“We need spell scrolls, recipes, a base, dragon food…” Gideon counted off.

  Falcon crossed her arms.

  “Yeah, we desperately need money. I hoped that we’d be able to buy a place in the city after the dungeon.”

  “Oh!” Forge said.

  He summoned a chest from his ring.

  “I forgot about this. I still have that chest of scrolls I received as a reward from my first dungeon.”

  Opening the chest, he showed the contents to the party.

  “I never got them analyzed.”

  Gideon gave him a look.

  “Right, I have a chest of magic scrolls too, but I left them in my other pants.”

  Taking a scroll, he looked at it, then handed it to Falcon, who studied it with interest.

  “I can see the magic in the scrolls, but can’t read it. I need to either read up on it or spend the points to get the Magical Theory skill,” she said.

  Taking the scroll from the ranger, Lioness studied it for a moment.

  “It’s a spell scroll. Something to do with magical darkness.”

  She grinned at them.

  “I haven’t taken my specialty enchanting skill, but magical appraisal might not be bad to have.”

  “Well, I chose my specialty already,” Gideon said.

  “Sword-Adept, so let me know if you see any power scrolls.”

  “Do you have any points left over to bind your ring or a scroll?” Forge asked.

  Gideon looked at him, then at the rest of the party.

  “We really need a job.”

  Lioness studied all six scrolls and placed half of them back in the chest.

  She held up three scrolls.

  “We have a druidic spell: Earth Barrier, a somatic spell: Enhanced Reflexes, and an enchantment recipe for a Reflection Rune.”

  Falcon breathed out sharply.

  “Well, I guess that confirms the System planned this.”

  “What are the other spell scrolls?” Gideon asked.

  “Darkness, Acid Strike, and Levitate,” Lioness answered.

  Gideon whistled appreciatively.

  “Expensive spells! That’ll put a dent in our budget.”

  Falcon grimaced.

  “Yeah, and we’re taking spells from Forge that he could sell for even more money.”

  Forge waved it off.

  “We’re a team, and with any luck, we’ll be together for a very long time. So, let’s stop thinking ‘I’ and more ‘us’.”

  Before anyone could go off on a tangent, Forge continued.

  “You all have magic classes, which means we need to budget out your remaining points carefully.”

  He pointed to Falcon.

  “Casters take drain, so you’ll need to increase your Willpower attribute.”

  She nodded in agreement.

  “Also, I’ll need to increase my Spellcasting skill,” she added.

  “Did you get a magic specialization?” Gideon asked.

  The ranger took another bite of her fig and shook her head.

  “No. I got Spellcasting and Commune,”

  “Ah,” he said, nodding.

  She stared at him.

  “You don’t know what Commune does, do you?”

  “I do not,” he said, grabbing another piece of sausage and frowning at the hardened blob of cheese that was now stuck to the board.

  “It allows me to meditate and bond with an area, then affect it.”

  Forge wrote the information down.

  “How big of an area, and how long to commune with it?”

  Falcon studied her screen.

  “At Tier One, 100-feet. And it takes an hour to establish the bond.”

  Forge nodded.

  “Nice! And points?”

  “I have six points left. If I spend two on binding the Earth Barrier spell, I can use the last four to either increase my Shortbow skill, take a Spellcasting specialization and bank the last two points, or spend three to increase my willpower.”

  “Increase willpower and bank the last point,” Lioness said.

  “Now that you have a mana-gate open, you can bind a magic item, and that’s going to cost a point as well,” she explained.

  “Plus, you don’t want to be knocked unconscious by your own spell,” Gideon said.

  Readily agreeing, Falcon spent the points, then picked up the scroll.

  “I can’t wait to bind this. I’ll be able to cast actual magic!”

  Forge turned to Gideon.

  “Out of points?”

  The swordsman laughed.

  “Yeah, my next point goes to bind the spell, and the one after that, to bind the ring.”

  He pulled the ring out from under his shirt and stared at it.

  “I had no plans on doing anything with it before, but now that we have a good luck charm in the party, it makes sense to see what sort of enchantment it has on it.”

  “Can’t you just get it magically appraised?” Falcon asked.

  The swordsman shook his head.

  “Locked by blood. So only someone in the family line can bind it and see what it does.”

  “A mystery. I love it!” Falcon said.

  Leaning away from the ranger, Gideon tucked the ring back under his shirt.

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  “Stay back, grabby.”

  Falcon and Cinder laughed, and Lioness threw a look at Forge.

  “Children. Our team is full of children.”

  Forge laughed as well, then gestured to the cleric.

  “And you?”

  Lioness bit her lip.

  “I have a few options for my specialty skill, and I still haven’t taken my general class.”

  Gideon’s attention turned fully on the cleric.

  “Oooh…I know that tone. You found something you’re interested in and aren’t sure if you should take it.”

  She tried to give the swordsman a hard stare, but ended up laughing as well.

  “I guess I am rather transparent.”

