It was after dinner, and though the light was always the same here, Jarod was getting used to it. He thought of it as evening, but for all he knew it could be one in the afternoon. Either way, he was taking the opportunity to view the valley from the top of one of the spires. There aren’t many clouds in the sky today, so he had a good view, all things considered. There was a single road spiraling down the mountainside that disappeared into the jagged outcroppings of rock. There wasn’t a tree in sight, but this spire was tall enough to see past the mountains and into the plains beyond, a vast expanse of nothing but grass. He thought he could see some specks moving on the horizon, maybe some animals, but he couldn’t be sure. He really didn’t like how unsure he was at everything here, but he was for all intents and purposes in another world.

“Great view, hm?” Ramek was walking from the stairway to the ledge where Jarod was leaning.

“It is.”

“I noticed you walked off, and I am unfortunately deathly curious as to your abilities.”

“Tell you what, I know nothing about you, but you guys are learning more and more from me as time goes on.” Ramek laughed.

“Barely, we’re often too focused on eating to ask each other about our backstories.” He said with a smile.

“Well, you ask me a question, then I ask you one, sound fair?”

“Fair as can be. May I ask first?”

“Of course.” Jarod said. It’s not like he knew much.

“What can you do? You said you’re an artifact, but we haven’t heard much of it.”

“Well, I suppose there are three things I can do. I can look at other people’s stats if I touch them, I can harvest spirits, and I can eat spirits to gain strength.” Jarod didn’t see a point in hiding it.

“That’s… a bit terrifying to be honest, do you know the limits of these?” Ramek was deeply interested in his powers.

“Hold your horses, but now I get to ask you a question!”

“But of course.”

“Where are you from?”

“I’m from the great southern plains. From here you can see the northern ones. These aren’t really inhabited all that much, but in the south we have some of the largest cities in the world, and our landscape is covered with castles and fortresses. It’s never been the most peaceful, but about thirty years ago they were finally unified. Though, there are plenty who aren’t happy about that.”

“Sounds like you’re one of them.”

“I am. But now you tell me, what are the limits of your powers?”

“To be honest I haven’t really tested them. But as for analysis, I can view the name, class, and stats of anything I touch. Spirit harvest and spirit eating are still mostly a mystery. Though.”

“Hm, so you can analyse me then?”

“I’m afraid I’ve already done it, accidentally of course. It’s hard to control.”

“And what does it say about me?”

“Well, if you don’t mind I can analyse you now.” Ramek thought for a moment, then held out his hand. Jarod tapped it, and willed himself to analyze him.

Ramek Lost-son

Class:

None

Stats:

Strength - 1 Endurance - 0 Agility - 1 Willpower - 1

“It says you are Ramek Lost-son, you have no class, and all of your stats are one, save for endurance.” The color drained from Ramek’s face. That was unexpected.

“Now tell me, why does that info bother you so much?” Jarod continued.

“I forget you don’t know what that last name means. Please, keep this hidden, but I am the bastard of a powerful noble. I want nothing to do with that life, which is why I am here.”

“I’m not an asshole Ramek, I won’t attack your reputation just because I can.”

“Then you’re better than most.”

They stood in silence for a time. The endless sunset cast long shadows on their faces. Ramek’s stony features pronounced even more.

“Do you want to experiment? See if we can’t test some abilities of your magic?”

“What do you have in mind?”

“There are hundreds of caves in these mountains, most have a few rare flowers. I figure we can test out just about all of your abilities on it.” Huh. Jarod was so concerned about this training he was pulled into that he hadn’t had time to think about what this world’s rules really were.

“Let’s get the others then.” Jarod said.

“Of course.” Ramek said, smiling wide.

They arrived at a cave a half hour’s walk from the citadel. Inside was dark, but the others brought torches. Jarod held his hand out and created an ember to light the area.

“Since when can you cast spells!?” Chen asked.

“Well, since I learned about my spirit eating. Again, I said before we got here that I could gain power from it.”

“Right, but you never told us you can make fire!” Chen was excited.

“Well, we’re about to see more, isn’t that right?” Ramek said.

