AN: Sorry this took so long. Between my back injury and getting other stuff finished up, this took a while. Still! Some of you might enjoy this chapter. :)

Chapter 88: Noteworthy Goals

Deep in the magical forest near Fairywood, a dozen joyous lights flittered above the waters of a small pond. One little light sat alone off to one side of the pond. That light was Ero. Consumed by thoughts of her family, she kept her hands busy in order to calm her mind. At the moment, she focused her busy little hands on using her magic to weave together dew drops and moonlight to create something unique and interesting.

Karsi, the fairy doctor, appeared near the edge of the pond. Her nude form gently parted the waters as she glided toward Ero. "What is it that you make, little one?"

"Hi, Karsi!" said Ero excitedly. She offered the elf woman a warm smile before she lifted up her item. "I'm working on something for Herbert."

"Herbert?" asked Karsi. She smiled briefly while considering the name. "Ah!" she said a moment later. "The little furry friend?"

"Yes," said Ero with a happy smile. "I need to practice my skills, and making something for him is easier while I'm this size."

"I see," said Karsi. "A note worthy goal, indeed."

The elf woman sat down in the water near Ero's lily pad. The water rose up just enough to cover her chest. "You miss your friends, don't you?"

"Yeah," said Ero with a gentle giggle. Her humorous tone shifted slightly a moment later, however. "I appreciate everything that you're doing for me, but..."

"No need to feel apologetic, little one. They are like your family," said Karsi.

Ero shook her head. "No, they are my family..."

"As you say..." said Karsi gently. "You care greatly for them, I see."

"Of course. Herbert is fun, and sort of like a furry brother..." said Ero. She spun a thread of magic from her fingertips and began to weave it into the small square of shining material in her hand.

Karsi tilted her head to the side, but did not say anything. She chose to listen to her patient instead.

"Rhea is like my sister, though sometimes she acts like she's my mother," said Ero with a laugh. Her cheeks became slightly flush in the process.

"She is the other..." said Karsi.

"The other? Oh, you mean Scott's fiancé?" asked Ero.

"Yes, the official wife to be," replied the elf maiden.

Ero sighed a little. "Yes, well... It's complicated."

"I do not doubt that, little one," said Karsi. "Such is always the case between humans and fairies."

The fairy Dreamweaver stopped her weaving. She looked down at her hands, her expression complicated but focused. "Karsi, I know you are just trying to care for me. I appreciate that, but you don't know the full situation."

"Would you like to tell me?" asked Karsi.

"Yes, but I can't. Maybe someday, but everyone in my family has a secret or two to keep," said Ero.

"A family that must keep secrets is rarely happy," said Karsi.

"We're always happy, except when we're apart," said Ero with a smile on her lips.

Karsi leaned forward, whirling ripples formed behind her as her breasts parted the water. "You can be happy knowing that the man whom you adore will marry someone other than you?"

Ero laughed sweetly. "Actually, Scott and I are joined in the ancient way..."

Karsi's eyes widened. "Truly? I thought that the bond you mentioned before was only one of friendship..."

"We are bound together forever... When I'm sleepy I rest within his mind..." said Ero.

Karsi gazed thoughtfully at Ero for a moment. "He knows the truth of this bond?"

The little fairy's face grew flush and she nodded softly. "Yeah, and I can feel what he feels for me... Even so far away."

"I see..." Karsi breathed out a soft sigh. "That is truly wonderful, and it is no wonder that your little light shines so brightly."

"You seem relieved about something?" asked Ero gently.

Karsi nodded. "I have known what it is to love a human. I would not wish that heart ache on another, sister."

"Oh? It ended badly?"

"There was no way that it would not," Karsi sighed once more then shook her head. "I was young, foolish. I thought we would always have time..."

"Oh, what happened?" Ero set her weaving aside then turned around and knelt down on her lily pad so that Karsi would have her full attention.

The elf woman looked down at the water for a moment then nodded. "It's a common tale. An innocent young elf maiden falls for human. They become a couple, and for a scant few decades they enjoy true bliss."

"Oh... Did he...?" asked Ero.

"Old age, yes," said Karsi softly. "Neither of us were adventurers, reincarnation was not an option for him."

