Allen flopped onto an incredibly plush couch and laid back. He was off in the corner of the common room of their hotel suite. It had cost the group a small fortune, mostly Jack, but it had three separate rooms, which was more than enough to give the ladies their privacy. It was also near the center of Hillford, which was where their current trail lead.

Only Allen and Phantom were in the common room at the moment. The latter was curled up in his dog bed, which Jack had graciously put out for him. The others were either out gathering food and information, or showering in one of the six showers. While Jack and the other Spades were dealing with setting up a meeting with the governor, Allen had a lot of messages to go though, and lot of them were repetitive.

Killing sapient things usually resulted in a “dangerous enemy” bonus, but that was only if it was a fair and balanced fight. It also depended on danger level somehow, but without tiered up Identify, that was invisible below Reaper level.

As a rule of thumb, if the total level of a friendly group was more than the enemy’s average level times the number of combatants in the aforementioned group, then it wasn’t a fair fight according to the system. But that only worked when it was close, obviously one level one-thousand Mage could totally annihilate even an army of level one-hundred Warriors. It was all too complicated for Allen to bother thinking about, so he just skimmed though the dozens of kill notifications for all the lower leveled Lanthinus combatants.

He noted how much experience the fights got him, about most got him absolutely nothing, which was understandable. The mercenaries had killed over half of them. Then there were the higher leveled enemies, only two of which earned him a considerable amount of experience.

Your group has defeated Mage – Level 334

Your contribution: 62% Damage

For fighting an enemy far above your means, you receive a 100% XP bonus!

For fighting 67 enemies in a team of 20, you receive a 455% XP bonus!

Awarded: 30937 XP

Your group has defeated Scholar – Level 912

Your contribution: 56% Damage

For fighting a non-combative enemy, you receive an 80% XP deduction!

For fighting an enemy with no defensive capabilities, you receive a 50% XP deduction!

For defeating an incapacitated enemy, you receive a 99% XP deduction!

Awarded: 4717626 XP

Congratulations, you are now level 157… 231.

Requirements met: 78017 XP

Tier 15 unlocked.

Advanced Jobs unlocked.

Spell Formulae unlocked.

Awarded: 375 Stat points – 75 Skill points – 8 Job points.

“Ugh, holy shit.” Allen rubbed the back of his head. “Even with all those deductions its still basically cheating. Now I have to deal with all these goddamn points… At least I know how to distribute them now, thanks to Christopher.” He silently praised himself then for being the highest leveled in their group of five. All he had to do was execute a noble without any input from anyone else. Thanks to that massive chunk of XP, he had access to advanced jobs and could finally start putting points into illusions.

“Ah, here’s where the fun begins,” Allen said to himself with a small laugh. “So, I’ve got two goals besides mind magic: Get better stealth and movement skills, and stop being such a glass canon… Or double down and become an even bigger glass canon!”

He pulled up the list of Job options for Silent Lurker, immediately discarding all Basic Jobs.

Jobs available to class: Rogue

All…

Silent Lurker:

Advanced – Tier 12: Shadow Suppressor – Your dark presence becomes you; reap lives and spread fear from the shadows.

Advanced – Tier 12: Feint Strider – A quick and slippery foe. Always at the periphery of your enemy’s perception, never stop moving until it’s time to strike.

Advanced – Tier 11: Dusk Lurker – Lurk behind the soundless ripples of Dusk and become one with nothingness.

Advanced – Tier 11: Night Crawler – Alive in darkness and freed by the Dusk, you thrive at night.

Basic – Tier 11: Shade Hunter – A hunter with command over the shadows and dominion over the night.

Basic – Tier 10: Dark Assassin – An assassin is never without their tools, but only in their element do they thrive.

Chaotic Destroyer…

Mentalist…

“Shadow Suppressor is going to be Dark aspect, so I don’t care, and Night Crawler is probably too specialized, so that leaves Dusk Lurker and Feint Strider.” Allen pulled up the two Job cards to take a look at what they offered. As Advanced Jobs, they had additional modifiers at the cost of certain requirements to unlock.

Job: Dusk Lurker

Lurk behind the soundless ripples of Dusk and become one with nothingness.

Class: Ranger/Rogue – Type: Advanced – Tier 11

Description:

The magic of Dusk is that of distortion, cessation, and emptiness. As an assassin, you harness this powerful magic to hide your presence and sharpen your dagger. At your core you are a hunter and master of the blade. The Dusk Lurker uses their magic to wait at the edge of sight, in blind spots, and in total silence. You are difficult to sense until its too late, dispose of prey swiftly and without hesitation.

