Dungeon Noble - Squire

Alan was almost buzzing with excitement on their way back to the inn, but Jake couldn’t really blame him. He’d not gotten too worked up over his own advancement, but it had also been after a gruelling period of seemingly endless delving.

Hopefully, when he eventually managed to reach the third tier, he’d be able to appreciate the process a bit more.

Putting Alan’s excitement aside, Jake considered the big question he needed to answer before they got back. Should he advance now, or should he wait and advance with enough Wyrdgeld to upgrade or purchase some more Abilities?

It was frustrating that the changes could only happen when he ranked up, as that usually consumed the vast portion of Jake’s Wyrdgeld. For that matter, the strengthening of his body that the process entailed had been worth more than spending his hard-earned Wyrdgeld on an Ability.

Now, however, there was less pressure to reach the next tier, and Jake had his Infused Strike and Lesser Delver’s Will Abilities that he could increase. His Constitution Trait might be worth increasing again as well.

The problem was that all of this rushing had left Jake with a somewhat haphazard understanding of the costs of being a classer, and he had no idea how much all that would cost.

Jake eyed Aspen and Gargan, knowing that both of them would have a far better understanding than he did. Gargan was busy speaking softly with Alan, so that just left Aspen.

Swallowing down his pride, Jake moved over to the other classer and cleared his throat. “We’re still quite new to all this, so do you mind if I ask you a question or two?”

“Ah, rushed through the first tier and still figuring things out?” Aspen asked, chuckling as Jake nodded. “Sure, go ahead. Can’t promise I’ll know the answers, though.”

“It’s about Abilities. I’m thinking of ranking up the ones I have, but I’ve only ever increased one. I know they vary cost by rarity, but do you know by how much?”

“Huh, not a question I was expecting,” Aspen said, rubbing the corner of his left eye in a thoughtful gesture. “Pretty straightforward solution, though. If you summon your System and mentally focus on the Skill or Trait, you’ll know the cost to increase.”

“Oh,” Jake said, his cheeks warming a little. He really could have figured it out for himself. “Sorry, I didn’t realise.”

“Ah, don’t worry about it. I’ve been doing this for a lot longer than you,” Aspen said with an easy laugh, displaying none of the focus and borderline bloodthirst that came out in the Dungeon. “On the subject, you know how rarities work, right?”

“The higher the rarity, the stronger the Skill?” The statement somehow came out as more of a question despite Jake’s best efforts.

“Not quite. One of my favourite facts is that a rank one Mythical Skill has just as much raw power as a rank one Common Skill,” Aspen said, grinning at the confused look on Jake’s face. “I know, crazy isn’t it.”

“But, higher rarity Skills do more, right?” Jake asked, thinking back to when Ari had gone through how his Lesser Noble Constitution Trait had worked.

“Yeah, often the wording gives them far more depth, but the size of the increase they apply is the same. Common might increase your endurance, whereas uncommon increases endurance and stamina, but they both increase your endurance by the same amount at rank one.”

“So what does rarity do then?” Jake asked, considering the wording of his own Traits.

“It lifts the cap of how strong an Ability can become,” Aspen said, an almost maniacal gleam entering his eyes. “Common caps out at the first rank, so even if you get it to rank ten, it still gives a minor increase. Uncommon goes to small, which is for rank two. Rare to medium, for rank three. Very Rare goes to large at rank five, and then legendary gets great at seven, and mythical and unique can both go all the way to tremendous at rank ten.”

Jake’s eyes went wide, and he remembered how the wording of his Trait had changed when he increased it. That all checked out, but it meant that the only Ability he had that could improve its power was Infused Strike, which was an uncommon Skill at the first rank.

“So, once you reach that cap on strength, the only way to improve an Ability is to get it to rank ten and then upgrade it?” Jake asked, sighing heavily at Aspen’s nod. That was a lot of Wyrdgeld he was going to have to spend, and it wasn’t as if he didn’t already need every last bit.

“Yeah, that’s about the speed of it,” Aspen said with a slight shrug. “It doesn’t help that you have to have the right Deeds to improve it as well. Some folk push to the cap with their Abilities and then only go the rest of the way when they’re focusing on upgrading it.”

