Tad re-appeared in the dwarven archives. Nico and Lamruil were seated now, each nursing a drink. Zanna was sitting next to them, thumbing through a book.

Across the room, several dwarves were at other tables reading.

Nico spoke first, "He is back. Great, we were wondering if this would be a month-long trip like last time. "

Lamruil flipped Nico a coin. Tad shook his head at the bet.

"We were just about to get some sleep. What happened, " continued Nico.

"Well, I have a library token now," Tad showed them his large copper coin. It was a library token from the librarian.

Lamruil spoke up, "Any armies of raging librarians heading this way? Because if there is, I'm going to get that gold back. "

"No, this was not that sort of thing. Quite the opposite. The Library of Vilamra is going to follow our travels and document our discoveries. " said Tad.

Kettle shouted in his head, "You didn't tell them about the Interface, did you?"

"Ouch, you have to stop doing that. No, of course not. I told them about the scene of the maelstrom hitting the ship. I didn't tell them about the purpose of the ship or you. They are going to follow me with this token though, and write down everything I do. Libby said it would work like the bracelet you gave me, except I just need to keep it on my person. Do you think we can embed it in the bracer? " asked Tad.

"Ya, uhh… sure, I guess… No, that's a terrible idea. Could you put it in your bag of holding or pouch? I don't like them spying on us. " said Kettle.

"It is not spying exactly, and I got you that library account you wanted. Well, I got one that you can use," said Tad.

"Nice, did you check anything out yet? " asked Kettle, "Also, while we are talking, you and I need to discuss classes and spells soon. And you dinged another two skills while you were at the Library. Negotiation and Flattery… one is blue, the other is green."

"I guess that's good, right? " thought Tad. He didn't fully understand this skills thing, but it sounded good, so he was going with that.

Tad spoke out loud to his friends in the room, "We need to make plans tonight. The storm will be over tomorrow, and we have to go find a new home after."

The four of them spoke into the night, making plans. Iliphar, Beothorn, and a dwarf guard company would go to the Storm Giant's mountain to find honey to trade for or buy. The four friends would head the other way with another group looking at the cursed river and for water. The remaining Caravan members would stay in the Hold, taking care of the ponies, monkeys, and the Lasso spider, which Ararmut insisted Tad brings with him when he leaves with the wagons.

"You saved it, lad, it is yours, and you are not leaving it here when you go. " said the dwarf in their last meeting.

Finding that thing meat was going to be an issue, and as soon as Tad could get it far enough from the dwarven Hold, he was just going to release it. It was a wild thing that he had no interest in trying to tame or be around right now.

The monkey's magic table still conjured some fruit for the monkeys, so those were a simple task. Tad had stopped in to check on them to find the three all asleep up in the tree. The ponies still had grain and didn't mind some of the mushroom chunks. The lasso spider's meat consumption, though, was an issue. The dwarves did not like feeding it small lizards. They depended on those for the livelihood of the Hold.

***

Class Ranks

Beothorn had agreed to journey to the Storm Giants home, which was hopefully the mountain marked on the map. It would be his first official act in the council as the advisor to foreign courts. Ilipharal also agreed to go. He hoped to find a place for the bees near there if possible.

The Tad, Zanna, Nico, and Lamruil were heading west along with the mountain range. They were accompanied by ten dwarven guards and two prospectors who spent most of their waking trip discussing how to survive in the desert. The companions would practice what they learned at night. The trip was to take three days there, and they were to return in eight days before the next storm crossed the desert.

Several important things struck Tad as different. The lizards never had their saddles or neck harnesses removed when they stopped. Their skin was so tough that it didn't matter unless they were molting. The other part was they always camped high on a ledge of the mountain that was inaccessible to the ground or from above.

The dwarves explained this was to keep the scorpions and sand skink, which is a large lizard that swam under the sand hunting the scorpions for food from attacking them during the day when they slept. This also afforded them a good breeze during the day when they stayed on the north side of the cliffs. The scouts had most of the stops they would make already on their map or in their heads.

