The sewers of Dentis weren't so bad. It smelled of piss and shit, as all sewers tend to but not much else. You could tell what age demographic of people occupied a place by the smell of their sewers. The same could be said about the level demographic as well.

If it smelled too deeply and too terribly, you knew that tthe children were of a greater population. It also meant that there were a lot of people who were not yet of the age of eighteen. On Nastild only those people were constant entertainers of bowel movements.

The less the smell, the lower the number of people below the age of eighteen. Once you gained your interface, your body wasted less, excreted less. By the time a person had their class, they could find themselves using the toilet perhaps once a week. In some cases, they could find themselves using it three times a week.

Beyond the threshold and into level fifty, it was nigh impossible to ever use it more than once a week. In fact, you could find yourself going only twice a month. The numbers reduced significantly for every fifty levels gained. Beyond level two hundred, a person could find themselves going only once a year. If they wished to hold it in, they could find themselves going only once in two years.

The sewers were nothing but a hole in a wall. Ted paused when they got to it, eyed it a little before shrugging. Valdan didn't seem surprised by the size, neither did Fjord.

Aiden knew for a fact that sewers in Nastild were not all as large and complex as the one at the castle in Bandiv. Most sewers were just holes in the wall made with special enchantments and spells to help with purification.

They moved through the sewers at a crouch. Its ceiling was high enough that they did not have to get down on all fours, but too low for them to stand straight. Feira would've managed it, though.

Aiden spared a moment to glance at her. He was right, she could stand straight here, and her head would barely touch the ceiling. She walked in a crouch like the rest of them.

They hurried through the sewers, leaving the chaos of the city behind them. Darkness enveloped them, and Zen led the way. If the darkness hindered him, he didn't show it.

Aiden wondered just how often his old friend had used the sewers to get in and out of the city.

It wasn't long before they were on the other side of the wall.

"Just great," Ted complained in a grumble. "Another forest." He shot Aiden a mock frown. "I bet you're just loving this."

Aiden couldn't help but smile. He kept it as hidden as possible, though.

"We've got to get a move on," he said. "We still haven't left the chaos behind."

Valdan turned his head from side to side. Then his attention fastened on Fjord. "Where's the jepat?"

Fjord paused, scratched the back of his head anxiously. "It didn't want to follow the sewers."

"We're going on foot?" Feira asked.

Was that confusion he heard in her voice?

"How much stamina do you have left?" Aiden asked her.

She hesitated for a moment before shrugging. "Enough."

Not willing to share.

While Aiden didn't feel like he had the patience for it, he understood her skepticism. He may have saved her life, but a savior was not always a friend.

"Is it over fifty percent?" he asked.

Feira nodded.

"What about you?" he asked, turning to Zen. "Over fifty percent?"

"Forty-two," Zen answered easily.

Feira smacked a hand to her forehead in exasperation.

"What?" Zen complained. "He saved our life. And he's a lord… I think." He looked at Aiden. "You're a lord, right?"

"Yes," Valdan answered in Aiden's stead. "We should get a move on, Lord Lacheart. The battle is not far behind. If anyone sees the jepat lurking about, they will know that someone has used the sewers."

Aiden agreed. He held out his hand, palm facing up. The air refracted above it, sending pinpricks of light into the dark. In a moment, a vial of yellow liquid appeared in his hand.

"Stamina potion," he said, handing it over to Zen. "We have a long walk ahead of us. You and your sister need to be above fifty percent for it."

"I'm at thirty-two," Fjord offered.

Aiden nodded. "Good. Bet on how many percent it will be by the time we are done."

"Why not just bet on if we'll make it?" Fjord asked, genuinely curious.

Aiden cocked a brow at him, turned, and started heading downhill, into the forest and trees, ignoring the smell of detritus and feces in the air. "Do you think we won't make it?"

"Fair point," Fjord nodded, following.

As Aiden passed Valdan, he said, "Take it from him, please."

Valdan nodded.

Ted spared nobody a glance as he fell into step. Valdan, however, waited for Zen to drink from his vial.

Zen threw his head back, gulping quickly. When he was done, he found Valdan's outstretched hand waiting for him.

His hand paused with the vial halfway over his shoulder. Zen gave him a sheepish smile before placing the vial gently in his waiting hand.

"I swear I wasn't just about to litter," he said awkwardly.

Valdan nodded. "Let's go. This place is not safe."

