Chapter 35 - Nightly Visitations

Nate stared out of his open window, eyes wandering over Helmfirth as his unfastened robe flapped gently in the cool late night breeze. The night had taken an interesting, albeit unexpected turn. He’d been up late, working on Improve Material, when the knock had come. He’d thought perhaps Valeria had decided to send up a late night snack. He snorted to himself. He supposed she had, in some ways, even if he didn’t like that term. She’d come to his room herself and said she would leave if he asked, before she started slowly undressing.

If Nate was being honest, his mind had short circuited at that point, frozen and unable to initially process what was happening. Not really a surprise, since it had been his first time, never having found the time or place back on Earth. After that he’d just gone with the flow. She was a beautiful woman after all and had made it clear that this was potentially a once off. He was fine with that and so now, he supposed, he was basking in the afterglow.

Still a little warm from the amorous activity he reviewed his new Skill again to distract himself, as the chilly air worked its magic on his skin.

Novice Artist (Uncommon)
There are as many ways to express oneself as there are trees in the forest. But for you, a physical representation of an emotion or experience has always been the best way. Through hard work and diligent practice you’ve reached the lowest level of Skill in multiple mediums and so opened up new Paths for yourself. Will you be an Artist who reveals the truth or conceals the lies? Only time will tell. Adds part of the users DEX to the hand control while engaging in artistic endeavours. % of DEX increases with Skill Level. 1% per Level.

It was a bit vague in what qualified as ‘artistic endeavours’ but Frick had assured him that was intentional and that it would likely apply to his runecrafting. Apparently Skills that improved through synergy almost always fell into one of two categories. Either the actions the Skill affected broadened, like his Novice Artist Skill, or the Skill bonuses increased. He was happy with the outcome either way and the Skill currently sat at level three, giving him a whopping three percent bonus. But it would grow with time.

With that thought he had cooled down enough and was about to turn away from the window when he saw someone cross the Square, sticking to the shadows. They clearly weren’t ‘skilled’ in stealth as it wasn’t too hard for Nate to follow them with his perception. They approached one of the three storey houses and it was hard for him to tell but he thought maybe they knocked on one of the windows. If they did, it was too quiet to be heard from this far away, but whatever they did got a response as a moment later the door opened. The interesting thing to Nate was that when the door opened there was no light that came spilling out and though it was hard to see, Nate thought someone exited the house before the door closed.

Straining his eyes he watched what he was now sure was two people crossing the square. A cloud moved, letting the moon shine down on the pair and revealing someone he recognised. Mayor Vallis. Now what was he doing roaming around at night in secret. Nate glanced at his bed. He should really mind his own business and call it a night. Glancing back down he saw the pair were halfway across the Square now. If he was going to follow them to see where they were going it was now or never. With a frustrated sigh directed at himself he quickly pulled on his socks and boots before tightening his robe and heading downstairs. He tried to keep the noise to a minimum but was only partially successful.

Crossing the room from the stairs to the door Nate pulled his Powerful Shadow Rune out of his spatial storage and replicated it onto his robe before dropping the carved rune back into storage. The inn was kept locked up at night but Valeria always left a key hanging just inside the double doors. Nate wasn’t sure if it was so people could leave if they needed to or in case of a fire but it at least meant he was able to get out of the Oaken Ring, locking the double doors behind him.

Mana flowed out of his reserve and into his robe, activating the Powerful Shadow Rune and with his Intent he guided it to wrap about him until only his eyes were uncovered. The shadows pressed against him and it felt weird for it to exert a small physical pressure, like a frictionless rubber. He couldn’t tell if it was keeping the heat in as his robe was keeping him cool enough and he crossed the Square in the direction he’d seen the pair going. The shadow made no noise against the cobblestones, nor against itself.

