pretty easily.” She turned the statement into a question.

“Blade affinity Technique.”

“So, uh what happened to the people who tried to kill you for your armor?”

“Their armor wasn’t as good as mine.”

“Ookay.  New plan: don’t try to rob the new guy,” Sophie grinned.

“Sophie!” Chloe despaired.  “He barely knows us.  Don’t even joke like that.  I’m sorry Duncan. I swear we have no intention to rob or kill you.”

“Although I do still plan to get you out of that armor,” added Sophie, unrepentant.

Duncan shook his head.
It was funny.  Or it would have been, if I didn’t have to worry about them trying to rob me.
“Does anyone know how to skin an alligator?  I’m not good at skinning, but I can make an effort.”

Sophie waved him off, “I’ve got it.”

Miroslav was back on his feet, his robe a bit tattered.  “Leg armor?” asked Duncan.

“Just leather,” Miroslav replied. “I find heavier armor uncomfortable.  Maybe I should get some training in it.  And lift some weights.”

Sophie finished up, and they continued into the dungeon.  Moments later, they saw a group of Lizard men approaching.  They wore hide armor and carried spears and shields.  Miroslav launched a fireball that engulfed the group as Duncan and Sophie charged in.  As they reached their opponents Sophie stepped right and drove a diagonal cut down into the top of her target’s shield, driving it down a few inches.  She took advantage of that to use the shield to brace her thrust into its neck.

Duncan stepped left, taking his opponent’s spear offline with his right-hand sword and thrusting with his left.  It was his standard opening move against a right-handed armed opponent, and it worked as well as it usually did.  His blade and its echo blasted through the creature’s armor and shredded its organs.  It dropped.

He and Sophie continued their little dance of death, quickly finishing off the group.  Chloe wandered up and said, “I didn’t even have to cast a heal.”

“You can loot the bodies then,” replied Sophie.  She looked at Duncan, “You’re good, I don’t think any of them even hit your armor.  I thought maybe you’d just smash them, letting your armor keep you safe, but you’ve got skills.”

Duncan winked at her, “You don’t know the half of it.”

“Concentrate!” said Miroslav, a bit peevishly.  “You know there’s something amiss when I’m the voice of reason.”

“Duncan, how much can that pack of yours hold?” asked Chloe.

“It doesn’t reduce the weight of its contents, sadly.  It’s only rank one.”

“Okay, not worth taking the hide armor or spears, then,” she said.  “Nothing of value on these.”

They continued on, destroying a dozen more groups of lizard men and a group of dog-sized spiders.  Duncan shuddered as they finished up that group.

“What’s wrong, man of steel, scared of spiders?” joked Sophie.

“Fought one the size of a house.  It had corrosion Techniques, and my swords barely scratched it.  Spiders are scary!” he replied.

“Okay, that’s terrifying,” said Miroslav.  “How did you kill it?”

“I was being carried on my first delve in the dungeon by a group of experienced adventurers.  They eventually killed it.”

“How experienced?” Sophie asked.

Duncan grimaced.  “I don’t know.  No one back home has a soulgem.  I didn’t get mine until three weeks ago.”

“That is so weird!” exclaimed Chloe. “I’ve never met anyone who didn’t have a soulgem.  So how do you tell how strong someone is?”

“Well, Pyotr’s chest armor weighs two hundred kilograms, so he seems pretty strong.  But really, there’s no way to know, I guess.”

“Focus, children,” said Miroslav, “we are in a dungeon, after all.”

“Meh,” said Sophie, “it’s an easy one.”

Miroslav and Chloe stared at her. “You didn’t just say that,” said Chloe. “Are you trying to get us killed?”

A ball of green acid came arcing down and splashed in the midst of them.  Armor, clothes, and skin sizzled.  Tears were shed.  “Over there!” Sophie pointed.  A five-headed lizard of some sort was waddling towards them.  One of the heads spat a lightning bolt at them.  It struck Duncan’s metal armor and he could smell his flesh cooking.  He activated Destrin’s Restoration and was instantly good as new.
Man, I love that Technique already, he thought.
Now I’ve gotta keep that thing away from these guys.  This is my dungeon luck striking again.

Duncan Blinked forward to meet the creature and cut at the neck supporting the head that had spat lightning at him.  His blade and its echo cut deep into the neck, but wasn’t able to sever it, or incapacitate the head.
Okay, that’s okay.  I mean, it didn’t bounce off.
He thrust his second blade into the thing’s body, penetrating its scaly hide, although not as easily as he’d done the alligator’s earlier.
So it’s killable.  I can probably chop heads off or get to its heart eventually.

A lightning bolt smashed into the creature as Miroslav joined the fight.  A head bit down at Duncan and he ducked it, only to be smashed by another head coming from the other side.  He was knocked down and slid two meters.  Another head sprayed frost at him, covering him and the ground around him in slippery ice.  He felt a pleasant flood of warmth as Chloe healed him.  “Save your heals,” he shouted, “I’m okay!”

He scrambled to his feet, unsteady on the slippery ground, as the monster closed on him.  He moved to his right, trying to get out of the icy area, and to turn the creature away from his allies.  He thrust his left-hand sword into the face of the lightning head, and then cut hard at its neck with his right-hand sword, using Blade Echo on both strikes.  The head dropped to the floor unmoving.
Wee, one down, four to go.

Sophie arrived, thrusting her sword into the creature’s side somewhere in front of its rear leg – Duncan couldn’t see where, or how far it penetrated.  And he had four monster heads to worry about.  One of them breathed fire, cooking him in his armor, and another bit down on his armored shoulder, denting his cuirass, but not drawing blood.  He used Destrin’s Restoration again.
I’m spending mana like mad, he thought, but it’s not like I should be saving it for a rainy day.

Another lightning bolt from Miroslav hit the monster, as did a handful of ice shards.  Duncan used his left-hand sword to stab the throat of the head that was gripping his right shoulder, then brought his right-hand sword up right beside it.  Blade Echoes ripped into the throat as well, and he withdrew his swords with sweeping cuts to widen the wounds.  Blood flooded out and the head released his shoulder to gurgle in pain.

Sophie brought her longsword down in an overhead cut to the neck of the head closest to her.  It drew blood and smashed the head down a bit but didn’t appear to create a big cut.  “Is that thing even sharp?” he managed to say as the cold head bit down on his helmet.
Oh that’s not good
.  There was a groaning noise as the metal crumpled a little and he almost shit himself with fear.  But the truesteel held enough, and his head remained intact.
I can’t even Blink away because I need line of sight and all I can see is the inside of its mouth.

He could feel impacts on the body of the monster holding him.  The fire head breathed fire on him again, and he used Destrin’s Restoration a third time.  He could feel the strain on his mana now.
Well, I know where at least one head is
, he thought as he brought first one sword then the other up to strike the head that was biting his helmet.
Blade Echo! Blade Echo!
he screamed inside his head.
I’m as bad as Sideburns…
The icy jaws released their hold on his helm, and he staggered back a step.
Two heads down and it’s looking pretty battered.  We can do this.

He saw Sophie hacking away at the head on the far left.  She was bleeding and blistered but didn’t look to be in danger.  Another lightning bolt struck the monster, and Duncan leapt back into the fray, hacking at the head he’d injured earlier with a cut, then thrusting his other sword into the creature’s body again, using his Blade Echo Technique on every strike.  The damaged head dropped –
Three down!
– and the creature staggered as he stabbed its chest.

Another gout of flame engulfed him, and he cried as his skin blistered and cracked.  He used Destrin’s Restoration again, and a wave of exhaustion swept over him.  He only healed partway.
Out of mana!
He threw everything he had into attacking the head that Sophie was hacking away at.  He had no mana for Blade Echo, but his rank three Tempered Blade was still working.  Between them, they disabled the head, and the monster crashed to the ground, unable to withstand the accumulated damage and loss of four heads.

Duncan staggered towards Chloe and Miroslav, noting the puddles of acid scattered across the ground.
Guess the acid head was its ranged attack
.   “That.  Was.  Awesome!”

Chloe healed him.  “How are you only barely hurt?  You should have been dead twice over.”

Sophie dragged her feet as she joined them clearly exhausted.  “Is he ok?” she asked Chloe.

“Ridiculously fine,” Chloe grumped.

Sophie started whacking Duncan with her longsword. “You. Are. Insane. Attacking a pseudo-hydra. Should have run. And how dare you insult my sword when I’m trying to save you!”

Duncan raised his arms weakly, “Stop!  You’ll dent the armor.” He was laughing so hard it hurt.  Adrenaline was a wonderful thing.

He recovered in a minute or so and went to chop the heads off the monster for trophies.  He checked between their eyes to see if it had a Technique stone.  There was nothing on any of the heads, but he found a crystal embedded in the center of its chest.  He showed it to the group and tucked it into his storage pocket along with the heads.

“That is just… great” enthused Miroslav at the demonstration of the storage pocket’s capacity.

“I need to rest here a little bit,” said Duncan, “and repair my armor.  That fight took all my mana.”  He sat down with his back against a stunted tree, and asked brightly, “So what’s a pseudo-hydra?”

Sophie kicked him.  “A pseudo-hydra is a monster we’d expect to find in a level forty dungeon.  It’s like a real hydra, but without the regeneration.  It breathes fire, ice, acid, and lightning.”

“What does the fifth head do?” Duncan asked.

“It bites really hard.”

“Yeah,” he grinned, “I noticed that.  My poor armor.  So there’s something like that, but tougher?  How do you learn all this stuff?”

“There’s a course on dungeon flora and fauna at the Adventurers Guild.” Sophie said.  “And Hydras are typically found in level eighty to one hundred dungeons.  If you cut a head off, two more grow to replace it.”  She took a deep breathe.  “I’m sorry I jinxed us by calling the dungeon easy, everyone.”

“Wait, you think the dungeon is sentient and got offended, or something?” said Duncan.

“It’s superstition.  You never say things are easy in a dungeon, lest the gods take offense.”

“Oh,” he said, not wanting to offend any religious sensibilities. “I’ve always just been lucky with rare spawns in dungeons.”

“That was not a rare spawn, that was a crazy anomaly that should never have been here.” Chloe said.

“So a really rare spawn, then.”

At that point, some wandering lizard men attacked them.  The adventurers put them down easily, Duncan not even spending any mana on Blade Echoes.  He sat back down afterwards and started feeding extra mana into his armor’s self repair enchantment.  His helmet slowly returned to its natural shape, followed by his cuirass.

“How did you do that?” asked Sophie.  “That should have taken a master smith to repair.  It may have been mangled beyond repair, honestly.”

Duncan shrugged again, “A man’s gotta have some secrets.”  He stood up, “My mana’s still quite low, but as long as we don’t encounter something really rare again, I should be good to continue if the rest of you are.”

“Let’s work our way back towards the entrance.  We can loop around that pond over there,” suggested Chloe.

An hour and four groups of lizard men later, they paused, a clearing visible in the distance.  “Lizard man chieftain’s hut,” said Miroslav.  “How’s your mana, Duncan?”

“Half,” he replied. “Should be ok.  Everyone else ok on mana?”  Everyone nodded.  “So we just wander in?”

“If it’s the same sort of chieftain camp we’ve seen before, there’ll be a chieftain and three or four bodyguards.  They’re a bit tougher than regular lizard men, but not much.” Miroslav confirmed, “so yeah, we can just wander in.”

They approached the camp, and saw it was just as Miroslav had said, with the addition of two snakelike creatures with humanoid bodies instead of snake heads.  “Uh oh,” said Miroslav as the monsters saw them and rushed to attack.

The snakelike creatures wielded tridents and were faster than the lizard men.  As they approached, they shot jets of high-pressure water towards the group. Duncan dodged, and winced as he saw Miroslav knocked down by the jet he’d dodged.  Then he was face to face with a snake man.  He stepped to the side and tried to take his opponent’s trident offline, but the creature was having none of it, and dropped the tip to stab at Duncan’s feet. Duncan thrust his left-hand sword at the monster’s torso, choosing to trade a blow to the foot for a blow to the chest.  He felt a sharp pain in his right foot as the trident pierced his armor and pinned it to the ground.
Ow! What is it with monsters able to pierce my plate in this dungeon?
His own blow sank deep into the creature’s chest and he saw its eyes widen in surprise.  The Blade Echo doubled his damage and he brought his right-hand sword up in a rising cut which caught the creature under the chin and split its face open all the way to its nostrils.  It dropped its trident and clutched at its face.

Sophie was trading blows with the second snake person, fighting defensively.  It was faster than her, and she was forced to give ground.  Miroslav cast a fireball that engulfed the entire group, including the arriving lizard men.  It didn’t even feel warm to Duncan.
That’s a neat ability, to exclude your allies from harm.
Duncan cut down at an angle with his right-hand sword as he passed forward with his right foot.  His cut bit deep into the creature’s neck and it dropped.  He used his left-hand sword to parry an attack from a lizard man bodyguard.  Another bodyguard and the chieftain attacked him.  The bodyguard’s spear just deflected off Duncan’s armor, but the chief had a maul and caught Duncan unable to avoid the rising blow.  It struck his chest and lifted him off his feet.  The concussive force passed through his cuirass and into his chest.  He triggered Destrin’s Restoration while he was airborne and landed on his feet fully healed.
Best gold I ever spent.

Rather than re-engage the lizard men, he spun to the snake creature fighting Sophie and thrust one sword into its neck from behind, then the other into its torso.  He used Blade Echo on both attacks, and the monster cried out in pain.  Sophie took advantage of his distraction to thrust her longsword at the creature’s face, killing it.

Two more spear thrusts harmlessly struck Duncan’s chest as he turned to face the lizard men.  The chief hammered him in the face with the maul, knocking him off his feet and ringing his bell.  Another use of Destrin’s Restoration fixed him right up, but he could feel the strain on his mana pool again.  He rolled backwards to his feet, and saw a lightning bolt hit the chieftain, charring its chest armor.  Sophie attacked a bodyguard, deftly avoiding its spear and stabbing its chest.

The chief continued its rush towards Duncan, but this time he was prepared for the attack and lunged to meet it.  They say a thrust always beats a cut, and that is doubly true when the cut is actually a swing from a slow-ass maul.  Duncan’s sword took the chief in the throat, and the Blade Echo almost tore its head off. He thrust his second sword at the chief’s chest, meeting the shaft of the maul with the strong of his blade and catching it with his quillons.  It turned out he was stronger than the chief, too, and the heavy swing never landed.  The chief collapsed.

They mopped up the remaining bodyguards with no trouble.  “Everyone ok?” Duncan asked.

“Swamp Nagas.  An alligator, a pseudo-hydra, and now swamp nagas.  On one run.”  Miroslav was incredulous.

“These tridents are runed.  Might be enchanted,” said Chloe as she looted the corpses. “Got room in your pack for them Duncan?”

“Yup, not a problem,” he replied.

The nagas each had a plain gold torq around their necks, which also went into the storage space.  Sophie shouted from the chief’s hut, “Over here!”  She had found a chest containing several pearls and a lot of coins.  They added that to the storage space as well.

“Onwards to the exit!” said Sophie.

They reached the dungeon exit after only two more encounters with wandering lizard men patrols.  The late afternoon sun felt positively refreshing compared to the heat and humidity of the dungeon.  Lying on the ground outside the dungeon, though, they found a badly wounded man.  They spread out immediately to guard against any threat while Chloe cast a heal on the man.  “What happened?” she asked when he was out of danger.

“Some sort of moss man attacked us in the dungeon.  It tore us to shreds.  I’m the only one who escaped the dungeon.”  He sobbed.  “I’ve lost my whole team.”  He was a
Level 18 Warrior who introduced himself as Pieter.

They offered to return to Lydham with him, and he accepted the escort.  The mood on the trip back was sombre, their elation at their success in the dungeon extinguished by Pieter’s tale of misfortune.  He was in an established group of five adventurers who’d explored the dungeon a dozen times and were thinking of moving to the level twenty mountain dungeon soon.  They were all level eighteen or nineteen, and the level fifteen dungeon hadn’t felt very rewarding for a while.

They had killed a few groups of lizard men and were looking for a chieftain camp when a two-and-a-half-meter-tall humanoid monster had reached up from the water beside the path and grabbed one of the adventurers by the ankle.  It used that adventurer as a mace to beat on the rest of the party, showing incredible strength and durability.  The last two adventurers, Pieter and Karl, had fled for the exit, badly wounded.  Karl had been snatched up by the monster a hundred meters from the exit.  Pieter just barely made it out.

“Never have I ever seen such a powerful creature in that dungeon,” Pieter said.  They made the rest of the trip back in an uncomfortable silence.

At the Adventurers Guild hall, Sophie led the way down to the appraisal room.  Pierre was at the desk, and they were pleased to see they didn’t have to wait in line.  Sophie asked Pierre to seal the room, and Duncan began pulling items out of his storage space.  Pierre’s face twitched.
Oops, one day with these guys and I’m treating the whole experience like I’m at home in the Delvers Guild.
“Technique, not an item,” he said.  The two tridents were enchanted to give a small increase to water-aspected damage and also had a piercing enchantment on them.  The guild offered ten silver for each.  The torqs were non-magical and were actually lead with a coating of gold.  Still, the guild offered five silver for each of them.  There were seven pearls, none magical.  The guild offered three gold for the lot, but Pierre suggested they’d get more if they sold them directly to a jeweler.  The chieftain’s maul got them a silver, and the various bits of hide armor they’d brought back got them another.

The last item was the stone from the Hydra. “Audra’s Mystical Mantle.  Healing Affinity.  Aura that restores mana and health to all allies in the area.  Very rare. Very popular.  The guild can offer you twenty gold for it.  Where in the hells were you to find this?”

Chloe made a little squeaking noise as the technique stone was identified.

“The level fifteen swamp dungeon, sir,” said Miroslav.

Pierre raised an eyebrow.  “The odds against this dropping in that dungeon are astronomical.  What creature did you find it on?”

Chloe made another little squeaking noise, still looking at the technique stone.

“A pseudo-hydra,” said Sophie.

Pierre coughed.  “You’re pranking me.  Who put you up to this?”

Duncan pulled out the pseudo-hydra heads from his storage space and put them on the counter.  “I don’t suppose the guild would care to buy some pseudo-hydra heads?” he said with a grin.

“Would you mind if I notified the branch head about the pseudo-hydra in the level fifteen dungeon?  She will need to send a team to see if the dungeon has evolved or something.”  Pierre’s face was absolutely blank.

“That’s fine with us,” said Miroslav.

Chloe squeaked again.

“One moment please.  I’m sure she’ll be down shortly to speak with you. I’ll go inform her now.  I will have to drop the ward barrier when she arrives, but I’ll re-establish it right after.  In the meantime, I think your healer is having some sort of seizure over the technique stone.  You may want to sit her down over there.”  He turned and disappeared into the office behind the counter.

Duncan put the pearls, heads, and technique stone back into his storage space, and they escorted Chloe to the table in the corner.

Sophie said to Duncan, “Is it ok if we buy out your share of the technique stone so Chloe can use it?  It’d be a huge boon for her, and well, all of us, actually.”

“That’s fine,” said Duncan.  “Back home, if someone found something on a delve that they needed, they were just given it.  I’m happy for Chloe to have it.”

He retrieved the stone and passed it to Chloe, “I’m told you should use this somewhere where you’re comfortable and safe.  Apparently, some of them pack a bit of a punch.”   She just stared at it, turning it over and over in her hands.

“So while we wait, let’s count the coins from the lizard men.”  It turned out they had just over three hundred silver in mixed coin.  “With the thirty-two from the items we sold to the guild, that’s eighty-three silver each, plus a few bits.  And we still have the seven pearls to sell.  And maybe the heads.”

Pierre returned and said, “The branch head will be here momentarily.  I am dropping the ward now.”  He did so and an imposing woman in white robes with green trim entered the room.  Pierre immediately re-established the ward.

“Hello there,” she said.  “I’m Mallory.  I run this madhouse.  I understand you have some crucial information for me?”  Mallory was a
Level 80 Mage
, far and away the highest-level person Duncan had identified.

“Yes ma’am,” replied Miroslav.  “We encountered some unusual monsters in the level fifteen swamp dungeon today.  First, an alligator, uncommon but not especially rare, I know.  Then we were attacked by a pseudo-hydra.”

“Preposterous,” Mallory blurted, before gathering her composure.  “Sorry, I meant to say that… er…” she seemed to lose her train of thought as Duncan once more produced the pseudo-hydra heads from his storage space.

“A little later, we encountered two swamp nagas in a lizard man chieftain camp, along with the chieftain and his normal bodyguards.” Miroslav continued.  “Finally, as we exited the dungeon, we ran into a badly wounded adventurer named Pieter, whose entire team was wiped out by some sort of huge moss man.  We escorted him back here, if you need to talk to him.”

Mallory had recovered her composure by this point.  “Drop the ward for a moment, Pierre.  I need to put the word out that the swamp dungeon is off-limits to anyone under level fifty until we can get a team in to search it.”  She turned to the group, “stay there a little while longer please.  I need to hear the story of your fights.”

Pierre dropped the ward again, and Mallory actually ran out of the room and up the stairs.  A minute later, she was back, and Pierre sealed them in again.  “Now,” she said.  “How did the four of you slay a pseudo-hydra?”

Sophie pointed at Duncan.  “He… is fucking insane.”  She gestured at Miroslav and Chloe, “and we are very good.”

Miroslav took over the explanation, “It attacked us from range before we were aware of it.  It dropped a ball of acid right on us.  Duncan teleported to it and started cutting it up with his swords.  We couldn’t very well run off and leave him, so we joined in.  And between us, we managed to kill it.”

Mallory turned to Duncan and raised an eyebrow.  He sighed.  “Blade and Body are my strongest affinities.  I have a good Tempered Blade Technique and a Blade Echo Technique, so I was able to hurt it with my swords.  And my armor is very good, as well.  I’m quite hard to kill for my level.”

Mallory looked at Pierre, who shrugged, “I’m not at liberty to say.”

Mallory said, “Blade and Body and Space, then, and perhaps others?”

“I’d rather not talk about it,” replied Duncan.

“Very well.  The nagas?” Mallory sighed.

Miroslav spoke again, “They saw us at the same time we saw them, else we would have retreated.  They charged us, and we killed them.  There really wasn’t a lot to that fight, actually.”

Sophie snorted.  Duncan added, “The nagas were very good with their tridents and they could actually pierce my armor, which even the hydra thing couldn’t do.  But they were rather frail and had no defense against my blades.  The lizard man chief with that damned maul did more damage to me than the nagas.”

“Alright,” said Mallory, “thank you for your time and the information.  Be aware that the swamp dungeon is off-limits until we can get a high-level team in there to investigate tomorrow.  I’m glad you all survived.”  She gestured to Pierre, and he dropped the ward, so she could depart.

Duncan turned to Pierre, “I don’t suppose the guild wants to buy some pseudo-hydra heads?  I was going to get them stuffed, but I don’t think they’d fit in my room at the Inn.”

Pierre snorted, “I’ll give you one gold for the lot, as the guild’s thank you for the information.”  He tossed the coin to Duncan and swept the heads off the counter.  Duncan didn’t hear them hit the floor.

“Right, clear out, the lot of you.  There’s probably a line up waiting to get in here by now.”

“We’ll need to meet tomorrow to sell the pearls and split the proceeds from today’s run,” said Sophie.  “Where are you staying?”

“The Empty Gallows Inn,” Duncan grinned, “Wanna see my room?”

Interlude 2

Amaraqjuaq, Overlord of the Green Death, was pleased.  Medim was a world with two large concentrations of the People (whom others called Lizard Men).  The great Southern continent contained a massive jungle, home to hundreds of millions of the People.  And the Southeastern portion of the Northern continent held another hundred million or so.  This was a force he could use to conquer the world.

Unfortunately, the Northernmost section of the great Southern continent was a massive desert, which his humidity-loving People could not cross.  Worse, the only land connection between the continents was dry and arid, and that landscape extended far to the east, cutting his two forces off from each other.

His saving grace was that a branch of the People on this world lived on a chain of islands and had developed a ship-building culture.  These People could be used to teach his jungle-dwellers to build ships, although scaling up outrigger canoes to hold armies may be problematic.  The humans had bigger ships that could be seized and copied, however.

Amaraqjuaq had spent a century uniting the tribes of the great jungle and was now doing the same in the East.  But not all was going according to plan.  The dungeons which his people raided to grow strong began offering only weak denizens and no treasures to his forces a few years after he took over.  How could he maintain a strong army if the massive dungeons of the deep jungle no longer provided rewards or training?  Worse, the dungeons he didn’t control were as strong as ever.  This had led to several rebellions he’d had to ruthlessly suppress, as the People blamed him for the dungeons losing their bounty.

Still, it wouldn’t be long now until he had all the People in the world under his control, and then he would expand.

Chapter 20

Duncan spent the morning after the delve into the swamp dungeon meditating on the delve and the fallout from it.
That dungeon was exciting – that hydra was right on the edge of what I could handle.  Without the other three, I may have died.  I have Blink to escape, but it costs a lot of mana and I was using my mana for healing.  Both the Blink and the heal will become more mana efficient over time, but the only way to improve them is to use them, preferably while I’m under stress.  We got some good loot, but split four ways, it ended up not being a lot, although if I’d taken the coin for my share of the technique stone I’d have come out ahead.  Still, I have enough for now, and I will definitely be going back.

I wonder if the dungeon spawned those additional dangerous monsters in response to me.  It seemed a bigger response than the goblin dungeon or the wilderness dungeon back home, although my sample size in the wilderness dungeon was small.  The first big monster was the scariest in the goblin dungeon – nothing that came after the panther was nearly as dangerous.  And the huge spider in the wilderness dungeon was ridiculous, too.  Hopefully the swamp dungeon follows the same pattern – more rare creatures when I return, but nothing as bad as the first one.

He took a look at his soulgem’s summary.

Name:

Duncan

Class:

Warrior

Level:

17 (+2)

Profession:

Adventurer

Strength:

101 (+5)

Intelligence:

73

Dexterity:

85 (+4)

Wisdom:

58

Agility:

96 (+4)

Endurance:

98 (+4)

Concurrent Active Techniques:

1

Health:

5360 (+480)

Health Regen:

765/hour (+315)

Stamina:

1150 (+60)

Stam Regen:

2550/hour (+1050)

Mana:

5267 (+349)

Mana Regen:

2888/hour (+333)

Mana Reserved:

651

Affinities:

Body

Outstanding

Death

Weak

Mind

Strong

Lava

Weak

Spirit

Strong

Gravity

Weak

Fire

weak

Poison

Negligible

Air

weak

Blade

Outstanding

Water

weak

Ice

Weak

Earth

moderate

Decay

Weak

Stone

moderate

Soul

Moderate

Lightning

weak

Corrosion

Negligible

Gemstone

moderate

Space

Outstanding

Nature

negligible

Healing

Moderate

Life

weak

Shadow

Moderate

Metal

moderate

Blood

Negligible

Techniques

Active

Rank

Passive

Rank

Blade Echo

3 (+1)

Tempered Blade

3

Fold Space

1

Regeneration

2 (+1)

Blink

1

Coagulation

1

Mind Spike

1

Hardened Skin

1

Destrin's Restoration

1

Tranquil Mind

1

Spiritual Shield

1

Personal Space Pocket

1

Skills

Rank

1H swords

4

Plate armor

2

2H swords

4

Mail armor

1

1H axes

3

Leather armor

3

2H axes

3

Anatomy

2

Shields

3

Survival

2

Spears

4

Skinning

1

Daggers

3

Meditation

2

Bows

3

Swimming

1

Tracking

1

Riding

1

Oh!  My Blade Echo Technique advanced.  And my Regeneration Technique.  Oh wow, look what it did to my health regeneration and stamina regeneration.  I’ll be able to run forever, in heavy armor, carrying a bag of loot.

Going forward, the plan has to be to continue to delve to progress my Techniques and get stronger.  Mallory was level eighty, and I suspect Pyotr was in that range as well. As long as I’m weak and wearing my good armor, I’m a target for anyone higher level than me.  In fact, I wonder if I should look for a high mana density area in the wilds, and fight monsters there for a while to grow stronger.  They say the forest to the North here is dangerous and full of monsters.  If I stay away from the dungeons in there, I can probably avoid people for a while.  The more I think about it, the more I like that idea.

Duncan had arranged to meet Miroslav, Chloe and Sophie at the Adventurers Guild hall at mid day to split the loot from the delve and to sell the pearls to a jeweler.  He left his room key with Oscar, thanking him for his hospitality, and did a little shopping before the meeting.  He needed equipment that would allow him to live in the wilderness for an extended time.  He could hunt and gather for food, but he needed spices and a couple of water gourds. He also picked up a fishing hook and line, and two more sets of sturdy clothing.  He stored everything in his personal space pocket and went to his meeting.

The team was waiting for him when he arrived.  They quickly split the coins they’d found into fours, and Duncan gave Chloe the pearls to sell.  Chloe gave him a bag with five gold coins in it.  “We really appreciate you being willing to just let me have the technique stone, but it didn’t feel right.  So here’s your share.”

Duncan accepted the gold and said, “Alright, but you can just sell the pearls and keep the proceeds.  I’m leaving the city and would like to be on my way.”

The three exchanged looks. “Oh, okay,” said Miroslav.  “That’s a bit sudden.  Is everything ok?”

“It just feels time.  There’s no appropriate dungeon here for me, and I’ve been hanging around for weeks already.”

“Where will you go?” asked Sophie.

“I don’t know.  There’s a big world to explore and I want to see it all.”

“Alright, well, if you’re ever back in Lydham, you can leave a note for us at the Adventurers Guild hall.  It was nice meeting you,” said Chloe, giving him a hug.  He hugged the other two as well and took his leave before things felt any more awkward.

He left the city through the West gate, following the road along the river, jogging at a good pace in his armor.  He had no idea where the road led, but that didn’t matter.  Once he came to a place where he couldn’t see anyone in either direction, he turned North off the road, ran to the riverbank, and Blinked across the river.  He ran North to the edge of the forest, finding that a four-hundred-meter sprint in his armor only left him mildly out of breath for half a minute.

The forest had a fair bit of undergrowth near the edge, but as he progressed deeper in, the canopy overhead blocked out much of the light and the undergrowth became far less prevalent.  He wandered North for an hour, encountering nothing at all.  It was like the forest was empty.  No predators, no prey animals, no monsters.
I thought they said this forest was full of danger.
He paused at a small stream to refill his waterskin, then continued on.
There are mountains to the distant Southeast.  Maybe I can turn East through the forest, and head that direction. Although with the canopy blocking my view of the sky, I’m not entirely sure which way is East.

He continued wandering through the forest, enjoying the smells and the sounds of birds and insects.  Suddenly an arrow shattered against his cuirass, then another.
Yay, he thought, looking around.  Half a dozen hobgoblins stepped out from behind trees.  Some had axes and shields, some had great axes.  Another pair of arrows came from somewhere ahead, skipping off his plate.

Duncan drew his swords, “Well, hello there,” he said to the hobgoblins. “I’m really glad to see you.”  The hobgoblins were wearing heavy leather armor with thick bands of metal attached.  He didn’t think that’d pose a problem for his blades.

The hobgoblins approached more cautiously than he’d expected, leery of him now that their arrows were having no effect.  They were all around him.
And I didn’t notice a thing as I walked merrily along.
Once they came within a few meters of him, Duncan turned and rushed one on his left, using one sword to smash its shield down and the other to cut over the top of the shield at its head. He used Blade Echo and two echoes of his blade smashed into the hobgoblin’s skull behind his steel.
Two echoes!  Rank three gets me two blade echoes…
The hobgoblin’s head exploded from the force, gore splattering Duncan and the next hobgoblin.
That may be overkill against these.

The death of their comrade seemed to incite the remaining hobgoblins – they mobbed him, working as a team, covering for each other with their shields.  Duncan kept moving, forcing them to turn to face him constantly, trying to keep a hobgoblin between him and most of the others.  It didn’t feel strictly necessary – he could probably have just stood there and traded blows with them, but that felt sloppy.  At the very least he could use this fight to improve his positioning and swordplay.

He finished off the hobgoblins (even the two archers had switched to melee weapons and joined in when it became obvious that they couldn’t hurt him with arrows) without taking any harm.  Checking the bodies for loot, he found they each had a belt pouch with a few copper bits.
Do monster tribes use currency amongst themselves? Do they trade with humans?  This suggests they do.
The weapons and armor were better quality than he’d expected, but he didn’t want to have to carry them around or take them back to Lydham, so he left them.
If my personal pocket space reduced the weight of the contents, that’d be a different story.

As he finished looting, he heard a snorting sound and looked up to see two large bear-like creatures with beaked faces and feathered forelegs that terminated in paws tipped with huge claws.
Oho!  Were you attracted by the sound of battle or the smell of blood, I wonder? Also, what are you?  Why feathers and a beak?  You can’t possibly fly; you probably weigh a ton.

The monsters charged him, and he moved to meet them, edging sideways to keep the left one between him and the right one.  He threw a hard cut with Blade Echoes at its face, and left three deep gashes in its head, but didn’t penetrate the skull.  It reared up a little and lashed out with both claws, gashing his plate and bearing him to the ground as its back legs kept churning.  He landed with its weight pinning him to the ground, and it savaged his shoulder and chest armor with its beak.

Okay, these are scary!
Duncan Blinked a meter away and turned and thrust his left-hand sword into the beast’s body behind the foreleg.  It penetrated several inches, as did the Blade Echoes that followed.  The creature spun to face him, and he retreated, circling to keep the second one out of range as he dealt with the first.  The second one reared up on its hind legs and roared, the sound hitting Duncan like a physical blow.
Did that thing just try to spiritually oppress me?

He felt pretty good but used Destrin’s Restoration to heal his minor wounds. The mana use was directly proportional to the severity of the wounds healed, so it didn’t cost him much, and he didn’t want the pain distracting him.  He kept up his circling tactic, changing directions from time to time as the second creature tried to get around its partner to reach him.  It took him another ten or fifteen strikes, but he wore down the first one with careful strikes, and as it faltered, he stepped in and thrust up under its beak, a spot he’d already wounded.  The blade and its echoes struck deep, and the monster fell.

The second beast roared its fury and pressed its attack, but it had no new tactics, and Duncan had no trouble finishing it off.  It did manage to clip his leg and knock him over, but he Blinked to safety before it could pin him and returned to wearing it down.   Once it was dead, he checked both creatures for technique stones or other loot, but found nothing.  He considered taking the claws but couldn’t think of a reason to do so.
If I store them in my pocket space, they’ll just rot before I find someplace to sell them.

He repaired his armor as he waited to see if the sound of battle or smell of blood would draw any other monsters, then moved on once it looked all shiny and new again.  He continued in a direction he thought was probably East or Northeast.

As it started to get darker under the canopy, Duncan began looking for a place to camp for the night.  He’d seen no caves the entire day, nor any place that he’d considered safe or even defensible.  Eventually, he Blinked up a tree that had branches forking in a manner he felt could support him.  He passed a fitful night in the fork of the tree, sleeping in his armor.

The following day, he began to feel the ambient mana increase as the forest became more primordial.  He was attacked by a group of dire wolves. Half of them fled after he slew the other half, including the leader of the pack.  Twice he was surprised by giant trapdoor spiders, but again, he slew them with no difficulty.  He began to wonder if he’d have been better off staying in town and delving the swamp dungeon.
No, it’s the people I have to worry about.  Maybe I can find a dungeon in the wilderness somewhere and have the best of both worlds.  Privacy and progress.  I need to find a lot of monsters that are capable of hurting me if I’m not careful, but which aren’t so powerful as to overwhelm me.

He spent another uncomfortable night in the crook of another tree.  At first light, he continued prowling the forest, looking for either trouble or a way out.  About mid-morning he smelled smoke.
Finally!
He was uncertain what direction it was coming from, so it took him a few minutes to find the source.  A campfire had mostly burned itself out.  There was a bedroll that had seen better days, and the contents of a pack strewn haphazardly around.  Duncan’s rudimentary tracking skill was just sufficient for him to notice disturbed ground leading off to what he thought was the East.

He followed the trail as best he could for half an hour, and eventually came across a pair of oversized naked humanoids sitting under a tree eating what appeared to be the remains of a person.  They had scraggly hair, pronounced eyebrow ridges, and broad, flat noses.  They saw Duncan at the same time he saw them.  They scrambled to their feet, picking up giant clubs as they did.  Duncan hesitated a moment, and one of them started striking the ground with its club.  Waves of dirt undulated towards Duncan, and spikes grew out of the ground in the wake of the waves.

Seems they have an Earth affinity.  Ogres maybe?  Let’s call them ogres. The clubs are a bit of a worry.
Duncan Blinked past the ground effect as it approached him, and attacked the monster bashing the ground.  He appeared on the ogre’s left and used his left-hand sword to cut at the ogre’s wrist.  The blade and both echoes cut to the bone but no further.  With his right-hand sword, he thrust up at the ogre’s belly, with much better success.  He buried almost half the length of the blade in the monster, and the echoes of his attack widened the wound.  Blood gushed out and the ogre let out a high-pitched scream.

Duncan leapt away as the second ogre charged past its wounded friend and swung at him.
They have a remarkably long reach, he thought.  The ground beneath his feet turned to a liquid and he began to sink.  He Blinked past the attacking ogre to the one he’d already injured and thrust one sword and then the other into its torso as he stepped past it.  Entrails spilled everywhere and it dropped to the ground, curled up around its belly.

Something struck Duncan’s back with tremendous force and he was knocked sprawling.  He Blinked away and spun to his feet to see the uninjured ogre smash its club into the ground where he’d been.
Three Blinks already this fight.  Mana is going to become a concern.
He stepped forward to meet the rush of the ogre, dodging out of the way of its wild swing and thrusting at the belly with his left-hand sword.  Three deep wounds bled furiously as he withdrew the weapon.  He swung his right-hand blade in a horizontal cut at the ogre’s kidney area, causing some shallow cuts.
Thrusts are definitely better than cuts against these guys.

The ogre twisted its body, bringing its club around far faster than Duncan expected, and he took a hard blow to the side of his cuirass.  He staggered but remained upright.  He couldn’t take advantage of the follow through from the swing, so he waited for the next one.  It came as a diagonal blow downward, and he sidestepped it and thrust his right-hand sword into the monster’s side where he’d already cut it.  He must have hit something vital because the ogre seized up, then collapsed to the ground.

Duncan used Destrin’s Restoration to fix his bruised ribs and repaired his armor with a few minutes’ concentration and mana expenditure.  He checked the ogres for technique stones but came up with nothing.  They had no place to hold any other loot, but he did find the belt of their unfortunate victim, including a belt pouch that contained some mixed silver and copper coins.

He continued walking in the direction the ogres had been traveling before they had stopped to eat the remains of their victim.
Maybe they were heading home?
A short while later, he heard shouts and booming laughter.  He followed the noise to find an ogre group.  Six of the oversized brutes were sitting around the corpse of some giant quadruped – Duncan couldn’t tell what it had been, with all the chunks missing from it.  The ogres were eating it raw.

For a change, he’d come upon something whilst remaining unseen himself.  He Blinked to the back of the nearest ogre and plunged first one sword, then the other into its back.  The blades, or maybe their echoes, must have punctured a lung because pink froth sprayed from its mouth as it roared.  It slumped sideways, and Duncan turned to thrust his swords into the side of the next ogre.

