It seems our battle with the Hangman Mimic made Rosetta and I the go-to people for pest control. For most of the guards, it's a relief. The rest are probably jealous, of what I don't know. But, Rosetta and I split all of the loot evenly, except when it came to bones, which I let her keep since it made more sense for her. We fought off a few species of wolves, Badger Bears, Harpies, varying Stalkers, and even a raiding party of Goblins where I learned a new, yet strange Ability.

[Adaptiblity Activated! You learned a Feat!]

[+Goblin Modulation: You may substitute crafting materials, except for metal ores/ingots, in blueprints without Durability or quality penalties. Items and structures will not be considered "Improvised."]

I do recall lower Durability in things labeled "Improvised" when I crafted weapons and armor. The main reason I stopped crafting was because the items coming out of the forge were vastly superior to anything I could make. Once again, however, I'm limited to nonmeta-- Wait. It just says ores and ingots, right? I wonder if that means I can use any metal that's already been processed, like swords or metal poles or helmets. That means I can use organic metals, like the Shadow Carapaces, and now premade metal items in crafting. Well, guess I'm going to have to see what I can make when I get the chance.

After several miles and nonstop chatter, we finally have the stone walls of Kes Solomas in sight. It looks to be the same size as Kes Rentas, but if Rentas had spent its budget on a random assortment of entertainment and different guild houses, it seems Solomas focused on commerce, industry, and housing.

Rosetta is a joy to be around and I will miss her company since I couldn't convince her to join us. She would've been a colorful addition to the party, literally and figuratively, but she reminds me that it's still a competition and that I should currently be in the lead still, even after my second death. Once I get my Life Crystal I would likely have enough to get to the next level and further the gap. Not many are lucky enough to have a Life Crystal to go back to.

"Still," she says, sending me a friend invitation which I accept right away, "Maybe after all the money is won, we can party together." Apparently, she only joined the caravan to hitch a ride, so she and her skellies get off just inside the gates and we bid each other a temporary farewell. I'm glad to have met with her again and not once did she blame me for what happened to Pangaea.

When we reach our stop, a large building where other caravans are cycling in and out of seperate tunnels, I get paid the three gold from Light and find Ogrim. I slip him my pay, along with seven more gold and some gear I was slapping together for him during the down time, which he is understandably hesitant to accept. "Listen, Ogrim, take care of yourself, too. Okay? You can't just be all work. That's no way to live life, trust me."

The little Gnome takes the coins and nods at me. I get a level increase in Reputation, but I wave it away, it's really not why I do things. He thanks me in his gravelly voice and we part ways.

After playing message tennis with Dawn I get her location on a map and head over to what she describes as a hotel with stables, called The Everfrost Hotel. I'm in too much of a hurry to explore the city, but my eyes still wander as I follow the system's efficiently set path.

As a much more industrious and trade-centric city, there is a heavier mix of races, including a prevalent presence of various Faunus, even more so than Higo's outer circle. Naga's, upper half human, lower half snake; Centaurs, upper half human, lower half horse; and Amphomordials, humans whose ancestors' lower halves somehow bumped uglies with Elementals.

Their skin is tinged with the appropriate color of their Elemental lineage and, of the two that I saw, they also emitted traces of that element as well. The pale blue Air Ampho standing with her friends in front of a clothing store has a constant light breeze tickling her floral dress and long, silver hair, though no one else around her was effected. The Earth Ampho has patches of sedentary rock all over his grey skin. It would crumble as he moved materials around the construction yard where he worked.

The buildings I pass vary greatly in height, material, and use. Some are thin, barely wider than the doors leading into them, but several stories tall, judging by the amount of windows facing the street. I spy people walking in and out of them and I assume they might be the fantasy equivalent of apartments with their sharp, triangular thatched roofs and wooden builds.

Some are short, but wide with no doors, only pillars and wide openings for people to wander in freely off the street. I don't pass by many of these open markets, but enough for me to see that there's no pattern or theme to the stores inside.

My head whips around when I see a couple walking out of one of these markets wearing grey, hooded tunics. The male Elf has simple streaks of turquiose while the female canine Faunus has my blue mask waving seductively with each step. I ask where they got them. They all too excitedly point me back inside the building they were leaving and give me a marker on my map. A brief moment of recognition crosses the Faunus's face when she notices my mask and she does a double take as I thank them and head inside.