Given how quiet it seemed to be, Nate increased his speed, moving from a fast walk to a jog. There was no whisking noise as fabrics rubbed against each other and even his feet on the pavement didn’t leave a thud, though he felt the impacts more in his legs as though the shadow coating his boots was absorbing the sound generated from the impacts. It was jarring but at this speed nothing he couldn’t handle.

“Frick, when we catch up to them, can you slip out and get closer?” He asked with a thought.

“How confident are you that neither of them is a Mage, boss man?” Frick replied.

“Not confident at all. No idea. Why does that matter?” He fired back.

“Because, boss man, if one of them has a Magesight-like Skill or Spell, my tether to the Familiar Contract is going to be pretty bright in this light. It’ll be like a big neon sign like the ones above brothels in your world. Maybe you should put one outside your room in the inn though. Let everyone know you're open for business?”

“Point made you little shit,” Nate replied, with a little annoyance in the thought.

It turned out fine as he spotted the two ahead of him in less than a minute, having made up the distance between them with how quickly he’d crossed the Square. The two stuck to the shadows but not in a way that indicated an attempt at stealth. Slowing down he continued to follow them, keeping a fair amount of distance between them, until the pair arrived at the gates. The same gates Kiri and he used every second day. The gates that led towards the Heart of the Forest, rather than the gates that led toward Pinewater.

The gates remained guarded and closed this late at night and Nate expected to see the pair interact with some guards if they were going to leave. Instead the guard that exited the gatehouse suddenly stopped still, not like a soldier freezing upon seeing a superior officer, but instead like a marionette that had just had its strings cut. His arms just kind of flopped at his sides and his head hung down on his chest. The Mayor put his hands on the guard and guided him back into the gatehouse, before opening the side door and leading whoever he was working with through the door, closing it quietly behind him.

What had that been? “Could’ve been some form of mental magic, boss man.”

Nate frowned. He’d never encountered mental magic and just seeing it in action left a sour taste in his mouth. And besides, what could be out there that they wanted? As far as he knew the only things out of this gate, besides the forest, were a few farms and homesteads. Nate jogged up to the gate but didn’t trust himself to go outside, instead climbing up onto the wooden walls. He stood there, trying to conceal himself in the shadow cast by the wooden archers tower that went even higher, following the pair's progress through the fields. They walked in a straight line towards the forest and Nate watched for almost ten minutes till they vanished into the treeline.

The whole situation felt incredibly odd and a little concerning. As Nate climbed back down, he glanced into the guardhouse to see that the guard looked fine, sitting at a small table whittling some wood with a small knife. Like nothing had happened. Well, there was nothing else to be done tonight. His walk back to the Oaken Ring was filled with unanswered questions, but perhaps Kiri would have some answers for him when they caught up in two days' time. For now, his bed was calling. Slipping into the Oaken Ring and returning the key he ascended the stairs still cloaked in shadows before falling onto his bed, robe still on. The silhouette of the Mayor’s partner was still firmly in his mind as sleep finally overcame him.

*************

Kiri stepped off the air using her Archer’s Step skill, launching herself higher and in an arc as she went inverted. Mid-jump, as she was completely upside down, she released her arrow charged with her Imbue Skill. The aim was intentionally off-target as it shot slightly to the left of where she intended it to go, activating her third Skill, Trick Shot, she seized control of the arrow mid flight and made it veer back towards the target as it exploded through the middle of it on an angle. As the target was destroyed she completed her jump, using a second Archer’s Step to launch herself up onto the tree branch.

Crouching down, sweat pouring off her brow, she stared at her training area. Arrows and exploded targets were everywhere. She’d used a few Shadow Imbued arrows and the holes in the trees stood testament to the outcomes. Panting a little she brought up her Status.

She had gained another two levels since Nate and her had begun working together. That was a crazy development speed compared to her previous levelling speed of one level every two months since she turned fifteen. That was just the benefit of teamwork though. They could tackle more dangerous enemies together. Their stats were almost comparable. Less than ten separating them. She thought about that. She was likely one of the best equipped and trained Silver ranked Adventurer’s in Helmfirth, largely courtesy of her father. Even with that, and a thirteen level lead on Nate, they were basically on par.

