Orrin finished telling his friends about Anabella as they ate a quick dinner sitting on the edge of the Wall.

  “Orrin, we are not going to leave this battle to go kill Lady Sanerris,” Madi said as she tossed an apple core over her shoulder. She leaned back and watched it bounce on the ground below. “Odrana can make their own mistakes. If she comes after us, we’ll be ready and respond with force.”

  “I’m not saying we should go right now,” Orrin said around a mouthful of the bean and beef mixture Brandt scrounged up for them. The naan-like bread pieces soaked up the concoction. The food given to the militia farthest from Dey was usually soup or anything that kept well. A few patrolling guards sniffed the air longingly as they passed the group of four. Orrin savored the flavors before swallowing and finishing his argument. “I think we should make a list and move down it in a matter of importance. First, we take out the Demon Lord and his little horde out there. Then, a quick [Teleport] to Mistlight for some light political murdering. After that, if we have time, we go kick the Hospital doors down and make sure they know who’s in charge, as well.”

  Daniel rolled his eyes. “I’m all for getting rid of a future problem but let’s not forget what’s happened the last few times the four of us ran off to Odrana. I think we should trust Finley and let them deal with their own internal problems.”

  Madi and Orrin turned in surprise at Daniel. He was vocal about his dislike of Odrana. The country was behind his kidnapping, the torture of Brandt, the false-flag elven war, and Orrin’s enslavement. He’d once chewed out a temporary party member for simply being from Odrana.

  “What?” Daniel asked as they all stared at him. He rubbed his wrist against his mouth. “Do I have something on my face?”

  “You’re the one I thought I could count on to get some revenge,” Orrin pointed out. “This new attitude of yours is not okay with me.”

  Daniel grinned in the fading light. “Finley can fight and I like him. If he can’t put the screws to Lady Sanerris, then I’ll gladly step in and wipe her line off this planet. Until then, we have a different problem.”

  Daniel waved his hand at the torchlights in the distance. “Silas said the letter will be delivered tomorrow at first light. That means the horde will probably attack right after. Orrin… how sure are you about the seal plan?”

  “The seal plan?” Madi asked, pushing the bowl of meat dip away. “What nonsense are you two plotting this time?”

  Orrin was actually proud of his idea. At level five, Daniel had unlocked the ability to purchase a [Hero]-specific ability called [Demon Seal].

  At three hundred ability points, there was no way Daniel could save up thirty levels of ability points before the fight tomorrow but Orrin might have come up with a solution.

  “Daniel can buy an ability called [Demon Seal]. It’s like it was tailor-made for this fight but it costs three hundred ability points,” Orrin explained. Brandt whistled low. “Even if he had saved every point since he found out about it, it wouldn’t be enough. Luckily, he’s also got me.”

  “I’ll admit, your class comes with some unique abilities,” Brandt chimed in as he collected the earthenware plates they’d been using. “But if you start handing out extra ability points, I’m going to need to get in on that too.”

  “Not yet, I can’t.” Orrin smiled as he put a small kettle he’d pilfered over his heater cube. The small magical device gave off the same heat as a fire and Orrin found the temperature was perfect for brewing up a small coffee. “I’m thinking of using my non-class powers.”

  Outside of his self-made class [Utility Warder], Orrin also had a secondary set of powers that named him Administrator. He’d been able to learn some about Administrators of the past from an elf. Arandir was Leanthun’s uncle and one of the council members of the elves. He’d told Orrin of the men and women of great power called Administrators who helped rule the world. Arandir also admitted that he was an Administrator of sorts himself, cursed in a way through the generations to have diminishing powers.

  Brandt perked up and tossed the plates into the mostly empty dip bowl. “You said you wanted to be careful using those powers.”

