Vee frowned as he examined the ghost in front of him. It’d been a week since he’d last had time to come down here and work on the sponge, and to his great displeasure, he found that his problems hadn’t magically vanished, as he’d hoped they might.

Instead, he was faced with the same glaring issue as before: no matter what he did, he couldn’t get the body’s shape right, and for all his efforts it still looked like a box. A lumpy box, like squeezed clay in some places, but still. He cursed.

To be sure, it was frustrating to look at a project with so much invested into it and know in the base of your stomach that it wasn’t panning out, but it was a feeling Vee knew well. He’d lost count of the number of things he’d tried his hand at with nothing to show for it over the years, and like anything else, failure became easier to swallow with more experience.

However, unlike before, when he’d simply washed his hands of his efforts and set his sights on new, greener pastures – swearing that this time he wouldn’t make the mistakes that had led him to his abandonment – the [Ghost Maestro] was determined to salvage something from what he’d learned. He summoned a cage of ectoplasm and packed the sponge inside, vowing to return to it once his ability to shape ectoplasm was better. In its place, he had a simple design for a new ghost that should be easier to make. Heck, what passed for the sponge was already there, he just didn’t feel like going through the fuss of removing the arms.

Instead, Vee pinched his thumb and index finger together and started making a new ghost. This time, he leaned into its cubical nature, reinforcing the corners so that they’d be sturdy. He made the ghost bigger than the sponge had been, relying on the measurements he’d gotten from Do to ensure that it wouldn’t be bigger than the hallways it would inhabit.

During his talks with Holly, which had quickly progressed beyond her terms for helping manage the snow of the city streets – a strange thing, those, as the [Snowmancer] insisted on only plying her craft under cover of darkness where there were no prying eyes – Vee had learned that his dreams of a massive snowball rolling down the hallways to almost flatten adventurers was impractical. Too much melt, apparently.

That was fine, he would achieve the same result with ectoplasm.

This new ghost, which Vee thought of as a – darn, he’d have to spend some time thinking of a proper name – came together quickly. Hard not to, when its shape was simply a big blue cube. Staring at it, Vee felt something was missing. It didn’t feel particularly…ghostly…

So, Vee added eyes and a mouth. They were both simple shapes that didn’t truly function, but they were there for aesthetics, and Vee thought they served that purpose just fine. He did give the ghost the ability to make a single noise: a loud OORUH. He would have preferred something better, but the working required him to provide the inspiration for the noise and his abilities in that department were…rather limited.

Folding the ghost up – he’d learned a lot about collapsible structures from his experiments with the sponge – Vee took the new ghost down to the dungeon and unpacked it in a hallway. Hanako had done as he’d requested, replacing the fire traps with sliding ice tiles, and it took almost no effort to write up floor orders that sent the ghost whizzing down the hall as soon as someone entered. It slammed into the far end, then slowly drew back toward its origin point. Vee obscured it with a thin sheet of ectoplasm – more of a curtain, really, that would lift into the ceiling after the door leading to the hallway closed – and tested it a few more times. When he was satisfied with its speed, he moved on to the next step of incorporating it into the dungeon: creating spaces to hide.

After all, it wouldn’t be sporting if there was no way to dodge the ghost, even if the impact wouldn’t be lethal. As such, Vee used [Walking Walls] to create a trio of alcoves along the sides of the hallway that adventurers could duck into as the ghost slid by. While they were mostly there for dodging, the addition of a few trick doors and mimics down the line would also mean that they could also serve as effective honeypots.

[Devious Mind +1]

He made a mental note to order some mimics once the dungeon’s financial situation allowed for it. A hundred gold fleurs apiece? Who had that kind of money?

Hopefully him, someday.

Vee wanted to make a few more of the new…ghosts to use in other rooms and hallways, but for now his work was done. He returned to the office after his materials were in their rightful places and the trio returned to the boarding house.

It was snowing again as they made their way along freshly cleared roads. The piles of snow on either side of the street had been turned into a hodgepodge of faceless figures, and Vee was pleased to see a couple towering creations that were passable imitations of Alforde amongst their number. The sculptors had gotten the armorsoul’s proportions wrong – his pauldrons weren’t that big – but it was the thought that counted.