Taken by surprise, the ogres gaped for a moment at Duncan before grabbing their massive clubs and lurching to their feet.
Four left, he thought.
I wonder if I should Blink away and hide, ambush them again.
Instead, he tried to position himself so that only one or two of the creatures could attack him at any given time.  The tree trunks were far enough apart to give him room to move, and big enough to take a blow from the ogres without falling or cracking.

The trouble with this approach was that he was doing almost no damage to the ogres.  Arms and legs were really all he could attack without exposing himself to the attacks of additional monsters.  As he considered a more aggressive approach, a rock the size of his head clipped his chest.  One of the ogres was already creating another rock between her hands.
More earth affinity Techniques.
He Blinked to the casting ogre and stabbed at her belly.  She twisted, and the blade didn’t strike as deeply as Duncan had hoped. He stepped past her, and with his second blade, cut hard at the back of her knee.  The blade, or perhaps one of its echoes, severed a tendon and the ogre dropped to her knee.  She lost concentration on her Technique, and the boulder she’d been creating dropped to the ground.

The rest of the ogres spun to face him at her cry of pain.
Oh, they didn’t know where I went.  Maybe they thought I was invisible.
He stabbed at the neck of the kneeling ogre and was rewarded with a fountain of blood.  One of the ogres smashed the ground with his club, sending a shock wave through the earth at Duncan. Small rocky spikes stabbed up from the ground to glance off his armor.  The other ogres charged towards him.

He Blinked past the ogre slamming the ground and turned, hacking at the back of its knee.  If he had to turn this into a running fight, best to make sure some of them couldn’t keep up with the others.  He stabbed his second blade up into the ogre’s crotch.
You take the targets presented to you.
Blood sprayed from the wound and the ogre howled and fell, clutching its balls.
Two left.

The ground beneath his feet turned to soft mud, and he Blinked to the ogre he thought had cast the Technique.  He stabbed at its groin, his Blade Echoes making a mess of the area.
Sorry dude, but it’s an obvious target with the height disparity.
A massive club stove in the side of his cuirass, breaking several of his ribs and sending him flying sideways.  The last ogre had been close enough to flank Duncan.  The pain was crippling.  He used Destrin’s Restoration to restore his health and felt his ribs shift back to their normal place.  The damaged cuirass dug into his side, hampering his breathing.

The ogre followed up, leaping forward and bringing his club down with a massive overhead blow.  Laying on the ground, Duncan had little option but to Blink again, appearing right behind the monster as its club pulverized the ground where he’d been laying.  The ogre looked at the ground, then at his club to see if perhaps Duncan’s remains were stuck to it.  Duncan got to his feet and sliced at the back of the monster’s knee.

His own knee was smashed, and he was sent tumbling again as the ogre with the injured groin struck at Duncan’s legs with a mighty swing.
What the fuck?  How are you still standing?  Your junk is shredded!
Duncan used Destrin’s Restoration again to restore his ruined knee.  He could feel the strain on his mana again now – too many Blinks, and then two big heals had depleted it to worrisome levels.

He rolled to his feet to find his mangled leg armor prevented him from moving well.  Fortunately, one of his opponents was hamstrung and the other was holding its balls in one hand to prevent them from dropping off.  Duncan hobbled as quickly as he could around to approach the hamstrung one from the side opposite the castrated one.  The hamstrung ogre slammed its club into the ground to send a wave of earth and spikes at him.  He jumped forward through the wave, managed to keep his footing, and thrust one sword at the kneeling ogre’s throat, using the other to parry the rising club.

The ogre fell back, clutching its throat, and Duncan circled away to meet the last standing ogre out of reach of any wild swings from the dying monster.
Last one.  It can barely stand from the pain and blood loss.
He couldn’t move quickly with his knee armor mangled, so a lunge was out of the question.  The ogre just stood there, cradling its groin with one hand, its club held loosely in the other hand.

Duncan stepped forward, using a Mind Spike to distract the ogre, and stabbed it in the belly.  It tumbled to the ground in a ball.  He put it out of its misery with a thrust to the throat, then checked to make sure the remaining ogres were all dead.
Can’t stay here, what if something is attracted to the blood or noise?
He pulled a gourd of water out of his storage space and wiped the blood and gore off his armor and weapons, then used most of his remaining mana to repair his armor enough that he could walk normally.  He quickly checked the ogres for Technique stones embedded in their flesh or attached to jewelry or whatnot, but they had nothing.  He did find a massive sack containing some mangled armor and weapons and other adventuring gear, presumably from their earlier victims.  He stored it in his personal space and staggered away under the additional weight to put some distance between himself and the corpses.

He walked for maybe five hundred meters, then decided to sit down next to a trickle of a stream he found and sort through the ogre loot – it was too heavy to carry it all with him for any length of time. Much of the armor was badly damaged as the ogres had struck it in combat or ripped it off the bodies with no care.  Some of the leather pieces had rotted.  In the end, he kept a finely made pair of articulated plate gauntlets, three helmets, and a pair of vambraces that were covered in a faint tracing of runes.  Of the weapons, he kept a runed short-handled mace, and a one-handed sword that felt nice in his hand.  None of the regular gear was worth keeping, but he did find a few silvers worth of mixed coin in various rotting belt pouches.

His sorting done, he stowed the pieces he was keeping in his storage space, and found the weight much more manageable.  He chewed on the last of his dried meat as he continued on his meandering path through the forest, keeping an eye out for small animals he could cook for dinner, and edible plants to supplement the meat.  About midafternoon he found a larger stream and followed it upstream with the hope that it would eventually lead him out of the forest and to higher ground.

As the daylight started to fade, he made a small fire to cook his dinner.  Within minutes, a creature he could only describe as a twig-man rushed up and attacked him, extending sharpened stakes of wood out of its body like spear thrusts and swinging its arms like clubs.  The stakes deflected off his plate, and he could parry or dodge most of the arm swings, but his own attacks didn’t do a lot of damage to the wooden creature either.  His blades would sink into the branches that made up its body and get stuck.  He tried a Mind Spike, but the creature didn’t flinch, and he was unsure if it had done anything.

Feeling safe against its attacks, he began practicing blocking with little folds of space to block its swings.  But soon a second creature, and then a third, appeared.  He managed to finish off the first one by hacking its appendages off, including its head.  He had almost killed the second one when a fourth arrived.  He had hacked apart the second and third one, leaving him only the fourth, when a fifth, larger one appeared, with a deep green moss covering.  That one stomped out the fire before joining the attack on Duncan.
Oh, I wonder if it was the fire attracting them.  Wood creatures, so maybe the fire scared or enraged them?

The big one’s stakes created dents in his armor when they hit, and it aimed for his joints, which was a bit worrisome. Its arms were long clubs, and its fists were definitely capable of causing damage to his armor, so he fought defensively with his swords, parrying with the flats so as not to get his blades entangled and ripped away, and interposing space folds where he could.  The half second delay in creating them led to them frequently appearing after the monster’s arm had passed through the space where the fold appeared.  But they were able to block some of the attacks, and Duncan focused on the creature’s neck with his cuts.  Without his Tempered Blade passive, he couldn’t have hurt the thing at all; even with it, he was making slow progress.

No more additional creatures showed up after the big one stomped out the fire, so Duncan suspected it had been the fire which had attracted them in the first place.  He finished off the last smaller twig-man and slowly wore down the bigger one.  He chopped its head off eventually and started on the legs.  His mana was holding up well, so he tried a good-sized Mind Spike – the creature had no head but who was to say its mind resided in its head?  It was perfectly capable of fighting without a head, after all.  The Mind Spike made it pause for a moment, possibly stunned.  Not enough damage to justify the mana expenditure, Duncan reasoned, and went back to hacking at its legs.

Eventually he was able to whittle it down enough, and it stopped moving.
Well, crap.  If a cooking fire attracts a constant stream of these things, I’m not going to be able to cook dinner.  And I don’t feel like raw squirrel for dinner.
He settled for eating some of the plants and berries he’d found.  One of the berry varieties turned out to be poisonous, so he was forced to use Destrin’s Restoration, and spent half an hour feeling quite queasy.

He decided to try sleeping at ground level in a cold camp.  The monster density in the forest was pretty low, so he suspected he might be safe.  He set up his tent and bedroll, and after meditating for two hours, tried to sleep, still in his armor.  It wasn’t ideal, but at least he was prone and not wedged into a fork in a tree.

He was woken what felt like moments after he’d fallen asleep by a haunting howl that gave him shivers and pressured his mind.
Feels like something’s trying to spiritually oppress me.
He sat up to crawl out of his tent when a spectral wolf stepped through the tent wall to attack him.  Its bite ignored his armor entirely and chilled him to the bone where it bit.

He crashed out of the tent, desperate to get room to fight.  There were two of the spectral wolves, and the second one attacked him as he emerged.  Again, he felt the icy cold of the bite through his armor.  He swung at the wolf with his sword, but it passed through the creature without harming it.  The blade echoes that followed did damage it, however.
So, a blade doesn’t hurt them, but blade-aspected mana can.

He used a Mind Spike and the spectral wolf flinched.  The first wolf snapped at the back of his knee, and his leg gave out momentarily.  He resorted to Destrin’s Restoration to recover and attacked the wolf he’d already hurt.  A Blade Echo attack to its foreleg had it limping, and he followed up with a cut to the head.  He took two more wounds from the wolves but kept his focus on the injured one as they circled him, always attacking from behind.

He used another Mind Spike to make his target pause and lunged.  His Blade Echoes penetrated, and the wolf dissipated into mist.

With only one to face, he fared much better.  The wolf dodged in and out, but without a partner to distract Duncan, it had no access to his back.  Every time the wolf committed to an attack, Duncan hit it as well, two Blade Echoes for every strike.  His ability to heal made all the difference.   The second spectral wolf dissipated into mist.  Grumpily, Duncan packed up his camp, and spent another miserable night in the fork of a nearby tree.

He traipsed upstream for another two days, noticing the mana density decrease as he did.  He killed a few oversized spiders and centipedes, but nothing dangerous to him.  When the underbrush thickened up and more light came through the canopy, he was pleased.  The forest had been significantly less rewarding than he’d hoped.  None of his Techniques had advanced at all.

Chapter 21

Duncan emerged from the forest onto an open grassland.  The stream he’d been following continued on into the distance.  He picked up his pace and ran through the grass along the edge of the stream.  After almost a week of sleeping poorly in the forks of trees, he was looking forward to camping along the stream in his tent.

Accordingly, he stopped at midafternoon when he found a good spot and set up camp.  He had some shade from a little copse of trees, fresh water at hand, and a flat surface for his tent.  He’d slain and butchered a large rodent of some kind on the way and was looking forward to a cooked meal.  As his dinner cooked, Duncan practiced his folded space barriers and folded space windows, as he’d come to refer to them.

After dinner, he meditated and considered his week in the woods.
There were far fewer monsters than I’d expected. I don’t know why the Adventurers guild in Lydham considered it dangerous.  Maybe I just missed the scary parts.  I never did see the high-level dungeons that were supposed to be in the center.  The beaked bears, ogres, twig-men, and spectral wolves were all worthy opponents.
He spent some time going over the various battles in his head, rating his performance and working out what he could have done better.
I was so close to a perfect fight against the ogres.  I just got careless at the end.
He marveled at what a big difference the mobility from Blink and the healing from Destrin’s Restoration made.
My healing affinity is only moderate, but it feels like that Technique is an absolute lifesaver, especially when I delve or fight alone.

He came out of his meditation feeling centered and content.  And very tired.  He crawled into his tent and slept deeply.

In the morning, he ate a good breakfast and started jogging East again.  An hour later, he caught a glimpse of something shiny in the distance to the North.  When he went to investigate, he found it was a dungeon entrance, just standing in the middle of the open plain.
It’s not a dangerous area, the ambient mana density doesn’t feel very high.  I pretty much have to take a look.

He stepped through the entrance and found himself in a crystal cave complex.  Bright pink crystals lit the area with a gentle glow.
Well, this is pretty.
Duncan advanced further into the caves.  The pink crystals were joined by blue, yellow, and green crystals, all glowing, lining the walls and ceiling.  In the third cave, Duncan saw movement among the crystals.  Three crystalline spiders ran down the wall to attack him.  One of them paused and Duncan could see the distortion in the air as it screamed or projected sound waves or vibrated at a high frequency.  No matter what it was, it reached Duncan and his ears hurt.  His balance felt slightly off as the other two dog-sized spiders reached him.

Duncan cut down at the one on the left, shattering the chitin.  The breaking crystal emitted a high-pitched whine.  Ichor spurted.  Both spiders attacked his legs, and he felt a weird tingling, then a sharp pain.  He thrust at the injured spider with his other sword, and it died immediately.
It’s a good thing these are so frail, because they can hurt me.
The remaining two spiders repeated the attacks that hurt through his armor, but he dropped each of them with just a couple of Blade Echo-enhanced blows.

He healed himself and checked his armor for damage, but there weren’t even any scratches where the spiders had attacked.
Sonic attack?  Something with vibrations?
He checked for loot, but they had nothing, so he checked his mana and moved on.  The next cave had three more of the creatures, and the fight went the same way.  The third and fourth cave had four spiders each.  After the fourth cave, he retreated to the first cave to rest and recover mana.

He continued in that manner for two hours before he encountered something different.  He turned a corner and the tunnel he was in opened into a larger than normal cave.  A spindly three-meter-tall crystal golem stood motionless in the center of the room, glowing with a pink light.
Well, I can always Blink away and flee if things get scary.
Duncan stepped into the room.  The golem raised its arms and fired a steady stream of little crystal shards at him.  He dodged sideways, and the golem rotated to keep the stream pointed at him.  The shards that struck his armor shattered with a high-pitched noise that hurt his ears.

Duncan ran towards the golem at an angle, trying not to spend the mana on a Blink to close the distance.  He ducked under the stream and switched up his angle of approach, noting as he did that it took the golem a little bit longer to reverse the direction of its rotation.  He reached the golem and swung at its knee.  Cracks appeared in the crystal where his blade and its echoes struck, but his attack bounced off.

The golem thrummed and its color changed from pink to green.  Its arms stopped shooting the crystal shards, and it drew two purple crystalline swords from sheathes over its shoulders.  Duncan smashed his sword into the knee again as it did, and then it turned into a swordfight.  The golem was fast and skilled.  When its crystalline blades struck his armor, they scored the metal.  Once, it managed to thrust under his guard and take him in the armpit.  He almost blacked out from the pain and had to use Destrin’s Restoration immediately to recover. For his part, Duncan focused on the golem’s left knee when he could, but it kept switching stances, so he had to target other joints, too.  With the golem being so much taller than him, he had a reach disadvantage, as well.  The golem crouched in a low stance to fight him, sitting back on its rear leg, protecting its front leg with its rear-hand sword.  Duncan stayed as mobile as he could, constantly circling toward the outside of whichever leg the golem had forward and attacking the outside of the knee whenever possible.

When the golem’s knee finally shattered, Duncan’s armor was battered, and he’d used more than half his mana on Blade Echoes and Destrin’s Restoration.  The golem displayed incredible balance, continuing to fight on one leg.  It had to stand more upright with only one leg, though, and Duncan could focus only on defending his upper body, whilst attacking the remaining knee.  The second knee eventually shattered, and the golem fell prone.  As it did, the golem’s body changed from green to a deep red.  It reached out and grabbed Duncan’s ankle.  The red light grew brighter.  Duncan Blinked forward the full twenty-meter range of the Technique and turned to face the golem, just in time to see it explode.  Crystal shards flew in every direction.  Duncan was struck by several shards that pierced his armor and Hardened Skin both.  His Destrin’s Restoration Technique used almost all his remaining mana to heal him.

What a glorious fight!
Duncan retrieved the golem’s swords and discovered they were light and well-balanced, and undamaged from beating the stuffing out of Duncan’s armor.
I think I’ll have to try these.  And I’m pretty sure they’re made of amethyst.
Having jewelers for parents was useful in that regard.  His own swords had taken a beating since he’d arrived in the empire.  They were notched and chipped, and in need of some love from a blacksmith.
I don’t want to risk using the new ones until they’ve been appraised and I know what they are… they might have an enchantment that’s harmful to me.
He did still have a spare sword from the ogres’ sack, too.

He found the remnants of the golem’s torso and could see a dark shape in the center of it.  Using the mace he’d found in the ogres’ sack, he was able to eventually smash the torso and recover what he hoped was a Technique Stone.

That done, Duncan returned to the entrance of the dungeon to rest up and recover enough mana to repair his armor.  Once his armor was repaired, he ate some leftover food from his previous night’s dinner and meditated until his mana was fully restored.  Then he ventured further into the dungeon.

He killed two dozen more of the crystalline spiders before he found the dungeon boss.  It was a larger version of the normal spiders.  As he engaged it, a light inside it started flashing erratically.  Mindful of the exploding golem, Duncan Blinked backwards.  Two additional spiders stepped out of the body of the boss.  All three rushed him.  It turned out that two of the three were insubstantial to his blows – his swords passed right through them.  They could still bite him, though, and their bites felt the same as all the other spiders’ bites had… a little tingling sensation followed by a burning pain.  Which spider was solid seemed to change every thirty seconds or so.  Duncan wasn’t sure if it was just one spider with two ghost clones, but if it was, it had a way of changing places with its ghost clones.  It was more durable than the smaller spiders, too.  It took Duncan several blows in the same place to break the chitin.

He had to heal himself a few times in the fight, but it wasn’t as difficult a fight as the golem had been. In the end, he killed the solid one and the two ghost clones vanished with it.  Checking for loot, he found a small box containing several gemstones.
Nice reward!

He made his way back through the dungeon and emerged onto the grassland near sunset.
That was a great day.
He ran back to the stream he’d been following and made camp there.  He had become fairly adept at killing the little rodents that lived in burrows in the ground with Mind Spikes, and he prepared his dinner and additional meals for the next day.
I’m going to delve that again tomorrow.

He meditated after dinner for a while, then crawled into his tent and passed the night in peaceful sleep.

*     *     *

In fact, he delved the crystal dungeon every day for a full week.  He never encountered the crystal golem again, but he did fight at least one unusual monster each delve, each one more challenging than the dungeon boss.

A three-meter-long lion with a crystal mane had claws of a very hard crystal that cut through his armor with ease.  He got some good practice with his folded space barriers in that fight.  The cat swiped sideways at him as its regular attack, so he was able to place the barriers early to block the claws.  It had pounced on him twice, necessitating a Blink to escape, so he ended that fight out of mana, too.

A snake with emerald eyes (actual emeralds, not just green eyes) had tried to suffocate him repeatedly, but his Blink saved him again there.

A living whirlwind of crystal shards had abraded his armor and blinded him through his faceplate.  The shards that reached his skin had dissolved into a poison that caused ongoing damage for a while.  His blades hadn’t been able to hurt it, but his Blade Echoes could.  He’d tried Mind Striking it, but it didn’t react when he did, so with no way of knowing if it was effective, so he’d held off to preserve his mana.

A skeleton with crystalline bones and a mace and shield of rose quartz took him an hour to wear down.  It fought very defensively, only attacking when it managed to get both his swords out of position with its shield.  When it did, though, it lashed out hard and crumpled Duncan’s armor.  He’d been forced to fight very conservatively himself, only using Blade Echo when he knew he was going to land a clean shot.  He ran out of mana partway through the fight, and if his stamina regeneration hadn’t been so good, he’d have had to run away.  In the end, he’d been able to take the skeleton’s mace arm off at the elbow, and it had just stood and blocked with its shield until he eventually beat it down afterwards.

A ferret with crystalline teeth and claws was so fast he was unable to hit it with his swords at all unless he stunned it with a Mind Spike first.  It had hamstrung him repeatedly, easily able to penetrate the armor on the back of his legs, forcing liberal use of his Destrin’s Restoration Technique.  If it had been even a little more durable, he’d have run out of mana and been slain.

A blob of living lava had flung balls of lava at him and swung pseudopods of itself when he closed the distance.  The heat had charred his flesh through his armor, and melted the armor in places, causing Duncan to panic that it might not be able to repair itself.  It had also left his swords in such bad shape that they were unusable.  Had he not had his Tempered Blade Technique strengthening them, he suspected, they would have melted on contact with the lava creature.  When it died, it spread itself across the ground and slowly cooled to rock.  As it did, a red gem floated to the surface of the cooling lava, and Duncan scooped it up in the hope that it was a Technique Stone.

At the end of the week, he faced a bit of a dilemma.  He couldn’t fight with his own swords any longer, so he’d equipped the amethyst ones he’d taken from the fast crystalline golem.  But he didn’t know what they did, so it would be a risk to use them.  He could have switched to the sword he’d taken from the ogres, but the amethyst ones just appealed to him.
Must be my gemstone affinity
.

He decided he would travel to the Southeast to reach the river that had flowed through Lydham.  There’d been a large road heading East from there, so he was confident he’d find another city if he followed that river.  There he’d be able to get his loot appraised and re-equip himself to go back out and find another dungeon he could delve.  The crystal caves dungeon had been very rewarding, but the spiders, even the boss, were no longer a challenge for him.
No challenge, no growth.

He was very pleased with his progress since leaving Lydham.  Between the forest creatures he’d killed, and the seven delves in the crystal caves, he’d advanced several Techniques.

Name:

Duncan

Class:

Warrior

Level:

22 (+5)

Profession:

Adventurer

Strength:

112 (+11)

Intelligence:

73

Dexterity:

95 (+10)

Wisdom:

58

Agility:

105 (+9)

Endurance:

109 (+11)

Concurrent Active Techniques:

1

Health:

6580 (+1220)

Health Regen:

1155/hour (+390)

Stamina:

1310 (+160)

Stam Regen:

3300/hour (+750)

Mana:

6142 (+875)

Mana Regen:

3062/hour (+174)

Mana Reserved:

651

Affinities:

Body

Outstanding

Death

Weak

Mind

Strong

Lava

Weak

Spirit

Strong

Gravity

Weak

Fire

weak

Poison

Negligible

Air

weak

Blade

Outstanding

Water

weak

Ice

Weak

Earth

moderate

Decay

Weak

Stone

moderate

Soul

Moderate

Lightning

weak

Corrosion

Negligible

Gemstone

moderate

Space

Outstanding

Nature

negligible

Healing

Moderate

Life

weak

Shadow

Moderate

Metal

moderate

Blood

Negligible

Techniques

Active

Rank

Passive

Rank

Blade Echo

3

Tempered Blade

4 (+1)

Fold Space

1

Regeneration

2

Blink

2 (+1)

Coagulation

2 (+1)

Mind Spike

2 (+1)

Hardened Skin

2 (+1)

Destrin's Restoration

1

Tranquil Mind

1

Spiritual Shield

1

Personal Space Pocket

1

Skills

Rank

1H swords

4

Plate armor

2

2H swords

4

Mail armor

1

1H axes

3

Leather armor

3

2H axes

3

Anatomy

2

Shields

3

Survival

2

Spears

4

Skinning

1

Daggers

3

Meditation

2

Bows

3

Swimming

1

Tracking

1

Riding

1

Chapter 22

Duncan ran SouthEast for two days before finding the river again.  He Blinked across it (rank two of Blink doubled his range to forty meters and dramatically reduced the mana cost, so he was thrilled) and turned East on the road that ran along the Southern bank.  He saw no traffic in either direction at first, but soon caught up to a caravan heading East.  The guards at the rear of the caravan watched him warily as he ran up.
I guess I’d be wary of man in plate armor running at my caravan, too.

He slowed to a walk and approached, showing his empty hands. “Hello there.  I’m just passing by.”  The caravan seemed pretty large now that he was close to it.  At least twenty horse- or oxen-drawn wagons, with probably twenty guards, extrapolating from what he could see.

A
Level 21 Warrior guard, seemingly less concerned now that Duncan was close enough to identify, waved him on, “Travel safe, stranger.  It can be a dangerous road.”

“Oh?” said Duncan, “Anything in particular I should expect?”

“There are occasionally some bandits – they won’t attack a caravan our size, but a lone traveler would be easy pickings for them.  Lately, there’s been word of undead in the area, too, attacking anyone they run across.  And the usual goblin tribes roaming the grass,” the guard said.

“Thanks for letting me know.  Do you know what town lies ahead?” asked Duncan.

“You don’t know where you’re running to?” The guard shook his head, “Never mind.  Stafford is the city two days’ travel to the East.”

“Thanks again!”  Duncan started running again, passing the wagons and waving at the drivers and guards.  Before long, the caravan was out of sight behind him.

He made it to Stafford the following day having encountered no difficulties along the road.
Maybe the undead scared the bandits away?
He could tell he was getting close because he could see some walled compounds and farmers’ fields near the road.  With the city in view, Duncan stepped off the road and out of sight, and stored his armor, putting on a clean set of his cheap clothes.  He wore the sword he’d taken from the ogres at his belt.
I’m going to be nondescript and unmemorable in this city.  No duels, no one envious of my armor.

Back on the road, he approached Stafford at a jog.  There were a couple of wagons being inspected, so he waited his turn and eyed the guards.  They were both
Level 21 Warriors
, about the same level as Lydham’s guards had been.  The wagons ahead of him moved through the gate, and a guard addressed Duncan. “What’s your business in Stafford, warrior?”

“I’m here to see the Adventurers Guild.”  He gave the same reason he’d given for entering Lydham.

“Very well.  You can find them on the East side of the South market square.  Ten bits to enter.”  Duncan paid the guard and entered the city.
Let’s find some plain leather armor so I look like an adventurer.
He wandered the main thoroughfare, passing the stables, warehouses and inns that operated near the gate.  He came to a market square usefully labeled as “West market square” on a wooden archway over the road.

After asking around, he was given directions to a leatherworker who made leather armor for adventurers.  Conveniently, it was in the South market square as well, not far from the Adventurers Guild hall.  There, he purchased a simple set of leather armor for three silvers.  It wouldn’t offer much protection from, well, anything that could hurt him, but it would help him fit in.

His next stop was the Adventurers Guild hall.  It was a large building, but only two stories, apparently lacking the apartments offered in Lydham.  Inside, he checked in and established his bona fides.  The place seemed busier than the guildhall in Lydham.  There was a lineup at the desks where people checked in or were assigned jobs from the job board.  He paid the increased cost for a membership because he’d reached level twenty and was directed downstairs to the appraisal office when he asked about it.  He asked about local dungeons, and the clerk told him about the level-twenty-rated Badger Den dungeon, and the level-twenty-five-rated Ogre dungeon.  Both were relatively small, and he could expect to find groups in them almost all the time.  There was nothing else in his level range, in the clerk’s opinion.
Stupid level rating system. At least they told me about the higher-level dungeons at the Lydham branch.

“Anything unpopular, or further away?” he asked.

“Why don’t you just buy a map of the area with all the known dungeons marked?” interjected the woman in line behind him, obviously wanting to speed things up a bit.

No one told me about a map!
“How much for a map?” he asked the clerk.  And so, for 5 silvers, he purchased a map that showed fourteen dungeons within a five day walk of Stafford, including the six around Lydham, five days to the West.  Interestingly, it didn’t show his crystal caves dungeon.

The layout of the appraisals area was familiar to him.  He did have to wait for two people ahead of him to have items appraised, the barrier ward protecting them from his view and hearing.  When it was his turn, the
Level 30 Mage behind the counter activated the ward without being asked.  “What do you have for us today, Warrior?” he asked.

Duncan first presented the items from the ogres.  He had everything prepared in a large sack, so he didn’t have to reveal his storage space.  The sword was high quality but unenchanted.  Duncan decided to keep it as a spare.  The mace had a gravity enchantment on it – it could become lighter or heavier as the wielder chose, depending on the strength of its wielder’s gravity affinity.  The guild bought that for a gold.  The vambraces projected small shields, but the strength relied on the wearer’s earth affinity.  Duncan sold those for eighty silvers.  The gauntlets were intricate and lovely, but unenchanted and not as nice as his own, so they too went to the guild, for thirty silvers.  None of the helmets were enchanted, so they went for 3 silvers total.

The loot from the crystal caves was a much higher quality.  The two amethyst swords drew a whistle of appreciation from the appraiser.  “These are lovely.  They will increase the damage they do based on the gemstone affinity of the wielder.  That’s a rare affinity for an adventurer, so as lovely as they are, the guild can only offer two gold for the pair.”  Duncan declined – his gemstone affinity was moderate, and the swords were more durable than steel, so they’d be an upgrade for him even without the enchantment.  With the enchantment, he felt confident they were ideally suited for him.

The rose quartz mace and shield drew another appreciative response.  The mace set off vibrations in its target, doing extra damage over time, and the effect increased if the target was struck again before the previous vibrations stopped.  The guild offered him three gold for it, and he accepted.  The shield completely cancelled the inertia of anything that hit it.  Weapons didn’t bounce off it, nor did they transfer any force through it.  It just stopped them dead.  The guild offered him seventeen gold for it.  With a grimace, he declined.  It would work really well for him if he needed to fight sword and shield.

The emerald eyes he’d recovered from the snake in the crystal caves were also interesting.  One would let him see which items were enchanted if he looked at them through it.  It didn’t tell him what the enchantment was, just that it was there.  The guild offered two gold for it, but he chose to keep it.  The other emerald eye was a Technique stone – “Crushing Grip. Earth affinity, active. Target grabbed by a stone fist that squeezes them.  Rare. Strength of grip dependent on Earth affinity and technique rank.  Extra mana cost to increase the duration. The guild can offer you seven gold for it.”
Oh! That’s… really useful.  My earth affinity is only moderate though.  I don’t know if it would immobilize strong opponents if it caps at rank six.
Hoping he wouldn’t kick himself later, he sold it.

The Technique stone from the crystal golem was Shardstorm, gemstone affinity.  The golem had used the Technique against Duncan.
Definitely not worth it if it caps at rank 6 for me.
He sold that for two gold.

The red gem from the lava elemental was also a Technique stone.  “Lava Spray, Lava affinity, active.  Sprays superheated stone at the target.  Short range, small cone effect.  The guild can offer you two gold for it.”  Duncan sold that, too.

Finally, there was the collection of gemstones he’d received from the multiple times he’d killed the boss spider.  None of them were enchanted, and Duncan decided to sell them to a jeweler rather than take the lump sum offer from the guild.

He deposited the sixteen gold he’d earned – no point in carrying it around, I still have plenty of coin on me
– and went back upstairs.  He checked the job board, more out of idle curiosity than a desire to do any of the jobs.  There seemed to be a lot of undead-related jobs, which was more interesting than the board at Lydham.

He spent the rest of the day having jewelers appraise his gems and make him offers on it.  Rather than try to haggle, he simply told each one that he was having several jewelers make offers and that he’d accept the highest one.  He sold the entire stash of gems from the crystal caves for a little over twenty-eight gold, which he took back to the Adventurers Guild and deposited to his account.

He decided not to spend the night in Stafford – someone may have seen him running around to all the jewelers, and he didn’t want a confrontation in town.  So, after a pleasant meal in an Inn near the South gate, he left the city again, following the road Southeast as it paralleled the river.  Once he was out of sight of the gate, he left the road and put his plate armor on, immediately feeling less exposed.

He ran along the road until full dark, then began to look for a convenient place to camp.  In the distance, he saw lights along the road.
I left the cultivated farmland behind an hour ago.  I wonder what that could be.
He approached the lights and found what appeared to be a large roadside inn, with a big stable and a large courtyard for wagons.  There were only two wagons present in a courtyard that could hold at least twenty.
No caravan here tonight.  I wonder how often they go through.

Deciding he could afford to spend the night in comfort before heading to the dungeon he considered the most appropriate from the map the Adventurers Guild had sold him, he pulled open the solid door and entered a large taproom, which was almost empty.  A fire burned in a hearth along one wall, and two dozen empty tables took up most of the floor space.  There was a red-faced man behind the bar talking with two serving girls.  A pair of men in good quality clothes sat together at one table, and half a dozen people in well-worn armor sat at another nearby.
Guards for merchants, maybe, or a party of adventurers?
All eyes turned to him as he entered.

The innkeeper came out from behind the table and hurried to greet Duncan at the door.  “Welcome, Warrior.  Will you be needing a room for the night?  Dinner, perhaps?”  He gestured to the empty room, “Sit wherever you like.”

Duncan nodded and chose a seat at a table near the bar where he could see the other patrons.  He’d have put his back to a wall in the far corner but didn’t want to appear hostile.  He removed his faceplate from his helmet.  “I’ll take a room for tonight, and a meal, please.  Whatever’s already warm.”  He paid the one silver the innkeeper asked for, thinking it’s more expensive than in town, but reasonable given the lack of alternatives, and the additional costs he must pay for deliveries and such.

He watched the other patrons as he waited for his food.  They had all gone back to their own conversations when he’d sat down. Only a minute later one of the serving girls brought him a bowl of stew and a small loaf of bread.  “Ale?” she asked.  At his nod, she returned to the bar and poured him a large mug.  Without being asked, she sat across from him and said, “Adventurer?”

Duncan shrugged, and said, “Duncan.”

“Are you going to Stafford?  Or are you out here to fight the undead roaming around?”

“There are undead roaming around?” he asked.

“Oh yes, we’ve had a real problem lately.  Never any undead in living memory until a couple of months back, then they started raiding farms and villages out of nowhere.  Da’,” she gestured towards the innkeeper, “used to be an adventurer, he says this ain’t normal.  Nowhere for them to be coming from.”

Duncan identified the innkeeper as a
Level 29 Warrior
.
Oh, that’s interesting.  Retired and bought an inn, I guess.
Idly, he identified the other patrons.  The two men by the hearth were
Level 14 Tradesmen
, and the guards or adventuring party were all in their mid-twenties as well, warriors and mages.  “Ah,” he said to the serving girl, a
Level 4 tradesman
, “Well, I’m just passing through.”

Seeing that he wasn’t much of a conversationalist, the serving girl retreated to the bar.  Duncan tore off a chunk of bread and used it to scoop up some of the stew.  It was surprisingly good.

As he was finishing his meal, one of the warriors from the group of six approached him.
Great.  All I wanted was a nice meal and a comfortable bed.
“That’s awfully nice gear for a level twenty-two warrior,” the man said.  His tone was not one of friendly admiration.  “You some noble boy playing at being an adventurer?”  He wasn’t as big as Duncan – for a seventeen-year-old, Duncan was ridiculously well-muscled thanks to his outstanding Body affinity and rigorous training – but he was still a big man, and he carried himself like he could fight.

I swear, this armor attracts trouble like shit attracts flies.
“Go back to your friends and enjoy your evening,” he said.

“Ooh, you telling me what to do, kid?  Hey, Davey, the kid’s telling me what to do.”  The adventurer smirked at Duncan.

“Kick his ass!” shouted one of the others, presumably Davey.

The innkeeper spoke up. “No causing trouble in my Inn, fellas.”  He reached under the bar and pulled out a wicked-looking cudgel. “I would not be happy if you started a fight.”

“Come back and have a drink, Rob,” said another of the adventurers.  “The kid’s not worth getting kicked out.”

Rob leaned over Duncan’s table and poked him in the armored chest with one finger.  “You’re lucky, kid.”  When Duncan said nothing in reply, he turned and strutted back to his table.

The innkeeper put his cudgel away and came to sit at Duncan’s table.  “Thanks for not escalating that,” he said, holding out his hand. “I’m Nigel.”

“Duncan.  I thought he might have attacked me there.”

“Hard to punch a man in full plate,” Nigel said.  He took a good look at Duncan, “You’re younger than I expected at your level.  Are you a young lord, after all?”

Duncan shrugged, “I’ve never met a lord.  I’m just an adventurer with good equipment.   You retired from adventuring to run an Inn?”

“Aye,” said Nigel. “Turns out I was too lazy and too fond of soft beds and good food to be a good adventurer.  Earned enough to buy this place and never looked back.”

“Are you familiar with the dungeons in this area?” Duncan asked.

“I am,” said Nigel.  “I’ve been in the Night Flyer dungeon, the gnasher dungeon, and the golem dungeon off to the East.  I did my early adventuring in the easier dungeons around Lydham, to the West.”

“If I buy you a drink, will you tell me about the ones near here?”

Nigel grinned, “That I will, lad, that I will.  Not a busy night tonight.”  He ambled over to the bar and returned with two ales, pocketing the bits Duncan slid across the table.

“All three are a little too high for a group of your level,” Nigel began, “but if your friends are as well-geared as you, maybe…  or maybe you can come back in a year.  Anyway, the Night flyer dungeon is the closest, two hours walk North.  The entrance is set into the side of a small hill.  It’s a cave complex with high ceilings, no lights.  Guild ranks it at level twenty-five, but that’s because most of the monsters can fly.  With some good mages or archers and a good light source, you could probably do it with a group at your level.  Most of the monsters are bats of various kinds.  The boss is a huge bat with a nasty sonic attack.

“The gnasher dungeon is a fortress.  Entrance is just off the road a couple of days to the East, just after the road turns Southeast – there’s a path that goes to it.  Gnashers are hyena men – they wear armor, use weapons, and have a militaristic society.  The gnashers patrol the fortress, and sometimes they’ll sound an alarm to summon other patrols if they feel threatened.  They use hyenas as guard dogs with the patrols.  They support each other well.  My team never made it to the boss, but I hear it’s a gnasher chieftain with some bodyguards.   Gnashers are mean and hard to kill.  The guild rates that dungeon at level thirty, but it’s a hard thirty.  We don’t see many teams of that level trying it, although its big enough to support several teams at once.  We had eight people on my team, and still had to avoid areas like the barracks and training grounds.

“The golem dungeon is remote – the river turns Southeast two days East of here.  If you cross the river (no easy task) and keep going east instead of following the road South, the golem dungeon’s in a bit of a ravine.  There are all sorts of golems in there, wandering in ones and twos.  The place is like an oversized palace – all the hallways are thirty feet wide and sixty feet tall.  My team had no business being in there at level thirty.  We had to leave after we lost two people in our third fight.  The guild rates it at level thirty-five.”

Duncan pulled out his map, and said, “Are the dungeons you’re talking about marked on here?”

Before Nigel could answer, one of his daughters screamed.  Rob had pulled her into his lap when she’d been serving drinks and had one arm holding her in place, while he groped her chest.  She struggled and flailed, but her strength was meaningless against a
Level 26 Warrior
.

Nigel leapt to his feet, “Maggie!  Let her go!” he roared.

Rob leered at Nigel, “How much for the night?  I might go as high a silver for this one.  She’s feisty!”

Nigel rushed forward but Davey drew his sword and warded him off.   The rest of the adventuring party got their feet and stepped back.

“Fuck, Rob, let her go!  Davey, put your sword away.” One of the women in the party pleaded.

Duncan quietly attached his face plate to his helmet and stood, drawing his amethyst swords.  Davey took a step back, shock plain on his face.

“No, no, no,” said the adventurer who’d told Davey and Rob to stand down.  “We want no part of this.  Rob, you shithead, let her go.”

“I’ll snap her neck!” Rob shouted.  This had escalated from a potential bar brawl to a potentially deadly encounter, and he was unsure what to do.

“Harm her and I’ll kill you,” said Duncan evenly.

“I mean it, I’ll kill her!”  Rob sounded frantic.

“That won’t save you.  The only way you live is you let her go and you leave.”  Duncan was implacable.

