“You sure?” Maggie asked.

  She’d helped me narrow down my choices all morning. We’d started with the immense list of every general skill available to me. Most of which would see no utility both in combat and in my daily life, like Midwifery, which I’d unlocked by being at the birth of my daughter. But even the list of skills I thought might end up useful wound up at just under two hundred entries long.

  In the end, the skills Maggie and I decided on were Focus and Basic Stone Carving. Focus was another gateway skill, an easier one designed to allow users to narrow their focus that was massively expanded with different additions. Currently, Focus would only allow me to use my aura to narrow all of my senses on to a singular task for a couple of seconds. From what Maggie said, the most common expansions on the skill were learning to not narrow your sense while still retaining the heightened focus, and lengthening the time a person could spend using the skill.

  Basic Stone Carving was another skill I took for myself. Carving was something I found peaceful. The quiet tap of the chisel and the focus required to get the details just right were meditative for me. It also helped that my tutelage under Dale back in Twin Oak meant I started the skill at (9/10) so I’d be able to choose another relatively quickly.

  Rather than answer Maggie’s question, I let the sensation of the skills settling into my spirit wash over me. We were in the Guild Hall’s training yard on a pair of wooden benches near the longhouse. Dozens of people filled the yard, each of them going through some kind of training regimen.

  The most eye catching was a small man who continuously tossed small balls of fire at a dummy like he was tossing pebbles out across a lake. Over by the far corner of the yard was a small girl, barely taller than four feet, who walked through a short kata with her spear. Her movements were like what I’d just learnt in Beginner’s Hammer Art. As I watched her work, I realized she’d yet to Awaken as all of her movements were slow, not out of a lack of focus, but because she lacked any of the System boosted stats, I already felt so used to seeing. Analyzing her movements reminded me of something, and I brought up my status.

  Status:

  Name: Bran

  Class: [Grove Guard], LVL 7 (+4)

  Attributes: [4 Free Points Available]

  Strength – 24 (+7)

  Dexterity – 13 (+2)

  Constitution – 28 (+8)

  Endurance – 27 (+3)

  Wisdom – 6

  Intelligence – 10

  Aura – 12 (+4)

  Luck – 5

  Class Skills: (1/5)

  - Woodland Pulse (1/10)

  General Skills: (2/3)

  - Basic Stone Carving (9/10)

  Focus (1/5)

  Mastered Skills:

  Beginner’s Sheild Art (+1 Strength)

  Beginner’s Hammer Art

  The Willow’s Wrath (+3 Endurance, +2 Dexterity, +2 Strength)

  “Where do you think I should put my free points?” I asked.

  I’d already selected my skills, so there was no real point in continuing the old conversation

  Maggie looked slightly surprised by the sudden change, but she handled it smoothly and, after some thought, asked a question of her own.

  “Do you have any outliers?”

  “Define outlier.”

  “Just that, outliers. Stats that are out of the norm for being too high or too low compared to your other attributes.”

  I briefly wondered if Constitution and Endurance would count, but Strength being so close to them made me put the thought out of my mind.

  “Wisdom and Luck.”

  “What are they, if you don’t mind me asking?”

  “Wisdom’s at six, Lick’s at five.” I said, cringing slightly because of my low Wisdom.

  “Well, your Luck’s pretty normal if on the low side, and besides there’s nothing we could do about it even if we wanted to. What’s your next lowest stat after Wisdom?”

  “Intelligence. It’s at ten.” I answered.

  “I’d put the free points into Wisdom then. You’ll want to keep those as even as you can for right now.”

  “Why?” I asked.

  “These lower tiers are all about foundation. If your Intelligence and Wisdom are too out of line now, then at higher tiers as your body rebuilds itself with every level, it’s going to hardwire some eccentricities you wouldn’t have had otherwise. Hey, you read a lot, right?”

  “Yeah?”

  “Where do you think that ‘old wise mentor hides as a beggar for a century to find a pupil’ trope comes from?” She asked.

  The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.

  “There were a couple of incidents where elders disappeared from their clans and families for centuries, only to return with an apprentice. It’s not confirmed but every scholar who studies the phenomena agrees that the likely explanation is that the elders had enough Wisdom to know street kids are often better equipped for an apprenticeship but not enough Intelligence to realize there are better ways to find a humble apprentice then ditching your responsibilities for a century to be a beggar.”