One of the Snowfordes, only a block away from the boarding house, was paired with a short, stumpy snow figure that made Reginald cackle when it came into view.

“I think that’s supposed to be you after someone asks you a question, Boss,” the hat said with glee. “See? It has your blank expression!”

Vee flicked the hat’s brim, and stomped through the snow to get a better look at his snowy form. “He” was wearing a long cape thing, and a blobby cylinder that could have been a top hat if you really, really squinted was atop his head. The [Dungeon Master] swore loudly when he realized that the snowman was taller than he was, and kicked it apart with gusto.

“That wasn’t very nice of you,” Reginald said. “Whoever made that snowman probably just couldn’t believe that you’re so short either!”

Vee took the hat off and looked into Reginald’s glowing eyes. A wicked smile appeared on the [Ghost Maestro]’s face.

“Guess who has no thumbs and will be spending the night under a series of boxes in the closet?”

The hat shut up.

Sculla was outside the boarding house, like always, but she held up her hand when the trio tried to walk past.

“Got a few minutes, Vales? I’d like to have a word with you.”

Vee and Alforde slowed to a stop, but Sculla gestured for the armorsoul to leave. “Just Vee. Take the hat with you too.”

Reginald scowled at the ogre, but her face remained impassive as she took a slow draw of her pipe. Alforde and Vee exchanged a glance, and Vee’s friend nodded, taking Reginald up to their room.

Sculla patted the step beneath her own.

“Go ahead and sit down,” she said, and Vee did as requested.

Despite the snow, the stairs were warm, somehow, and Vee had a peculiar knot in the pit of his stomach as he looked up at the ogre. This would be no ordinary conversation about the weather, he suspected.

However, that was indeed where it started.

“Using the slimes to manage the snow was a good idea,” Sculla said as she shook some of the ashes out of her pipe onto the sidewalk below. They vanished almost instantly. “It’ll make the coming winter a lot less unpleasant.”

“That’s the hope,” Vee said.

“But I do find myself wondering, what about next year?”

Vee met the ogre’s eyes, and felt as if he was staring into an infinite expanse. Sculla watched him serenely, taking small puffs from her pipe and blowing out equally small smoke rings. They smelled sweet, and a little spicy as they hovered around the stairs. After a moment’s wait, she raised an eyebrow.

“Well?”

“I’m not sure,” Vee said quietly. “I…haven’t really thought that far ahead yet.”

Sculla snorted. “I suspected as much,” she said. “You’re not really the carefully laid plans type.”

Normally, Vee would have thought that an insult, but the tone of her voice suggested more of a gentle chide and he let the comment pass.

“The problem, though,” Sculla said, growing more serious, “is that you’re building a reputation for yourself here in Oar’s Crest that can’t be half-assed. You’re not just Vee Vales, disinherited son of a wealthy family, anymore. You’re not even just the [Dungeon Master] of Crestheart, new novelty attraction, either. You’re more. You’re Vee Vales, the man who organizes festivals and volunteers his minions to make sure that the streets of the city stay clear. Those are good things, and we’re better off for them, but will they be here next year? In five years? In ten? What sort of future do you envision for yourself? {Tell Me}, Vee, what it is that you want to do here in Oar’s Crest?”

Vee’s father had asked a similar series of questions the night he’d kicked Vee out. The young man could still see his father’s blazing eyes as they argued, could still taste the bitter anger on his tongue as he’d packed his belongings into a small bag and left the estate to go find Alforde. He swallowed hard, and shook his head as his thoughts raced.

“I want to keep running Crestheart,” Vee said. “I know I’m not fantastic at it and that I have a lot left to learn about being a good [Dungeon Master], but I enjoy the challenge and seeing the dungeon grow makes me happy. I want to keep watching Alforde get stronger and come up with new ways of challenging adventurers. I really want to pay Sacre’s loan back. ”

He found that his thoughts grew clearer as he spoke. Ideas that had been nothing more than formless vapor in the darkest recesses of his mind crystalized, turning into beacons pulling him forward. Words filled his throat, burning to escape with every smoke-scented breath.

