Dungeon Noble - Squire

As was now traditional, they divided the loot between them once they were back at the tavern. Nepthys again waved off her share as she’d promised, leaving one hundred and fifty-five to split between the rest of them.

Jake took thirty-five this time, as he had forty the time before, bringing him to one hundred Wyrdgeld exactly. He was only twenty off getting to rank four, which was enough to make him want to run the Dungeon again straight away.

Alan, Karl and Rhew each had just over eighty Wyrdgeld, so they would be reaching rank five overnight, but Jake consoled himself that he’d catch up soon enough.

Jake needed a calendar to know for certain, but he was fairly sure they had over a week to get together the funds for the Triarchy, which wasn’t a problem now they could finish the Dungeon.

Three delves would give them enough to pay for the month. It was hardly the insurmountable issue it had felt like just a few weeks ago.

Shaking his head at how quickly things had changed for them all, Jake had a coffee with Alan before setting off for his daily training.

With the return of the higher-ranked Classers, the training fields were already busy by the time Jake got there.

Lokan and the rest of his group were present as well, so Jake made his way over to see what he could find out about their time away.

Anna and Ricard were talking quietly off to one side, so Jake went to speak with the two of them first. Anna noticed him walking over and gave him a strained smile. “Hi, Jake. Good to see you again.”

“Are you okay?” Jake noticed some tension in Ricard’s posture as well and looked between the two of them with growing concern.

“We lost some friends recently,” Anna said, her smile fading completely as she reached out to grasp Ricard’s shoulder. “It’s only thanks to Ricard that I didn’t join them.”

“We’re not allowed to discuss it with tier one Classers,” Ricard said, giving Anna a stern look before turning to Jake. “Ari Derth was looking after you and your group, right?”

“Yeah, that’s right. Is he okay?”

Ricard laughed mirthlessly as he shook his head. “A lot more of us would have died if it weren’t for Ari and that one-handed Classer he brought with him. Ari’s tough, but the other guy was unstoppable.”

“He’s called Felix. Ari said he’s a high-tier instructor,” Jake said, feeling more than a little relieved that the two of them were okay.

“They talk about the tyranny of rank, but then you see someone like him in action and understand just what they mean,” Ricard said in little more than a whisper.

“If he hadn’t been there,” Anna said, shivering slightly as she shared a haunted look with Ricard.

“What were you fighting?” Jake asked, curious if they would give him any information. Nepthys had told him about Rifts and the Shrouded, so he knew the idea of what they had been doing but not the reality.

“Sorry, Jake. It’s dangerous knowledge for someone of your tier,” Anna said, shaking her head and sighing slightly. “You’ll be doing your part in time. For now, just focus on getting stronger.”

“Speaking of, let’s get some work done. I need to clear my mind,” Ricard said, moving over to where their equipment was and throwing Jake a practice sword. “Time to dance.”

-**-

There was a subdued air to the training that they managed, one that Jake saw across all of the Classers who’d returned from the battle at the Rift.

Unsurprisingly, they finished early for the day, with Ricard finishing things off by giving Jake a few exercises he could practice on his own.

Without the drain of recovering from the revival, Jake still had plenty of energy to spare, so he set about training with his dagger.

Striking something with it would drain the manifestation, but once it was summoned, the drain on the manifestation was negligible.

Jake had been focused on the sword since he’d arrived, and he’d had no formal training in fighting with small blades. Thankfully, Ricard’s exercises were about agility and staying mobile, so they worked for what Jake needed.

Once Jake was done for the day, he dismissed the blade before resummoning it later in the evening.

If the dagger carried over to the new day, that would be an interesting way to give him more options on future delves.

-**-

Jake woke early the next day and eagerly checked under his pillow for the Hidden Fang dagger, grinning as he felt its handle slip into his hand.

Name - Jake Khesh

Patron Deity - The Great Dungeon

Class - Dungeon Noble - Squire

Tier - I

Rank - III

Dungeon Network - 1

Plexus Strength - Minor

Plexus Manifestations - 1/1

Plexus Points - 2

Examining his status, Jake could feel that he had a fresh manifestation to use, but there was still a slight link to the old one.

Jake hesitated for only a moment before expending his new manifestation point to summon a second dagger, this one with a new link to him.

With the two side by side, Jake could feel that his link to the first one was changed somehow. It almost felt fractured in some manner.

