His blood was burning. It wasn’t something he had often felt before. It might not have been something he had never felt before. The man before him looked so sad… so tired as he confessed his sins. As he came true with the fact that he was not who he had said he was. And with that came the realization that there was no help to be received from him. No wondrous cure to ail his curse.

And that. Made his blood. Burn.

Penor’s expression changed from resignment, to wariness, to outright fear. But Jack didn’t care. He almost didn’t even pick up on it. He just felt his hand raise. There were sounds around him, words. Almost like someone shouting. But those were just distractions. This man… his supposed hope for a better future. Something he needed even before his friend was taken away from him.

A lie.

And the audacity, the nerve to actually demand payment from them. Was it all a lie? Were his advices lies too?

He felt magic gathering in him, channeling down his hand.

Larissa was now screaming and crying, trying to shield Penor with her own body. The man himself spouting words, most probably pleas of mercy, as he tried to push the woman off of him, away from Jack’s rage.

Yet it all felt to be happening in slow motion. All that mattered was the power gathering up inside him. All his rage, his feelings of impotence ad having lost his fried. His sadness and anger at the unfairness of it all. His disappointment at having found the truth. All this was powering the Spell threatening to spill out of him. All this and something more.

Something was shaking him, trying to move his hand.

It didn’t budge.

They were holding on to each other now. Neither were looking at him. They just held each other, crying, but almost content to go out together. Be it as it may. It didn’t matter. All that mattered was what he was about to do. There was too much hate in him. Too much hurt. He needed to let it out. He needed to share his pain. He had carried his and others burdens alone for far too long.

He felt the Spell finally coalescing, the magic going down his arm.

Pain flared in his jaw and consciousness was taken from him.

He awoke later, with Ava nursing him back to consciousness. He was lying on the ground, a few feet away from were he last remembered being. Yet it wasn’t her words that he first heard.

|Spell Received: Wind Orb|

“I got a new Spell.” He said, sitting up.

“Yeah, we know.” she said, jerking her head.

He glanced away and saw a ragged whole in the ground, next to a terrified Penor and Larissa. It looked like something blew the earth away. It wasn’t huge… but Jack had just remembered who he had originally been aiming at.

“Brom had to knock you out.” Ava said. “You weren’t responding.”

“…I remember. I think.”

“Jack, I’m going to take a rare moment and be serious with you. You’re not alright. You’ve never been this… angry. What happened?”

“I… don’t know. I just lost it. Wasn’t thinking straight. …I’m sorry.”

“All right.” the satyr sighed. “Jack, I love you, you know that, but please don’t ever do that again. You really scared me.”

“I’ll do my best.” He honestly said.

“Good.” She said, smiling. “Now, let’s get back, before Brom punches you again.”

As they approached them, he saw Larissa and Penor flinch away from his presence.

“Sorry foe the punch.” Brom graveled.

“No, it’s… fine. You did exactly what you should have done. I wasn’t myself.”

He turned to the others and was rewarded with another flinch.

Why did I lose it? Am I that frayed at the edges?

“I’m sorry. I don’t know what came over me. You wronged us, but… you didn’t deserve that. Therefore, I am sorry.”

“May I ask a question?” Penor said, while Larissa simply nodded.

“Yes.”

“Was that a new Spell you have just learned?”

“Yes…” Jack said. “Why?”

“And, I just want to help, please understand, could you please describe what you felt as you… lost it?”

Jack wasn’t exactly keen on the man’s help, but he was in the ring here, so he did his best to explain.

“I see.” Penor said. “I believe that is an experience many novice mages encounter. Magic wants to be used and when the user is troubled, it may affect him or her. In that, it may increase the state in which they found themselves, so as to use more magic. The more you use it, the more the need to use magic increases. You have told me you have used many Spells lately. Well that, plus the fact that you were nearing the receival of a new Spell, tells me that what happened to you wasn’t you giving in to your intrinsic rage, but you having a still poor grasp on the peculiarities of using magic.”

“That paints me in a much better light than I would have used to describe myself, Penor.” Jack said. “And after you trying to roast me alive, I am not that much inclined to believe you.”

“I thought you were trying to kill me. Trust me when I say, I have no inclination of painting you in a better light, it is simply the truth. As for my deeds… I was afraid.”

Jack looked at Brom and Ava, but they didn’t seem to be that suspicious. Ava not telling Penor he was full of shit was a good sign.