Tad still had issues seeing in the deep dark till one of the moons would rise or the gloom sunset or dawn cleared. He relied on his lizard to follow the lead of the others. Bubbles refused to stop circling Zanna, and the best Tad could get the spirit to do was to dim her light as they traveled at night to help avoid unwanted attention.

Kettle took the travel to discuss some of the many things he was finding.

"Tad, we need to discuss classes and spells. I'm starting to understand more of these symbols, and as I review this information, I see where you lost several levels for acting against your class rank," said Kettle.

"I still do not fully understand what your talking about, Kettle, but I take it, this isn't good. " projected Tad.

"Not really. I'll explain. Every time you practice at something long enough, you have a chance to pick up a class that is associated with the skills you learned. For example, you learned how to use a staff from a monk named Maygur. This taught you, staff, fighting styles, and you have class ranks now also in Staff Monk. Classes enhance your skills in different ways and overall your ability to survive. " does that make sense to you so far?

"Staff monk? That sounds interesting, " said Tad thinking of his friends that had left years earlier from the Carnival.

"Yes, you have several classes at various ranks.

Demon Cultist Rank 1

Animal Handler Rank 4

Statistician Rank 11

Dwarven Defender Rank 8

Staff Monk Rank 14

Paladin Rank 9

Magi multi domain Rank 8

Soulmancer Rank 17

"

"I'm a Demon Cultist? Is that because of Zanna? " asked Tad.

"No, that was before Beothorn found you. You have no more ranks in that since," said Kettle. "The one we need to discuss at this point is the Paladin class. You have it because of your moral aptitude and your healing. You have been rank eight three times. You just hit level nine. Every time you lied, you lost a rank. One time you lost two ranks. "

"Aren't paladins holy warriors Kettle? " asked Tad. He had never worshipped a day in his life.

"Yes and No. Paladin's are warriors with a cause greater than their own. They do not need to worship to follow the tenents of a domain. They are most closely a domain class which is not something a regular fighter or guard could gain. I looked into that, it is hard to understand, but I think your adherence to the values of life under stress granted those. It is not just life, though. You have to adhere to the domain of Law. It is hard trying to sort this all out, but you gained your first two ranks when you went to the Grand Bazaar and fought the thieves trying to rob you. You gained a bunch more for defeating that Demon Prince, but then you lost two of the ranks by lying to him to get the information about Zanna." Kettle paused here.

"You're saying if I lie to evil creatures that want to eat me or kill me, I lose class ranks in Paladin. That doesn't sound right, Kettle," said Tad.

"It is right. You lost several ranks for lying. You need to stop doing that. You'd have been ranked fifteen if you hadn't done that. Also, you saved all those dwarves after the battle. You healed them. That gained you back those ranks you lost. It is not as fast as defeating a demon prince, but quantity appears to matter too. " said Kettle.

"So your saying me complementing Libby didn't lose me a rank? " asked Tad.

"Were you really lying, or were you emphasizing something that you'd have ignored otherwise. There is a difference," said Kettle.

"Well, I guess it just popped into my brain, so it probably was based on what I saw," said Tad.

"What do these ranks matter, Kettle. I didn't notice any differences before or after any of these things, " said Tad.

"Tad, there is a description that I can see here in your logs. I can't read all of it, but what I can say is you have improved your ability to attack or defend when dealing with creatures of other domains than Law and Life. Each of these class ranks has abilities that scale as they go up. Once I decipher all these symbols, I'll give you a full description of all of them. But for now, please avoid things your mother and father told you not to do. " projected Kettle.

"Yea, sure," said Tad as he pondered what all this meant to the rhythm of the lizard riding over the sand-covered stone near the edge of the cliffs.

As the group looked for a place to camp for the day, "Galadinidú? " Tad projected.

"Yes, Tad," responded the staff on his back.

"Why did you pick me? Was it because of something I thought or did? " asked Tad. He was thinking about his various classes and ranks when this thought had occurred to him.

"You embody the virtues I seek to align with," said Galadinidú back in a matter-of-fact statement.