I find the small stall where an entrepreneurial quartet of Linqs citizens are selling a myriad of things from three of the Rucksacks. Boulder, the bear Faunus soldier, and Conner act as fellow merchants with the Tailors, their armor covered by cloaks similar in color and design to the Linqs Tunics.

They explain Dawn's plan to make some extra coin using the growing pile of materials to craft surplus goods and to sell them along with low quality gear (low by our standards). They're also tasked with filling out a wishlist that includes building and equipment blueprints, high quality Alchemy goods, simple crafting materials, potting soil, and a vareity of other things.

So far, most of the Linqs Original equipment has been selling at an increasing pace, they tell me. There's no way for me to argue when I watch as more people crowd around their little stall. Boulder and Conner assure me that they'll be fine and that everything will be well taken care care of, sending me off to the vardo.

"Did I just get dismissed? What am I? Some broke chump that wasn't going to buy anything?" I mutter to myself as I continue my walk. I forget that, as cosmopolitan as the city is, someone walking and talking to themselves would be seen as weird. I inadvertantly use my superior hearing to pick out things people were saying around me.

"…look at that guy's head. Is he gonna be okay…?"

"…Mommy, Mommy! Is that a undead?"

"…reminds me, we need more firewood…"

"…wouldn't kick that out of bed on a cold night…"

Oh. It could also be because I'm part of a new race and it's highly noticeable from a couple city blocks. I sigh, swinging open the doors to the Everfrost. I stop in my tracks, trying to remember what the building looked like from the outside. I have to go back out to see.

Yep, it looks like a simple building made with green painted lumber, a thatched roof, and standing five stories tall. A couple, three foot, snow-covered fir trees sit on either side of the double doors. Inside, the waiting and front desk areas look like a giant log cabin. Roughly made wooden furniture, bark still on with hand sewn cushions; a roaring, twenty foot wide, stone fireplace; and a Badger Bear skin rug, head still on, gives the place a cozy feel even though the vaulted ceiling hangs a few dozen feet above. I take a deep breath, filling my lungs with the heavy natural scents of aged wood, the fireplace, and something else. Something familiar and wonderful. Something dizzying and alluring. The moment I take in that smell, my brain floods with sweaty nights, bite marks, and strawberry blonde hair.

Sitting in a rocking chair that looks large enough for two, a woman has a wide open book in her lap. She must have been waiting for a while, since she had fallen asleep. Her head rests at an angle in her hand as her elbow sits on the padded armrest. My approach to her is slow and as quiet as possible, but she must have sensed an intruder on her private space.

Her sapphire eyes flutter open, gauging the threat before her, a hand reaching for one of her rings. I wonder if she recognizes the brigandine before my own fiery skull, but a thin smile spreads across her lips.

"Took you long enough," Victoria whispers, holding a hand out to me.

I kiss the back of it with my lipless face before helping her to her feet. Our embrace is tight and long. She whispers again, this time to my ear, "We have our own room…" I feel her hands slide down from my back and to my butt. "And the beds look VERY sturdy." She emphasizes the word 'very' with an extra hard squeeze and the chill it sends up my spine causes me to shiver slightly.

"We're just gonna have to see, aren't we?"

She leads me by the hand through the hotel which continues the log cabin motif throughout. Our room, a simple affair with a trunk, a nightstand, a small bathroom, and a bed covered with furs. As soon as the door closes behind us, our clothes were thrown into storage, a lesson we learned when we needed to dress quickly and someone lost their pants. I mean, I eventually found them, but it was still annoying to have to look for them above eye level.

Several hours later, some of which were part of a nap, Victoria kisses my forehead and I awaken on the empty bed, furs and sheets strewn about the floor. She sets a few things on the nightstand, "We'll be in the vardo when you're ready." She turns to leave, but I wrap my arms around her waist and press my cheek against her butt. She runs her hand through my flames and we both feel her fingers running through my hair, "Mmm. Love you."

"Love you," I say as I release her. The door closes and I look over at the room key, Loot Sack, and my Life Crystal.

[Level up! You have reached Level 20!]

[Congratulations! You are the first to

[reach level 20! This has been noted

[by the administrators. Happy Leveling!]

[When next you sleep, you may choose to add a Level to "Blue Mage" or to choose another to multi-class.]

[You have 10 Stat Points to allocate!]

