Nar turned off the alarm in his head with a mental grunt, and took in a deep breath as the dark ceiling above his head came into focus. From around the room, he heard the now familiar sounds of the others waking up as well. Kur, as always, and like a complete freak, got up as soon as he turned off his alarm, and he always got ready ahead of all of them, and then made sure they all got ready on time like a good parent.

Tuk would usually get his butt off bed after Kur, and humming or whistling some new tune he'd picked up on his journeys across the ship, even in his black and brown pyjamas, the ring tosser would look ready and eager for a brand-new day. Then it would be either Nar or Mul, depending on how grumpy the brawler felt.

Although, with the suppressor on, I've been left for last most of the time, Nar noticed with a grimace, as the lengos got up just a few seconds after Tuk.

Nar sighed, pushing past his bleariness. Staying up late was all great and fine, but the mornings after… Still, no matter how many times he told himself that he would be getting to bed earlier, he just seemed to naturally gravitate to late nights, always trying to squeeze more into his all too short days. Besides, more apprentices preferred to rise early than to stay up late, and thus, the nights were also quieter than the mornings, which he far preferred, as there was just something alluring, and incredibly liberating, about being able to stay up late at night doing as he pleased.

Right, I better get up before Kur comes and…

TING!

Oh?

He toggled his UI visible and checked his notifications.

New effect applied? He read the subject of the new notification, frowning. He sat up in his bunk bed, and opened it to check what in the Pile that was about.

 

A new effect has been applied following the latest gains application.

 

[???] now applies a +5 extra points to [Instinct].

 

It does what? Full status!

NAR293457741235645XAV

Champion Aspirant 5

(Aggr. 30)

Rare

DPS/Tank

Aura: 2601/2920

Health Points: 330/330

Stamina: 430/430

 

Stats

● Strength: 27 (25 + 2 [The Aspiring Champion])

● Constitution: 33

● Stamina: 43

● Vigor: 6

● Speed: 49 (38 + 2 [The Aspiring Champion] + 9 [NPC])

● Agility: 61 (44 + 2 [The Aspiring Champion] + 15 [NPC])

● Hearing: 32 (30 + 2 [Senses of the Champion])

● Sight: 26 (24 + 2 [Senses of the Champion])

● Smell: 11 (9 + 2 [Senses of the Champion])

● Dexterity: 7

● Reflex: 67 (41 + 2 [The Aspiring Champion] + 24 [NPC])

● Accuracy: 4

● Awareness: 8

● Perception: 8

● NPC: 12

● Ego: 39

● Aura**: 292 (139 + 153 Mod.)

● Instinct: 42 (33 + 2 [The Aspiring Champion] + 2 [Senses of the Champion] + 5 [???])

● Endurance: 15

● Might: 12

● ???: 25

A total of 42 [Instinct]... That's only 7 less than Jul's!

He rubbed his chin as he considered the new number.

Hers is [Instinct*] though… And I wonder if having the attribute modifier, and directly having the points, means that the attribute is stronger. But then again, her [Instinct*] has always been something else, and much more than mine.

The quam's uncanny ability to sense danger from afar and guide them through the right paths and course of action was probably one of the major, if not the reason why they had actually managed to Climb out. Not to mention, it had been at her advice that Kur had decided to commit them to the Scimitar, and unlike Kur, Jul hadn't displayed any kind of remorse or doubt about doing so. At least, not that Nar had spotted it.

Which means that despite everything, we're still in the right place for us. At least for now… he reasoned. Still, I wonder if the Master of Shadows is doing something about Jul's [Instinct*], unlike my master.

He hadn't really seen much of Jul's prescience since joining the Scimitar, but it was undeniable that there was something special about Jul. Something very, very special…

And that's on top of true fear affinity… He groaned, stretching within the confines of his bed, and scratched at his back, all thoughts about breakfast of schedules having vanished from his mind.

There were still so many questions left to answer, and perhaps even to ask, about his [Instinct], and it kind of ground his gears to know that he would've to wait for whenever his master decided it was the right time.

Another 40 or 50 levels at least… He thought, snorting. Crystal. That's a lot, isn't it?

