A loud knock at his door startled Alari awake. Judging by his sense of time, it was about an hour earlier than he typically woke. Gathering his possessions, he made his way downstairs. The rest of the Silver Blades were ready to go, though only Elias looked fully awake, with the two nobles and Maeve appearing to be nursing hangovers. The spread of food on the table was a marked improvement over the day before: sausage, eggs, fruit, and bread were heaped onto large serving platters. A pot of tea steeped, suffusing the room with faint herbal vapors.

  “You leveled last resting; twice if I’m not mistaken,” Elias noted when he had finished eating. He had actually leveled three times, but had only spent two of the points.

  All eyes shifted to Alari. He nodded, feigning nonchalance as he began piling food onto his plate. There was a long pause, and Roland was the first to lose patience, prodding him for details. Alari gave them a quick rundown on what he had been working on, between shoveling mouthfuls of food down. When he finished, he felt like a bloated ball, and it was easily the largest meal he had eaten in this life. However, his stomach was unaccustomed to such a feast, having been malnourished for so long, so his intake was modest by comparison.

  Once they made their way outside, Alari produced the steel arming sword tied to his pack with a piece of cord. Elias accepted the offered blade reverently, his eyes wide as he turned it over in the light. Finding no flaws, he shook his head in disbelief.

  He began testing by driving the tip into the ground, the blade sinking far deeper and easier than it should have. He tested the elasticity by bending it, but the high-quality steel easily returned to its shape. Pulling the blade out, he inspected it a second time, as if still not believing his eyes.

  The veteran adventurer then proceeded to go through a kata, moving in a seemingly choreographed manner through various strikes and stances. He moved so fast that Alari almost couldn’t follow, but despite the speed, his strikes and footwork were precise. The blade seemed to sing as if it were cutting the wind itself.

  The entire display took only a couple of minutes, and when Elias was done, he stared at the sword with a look of disbelief. Somewhat reluctantly, he handed it to Roland, who seemed equally in awe. While the large nobleman was doing a similar set of exercises, Elias came over to Alari.

  “You made this?” the older warrior asked, a note of incredulity in his voice.

  “I did, though it did take most of my mana and the better part of the night,” he said, embellishing the cost by a significant amount.

  “Do you have any idea how valuable it is?”

  “The levels I gained are based on the value, so I know it's worth a lot, but I don’t know exactly how much,” Alari admitted.

  “A noble might overlook it due to the hilt being of middling quality and lacking any ornamentation. However, any blade master worth their name or any soldier who gave a damn would recognize how special this is. I would probably pay a hundred gold for a blade like this,” Elias admitted.

  “A hundred?” Alari stammered.

  “A hundred? Closer to two with a slightly better hilt,” Roland chimed in as he finished his kata. The large man looked at the blade longingly, then offered it back to Alari.

  “Not all of us have that kind of spare coin,” Elias grumbled.

  “I know you joined us to repay a debt, but it's clear that you don’t need to be an adventurer to make your fortune. If you want, I would be willing to purchase this for a fair price, and you can be on your way,” Roland offered.

  Alari took a moment to consider the offer seriously: on the one hand, he no longer needed a way to make coins. However, the ambush on the road still played in his mind. Having a vast fortune but no way to defend himself, he would just end up with his throat slit. He needed their protection even more than he needed wealth. He also had a lot he needed to learn, both about the world and in more practical things, like how to fight. Surprisingly, he realized he was excited about delving. Not for the danger of it, but the prospect of seeing things radically different than on Earth.

  “I’m still willing to remain a Silver Blade, but I have a few conditions. First, I want training; I doubt I’ll ever be a blademaster or marksman, but I want to be proficient so I can protect myself. Second, I am a full member, just like all of you, no provisional status or lesser shares of the loot. I also expect everyone to defend me like they would any other member of this group. Third, my crafting isn’t something you can exploit. I know everyone is expected to contribute, but I’m not just going to give you all my items for free. I’d be willing to sell at a discount to the Silver Blades and to make minor repairs to everyone's equipment or identify unknown items. Fourth, no dispensing of justice individually, when at all possible; while I would prefer a rule of law, I recognize that, given the circumstances, that isn’t always possible. However, we can at least discuss incidents together and reach a consensus.”