Yes! That brings my total winnings to six thousand bucks. I only needed to win a few of the later level prizes, but as long as I'm in the lead I might as well sweep up the small prizes. Hopefully, I can attract a few sponsors this way, but I intend to stick with my original plan.

Teaching Abilities to willing participants and bonuses from War Party Leader seem to be the best way to gain XP. And, although our collection of Life Crystals is growing, I'm hesitant to suggest using them in case we need to level anyone in particular for any reason. That, and the selfishness of such an idea really does go against what I've come to believe in in this game. I don't want to turn out like Mordecai, who's probably spending some time doing nothing but stew in some special prison.

I drop all ten points into Arcane, bringing it up to 70 and giving me another VigeStat Point to spend on a next tier Spell. For a moment I wish that I could've gotten my Life Crystal before passing out, but it would have definitely spoiled the mood. I'm in no hurry to choose anyway, and would prefer to get input from everyone else.

As I look over my expansive list of Spells to choose from, over thirty, I reequip my Corsair set, Grey Wanderer gear, gloves, and pants. I stow my Storage Rings and Necklace of Dragon Breathing in my Pocket Dimension, but equip the Whisper Ear Cuff. I brush it with a finger and ask for Dawn.

"Hey, brush fire. Finally awake?" Her voice isn't loud, but her tone makes me grimace.

"Aye, captain. Any errands for me?" Now that I'm better dressed and back in action, I have the urge to explore the city.

"Negative, Ghost Rider. Ooo, I like that one. But, no, I need you in the vardo so we can debrief you." She says as I put away the Spell screen, choosing to do it later.

On my way to the stables, I pass by an open dining area with a complimentary table of fruits and simple baked goods. I grab a fist sized personal loaf of bread and slap a little butter on it. The butter really put my snack over the edge and the sudden intense flavor hurt my cheeks. As I enjoy the taste, I half heartedly wait for a damage notification. Nothing comes, so I speed up my pace, ignoring looks from an older pair of humans eating a meal.

It doesn't take long for me to relay my side of the distraction raid and subsequent Centogre battle to Dawn and Victoria. Everything was in line with everything told by the others, including Richter, aside from being the only one who had any kind of interaction with Mordecai while free from the Frightened Debuff. Dawn presses me to remember any exact words and phrases he used. It took a little bit of concentration, but I recalled as best as I could.

"As far as we can tell," Dawn says from her chair as she brings up a saved blueprint screen, "Mordecai was a kind of Anti-Paladin, an Oathbreaker most likely. He said he could heal, but his Spell, Inflict Wounds, is the bread and butter for that Class and the antithesis of Healing Light."

"His Berserker, Jay Steinbrecher, is someone he knows IRL. " She explains, "One of the Rogues and the Ranger both claimed to be mercenaries, but the Ranger overheard them talking about some real world business."

"What happened to them?" I ask, elbows on the table and a palm raised waiting for the answer to be placed in it.

"That was something else. When we came out of the dungeon with the core, there were…" Dawn looks over at Victoria for assistance.

"They were Marduks, angels of the Goddess, Pravdera. She's the Goddess of Law and Justice." She claims, a cold glare in her eyes aimed at the memory. "It seems she was not happy with the treatment of the citizens of Kes Solomas."

Without getting into a full out religious discussion, a habit I made while working on the bar, I ask what they did.

"They sent them to the closest detention center, here in the city." Dawn searches her inventory for something. "The Marduks told us they did the same thing to the others when they respawned."

She places the Rook Chesst on the table, "They rewarded us with this, along with a Platinum a head."

"What? That's crazy!" I say with a huge grin, well, I could feel myself grinning huge. It probably looks like I'm always grinning.

"They said that with the influx of Travelers they have been… busy." Dawn looks away in shame, "The Marduks aren't that strong. They're like unarmed security. They can only use a special teleport Spell that creates a prison just for Travelers."

Vic looks over at me, not aiming her ire exactly, but not toning it down, "Pravdera is one of the few from the Patheon who directly involve themselves with the world, usually sending emissaries. Another is Pavaros, Goddess of Love and Lust with her cherubs. And Kole, God of Dungeons."

"Who is in charge of Quests and rewards?" I ask, remembering my conversation with Rosetta.

