Return

Botz, Brad

Foreword

Welcome to Book 2 in the Earth Reformation series. In this book, the next section will contain Ivor's Skills, Titles and Inheritance effects as of the end of the previous book. I'm not including his stats in this one because, spoiler, they change right at the start. So, you're not missing out on much. Future books will include Ivor's stats as well.

If you like this approach or don't like it, you can reach out to me on Substack (bradbotzbooks dot substack dot com) to interact with me and get free updates on upcoming books emailed to you.

With each book, I try to limit the stat dumping and I generally only detail a skill or spell if there is a change to it. If I feel it's been a while since he used that skill, I may also choose to detail it rather than have the reader flip back to the front of the book.

Ivor's Skills, Titles and Inheritance

This is a list of Ivor's Skills, Titles and Inheritance information at the end of Evaluation - Earth Reformation Book 1.

Skills

Pre-Class/Profession Skills

Blend (Unique) - Passive/Active

Passive

You blend in to your environment whether urban or rural. This skill makes you incredibly hard to detect at a distance. In a crowd, you are impossible to find. People won't notice you easily when you are standing still, even in plain sight. In any rural environment, you easily blend into the surroundings making you nearly invisible. Slow movement is very hard to detect by anyone equal to or below Epic level. Extreme movement and clashing colors can reduce this ability. This is an innate ability.

Active

You can trigger blend to create an aura of forgetfulness. Anyone within 15 meters that has seen you will forget your passage. This affect uses mana. The aura is undetectable to anyone below Epic level.

Blunt Weapons (Master) - Passive

Provides a 100% increase to weapon damage when using Blunt weapons

Explosives (Master) - Passive

Explosives deal 100% more damage

Loot (Advanced) - Active

Loot anything that can be looted. Mostly monsters, other beings and dungeon denizens. Loot settings will appear in your overlay.

Short Bladed Weapons (Master) - Passive

Provides a 100% increase to weapon damage when using Short Bladed Weapons

Solo Contributor (Master) - Passive

You do 100% more damage and receive 100% more rewards when operating alone.

Spear (Expert) - Passive

Provides a 50% increase to weapon damage when using Spears

Tactician (Master) - Active

The System will augment your already highly tactical mind by identifying areas to ambush, set traps, and see weak spots in enemies themselves and their tactics. You can [Identify] Level only when you use [Tactician]

Trap Creation (Expert) - Active

Your Traps are 50% harder to detect (offsets Trap Detection skill)

Your Traps use 25% less material and Mana to create

Trap Detection (Expert) - Passive

You are 50% more likely to detect traps

Unarmed Combat (Master) - Passive

Provides a 100% increase to damage when using no weapons

Null Class Skills

Null Shield (Expert) - Active

Create a shield of Null space. Anything that interacts with the shield becomes nothing. Caution: This shield does not discriminate

Null Manipulation (Expert) - Active

Improve your ability to manipulate Null space.

Null Storage - Passive

You are able to access a storage created in Null space. The capacity of this space will increase with your personal level and Null Manipulation level.

Artificer Profession Skills

Construct Creation (Advanced) - Active

Create constructs up to your skill level. Requires construct blueprint and materials.

Enchant Armor (Advanced) - Active

Enchant armor up to your skill level. Requires armor, runes and materials.

Enchant Object (Expert) - Active

Enchant non-animate objects up to your skill level. Requires non-animate object, runes and materials.

Enchant Weapons (Expert) - Active

Enchant weapons up to your skill level. Requires weapon, runes and materials.

Mana Manipulation (Expert) - Active

Manipulate the flow of mana. Useful for enchanting, rituals, runic circles, alchemy, some spell casting, etc…

Analyze (Advanced) - Active

Concentrate on an inanimate object to learn its secrets. More information can be revealed at higher levels.

Titles

Perfect Start

You have reached 100 in all stats before choosing a Class or Profession

All Pre-Class/Profession skills move up one level

All new skills start at Advanced level

Epic level and below Classes/Professions are available at every Class/Profession Evolution

Receive an additional four free stat points per level

Dungeon Specialist

You have completed 100 dungeons

You have completed a dungeon 50 levels above your own

All dungeon cooldowns are halved

More information is available to you in the dungeon description

Experience earned by you or your party increased by 50%

New types of rewards available for dungeon completion

You can raise the level of a dungeon up to the highest recommended level of a dungeons you have completed

You can lower the level of a dungeon down to the lowest level of member in your party

Note: Dungeon reverts to previous level after use or failure to attempt dungeon

Note: Failure attempt the changed dungeon will result in all party members being locked out of dungeons for 7 days.

Note: Repeated failures to attempt changed dungeons will result in loss of title

Vamhael Inheritance

Strength +50%

Constitution + 50%

Endurance + 50%

Agility + 50%

Willpower + 100%

Health Regeneration Rate + 100%

Stamina Regeneration Rate + 100%

Chapter One

Evaluation ending in

5:00….

4:59…

4:58…

.

.

.

0:03…

0:02…

0:01…

Transferring….

Class not found…

Class not found? That may be due to the Unique class…. or did Zed choose Null for a reason?

Profession found…

Profession has been deprecated…

System adjudication requested…

Well, shit. Ivor thought as everything went white.

Ivor knew from his it experience that being deprecated meant that a piece of software or code may still work, but it's not recommended to keep using it. He didn't know what that meant in this context. Right now, he is a disembodied consciousness. He tried mentally contacting Zed, but there was no reply. He couldn't bring up his overlay, and he couldn't access his [Null Storage]. New messages appeared.

System adjudication complete….

No fault judgement rendered….

Inheritance detected….

Inheritance overrides complete Profession removal…

Mana Manipulation retained…

Analyze retained…

Choose one remaining skill…

Skill 1 - Construct Creation…

Skill 2 - Enchant Armor…

Skill 3 - Enchant Object…

Skill 4 - Enchant Weapons…

Ivor read the messages. It was better than he originally thought. Looking at his options, he immediately discarded Construct Creation. It didn't fit his style, and it was even more expensive in materials than the other options.

Also, he didn't really enjoy it. He also discarded Enchant Armor. He already knew an Epic level armorer, Quanzul. When it came down to it, he already had the weapons he needed for quite some time. He could find a weapon enchanter through Aza or Esqin anyway. He knew he enjoyed Enchant Object. The explosive traps he had created fit his fighting style. There was a much broader range of things he could enchant, thereby learning more runes in the Vamhael Rune Codex. Ivor selected Skill 3.

You have selected Skill 3 - Enchant Object…

Confirm you wish to retain the skill Enchant Object - Yes/No

Ivor selected Yes. More notifications appeared.

Choose a Profession from the list:

A large list of Professions to choose from appeared. Obviously, Artificer wasn't on this list. There were probably others that weren't on the list Zed had presented to him in the Evaluation, but Ivor didn't pay that close of attention. Ivor and Zed weren't exactly sure what was going to happen during the return. So, they had only briefly touched on potential options.

Ivor wanted something a bit generic. After talking with Zed, it seemed like the more generic the initial Profession, the greater the potential Evolutions were. Ivor also wanted something that would compliment his desire to keep getting stronger and explore more dungeons, other worlds, etc… If he was going to be getting the penalty for having a Class and Profession, something similar to a combat class would make it easier to gain experience in both at the same time. Ivor was also thinking about something that wouldn't raise suspicion if he was out in the wild.

He was looking for something that everyone would need in this new world but wouldn't draw attention. He found the perfect fit.

You have selected the Profession - Hunter…

Do you want to choose this Profession? - Yes/No

Ivor selected Yes.

Transfer resumed…

Transfer complete in :05…

:04…

:03…

:02…

:01…

Ivor's senses came back to him along with his physicality. He was standing inside the cabin he had built in New Mexico. He heard a loud commotion somewhere outside. Taking a step towards the door, Ivor slammed into the ceiling.

“Zed, are you there?” Ivor asked.

“Ivor, it worked.” Zed was clearly relieved.

“Something is going on outside, but I'm having trouble adjusting to the lower gravity,” Ivor said.

“This may sound odd, but I suggest trying to crawl before you walk,” Zed replied

Ivor took Zed's advice and slowly crawled to the door. The cabin was small. So it wasn't like he had far to crawl. Reaching up to the door knob, Ivor opened the door.

He crawled across the small covered porch and grabbed onto the porch railing. Slowly pulling himself up to a standing position, Ivor looked out on a strange scene. It looked like two different types of monsters were fighting.

There were a pack of three wolf looking things, and one thing that was sort of cat like. The cat-like monster, it was hard to get details as the thing was moving constantly, was getting the upper hand. One of the wolf monsters was down, and the other two looked about ready to drop or run.

There was something nagging at Ivor's subconscious as he watched the battle. Then it came to him. Without thinking, Ivor pulled a spare ball bearing from his [Null Storage]. While still holding onto the railing with one hand, he side-armed the ball bearing at one of the wolf monsters. There was a loud crack as the ball bearing broke the sound barrier. It was carrying so much kinetic energy that the wolf monster disintegrated into a fine mist when the ball bearing hit.

That distraction was all the cat-like monster needed to swipe a massive paw down on the last wolf monster. It turned to face its newest threat. Ivor finally got a good look at the monster. He couldn't believe it. It was missing a third of one of its tails and a large chunk was missing from one of its four ears.

“Kitty?” Ivor asked.

The cat-like monster cocked its head like a dog would. Almost like it heard something familiar. Then it started to growl. It got low to the ground while moving towards Ivor on the porch.

When it was within six meters, there was a small butt wiggle. It pounced. Ivor snatched the cat out of the air with one hand, and slammed it onto the porch.

Holding it down on the porch, Ivor yelled, Bad Kitty!!”

Instantly, Kitty stopped moving. Ivor pulled some meat he had brought with him in his storage, and tossed it onto the ground in front of the porch.

Tossing Kitty towards the meat, Ivor waited. Kitty landed and immediately turned to growl at him.

Ivor said the phrase he always said to Kitty when he had special food for her, “You want Kitty Food?”

Again, Kitty cocked her head to the side. Something must have clicked in that monster brain of hers. She stopped growling and approached the meat. It was a large raw chunk of Vamhael boar. She immediately started devouring it. When she was done, Ivor said the same phrase and tossed out another chunk. He didn't have an unlimited supply, but it was worth it to him. Monster or not, that old cat had been his companion at the end.

Ivor used his new version of [Identify] that came with the Hunter Profession.

Mutated Earth Feline (Level 10)

Highest Stat: Agility

Immunities: None

His new [Identify] skill didn't disappoint. She definitely was a monster and not an animal anymore. That may be a problem, but she was no danger to Ivor.

“You never mentioned having a pet,” Zed chimed in.

“I didn't, not really. We were both on our last legs. She was just a stray, and I gave her a safe place to get better.

She stuck around, but mostly stayed outdoors. I built a cat door for her to get out of the cold. I think we had an understanding,” Ivor explained.

“It is not uncommon for the System to mutate familiar animals. There are probably still normal felines on the planet. It does seem a bit odd that the System would place that particular monster back here.”

Kitty was definitely different. Easily 45 kilos, she was 10 times her previous size. In addition to the extra ears and tails, her body was shaped differently.

She was much wider and more muscular. Her fur was much more coarse, almost like layered armor rather than fur. Her face was more elongated.

Where there were normally fine whiskers above her eye brows were two appendages of some sort. They seemed like they moved independently of each other. Maybe some kind of sensory organ.

After eating three large chunks of Vamhael boar, Kitty looked at Ivor and trotted off. He took it as a good sign that she didn't just bolt. He was finally ready to take stock of what had changed, both on Earth and with himself.

First, the area around his cabin had definitely changed. Gone was the rocky ground and sparse but hearty vegetation. In its place was rich grass and lots of pine trees.

Furthermore, massive mountains seemed to be all around. As Ivor held onto the porch railing, he slowly shuffled around to the side of the cabin. Behind his cabin, the grass sloped at a gentle decline until it reached a small lake.

His original assessment was correct, he was completely surrounded by mountains. Really, really big mountains.

The lake was being fed by a small waterfall coming out of a crack in one of the mountains. On the opposite end of the lake, a stream eventually disappeared into the base of another mountain. For lack of a better phrase, the view was stunning.

Ivor was physically ready to explore. So, he slowly shuffled back to the porch.

“What now, Zed?”

“Is the village crystal still in your [Null Storage]?” Zed asked.

Right. He had used his [Null Storage] when he pulled out the ball bearing. Obviously, he still had his Null Class or at least the skills. Ivor pulled the village crystal out.

“You can take the crystal outside before we try this. I don't know what will happen to your cabin if the System approves this request,” Zed cautioned.

“I have no sentimentality to this cabin. It was functional. If we replace it with something like the Admin building, I won't complain,” Ivor reassured Zed.

“Ok. Set the crystal on the floor, and I'll ping the System.”

Ivor put the crystal on the floor. This crystal was composed of the 400 other village crystals Zed had absorbed during the Evaluation. According to Zed, this crystal was the equivalent to a city with nearly a million people in it. Ivor wasn't sure what was going to happen, but he was confident Zed had a plan.

Notifications immediately popped up in his overlay.

System adjudication requested by Sector Zero Administrator….

System adjudication granted….

Sector Zero Administrator proposes plan for Kemble Freehold…

Earth World Guardian objects….