Davey raised his hands placatingly, sword tip pointed at the ceiling.  He stepped back.

Nigel’s other daughter brought him the cudgel from behind the bar.  He was trembling with rage and fear for Maggie.

Rob got to his feet, Maggie still held in front of him.  He flung her to the side and drew his sword.

Duncan Blinked forward and lunged.  His amethyst sword slid easily into Rob’s chest, and his Blade Echoes followed.  It was the first time he’d used the amethyst swords, and the first time he’d fought since his Tempered Blade Technique had reached rank four.  If Rob had any defensive Techniques, he had no chance to activate them.  His chest pulped, he died without even seeing the strike that killed him.

Davey dropped his sword and retreated further.  The other four adventurers moved further away from both Davey and Duncan.  Duncan stood over Rob’s body, his swords held casually, but clearly poised to attack again.

Nigel pointed at Davey.  “You.  Out.  Now.”  He stepped forward and kicked Davey’s sword towards him.  His second daughter, whose name Duncan later learned was Molly, ran over to Maggie and embraced her.

Gingerly, Davey recovered his sword, never taking his eyes off Duncan.  He edged around the swordsman and backed out the door.  “I’m sorry,” he said as he departed.

Nigel addressed the remaining adventurers.  “You may remain, but I will tolerate no further trouble.”

“Understood,” said one.  “We’re sorry.  We’d never seen him drunk before.  We only formed a team last week.  This was to be our first dungeon trip together.”  The group sat back down at their table.

“Stand down, lad,” Nigel spoke softly to Duncan.

Duncan nodded, sheathed his unused sword, and wiped his bloody sword on Rob’s clothing.  He returned to his own table and pulled out a cloth to wipe the sword down more thoroughly.

Nigel checked on Maggie – she was scared and bruised but not seriously injured - and Molly escorted her out of the taproom.  Nigel then moved to reassure the two tradesmen who’d been hiding under their table during the altercation.

Once everyone had settled down and the body had been removed, Nigel sat down again at Duncan’s table.  “Thank you for your assistance.  I don’t think I’d have been able to do that.  You’re an intimidating young man.”

Duncan replied, “I’m sorry your daughter was harmed.  And about the blood on the floor.  I didn’t want to risk him hurting anyone further.”

Molly came out to speak with Nigel, “She’ll be alright.  She’s more angry than anything else right now.”  She turned to Duncan, “Damn, you’re fast.  I never even saw you move.  I’m Molly – thank you for saving Maggie and killing that asshole.”  Nigel frowned at her, and she said, “What?  He was.”

“Go sit with Maggie.  I’ll handle the taproom tonight,” said Nigel.  “I don’t expect any more trouble, and there are only a few customers.”

Once she’d left, Duncan pushed his map over towards Nigel. “Are the dungeons you mentioned on this map?”

Nigel looked, and said, “The Night Flyer dungeon is marked on the map as the Dark Grotto.  The gnasher dungeon is listed as Cumbrian Castle.  I don’t see the golem dungeon marked.  It would be right about here.”  He pointed at a spot on the map, and Duncan made a mental note.

“Thanks Nigel.  If you could show me to my room, I’ve got an early start in the morning.”

In his room, he debated sleeping with his armor on, but decided he would likely be safe enough.
More trouble because I wanted to sleep in a bed.  I left the city so that I wouldn’t become a target for someone wanting my armor, and I run into trouble here anyway.  I keep saying I’m going to avoid people until I’m strong enough to protect myself, and yet here I am.

I had planned to try the dark grotto, but bats aren’t ideal for me.  I don’t have a good ranged attack other than Mind Spike, and that’s too mana-intensive to use as a primary attack.  The gnasher fortress sounds ideal – melee opponents for the most part, and intelligent weapon users means potentially good loot.  But it’s likely to be popular with other adventurers for those very reasons, despite what Nigel said about it not attracting groups at level thirty.  With my luck I’d run into a hostile group of level thirty-fives.  The golem dungeon sounds like it’s unlikely to be busy, given it’s not on the map the Adventurers Guild hands out, but it’s rated for a group of four level thirty-five delvers.  I’m stronger than the average adventurer my level, but that’s probably too much of a stretch for now. Ideally, I’d find another dungeon like the crystal caves to have all to myself.  But as it stands, I think I’ll have to try the gnasher fortress.

Chapter 23

Duncan was down in the taproom at first light to get breakfast and be on the road.  Nigel wasn’t around; instead, a friendly woman Duncan guessed to be Nigel’s wife brought him a large plate of eggs and greens.  Soon after, he bade her farewell and left the Inn.  Milling around the courtyard were a score or more zombies.  Duncan looked around for an undead mage or warrior of some sort but saw only the zombies.  He quickly wiped them out – they were no more dangerous than a target dummy – then stuck his head back in the Inn to let them know he’d killed some zombies in their courtyard.  Not waiting for a reply, he turned and jogged East along the road.

A few minutes later, he ran into a bigger group of zombies coming toward him along the road.  They were really decayed – half of them were mostly bone.  Leading them, though, were three undead in much better condition, wearing mail armor and carrying swords and shields, and one in robes with a tall staff.

Oh, I’m not giving you a chance to fry me.
Duncan drew his swords and Blinked right at the mage, attacking with a flurry of blows.  The creature reacted with impressive reflexes, showing no surprise at his sudden appearance and attack.  Still, one of Duncan’s blades found its target, and the undead’s hand flew off.

The three undead warriors attacked together, blades hammering into Duncan’s armor.  He ignored their attacks and struck again at the mage, but it surrounded itself in a murky field that slowed his attacks so much that they did no damage to it.  Duncan switched to one of the undead warriors, trying to overwhelm it.

Something struck the back of his knee, piercing the less robust armor there and causing him to stumble and drop.  A wave of zombies threatened to overrun him, but he Blinked away and healed his wound.  He cut down several zombies as he looked for the undead mage.  Suddenly, all the zombies around him exploded in a cloud of gore and shards of bone.  He was battered by the blast, but his armor protected him yet again.

Spying the mage now that many of the zombies were no longer there to block his view, he Blinked forward again, knocking the staff aside with one sword and thrusting with the other.  His Blade Echo Technique shattered the mage’s chest and it fell, but it released a cloud of green choking gas as it did.  The gas burned his eyes and lungs.  He couldn’t see to Blink out of the cloud or to protect himself, and his armor rang with several considerable blows.  He stumbled to the side and used Destrin’s Restoration to recover his sight and ability to breathe.

He took two more blows to the back as he turned to face the undead warriors.  They were formed up in a line, protecting themselves with their shields.  Behind them, he saw the mage rise to its feet, its chest a shredded mess.  It gestured with its staff, and he Blinked to it.  Another cloud of poison gas formed behind him, but he was out of its area of effect.  He lopped off its remaining hand and Blinked forward again as the staff dropped to the ground.

He killed half a dozen zombies before the undead warriors reached him again.  As they did, he Blinked a few feet to the side of the line and chopped at the back of the knee of the warrior closest him.  Its leg severed, the warrior dropped to the ground as Duncan stepped away.  The other two warriors hesitated, perhaps unsure if they should follow him and leave their companion or stay with him to preserve their shield wall.

The undead mage, having no hands and no staff, started gibbering at Duncan, “The Great Lord is Risen, and the world shall tremble at his might.  The legions of the dead shall overrun the living and convert you by force.  There is no recourse for the living.  Your every death increases our numbers.”

Duncan Blinked to the mage and removed its head with a horizontal cut.  The body slumped to the ground and the head stopped talking.
So creepy that it talks.

The two uninjured warriors rushed at Duncan, abandoning their comrade.  Duncan created a bar of folded space at ankle height a meter in front of himself, and as one of the warriors tripped over it, Duncan stepped to the side and cut down at the back of the neck of the falling undead.  His Blade Echo shattered the unprotected vertebrae, and the creature didn’t get up.

One quick one left, plus one that won’t reach me for a while.  And a handful of zombies, but they don’t count for much.
The warrior attacking him sped up its attacks, and a sheen of ice formed over its sword.  Waves of cold radiated off it, chilling Duncan to the bone.  His muscles began to cramp, and his attacks slowed.  More and more of the warrior’s blows struck his armor, chilling him further.

Duncan Blinked past the warrior, traveling the full forty meters his Technique allowed.  He used Destrin’s Restoration, which healed him up, but didn’t remove the bitter cold effect slowing his movements.  The undead warrior was sprinting to reach him, so Duncan repeated the tactic he’d used to drop the other one.  He created an all but invisible fold in space at ankle height a meter in front of himself and sidestepped when the warrior arrived.  The warrior adjusted to his new position but still clipped the fold in space with its foot and fell.  Duncan hammered blows into its back as it stood up and it staggered as it turned to face him.  Duncan swept its sword aside with his own, but it disengaged under his blade and thrust at his chest.  It struck him just as Duncan’s second sword struck its skull.  Duncan’s chest went numb, but the undead warrior’s head exploded.

With its death, the terrible slowing effect of the cold subsided.  Duncan used Destrin’s Restoration one more time, then mopped up the remaining zombies before closing with the crippled undead warrior.  As he stepped into range with it, the ground reached up to seize his legs.  Duncan immediately Blinked forward to just behind it, turned, and took its head while it was swinging at where he had just been.

Well, that was exciting!  The slowing cold Technique was nasty.
Duncan looted all the weapons and armor off the warriors and mage, then looked at the assembled loot through the emerald eye he’d recently acquired.  The mage’s staff glowed to his enhanced sight, and he stored that away in his personal pocket space.  Each of the warriors and the mage had a pouch with some coin which he added to his own.  Everything else he left.
I can’t afford to carry around unenchanted heavy gear if I’m going to spend an extended time in some dungeons.

He followed the road for a day and a half, killing several more groups of zombies wandering on or near the road but encountering no more undead warriors or mages. The road sloped up ever so slightly, and the plains gave way to woodlands.  Mountains loomed in the distance. He spotted the trail heading toward the gnasher dungeon only because he was looking for it.  It was overgrown and didn’t appear well-traveled.
That’s promising – maybe it won’t be crowded after all.

He took the trail away from the river, and an hour later came across the familiar silvery-grey sheen of a dungeon entrance.  After a quick check of the area to make sure there was no one camping nearby, he stepped in.  He appeared at the bottom of a trail with several switchbacks leading up a steep hill.  At the top, he could see an absolutely massive fortress.  It looked like it could house tens of thousands of people.  The walls were at least twenty meters tall, and he could see figures moving atop them, guard patrols, most likely.  The trail he was on wound its way up the hill and terminated at a large portcullis.  There would be no waltzing into this fortress.
I guess any group that comes here has alternate means to enter.  Well, so do I.

The fortress was atop the only hill in the outdoor dungeon.  A hundred meters from the bottom of the hill, the dungeon ended in a solid wall of fog, in both directions, as far as he could see.  Duncan stepped behind some convenient bushes and scanned the walls.  There appeared to be a guard patrolling every hundred meters or so atop the walls.  If he approached up the trail, he was likely to be seen by at least a couple of the wall guards and perhaps by someone in the gatehouse, as well.

Two Blinks would get me to the base of the wall.  I could Blink to the top from there, but I can only Blink where I can see, so I’d have to Blink up and grab the top and pull myself onto the wall.
Duncan decided to Blink to the bottom of the wall then run along it for a while to see if he could find a better way in.  Two Blinks got him there with no alarm being sounded that he could hear.  He turned left, away from the gatehouse and began jogging along the wall.  A guard would only be able to see him if it leaned out and looked down.

Ten minutes later, he still hadn’t reached a corner.  The fortress was truly massive.
Alright, let’s see what’s up top.
Duncan looked up, decided on a likely spot, and Blinked to it.  He appeared at the edge of the top of the wall and grabbed it.  He was more than strong enough to pull himself up the wall and onto the top between the crenellations.  He couldn’t see a guard from where he was, nor hear any footsteps.  The wall was almost ten meters thick, but the crenellations were only on the outside edge.  He’d been hoping to Blink to between crenellations on the inside edge to stay out of the line of sight of any guards on the walls, but that option wasn’t available.

He took a chance and stuck his head out far enough to get a quick peek in each direction.  To his left, the nearest guard was twenty meters away and walking away from him.  To his right, the guard was over fifty meters away but walking towards him.  He pulled his head back quickly, and waited for a shout, but none was forthcoming.  The guards themselves were big humanoids, a head over two meters tall, and probably a hundred and fifty kilograms of muscle. They had heads that reminded him of dogs or wolves and wore brigandine armor and carried heavy maces and shields, from what he could see on his brief look.

Beyond the wall, he could see the roofs of buildings that may have been houses.
Is this fortress a walled city?
In the distance, he could see several much larger buildings, including a castle of some sort.
Ok, so there are likely places to hide and sleep.  I could stay in here a while if it suits me.  But first, I have to get in, and I have to see how I fare against these monsters.

He hung off the outside edge of the wall and waited to see if he could hear the guard pass by.  He heard footsteps approach and continue past, and smoothly pulled himself back up onto the wall.  A quick look revealed the closest guard just a few meters to his left, its back to him.  He Blinked to the inside edge of the wall, then looked down and Blinked to the ground inside the wall as fast as he could.  There was a twenty-meter gap to the first row of buildings.  He Blinked to a spot between two buildings and stood for a moment, listening for an indication he’d been spotted.

Hearing nothing, he moved further from the wall into the fortified city.  He entered several buildings, only to find they had been thoroughly looted already.  Still, it seemed likely he could camp in one of them with a low chance of being found should he choose to stay in the dungeon overnight.
My first goal has to be finding a patrol and testing to see if this dungeon is even viable for me at my current level of advancement.

Duncan wandered for about five minutes before he heard a yipping sound from behind him.  He turned, but saw nothing, so he stepped into a building to see if anything was following him.  Sure enough, he saw a gnasher with a hyena at its side enter the street where he had, the hyena with its nose to the ground, following his trail.
Well, that could make hiding a little tougher.  Maybe some Blinks across rooftops?
In the meantime, this was as good an opportunity as he’d get to see what these monsters could do.

He stepped into view and the gnasher and hyena both charged at him.  The hyena arrived first, launching itself at his throat.  Duncan dropped to a knee, one sword held over his head parallel to the ground, the other stabbing at the creature’s chest.  Rank four Tempered Blade wasn’t something one saw in adventurers of Duncan’s level often, and the additional damage the amethyst swords provided due to his gemstone affinity was significant, too.  Still, the hyena was tougher than almost anything he’d fought before, and though the sword penetrated its torso, and his Blade Echoes tripled the damage done, the creature didn’t die outright.  It yelped as he almost eviscerated it as it soared over his head, but it landed on its feet and spun to face him.

Thinking the hyena was down for the count, Duncan stepped forward to meet the charge of the gnasher.  It had a large mace and shield combination, and half a meter in range on him.  For such a bulky creature it was quick, too.  Duncan dodged to the mace side, using his right sword to help the mace past him, and striking at its exposed flank with his left sword.  The gnasher shifted away, though, and his sword missed by mere centimeters.

A weight slammed into Duncan from behind and he was knocked prone as the hyena bore him to the ground, biting at the back of his neck.  Its jaws were ridiculously strong, and Duncan could feel the lobster tail on the back of his sallet being crunched.  He Blinked out from under the beast and rolled to his feet as both the hyena and gnasher came at him.  Duncan tried to keep the hyena between himself and the gnasher, but it went low for his ankles and the gnasher swung over it at his head.  He managed to avoid the gnasher’s swing and stabbed at the hyena’s back as it harried his ankles.

His blows didn’t have as much effect on the hyena as he’d have liked – its hide was tougher on its back than on its chest and abdomen.  He was able to penetrate the hide, and he was doing damage to the creature, but he couldn’t get a good thrust past its ribs.

A moment of inattention, and the gnasher clipped his shoulder with its mace.  Duncan was spun around by the force of the blow and the hyena bit at his ankle, drawing blood and severing the tendon there.  He Blinked away to buy a little time. Destrin’s Restoration converted some of his mana to health, and he was immediately hale again.
I will never understand why this is an unpopular healing Technique.

The hyena and gnasher approached more cautiously, the hyena heavily injured and staying close to its handler.  Duncan still had plenty of mana, so he used a Mind Spike on the hyena just before it closed the distance to him.  Stunned, it paused a moment and he passed forward to cut at its neck.  The blow landed, and the Hyena went down.  As it did, the gnasher slammed its mace into Duncan’s side.  His armor didn’t crumple, but it passed enough of the force into his chest to knock the wind out of him and knock him off balance.

The gnasher pressed its advantage, forcing Duncan back with a series of attacks, blocking his counters with its shield.
It generates so much power with every swing, blocking with my swords isn’t effective enough to let me counter.
Duncan began attacking the hand holding the mace.  He would dodge an attack and cut at the wrist or fingers.  He also threw some cuts at the gnasher’s knees.  After a short while, he landed an effective cut to its wrist and it dropped the mace, which dangled from a wrist strap.

The gnasher immediately lunged forward, trying to grapple Duncan, its jaws snapping at him.  Duncan leapt back and cut again at the monster’s knee.  Two more strikes as Duncan kept it at range, and the knee gave out.  From there, it was just a matter of time until he was able to land a killing blow to the gnasher’s neck.
That was exhilarating! They’re strong, tough, and fast, but they don’t entirely overpower me.  This one had no Techniques that I noticed.  Maybe the toughness is a Body Technique?

Duncan looted the corpses, finding a few copper bits in a belt pouch on the gnasher, but nothing else of value.
Maybe I should try my shield instead of my second sword?  The damping of the inertia of those maces would be really helpful.
He switched his second sword for the rose quartz shield and set out to find another patrol.

It seemed there weren’t a lot of patrols in this part of the fortress.
Probably because there’s nothing of value here.
It took him ten minutes to find another.  Rather than stepping into view and waiting for this pair to attack him, he Blinked behind the pair and cut hard at a rear leg on the hyena, taking it off at the joint.  The creature spun, lashing out with its jaws, but Duncan interposed his shield and the creature just stopped when it made contact with the shield.  No force was transmitted to Duncan’s shield arm.
What a weird feeling.
The hyena obviously thought so too.  It scrambled backwards as the gnasher turned and attacked.

Duncan blocked the mace with his shield and stabbed at the gnasher’s armpit.  The mace impacted the shield with absolutely no force and stopped dead.  No bounce, nothing.
They can’t knock me around if I block with the shield.  And the inertia absorption has to be really off putting.  There’s no feedback from the blow.  The lack of feedback feels wrong to me, and I’m expecting it.  Has to be far worse for this thing.
His sword struck true in the gnasher’s armpit and it roared in pain, backing off a step and hiding behind its shield as much as it could.  Duncan passed forward with his left foot and chopped at the gnasher’s right knee.  The gnasher rotated its torso and the tip of its kite shield covered the attack.

The hyena lunged at Duncan’s leg.  He withdrew it and cut at the hyena’s head, but it had already moved away.  The gnasher should have taken advantage of his low cut to attack with its mace, but it was struggling to lift its arm, with the damage to its armpit.  Duncan feinted a horizontal cut to the gnasher’s head, then passed right and threw a cross-body diagonal cut down at its left knee as it raised its shield to protect its head.  The knee didn’t give out – gnashers really were very resilient – but the writing was on the wall now.  Twenty seconds later, the gnasher was dead, and ten seconds after that, so was the hyena.

The sword and shield combo is definitely a winner.  Once I get comfortable with the lack of feedback from blocking attacks, the benefits of not being knocked around by things that are bigger than me will be tremendous.

Duncan found and killed four more patrols before he came across something more interesting.  The gnashers had converted a large stable to be a den for their hyenas.  He Blinked to the roof of a nearby building to get a better view.  There were eight hyenas that he could see, including one that was twice the size of the others.  Additionally, there were four gnashers present, coming and going from the inside of the stable.  The stable yard was big enough that he couldn’t reach the roof of the stable from any of the adjacent buildings with his forty-meter Blink.  The hyenas were congregated around the larger one, leaving most of the large yard empty.
It’s possible I could get to the stable from the side opposite the hyenas.  I don’t see a viable way to attack the hyenas without the gnashers noticing, but inside the building maybe I can kill the gnashers without the hyenas noticing.

He circled around the stable yard to the far side, then Blinked across the yard and then up into an opening into what he assumed was the hayloft.  There were two gnashers sitting at a table, balanced precariously on stools that were too small for them.  There was a bowl of something in front of each of them, and they were eating from it.  The one facing him looked up and roared a warning.  Duncan Blinked to the one that had its back to him and stabbed it in the back.  It spun and tried to backhand him, but he blocked the attack with his shield and the gnasher twisted awkwardly as its arm stopped in place without any feedback.  Duncan stabbed it in its exposed side, and it staggered back into the table.

Something struck him in the torso, followed immediately by two other strikes.  His guts twisted in agony.  He used Destrin’s Restoration as he looked to the other gnasher, which was clearly using a Technique.  Shadowy armor appeared around it.
There are gnasher mages?  That’s not good!
He stabbed the ailing gnasher a third time.
Better to finish this one off than face them both at once.
The gnasher fell, but three more shadowy bolts struck him, courtesy of the gnasher mage.  He Blinked to it, and stabbed it, but his blow struck empty air.  He looked around wildly and saw the gnasher in a shadowed corner of the room away from the hayloft entrance.
It can teleport too?
He invested a risky amount of mana into a massive Mind Spike, then Blinked to his stunned target and thrust his blade into its throat twice in quick succession.  With his Blade Echo Technique active, that was enough to drop it.  He put his back to a wall and used Destrin’s Restoration again.

Fully healed but low on mana, he checked the area for other threats, but for now, the area was clear.  There was a wide set of stairs leading down into the lower part of the stables, which also appeared empty at a glance.
The other gnashers must be out in the yard with the hyenas.
He checked the corpses, taking a little coin off each.  A quick look through his enchanted eye gem showed no enchantments so he left their gear.  He dragged the bodies to a corner where they wouldn’t be immediately visible to someone coming up the stairs and settled in to wait for someone to come to investigate the noises or just to see what was taking these two so long.  The longer he had to recover mana, the better off he’d feel.

Only a few minutes later, he heard steps coming up the stairs.  He positioned himself behind the gap in the floor where the stairs ascended, and as the gnasher came into view, he dropped down behind it with a diagonal cut down at its neck.  Blood fountained, and the gnasher screamed shrilly.  Duncan thrust up at its crotch from behind and the gnasher went down.  He leapt over it and positioned himself at the top of the stairs.  If the hyenas and remaining gnasher charged him, he’d force them to fight at this choke point.

A wave of hyenas poured into the stable, the biggest one in the middle.  As the first one reached him on the stairs, Duncan tried a folded space window.  He thrust over the hyena’s shoulder, and his blade appeared through a fold in space directly under its belly, the angle changed so the blade drove straight up.  He tried adding his Blade Echoes but couldn’t concentrate on it whilst the Folded Space Technique was active.  Still, his blade punctured the hyena’s unprotected belly and it yelped.  It crashed into his shield and stopped dead in its tracks.  The one behind it barely avoided crashing into it, swerving to the side.  Duncan stabbed at its face as it approached, using his Blade Echo Technique this time instead of his Folded Space.  It took less mana, and the echoes tripled his damage.  His attack tore great slices in the hyena’s face but didn’t penetrate its skull. Still, it shied away from him, letting him cut at the one with the belly wound.

The big hyena let out a yipping noise and all the hyenas were surrounded in a red mist.  Duncan’s cut hit the hyena with the belly wound in the neck and cut deep, but it ignored the damage and lunged at him.  Again, he blocked the attack with his shield and the hyena was stopped in its tracks.  The one with the head wounds clamped its jaws onto Duncan’s shin and tried to pull his leg out from under him.  Duncan shifted more of his weight onto that foot and thrust down into the back of its neck.  His blade slid off the vertebrae there, but blood fountained as his Blade Echoes made a mess of the area.

Both hyenas ignored their wounds and attacked in a frenzy.  But his positioning was good – they could only really get at his lower legs, and his armor was strong.  He was able to kill them both without taking any real damage.  Their bodies made it difficult for the creatures behind to get to him.  As they scrambled over the bodies, Duncan was able to land some solid attacks.  Then one was able to jump from the top of a corpse up onto the second floor with Duncan.  He immediately abandoned the top of the stairs and Blinked to the corner where he’d stashed the corpses of the gnashers.  He put his back to the corner, braced behind his shield and fought steadily and conservatively as the hyenas tried to get at him.

The big one’s only Technique appeared to be the group enrage.  Behind the hyenas, the final gnasher in the area came up the stairs.  It attacked alongside the hyenas, but it had no Techniques of its own, and Duncan finished it off along with the remaining hyenas.  It took a little time, but none of the monsters turned to run.

For three days, Duncan killed patrols and looked for points of interest in the fortress.  He found a couple more converted stables and cleared them out as well, fortunately finding no more mages among the gnashers.  He did have a couple of interesting encounters in that time, though.

He was ambushed by a gnasher he never saw coming.  It was alone and wielded two poisoned daggers.  Its opening attack from stealth pierced Duncan’s cuirass and had he not had Destrin’s Restoration, he would have been slain. The Technique restored him to full health, but couldn’t clear the poison from his system, so he took a lot of ongoing damage as he fought the gnasher rogue.  He used the Technique twice more in the fight to heal the damage from the poison.  Fortunately, the rogue didn’t land another blow capable of piercing his armor after the initial sneak attack, and he was able to kill it.

The second encounter was with some sort of gnasher elites.  He had gotten closer to the castle, looking for something more than the gnasher hyena pairs.  He came across two gnashers carrying polearms instead of mace and shield.  He Blinked behind them and thrust his sword into the lower back of the one on his left.  Both gnashers spun to face him, the heads of their polearms bursting into flames.  They worked well together, with coordinated attacks so that he could only block one at a time with his shield.  When the polearms struck his armor, they were able to cave it in, and he soon had a series of minor cuts and some burns.  He began using his Folded Space Technique defensively, creating vertical bars on his sword side to protect him.  Whenever it worked, he’d lash out with his sword to strike the gnasher on that side.  He focused his shield defense on the other gnasher’s attacks, and with some judicious use of Destrin’s Restoration, he’d been able to outlast the two.  The polearms hadn’t been enchanted, so the fire attack must have been a Technique.

On the fourth day, his food stocks started running low, so Duncan moved even closer to the castle and came across some gnasher barracks.  There were half a dozen low bunkhouses, plus a large mess hall and a privy, as well as a lot of open space that several gnashers were using as a sparring ground.
I wonder if gnasher food is edible
, he thought.  There were half a dozen gnashers in the yard, plus dozens more lounging around the bunkhouses.
This is where a group would come in handy.  I don’t like my chances against more than four or five of these at once.

He Blinked up to a rooftop, then Blinked to another, moving around the barracks area to get a better idea of the layout and monster density.  In the end, he decided there was no viable way to take on that many gnashers at once.  Reluctantly, he moved away, looking for something more feasible.  A few blocks away from the barracks, he came across a group of six gnashers carrying sacks over their shoulders heading towards the barracks area.

His mana was down to about half from all the Blinking around he’d been doing – the cost per Blink had gone way down at rank two, but it was still over a hundred mana per use.
Still, as long as there are no mages in this lot, I should be ok.
Duncan Blinked down to the last gnasher in line and thrust his sword into its back.
I’m starting to act like a rogue.  A rogue in plate armor with a sword and shield.
The gnasher cried out and dropped its sack of goods.  The other gnashers turned to look, and seeing Duncan stabbing their comrade again, they dropped their goods as well, and rushed to attack.

None of the gnashers had shields, but they all carried weapons.  They swarmed around Duncan, trying to hit him from all sides.  He kept moving, attacking knees and arms primarily, trying to reduce their mobility and effectiveness.  He whittled them down, his Blade Echo enhanced strikes destroying joints after only a couple of strikes, while his plate armor was sufficient to withstand the blows that got past his shield.

The sacks contained various foodstuffs and weighed almost a hundred kilograms each – too much for him to store even one.  He dumped most of the goods from each bag onto the ground and stored a total of about twenty kilograms of dried meat, vegetables, and tubers in his personal pocket space.  He was a bit surprised to find the gnashers were omnivores... he’d expected them to be carnivores.

On the fifth day, he finally encountered something other than a gnasher or a hyena.  He heard the sounds of battle.
Another adventurer, or group?  Should I just move away now?
Instead, he moved forward to see what was going on.  And to his surprise, it wasn’t another group of adventurers at all.  Some sort of clawed undead humanoid creature had just wiped out a gnasher patrol and was eating it.

Duncan Blinked up to the creature and opened with a sword thrust to its back.
This is becoming a habitual opener for me.  Gotta be careful about that.
The ghoulish creature arched its back and screamed.  It spun and clawed at Duncan, but he interposed his shield, and the attack lost all its momentum.  The baffled look on the monster’s face almost made Duncan laugh, but instead he struck at its torso again.  His Blade Echo attack shredded its stomach and it reacted by leaping to grapple him.  The shield killed that momentum entirely, too, and it dropped to the ground.  Duncan attacked with a vertical strike at its skull, but it interposed its claws and caught the blow.  It jerked his sword aside and struck at his exposed armpit, piercing the armor there.  A burning pain almost made him drop his sword.  He backed up a step to regain distance and used Destrin’s Restoration.  The wound healed, but the burning sensation started to spread, and his arm felt alarmingly heavy.

He used a Mind Spike with a fair bit of mana invested in it and it clutched at its head.
Not entirely mindless, then.
He stepped forward and threw a diagonal cut down at its head.  It blocked with a claw and he rolled the sword to its false edge and thrust over the claw at its face, blocking its other claw with his shield.  His blow crumpled the monster’s skull and it dropped to the ground.   Duncan ran into a nearby two-story building and went up the stairs to hide.  The burning sensation was spreading across his entire chest and arm.  He couldn’t sheathe his sword, so he sat leaning against a wall with it held in his unresponsive hand.
A paralytic of some sort.  Potent.  I hope it’s short-lived.

Some ten minutes later, feeling began to return, and five minutes after that, he was good as new.
That was terrifying.  If I ran into more than one of those, I could be paralyzed and eaten, healing spell or no.
He resolved to run away from the clawed undead things if he ran into others.

The gnashers noted his predation, and the patrols he ran into over the next several days varied from two gnashers and two hyenas to four gnashers and two hyenas.    He also ran into two more gnasher mages leading patrols, fortunately not together.  Knowing what to expect, he focused on them when he ambushed their patrols, staying on them even when they did their shadowy teleport away.  They always appeared in the deepest nearby shadow, so he learned where he had to Blink to catch them.

On day nine, he ran into a pair of gnasher elites leading an even bigger creature around.  It was green with a hooked nose, elongated ears, and sharp teeth in a pronounced snout.  Had it stood completely upright it would doubtless have topped three meters, but it walked in a shuffling crouch, using its arms as well as its legs.  It had nasty black claws on all four appendages, wore no armor or clothes, and was obviously male.

Duncan opened on the green creature with his usual Blink to backstab attack.  It roared in outrage and all three monsters turned on Duncan.  He lopped off a green hand with a very pretty circular cut.  He stepped to his right and cut deeply into a green knee.  He blocked a polearm attack from an elite with his shield and thrust into the green monster’s chest.  He moved further to his right to prevent the second elite from attacking him around its green friend.

The gnasher elites were standing back, attacking him with their longer reach when they could, but mostly leaving him to the green monster.
Works for me, I’ll cut this guy apart then take out the elites.
He struck the creature twice more before realizing that it was regenerating.  Its severed hand was already half-regrown.
Green, huge, regenerates… troll.  Shit.  What kills a troll?  Fire. Shit shit shit.

Duncan switched his target to the elite on his right.  He couldn’t permanently hurt the troll as far as he knew, so he needed to get the elites out of the fight right away.  The elites hadn’t lit their polearm heads on fire, and Duncan suspected it was to avoid upsetting or scaring the troll.  But even without the flames, they could hurt him with the polearms if they landed a clean blow.  He smote one elite with a Mind Spike, then stepped past its weapon to stab it in the throat while it was stunned.  The troll clipped him with its claw from behind as he did, and the blow staggered him.  Rents were torn in the armor, but it provided enough protection that the claw didn’t penetrate his Hardened Skin.

He continued to press the wounded elite, fighting defensively to avoid troll claws and polearm heads.  A second Mind Spike stunned it again, and he finished it off with a cut to the neck.  Immediately, he moved to the second elite, trying to get inside its reach, but had to jump back to avoid a swipe from the troll.  He turned and hacked at the troll’s knee a few times until he managed to sever it, then returned to the elite, trying to keep it between him and the less mobile troll.  He chopped most of the fingers off the elite’s left hand, and it struggled to control its heavy weapon one-handed.  That made it much easier for Duncan to get inside its reach and he killed it via accumulated damage to the torso.

That left only the troll, which had almost entirely regenerated.  It limped on the leg that hadn’t finished regrowing yet, but it was just a matter of time until it was fully healed again.
So regenerating limbs takes it a little while…
Duncan concentrated his blows on the troll’s limbs, trying to lop off its hands and feet.  He was able to chop off both its hands, but then it stood up to its full height and reached for the sky… and it healed completely, its hands regenerating instantly.

Argh!
He used a Mind Spike to stun it and struck at its neck.  Then another Mind Spike and another cut to the neck.  A third and the head came off.  Duncan kicked the head down the street as the headless body continued to attack, flailing wildly.
This is unbelievable.
Without being able to see him to attack, the troll was much less effective.  He soon had it reduced to a limbless torso, but it kept regrowing them, including the head, and he had to keep lopping them off again.  He started cutting up the torso, trying to damage all the internal organs.
This is awful.  I’m going to have nightmares about this fight.
Eventually, the troll seemed to give up.  It stopped moving, its exposed heart stopped beating, and nothing regrew.  To be sure, he cut out all the organs he could find.

Then he sat down and watched the body as he recovered his mana and repaired his armor.  An hour later the body dissolved along with the elites, and he breathed a big sigh of relief.

Chapter 24

Another week passed.  He killed three more trolls and almost a dozen mages.  The patrols grew ever larger.  He decided he’d take a look at the castle itself, since the patrols were getting to be huge.  A dozen gnashers with two hyenas and a mage was becoming the norm.  He had to rest for a couple of hours after every battle to recover his mana because each battle almost drained him.  Four times he’d been ambushed by gnasher rogues operating in pairs.

He scouted the castle from nearby buildings.  There was a large gate on what Duncan was calling the South wall and a smaller one at the North end of the West wall.  Both were closed, and both were guarded by two elites.  There were no windows or arrow slits in the first twenty meters up the walls, but there were arrow slits at about twenty-five meters, and windows at about thirty meters up.

From the North side of the building, where the guards outside the gates couldn’t see him, he Blinked to an arrow slit, then Blinked inside.  There were no gnashers at the arrow slits – he had Blinked into an empty hallway with stairs leading down at each end.  Following the stairs down, he heard noises below, so he proceeded with caution.  At the bottom of the stairs there was a barracks with about twenty beds in it.  Four gnashers were in the room, repairing armor or lazing around.

Duncan Blinked to the first one and stabbed it.  These gnashers were unarmored and unprepared – it turned out to be an easy fight for him.  He looted the entire room – there was a footlocker at the foot of each bed – picking up a small collection of coins.

Beyond the staircase to the archer’s walkway above, there were two doors.  Picking one at random, he moved deeper into the castle.  It didn’t appear to be inhabited the way a normal castle would be.  There were no servants running errands or anything like that.  It seemed the gnashers were using the castle as a war camp rather than a home.

One of the doors he found had a large wooden bar across it and a small, barred window at his eye level.  It was dark on the other side, so he activated his light orb, and Blinked through the door once he could see the staircase down that lay beyond.  He descended the staircase with the light as dim as he could manage.  At the bottom of the stairs was what appeared to be a guard post.  A single gnasher wielding a mace and shield attacked him as he reached the bottom of the stairs.

Duncan put the gnasher down quickly and examined the room.  Another thick door with a view slot, barred from this side by an impressively heavy-looking wooden bar prevented whatever was on the other side from getting out.  Looking through the view slot, all Duncan could see was a passageway leading into darkness.  He Blinked past the door and began to explore.

It turned out that this was the castle’s donjon.  The passageway ran thirty meters and ended at yet another barred door with a slot.  He Blinked past that into an empty guard room with three more doors, all barred from this side.
Doesn’t look like the gnashers man this.  I wonder if that lone guard back there was to warn the castle if something tried to get out of here.

He picked the door to his immediate left and Blinked through it.
Better to leave all these doors closed – I can Blink through them as long as I can see past them through the slots, but if the monsters in here are scary, the doors may buy me some time to flee.
Beyond the door was a series of cells offset from each other, so no two doors faced one another.  All the cell doors were metal bars rather than wood with view slots.

The first several cells were empty.  In the fifth, there was a skeleton slumped against the wall.  It stood as Duncan approached, and tried to reach for him through the bars of the cell door.  Its ribcage was just a little too large to prevent it from getting through.  He smashed it to pieces with his sword.  Moving further down the hall, he found two more skeletons in their cells and smashed those too.  Then he heard something approaching in the hallway, probably drawn by the noise.

The creature appeared to be the bloated corpse of a very fat man.  It had the remains of armor of some sort hanging off it, and had a whip in one hand, and a dagger with a jagged blade in the other.  When it saw him, it belched a cloud of greenish gas in his direction.

Duncan Blinked past it to avoid the gas and turned and struck it in the back.  A thick greenish ichor poured out of the wound instead of blood.  The fumes from the ooze made Duncan’s eyes water.  He stabbed the monster twice more as it slowly turned to face him.  “No escape,” it rumbled slowly.  It took a ponderous swing at him with its dagger, and he felt an urge to stand still and let it hit him.
Nope, not happening, he thought, moving back.
Was that a mental attack?  Does this thing have a mind?
He used a Mind Spike and successfully stunned it for a moment. Taking advantage of the opportunity, he stabbed it in the throat.
Is the throat really a weak spot for undead though?  Do I just have to accumulate enough damage to kill them?  Losing its head should at the least slow it down
.

A red haze appeared around the monster, and it began to move much faster.  It advanced with a series of stabbing motions with its dagger hand.  Duncan blocked one with his shield and thrust at its throat again.  It may have been faster, but it wasn’t any more concerned about its own health than it had been earlier.  He resisted several more compulsions to stand still and let it hit him.  His counterattacks eventually severed the creature’s head and it fell at his feet.

The dagger and whip were both enchanted, according to his emerald viewing gem.  They went into his personal storage space.  He moved on, methodically checking each cell.  The cell block was huge, with several squares of cells, most of which were empty.

He entered another guard room, Blinking through the door to get there.  Seated at a desk in the center of the room was a man in robes, writing something on a piece of parchment.  He looked up when Duncan Blinked in, and flicked a finger in Duncan’s direction.  A mighty bolt of lightning slammed into him, burning him inside his armor.  Duncan used a strong Mind Spike to retaliate, then lunged forward to skewer the undead mage while it was stunned.  It tumbled backwards off its chair, and Duncan used Destrin’s Restoration to recover his health.

“Strong,” said the mage as it stood.  “You’ll make a good servant if I don’t make too much of a mess of your body.”  A thick haze appeared around it as Duncan approached.  Duncan lunged again, but his point skittered off the armor.  Another lightning bolt cooked his insides.  He used Mind Spike again for the stun and the armor Technique dropped.  Duncan thrust again at the mage’s torso and ripped another hole in it.