Sculla regarded him carefully. There was something terrifying about her gaze.

“Is that all you want? {Tell Me}, do you care for nothing beyond your dungeon?”

“No, of course that’s not all I want. I want to…I want to…I don’t know. This whole city is like a ghost, and it breaks my heart. The people who live here deserve better. I want to help them; I want to fix things. I want to turn Crestheart into something that…Gawain’s balls, I don’t know! What do you want me to say?”

His throat was tight and his eyes tingled, but Vee set his jaw and stared defiantly at the ogre. She took another long draw from her pipe, and when she exhaled the [Dungeon Master] found that the strange urge to speak had faded.

“That’s enough, for now. You want to bring about a change, huh? You’re not the first drelemah, you know.”

“Not the first what?”

Sculla’s expression darkened. Now her smoke had a bitter smell, though she hadn’t replaced the leaf. Vee shrank back a little bit.

“Drelemah. An ogre word of no great importance. You’re not the first person to come to this city and think that they could fix it. I have seen more young, idealistic fools come here than I can count, all of them hoping to make a name for themselves. They’d heard the stories of our glory and wanted to reclaim some of that. Some claimed they could do it through strength of arms, others through politics. Though their methods differed, the results never changed. You can see them for yourself.”

She pointed at the broken windows and abandoned buildings all around them.

“Though we might hope otherwise, Oar’s Crest can never return to what it once was.”

“That’s not true.”

Sculla seemed to grow taller. Her horns curled and her fangs became wicked. The muscles of her arms swelled and her skin changed until it was the same color as the embers in her pipe. When she next spoke, her voice made the stairs tremble.

“DO YOU BELIEVE – TRULY BELIEVE – THAT YOU CAN SUCCEED WHERE ALL THOSE WHO CAME BEFORE YOU COULD NOT? {TELL ME}, ARE YOU THAT ARROGANT, VEE VALES?”

“No,” said Vee, refusing to back away from her gaze. [Stiffen Spine] kicked in, though a bead of sweat rolled down Vee’s forehead. It’s just like facing down a ghost, he thought to himself. A big, fiery, ogre-shaped ghost.

Surprisingly, the thought wasn’t as reassuring as he’d hoped it would be.

“I’m not. I don’t. It’s…you’re probably right, Sculla. Oar’s Crest can’t go back to what it once was. But that’s no reason it can’t be something just as good, if a little different.”

“AND YOU THINK YOU CAN MAKE THAT HAPPEN? WITH CRESTHEART?”

“I want to try. That’s what matters, right?”

Like a popped balloon, Sculla seemed to deflate. The colors swirling around her faded, and she returned to her normal form. The transformation had been so quick that Vee briefly wondered if he’d simply imagined it.

“If only that were the case,” the ogre said, her voice quiet now. “I once believed that to be true. But still, I think your heart is in the right place and that counts for something. I apologize for my temper. When you’ve lived as long as I have, you find that your patience isn’t always what it used to be.”

“And uh, how long exactly is that?”

“A long time. Since this city was nothing more than a clearing in the shadow of the mountains. However, that’s a tale for another time. I must warn you though, boy. What you want to do isn’t as easy as picking a minion to sit in your dungeon. There are those in this city who like things the way they are, and they won’t be happy if you start getting in their way. Will you accept that risk for the betterment of Oar’s Crest?”

“I will.”

Looking up at the sky, Sculla nodded, and a white-hot surge of awareness filled Vee’s mind.

[Citizenship +1]

[Quest Received: Through Crestheart, rebuild Oar’s Crest!]

[Dangers: Animosity from existing powers within the city, injury, death]

[Rewards for completion: {Azure Crest}, |???? ????|]

[Description: Lead the way to a prosperous future for Oar’s Crest, chasing away the shadows of the past.]

With the notification came an ethereal sensation that was less a shift and more a punch in the face. Vee blinked and activated [Third Sight], finding himself face to face with the Expectation.

