I drop on my bed and tell myself I expected this. Dad wasn’t going to be reasonable about me wandering off and leaving him to think I had been hurt, or worse.

My arm twitches at the memory of the pain.

Good thing he’ll never learn I was in pretty bad shape at some point.

But I wish that for once he could be an adult and not overreact. I’m back, I’m fine, and I have a decent class. Although that’s another shit storm on the horizon.

The sigh that escapes me sounds like those I let out when I was twelve and dad grounded me for playing rough with Max, Josie, and Stew, and scraping my knees. Kids are supposed to scrap their knees, aren’t they? None of their parents grounded them for something so minor. It’s like he thought I’d get an infection and die, even if Base will hand me the best healing food or potions in his inventory at Dad’s demand.

I sigh again.

I need to stop that. I’m an adult now.

I sit up. Might as well make use of the time, instead of letting myself wallow in self-pity. I pull a loose page from my bedside table and… pull the journal from my inventory to use as a writing surface. The back’s nice and mostly smooth. I doubt the scratches on the leather will be a problem.

I pull the stylus and try it in the corner of the page. It leaves a silvery line, so it’s not something that only works on the journal, neat.

Okay. System. Give me the abilities that are dependent on Taking it on the Nose, names only.

 

System Query: Ability list, Trunkated

Grit Strike Grit Style Home field Disadvantage Marathon Fighting Second Wind Opponent Destruction Opponent Mastery

 

Okay, definitely seeing interesting things there. What’s Opponent Destruction?

 

System Query: Opponent Destruction, Explorer Ability

When your Opponent Mastery activates, you now gain a 50% boost to the damage you cause them. Each additional rank increases the bonus by 2% Prerequisite: Opponent Mastery, rank 5 Maximum Rank: 26 Cost: None

 

What about Opponent Mastery?

 

System Query: Opponent Mastery, Explorer Ability

After fighting a single opponent for a minute, you gain a 50% bonus to combat skills. Each additional rank reduces the delay before the ability activates by 3 seconds. Prerequisite: Taking it on the Nose, rank 5 Maximum Rank: 21 Cost: None

 

Really? I have to fight someone for a full minute? Do I want a fight to last that long? At least I only need five levels in Taking it on the Nose before getting it, so I can focus on lowering the trigger time. And a fifty percent increase to combat skills is significant. Then, with five levels in this, I just have to sacrifice one ability point to boost my damage by fifty percent.

I still have to be fighting one opponent for forty-five seconds at that point. Not ideal against a monster wave. The goal is to end that as fast as possible.

I write down the abilities, with the levels I expect to take them to. With class quests, I’d get there slightly faster, but I can’t count on those while here. Even that one about cataloging creatures isn’t going to help much. I think there’s only five types of monsters a wave can have.

What’s Grit Strike?

 

System Query: Grit Strike, Explorer Ability

Once your hit points drop below 50%, you gain the ability to do a melee strike that does extra 1% damage for each percent below the threshold. Each additional ranks add 2% to the threshold. Prerequisite: Taking it On The Nose, rank 5 Maximum Rank 26 Cost: 20 Stamina per strike

 

Another damage increase. Again only if a criteria is met. Unfortunately, it’s not great unless I have a high rank in it, or let myself get close to dying. Probably not worth it unless Grit Style improves it a lot.

What’s Grit Style?

 

System Query: Grit Style, Explorer Ability

You can add one of the following to your Grit Strike ability. Grit Absorption: 50% of the damage caused by your Grit Strike heals you. Cost: 10 stamina extra per strike Grit Slugger: Grit Strike now applies a stun debuff. The duration is 1 second for each percent below your threshold. Cost: 10 stamina extra per strike Grit Payday: when you kill an opponent while Grit Strike is active, you gain a 50% bonus to your physical attributes. Duration 1 minute. Each following kill refreshes the bonus and adds 10 seconds to it. Cost: extra 20 stamina on activation strike Maximum Rank: 1 Prerequisite: Grit Strike, rank 5

 

Okay, this lets me pick a way to heal, to get more hits in, or a physical boost when I kill a creature. But I only get one of them.

Not a fan of over specialization.

The absorption is appealing, except it makes the strike less effective. Slugger’s nice, but once my opponent’s down, I’m starting anew with the next one. Which makes Payday the one I’ll go with, if I decide to take Grit Strike. I’ll be level ten by then, so I’ll have a chance to boost my strength. I Note that beside the other, but I don’t bother with working out the levels. This is definitely a ‘if I have extra points’, set of ability. Which means I might be much higher by the time I pick it.

What’s Homefield Advantage?

Hmm, system? Home field Advantage? It was on the list; you have to have info on it.

I scroll up. Maybe I didn’t read it properly?

Okay… what’s Home field Disadvantage?