The undead staggered back a step, wheezing.
Hard to talk with your lungs perforated, huh?
Duncan stepped forward and cut at the mage’s neck.  It raised a hand, and a black sphere appeared in it.  Duncan’s attack bounced off and he turned the bounce into a cut at the creature’s leg, then healed himself again.  The undead mage gestured as it stepped back, and a cage made of lightning appeared around Duncan.

He Blinked out of it and threw a horizontal cut at the mage’s neck.  The mage ducked under it and blasted him with lightning again.  A third heal left him feeling a little low on mana – the lightning attacks were doing a lot of damage.  He used a Mind Spike to stun the mage and tried the neck cut again, successfully this time.  It still wasn’t enough to kill the undead, though.  It blasted him yet again with lightning, and he retaliated with another Mind Spike and cut.  Finally, the creature toppled.  One more heal had him feeling good, but quite low on mana.

He took a moment to check the mage’s body for loot and was pleased to find the robe was enchanted.  Then he sat and meditated for a while until his mana regenerated.  Once he was fully recovered, he Blinked through the next door and continued his exploration.  Not far beyond the door he saw two of the ghoulish undead with the paralyzing attack.  He turned and fled back to the guardroom where he’d killed the mage, the monsters right behind him.  He Blinked through the door and they slammed into it.

Hmm, I wonder.
He approached the door the undead were beating on, and created a fold in space, the side facing him almost touching the door, with the other side facing the back of the ghouls.  He stabbed through the gap, trying to engage Blade Echo but failing.  Still, his physical blade struck flesh and a ghoul roared.  He struck again before the Folded Space Technique ended.  Then he taunted the ghouls through the door and repeated his attack.  The undead never stopped trying to claw through the door to get at him, though they did keep spinning to see what was harming them.  Once, one stuck an arm through the folded space chasing after his withdrawn sword.  The Technique ended and it neatly snipped the ghoul’s arm off.

He recovered his mana once again, then Blinked through the door, checked the ghouls for loot, found none, and continued on.
Loot is harder to come by in this dungeon than I expected.  A group of five level thirty-five adventurers would probably lose money on a delve here.  Maybe that’s why I haven’t seen anyone the whole time I’ve been here. I’m just here to advance my Techniques and practice my skills.

It took him two days to clear the donjon of its monsters – exclusively undead.
I guess that’s what happens when you have a donjon filled with prisoner corpses.
None of the fights were as scary as the undead mage had been.  On his way out, he found two gnashers in the room at the bottom of the stairs instead of one this time, but they presented him no trouble.

Back on the ground floor of the castle, Duncan wandered through the kitchen and laundry.  He killed a couple more gnashers in the kitchen.  The laundry area looked completely abandoned.  Eventually, though, he found himself looking through a servant’s entrance to the great hall.  He could see four gnasher elite guards, two likely mages, one normal gnasher with mace and shield, and an oversized gnasher chief lounging on a chair big enough and fancy enough it could be considered a throne.

Eight.  With maybe a rogue or two out of sight.  Maybe I can try hit and run tactics?
He withdrew from the entryway and explored other passages leading to the great hall.  He noticed a balcony on either side.
I could Blink up there to get a breather, maybe.  I’ll have to take the mages out first though.

Duncan Blinked into the great hall, appearing behind one the mages, whom he promptly backstabbed with his amethyst sword.  He followed up with a Mind Spike to stun it, then two more stabs with the sword.  His Blade Echo helped shred its torso.  It collapsed to the ground, dying, and Duncan Blinked to the second mage.  The rest of the gnashers were finally responding to the attack.  The second mage shadow-stepped to a corner of the room and Duncan followed with another Blink.  He stabbed the mage through its shadowy armor once, twice, thrice, then hit it with a Mind Spike and lopped its head off.

A bolt of shadow struck him in the back and his guts twisted in pain.
What? There were only two mages…
Duncan turned and Blinked to a balcony, then had a look down.  The first mage was back on his feet, looking to see where Duncan had gone.  Its wounds were healing as Duncan watched.
The one with the mace and shield is healing it. There are gnasher healers.  Ok, first target is now the healer.  Second is the mages.
He ducked low on the balcony, hoping he’d be out of sight of the gnashers below.
Maybe some will leave the hall and come looking for me up here.

But none of the gnashers left.  With him out of sight, they soon returned to the places he’d originally seen them.
Are they perhaps bound to this room?  Or to the chieftain?
He waited to recover the mana he’d spent, then Blinked down behind the healer and stabbed it in the back.  He stunned it with a Mind Spike, then stabbed it twice more, stunned it again, and cut most of the way through its neck.

A flaming halberd struck his chest, partly caving in his cuirass.  He Blinked up to the balcony on the opposite side and dropped to the ground, opening a small fold in space to look through.  The monsters didn’t give chase.
Well, that seems really strange.  Ok, the healer and one mage are down.  Looks like I can whittle these down.

Once his mana had recovered again, he stood and Blinked down to attack the mage.  The other monsters were ready for this and leapt to attack him, but the mage did its shadow teleport to a corner, and Duncan Blinked after it, and that gave him enough separation from the melee monsters to overwhelm the mage’s defenses and kill it.

The gnasher chief landed beside him, having made a prodigious leap from the throne.  Duncan immediately felt weak, as though the chieftain had an aura Technique of some sort that was suppressing his strength.  His stomach burned and felt hollow.  Duncan blocked the chieftain’s axe (it wielded a two-handed axe with oversized blades) with his shield, grateful that it absorbed the momentum of the attack.  He thrust at the chieftain’s belly, causing a minor flesh wound.
Uh oh.
The four elite guards rushed up to attack him with their halberds and he Blinked away to the far side of the room.

Away from the chief, his strength returned, and he felt much better.
Great, so I need a ranged attack for him, but all I have is Mind Spike, and I honestly don’t know how much damage it really does.  I’ve been using it for its stun effect lately.  I think the only things I ever killed with Mind Spike were those frogs…

Duncan Blinked up to the opposite balcony and attacked the chief with a strong Mind Spike.  It froze for a moment, clutching at its skull then roared at him.  The elites pointed their halberds at him, and the weapon heads burst into flame as he’d seen before.  Then they shot fireballs at him from the halberds.
That’s a Technique I haven’t seen them use before
, he thought as he Blinked sideways to avoid the fire.

He used Mind Spike on the chief again and ran along the balcony as the elites continued to shoot fireballs at him.  He was singed a few times, but the fireballs were only about as fast as he could throw a rock, so they could be dodged.  The chieftain leapt up to the balcony and Duncan felt himself growing weak again.
So they didn’t come after me up here before because they couldn’t see me? Or because I wasn’t attacking from here?
He used Mind Spike again and struck with his sword while the chief was stunned.  He blocked an axe attack with his shield and used Mind Spike again, following up with another thrust of his sword.
When I get really low on mana I’ll Blink to the other balcony and drop out of sight.

A fireball caught him flush, and he used Destrin’s Restoration to heal.
That was a fairly weak fireball, at least.  If they had mage-level fireballs this could have been over by now.
Another Mind Spike, another weak sword thrust at the chief, another block of the axe.
Without the shield absorbing the momentum from the attack, as weak as I am now, that axe would blast right through my block.

Duncan could see a trickle of blood from the chief’s ears and eyes.
I hope that means the Mind Spikes are effective – I’m running low on mana already.
Two more cycles of Mind Spike, Blade Echo, and blocking the strong but predictable attacks from the Chief, and it finally fell.  The elites below howled with anger and frustration.  Duncan dropped to the ground, out of their sight, and waited to see if the fireballs would stop.   They did.  He looted the chief, storing its axe and belt pouch.  He found a leather cord around its neck, with a key hanging from it.  That, too, went into his storage space.

He waited a short while for his mana to recover enough for him to take on the four elites remaining.  He heard footsteps from below and peered over the balcony’s edge to see what was going on.  A healer and mage were running to join the elites who were guarding the now-empty throne.
Damn it!
He Blinked down to the healer and struck it from behind.  He followed with a Mind Spike just strong enough to stun it and stabbed it again.  The elites charged at him, and he blocked their attacks as best he could whilst keeping the healer under constant pressure.  His frequent Mind Spikes interrupted its healing Techniques, and he finished it off in a few more seconds.

The mage hit Duncan with a strong shadow bolt.
Not enough mana to heal and take all five of these.
He Blinked to the balcony and dropped out of sight, resting to recover his mana.  He let his natural regeneration heal him while his mana recovered rather than using Destrin’s Restoration.  He had to wait for the mana anyway, and his Regeneration Technique would heal him nicely before his mana recovered.

Once he felt he had enough mana, he stood and Blinked down to the mage.  It used Shadow Step to move to the corner of the room and he followed with Blink, expecting the move.
Next, it’ll put up that shadow armor, but its weak against my blade Techniques.
He killed the mage and turned to meet the onrushing elites.  With their long weapons, they could pin him in the corner and whittle him down, so he stayed mobile, trying to keep at least some of them out of position behind their comrades.  He killed one of the three, and knew it was just a matter of time before he got the rest, unless he made a bad mistake.

A shadow bolt struck him, and he yelled in frustration.
More reinforcements!
He Blinked to the attacking mage and tried to skewer it, but it teleported away.  He followed it to a shadowed corner and hit it with a Mind Spike and a Blade Echo strike.  Two more sword attacks and it fell.  He turned back to the three remaining elites.
I can take these without having to hide and rest.
If he refrained from Blinking or using Destrin’s Restoration, his mana regen was sufficient to let him use Blade Echo without worrying about running out.

When the final elite fell, he quickly looted all the bodies and checked the room.  There was a small coffer behind the throne itself.  Duncan stashed that in his storage space unopened, then left the room before more reinforcements arrived.
If I had better mana regen, I could just stand there and kill reinforcements all day.

He left the great hall through a door in the back that he’d not yet used.  The wide passageway behind led to a staircase going both up and down.
I didn’t find an additional stair up from the donjon below, he thought.  He took the stairs down, and they led to a massive metal door set into solid rock.  A single keyhole on the left side was the only feature on the entire door.

Duncan sat down and ate some dried meats and nuts while he waited for his mana to fully regenerate.
I’m not going through a door that imposing without being fully prepared.  Hmm, I’m running low on food again, too.  Either I’ll have to try to raid the gnasher supplies again or move on from this dungeon soon.

Once he’d recovered completely, he pulled the chieftain’s key out from his storage and tried it in the lock.  As he’d hoped, it turned smoothly and unlocked the door with a click.  He pushed the door open and entered a treasury.  There was a pile of coins, mostly copper, against one wall.  A rack of weapons stood against another, and some frames for armor stood against a third.  But what really caught Duncan’s attention was the small dragon sitting on the pile of coins.

The dragon was a coppery color, maybe two meters long, with a tail that was probably an additional two meters.  It had a reptilian face with whiskers and eyebrows that reminded Duncan of Pyotr.  The moment he entered the room the dragon blasted a stream of fire at him.

Duncan hid behind his shield, and it helped, but the flames still washed over him.  He used Destrin’s Restoration and stepped forward to attack.  He struck at the dragon’s sinuous neck, but it dropped its head under the attack and swept his feet out from under him with a wing.  He rolled to his feet and raised his shield just in time to block a thrust from the dragon’s tail.
It has a stinger!
He cut at the tail as it withdrew, and the dragon’s head came up under his shield to bite at his groin.

His armor held up under the bite for about half a second, then crumpled.  Duncan Blinked back a meter and used Destrin’s Restoration.  The pain had been breathtaking – he hadn’t even been able to scream.  The dragon gave him no time to recover.  It advanced, trying to sweep his feet again with a wing.  Duncan met the wing with a sweeping cut from his sword, the Blade Echo biting into the leading edge of the wing, drawing a hiss from the dragon and another spearing strike from the tail, which Duncan blocked again with his shield.

He used a Mind Spike but felt it slide off something.
Oho... is that what mental resistance feels like?  So I can tell if a monster is resistant?
The dragon hesitated a fraction, and Duncan struck at where the dragon’s neck extended from its body.  His blade penetrated a little and drew blood, but not as much as he’d hoped.  He kept his shield between the dragon’s head and himself.
The bite is the worst attack.  I can try to take the wings and tail attacks with my sword, but I can’t let it bite me again.

The dragon’s head darted at him, and he blocked with the shield, but the attack was a feint, and the barbed tail came at his face while his shield was lowering to meet the creature’s head.  Duncan met the tail with a circular cut from his sword, deflecting it past his head and drawing more blood.  A wing swept at his feet, and he had to Blink forward to avoid being knocked down.  He attacked the tail again, cutting at the wound just behind the barb.  His cut penetrated to the bone.

The dragon spun to face him as he spun to face it, getting his shield in the way of the bite.  The dragon paused for a split second when its momentum was entirely removed and Duncan cut again at the base of the neck, widening the wound.  With another hiss the dragon withdrew a short distance and opened its mouth to breathe fire at him again.

Duncan used a strong Mind Spike, hoping to interrupt the fire breath, and was rewarded when no flames engulfed him.  He still felt the spike had been resisted to some extent, but he got a very short stun effect for his efforts.   He stepped forward and cut at the same neck wound, but the dragon recovered from the stun and swept his blade aside with a wing.  He withdrew a step and blocked another bite as he did.  The tail stabbed at him, and he leaned to the side to let it pass.

A coin bounced off his armor, followed by another and then hundreds.  He ducked behind his shield as best he could as the entire treasure piled was flung at him like a horizontal hailstorm.  The noise was horrendous.  As the coin barrage stopped, he stood, and the dragon’s head shot under his shield to bite his left leg just above his ankle.  He heard the bones crack and felt his flesh tear.  The combined defense of his armor and his Hardened Skin Technique was entirely insufficient to match the force of the dragon’s jaws.

Duncan thrust his sword into the wound on the dragon’s neck while it was immobilized by holding his leg.  The blade plunged half its length into the wound, and the Blade Echoes widened and deepened it noticeably.  A veritable flood of blood gushed out.  The dragon’s jaws clamped tighter, and Duncan’s leg was severed at the shin.  He almost blacked out from the pain, but he used Destrin’s Restoration and the pain abated.  There was a very weird sensation as his foot regrew in under a second, but not instantly.
What the fuck?  How does that even work?

The dragon recoiled back from his blow and breathed fire at him.  The flames swept over his shield and engulfed him, and his newly restored leg blackened and charred under the heat with no armor to protect it.  He used Destrin’s Restoration again, then cut at the dragon’s tail as it stabbed forward.  He cut deep into the bone and the tail flinched backwards, the tip hanging at an unnatural angle.

The dragon was looking bedraggled.  Its tail was crooked, the wing on the side where Duncan had been striking the base of the neck was dragging, and it was losing blood at a rapid rate.  It rushed forward, desperate to kill Duncan before it bled out.  He blocked the strike from the head and thrust again at the same wound on the dragon’s neck.  With a rattle, the dragon expired.

Duncan picked up his severed foot.  Gingerly, he removed the solleret and sock from it and put them on his newly regrown foot.  There was a gap where the leg armor had been destroyed, but he’d feed mana into his armor later to try to repair that.  In the meantime, he began to loot the treasury.  He started with the weapons, stashing each in his storage space.  He could feel where each one sat in the space.
That’s new.
He emptied his storage space entirely and placed everything back in. Everything seemed to sit in its own space within the pocket.  He could reach in and pull out a specific item without having to root around.
My personal pocket space Technique must have advanced, too.
Next, he stored all the armor.

He found a lacquered box and opened it to see four Technique stones snugged into a fabric setting.  That, too, was stored away.  Next, he scooped up all the coins, and found that he could tell how many were sitting in his storage space.
Thirteen hundred and fourteen bits, eighty-eight silver, and eleven gold.  Very nice.
With all the items in his storage space, he could feel the additional weight, but it was less than he’d expected.
I can fight with this if I have to, but I won’t be rolling around or dodging well.
Finally, he cut the stinger off the dragon’s tail and removed its claws and teeth and stored all that away as well.

I’d be foolish to continue this delve at this point.  I’ve got so much loot that it’s starting to impact my ability to fight.  Time to go.
After he’d fed mana into his armor to repair and recovered what he’d spent, he made his way out of the treasury and up the stairs.  Rather than go through the great hall again, and risk fighting more reinforcements, he continued up the stairs.  He came to a wide hallway that was unoccupied.  The stairs continued up to higher floors, but it was a window that Duncan was looking for now.   He went to the first door along the hall, listened carefully, and when he heard no noise from behind it, he opened the door and stepped into what at one point had been a richly appointed suite.  Rotting furniture was all that remained, however.

Duncan crossed to a window and looked out.  He was perhaps thirty meters above the ground and there was a building close enough for him to Blink to its roof.  So he Blinked across, then Blinked to the ground on the other side of the building.  Then he made his way towards the dungeon entrance, doing his best to avoid the still-oversized patrols.

As he drew closer to the portal out, he heard fighting ahead.
I should go around, he thought, even as he crept forward to have a look.  A group of adventurers had engaged one of the patrols.  A mage with huge fiery wings growing out of her back was hovering over the battle casting bolts of fire at the monsters.  A short man who was very nearly as wide as he was tall was wielding a large hammer alongside a woman with a sword and shield.  Behind them, a wide-shouldered man was using a bow that fired lightning instead of arrows.
I wonder if that short man is a dwarf.  No matter – they seem to have this fight well in-hand.  I should avoid them in case they’re predatory.

Carefully, he withdrew, then moved around the fighting in a wide circle.  He came to the portal out of the dungeon and stepped through, on his guard in case there were more adventurers outside.  Fortunately, the area was empty, so he Blinked into the woods near the trail, then Blinked twice more to get additional distance.

It appeared to be about mid-day.  He returned to the road from Stafford and, after a moment’s thought, turned away, heading Southeast along the road to whatever city lay ahead.  His dungeon map of the area around Stafford showed an arrow along this road and the word ‘Chorley’ – he assumed that was the name of the next city along the road.

The terrain had grown more rugged as the road continued Southeast.  The area around the dungeon had been wooded, and the woods grew more dense as he traveled.  He made camp well off the road in the lee of a large boulder.  As he meditated on the improvements he’d made over the weeks he’d spent in the dungeon, he reviewed his soulgem to see the quantified changes.

Name:

Duncan

Class:

Warrior

Level:

28 (+6)

Profession:

Adventurer

Strength:

124 (+12)

Intelligence:

73

Dexterity:

106 (+11)

Wisdom:

58

Agility:

117 (+12)

Endurance:

120 (+11)

Concurrent Active Techniques:

1

Health:

8000 (+1420)

Health Regen:

1680/hour (+525)

Stamina:

1480 (+170)

Stam Regen:

5600/hour (+2300)

Mana:

7193 (+1051)

Mana Regen:

3273/hour (+210)

Mana Reserved:

651

Affinities:

Body

Outstanding

Death

Weak

Mind

Strong

Lava

Weak

Spirit

Strong

Gravity

Weak

Fire

weak

Poison

Negligible

Air

weak

Blade

Outstanding

Water

weak

Ice

Weak

Earth

moderate

Decay

Weak

Stone

moderate

Soul

Moderate

Lightning

weak

Corrosion

Negligible

Gemstone

moderate

Space

Outstanding

Nature

negligible

Healing

Moderate

Life

weak

Shadow

Moderate

Metal

moderate

Blood

Negligible

Techniques

Active

Rank

Passive

Rank

Blade Echo

4 (+1)

Tempered Blade

4

Fold Space

2(+1)

Regeneration

3 (+1)

Blink

2

Coagulation

2

Mind Spike

2

Hardened Skin

2

Destrin's Restoration

2 (+1)

Tranquil Mind

1

Spiritual Shield

1

Personal Space Pocket

2 (+1)

Ignore Pain

1 (+1)

Skills

Rank

1H swords

4

Plate armor

2

2H swords

4

Mail armor

1

1H axes

3

Leather armor

3

2H axes

3

Anatomy

2

Shields

3

Survival

2

Spears

4

Skinning

1

Daggers

3

Meditation

2

Bows

3

Swimming

1

Tracking

1

Riding

1

Ooh, Ignore Pain has finally reached Rank 1.  I wasn’t sure that was ever going to happen.  My blade Techniques are advancing well, and Regeneration has progressed again along with Destrin’s Restoration and my Space Techniques.  Each rank is supposed to be about twice as hard to achieve as the one before it, so I’m probably approaching the end of my ‘easy’ gains on my Blade Techniques.  I would like to improve my skills as well.  I’ve still got lots of room for improvement on my Space Techniques, and my strong Mind and Spirit affinities mean I should advance those quickly too, if I use them more.  Tranquil Mind and Spirit Shield will be hard to level if I’m not being attacked by those methods.  I don’t know why Ignore Pain is so slow to rank.  I’ve been hurt a lot.  I’m really leaning on Destrin’s Restoration.  It’s an insanely good Technique. I suspect it’ll slow down in its gains too, since I’ll be capped at rank six on it.  Moderate affinity Techniques level much slower than Outstanding or Strong affinity ones.

I miss Repdam and his analysis.  I’d love to have his input on what I have so far and which Techniques I should add going forward.

Interlude 3

Batzorig, Warlord of the Great Horde, sat on a throne carved from the bones of a dragon. The intricate tattoos covering his entire body, including his eyelids and bald skull, made it hard to tell he was human.  The people of the steppes were mighty, and that made conquering and uniting them a delicious challenge.  When he arrived on Medim, it had taken him three decades to find the tribe which he intended to use to conquer first all the other tribes, then the rest of the world.

Assimilation was key.  He couldn’t afford to constantly suppress his people’s natural desire to be free, even from him.  And so, he had to provide external enemies to unite his conquered tribes.  Fortunately, this world’s gods were inadvertently helping him.  Whenever he took over an area, the dungeons would cease providing his people challenging foes or good rewards.  He used this to point his people at new areas, to take the land and dungeons away from tribes the gods hadn’t punished.  They, too, would soon cease to be productive (or would occasionally utterly destroy the raiders inside), and he would have to expand still further.

Over the next century or two, he would unite all the tribesmen across the plains and the deserts, then move against the cities of the green parts of the world.  But for now, he revelled in the glory of battle between tribes and his ever-expanding empire.

Chapter 25

The road to Chorley was a little rough in places, and Duncan ran into several groups of zombies coming towards him.  He wiped them out with ease but wondered where they were all coming from.  Other than the zombies, the road was clear – no bandits, no other travelers.  When he reached Chorley three days later, he came upon it suddenly.  There was no cleared area of fields around the city; he was running along the path through the woods and suddenly saw the city walls in the distance.  He ducked off the path into the woods and changed into his leather armor, storing his plate, before moving on.   Getting closer, he saw there was a cleared area of perhaps a hundred meters out from the city walls, but it was all woods beyond that.

The city walls were wooden, as were virtually all the buildings within.  Chorley was in the foothills of a pretty large mountain range, it seemed, so Duncan expected stone was available for building, but wood was clearly much more readily available.   The gate was open only a meter or so, and there was a lone guard at the gate as Duncan approached.  The guard called out, “Hail, warrior.  What’s your business in Chorley?”

“Adventurers Guild,” replied Duncan, displaying his medallion.

“Welcome to Chorley.  Ten bits admittance fee,” the
Level 20 Warrior said, “Your guild hall is on the town’s central square, straight ahead.  Can’t miss it.”
The guards are lower level here.  I wonder if that’s because Chorley is smaller.  Being this isolated, you’d think the monsters would be more dangerous.

Duncan paid his entry fee and entered the town.  It was smaller than he’d expected.
Hardly big enough to justify the road all the way here.  Maybe there’s something bigger beyond.
The central square was only two hundred meters from the gate.  It supported several Inns in addition to the Adventurers Guild hall.  There were only a dozen or so people in sight.

He entered the guild hall and had a quick look around.  It had the expected common room with a bar at one end, and a single registration desk near the jobs board.  The jobs board itself didn’t have a lot on it.  The woman, a
Level 12 Healer
, at the registration desk gave him a cheery smile.  She was young and plump and had a mess of very curly hair framing her face.  “Welcome, warrior,” she said.  “You must be new here.”

“Hello,” he replied.  “What makes you say that?”

“Well, this is the first time I’ve seen you, and I’m the only person who works the desk most of the time.  So, you must be new to town.”

“I am indeed,” Duncan confirmed. “Do you have a map of the area with dungeons marked on it that I can buy?”

“I do, as a matter of fact.  Are you traveling alone?  Most of the adventurers in these parts are in long term groups.”  She dug through a drawer and produced a map.  “Five silver, please.”  He passed over the coins, and she dropped them into a slot in her desk.  “I’m Amy, it’s nice to meet you.”

“Duncan.  What can you tell me about the nearby dungeons?” he asked.  He looked around the empty room, thinking she was unlikely to be too busy to talk.

“There are only a few close by.  There’s a big fortress dungeon to the Northwest along the road that’s not far above your level.  Wolfmen, I hear.  And there’s a golem dungeon in that area, too, a bit higher.  They’re on your map, here, and here.”  She moved her finger closer to the center of the map.  “To the West of town here, there’s a forest glade dungeon with big dragonflies and aggressive rabbits and squirrels and such.  It’s rated level twenty, and we mostly use it as a training dungeon for our guards and such.”

“Most of the adventurers in town are here for the endless depths dungeon, though.”  At his blank look, she said, “Oh, I was sure that’s why you were here, too.  It’s a dungeon that has a dozen levels, and they get progressively harder the deeper you go.  The top level is rated level thirty, and the bottom is rated level one hundred plus.  No one goes that deep though.  We keep it in check by farming the fuck out of the upper levels.”  Duncan Blinked at the casual profanity coming from such a cherubic face.

Oblivious, she continued, “The place is huge.  You could drop twenty groups in there and they’d likely never see each other.  That’s why there are so many inns and smithies and such in town.  We’re a destination for level forty to sixty adventurers.”
The dungeon sounds great.  The number of higher-level adventurers doesn’t, though.

“Do you see many instances of adventurers preying on other adventurers?” he asked.

Amy looked shocked, “What? No!   We’re a brotherhood.  We help each other out.  It’s strictly forbidden to attack other adventurers.  How do you not know that?  I mean, I know you’re young, but you’re experienced, level twenty-eight already.”

Duncan shrugged.  “I was attacked by other adventurers as I exited a dungeon when I was, er, less experienced.  They tried to kill me for my gear.  I’ve been careful ever since.”

“That’s awful!” Amy exclaimed.  “Did you report them? What happened?”

“I got away and never went back to that dungeon.  I wasn’t in the guild back then.”

“Can I see your medallion a moment,” she asked.  Duncan passed it over, and she held it for a moment, a faraway look in her eyes.  “You only joined a couple of months ago! In Lydham, I see.  Oh, you’re just a baby.”
How much information is on that thing?

“You’re not exactly an antique yourself,” he said defensively.

“Wait, you were level twelve when you joined?  You’ve gained sixteen levels in two months?  How?”

Duncan snatched his medallion back and glowered at her. “None of your business.”

“I’m sorry!” Amy said. “I didn’t mean to be rude.  That’s just remarkable.  I, of course, won’t remark on it to anyone else.  Your privacy is assured.  The guild is very strict that way.  Really, I won’t say anything to anyone.  I’ve just been stuck at level twelve for a year, and it’d be really nice to advance.”

Duncan nodded. “I didn’t mean to be rude either.  I’ve advanced quickly because I delve alone.”
And take risks that your guild considers insane.

“Delve?” she asked.

“Sorry, I’m not from around here.  I run dungeons alone.”

“You are insane.” Amy said.  “Oh shit, sorry.  I meant to say the guild doesn’t recommend people take risks like that.  We lose too many adventurers as is.   Anyway, to answer your question, no we don’t have any problems with adventurers killing other adventurers.  If the guild were to find out, say, because someone had a distinctive item a missing adventurer was known to have possessed, there would be an investigation by a guild officer with a divination affinity.  And then the guilty party would be killed.  Similarly, if you find a body in a dungeon and take the gear and treasure off it, you have to report it to the guild so that we can investigate.  If you’re telling the truth, you can keep what you found.  How is it this wasn’t all explained to you when you signed up?”

Huh.  So maybe I’ve been a little too paranoid since Axford.

“Um,” he replied, “Someone challenged me to a duel during my introductory class.  I don’t remember anything about a code of conduct for the guild.  I do remember the dueling rules, though.  We covered that.”

Amy stared at him.  “Okay, well we don’t have introductory classes here.  But I can explain the rules.  You don’t cheat your guildmates.  Or steal from them, or abandon them, or fucking kill them.  If you run across survivors of a fatal encounter, you help them escape the dungeon.  If you see any malfeasance, you report it.  The guild can always determine the truth of a story.  Always.”

“So,” Duncan summarized, “Don’t be a dick.  Trust that the guild will also not be dicks.”

“Pretty much,” Amy confirmed.

I suppose I already trust the guild with my savings, and with my appraisals, and with knowing which Technique stones I buy.
“Alright.  Thank you.  Do I go downstairs to the appraisal room?”

“You do.  If that’s everything, have a good day.  And please don’t go into the Endless Depths alone.”

“Thanks again,” Duncan said, heading for the stairs.  When he entered the appraisal room, the clerk closed the barrier ward without having to be asked.  Duncan stared for a moment.  The clerk was a
Level 82 Mage
, and his features and pointed ears suggested he wasn’t human.
Elf, maybe?

“Hello, sir.” He said.

“Greetings, young warrior.  I am called Pelleas Fenbalar.  Do you have items for me to appraise?” the clerk said.

“I am Duncan, of the Valley.  And yes, I do.”  Duncan took his pack off and began pulling items out of the personal pocket space inside.
If I’m going to trust the guild, at least I can avoid having to lug stuff around in an oversized sack.
He started with the staff from the undead mage he’d found outside Stafford and moved on to the stuff he’d found in the gnasher fortress.

“Enchanted staff, Corruption affinity, increases corruption damage.  We’re seeing a lot of these lately.  The guild can offer two silver.  Enchanted dagger, blood affinity, causes increased bleeding. The guild can offer fifty silver.  Enchanted whip, blood affinity, causes increased bleeding and pain.  The guild can offer twenty silver.  Enchanted Robe, Lightning affinity, increases lightning damage done.  The guild can offer eighty silver.  Enchanted Heavy Axe of the Butcher.  Blade affinity.  Increases slashing damage.  The guild can offer one gold.”  Duncan raised an eyebrow at that one.
Hmm, do I want that as a spare? I’m not bad with an axe.
He put the axe from the gnasher chieftain back in his storage space.

“Silvered mail armor of fire absorption. Full set.  Fire affinity. Level thirty-five.  The guild can offer six gold.  Mail armor with brigandine, full set.  Level thirty, Body affinity,  minor regeneration.  The guild can offer eighteen gold.  Plate armor of conduction, full set. Lightning affinity.  Level forty.  Allows the wearer to redirect incoming lightning damage at another target.  The guild can offer eleven gold.  Lavaburst Warhammer, Lava affinity.  Adds lava damage. The guild can offer eighty silver.  Jian of Affliction, Disease affinity.  Inflicts a disease on the target, causing slow but long-lasting ongoing damage.  The guild can offer you two gold.”  The jian was a straight, double-edged one-handed sword.  It had a weird tassel hanging off the pommel.  “Accursed Spirit blade.  Spirit affinity.  Inflicts spiritual damage over time to the target.  The guild can offer two gold.”  The spirit blade was a short dagger with a wavy blade.

“Wait,” said Duncan.  “Does that still count as a blade for my blade techniques, do you know?”

The clerk smiled broadly.  “Oh yes, I do know.  The reason I have come to human lands is to explore the wider variety of Techniques I can find here.  I have been studying Techniques for over a thousand years.  Your Blade Techniques would work with this dagger, although the size and shape of the dagger may be less than ideal for some of them.”

Ooh, maybe he’s like Repdam.
“Do you know if there are swords with that enchantment, or something like it?” Duncan asked.

“Yes, indeed.  You can also find swords that do only spirit damage, or only mental damage.  Their blades are intangible but real.  They work with both Blade Affinity Techniques and Spirit or Mind Techniques.  They require an adjusted mindset to use, however, as they will pass right through most armor and bodies without any resistance.  You cannot parry with them or bind a blade, for example. There are some armors that are specifically resistant to spiritual or mental damage, of course, and the interaction would feel more physical in that case.”

“Similarly, you can find bladed weapons that do either additional elemental damage, or only elemental damage, such as a sword of fire.  Armor is at least partially effective against those blades, though.  And the elemental blades are more common and more popular than mental or spiritual blades.  There are more people with a Blade and elemental affinity than there are with a Blade and Mind or Spirit affinity.”

“Finding Techniques and enchanted items that synergize well with multiple Affinities is the key to outperforming your peers.  There are Techniques that are considered poor by people with only the listed Affinity, but which prove outstanding for those who also have a synergistic Affinity or Technique.”

Duncan nodded in appreciation.  “I should really spend some time looking over the list of Techniques and their descriptions in the guild’s Technique Exchange scroll to see what I can come up with.”

“The descriptions are often terse and can be misleading.  I’ve yet to see one that lists synergies,” said Pelleas.  “But, yes, do read through.  There are often hints in the names or descriptions that can lead you to synergies.”

Duncan pulled out the box of four Technique stones he’d found.  “For now, though, I shouldn’t monopolize your time, lest there be someone waiting outside the ward.”

“True enough,” said the clerk.  “Oh, this is nice.  Technique: Fire Glyph.  Fire affinity.  Allows the caster to place a glyph on an object that will explode when later interacted with.  Duration and damage determined by Affinity and rank.  Rare. The guild can offer seven gold. Technique: Acid spray.  Corrosion affinity.  The caster can spray acid in a cone.  Damage and range determined by affinity and rank.  Common.  The guild can offer two gold.  Technique: Golden relief.  Healing affinity.  Removes a disease, poison, or affliction from the target.  Range and effectiveness determined by affinity and rank.  Uncommon.  In high demand.  The guild can offer six gold.  Technique: Shatter Defense.  Bludgeoning affinity.  Removes a barrier or protection from a target.  Effectiveness determined by affinity and rank. Rare.  The guild can offer five gold.”

Duncan pulled out the coffer he’d gotten from the gnasher throne room.  He’d found a Technique stone in that, too, in addition to another pile of coins.  He put it on the counter.  “Technique: Hunger Aura.  Hunger affinity.  Creates an aura that reduces health, stamina, and mana regeneration as well as strength.  Very rare.  As are people with the hunger affinity, I’m afraid.  The guild can offer five gold.  It’s a very strong Technique, but demand is almost non-existent.”

Duncan nodded. “That’s everything.”  He received sixty gold for the loot, and promptly asked Pelleas to put it in his account with the forty-four gold he had previously deposited, and the fifteen additional gold he’d found in the gnasher dungeon.
That brings me to a hundred and nineteen gold banked, and a lot of copper and silver in my storage
.

“No unenchanted items?” Pelleas asked.

“My pocket space Technique is low rank.  Items I store in it still have weight,” Duncan explained. “Oh!” said Duncan.  “I do have these fangs and claws.”  He pulled out the dragon’s teeth and claws and stinger.

“I see.  You must have a fascinating mix of affinities.  Clearly Body, you mentioned Blade, and a Space affinity good enough to store that many items with a low rank Technique.  And you seemed so interested in Spirit affinity weapons, too.  Don’t worry, young man.  I am bound to secrecy by the guild.  I cannot speak of your Techniques or Affinities to anyone, even the guildmasters themselves.”  Pierre had said much the same thing in Lydham.

“These are from a golden dragonet.  That would be considered a dangerous opponent for a group of level forty adventurers,” Pelleas said, deadpan. “The guild can offer you a gold and forty silver for the lot.”

“Thank you, Pelleas,” Duncan replied.  “Perhaps sometime when you’re not busy, we could have a discussion about synergies with my Affinities and Techniques.”

“Of course,” the clerk replied.  “I would be glad to do so.  You are a fascinating young man.  To show up all alone, with such extravagant loot for your level.  And an interesting mix of Affinities, I’m sure.  Seek me out any time I’m not occupied with appraisals.  I no longer need to sleep, so any time I’m not on duty, you can ask the reception desk staff to find me.”

Duncan returned upstairs.  There was still no one in the common area, and only Amy at the desk.  It was starting to get dark outside.  “Can you recommend an Inn for me?” he asked Amy.  “And if I bought you dinner, would you answer some more questions for me?”

She looked at him for a long moment, then shrugged, “Sure, why not? As long as I can ask some questions, too.”  She pulled a bell and a card out from her desk drawer and set them on the desk.  The card read “ring bell (once) for service.”

“How nice of an Inn do you want?” she asked.

“Clean, with a bathing room and good food.  But not fancy.  I’m not exactly rolling in gold.” Duncan replied.

“Do you have any normal clothes, or only that pretty leather armor that’s never seen combat?”

“Hey! That’s unkind… although, actually, all I have other than armor is some simple clothing that had everyone referring to me as a peasant,” he said. “So maybe not some place with a dress code for dinner?”

Amy sighed.  “Do you have money for clothes?  There’s a decent merchant in town who might have something for you.”

“Lead on,” Duncan replied.
I should probably have something nice for town wear.  I’ve got a little over ten gold on me, should be ample.

Amy led him across the square to a two-storey building with a sign depicting a needle and thread. She pushed the door open and called out, “Hi Leslie, it’s Amy.  I’ve got a customer here who desperately needs your help.”
That’ll do wonders for the price I’ll have to pay…

A willowy woman in a simple dress approached them and kissed Amy’s cheek.  She was probably forty, attractive, and affable.  “Good to see you, sweetheart,” she said to Amy, then turned to look at Duncan. “What can I provide you with, young man?”

“I need a nice set of clothes for town wear, I’m told,” he replied.  “Nothing too fancy, though.”

“Alright,” the
Level 22 tradesman said.  “I don’t have anything off the rack that’ll fit you – you’re a bit broader in the shoulder and narrower in the waist than most of my customers.  But I can make some quick adjustments to something and make you something better for pickup in two days, if that will suit you.”

“That sounds good,” said Duncan.

“Right.  Off with the armor so I can get some proper measurements.  You can change behind the curtain there.”  She gestured to the side of the shop.   Duncan stepped behind the curtain and removed his armor and clothes, replacing them with something a little cleaner from his storage space.

He stepped out and apologized to Leslie, “I came straight from three days on the road and haven’t been to an inn to wash yet.  I am sorry.”  He eyed Amy, “I had expected to go straight to my inn for a bath.”

“I’ll live,” responded Leslie.  She quickly and efficiently took his measurements and huffed.  “Well, I don’t even have anything I can adjust that’ll look good.  You’re too long in the leg, narrow in the waist, and broad in the chest and shoulders.  Body affinity, I presume.  I can give you something that’ll fit your shoulders, but it’ll hang like a tent even after I take the sides in and the trousers will be too short.  You’d best just wait the two days.”

Duncan nodded.  “How much do I owe you for the clothes?”

“No need to pay in advance, love.  You can pay when you pick the clothes up.”

“I need to pay you something in advance,” said Duncan. “I’m an adventurer.  If I don’t come out of the dungeon, I don’t want you out of pocket.”

“Well,” said Leslie, “that’s very kind of you.  Four silver now, then, and four when you pick up the clothes.”

