PftA Book 5 - Chapter 25 - Saying Goodbye

“I didn’t really expect you’d reach Master Enchanter before returning to the dungeon,” Vice-Guildleader Rhania remarked when I informed her of my success. “I especially didn’t expect you to manage it with the first challenging commission I gave you.”

“Well, I told you I was close.”

The elf chuckled lightly. “A lot of Enchanters claim they are close to the next stage. Most still have quite a way to go since they tend to stick with crafting the same types of items,” Rhania replied. “You’re lucky in that way. Your circumstances force you to craft what you need instead of allowing you to depend on the work of others. It has undoubtedly contributed to your rapid skill development.”

Thinking back to my time as an adventurer in the other timeline, I couldn’t say that I’d done things any differently back then. Funds were always pretty tight, so I’d crafted most of what my party needed.

But there was some truth to Rhania’s assumption. Inside the dungeon, and especially on the higher floors, access to quality enchanted items was limited.

What was available from other challengers or through the dungeon golems was often far more expensive than comparable items on the outside. That was made somewhat tolerable by the sheer wealth challengers tended to accumulate during our quest for ascension.

Having constant access to what amounted to a few different rifts tended to do that, though.

Well, it did for those who actually made use of said access.

“I already updated my registration at the front desk,” I informed her. “I also let the clerk know that I’d be returning to the dungeon soon. Can you make sure my membership is held in abeyance until I return?”

“Of course,” Rhania said smoothly. “We don’t have many Enchanters who are involved with the Realm Dungeon, but the guild has a process established already. That’s how we managed to grant you an interim membership when you first entered the dungeon. I’ll have to do things a little differently this time, but it’ll actually be easier now that you’re a full member.”

“Perfect. Thanks.”

“I don’t suppose you’d like to take another commission now that you’re a Master Enchanter?” Rhania asked with a coy smile. “We’re always backlogged for master commissions since there are only a couple hundred Master Enchanters across the Alliance.”

“I don’t mind taking one or two as long as there isn’t a short deadline attached like the last one,” I answered. “I plan to spend most of what remains of my vacation actually vacationing, but having a couple of projects to work on in the background sounds nice.”

In truth, I doubted I’d be able to keep myself from testing my new Enchanting skill until I reentered the dungeon. I wouldn’t want to, anyway.

Though the system had basically downloaded the knowledge of how to manifest runes and create enchantments out of what were essentially anchored mana constructs, I still needed to practice in order to feel comfortable with the new skill.

After accepting a single commission to start with, I bid Rhania farewell and returned to my demesne to meditate for a little while.

My efforts over the past five years had resulted in a significant increase in my Arcane affinity, raising it to thirty-nine. My weakest affinity was now only a single point away from reaching a ‘standard’ affinity strength – a feat that was only made possible because I’d spent so much of that time within my demesne taking advantage of time dilation while soaking in the energy from the mana well.

Altogether, I estimated I’d spent about sixty subjective years bathing in Tier Nine Arcane mana, with about a third of that spent directly meditating on my growing affinity.

I doubted I’d manage to improve it any more before I returned to the dungeon, but I was hopeful I’d have enough time after reaching the pinnacle to eek out the last point before being forced to ascend.

= = =

My last months outside the dungeon were spent visiting the various worlds that I hadn’t gotten around to seeing yet. Many of my trips were spent in the company of one or more family members, which was nice.

I didn’t accept any further commissions from the Enchanters’ Guild after completing the lone Master Enchanter commission I’d taken to test my new skill. Instead, I dedicated that time to my family.

I didn’t need to create any more weapons or artifacts in preparation for my return since I’d been slowly rebuilding my arsenal since reaching Tier Nine. I also didn’t bother purchasing any Tier Ten items since I wouldn’t be able to take them with me in the dungeon.

“Are you sure you don’t want me to give you one last rejuvenation treatment before I leave?” I asked my mom.

“You just gave me one last month,” she replied. “If you do another one, I’ll look younger than you! Besides, didn’t you say that there were only so many treatments a person could get before they build up a resistance?”

