Despite his broken arm, Luis tried to insist on cooking for everyone. That idea was immediately voted down, and they settled for picking from the sanctuary provisions. They mostly ate in silence, too exhausted to converse. The magnitude of the catastrophe they had just prevented was finally starting to feel real, and Jade kept imagining what would have happened had they failed. Would all those demons have gone to Earth? How powerful would they have been? What would they have done? She didn't know, but she needed to find out.
While she ate, Jade finally turned her attention to her stack of waiting notifications. Stressing over what-ifs and factors she couldn't control wasn't helpful, and the distraction was welcome. The first prompts were a series of level-up notifications. Jade had expected the day's events to give her a boost, but the magnitude caught her by surprise.
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Level Up!
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You have reached Level 21.
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Reward: +2 stat points.
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Level Up!
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You have reached Level 22.
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Reward: New class feature
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Reward: +2 stat points.
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Level Up!
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You have reached Level 23.
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Reward: +2 stat points.
"Woah." Jade said to herself, blinking in surprise.
Between the enemies she had defeated, the quest to destroy the Core, and a hidden quest to be the first party to destroy an Earth Core, she had risen three levels. A quick check-in with the rest of her companions confirmed that they'd all received similar bursts of growth. Tara and Fenrin had only risen two levels each, they didn't share the same Earth-related quests, but Luis and Naomi had also jumped a few levels. The final tally left Jade at 23, Luis at 21, and Naomi at 20. That pushed all of them into C-rank, although Luis and Naomi lacked the titles required to receive advanced classes.
After a round of tired but heartfelt congratulations, she returned to her system messages. Her title page opened to reveal a new entry.
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Title: Champion of Earth
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Awarded for being a member of the first party to destroy an Earth Core.
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Twenty Cores on the third floor. Thousands of wayfarers. An elite force of interloping demons. Against all odds, you've done it. You were the first to rise to the challenge and emerge victorious.
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Reward: One upgrade point.
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System Notice
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For destroying the Core with fewer than half the allowed raid party members your 'upgrade point' has been elevated to a 'superior upgrade point'.
This was another notification that Naomi and Luis had also received. A superior upgrade point, Tara excitedly explained, was able to bring a 'C' rank ability all the way to 'B' rank in one go. Alternatively, it could be used to upgrade an ability, even one that had already been enhanced. Jade was already sitting on two regular upgrade points from earlier titles. She'd have to consider how to spend them carefully.
The last system message was a quest.
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New Quest: The Secret of This World
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An ancient, powerful race of demons are imprisoned in the heart of this world and are close to escaping. Will you fight to stop them?
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Objective: Find one of the demon ritual sites on the fourth floor.
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Reward: Massive experience gain.
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Accept? (Y/N)
This window was unlike any Jade had seen before. It flickered in and out of her vision, and the text was obscured by a static-like distortion. It also affected the Voice of the Labyrinth's narration, although not to the same extent. The experience was unsettling.
"Was anyone else's quest box… weird?"
"Mine was." Naomi nodded, blinking away her system screens. "It was like something was interfering with it."
"Same here. I've never heard of anything like it." Tara said from where she sat on a bedroll near the sanctuary's campfire.
"We've been hearing that a lot ever since we got here." Luis said. They'd rigged up a sling for his broken arm, and he was carefully unequipping his gear with his good one. "Do you think the demons escaping are why the Labyrinth has been so messed up?"
"I bet you're right." Jade had been too tired to make the connection, but once Luis said it, she was sure he was on the mark. "It's like it's starting to break down."
"Even more reason to warn everyone else." Fenrin said. The half-elf was still pale, but some color had returned to his face. Naomi sat beside him, helping him get settled.
Jade grunted an agreement and accepted the quest, which added itself to her log. That was something they could worry about after a good night's rest. There weren't any more notifications of note, so Jade turned her attention to the whip Naomi had grabbed for her. She had never so much as held one before but, as soon as she grasped the haft in her hand, she innately understood how to wield it. Another benefit of the class proficiencies she'd gained all the way back on her first day in the Labyrinth. Back then, Damos, the Labyrinth attendant, had joined her in sanctuaries. They had tried to summon him when they first entered this one, but none of the attendants had appeared to offer any explanations or advice.