Duncan passed over the coin and departed with Amy.  She led him to the inn adjacent to the guild hall.  “Harthan will take care of you. Come get me in the guild hall when you’ve had your bath.  We’ll eat at the inn – they won’t kick you out for looking like a beggar if you’ve already paid for lodging.”  With that, she disappeared back into the guild hall.

Duncan entered the inn, noting it was quiet.  If there were adventurers around, they must all be in the dungeon, still.  He approached the innkeep, a wiry man who was a
Level 40 Rogue
.
He’s probably heard all the highway robbery comments about his prices, already.
“Good evening, sir.  Amy at the Adventurers Guild suggested I see you about a room and a bath.”

The innkeeper nodded at him, “One silver a night gets you a room and a bath. Food is extra.”  Duncan paid him a silver and was given the key to room one, at the top of the stairs.  “Bathing room is down that hall, there.”

Duncan offered his thanks and went straight to take his bath.
Don’t want to keep Amy waiting too long.  She didn’t seem best pleased earlier.
After his bath, he returned to the guild hall to collect Amy, and they were seated in the inn’s common room.

Their food ordered, he jumped right into the questioning.  “Pelleas, the appraiser.  He’s an elf?”

“He is.  Have you not seen an elf before?” Amy asked.

“No, I’m from a distant land.  There’s a lot I haven’t seen.”  Duncan hurried to get another question in before Amy could ask about his past.  “What can you tell me about elves in general?”

“They are long-lived but don’t have many children.  They live in the most primordial of forests, all over the world, and apparently also in other wild places where men fear to tread.  They like a higher mana density than humans, same as dwarves,” answered Amy.  “They aren’t generally hostile to mankind, but neither are they typically friendly if you wander into their territory.  The nearest Elven kingdom lies to the Southeast, just beyond Harlow.  That’s where Pelleas is from.”
That was a longer and better answer than I had expected.
“Now tell me where you’re from.”

Duncan sighed.  “I’m from a valley in some mountains somewhere.  I arrived in the Arnite empire courtesy of an unexpected teleport in a dungeon.  I don’t know where my valley lies, only that it was isolated and in a mountain range near the sea.”

“That’s unusual,” said Amy.  “I guess that’s why you don’t know anything about anything.  How long have you been here?”

“About three months.  What about dwarves?” Duncan wanted to get some questions in, too.

“Dwarves live in underground kingdoms, and occasionally some mountain villages.  There’s a big dwarven kingdom under the mountains Southeast of here, beyond the elven kingdom.  Our empire trades with the elves and dwarves both, though caravans are infrequent at best.  It’s a dangerous trip. The road here goes to Harlow, then the elven lands, then the dwarven lands, and on to the Villanovan Confederation beyond.  The Villanovans are human.   What is your valley like?”

“Self-sufficient?  We have three dungeons and a large guild of adventurers to exploit them.  We have almost no trade with the outside world, and the nearest city is apparently over a month away.  There are a few villages and towns across the valley.  The whole valley is pretty safe – no monsters to speak of,” said Duncan.  “You said you’ve been stuck at level twelve for a year.  How did that happen? How did you get to twelve in the first place?”

It was Amy’s turn to sigh.  “My dad is the branch manager of the Adventurers Guild here.  It’s a plum posting – the Endless Depths makes the branch quite profitable.  We get quite a few groups of adventurers through each month, though there’s very little in the way of permanent resident adventurers.  Anyway, we arrived a year ago, and there’s no dungeon suited to my level anywhere near here.  So I’ve been stuck.  I want to try the forest glade dungeon, but the town guards won’t take me, and all the adventurers that come here are level thirty-five to eighty.  My mum lets me go with her when she clears it out (she’s level seventy-three) but she demolishes everything and there’s no risk for me, and so no advancement.”

“Ah, that’s rough,” said Duncan. “Although the forest glade dungeon doesn’t sound too tough for you.  Do you have any offense as a healer?  Could you fight a single monster in there on your own?”

“My affinities are healing and water,” confided Amy. “I don’t have any good damage Techniques, because I want to focus on healing.  Healers are rare enough that we’re valuable.  I just need a party to group with and heal.”

“Why won’t the town guards take you?  The one I saw was only level twenty or something.  A healer would help them out.”  Duncan was a bit confused.

“I think they’re worried that if I die, my parents will kill them all.  Which, to be fair, they probably would.”

“I guess that explains why the guard won’t take you.  I wouldn’t want your high-level parents trying to kill me, either.”  Duncan noticed Amy’s wince as she realized she’d made a tactical error in trying to convince him to take her into the dungeon.  “What can you tell me about Pelleas?  He seemed interested in helping me look for synergies with my Affinities and Techniques.”

“Really?” Amy was startled.  “The other adventurers seem to think he looks down on them.  But he and my parents can argue for hours about their Technique choices and how they could work together better.”

“So your parents trust him with their builds?” At Amy’s confused look, he clarified, “with their Affinities and Techniques?”

“Why wouldn’t they?  It’s all confidential,” she said.  “Oh, this is one of those things where you don’t understand the guild, again.  Pelleas literally cannot betray their confidence.  Anything he learns while acting as an advisor on behalf of the guild is protected by a geas.  It would kill him if he tried to betray them.  Or you, or anyone he was advising.”

“A geas?” Duncan asked.

“It’s a magically enforced compulsion.  All guild appraisers and officers swear on a rod of binding to keep everything they learn confidential, and the rod uses their own mana to enforce the oath.  To break the oath is to commit instant suicide.”

Ok, these folks take their oaths seriously.  That’s something of a relief for me.  It means I can probably trust Pelleas not to reveal what I tell him.  But can he help me?
“And have you sworn this oath?” he asked.

“Me? No, I just work at the desk.  But my dad and Pelleas both have.  They’re actual officers of the guild.  My turn.  Would you run the Forest Glade dungeon alone?”

Duncan grinned, “Nope.  It’s too easy for me.  No risk, no reward.”

“But it’s intended for four level twenty adventurers!  You’re only twenty-eight.” Amy sounded exasperated.

“Your Adventurers Guild rankings feel very conservative to me.  I solo dungeons that are rated higher level than me.  Now, I acknowledge that I have certain advantages – that I will not speak of – that make me stronger than a typical adventurer of my level.  But still, whomever does your ratings doesn’t believe in risk.”

“Fine, then you could keep me safe if you took me into the Forest Glade dungeon!” snapped Amy.

“No, I could keep myself safe.  I don’t have any Techniques to heal you, or protect you from harm, or make monsters ignore you.  I am built to be self-sufficient.  Honestly, Amy, I’m not trying to dismiss you.  I would enjoy helping you through the dungeon.  But I cannot guarantee your safety, and I honestly don’t want your parents trying to kill me because I let you die.”

Amy deflated a bit. “I understand.”

“How good is your healing?  Could you keep yourself alive if a level twenty-five monster were attacking you?”

“That’s more than twice my level!  I’m focused entirely on healing, but I don’t think so.” She sighed.

“I think you should probably wait until you can find a level appropriate dungeon, and a group of people your own level to do it with, then.”

“Gah,” Amy said.  “I’m six years older than you.  How come you get to be the voice of reason?”

“Because I have seen some scary shit and lived to tell about it.” Duncan grinned.

Amy grinned back.  “Yeah, like what?”

“Well, there was this spider the size of a house.  It had a bunch of Corruption Techniques and called a swarm of smaller giant spiders to assist it.  Scariest thing I’ve ever seen…”   The pair chatted in a more friendly manner for another hour or so before Amy returned to the guild hall and Duncan retired to his room.

After they had left, a
Level 73 Rogue stood up from a nearby chair, where she’d been entirely unnoticed all evening, and followed her daughter out.

Chapter 26

There were a dozen adventurers in the common room in the morning when Duncan returned to the Guild hall.  A quick look around showed they were all between level forty and level sixty.  He felt rather conspicuous as he walked through the room to the stairs down to the appraisal room.  He was wearing his leather armor, which, Amy had pointed out, had no scuffs or indications that it had ever been worn in a fight.
I look like a low-level poseur. Bah.
But no one said anything, and he took the stairs two at a time.

Pelleas was behind the desk, going over a scroll.  “Good morning Pelleas,” Duncan said cheerily.  “Do you have time for some theorycrafting?”

Pelleas gave him a bit of an odd look, then smiled and said, “I do.  Let me just ask Cynthia to cover the desk for a moment, then we can adjourn to a private office for a consultation.”

Twenty minutes later, they were in an office with a privacy ward active. “First off,” said Pelleas, “why do you call it theorycrafting?”

“That’s what the building of a theoretical combination of Affinities and Techniques is referred to where I come from,” replied Duncan.  “I’m from a valley in the middle of nowhere, and I arrived in the empire through a teleportation gate in a dungeon, quite by accident.  I don’t know where home is or how to get back.”

“I did say you were fascinating.  Let me begin by explaining what I can offer in this consultation.  Given the information about your Affinities and current Techniques, I can help you look for synergies with other known Techniques in the Guild’s Technique Exchange.  I can do the same for items in the Guild’s item exchange, though that list is so extensive that we cannot hope to catch everything pertinent.  I will share nothing I learn about your Affinities or Techniques with anyone else, even by inference.”

“Thank you,” said Duncan.  “I’m a little paranoid about my information becoming known, and I’ll explain why in a moment.  The place I’m from doesn’t have soulgems.  And we break Affinities down into only two categories, strong and weak.  In soulgem terms, strong would be equal to outstanding or strong, and weak would be everything else.  Also, people where I’m from tend to have stronger affinities than people in the empire.  That said, my affinities are a little unusual even for the valley.”

He concentrated on his soulgem and showed his Affinities to Pelleas.

Affinities:

Body

Outstanding

Death

weak

Mind

Strong

Lava

weak

Spirit

Strong

Gravity

weak

Fire

weak

Poison

negligible

Air

weak

Blade

Outstanding

Water

weak

Ice

weak

Earth

moderate

Decay

weak

Stone

moderate

Soul

moderate

Lightning

weak

Corrosion

negligible

Gemstone

moderate

Space

Outstanding

Nature

negligible

Healing

moderate

Life

weak

Shadow

moderate

Metal

moderate

Blood

negligible

Pelleas produced a very undignified giggle.  “So it’s true.  Humans, too.”

“Sir?” prompted Duncan.

“A hundred years ago, give or take, a number of immensely powerful beings entered our world.  They spread out and have been stirring up shit ever since.  All these undead, for example.  Shortly after that, we noticed a very small number of elves being born with extraordinary Affinities.  Special individuals have been cropping up in the other elder races, as well.  Now, we’ve found you, which suggests that some humans are being used, too.”

“Being used, sir?”  This wasn’t what Duncan had expected to hear.

“It is our belief that the gods are responding to the invasion of these powers by giving us some champions who may grow to challenge these invaders.  The gods can no longer directly affect the world – it has entirely too poor a mana density for them.  All they can do is meddle with dungeons and with the unborn.”

Meddle with dungeons… oh!

“Every dungeon I’ve been in has presented monsters of higher level than the dungeon normally would.  My people posited that the dungeons hated me and were trying to kill me, because the unusual monsters only appeared when I was in the dungeon,” Duncan said.

“There’s a fine line between killing you and making you stronger,” said Pelleas.  “Clearly, you have survived to this point, and flourished, even.”  He smiled grimly.  “Of course, this means that theorycrafting your build is even more important than I had thought.  Let’s have a look at your Techniques, shall we?”

Dutifully, Duncan showed Pelleas his Techniques.

Techniques

Active

Rank

Passive

Rank

Blade Echo

4

Tempered Blade

4

Fold Space

2

Regeneration

3

Blink

2

Coagulation

2

Mind Spike

2

Hardened Skin

2

Destrin's Restoration

2

Tranquil Mind

1

Spiritual Shield

1

Personal Space Pocket

2

Ignore Pain

1

“Interesting.  And better than I had expected, honestly.  The only Technique there I would consider wasted is Coagulation.  Although Destrin’s Restoration is an unusual choice.  Very high mana cost for little gain, as I understand it.”

“Destrin’s Restoration is insanely good, sir.  It’s what allows me to solo dungeons far above my level,” protested Duncan.

“Oh? Show me.”  Pelleas flicked a finger at Duncan and a wind blade cut a huge gash in his side.

“Argh,” Duncan yelled as he used Destrin’s Restoration to heal fully.

“Fascinating!” Pelleas flicked his finger, “Again!”

Duncan healed himself.  “Again!”  “Again!”

“Only rank two, and yet you can heal yourself fully from four severe wounds.  Apparently, the guild is wrong about the Technique.  Let’s check and see if we can determine what we’ve missed.”  Pelleas seemed quite pleased.

“You are worse than Repdam!” he exclaimed.

Pelleas’s eyes focused on Duncan like he was going to burn the lad with his gaze.  “Bull of a man?  Lightning affinity?”

Duncan boggled, “You know Repdam?”

Pelleas snorted. “I met him once, a thousand years ago.  He was a legendary warrior even then.  Either your Repdam is named after him, or he’s still kicking.  Not too surprising, really.  After one hundred, we’re all essentially immortal.  I would have expected him to have ascended, though.”

“Ascended?  Also, you said ‘we’ but you’re still only level eighty-two.  And you met him a thousand years ago.  Are you some sort of slow learner?  Do elves level more slowly than humans?”
I probably shouldn’t have said slow learner… oops.

Pelleas chuckled.  “Ascended.  Once you reach a certain level of power, the mana density here becomes uncomfortably weak.  You can choose to restrict yourself to the highest density regions of the world, or you can ascend to a higher realm, where you become small fish in a big pond again, with room for further growth.   And as to my level, identify me again.”

As Duncan watched, the
Level 82 Mage became a
Level 128 Mage and back again.  “Soulgems can be made to show others whatever you want, if you know the trick, and have the Affinities.  Takes someone with a lot of insight to see through the lie.”

Huh, I knew it.
“What is insight, sir?”

“Hidden stat, based on your intelligence and wisdom, modified by your Mind and Spirit Affinities.  You’re too young to be wise, so it’s easy to lie to you.  Although with those Affinities, maybe you just need to learn how to look.”

Duncan sighed, “My knowledge is a tiny drop in a giant ocean of ignorance.”

Pelleas laughed.  “Yes, yes, it is.  Tell you what, if you’re interested, I’ll show you how to make your soulgem lie to people, and how to see through it once we’re done theorycrafting your build.  You must promise to show a consistent lie, however.  You can’t show the same people a lower level than they’ve seen you at before, for example.  Can’t have you undermining the entire foundation of modern society.”

“I would like that, sir.”  It would definitely help with people not taking him seriously when he asked about dungeons.

“Alright then, let’s look at your healing Technique and see what the guild missed.”

Destrin’s Restoration
Healing Affinity. Active. Targets: Self-only.  Instant. Consumes some of the caster’s mana to dramatically speed Regeneration for a second.  Very lossy. Limited by available mana.  Efficiency improves with rank.  Rarity: Rare.

“Ah!  Dramatically speeds Regeneration.  Meaning that it synergizes with your Body Affinity Regeneration Technique.  And since you have an Outstanding Body Affinity, your health regeneration is doubtless quite high, yes?”

Duncan replied, “I don’t know what counts as quite high, but the soulgem says it’s sixteen eighty per hour.”

Pelleas nodded, “Very impressive for level twenty-eight.  Run some mana through your soulgem and focus on the Technique and think ‘details’ at it.”

“Huh,”
I didn’t know that was a thing.
“Current effective efficiency is three mana for two health.”

“Aha!” Pelleas almost shouted.  “Ahem, if I recall correctly, Destrin’s Restoration starts out at ten mana to one health for someone without a Regeneration Technique and without your impressive Body Affinity.  That’s why it’s considered very lossy, and why it only costs six gold on the Technique Exchange.”

“Now, you’ll only be able to rank it to six, but your Regeneration Technique can go all the way to ten.  I fully expect you to be able to get some very efficient self healing as you advance.  You probably won’t be able to survive decapitation, or at least, not two in a row, but you’ll certainly be very hard to kill.”

Pelleas went on, “Now that we’ve solved that little mystery, let’s take it back a step and look at your build as a whole.  What is your goal, and what do you see as missing now?”

Same methodology as Repdam.
“I want to be a blademaster.  I know ranged attacks have great value, and I’ll lack area effect damage, but I’ve always seen myself wielding a sword.  As to what’s lacking, my only ranged attack is Mind Spike, and it’s mana-intensive, and it’s hard to judge the damage it does.  I lack an area attack, and my only control power is the stun from that same Mind Spike.  I also lack a flight power.  I can Blink to a flying opponent to hit them, but I can’t stay with them, and Blink is mana intensive at rank two, although it’s way less mana intensive than it was at rank one.”

“The build I have, Repdam helped me with.  Defensively, I have physical, mental, and spiritual defenses, although it’s been hard to level the latter two.  And Ignore Pain.  That one seems impossible to level, and I just don’t know why.  I get hurt a lot.”

“Ah,” said Pelleas, “I can answer that one.  What do you do when you get hurt?”

“I heal myself,” said Duncan.  “Ugh, do you mean I have to suffer ongoing pain to advance Ignore Pain?”

“You don’t have to, no.  But it won’t advance quickly at all if your pain is instantly removed because you’ve healed yourself.  It’s the same reason your Hardened Skin and Coagulation are lagging behind your Regeneration.  You wear good armor, you said, so you take less damage, and you bleed less than you otherwise would.  I’m honestly surprised you leveled Coagulation at all.”

“Much of that was before I got my armor, I suspect,” said Duncan.

“Now, to what’s lacking.” Pelleas moved on, “Your Blink will improve rapidly as it ranks up, so you don’t really need a ranged attack… you can move to your target and hit them.  Unless they’re flying, as you pointed out.”

“Actually,” Duncan interposed, “I think my Fold Space Technique will help with that, too, if I can advance it enough.”

“I had meant to ask about that.  What does that Technique, do, exactly?  It’s not in the Technique Exchange list.”

“No, sir, I made it up myself,” Duncan said.  “Can I demonstrate?”

“Of course.  Made it up yourself?  Fascinating.”

Duncan drew his sword and folded space such that when he poked through the fold, his sword poked Pelleas in the arm on the opposite side of the body.

Pelleas leapt to his feet, startled.  “Do it again,” he said.

Duncan demonstrated the Technique again. “I can put the near side of the fold anywhere within two meters of me at rank two, and the divergence to the other side of the fold is likewise two meters, in any direction, with any facing.  I can only keep it open a few seconds.  But I do have a secondary use for it.  If I shrink the size in one dimension, I can make it a slit.  But because it’s an actual fold in space, the edges act as a solid.  Items can only enter the fold along one plane.  So, I can use it to block a sword cut for example.”  He demonstrated that as well.  “It takes too long to create them while someone is swinging at me, but if I can anticipate the attack, I can put the fold in the way, and as you can see, it’s almost invisible.”

“Brilliant!” Pelleas said.

“At rank one, it had a one-meter range and a one-meter divergence.  At rank two, it has a two-meter range and a two-meter divergence for half the mana cost.  I’m hoping that the range and divergence increase further at higher ranks, along with an improvement in the casting speed.”

“Remarkable.  It has the potential to provide you with an excellent ranged attack in the long term,” mused Pelleas, “although I still think Blink covers that issue admirably and will continue to do so.  As an unexpected attack at a hard-to-reach weak spot, though, it seems unparalleled.  And the defensive aspect is outstanding as well.”

“Right now, I cannot fold space and strike with a Blade Echo through the fold, because I can only maintain one active Technique at a time, but I hope that will change soon as I advance,” Duncan concluded.

“Alright.  I believe you are well-covered on ranged attack opponents and defense.  Now let’s address the flight power issue.  Are you aware of the Flying Sword Technique?” asked Pelleas.

“Yes, but it seems like a terrible flight power,” answered Duncan. “You have to balance on a sword, there’s wind resistance, you can be knocked off…”

“Those are drawbacks at low rank, certainly,” Pelleas said, “but at higher ranks, the blade attaches itself to your feet – you can fly upside down if you wish.  Blade-attuned mana cuts the air in front of you so there’s no wind resistance.  And it can be quite fast at high ranks, as well.  It’s not nearly the fastest flying Technique, but it’s not slow.”

“Also note that your Blink power, at high rank, will allow you long distance teleports to specific destinations, so you won’t be entirely reliant on flying for travel.”
Oh, I didn’t know that, either.

Pelleas continued, “Now, as to area effect Techniques, that’s much more of a challenge for you.  You have no worthwhile elemental affinities, although your Earth and Stone Affinities aren’t terrible.  Still, neither of those is known for good area effect attacks, either.  Your Poison, Corruption, and Decay are too weak, as well.”

“There is a Blade Affinity area attack called Bladestorm.  It creates a field of whirling mana blades that slice everything in the field.  It has a synergy with Air Affinity, but yours is weak, so you’ll barely notice the benefit.  At low rank, it creates a small area, maybe ten meters square, and the damage isn’t great, nor is the range – it essentially starts a meter from you.  But all those things improve as it ranks and since you can rank it all the way to ten, it will become very impressive in the end.  The downside is that blade affinities are fairly common, and the Technique is rare, so it’s quite expensive.”

“Honestly, I don’t see a need for additional Techniques beyond Flying Sword and Bladestorm for now.  You should focus on advancing your existing Techniques and re-evaluate once you reach level fifty or sixty,” Pelleas concluded.

“I remember Flying Sword was twenty gold when I looked it up a month ago.  Do you know the cost of Bladestorm?” asked Duncan.

“Thirty gold,” answered Pelleas. “I’m aware that you have enough funds for both, but we haven’t looked at your equipment yet, and looking at your Affinities, I’m absolutely certain there are items that will dramatically improve your effectiveness.”

“Okay,” said Duncan.  “Let’s take a look at gear then!”

“Show me your current gear, please,” Pelleas said.  “Let’s see what can stay for a while, and what needs an immediate upgrade.”

Duncan pulled out his armor, his rose quartz shield, and his amethyst swords.

“Your armor is astonishingly good,” Pelleas said.  “Better than anything I’ve seen in Truesteel.  The self-repair enchantment is particularly well done.  And the shield is magnificent.  The amethyst swords work well with your gemstone Affinity – they’re a nice damage boost compared to a steel sword.  But I think you can do a lot better there.  With your Mind and Spirit Affinities, a Mindsword or a Spirit Sword would be devastating.  Your Tempered Blade passive would work on them, and your Blade Echo Technique would as well.  You’d bypass your opponent’s physical armor, and very few creatures have good mental or spiritual defenses.  You could also strike incorporeal creatures with them, for full damage.  I imagine you’d double the damage you do against most creatures if you switched to either a Mindsword or a Spirit Sword.  Of course, as I told you yesterday, there are a couple of drawbacks.  Your blade would no longer bounce off armor or react physically the way a real sword does.  You couldn’t parry with it.”

“Moving beyond weapons and armor, I don’t feel you actually need much more.  There are some rings that will provide you with some specific elemental resistances, but unless you know what you’ll be facing, they’re situational at best.  Probably not worth the cost when you have a sword and two Techniques to buy.”

“A spatial storage ring is something we always recommend, but your personal pocket space Technique will be better than a spatial storage ring in a few ranks.”

“No, really, I think you should focus on those two Technique stones and a sword.  Let’s take a look at the Guild’s Item Exchange list.  If we limit the list to Mind and Spirit affinity swords, we come up with… two hundred items, many of which will be virtually identical.”

They scoured the list and came up with a few finalists.  “If cost were no object, the Mindsword of the Magician here would be the best choice.  It does pure mental damage and scales significantly with Mind affinity.  But it’s four hundred gold and it was added yesterday.  Chances are it’ll be sold by tomorrow to a mage who wants it only as a backup.  There’s an Angelic Spirit Sword that does pure spiritual damage that scales with Spirit and Soul affinities.  With your outstanding Blade affinity, Strong Spirit Affinity, and moderate Soul affinity, that’d be very strong for you as well.  Two hundred and fifty gold, though.  Finally, there’s a plain old Spirit Sword for a hundred and twenty gold.”

“Does the Guild offer payment plans?” Duncan laughed, already knowing the answer.

“I’m afraid not.  Too much risk of an adventurer dying in a dungeon and losing everything.”

“As expected.  Well, I earned a hundred and twenty gold in the past month in lower ranked dungeons.  I can get more faster as I advance.  I’ll wait until I can afford the Angelic Spirit Sword or something similar. I do want to start practicing the Flying Sword Technique though – if it doesn’t become viable for combat flight until I’ve ranked it up, then I need to start ranking it up as soon as I can.  And I’ll take the Bladestorm Technique, as well.  I haven’t felt the lack of an area attack, but there may come a day when I do.  I may as well start ranking it up early, too.”

“Very well,” said Pelleas, “let us return to the appraisal office so we can place the orders for you.  The guild’s courier service isn’t ideal out here so it may be a couple of weeks before you see stones.  But before we go, let me show you how to convince your soulgem to lie, and how to detect it in others.”

Chapter 27

As he left the appraisal office, Duncan was approached by a short slender woman in matte black chain armor. The
Level 73 Rogue said, “Duncan of the Valley?”  At his nod, she continued, “I’m Andrea, Amy’s mother.  She tells me you’re a solo adventurer, and that you can handle the Forest Glade dungeon.”

“I have never been in that dungeon, so I cannot say for sure.  Its rated level suggests that I can, though.” Duncan replied. “I wasn’t planning to try it, though, with the Endless Depths so close at hand.”

Andrea produced a barking laugh. “You do know the guild frowns on solo dungeon runs?  And solo runs in a dungeon ranked significantly higher than you, in particular.  Nobody here bothers with the Forest Glade dungeon except the town guards, and they don’t clear it often enough to keep it under control, so lately that job has fallen to me.  However, I have to travel to the West for a while, and I would like to pay you to clear it for me a couple of times whilst I’m gone.  I’ll pay you one gold for each time you kill the boss in there – it’s an oversized rabbit.”

It still sounds like a waste of time, but dungeons do tend to give me tougher creatures than normal and having the dungeon all to myself sounds beneficial.  Plus, it’s probably a good idea to stay on good terms with the people who run the local branch of the guild.

“I’ll do it.  At least I’ll get to see a new dungeon,” he said.

“Excellent.  I’ll arrange your payment with Pelleas.  See him after each clear.”  With that, she bowed and entered the appraisal office.

Duncan shrugged and continued on his way.
I can’t really jump into the Endless Depths right away with this commitment, and I’m kinda looking forward to seeing what unique stuff this Forest Glade has to offer me.
Looking at his map, he saw the Forest Glade dungeon was just West of the town, maybe five hundred meters away.
No time like the present.

It was a two-minute jog to the dungeon entrance.  Duncan changed into his plate armor, readied his sword and shield –
I need the practice with the shield
– and entered the dungeon.  Inside, it didn’t look all that different than the outside of the dungeon.  It had the same sort of trees, the same light filtered down from overhead, and it even smelled the same.  Only the higher ambient mana indicated he was in a dungeon.

He wandered around, making some noise, to see what the dungeon would bring him.  He was attacked by a small group of oversized squirrels.  They couldn’t penetrate his armor and were no threat to him.  Several more groups fell to his sword before something interesting happened.  The ground rumbled and he froze, looking around.  A massive worm with a maw lined with teeth burst out of the ground beneath him, swallowing him whole.

Teeth ground against his armor, cutting deep gouges into it.  He stabbed the inside of the worm’s mouth and it roared in pain. Duncan glimpsed daylight above him and Blinked to it.  He appeared three meters above the worm’s maw and fell towards it, Blinking a meter to the side of it at the last moment.  He slashed at the worm’s hide, and opened a shallow cut, white fat bubbling up instead of blood.  The worm flailed its body towards him, and Duncan blocked with his shield.  The massive weight of the worm just stopped; all its momentum stolen by Duncan’s shield.  He plunged his sword as deep as he could into the gash he’d cut a moment before, deepening it significantly.

The worm tried to smash him with its weight several more times, and each time he was able to block with his shield and attack the wound with his sword.  Finally, it withdrew its head back underground, Duncan stabbing at it all the while.  He stomped on the ground a few times, and the ground rumbled in response.
When it surfaces again, I Blink out of the way and attack.
The worm burst up from the ground beneath his feet, and he Blinked just a few meters away, then turned and attacked, cutting a new hole in this side of the worm.

The process repeated itself several times, but now that he knew to Blink away when the worm surfaced, he was no longer in danger of being swallowed whole.  He finished it off without any trouble.
Chance of a worm having loot?  None.

He had moved only a few meters from the worm, when the ground beneath him rumbled, and a new worm burst out of the soil beneath his feet.  He Blinked away and repeated the block and slash drill he’d used to kill the first one.  A third and fourth followed.
How many of these things are there?
Fortunately, there was no fifth, and he proceeded deeper into the dungeon.

Duncan killed two more packs of squirrels, then heard a familiar buzzing sound.  Wasps, identical to those he’d fought in the Wilderness dungeon back in the valley several months ago descended on him.
Without Pyotr holding their attention, they’d have killed me last time.  Let’s see how much I’ve grown.
As it turned out, he’d grown quite a lot.  The wasps had a difficult time piercing his plate armor when they were able to get past his sword and shield, and he could kill each of them with a single swing of his sword.  He collected their stingers and moved on.

He came to a large clearing in the forest, a lovely meadow with wildflowers and buzzing insects.  There were dozens of meter-long dragonflies buzzing around, and some of the nearer ones attacked him. They were fast, but couldn’t hurt him, and his sword chopped them up easily.  He wandered through the field, killing all the dragonflies as they approached him.  On several occasions, two-meter-tall rabbits exited large holes in the ground to attack him.  They had powerful kicks that may have knocked him flying were it not for his shield and they were tougher than the dragonflies, too.  It took him two or three swings to kill each, protected as they were by a thick layer of fat.

Once there were no more dragonflies or rabbits in the field, Duncan entered the rabbit warren.  With his dungeon light floating behind his head, he killed his way through the warren until he reached the rabbit boss.  Sadly, it was just a larger version of the rabbits he’d already slain, and it had no new tactics or Techniques. Nor did it have any treasure.
No wonder no one comes in here.  No treasure of any kind and the fights are boring.
He cut off the rabbit’s giant ears as proof he’d killed it, then returned to the surface and exited the dungeon.

Pelleas was waiting in the appraisal office when Duncan trudged in looking disgruntled.  “Not a good trip to the Forest Glade dungeon?” asked Pelleas.

Duncan dumped his meagre spoils from the dungeon on the counter.  “It was boring, and there was no loot.  It’s no wonder no one does that dungeon.”

“The guild can offer you one silver for the stingers, and you get one gold for killing the rabbit boss.  No unusual or dangerous monsters then?”

Duncan shrugged. “There were four big worms with teeth that tried to swallow me whole, but they were too stupid to change their tactics. Nothing interesting.”

He left the guild hall, waving at Amy as he went by.  It was still midafternoon, so he thought he’d take a quick peek in the Endless Depths dungeon.  It was a quick twenty-minute walk up the foothills to the entrance.  He followed a well-marked trail to get there.  The dungeon entrance was in a small gully and might have been hard to spot without the trail.

Duncan stepped in and took a deep breath of the mana-dense air. He was in a tall cave, the portal to the surface hanging behind him.    Five passageways led out of the room.  He could hear nothing from any of them, so he selected the left-most one, and set off to see what he could find.

The passageway sloped downwards and soon the ground became softer as stone changed to earth beneath his feet.  Glowing lichen softly illuminated some areas, but Duncan was glad to have his dungeon light.
Maybe I should ask Pelleas about a perception Technique of some sort.
He could hear water trickling down the walls, and frogs ribbited in the distance.

He rounded a corner and two spears smashed into him.  One struck his shield and dropped to the floor having lost its momentum.  The other shattered on his pauldron, leaving a deep dent in the metal.  Duncan could vaguely see two figures at the edge of the illumination from his dungeon light.  They launched more spears at him, but he saw them coming this time and was able to sidestep them.  He moved forward to meet them, and they each threw another spear before moving forward to meet him.

They were only about a meter and a half tall, and quite thin.  They resembled humanoid frogs more than anything else he could think of.  Each held a thicker spear than the ones they’d thrown at him.  They approached together, spears held low and threateningly.  As soon as they entered range, the one on his right (his shield side) thrust at his face.  He blocked the attack with his shield, but as he did, the other one thrust low at his groin.  He didn’t see the thrust coming because he’d blinded himself with his own shield.  The spear struck his faulds and pierced them.  The point lodged in his abdomen for a moment before the creature withdrew it with a twist.

A thin trickle of blood ran down his leg before his Coagulation Technique stopped the bleeding.  He stepped forward with his left leg, wincing a bit with the pain, and cut at the left creature’s head.  It leaned aside casually, and he continued the cut, chopping the blade at its hip.  It faded back, just out of his reach.  From low ward, he lunged forward, thrusting at its abdomen, keeping his shield between himself and the creature on his right.

Duncan’s thrust found its target and created a deep wound in the creature’s belly.  It made a loud croaking noise and folded over his sword.  He recovered his lunge, and the creature followed his withdrawing sword, thrusting its spear under his blade.
These things are skilled.  Maybe as good as me with a spear.
Duncan twisted his hips to the right to avoid the thrust and drew his left leg back to restore his balance.  The creature on his right thrust again against his shield, trying to throw him off balance, but his shield absorbed its momentum, and the attack had no effect.

He cut down at the arm on the spear that had just missed him and took it off at the wrist.  The creature gave out another pained cry and withdrew further.  He turned to his right and thrust under his shield as he stepped into the second creature.  His blade took it in the belly, and now both foes had serious wounds.  He withdrew his sword and brought it around and over his head in a horizontal cut over his shield.  He caught the frogman in the side of the head, and it crumpled to the ground.

The remaining creature had readjusted its grip on its spear and jabbed at Duncan one-handed as he pressed forward.  He took the point on his shield, and threw another reverse cut over it at the monster’s head, and it fell as its companion had done.
I wonder if they all have a weakness for that off-side cut…

He looted the bodies, finding some bone jewelry and pouches containing some stones.  He moved deeper into the caves, gradually moving better as his Regeneration Technique repaired his hip wound.  He entered a larger cave, gently illuminated by some glowing lichen on the roof, and saw four more of the frogmen poking in the earth with sticks.  They saw him a moment later, and scooped up spears, which they began hurling at him. He ran at them in a crooked line, dodging some spears and blocking others with his shield or cutting them out of the air with his sword.

Two of the monsters leapt forward to meet him, while the other two spread out, hurling more spears.  Duncan didn’t give the approaching pair the chance to use their tactics the way the previous pair had.  He used Mind Spike to stun one, stepped outside the second’s line of attack and cut at its head.  It ducked under his swing and he barreled into it, knocking it over, then turned and thrust his sword into the side of the creature recovering from being stunned.  Blood flowed and the creature emitted a pained warble.

A spear shattered against his cuirass and Duncan kept moving.  He cut down at the leg of the wounded frogman in front of him, then turned to press the one just standing up.  A Mind Spike stunned it and he thrust to its throat, almost taking its head off.  He turned to finish off the wounded monster and took two more spears from behind as he did.  One pierced the weaker armor at the back of his knee, and his leg gave out momentarily.  He used Destrin’s Restoration and cut at the body of the wounded frogman, which blocked with the haft of its spear.  The spear shattered, and Duncan’s sword disembowelled the monster.

The two remaining frogmen closed on him, but had no answer to his Mind Spikes, and he cut them down one after the other.  He looted more bone jewelry and pouches of stones, and continued his exploration, continuing to choose the left path whenever he had a choice.  He came to a long staircase down, but left it alone, not having cleared even a small portion of the floor he was on.

Duncan came to another large cavern a few minutes later and saw three more of the frogmen and what appeared to be a massively obese ogre.  The ogre-like thing started to charge across the room, whilst two of the frogmen began hurling spears at him.  The third frogman opened its arms as though it wanted a hug, and a stream of some sort of liquid shot across the cave at him.

Duncan sidestepped the ranged attacks.
You revealed your caster too early!
Still, he couldn’t ignore the fat ogre charging at him.  He waited until the ogre had almost reached him, then Blinked past it to the caster.  The mage’s reflexes were almost good enough to let it dodge his thrust, but he caught enough of it as the creature twisted away.  Blood sprayed and it cried out.  The two spearmen acted together, and Duncan had to yield ground to prevent himself being skewered.

He used Mind Spike on the caster again, then Blinked to it and put his sword through its throat.  He spun in time to take one spear on his shield, but the other slammed into the center of his cuirass, where it shattered.  He threw a horizontal cut at the spear-less frogman, but it ducked away.  He rolled his cut, bringing his hilt around his head, and cut straight down at the frogman whose blow he’d blocked.  It raised its spear to block, but the blade sheared straight through the shaft of the spear and into the creature’s head.  As it dropped, he rushed the remaining spearman, who was scrambling to pick up another spear from the ground.

A shower of green liquid hit him along with an absolutely nauseating smell.  The liquid ate away at his armor at a disturbingly rapid pace.  Then the obese ogre barrelled into Duncan from his blind side, knocking him flying.  Duncan rolled to his feet, used Mind Spike on the ogre-thing, Blinked to it, and stabbed it in the throat.  To his great surprise, the thing’s rubbery skin held firm, and his blade slid past, leaving only a shallow cut on its neck.

Duncan’s eyes were watering at the stench from the liquid covering him and he had to blink repeatedly to clear his vision.  The frogman, having recovered a spear, stabbed Duncan with it, aiming for his groin.  The spear tore into his hip flexor.
That’s twice they’ve hit me there.  For monsters that run around naked, they sure know a lot about where plate armor is weak.
He used Destrin’s Restoration, then a Mind Spike, then a thrust to its throat.

Alright, just the big rubber ball to go.
The hefty ogre reached out and grabbed Duncan’s shield.  It stopped the attack’s momentum, but it still had a hold on his shield.  Duncan Blinked away, abandoning his shield, just as the creature vomited a mass of green bile where he’d been a moment earlier.
Gah!  That would have been nasty.

The ogre hurled the rose quartz shield aside as it closed on Duncan again.  He used Mind Spike to stun it again, stepped behind it and delivered a slashing draw-cut to the back of its knee.  Tendons damaged, the monster struggled to keep its feet as it tried to turn to face the swordsman.  Duncan turned with it, cutting at the back of the knee a second time, and the leg gave way.  The creature flailed at Duncan with an arm, clipping his shoulder and spinning him to the ground.

Duncan stood and circled around the crippled monster until he reached his shield.  Once he’d recovered the shield, he stepped in to finish the ogre, only to have it vomit more bile at him at close range.  The bile coated his armor, and once more the fumes made his eyes water.  He backpedaled and blinked away his tears.  His armor was rapidly becoming ineffective due to the corrosive effects of the bile.  Duncan chided himself for thinking the fight was over and getting caught.  He Blinked behind the monster and sliced at the back of its neck.  He stayed behind it as it tried to twist to face him, cutting again and again at its neck until it fell.

Removing a gourd of water from his storage space, Duncan rinsed off his armor, then fed it mana for a short while.  Then he looted the monsters, getting what appeared to be a Technique stone on a thong around the ogre’s neck.  Afterwards, he finished repairing his armor, and paused for a while to recover mana.
It’s getting late. One or two more fights, then I head back out for the day.