Aiden listened to the sound of dead leaves as they were crushed beneath walking feet. It was loud to the ear. If not for the chaos going on within the town, Aiden would've worried about it.

But there was chaos going on within the town.

…

Their time in the forest was not short. The trees around them, wide and tall, blanketed the forest in their canopies. Still, if they looked back, they could still see the town's smoke in the night sky.

Aiden looked back less but Zen and Feira looked back a lot. Even in the darkness, the sadness on their faces was evident. They had lost a lot tonight, even though Aiden did not know what it was.

They moved, weaving their way through trees. Aiden kept their pace slow and cautious. They were in a hurry, but he had his suspicions. You did not simply run away from a burning town and expect to survive so easily.

Pulling up to a tree, Aiden paused. He held a hand up in a simple gesture, fist closed.

Ted stopped immediately. Fjord had been with them long enough to understand Aiden's gestures and to look out for them. His halt was quick. A scuffle filled the air quietly as Valdan grabbed Zen and his sister by their shoulders and pulled them down to a crouch.

The group settled into silence and Aiden turned his ears one way then another. He heard nothing. The entire forest was quiet. Too quiet.

Bringing his hands together, he activated [Broken Weave].

[You have used Broken Weave of Lesser Perception]

It gave him half its usual benefits but also claimed a lesser portion of mana than usual. He could've used [Enchanted Weave], but he needed to grow all his skills. Times like this when he didn't need to go all out were times he could use simpler skills in stressful situations.

His sight sharpened and so did his hearing. The dead leaf still being crushed under Ted's foot came to him first. He saw farther, many trees ahead. He smelled the pine in the air, the smoke from the town.

Everything was sharper, far sharper than he had expected. He could taste the pine he was smelling. Now that he thought about it, his body felt sturdier, too. He felt strong, powerful. Fast, too. He had been struggling not to go too fast so that the others could match his pace.

Level seventy.

He was feeling the stat boost that came with a sudden burst of increase by twenty levels. He could only imagine how high his stats currently were.

With twenty-four unallocated stats to do with as I please, he thought. Those were high numbers for someone less than level one hundred.

He moved his gaze, surveyed their environment. He saw nothing.

With a flick of the wrist, he gestured to the left.

They needed to get out of the forest, and they needed to get out now.

…

The morning sun rose on them still weaving their way through the forest. Zen had grumbled a few times but hadn't really said anything—just mumbled gibberish under his breath. Aiden could feel Feira's glare on the back of his head.

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They had come to a stop where a group of trees clustered a little too closely together, giving Zen and Feira some time to rest. They could top up with more stamina potions but that risked the possibility of high toxicity levels. The last thing he wanted was an unconscious pair of siblings on his hands.

Zen panted, hand resting against a tree.

"Do it quietly," Fjord advised in a friendly tone.

Zen gave him a confused look. "I should pant quietly?"

Fjord nodded encouragingly. "Lord Lacheart doesn't like it when people pant loudly."

"Lord Lacheart doesn't like it when people make sounds," Ted snickered, eyes blue as he surveyed their surroundings with summoned creatures about, seeing through their eyes.

Feira said nothing. The entire time she had actually been panting quietly.

"How far away are we?" Valdan asked, moving to stand beside Aiden. "Far enough?"

Aiden shook his head. "We're still within siege reach."

"Still nobody is chasing," Ted said, his tone worried. "I don't like this."

"Me either," Aiden confirmed. He frowned. "Zen, anything?"

Zen paused. "Sorry, what?"

"Do you feel anything?" Aiden asked. "Déjà vu? Anything at all?"

Feira stepped up in front of Zen, placing herself between him and Aiden. "How do you know that?"

Ted, Valdan, and Fjord stood quietly.

"Because I came here looking specifically for your brother," Aiden answered. "I sent scouts out weeks ago to find someone that can help me with my task. Your brother met one of the criteria."

Feira frowned. "And what criterion is that?"

Aiden's eyes darted to the side. His ears pricked at a stray sound from a tree. Valdan's eyes moved just at the same time. They caught sight of a bird settling into its nest.

"His class," Aiden answered, after moving his attention back to her. "I need someone with his class capabilities."

Feira shook her head. "There are thousands of people with his class."

"Uhmm…" Zen raised his hand in interruption. "Not really, sis."

Feira ignored him. "And even if there aren't, there are far better wielders of his class than him."

"Thanks for the vote of confidence," Zen groaned.

