Dungeon Noble - Squire

Jake woke the following day feeling almost back to normal. He still felt a little achy in places, but it was nothing too bad.

Regardless, it wasn’t to the point that Jake felt he needed more rest. The twelve hours or so he’d gotten since they’d had the meal with Ari were more than enough.

Jake laughed at his own thoughts as he considered the luxury of having that long to sleep and how normal it felt already.

Jake didn’t exactly have much in the way of luggage with him, so the grey death clothes went back on as he looked over his room. It was little more than a bed, a closet and a storage box, but it was nice to have something of his own.

Ari had said to meet at the taproom in the main building, so Jake headed straight over, finding Ari in the corner of the room, feet up on a convenient box as he ate a breakfast sandwich.

“Jake?” Ari looked surprised when he saw Jake join him. “You’re up earlier than I expected. Everything okay?”

“Yeah, I mean, I feel a little rough, but not too bad,” Jake said with an idle shrug, eyeing Ari’s sandwich with interest and wondering if he could convince the other man to buy him breakfast.

“Huh,” Ari looked him over with a critical eye, putting his feet down and leaning forward to rest his elbows on the table. “You don’t look too bad either. That’s got to be one of the quickest initial recoveries from revival sickness I’ve seen.”

“Oh,” Jake said, unsure of what to say to something like that. His initial guess would be his Class helping get past it, but there was no mention of that in the details it gave.

“You’re just a bundle of surprises,” Ari said, giving up his study of Jake with a reluctant shake of his head. “The others won’t be up for a few hours yet, at least, so feel free to wander around the other shops. Your breakfast is on the association, but I can give you your Wyrdgeld if you want to spend any?”

“It’s okay,” Jake said, his mind immediately going to his upcoming costs. Every ingar would matter if he intended to pay them off while increasing his rank; he couldn’t afford to waste them on idle purchases.

Maybe once Jake started earning Wyrdgeld, he’d feel less pressured to save money, but Jake was still unsure when that would happen. Ari had been cagey about how exactly they’d make their Wyrdgeld, which didn’t fill him with confidence.

Ari flagged down a server and ordered Jake a breakfast sandwich before asking Jake which part of Port Emerald he was from. They chatted idly as Jake’s sandwich was delivered, and when the others hadn’t arrived by the time he finished, Jake took up Ari on his suggestion of having a look around.

They’d talked a bit about the Guild and Port Emerald, but Ari had steered them around anything to do with their plan going forward, saying that it was for them to discuss as a group rather than individually.

Leaving the tavern behind, Jake took a fresh look at the buildings around him. There were shops of multiple kinds, more taverns, and a few unmarked private buildings that he guessed belonged to some of the different Guilds.

A lot were interesting, but none were of particular use right now. No, the only place that Jake was interested in was Ivaldi’s store. The odd building with its metal and glass construction fascinated Jake, and Ivaldi had asked that Jake visit him once he’d returned, so it was an easy choice to make.

There were quite a few people around as Jake made his way over to Ivaldi's; he could see Classers preparing for their next delve, whether by shopping for new equipment or training with each other.

Heading into Ivaldi’s, Jake saw that the single room of the store was just as heavily stocked as the last time Jake had been here, but somehow it was more imposing now that he was here alone.

“Jake Khesh, be welcome in my domain,” Ivaldi said as he stepped out of the darkness at the far side of the room and seated himself at the waist-high table that marked the transition from the shop area to the dark-shrouded hallway.

“You said I should come to talk to you when we’d come out of the Dungeon,” Jake said, unsure how exactly to start the conversation.

“I did. Thank you for doing so,” Ivaldi said, his dark eyes unreadable as he turned his gaze to Jake. “I wish to discuss your Class. I’m sure you have many questions and not many ways of getting answers.”

“What do you know of my Class?” Jake asked as he froze in place, cold fear sinking into his stomach as he wondered how much Ivaldi knew.

“There is no need to fear me, there are many who would kill you for what you represent, but I am not one of them,” Ivaldi said, reaching off to one side before pulling out a small stool and setting it on Jake’s side of the table. “Please, seat yourself. You are a guest, not a customer.”

“Uh, thank you,” Jake said uncertainly, unsure why Ivaldi had made such a distinction between the two. He was feeling more out of his depth than ever in this conversation, and he felt that Ivaldi knew a lot more about all this than Jake did.

Sitting on the stool, Jake shifted uncomfortably under Ivaldi’s gaze until the big man turned to reach down into whatever storage was out of Jake’s sight and withdraw a small box, a wax-sealed earthen jar and a mug.

“Please, help yourself,” Ivaldi put both items on the table, opening the box to reveal what looked like dried rations and breaking the seal on the jar to let the scent of spiced honey and alcohol reach Jake. “I will answer your questions to the extent that I can, but, unfortunately, some truths are outside your reach.”

“I’m not sure what that means,” Jake said, feeling obliged to pour some of the liquid in the jar out into the mug.

“Well, let us start at the beginning. This is a safe area for you, but I highly encourage you not to speak of your Class to anyone else. It is dangerous knowledge. Equally so your surname.”

“Because of the Triarchy?” Jake asked, sipping at the drink and making an appreciative noise before taking a larger sip. It was strong enough that he could taste the alcohol, but the honey and spices blended to send a relaxing warmth through him. It was just what he needed right now.

“Amongst other things,” Ivaldi said with a nod, smiling slightly at Jake’s appreciation of the drink. “You will have gifts from your Patron, one of these is a marker on your soul that helps connect to those of your Patron’s pantheon. That marker is how I recognise you and how you recognise me, despite the effects of being within my domain.”