 

System Query: Home Field Disadvantage, Explorer Ability

You deal 50% more damage against opponents who live within ruins. Each additional ranks increase this damage by 2% Prerequisite: Taking it on the Nose, Rank 5 Maximum Rank: 26 Cost: None

 

“How am I supposed to use that to defend the town?”

You have got to be kidding me. If Ruin can be expanded to mean any settlement, that’d only be useful if I turned against the town.

Unless I venture out and take on the creatures where they live?

Not bothering with that one.

How about Second Wind and Marathon Fighting? Just to be sure you aren’t pulling some switch on me with that, too.

 

System Query: Second Wind, Explorer Abilty

You gain the Spell Recuperate and the Healing branch of magic is now open to you. Each additional rank lowers the training needed to learn by 2% Prerequisite: Grit Strike, rank 5 Maximum rank: 26

 

System Query: Marathon Fighting, Explorer Ability

Anytime you lose hit points, your stamina regenerates by 50% of that amount. Anytime you lose stamina, your mana regenerates by 50% of that amount. Mana cost for the use of spells within the Healing category is reduced by 25%. Each additional rank adds 1%. Prerequisite: Second Wind, rank 5 Maximum Rank: 51 Cost: None

 

Now that’s more like it. Not only do I get a healing spell at level six, but it opens me to magic without having to pay that first cost. And, with Marathon Fighting, if I work it right, I can rebuild my stamina as I get hurt, recharge my mana as I get exhausted, and use that to heal myself. There’s going to be some loss there, but that’s something I can use to defend the town, and I just need Grit strike to get it.

I look at where I put that ability on the page.

Great. Now I’m going to have to invest five levels in that.

Still, it is only five levels, so I could get healing at level ten. That’s faster than any other way I can think of since I don’t get spell points as I go up in levels. The downside of being human.

I redo my ability plan. I already have Taking it on the Nose, As nice as Opponent Mastery and Destruction are, I think the payoff is better with Grit strike, Second Wind and Marathon fighting. Healing magic only needs time, points, or money to be raised, and they can help others, while Mastery and Destruction only help me directly, and only in the very long run.

Home Field Disadvantage is a non-starter.

That takes care of my first sixteen levels, and I have no idea how many years. Maybe I can make that when I’ll start on Aaron’s quest. I’ll have a base of combat and my skills and ability will have gone up enough I should be able to deal with whatever I encounter on the road.

And with traveling, maybe some of the other abilities will be worth spending points on. I should at least look into what I have access to in those—

The knock startles me and I have the page in the journal to hide it before it registers that it’s not the knock of my Dad on the door, but that of Base.

He could just start talking to me, but he doesn’t like to intrude, so he knocks.

“Come in,” I answer and send the journal and stylus to my inventory.

“How are you doing?” he asks, and I shrug.

“Keeping busy figuring out my class until dad lets me out.”

“Speaking of your class, Josie mentioned you’re a farmer now.”

How am I supposed to handle this?

“You do know I can see your class, right?” he says, making it easy on me.

I sigh. “I didn’t tell her that. She just assumed it.”

“And you didn’t correct her.”

“I wanted to deal with Dad first. I figured it would be easier to deal with him flipping out if no one was already talking about his son, the adventurer. I didn’t think she’d say anything.”

“She was trying to make him feel better. Point out that throughout all this, you ended up with not the worse class you could have.”

“How did dad take it?”

“Told her to mind her own business and go to her parents. He wasn’t over learning Richard was here, so his wording wasn’t as polite as it could have been.”

“Fuck.”

“Did you just swear?”

I roll my eyes. “Yes, dad, I used a bad word. Not the first one I’ve used inside your walls.”

“It’s the first time you’ve used that one.”

“I’ve thought it a few times these last few years. With Dad getting more and more unreasonable.”

Base doesn’t comment. He tried explaining how dad had his reasons, but when he did, he sounded a lot like Grandpa Louis and one grandfather explaining how my father has reasons for feeling how he does is plenty.

“Are you going to tell Dad?”

“It’s not my place to spill that kind of information.”

“But if he asks directly, you’re not going to lie, are you?”

“Your father has no reason to ask me what class you have. He already thinks he knows.”

“What if Grandpa Louis asks you?”

“He also doesn’t have a reason to ask. And before you ask about that. He also has no reason to look up the information within my systems. It’s entirely up to you what, and when you tell him.”

“What do you think I should do?”

“Pull the bandaid off now.”

“What?”

“Old expression. Tell him now. It’s going to be ugly, but it’s not going to get any prettier the longer you wait. Your father isn’t unreasonable—” I snort “—he just doesn’t deal well with surprises. What do you plan to do about your class?”

“If dad lets me, use it to be a guard. I was hoping it would be better with fighting, but it’s also not horrible.”

“Did you look over the research abilities?”

I snort again. “Book worm isn’t what I aim to be.”