Aiden cocked a brow at Feira. Zen had always said that she had some embers of a small hearth burning in her chest. But this was not a small hearth, it was a flame threatening to be a raging fire.

"Your brother's version of the class is… unique," he explained patiently, attention more on his surroundings than Feira. "Of all the others that I found, he was the only of his kind. I need someone with his specifications."

Feira paused, gave it some thought, then shook her head. "No."

Aiden almost sputtered in laughter. He caught himself before he did, however.

Behind Feira, Zen looked just as confused. In the light of the rising sun, Aiden could finally get a better look at his old friend.

Short blond hair and blue eyes were a part of a young face. Zen had always had a boyish face but this was not boyish, it was young. He had a small pinprick of a scar on his left cheek that gaining his interface had not healed for some reason.

Aiden thought back to his old friend and realized that he couldn't remember if his eyes had actually been blue or not.

What a friend you are.

Now that he had the time to look at the two siblings, Feira, for all her beauty, looked just like Zen. The discovery sent a shiver up his spine. Looking at her was like looking at a beautiful, long-haired Zen.

It left a bad taste in his mouth.

"Zen's a big boy," Aiden said in the end. "He can decide for himself. Now, while you both talk, I'll be over by that tree, looking through a few things."

He turned away, interrupting whatever Feira wanted to say, and walked over to a tree by the corner. It was the closest one to where Ted was standing.

"You good?" Ted asked in a quiet voice. "Was the reunion everything you dreamed of?"

Aiden looked up in time to catch the smile on his brother's face. "You're an arse."

"And you just saved your friend's life."

Aiden paused, unsure of what the response had to do with his insult. In the end he shook his head, dispelling the thought.

"We can't stay here long," he muttered. Not too far away, Valdan positioned himself like a guard close to Zen and his sister. "There are scouts in the forest, soldiers. There have to be."

"Why are you so sure?" Ted asked.

Aiden lowered his voice, dropping it more than it already was. "Because I've sacked a city before, Ted. It would be stupid to do…" he gestured in the direction of the town, "this, and not position men to pick off the runaways, especially when it is in preparation for a greater war."

One of Ted's eyes turned its normal color, and he looked down at Aiden with it. The other eye remained eerily staring into the distance, glowing blue.

"Has anyone told you that you can be scary?"

"Four men on a summer wind playing keep away with eight girls," Aiden said without missing a beat.

Ted paused. "What?"

Ted was the brother with witty remarks that left people confused, so it was a bit satisfying to see him confused.

"I need to check something," he said, dismissing Ted's question with a wave of his hand. "Keep looking around. We'll leave once those two stop heaving."

First.

[You have used Class skill Broken Weave]

…

[You have used Broken Weave of Lesser Perception]

I should probably stop using the lesser variants, he thought to himself.

Now that he had crossed the level fifty threshold, he now had access to actual enchantments. He had the mental power, the mana pool, and the knowledge.

With his senses heightened and his awareness sharper, Aiden turned his attention to his interface.

[Congratulations Prisoner #234502385739!]

[You have reached level 50]

…

[You have gained stat points]

[You have gained 8 unallocated stat points]

[Your existing stats have gained additional points]

…

[Stats]

[Dexterity 26 -- > 32], [Agility 18 -- > 22], [Mana 26 -- > 38], [Speed 23 -- > 31], [Perception 20 -- > 30], [Strength 17 -- > 21]

Aiden let out a heavy sigh. He had been stuck on level forty-nine for too long simply because he had been stubborn. Trying to make the ordeal that they would face in Trackback when they go for the [Crystal of Existence] easier, he had tried not to level up to level fifty.

The knowledge he had from his past life taught him that the monsters guarding the [Crystal of Existence] imitated appearances as well as skills. Levels, too.

The person who touched the crystal had the highest chance of dying and the monsters scaled to their level while imitating the abilities and appearances of everyone.

Aiden had intended on being below the threshold and holding the crystal when they got there. It made sure everyone had a fighting chance since they would be busy trying not to kill enemies that were trying to kill them.

It was a good feeling to finally grow stronger, but now he had to worry about what would keep everybody alive when the time came.

He moved on to the next notification.

[Congratulations Prisoner #234502385739!]

[You have reached level 60]

…

[You have gained stat points]

[You have gained 8 unallocated stat points]

[Your existing stats have gained additional points]

…

[Stats]

[Dexterity 32 -- > 40], [Agility 22 -- > 30], [Mana 38 -- > 45], [Speed 31 -- > 39], [Perception 30 -- > 37], [Strength 21 -- > 26]

I need to do more heavy lifting. It was all he could think about, staring at his rising stats. Strength lagged too far behind the other stats.

