The next day, a grand ceremony was being held in Blue Pine town. Most of the people local to town have come to attend as news broke that the town’s recent crime wave has come to an end. Last night, guards had fought valiantly and had captured a single member of an organized crime gang, and killed the rest but that’s less important. No more thugs breaking into places of work or intimidation. Before a grand stage, Mayor Ursted was awading a variety of people medals and speaking for the dead who had lost their lives in the raid yesterday. Ren was there too. She just had a lot going on in her mind.
Class promotion!
Ren
Level 7 Mage -> Level 7 Warrior
Strength: 10 -> 13
Magic: 23 -> 18
Agility: 8
Vitality: 7 -> 9
“See! It says ‘promotion’!” Warumasa said.
“Because the system doesn’t distinguish between an upgrade from a sidegrade.” Apherward said. “No, this is definitely a downgrade. And stop changing her class! I was having her grow in magic just fine.”
Class promotion!
Ren
Level 7 Warrior -> Level 7 Mage
Strength: 13 -> 10
Magic: 18 -> 23
Agility: 8
Vitality: 9 -> 7
“There! Fixed!” Apherward shouted.
“Hey! This girl has unfathomable potential. You are not going to take this away from me!” Warumasa said.
“The last guy you were bound to was an idiot who was trying to be a vampire demon and couldn’t settle on a fighting style and botched the whole thing in the end.”
“Oh, please. The guy was a hack. You know how often he just forgot he was a vampire and almost stepped out into the sunlight?”
“Like that has anything to do with how well you keep your wielders alive.”
“He didn’t even listen to me even once. I mean, look at this.”
Skill Level Up
Swordsmanship Level 1 -> Level 3
Ren learned Netami Style.
Ren learned Netami Style: Form 1: Flash.
Ren learned Netami Style Form 2: Swallow Dive.
Ren learned Netami Style Form 3: Helm Splitter.
Ren learned Netami Style Form 4: Blade Wave.
“Did that Le-Lau- uhm… Loser! Did that Loser guy use any of these skills? Hmm?!?!” Warumasa said.
“I don’t care! Wait, did you just impart your weird skills onto her?” Apherward demanded.
“Uhh, it’s an improvement you idiot!”
While they bickered inside Ren’s head, Mayor Ursted spoke before the crowd as Ren stood at the center of the stage.
“For your bravery and valor, I award you a title!” the mayor said, waving a hand. “I now dub you Blue Pine’s Favorite Adventurer!”
Ren earned the title Blue Pine’s Favorite Adventurer.
Strength: 10 -> 12
Magic: 23 -> 25
Agility: 8 -> 10
Vitality: 7 -> 9
A system message appeared in Ren’s head. However, the voices in Ren’s head were more concerned about arguing with each other.
“Wait, you haven’t learned about guns?” Warumasa said.
“Yes, they didn’t have these gun things when last I was free.” Apherward said.
“What? Have you been living under a rock?”
“A building made of rocks, yes.”
“What are you a caveman?”
“What the? I am Apherward the Mote of Dark Secrets. A manifestation of Apher Kirakaus. I know secrets the world would rather be left hidden. My arcane prowess is unmatched in this world! And what are you, hmm?”
“What am I? What am I? I am Warumasa the Demon Blade! I manifested myself by possessing a mortal and became a demon with physical form! Not an evil spirit, but a demon who can walk the world as mortals do. I was Zoge! An oni feared by all. When I was met with the holy blade Luxcalibur, my jealousy and envy grew so great my name became Zoge Netami! To best the blade, I beat myself into the form of a sword!”
“Woah! Woah! Stop! I do not need to hear about you beating yourself off!” Apherward said. The old wisen wizard-like voice said in disgust.
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“Wha- No! I did not beat myself off, as you say. I forged my own body into a sword. Using my envy and bitterness, I made myself into an unparalleled blade.”
“And so what, you punch yourself until you were as thin as a blade?”
“Yes! I forged myself into a blade. I basked in a furnace of hellfire until I, an oni, would be malleable to it’s heat! I used my own hands to beat myself into shape and remove any impurities.”