Earth Sector Administrator abstains….

Sector Zero Administrator plan for Kemble Freehold granted…

…

The following conditions will be upheld by the System…

Condition 1: The Freehold will consist only of the current valley and all mountains directly adjacent to the valley.

Condition 2: The Freehold will not expand beyond the original boundaries.

Condition 3: There shall be no more than 100 permanent residents in the Freehold

Condition 4: The Freehold is allowed the choice of 10 Tier 1, or lower, buildings. These buildings cannot be upgraded, replaced or substituted. There is no time limit to choose.

Condition 5: The Freehold has 30 days to find a suitable Freehold Guardian.

Condition 6: The Freehold will be nullified if a world ending event is triggered in the Freehold.

Condition 7: Newly integrated world rules do not apply to the Freehold

Condition 8: Kemble Freehold will exist in perpetuity.

Yes Zed's jubilant exclamation was so out of character, Ivor was a bit shocked.

“What happened to my calm, stoic companion?” Ivor gave a mental chuckle.

“Apologies Ivor. I am not sure what came over me. The System gave us much more than I even hoped for. That is despite the World Guardian objecting.”

“Is the Earth World Guardian going to be a problem?” Ivor asked.

“Possible, but I do not see why it would care. Yes, we are taking a chunk of its world, but it is a very, very tiny chunk with no chance of growing. I suppose time will tell.”

“Ok, what's next?” Ivor seemed to be catching Zed's excitement.

“I think you should get the following Tier 1 buildings immediately: Administration Building, Shield and Travel Circle.”

“Ok. Let's start with the Administration Building,” Ivor replied.

“Excellent choice. You have lots of options with a Tier 1 Administration Building, and it is configurable and changeable. It is one of the very few buildings that does not fall under Condition 4. You could keep it like your cabin, although I would suggest something a little more comfortable, or you could make it a castle.”

“I don't want or need a castle. Is there something like a Manor house? Can you show me examples?”

“Absolutely,” Zed responded.

Ivor and Zed spent the next hour going over the final layout of the Admin building/Manor. It turned out, he could fully customize the thing, but they actually found a layout that worked. Ivor was hoping he could at least get Marie and her team out here. He settled on one with plenty of bedrooms with their own bathrooms. It had a library, a formal dining room, another room that could be an office or something else, plus a basement with a number of rooms that could be repurposed into crafting rooms.

Next, Zed explained the shield. It was designed to hide the Freehold, primarily. It would also allow Ivor to specify who and what could come and go. That made Ivor pretty happy. Zed explained that the building process for these would take some time.

Zed showed Ivor a new section in the settings of his overlay. It was a top down view of the Freehold. It allowed him to place the buildings where he wanted. The System would build everything over the course of a month or so. When Ivor asked about the Evaluation buildings, Zed explained that those were not Tier 1 buildings. They were easier to build and could be done by the local World Guardian.

Ivor queued the buildings up. He left the village crystal in his cabin. He stepped out onto the porch and pulled up his stats.

Ivor Kemble (Human)

Credits: 7,492,356

Level: 1

Class: [Null]

Profession: Hunter

Strength: 100 (150)

Agility: 101 (151)

Endurance: 101 (151)

Constitution: 100 (150)

Intelligence: 128

Wisdom: 128

Willpower: 100 (200)

Perception: 122

Health: 1501

Mana: 1274

Stamina: 1660

Free Stat Points: 11

Ivor blew out an anxious breath he didn't know he was holding. He had definitely lost all the points from his Artificer Profession. He did keep the points from his Null Class though. Given that he was back at Level 1, that was actually awesome. Ivor remembered the System only displayed whole numbers rounded down on his stats sheet. Agility and Endurance were really 151.5. Likewise Health and Stamina weren't showing the additional .5. However, his free points were a bit higher than he expected. He asked Zed about it.

“Ah, it looks like when you advance [Null Shield] and [Null Manipulation] to Expert, you get two more free points for each level. So, you are getting six points instead of four. Plus your four free points for the Perfect Start title and one free point for the Hunter Profession. That's why you have 11 free points. For the Hunter Profession, stats are automatically assigned to Agility, Endurance and Perception,” Zed responded after digging into the details.

Next Ivor pulled up descriptions of the new skills he got with his new Hunter Profession.

Hunter Profession Skills

Breakdown (Advanced) - Active

Break down an animal or creature into usable components without manual butchering. More and better parts are obtained at higher levels.

Identify (Advanced) - Active

Concentrate on a biological entity, creature or monster to learn its secrets. More information can be revealed at higher levels.

Tracking (Advanced) - Passive

Observe physical tracks and other signs, read the terrain, and use your senses to track your prey

Navigation (Advanced) - Passive/Active

Passive

You have an improved map in your overlay. More detail appears in your overlay map. Conscious or subconscious landmarks will be populated on the improved map as you encounter them. Elevation will be recorded on your map.

Active

You can update your overlay with any maps you see. You can place your own markers and landmark identifiers. You can receive maps from those that have the ability to share such information. You can share parts or all of your map with those that have the ability to receive such information

Ivor didn't notice a weapon skill in the list. Surely a Hunter would have a choice of weapons. Also, shouldn't basic trap creation be in there as well. Ivor asked Zed.

“Normally, yes. However, you already have several weapon skills and trap skills. It is buried in the notifications if you want to look,” Zed replied

Ivor didn't want to look, but he wasn't disappointed at all with the skills he received. For a Basic Profession, it had some stuff he was lacking. [Navigation] was one he didn't expect, but he was really happy with it. It was obvious that Earth had indeed been “reformed.” His ability to map things out would come in handy. His better version of [Identify] was showing him much more information than he expected. Most likely that was due to the Advanced level. [Breakdown] would definitely come in handy. Ivor was planning on trying to hide his [Null Storage] skill as long as possible. Zed let him know that for newly integrated worlds, spatial storages weren't very common. Ivor didn't want to stand out. Finally, [Tracking] was certainly useful, but Ivor wasn't planning on being a traditional Hunter.

Ivor didn't bother allocating his free stat points yet. He was pretty overpowered at the moment. He also wanted to see if the System was going to penalize his experience gain like it did in the Evaluation for having a Class and a Profession. He was hoping that the message “Class not found” meant, as far as the System was concerned, he only had a Profession. Ivor spent the rest of the day getting acclimated to the lower gravity.

As he looked around, the one thing that seemed odd for some reason was the moon; it was exactly the same. He didn't bother sleeping. When he felt comfortable enough, it was time to go.

“Alright Zed. I need to find a town and get a message off to Marie. If we all get put roughly where we were taken, she's to the west of here. I say we start heading due west,” Ivor explained his thoughts.

“That is as good of an idea as any,” Zed responded.

“Do I have to worry about leaving the crystal here?”

“No. It has established the Freehold. Even though you do not have a Tier 1 shield. Your cabin automatically has a shield like the one the Admin building had in the Evaluation,” Zed explained.

“Great. Where's the exit?” Ivor asked.

“You could check your map.”

Ivor facepalmed. His previous map was so crappy, and he was mostly using the ruins of previous roads in the Evaluation that he didn't consider using it. Ivor checked the map, and sure enough, there was a neat little icon that showed him how to exit the valley. Ivor headed that way at a quick pace. It only took him a couple minutes at his speed to get to the location.

It looked like a fairly large cave. Ivor stepped into the cave. He experienced the familiar flash of light like he did when he went into or out of a dungeon and the System Market. He immediately found himself on the other side of the mountain, another cave entrance behind him.

“Can anyone enter the Freehold through this?” Ivor asked.

“Yes, but it is highly unlikely anyone will stumble upon it. Also, you will be notified when another person enters your territory. All of this will change when the shield is up,” Zed replied.

Ivor was about to set off when he paused. He needed to change his appearance. His armor was way too slick looking. He used the structure changing ability in the armor to make it look more like well used leather.

He changed the color to a dark brown. He put the lower quality baston and sword Esqin had made him in their sheaths on his back and covered them with a well worn backpack. He practiced drawing both the baston and swords.

He was used to the motion, but he'd never done it with a backpack on. It took a little getting used to, but maybe the fumbling would help him look like he was actually low level. It was time to head west.

Chapter Two

Ivor spent the first few days traveling due west. He moved as fast as was comfortable. He stopped every other day to rest for a few hours. On his fourth day back on the reformed Earth, Ivor decided he better raise his level before he hit a town. He started finding monsters to fight. Most of them were mutated versions of Earth animals. It didn't take him long to realize he wasn't hitting the same penalty as he was in the Evaluation for having a Class and Profession. However, he also wasn't gaining experience nearly as fast.

By the sixth day, he had made it to Level 5. He decided to allocate all his free points. He still wanted to get his Mana level up closer to his Health and Stamina levels. He put most of his free points from the new levels into Intelligence, Wisdom and Perception. This pushed his Mana pool up to around 1500 points to match his Health pool. Ivor was happy where things were at for now. He could re-evaluate things later.

Later that day, he heard what sounded like fighting. Ivor sped in the direction of the sound. He found a human surrounded by the mutated wolves.

The fighter had picked a good spot to defend from. His back was to a tree, and there was no easy access on either side of him. Unfortunately, it looked like he was already injured. The five monsters were just going to wear him down.

Ivor would have to circle around to the right to get behind the monsters and be close enough to help. The fighter would have to hold on. Ivor moved slowly, letting [Blend] mask his approach. The fighter was smart, he was conserving his strength. He was defending and only attacking when there was an opening. He was doing well, but without Ivor's help, this would only end one way.

Ivor was going to have to be a little faster than he should be. Hopefully the fighter would be too occupied to notice. Ivor slipped out from behind the tree he was hiding behind and put on a short burst of speed. He had already removed the two short swords. The monsters were so focused on their prey, they didn't notice Ivor until it was too late. Ivor stabbed two of them at the same time, instantly killing them.

The distraction was enough for the fighter to kill the monster in front of him. That left one for each of them. Ivor was fending off his mutated wolf while watching the fighter take care of the other. The kid had skill.

Ivor had gotten close enough to notice the fighter was a young man. Ivor didn't use [Identify] on him yet. He didn't know if a person could tell if you were using it, and he didn't want to distract the young man.

Ivor timed his kill with the fighter's. Thinking about age, Ivor needed to remember that although he was actually 60 years old, the Vamhael Inheritance had expanded his life to almost a thousand years. It had also reverted his physical appearance to about 30 years of age. He needed to watch how he worded things.

The fighter caught his breath, and in a quiet voice said, “Thank you, sir.” He dropped his head staring at the ground.

“You're welcome,” Ivor frowned. “What are you doing out here all by yourself?”

Without looking up, the fighter said, “Making my way to a village that is supposed to be close to here.”

Ivor could barely hear him. “Son, if you don't mind, can you raise your head when you speak to me. I think the blood is pounding in my ears from the fight, and I'm having trouble hearing you.”

Ivor put a smile on his face as the young man raised his head.

Clearing his throat, the fighter said, “I'm making my way to a village that is supposed to be close to here.”

“Do you mind if I tag along?” Ivor asked. “Might be safer for both of us. By the way, my name is Ivor.”

“I know, sir. I identified you already.” The young man said, and then continued. “Sure, we can travel together.”

Ivor smiled. Ivor triggered [Identify].

Austin Vilchis

Fighter (Level 10)

Highest stat: Constitution

Immunities: None

“We should probably move on in case this commotion brings something else down on us,” Ivor said.

Austin stared at him, then looked down at the monster corpses.

Ivor got the hint, “You can have them if you want.”

“Thank you, sir. I'm Austin.” The kid reached out and looted the monsters.

“Well met, Austin. Let's see if we can get closer to this village you mentioned.”

The two moved out. Austin set a pretty good pace. They covered a good chunk of ground. Nothing like Ivor could do on his own, but it was still a good number of kilometers. Austin started slowing as it got dark.

He began looking around. Finding what he was looking for, he headed to a small hill with some rocks nearby. It was a good defensible spot to camp for the night.

Austin cleaned out an area and gathered some stones to create a fire pit. Ivor started picking out dry branches and some tinder to get a fire going. Austin took out a flint fire starter, and with practiced ease got a small fire going.

The two sat in silence for a while when Austin spoke.

“Are you going to kill me, sir.”

Ivor looked up at the young man shocked. Austin was once again looking down at the ground. Ivor could see he was trembling a little.

“Why would you think that?” Ivor asked, a frown on his face.

Still looking down at the ground, Austin replied, “I saw you when you attacked those monsters. You moved too fast. I thought it might be a skill, but then I identified you.

You're a Level 5 Hunter. You shouldn't have any combat skills like that. You weren't winded after the fight, and you could have killed that monster at any time and didn't. Also, you kept up with me all day.

You shouldn't be able to do any of that at your level. I may be quiet, but I pay attention.”

Damn, maybe keeping his power hidden was going to be harder than he thought.

“Austin, look at me,” Ivor said. The young man raised his head. “I'm not going to hurt you. If I told you the truth, you probably wouldn't believe me. Also, the truth I can tell can be dangerous. I'm heading west to try to find my daughter. I ran into a person who needed help. Someone I could help. So I helped. It's really that simple.”

Austin stared at Ivor for a good long time. “Ok,” he said.

They sat in silence again. Ivor pulled out some Vamhael boar and made a quick spit to roast it on. Austin watched the cooking meat. It seemed clear to Ivor that Austin had experience in the woods.