He didn't blame it, though. His style of fighting was more about finesse and technique rather than strength.

[Congratulations Prisoner #234502385739!]

[You have reached level 70]

…

[You have gained stat points]

[You have gained 8 unallocated stat points]

[Your existing stats have gained additional points]

…

[Dexterity 40 -- > 48], [Agility 30 -- > 34], [Mana 45 -- > 52], [Speed 39 -- > 43], [Perception 37 -- > 45], [Strength 26 -- > 31]

…

[Stats]

[Dexterity 48], [Agility 34], [Mana 52], [Speed 43], [Perception 45], [Strength 31]

He had gotten stronger. The combined leap in numbers from twenty levels in one sitting seemed massive, but he knew better. Yes, he was stronger, but he was not strong enough. He needed more strength, strength that was properly allocated and distributed.

[You have 24 unallocated stat points]

[Would you like to use unallocated stat points?]

[Y/N]

Setting it aside for a moment, he moved his attention to more interesting things.

[Congratulations Prisoner # 234502385739]

[You have reached level 60.]

[You have gained a Class skill]

[You have gained Class skill Lome Weave]

…

…

[Lone Weave (Mastery 00.00%]

The weaver is his own tool. You are your engraver and your canvas. With your body you weave enchantments into being. Even an enchantment woven without all your limbs is, in its own right, an enchantment.

As his eyes darted over the words, knowledge flooded Aiden's mind. He understood the skill and how it worked immediately. It forced him to smile.

Just when [Enchanted Weave] was showing its limits.

With [Lone Weave], he could do the exact same thing [Broken Weave] could do. The best part? He could now weave with a single hand. It was a boon in its own right.

What's the next one?

[Congratulations Prisoner # 234502385739]

[You have reached level 70.]

[You have gained a Class skill]

[You have gained Class skill Dual Weave]

…

…

[Dual Weave (Mastery 00.00%]

The weaver is his own tool. You are your engraver and your canvas. With your body you weave enchantments into being. Why stop because an enchantment is complete? What stops you from using two.

Twice the enchantment for the time it took him to weave an enchantment? Now, the interface was just spoiling him.

"You look like a creep."

Aiden moved his attention from his interface and found Feira standing in front of him. She looked at Ted. With the height difference between them, she had to tilt her head up slightly.

"Does he always smile like a creep?" she asked casually.

Ted looked down at Aiden and shrugged. "That's the face he makes when he sees something he likes. Don't hold it against—"

Aiden's perception flared up at the same time Ted's eyes glowed a brighter blue.

"GET DOWN!" he barked, leaping forward.

His mind tore its way through two decisions as he sensed what was coming at incredible speed. With one hand, he pulled Feira to the other side. Then his other hand shot out on instinct.

It snapped around the shaft of an arrow just before it pierced his eye.

Aiden frowned. "Archers."

He moved Feira aside and turned to Ted as another arrow buried itself into a tree with a loud thwack.

"How far out are they?" he asked Ted.

Ted's eyes glowed blue. "Not very far."

Aiden nodded, drawing Ted's sword from its scabbard.

"Valdan," he said, tone commanding as he stalked in the direction of the arrow. "You and Ted get them out of here. I'll meet you at the riverbank."

"You can't fight them alone," Ted snapped. "There are like twenty of them, at least."

Aiden moved his head to the side and another arrow whizzed past it to slam into a tree. "I'm not fighting them, Ted. I'm leading them away."

Fighting them was tempting but he couldn't risk getting to ninety-nine so quickly.

Look at you, he snorted, ducking past another arrow while the others took cover behind trees. Who would've thought a day would come when you would be worried about your level going up.

"Zen," Aiden continued. "If you experience any Déjà vu, tell Sir Valdan immediately."

Zen paused where he was behind a tree. "Sir Valdan?"

Of course the thought of working with a knight pierced through Zen's panic in their current situation. Zen's sense of priority had always been a bit wonky sometimes.

"Move!" Aiden barked, bringing his hands together. "Now!"

[You have used Class skill Enchanted Weave]

…

[You have used Class skill Dual Weave]

…

[You have used Weave of Speed and Strength]

Try not to kill anyone, Aiden.

He darted forward, headfirst towards his opponent, and the world vanished around him.

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