Considering he had just made it to an aggregate level 30, another 40 or 50 levels would place him into the 70s or even 80s, only 20 or so levels below the 100-level limit that most delvers stopped at and that he, as a supposedly elite delver, was supposed to surpass. And leave well behind.

70 or 80… Pile! That's more than double my current level!

It was nearly impossible to imagine another 50 levels of gains on top of him. Even if ignoring new skills and upgrades, the sheer quantity of attributes alone that he would gain... It was impossible to tell just how strong he was going to become, and most likely, once he got there and looked back to this moment, he would find that the difference was a stark as now to when he had just left his cubeplant, months and months ago.

And elite delvers are at least level 110 and above, so I'll keep leveling up…

The path before him was still yet long. Still very, very long, and he couldn't help but shudder, despite his excitement at those future gains, at whatever the faculty was yet to put them through, in order to get them up to those lofty heights of the elites. And to do so at speeds that were meant to be much faster than usual.

This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

"Nar? Are you alright there?"

Nar startled and he rushed to turn off his UI. At his side, and looking up at him with a deep frown, was a fully dressed Kur, waiting for a good reason as to why Nar was still sitting and daydreaming in his bed with his mouth hanging ajar.

"Oh… Uh!" he said, his brain struggling to come with an answer. "I… Actually, yes! Something just happened! I just got a bonus to my [Instinct]! It's from my [???] unknown attribute."

"What?" Kur asked, surprised that there was indeed a good reason. "But… How? And why now? The confluence gains came out yesterday."

"I have no idea," Nar said, shaking his head.

"And that attribute of yours is only at…" he paused to check Nar's status. "25? No attribute modifier means no bonus, and you can't even have those anyways since they're blocked…"

"I know," Nar said. "This feels almost like a passive skill bonus."

"What in the Pile?" Kur muttered to himself. "Just when you think you've got things figured out, something always happens to prove you wrong."

Nar chuckled to himself as he climbed off his bed. "Did you actually think you had anything figured out?"

Kur grunted in reply.

"Do you have any idea what this attribute is?" he asked Nar instead.

"Ah, you know I don't," Nar said, shrugging. "The Master of Blades seems to have an idea, but he's not telling me anything."

Kur rubbed the nose of his bridge, shaking his head.

"Same here," he said. "I also asked my instructor about these last [???] unknown attributes across the party, but she only told me not to worry about them for now… I hate it that they keep stuff from us, even if it's for our supposed benefit."

He glanced at Nar. "I suppose your [???] seems to be doing something already, and I wonder if it will be the same for the rest of us, though neither me or Rel have [Instinct]…"

Nar shrugged. "I'll tell my master, but I doubt he's going to change his mind."

"Yeah…" Kur said. "Well, it is what it is. Still… A 5-point bonus to [Instinct] of all things? And without a modifier no less? I can't wait to see what comes out of that [???]."

*********

"GHAHAHAHA!"

Tuk roared with laughter, slapping Nar's back, and barely able to breath. At his side, Nar too gasped for air, as the screens around the canteen played out the images of the apprentices jump training the day before the confluence.

As promised, the Undeadz had delivered their Dumb Apprentices Face Planting the Hull video, Year of 64387 Edition in all its glory, and by the Crystal, was it funny! And looking around him, Nar wondered when last he'd seen the canteen in such a good mood.

Maybe before the den, he thought. Definitely before the confluence…

The deaths of the three apprentices and the one storm glider had hit the apprentices hard, sending them down a spiral of frenetic training fueled by fear and the desire to live through their last assessment in order to decide the future of their lives. Nar had also no doubt that it had also given quite a few of them cause to pause and reconsider the whole delving business… After all, it had for him. He'd been yearning for the Labyrinth with his entire being and now, if not for his need to save his dad, and protect his party, he wasn't so sure what his choice would've been.

"That was awesome!" Tuk laughed, as the screens went dark and roaring applause filled the canteen. "I hope they send us a copy of that!"

"I'm sure they will," Rel said, her face flushed with laughter.

"I'm just happy none of us were in it," Cen said, with a sigh of relief that she seemed to have dragged from the deepest core of her soul. "I was sure I was going to make it…"

Tuk laughed and squeezed her shoulder. "Don't worry! There was a lot worse than us!"

