Through the tainted emanations of soul might one control the world, and through will alone might one bring mana to bare. Such a profound effect can be attributed to only one source. Yaldabaoth, divine above all. It is with the power of will and soul alone did the Starving Lord shape this realm. If soul and will alone can create this very plane, what then limits us? Do we not too have souls? Do we not too have will? What, then, is stopping us from becoming a God? It is only for lack of will, and deficiency in the strength of our souls that we have not yet ascended. And so, we must rise up higher! Sharpen the will through faith, and sharpen the soul through sacrament. The divine servant Abraxas has offered unto us her own flesh that we might ascend, dare you reject her gift? As you all know, the wave is coming to this city soon. A special gift to all mankind from the Archons, not to be squandered. I expect to see you all on the front lines.

-Sermon of the Church of the Venerable Gnostics, City of Geltheas

With the change in its soul came a flood of information from the Akashic Record. Overall, the change in Mud's soul space had been relatively minor. While the golem had no experience in such things, it suspected this might be the result of high compatibility. The books on both the Dominator and Master Butler classes had warned of large shifts in personality. Dominators were likely to become much more aggressive and controlling, while Master Butlers became more subservient and meticulous. Perhaps it had a bias perspective examining itself, but Mud felt no different mentally.

Moving around a little, Mud noticed it felt slightly stronger. Additionally, the speed and precision of its thoughts seemed sharper. Perhaps the most unexpected result of the class change was the String Manipulation skill. With the new information, Mud instinctively understood how to manipulate the hanging ends of its cloak with only the slightest amount of mana. It would need further training to be able to use it effectively in combat, however.

Finishing the physical examination of its body, Mud opened its record and statistics.

Name: Mud Golem

Level 5 Mud Golem

Class: Level 1 Master Butler ®

HP

9/9

SP

0/0

MP

180/180

Spells: [Psionic] Force Bolt, Lesser Telekinesis, Paracusia

Skills(1): Bodyguard 1, Climbing 4, Cooking Max, Etiquette Max, Hidden Weapon 1, Household Mastery 3, Mathematics 3, Psionics 2, Sneak Attack 4, Stealth 4, Service Max, String Manipulation 1, Torture 1, Unarmed Combat 6, Amorphous Form ®, Servant's Loyalty ®, Almanac (U)

Status Effects: Incomplete (Articulation Runes)

Physical Strength Speed Stamina Toughness Coordination Recovery 7 7 unknown 1002 17 22 Mental Logic Processing Focus Resistance Ingenuity Affinity 22 22 unknown 12* 22 102

The effect was slight, but very noticeable for Mud's lower stats. For toughness, it was doubtful the effect would ever be noticeable. Presumably Stamina and Focus should have also increased, but the record failed to show those stats for some reason. When the golem had asked Jabrax about the subject previously, the demon had vaguely claimed those stats 'didn't apply' to it. It was regrettably inefficient for potential stat boosts to be wasted, but Mud would just have to live with it.

Closing the boxes, Mud moved towards the door and exited the class changing room.

Outside, a clearly bored Jabrax was lying on her back at mud's head height, dangling her legs off an invisible platform. Seeing the golem finally leaving, she sprang up. "Finally, what took you so long?"

"I was researching to make sure I made the correct selection. I also cleaned the room."

Jabrax slapped a hand against her face. "Of course you did... well, send me your info, let's see what the damage is."

As Mud sent its information to Jabrax, the demon doubled over in laughter. "Gha ha ha ha ha, you actually became a butler? I was just joking I didn't think you would actually..." After a few more giggles, she finally managed to suppress her laughter. "Alright, lets pfft..." Mostly suppressed her laughter, at least. "Let's go home."

Mud followed closely behind Jabrax as they returned to the entrance. "I wish to acquire Experience. What is the most efficient way to acquire Experience?"

Having arrived at the entrance room, the demon scanned for a moment, then locked her eyes on a section of wall covered in bill postings. "We need money too, right? Might as well kill two enemies with one attack. If we do some hunting work, we'll get paid for killing. You're still weak enough to strengthen your soul even killing tier one trash."

Arriving at the wall of bills, the demon took on a meek persona at the edge of the crowd. "E-excuse me, would you please let me through? If it's not too much trouble..."

The macho looking man she approached at the edge of the crowd smiled warmly at her. "Of course, for a charming lass like yourself." Turning back towards the crowd, he began roughly shoving them out of the way to make a path for Jabrax. Some of the displaced delvers expressed annoyance, but none were able to resist his powerful shoving.

Stepping through the gap, Jabrax smiled up at the man and rubbed his arm before continuing on to the wall.

Countless slips of paper attached to the wall included all manner of odd jobs, bounties, announcements, and requests for raw materials. The only thing the jobs all seemed to have in common was the danger. Every listed job required some form of combat, either potential or certain. Of note, a large volume of jobs required targets specifically located inside "Geltheas Dungeon". Almost every slip also listed a danger level, written as tiers. The highest tier visible, at tier five, involved clearing the lowest level of the Dungeon.

Mud continued scanning the board, memorizing every entry. After completing nearly two-thirds of the board, Mud's eyes froze. The golem focused fixedly on a single sheet. Quickly, the golem transmitted a message to Jabrax.

"Danger. Very bad. Big problem."

Following the golem's pointing arm, the demon noticed a sheet of paper with a familiar face; Bark.

MISSING

1000 GOLD REWARD FOR ANY INFORMATION LEADING TO THE LOCATION OF BARK GOLDTOOTH

LAST SEEN 12TH OF LOGOS IN GELTHEAS

The image used for Bark's face was slightly more handsome and kind looking than his real face. Probably got the memory imprinting from his parents, thought Jabrax.

"Yeah, that's a high reward, we should keep a lookout for that kid." Jabrax tried to misdirect anyone who noticed the child pointing at the poster.

"Not that. Below it. Danger. We can not let them take it."

Below the poster of Bark was a finely calligraphed sheet of high-quality paper. On it, an expensive-looking ornate sword studded with gemstones was drawn.

The City Council of Geltheas, in coordination with His Majesty the King, offers this prize to whichever party produces the greatest achievement in this year's Dungeon Festival, to be decided at the completion of the event by Association Leader Thagi Ghul.

This fine longsword, lovingly crafted by the Great Enchanter Cithlar himself, is crafted with purest Adamas and is imbued with the Ideal of Sharpness. Even more amazing, the Great Enchanter has taken it upon himself to implant an Ego into the weapon, whose skills may be freely purchased by the users as it gains levels.

"Oh. That might be a problem." The demon squinted at the paper and rubbed her temple. That list of objects on her soul contract had suddenly become a major annoyance. Thinking back, there was definitely something like an ego sword on that list. "If somebody strong comes for that sword, there's nothing we could do." Sighing, she looked down at her determined contractor. There was only one way out of this situation, and they both knew it. "Guess we just have to win it ourselves."