“I understand you have your doubts about me. You are very much entitled to them. But please understand, the advices and information I have you, both in the past and right now, are true. I only lied about myself. And… I want to tell you the truth. Only my sweet knows the real me and she is so far the only one I entrusted that information with. You… I am sorry for what my fear and desolation has caused me to do. If you are willing… I will tell you my story. Even if you have nothing to gain from it.”

It was the man’s expression more than his words which made Jack accept his offer. He had a finality to him, like he was finally willing to stop running. Larissa still looked scared, but also touched by his words. So he accepted, they let them board the carriage and rest, while he talked.

“I have already told you how mi own kingdom functions. How the leader is picked, how the positions are filled. All of that is true. Where I have lied is… well. To tell you the truth, when I told you my story, I did speak the truth. I simply didn’t speak my truth.”

“What do you mean?” Jack asked.

“The rags to riches story I told you belonged to the man I worked for. His name was Penor and he was as |Royal Administrator|.”

“So, you just stole his identity?” Ava asked.

“No.” he said. “I mimicked it, for that was what he asked of me.”

“What?”

“I have also started from the streets, my friends. The kingdom of Sorrah is not kind to those without talent. Nor does it accept pretty crime as liberally as other places. So, without thievery to obtain food, I was forced to learn other talents. I was raised on streets, as so many other street urchins, but I had found my talent in relating to other people. I could act like others, act younger or older than I was. I could act like a scholar, a guard, a poet. Not enough to fool people, but enough to amuse them. That was how I gained my first Class, as an |Actor|.”

It seemed that Penor was honest when he mentioned telling this story to Larissa, since the woman didn’t look at all surprised. Just… proud? Jack imagined humble beginnings was a theme she could relate to as well.

“That was the Class I held growing up. I was still in puberty when I reached a high enough Level that my talents became noticed. Not as an actor, as acting in plays and the like had never been my forte. Yet I so liked to play other people, that certain individuals of note became aware of me. One of the, who soon became my benefactor, took me in his employ. The man had forgotten more about Classes than I now know. It was from him that I learned so much. He was the one named Penor.”

“But… what is your actual name?” Jack asked.

“I forget.” The man laughed. “My actual Class… is requires certain sacrifices.”

“Like your name?” Ava asked.

“My name. A few memories. Parts of what makes me… me.”

“No offense… Penor, but that sounds like a cursed Class.” Jack said.

“Perhaps if it would have been forced on me. As it is… no.”

“Continue your story.” Brom instructed.

“Yes. The name wanted me for my talents, especially my skill and Skills in impersonating others. Specifically, him. His signature, his way of talking. Even his mannerisms. All so that he could have more free time and work on advancing his Class. You see, a person of prestige as he was is often required to attend so many unimportant meetings. Communicate via so many worthless letters. Therefore, with Skill and Magic, I became him and freed my mentor and my friend to better spend his time. I was talented and gifted enough that soon I gained a new Class. |Impersonator|.”

“I do not know of it.” Brom said.

“No.” he laughed again. “I do not imagine a people such as the dwarves would see much use in it. Indeed, they might see it as an insult. Yet it was my Class all the same.”

“I’m guessing it let you impersonate people?” Ava asked.

“Quite astute. But yes. And more. Unlike the actor Class, which affected more of my outward appearance, this later Class also allowed me to think like my friend. To hold his thoughts in my mind. I became him so much, that at times I lost track of who I was. Oh, I forgot to mention, while I worked for him, I had previously gained the |Assistant| Class. To understand what the |Impersonator| Class is capable of, it made me think so much like him, that my |Assistant| Class transitioned into an |Administrator| Class. Very low-Level, of course. Acting out an action is not the same as doing it, yet even that is sure enough sign of power.”

“A Class that affects others Classes.” Jack wondered. “Yeah. Powerful. Too bad its limited.”

“Mmmm, I would say it affects the mindset of its owner, thus providing the capacity for new Classes, but those are details. There are dangers associated with it too. I imagine if I would have tried to work for multiple people and copied multiple individuals, I would have gained more Classes without me knowing of it. A path I’m sure you’re familiar with, Jack.”

“Yeah. And you couldn’t stop yourself?”

“I could. But caught as I was in that mode of thinking… I didn’t want to. Not unless the one I was impersonating also would have refused the offered Class.”

“What happened next?” Ava asked.

“Well, you can imagine that Peron was most enthused with my new Class. Both of them actually, since I could now stand under scrutiny from even magical artifacts. But the |Impersonator| allowed me be him continually. So, he ordered me to be him. And I was.”

“Wait… like, the whole entire time?”