  The group quickly exchanged glances, each nodding emphatically. Lia seemed the most pleased, a rare smile adorning her features.

  Elias spoke for all of them when they had reached a silent consensus. “All of that seems perfectly reasonable, and most of those were things we would have done anyway. The last one is a bit strange, but I don’t see that as a problem.”

  “What do you need to make more weapons? Can you create different types? What about armor?” Roland asked with uncontained exuberance.

  “Technically, all I need is raw material somewhat close to what the final product will be. That's why I took the smith's scrap metal. However, it's easier for me to improve on something closer in shape to what I’m making; this is the shortsword you purchased for me yesterday. There isn’t any reason why I couldn’t do different weapons and armor,” Alari explained.

  “Sounds like we are making another stop at the blacksmith,” Roland said with a broad grin.

  At Elias’s slight nod, the rest of the Silver Blades sprinted off with childlike glee. While they were gone, Elias and Alari made their way to the tailor’s shop. Given the early hour, the shop was still closed. Instead of waiting, Elias pounded on the door. The disheveled proprietress looked furious until she realized who was at the door. Judging by the bags under her eyes, she hadn’t gotten much sleep, but she remained professional. Alari quickly tried on each piece, confirming the alterations were satisfactory. They weren’t perfect, but they fit him better than anything he had owned.

  Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

  “For the inconvenience,” Elias said, handing her a silver coin. The tailor beamed, thanking him profusely.

  The rest of the group was waiting for them at the edge of town. A massive assortment of arms and armor was laid out on a burlap sheet. They had practically purchased all the smith's offerings. “Will these do?” Roland asked.

  “He isn’t a spatial mage, so you are going to have to carry all this,” Elias pointed out. The others just nodded eagerly and began packing their preferred items. When they had finished, their packs were noticeably bulkier. Roland’s was comically bulging, but he seemed unbothered. Despite the man’s impressive physique, Alari assumed he had a decent number of points allocated to Strength.

  “We have a long hike to the fort, so we'd best be off,” Elias said when everyone was ready.

  Alari didn’t know exactly how far it was, but he thought it was around fifty kilometers. Even if it wasn’t quite that far, it was undoubtedly an ambitious goal. Unfortunately, the others just nodded, seemingly unperturbed by the declaration.

  Fortunately, the terrain was easy: a dusty dirt road cut a straight path through the wilderness, with little elevation change. At first, Alari had no issues keeping up with the steady pace, but after a couple of hours, his muscles began to protest. His new clothes were drenched in sweat, and the uncomfortable gambeson didn’t help, chafing against his arms and thighs. His feet ached, forming blisters as he broke in the new boots. Still, he refused to whine and complain, doing his best to keep up, assuming they would call for a break soon.

  An hour later, Alari was stumbling and limping, his body protesting each movement. Elias, who had been consistently glancing in his direction, finally called for a stop. Alari shrugged his pack off and crumbled to the ground, drinking greedily from his second waterskin of the day.

  Elias came over to him and spoke in a hushed voice. “Sorry, we aren’t used to having a mage.”

  Alari noted that none of the others were tired or even winded. For them, this was likely just another day. “I’m the one who should be apologizing. I’ll do my best to keep up.”

  “I know you are trying, but your body is in a sorry state. I realize that isn’t your fault, but it is what it is. We can take things slow for the next few days; the rift is close to stabilizing, but not that close. However, once we get there, we can’t make accommodations for you.”

  “What are you saying?” Alari asked, confused about where Elias was hinting at.

  “We have a rule: no one can force you to spend your Talent Points. However, that doesn’t mean we don’t discuss things with each other. I’m sure you would prefer to spend your points on spells or mana, but you should strongly consider spending some points on physical attributes. At least until your body fills out a bit more.”

  “I’ll consider it,” Alari agreed reluctantly. While he had no intention to avoid physical attributes altogether, he had hoped to put it off until he had a wider array of spells and a more solidified mana pool. Still, what Elias said made sense. He was now in a physically demanding profession, and while he would never invest as much as a dedicated fighter, he needed to keep up.

