Dungeon Noble - Squire

Jake was escorted out from the Ascension hall, exiting on the far side from where he had first entered.

A large group of people were waiting nearby to reunite with the candidates who’d gone through, and Jake could see a number of other freshly Ascended Classers being congratulated by beaming parents.

Looking away, Jake focused on the rest of his surroundings, which had an almost marketplace-like feel.

A series of stalls were set up a short distance ahead, each with a banner across the top, advertising one or more of the Guilds that had a presence in Port Emerald.

There was everything from prestigious Guilds like the Silver Spears or Golden Blades to more specialised Guilds like the Roamers.

Guilds were collections of Classers working together as either hunters or delvers, but they were also sources of training and equipment.

Well, according to the stories, anyway.

Jake’s gaze lingered on a few of the more impressive ones as he wondered if he’d be able to get in. As a penniless orphan, he doubted he was their ideal candidate, but he had just as much potential as anyone else now that he had his Class.

Taking a deep breath, Jake approached the Silver Spears stall and nodded tentatively to the woman working it. “Erm, hi. I was hoping to ask about your Guild?”

“Of course, but please bear in mind that we have an entry requirement of rank nine,” the woman said, giving him a slightly apologetic look.

“Rank nine, but why are you here then?” Jake asked, confused as to how he could possibly be at the cusp of his tier when he’d only just received his Class.

“For people like yourself, we are open to applications when you reach the valid rank. Our stall here is primarily for heritage Classers, those with parents or connections who will fund their immediate advancement to rank nine.”

“Oh, I see,” Jake said, cursing himself for thinking that anything would be different on this side of the city. It always comes down to money.

“The two for you would be either the Roamers or the Delvers, depending on if you want to be a hunter or a delver, respectively.” The woman added, giving Jake a sympathetic look that only irritated him. He didn’t need her pity.

Turning quickly to hide his flushed cheeks, Jake hurried away from the stall, moving out of the way of a rich-looking father and son who were heading towards the stall he’d been at.

Focusing on what he’d been told, Jake glanced between the Delver and Roamer guilds before deciding on the former. He didn’t know much about his Class, but it had Dungeon in the name, so delving seemed the way to go.

“Hi there, looking to get some information?” The man at the Delvers stall said as Jake approached. “First time this side of the Wall?”

The Wall was the dividing line between the small part of the port that catered to the Ascended, and the rest, which was only for those without Classes.

Truthfully, Jake hadn’t even considered that he was on the other side until now, but a glance back at the Ascension hall showed that the exit he’d come through was flush with the fifteen-foot stone barrier that he’d often stared at.

“Yeah, it is,” Jake said, turning back to the other man with a slight shrug, not wanting to give away too much information.

“Not a problem. Most of the freshly Ascended have never been here before, but that’s why we’re here,” the man said, flashing Jake a friendly grin. “My name is Brad, and I’m a tier two Classer and part of the Delvers Guild.”

“I’m Jake,” he reached out to shake the other man’s hand, caught a little off guard by the pleasant reception.

“Good to meet you, Jake. So, are you interested in delving, hunting or both?”

“Delving mainly.”

“Well, you’re in the right place then,” Brad said with a chuckle before unrolling some parchment and weighing down the edges. “So, this is the Ascended district of the city, and we’re right here. Now, Triarchy rules are that normal folk aren’t allowed in the Ascended district except when on a job, and the inverse applies to you.”

“Wait, so I can’t go home?” Jake asked, mentally cursing the Triarchy.

“Not without a permit, and that takes Wyrdgeld, which you likely don’t have. Don’t worry, though. The Guild will put you up for the night and keep you fed if you sign on. It’s a service we provide all the newbies.”

Jake felt something settle within him and felt something appear within him, something that he could toggle if he wanted.

Eager to experiment, Jake hurried through the rest of the recruiting spiel from Brad, memorised the map as best he could and went on his way.