  Orrin had said that recently. His first conscious use of his Administrator powers was using Assign Class on his friend Amir. Amir’s mother died from lack of medical care or healing magic and his life’s goal was to become a [Healer]. When he was shunned within the Hospital, Orrin decided to take it upon himself to fulfill Amir’s dream. He used his Administrator powers to make Amir a [Healer]… the only one not controlled by the Hospital.

  The fallout from that was currently playing out in Dey, with the Hospital strong-arming the governing lords for concessions in return for healing during the horde attack.

  “I know what I said but it worked out well for Madi,” Orrin said, hoping to throw Brandt’s judgment off. “Plus, I’m discussing options with you guys beforehand. This is me being careful.”

  Madi raised her hand to quiet Orrin as a patrol passed. She waited until they were alone and pointed at the ground. Madi’s finger drew a circle of sapphire light around the four of them on the ground. “This will keep anyone from seeing or hearing us for a few minutes. You need to be more careful about talking about this stuff, Orrin.”

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  “We are going to talk about your cool new powers,” Daniel said, moving over and poking at the pretty purple light. “Isn’t the color going to make it obvious you cast a spell?”

  “Only those inside the perimeter can see it,” Madi explained in an annoyed tone. “Orrin, you told me you didn’t want to spend any more Administrator points. What did you buy?”

  “Nothing yet, I swear!”

  Madi stared at Orrin and slowly nodded her head. “I believe you.”

  “It really doesn’t sound like it,” Daniel whispered to Brandt.

  “I didn’t buy one because there are a few ways of trying this… I think.” Orrin pulled a bag of ground coffee beans out of his [Dimension Hole] and started measuring enough for a small cup. Brandt raised a finger and Orrin scooped a bit more into his press.

  “I disagree by the way,” Daniel added. “I think he’s got a sure-fire way to get us a lot of great things and cheaper options he’s going to try and convince you is the better way so he can keep more cash in the bank.”

  “What’s cash?” Madi asked. “Never mind, don’t answer that. Orrin, what are you suggesting?”

  Orrin checked his kettle and poured the hot water over the ground coffee. “Daniel is being greedy because of the long-term benefits of the more expensive option, which I won’t be able to afford because it uses almost all my Administrator points, by the way.”

  Daniel flipped his middle finger at Orrin.

  “Wait, I’ll explain,” Orrin cried and grabbed at his coffee press but Madi was too quick. She held the precious liquid over the edge of the Wall. “Let’s not do something we regret, Madi.”

  Madi growled.

  “Fine. It’s either Reset Class, Unlock Spell, or Assign Quests. Please don’t throw that out. It’s the good shit from Amir.”

  Madi handed back Orrin’s baby and he cradled the warm container in his arms. “It’s okay. I won’t let the bad lady hurt you anymore.”

  Brandt’s laugh turned into a coughing fit when Madi glared at him.

  “Would one of you take this seriously?” she asked, rubbing her eyes. One of her braids was coming undone and she flicked it off her face. “Orrin, clarify now or no more coffee.”

  Orrin doled out Brandt’s cup and some fresh java. He raised his own cup to his lips for a single sip before he started explaining. It was all he felt was safe under Madi’s gaze.

  “Daniel wants me to buy Assign Quests and,” he paused for dramatic effect, “Edit Reward. He thinks that I can give him an easy Quest like the run to the Wall of Dey Quest we had before and tweak the Reward to just give him the [Demon Seal] spell.”

  “Is it a spell or a skill?” Brandt interrupted. Orrin frowned in envy at the [Knight]’s half-empty cup. “You called it an ability earlier. Which is it?”

  “I’ll get to that,” Orrin said, stealing another bit of coffee to wet his tongue. He sighed in pleasure and made a mental note to thank Amir again. “The problem with option A is it costs ten points per ability. I’ll have three points left. If Assign Quest works like Assign Class, then I’ll have to spend a point to just give the Quest. I’ll likely have to spend another to use Edit Reward. Of course, there is also the chance that I can’t give a Quest reward of a [Hero]-specific spell.”

  “You said spell again,” Brandt muttered before he slurped loudly.

