Dungeon Noble - Squire

The two classers that Felix pointed out came over to join them at the table, eyeing each other warily as they did.

The first was a willowy, thin man with sunken cheeks, but his bright hazel eyes were alert and inquisitive as he cast his gaze across each of them in turn.

“Gargan Thul,” the man said in a soft voice before taking a seat at the table. “Peak second tier caster specialising in fire.”

“Aspen Dedric,” the other man said as he took a seat on the opposite side of the table from Gargan. “Peak second tier close combat fighter specialising in flames.”

Aspen was a tall, muscular man with a similar physical presence as Karl, so his role wasn’t that much of a surprise for Jake. Aspen wasn’t as bulky as Karl, however, and looked more like a cross between him and Nepthys in physique.

“Both fire specialists?” Alan asked, glancing between the two questioningly.

“Yes, but with a different approach,” Gargan said evenly, though Jake noted Aspen looked less happy about that.

“Felix Drusus, I’ll be evaluating you for training, and I’m the mentor of this group,” Felix said before giving Alan and Jake a pointed look.

“Alan Teller, first tier Scholar. I focus on ranged support and observation.”

“Jake, second tier close-combat, no speciality,” Jake said, omitting his surname altogether. He had no idea if either of the ones he’d used would be a problem here, but there was no point in taking the risk.

“Good. Now that we know each other, let’s get to the heart of things. I’ve been briefed on your general capabilities, but we need to know more,” Felix said, pushing his plate aside as he leaned forward. I think you’ll be a good fit for the group, so we’ll be heading down to the Dungeon to give that a test. Gather your things and meet me outside. Pack for a full day away. We’ll move as soon as we’re ready.”

Jake nodded and wasted no time in doing just that, heading up to his room to grab his things. He was still using the same gear loadout that Ivaldi had provided him with at the first Dungeon, though he supplemented it with the Hidden Fang dagger from his Boon.

The wand and the belt to go with it were new as well, and Jake was more than pleased with their addition to his arsenal. He’d have to keep his eyes open for any more weapon-based Boons at this next Dungeon; the versatility of his dagger was incredibly useful, after all.

In truth, the biggest thing that Jake was missing now was armour. Healing potions and his shield were keeping up with what the Dungeons were throwing his way, but those fights were at least somewhat even.

Fighting the Triarchy, or those masked classers, was never going to be even, and Jake would need every bit of protection he could get. Still, he wasn’t sure how useful mundane armour would be, not against other classers.

That meant he needed something infused or maybe even Woven, but that felt like it was out of his reach at the moment. For now, it would be better to focus on getting enough Wyrdgeld to progress through this tier.

The new strength that he received at each rank would be his best defence for the time being.

Felix and Alan were waiting outside when Jake left the inn, talking softly about something while pointing at an arrow that Alan was holding. Jake couldn’t make out what they were saying, but Alan nodded thoughtfully and gave the arrow a contemplative look.

“Ah, Jake, good, we’re just waiting on our two new companions,” Felix said as Jake joined them.

“While we wait, do you know much about this dungeon?” Jake asked, taking advantage of the temporary lull before the others arrived.

“In passing, it was different when I went through myself,” Felix said, his smile fading for a moment before he shook himself. “I’ve asked around in preparation, though, and it seems to be an interesting one.”

“Interesting?” Jake echoed with a sinking feeling in his gut.

“Oh yes,” Felix said, his smile turning more natural, if a little malicious. “How do you feel about heights?”

Jake resisted the urge to sigh and was about to ask more when their two new companions emerged from the inn. Both were equipped for a delve, and Jake could immediately see the difference between him and these classers who’d been in the second tier for some time.

Aspen had a spear resting against his shoulder and a straight sword at his hip, but it was the dark red leather armour he was wearing that really drove home the difference. Jake had the feeling that the armour was an infused item, which meant that it no doubt cost a significant amount of Wyrdgeld.

By contrast, Gargan was wearing the same sort of clothing as Alan and Jake; serviceable and loose enough to move in but with little protection against anything.

Gargan also wore a similar belt to Jake, and had two wands at the ready. Jake could only see their hilt, but the one on his left looked similar to the one that Rhew used, while the one on the right seemed to be made from some sort of dark crystal.

Given Aspen’s armour, Jake had a feeling that Gargan’s second wand was also something special. It did make sense, really; after all, they’d seen how tough second tier Dungeons were.

If Jake was going to try and take one on, he’d want better equipment as well.

“Everyone ready?” Felix asked, looking between them all before nodding and hiking his pack up onto his shoulder. “Let’s get moving, then.”

-**-

Felix led the way to the Dungeon at a steady jog, a pace that Jake would have struggled to keep going at one point but was now as familiar as a brisk walk.

The Dungeon was about a six hour walk away, but Felix got them there in just over two hours. Despite the easy beginning, Jake was feeling the pain by the end, and Alan wasn’t much better.

Jake still went running on a regular basis, but rarely for this long. He hadn’t really considered needing this much endurance, but then, the Dungeons were only getting longer, so it did make sense.

Making a note to extend his morning runs, Jake checked how the two newcomers were doing.

Gargan looked a little better than Jake, but that made sense as he understood things. Gargan likely lacked a physical-boosting Trait but was at the peak of their tier. If Jake could improve his Trait and continue his more mundane improvements, he would be able to outperform Gargan in no time.

Aspen, however, was a different situation. The big man had a runner’s physique, and whatever Abilities he had boosting his physicality were enough to make a several-hour jog beneath his notice.

Turning his attention to the Dungeon, Jake realised that it was a very similar setup to that of Egans Deja, the duck Dungeon where he’d got Moby. The difference, however, was that this Dungeon seemed to still see some traffic, though not very much.

“We’ll be staying at the inn rather than out here,” Felix said as he saw Jake looking at some of the temporary housing. “We’re less likely to run into any other classers that way, or into anyone checking locations like this.”

The look that Felix gave him made it clear that the second consideration was far more important than the first.

“Are you coming in with us?” Aspen asked as they readied themselves to head inside.

“No, this one is just for all of you. Be careful, work together, and don’t push into the second tier. This is about seeing how you all mesh, and Alan is still in the first tier.”

It took Jake a moment to catch the implications of that statement; this was a second tier Dungeon. It was only the second of its kind that he’d delved into, even if they weren’t going as far today.

Jake felt a grin spread across his face as he contemplated the opportunity that lay before him. Aspen and Gargan were both at the peak of the second tier, and Jake was a lot stronger than he’d been the last time he tried one of these.

If they could get Alan and Nepthys into the second tier, they stood a good shot of actually being able to do this. Of course, Jake would have to increase the rank of his Skill to be able to do this, but that wasn’t an issue.

Time and Wyrdgeld would solve most of the problems he had, and that just meant they needed to get some good delves under their belt.

“Right, let’s be about it then,” Aspen said, rolling his shoulders before hefting his spear and starting off toward the Dungeon.

Jake and Alan shared a look before following after Aspen, with Gargan following quietly in their wake.

Aspen didn’t seem particularly engaged with their group dynamic, though Jake could hardly blame him; it wasn’t as though they’d known each other for long.

Hopefully, they’d come out of this as something closer to an actual team.