Nar chuckled to himself and gathered the last of his steak and mash onto his fork.

"Were you actually worried about it?" he asked the caster.

"Yes!" Cen shouted.

In her right hand, a shifting, lightly glowing gray fork had formed into being, and Nar, Tuk and Rel watched in amazed, discreet silence, as Cen used her aura fork to skewer a baby tomato.

"I know you're looking!" she huffed at them.

"How could we not?" Rel asked. "You're using aura to eat!"

Cen pressed the fork into the tomato, and Nar's mouth slowly peeled open as its prongs pierced the skin of the fresh, small, yellow fruit. Then, her aura dissipated in a little puff of errant gray smoke that fizzled into nothing.

"Ugh!" Cen shouted, covering her face. "This is impossible!"

"If the Master of Aura said you could do it, then you can do it," Nar said. "It'll just take time."

"I've been at it for…"

"A day and a half?" Rel asked, snorting. "You're a genius, Cen. We all know that. But please, you're directly cycling your aura into the shape of a freaking fork! Come on! Give yourself some slack!"

The lengos sighed, deflating on her seat, her yellow irises faltering with a weariness that spoke of incessant training and overblown expectations. "I… I know. I know."

She concentrated on her right hand once more, and another fork slowly came into being upon her open palm. Nar noticed that this one was slightly shorter than the last one, though its prongs seemed to have been forged longer.

"It's just… I still don't have my affinity, and I haven't gained any new skills yet," the bald caster muttered. "I feel stuck."

"I'm sorry, but what? You just fired off a massive beam of raw awesomeness like two weeks ago!" Tuk said.

"That was a fluke!" Cen protested. "I have no idea how I did that, and the master has blocked me from going past my [Mastery] again! That means I'm still the same as I was before the Ceremony! At least if I gained my affinity, I could maybe start making some progress on…"

"You just have to hang in there," Tuk said, rubbing her back. "It will come when you least expect it! That's what the Master of Throwing Weapons always says!"

"Yeah… Pretty much that's it," Nar added, grimacing in sympathy. "It will come, but for now, that…"

And he nodded at the ethereal, yet solid fork. "... looks insane as it is. I mean, you're directly using your aura Cen! Not just for cycling or on your weapon, but to make it into a fork! A fork! How are you not seeing how insanely amazing this is?"

"Yeah! And first it's a fork, and then baam! It's a giant arrow of aether!" Rel said.

"Or a giant ring!" Tuk pipped in.

"Or a giant sword," Nar added with a smile.

Cen shook her head, but she was unable to keep a smile from breaking through and tugging at her cheeks. "Why does it have to be a giant anything?"

"Because that's really cool?" Rel asked, wiggling her eyebrows.

"Yeah! What she said!" Tuk said, also wiggling his eyebrows. "Besides, why not? You have so much aura and [Mastery] that you can do whatever you want! Better make it big!"

"If only it was that simple," Cen muttered. "I wish I had your [Shaping] and [Creativity] at least, Tuk. My one point in each is basically the same as nothing."

"Fair," Tuk said, rubbing his nose. "Those attributes are the only reason I'm even managing to learn all the patterns that the Master of Thrown Weapons dug up for me. It takes a lot of brain to learn the… Uh. What's it called again? The flower thing?"

Rel snorted. "The Flower of a Thousand Blossoming Silken Petals."

"Yeah! That!" Tuk said. "You have any idea how many tosses…"

"A thousand?" both Cen and Nar asked, grinning.

"Yeah, I walked into that one…" Tuk muttered, as the rest of them burst out laughing. "Anyway, it takes a lot of [Shaping] and [ Creativity] to get them to fly right."

"And [Memory]?" Nar asked. He actually didn't know how much the trugger had on that particular attribute, but given how much trouble he was having in memorizing the name of the fighting style alone…

Tuk grimaced. "I don't have [Memory]. I can barely remember the name of the damned patterns! Can you imagine remembering over a thousand different tosses? Now that's freaking impossible!"

"Toss by toss, Tuk," Rel said. "You'll get there. The four you've memorized so far look stunning already!"

