EV B2 Chapter 38:

I let Alana talk to the crowd as she received our rewards. It was nothing special, and because we didn't hit the 20% mark—which appeared to have happened at wave 20—we didn't pass the challenge for the next month. That wasn't too unexpected, and I had no doubt I could pass this challenge by myself and advance to a significant level alone. If I was willing to let Alana fight until she died alongside Astrid, things should be even easier. Maybe. But we should have no problem reaching the 20% mark with just the three of us.

We received 120 coins each for the first 20 levels. You earned ten extra coins for each level you passed, and then for anything after level 20, you received an additional 100 coins. I wondered if it was worth having Alana wait somewhere while I ran it by myself, trying to reach level 50 or something and solving all my money problems. Well, 120 should be enough to upgrade spells or something. Or we could just run it a couple more times and save up for something she really wanted.

I considered that I now had time to actually learn a spell properly instead of looking for an immediate power-up. Since I still hadn't found my limits and wasn't actively pushing them at the moment, I had some flexibility. If I put in the effort to naturally learn something fire-based, it really wouldn't mesh with my build, and I didn't particularly want to. If I was going to learn something fire-based, I probably wouldn't get any bonuses from learning it naturally. But if I had the time, well, a lot of the spells I was interested in now were worth a lot more than just 120 coins.

I had all the weapons I wanted from various foes I had faced. I had enough money for room and board for quite a while. I supposed it would be best if we worked on giving Alana something.

"All right, Alana. You said you didn't want any fire spells for these vine shamblers. What would you think instead?"

As we walked up the steps, Alana pulled a thinking face. "I'm thinking something like poison or pesticide. Maybe acid or something that deals damage over time—something that would also restrain movement while damaging. I'd rather push more toward my controller archetype rather than go for straight damage. Mana Bolt is enough by continually improving it to pierce or explode or other things. Really, it should be like three or four different spells now."

I shrugged. "Hmm. I suppose we can look at what's available."

"But before we go, upgrade that. Do you want to go talk to Loki?" Alana asked.

I looked around to make sure no one had overheard, but no one had reacted. I lowered my voice. "Do you have any particular reason you want to talk to him?"

She nodded. "Yeah. I had maybe a few questions, and also, it would be cool to sort of introduce us."

I frowned. "I'm not sure what you mean. I talk to Loki fairly regularly."

She raised her eyebrows. "You do? I've only talked to him once."

"When you got the blessing?" I asked.

She shook her head. "No, a little bit afterward. He seemed rather reasonable."

"Well, if you want to make a deal, at least run it by me first," I said.

She hummed noncommittally, and I started to get a little suspicious. "There's something you're not telling me."

I looked at Alana, and she did her best to hold her poker face. But that was never her strength.

"Hmm. You've already made a deal with him," I realized.

Alana blushed and nodded.

"Hmm," I said, tempted to just call Loki right away and have him appear to explain himself. But I realized it was well within his rights to have made a deal. Still—a dick move.

"Hmm. Can you tell me about it?"

Alana shook her head.

"You can't? Or you won't?"

She shrugged.

"I'll take that as a can't," I said, my fist clenching.

She laid her hand on my arm and stroked my bicep comfortingly. "Don't be mad," she said. "It's something that, even now, I would agree to."

I looked down at her and relaxed slightly when I saw her smile. "Okay."

I heaved a deep breath before letting it out slowly. "Let's go see Loki."

We turned, and I started scanning the shopfronts. I quickly established and then canceled the connection through my token, not just pinging Loki that I wanted his attention. I assumed he could monitor me to see if he was paying attention and if he would be ready to meet us or aware that we were coming to visit.

I saw one of the unmarked sites marked for his shop and entered. There was a faceless automaton selling potions at exorbitant prices behind the counter. I had never bothered to look into potions, but it was a nice reminder that it was an option. So far, I have never really healed from the injuries I received during the challenge, but maybe if I did any more arena fights, having something to heal me afterward would be worthwhile.

Flashing my Jester's Mark at the automaton got us into the back room, and we headed down a set of stairs that were very familiar to me. Alana looked around, but not as if she had never been there. We walked to the end of the hallway, and the concierge greeted me with his usual formal tone.