  “I think that route is too risky. I’d be out of points and unless one of you has a fresh dungeon we can conquer in the next, I don’t know, twenty hours, I’m not sure that’s worth it.” Orrin reached into his pocket and used his magic to pull out a small bag of cookies. Crumbs spilled down his shirt as he took a bite from one. More crumbs scattered on the stone between them as he pointed the half-eaten cookie at Brandt. “To answer your question, Daniel is pretty sure it’s a spell. That’s why I keep calling it a spell. If he’s wrong, buying Unlock Spell is a waste of ten points. I’d have to buy Unlock Skill, likely spend another point to actually unlock the seal thing, and then I’m back in the same boat. Left with one or two points and hoping an Administrator can tweak [Hero] spells from that ability.”

  Madi reached forward and snagged a treat from Orrin. “What’s the third option?” she asked as she bit into her own cookie. Her eyes widened as she chewed. “Where did you get these? They’re amazing.”

  “Tony made them for me as a welcome-back present,” Orrin said innocently. Madi’s hand stopped its travel toward the bag for a second cookie. Orrin grinned devilishly. Madi was still slightly afraid of the mind mage. It was a testament to his baking that she took another anyway.

  Orrin enjoyed the moment by drinking more of his own treat. If I could store some of these beans and get them back to Earth, I’d put the other coffee chains out of business.

  “Orrin’s third option is betting that Arandir is wrong about his own Administrator power and hoping he doesn’t reset me to level one,” Daniel informed them, tired of waiting. He was the only one not having dessert. “He wants to spend the least amount of points possible and bet that I’m not turned into a weakling.”

  “Hard to turn into something you already are,” Orrin said over the edge of his cup. He winked. “I’m messing with you, D. I explained it to you and you agreed it made no sense.”

  “Maybe explain it for the rest of us?” Brandt asked, holding out his hand. Orrin placed a single morsel in the man’s palm.

  “Arandir said he could reset an elf’s class but if he did, they were left without a class. At the time, I didn’t know anything about my powers. I thought he was talking about Reset Class. Now, I think he has a broken version of Assign Class. Instead of picking a new class, he just wipes their previous choices away. Like how Madi went back to level one.”

  “That’s a leap,” Madi said.

  “No, think about it,” Orrin said, finishing his cup and setting it down. “I have two similar abilities. Reset Class and Assign Class. When I used Assign Class, it reset you to level one and I got to pick your new class. If all Reset Class does it make you not have a class, doesn’t that seem duplicative? Why couldn’t an Administrator just help the person get the class they wanted right away? Why reset them to essentially puberty and the need to undergo training? It got me thinking and I tried to use Assign Class on Brandt—”

  “You what?” Brandt scrambled to his feet and patted his body like something was missing.

  “I didn’t actually accept it, I was testing a theory,” Orrin grabbed the man’s hand and yanked, pulling him back down on his butt. It surprised him a bit, as he still thought of Brandt as much stronger than him at times. “Anyway, Assign Class lets me pick none as an option.”

  Orrin waited expectantly.

  “Get it?” He asked slowly.

  “You think that since Assign Class lets you do what Arandir thinks Reset Class does, the second skill does something different?” Madi caught up. “Orrin, that is still a log of guesswork. What if you’re wrong?”

  “Then I’m wrong and we go with the Unlock Spell option. But I think I’m right. I think Reset Class wipes out your ability point purchases. Daniel could beat the Demon Lord into the ground. I use Reset Class on him and he buys [Demon Seal]. The good guys win and the horde runs away. But this is why we’re talking. What do you think I should do?”

  As Madi and Brandt thought it over, Daniel finally reached out and grabbed the penultimate cookie. He examined it before nibbling the edge. Time froze around them as Daniel shoveled the rest into his mouth.

  A moment later, the [Hero] and his party scraped like schoolchildren over the remaining contents of the small pastry bag.

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