Tuk chuckled. "They do, don't they? I can't wait to show it to you guys in the dungeon! My fingers are moving in ways I didn't even think they could! And I even got [Dexterity*]!"

"Is that from all those finger exercises?" Rel asked him.

The ring tosser grimaced. "Maybe. Those exercises are something else. Did I tell you the time the master nearly broke my…"

He gasped. In her hands, Cen held a new aura fork, and with it, she slowly lifted the tomato to her mouth. As the three of them stared at her display of aura mastery and control in stunned silence, she very carefully popped the tomato into her mouth and chewed.

"Wohoo!" Tuk shouted.

"Nice!" Rel said.

"Ouch!" Cen muttured. "I pricked myself! You guys! Stop staring at me, or I'll never eat anything!"

"Sorry," Nar said, holding back his laughter. "It's like… I can't not look at it."

"It's mesmerizing!" Tuk said. "That's the word."

A small trickle of knowledge dropped into Nar's brain and he found himself nodding.

"Yeah… That's it," Rel said, almost dreamlike. "Oh!"

"What?" Tuk asked her.

"It's my turn under the Source!" she said, her eyes beaming with excitement.

"Are you sleeping there tonight?" Nar asked.

"No, it's just a quick top up," Rel explained. "It's best to keep my exposure at a certain level and not let it drop too much from it."

"Oh, is that so?" Cen said. "I wish I could see it. The Source."

Rel grimaced. "Sorry…"

"What?" Cen said, startled. "Why are you sorry? Rules are rules!"

"Yeah…" Rel said. Then, she perked up. "Actually, would guys like to come with me? You can't see the Source, of course, but you can see the chapel if you want? And it'll only take me like… Pshh, 15 minutes, tops?"

"Wish I could," Cen said. "But I have a class in a few minutes."

"Me too," Tuk said, tearfully. "More torture for my fingies…"

"Uh…" Nar made, but Rel turned her emerald eyes to him with such hope blazing in them, that Nar felt almost blinded by it.

I need to train! He told himself miserably, knowing that he had already lost the battle.

"I… Guess I'm free," he mumbled. "For a little bit…"

"It won't take long! I promise!" she said, grinning widely. "Come on! You'll like it, and you can't just train all the time!"

Yes, I can! He almost blurted.

"Right…" Nar said, getting up. "Guess we'll see you guys later."

"Have fun," Tuk said, jealously. "Me and my fingies will go to torture…"

"Oh, don't be so dramatic," Cen said, threatening him with her aura fork. "You want to try some real torture?"

"Uh. No?"

Nar shook his head and followed after Rel, who practically skipped as she headed out the canteen.

Will I like it? He asked himself, harbouring severe doubts about that.

Truth be told, he still didn't really know where he stood with the Crystal Almighty, or the Radiants as he'd come to find about, and in all honesty, he hadn't actually given the Crystal that much time of the day, if any, since the Ceremony. Other than to half-assedly decide to be more respectful towards the Radiants and the whole fear of the Beyond that had been dumped over his head like a cold shower by Professor T'Nash, his training had occupied him completely.

However, living in the Nexus, under the now very real and constant, ever-present watchful gaze of the Crystal, the Radiants and the Church, he should probably make some sort of proper peace with his god. Or gods.

He should at least keep things civil between him and the divine, and maybe he could start praying once or twice a week… He just needed to pick a god and a belief and all that. Or stick with his BN one, though he still felt a twist in his stomach at the thought of worshiping the Crystal, given the weight of his… Unresolved feelings towards it.

Maybe I should pick another one, then, he thought to himself, as they waited for a lift. He had resolved to wait for that lecture on the divine that Jarl had promised them was coming, before he made any decisions, but maybe checking up on the chapel wasn't a bad place to start. He might even offer up some praying…

One of Them did give me my path in the end, Nar thought. And promised that I could go back for my dad as long as I passed Their requirements…

He sighed. Might as well go and see this chapel, and check how he felt about the divine, now that some time had passed and he was no longer a reviled sinner. At least where the Crystal Itself and the Holy Church were concerned, he had earned his blank slate and freedom to do whatever he wanted.

I guess it can't make things any worse than they are…

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