“What about you?” Jake asked, sensing that it wasn’t a point of view that Aspen agreed with.

“I prefer to get everything to the highest rank, and then when I do demonstrate my worth, I can reap the rewards immediately,” Aspen said, flashing Jake a quick smile. “I know in my heart that I’ll upgrade all of them, after all, so why waste time not knowing if I can upgrade something?”

It was a valid point, and Jake had the feeling that Aspen’s approach was one he was going to share.

Turning his focus inwards, Jake summoned his System and examined each Ability in turn until he had a list of the costs. Unfortunately, it looked like the cost hiked at rank five, and though his Constitution Trait had cost forty Wyrdgeld to rank up before, it was two hundred now.

That wasn’t an amount he was willing to spend, especially not without any benefit. If the same pattern held true for the others, though, he would have enough to bring both his Strike Skill and Delver’s Will to rank four and still afford his rank up.

Nodding to himself, Jake decided to do just that. He’d focus on his ranks for now, but he felt that he’d reach rank ten before he could Ascend to the next tier. At that point, he could start in on the Abilities and catch them up.

Satisfied with the plan and with learning more about how everything worked, Jake settled back and let himself enjoy the hike back to the inn.

-**-

Jake was stretching for a run the next morning when Alan and Felix joined him. The Scholar was telling Felix about his advancement with clear excitement and flashed Jake a wide grin when he saw him.

“So, what did you pick?” Jake asked, remembering the options he’d been given when he did it himself.

“Well, I had the option of staying as a pure Scholar, and surprisingly, there was a Class about archery as well. I chose to become an Inquisitive Scholar instead, though,” Alan said, his infectious grin making Jake smile in return despite his confusion.

Felix saw Jake’s expression and cleared his throat. “Non-Patron Classes have multiple choices for how to progress. Your path is set by your Patron.”

Jake nodded in understanding, though he did feel a small flash of envy that Alan had such control over his Class. Jake appreciated the power of the Dungeon Noble Class, and he did have control over what Boons he chose, but it sounded like Alan’s control was so much greater.

Jake had chosen to rank up overnight as well. He’d spent almost every Wyrdgeld he had, but he’d been able to increase the rank of some of his Skills as well. Calling up his status, he looked it over with pride. He’d worked hard for this.

Name - Jake Khesh

Patron Deity - The Great Dungeon

Class - Dungeon Noble - Knight

Tier - II

Rank - II

Dungeon Network - 5

Plexus Strength - Minor

Plexus Manifestations - 3/3

Plexus Points - 2

Traits

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

Mental - Lesser Delver’s Will (IV) - Common - Gird your will, advance endlessly. Provides a minor bonus to willpower when delving Dungeons.

Skills

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

Active - Infused Strike (II) - Uncommon - You are able to infuse your weapon with a small amount of Wyrd, strengthening your blows and sharpening the edges of your weapon.

Patron Gifts

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

Passive - Authority of The Great Dungeon (I) - Very Rare - You have the approval of The Great Dungeon and may enact rituals in its name. You gain the knowledge of the Ritual of Castigation. Misuse of this authority may result in its removal.

Plexus Boons

Hidden Fang -(II)- Granted by the Holrswar Murk Dungeon, this Boon allows you to Manifest a dagger with inherent poisonous properties. Using the dagger, summoning it and dismissing it all draw on the power held within it on Manifestation.

Orchard’s Gift -(II)- Granted by the Aptofir Veranis Dungeon, this Boon allows you to Manifest an apple infused with vitality. Ingesting the apple transfers this vitality, healing and sating the hunger of its consumer.

The Mighty Drake - (I) - Granted by the Engans Deja Dungeon, this Boon allows you to Manifest Moby, a mighty drake, to aid you. The Manifestation is consumed in maintaining Moby’s presence, not his actions.

Plexus Development -(II)- This Boon may only be increased in rank by choosing it at additional Dungeons, but it has no cap on its rank level. Increases Manifestations available by one per rank. Granted by the Haugask Deja and Wilfek Murk Dungeons.

Deed requirement to increase Tier

1 - 5 Tier II or higher Dungeons bound

2 - Rank X

Requirements to increase to Rank III

1 - 520 Wyrdgeld