Karsi's eyes lost focus for a moment, as though she were gazing upon something that no one else could see. "No," she said softly. "My love was a simple hunter. He kept the woods clear of dangerous monsters and helped to protect the fairies from those who would capture them."

"I'm so sorry for your loss, Karsi," said Ero gently.

"It is fine, sister. My love left this world long ago," said Karsi, with only a hint of hesitation.

They were silent for a brief time. Only the soft laughter of the other faeries, and the noises of the nocturnal animals, carried through the air.

"You must be very lonely, like I was..." said Ero.

The elf woman breathed out quickly and blew an errant strand of hair away from her eyes. "I look after the little ones, and help them to protect their lights. It is companionship enough."

Ero smiled softly then fluttered up to give Karsi a face-hug. "Thank you so much for helping us."

Karsi lifted a finger and lightly stroked Ero's back. "Think nothing of it, sister."

***

In the depths of a long abandoned tomb, the restless dead wandered from room to room. The creak of their ancient bones worked in harmony with the dark atmospheric music to create incredible tension.

Torn rags, dehydrated flesh hanging from its ribcage in small chunks, a skeleton rattled its way around the corner then screeched hellishly before it clambered toward him with one bony arm outstretched. The long dead creature showed no desire save for the destruction of the living. Its anger could be sated in no other way.

A strong masculine voice cut through the air. "Rage of the heart, be undone. Disquiet soul, return to your eternal reward."

"Radiant Faith!" cried the masculine voice. Light flared from the shield of the speaker. The skeleton screamed in agony even as the purifying light washed over it. The beast's bones began to smoke, and soon bright blue flames rose up.

Adam Johnson, captain in the American army and priest of Blizrum, nodded his head. "Rest well."

There was no anger in his eyes, nor was there pity. He took this mission quite seriously. The tomb he was tasked to cleanse was a place forgotten, but it housed the bodies and memories of soldiers lost to wars in the distant past. Putting them to rest was something he did gladly.

Victory!!

You have slain a restless skeletal soldier!

+0 EXP

+14 Fayth

+1 AP

Item(s) Acquired:

Dark Memories

"Ah, so that's the last one..." said Adam thoughtfully. Technically, he could leave the tomb now. His mission was to collect four dark memories from the restless souls in this tomb. No amount of cleansing them would ever remove the taint completely.

He knew the concept well enough. It was a place where monsters respawned regularly, like in a videogame. The local lore added quite a bit of flavor to that concept. The restless dead could only be returned to their slumber for a time. By cleansing them or destroying their bodies, they could be granted temporary peace.

There was no time limit for his quest, but he should return soon. His mana was low. Yet, there were so many other restless souls of forgotten soldiers in this place that he did not want to leave.

Adam chose to do what he could for them. They might only be some system generated monster, but to him the idea of their existence was unsettling.

He moved on. Before he entered the tomb, his instructor blessed his mace. It would do a little extra damage against the dead. Until that blessing ran out, there was still work to do.

The newly trained priest moved slowly down the corridor, the scent of decay heavy in his nostrils. His equipment was light and made little noise. The order only provided a study shield, and a simple clothing. Everything else was either acquired by taking on missions such as this one, or as a temporary loan. His mace was such a loan.

A skeleton appeared suddenly. It lashed out at him with a rusty short sword. Just as he'd been trained, Adam deflected it to the side with his shield then pressed forward with a hard bash to its chest. Knocked completely off balance, the creature staggered back and was left wide open for several hard strikes.

Damage numbers rose up that ranged from twelve to twenty-three. The blessing on the mace provided a great deal of help when damaging the undead.

The skeletons were actually several levels higher than Captain Johnson, but a combination of shield training and blessed weaponry put them on even footing. They were the perfect monster for a young priest to battle.

His mace blasted through the jaw of the skeleton and sent its teeth flying through the air. The blue purifying flames began to appear whenever he struck the beast. Soon, it was left in a broken pile.

Adam panted slightly then looked for his next fight. It came to him quickly, in the form of three more skeletons. "That's a big no."

One on one, his shield and blessed weapon would allow him a good chance to defeat these monsters. Multiple opponents of this level were still beyond him when it came to direct combat. Instead, he lifted his shield before him like a talisman and began to draw on his mana once more.