Sitting down on the branch she sighed. How was she supposed to keep up with him? She knew she’d gain levels faster than he did, but not by much. Higher tier Classes were better. They had better efficiency at converting mana and they got more powerful Skills. She might keep up for a while. Maybe even another year or two. But longer than that and the distance would become too much. She’d become a liability, either holding Nate back or taking risks that she couldn’t handle.

That had been one of her Father’s most fervent lessons. Risk assessment and fleeing from problems you couldn’t handle. The Adventurer’s Guild was built on the same principle. Many jobs on the board that contained elements of uncertainty offered partial rewards for information if the problem ended up being too much for the Adventurers to handle. But Nate, if he kept growing, would eventually get to the point where he could handle jobs she just couldn’t. Not for a lack of desire, but for a lack of ability and power. Her Stats just wouldn’t be up to the task. And where would that leave her? Alone again.

That was the last thing she wanted. Growling in frustration at the situation and herself she stood back up. She couldn’t solve this problem here and now. Maybe Nate was right, and they’d figure something out. But the last thing she was going to do was back down. She’d claw, crawl, fight and bleed for her right to stand beside her friend, no matter the cost. Drawing an arrow to her ear she began moving, the cacophony of exploding arrows continuing. She had the coin to buy more, thanks to how much her and Nate got done together. Tomorrow was another day, and she’d just keep fighting until the end. After all, what were friends worth, if they weren’t worth fighting for.

*************

Nate sat at his desk, activating Identification over and over again as he looked about his rune, focusing on one object after another. It was nice how easily it identified Sigils but he was more interested in evolving the Skill to reveal more about objects, or people. He’d done the latter earlier, leaning out his window as he’d activated it over and over on people populating the Square.

It was easy to tell those who were more sensitive to mana as a few had reacted, looking around as he used the Identification Skill on them. Fortunately no one had glanced up at him. It had been useful though, granting him a level in the Skill and he’d even gotten a little extra information from a few of the Identifications, which seemed to be a basic name for their Class. It hadn’t been a specific name. Things like ‘Crafter’ or ‘Warrior’. But there was still more than he’d been getting before.

Now he was trying the same thing on items of furniture and his art supplies. He’d gotten a little more information on occasion. The tier quality was still coming through but the names were more detailed. Instead of ‘Paintbrush’ he got ‘Boxwood Paintbrush’. It took him another hour before the Notification finally pinged in the corner of his vision. Frick floated over as he opened the message, reading it together.

You’ve levelled a Skill to the point of Evolution.
Your achievement has been recorded.

Identification - Runic (R) is ready to evolve.
Evolutions Available! Please Select 1.
Skill Evolution Options:

Identification - Runic (R)
Identify reveals information about anything the user chooses to focus on. This Identify offers additional information when identifying runes based on the user's runic Knowledge. Information displayed based on Intellect, Skill Level, and current Runic Knowledge.

Identification - General (R)
Identify reveals information about anything the user chooses to focus on. This Identify offers general information about objects and people. Information displayed based on Intellect, Perception and Skill Level.

Walk your Path. Reach your Goal. Become One with Mana.

He looked at his options and snorted. Well served him right he supposed. He hadn’t tried to push the Skill beyond its normal bounds. Just changing what it worked on and to what extent. It only took him a few minutes to decide. He didn’t really need something to help him identify runes, as the Translation Spell that Arikanvil had left on him handled most of that. But knowing more about his materials, mediums, beasts, and yes, even people, seemed significantly more useful. Especially if he could develop it further.

With a thought he selected the General evolution. With that handled, he turned back to his desk and the scale laying on it. It was time to try something new with Improve Material. Or as he had come to think of it, it was time to bang his head against a wall till either it gave in, or he did.