It was fully formed now, a snake-dragon twenty feet long from head to tail, covered in shimmering blue scales of every shade imaginable. Occasionally, words flickered across them, but most of them were gone too quickly for Vee to read properly.

The ones he did all shared a common theme: Opportunity. Joy. Prosperity. Hope.

Vee clenched his teeth and swallowed. Reaching into his pocket, he drew out his [Ghost Baton] and pointed it at the Expectation. There was an opening in his orchestra that needed to be filled, and if there was a better candidate for it than a giant spirit dragon, Vee was hard pressed to know what it might be.

He cast his thoughts around, trying to settle on a suitable sound to bind it to. When he decided on one, he smiled.

“Hey-hey! Fourth Section!”

His will entered the Expectation and there was a brief struggle before the snake-dragon acquiesced. His fourth section was filled, now. Vee frowned. Such a thing wasn’t unheard of, but was strange all the same.

The Expectation floated toward him and coiled itself around his shoulders like a cat looking for a place to sleep. The weight that came along with it was still heavy, but not nearly as burdensome as it’d once been. Vee took a deep breath and let himself acclimate to the sensation, and after a few moments it joined the list of things he could push to the back of his mind.

[Additional Section Bonus Earned!]

[Hey-Hey Section Bonus: Charisma +1]

Vee ran his hand through his hair. Eventually, he’d come up with a better name for that section, but it would do for now.

Sculla reached out and clapped him on the shoulder, sending Vee sprawling down the stairs. Spiritual strength was one thing, but Vee’s Might was still far too low to withstand such physical force, though the ogre had been careful to use barely any of her own.

“I’m rooting for you, boy.”

Vee groaned and sat up, grimacing as he rubbed his shoulder, which had taken one of the stairs at an awkward angle. He glared down at them.

Truly, stairs were a blight upon existence.

He looked up at the ogre and nodded solemnly.

“I’ll try not to let you down.”

The ogre nodded and a breeze blew the last tendrils of her smoke away. Climbing to his feet, Vee bowed ever so slightly, and headed up to his room.

He was going to have a long talk with Alforde and Reginald.

From somewhere far away, Vee thought he heard the sound of trumpets.

Main Character Sheets:

Vee Vales

Primary Class: Ghost Maestro (Locksmagister University), Level 28

Secondary Class: Dungeon Master (Oar’s Crest), Level 17

Tertiary Class: Guy-Who-Takes-Things-WAY-Too-Far (Self), Level 5

Might: 11

Wit: 29

Faith: 20

Adventurousness: 6

Ambition: 13

Plotting: 15

Charisma: 11 (+1)

Devious Mind: 20 (+1)

Leadership: 15

Guts: 11

Intimidating Presence: 9

Citizenship: 20 (+1)

Public Relations: 4

Alforde Armorsoul:

Primary Class: Hammer Afficionado (Self), Level 20

Secondary Class: Right-hand man (Vee Vales), Level 12

Tertiary Class: Dungeon Champion (Oar’s Crest), Level 13

Additional Class: Glaciernaut (Sacha Silverblade), Level 2

Might: 35

Wit: 11

Faith: 24

Adventurousness (Bound – Vee Vales): 8

Endurance: 16

Intimidating Presence: 11

Heart of a Champion: 6

Citizenship (Bound – Vee Vales): 7

Vigilance: 5

Reginald:

Primary Class: Core Spirit (Unknown), Level ???

--~%@(%[email protected] &% (*$ #&#e !i$$ (#$%#$%#[email protected]!)~--, #[email protected]& ????

Secondary Class: Loudmouth (Self), Level 39

Tertiary Class: Majordomo (Vee Vales), Level 12

Additional Class: Announcer (Vee Vales), Level 6

Might: 1

Wit: 30

Faith: 10

Ambition: 25

Greed: 21

Deceptiveness: 28

Manipulativeness: 35

F^#$#$%@#

Loyalty: 44

Patience: 12

[#@$%%^*!#@__--#%]

Citizenship (Bound – Vee Vales): 5