He chanted the words that would draw upon Blizrum's divine power, and unleashed another blast of Radiant Faith. The skeletons screamed in agony as the holy light burned them. The purifying energy of the divine washed over them and attempted to cleanse their taint from the world.

Unfortunately, damage of that type would be spread among all those gathered. Adam's faith was still a small thing. He'd only just begun the path of the priest. The skeletons were horribly damaged, but not defeated by the holy light.

Knowing that he could only use the prayer once more before his mana ran out, Adam had to make a choice. Flee or fight. He chose to fight.

Adam rushed in toward the nearest of the skeletons and took advantage of the fact that it was temporarily stunned. Three hard strikes rained down upon it. He smashed the beast's clavicle, and bashed its skull, before it dropped.

His remaining opponents recovered by that point and moved toward him. Adam made good use of his shield by deflecting blows and pushing back against their advance, but he could only maintain his momentum for a short time. It was difficult to fight two opponents once they separated and came at different angles.

A sword battered down atop his shield, and was deflected easily, but he was not fast enough to stop the attack that came from the second skeleton. Adam cried out as he took twenty points of damage. Blood spurted from the heavy wound on his side.

Desperately he moved back and away from the beasts, but they kept coming. Badly injured by that single attack, it was all that he could do to keep his shield up. His mace was heavy in his hand, and aggravated his injury. However, he refused to drop it. He needed to return it when he finished his task.

The skeletons pressed their advantage. They shrieked in rage. Their unholy noise drew others. Soon, there were five skeletons, and then six.

Unable to do anything else, Adam unleashed his spell once more. The purifying light washed over the monsters to great effect, the two he originally fought returned to their rest. The others took moderately injuries, only. However, the fact that they were stunned for a moment allowed him to return to the main corridor and make his way back toward the entrance of the tomb.

The undead followed after him, but were slow in their movements due to their injuries. If he had but one more cast in him, he would be able to bring them all down. Sadly, such was not the case.

He reached the entrance, and proceeded to continue onward. He was done with training for now if he did not return to the temple grounds. His wounds would take several hours to heal. His mana would take longer. Once at the temple, he could pray at the altar and receive free restoration. It was a perk of being a priest.

Adam did not actually wish to return, however. He'd completed his task and earned a bit more experience toward summoning his shield maiden, but once he arrived he would be duty bound to report his success.

His live combat training for the day would still be over, but after getting cleaned up he would have to sweep the temple grounds or do other similar tasks. Potential champion of Blizrum, or not, he was still a novice. The low man on the totem pole needed to learn the value of work and service.

It would have been much easier to fight in the tomb were he to reach his max level of ten before hunting the darkness that shambled there, but such a thing would be problematic for his purposes. He followed the advice of the more experienced members of the clergy. Don't increase his level, hunt the dark until he awakened his power to summon a shield maiden. Doing so would grant him a small fortune in Fayth and allow for much useful training.

At level ten, he would earn much less experience per opponent defeated, if he tried to fight only the monsters in the tomb. It was better to go to the tomb, fight as he could, and then return after a few encounters. Thus, he would gain maximum experience per encounter and gain much practical knowledge in the art of dealing with his foes.

After reaching a good distance from the ancient tomb, he stopped then sighed. "My healing power takes too much mana. I can only use it once. Twice if I don't want to use any other ability."

The powers granted to him were wonderful, but highly restricted at the moment. The primary issue was that he was level one. The monsters in the tomb were several levels higher. Equipment might help, but he needed to earn enough Fayth to purchase it through donations to the temple.

Adam considered his situation for the moment. "I can't increase my base abilities until I reach level two. If I follow the common advice, that won't happen for a very long time. The better part of a year at this rate..."

One hit nearly killed him. He only had twenty-four base hit points, and sixteen base mana. Adam shook his head.

"There's no rush, I suppose, but..."

It did not make as much sense to him as it did to the other clergymen. Level two was the important level to achieve. He would be able to use ability points to increase his status. Wouldn't that make fights easier without drastically lowering the experience gained?

"Even if I gain a little less experience at level two... Wouldn't I still gain more Fayth and ability points from the greater number of fights?" It made little sense to him. Why suggest that he not increase his level at all until his shield maiden summoning was available? Two hundred thousand experience points were going to be difficult to acquire no matter what he hunted, given the fact that his level would be locked at ten.