  I thought about that; It was a common enough trope. The essays in mom’s library, however, claimed that it arose from the reader’s desire to believe they too could be swept away on a magical journey with a powerful master. That these mentors didn’t just restrict themselves to those who could afford their services or grant them favors and connections. Still, I followed Maggie’s advice and put all four of my free points into Wisdom, bringing it level with Intelligence.

  Status:

  Name: Bran

  Class: [Grove Guard], LVL 7

  Attributes:

  Strength – 24

  Dexterity – 13

  Constitution – 28

  Endurance – 27

  Wisdom – 10 (+4)

  Intelligence – 10

  Aura – 12

  Luck – 5

  ~~~***~~~

  Later, we’d all gathered at a table in the common room of the Guild Hall for lunch. Conversation was quiet and focused on what was next as we ate.

  “What are we even doing in the Under Tunnels?” Nora asked.

  “Besides putting yourselves up for auction, what you do is really up to the winning faction.” Maggie said with a shrug.

  Ellen looked up from her plate to raise an eyebrow before she focused back on the half-eaten pile of scrambled eggs.

  “We’re just going to be following orders while we’re there?”

  “Pretty much. Remember, I chose this quest to help you all get used to fighting in large groups and underneath a foreign hierarchy.”

  “What are the sides?” I asked.

  “That’ll be the aranae and the goblins. Specifically, the Ozzate Matriarchy and the Mirthrun Republic.”

  “And what can we expect to be ordered to do?” Mika asked.

  “Depends on what the auction assessor things of your talents. There are really only four kinds of missions; raids, skirmishes, full battles, and sieges.”

  “What about logistics? I’m sure they need help with logistics?” Mika asked confidently.

  “First.” Maggie said. “Be careful with the arrogance there Mika. Just because they’re not human doesn’t mean they aren’t every bit as smart as us. Better adventurers than you four have died to that thinking.

  “Second, who would you trust with the most vital aspect of your war? The people who have trained for this since birth and you have vetted extensively to be loyal to your cause? Or the hired help?”

  “That’s not what I meant.” Mika said, not shrinking back from Maggie’s intense gaze.

  “I know, but that kind of human-centric arrogance is a quiet thing and I’ve found its best to kill it while it’s in the crib. When you get down there, I need you guys to view them as humans from a different culture. Because that’s really all they are. Species should not count into how wary you are of a person.”

  I’d met a couple of different species of enlightened peoples whilst on campaign with the Black Hands. Each and every one of them was just as capable as a human. Following that train of thought, I remembered the first time I’d ever heard an ogre talk and their strange, ponderous accent.

  “I’m sorry. Are we all just going to ignore the ‘adventurer auction’? What in the Hells is an adventurer auction?” Ellen demanded.

  “Oh, it’s the solution the Ozzate and Republic came up with for handling the influx of adventurers that wanted to sign up for their war after the entrances to the Under Tunnels were first discovered. Basically, you tell the auction house how long you want to set your contract for. You get assessed, which sets your minimum bid, and then they place you in the same auction as the party’s average tier. Which means a tier two auction for y’all. Once the bid is finalized, the auction house takes a small cut, and we get paid out at the end of the contract.”

  “What if no one bids on us?” Nora asked.

  “That’s pretty rare. Last I checked, only fifteen percent of people get turned away or receive no bids for their services.”

  “Why so low?” Mika asked.

  “The war down there is massive and as far as any [Scholars] have figured out, its lasted for thousands of years. Both sides need bodies, as fodder and elite troops. Not to mention that the territory they’re fighting over is massive and you could end up so far from the auction house by the end of your contract that if you were above ground, you’d technically be in the heart of another country.”

  “So it’s like our [Knight Errant] system.” Ellen said. Much more at ease now that she knew what the auction was.

  Granted, I hadn’t known what it would be either, but assumed it was some kind of outlander tradition, which is why no one reacted to the name.

  “What do you mean?” Nora asked, perplexed.

  “When someone is first knighted, the noble who raised them to the peerage holds a small ball in their honor where attendees bid on the [Knight’s] services. Usually, the person who knighted them retains their service but occasionally they’re outbid. If that happens, ten percent of the [Knight’s] earnings go back to the person who raised them.” Ellen explained.

  “It’s sort of like that with mercenary companies as well. Most of the balls I attended as a kid were for hiring my mom’s service.” Maggie agreed.

  “Honestly, I’m impressed the auction is so formalized down there.” Ellen added, her demeanor shifting.

  “From what I’ve been told, the purpose of the auction has been slowly changing over the last couple of decades.” Maggie said.

  “How so?” Nora asked.

  “The auction used to be attended exclusively by the military officers from both sides. Recently, they started catering to members of the elite, typically the younger ones. They use it to compete over who has the biggest purse. I hear it’s especially bad with the spiresses.”

  “Spiresses?” I asked, unfamiliar with the title.

  “It’s what they call the daughters of the Ozzate ruling caste, comes from the spires their mothers’ rule.” Maggie answered.

  “What happens if we get bad orders? Can we refuse?” Mika asked.

  “You can. You just have to be a hundred percent sure the orders were bad. They take defection incredibly seriously down there. If you’re flippant about taking commands, chances are they’ll bar you from ever taking a contract again.”

  “So, when do we head down there?” Mika followed up with. He spared a glance for everyone at the table, but he meant the question for Maggie.

  She didn’t respond, however, and just swept a gesture out to the four of us.

  “I’m fine to go today. Most of my things are packed already.” I said.

  During the last couple of days of our rest period, I’d spent my time doing all the little errands that needed done. The first thing I did was see about getting a [Smith] to forge plates I could strap over my damaged armor.

  I didn’t trust anyone not from the cult, to repair my armor, but I could not walk around with massive holes in my armor. That was a surefire way to get myself killed. Instead, I’d come up with the idea of having small plates made that I could attach above the armor to act like patches. It was a makeshift solution at best, but it was the best one I had on hand.

  The only other thing I’d done of note besides rest was hire one of the courier guilds to take some of my completed tablets into the forest. I’d assumed they’d be like the Guild and run by one monolithic organization. Instead, the couriers were all split into different guilds based on the risk they’d tolerate, and to find anyone willing to go into the Emerald Ocean had taken me eight hours and visits to at least a dozen guilds with Nora before I finally found someone. And even then, her services cost a small fortune.