“You were a demon!”
“Yes!”
“One with legs I presume.”
“Yes! Where is this going?”
“You used to be able to walk, talk and everything when you went from evil spirit to an actual flesh and blood immortal being. Then you got really jealous of some sword of light and then sat in a furnace and hammered your face in until you turned into a sword. One that decidedly couldn’t walk and talk.”
“My envy of the blade of light is unmatched!”
“No! I think your envy is matched by your stupidity. Stupidity so dangerous that you killed yourself and turned yourself into a sword.”
After the ceremony there is celebration and drink to be had. However, a select few have spirited themselves away from the celebration to speak in private. In the mayor’s office no less. Seated were Ren, Mona, Mayor Ursted, Mackamer Fundae, a few town guards and what seems to be an office assistant.
“I’m afraid you have been accused of vampirism, Mackamer.” Mayor Ursted said. “By Lenard the Trampler, who you know is dead. We all know that vampirism is punishable by death in the Irvan Kingdom. Even coming from a criminal and a dead man, we must take this allegation seriously.”
“Oh, I’m sure.” Mackamer rolled his eyes as he spoke. “Let me be the first to say that I am not a vampire and I have no idea where he got the idea from. To soil my name with the venom he spits from his mouth.”
“Please, take this seriously.” the Mayor said. “If all goes well, we can put this behind us without any issues.”
“And I presume that the guards here and our favorite adventurer also make this accusation?” Mackamer asked.
“I don’t know why I’m here.” Ren said.
“Well, you heard him, and Mackamer said he had your quest reward too.” Mona said.
“You know, I wanted to award her quest reward on the stage in front of everyone, but you all wanted me here.” Mackamer shrugged.
“Can we get back on topic?” the Mayor said. “You are also implicated in the crime of aiding and abetting a criminal.”
“I assure you, I am not in the business of perpetuating crime.” Mackamer said.
“Then I would ask you to let us investigate your businesses.” the Mayor said.
“What the fuck are you on about?” Mackamer scowled. “Investigate my businesses? You mean make it all public and have the vermin pick at my trade secrets and connections. Did the Forthright Cargo company put you up to this?”
“Nothing of the sort.” the Mayor said. “If you could comply, we the town of Blue Pine would appreciate it.”
“This is an outrage.” Mackamer shouted.
“I’m sorry, but why didn’t you let him on stage?” Ren said.
“We just want to be cautious.” the Mayor said.
“Okay.” Ren said. “Can we just see if he’s a vampire first?”
“How do you mean?” the mayor asked.
Ren got off her seat and pulled the curtains off the windows of the mayor’s office. She threw the window open and gestured to it.
“Can you stand in the sun for a moment?” Ren asked.
Mackamer raised an eyebrow but nodded his head. He slapped his hands on his knees and got up off his seat. He walked over to the window without issue. He looked out the window, rolled his shoulders and took a deep breath as the midday light shined on him. He also didn’t combust into flames as he did all this.
“Ah! It’s the little things in life. I’m always forgetting that.” Mackamer said. “Speaking of which. I think this is for you.”
Mackamer waved one hand to work the system and another to gesture to the office assistant. The assistant procured a jewelry case from his satchel and presented it to Ren. In the case was a ring seated in a red velvet cushion.
“For saving our town, I present to you a Ring of Minor Protection! On your adventures, you are sure to encounter many dangers. Take this and forever benefit from it’s protection so that you may return to us as a glorious adventurer.”
Quest Complete
Stop the Blood Hoof gang’s crime wave.
Level up!
Ren
Level 7 Mage -> Level 8 Mage
Strength: 12 -> 13
Magic: 25 -> 28
Agility: 10 -> 11
Vitality: 9 -> 10
System messages appeared in Ren’s head. The voices in her head who were arguing non-stop paused for a moment.
“Yeah! Bitches!” Apherward cheered in his old wizard voice.
“Oh for fuck’s sake.” Warumasa cried in his low demonic voice. “That’s it! I’m changing her class!”
Class promotion!