Maybe a Boy Scout or the family went camping. Ivor took a chance, and asked Austin about himself.

It was a bit of a tragic story. His parents died when he was young. He was raised by elderly grandparents.

They didn't get to the Evaluation. The grandparents lived a rural life. Austin grew up going camping a lot with his grandfather. It was clear the man was shy, but he was also athletically gifted.

He played high school baseball and was on the track team, multiple events. He never had a lot of friends. He read a lot, fiction, like Ivor.

When the System came, he picked Fighter because he wanted to defend others. Unfortunately, his shy nature worked against him in his Evaluation. Nobody would take the time to get to know him. So he just fought monsters solo.

He gained experience fast because of that. So nobody was going to push him around either. When the Evaluation ended, he paid in the System Market for a map to go to a different village. Then he left.

“I'm sorry all of that happened. I know how it can be when you're on your own a lot. I spent a lot of time by myself. However, in the work I did, I had to learn how to interact with people to blend in. It went against my nature, but I worked at it. Eventually, it became easier to interact without being awkward. You can do it too. If you truly want to defend people, you'll have to,” Ivor told the young man.

“I know, sir. It's just hard.” Looking up at Ivor then at the sky. “With all of this change, I'm overwhelmed.” Tears fell freely down the young man's face.

Ivor stayed silent while Austin got his emotions out. Ivor understood. There were plenty of times Ivor wept, alone. Then he renewed his desire to reach his next goal or take care of his next target. He understood what this young man was feeling.

Austin sniffed and wiped his nose with his sleeve. “I'm sorry, sir.”

“Nothing to be sorry about, son. It's natural. Emotions that get too bottled up can be unhealthy and a distraction. You release them, like a mental relief valve. Then you get back up and carry on.” Ivor hoped it would help the kid.

Ivor told Austin to get some sleep. Ivor could take the watch. Ivor didn't know how long the kid hadn't slept for, or maybe it was the emotional release, but he was out almost immediately. Ivor chuckled and moved to a comfortable position to keep watch.

“Zed, I'm not sure how easy it's going to be to keep my power hidden,” Ivor finally spoke to his companion.

“It does seem that way. Ultimately, it is up to you. Some humans are going to be frightened of you and either try to run or fight. Your species has a well developed flight or fight response.”

“Yeah. I guess I'll just do the best I can to try to keep it under wraps.”

The next morning, Ivor noticed Austin didn't have a pack, so he took a spare out of his storage and filled it with some necessities. He also added a small coin bag in case the two got separated and Austin needed hard currency. Ivor made sure his pack looked lighter to make it look like he was sharing half his stuff.

When Austin woke, he was grateful for the backpack. Ivor asked if he could see the map Austin had. Austin set out the map on the ground, and Ivor used [Navigation] to copy it into his internal map. Ivor shared that detail with Austin, as having that skill was a hunter skill anyway. No need to keep it hidden. With the new map, the two made better time over the next couple of days.

They had to fight off some more mutated wolves, but they weren't giving Ivor much experience. They talked a lot as they moved. They even bonded a bit over some shared books they had read. Austin seemed to be coming out of his shell a bit. Ivor kept reiterating he would have to keep practicing with other people.

It was the tenth day back on the reformed Earth when Ivor and Austin reached the village. Having never seen what an actual Evaluation village looked like, Ivor asked Austin how it compared to the village he just left.

“This village seems a bit dirty. The people seem beat down. I don't see anyone smiling,” Austin said.

Now that he mentioned it, Ivor noticed the same thing. People were going about their business, but something just felt off.

There was an actual inn with a tavern in the village. Looking around, a lot of the people were pretty low level. Ivor and Austin made their way to the Admin building. Two burly Level 7 Fighters were standing out front.

“You need to show a token to get access,” one of the guards said.

“How do I get a token?” Ivor asked.

“Go see Rick in the tavern. He can get you situated.”

Ivor and Austin walked back to the inn with the tavern. Leave it to humans to immediately create a dive bar as one of their first acts in a whole reformed world. The places smelled of smoke, stale ale and unwashed bodies.

Ivor told Austin to take the lead here. He needed practice. Ivor walked slowly into the place behind Austin, keeping some distance between them.

Austin reached the bartender, “Excuse me, sir. I'm supposed to talk to someone named Rick to get into the Admin building.”

Ivor watched as the bartender got a sour look on his face. “Rick is the big guy over at the table with the three others.”

The place wasn't busy. So it was easy enough to spot Rick and his group. [Blend] must be working as no one even paid any attention to Ivor. Austin walked over to the group as Ivor listened in.

“I was told to see Rick to get access to the Admin building,” Austin kept his head up and tried to keep eye contact.

“I'm Rick, kid,” the big man said. “We've instituted a sort of tax in this village. If you run the nearby dungeon with us, to help us out. I'll give you a token, and you can enter. Sound good?”

Austin smiled, “Sure. You all are a bit higher level than me, but I can pull my weight.”

“Great kid. The dungeon is on cool-down, but we'll head out tomorrow morning.”

“Can my buddy come along?” Austin pointed over at Ivor.

The group looked at him, seemingly noticing him for the first time.

“He's pretty low level, kid. I think it would be best if it's just us.” Rick smiled.

Ivor had seen plenty of smiles like that in his day. Ivor took a chance.

He put a gold coin on the bar for the bartender and said in a voice just loud enough to carry, “The kid and I will need a room and food. If you don't have the room, then just the food.”

The bartender dropped his voice low, “Put that away you fool before he notices.”

Ivor slowly retracted the gold coin, but he had already caught his fish.

Having seen the gold coin, Rick piped back up, “You know what, kid. We could use a pack mule. Your Hunter friend can carry the goodies we get in the dungeon, ok? We'll be here in the morning to pick you up.”

Austin nodded.

The bartender said to Ivor, “That'll be 20 coppers for the night, including room and food for the both of you. Ale is extra.”

As Ivor passed him the coins, the bartender whispered, “Wait until midnight, then take the kid and head out. They won't follow you.”

Ivor just nodded. Yeah, he'd seen this before. More than once actually. It's surprising how unoriginal criminals can be.

The next morning, Ivor and Austin made their way down to the tavern. Ivor told Austin to grab a table for them. Ivor went to talk with the bartender.

There were only a couple other people in the tavern this morning, eating breakfast. Ivor didn't know if they were locals or staying at the inn. It didn't really matter.

When he reached the bar, the bartender spoke in a low voice, “Either you didn't take my hint or you're a fool.”

“I'm not worried about those four. What can you tell me about the two that guard the Admin building.” Ivor passed the man a few coppers.

“They're ok. Used to be security guards before all this. Rick and his group threatened them into complying. They both have wives in the village, and kids on the way when the System sends them back.”

“What do they do for Rick other than guard?” Ivor pressed the man.

“They talk to people that Rick wants “talked” to. They haven't hurt anyone I know. They are intimidating enough. As you can tell, most people here are low level. That was Rick's doing. Made everyone change Classes and Professions before we left the Evaluation. We've all been struggling to get the levels back.”

“So let me guess. The other adventurous sorts that have come into town go with Rick and his group to the dungeon. When Rick and his group get back, the other folk have either decided to leave after getting their loot, or they didn't make it.” Zed stared into the eyes of the bartender.

The bartender nodded, “Yeah, you got most of it. Sometimes, they attacked Rick and the group to try to take all the loot for themselves.”

Ivor nodded and asked for breakfast for Austin and himself. They had coffee. So that was one point in the bartender's favor.

Ivor could tell Austin was excited. He wasn't going to let the kid know what was up. Not yet. Ivor needed to sell this farce so that they could get to the end of the dungeon. If Ivor was right, that's when Rick and his group would make their move. As they were finishing up breakfast the four walked in.

Rick was obviously a Fighter class. He had a two handed great sword strapped to his back. There was a woman that Ivor was guessing was a Rogue class. There was another Fighter, male, with a bow. Finally, there was the last man that Ivor assumed was a Mage, but could be a Support. Ivor was betting on Mage. Ivor was betting Rick wasn't smart enough to see the utility of a Support Class.

“Up early, I like that,” Rick boomed to the nearly empty room. “Grab your gear, and let's get going. The dungeon isn't too far.”

Ivor and Austin quickly finished their breakfast, then grabbed their gear out of the room they shared. During breakfast, Ivor had asked Austin about his dungeon experience during the Evaluation. He had run the same dungeon every time, when a group would let him join. The area he was in had plenty of monsters to hunt. So he stuck to mostly hunting monsters by himself. He had actually been tempted to change to the Hunter Profession. Ivor brought up the description of his Dungeon Specialist title.

Dungeon Specialist

You have completed 100 dungeons

You have completed a dungeon 50 levels above your own

All dungeon cooldowns are halved

More information is available to you in the dungeon description

Experience earned by you or your party increased by 50%

New types of rewards available for dungeon completion

You can raise the level of a dungeon up to the highest recommended level of a dungeons you have completed

You can lower the level of a dungeon down to the lowest level of member in your party

Note: Dungeon reverts to previous level after use or failure to attempt dungeon

Note: Failure to attempt the changed dungeon will result in all party members being locked out of dungeons for 7 days.

Note: Repeated failures to attempt changed dungeons will result in loss of title

“Zed, how is my Dungeon Specialist title going to work here?” Ivor asked.

“I believe you have to be the one reading the dungeon description to get the additional information. I also believe only you can raise or lower the level. Nobody in your party will see that option. The experience bump and new rewards I believe will be in effect. They may not notice the increased experience, but they will definitely notice the rewards.”

Ivor had figured as much.

Chapter Three

Rick had stopped at the entrance to the dungeon. He turned to face the group.

“This is a recommended party Level 10 dungeon. Its environment is Undead Graveyard. We'll be moving between various graveyards. The monsters aren't particularly hard, but in places, there are a lot of them. The boss is a giant skeleton dude with some tough armor. For the most part, it will be us and the kid handling the monsters.

You, Hunter, we'll let you get some kills in the early graveyards. You can finish off some of ours, but you're here to grab the goods and put it in the bag when we loot the monsters.” Rick tossed Ivor a large bag.

They all started entering the dungeon with Ivor picking up the rear. The familiar brief flash of light, and Ivor was standing at the top of a small hill. There was a path leading down into what was obviously a graveyard. It was dark, but not pitch black.

You could see well enough. The shadows were extremely dark. Ivor saw the path wind its way through the graveyard ahead of them, then exit in the back. He couldn't see anything past that.

“The first graveyard is some kind of skeleton warrior,” Rick said as he started slowly down the path. “There are no archers or armor in this group, but there will be a lot of them. Destroying the head kills them instantly. Breaking enough of their bones works as well. Dismembering them doesn't work really well. Even if you scatter the bones, other skeletons can pick them up. It's a sort of mix-and-match situation.”

“Can we funnel them through the opening in the fence?” Austin asked.

It was a good question. There was a two meter high, wrought iron, fence around the graveyard with a double gated opening. Austin, despite his youth, had a good eye for tactics.

“No. We've tried it. They just stop coming about 3 meters before the gate. You actually have to be in there to fight them. We should spread out. Keep an eye out on your left and right to make sure the person next to you doesn't get surrounded,” Rick said.

It wasn't a terrible plan. Ivor would have done something different, but it would keep everyone from friendly fire. Ivor would stay back and roam the line to pick off stragglers.

The group entered the graveyard through the double gate and spread out. As soon as they stepped past the gate, the graves began to stir and the skeletons rose up.

Ivor triggered [Identify] and the skeletons ranged from Level 4 to 7. Mostly Level 5 and 6 with a few lower and higher sprinkled in. They were no match for the group. Ivor had definitely misjudged the size of this graveyard. As they moved at a slow walking pace, mowing down skeletons, it seemed to just go on and on. Ivor was happy to note the man he thought was a mage was indeed a mage. He was firing what Ivor would call a mage bolt to devastating effect.

It was also clear this team had worked together. The mage and archer were alternating their shots to conserve mana and stamina respectively.

The group would occasionally leave a dismembered skeleton for Ivor to dispatch. Ivor spent most of his time picking up the loot. The group was using a technique that Ivor hadn't really thought of. They were just tapping the dead monster with their foot to loot it. The monster would dissolve away leaving the loot. No clutter of bodies to trip over if they had to retreat. Of course that meant Ivor was pretty busy gathering the loot into the bag. He had learned his lesson with Austin, and he was slowing down so that he barely kept up with the group.

They left that section of graveyard behind. There was another path to follow to the next graveyard. Rick let them know this one was more like a zombie from movies.

Dead, decayed bodies, and yes, they were the fast zombies not the slow ones. He let them know you had to either destroy the head or take it off the body. Dismembering them didn't seem to slow them down at all. He indicated that there would be a lot of them, not as many as the skeletons.

Also, in this section, they could get a few minutes of rest in between waves if they didn't continue to move forward too far. Unlike the steady advance of the skeleton graveyard, they would fight a group then pause, then move forward.

Since Ivor was in a group, his [Solo Contributor] skill wasn't giving him bonuses to damage or rewards. That meant the necrotic monster cores he was picking up were all minor. He was still putting 1 out of 10 in his [Null Storage] just in case he was wrong about these folks. He didn't want to come out empty handed.