She was right, and giving her another treatment so soon after the last would probably be a lot worse than just waiting and rejuvenating her once I left the dungeon.

Even if I had to struggle to remain in the realm, I’d be sure to hold out long enough to reverse the effects of aging for the important people I was leaving behind. It was the least I could do for them.

“Seriously, we’ll be okay,” Mom continued. “Just keep yourself safe and don’t worry about us too much. If it works out where you can’t come back before you move on to the next adventure, just remember that we love you.”

“I’ll come back,” I said resolutely, though an image of Sir Eri’Non glowing as the realm forced him to ascend surged to the forefront of my mind. “At least, I’ll try my best,” I amended.

“That’s all we can ask,” Mom said as she wrapped me in a hug.

I hated saying goodbye.

“I’ll try to catch up to you a bit while you’re away,” Bell said when Mom released me and stepped aside.

“Don’t push too hard,” I warned her, though I knew she needed no such warnings.

My family members and friends who’d gathered to see me off approached one at a time. The mood was somber, making the gathering feel more like a funeral than I would have liked.

I supposed it was appropriate, given the situation. With how long I’d have to stay, coupled with the likelihood of being forced to ascend shortly after leaving, it made sense to treat my departure as an analog to death.

In fact, I’d be very surprised if anyone bothered to keep in touch after the first few years. I was going to need to prepare myself for that.

The countdown Lisa had added to my interface earlier in the day started blinking, warning me that my time was quickly running out.

“I have to go now,” I said stoically. I tried not to let my distress at leaving show, but I’d never been that good of an actress.

I managed not to cry as my loved ones swarmed me for one last round of hugs.

“I’ll write every week,” Zavira promised.

“I’ll understand if life gets in the way,” I assured her.

“Doesn’t matter. I’ll still write every week, even if it’s just to say hi and report that nothing has changed.”

Out of everyone, Zavira was probably the one most likely to keep in contact throughout my long absence. She’d been the only one to consistently write while I was trapped inside the rift, and that was without knowing for certain that I was still alive.

At least this time, I’d be able to respond to her messages.

If my calculations from before still applied, I’d have to spend at least forty standard years within the dungeon to reach the pinnacle. I might be able to cut that down a bit by taking advantage of time dilation to minimize my downtime, but I didn’t think it would change much.

I imagined people outside of the dungeon could probably advance with the same swiftness if they had constant access to rifts. They might even be able to advance faster since the time dilation grew stronger as the tier of a rift increased.

The same did not apply to the Realm Dungeon. It was one of the few ways that those within the dungeon were at a disadvantage.

I was a bit surprised at how long it often took adventurers outside the dungeon to progress through the tiers. I understood a bit of delay from Tier Four through Tier Six or Seven since the number of people trying to delve exceeded the number of rift slots available. But after that, it really shouldn’t be that difficult for those dedicated to ascension.

Unless there was something I was missing… but I doubted that was the case.

After checking over everything one last time and ensuring I’d left everything that I didn’t need, I waved goodbye and teleported to the small town outside the dungeon.

Kai stood waiting next to the portal. He’d opted to meet me at the dungeon’s entrance instead of attending the family gathering.

He’d claimed he didn’t want to impose, but I suspected that he simply felt uncomfortable since so many of my relatives somewhat blamed him for forcing me to leave.

The fact that neither of us could alter the contract since Sir Eri’Non had ascended wasn’t even a factor to most of them.

“You’re cutting it pretty close,” the Epikairos Founder commented.

“Sorry,” I apologized. “I’m glad you could make it, though.”

The blonde mage smiled. “I told you I would,” he stated simply. “I also plan to join you on the tenth floor, regardless of what Anya says.”

He knew that by joining me in the dungeon, he’d likely be forced to ascend before me.  However, Anya had also mentioned that even if he didn’t join me, it was unlikely we’d ascend together.

Either way, it seemed Fate had plans to keep us separated in the next realm. To what end, I had no idea. But if it didn’t matter one way or another, I’d rather have company during the longest stretch of my dungeon delve than not.

“I look forward to it,” I replied. “It’ll be nice to have a companion again, even if it is only temporary.”