Requirements: Have 2x higher FCS than WIS. – Have >100 STR. – Have >50 STB. – Kill an enemy without alerting them to danger. – Kill 1000 enemies with a dagger.

Modifiers: Mana Shift: Dusk – +10% PER – -10% INT – -20% SPD – Lowered metabolism while motionless.

“Well, this just looks like the advanced version of Silent Lurker, but with even more emphasis on camping,” Allen thought, taking a deep breath as he looked over the requirements to unlock it. “Figures I’d get the hardest requirement first. This Job almost looks more generalized, but I need the slot for movement and stealth, not necessarily anti-magic or mind magic.” He bemoaned his lack of reliable movement speed and range for a moment before moving on to Feint Strider.

Job: Feint Strider

A quick and slippery foe. Always at the periphery of your enemy’s perception, never stop moving until it’s time to strike.

Class: Ranger/Rogue – Type: Advanced – Tier 12

Description:

You are as quick as you are unpredictable. Armed with a blade, your wit, and the power of Dusk, you are a master of evasion and misdirection. You are a runner and an assassin; what you lack in stealth, you make up for in speed and flexibility. Your magic is a tool to confuse your enemies, distort senses, and even see into the future. When your enemy comes within range, end them with a single slash, or a hundred.

Requirements: Have >200 SPD. – Have at least 20% more END than VIT – Have FCS as your highest stat. Outmaneuver 100 enemies. Kill an enemy before they were able to react.

Modifiers: Mana Shift: Dusk – +10% SPD – +15% END – - 10% STR – -15% INT – Decreased stamina usage from running.

“This will definitely have better movement skills, but I end up sacrificing stealth.” Then Allen looked over the unlock requirements and wrinkled his nose. “The stat requirements aren’t really in line with what Christopher said I needed, and I really don’t like the lack of stealth… even though it does more closely match my current fighting style.” Allen thought about it more for a moment groaning softly into his hands. “It only matches my current fighting style because I don’t have enough stealth and illusions to just make myself invisible. I’ve gotten spoiled by late-game magic.”

Phantom rolled over in his sleep and purred a little. Allen had no intention of waking him up, which wasn’t to say that Allen didn’t value the spider’s opinion. It’s just that he was on the complete other end of the spectrum, as a Dawn and Light aspect Striker. Besides, the little guy had gotten a few levels from the fight, which was impressive considering the noble he had been fighting didn’t actually die. He deserved his rest.

“Fuck it, I can’t decide.” Allen took a deep breath. “Lurker seems much better for stealth and magic later on, but Feint Strider seems like a better Job overall, given the specialization and harder requirements... what does it even mean ‘outmaneuver?’” He thought about it for a moment longer before deciding against making any sudden decisions.

Job choices actually started to matter after the level two-hundred threshold, and there was no reason to rush. The group would probably be stuck in the hotel room for a few days while they organized a meeting with the governor.

It was best to play nice and take it slow so as to not scare anybody off.

After mentally marking down his thoughts on his first Job upgrade, Allen brought up the list for the second, also immediately discounting all Basic Jobs.

Jobs available to class: Rogue

All…

Silent Lurker…

Chaotic Destroyer:

Advanced – Tier 13: Chaotic Disruptor – Send your enemies into chaos, disrupt their synergy and finish even your most powerful foes slowly.

Advanced – Tier 13: Spellspear of Chaos – Chaos is your element and magic is your power; combine your skills with the blade and the arcane to become unstoppable.

Advanced – Tier 13: Snake Eyes – Always in the right place at the right time. Feared and dreaded by your enemies, you are the bringer of bad luck.

Advanced – Tier 12: Limit Breaker – Your power is constrained only by your resolve; shatter your limits at a cost.

Advanced – Tier 12: Child of Chaos – Touched by the aspect of Chaos, your journey of disorder and pandemonium has only just begun.

Basic – Tier 12: Channeled Destroyer – Neither bone nor metal stand in your way, channel destruction directly from the source.

Basic – Tier 11: Spirit Destroyer – Your spirit runs deep, destroy not flesh, but the soul.

Basic – Tier 11: Power Destroyer – Empowered, you destroy flesh, bone, and steel. Fists and blades alike are enhanced by your strength.

Mentalist…

Allen only had to skim over the list before narrowing his options down to two. Chaotic Disruptor, Snake Eyes, and Child of Chaos were quickly discarded for not focusing enough on dealing damage, but it was tougher to decide between Spellspear of Chaos and Limit Breaker.

“The flavor texts are so dumb, but I think this is it,” Allen thought to himself as he pulled up the Job card for Spellspear and Limit Breaker side by side.