Her icy demeanor breaks, and Vic smiles at me as one would to a child who asks such an obvious question. I didn't like it, but I was glad she wasn't as angry anymore. "Those decisions are made by multiple deities. Dimitria and Kole mostly, but also by any deity involved in the purpose of the Quests and rewards."

Interested in this change in topic, Dawn gives all of her attention to Vic, "Is there an evil or dark deity?"

She shakes her head, "The only one like that is Nyctos, God of Night and Shadows. But, it wouldn't be fair to title him as evil. There are minor deities who are chaotic or selfish, but again, they're not necessarily evil."

Eyebrow raised, Dawn asks, "How do you know all this stuff? About the Pantheon and deities and such? I've never heard you utter so much as a prayer?"

Vic chuckles, "What do you think I went to school for? Magic? I took mainly theology classes."

"Speaking of magic," I switch gears again, seeing an opportunity to bring it up, "I got another Vigestat Point in Arcane this time. Any requests? Oh, and I also got these two..."

I bring up the descriptions for Hellbent Roar and Goblin Modulation and walk over to them so they can check them out. I can see the excitement in their widening eyes when they read the Skill and confusion when their eyebrows knit while reading the Feat.

"Yeah, I know right?" I ask. "Maybe it'll be more helpful when we have a proper establishment." They nod.

Dawn clears her throat, "Well, I can't exactly tell you what to learn since it is your Point to use, but I can tell you Victoria and I will be trying to get more group Buff Abilities."

"Terror of Many works well, but only when my soldiers are included in the party. Your Feat, Swarm Tactics, is also nice, but soon the bonus will be negligible. The boost from my Centurion Class is also there and it scales according to my equipment." Vic raises a finger for each point she makes.

"All of those things are nice, but they're tiny and passive. The Roar is phenomenal, but expensive. Can you even cast it?" Dawn asks and I give her a reproachful look, "Okay, okay. But ninety SP? That's gotta be a huge chunk of change."

"It's worth it, trust me. I got to use it on my way here," I say with pride. "Speaking of which, are Brandy and Nathan still around?"

Vic gives me a look, but it goes away fairly quickly, "They couldn't stay. Dawn and Nathan traded knowledge and he was excited to test his theories out."

"Oh well," I shrug, "I just wanted to thank her for helping us out and all. It was so random to see her again." I bring up my Spell list again, but move it to the side so as not to seem rude.

"Not really," Dawn says, "They were making their way to the city when they took the left instead of the right. I mean, yeah it was random that it was them, but its not like they just popped up out of nowhere."

"Speaking of popping up out of nowhere… How about THIS Spell?" I show them the description to Blink Portal, Blink Step's older brother.

[Blink Portal I (40MP+Purple Runestick) Touch/ Draw a circle with the Purple Runestick, it will be expended. The circle becomes a portal leading to up to 500feet in distance. Second portal must be marked on a map and cannot be obstructed by anything. Portals last for 60 seconds/10 people cross/dismissed.]

"Nice," Dawn says, "And it would go in line with the kind of special forces style of team I'm planning."

I laugh, "Like a Tolkien slash Tom Clancy squad?"

Dawn smiles, but the names go right over Vic's temporarily glazed eyes, "Yeah, something like that. Wouldn't that be cool? What else you got? I'm one level away from seventy in Faith so I'm probably going to get a similar list of Spells."

She sounds more excited about me learning my Spell than I am and more disappointed that I have to pick only one. She grumbles to herself as she checks on her own stats and current XP. I pick out a top five, not including Blink Portal, though I'll keep it under consideration. I just have to figure out what a Purple Runestick is.

[Beacon of Endurance (35MP)] 10feet/ Create a pulsing orb that radiates energy in a 15foot radius. Non-hostiles in range increase SP Regen by 10 and reduce SP Regen wait time to 1second. Orb lasts 5minutes/dismissed.]

[Beacon of Alacrity (35MP) 10Feet/ Create a pulsing orb that radiates energy in a 15foot radius. Non-hostiles in range increase attack speed by 15% and Agility by 20%. Orb lasts 5minutes/dismissed.]

[Enhanced Enchantment (varies)

[Increase max target of Enchantment spells by 1.

[Calm Emotion: (20MP) 50feet/ Removes Charmed and Frightened Debuffs. If the target doesn't have both or either Debuffs, this Spell gives Indifference Debuff.

[Level 22: ???