  “Don’t beat yourself up about it. After this delve, you will likely have a decent amount of points to spend,” Elias said.

  “What do you mean?”

  “Do you know about the different ways of earning Talent Points?” Elias asked.

  “I know that you get a point for leveling in your Class. I also got some points for accomplishing things before unlocking the system, and I’ve heard that slaying monsters also gives a decent amount of points.”

  “Some points before the system, as in multiple points?” Elias asked. Alari just nodded, not wanting to elaborate. Elias looked at him suspiciously but continued, “That's all true, but one thing I’ll add is that each way of earning points is distinct from the other. Each subsequent point in the same category requires a percentage more than the previous one. As a result, the increase in power usually can’t keep pace with the increased thresholds. So, it's generally advantageous to pursue as many different categories as possible. You know the three most common: Prodigy, Class, and Slayer, but there are many others. Delver is one that is associated with adventurers. It specifically gives levels for absorbing the rift core, and is often considered the most valuable thing in a delve. While it’s often divided evenly among each party member, even Maeve wouldn’t bet against you getting the whole core from the next delve.”

  “Why is that?” Alari asked.

  Elias chuckled. “I’m sure everyone will be offering their share and some coins for you to make them a weapon. It’s what I intend to do. There are several other avenues to power: cultivation, often referred to as the wealth category, because of the enormous resources it requires. Usually, it involves consumption: natural treasures, elixirs, and pills. The primary ingredient in most refined recipes is essence cores harvested from monsters. Unlike the other paths, this doesn’t give you Talent Points. Instead, it gives specific Attributes or Feats, depending on what was consumed. Essence cores can also be consumed raw, but that is usually considered a waste, since the gains from refinement are much greater. This is also how most adventurers make their wealth.”

  “So, what’s stopping someone with deep pockets from becoming a god-like being with incredibly high attributes?” Alari asked.

  “Some have tried to walk that path. However, the rule of multiplying costs still applies to cultivation, but is slightly different. Instead of needing more experience for each subsequent point, each successive item consumed has a more profound backlash. That means the base ingredients must be more potent, the alchemist must be more skilled, and the consumer must endure increasingly painful tribulations. The latter is not for the faint of heart, as even a modestly powerful pill will induce a painful trial that makes a stabbing feel like a pleasant massage in comparison.”

  “I think I have another path similar to cultivation. There is a spell, Augment, which permanently increases an Attribute, but the mana cost increases for each time I’ve used the spell. I haven’t unlocked it yet, but it's definitely on the list of spells I’m considering,” Alari added.

  “That definitely sounds like it's worth considering. Next is insight, a deeper understanding of a concept or idea. It is one of the more challenging ways to gain points, but it is potent because it unlocks the ability to purchase supernatural feats related to that concept. As the insight deepens, more potent feats will embody the concept, and the lesser ones will be cheaper to purchase. The devotion track is similar, awarding modest points for the time and effort invested, but grants access to feats tied to the deity being worshiped. That is where Lia’s healing ability came from.”

  “So, there are more abilities than what I can purchase, and the cost of talents isn’t static?” Alari asked.

  “I would amend that to feats; attributes and skills are pretty static. I would be cautious about waiting for a Feat to be cheaper. A jump in insight or divine favor is not a small thing and may not come for decades, if at all. If there is a powerful Feat that you think would make a big difference, take it. You can make up the point or two you lost by having access to something that will get you more points sooner.”

  Alari inclined his head, “You have given me a lot to think over. Thank you for the knowledge.”

  “There is one final path to power: the one not found on any system screens. Every other path is building upon a foundation, so don’t neglect your base. Push your body and mind with intentionality. Get plenty of food and water, and don’t neglect your sleep by spending all night crafting.”

  Elias stood, calling for a return to the hike. Alari grumbled, but got to his feet. As he hiked, he realized he had learned more during a break in a hike than he had for years. This was why he had become an adventurer.

  patreon.com/IanBoyle