Jarod nodded. He crouched next to a cave flower. It had a soft blue color with dozens of pointed petals wrapped around each other like a basket. It glowed softly as he touched it. Willing his analysis to tell him what it was.

Roel’s guardian flower

Used as an ingredient in painkillers.

“Is it called Roel’s guardian?” Jarod said.

“Yes.” Tin responded.

“Used to soothe pain?”

“Correct again. Are you sure he isn’t messing with us?” She turned to Jiina with that second question.

“One way to find out. Can you try to harvest it?” Jiina said, her arms crossed and her steely gaze waiting for Jarod to respond.

Jarod placed his hand to the flower and willed ‘spirit harvest.’

And nothing happened. The group waited in silence for a moment.

“So…” Chen broke the silence.

“Maybe it has to be defeated?” Ramek asked.

“Maybe?” Jarod guessed. He plucked the flower, then willed his spell again.

The flower’s spirit felt so weak that he simply ripped it from the body. It turned grey and wilted immediately, and with a blink he held a small bottle with the tiniest green bolt of energy within.

“I’ll be damned.” Jiina said.

“Eat it.” Tin said, waiting to see what happened next.

Jarod figured that a flower wouldn’t dominate him, so he downed the bottle. It was a bitter feeling, and his chest felt slightly tight for a moment.

And he was now in his mindscape. An ethereal flower sat in front of him, a wisp of green energy with a glowing blue bulb. Tiny threads of energy bobbed and weaved throughout it. He brushed his fingers against it, and it blew away, the energy that scattered reformed and dashed into him.

Consumed: Roel’s Guardian spirit

Spirit too weak, no new abilities.

“Well, it seems it was a bit too weak.” Jarod said. It wasn’t the most fruitful expedition, but he learned a bit about his powers. And that in itself was worth it.

“I say we go, not much else here.” Jarod said, he shrugged and stood up from where he was crouched. The others nodded, but as they turned, Steel stood at the entrance of the cave.

“Well well, hiding in a cave during the night? How nefarious.” He said, his hands on his hips and a smug air about him.

“First of all, it’s literally never night here.” Jiina said.

“And isn’t it sketchier to follow people?” Tin followed. Steel grunted.

“Well that doesn’t matter, we’re all here in good fun after all. After all, not every day you find a dungeon seed.” He smiled.

“What are you talking about?” Jarod asked.

“Oh don’t lie to me, it’s practically impossible to miss the things.” He pointed deeper in the cave, and Jarod couldn’t see a damn thing he was pointing at.

“Oh, I forgot, you guys don’t have golden sight.” He smiled again. Jarod couldn’t really tell, but his eyes were distinctly not golden.

“What the heck is golden sight?” Jarod mumbled.

Golden sight

A hidden ability that allows the user to see the unseen

Well. Could be more detailed, but better than nothing. He was surprised the window came up at all, really.

Steel walked into the cave and picked up a small, blackish shiny orb.

“Tell you what, I think we can make a deal here. You seem to be able to harvest spirits, and for a common, weak looking core like this I’m certain a spirit like the flower could make a weak dungeon. We do that, and maybe we can learn a little more about your powers hmm?” Steel was so smug Jarod could punch him. Though, what really bothered him was that the idea was interesting. He did want to learn more about his powers, and if that spirit was anything to go by, this dungeon wouldn’t be that bad.

“Are dungeon seeds really that common?” Jarod asked

“Well, a bit tricky to find, but yes.” Ramek answered for Steel.

“Alright.” Jarod said.

“You can do that, but I’ll have no part in it.” Ramek said. Agden, Jiina, and Tin agreed.

“I’m willing to go with you.” Chen said with a grin. He pulled his robe’s belt and wrapped it around his hands.

“I worked in my father’s tavern, so I’ve gotten into a few fights before.” He said with a smile.

“Very well, shall we go?” Steel said. Jarod just noticed he had a short sword on his hip. Was he planning this?

Jarod plucked a flower, and quickly harvested it’s spirit. A weak green dot. Steel took it and poured it over the seed. It dropped to the ground, and a silver line appeared on the floor. It dragged straight up, like curtains raising to reveal a silvery mirror door that sat in empty space.

“After you.” Steel said. And so, Jarod stepped in.