“Yes.” The man sadly smiled. “I remember it as a dream, so lost in the act I was. I was him when I knelt before our leader, I was him when I took decisions that affected the entirety of Sorrah. I was him when I entered romantical relationships and when I left them. All this time, he was leveling. His Skills worked even from afar. They allowed our kingdom to flourish. Of course, I didn’t know that. I had actually started to think I was him. And then, at one point, our link broke.”

“Broke?” Ava asked, massively entrenched within the story. “What do you mean broke?”

“I mean that I could always feel him. A product of Skills. Yet, all of the sudden, I couldn’t. By the time I remembered who I was and what I had been doing for more than a year at that point, whatever trace there was of him was gone. I searched and searched… there was no sign of him. I only found out that he had left the kingdom a while back. After that… nothing.”

“So, what did you do?” Jack asked.

“I tried to keep it all together.” Penor laughed sadly. “You see, my mentor’s Skills allowed the kingdom to flourish. I do not even want to imagine how high Level he must have been. Yet, when he stopped helping Sorrah, everything started to crumble. People became less efficient. The bureaucracy ground to a halt. The economy and commerce petered down. It turned out he had been the sole reason for the entire kingdom’s sudden bloom. The ruler got blamed for it and deposited. Yet, the people in the know knew whose merit it was. They thought Penor was angry with them. The new ruler tried to talk with me. Not me, personally, but… well, you know. Tried to negotiate. To cajole. And finally, to threaten.”

“But you couldn’t do anything. Since you weren’t the real Penor.” Jack said.

“Precisely. Yet, my frantic efforts in those last few moments did give me something. Two of my three Classes merged. I turned from an |Actor| and |Impersonator| to a |Mimic|.”

“I do not know of that Class either.”

“Yeah, me and Jack either.” Ava said.

Jack just nodded. She was right, he had no idea what that was, though he thought he could guess.

“I am not surprised. I didn’t either. I don’t believe the original Penor did. It’s… a powerful Class, under the right circumstances. But it also taxes you greatly. It is because of this Class that I forgot my original name, as well as part of my memories. I know this is how I originally looked.” He said, gesturing at himself. “But I do not know if this is how I originally talked. Or acted. I imagine it is a blend of who I was and who I acted as.”

“May I ask what is different from your former Class? And why it is so powerful?” Brom asked.

The man laughed and nodded.

“I did say no more lies. What use are secrets to me now… My |Impersonator| Class allowed me to act like someone else almost perfectly. Enough that my mind changed so much as to allow me to gain a new Class. But the |Mimic| Class goes beyond that. Even with my mentor gone, this Class allowed me to gain a few of his Skills.”

“What?!”

“Indeed. Not great Skills. I suspect only the ones he had received when he was young and low-Level. But that is powerful enough. Especially since after I had tried to act as another official, two of those Skills stayed with me. To tell you the truth, I have not extensively tested it. I… wanted to leave that part of my life behind. Yet I believe the closer the link and the more time I spend impersonating another, the more I gain.”

“That’s… yeah.” Ava said.

“Does it still make you lose yourself?”

“Well spotted. It doesn’t! |Dual Mind| is the Skill that allows me control of myself. I am still stuck with the |Administrator| Class, but now there is no more risk of gaining others. And, in the spirit of truth, there is one more major advantage of this Class. As the name says, I now no longer |Impersonate| and individual, but |Mimic|. And I can mimic not only other people, but other actions.”

“I… do not understand.” Brom said.

“It works best when I became others. But I can also become an… amalgam, if you will. Because once I see an action, I can replicate it. A sword swing, a dodge. A song. Not as good as the original, but good enough. Mine is a Class that is as good as the ones around me. And it was still not good enough.”

Jack realized, going by his now somber expression, that they had once again left the tracks of Penor’s story, as interested as they were in his Class.

“What happened?” he asked. “After you gained the new Class. After your ruler went for you.”

“Oh, he fell for the act.” The man sadly smiled. “As did the others. My newest Class was both a blessing and a curse. It allowed me to help my kingdom, at least in part. Keep it from breaking apart. Yet that only solidified the notion that I was my mentor in others’ minds and that I was rebelling. The new ruler certainly believed that. His threats started coming more and more as his bribes started coming in less and less. I knew I would soon be killed if I stayed. So… I left.”

“Was the truth not an option?”