  ~~~***~~~

  “What entrance should we take?” Nora asked after everyone had voiced their agreement.

  “Only the Duchess allows for public use, so there’s not really much choice. It’ll cost us a gold each, but it’s better than the alternatives.”

  “So much?” I asked.

  That the duchess asked the cost of living for a single laborer for ten months was absurd to me

  “This is just hearsay, but from what I’ve heard, the price is so high because the duchess doesn’t want anyone not serious in the trade or with enough money to buy protection going down there.”

  It took us an hour to collect our things, settle the tab, extricate Maggie from a long conversation with the inn’s owner – who demanded Maggie visit more – and begin navigating the maze of a city. We wound up taking several wrong turns on the way there and ended up in entirely wrong districts on three separate occasions.

  When we finally entered the right district, the first thing I noticed was the floating wall in its center. A metal mesh held onto the top of the wall and angled up and inwards to contain whatever was inside. The second thing I noticed was just how small the space around us was. Walking towards the free-standing walls, I couldn’t help but notice how many of the buildings were smithies.

  Black smoke choked the air in the district and the sound of metal against metal constantly waxed and waned in volume as we left one smithy’s radius, only to enter another.

  We paid the fee at the free-standing wall. The Guard who took not only the payment, but our information and reason for visiting, was the nicest I’d dealt with since leaving the forest. Maggie said nothing after we passed until we were fifty feet away from the raised metal portcullis.

  “First time the [Guards] have been higher level than me since we got to the city.” She breathed, her voice barely above a whisper.

  Surrounded by defenses that eclipsed anything I’d seen was a simple hole in the ground. Supported by a simple structure of wooden beams, as well as a small wooden platform that could fit six people comfortably. We were guided onto the platform by a [Guard] who’d been hidden out of sight behind the gate.

  I wasn’t able to make out anything about the person beneath their armor or behind their stained-glass visor, but they carried themselves with a pleasantness I did not expect. Contentment radiated out from them like violence bellowed from Elder Tia.

  When the [Guard] squeezed onto the lift with us, my guess about six people comfortably turned out to be very wrong. The [Guard] took up much more space than I would have thought, and I’d have been sent into the abyss if it hadn’t been for the wooden slat railings that lined the platform.

  Looking up, I noticed that the ceiling above us had attachment points for another five chains, but none of them were connected to anything. When the lift started to move, it did so with a lurch. We plummeted five feet in a free fall before the chain went taught and the platform violently stopped. Its momentum forced it to sway gently side to side as it made the plunge into the dark of the Under Tunnels.