“What do you mean by caste exactly?” Tess asked.

Mirari sat for a bit chewing his jerky. “Do you want the long or the short answer.”

Do the short answer! I bet the long one isn’t as interesting.

 

“The long one,” Tess answered, mostly to spite Novus.

Nooo, it’s going to be some preachy religious thing! You don’t want to listen to that! How about we go hunt for some cool monsters instead?

 

“Once we continue I’ll tell the story,” Mirari said. “It’ll be good to have something to pass the time.”

“Right,” Tess answered.

The two quickly went about cleaning up their campsite and packing their supplies. Once the two started walking, Mirari began his tale.

“And so it was said that Laubat had a vision. A vision of a world so transcendental, Laubat plucked his own eye from his socket; to better preserve the memory.”

Oh, gross!

 

“Laubat was content to watch his vision for a long time, reveling in the new sensation. But it came to pass when the creator wished to do more than watch. So the great god divided his eight eyes, hands, and feet into pairs, and with it shaped the gods Lurama, Urama, Airama, and Suama. Each god was itself, but at the same time of Laubat.”

Hey that’s kinda neat! Probably a bad idea down the line, but neat.

 

“’Go, travel to my jeweled vision,’ Laubat said. ‘Partake of its wonders so I might feel this wonderous creation.’”

Mirari paused for a moment to step over some mud.

“Lurama left first,” he continued. “She landed on the radiant vision and partook of the world. She felt the dirt between her toes and the trees on her hands. Urama came next, feeling the rushing rivers with her hands and the cool lakes with her feet. Then came Airama, who used all his limbs to fly through the sky like a bird. Lastly, Suama traveled and felt the heat of coals with her feet and the scorching of wood with her hands.”

Seems like Suama got the worst of the lot.

 

“The Four saw all this with their eyes, and in turn, Laubat felt the earth, water, wind, and fire. He saw that his vision was good, and the gods rejoiced.”

“Neat creation story,” Tess said.

“There’s still more,” Mirari replied. “It came to pass when Laubat wished to see all the world had to offer. And so the god commanded the Four that were him to spread across his vision so he might experience it all at once. Lurama obeyed, taking a piece of the earth into her. Urama obeyed, taking a piece of the water into her. Airama obeyed, taking a piece of the air into her. Suama obeyed, taking a piece of the fire into her.

“Each god then returned to Laubat, once again becoming one and birthing the first Jejende. Four were birthed, each with a blessing. Those from earth could shape the land and grow the crops. Those from water could change the rivers and clean the waters. Those from air could call gales and travel the skies. And those from fire could turn earth to coal and heat the world.

“’Go,’ Laubat commanded the Jejende. ‘Spread across the world so I might experience all it has to offer.’ And so the Jejende did, traveling as one to fulfill Laubat’s wish. They worked together, each content with their abilities and their place, equal under Laubat’s eye.”

I was with it until the end. I wanted to see a big fight between demons and gods!

 

Tess rolled her eyes at Novus’s statements. It seemed he enjoyed the story a lot more than he let on.

“So, you’re part of the Aire caste because you can control the wind,” Tess stated.

“Correct,” Mirari answered.

“Can you control anything besides wind?” Tess asked. “Like, do you have bits of water or earth ancestry that gives you some control?”

“Not as such,” Mirari answered. “While those of different castes can and have intermingled, those born of the union are always of one caste.”

“But you can do something,” Tess said, noticing Mirari’s half-answer.

“There are those who have studied the world around them and have learned to use their control in more inventive ways. These Naturalists state that while we are limited to one element, that doesn’t mean we cannot learn to control others.”

“Makes sense,” Tess said.

“Not according to the church,” Mirari said, a bit more forcefully than he intended.

“Sounds like you aren’t a fan of the Naturalists,” Tess said.

“Many of them cause more strife than necessary,” Mirari answered. “What began as a simple search for knowledge is now a haven for those who disagree with the church’s teachings. Many Naturalists have struck out against the church, often harming those who only wish to help. You see it often in the capital.”

“Mmm,” Tess answered.

In her experience, religion was just another word for political faction. Individuals were often fine, but there was something about large groups that brought the worst out of people.

“Not a lot of that out here I’m guessing,” Tess continued.

“No. We have a lot more to worry about in the frontiers,” Mirari answered. “The edge of Baslura must deal with the coastal city-states past the forest and the deepest parts of the woods. Neither Naturalists nor the church have time to argue once a Katsuge leaves the Sakohan Wood.”

“Sounds like most of my job will be hunting,” Tess said.

“Hunting, escorting caravans, or protecting surveyors mostly,” Mirari answered. “Most journeys are uneventful. The creatures in the wood are learning to stay there.”

Tess nodded, but knew it was likely harder than Mirari made it sound.

---

The two continued their journey making small talk as the days went by. Eventually, Tess saw the small dirt pathway widened into something more akin to a road. A day later the road widened some more and gained furrows down the middle.

“That’s where the carriages ride,” Mirari answered when Tess asked.

“I thought Ortzerri was the furthest town out here?”

Mirari chuckled. “No, we’re the only ones foolhardy enough to set up right next to the Kalbas Woods. Kemun is the seafaring nation to the East. Many merchants travel up for the road to Kemun and then take the ships from there to the exotic nations in the hopes of selling their wares for grand treasures.”

“Got it,” Tess answered.

Eventually, the woods retreated further away from the road, though not so far away as to be out of sight. To keep cool, Tess and Mirari periodically splashed their faces with cool river water. It wasn’t the greatest way to beat the heat, but it was refreshing.

It was during one of these breaks when Novus pushed another box into Tess’s vision.

Hey, so do you think you could do at least a little rolling for skills? I know you wanted to save up but I’m getting antsy with all this uneventful traveling. I need my dopamine fix!

 

“There’s no way you have dopamine,” Tess whispered.

It’s an expression!

 

“Give me one good reason,” Tess demanded.

I can list several! But the main one is that your attributes are low. Rolling for a bunch of the 1 stars can get you more power. And you’re going to need it.

 

Tess furrowed her brow. “What do you know?”

Spoilers! Besides, if I warn you about incoming danger, it won’t be as interesting when you do deal with it!

 

The woman sighed. “You better not be pulling my leg.”

“What’s that?” Mirari asked.

“Nothing,” Tess answered. “Just talking to myself.”

“Fine, I’ll roll for some skills,” Tess muttered.

YES! Excitement here I come!

 

The woman rolled her eyes but opened her skills to roll. If what Novus said was true, it would be best to spend her experience on the lowest package. That would give her the most skills that she could then use to upgrade her powers.

Wheels of fortune spun as the two walked well into the evening and then the night. Tess never stopped rolling, spending all of her experience to garner a load of skills. Quantity seemed better than quality for the moment.

 

Look at that! A 3 and a 4 star after I tweaked the numbers on the 10xp package!

 

“Rolling seventy-five times gives you a lot of chances,” Tess answered.

She opened her skill list to look at the two higher tier skills.

 

 

“Well, that synergizes nicely,” Tess said. She slotted Free to Play Unit into her tier 4 skill. A small number appeared to the side of the skill listing the damage boost.

“Nine-point-nine percent. Not bad.”