"Miles. And Miss Alana," he said, raising an eyebrow. "I appreciate you bringing guests around more, Miles."

I gave him a smile. "Yeah. Um. She asked to see the boss."

He gave me a professional smile. "Right this way, sir."

The restaurant had returned to its more traditional seating, different from the time we ate at the smoothie bar. It wasn't as formal as the very first time we met—more like a semi-casual lunch-dinner place. Loki was sitting at a round table with three chairs positioned equally around it.

I gave him a smile and wave as we walked up, and he stood to greet us when we sat down. Alana shifted her chair slightly closer to me, but Loki said nothing.

"I'm glad you stopped by for lunch, Miles. But you look a little tense."

"Yeah," I said. "Just a little bit. I was going to come see you probably tomorrow, but Alana suggested we visit now."

Loki gave a wry half-smile. "Yes. I imagine it's about that deal, isn't it?" he said, looking over at Alana. She met his gaze unwaveringly, but I could feel a bit of uncertainty coming from her.

"I don't think you need to worry about it too much. I'm not so much worried that you made a deal with her—that seems very reasonable, and Alana is smart enough to deal with it on her own. I'm a little surprised that she can't talk to me about it."

Loki frowned, tapping his chin thoughtfully for a moment before turning. "I give you permission to tell Miles all about the deal. Presumably, if he agrees not to share it with anyone else."

I clenched my teeth slightly. That was, well, understandable. But at the same time, if I figured it out by myself, I couldn't do anything about it. And I wasn't agreeing to not interfere in the deal. After a moment of weighing my options, I nodded. "I won't tell anyone about it."

I turned to Alana, waiting. She breathed in and out for a second before it all came out in a rush.

"I'm committed to the path of the Valkyrie. I have to go in that direction before I end. I'll need to act in service of a god. I'll never be able to reach the pinnacle on my..." She trailed off, looking sad and slumped afterward.

I raised my eyebrow at Loki. He shrugged.

"Hey, there's a reason why there are so many Valkyries. They all choose the path, and it's not bad at all."

"Not being able to reach the pinnacle?" I asked.

He waved his hand. "No one reaches the pinnacle, or the odds are so rare that giving that up isn't even a consideration. Besides, Valkyries can still advance past Valkyrie, and she will be able to do so, too. But she just needs to be a Valkyrie first. It does lock her out of certain decisions, but honestly, it's what's best for her."

Alana seemed to brighten up. "I can reach the pinnacle?"

Loki shook his head. "I didn't say that. But even as a Valkyrie, you can still advance."

"What is this pinnacle?" I asked. "And what do you get out of this deal?"

Loki said, "I don't need to tell you that. Nothing that concerns you."

"And what do you get out of the deal?" I asked Alana.

She shrugged. "I got some help. It wasn't too much help."

Loki smirked. "Look, I officially had 'Savant' created as a new trait for her. Which—well, you see what it does. She was already worthy. She would have earned it if it had existed before. So she is, I guess, the first Savant."

A faint glow echoed around her. "Oh," she said, breathing out. "That was potent."

Loki frowned. "I didn't expect that. Normally, such a declaration doesn't mean anything. But I bet your trait is upgraded."

"Alana... honor," I murmured, noting how we had sidestepped one crucial question. "What is this pinnacle?"

Loki deflected again. "It doesn't really concern you too much. It's far too far along for you to even know about. Think of this more as a favor I did for you and Alana. I believe that you will be invaluable agents for millennia to come. And, well, this doesn't cost me too much."

"Does Alana need to serve you as a Valkyrie? I thought all the Valkyries served your father." I asked. However, I did wonder how Alana knew about the pinnacle.

Loki shook his head. "No. Most of them do. And Alana's not bound to serve me as a Valkyrie if she ever reaches that level."

I frowned, remembering the conversation I had with Mary a while back. "But I remember Mary said that—"

Loki cut me off. "Yeah. Mary doesn't know everything. And there are many paths in Valhalla."

I shrugged. "Okay. All right. Alana? Well, if you ever become a Valkyrie, you'll do amazing at it."

She smiled weakly.

"We should probably check your upgraded title, at least."