Adam had many questions to ask. He returned to the temple as quickly as he could. The journey back involved a lengthy walk. He regained a few hit points and a point of mana by the time he returned.

He was in no real danger of death inside the temple grounds. So, as was his duty, he went to find Garrison Franke, the man who'd sent him on the quest to locate four dark memories in the tomb.

Garrison, Gar to the peers who knew him well, Sir Garrison to any novice who knew enough to address him properly, was in his office. Said office was the main training ground. Several new arrivals were on the ground performing push-ups.

"Up, down... Up!" cried Garrison as he led the new priest hopefuls through their initial training. He noticed Adam readily, but did not give much sign of acknowledgement.

Adam stood silently his mace and shield down at his sides. After the initiates were finished with their basic exercises, Garrison sent one of his junior officers to attend to them, and then walked over to Adam.

"Novice Johnson, do you have some business with me, today?" asked Garrison in a simple and professional manner.

"Yes, Sir Garrison. I wish to report the completion of my assignment," said Adam.

"Very good. Come with me. We have matters to discuss," said Garrison.

Adam acknowledged the order and fell in behind his instructor. They left the training grounds and walked through the temple to reach Garrison's other office, an austere room with only a simple table and a shelf of books. There were no chairs available. Garrison did not believe in sitting at his desk. He had more important things to do.

"You acquired four dark memories?" asked Garrison after closing the door. The senior instructor held out his hand to Adam without bothering to move over to his desk.

"Yes, sir," said Adam. He drew four small dark marbles from his inventory and placed them in Garrison's hand.

The instructor eyeballed them for a moment, and then nodded. "Good," he said, before walking over to his desk and putting them into a small jar filled with similar items.

After that, the man did something truly unexpected. He produced a warm smile. "Good, indeed, novice."

"Thank you, sir," said Adam in a professional tone.

Garrison noted the bleeding wound in Adam's side. "I see your skills were not perfect, today?"

"No, sir. I overreached and nearly lost my life in the process," admitted Adam without hesitation.

"As long as you realize that is the case, and you survived, it is fine." Garrison opened a drawer in his desk and pulled out a small box. "Time for the fun part."

"Fun part, sir?" asked Adam.

"Oh yes. You, see, priests of Blizrum are not like most other priests. Our lord demands that we actually earn our abilities," said Garrison, before he opened the box to reveal a crystalline ring.

Adam looked at the ring then back to his instructor. "Sir?"

Garrison smiled once more. "You've taken the first real step toward becoming a true priest, Novice Johnson. This ring is now yours. Wear it instead of the other ring, until you acquire its power. It should not take long."

The instructor took the ring out of the box and handed it to Adam. Unable to resist checking its information, Adam was surprised to see that it held a skill known as Divine Lore. It would require three thousand experience points to learn the skill, but it would provide an interesting function.

"Minor miracles...? Sir?" asked Adam.

"Yes, once you have acquired that skill, Blizrum will acknowledge your dedication," said Garrison. He took a breath then continued, "Once per day, from the list of miracles that will be provided, you can call upon him to aid you. Master the skill, and you can call upon him three times per day."

"This... This is wonderful, thank you, sir," said Adam while holding the ring gently in his hand.

"It is indeed, novice," said Garrison. "Lord Blizrum demands that you prove yourself in order to receive his blessings. While you may learn general clerical spells and abilities, only through development of divine lore and knowledge of our lord will allow you to achieve true communion."

"I see. I have much to learn, sir," said Adam. He looked to the ring for a moment, a thoughtful expression on his face.

"Is there something wrong, novice?" asked Garrison.

"No, sir. Though, I do have questions." Adam looked up at the man to see that his smile did not waver.

"As an instructor, it is my task to answer such, if the knowledge is mine to give."

"Thank you, sir. Might I ask, why is it suggested that I remain level one? Would not level two be a better stopping point?"

"Ah, I did wonder how long it would take for that question to be asked," said Garrison with a slight laugh.

The older man nodded to Adam and said, "The truth is that you can do what you want as far as leveling. However, reliance on your boosted status and powers can lead to your untimely death."

"Sir?" asked Adam curiously.