  The tall cleric took a sip from her beer, as if trying to gain strength for her argument.

  “Well, it would make sense to specialize in Arcane Appraisal, since that would allow me to verify magic items immediately and not spend money on getting them appraised.”

  “Buuuut…” Gideon said, leaning forward with interest.

  “There’s a specialization. Tattoo Enchanter.”

  Falcon grinned.

  “That. Is. Awesome!”

  Gideon looked scandalized.

  “A Tattoo Enchanter? I thought only sailors and criminals got tattoos.”

  He turned to Forge.

  “Your tattoo notwithstanding, of course.”

  “Hey! Honos himself gave me this divine tattoo when I became a paladin.”

  The party all stared at him.

  “Wait. Honos himself tattooed you?”

  Forge shrugged.

  “I don’t know. It just sort of burned into me and I didn’t realize what had happened until later.”

  He looked up.

  “Oh, and he might have talked to me through my System messages.”

  “What did he say?” Lioness asked excitedly.

  “When I got my armor, I got a weird System message.”

  He had bookmarked the message and now brought it up to read to the party.

  System Message: Greetings Paladin Forge!

  System Message: May This Armor Protect You.

  System Message: May You Protect The World.

  System Message: Be The World You Wish To Protect.

  “Huh. That’s weird. It’s a divine item, so it could be whoever created it or the god himself. How are divine items made, anyway?” Gideon asked.

  Lioness shrugged.

  “Paladins are directly chosen by the gods, so there’s a direct connection there. So, if they were going to speak to anyone, it would be them. As for how divine armor is made, I have no idea.”

  “Maybe it requires an enchanter that walks the Path of the Divine,” Falcon said.

  “Definitely something to look into,” Forge agreed.

  He smiled at the cleric.

  “Personally, I think Tattoo Enchanting sounds incredible. And it ensures you can’t lose your foci.”

  She smiled warmly back at him.

  “Remember when I told you I was born with the Perform skill? Well, I enjoy painting and am pretty good at it. I think it kind of fits, right?”

  Gideon smiled weakly at Lioness.

  “Don’t tattoos hurt?”

  “Oh, don’t be a baby. You nearly got killed by a hydra-goose falling on you. I think you can handle a little pain,” Falcon said.

  He crossed his arms and leaned back in his chair.

  “That’s different. During battle, I have adrenaline coursing through me, and don’t have a say in the matter. But sitting in a chair and having a needle stuck in me repeatedly sounds like torture.”

  “There’s another benefit,” Lioness said.

  “You can’t upgrade normal enchanted items, but you can continuously upgrade a tattoo focus over time,” she explained.

  “I want to bind my cloak next, but after that, my skin is your canvas,” Forge said.

  “So, we all agree?” she asked.

  The party nodded, and she closed her eyes and made her choice.

  “Alright, I’ve selected it,” she said, giving Gideon a significant look.

  She grinned at the group.

  “As I don’t need to bind any spells or powers, I have seven points left to spend and can still choose a general class. Or I could bump up a stat or increase my short sword skill.”

  Forge wrote a note in his notebook and looked up at Lioness.

  “You were right before about being the only one of us that’s making money outside of jobs and dungeons. If you want to take the Crafter class and specialize in tattoos, you can even sell normal ones, and that will leave you four points.”

  “I need to keep at least one point in reserve to enchant with. Apparently you spend a point during the process, and if you’re successful, you get the point back,” she said.

  “Crafting class and a stat bump?” Falcon asked.

  “How about increasing your enchanting specialization to Tier Two?” Gideon said.

  Lioness made a face.

  “Enchanting will help us with money and overall power, but I feel like it won’t help me on jobs right away.”

  “Think about it for a bit, then make your decision. We can go over what I’m going to do next in the meantime,” Forge said.

  The cleric nodded gratefully, and Forge opened his System screen.

  “I have 15 points to work with. I need to increase my Willpower, and that’s six points, so that brings me down to nine. It’s nine points to raise one of my spells to Tier Three, or I can spend six points to raise one of my two Tier One spells up to Tier Two.”

  “What spells are at Tier One?” Gideon asked.

  “My regeneration ability, Pyromancy, and the Summon Fire Elemental spell.”

  “Raise your regeneration ability. It will keep you alive. The rest can wait,” Gideon said immediately.

  The others agreed and Forge first increased his Willpower, then his Burning Blood ability.

  His Spellbook had changed.

  Somatic Spells:

  Burning Blood: Tier 2 - The Fire In Your Blood Provides A Passive Regeneration, Healing You For 1 Hitpoint Every 30 Seconds.

  Pyromancy: Tier 1 – The Mysteries Of Fire Are Now Yours To Know. Control Flames Within 20 Feet.

  Mana Spells:

  Magma Tentacle: Tier 2 - Create Two 20-foot Blue Magma Tentacles That Act As An Extension Of Your Body. Heat Can Be Reduced At Will.

  Firebolt: Tier 2 - Launch A Bolt Of Blue Fire Up To 200 Feet Away.

