Chapter 12

The ice beetles gave me a handful of copper and one silver.

“This isn't much treasure.”

You can’t expect a lot from weak creatures like these. Rewards are commensurate with risk. Besides, at least you got some experience, no?

“Yes. I’m level 5 now. Any advice on the attribute points? I’m going to hold onto the skill points for now.”

Are you willing to reveal your status to me? I can better advise you if I have a clear idea of your strengths and weaknesses. However, be warned that it is generally unwise to give full access to your status to anyone unless you trust them implicitly.

“You’re the closest thing I have to an advisor, and I really have no idea what I’m doing. Anything you can say that will help me is appreciated.”

Thank you for your vote of confidence!

She sounded so warm and friendly.

To show me your status, simply think that you wish me to have access to it, and I will.

I concentrated on revealing my status to Veritas. I felt a kind of...tingling...and somehow I had a sense that she could now see everything about me. A long pause ensued. Finally, impatience got the better of me.

“Well? What do you think? Am I beyond hope?”

NAME: PAOL

LEVEL 5

ATTRIBUTES - 3

STRENGTH 12

DEXTERITY 11

AGILITY 13

INTELLIGENCE 10

WISDOM 12

CONSTITUTION 16

SPIRIT 84

HIT POINTS 52/80

STAMINA 60

MANA 50

SKILLS - 8 UNASSIGNED POINTS

ANALYZE - 3

BLUNT WEAPONS - 1

DODGE - 1

HIDE - 1

IDENTIFY - 2

SMALL BLADES - 1

STEALTH - 1

SWORDS - 4

Her thoughts felt puzzled.

You’re...interesting.

“Is that good? Bad? Or just plain strange?” I asked, a little worried.

It’s not bad. It’s just...I’m not surprised at your level. Gaining levels early on is very easy. The Paraclete designed the world to be like this. However, you’ll find that it gets much more difficult as you progress. I do find your skills to be surprising.

“Why do you find my skills--wait. Paraclete? What are you talking about?”

The Paraclete is...well...it formed this world. The world works as it does because of the Paraclete.

“Is it...a god?”

I suppose that in a sense you could say it is. It enforces the rules of the world. It makes the rules, too, I suppose. But it also obeys its own rules. It’s very difficult to describe in a way that you would understand. I don’t mean to be insulting. There are just many things that you don’t know.

“Well, can you explain these things to me?”

It...well...your entire worldview would have to change. Let me think on it. Right now we just need to make sure you survive. It would be unwise to be distracted.

“I guess that makes sense. So what’s so interesting about my status?”

The ground began to change, gaining in firmness beneath my feet as I continued walking.

The most interesting thing in your status is your Spirit attribute. It’s...well...extraordinarily high.

“I noticed that. I also noticed that its description is kind of vague.” My voice tipped upwards questioningly.

Spirit is an attribute that affects many things. It’s not so obvious as something like strength or intelligence, but it has an effect on the world around you. Also, you cannot change it yourself. I don’t know if you’ve tried, but attribute points can not be used on Spirit.

“So what is this ‘effect’ that it has?”

Things...will happen that might not normally happen. Coincidences. Fate. It’s hard to describe.

“Okay. Well that’s about as helpful as the vague description I got when I first looked at it.”

Let’s just say that your Spirit is very much out of the ordinary and leave it at that. There is a famous proverb that says, ‘May you live in interesting times.’ With a Spirit such as yours, you will most certainly live an interesting life.

“That sounds kind of ominous.”

I guess it can be considered either a blessing or a curse.

Briskly, she continued.

Let’s go to your new attribute points. We need to make sure you survive. Your Constitution...is particularly high considering your level.

I mumbled, “Yes, well, I didn’t want to die again.”

Don’t worry, you will have many more attribute points in the future to distribute. However, we should buff you up elsewhere for now. Perhaps some strength and agility. More damage and successful dodging. This doesn’t seem to be a particularly complex dungeon, so a straightforward approach should do for you.

Obediently, I put two points in strength and one in agility.

As for your skills, you have quite the bank of points! I can see why you’ve been hoarding them since you seem to be progressing nicely enough. Actually, I’m rather surprised. Swords level 4 already?

The floor had changed into hard stones with tight lines and no mortar between them as I walked on. Ice no longer coated the ground, and the walls were now made of tightly knit, sculptured stone. My steps echoed as I walked.

“I don’t know. I seem to level up in Swords everytime I fight.”

She was silent for a bit.

Paol, you know that most people do not resurrect. Those who do not resurrect do not realize that for those who do, there is a...penalty for dying. A loss of power that can exhibit itself in many ways. However, everyone has...affinities. The Paraclete has ordained that when recovering from death, a person will improve more rapidly in those affinities. Your furious advancement in Swords would suggest that you have a strong affinity for it.

“Hopefully that means my skills will increase quickly, so I’ll have a better chance at survival!”

Ahead of me, the passageway took on a slight upwards cant, and then I realized that we were approaching a door. Torches flickered on the walls, and a musty old scent tickled my nose. The door was banded in iron and looked strong and new.

“This door doesn't look old at all, and where did these torches come from?”

The dungeon creates the obstacles that you need to overcome.

I stopped at the door. My heart began to beat faster again. I reached out to the knob with my left hand and then pulled it back.

“Could we turn around and leave if we wanted to?”

Yes, but behind that door is probably the best reward of treasure and experience yet. Dungeons often have multiple floors, and a floor almost always ends with what is known as a ‘Boss.” The Boss is a stronger, less predictable monster, but if you defeat it, you receive much greater rewards.

“But it’s stronger, too. Right? I mean, it’s much more likely to kill me.”

Paol, this is a weak dungeon. You saw how easy it was to kill the creatures you've faced so far. And it’s a very small dungeon. How many rooms have you explored before coming to the end of this floor? I have no doubt that you can defeat this foe.

I took a deep breath.

“Okay. Let’s do this.”

I turned the knob and opened the door. The hinges were silent, and the door ghosted open. Bright light blossomed within the revealed room, and Veritas let her light wink out. I entered.