"Can you be used by others that do not have these virtues? " asked Tad. He had a feeling he already knew the answer to this one.

"Yes, but it would be quite painful for both me and the wielder. Over time it would change me, though, and I'd be something different if the wielder survived it.

"So the Archduke could have wielded you if he survived the pain? " asked Tad.

"Yes, but he would not have survived. I had saved enough energia of Law to destroy most of the fortress. I expended much of that, activating the portal to escape. " said Galadinidú again as if it was just another day for him if he had done that level of destruction.

Tad thought about that. Galadinidú suddenly scared Tad at a primal level. What would happen if Tad did lose those ranks in Paladin or somehow broke some tenet of the class he wasn't aware of, that wouldn't be good.

"Is there anything else you can tell me about this process or that crystal dagger we found with you? " asked Tad.

"You will know more about the selection and process as you call it when it is time, and it is relevant. Memories from before are foggy, but the dagger was the weapon that sat on the last wielder's belt. I remember little other than it was used in battle and honorably, " projected Galadinidú.

"I have a few more questions. " Tad projected this while bringing his lizard up through a crag where the belt used to hold him to the saddle was put to the test.

"What type of magic are we using to talk. It is not like my soulmancy or Kettles bond. I wasn't curious before, but I think I'll need to understand this. Also, how are you using the foci of Law you picked up?" Tad wanted to add you're a staff, and a stave doesn't do that.

"We commune when we speak. We use our shared domains, and the range is minimal. With your bond, it's a soulmancy energia, which you created when you cast the spell. The crown that is attached to me is a focus of Law. I was not always as you see me now. I used to be, " Galadinidú paused for a few moments, " something more. I can use any items of focus that I can use as domains. Which is all of them. "

Tad interrupted Galadinidú, "Wait, you are telling me you can cast spells from all domains? "

"No, I have abilities, and I can do certain things with energia. But I can not cast spells. Those come from you. But I can feed spells energia I have stored or manipulate them as an extension of your will," replied Galadinidú.

"What abilities do you have? I know you can stop bleeding, form a shield around yourself, and smite attack. What others do you have?" asked Tad.

"As you become more powerful in our commune of domains. I will be able to perform other abilities. It depends on you. I know I was once thought of as a key of sorts, which is why I can activate portals. I could not open the one you tried in the wagon because that requires spells to direct it, which I do not possess. If you were to learn that, then I could open it with you, powering the portal. Right now, though, it is far beyond your ability to do. " said Galadinidú.

Tad pondered this as he gazed at the sand dunes below their camp.

***

"Lord Rockgrip, we have arrived at the last survey location. " said the dwarf guard named Barardaek.

Tad nodded and looked around from where the lizard he rode stood. In the dark the wall of sand was blowing up into the clouds above them. Tad could see it reach the top high in the sky and disappear as if going over a waterfall in reverse. He couldn't see where the sand went just out of view. The wall of sand was dense and moved so fast Tad could not follow it.

Tad could hear the hissing as the sand sailed into the air. Where did all that sand come from, he thought as he looked below? The volume of sand was just unimaginable for him. Barardaek had said it would grind up anything that got too close to it, just like the cursed storms that wandered the desert.

The group was on a rocky ledge of the blasted mountains they had been following. It was several hundred feet down from here. One wall of the moving sand almost touched the cliffs.

"Was the water found up here or down there, " asked Tad.

"Below near where that sand touches the cliff. There used to be more cliff there. " said the dwarf.

"Then we need to go down. Is there a safe route? " Tad knew the lizards could climb just about any cliff, but hanging over a cliff edge strapped to a lizard that was walking slowly down the face didn't sound like something he should often do.

"Yes, a mile past here, there is a series of crevices and crags that lead into the mountains. " said the dwarf.

"Let's move then. It will be daylight soon," said Tad.

Tad blinked as he stopped using his magical sight. Even in the darkness, the wall of sand was aglow in yellow life mana. It almost blinded his senses. Tad had not seen that kind of magic level since the dome on the Great Bazaar.

***