Ren
Level 8 Mage -> Level 8 Warrior
Strength: 13 -> 16
Magic: 28 -> 23
Agility: 11
Vitality: 10 -> 12
“Gods, damn it. She missed a level up and growth in the direction of a warrior.” Warumasa complained. “How did she even get this?”
Warumasa took a moment to look around the room.
“Oh, it’s that Mackamer guy.” Warumasa complained in his low demonic voice.
“Oh! Right, this guy.” Apherward said. “He was like a secret vampire or something?”
“Yeah! He did a thing where he made some potions of strength that made people who drank it have special blood, and then when a vampire drinks that blood, they get like a billion times stronger for a few seconds or something.” Warumasa said.
“Oh, that was what the potions of strength were?”
“Yeah I know. Looney, or whatever his name was, forgot about it when he was talking to the guy in the magic mirror. He just needed to drink the blood of one guy and he would’ve snowballed and won. Wait, he bit Ren in the fight. He should’ve won that.”
“Oh, I didn’t have Ren drink the potion.”
“What! Why?”
“Why would a mage need a potion of strength?”
“Uh, to get gains! To get beefy muscles!!!”
“She doesn’t need that.”
“Bullshit she doesn’t! Screw this, she’s hungry anyway. This town have gyoza or something? She needs something meaty to eat.”
“I don’t know. She’s had stew for the past week or something.” Apherward paused as something dawned on it. “Wait, you can sense her hunger?”
“Yeah! And her pain and exhaustion. What, you can’t?”
“No I can’t! Gods, man. I let her faint like twice in the past week because I forgot to make her eat and sleep.”
“Okay, you are terrible at this. Just get 3 meals a day and 8 hours of sleep. It can’t be that hard. And can we go back to the week thing?”
“What? I think today marks the 7th day Ren pulled me from beneath the castle.”
“How long did you say you were living under a rock?” the demonic voice asked in a very confused tone.
“I don’t know. I wasn’t counting the days on account of the fact that I couldn’t see the sun!”
“Okay! Hold on to your binding for this one. No one has been using the term week for like, hundreds of years.”
“Wait! What?” the voice of a wizened wizard asked in complete confusion.
“Yeah, every modern calendar is in octants now.”
“What in the world is an octant?”
“8 days. And months are now 32 days. So 4 octants to a month.”
“What?!?! What was wrong with 7 days?”
“I don’t know! I wasn’t in the room when they reinvented the damn calendar!”
The meeting ended and Ren began to head out. With a new ring adorning her finger and protecting her, she walked around the celebration and asked for some meat skewers which were happily provided. It isn't long until she is joined by familiar faces.
“Hi, Ren!” Sally said as she rushed over to Ren.
“Hello, Sally.” Ren said in a flat tone.
“It's good to see you, Ren.” Mila Vert came into view not long after her daughter.
“Ren! You crazy girl, you. The town is celebrating you.” Samson Vert said.
“Hello!” Ren greeted the Vert family. “How are you?”
“We're good.” Samson chuckled. “You know, when I first came to town I was told to be careful of a crime wave. Not even an octant later, and I hear you’ve put a stop to it all.”
“That's an adventure for you.” Ren said.
“Adventure!” Sally said.
“And, you know what?” Samson asked. “That neighbor I was complaining about was the gang member the guards arrested. Now the guards are asking me about everything there is to tell about my few days being his neighbor.”
Samson let out a heavy sigh.
“Well, at least he won't be threatening my family again.” Samson chuckled. “Anyway, you’ve done me a great service. If I can do anything to repay you, please let me know.”
Ren looks like she thinks for a moment.
“If there are bandits or anything attacking wagons and stuff, could you get me a quest?” Ren said.
Samson nods his head.
“I'll need to figure out how to issue quests with the system, but I think it's manageable.” Samson said.
“But, I think you might want to buy something appropriate for that.” Mila said.
“What?” Ren asked.
Mila pointed at Ren.
“The bottom of that sword stabbed through your backpack. Now it's hanging out.” Mila said.
“Oh.” Ren said flatly.