Job: Spellspear of Chaos

Chaos is your element and magic is your power; combine your skills with the blade and the arcane to become unstoppable.

Class: Ranger/Warrior/Rogue – Type: Advanced – Tier 13

Description:

Your magic synergizes with you. You are a force of destruction and subversion; a balanced close and mid-range striker who is impossible to predict and difficult to counter. Spells are your weapons just as much as daggers and swords, yet the Spellspear of Chaos is no Mage. You empower yourself with chaos and channel magic to attack and defend. The magic you bear corrupts and destroys, a danger to yourself as well as your enemies.

Requirements: Have STR as your highest stat. – Have >100 INT. – Have 2x higher FCS than WIS. – Fight 1000 enemies using attack magic. – Empower your weapons with magic.

Modifiers: Mana Shift: Chaos. – +10% INT – -10 PER. – -10% WIS. – +25% MP. – Increased synergy with Chaotic mana.

Job: Limit Breaker

Your power is constrained only by your resolve; shatter your limits at a cost.

Class: Monk/Warrior/Rogue – Type: Advanced – Tier 12

Description:

You dodge fast and hit hard. The Limit Breaker surpasses their restraints at an often heavy cost, but with this power you can face enemies above your means and succeed. The aspect of Power will give your body strength and empower you with magic. With the right skills, only the capacity of your will limits your strength.

Requirements: Have STR as your highest stat. – Have 2x higher INT than WIS. – Have >100 VIT. – Kill 100 enemies at least 2x your level. – Exceed your body’s maximum output strength.

Modifiers: Mana Shift: Power. – +20% STR – +20% VIT – -10% STB – -15% SPD – +30% HP and -30% SP when fighting an enemy more than 2x your level.

“Spellspear of Chaos helps with my range problem while still giving me the damage boost from the aspect. Limit Breaker is literally focused on doing that, but it’s Power aspect though.” Allen looked over the two Jobs again, reading deeper into the descriptions. They were vague on purpose since the individual skills that were chosen mattered just as much as the Job itself, but there were always a few hints to be found. “Spellspear is better in the long run. I can’t keep hurting myself for absurd damage. That won’t even work in the higher levels anyway… Also, I bet Spellspear will give me some movement skills. If it does, I’ll get Dusk Lurker.”

Allen decided to move onto his neglected Mentalist Job. The process with that would be much easier since he knew exactly what he needed to get to the Job that had earned him his title. However, he couldn’t even get started before Ty walked into the room, fresh out of the shower.

He looked like he wanted to say something, so Allen gave him his attention. “Is something wrong?” he asked.

“Nah, nothing’s wrong.” Ty said as he sat himself down on one of the chairs nearby. “I, uh, actually think you deserve some points on this one,” he said, sounding uncharacteristically sincere. Leaning back in the chair, he gave Allen an expectant look.

“What?” Allen narrowed his eyes. “Not gonna lie, I wasn’t expecting something like this.”

“I mean, like, for this whole thing.” Ty gestured around himself vaguely before continuing. “We’ve saved over two-hundred people already. There were some parts I can’t agree with, but you’re right that asking nicely wouldn’t have worked and all those kids would still be in boxes right now. If we’re going to be stuck in this together, than we shouldn’t doubt each other all the time.”

“Is this a roundabout apology?” Allen shifted in his seat and took a deep breath. “Well, isn’t that reasonable of you,” he said. If Ty picked up on the hint of sarcasm, he didn’t react. “I’m not evil, and neither are the Spades. Trust me Ty, when you see real evil you’ll know it.”

“I know, but when I had first seen the Spades, the Imperial capital was being razed,” Ty replied. “Obviously though, if the Spades are rescuing slaves in their free time, then I’ve been misinformed about you.”

“Okay.”

“That doesn’t mean I’m gonna just sit back and let you do whatever you want while I have anything to say about it. Like with Kenneth, or that magicarriage we jumped. If you want any of us to go along with you as a Spade, then you need to trust us the same way. You’re not on your own anymore, like an enforcer or something.”

Allen stewed for a few moments. It wasn’t that he felt Ty was being too condescending, he just wasn’t comfortable with being talked at. Although, he wasn’t in a position to argue either. Instead, he just nodded and returned Ty’s look. “I’m nothing like an imperial enforcer, but you’re right. I’ve probably had more meaningful human interaction in the past week than the past two-years combined. So, I accept your terms of surrender, Ty,” he finished, cracking a slight grin.

Ty scoffed. “I think you mean ‘truce’ or ‘ceasefire,’ under the condition that you don’t murder anybody in cold blood.”

Allen rolled his eyes. “Fair enough.”