“So you work for the Great Dungeon as well?” Jake asked, eyes wide as he looked at the big man in a new light. “I’ve never heard of it before. What is it?”

“In a way, I do, yes,” Ivaldi said, his slight smile appearing once more. “As for what it is, the Great Dungeon is a deity, a very old and powerful one. That is all I can share with you for the moment.”

“That doesn’t really help,” Jake said, pouring himself a fresh mug of the delicious drink.

“I know. I would share more but now is not the time. You have yet to commit to the path ahead, and more knowledge would bring responsibility with it.”

“I don’t understand any of this. Why me? I’m no one, and I didn’t even know the Great Dungeon existed until a few days ago.”

“Your bloodline has been partnered with the Great Dungeon for a long time; that is why you have this Class. Normally, bloodline Classers are inducted into what they can expect by their family. However, I am aware of some of your history and why this is impossible for you. This conversation is a poor replacement, but I will do what I can.”

“Wait, do you know something about my family?” Jake asked, his heart skipping a beat as he focused on Ivaldi.

“Your bloodline is the concern of the Great Dungeon. I know only that your immediate family has perished, and you, as the only survivor, were passed on to the orphanage. You have my condolences for your loss.”

“Did they die because of the Great Dungeon, because they had a Patron?” Jake asked, his voice little more than a whisper.

“An unknown group has been hunting any Classers relating to the pantheon that the Great Dungeon leads, and the Triarchy has been equally intolerant in recent years. Both together caused the loss of your family.”

“What about if I don’t want all this?” Jake asked abruptly, straightening his back and looking Ivaldi in the eyes. “What about if I don’t want double costs, if I don’t want to be hunted by the Triarchy and killed like my family were? What then?”

“At the end of your first tier, you will be given a choice,” Ivaldi said after a few moments, his deep voice solemn and his words bearing a weight to them that made Jake shiver internally. “You may continue with your Class, advancing to the next tier and solidifying your bond with your Patron, or you may choose to renounce them. You will lose your Patron’s gifts, and your Class will become a non-aligned version, keeping all you have earned but setting you free from any responsibility to your Patron.”

“Just like that, when I tier up, I can go my own way?” Jake asked a little incredulously.

“Just like that,” Ivaldi said with a nod. “Your Patron has no need of conscripts, only trusted agents that can carry out its will.”

“What is its will then?” Jake asked, increasingly frustrated by his lack of understanding. “What does the Great Dungeon want? What cause would I be serving?”

“That is something you must determine for yourself. You are unlike the others who have come before you, and if you do decide to turn from the path ahead, any knowledge we give you now could be used against us,” Ivaldi said, a touch of sadness in his voice. “I’m sorry, Jake Khesh. I wish that the circumstances were different.”

“This is madness. You can’t expect me to devote myself to a Patron that I know nothing about!” Jake argued loudly, his raised voice having no effect on the stoic merchant.

“I believe that you will see what the Great Dungeon stands for on your path to the next tier, and if you do not, then the choice is yours.” Ivaldi paused to collect his thoughts before continuing. “Your Class is built around binding Dungeons. I can tell you that this is accomplished by completing a Dungeon in its entirety with a group of no more than five people, where the strongest person in the group is of the same tier as you. Do this, and you will understand.”

“That makes sense, thank you,” Jake said, relieved that he’d gotten at least a small amount of direct information from the meeting. “I’m sorry for raising my voice before. This is all just so confusing for me.”

“While I might not understand, I do sympathise,” Ivaldi said, inclining his head slightly.

“Is there anything else you can tell me about my Class?” Jake asked hopefully.

“I’m not familiar with the specifics, but in general, remember that your Skills and Traits will aid you, but the more work you put in, the higher the baseline they have to work from.” Ivaldi hesitated before continuing. “You will also recover from revival sickness faster than your companions, thanks to your Class and Patron. My advice would be to spend this time working to improve yourself.”

“I see,” Jake said, part of him already thinking of how much extra time he might have to work on improving himself.

“I do have a warning for you, though. One of the roles of those with your Class is to give the Dungeons access to the System, allowing them to tier up. There hasn’t been a tier up in Strovia for twenty years, and all this Dungeon requires is that bond with you.”

“So I should leave so people don’t know that I‘m responsible for it tiering up,” Jake said, gamely pushing on past the fact that he was somehow involved in tiering up Dungeons.

“The Patrons of the Triarchy are sworn not to interfere, but their mortal representatives are not,” Ivaldi said, a touch of weariness in his voice. “They will hunt you from the moment they are aware of you, and that will not be long once Dungeons begin to tier up again. The same for the unknown group that also sought your family.”

Jake closed his eyes and took a deep breath, trying to manage the panic that was immediately welling up in his gut. The thought that he was going to be hunted by the Triarchy was a terrifying one. There was one other problem as well.

“Ivaldi, you said that they hunted my family and that I shouldn’t share my surname, and I haven’t since I left the city, but I gave my name when I Ascended.”

“Did you provide it to the Guild?”

“No, not when I saw it was linked to nobility.”

“Good, a wise move,” Ivaldi said with a nod. “You must assume that your pursuers are even now searching for your trail. A false name at the Guild will not forestall them forever. For all the risk it entails, you should attempt to finish the Dungeon as soon as possible.”

Jake wanted to shout, to complain that none of this was fair, but he couldn’t find it within himself. He just felt numb.