He also noticed, the loot was pretty meager. They were getting cores and a little coin, but no good parts. Ivor figured the group had low skill levels in [Loot]. If Ivor was looting these monsters, he would be getting some interesting monster parts.

They went through a half a dozen graveyards with skeletons, zombie humanoids, zombie animals, and wights. The wights were less plentiful, but they fought with more intelligence. They dropped the same Minor necrotic core along with a silver coin.

The boss fight wasn't in the graveyard proper. There was a giant mausoleum at the top of a small hill. Upon entering, the interior of the mausoleum was much larger than the exterior.

Past a certain point, the stone door slammed shut. A three meter tall skeleton wearing a patchwork of armor was laying on a stone altar. The bones of the skeleton were easily three times as thick as a human bone.

The skull was elongated with two small curving horns at the top. It rose into a seated position then swung its legs off the altar.

Everyone except Ivor and Austin reacted as soon as the boss's feet touched the floor. They had fought this thing enough that they knew when it was ok to attack. That first attack was devastating to the Level 15 boss. The Mage and Archer had both moved off to the left and right. There were two raised areas that were easy to miss if you didn't pay attention.

They both dumped as many mana bolts and arrows as they could into the legs of the boss. Cracks immediately began to appear on the boss's legs.

Rick and the Rogue moved forward. The Rogue angled off to the right, and Rick went straight into the fight. The ranged attacks and Rick's attack with his great sword were enough of a distraction to allow the Rogue to get a sneak attack on one of the legs.

The combined damage was enough to shatter the leg. The group was smart; they picked the side of the boss that held its sword. The boss tumbled to the side.

With the boss not able to attack with its sword underneath its body, Rick had a free shot at the other cracked leg. With a tremendous overhand chop, he brought his great-sword down on the leg. The leg shattered as well.

Only able to crawl around with one hand, it was quick work for the group to focus on the head. Austin had gotten some shots in as well. He concentrated on the boss's free arm which prevented it from moving at all. Rick immediately looted the boss. A chest appeared, and when Rick reached out to open it, Ivor noticed a subtle flinch. The Rogue must have noticed as well.

“There a problem, Rick?” She asked.

Rick recovered well. “No, no. Just a little surprised at the reward. We can talk about it when we get back to the tavern.”

A familiar notification popped up for all of them.

Undead Graveyard Dungeon - completed

Time to dungeon reset: 60:00..

59:59…

59:58…

59:57…

While Rick was looting the boss and dealing with his surprise reward, Ivor had motioned Austin over to him. The other members of Rick's group had subtly positioned themselves to block the exit that had just appeared at the back of the mausoleum.

Ivor whispered to Austin, “Stay behind me.” Ivor stepped forward.

Rick turned around and smiled at the two of them.

Ivor smiled back, “Is this where you tell me to put down the bag?”

Rick laughed, “Smart man.”

Ivor continued, “Do we get to walk away empty handed, or is this where you kill us?”

Rick laughed again, “Smart and calm under pressure. If you had a combat class, I'd ask you to join us. Unfortunately, the kid is too young. He might grow a conscience. There are two problems with letting people go. One, they might come back and try to get revenge, and two, the experience gained is just too good.”

Ivor nodded, “I didn't know that…about the experience gained for killing other humans. I totally agree with you about the first part.”

“Kill the kid,” Rick said.

Ivor and Zed had been working, silently, for the last few days to figure out where best to have Zed help Ivor in combat until Zed could handle dealing with the pain. They had settled on Zed providing predictive analysis. Sure, humans could notice patterns, but Zed still functioned largely like a super intelligent A.I. A shackled one, sure, but one that could provide near realtime probabilities. Throughout this dungeon, Zed had been feeding probably actions of both the group and the monsters based on what he could observe through Ivor. Zed was accurate… very, very accurate.

So it came as no surprise to Ivor when the archer drew back and fired right at Austin. Even Ivor could have predicted Austin was the greater threat. Zed was the one that figured out it would be the archer that did the deed. Unfortunately for Rick's group, Ivor had over 150 effective points in Agility. Ivor snatched the arrow out of the air.

“Like I said,” Ivor's cold smile rooted Rick's group in place. “I agree you shouldn't let enemies go to seek revenge later. I guess now I'll find out if your second point is true as well.”

Before any of Rick's group could move, Ivor threw the arrow back at the Archer. It pierced his skull dead center in his forehead. He fell backwards, dead before he even hit the ground. Ivor flashed forward and decapitated the Rogue. Rick was just starting to bring his great-sword up when Ivor smashed his knee with a baston. Rick screamed in pain as he dropped to the ground.

Ivor watched as the Mage brought up his wand.. Ivor stopped and looked at him. The Mage smiled as he shot a mage bolt at Ivor. Ivor just smiled as the bolt hit his armor and did absolutely nothing. All the blood drained out of the Mage's face. Ivor flashed forward and snapped his neck with an audible crack.

Rick was trying to crawl towards the exit, but Ivor grabbed his other leg and pulled him back to the center of the room. Glancing over, Austin hadn't moved.

Ivor bent down to look at Rick, “If you're honest with me and answer my questions, I might let you live.”

Both in pain and defiant, Rick spat back, “You said, might. I'm not a fool. You're gonna kill me anyway. I'm not telling you shit.”

Ivor chuckled, “You wouldn't believe how many people fall for that. You're right, I am going to kill you. However, I can make it quick like the Mage over there. or, I have most of an hour to make you feel the kind of pain that will make you a blubbering mess before I'm done.”

Ivor pulled a health potion out of [Null Storage]. “Do you know what this is?”

“It looks like a health potion.”

“Excellent. I have dozens of these. I can pull you out of this dungeon and keep healing you every time you're close to death as I crush your bones to powder and pull strips of skin off your body… over and over again. You are indeed not a fool, Rick. Look into my eyes and tell me if I'm bluffing.”

Rick looked into Ivor's eyes. An existential dread fell over him. Without a doubt, Rick knew this man would do everything he just said and more. Rick swallowed.

“If you make it quick, I'll tell you everything.”

Ivor questioned Rick about the two guards. The bartender didn't lie. Rick also identified several people in the village that had been more active in their work with Rick's group. There was a small stash of stuff in the house the group shared.

It was hidden. Rick told him where. When Ivor was done with questions, Rick surprised him.

“I know you're going to kill me. I've accepted that. If you would, I'd like to know how powerful you are. It's not just the speed, right?”

Ivor picked up Rick's great-sword. It was not just long, but thick steel as well. Ivor held the sword horizontally by the blade between his thumb and index finger. He snapped the blade in half like it was a dry twig.

Rick looked at Ivor again, “You knew. All along you knew. And, you didn't tell the kid. Yeah, you played us good.” The last bit was said with a hint of disgust, at himself.

“Rick, I wish you took a different path. You're a smart man. However, to survive, humanity needs better men than you.” With that said, Ivor reached over and snapped Rick's head sideways. Rick crumpled to the ground, dead.

Ivor turned to Austin about to speak, but the young man beat him to it.

“No need to explain. I understand why you did what you did. I'm young and naive. I would have fallen for their trap.” Austin hung his head.

“Austin, look at me.” Ivor said as Austin looked up. “You are young and naive, but you will learn. You'll need help, and I know just where to look for that help. Those better men that humanity needs to survive. That's you. A man who will defend, not exploit and take.

You just need experience. I'm going to set you up to get that. I think this village is the perfect place for you to grow into the man you want to be.”

Austin nodded. Ivor looted all the bodies, and put everything in the big bag Rick had given him. They had about 30 minutes left in the dungeon. Ivor explained to Austin that the World Guardian couldn't see inside dungeons.

If he wanted to ask Ivor questions, now was the time. Austin had plenty of questions, but he was smart. He asked Ivor things that could help him grow stronger.

Ivor answered what he could, with Zed's help. He did answer some other questions. He explained that he didn't go to the same Evaluation as everyone else. He didn't give too many details, just that it allowed him to get strong fast.

He didn't say anything about having a unique class, just that he had some unique skills.

“I would like you to sign a System Contract with me preventing you from telling anyone about what you've seen me do or any of my stats or skills,” Ivor said.

“I understand,” Austin replied.

Zed had let him know that he didn't need to be in the System Market to create a System Contract. You could do it anywhere. Ivor had just never had the opportunity or need.

The two men walked back to the village. Ivor liked Austin. He was comfortable with silence. When they came back to the village, some of the people were looking at them oddly.

Almost like they didn't expect them to be back. Ivor was sure some other people, like the bartender, had figured out what was going on. The two of them reached the Admin building to see the guards standing in front of the door just like yesterday. Ivor put the large pack on the ground. Reaching in he pulled out the two broken halves of Rick's great-sword and tossed them at their feet.

The two men flinched slightly at the clanging, metal on metal noise.

“Oh, thank god,” one of the guards exclaimed.

“All of 'em are gone, right?” The other asked.

“You don't have to worry about Rick and his group anymore. Why don't the four of us go into the System Market to talk.” Ivor motioned towards the door.

The four of them made their way into the System Market. Ivor handed the bag over to Austin. He explained that Austin could do what he wanted with the loot. Ivor didn't need it. If he was going to stay, Ivor suggested keeping some of the gear for future use. Or he could sell it and buy new gear. Speaking of new gear, Ivor showed Austin how to use the Request feature. Now that they were out of the Evaluation, Austin could contact Esqin directly through the Request feature. Ivor sent a quick message to Esqin asking her to consider the request from Austin as a favor to him.

After talking with the guards, Ivor learned that Rick hadn't lied. They weren't bad men. They were put in an almost impossible situation.

Ivor asked about the others in town that had taken a more active role. The guards knew exactly who he was talking about, and they were able to add more about these folks. Ivor would take care of that shortly.

After getting agreements that the guards would help Austin settle in, they made their way to the house Rick and his group were using. Ivor sent the guards out to gather the other people Rick was working with. The new boss wanted to meet.

Within an hour, five people were standing in front of Austin. They were here to meet the new boss. Instead they met their end as Ivor stabbed all five in the heart in the blink of an eye. The guards stood dumbfounded.

“Should we have them sign a System Contract?” Austin asked.

“No need. Who would believe them?” Ivor replied.

The guards just nodded their agreement.

Ivor told Austin to loot the corpses and use the funds for the village. Ivor, Austin and the guards made their way to the inn. It was early afternoon, and the inn was mostly empty. The bartender had a shocked look on his face as their group walked in.

“You seem like a good man,” Ivor said. “Austin is currently the highest level in this town. He wants to do good. I need good people to help him learn to be a good leader. I'm not telling you to do it, but I think you want better for this village. He's your best bet.”

The man nodded, “A few of us had hoped to make a council of sorts. Rick and his group prevented all that. I'll work with the young man. What about you, not sticking around?”

“I have business elsewhere. I'll stick around for a week. You get that council together, and I'll help run anyone that wants through the dungeon to level up.”

“That dungeon is too high level for most folks.”

“I have a skill that can take care of that. If you make sure the folks are in groups that are roughly the same level. I can run two groups a day. I would also suggest getting a couple people to reach out to the nearby villages. Absorb any that are having trouble.

If you folks are having trouble, merge with another village. This is about survival. The Evaluation was just the start,” Ivor replied.

After getting an agreement from the bartender, Ivor made his way back to the Admin building. He entered the System Market and sent a message to Esqin. He asked her and Aza to figure out a way he could find Marie. It had been a long day. Ivor headed back to the inn. When he got there, the bartender and six other people were all huddled together at one of the larger tables in the tavern.

The bartender saw him come in and waved him over. Apparently, these were the soon to be formed council members. They were currently hashing out a village charter to make things official.

“We want to do something for you beyond just monetarily. We'd like to put a section in the charter about our founding. We'd like to add you to it.” All the heads nodded.

“Ah, sure….I suppose that would be fine.”

The bartender told Ivor he could stay at the inn for free. Ivor had a busy day, and he wanted some alone time before spending the next week running dungeons. He headed upstairs.

As he was studying the Vamhael Rune Codex, the council of the village was putting the finishing touches on the village charter. They spoke of the brave young Fighter who helped free their village from tyranny. They also spoke of the mysterious man that helped the young Fighter, trained the villagers and moved on to other adventures.

They had to embellish a little bit. Nobody would believe some Level 5 with only a Profession was responsible for such deeds.

No, the councilors had to keep it simple. More of a symbol than a man really. Legends have been born out of less information. Legends like - The Hunter. Just like how certain pre-System clandestine organizations and secret government agencies on Earth would speak of The Contractor, Ivor would become known as The Hunter in this new world.

Chapter Four

Ivor spent the next seven days running groups through the local dungeon. Ivor would adjust the dungeon difficulty to suit the party. He would mostly just hang around in case someone got in trouble. Of course people asked how he was changing the dungeon level, but he just waved it off as a skill. Nobody was willing to push it too much as he was, in fact, helping them out.

He used this as an opportunity to scale back his power. Only once did a group get in enough trouble that Ivor thought he had to step in, but even that group surprised him. They were all nearly dead, but they beat the boss.

Ivor fed them all health potions. They had earned them.

Ivor didn't take any loot. He left it up to the people and the councilors how they wanted to handle things. Rick's idea of charging a tax wasn't a bad one.

Especially if a group was just going to come in and farm the dungeon. Eventually, some of the more adventurous types would settle down. The councilors had already sent some of the stronger folks out to nearby villages to establish relations or trade as needed.