“Alas, I’m afraid I became too skilled for my own good.” Penor laughed. “There is a saying among my kind, shared by actors, assassins and politicians. The truth is whatever I say it is, provided I say it good enough. I had sold the lie so convincingly and for so long, that no one would have believed the truth. I know Sorrah had magical artifacts good enough to reveal my true Class, yet… I was afraid. I was afraid of telling the truth. One, because I was truly afraid no one would believe me. Two, because if the truth was out, then the people would know the kingdom had no chance of regaining its prosperity. And who would let that truth get out? …no. I would simply be killed and swept under the rug, regardless of whether I told a lie or the truth.”

“So, you ran.” Jack said.

“I did. I grabbed a few magical artifacts, all the gold I could carry and rode off into the sunset. I thought I would do well for myself. I was certainly high-Level enough.” He said, before bursting out into a loud and honest laughter. “You could not believe how wring I was.”

“He’s telling the truth.” Larissa burst out, speaking for the first time in a while. “He walked into Lendt half-starved. Walked. No horse. He was still talking fancy, but he was dead on his feet. He only had his clothes on him. He’d hidden his rings in his trousers.”

Penor simply smiled.

“I still managed to charm the villagers. My charisma and tact remained.”

“Nah, we were just sorry for him. Don’t get me wrong, he gave good advice. A few of the villagers Leveled after they listened to him. And his Skills helped Lendt. But at the first… we just wanted to feed him.”

The honesty in the woman’s tone made them crack a smile.

“How did you find out his Class?” Ava asked.

“I confessed.” He admitted.

“That’s a half-lie too. You learn to look out for those, with him.” Larissa smiled. “After he became a local celebrity, he started to get really lucky with the ladies. He kept on getting lucky too, almost until you all came in.”

“Yet you were always my favorite.” He said and actually managed to look sincere.

“Mhm. Well, I fancied him. And I knew he fancied me too, even though his room was loud even during the day. So… well.” She said, blushing. “I had a Class before being a |Tavern Keeper|. It merged, but I still have the Skills from it. And those Skills allow me to show someone a good time, provided I’m having one too. So, yeah.”

“I feel like I didn’t need to know that.” Jack honestly said.

“Ah, the bliss of youth.” Penor laughed.

“Yes, well, that’s how it started.” Larissa stressed. “But we started to get close and eventually he told me the truth. The entirety of it. We hit it off like a bonfire after that! We were even talking about making something of ourselves in Lendt. Either that or moving to a city. But… well, you came in and…”

“Yeah.” Ava said.

The recent events weren’t lost on any of them. They betrayal kind of made more sense, but… Jack still felt he had to know why.

“Why did you do it?” he asked. “Run, that is. I get that you didn’t want us to find out, but still… even if you didn’t tell us the truth, why take our goods and leave.”

“That’s… Look. What you just saw is my old life kicking in. Old instincts. Sorrah still has its agents after me. Supposedly for willfully crashing their economy, but I am no stranger to lies. So no, I didn’t want to tell you the truth, because I feared my details getting out. As for why I took your belongings… it felt so good to relieve my old life. To negotiate, to be in a position of power once again. I even managed to use a Charisma Skill. Nothing special.”

“I hate those Skills.”

“I imagine you do. …I’m sorry. After that, it all just sort of ran away with me. Like it did in the past, when my Class stole me away from me. It wasn’t what happened now, I’m not hiding behind my Class. But the scene and acts… it was so familiar. Too familiar. I thought about the value of your coin and potions too. Thought about me and Larissa starting out a new life somewhere. But the truth is… my past swept me up again. By the time I realized what I had done, you were gone to kill a pack of monsters and I was left realizing that I had just promised help to three grief-stricken adventurers. So…”

“We ran.” Larissa said. “We shouldn’t have done it, but we ran. We are so sorry. Please forgive us. Please!”

“It’s not Larissa’s fault. It’s mine. I’m asking you to forgive us. But if you can’t… please only punish me.”

Jack peered at his friends, but they seemed to consider it was his call to make.

“You know things about Classes. And magic it seems.”

“I know a lot of what my mentor did. Managing a kingdom rewards one with quite a lot of information.”

“But you can’t influence Classes. |Jack| or not.”

“No…” the man said, closing his eyes. “I cannot. I see you have already made your decision. Please, spare Larissa.”

“Mmm yeah, no. She’s going to share your fate.” Jack said.

Penor’s eyes shot open while Larissa flinched, going white in the face. Brom came closer to him, but looked ready to back him up, not stop him.

“Shit.” Jack cursed. “Sorry, that came out way more dramatic than I was going for. I’m not gong to hurt you. What you did sucked, but I can understand the feeling of going from mistake to mistake. I still with you didn’t just hurl |Fireballs| at us, but-“

“You’re adventurers!” Penor exclaimed. “I thought it would distract you at most. Honest!”