“That’s not exclusively what an explorer is. I looked the class over, and Field Farming lets you increase the quality of creature drops.”

“I’m not in this for the riches, Base. I want to be a good guard. That’s my physical attributes and combat skills. I already wrote up my build, and that’s going to take me to level sixteen.”

“Have you looked at what Momentum opens?”

“Base, I took it because it was the only way out of that ruin. I’m not going to go off and run up walls in the middle of a fight. And I was going to go over the other abilities when you knocked.”

“Then, look at Hit and Run, as well as Momentum Strike. They might make it worth investing in that direction.”

“I will. Is my dad on his way back?”

“No. He and the commander are laying into me about Richard.”

I straighten. “What about Richard? What’s his deal? Did you know what he was going to do? Why did you agree to let him take me?”

Base doesn’t answer immediately. “The situation with Richard is complicated.”

“How complicated can it be? He’s just a few years older than I am.”

“He’s older than he looks.”

“Really?”

“And he’s dangerous.”

“Well, duh. He did shove me down a hole and leave me there to die. Any chance you know why? Seeing as you know a lot more than you’ve said about him.”

Base sighs. “I don’t know that much about him. As for why he did what he did? Could be as simple as he thought it would be funny, or someone in town looked at him funny and he wanted to strike back. Personally, I thought he just wanted to… you know. But the main thing to know about him is that he has no morals. He’ll do anything he wants for whatever reasons he wants, and he’s strong enough to make sure that if someone who tries to stop him, they’ll fail. And yes, that includes me.”

“So he just comes and goes as he pleases? No one can do anything about it?”

“I’m not saying no one can.” The pause stretches. “I’m just saying that no one living in Court can.”

“And does he show up here often?” Other than what my friends have talked about, it’s not like the adults would tell us if he did, I’m sure.

“Fortunately, no. Most of the history I have with him dates back to before we settled here.”

“Wait, that can’t be right. He was here like…” I think back to what I heard. “I don’t know, not that long ago. Steven said he saw him, and that was two years ago, I think.”

“He saw Richard here, as little as two years ago? Where?” There’s concern in Base’s voice.

“I don’t know. Somewhere by the Rose Market, I think.”

“That’s outside my walls.”

“But you can sense what’s going on in town, you had to know he was there.”

“The town is a mass of people, Dennis. If I know to look for someone, I can locate them. There was no reason for Richard to be here then. Are you certain what’s who Steven saw?”

“Dressed in black, angular face, green eyes, the kind of smile that’s can make you knees go weak.” I blush. “Sorry, that’s from my memory.”

“If that was him. I don’t like it.”

“It wasn’t the only time. Isabel, Josie’s cousin spent time with him.”

“When?” he asks, suspiciously.

“I don’t know. Josie told me a while back, and I got the sense she’d just learned it from her cousin, and she didn’t give me any detail, but her and him, they… well, you know.”

“Ah.” There’s amusement there.

“What?”

“I wouldn’t believe that.”

“He was here, she saw him.”

“Maybe, but she didn’t do anything with him. Richard isn’t interested in women.”

“Oh. He was still here, like just a few years ago.”

“Possibly. If he stuck to the town and stayed out of my active sensing range, he’d be able to move about without me knowing. But the last time, before you and him, I encountered him was in the early years of settling here.”

“That was over twenty years ago, like almost twenty-five. Wouldn’t that make him a kid back then? How much trouble could he have been?”

“He wasn’t a kid.”

“How is that possible? I mean, is there magic that can keep someone young?”

“Not in the catalogs I have access to.”

“Don’t you have access to all of them?”

“How would I know if the system was holding something back? Like you, all I can do is ask questions, and if I don’t know the right question to ask, it’s not going to volunteer an answer.”

“And you asked about staying young?”

“The moment I learned Richard’s age, I asked the system how someone could be young again. I tried every variation of the question I can think of, and I haven’t gotten an answer. There’s clearly a way, but I have no idea what it is or how to get the system to tell me. Not that I have any idea what I could do with that information. I suspect that whatever the method is, it’s not going to be something anyone sane would want to employ.”

“You’re saying Rich is…” I swallow. He didn’t seem insane.

“Dennis. I don’t know what Richard is. That’s the problem. I don’t even know his class.”

“But you see… everything within your walls.”

“Unless it involves him.”

I pull my knees to myself, my hands trembling. The idea that Rich is someone, something, Base can’t know, changes how I see everything Rich did. Makes it darker. Somehow darker than him shoving me in a hole and leaving me there to die.

Why? I can’t help wondering. Why me? What about me let him know I’d be so gullible I’d follow him into a place I’ve been warned against going, with someone I’ve been told to stay away from? That just his breath against my ear and I’d be willing to let him do anything to me?

I’m crying.

Why me?

What did I do to deserve that?