At the end of that week, the System made a world wide announcement:

Congratulations on surviving your Evaluation and starting on your path to becoming true citizens of the System Worlds. In preparation for children returning to your world in a little over five months, a new space will be opened in your Administrative building. Similar to the System Market, this will be a Communication Hub.

You will have the opportunity to connect with any immediate family members. If you have no immediate family members, then the next closest relative will be available. This will be similar to the messaging features in the System Market. You are not required to contact anyone on the list. You are not required to respond to any messages sent to you.

Every person that enters the Communication Hub will be presented with a list of the people they can send a message to. If those people respond, you will both have your maps updated with your locations. Some people will be too far to travel easily. Unfortunately, they will either have to risk the travel or you can wait until Travel Circles become readily available.

You will get the ability to message with each person on your list five times. After that, there is a fee.

This is an opportunity to prepare to decide where your child will go. If you have family members in a better location, you can choose to let your children stay with family as long as that family agrees. Family members that choose to take on children will be signing a System Contract for their care. Only agree to take on children if you plan on actually caring for them. You have been warned.

The Communication Hub will open tomorrow.

Ivor was ecstatic. He could finally chat directly with Marie and get her map location. Although Ivor had been running the dungeon twice a day with groups, he still had time to meet other people in the village.

The overall vibe of the place was much better than when he arrived. Austin had really come out of his shell. He was still a shy young man, but everyone in town looked at him as a hero. It was hard to be shy when everyone wanted to talk to you or thank you. Austin didn't let it go to his head. He was becoming the man he wanted to be.

The next day, Ivor and Austin were heading to the Admin building. Austin didn't have anyone to contact. All his family was gone. He was just there to keep Ivor company while he waited in line. All the people in line offered Ivor their place, but he turned them down. He was fine with waiting.

Ivor and Austin chatted about various things. Austin was sad that Ivor was leaving, but he understood. Besides, eventually Ivor would be coming back to Kemble Freehold, and the village was on the way. Ivor eventually got to the Admin building door when the World Guardian appeared.

It was the first time Ivor had seen them. For some reason, the World Guardian took the form of some weasel looking tech-bro. Ivor immediately disliked them. Also, Ivor didn't forget the World Guardian objected to the creation of the Freehold.

“Admin building access is now restricted to world citizens only,” the World Guardian actually sneered at Ivor.

“What do you mean?” Ivor asked.

“Maybe I need to use simpler words. You are not a citizen of this world. You are a permanent citizen of a Freehold. Therefore, you are not allowed in.”

“I see. I assume this applies to every Admin building on the planet?” Ivor calmly asked.

“Of course.”

Austin was about to say something when Ivor stopped him.

“Austin, the rules are the rules. As upsetting as this might be, let's just go. Why don't we hit up the dungeon. Blow off some steam.” Ivor turned and started walking away.

Austin glared at the World Guardian briefly before turning and following Ivor.

Austin and Ivor stepped into the dungeon. Ivor didn't adjust it as he didn't expect to run it. He just wanted a place he knew the World Guardian couldn't hear him.

“Austin, I'm going to need your help,” Ivor stated.

“Of course, anything.”

“I need you to contact Aza Krix, Esqin's father. He's already aware of you. I need him to do two things. First, he needs Marie to give her location to him, in some kind of map form. Then I need him to pay your council to offer a quest. Apparently, it's something your council should be able to do with enough funds.

That quest will be to find and deliver his favorite new author to Kemble Freehold for an in person reading of The Craig-Y-Don Blacksmith. I'll write everything down for you. You need to do this in the System Market where the World Guardian can't go. If it asks you why your council is giving the quest, well, you're the closest village to Kemble Freehold that Aza is aware of. I will accept the quest, and my map should update with her location. We need to get this done fast. I'm afraid this World Guardian is going to pull something.”

“We'll get right on it. I don't think the village council will deny you anything,” Austin said.

“Well, we need to stay in the dungeon for a while to make it look like we ran it. Or, you know, I could blast us through this thing while you grab all the loot. I wasn't joking about blowing off some steam. I'm a pretty stoic guy, but keeping me from reuniting with my daughter gets me going.”

Austin smiled, “I know this won't be much of a challenge for you, but I've never really seen what you can do. I wouldn't mind being your pack mule for this.”

Ivor chuckled, and threw a large bag to Austin, “Try to keep up, kid.”

Austin could feel the slight pop of displaced air as Ivor disappeared down the path. Austin sprinted ahead. Ivor was already halfway through the first graveyard.

Austin laughed then started putting loot in the bag. Turns out, Austin couldn't keep up. Ivor was waiting for him just before the boss's mausoleum.

“Sorry you didn't get to see much. I'll make it up to you. I'm going to use a skill in here. You'll know when I use it. I don't want to describe it because I'm not sure if other people see it differently than I do. I want your unbiased description. I'll also use my real weapons. Give you something to shoot for,” Ivor explained

Austin nodded to Ivor, and they walked into the mausoleum. It was just the same as the first time. The giant skeleton was laying on the altar.

Ivor asked Austin to stay back on one of the raised levels where he could get a good view. Ivor walked down onto the floor triggering the skeleton boss to stand. Austin watched as Ivor walked up with no weapons in his hands. The skeleton boss stood and grabbed its huge sword.

Seeing Ivor below, it took three quick steps and thrust its sword out, intending to skewer Ivor.

Just before the sword reached Ivor a two meter tall, one meter wide wall of nothingness appeared in the swords path. Looking directly at that wall of nothingness hurt Austin's head. He focused on the sword instead. It hit that nothingness and simply disappeared.

Ivor dropped the skill and the skeleton was holding the stub of a sword. Fully three fourths of the blade was just gone. The skeleton stood motionless for just a second. That was all the time Ivor needed to arm himself. Austin saw two dark black short swords appear in Ivor's hands. Swinging one at each of the skeleton's thick boney legs, Austin was shocked when the swords sheared cleanly through the bones of both legs.

Unable to support itself, the skeleton boss fell to the ground. Ivor had backed up a few meters. He now held two thick sticks in his hands.

Austin remembered Ivor calling them bastons. The skeleton was still very much alive and crawling with its arms toward Ivor. The skeleton boss reached one hand out to grasp Ivor. Ivor casually batted the hand aside. With an overhand swing of the other baston, a huge boom sounded out in the mausoleum.

The walls and floor shook. Austin was a bit worried that the mausoleum might collapse. He looked over to where Ivor and the skeleton boss were.

Now there was just a cloud of white dust. Austin thought for a second. There wasn't any bone shrapnel from Ivor's blow. Did he just hit that skeleton so hard its bones powdered?

Austin walked down the steps to the floor to hear Ivor coughing as the cloud of bone dust started to disappear.

“Might have hit it a little too hard,” Ivor said in between coughs.

Looking down, Austin saw a one meter deep, three meter wide crater where the skeleton boss had been.

“Yeah, you might not want to bring the whole mausoleum down on us,” Austin said.

Ivor chuckled and showed Austin his weapons. Austin was impressed with the baston, but he was a sword Fighter. He was drooling over the short swords. Ivor told him to have Esqin make him a long sword out of Dark Steel. It would be in payment for Austin doing this favor for Ivor. The young man was smart enough not to argue. Ivor looted the boss, by touching the stumps of legs still standing there.

He gave Austin all the loot and the rewards for dungeon completion. They waited out most of the hour they had until the dungeon kicked them out. It would be more plausible in case the World Guardian were paying attention.

When Ivor and Austin got back to town, Ivor went back to the inn to wait. Austin gathered up the village councilors and asked them to accompany him into the System Market. He used the excuse that he wanted their input on what loot should be sold for credits and what should be retained for future use.

An hour or so later, Austin walked into the inn and took a seat at the table where Ivor was sitting.

“We should know something in a day or so,” Austin said. The kid was smart. He didn't offer any information for the World Guardian to overhear.

Mike, the bartender, walked in and immediately approached the two men.

“One of the people we sent out in search of other villages came back. There is a village about three days away that's in a bad way. They lost all their higher level fighters to the dungeon that's close by. Now they don't have anyone strong enough to fight off the monsters in the area,” He said, looking at Ivor. “Would you be willing to escort them here? They are willing to join our village, and they have a good spread of Professions and lower level Fighters we could use to grow.”

Ivor nodded, “I'll need to take Austin with me. The other Fighters should be high enough level to handle anything local. Besides, with Austin helping save them, it will cement his ability to them despite his age. If you can spare a small group, send them out to us. They might meet us on the way back.”

Mike nodded and left to get a group together. Ivor and Austin went to find the woman who had found the village. It didn't take long, they were surrounded by people asking all sorts of questions.

Austin cleared his throat, “Excuse me folks. We need to get some information here.”

Seeing it was Austin, all the village folks parted to allow him and Ivor to get to the woman. She was a taller than average woman. She had an athletic build. She was older than Austin, but not by much. Clearly a Fighter class, she had a bow. Ivor thought she might be going for a Ranger type Class Evolution. She had picked up some leather armor in muted greens and browns.

“Uh, Austin… what can I do for you?” She stammered. Ivor took a closer look at her. With his higher Perception, he caught a bit of a blush coming to her face. Her heartbeat sped up as well. He could see the rhythmic pulsing of the artery in her neck speed up. Well, well.. Ivor thought. Austin has a fan. It made sense. The kid was good looking, well built, and now, he was the village hero.

“Hi Kate, Ivor and I have a few questions, if you don't mind?” Austin asked. Ivor had told him to make it a habit of learning the names of as many villagers as possible.

“You don't have a skill to allow you to share map information do you?” Ivor asked.

“No, just a Fighter skill related to my bow. Are you two going out to help that village I found?”

“We are, but we need to know how to get there,” Austin said.

“I can show you the way,” she said immediately.

Austin looked at Ivor as if to say “it's up to you.” Ivor had planned on moving fast to get to the village today. He had planned on having Austin jump on his back. Thinking about it, this was one of those cases where his old thinking didn't consider his new reality. He was more than strong enough to carry both of them.

“Ok, let's head out. Lead the way,” Ivor told Kate.

She immediately headed towards the southern edge of the village, Austin spent a moment telling someone to let Mike know Kate was going with them. By the time they reached the edge of the village, Austin had caught up. Ivor let Kate lead them at a decent pace for about 15 minutes before he called for a stop.

“Problem?” She asked.

“Not really. I'm going to need you to sign a System Contract that won't allow you to give out information about me. Specifically, any stats you may become aware of, skills or anything related to my abilities in general. Ok?” Ivor asked.

The woman turned to Austin.

“Yeah, I've signed it too. You'll want to do it or we can't take you with us,” Austin said.

She gave her assent and they completed the contract.

“Ok, we are going to be moving fast. I'm going to carry both of you. I'll be gradually increasing my speed. So, Kate I'll need you to give me a thumbs up if you can still see the way clearly and a thumbs down when you can't. Also, just point the direction you want me to follow. Hold up a fist when you want me to stop,” Ivor explained.

The woman looked skeptical until Ivor picked them both up like they weighed nothing. He set off at a pace that would have been a dead sprint for both of them, even at their level. Kate gave him a thumbs up. So, Ivor started going faster in increments. Kate kept pointing the direction and giving a thumbs up. After a few minutes, she gave a thumbs down, and Ivor dropped his speed a bit. Kate immediately gave a thumbs up. Ivor was only going about one quarter of his top speed.

He could keep this pace up endlessly. They would get to the village today, but it might be late. Ivor would have to slow down when it got dark. He really needed to figure out the night vision or dark vision thing.

He nearly facepalmed. He wasn't in an Evaluation anymore. Quanzul could make him anything he could afford. Ivor was going to have to get Austin to send another message.

When it got dark, Ivor slowed to let Kate and Austin get down.

“Yeah, that was not something I was expecting,” she said.

Austin laughed, “When I first met him, he wasn't very good at hiding his power. I asked him if he was going to kill me.”

Kate's eyes shot open in surprise.

“Not everyone is like Rick and his group,” Ivor replied.

Kate set a fast pace. It was about three hours later, they came to the village. Kate called out to the village.

They didn't want to startle anyone. A man stepped out from a shadowed side of a building.

“Kate. I didn't expect you back for another few days,” the man said.

Austin covered for her. “We met her when she was on her way back. The Hunter and I had news from our village council. They are offering to take in any villages that are struggling.

We can escort you. We should also have another group heading this way. I sent a runner back to get them headed this way once Kate told us the news.”

Ivor caught the brief frown the man gave Austin. He also noticed that the man said “I didn't expect you back…” not “We didn't expect you back…” Ivor identified the man.

Caleb Jones

Fighter (Level 9)

Highest stat: Strength

Immunities: None

“You can rest in the Admin building until morning,” Caleb told her.

“I'm more comfortable outside,” Ivor didn't want to give away that he couldn't enter the Admin building. “I'll start looking for any monster tracks when it gets light out.”

“You're a little low-level to be all by yourself out there. Maybe your friend should go with you,” Caleb said.

Austin frowned, “He'll be fine. He's a Hunter. He can take care of himself in the woods.”

“Your funeral,” Caleb quipped.

Chapter Five

Austin and Kate headed towards the Admin building to get a little rest. Ivor wasn't tired at all. He headed into the woods. He couldn't see much.