Typical.
For better or worse, they were on their own.
Jade sighed, pulling up the whip's information.
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Subjugation
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Rarity: Rare
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Requirements: Can only be wielded by a succubus.
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This enchanted whip strikes with unerring precision, easily slipping past defenses and penetrating armor and spell barriers. Wielding this whip enhances the 'Allure' spell, granting it greater duration and potency. When you successfully strike a target with Subjugation you may choose to apply either the 'Will Breaker' debuff or the 'Motivated' buff.
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Will Breaker: Applies a temporary penalty to the creature's willpower. This debuff stacks, and stacks are reduced by one for each minute that elapses without a successful strike on the target.
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Motivated: Choose one of the target's stats to raise by 10% for up to ten minutes. This buff does not stack, but its duration can be reset with additional strikes.
"Oh, this is going to be fun." Jade said, grinning as she closed the description.
"What is?" Naomi asked.
"You'll see."
"You have that look in your eyes again, Jade."
"What look?"
"That one."
"I don't have a look."
"You definitely do." Tara said, lying down on her bedroll, careful to keep her injured arm out of the way.
"Whatever." Jade huffed, hooking Subjugation to her hip beside Phantom. The whip had a dark, almost obsidian color to it, and the lash was the same spade-like shape as the tip of her tail. It felt good to hold, like it was made for her.
The group settled in for the night. Jade decided to defer selecting her new class feature until she was rested, she was in no state to carefully consider her options at the moment. They had won the battle only to find that the road ahead was yet long, with a destination unknown. Jade could feel the emotions of her friends, an odd mixture of triumph and trepidation, combined with an undercurrent of mourning. She wished she could think of something to say to Fenrin, but what could one say to alleviate the suffering of loss?
Fuck. I've never been good at this.
Jade paused at the opening to a tent, about to slip inside. A few months ago, she would have decided that there was nothing she could do, and that trying would be a waste of time.
But that's not right.
It wasn't what Alan had done. Jade remembered a time when she had been alone, her future snatched away. She had wanted to be alone. But it wasn't what she had needed. Her brother had understood that.
Jade turned, retracing her steps as she walked back across the cave, stopping beside Fenrin. The elf was leaning against a rock beside his tent, staring blankly into the flickering fire. He slowly looked up at Jade as she approached and gave her a smile that she didn't need demonic empathy to know was forced.
"I'll be okay, Jade. Thanks."
She lowered herself to the ground, sliding against the rock until they were sitting side by side.
It isn't about what you say. It's about showing them that you care.
"How did you meet?"
"Huh?" Fenrin blinked.
Jade gave him a sad smile. She was still filthy, still garbed in her ridiculous armor, and her entire body ached from the beating she had endured. But all of that could wait. She had friends, now. Real friends. And this time, she wasn't going to ignore them.
"You and Mimi. How did you find her?"
The others, seeing them together, gathered around. They sat by the fire together, waiting for Fenrin to be ready.
It didn't take long.
"I had just turned thirteen." He began, his eyes growing distant. "It was the first time my father took me on one of his expeditions. We were travelling through a jungle quadrant, but not like the one we were just in. This one was full of bright flowers and fast rivers. We came into this clearing, the first break in the undergrowth in hours, and there she was. Flutterbeaks are magical beasts, you know, not monsters created by the Labyrinth. She was on the ground hopping around, facing off against this big wildcat. One of her wings was broken, but Mimi was never one to care about being outmatched. When I first saw her…"
Jade and the others listened, smiling as Fenrin recounted the many memories he and his familiar had made together. The aching pain she felt in his heart didn't fade, but over the hours they stayed up with him, it did ease. A little.
And if there was one thing Jade had learned, it was that a little support could go a long way.
The End of Book 2.
(Epilogue to come)