Jake had already decided to join the Guild, and that meant that food and shelter were taken care of, so he sought out somewhere relatively private and safe before interacting with whatever it was within him.

Name - Jake Khesh

Patron Deity - The Great Dungeon

Class - Dungeon Noble - Squire

Tier - I

Rank - I

Dungeon Network - 0

Plexus Manifestations - 0/0

Plexus Points - 0

Traits

Physical - Lesser Noble Constitution (I) - Rare- Descended from a Noble bloodline, you have a minor enhancement to physical characteristics.

Skills

Passive - Personal Plexus (I) - Very Rare - You gain the ability to bind Dungeons and form your own Plexus that may contain Dungeons of minor strength. Currently, Dungeons up to Tier I can be bound. Doubles the Wyrdgeld cost of advancing in Class Rank.

Patron Gifts

Passive - Agent of the Great Dungeon (I) - Very Rare - You are bound to the Great Dungeon by blood. Other followers of the Great Dungeon will recognise you and aid you as they may.

Passive - Sense Dungeon (I) - Rare - As an agent of the Great Dungeon, you are able to passively sense the location of nearby Dungeons in a meagre range.

Deed requirement to increase Tier

1 - 5 Tier I or higher Dungeons bound

2 - Rank X

Requirements to increase to Rank II

1 - 40 Wyrdgeld

“What?” Jake whispered in mounting horror as the unseen voice spoke into his mind. Triggering the update again, Jake paled as he heard the same information again.

He didn’t even know what terrified him more, his Patron or the requirements to advance to the next rank.

Jake felt nauseous as he realised how close he must have come to dying in the ascension hall. The three gods of the Triarchy were Manos, Disa and Dranys, not the Great Dungeon, whatever that was.

Jake took a moment to breathe, reminding himself that there definitely hadn’t been a relic of the Great Dungeon on those tables. If there had been, he’d be dead now. In fact, if he’d taken that deal and let them access his Class, he’d also be dead now.

Calming himself down, Jake triggered the update a third time, focusing on the rest of what it was telling him. The Noble Constitution trait explained why he felt physically more capable, which made him smile, even with everything happening.

The smile didn’t make it past the Patron gifts, though, as they were a problem. For that matter, the Patron itself was a problem. Having a Patron god in a country occupied by the Triarchy, which wasn’t one of the triumvirate, was asking for a quick death.

A hysterical laugh ripped from Jake’s throat as he realised that even though he now had a Class, he was in more danger than before, despite having Ascended. Not to mention the fact that his Class effectively crippled itself. Personal Plexus was just another weight around his neck, maybe one too many.

Jake had been eager to earn money and try to improve his life, but it felt like he’d taken one step forward and four or five back.

According to the System, Jake was descended from a noble bloodline, but he’d never come across another Khesh, and he couldn’t remember anything before the orphanage. Most of the other children there had been the sons and daughters of those that resisted the Triarchy, given over to the orphanages once the Triarchy established their rule.

Jake, however, had been given directly to the orphanage by a dying man when he was just a few years old, so all he knew of his background was his name.

Considering what he knew, Jake had a feeling that using his surname openly might be a risk. Thankfully, it never really came up at the orphanage, so using it at the Ascension hall was the first time he’d given it in years.

Jake sighed and leaned back, his head pressing against the cool stone of the building behind him as he wished he’d just had an average Class.

Jake‘s Class had sections on his status for ‘Dungeon Network’ and ‘Plexus Points’. The System wasn’t going to explain that for him, but both seemed to come from his Patron, and both were linked to Dungeons, so the Delvers Guild was definitely the right choice.

Jake disliked feeling like he was being pushed into a decision or that his choices weren’t his own, but for now, he’d follow along with the path ahead and see what he could learn about this mysterious Patron.

Calling Brad’s map to mind, Jake came back out of the alley he’d found and set off towards the Guild.

He needed more information to understand how much danger this Class was putting him in.