“We’re not that good at adventuring yet, but we’ll take the compliment.” Ava smiled.

“Wel… then that makes sense too. So, no, no punishment. Not handing you off to Sorrah either. But, stealing is a crime. That’s also true.”

The man’s sudden smiled decreased a little, but he sighed and nodded.

“It is. I’ll make amends. However I can.”

“Well, it just happens we know of a certain |Mayor| who could use someone to be her every now and then.” Jack said. “And that seems to be just up your alley.”

Brom smiled, amused with the idea, while Ava burst out in laughter.

“Yeah… Yeah! Oh, I can so see it working. We just need to find a nice dress for him.” She grinned.

“…what?” the man asked.

He looked almost to afraid to hope.

“Look, you still want to get a house and job in Helmrest, right? Or is it too underdeveloped for you? Answer honestly.”

“Honestly…” he said, looking at Larissa, then back to Jack. “We’d love too. No, Helmrest would be perfect. It’s in the right state for a growth spurt and would in turn make those who help it grow… grow as well! I’m sorry, I’m lacking in nuance right now. And the house and job… Why would you give this to us?”

The man sounded almost like he was pleading. Almost like he expected a lie and only desired the truth. There were actual tears in his eyes now.

“We have wronged you. Why… this?”

“Circumstance?” Jack said. “I really do care about Elia and really do think she could use some help. But… look, you’ve been dealt a really bad hand. You’ve made mistakes too. And I’m familiar with both scenarios. I think we all are.”

Brom nodded, while Ava just hacked out a laugh.

“So… yeah. Helmrest cold use a new tavern. Elia could use some help. And you two deserve a happy ending. Well, as happy as Helmrest can provide, since it’s turning out to be a pretty exciting place, but you know. Happy-ish.”

Larissa was the first to react, hugging Jack fiercely and thanking him profusely. Penor was right on her tail. They even managed to talk them into accepting a few of the coins with them. They took the rest of the coins and potions back, though.

“It’s some distance away, but you should make it there well enough.” Jack said.

“Actually, I was thinking we could stay around a little more.” Ava said. “This way, we could lend them the carriage.”

“Uhm… I mean, I like your kind streak, but why?” Jack asked.

“I realized sometime earlier that I actually know this place. Kind off. I made my way to Helmrest around here. And… I wanted to visit some friends. We still need to know where Mrk is and I thought they might know something about the area, since they lived here for a while.”

“We do not have other leads.” Brom said. “We might as well start here.”

“Right.” Jack said. “Hey, Nole, hiw long would it take to take the two of them to Helmrest and be back here, assuming our destination is in the same general area?” he asked and Ava nodded.

“If our guests don’t mind some bumpiness to their ride, I could cut across roads. So… I could be back tomorrow evening. Or the morning after that.”

“We wouldn’t!” Larissa said. “You’ve given us too much already. We’ll take our comfort in Helmrest, not before.”

“Got it. Then make it the morning after, Nole. No need for any more stress that what we’ve already caused you.”

“Oh, I don’t mind, Mister Jack. I Leveled up again. And I think that whole fire magic business lead to my new Skill. I received |Vehicle Dodge|.”

“Our driver’s starting to get combat Skills!” Ava laughed. “What does that say about us?”

“Nothing good.” Brom said, but he was smiling.

The said their farewells to the couple after that. Nole added their horse to his carriage and they were off. Of course, not before the two of them thanked them once again and promised to help both Helmrest and Elia as much as possibly could. Jack just said he wanted to see the new tavern, while Ava mentioned she wanted to see Penor in a dress. Brom just stoically rolled his eyes.

They made their way down the road after that, heading towards Ava’s friends.

“I’m surprised you managed to make friends before Helmrest.” Brom said.

“Yeah, that Class really made my life a nightmare.”

“Class. Yeah. That’s what Brom was referring to.”

“Bite me, Jack.” She said, but there was a spring in their step.

“So, tell us about them.”

“Oh, you know, they’re normal people. Farmers. Own a few animals.”

Her tone was light, but Jack came to know the grin she was currently sporting.

It spoke of a joke, at he wondered at who’s expense it would come.

“Really? Nothing special about them?” he teased, knowing she couldn’t help herself. “How plain for a friend of Ava.”

“Yup. Plain old plain. The husband is a regular human, middle-aged. The wife is a young being who made a pact with a literal God of the night. You know, plain.”

Brom stopped walking. Jack didn’t, but was currently trying to figure out if this was a joke.

Ava kept on grinning.

I just had to ask.