  Summon Fire Elemental: Tier 1 - Summon A Small Fire Elemental For 1 Minute. Connected Via Telepathic Bond.

  Once again, Forge noticed the change in the amount of information provided by the System and wondered what the difference would be once he opened even more mana-gates.

  Quickly reading off his new abilities, he waited for feedback from the team.

  “Three points left, and you said you wanted to hold on to a point to bind your cloak, right?” Falcon asked.

  “That’s right. I was thinking I should either increase my Mace Skill next or raise one of my spells up to Tier Three.”

  “What’s your skill level with your mace currently?” Gideon asked.

  “Three, because of the mace’s buff.”

  “Then definitely upgrade a spell,” Falcon said.

  “Which one, though?”

  Gideon and Falcon shared a look, then both grinned at him.

  “Completely up to you. However, we think you should upgrade the tentacles. If they freak us out, imagine our enemies,” Gideon said with a grin.

  Forge considered it, then nodded.

  He made a note in his book.

  “Agreed. Though I must admit, I’m excited to increase the summon spell. It seems like a game changer.”

  Lioness held up a hand.

  “I’m taking the Crafting Class and increasing my Strength. In the end, it means a better product, more money, and still allows me to improve my combat ability.”

  Pleased at their choices, Forge finished his notes and took in the joyous faces of his team.

  Today had been a good day.

  ***

  Zap marched up to the gates of the Sturdevant manor.

  A guard on the opposite side of the black iron gate stepped over and peered up at him through the bars.

  “The master is not taking visitors now. Please schedule an appointment with Jeffrey, the head steward, and he will place you on the schedule.”

  “Get me Jeffrey,” Zap growled.

  “I’m sorry, but that’s quite impossible. It’s past the hours reserved for…”

  His words cut off as Zap leaped up and over the 20-foot-high gate, then stood looming over him.

  “Take me to Jeffrey, now.” Zap growled.

  The guard looked terrified and struggled to keep his hand well away from the arming sword he wore on his hip.

  “I can’t. Doing that will get me sacked, or worse.”

  Zap considered the man. He had to give him credit. He hadn’t backed down, though he obviously knew he wouldn’t be able to stop him.

  “Fine,” Zap said, casting his Mana-Stun spell at the guard.

  Catching him before he hit the ground, Zap threw the man over his shoulder, then laid him down on the nearby grass.

  He spotted another guard by the house, and two more patrolling the grounds.

  Not bothering to follow the path up to the house, he marched through the manicured lawn, not bothering to stop when the guards shouted at him.

  The two guards patrolling the area to the side of the manor drew their swords and rushed towards him, while the guard in front turned and darted inside.

  He knew his illusion spell made him look like a rather large, threatening, red bearded human, but the guards didn’t seem to care.

  He kept an eye on them as they raced to get between him and the manor, but didn’t bother changing his steady pace.

  A guard broke away and charged him from the side.

  Not bothering to stop, Zap struck the sword with a backhand slap, causing the guard to fall over, and the sword to fly off into the night.

  The guard in front of him backed up as he approached, his sword pointed at him.

  “Get the city guard!” he yelled.

  Turning, Zap pointed a finger at the man running for the open gate, and cast his Mana-Stun spell, dropping the guard to the ground.

  “You killed him!” the guard screamed as he dove forward in an attempt to catch him by surprise.

  Zap didn’t bother blocking the strike. The guard had obviously aimed for his groin, but as his illusionary form was shorter than his true size, the sword merely bounced off his leg armor.

  To simply strike the guard with his knee would have been easy, but he didn’t want to kill anyone. Yet.

  He grabbed the man by the belt as he walked and tossed him ahead, sending him tumbling onto the long stone porch.

  Zap stomped up the stairs and knocked one meaty fist on the door.

  Tentatively, the door opened, and a man stood before him in a formal jacket over pajamas.

  “I’m sorry, sir. The master is not seeing any guests at the moment. You’ll need to come back another time.”

  Zap nearly grinned at the man’s temerity, but losing one of his own was still too fresh a memory.

  “Are you Jeffrey?” he growled out.

  The man’s face turned a shade paler, but he maintained his poise.

  “I am. Is there something I can help you with?” he asked.

  “You hired a Guildy to find a girl. That girl was under my protection, and now the Guildy’s dead.”

  If the man could have turned paler, he would have.

  “I…yes. I hired an adventurer to find a girl. Another house asked me to do this as a favor, since I had worked with Gold Talon before.”

  Zap studied the man. It was obvious he was telling the truth, but it meant the situation was getting more complicated.

  “Which house?” he demanded.

  “Count Drascol’s man requested it.”

  Zap nodded. He’d heard of the Count and knew he had a connection to the city’s royal family.

  “Alright. Thank you,” he said, turning around and heading back towards the gate.

  Time was running out, and he’d need to bring Jackal into this.

  He cursed under his breath.

  This was going from bad to worse.