He moved into the next cavern, and found a big frogman, two normal-sized frogmen, and two of the obese ogre things waiting for him. The ogres charged.  None of the frogmen threw spears, which was a bit worrisome.
Casters?
Duncan waited until the ogres were upon him, then Blinked to one of the presumed casters and hit it with a Mind Spike and then a thrust to the neck.  He stepped around it so that it was between him and the other frogmen.
I have maybe fifteen seconds before the ogres get back here.
He hacked at the back of its leg as he stepped around it, and it crumpled.
Maybe not dead, he thought, and stabbed it while it was down.

The big frogman had a boar spear with a thick shaft and a leaf-bladed head.  It lunged at Duncan, and he stopped the attack dead with his shield.  He almost laughed out loud at the confused look on the frogman’s face as he cut at it with the off-side cut over his shield edge that had fooled the first two frogmen he’d fought.  The monster blocked the cut with the blade of his spear, then swept the butt of the spear up between Duncan’s legs, but his shield was there to absorb the blow.

Duncan circled to his left so he could see the ogres approaching.  The second caster frogman blasted him with an acid Technique.
Not as bad as the ogre bile, at least.
As the ogres arrived, Duncan Blinked all the way to the far side of the cave.  He rested a moment as the ogres had to turn around and run at him again.
They are incredibly stupid, he thought.  When they arrived, he Blinked most of the way to the frogmen, and hit the one getting to its feet with a Mind Spike.  It fell again and didn’t move.

The big frogman leapt across the distance between them.  Rather than let it hit him, Duncan Blinked to the other caster, and used his Mind Spike Technique again, then stabbed it in the throat.

The ogres thundered up to him and he dodged past them as they both vomited at him.  He used a draw cut to sever the tendons of the one he passed closest to.
Hey, if you find a strategy that works and they don’t react to it, use it to win.

The big frogman’s boar spear took him in the side, punching right through his armor and Hardened Skin.  With a scream, Duncan Blinked to the far side of the cavern and used Destrin’s Restoration.
Wow, he treated me like I treat goblins.
He re-oriented himself as the frogman leapt the thirty-meter gap between them.  Duncan hit him with a Mind Spike mid-air and when the monster slammed into the ground, Duncan stabbed him in the back, shredding his organs with Blade Echoes.  He repeated the Mind Spike and stab twice more before an arriving ogre forced him to move.  The second ogre was limping and had fallen behind.

Duncan blinked to the caster with the ruined neck and finished it off.   The big frogman had regained its feet but was unsteady and looked like it was about to fall over again.  The ogres were charging at him again.
I almost feel sorry for these guys.
As they arrived, he Blinked to about five meters from the frogman, not wanting to risk getting impaled on that boar spear again.  One more Mind Spike and a thrust to the throat, and the frogman died.

I still have more than half my mana left…
Duncan Blinked to the limping ogre, stunned it with a Mind Spike, and sliced the back of its knee some more.  Then he drew the agile one away, stunned that one, and repeated the hamstring process.  He then killed each in turn by staying behind them and slicing at their necks.  He retrieved another Technique Stone, the big frogman’s boar spear, and three pouches of little stones from the frogmen. He fed mana into his armor to repair the gaping hole the boar spear had made and retraced his steps to find the dungeon entrance.

Once outside, it was a short jog back to town, although he’d misjudged the time, and it was full dark before he got there.  Fortunately, his dungeon light worked just as well outside as it did in dungeons.  He took his loot to the appraisal office, where Pelleas was reading his scrolls all alone.   Pelleas activated the privacy ward and said, “Did you go back to the Forest Glade?”

Duncan laughed, “Not a chance.  I explored a little bit of the Endless Depths.  Fought some frogmen who were really good with spears, and some obese ogres who vomited acid at me.”  He placed all the little bags of stones he’d taken from the frogmen on the counter.  “The frogmen were all collecting these stones.  I hope they’re not just for slingshots.  I also got a couple of Technique stones, I think, and a boar spear that absolutely shredded my armor.”

Pelleas shook his head, “You really did enter the Endless Depths alone at level twenty-eight.  Oh, I know, your gear and Affinities make you more like a thirty-eight when compared to normal adventurers, but that dungeon kills dozens of level forty and fifty adventurers every year.  And they go in in groups.”  He sighed.  “Alright, let’s have a look. Twenty-three semi-precious stones.  The guild can offer you two gold for them.  Technique: Rubber Skin.  Body Affinity. Passive.  Caster’s body becomes rubbery, and resists impacts of all kinds. Uncommon.  The guild can offer you two gold.  It makes you fat and ugly, so not a lot of people use it.  It would synergize with your Hardened Skin, but you’re already down to two open passive slots.

“Technique: Ice Cage. Ice affinity. Active.  Target imprisoned in a cage of ice.  Durability and duration of cage dictated by Rank and Affinity. Uncommon.  The guild can offer you three gold.  Corrupted Boar Spear of Penetration.  Blade and Decay Affinities.  Ignores armor, adds a damage over time effect to wounds it inflicts.  Very rare.  The guild can offer you forty gold.  That’s a lovely spear.”

Duncan grinned.  “So, three hours in the Forest Glade gets me a gold.  Three hours in the Endless Depths gets me forty-seven.”

“If you don’t die in there, you shall surely advance quickly.  What did you get the spear from?” Pelleas asked.

“An oversized frogman.”

“So a mossfoot chief, most likely.  How did it not kill you?”

“Well, it had two frogmen mages and two super fat vomit ogres with it,” Duncan began.

“You mean two mossfoot spellcasters and two vile belchers,” corrected Pelleas.

“Sure.  The belchers ran up to me, so I used Blink to skip them and attacked the spellcasters.  The chief stabbed me with that spear so hard it almost came out the other side.  So, I decided it was the most dangerous thing, and used Blink and Mind Spike a lot, and I stabbed it whenever it was stunned.  Then I finished off the others.  The belchers never learned.  All they did was charge at me.”

“I’d like to add the gold I got from today’s loot to my account.”   Duncan thanked Pelleas and took his leave.  He returned to the Inn and paid for a week in advance.  The Endless Depths seemed like it would be a good dungeon to explore, and he had a delivery coming.  After a pleasant meal, he spent the evening meditating in his room.

It feels like I could advance my Techniques a lot in the Endless Depths.  The top floor feels challenging right now, and there are lots more below.  I like Pelleas and Amy seems nice enough.  There’s nothing wrong with this little town.  The Forest Glade dungeon was a bit of a letdown, but I said I’d clear it a few times, so I’ll see what else it has to offer tomorrow morning, then try the Endless Depths again in the afternoon.

*     *     *

The following morning Duncan arrived at the Forest Glade dungeon bright and early.  He entered and began clearing out the squirrels in the woods.  No massive worms attacked him today, for which he was grateful.  Instead, a swarm of one and a half meter tall furry humanoids with foxlike faces charged at him out of nowhere, yipping and yelping with enough volume to make him cringe.  They had long claws on both their hands and feet.

Bladestorm would be nice right about now. Foxfaces everywhere.
Duncan’s sword could cut right through the creatures – they seemed about on par with goblins in terms of individual strength – but there had to be a hundred swarming around him.  The ground grew slippery with blood and Duncan had to move several times to avoid standing on corpses whenever he took a step.  The creatures couldn’t hurt him through his armor, so he felt like this was more of an extermination than a fight.

As the number of foes dwindled, additional yipping alerted him to a second wave.  These were significantly bigger than the previous creatures, but otherwise identical.  There were perhaps fifty of them.  They clawed with all four limbs, and their feet could scratch his armor, but he felt pretty safe.

A third wave of even bigger versions started to worry him.  There were only twenty or so, but they were almost as big as him, and they could hurt him if they caught him just right.  He was cut a few times by blows that struck less well-protected areas.  He had phenomenal stamina regeneration, but he was beginning to get tired.

A fourth wave, comprised of a dozen yet larger versions, had him using his Techniques for the first time.  He used Blade Echo on his swings to ensure the creatures died in a single attack.  He’d been cut a dozen times, but his Regeneration Technique was keeping him healthy without having to use Destrin’s Restoration.  He was almost at full mana, still.

The fifth wave had only four creatures, yet they were all two meters tall, and they fought with skill and tactics instead of just throwing themselves at him.  He added Mind Spikes to his attacks, ensuring his targets couldn’t block or dodge his attacks.

After the fifth wave, he had a few moments to take some breaths.  And then something slammed into his back and knocked him over.  A creature stood over him and kicked his side, caving his armor in a little.  Duncan Blinked away and turned to see two even larger foxfaces.  They wore tooled leather armor and their claws glittered.

Duncan climbed to his feet, then hit one with a Mind Spike as they both leapt at him.  He met the second one’s charge with his shield, stopping it dead, and thrust his sword into its side, then Blinked ten meters away and turned to face his attackers.  They approached more slowly now, staying together.  As they came into range of his sword, he repeated the Mind Spike attack, and engaged the wounded one.  He blocked one claw with his shield and stabbed the monster again.  Its second claw struck his helmet and peeled it open, cutting his scalp right to the bone.

Duncan Blinked past them and used Destrin’s Restoration as he turned to face them again.  The sudden rush of energy surprised him.
Oh! It supercharges my Regeneration Technique.  And that affects my Stamina as well as my Health!
The foxfaces approached him again, spreading out this time to come at him from two sides.
Hey, you can learn, and try new things.  Not gonna help, though.
He used Mind Spike on one, then the other, then stepped up and cut the wounded one deeply with a rising cut to the inside thigh.  He stepped past it and turned to face the pair as the stun effect wore off.

The foxfaces lunged at him, all aggression all of a sudden. He stunned the unwounded one, and sidestepped the second, blocking with his shield and lashing out at its side again with his sword.  It staggered past him, and he turned and drove his sword into its back.

Two claws smashed through his cuirass and wrecked his ribcage and lungs.  He used Destrin’s Restoration instantly, thankful he didn’t pass out from the shock.  It took a staggering amount of his mana to heal, and he Blinked forward a full forty meters to gain some time to recover. He turned to see the creature charging at him full-speed.  He hit it with a strong Mind Spike, and when it pitched forward, stunned, he cut at its neck repeatedly, stunning it a second time when it tried to get up.

When it died, he heard a furious yipping noise in the distance, drawing closer quickly.  A three-meter-tall foxface with a row of dugs visible down its belly stepped into sight and howled.  The sound gave him chills.
Ok, here comes mama foxface.  I hope it’s the last one.  I can’t afford any mistakes like turning my back on one to finish off another as in the last fight.  If this one hits me like that, I die.

The large foxface charged at him.
I’ll take that.
He hit it with a Mind Spike when it was five meters away and it plowed into the soil at his feet.  He cut at its neck, then stepped forward and cut at the back of its knee, then Blinked twenty meters away.  He turned to watch it rise.  It came at him more slowly this time, slightly favoring the leg he’d cut, blood leaking from the wound on its neck.  Again, he used Mind Spike, then stepped behind it to attack the knee again before retreating quickly.

It turned to face him, putting no weight on the wounded leg.  It glared at him balefully before bending to put its hands on the ground.  On three legs, it moved towards him at an angle.  Another Mind Spike, another cut at the neck, now that it was low enough to reach.  And another Blink away to avoid those claws.

It took three more repetitions to finish off the monster.
How do I loot all these?  There’s almost two hundred of them.
He heard a noise and spun to see a group of ten city guards some distance back.  They were staring at the corpse-littered field and at him.  “Oh, hi fellas,” he shouted.  “You might want to head out and come back another time.  The dungeon’s a little more dangerous than usual today.”  Without a word, they backed away, then turned and ran for the exit.

Duncan found a thong around the mama foxface’s neck with three stones attached.
Three!  I wonder if they’re all Technique stones.
He cut the claws off the mama foxface and the two that had immediately preceded her, the ones with the glittering claws.  He looked around at the rest and sighed, then walked away.

The rest of the dungeon was normal.  He cut his way through the dragonflies and the rabbit warren and lopped off the boss rabbit’s ears as proof he’d killed it, then he returned to town.   Entering the guild hall, he approached Amy, who was alone at the desk.  “Hi Amy.  I think I need to apologize to the town guards.  I didn’t know they’d be in the Forest Glade this morning, and I was clearing it out when they came in.  There was a rare spawn or something in there, and I think they saw me kill it.  I warned them that the dungeon was a little more dangerous than normal this morning, and suggested they leave.  They didn’t say anything, but I might have been offended, in their shoes.”

Amy stared at him for a moment, then said.  “I will inform the officer in charge of this branch.  He will doubtless be able to smooth things over with the guard.  Should he wish to speak with you, where will you be?”

She’s gone all formal.  Uh oh.
“I’ll be visiting the appraisal office to turn in my loot.  Perhaps Pelleas will be able to let me know what I fought.”

“Very well, thank you for informing us,” Amy said.

Duncan entered the appraisal office.
Is there ever anyone here but me?
Pelleas looked up from his scrolls and activated the privacy ward.  “How can I help you this morning Duncan?”

“I just came from the Forest Glade dungeon.  It was quite a bit more exciting this morning than yesterday.  Instead of the big toothy worms trying to swallow me whole, I ran into a swarm of fox-faced humanoids.  I mean, they were like short furry people with big claws and fox faces.  The first hundred were only about a meter tall, but the next fifty were bigger, and there were twenty bigger ones, then twelve bigger yet, then four large ones, then two very large ones, then one huge one.  I took the claws from the last three because they were different than the rest.”  He put the claws on the counter. “Oh, and here’s the proof I killed the rabbit boss again,” he said, adding the ears. “Oh, and the big mama foxface at the end had this,” he concluded, putting the thong with the three stones on the counter.

Pelleas said, “Dungeons really do respond differently to you, don’t they?  The worms yesterday were very unusual. But Foxen Swarmers have no business being in a dungeon ranked at level twenty.  Or level thirty, for that matter.  A Foxen Swarmer Matriarch wouldn’t be out of place in a level forty or even fifty dungeon, depending on the size of her swarm. But let’s get to the identification for you.”

“Twenty glittering claws from Foxen Elite Swarm Guards.  The guild can offer you five gold for them.  Ten claws from a Foxen Swarmer Matriarch. The guild can offer you five gold for them.  As you probably noticed, they are very strong and can cut through hardened truesteel armor with ease.”  Duncan nodded, and Pelleas continued, “Technique: Surge of Agility.  Body Affinity.  Active.  Temporarily increases caster’s agility by a significant amount.  Increase, cost and Duration dependent on Affinity and Rank. Common.  The guild can offer you one gold. Technique: Mathilde’s Boon. Healing Affinity. Active. Heals one target within range.  Amount of heal, cost, and range dependent on Affinity and Rank.  Common.  The guild can offer two gold.  Technique: Sunder armor.  Blade Affinity. Active.  Attacks with a bladed weapon can partially ignore target’s armor.  Cost and amount of armor ignored dependent on Affinity and Rank.  Uncommon, popular.  The guild can offer five gold.”

Duncan picked up the Surge of Agility.  “This was part of the build Repdam helped me with.  I didn’t buy it earlier because I’m unable to use more than one concurrent Technique, still.”

Pelleas nodded.  “And with Fold Space, Blade Echo, and Flying Sword, chances are you won’t be able to use that Surge effectively for at least another fifty levels.  Your Body Affinity means you’ll be ridiculously strong and agile without ever using any Surge Techniques.  It is my recommendation that you don’t train this Technique at all, or at the very least, not yet.”

That makes sense.
“Alright,” said Duncan, “I’ll sell it for now.  I can always buy it when I have more concurrent active Techniques, and more spare gold.  What about Sunder Armor?  It’s active, so the same arguments apply.  It sounds very useful, though – the same sort of effect as using a Spirit Sword or Mind Sword.  Although it requires a Technique rather than gear.  And I’ve just talked myself out of it.  So that’s another… eighteen gold to deposit.  Oh, while I’m thinking of it, do you think I should get a perception Technique?  It feels like being able to see in the dark would be very useful.  Also, do you know anywhere I can train my weapon skills?  I’m pretty good with a blade, but I can’t call myself a blade master by any stretch of the imagination.”

“You only have two passive Technique slots unused.  While I agree that some sort of darkvision is a good idea – your Shadow affinity is high enough for Shadow Sight to be very effective, for example – I don’t know that you should cut down your future options.  Maybe if you hadn’t wasted a passive on Coagulation…”

Duncan winced, “In fairness, back home, a moderate Affinity isn’t considered worth having a Technique for, so I was never expected to take a Healing Technique.  I just found it really useful when I decided to delve solo.  Without a Healing Technique, Coagulation has more value.”

“True enough,” said Pelleas.  “I honestly can’t think of two more Passive Techniques that would be more useful than Shadow Sight.  At rank six, it won’t let you see invisible beings, but you’ll be able to see in full dark.”

“How much is that on the Technique Exchange?” asked Duncan.

Pelleas looked it up.  “Eight gold.”

“And there’s no better Perception Technique for me?”

Pelleas thought a moment.  “There’s a Technique that lets you sense minute shifts in gravity, but your Gravity Affinity is poor.  Sense Life is a good one, but your Life Affinity is too weak.  Spirit Sense is good for detecting people and creatures, but it doesn’t let you see in the dark at all.  So, do you want to be able to see in the dark, or see hidden people or spirits?   As to weapons training, give me some time to think about it.  There are many places you could go, but far fewer where you’d be welcome and well-trained.”

“Both types of perception seem valuable, but it’s the seeing in the dark Technique I’ve been feeling I’m missing.  Do you think it could arrive the same time as the others if I order it now?”
Really, no point in waiting.  There’s no downside to being able to see in the dark.

“No need, in this case.  We have Shadow Sight available here.  I can provide it immediately,” said Pelleas.

“Well then, I’ll take the Technique and deposit only ten gold.” Duncan took the Technique that Pelleas offered and absorbed it on the spot.

“I will think on your weapons training.  In the meantime, do be careful with your dungeon runs.”  Pelleas deactivated the privacy ward and Duncan waved goodbye as he left.

Outside the door, a
Level 75 Warrior was waiting. “Duncan of the Valley?” he asked.  He was a large man, almost Duncan’s size, with piercing blue eyes and thatch of straw colored hair.

“Yes, sir.”
Is this Amy’s dad, or some random high-level adventurer here to ruin my day?

“I am Zach, head of this branch of the Adventurers Guild.  I’ve just heard from the town guards that some adventurer was slaughtering an army of monsters in the Forest Glade and told them to leave because it was too dangerous.  They’re a bit upset about that.  And then Amy tells me it was you, which, given your level, doesn’t make a lot of sense.”

“Ah.  Can we step back into the appraisal office?  I’ve just turned in some loot that will back up my story.” Duncan led Zach back into the appraisal area.  Pelleas looked up, raising an eyebrow. “Sorry, Pelleas, some town guards caught the end of my fight with the Foxen swarm and I told them the dungeon wasn’t safe for them right then.”

Zach pinched the bridge of his nose.  “A Foxen swarm in the Forest Glade…  First off, what were you doing in there alone at your level?”

“Your wife asked me to clear it, sir.” Duncan replied.  Zach’s eyes grew wide, and Duncan hurriedly continued, “She said she was going away for a few days and said that no one else ever cleared it because it’s such a pathetic dungeon, although I don’t think she used those exact words.  Anyway, she asked me to clear it a few times while she was gone and arranged for Pelleas to pay me a gold coin each time I brought back proof I’d killed the big rabbit in the warren.”

“I will circle back to that,” Zach sighed.  “Now, what’s this about a Foxen swarm?”

“I entered the dungeon this morning and started clearing out the squirrels.  But in the place where the big toothy worms were yesterday, I was attacked by about a hundred furry little foxfaced dudes which Pelleas said were Foxen swarmers. Then there were about fifty bigger ones, and twenty even bigger ones, and twelve quite big ones, then four fairly tough ones, then two really tough ones, then this one huge one.  I didn’t notice the guardsmen until after I’d killed the last one – they were approaching from behind me.  I didn’t intend to offend them, but if the dungeon had rare spawns, I didn’t think they’d do well, given they consider the normal dungeon a challenge.  But the rest of the dungeon was normal.”

Zach turned to Pelleas, “And you can confirm his story?”

Pelleas said, “The guild purchased the claws from a Foxen Swarmer Matriarch and the claws from two Foxen Elite Swarm Guards from him today.”

Zach said, “No point in discussing this here. Let’s go get a drink.  Pelleas, join us?”  And so, the three of them retired to the common room for a talk.  Duncan waved to Amy as they passed her desk.  They sat at a table in the corner, in case anyone came in who might overhear or want to approach the branch head, Duncan supposed.  The barkeep brought them drinks, and Duncan settled in for an interrogation.

Before they could begin, Andrea entered the room and joined them at the table.  “I want to hear this, too,” she said.  At Zach’s pained look, she continued, “Amy’s been trying to talk him into taking her into the dungeon.  I just wanted to see what he was made of.”

Duncan said, “I thought you said you were leaving town for a trip.”

“I lied.”  No hint of shame or embarrassment.
Alright then.

“Wait,” he said, “You made me go in that boring dungeon for no reason?  I was going to skip it entirely and just delve the Endless Depths.  I already told Amy I wouldn’t take her in there because I’m built for solo delving and have no way to protect her.”

“She might have convinced you,” Andrea replied.  “Better to get ahead of these things.”

“And Foxen swarms and toothy worms aren’t exactly boring,” added Pelleas.

“Genussian Borers,” corrected Andrea.

“You were watching me?  Maybe I do need a perception Technique for detecting invisible people,” Duncan said.  “And the worms were boring.  They had one trick.”

“One of them swallowed you whole,” said Andrea.

“One trick.” Duncan was adamant.

Zach laughed.  “If I didn’t know you can’t lie about your level, and if you weren’t so very young, I’d swear you were fifty or more.”

“If I could lie about my level, I’d list it as fifty or more, just to avoid this exact issue.  Your level system is stupid.  It doesn’t take your Affinities into account, or your gear, or having good Techniques instead of shit ones, or your non-Technique skills.”

“What do you mean, ‘your system’,” asked Andrea.

“Where I’m from we don’t have soulgems.  I only have one because I was told I’d be arrested for not having one in the empire.”

“Why don’t you start from the beginning? Who are you, where are you from, and how did you come to be here, adventuring alone, young Duncan of the Valley?” said Zach.

So much for delving the Endless Depths this afternoon.
Duncan sighed.  “It’s a bit of a long story.  I’m from an isolated valley.  I don’t know its name, or where it is in relation to the rest of the world.  I got blown through a teleport portal or gate or whatever in a dungeon and ended up in the middle of nowhere.”

“I wandered around for a while and came to Axford.  I was in my adventuring armor, and the guard thought I was some sort of monster because he couldn’t identify me.  So they made me use a soulgem, and it said I was a level twelve warrior.  Some local bully wanted to take my armor, so the mayor said I should move on.  So I left, but there was a low level dungeon nearby, kobolds maybe, and some giant frogs.  Anyway, I cleared the dungeon, but when I left, the bully and two of his friends were waiting for me.  They tried to kill me for my gear.”

Zach leaned forward, “What happened?  What level were they?”

“I killed them and threw their bodies in the dungeon.  Two tens and an eleven, I think.  Anyway, that’s why I wear generic leather armor in towns now.  I don’t want higher level people trying to take my armor from me.  Amy tells me that adventurers don’t do that sort of thing to each other, but in my experience, they do. Some drunken adventurer in a roadside Inn demanded I hand it over, too.”

Zach nodded.  “Your experience is unusual, but not entirely unheard of.  The guild investigates when it suspects foul play, and guilty parties are executed, but we know that there are predatory adventurers out there who attack other groups.  Solo adventurers are probably more at risk, but there are so few solo adventurers that we can’t be sure.  If a solo adventurer dies in a dungeon, chances are it’s the dungeon that killed them.  Same with a full party disappearance.  We have to assume the dungeon got them unless someone shows up with their gear.”

“Anyway, from Axford I wandered around a bit more, and wound up in Lydham.  I joined the Adventurers Guild there, because delving is all I know, really.  I did join a group for a delve in a level fifteen dungeon, and they seemed nice, but we were attacked by a pseudo hydra and I fought instead of running.  They helped, but afterwards, they accused me of being reckless, so I knew that wasn’t going to work out.  Also, I have a storage Technique, and someone warned me that people would think it’s a storage item and covet that, too.  So, for the past couple of months, I’ve been solo delving dungeons, and just wandering around, seeing this little part of the world.”

“You fought a pseudo hydra in a level fifteen dungeon.  When you were level twelve?  And won?” said Zach.

“I think I was level fifteen by then.  And like I said, I have good armor, and my Technique build is strong. I soloed the gnasher fortress dungeon Northwest of here at twenty-two.  That’s how I got to twenty-eight, actually.  The level ratings for dungeons that the guild uses seem to be really conservative.”

“So, why, exactly, do you solo delve?” asked Andrea. “And why do you call it delving?  I mean, the term’s accurate, and the Adventurers Guild used to be the Delvers Guild, but that changed hundreds of years ago when we started posting jobs for adventurers instead of just clearing dungeons.  It’s only some really old officers who still call it delving.”

“At first, I didn’t want people trying to kill me for my gear.  But also, I advance faster when I delve solo.  And I don’t have to share the loot I find.  And I don’t have to risk my companions dying because they’re weak.  I did a solo delve in the Endless Depths yesterday at level twenty-eight.  But can you imagine a guild group of level thirty-five adventurers bring a twenty-eight with them?  And honestly, a weak group of thirty-fives would probably die to the rare monsters I tend to encounter.”

“As to why I call it delving, that’s what we call it back in the valley,” Duncan concluded.

The three locals looked at each other for a moment. Zach laughed. “So, three months ago you were level twelve, and you’ve been solo delving in dungeons over your level to advance quickly.  You have extremely good gear for your level, and you worry about people coveting it and trying to take it.  And you don’t want to group with people near your level because they’re weak, and you’d have to split your loot with them, and would advance more slowly due to the lesser risk.”

“How in the hells am I supposed to convince someone like you to find a party to group with?  By level thirty, most groups are well-established, too, and you haven’t made any friends on the way up, because you haven’t really met anyone in the really short time you’ve been here. Also, you’re seventeen, and most level thirty adventurers are significantly older than you. Guild doctrine is that grouping up is the right move for every adventurer, but I honestly can’t think of a way to convince you of that.”

“And that’s a real shame,” Zach continued, “Because, no matter how good you are, solo delving, especially in dungeons above your level, will get you killed, and probably soon.”

Duncan shrugged.  “I didn’t start out to be a solo delver.  I always delved in groups back home.  But that’s a much smaller community.  And I don’t take crazy risks.  If I could find someone as capable as me at about my level, and I felt I could trust them, I would be happy to work with them.  Hey, since we’ve established that I’m not from around here, would you answer some generic questions for me?”

“Ask away,” said Zach.

“The town guards I’ve seen are mostly around level twenty.  Merchants seem to be in the low teens.  The only high-level people I’ve seen have been Adventurers Guild officers. Is that normal?  If so, why?”

“That’s pretty typical, yeah.”  Zach explained, “Most people only have a few Techniques if they’re crafters or tradesmen.  Guards have a few more, but they tend to be guards because they’re more risk-averse than adventurers.  Even most adventurers retire around level thirty.  By then, they’ve generally saved up enough of a nest egg to live on comfortably for the rest of their lives and have had enough close calls to decide that’s enough.”

“I see,” said Duncan.  “So how many high-level adventurers are there around?”

“Maybe a hundred thousand in the empire.  We’re a very small percentage of the population, but the population is in the tens of millions,” Zach said.

That’s a mind-boggling number.
“I had no idea.  All I’ve seen of the empire is a few small cities and towns.”

“There are much bigger cities on the major waterways and closer to the coasts.  You’ve only seen what I’d call the interior frontier.  We’re barely a part of the empire, here.”

“Okay,” said Duncan, “What is an empire, and what are nobles?  People keep asking me if I’m some noble’s kid.”

“Wow, uh, ok,” began Zach. “An empire is a political entity.  It’s the land we live on, and the people who live on the land.  The nobility are the ruling class, and the emperor is the most powerful noble.  The nobles are rich families who provide military support to the emperor and empire.  Their rank is hereditary.”

“What a fucked-up system,” said Duncan.  “So, for my purposes, nobles are influential people whom I should avoid, and if I can’t avoid them, I should try not to antagonize them.”

Andrea laughed merrily.  “That’s not wrong.  Young nobles are often entitled little assholes, too, willing to throw their family name around to make people do what they want.  They also tend to have good equipment, lots of money, and their own personal guards.”

“How big is the empire?  Are there more empires out there?  Is it like that everywhere?”

Pelleas answered, “The empire is around half a million square kilometers.  I know that’s an unreasonable number.  Suffice it to say it would take several months to walk across it from either East to West or North to South.  Yet it is not the only empire in the world, nor the biggest.  There are hundreds of other empires and kingdoms (kingdoms are less pretentious empires that tend to be smaller).”

“I hear the Endless Depths makes this place popular with high level adventurers.  Yet I don’t think I’ve seen any here at all since I arrived.  My inn’s almost empty, too.  Where is everyone?” asked Duncan.

“Many groups fly directly to the dungeon and sleep in the stairwells while they delve for days on end.  After level fifty, storage items aren’t all that rare anymore, and almost every group has one, so they only need to come to town to restock on food and sell their loot every once in a while.  That said, the inns and things were built as much to serve the caravans that occasionally travel to the Elven and Dwarven kingdoms beyond.  Most are run by retired adventurers who are just as happy not to have any guests.”

The group spent several more hours chatting, and Duncan learned about the geography and political state of the empire and the surrounding lands.  That night, as he meditated, he considered what he’d learned.  And he focused on moving his mana through his body in a series of loops.  It felt easier and easier the more he did it.

I almost wish I had good people to group with for delving.  But it sounds like that’s unlikely.  My affinities make me an outlier, and I don’t want to slow down my advancement just for the sake of some company in a dungeon. Buying Shadow Sight bought me a level.  Let’s see what I look like now.

Name:

Duncan

Class:

Warrior

Level:

30 (+2)

Profession:

Adventurer

Strength:

128 (+4)

Intelligence:

73

Dexterity:

110 (+4)

Wisdom:

59 (+1)

Agility:

120 (+3)

Endurance:

124 (+4)

Concurrent Active Techniques:

2 (+1)

Health:

8480 (+480)

Health Regen:

2100/hour (+420)

Stamina:

1540 (+60)

Stam Regen:

6000/hour (+400)

Mana:

7560 (+367)

Mana Regen:

3360/hour (+87)

Mana Reserved:

651

Affinities:

Body

Outstanding

Death

weak

Mind

Strong

Lava

weak

Spirit

Strong

Gravity

weak

Fire

weak

Poison

negligible

Air

weak

Blade

Outstanding

Water

weak

Ice

weak

Earth

moderate

Decay

weak

Stone

moderate

Soul

moderate

Lightning

weak

Corrosion

negligible

Gemstone

moderate

Space

Outstanding

Nature

negligible

Healing

moderate

Life

weak

Shadow

moderate

Metal

moderate

Blood

negligible

Techniques

Active

Rank

Passive

Rank

Blade Echo

4

Tempered Blade

4

Fold Space

2

Regeneration

3

Blink

3(+1)

Coagulation

2

Mind Spike

2

Hardened Skin

2

Destrin's Restoration

2

Tranquil Mind

1

Spiritual Shield

1

Personal Space Pocket

2

Ignore Pain

1

Shadow Sight

1 (+1)

Skills

Rank

1H swords

4

Plate armor

2

2H swords

4

Mail armor

1

1H axes

3

Leather armor

3

2H axes

3

Anatomy

2

Shields

3

Survival

2

Spears

4

Skinning

1

Daggers

3

Meditation

2

Bows

3

Swimming

1

Tracking

1

Riding

1

Oh, Blink advanced as well.  The cost is down further to fifty-six mana per cast.  80m range, now, too. And I can change my facing when I Blink?  That’s going to be brilliant.  Ooh! Two concurrent active Techniques.  So I can Blade Echo through a fold in space, or Blade Echo whilst flying, when I get my Flying Sword Technique.  And Blink whilst flying too… that’s a huge improvement in mobility.

Chapter 28

The next morning, Duncan went to pick up his new clothes, then headed off to the Endless Depths.
I might delve the Forest Glade dungeon for rare creatures from time to time, but the run of the mill monsters in there aren’t worth my time.
Inside the dungeon, he went down the same passageway he had before, to the Mossfoot area.
The frogmen and belchers are definitely still a threat to me.  I can learn more from fighting them again.
There was enough light from the luminescent lichen that his rank one Shadow Sight let him see the monsters without attracting extra attention by using his dungeon light. He wandered through the area all morning, fighting his way back to the chieftain’s cavern and beyond, but he never found another chieftain.  He returned to the entrance area and took the next passageway from there.

The passageway soon opened into a large cavern full of stalactites and stalagmites that all glowed with a faint amber hue.  The cavern extended for hundreds of meters.  As he moved through it, he saw the first of its denizens.  The creature looked like a lizard, but instead of four legs, it had only two, centrally located and ridiculously large.  It saw him and charged.  At a range of about ten meters, it opened its jaws to roar and spat lightning at him as it closed the distance further.
Oh, I don’t think I like these.

Duncan blocked an attempted bite with his shield and cut at the creature’s neck, drawing less blood than he’d hoped.  It spun away from him, whipping it’s tail around.  Duncan interposed his shield there, too, and the creature stopped spinning as his shield stole all its momentum.  He opened a fold in space directly beneath its belly and thrust through the fold.
This sort of thing is worthwhile now that I can use Blade Echo through a Folded Space.
His blade caused a lot of damage to the soft underbelly of the lizard and it jumped a good two meters straight up.  Duncan hit it with a Mind Spike while it was in the air, and when it crashed to the ground, he cut at its neck again.

Duncan’s muscles seized up for a moment as a lightning bolt hit him from behind.  He Blinked behind the lizard he was attacking, changing his facing so he was still facing it and the new threat.  A second lizard leapt through the air to join the fight.  He tried to keep the wounded lizard between him and the healthy one as he fought.  The creatures weren’t co-ordinated in their attacks, so he was able to keep them off him with his shield and finish them off without too much difficulty.
These are boring.  Or rather, they have no loot and no skills.  They’re dangerous, but I think I prefer humanoid foes.
He returned to the entrance chamber and chose another passage.

This time the passage led to an open cavern that appeared to contain a small town.  As he approached, Duncan could see humanoid figures walking about, both adult- and child-sized.  As he drew closer, he was able to better discern their features.  They seemed to be marionettes without strings, and as soon as they noticed him, they charged, their wooden feet clattering on the stone.

I wonder if they have minds
.  Duncan used Mind Spike on the biggest one as it approached, to no effect.  It wasn’t stunned, and it didn’t feel to him like there was anything there to hit.
I guess not.
The puppet people had no weapons, just attacking with their fists.  The ones he was able to block with his shield had no impact, but the ones that hit his armor were able to dent it.  His sword harmed them when it hit wood, and he was able to cut them apart.  There were no strings attaching the various parts of the creatures together – he could pass his sword through the gap between the head and shoulders of a creature without harming it.  Their eyes appeared to be semi-precious stones, so he pried those out of the bodies and stored them, along with the few copper bits each carried in a pouch at their waist.

He moved slowly but steadily through the town, killing small groups of marionettes as they attacked him.  Near a market plaza, two marionettes painted to look like guards attacked him with weapons.  Their weapons ended up being wooden, too.  Down one of the side streets leading from the market square, three of the marionettes used ranged Elemental Techniques.  He had to blink to them repeatedly as they ran away and only attacked from range.  He needed to heal himself quite a bit after that fight – the casters had run into other marionettes which had joined the fight.  It took him a little while to learn that if he stepped out of their line of sight instead of chasing them, they’d come looking for him.

There was a big manor house with half a dozen marionette guards at the gate.  He fought his way in and had to battle a family of marionettes that all wore little gold circlets and hit much harder than their guards.  A toddler-sized marionette almost shattered his kneecap.  Fortunately for him, while they were both tougher and stronger than normal marionettes, they didn’t have any new tactics or Techniques, and he was able to slay them.  The manor house had quite a few valuables in it, from little statues to a coffer of coins.  The little gold circlets appeared to be actual gold.  He also found a leather case holding four bottles of blue liquid.  All the loot went into his storage space.

At the back of the cavern, beyond the marionette town, he found a staircase leading down.
Not yet.  But this staircase seems easy to get to, if I just bypass the marionette town by going along the edge of the cavern.

He returned to the entrance chamber and was about to choose one of the two passageways he hadn’t entered yet when he realized he was tired and hungry, and most of the day had gone by.  So he left the dungeon and returned to his inn for dinner, meditation, and sleep.

The following day, he was right back out there, not having taken enough loot the previous day to justify a visit to Pelleas.  He chose one of the remaining two unexplored passageways and followed it.  Soon, it changed from having rough cave walls to dressed stone.  He came to a doorway on his left.  Hearing nothing, he tried the handle.  A rough needle jabbed the palm of his hand, and he felt a nasty burning sensation.
Shit! Poison?  There was a trap on the handle.
Dungeon traps were rare in the Valley, but not unknown.  This was the first dungeon trap he’d encountered himself, though, unless he counted the teleport that took him out of the Valley.

His chest started to feel numb, and he used Destrin’s Restoration.  He repeated the heal twice more over the next twenty minutes until the poison wore off.
That was awful!
He toed the door open, and found another hallway lit by torches in wall sconces.  It was at least a hundred meters long, and he could see doors at intervals down both sides.  He checked his storage space for a spear or staff or anything he could used to probe the ground ahead for pits or trip wires, but he hadn’t looted any and he’d long since gotten rid of his goblin spear.
Alright, let’s come back to this one later.

He returned to the entrance chamber and took the final passage.  It descended quickly and the ground began to turn to earth instead of stone underfoot.
More frogmen, maybe?
Ahead, the passage opened into an enormous cave that was home to a swamp of some sort.  A relatively bright light shone from above.  The swamp was misty and smelled vaguely of rot.  A path of sorts extended from the passageway where he stood into the swamp.

With a shrug, he moved forward.  Within a few meters, what he had assumed to be vines but were really tentacles of some sort wrapped around him and yanked him into the water to his left.  With an effort, Duncan resisted the urge to panic and struggle.
I can always Blink out when I see where I’m being dragged.
It turned out he was being dragged towards a tree stump that had a large tooth-filled maw.  When he saw it, Duncan blinked out of the tentacles restraining him, straight to the creature, and stabbed it in the mouth.  Blood gushed and it emitted a gurgling roar.
Just looks like a tree stump, then.

Tentacles struck at him like whips.  Some he could block with his shield, and they went momentarily limp when they struck it.  Others wrapped around his legs and sword arm.  He hacked at the tentacles that gripped at his legs and blinked to free himself whenever he became too entangled to attack.  At one point the creature seized both his legs and tried to pull them apart.
Hah!  I had two frogs try that.
He blinked out of that attack and stabbed the creature in the mouth again.  It didn’t seem very mobile – it seemed to rely on its tentacles to bring its victims to its mouth.  The tentacles were ridiculously sturdy – it was like they had that Rubber Skin Technique that the belchers had, only stronger.  If he hadn’t been able to Blink away when he became entangled, he’d have not lasted a minute.  Once he changed his tactics to attacking the mouth and blinking out of the entangling tentacles, he was able to kill the creature.  The tentacles went limp, and the mouth hung open.