It was a dark night. He decided to make himself comfortable and let [Blend] take care of things. Sitting down with his back to a tree, Ivor kept watch on the village. He couldn't see in the dark, but his high Perception helped him see better than a lower level human.

He used an old training technique to start gathering the sounds of the forest around him. With Zed's help, he would quickly be able to catalogue any unnatural sounds.

Zed chimed in, “That man is going to be a problem, correct?”

“Maybe. Some human males get possessive of females. He might try to push his weight around. My fear is that he'll notice Kate has a thing for Austin, and he might try something, Ivor replied.

“A thing?” Zed asked.

“Right, sorry. Kate is interested in Austin romantically. Her eyes dilate, her pulse quickens, and she blushes ever so slightly when she's talking to Austin. These are some involuntary physical signs of our species when we take a romantic interest in someone. Look through the literature you have.”

Ivor kept watch through the night. On several occasions he noticed Caleb looking back at the Admin building. Part of the way through the night, someone relieved him on watch. Ivor waited until it was light enough and started making a circuit around the village. [Tracking] was showing him lots of signs of monster activity. Based on the tracks, these were more of those mutated wolves.

Though these tracks looked larger. It could be this village just had the bad luck to be located in an area with higher level monsters.

Ivor had done several circuits around the village, widening the search area each time, before he made his way back to the village. Austin and Kate were talking with a group of villagers near the Admin building as he walked up.

“Nobody is saying you have to leave. We are saying you are welcome to join our village. We will protect anyone that wants to make the trek back to our village. My team isn't staying long. Please try to make a decision as soon as possible,” Austin was saying as Ivor stepped up.

Austin nodded to Ivor, “What did you find?”

“At least three different packs of those mutated wolves. One pack in particular is large, not in pack size, but individually. I think that pack is higher level.

There are tracks all around the village. Some are as fresh as last night,” Ivor told him loud enough for the others to hear.

“How many do you think?” One of the villagers asked. An older woman, possibly one of the leaders.

“My guess is around fifteen to twenty. It could be higher or lower. Some of the tracks are older and cross over themselves many times. There could be rotating packs coming in and out of the area. I'm concerned that higher level packs may be pulling the lower level ones into a much larger pack capable of taking on this village,” Ivor replied.

“Can you give us a couple of hours?” She asked.

“Sure,” Austin replied.

Ivor, Austin and Kate stepped away. Caleb, along with a few lower level Class holders approached the group.

“Why don't we go out and try to whittle down the packs?” Caleb asked.

Austin replied, “If we do that now, all the wolves will likely attack. We have a chance to get moving, and they may not follow. It may just be them establishing their territory.

We can always send a group to harass or whittle them down when we are moving. Also, I have another group meeting us. The quicker we get to them, the more firepower we will have.”

“Or you're just too scared to fight them,” Caleb sneered. Some of the folks with him looked uncomfortable at his obvious provocation.

Ivor stepped in as Austin bristled at the insult, “Austin is right. Plus if your leaders decide to stay, we are going to leave. We have our own village to protect and goals to achieve.”

Caleb dismissed Ivor's statement, “You're probably making up all that nonsense about the tracks just to scare everyone. You're only Level 7 anyway.”

Again, the people behind Caleb shifted uncomfortably. Half of them were Level 7 as well, many of them lower level.

“Well, it seems clear you're not interested in our help. As the highest level Fighter in your village, I'm sure your words carry weight.” Austin walked back over to the group he was talking to previously.

“I'm sorry to interrupt folks, but your highest ranked Fighter here thinks we are lying to you to try to scare you into leaving. We won't force anything on anyone. So, we'll be on our way.” Motioning to Ivor and Kate, Austin started walking away from the village.

They hadn't gone ten meters when the older woman ran up to them yelling, “Wait, please. Caleb doesn't speak for this village.” She shot a scowl at Caleb. “Even if there weren't monsters around, we don't think we have the right mix of people to make the village prosper. It would be better if we merged with another village. We'll gather everyone and make the announcement.

We should be able to get on the road tomorrow. Even though people don't have much, they'll want to pick up bags and carts to carry goods.”

Ivor called Austin over. As he spoke quietly, he pushed two gold into Austin's hands, “They probably don't have many credits. This will help everyone get what they need. They'll need basic tents, food, and water. They'll be on the road for at least three days.”

Austin nodded, then turned to the woman, “Fine. We can wait until tomorrow. As a gesture of good faith, take this to make sure everyone has what they need: tents, food, water, bags, carts, etc… We'll be on the road for at least three days.”

The woman looked shocked at the gold coins. She thanked Austin and rushed back to the other village leaders. Ivor caught Caleb's combined look of greed and anger.

The rest of the day saw a bustling village of a few hundred people rushing to pack their meager belongings. The village leaders did a tremendous job of organizing everything and making sure everyone had what they needed for the journey tomorrow. Ivor walked around the village, helping where he could. He also slipped into the forest every so often to make a quick circuit to make sure those mutated wolves weren't massing for an attack. Several times, when Kate was alone, he noticed Caleb approach her and try to engage her in conversation. His [Blend] skill was working to great effect in this environment.

People sort of forgot he was around. It allowed him to listen in on a good amount of chatter.

Kate was brushing Caleb off. She would remind him that the villagers needed help. No, she didn't need any help. He could go help someone else.

The work would get done faster that way. He also heard a few of the village folks complaining about Caleb. It seemed he had been passive aggressively threatening the leaders saying he was going to leave and take the other combat classes with him if they didn't do what he wanted. They couldn't really afford to call his bluff before Kate, Austin and Ivor arrived. Now they had a way out.

A few of the other combat classes started complaining about Caleb as well. They really didn't like him putting Ivor down about his level. In general, they hoped he wouldn't do something stupid. It sounded like they thought Caleb was all talk.

Ivor started noticing Caleb hanging around Kate more often. In return, Kate started staying close to Austin. Ivor noticed Caleb's face taking on a dark look when Kate was talking with Austin. Something to keep an eye on for sure.

It was a busy day, but everyone got packed by dark. All the provisions were purchased. There were plenty of credits left over. Austin told the woman, Mary, to offer it as a token of appreciation to the village councilors when they got there.

She knew what he was doing, and it was a smart political move on Austin's part. Even if he was just being nice and probably didn't realize the implications. It was clear Mary understood. She approached Ivor.

“You've been coaching the boy?” She asked with a smile.

Ivor chuckled, “Some. What he just did. That was all him. He's a good man. With the right people to guide him, he'll be a great man.”

“And will you be there to guide him?”

“Oh no. I'm not that good of a man,” Ivor said with a grin.

Mary laughed lightly, “I don't doubt that. However, there must be something good there. I see the way that young man looks at you when he is unsure. He relies on you.”

“He does. Less and less each day. There are others that have taken up the chore. You could be one of them too.

Austin has learned some very harsh lessons in the short time we've known each other. Being around me too much will grind down that goodness in him. I don't want to see that happen,” Ivor said as a little sadness crept into his voice.

“I understand. Really I do.” She looked into Ivor's eyes. “I've known hard men in my life. You, Mr. Level 7 Hunter, are as hard as they come. You unnerve some of my people. You seem to appear out of nowhere. Some of the folks watching the forest have told me they see some kind of blur, but it goes by so fast they can't be sure they actually saw anything.”

Ivor was about to say something when Mary held up her hand, “You don't need to say anything. I don't want to know anything. As hard as you are, I can tell you wish the best for that young man. That's all I need to know. I'll play interference with the rumors.”

With that said, she walked away. Ivor had spent nearly all of his life finding and fighting the worst of humanity. He knew he had a biased view of the species, but then someone like Austin or Mary would come along to remind him that everyone wasn't like that. He shook his head.

“Zed, keep an eye on the group of leaders here. I'm going to recommend to Austin that Mary be put on the village council. Give me your analysis of any of the others you think would be a good fit. Top 3 or 4.”

“I will do my best, Ivor.”

Ivor made a couple more circuits of the village, then settled in to rest. For the first time, Ivor asked Zed to wake him in three hours or if something was approaching. Zed was still operating while Ivor was asleep. He couldn't see anything, obviously, but he could utilize Ivor's hearing and sense of smell.

The morning came without incident, and the village prepared to leave. Mary pulled the village crystal and several hundred people moved out. Kate was in the lead along with most of the village combat classes. Over Caleb's strenuous objections, Ivor, Austin, Caleb and a few other combat class villagers took up the rear. As Ivor explained to Austin, if an attack was coming from those mutated wolves, it was coming from behind them.

The first day went without issue. They were moving a little slower than Ivor hoped, but making progress nonetheless. Ivor would trail behind and let the group get out of sight. He would speed back along their trail looking for evidence of the packs following them.

He saw nothing. As the first day came to an end, there was a little grumbling and soreness. Overall, the folks were high enough level that they weren't debilitated from a day of strenuous marching, but the lower level folks could still get a bit sore.

Ivor explained to the leaders and the folks that would be standing watch that he would be setting out traps as an outer perimeter. They were the noise alert traps that he had created. These were an older version that didn't differentiate between human and monster, just size. He made sure everyone knew how far out they could go without triggering them.

The night went by without issue. Once again the leaders showed their value as they quickly got everyone fed, packed up and moving much quicker than Ivor expected. They moved out at the same pace as the previous day. It was a couple of hours after mid-day when Ivor felt like something was wrong. Maybe not wrong, but like he forgot something.

“Zed, you have all that information about Earth, correct?”

“Anything produced digitally or on paper when the System came.”

“What is the primary attack pattern of wolves?” Ivor asked.

“Wolves will expend the least energy possible, and will track their prey over long distances hoping to pick off weaker or slower moving prey,” Zed responded.

“Shit!” Ivor exclaimed. “They're going to hit us from the sides.”

Ivor dropped back from the group once again. This time when he was out of sight, he sped away to their right side. He went quite a ways, and found nothing.

Coming back to the group, he stayed with them for about 15 minutes before he dropped back again. This time he sped away to the left side. It was a couple of kilometers away when he caught sight of the two packs.

He was too far away to identify them, but one pack was nearly twice the size as the other. They were pacing slightly behind the group, but starting to angle towards them.

Ivor quickly flashed back to the group, coming out of the tree line at a trot. He came up to Austin and Caleb.

“I think two packs are coming. The big ones and a smaller pack,” Ivor informed them.

Austin looked at Ivor, “I'll take the larger pack with Caleb. Ivor you and a couple others should take the smaller pack, then help us when you're done.”

Ivor nodded and pointed to two of the other combat classes, a Fighter with a spear and a Mage. They set off into the woods. Slowly letting the column of villagers get further away, Ivor positioned the two teams to intercept the monsters. Ivor had sent one of the villagers to the head of the column to have some combat class folks in the front move to the left side in case any of the monsters broke past.

Ivor's group let the main pack with the larger monsters rush past them as they lay hidden. When the second pack broke into the clearing, Ivor's group attacked. The Mage sent two very effective bolts into two unsuspecting monsters killing them both instantly.

The spearman got a lucky strike straight into the eye of one of the mutated wolves. Unfortunately, the spear got lodged in the skull. Ivor barely had time to lash out with his foot to push one monster back, while stabbing the one trying to sneak attack the spearman.

The spearman managed to get his spear out and advance with the Mage on two more monsters. With their backs to him, Ivor quickly killed the monster he had pushed away.

Suddenly, Caleb burst out into the clearing.

“They were too much for us, Austin is trying to hold them off. He sent me to get you,” Caleb spoke slightly out of breath.

Ivor called out to the Fighter and Mage, “Head back to the group once you are done, in case any bypassed us.”

The two men nodded. Ivor followed Caleb to where they had been fighting the wolves. There were six dead mutated wolves but no Austin.

Caleb pointed towards a stand of trees, “Austin was making his stand over there.”

Ivor rushed to the location. Austin was laying on the forest floor, but there were no wolves. Ivor felt a bit of pressure on his back. Quickly turning, he saw Caleb retracting his sword with a shocked look on his face.

Caleb recovered quickly and stabbed again. Ivor didn't bother moving. The sword hit the armor on his stomach and stopped.

Reaching down with his bare hand, Ivor grabbed the sword by the blade. Instinctively, Caleb tried to pull it back. The sword didn't move.

“Whaaat?… How?…” Caleb stammered as Ivor pulled the sword from his hand and snapped it in half. Ivor slapped Caleb so hard, he caved in his skull. Ivor leaned down to check on Austin. There was a nasty bump on his head and it was bleeding freely. Ivor carefully rolled him over and pulled out a health potion.

Austin choked a bit on the liquid as Ivor poured it down his throat. Most of it went down correctly. Austin's eyes shot open, as the Superior health potion fixed his wound nearly instantly.

“Caleb..,” he started to say as Ivor pointed at the body on the ground.

Austin looked at Ivor, “Did…did he try to stab you?”

Ivor nodded.

Austin broke out into a belly laugh. Actual tears were falling down his face. Ivor was a bit surprised at the reaction.

Austin calmed down, “I'm sorry. This isn't a laughing matter, but what I've seen you do. Man, I bet the look on his face was priceless. I don't know that you can be hurt.”

“A Level 80 Ice Dragon ripped a claw right through my armor and through most of my left side from my ribs to my knee,” Ivor replied.

Austin's mouth dropped open, then closed, then opened, “You're not kidding. Of course you're not.”