Dismissing the older dagger, Jake grunted in surprise as the remaining energy in the manifestation poured into the new dagger he’d summoned.

The slight amount that had been used to summon the new dagger was restored, and the remaining energy was lost to the world around him.

“So, I can have multiples, but only one active?” Jake muttered, trying to figure out the rules for how these boons would work.

Still, even if that were the case, he could use up any spare manifestation points the night before a delve and prepare himself.

The Hidden Fang dagger was deadly when used on Enhanced creatures, so Jake could only imagine what it would do to the standard monsters they fought.

Dismissing the dagger, Jake hurried out of his room and down to meet Karl for their run.

“Morning, Jake,” Karl called out as he came jogging over to their usual meeting spot. Karl was never a morning person, so the broad grin on his face was telling.

“Rank five?” Jake asked, taking in the spring in Karl’s step with an amused smile.

“Yeah, and it feels good,” Karl grinned as he flexed and showed off for a moment. “How close are you to your next one?”

“One more delve is all I need,” Jake said, trying to keep the longing from his voice as best he could.

Part of Jake wanted to push on and get through it today. His concern, though, was that the news of the Dungeon tiering up would be spreading, and that would bring scrutiny.

Walking with Karl to where they normally started, Jake completely lost his train of thought as he saw Felix and Ari waiting for them.

Both of the older Classers looked tired but unharmed, which was a relief after what Anna and Ricard had been saying.

“Good to see you two are still going for runs in the morning. How’s everyone doing?” Ari called out as Karl and Jake rushed over.

“We’re all good. We’ve beaten the Dungeon twice now,” Karl said proudly. “Alan and Nepthys are joining us on our runs now, as well.”

Alan walked around the corner as if summoned by his name, his face lighting up as he saw Ari and Felix.

“Good to see you’re committing to this properly,” Ari said with a nod to Alan as he joined them. “Who’s Nepthys?”

“She’s this other Classer that Jake met. She’s joined our group as she’s tier one. Really, having her is how we’ve beaten the Guardian floor.”

“Oh?” Ari looked over to Jake with a raised brow before turning back to Karl. “Give me the run-through then. How did that first clear go?”

“Start stretching while you talk. There’s work to be done,” Felix said as Karl began to recount their first successful clear.

Nepthys joined them partway through the stretches, introducing herself to both of the older Classers with a respectful bow.

From the look Felix gave her when he saw Nepthys’s braid, he knew what she was, but he didn’t say anything.

“So yeah, then we cleared it again, but this time it was tier two!” Karl finished off his recounting proudly, not seeming to notice how both Felix and Ari went still.

“Tiered up?” Ari echoed the words with disbelief. “Are you sure?

“Yeah, there was a new door going down and everything,” Karl said, frowning as he looked between Ari and Felix. “What’s wrong?”

“We’re not discussing it right now. You will all be running with me. Ari, check the Dungeon. Confirm it,” Felix said in a tone that brooked no argument.

Ari was moving before Felix finished speaking, racing toward the Dungeon with all the speed of a higher-tier Classer.

Jake shared an uncomfortable look with Nepthys as they set off. This was the part he’d been looking forward to the least.

“You three, sprint to the top of that hill and back. Nepthys, stay with me, please,” Felix called out as they reached the first of the good hills for sprinting.

Jake and the others did as they were told, leaving Nepthys behind to have a quiet conversation with Felix.

By the time Jake got back to them, Nepthys looked as stoic as ever, while Felix looked frustrated. Given what Nepthys knew, that was probably a good thing.

Despite everything happening, Felix didn’t let them slack off or give anything less than their best effort, and they were soon sprinting up another hill.

Ari had returned by the time they were back, looking slightly winded and with a few scratch wounds and rips in his clothing.

Neither Felix nor Ari remarked on anything to do with the Dungeon for the rest of their run, and in no time at all, they were back at the tavern.

Jake could feel the difference in his recovery as soon as the run came to an end. It really was a lot easier working with Felix here.

“Jake, Nepthys, a moment, please,” Felix called out, motioning for the two of them to come closer. “Alan and Karl, good work, both of you.”

Karl looked over with a worried expression, but Jake waved him off with a shaky smile.

Jake was fairly sure that Ari and Felix wouldn’t turn him in, but this conversation could still go quite badly.