Duncan noticed something glint inside the creature’s mouth.  There was a surprising amount of metal in there.  Armor pieces, weapons, coins, even some gems. Anything on the creature’s previous victims that it couldn’t digest, it seemed.  He scooped it all up and stored it in his storage space.
Still lots of room to spare!

He blinked back to the path and continued along it.  Some catlike humanoids wielding swords that glittered with lightning ambushed him not two minutes later.  There were three of them, and while their blows didn’t break his armor, the lightning damage was transmitted through it.  He had to use Destrin’s Restoration at the start of the fight due to all the damage he took in the initial ambush.  Blocking attacks and parrying them both prevented the lightning damage – neither his sword nor his shield conducted the lightning.  The cats were fast, though, and he took more damage than he’d expected to in the fight.

After the fight he collected the swords from the cat folk.  They didn’t wear armor or carry any gear otherwise.  As he moved deeper into the swamp, he was attacked by more trios of the cat people.  Some had lightning swords, some acid, some fire, some frost.  Always three at a time, always with consistent elemental choices within the group.

Eventually, he saw an island in the distance with a lot of movement on it.  He crept forward to take a look and saw the island had patrols of each elemental grouping of the cat people, plus two groups of three that had no weapons at all, and a single bigger cat person with two swords strapped to its back.
Nope.  That looks like fifteen sword cats, six caster cats, and a boss.  I could probably take six of the sword cats, maybe nine with judicious use of Blink and Mind Spike.  But that’s just too many.  Maybe if I could make them split up…

Duncan used a Mind Spike on the closest cat person, from the limit of the Technique’s range.  The monster hissed with pain and clutched its head.  All the guards backed in to surround the boss, blades pointed outwards.
Ok, time to go.
He Blinked back the way he’d come, three times in quick succession, eighty meters per Blink.  Then he moved away, heading back towards the place he’d entered the swamp.

Two fins broke the surface of the water to his left, speeding towards him.  He stood on the path, braced for a fight.  The creatures that burst out of the water to attack him looked like short, fat alligators that ran on their hind legs with their front legs like arms, and a shark fin on their back.  Duncan hit one with a Mind Spike and sidestepped the other, bringing his sword down on the back of its head.  The sword bounced, having no effect on the fat alligator’s scaly hide.  The monster whipped its head toward his leg, shredding the armor and his flesh as it latched on to him.

Duncan Blinked twenty meters further down the path and used Destrin’s Restoration to fix his leg as the monster thrashed its head back and forth.
If it still had a hold on me, I’d be thrown around like a ragdoll.
The two monsters charged at him again, so he used Mind Spike on one again, then Blinked behind it, and stabbed through a fold in space up at its belly between its rear legs.  The hide there wasn’t as tough as on its back and head, and the Blade Echo attack wounded it.  He backed away as the second monster approached and the first recovered from his stun.  He repeated the tactic, wounding the injured one again.

The healthy creature turned and slipped into the water, disappearing into the murk.
Wait, what?  I’ve never seen a dungeon monster run away before.
He stunned the wounded one again and ripped at its belly with a Blade Echo through a fold in space.  The second monster burst out of the water on his rear flank and latched onto the back of his leg, savaging it.  Duncan Blinked forward to escape the grasp again and used Destrin’s Restoration.  His leg armor was shredded after only two attacks.

The unharmed monster slipped back into the water.
Hit and run is my method, damn it.
Duncan hit the wounded one with another Mind Spike, then Blinked to it, stabbed it in the belly through a fold in space, and Blinked away immediately.  He saw the fin of the second monster turn away from where it had been about to pounce near its dying mate.  Duncan used Mind Spike again on the wounded one, and it collapsed, unmoving.

Duncan kept an eye on the water, looking for the telltale fin.  He saw it a split second before the creature burst out of the water.
Mind Spike!
The stunned creature landed awkwardly, and Duncan stabbed it in the belly, then backed off a few steps as it came out of the stun.  The moment it started moving towards him, he used another Mind Spike, and stabbed in in the belly through a fold in space.  It had no answer to that tactic and soon joined its mate in death.

Neither one had anything for him to loot, so he Blinked to a slightly higher and drier area and poured some mana into his armor to repair the greaves.  He moved carefully toward the exit passage, then out to the dungeon entrance.
Time to rest and meditate.
He left the dungeon and returned to town, where he dropped off thirty-five elemental affinity swords (two silver each), sixty-eight semi-precious marionette eyes (one silver each), seven gold circlets (one gold each), half a dozen statuettes (eleven gold total), and four bottles of blue liquid.  “Four greater mana potions.  The guild can offer you two gold total for them.”

“Wait, are you saying those are liquid mana?” Duncan asked.

Pelleas replied, “Each potion will restore three hundred mana to the imbiber over the next thirty seconds.  Did you not know about potions?”

“I didn’t,” Duncan said.  “Three hundred mana – I guess that’s enough for five Blinks, or three folded space, or ten Blade Echoes.  Or a tiny heal.”

“Alchemists can make potions for health, stamina, and mana recovery.  They are quite expensive, though.  Many adventurers make a good living harvesting components for various potions,” said Pelleas. “Troll blood, for example, is a key ingredient in health potions.”

“Shit,” said Duncan. “I killed quite a few trolls last month and had no idea.”

“Generally, adventurers who do that for a living have harvesting Techniques they use to recover the materials.  I doubt that fits into your build,” Pelleas pointed out.

“Ah, okay.  True.  Though how hard can it be to scoop up some Troll blood in a bottle?” said Duncan.

Pelleas replied, “Blood is relatively easy, yes.  But what about the pancreas of a sea turtle?”

“Harvesting.  A neat thing for someone else to do,” declared Duncan.

“Now, the rest of this stuff I took out of the body of a tree stump with tentacles.  It looks like the non-metal parts of most of it got digested.”  He poured a pile of armor pieces and weapons on the table, plus one ring, and three gemstones.

“The unenchanted pieces are mostly scrap.  I can give you two silver for them.  For the rest, we have a Sallet, increases resistance to mental damage.  The guild can offer two gold.  Mail hauberk of lightning resistance.  The guild can offer eight gold.  Bracers of missile reflection.  The guild can offer four gold.  Ring of water breathing.  Lets you breathe underwater, obviously.  Mana cost dependent on your Water affinity.  The guild can offer eight gold.  Two precious gems; the guild can offer six gold.  And Technique: Gemcutting.  Active, Crafting, rare.  The guild can offer five gold.”

“I’ll sell it all except the ring and potions.  That ring has potential for me,” said Duncan.
One more thing that won’t kill me: drowning.

“Alright, that’s 45 gold.  I assume you want to deposit it as usual?  And with your weak Water Affinity, the ring will consume fifteen mana a minute to allow you to breathe underwater.”

Duncan took his leave and returned to his inn for a bath, dinner, and meditation.

For the next week, Duncan delved the portions of the first floor he liked – the mossfoot caverns, the marionette town, and the cat people swamp.  He defeated two more mossfoot chieftains, one that used a battle axe, and another that used a greatsword. He found a staircase down in the swamp portion of the first floor.
That’s three stairs down I know of, now
.  He considered the boss of the cat people on two more occasions but decided both times that he just wasn’t ready for that many monsters with that quantity and variety of elemental damage.  The casters and the boss were frightening unknowns.

He fought a squad of golden wasps whose stingers pierced his armor with ease and whose venom was acidic, eating away at his flesh.  He fought some turtles which were much faster than they had any right to be.  He fought some sort of slime mold that kept working its way under his armor.  And he fought a team of hobgoblin elites escorting a hobgoblin mage through the swamp.  Fewer rare encounters than in previous dungeons, but he had a theory that if the dungeon was already a difficult challenge, the gods didn’t feel the need to mess with it.  It was when he went into less challenging dungeons that they provided rare and difficult encounters.

He earned another two hundred and seven gold from selling all his loot over the week.  Pelleas pointed out that he had enough to retire on and live a life of relative luxury in any city in the empire.  Duncan said, “But what would I do?  Delving is what I enjoy.  This gold is a means to better gear, a better chance of surviving more dangerous delves.”

On the eighth day, his new Technique stones arrived.  Pelleas confirmed their identity and Duncan stored them to absorb in his room at the inn.  Pelleas also pulled out a sword with a blade that seemed to be made of mist, “I purchased this Angelic Spirit Sword with an eye to reselling it at some future date.  But if you like, I’ll sell it to you now for two hundred and fifty gold.”

Duncan laughed joyfully.  “Sold!”

Pelleas shook his head.  “Honestly, I expected it to take a month or two for you to afford it.  You are most efficient in your delving.”  He helped Duncan withdraw the gold from his account, and then deposited it in his own.  “Nice doing business with you.  You are going to need to practice with that sword some before you take it against monsters.  Having your blade pass right through your target takes some getting used to.  It will have no effect on golems or magical constructs. Placement of blows is different than with a physical sword.  You can’t hamstring someone with a spirit sword, for instance, though you can cause a slight limp.  A spirit sword drains the vitality from where it passes through the body, so sweeping blows to the body are more effective than cuts to the limbs, for example.”

“I understand,” said Duncan.  “Maybe I’ll try it in the Forest Glade tomorrow.”  He stowed it in his storage space, and after saying his goodbyes, ran to his inn to absorb the new Techniques and meditate.

It’s been a fruitful week.

Name:

Duncan

Class:

Warrior

Level:

37 (+7)

Profession:

Adventurer

Strength:

141 (+13)

Intelligence:

73

Dexterity:

123 (+13)

Wisdom:

59

Agility:

131 (+11)

Endurance:

138 (+14)

Concurrent Active Techniques:

2

Health:

10160 (+1680)

Health Regen:

2775/hour (+675)

Stamina:

1750 (+210)

Stam Regen:

9250/hour (+3250)

Mana:

8785 (+1225)

Mana Regen:

3605/hour (+245)

Mana Reserved:

651

Affinities:

Body

Outstanding

Death

weak

Mind

Strong

Lava

weak

Spirit

Strong

Gravity

weak

Fire

weak

Poison

negligible

Air

weak

Blade

Outstanding

Water

weak

Ice

weak

Earth

moderate

Decay

weak

Stone

moderate

Soul

moderate

Lightning

weak

Corrosion

negligible

Gemstone

moderate

Space

Outstanding

Nature

negligible

Healing

moderate

Life

weak

Shadow

moderate

Metal

moderate

Blood

negligible

Techniques

Active

Rank

Passive

Rank

Blade Echo

4

Tempered Blade

4

Fold Space

3 (+1)

Regeneration

4 (+1)

Blink

3

Coagulation

2

Mind Spike

3 (+1)

Hardened Skin

2

Destrin's Restoration

2

Tranquil Mind

1+

Flying Sword

1 (+1)

Spiritual Shield

1

Bladestorm

1 (+1)

Personal Space Pocket

3 (+1)

Ignore Pain

2 (+1)

Shadow Sight

1

Skills

Rank

1H swords

4

Plate armor

2

2H swords

4

Mail armor

1

1H axes

3

Leather armor

3

2H axes

3

Anatomy

2

Shields

3

Survival

2

Spears

4

Skinning

1

Daggers

3

Meditation

2

Bows

3

Swimming

1

Tracking

1

Riding

1

Some big changes in a relatively short time.  My storage space reduces the weight of items in it by 75% and each item is in its own slot so I can reach it and grab it without rooting around.  Regeneration advanced, which does amazing things for Destrin’s Restoration and my natural regeneration rates.  Fold space is now fast enough that I can create windows on the fly to parry with or attack through and the range and divergence have both doubled to four meters.  Mind Spike is more mana efficient and has a longer range.  And pain hurts less, although it still hurts a lot.

At breakfast the next day, Andrea sat down at his table as he ate.  “Weren’t you twenty-eight a week ago?”

Duncan grinned, “Low hanging fruit.  I have some new Techniques, and a lot of my Techniques are very low rank, so they’ll advance quickly.  I expect to slow down quite a bit around level fifty.  I’ve been solo delving the Endless Depths twelve hours a day.  And I haven’t seen another adventurer in there at all yet.”

Andrea nodded, “I guess your progress is understandable for solo delving above your level.  In a group, you’d be splitting the risk and reward.  Most of the adventuring groups I’m aware of are between the third and seventh levels in the Endless Depths.”

“Ah, thanks.  I may see some of them in a couple more weeks, then.  Do you know if the guards are slated to be in the Forest Glade today?  I’ve got some new Techniques and a new sword I need to practice with,” said Duncan.

“As far as I know no one’ll be in there today at all,” said Andrea.

“It’s a pretty safe starter dungeon – I’m honestly surprised you don’t get more people visiting here to delve it.  I understand the loot is terrible, but a level appropriate group could advance pretty quickly.  It doesn’t have any unusual damage types or awkward monsters.  Oh, speaking of unusual damage types, do you know of any dungeons where there are monsters that do mental or spiritual damage?  I need to advance my Spiritual Shield and Tranquil Mind Techniques, or they’ll be useless when I actually need them.”

Andrea gave him a strange look.  “You must have the strangest build…   There’s a dungeon that absolutely no one likes that’s full of eldritch horrors.  It’s a cave system, and the horrors get worse and worse as you go deeper.  They do a lot of mental, spiritual, soul, and decay damage.  It’s in the hills South of here, perhaps two hundred kilometers away.  The guild has a good bounty on trophies from that dungeon because if they didn’t, no one would ever enter it.”

“I need a bigger map of the empire with dungeons marked on it,” Duncan groused.

“Well if you travel South to Clermont, they’ll have a map of the area, and the Eldritch Horror dungeon will be marked, probably with a skull.”

“Thanks Andrea!” Duncan was pleased. “I’ll check it out, maybe before I go lower in the Endless Depths.”
If my Flying Sword moves at a decent rate, that is.

Duncan jogged to the Forest Glade dungeon.  Once inside, he pulled an elemental affinity sword he’d taken from the cat people in the Endless Depths and dropped it on the ground.  Standing on it, he activated his Flying Sword Technique.  He could feel the sword under his feet and willed it to rise.  It did, lifting his weight easily.  He had to bend his knees to maintain his balance at first, but because he could sense the blade, it was easier to stand on the sword than he’d expected.

A giant squirrel leapt at him and knocked him off the sword.  He got to his feet and swept his new sword through it, as though he were practicing a strike.  There was a slight tug on his sword as it passed through the squirrel’s body, as though he were cutting through water.  The squirrel appeared unharmed.  He cut through it a second time, and the squirrel fell dead without a mark on it.
Well, that’s really strange.  How am I supposed to tell how injured an opponent is?  It’s the same problem I have with Mind Spike.

He got back on his Flying Sword and flew around a little.  Another squirrel launched itself at him, and he tried to dodge mid-air.  The Flying Sword dodged, but his body didn’t go with it, and he and the squirrel tumbled to the ground together.  He struck it with his Blade Echo Technique, and the squirrel died to a single swing.
Well, the sword is certainly effective, and not messy, which is a nice perk.  This Flying Sword is going to take some getting used to, though.

Duncan took his time going through the squirrels, trying to fight them whilst standing on his Flying Sword.  More often than not, he fell off, but he kept it low to the ground, and the squirrels couldn’t really hurt him, so it was good practice.

He came to the open field where he’d fought the borers and the foxen swarm and waited, hovering in place.  Nothing attacked him.  He tried some quick turns and reversals of direction in the open field, and, predictably, fell off his sword.  The moment he hit the ground, the earth all around him erupted, and two dozen or more armored spider things rushed at him.
Like Trapdoor spiders, but with only four legs.

He Blinked to the edge of the field and turned to face the onrushing horde of spider-things. He activated Bladestorm in front of him and felt his mana dip as at least a hundred whirling swords appeared in a ten-meter by ten-meter square in front of him.  The whirling blades made a thwacking noise each time they struck an armored carapace but didn’t appear to do a lot of damage to the creatures.
Well, that’s disappointing.  Still, I suppose it’s only rank one.

He struck the first spider to approach him with a Blade Echo Technique using his Angelic Spirit Sword, blocked its attack with his shield, and struck it a second time.  It curled into a little ball on the ground and lay still.  He maintained the Bladestorm as he fought.
So neat that I can keep that going and use Blade Echoes.  Let’s see what maintaining it for the duration of a fight does to my mana pool.

He found that the spider things could bite him through his armor if they got at a weak spot such as the back of his knees, but for the most part, they weren’t really hurting him.  He dropped the Bladestorm after twenty seconds, though – the mana drain was too high at rank one.
The initial cost seems to be five hundred mana for a duration of ten seconds, then a hundred mana a second to keep it going after that.
He continued to cut down the creatures with his Spirit Sword until there was only one left, then switched to his Amethyst sword.  He found that, while he could crack the chitin of their carapaces with a Blade Echo Technique, the spider things were remarkably resistant to cuts and thrusts.
So maybe Bladestorm is better than I gave it credit for – these things are sturdy.

Duncan flew into the meadow where the dragonflies roamed, speeding through as fast as he dared, trying to make as many dragonflies attack him as possible.  Then he cast another Bladestorm and was gratified to see it chew the creatures up.  He moved into the rabbit warren, killing his way to the boss.  When he reached the room where the rabbit boss usually presided, he found instead a giant mongoose.  It moved across the room to attack him almost faster than he could see.

The mongoose smacked into his shield and paused for a moment, giving Duncan a chance to land a Blade Echo Technique.  The mongoose ducked under his shield and bit deep into his leg.
More and more, I’m finding things that can bite through this armor, and I’m not even fifty yet. Also, ow!
He landed another Blade Echo, and the mongoose bit him again before disengaging across the room.  Duncan used Destin’s Restoration.  Now they both looked healthy.

The mongoose flashed across the room and bit his other leg, releasing it and retreating before he could react.
Wow, that’s insanely fast. Also, ow, again!
Duncan used Mind Spike to stun the mongoose, then Blinked to it and struck it with a Blade Echo.
Two can play at that game.
He lowered his shield to protect his legs when the stun wore off.  He was glad he did, too, as the mongoose tried for his legs again before sprinting off.  But Duncan had a working strategy now, and he finished off the mongoose, taking only a couple more painful bites in return.  He was pleased to find a Technique stone on a collar around the mongoose’s neck.

He spent some more time in the cleared dungeon seeing how fast he could move the Flying Sword without the air resistance making him feel like he was going to fall off.
I can’t wait to get this ranked up enough that it will really stick to my feet and I don’t have to worry about falling off.
He could fly without too much difficulty at about the same speed he could run, which, given his outstanding Body Affinity, was faster than most things.

He flew back to town and ate a lunch at the common room of the Adventurers Guild hall.  There were a couple of higher-level adventurers talking with Amy at her desk.  After he’d eaten, he flew out to the Endless Depths dungeon and practiced with his new Spirit sword against the now-familiar threat of the creatures on the top floor.  The sword did nothing to the marionettes at all – he had to switch back to his Amethyst sword to fight those.

He decided to postpone his trip to the Eldritch Horror dungeon until he’d advanced his Flying Sword Technique to at least rank two.  Consequently, he spent another week in the Endless Depths, flying over the swamp’s surface instead of wading through the water or squelching through the mud.  The extra time didn’t help him advance too much; familiarity with the monsters led to lower risk, and less advancement.  But it was a good way to consolidate his gains over the past two months, and to practice with his new and recently improved Techniques.

It was also quite profitable.  He was able to sell the loot he’d gained for another hundred and eighty gold, and he came across a Technique stone that really piqued his interest.  “Technique: Remove Affliction.  Healing Affinity, Active.  Removes one affliction from the target (self or touch).  Rare.  The guild can offer you twenty gold for it,” said Pelleas. “But given your penchant for solo delving, it would be very useful to you.  If you become paralysed or turned to stone, you’re dead.  This would give you the chance to remove the affliction before you die.  It costs a little more than you’d probably like at rank one, and it’ll only get to rank six with your moderate healing affinity, but I feel it’s a worthy addition to your build if you persist in delving solo.  It will remove poisons, paralysis, blindness, disease, petrification, transformations, and curses.”

“Trading mana for survival is a trade I’ll always make.  I’ve already run into something that paralyzed me.  If I hadn’t been able to kill it immediately, I’d have died, I’m sure.  If I use that, it brings me to eight active Techniques, but survivability really does trump everything else.”  Duncan kept the Technique.

“Is there anything that will let me know if my spirit and mental damage is having an effect?  Or how much of an effect?  It’s very disconcerting to be fighting a creature and have it look just fine until the moment it dies.  I feel that it’s adversely affecting my fighting, to the point where I’d almost rather switch back to my amethyst sword.”

Pelleas nodded, “There’s a Healing Affinity passive Technique called Assessment that lets you know the state of health of those around you.  I’m told it can be a bit overwhelming in crowds, though you can turn it on and off at will at higher ranks.  That would be your tenth passive Technique, though.  Are you sure you want to use it?”

Duncan grimaced, but said, “I am.  It’ll be useful for more than just Mind Spike and the Spirit sword.  Can you have it delivered to Clermont?  I’m heading down there to the Eldritch Horror dungeon, leaving tomorrow morning.”  He paid the twenty gold for the Technique and left.  On his way out, he told Amy he was leaving town to delve another dungeon for a while but would be back in a month if all went well.  She noted the information down and wished him well.
She’s been a little distant since I refused to take her into the Forest Glade dungeon, or maybe it’s that I’m advancing so quickly.  Ah well.

He bought as much dried food as he thought was viable to store in his Storage technique and purchased an extra two waterskins.  He enjoyed a good meal and retired early to meditate.

Chapter 29

It was a long way to Clermont, and Duncan didn’t have a specific timetable.  He flew low over the trees, taking frequent breaks whenever he found something interesting or particularly pretty.  On the third day, he saw a lot of movement in the woods beneath him.  He stopped to investigate and discovered a horde of particularly poorly preserved zombies marching West.  He found the front of the horde and cast a Bladestorm at it. The Technique shredded the zombies it touched, but he felt it was too expensive in terms of mana for the number of zombies it killed.

He landed near the horde, and spent the entire day killing zombies as they approached.  He used no active Techniques, just his sword and shield.  He could sweep his spirit sword through three zombies with a single swing, and all would drop.  It wasn’t a fight by any stretch of the imagination.  It was both sword practice and an extermination.  His stamina regeneration was enough that he never grew tired from the exertion.

There were perhaps a dozen undead warriors and mages mixed in with the zombies, but they were barely more of a threat than the zombies themselves.  He did take a moment to loot each of them though – he’d had good luck with undead having enchanted weapons before.

When it began to grow dark, Duncan Blinked straight up eighty meters and stood on his sword, activating his Flying Sword Technique before he had time to fall to the ground.
Wheeeee…
He made camp a few kilometers away, and continued on his way the following morning, the zombie horde having been much reduced.

Despite his leisurely pace, on day five, he started to look more carefully for signs of civilization – a road, a village, anything that might indicate where he was in relation to Clermont.  Instead of any of that he spotted the familiar floating plane of a dungeon entrance in a gully as he flew over.
I can’t very well let that go uninvestigated, now can I?

He landed next to the entrance, checked his gear, and stepped through.  Inside, there was a blizzard howling.  The cold cut right through his armor, and his fingers began to grow numb.  His eyes watered with the cold, and his tears froze to his face.  He promptly turned and went back through the entrance portal.
That was kind of amazing, and kind of terrifying.  There’s no surviving in there without protective enchantments.

Flying up, he looked for landmarks and drew himself a crude map, hoping that he’d be able to find his way back here at some point, or at least inform the guild about the existence of the dungeon, if they didn’t know about it already.  He pulled his compass out of his storage space and checked his bearings.  Then he flew South again.
It’s hard to believe how big the empire is, and how empty.  It’s forest for days in every direction.

The following day, he found what appeared to be an overgrown cart trail.
It has to go somewhere.
He followed it West for an hour, but it just continued into the distance, following the contours of the land, evidently little-used.  Another hour, and he saw a trace of smoke in the distance.  Soon after, he saw a town.  To his great relief, it turned out to be Clermont.

He landed about fifty meters outside the gate and walked the rest of the way.  He kept his armor on – if someone wanted to fight him for it, he’d accommodate them.  At level forty, he was far less likely to be attacked by anyone.  He considered modifying what his soulgem showed the world to a higher level but decided there was no point.

The
Level 21 Warrior on guard at the gate waved at him as he approached.  “We appreciate you landing outside of town, Warrior.  It’ll be ten bits to enter, please.  Not sure what you’re used to, but the Adventurers Guild hall is pretty small here.  It’s the only building in town with a stone facing on it, in the town square.  Can’t miss it.”

Duncan thanked the guard for his unsolicited directions
– although I don’t think there are many other reasons for a warrior to visit here - paid his ten bits, and entered the town.  It was smaller than Chorley, and there was a persistent smell in the air from the tanneries he could see on the outskirts of the town. He made his way to the Adventurers Guild hall, which was next to the only inn he could see.

“Good afternoon, warrior,” said the
Level 30 Mage behind the desk. “What brings you to Clermont?”

“Hello.  I’m Duncan of the Valley, just here to explore the area.  Do you have a map of the region showing the dungeons?”

“Well met, Duncan.  I’m Igor Medelaev, the Adventurers Guild representative for the area.  I do have a map of the area available for the usual five silver, but I have to warn you, there’s not a lot of high-profile dungeons around here.  We’re a hunting, trapping, and logging community for the most part.”

“That’s fine,” Duncan paid the five silver. “It’s new to me, and I like to explore.  What can you tell me about the dungeons in the area?”

“Our most infamous dungeon is the Eldritch Horror dungeon.  It formed about fifty years ago and contains the most unpleasant combination of monsters perhaps anywhere in the empire.  Ghosts, spirits, gibbering horrors, slugs, oozes, and more.  Many of them can’t be harmed by physical attacks, and many of them attack your mind or spirit.  It’s a deep cave system, and the deeper you go, the scarier the creatures get.  If there’s a boss of the dungeon, no one’s ever returned to tell us about it.  The guild ranks the upper caves at level forty, and the deepest at level one hundred plus.”

“We also have the Ice Elemental sanctuary.  It’s called that because it’s a pretty safe place for ice elementals – the dungeon is so cold and miserable that no one goes in to cull them.  You need special cold resistance enchantments to survive.  The guild ranks it at level seventy.”

“Finally, we have a level fifteen anthill dungeon.  Our local guard trains in there, as do some of the hunters and trappers in the area.  All three dungeons are marked on your map - here, here, and here.”

Duncan nodded, “Thank you.  I found the ice elemental dungeon on the way here.  Too cold for me.  I’ll take a look at the others while I’m in the area though.  Do you know if there’s been a delivery for me?  I ordered a Technique stone from the exchange and asked for it to be delivered here.  It may be a little early yet.”

Igor chuckled. “It may be a while yet.  Deliveries to us go to Harlow in the East, then someone there will fly it here when they get around to it.”

Duncan sighed, “I hadn’t realized you were so isolated here.  Maybe I should go to Harlow and pick it up myself.  But first, I’ll take a look at your dungeons.”  He held up a hand to forestall Igor. “I’m aware the guild doesn’t recommend delving dungeons alone.”

“Hear that a lot, do you?” Igor grinned.  “Well, to each his own.  You seem to be doing very well for such a young lad, so who am I to second guess you?”

Duncan took his leave and flew directly to the Eldritch Horror dungeon.  It was South of Clermont, on the crown of a tall hill, visible from quite a distance away.  Inside, a faint green light with no apparent source lit the tunnel he found himself in.  With a shrug, he stepped forward into the dungeon.

A meter-long slug dropped off the ceiling in front of him.  Duncan swept his spirit blade through it and felt a shooting pain in his head. He repeated the attack three more times, and the slug stopped moving, and the shooting pains in his head faded to a dull throbbing headache.  He checked his soulgem to see his health was down almost ten percent.
That’s… shocking.  Deceptive.  I wonder if I’d even know if these things hit harder.  Mental damage is insidious.
He used Destrin’s Restoration to recover and moved forward cautiously.

He killed four more slugs and had to stop and rest to restore his mana.
Down almost half my mana already.  There’s no way to mitigate the damage these things do, so it’s heal, heal, heal, and healing is mana-intensive, still.  My health regeneration is almost as fast as my mana regeneration, so if I check my soulgem frequently, I can regenerate health at the same time I regenerate mana instead of using Destrin’s Restoration to heal to full and then wait longer on my mana.
Twenty minutes later, he continued further into the dungeon.

The tunnel he was in opened into a large cavern.  Half a dozen little lights flitted around in the air, and he could see some tentacled blobs dragging themselves around the cavern floor, as well.  One of the flitting lights, which he supposed to be spirits of some kind, noticed him and dove through him.  He felt a slight tug in his chest, but no pain.  He checked his soulgem, and sure enough, his health had dropped a little.
Sneaky little bugger!  Not even any pain to indicate it’s killing me.
Duncan swept his sword through the light as it approached again and felt the same slight tug he felt when he struck a physical body with the spirit sword.
So, I assume I’m hurting it.  Damnit, I really need that assessment Technique.

He kept dodging the light as it tried to pass through him and swung at it whenever it was in reach.  It in turn tried to dodge his swings after the first one.  It took four Blade Echo Techniques to kill the spirit, and he was down about fifteen percent of his health when the ball of light dissipated.
Okay, I can do this.  I just have to take it slowly and carefully.

Duncan advanced through the cavern very slowly.  He tried a Mind Spike on one of the balls of light and it immediately rushed to him to attack, so he assumed that Mind Spike could hurt them as well.  If nothing else, it let him pull the monsters to him rather than him having to risk drawing the attention of others.

He tried the same tactic on one of the tentacled creatures and it dragged itself across the floor to attack him.  Up close, the tentacles appeared to have hundreds of little mouths on their undersides.  The monster tried to envelop him, and he in turn tried to avoid the tentacles and strike at the creature’s body.  He couldn’t cut through the tentacles with his spirit sword, or parry them, and that was a significant source of frustration.
Sometimes a real blade just better.
He had to Blink out of entanglements three times before he was able to strike a killing blow, and he had another headache from the monster’s mental attacks.

He retreated to the tunnel several times to rest before he managed to clear the cavern.  Unfortunately for him the creatures had no loot.
Well, they did warn me it was an unpopular dungeon.
He tried using his amethyst sword against the land octopuses, as he had decided to call them, and found it felt better than the spirit sword, because it could sever tentacles.  It took him a little longer to kill the creatures with the amethyst sword, and it was messier than the spirit sword, but he needed fewer Blinks. The increased length of the fights meant that he took slightly more mental damage when he used the amethyst sword, too, and healing cost more mana than Blinking.  So, in the end, he decided to stick with the Spirit Sword despite the discomfort he felt at having the tentacle mouths biting at his armor.

With the cavern clear, he decided to return to Clermont and sleep in the inn. He didn’t feel it would be safe at all to try to sleep in the dungeon.  Something could kill him in his sleep with spirit damage, and he’d never feel a thing.

Duncan asked Igor about the dungeon.  “I was told the guild offered a bounty for trophies from the creatures in the Eldritch Horror dungeon.  I killed some slugs, some weird things with mouths on their tentacles, and some balls of light.  Nothing really stood out as trophies; the balls of light just dissipated when I killed them.  How does the bounty system work?”

Igor shuddered, “I don’t know why anyone would go into that place.  The stories I’ve heard…  Anyway, deeper in the dungeon there are some creatures that look like mounds of refuse.  They have crystal protrusions on them.  The guild pays a gold for each of those crystals, on the assumption that you’ve killed a fair number of monsters in there to get to them.”

“I see,” said Duncan.  “It may take me a while to get to those.  I have to take it slow in there.”  Fortunately, he wasn’t low on gold, and he wasn’t there for the loot.  Advancing his Spirit Shield and Tranquil Mind Techniques was his primary goal.

And so for the next month, he methodically worked his way through the dungeon, returning to Clermont each night to rest and recover.  His Assessment Technique arrived on day eleven, and he found it very useful.  Even at rank one, it gave him a general sense of how injured the creatures around him were.  One Blade Echo Technique with his spirit sword took about a third of the health from the slugs near the entrance.  The same attack took maybe a sixth of the health of a land octopus, and almost a quarter of the health of a ball of light.  Other creatures had more or less resistance to spiritual damage, and the same applied to mental damage.  Some of the creatures barely noticed his Mind Spikes, and some were devastated by them.

It seemed that the relative ranks of his defensive Techniques to the offensive Techniques of the creatures he faced made a big difference.  The flashes of pain he’d gotten from the slugs near the entrance when he had rank one Tranquil Mind were lessened at rank two, and more so at rank three, but he felt no lessening of pain at all with the attacks from the stronger versions further in, even at rank three.

After a month, he reviewed his progress.

Name:

Duncan

Class:

Warrior

Level:

49 (+12)

Profession:

Adventurer

Strength:

166 (+25)

Intelligence:

73

Dexterity:

148 (+25)

Wisdom:

59

Agility:

151 (+20)

Endurance:

162 (+24)

Concurrent Active Techniques:

2

Health:

13040 (+2880)

Health Regen:

4425/hour (+1650)

Stamina:

2110 (+360)

Stam Regen:

12250/hour (+3000)

Mana:

10855 (+2070)

Mana Regen:

4025/hour (+420)

Mana Reserved:

651

Affinities:

Body

Outstanding

Death

Weak

Mind

Strong

Lava

Weak

Spirit

Strong

Gravity

Weak

Fire

weak

Poison

Negligible

Air

weak

Blade

Outstanding

Water

weak

Ice

Weak

Earth

moderate

Decay

Weak

Stone

moderate

Soul

Moderate

Lightning

weak

Corrosion

Negligible

Gemstone

moderate

Space

Outstanding

Nature

negligible

Healing

Moderate

Life

weak

Shadow

Moderate

Metal

moderate

Blood

Negligible

Techniques

Active

Rank

Passive

Rank

Blade Echo

4

Tempered Blade

5 (+1)

Fold Space

3

Regeneration

4

Blink

3

Coagulation

2

Mind Spike

3

Hardened Skin

2

Destrin's Restoration

3 (+1)

Tranquil Mind

3 (+2)

Flying Sword

2

Spiritual Shield

3 (+2)

Bladestorm

1

Personal Space Pocket

3

Remove Affliction

1 (+1)

Ignore Pain

3 (+1)

Shadow Sight

2 (+1)

Assessment

2 (+2)

Skills

Rank

1H swords

4

Plate armor

2

2H swords

4

Mail armor

1

1H axes

3

Leather armor

3

2H axes

3

Anatomy

2

Shields

3

Survival

2

Spears

4

Skinning

1

Daggers

3

Meditation

2

Bows

3

Swimming

1

Tracking

1

Riding

1

My level has increased dramatically, but my effectiveness in most fights hasn’t increased almost at all.  I suspect I’m much less farther ahead of other people my level than I was a month ago.  And I haven’t raised any of my skills almost at all since I left the valley.  I need to find some expert training soon.

Duncan hadn’t even reached the creatures that dropped the trophy item, so all he had to show for his month’s delving was a handful of Technique stones.  Still, he had grown used to using his Spirit sword, though he still practiced with his amethyst swords regularly.

He decided that a month was long enough fighting the same creepy monsters day in and day out and decided to return to Chorley and delve the Endless Depths some more.  And to talk to Pelleas about finding somewhere to train his skills.

It had grown cold during the month he’d been delving in Clermont, and he’d purchased some fur clothes from the locals.  He was grateful for them on the flight back to Chorley – the wind was bitter in the hills, and there was no cover at the height he flew.  When he reached Chorley, he was pleased to take a room at the inn and have a meal in front of the hearth.

The following morning, he visited the Adventurers Guild hall to report his continuing survival to Amy at the desk, and to see Pelleas.  Amy welcomed him back.  “I see you haven’t slowed down at all. Not even eighteen yet, and almost level fifty.”

Pelleas, too, was impressed with his progress.  “It feels like they were mostly empty levels, though,” complained Duncan.  “I don’t feel I’ve changed significantly in my effectiveness.  And I didn’t progress very far in the Eldritch Horror dungeon, even after a month of daily delves.  I didn’t even get deep enough to find the monsters with the trophy item.”

“I think you’ve fallen into the trap of only considering advancement in your Techniques,” Pelleas chided him.  “Your flesh has grown denser, harder to damage.  Your soulgem shows this as increased health.  You are stronger and faster than you were.  You have clearly learned a lesson in patience, having stuck with the dungeon for a full month. Your mind and spirit are more robust, having faced the rigours of the attacks of those horrors.  The adventurers who clear that dungeon for the guild every few months wear enchanted items that protect them from mental and spiritual damage.”

“They what?”  Duncan had never considered that, even though he’d seen armor that conveyed some resistance to specific Affinities, and even though he’d considered getting some gear that offered cold protection to try the Ice Elemental dungeon.  “I could have gotten so much further.”

“You were there to improve your defensive Techniques, not to bypass them,” said Pelleas.  “It’s true that most people rely on protective items for resistance to specific Affinities.  But you will be better protected should you encounter opponents with such attacks unexpectedly.  And given your lack of research into monster types, that’s going to be more common than you think.”

Duncan nodded sheepishly and Pelleas continued, “Your own aura is becoming powerful enough that you should learn to damp it down.  You should probably have been doing so for a while now.  Fortunately, you don’t seem to be particularly social.  Do you know how to suppress your aura?  No?  Well, it’s fairly straightforward.” Pelleas explained the process, and Duncan found it surprisingly easy to master.  It felt like pulling a curtain across his presence, which was second nature to Duncan, given his natural introversion.

Duncan pulled out the Technique stones he’d acquired in the Eldritch Horror dungeon.  “I may as well have these appraised now.  They’re the entire reward for that month of delving.  Here’s hoping there’s something rare in there.”

Most of the Techniques were standard fare, and Duncan sold them for a few gold coins each.  There were a couple of interesting ones, though.  “Technique stone: Puppeteer.  Mind Affinity.  Active.  Allows the caster to dominate and control the actions of another sentient being for a short time.  On the restricted list.  The guild can offer you fifty gold for it.  I strongly suggest you take the gold.  While you could use the Technique, and it would be effective, most nations in the world will execute you for using this Technique on one of their citizens.”

I had no idea there even was a restricted list.
“Okay.  I have no interest in mind control, anyway.”

Pelleas listed the second Technique stone of interest. “Technique Stone: Guardian Spirit.  Spirit Affinity. Active.  Caster can summon a spirit to protect the caster for up to eight hours.  Can be cast no more often than once a day.  Spirit’s Health and Damage dictated by rank and affinity.  Very rare.  The guild can offer thirty gold.”

Duncan whistled.  “So many good Techniques I’ve never even heard of.  Makes me wonder what else I’m missing.”

Pelleas nodded. “There are many excellent Techniques.  The trick for you is finding ones that synergize well with your existing Techniques or which fill a gap in your capabilities that can’t be filled by an enchanted item.”

“Well, that one sounds like it could be incredibly good if I continue to solo delve, and perhaps even if I don’t,” said Duncan.  “I won’t use it yet, but I’ll not sell it, either.  Another 74 gold for those other Technique stones is a decent return.  I’m not short on gold, really.  Although I may be advancing beyond my armor’s usefulness.  A lot of things have been able to bite or cut through it and I’m going to be facing more and more dangerous creatures as I continue to advance.”