[Level 24: ???]

[Syphon Life Force (25MP+5MP per second) 25feet/ Concentration. Requirement: Trident Caster. Deal Arcane_Total necrotic damage + .2*Arcane_Total necrotic damage per second to first target. Heal second target for half the amount of damage dealt rounded down. Lasts until 0MP/End Concentration]

[Monster Manipulation (30MP) 30feet/ Enchant a target monster and control its actions for 10minutes/dismissed/death of target. After the 10minutes, if the target is still alive, it will know it was enchanted and will be more difficult to enchant again.]

There's a third Beacon Spell but it's for MP and all of our casters are highly mobile, making it highly situational in its use. I do like them since I can just cast them and move on or cast them from a distance. I can even envision a situation where I would cast Hellbent Roar, then Beacon of Endurance, waiting around with Elsbeth and Richter while they rain arrows, then rejoin the battle once my SP filled. Although, El and Ric are usually pretty mobile, too. The weakness in the Beacon's use becomes quite evident. People gotta sit around to get any benefit from them.

Enhanced Enchantment would be a great way to boost the capabilities of Basic Enchantment and get new Spells, though I dont often use them. Gaining an additional target for free is a great bonus.

Syphon Life Force is an interesting option, since it has Trident Casting as a prerequisite. Dealing long distance damage as well as long distance healing at such a low MP cost is very appealing. I can even target myself since it doesn't state otherwise. Hell, I can target any two things as long as I can deal the first target damage, right? In that line, I wonder if I can switch healing targets or if that would constitute breaking Concentration.

I look over at the other two, they're both going over their own lists of Abilities. Dawn is the first to speak without looking up, "It'd be nice to have the Beacon Spells, all of your choices really."

"I like Enhanced Enchantment," Vic says comparing two different description screens, "Even though Indifference is a Debuff, it's useful to stay calm in stressful situations. Keeps your head level and your thoughts logical. Plus, it keeps you from getting Charmed or Frightened."

"But," Dawn says hesitantly, "Monster Manipulation might be a better fit for your Blue Mage Class. You have a higher chance of learning Abilities if you get hit by them, right?" I nod in agreement. "I dunno, Ardy. This one's tough."

"I did get my level twenty, so I have to decide on that, too. Oh, hold on." I check on Cerulean Touch, remembering that it opens up another tier at twenty.

[Cerulean Touch. (varies)

[Prerequisites: Blue Mage Class, 70Dexterity, 50Arcane, 7 Monster Spells/Skills/Feats

[Requirement: 1 Free Hand

[Level 5: You may perform Monster Spells using SP at the rate of 120% of the MP cost. They will count as Skills and not need a casting phrase.

[Level 10: Once per day, you may ready a Monster Spell/Skill and fuse it with a Melee attack. Expends at will upon a successful attack. Recharges at midnight.

[Level 20: Learn Skill: Distill Monster Core. Learn Spell: Cerulean Summon

[Start with 0/3 Essence Cores stored. 0/1 Core summoned. +2 stored/+1 Summoned every 10 levels.

[Level 40: ???

[Level 60: ???

[ Distill Monster Core (15MP+20SP) Melee/Requirement: Melee Weapon. As long as this is the last attack on a monster, attempt to reduce a monster to its Essence Core. The lower the level of the monster, the higher the chance of distilling an Essence Core.]

[Cerulean Summon (35MP+Essence Core) 5feet/ Expend an Essence Core to summon an Arcane version of that monster. Type and stats of summon rely on the monster that was distilled into that Essence Core. Cannot heal Essence Core monsters.]

"Can your Class get any more convoluted?" Dawn asks as she reads the description screens. I shrug. "On second thought, we'll let you decide. Vic and I have a few other duties to attend to."

"Fair enough," I say, getting a kiss on the forehead from Vic.

As they walk away, a few of the older kids run by, chasing after Lavina and Coaster. The stop abruptly, "Slow down, Dor…no, wait... Kori!" Dawn says in a raised voice, not quite yelling. "And you, too, Heleno! Do I even have to tell you, Lavina!" They shake their heads and I can hear them laughing as they continue walking.

"And stop throwing sparks at each other!"

"Crap. Back to square one." I mutter to myself. I look around for inspiration. Off in one of the corners, Rachel and Sonny are practicing choreography. "Oh good! A distraction!"