"Well, how did you get that wound?" asked Garrison while pointing at Adam's bloody robe.

"Once I completed my mission, I wanted to release a few more souls from their torment. It was fine at first, but a group of skeletons appeared. One managed to hit me in the side," admitted Adam without hesitation.

"I thought that it would be something of that nature. That's how most foolish novices die," said Garrison. He took a deep breath then shook his head. "Priests do not have much combat potential early in their careers. We can develop powerful blessings, prayers, and call upon our gods to perform miracles.

"We are not warriors, or attack mages, however. We can fight, and fight well, but our main task as priests of Blizrum is to learn to assess dangers and protect those in need. That's why we give the advice to remain level one," said Garrison.

"Increasing your level quickly will make you more powerful, but it can also make you sloppy." Garrison looked Adam sharply in the eyes. "I know that you are a soldier, an officer in your home land, correct?"

"Yes, sir," said Adam.

"Even someone such as you, someone who seems to have great potential, fell for the temptation to keep going even though there was no purpose. That is how we lose most of our novices," said Garrison.

The instructor took another deep breath then pointed to the jar on his table. "Reaching a higher level would allow you to survive longer, but if the number of foes overwhelm you, death is still the result. This jar is filled with the memories of people who thought that fighting just a little longer was a good idea."

"I understand, sir," said Adam professionally.

"Good. I would hate to see a promising priest cut down before his time. However, there is more to know about that tomb," said Garrison.

"Yes, sir. Anything that you might tell me would be good to know," said Adam.

"No doubt about that, novice." Garrison tapped the table with his finger. His raptor-like eyes narrowed even further. "The souls that wander in that tomb will respond to those who enter based on their power. Had you risen even one level during that time, you would have faced monsters as much as ten levels higher than you."

Adam's face grew pale. "Level twelve?"

"Yes. The average range of monster levels in that tomb is two-to-six times the power of the strongest individual to enter. Though, it hits a wall at around level sixty. Never heard of a skeleton higher than around level sixty-three in that tomb," said Garrison.

"What would have happened if someone came in after I entered?" asked Adam.

"There's a reason that you are only supposed to fight a small number of battles and then leave," said Garrison.

Adam nodded his head. "So, it's a test to see if we can follow orders?"

"Somewhat," said Garrison. "It is a test, but more of a test to see if an initiate can accept that senior priests might know what they are talking about."

"More about accepting the wisdom of your seniors, than anything else, you mean? Sir?" asked Adam.

"Exactly," said Garrison. "Those who realize that they are still in training and follow the advice of those who have been through that training will have a much higher chance of surviving."

"Those who do not accept the wisdom of their elders, will either die, or they have to train here as a novice for far longer than their peers since they can't survive the tomb outside of party based campaigns," said Garrison.

"I can understand that, but how do they not gain a level after one or two fights?" asked Adam.

Garrison offered him a wry smile. "Normally, we give them the ring you just earned, the moment they reach a proper point in their training. They wear it to absorb the experience. By the time they acquire the skill, they usually have enough Fayth to purchase all of the basic equipment."

"Why wasn't I given the ring?"

"You were gifted with something even more wonderful by our lord. Normally, after the first quest to retrieve dark memories, we give novices four hundred Fayth." said Garrison.

"You pay them?" asked Adam.

"The dark memories are worth one hundred Fayth each as a donation, and you need to collect certain numbers of them as part of your training," said Garrison. "The tomb will be your training ground for a good long while, if you wish to stay here. By collecting Fayth and dark memories, you can acquire equipment from our armory. We have basic equipment for those who pass the first trial, such as yourself. Better equipment comes after acquiring enough Fayth and dark memories.

"What sort of equipment can I get now?"

"Wood armor. I suggest you go get it. The defensive capacity is low, but better than your robe. You'll see the price list for the better items once you arrive at the armory," said Garrison.

"You might have guessed, but acquiring the best equipment we offer here is a primary goal of your training." Garrison paused briefly, took a breath, the continued, "Your status and abilities will be improved dramatically with better equipment, and you will also have gained the practical combat experience to use it properly at any level."

Adam saluted his instructor, and Garrison returned the salute. There was a lot to do, but before Adam would go anywhere, the altar called. He needed a little divine healing.