“I'll tell you the story one day. What happened here.”

Austin looked around briefly, “We caught them by surprise. We finished those six off pretty quickly. Caleb may have been a jerk, but he could fight. The last three wolves ran off. I was about to give chase when the lights went out.”

“Yeah, he must have smashed you in the head with the pommel of his sword. You had a bad head injury. His highest stat was Strength. So it makes sense.”

“You can see stats?” Austin asked.

“Just the highest. My [Identify] skill is Advanced.”

“Wow. Are all your skills that high” Austin was awed and a bit jealous.

“No, not all,”

“Oh, ok…”

“Some of them are much higher,” Ivor deadpanned.

Austin stared at Ivor with his mouth open in shock. Then he started laughing again.

“Ivor, I know you're not lying to me. But, dude, you're ridiculous.”

Ivor chuckled, “Yeah, I get that. Let's get to looting these monsters. When we get back to the group. Caleb was killed by the monsters and taken by the ones that ran away. We couldn't catch them.”

Austin looked at Caleb's corpse and shook his head. He walked over to loot the mutated wolves while Ivor took care of Caleb. They headed back to the still moving group.

Mary was at the back when they got there. Ivor and Austin told her they would explain when they stopped for the night. They didn't want to have to repeat the tale, and the group needed to keep moving. She looked at both of them, then nodded and went back to the front of the group.

When the group stopped for the night. Austin told the story to the leaders and the other combat classes. The two fighting with Ivor corroborated part of the story, lending it credibility. They all settled down for the evening.

Not many folks were somber at the loss. Seems like Caleb didn't make a good impression on many. Overall, people felt good that the monster problem was taken care of and they were one day closer to safety.

Ivor was placing his traps when heard someone coming towards him. No surprise to him, it was Mary.

“Most people won't question it because he wasn't well liked, but your story doesn't hold up,” she said.

“Ok, what do you think happened out there?” Ivor asked.

“I think Caleb did something monumentally stupid, and it cost him his life.”

“You're not wrong,” Ivor replied.

“Did he try to kill Austin?” She was pressing. Ivor wasn't sure how much he should tell her.

“That was his goal,” Ivor wasn't going to make it easy on her.

“Oh for shit's sake, can we just not dance around this? What the hell happened.” She threw her hands up.

“You were the one coming at this conversation sideways. Like a fucking lawyer,” Ivor scoffed.

“I was a fucking lawyer,” she responded.

Ha Ivor barked out a laugh. “Well, alright, Mary the Lawyer. Caleb and Austin surprised the larger monsters, killing six. Three ran off, Caleb struck Austin in the back of the head. It was bad.

Pre-System he would have had brain damage, if he survived. Caleb came to get me saying Austin was in trouble. When my back was turned he tried to stab me. I killed him. I healed Austin with a potion.”

She nodded, looking at him like she was studying a sculpture.

Ivor sighed, “You want to know. Don't you?”

“I do, but I'm not sure I want to pay the price.”

“It's a simple System Contract, even for a lawyer,” he quipped.

She smirked, “Ok, what's the contract?”

Ivor told her about the standard contract he had people sign. She recommended a slight wording change, but nothing that would come back to haunt him. She agreed.

“So now what?” She asked.

Ivor pulled a regular steel dagger out of thin air. He handed it to her.

“Go ahead,” he said.

“Stab you?”

“Sure, put everything you can into it. All your frustration, fear, pain, whatever you want to get out of your system. Right in the gut.”

She looked at him like he was insane. She was a sharp woman though. She gathered her thoughts.

Ivor didn't know what she was thinking about, but a look of fury came across her face. With a feral growl, she stabbed him right in the same place Caleb had tried. The dagger didn't even scratch his armor.

She stood there dumbfounded. She figured something like this was going to happen, but seeing it was on a whole new level.

Ivor grabbed the dagger by the blade. It didn't even cut his skin. He held the dagger out horizontally, just like he did with Rick's sword, and with just his thumbs and index fingers he snapped the dagger in half. Mary startled at the sharp sound.

“Are you actually human?” It was a fair question.

“I was before the System. Just a retired C.I.A Contractor on his last legs.”

“Now you're some kind of super hero righting wrongs?” She laughed.

Ivor laughed with her, “No, I'm just a guy trying to reach his daughter in this crazy new existence.”

“Wait, retired? You're what, 30?” She looked unconvinced.

“I was 60 when the System came. This is a byproduct of my Evaluation. I didn't go to the same place the rest of you did. It was Extreme for lack of a better word. Greater risk, greater rewards and all that.”

“Well that makes sense. You seem a little too worldly for someone your apparent age.”

They chatted as Ivor continued putting down the traps. Mary was an inquisitive woman. Ivor told her what he could. He also told her when he was holding back.

He was going to keep some things secret. Being a lawyer, she understood. When they got back to the rest of the group, Mary went off to sit with the other village leaders.

Ivor sat with Kate and Austin. Were they sitting a little closer to each other than normal? Hmmmm….

The next morning, they ended up meeting with the group that was sent out from Austin's village. Overall, the rest of the trip was uneventful. Ivor didn't rush ahead as that would probably result in too many questions. When they finally got the group to the village, Ivor told Mary he was going to recommend her and one other person be added to the village council. She thanked him as she worked to get her people set up. They would be staying in the tents for the immediate future until more homes could be built.

Austin asked the councilors to meet with him and Ivor at Austin's new home, Rick's old home. When they got there, Austin recommended the council consider adding the two new members from the newcomers. This worked out as Mike and one other person didn't really care for the work. They were happy to turn it over to others.

“Oh, we got this request from a Master Merchant to offer you a quest. He's paying us a good chunk of credits just to give you the quest. I assume it's ok?” Mike asked.

Ivor nodded, and a notification appeared in his overlay:

Quest: Deliver Marie Kemble to Kemble Freehold safely for an in-person reading of The Craig-Y-Don Blacksmith

Reward: 50 gold coins

Failure: Repayment of quest funds paid to Hunter's Rest village

Do you accept the quest? Yes/No

Ivor selected Yes, and frowned, “What is Hunter's Rest village?”

Mike cleared his throat, “Well.., uh that's what we decided to name the village when we finished the charter.”

Ivor shook his head. With their business complete, the councilors left, leaving just Ivor and Austin.

Austin spoke up as well, “Oh, and I sent that message you asked me to as well. I got a response right away. Your item should be ready tomorrow. Someone named Quanzul told me to say, “Rushing an Epic Level Armorer, now who's the cheeky one?”

Ivor laughed. He could wait another day for that item. It would ultimately speed him up in the long run. Ivor checked his map. He zoomed out, and out, and out until he finally found the icon that represented Marie's location. It was a long way away, and Ivor had no idea what was in between. Well, nothing for it. He would just have to move as quickly as he could. Ivor made his way to the inn, intending to study the Vamhael Rune Codex. The puzzle boxes he was using only really worked up to Expert. Between Expert and Master, you were supposed to know enough to start figuring things out for yourself.

Ivor stepped into the inn, and there was a little bit of celebration going on. It looked like the new council members were getting to know existing council members and some of the combat class types from the two villages were swapping stories over ale. Ivor went up to the bar where Mike was wiping down a mug.

“That's a good thing you did there Hunter,” Mike said, pointing the mug at the two groups.

“I think you meant to say that's a good thing Austin did there,” Ivor smiled at Mike.

“Right you are, sir. Right you are.”Mike nodded.

“I wouldn't mind some food if you have it.”

“Coming right up,” and Mike hurried into the kitchen.

Ivor had finished eating and was thinking about his impending trip. He needed to have Austin get a message to Marie that Ivor was on his way. Ivor also needed some supplies, mostly just food.

He didn't plan on stopping to hunt. As he was contemplating his needs. Someone slid onto the stool next to him.

“Copper for your thoughts,” Mary said, smiling.

“Yeah, that does translate just fine, doesn't it. Well, thinking about the trip I'm about to take.”

She pouted a little, it was cute. Now that Ivor really looked at Mary, she was objectively a very attractive woman.

“Leaving soon?” She asked.

“Tomorrow”

“There's still tonight,” she said suggestively.

“It's been a long time since anyone hit on me without plans to kill me later,” Ivor chuckled.

“I think we proved that's not something I'm actually capable of, based on our little experiment.” She chuckled with him.

Ivor took a moment, then, “Sure, why not.”

The two walked up to Ivor's room.

Chapter Six

Ivor was reading the Codex when Mary woke the next morning. Ivor admired her body as she smiled at him and got dressed. Ivor wasn't sure if she was shaped that well before the System, but she looked great to him. She was normally wearing clothes that hid her shape.

That could be a conscious choice given the new world they found themselves in. Men with power might try to take rather than ask. It was a shame, if that was the reason why.

“What's that you're reading?” She asked.

“It's a book on runes. A particular set of runes. The book is kind of like a study manual, wiki and YouTube all in one.”

“What do you do with these runes?”

“Do you have anything on you that has sentimental value? Maybe something from before the System?”

She reached into a small pocket of her pants and pulled out a locket. She opened it. There was a woman on the inside that resembled Mary quite a bit.

“It's my mother. She passed before all this, but she had a huge impact on my life. She was a lawyer too. Back when lawyering was “men's work.” She was tough as nails when she needed to be. But she was also the kindest person you would meet.”

Ivor held out his hand. She put the locket in his hand. He flipped it over and pulled out his Mana Scribe. Drawing the rune for Reinforce on the back of the silver locket, he infused his will.

The rune shined with a bright light then disappeared to the naked eye. He handed the locket back. Mary opened and closed it to make sure it still worked.

“It doesn't feel any different,” she stated.

“Nope, but it won't tarnish and you could probably drop a mountain on it and it won't crush. It's pretty invincible. I could probably crush it, but nobody on this planet could. Probably never,” Ivor explained.

“Can I ask?”

“How strong am I?” He asked.

She nodded.

“My effective Strength stat is 150.”

Her jaw dropped. She collected herself, “It's not just your Strength though, is it?”

He smiled, “They are all over 100.”

She stood with eyes wide for a moment then got a lascivious grin on her face. “I just slept with the most powerful man on the planet. Now I just need to find the most powerful woman, and I can die happy.”

They both laughed. They were still chuckling as they went downstairs to the tavern. Ivor ordered them both breakfast.

As they were chatting and eating, Austin came in. He knew Ivor was leaving today and wanted to say goodbye. Ivor handed him a list of things to pick up in the System Market along with a backpack to put the things into, a letter for Marie and a message for Aza. He also asked Mary to go with Austin. Austin could explain the trouble with the World Guardian. He could also get Mary introduced to Aza or one of Aza's counterparts. He imagined a smart woman like her was going to be doing some deals to make this village prosper when it became a town.

Ivor went back to his room and pulled out his new item from Quanzul. It was a hooded mask. It matched his armor exactly. He used [Analyze] on it.

Hooded Mask of the Extreme Sole Survivor

Level: Master

Requirements: Ivor Kemble, Armor of the Extreme Sole Survivor

Type: Bonded

Features:

- Self-sizing

- Self-cleaning

- Self-repairing

- Color changing (Limited)

- Camouflage (Limited)

- Structure changing (Limited)

- Vision enhancement (Night, Dark, Bright)

- One-Way view (+ Mask toggle)

- Upgradable

Part of a Set: 1/2

Set Features: When all set pieces are worn, armor effectiveness increased by 10%

“Zed, Vision enhancement - Bright and One-Way View?” Ivor asked.

“Bright vision enhancement operates much like your sunglasses did, but much more effective. I think One-Way view needs to be experienced. Just put it on and feed your mana into it to bond it. I believe it will become obvious.”

Ivor shrugged and put the hooded mask on. It was ridiculously comfortable without the self-sizing. Ivor fed mana into it. He could feel the hood merge with his armor. Nice, no gaps. He could also feel it shift and pull ever so slightly as it was self-sized.

Then, the damndest thing happened. It was like he wasn't wearing the hood at all. From his perspective, looking out, the mask or hood didn't exist. Looking in the mirror, Ivor was clearly wearing the hood and mask.

Ivor figured he knew what the mask toggle was. With a thought, the mask seemed to disappear in the mirror. Ivor was still wearing it. He could reach up and feel it on his face.

This would allow him to show his face without having to take the whole thing off. It was a nice touch. Quanzul was really showing Ivor the skill of an Epic level enchanter.

Ivor was able to pull the mask and hood up and over his head so it was resting on his back like a traditional hood. That would keep him from having to constantly take it off and put it on. Again, fantastic design on Quanzul's part. Ivor would just need to bite the bullet and get the gloves and boots made for the set next time he had a chance.

Ivor walked down into the tavern and noticed Mike wasn't behind the bar. Shrugging, Ivor stepped out of the inn to see a large group of people standing in front of the inn.

Austin walked up and shook Ivor's hand, “Thank you Ivor, for what you've done for this village, and for how you helped me.” Ivor smiled.

Kate said thank you as she shook Ivor's hand. Ivor whispered in her ear, “You take care of that young man, ok?” She blushed bright red and nodded.

There were a few of the families he had helped in the other village and a large group of combat classes that he had run through the dungeon. They all shook his hand and thanked him.

The last group consisted of Mike and the councilors. Mike shook his hand and welcomed him to the inn anytime. The other councilors thanked him. Finally, there was Mary.