“That may be true, but you’ll be hard pressed to find a better suit of armor in the empire.  The self-repair enchantment alone is astonishing,” Pelleas said. “Maybe you could find something better from a dwarven master armorsmith, but I wouldn’t count on it.  The craftsmen in your distant valley are unsurpassed.”

“Oh.  I knew it was good, but I didn’t understand how it compared to what’s available here.  It was considered appropriate armor for me when I was level twelve.  My mentor had much better armor made for him when this was made for me,” Duncan explained.

“That is why most defensive warrior types in groups have a Technique for protection.  Armor gets destroyed very easily by high level monsters.  And almost no armor is able to repair itself,” said Pelleas.

“Does that mean I should look for a defensive Technique as well?  I don’t really consider myself a defensive warrior, but I do rely on my armor to absorb an awful lot of blows.  Are there even any good ones available to me?  The guardians I know are all Earth or Stone Affinity.”

Pelleas laid out some options, “Your Hardened Body passive is very good at higher ranks, and it can synergize with several other Techniques, but the only one I can think of offhand that is suited to you is Gemstone Carapace.  Your Gemstone Affinity is only moderate, but so are your Earth and Stone Affinities.  Pillar of Stone and Pillar of Earth are both strong defensive Techniques, but both also root you in place and prevent you from attacking.  There’s a Metal Affinity Technique called Reinforce Armor that will also work with your existing armor.  But again, you’re only Moderate in that.  But it might be slightly better for you than gemstone carapace because you already have that exquisite armor.”

Duncan said, “Can we go over them both in detail, see if one synergizes with my existing techniques and armor better than the other?  Can I use gemstone carapace if I’m wearing my armor?”

“No, gemstone carapace would replace your armor – it grows out of your skin.  It looks very impressive.  Note that both will also consume one of your concurrent active Techniques.  So that could be problematic for you.  You may just have to rank up Hardened Skin to rank ten and use that in combination with your physical armor.” Pelleas sounded a bit apologetic.  “I don’t think there’s an ideal solution in this case.”

“Well, if I do that, I should also improve my plate armor skill, along with all my weapon skills.  I have been completely stagnating on skills since I left the Valley,” said Duncan.

“Yes, and I’ve been thinking about that.  I see three possibilities.  First, you could hire masters to teach you the skills you’re looking for.  The Adventurers Guild has quite a few, but none are what I’d call among the best.  The second option is that you could attend the Academy of Steel.  It’s the pre-eminent training academy for young warriors in the empire.  The masters there are the very best.  However, it’s very expensive, and attended almost exclusively by young nobles, many of whom are privileged and entitled.  However, they are there to learn to be the best warriors they can, and the academy itself is a meritocracy.  The guild can recommend up to five students a year, and we are willing to recommend you for the coming year’s intake.  You would have access to the best teachers in the empire.  But you would be among the youngest there – most students start at between age eighteen and twenty-one.  And you would almost certainly be the strongest there, which may cause some resentment among the other students.  The intake is on the first day of Spring, in the city of Lanport on the South coast, so you would have almost three months to prepare.

“Alternatively, or perhaps additionally, given it could take him a year or two to reply, there is an elven blademaster named Turchon living in the elven kingdom to the East of us.  He is a fearsome taskmaster but for a thousand years, his students have been the best warriors to come out of the elven lands.  He may accept you as a student based on my recommendation.  But again, you would be the youngest of his students, and the only human, so you would stand out.  You would also have to learn the Elvish language before you arrived.  Incidentally, they teach Elvish as an elective course at the Academy of Steel.”

The Academy of Steel sounds something like the training I had with the Delvers Guild, only with politics and spoiled rich kids.  And probably more privacy, because spoiled rich kids. If I make it clear I’m just there to train and not be involved in their politics, maybe I’ll be left alone.

“Will I constantly be having to fight duels if I fail to kowtow to entitled nobles?” Duncan asked.

“The customs around dueling will help there.  It’s considered poor form to challenge someone beneath your social rank, so most of the nobles won’t be willing to challenge you.  And at the Academy, it’s absolutely forbidden to challenge someone more than five levels lower than you, so you won’t be able to challenge anyone, particularly if you continue to delve before you depart,” said Pelleas.  “I do note that some people may take advantage of the fact that you can’t challenge them to torment you, though, if you get on their bad side,” Pelleas explained.

“What do you mean by torment?” asked Duncan.  “If they attack me, I can defend myself, I assume.”

“Nothing like that.  Slurs, insults, rumors, that sort of thing.  Distasteful, but effective.  If you upset someone popular or powerful, you may feel very isolated.”

“Ah.  Well, isolated won’t bother me.  As long as I can train with masters, I think the Academy might be a good idea.  How long would I be there?”

Pelleas thought a moment, “There’s a set curriculum for the academic classes, and you must pass them to continue.  The academic program lasts three years.  But the martial side – you advance at your own pace there, so if you master their teachings particularly quickly, you may leave whenever you’re done.  And if you find it not to your taste, you may leave at any time.  You would forfeit the gold you paid for the year, however.   Tuition is one hundred gold per year, which is a significant amount even for most noble families.”

“That’s a few days worth of delving for me, if I delve a dungeon with decent loot,” said Duncan.

“Yes, well, you’re not exactly normal,” said Pelleas. “Does that mean you’re interested in attending the Academy of Steel?  Should I also contact Turchon to see if he’ll take a human student in a few years?”

“I’ll give it a try,” Duncan decided.  “I want to be the very best, and if I’m to fight those invaders from another world, I’ll need to be very strong and very skilled, I suspect.  So yes, I will accept the Guild’s recommendation to the Academy, thank you.  And if Master Turchon will accept a human student, I would be honored to learn from him, too.”

“Very good.  I will inform the guildmasters and write to Turchon.  Do not expect to hear any news from Turchon for at least a year.  You will need to be in Lanport on the first day of Spring.  What do you propose to do for the next three months?” asked Pelleas.

“I’m going to kill every area boss in the Endless Depths,” grinned Duncan.

Chapter 30

Duncan was having a working dinner with Zach, Andrea, and Pelleas.  They sat in a private dining room at the fanciest inn in town (because it had a private dining room).  “I have three months to clear all the fun parts of the Endless Depths,” Duncan said.  “I’m hoping that you can help me identify which parts are fun, by which I mean challenging fights, not mindless creatures or annoying trapped hallways.  Maybe help me with a map of the various levels and what’s normally on each…”

Two hours later, he had a good idea of which parts of the dungeon would suit him, and how to get to them, as well as the names of the creatures that normally inhabited them, and the loot he could expect.

“One of the most frustrating aspects of the dungeon is that you will often find chests growing out of the dungeon itself.  These chests are only openable by keys that can rarely be found on the sentient monster corpses,” said Andrea.  “It’s not unusual to find half a dozen chests when exploring the Antling level, for example, but Antlings don’t carry equipment, so you have to have keys with you from other monsters.  And the keys are rare.  There are so many chests I’ve had to ignore because I didn’t have a key.  It’s bothersome.”

Zach said, “there are a half a dozen adventuring groups wandering the dungeon at any given time.  As we see them, we’ll let them know there’s a solo adventurer in there and that they should give you the same space they’d give another group.  Many of the levels are so large you may never run into anyone, but it’s always better to know.”

“Anything I should know about any of the groups?” asked Duncan.

“There are none with a bad reputation,” shrugged Zach.

“You would be wise to purchase some resistance gear from the Item Exchange,” said Pelleas. “The antlings have an acid spit in addition to their piercing attacks.  Several of the humanoid species have spellcasters with an affinity to lightning, acid, or cold.  And the scythe ghosts on the bottom three levels are masters of all the elemental magics.  I happen to have the Item Exchange scroll with me, here…”

Duncan ended up purchasing a necklace that would reduce the effects of acid on him by half for thirty gold.  It should arrive long before he made his way to the Antlings on level five of the dungeon.

*     *     *

The following morning, Duncan flew to the Endless Depths and started his three-month adventure.  He planned to stay in the dungeon for weeks at a time and had plenty of rations in his storage space. His first task was to clean out the Mossfoot tribe and its chieftain, then the cat people in the swamp.  He’d never risked the chieftain fight there, and it would be a good test of his ability to handle the creatures of the lower levels.

It turned out that Pelleas had been right about Duncan’s durability and strength increases.  He may not have advanced the Techniques he relied on most in physical fights during his month in the Eldritch Horror dungeon, but the gains were significant regardless.  He was stronger and more agile, and his armor felt almost weightless when he fought.  His amethyst sword cleaved mossfoot flesh as easily as his spirit blade cleaved their spirits.  The mossfoot chief couldn’t get past Duncan’s shield with its halberd, and the fight felt simple.

The cat people trios in the swamp were equally easy to defeat, and it wasn’t long before he was looking at the chieftain on the island with its guards surrounding it.  The cat people didn’t wear armor, and Duncan wanted the ability to parry and use his sword as a sword, so he switched to his Amethyst blade.  The spirit sword was great for offense, but it had no value at all in defense.

He still hadn’t encountered any of the creatures he assumed to be caster cat people – the unarmed monsters seemed only to hang around the chieftain.  So, he started the fight by blinking directly to one of the casters and cutting at its side.  The blow cut through the creature all the way to the spine.  It dropped to the ground with a piteous wail, and the remaining cats all turned to attack him.  He blinked to the far side of the group and cut down another monster from behind with two quick cuts.

The casters turned out to have a Lightning Affinity, but they were hampered at first by the sheer number of sword-wielding cats between them and Duncan.  Duncan continued to Blink around the edge of the group, cutting down monsters from behind whenever he could.  Once the numbers thinned a little, he focused on the cat mages.

The chieftain didn’t attack at first – it simply watched him as he fought its minions.  When it did act, it took Duncan by surprise.  He had blinked to attack another mage when the chief suddenly blurred across the island and struck low with one of his swords, and high with the other.  Duncan blocked the attack in his high line, but the low cut almost took his foot off.  The chieftain’s sword cut about halfway through the bone above his ankle, right through his armor and Hardened Skin.  Duncan responded with a Mind Spike and a thrust to the chieftain’s throat whilst it was stunned.

Duncan’s assessment passive told him the chieftain was wounded, but not badly wounded, by the thrust, even with the blade echoes.  He healed himself and pressed the chieftain, blocking what he could, but accepting a blow in order to land one at times.  His ability to heal made the tactic viable, but he was concerned about the additional damage from the remaining minions.  His healing Technique had advanced a rank, but it was still by far his most expensive Technique in terms of mana.

A black cloud suddenly exploded out of the chieftain.  Duncan Blinked away and took a moment to analyze the change.  The chieftain was either cloaked in shadows or had become a shadow.  It rushed towards him along with the remaining half-dozen minions.  Duncan switched to his spirit sword and met the charge.  The chieftain was already badly wounded from their previous clash, and Duncan’s spirit sword completely ignored whatever protection the shadows provided it.  Two swings and it dropped to the ground, the shadows dissipating.

Duncan had taken a wound from the chieftain, too – it had ignored his armor to strike his body with its shadow-reinforced sword.  But he healed that up and cut down the remaining minions, Blinking frequently to keep them off-balance.

That was more mana intensive than I had expected.  I didn’t think the chieftain would be able to hurt me as much as it did.
He looted the corpses and was pleased to find a small grey key on the chieftain’s body.  He also took the chieftain’s swords along with all the weapons from the minions.  The elemental blades didn’t sell for much, but he could always dump them later if his storage space was filling up and he found something more valuable.  He collected the coins that they had in their little belt pouches and prepared to move to the stairs to the second floor.

*     *     *

The second floor, at least in this area, was a massive cavern with an artificial sun above and hilly terrain.  The stairs ended inside a cave, and stepping out, Duncan could see the hills were pocked with caves, and there were figures moving about in the distance near each cave.
This should be the cyclops area. Not giant creatures, but bigger than me, with one eye and a penchant for hitting things with clubs.

Rather than pick his way across the rough terrain, Duncan flew low to the ground until he came to another cave.  Two two-point-five-meter-tall cyclops were crouched in front of a small fire outside the cave.  They leapt to their feet and roared a challenge at him.  Duncan stepped off his sword, picked it up, and met their charge by Blinking past them and cutting at the back of the knee of his chosen victim.

The Blade Echo Technique savaged the tendons at the knee joint, and the cyclops’s leg couldn’t bear its weight.  It tumbled to the ground.  Duncan hit the second one with a Mind Spike, stunning it, and stabbed through a fold in space at the creature’s eye, puncturing it and piercing the eye socket, right the way through to its brain.  It dropped without a sound.
Well, that was ridiculously easy.

The first cyclops was just getting to its feet, heavily favoring the wounded leg.  Duncan stunned it and repeated the stab to the eye through a fold in space trick, and it, too, died.
Zach said the cyclops were physically strong and quite tough, but their eye was a weak spot.  I need to experiment to see how tough they are when I’m not taking the easy way out.

He looted the few coins the cyclops had, checked their cave (finding only smelly bedding and some firewood), and flew on to the next camp.  There, he used Mind Spike on both cyclops to stun them, stabbed the second one through the eye, and waited a moment for the first one to recover, then fought it without using any active Techniques.  It did prove quite sturdy, with his sword blows, even with rank five Tempered Blade helping increase his sword’s effectiveness tremendously, cutting only a few centimeters into the monster’s flesh.  His shield nullified the momentum of the cyclops’s swings, but when he tried to parry a swing with a sword instead of blocking with his shield, the force of the blow knocked him back a step. Still, he won the fight comfortably.
I wouldn’t want to fight more than one at a time without using any Techniques, though.  If I were to miss a block, they could do some real damage.

He flew around clearing out small groups of cyclops at various caves for several hours before he found a larger group around a cave entrance.  There were eight cyclops here, including two that were taller than the rest by a good thirty centimeters.  Duncan hit one of the monsters on the edge of the group with a Mind Spike, then Blinked to it, and stabbed it in the eye through a fold in space.  He repeated the series and killed a second Cyclops before the rest responded.

The largest cyclops slammed their clubs on the ground rapidly, using an Earth Technique to create sharp spikes of earth that thrust up at him.  He Blinked away from the attack and killed another Cyclops.  Within a minute, he’d killed the entire pack.
I don’t know if I should be excited that I can kill these so easily or disappointed that they’re not a challenge.

*     *     *

The third level of the dungeon was a forest environment.  The stairs exited from a pillar that seemed to go up hundreds of feet when he looked at it from the third level, but it had been only a dozen flights of stairs down from the second.
Still, the pillar should be relatively easy to spot whenever I need to find the stairs again.  This floor is supposed to have little wooden forts manned by humanoids with pointed teeth and claws, and the forest is full of spiders that are magic-resistant and can spit lightning or acid.  It’s about a hundred square kilometers.  Amazing.  How much ambient mana must there have been in the area for the dungeon to create this?

The spiders were delicate-looking, with very long, slender legs.  They moved quickly and could leap thirty meters.  It seemed that about ten percent of the spiders could either spit acid or cast lightning bolts.  The ones that spat acid were dangerous up close, but he could dodge the spit unless the spiders were at very close range.  The spiders that were able to direct lightning at him were worse at range – the lightning moved too fast for him to dodge, and his metal armor made him a good target.

There were rarely more than three spiders together at a time, and he could shatter their legs and pierce the chitin on their bodies with his amethyst swords.  His spirit sword did hurt them, but they had some sort of resistance to the damage, and his assessment passive showed that the amethyst swords were more effective.

He did find a few spiders that flung whirling stars of blade-aspected mana at him.  It was like a variation of his Bladestorm Technique, but a single spinning blade that moved in a straight line instead of a field of stationary spinning blades.

The humanoids in the forts scattered through the woods were just under two meters tall, with skin tones that varied from beige to green to brown.  All had pointed teeth and sharp claws.  They wore hide and chitin armor, and variously wielded swords, shields, bows, and spell Techniques.  When he approached their forts on foot, they would invariably send a group of four or five melee fighters out to meet him and have archers and spellcasters attacking him from the wall.  He found it easiest to Blink onto the wall to attack the ranged enemies first, and then find a section of wall where the walkway was narrow enough the melee fighters had to approach him single file and cut them down.  None ever fled, nor asked for quarter.  There were generally about twenty in each fort.  About one fort in ten had a commander that seemed a lot sturdier than the rest but had no extra tricks.  And about one in three commanders had a little grey key on them.

*     *     *

The fourth level had more dangerous versions of the mossfoot frog-people.  They were all faster and stronger than the chief from level one had been, but he rarely encountered them more than four at a time.  His standard hit and run tactics with Blink and Mind Spike continued to work well.  The mossfoot chieftains on the fourth level were very worthy foes.  Not only were they fast and strong, they were skilled with their weapons, often managing to disarm Duncan (who would Blink away and either pull out another weapon from his storage or Blink back to his dropped weapon when the chieftain moved to chase him).  He took a lot of damage from the chieftains at first, but he learned their favored moves over time and was able to counter them.  The chieftains almost always had a little grey key on them when he looted them.

It was on the fourth level he saw another adventuring party for the first time.  A group of five had engaged a chieftain and its guards.  Duncan approached only far enough to watch the fight.  The adventurers fought well together and were never in any danger.  Once the fight was over, Duncan turned to leave but one of the adventurers shouted to get his attention and waved him over.  As Duncan approached, the adventurer who’d called to him said, “Hail, Warrior.  Have you lost your team?  Do you need assistance?”

“No, I’m fine, but thank you for asking,” Duncan replied.

“Oh, you must be the solo Zach told us about.  A pleasure to meet you.  We’ll be in this area for a few days if you need anything.”

That’s a subtle way of claiming the territory
, Duncan thought with a wry grin. “Sounds good.  I’m going to head down to the next floor, then.  Good luck to you all.”

They waved and he departed.  One of them shook her head and said, “He must be a real badass to solo in here.”  Then they went back to clearing the mossfoot tribes and soon forgot about him.

*     *     *

The fifth level was insane.  Duncan loved it.  The entire level was one large anthill, with two-meter-tall ants that walked upright on their back legs, used their middle pair of legs to grapple, and used their front pair of legs like swords to stab at him.  They spat acid, as well, and he was grateful for his necklace that reduced the acid damage they did, because they were endless.  The hallways were narrow, so he never had to face more than two at a time, but there were always twenty more behind, trying to get at him.  He’d kill one, take a step back and engage the next.  Or he’d stand in an alcove where only one could reach him at a time and fight them until they dropped.  The antmen would pick up their fallen and pass them backwards to clear space for the next one to attack him.

The antmen had very strong chitin.  He couldn’t cut it at all.  But thrusts with his amethyst sword worked very well, as did his spirit sword.  The antmen were apparently extremely resistant to most elemental Techniques.  Zach had recommended piercing and bludgeoning attacks.  He’d also recommended not fighting on this level alone, but he was a worrier.  The antmen let out a hissing noise every time they were injured, and a different hissing noise every time they sprayed acid at him.  He’d begun to find the sound oddly relaxing.

Duncan found enough of the stone chests that Andrea had mentioned that he could use all the little grey keys he’d taken from the monsters above.  He ended up discarding all the elemental swords he’d gotten on the first level to make room for the loot he took from the chests.
I’m going to have to go back to town soon to sell this.  I should also probably let them know I’m still alive.  It’s been, what, a month, maybe?  I brought enough food for two months, but my eating’s been erratic.

Duncan fought his way back to the stairs every night and slept on the staircase.  With the antmen, this meant that he didn’t get too far into the level, because the monsters swarmed back into the areas he’d cleared a few hours after he cleared them.  He’d yet to find the tougher monsters that guarded a queen ant or the stairs down to the sixth level.  But he was having a blast on the fifth level.  The antmen could overwhelm him if he screwed up, but he had his Blink and healing Techniques to get him out of sticky spots.

There were typically about twelve flights of stairs between the levels, no matter how tall the levels themselves were, which meant there were plenty of places for him to set up his tent at night.  For some reason that no one understood, the monsters of the dungeon avoided the staircases between the levels.  The ambient mana level was lower in the stairwells, so that may have been part of it.

*     *     *

Duncan walked into the Adventurers Guild hall and waved to Amy, who was helping a group of Adventurers with something or other.  She rolled her eyes at him and turned her attention back to the folks at her desk.  Duncan proceeded down the stairs to the appraisal office and was pleased to see Pelleas at the desk.  Pelleas smiled and activated the privacy ward. “It’s good to see you alive and thriving, young Duncan.”

“Thank you Pelleas,” Duncan grinned. “I’m really enjoying the antmen floor.  It’s exciting non-stop action.  I fought the mossfoot tribe on level four and the weird fort people on level three to acquire the keys that Andrea spoke of, then used them all in the chests on the antmen floor.  I’ve got a lot of loot for you to appraise.”

He began stacking items on the counter.  There were weapons of all kinds, armor pieces, jewelry, Technique stones, gems, metal bars, and even a couple of bolts of cloth.  Pelleas dutifully appraised it all and listed the amount the guild would pay for each piece.

“Ring. Storage device.  Capacity: one hundred slots.  The guild will offer you one hundred gold for it.”

“Nope!” Duncan snatched up the ring from the counter. “I’ve wanted to see what the storage space in one of these feels like.  I’m sure I can advance my Personal Space Pocket Technique with just a little push.”

Pelleas nodded amiably.  “I would have recommended you keep that in any case.  You will almost certainly be able to sell it for more than the guild is offering once you get to the Academy.”

A few appraisals later, he said, “Bracelet.  Advanced Storage device.  Capacity: three hundred slots.  The guild will offer you five hundred gold for it.  Again, don’t sell it to us.”

Duncan examined the bracelet.  “What makes an advanced storage device different from a regular storage device, other than the number of items it can store?”

“Convenience.  The ring will let you store any item you touch just by thinking about storing it.  You will always know exactly what’s inside, and how much, and you can recover an item from storage simply by thinking about it. Items in storage have no weight. The bracelet will let you equip items directly from your storage.  For example, if your armor is stored in there, you could equip it in under a second, just by summoning it from the bracelet onto your body.  Items in storage are in stasis.  So, you could put a hot meal in storage, remove it a month later, and it’d be fresh and hot still.”

Duncan grinned.
I can’t wait to examine these devices and see if I can advance my Technique to match.
“But these are less secure than my Technique, right? Someone could steal them or their contents.”

Pelleas grimaced.  “That’s not entirely correct.  While someone could certainly steal the storage item, they would be unable to access the contents while the bonded owner is alive without some very fancy and very expensive space magic.  The bracelet is more secure than the ring in that respect, too.”

“How would I bond the items?” Duncan asked.

“Touch a drop of your blood to them, the same way you sign for withdrawals and purchases here,” explained Pelleas.  “If they’re not already bonded to someone, they’ll bond to you.  They will also lose their bond if they’re away from you for an extended time – a month or more, in most cases.  You can also dismiss the bond voluntarily.”

“Thank you.  That’s very helpful,” said Duncan.

“Now let us see what other wonders you’ve brought back,” Pelleas said as he returned to appraising Duncan’s loot.

In the end, he kept only one other item, a Metal-Affinity sword that was an upgrade to his amethyst blades.  It did additional damage based on his Metal Affinity and ignored metal armor.

“That’s six hundred and nine gold credited to your account,” said Pelleas.  “You have seven weeks before you have to leave for Lanport.  Will you be going back into the Endless Depths?”

“Tomorrow,” Duncan answered.  “Tonight, I sleep in a real bed and examine these storage items.”  They said their goodbyes and Duncan retired to his room at the inn.  He took his remaining items out of his personal storage pocket and put them into the ring, marveling at how they disappeared with a touch and the clear understanding he had of exactly what was stored, down to the last copper bit.  He summoned the items out and stored them in his bracelet.  Then he stored his armor and summoned it onto his body.
This. Is. AMAZING!

He moved items back and forth between his personal storage and his items for a while, and eventually came to an understanding of some of the differences.  He discovered he could store items in his personal storage space simply by touching them, the same way the ring worked.
Which means I don’t have to attach the space to a bag anymore!
He tried attaching the space to his belt buckle and it worked like a charm.
Progress!  And I no longer have to carry a pack at all.  With two storage items and my Personal Pocket Space I can carry an incredible amount of stuff.

*     *     *

The following morning, he stocked up on all the hot meals he could buy on short notice and stored them in his bracelet.  Then he bought some more rations and stored half of them in his ring and half in his personal storage pocket.  Then it was back to the Endless Depths and his endless pursuit of advancement.

It took him a week to find the antmen queen, and she almost killed him on the spot.  Twice the size of a regular antman, she was also twice as fast and more than twice as strong.  She didn’t hide behind her elite guard, which were significantly stronger than normal antmen, too, but rushed past them and put a forelimb straight through his chest.  His shield blocked the second forelimb, and that’s probably the only thing that kept him alive.  He Blinked out of her chamber, healed himself, and Blinked repeatedly away until he was in tunnels too small for her to enter.
Well, it’s nice to know I’m not invincible.  Let’s come back to her on my last day in here.

*     *     *

He found the stairs down to the sixth floor and found it just as exhilarating as the fifth.  It was a massive maze with ramps up and down, deep pits, and rope meshes to climb, and it was filled with Steelfist Apes, which Zach had accurately described as “three-meter-tall apes with steel gauntlets magically fused to their fists.”  They charged him on sight and smashed at him with their massive fists.  His momentum-absorbing shield was his savior on this floor – the few times he missed a block he was knocked into walls or the floor with bone breaking force.  They were incredibly resilient.  It took ten or twelve Blade Echo Techniques to kill each one.

It was fortunate that the apes didn’t travel in packs for the most part.  Any time he encountered more than one at a time, he would Blink away, often across open pits to prevent them from following.

*     *     *

The seventh floor was similar to the sixth, but instead of Steelfist Apes, it was full of creatures that could really only be described as mouths with legs.  They were almost as big as Duncan, and they were almost entirely mouth.
Where does the stuff they swallow go?
Duncan saw another party of adventurers in the distance on this floor, shooting down at some of the mouth creatures they’d lured into a dead end.

He fought and killed some of the mobile mouths, discovering in the process that they were insanely strong and aggressive.  The first one he fought rushed at him with its mouth open, legs pumping, tongue flapping, and saliva flying everywhere.  Duncan stabbed it in the roof of its mouth, and it promptly bit his arm off at the elbow.  He Blinked away, regenerated his arm ( thank you Destrin’s Restoration
), and pulled out another sword.  Then he stunned the creature with a Mind Spike and hacked away at its legs.  The creature’s hide and flesh were very tough and dense, and it took him far too much mana to justify.

He was able to recover his sword and armor, though it was a messy process.  Fortunately, his storage ring was on his shield hand.  And even more fortunately, the stairs to the eighth floor were quite close to the stairs from the sixth floor, and he was more than happy to see what lay below rather than spend more time with the walking mouths.

*     *     *

The eighth floor was another massive outdoor region with mountainous terrain.  A huge fortress stood perhaps a kilometer away, so Duncan flew towards it.  In the forest below, he could see some gangly green humanoids, but he ignored them temporarily whilst he investigated the fortress.

As he approached, he could see stocky humanoids standing on the walls.
Dwarves, maybe?  I thought Zach said this floor had giants, though.
As he grew closer, the scale of the fortress became apparent.  The stocky humanoids were four meters tall and had an earth or stone affinity.  They created boulders and hurled them at him as he flew towards the fortress.  He was forced to turn away and land, thinking he’d sneak up on foot.

In the forest, though, the green humanoids awaited.  They were widely scattered in groups of two or three, typically, but they proved both aggressive and dangerous.  They had a Cold or Ice Affinity and fired scintillating bolts of cold at him at a speed he could barely dodge at fifty meters.  When he Blinked up to them, they were happy to slash at him with their long claws.  At two and a half meters tall, their long arms effectively compensated for the reach advantage his sword should have given him.

The green monsters were fast and durable, as he’d expected this deep into the dungeon.  He was able to block most of their attacks with his shield and counter effectively with his sword, but if he gave them any distance at all, they’d strike him with their cold bolts.  So, his tactic became to Mind Spike, Blink in, attack once or twice with his sword (his Blade Echo Technique produced three echoes of his attacks now, quadrupling his damage), Blink out, dodge a flurry of cold attacks or hide behind a tree to avoid them, and repeat.  It was a mana intensive proposition, and a risky one.  He found their claws more than sufficient to shred his armor and body if they caught him.

He was able to loot a key off every third or fourth creature, though, and that kept him in the woods longer than he’d expected.  When he grew too tired to fight, he’d fly to an inaccessible ledge on a cliff and sleep there, then re-engage when he’d recovered.  He spent a full week just fighting the green humanoids, learning their tactics and timings, and gradually taking less time to kill each one.

After a week of fighting the green monsters, he approached the fortress again on foot, then Blinked to the very base of the wall where the boulder-throwing giants couldn’t see him.  The walls were too high to blink up, being at least three hundred meters tall, so he flew up, staying with arm’s reach of the wall.  At the top, he saw the giant guards were well over a hundred meters apart.  He flew along the wall, just below the top, occasionally popping up to take a look at the guard layout.

Eventually he was able to find a guard that seemed to be out of sight of the others.  He stepped off his sword onto the wall and Blinked forward to engage it.  It looked down at him in surprise as he appeared. Duncan stabbed through a fold in space and struck the creature in its face with a Blade Echo Technique.  The giant was wearing thick armor over most of its body, but its face was uncovered.  It roared in pain and reached for an axe strapped to its back that was bigger than Duncan.

Duncan stabbed through another fold in space and struck the giant in the face again.  It kicked out at him, but fortunately for him, his fold in space was still present and the giant’s massive shin smacked into it.  It stumbled.  Duncan ran behind it and stabbed it in the face again through another fold in space.  It roared again and kicked backwards at him, but he was able to block the kick with his shield and the giant stumbled again as all its momentum vanished.

It took five strikes to the face with his Blade Echo Technique to kill the giant, but he did so without being hurt.  He stored its giant axe and discovered it had a key, too.
Hmm, these might actually be easier to kill than the green guys if I can get them alone like this.
The fortress proper was a good two hundred meters from the wall.  Duncan flew across the space as fast as he could and came to rest on the roof behind some crenellations.  Massive boulders struck the stone nearby.

There was a lone guard on the corner of the roof with Duncan, on a bit of an elevated tower.  The crenellations were big enough that Duncan could stay out of sight of the guards on the other corners, almost five hundred meters away.  He repeated his giant-slaying tactics.  There was a massive trap door beneath his feet, and he could see through the slats of wood to a staircase below.  He Blinked through and began to explore.

The giants patrolled the fortress hallways alone, or rarely, in pairs.  Duncan spent three weeks (his best guess) working his way through the fortress, killing giants and using the keys he looted on the large stone chests that were relatively common in the fortress.

He’d decided that he dare not go to the ninth floor of the dungeon.  The monsters here on the eighth were already so much stronger and tougher than him that he couldn’t afford a mistake.  Only his ability to Blink, heal, and fly gave him the confidence to stay on the eighth floor.

After three weeks inside the fortress, he decided to return to Chorley and see Pelleas again.  He had an awful lot of heavy weapons stored in his ring and bracelet, and lots of treasure as well.  He wasn’t sure how many days he had left before he had to leave for Lanport but he’d rather be early than late.

He made his way carefully up to the seventh floor and flew to the stairs to the sixth to avoid having to fight any of the walking mouth monsters.  He flew through the sixth as well, only stopping to kill a few isolated Apes.

He had to fight his way through the antmen on the fifth floor to reach the stairs to the fourth, but once he made it up to the fourth floor, it was an easy trip back to the dungeon entrance and to town.
I know I said I’d try the queen again, but she’s too scary.  I didn’t advance enough to face her.  But I’ll be back.

Chapter 31

Pelleas greeted him with a bow. “You’re back a few days earlier than I expected.”

Duncan shrugged.  “I lost track of time and didn’t want to be late.  And I felt I might have been pushing my luck with some of the monsters in there.  I didn’t get as far into the dungeon as I’d hoped.”  He began dropping giant weapons onto the counter.  “These things have to be worth something just for the sheer amount of material,” he said.

Pelleas swept the giant weapons into a storage device of his own as they piled up on the counter. “You must have spent a lot of time on the eighth floor.”  Duncan received almost a hundred gold for the giant weapons.

“And here’s the stuff I was able to get from the stone chests in the giants’ fortress,” he said.  He produced several more piles of loot.

Pelleas dutifully appraised them all and made an offer for each item. “It’s a good thing you’re happy to put the gold in your account with us.  We don’t have the actual coin on hand to pay you for all of this.”

Of the items he’d found, there were several of note.  “Armband.  Greater advanced storage device. Capacity: five hundred slots.  The guild can offer you eight hundred gold for it.  You’d be better off selling us the other two and keeping this one, though.   Cloak of the unseen: Mind Affinity.  Makes people not notice you if you’re acting normally.  Effectiveness dependent on Mind Affinity.  The guild can offer one hundred gold for it.  Affinity stone: Healing.  Will raise your Healing Affinity by one or two categories.  Probably only one for you.  Rarity: Very rare.  The guild values this item at over ten thousand gold.  I’m not authorized to make you an offer for it.”

Duncan stared at Pelleas, who was licking his lips nervously.
Another Affinity stone.  What are the odds? Did the gods rig the dungeon to give me this because I’m soloing and it’s the only way I’ll survive?  I don’t know that I’m comfortable with this level of divine scrutiny.
“Well,” he said. “I’m not about to sell that one, regardless of the price.  That stone will help me survive as I face more dangerous foes.  The lower floors of the Endless Depths were too dangerous for me.”

“That affinity stone is a clear indication the gods are messing with your fate,” said Pelleas.  “If you use that affinity stone, the great powers of the world will likely take notice as well.  You should use it, of course.  Just be aware that with great potential comes extraordinary danger.”

The remaining loot couldn’t live up to that revelation, but it was still an impressive haul.  Duncan chose not to sell his bracelet and ring storage devices just yet.
I don’t need the gold for anything, and they’re potentially very useful, if I ever need to carry supplies for an army or something, or if I loot an entire treasury.
Duncan received three hundred and ninety gold for the items he chose to sell.

“Do you know of a secure place where I can use the affinity stone that has bathing facilities on hand?  The last time I used an affinity stone, I had a breakthrough, and the byproduct was rather disturbing,” said Duncan.

“A breakthrough?  Do you follow the Eastern traditions, then?  You’ve given no indication of it.  And you’ve used affinity stones before?” Pelleas asked, his voice a little strained.

“My Space Affinity came from an affinity stone I found in a beginner dungeon.  And I don’t know what Eastern traditions you’re talking about.  I used the affinity stone and woke up covered in grime that smelled awful.  I was told I’d had a sudden advancement in my understanding and that the gunk was all my impurities being expelled from my body,” Duncan said.  “I would prefer to have bathing facilities at hand just in case that happens again.”

“I see,” said Pelleas.  “To have found an affinity stone in a beginner dungeon, and now another.  You bear watching, young man.  I would say you bear watching over, but I don’t think anyone I know could protect you from what you’ll face going forward.  In any case, you can have a tub brought to your room in the inn for an extra fee, I’m sure.  If you’ve already expelled your impurities, so to speak, your second experience is likely to be less severe than the first, if it happens at all.  A breakthrough, in Eastern parlance, is a spiritual awakening more than a consequence of Technique advancement.”

In his room at the inn that night, Duncan sat next to the tub he’d had brought up and used the affinity stone.  At once, he could feel his mana churning wildly in his system.  He meditated, trying to soothe the flow of mana through his body, but the mana felt both thick and wild.  It felt as though the mana in his core was going to burst, and he suspected that would not be a good thing.  The mana coursing through his body burned his flesh.  He focused his will on his surging core and fought to keep it under control.  He pushed on it, and it compacted.  He felt a surge of vitality throughout his entire body.  He squeezed his core again, compressing it further.  The pressure in his limbs decreased as thick strands of mana ceased to throb and no longer threatened to burn him up.  He squeezed a final time and his core settled, the mana forming a dense ball behind his belly button and circulating from there throughout his body, more strongly than he’d felt before.

I’m not sure what happened there, but it feels important.
He was sweating intensely from his efforts, and he noticed his sweat was dark and grimy.
Not as bad as the first time I used an affinity stone, at least.  And I didn’t pass out this time.
Duncan used the runes on the tub to fill it with hot water and scrubbed off the grime on his skin. He drained the tub, refilled it, and finished cleaning himself.

He dressed himself and sat next to the bed to meditate further. He looked inward, at his soulgem, to see his quantified gains.

Name:

Duncan

Class:

Warrior

Level:

75 (+26)

Profession:

Adventurer

Strength:

219 (+53)

Intelligence:

73

Dexterity:

200 (+52)

Wisdom:

60 (+1)

Agility:

202 (+51)

Endurance:

221 (+59)

Concurrent Active Techniques:

2

Health:

19420 (+6380)

Health Regen:

10500/hour (+6075)

Stamina:

2960 (+850)

Stam Regen:

26250/hour (+14000)

Mana:

15453 (+4598)

Mana Regen:

5660/hour (+1635)

Mana Reserved:

401 (-250)

Cultivation:

Mid Earth

Affinities:

Body

Outstanding

Death

Weak

Mind

Strong

Lava

Weak

Spirit

Outstanding (+1)

Gravity

Weak

Fire

weak

Poison

Negligible

Air

weak

Blade

Outstanding

Water

weak

Ice

Weak

Earth

moderate

Decay

Weak

Stone

moderate

Soul

Moderate

Lightning

weak

Corrosion

Negligible

Gemstone

moderate

Space

Outstanding

Nature

negligible

Healing

Outstanding (+2)

Life

weak

Shadow

Moderate

Metal

moderate

Blood

Negligible

Techniques

Active

Rank

Passive

Rank

Blade Echo

7 (+3)

Tempered Blade

7 (+2)

Fold Space

5 (+2)

Regeneration

6 (+2)

Blink

5 (+2)

Coagulation

4 (+2)

Mind Spike

5 (+2)

Hardened Skin

5 (+3)

Destrin's Restoration

4 (+1)

Tranquil Mind

3

Flying Sword

3 (+1)

Spiritual Shield

3

Bladestorm

2 (+1)

Personal Space Pocket

4 (+1)

Remove Affliction

2 (+1)

Ignore Pain

4 (+1)

Shadow Sight

3 (+1)

Assessment

3 (+1)

Skills

Rank

1H swords

5 (+1)

Plate armor

3 (+1)

2H swords

4

Mail armor

1

1H axes

3

Leather armor

3

2H axes

3

Anatomy

2

Shields

3

Survival

2

Spears

4

Skinning

1

Daggers

3

Meditation

3 (+1)

Bows

3

Swimming

1

Tracking

1

Riding

1

Amazing what three months of risking my life all day every day will do for my advancement.  My passive regeneration is remarkable.  Two hours to fully recover from near death without having to use a healing Technique.  I’ll never grow tired.  My mana pool and regeneration are sufficient for almost any fight unless I have to heal myself a lot.  And even my healing is becoming less costly as Destrin’s Restoration and Regeneration advance.

Duncan smiled.  Whatever trials the Academy of Steel had in store for him, he was ready to face them.

About The Author

Gary Spechko

Born in England, Gary now lives in Canada.  He has spent much of his adult life playing with swords and has the surgeries and bad joints that come with twenty five years of swordfighting.  These days he spends his time kayaking, scuba diving, reading, and writing.