“Can I walk with you to the edge of the village?” She asked. He nodded and they walked off. Everyone else seemed to know to leave them to their privacy.

When they reached the western edge of the village, Mary spoke, “Take care of yourself Ivor. I hope you find your daughter soon. I'd like to meet her if you get back this way.”

“You too Mary. I should be passing through on my way back with her and her team. Thank you for last night. It's been a long time, and well… just thank you.”

She leaned in and kissed him. Then she turned around and walked back towards the center of the village.

Ivor mentally sighed, “Another speed run, Zed.”

“It does seem to be a pattern with you,” Zed replied.

Ivor pulled his hooded mask on and left it on One-Way View. He waited until he wasn't visible to the village. When he was clear, he took off. After talking with Zed, they figured he could maintain half of his top speed without affecting his stamina regeneration. Zed estimated he was moving at hundreds of kilometers per hour.

Ivor was moving as best he could in a straight line towards the town Marie was in. He noticed on his map that he had some detail he didn't notice before. There were several thousand people in the town of Egara. The name sounded familiar to Ivor. He queried Zed about the name. Apparently, it was a Roman town that was a part of Terrassa, Spain, and also a famous fashion brand.

The area Ivor was in was a mix of flat farmland with small forests dotted here and there. There was an occasional stream or, what seemed like, a small river tributary that he had to cross, but nothing that really slowed him down. Ivor had traveled a couple of hours before Zed commented.

“A village popped up just on the edge of your map to the south.”

Ivor had just topped a decent sized hill. He must have subconsciously added it to his map. Ivor stopped, and looked to the south.

Sure enough, Ivor could just barely make out the corner of a building past some trees in the distance. Ivor was about ready to ignore the village entirely when something caught his eye as he was starting to turn away.

Somebody had rushed from that corner of the building into the trees. Ivor watched as the person was flitting from tree to tree. Ivor saw another person round that corner of the building, stalking in the direction the other had gone. Ivor kept watch at the top of the hill as the first person broke out into the open and started to run. The second person seeing the runner took off after them.

As they were coming in his general direction, Ivor saw the second person, clearly a large man, catch up to the first person. Ivor could now make out the second person was a woman.

The man tripped up the woman. She fell hard holding her arm in pain. The man backhanded her. Ivor couldn't make out the words, but he didn't really need to. The woman was shaking her head no, when the man grabbed a handful of her hair and started dragging her back towards the village.

In his previous life, Ivor had watched a lot of bad people get away with things because it wasn't his mission, or it would upset the wrong person. Ivor was tired of that shit. He put on a burst of speed and caught up to the pair before they made it back into the woods.

When he got there, the woman was begging.

“I won't run again. I promise. I'll do whatever you want. Just don't give me to him,” the woman pleaded with the man.

“He'll have you either way. We told you what would happen if you ran,” the man spat back.

Ivor flashed forward and tripped up the man. Falling down, he let go of the woman to catch himself before he hit the ground.

The man growled as he pushed himself back up, “Stupid bitch. Now I'm gonna beat you for tripping me.”

The man turned around and saw Ivor standing between him and the woman. The man looked at Ivor and started laughing.

“What the hell are you supposed to be, Batman?” The man laughed some more. “Level 7 Hunter. You better haul your ass outta here. Drop all your gear before you go. Otherwise, she's not the only one that's gonna get a beating.”

Ivor identified the man. He was only a Level 10 Fighter.

Ivor didn't move.

“Don't say I didn't warn you,” the man said as he pulled out his sword and slashed at Ivor.

Ivor caught the blade and pulled it out of the man's hand. The man stumbled forward. Ivor grabbed him by his shitty leather armor and body slammed him to the ground.

Ivor heard a few cracks as all the wind left the man's lungs. Quickly glancing over, the woman was staring wild eyed at Ivor. Ivor approached the woman with both hands out to the side.

“Is it ok if I take you up to the top of that hill for a little bit. It should be far enough away that they can't find you easily.” Ivor was pointing to the hill he had been on nearly two kilometers away.

The woman nodded, and Ivor picked her up, careful of her injured arm. Within a few moments, they were at the top of the hill. Ivor gave her a minor health potion.

“Take this. It's a health potion. I'll be back in a few minutes. I need to go have a talk with the dead.”

Leaving the woman on the hill, Ivor sped back to the man who was just finally picking himself back up. Ivor kicked his legs out from under him. The man hit the ground hard. A pained grimace on his face. Ivor grabbed the man again by his armor, and sped to the forest away from the hill and village.

Ivor stopped, and dropped the man on his ass.

“Listen up shithead. I'm gonna ask you some questions. If you hold out on me or I find out you lied to me, I'm going to start pulling your fingers off one by one. Understand?” Ivor calmly told the man.

“Fuck you!”

Ivor grabbed the man's hand and pulled his thumb right off his hand. The man screamed as blood shot out of his hand. Ivor sprinkled some healing powder on the thumb and the wound scabbed over.

He had picked up a bunch of the healing powder when he realized he didn't have an unlimited supply of health potions. Also, it was good for this kind of work.

“You're fucking insane man,” the Fighter sobbed.

“You want to lose the other thumb dumbass?”

“Look man, the women know better than to run. It's a whole new world. We're just taking what we want. What the fuck do you care?” The man said.

“How many of you are in the village?”

“Classers, 20. The boss is Level 15. He's gonna fuck you up.” The man started getting brave.

“How many others?”

“The cattle. Shit I don't count'em. They're just there to do shit for us.”

Ivor snapped the man's legs and arms. Then knocked him out. Well, he hoped he knocked him out.

Other humans were pretty fragile to Ivor. Marking the location on his map, Ivor sped back to the top of the hill. The woman was shaking. It wasn't cold out. So it was definitely fear.

“Hey, I'm not here to hurt you or take advantage. I just want to know what's going on down there.” Ivor pointed to the village.

“What did you do to…”

“He's not going to wake up or be able to move for quite a while. You don't have to worry about him. Please, I just want to help,” Ivor said.

Ivor noticed she looked a little starved as well. Ivor pulled out some rations and water. He handed it to her. She dug into the rations like she hadn't eaten in days. It probably had been days. It was a standard tactic when keeping large groups of people. Starve them and keep them weak.

“Can you tell me what's going on down there?” Ivor asked.

“About half way through the Evaluation, this group of about 20, led by a guy named Wayne, started gaining levels really fast. At the same time, other combat Classers started disappearing during dungeon dyevs or out hunting. Eventually, they were all we had to rely on. They were assholes, but they didn't abuse us. Then the notification came that we were coming back.

They made any remaining low lever combat classes switch to Professions. They had five young guys switch from Professions to Fighter. That way they could control all the lower level combat Classers when we came back. They keep the Fighters locked up. They only get to go out to hunt one or two at a time with a group of the higher level guys.”

She took a shaky breath, then a drink of water, and continued, “The women… they use us.” She looked down at the ground. Ivor noticed tears falling from her face.

“I'm sorry you all had to go through that. I need some more information. How many buildings and who are in them?”

“We have the Admin building. Wayne stays there. He built a barracks for his men. Then he built a jail building where he keeps the rest of us locked up, including the five low level fighters,” she explained.

“Anyone out of the village right now?” Ivor asked

“Two of the low level Fighters and five of Wayne's guys. They are out hunting for meat.”

“Do they come back at night?”

“They used to, but now they need to go further to find animals we can eat. They stay out until they get enough to bring back. They left earlier today. I doubt they'll be back by tonight.”

“Ok, what's the routine? Do Wayne's guys roam around or stay in the barracks?”

“It's almost dinner time, they'll all be in the barracks. We bring food to them. After dinner, they'll usually bring a few women into the barracks for their fun.” Ivor saw the spark of anger in her eyes. The same spark that likely helped her decide to escape.

“Ok, then I need to move fast. Anyone on guard while they eat?”

“No, nothing around here can do any damage to them.”

“Ok, thanks. Last question, what would bring Wayne out of the Admin building?”

She looked at Ivor strangely. “Can't you just go in, yourself?”

“It's a long story, but no I can't. I'm technically not a citizen of this world anymore. The World Guardian has a beef with me and found a loophole to keep me out.”

The woman sneered, “Some fucking Guardian, letting shit like this go on. I can get Wayne out of the Admin building.”

“You sure you want to go back. You don't have to. I'll figure something out.” Ivor tried to reassure her.

“I saw what you did to that piece of shit Trent when you saved me. I want to be there when Wayne gets what's coming to him,” she said. That spark of anger was now a roaring flame.

“What's your name?” Ivor asked.

“Tracy,” she said.

“Well Tracy, Wayne is definitely going to get what's coming to him. Let's head down and hang out in the woods. You let me know which building is which, and tell me when you think everyone is in the barracks. Ok?”

“Sure,” she said.

Ivor rushed them down to the woods. He slowed down as they got to the edge of the woods. Tracy pointed out the best spot to keep an eye on the barracks.

It wasn't long before one of Wayne's men escorted a group of people carrying food towards the barracks. Minus the five that were out on the hunting trip, there should be 14 or 15 in the barracks. It took a couple of trips for all the food to be delivered.

When Wayne's man came back alone, after having locked the food deliverers back up. Ivor stepped out of the woods with Tracy. The man stopped about half way to the barracks.

“Tracy, you found a stray?” The man asked.

“Yeah, says he wants to join the village.”

“Well, well, we can always use another Hunter. Let me show you to our accommodations.” The man pointed back towards the jail. Ivor smiled and stabbed him in the heart with a spike trap. The man died instantly. Ivor picked him up with one hand.

“Ok, head on off to get Wayne. In about 30 seconds, there's going to be a big problem in the barracks.” Ivor held the dead man under one arm and started walking towards the barracks door. Ivor watched as Tracy rushed over to the Admin building. Ivor waited until she stepped inside. He pulled the door open, tossed the dead body inside, and yelled, “Here's dessert!!!” Ivor slammed the door shut and leaned back against it.

A loud bang went off inside, Ivor waited a few seconds until Tracy and Wayne stepped out of the Admin building. Ivor identified him.

Wayne Franklin

Fighter (Level 15)

Highest stat: Strength

Immunities: None

“What the fuck, Tracy. Who the fuck is that?” Wayne bellowed.

Tracy had already moved away from Wayne. As Wayne started walking towards Ivor.

“You fucked up little man. Whatever you did to my guys in there, I'm going to make you pay over and over again.” Wayne was holding a two handed war hammer with a massive steel head as he stalked toward Ivor.

“Oh, I don't think you've got it in you to pay me back for those poor bastards,” Ivor said as he stepped away from the door.

The door burst open, as two of Wayne's men stumbled out. Well, they weren't men for long. Their skin was blackening and rotting off by the second.

They couldn't even scream as the rotting flesh ate through their vocal cords. As the blackened flesh rotted off their hands first, the bones started to liquify. Within a couple of seconds, the two men were putrid puddles of rotting meat and liquid bone laying on the ground.

Wayne stopped in his tracks. Ivor felt a little bad as Tracy puked up the rations he had just given her.

Wayne looked at Ivor. Ivor could see the shock, then rage took over.

“You're a dead Motherfucker!!!” Wayne roared as he rushed towards Ivor bringing the massive hammer head up and over. The snarl on Wayne's face turned to shock again as Ivor casually reached up with one hand and caught the hammer head.

Wayne looked up as a cracking, screeching noise came from the head of the hammer. Ivor started slowly crushing the solid steel hammer head in his hand. Wayne didn't stay shocked for long.

He dropped one hand from the hammer and reached to his side pulling a hunting knife. With a practiced motion, he stared into Ivor's eyes and smiled as he thrust the knife into Ivor. Ivor smiled back. Wayne glanced down. The knife hadn't even penetrated the armor.

Ivor head butted Wayne, shattering his nose and the front part of his skull. The man dropped to the ground like a sack of potatoes.

Ivor turned to Tracy, “Can you unlock the jail cells?”

She pointed to the barracks, “The key is probably in there.”

Ivor shook his head, “Yeah, you don't want to go in there. Let's head over to the jail. I'll just pull the doors off.”

Tracy pointed back at Wayne, “What about him?”

“It's going to take him a little bit to recover. This won't take me long.”

They walked over to the jail building. Tracy opened the door and the stench rolled out like a fog. Ivor was disgusted. Not at the smell, at the fact that other humans would keep doing this to each other.

“Tracy, what's going on? Who is this?” An older man asked.

“I actually didn't get his name. He's helping. All of Wayne's guys in the barracks are dead, and Wayne is lying in a heap on the ground.

There were about 60 people in the six cells. There wasn't a lot of room, and no obvious plumbing. Most of the people were filthy.

Some of the women were a little cleaner. Almost everyone had bruises and cuts. The starvation must affect natural health regeneration, or they get beat often.

The cells were like the metal cages in old time prisons. Ivor walked over to the first door, jerking it open. The metal locking bolt snapped with a loud crack. Ivor did the same for the other five cells.

Looking at Tracy, Ivor said, “Anyone that doesn't believe I should do to Wayne what he did to all of you should stay inside this building.”

Ivor walked out of the jail building as Wayne was just standing up. Wayne shook his head a few times. It was clear his regeneration was working overtime. He pulled a familiar looking bottle out of a cargo pocket of his pants.

He drank the health potion. Ivor gave him a few seconds for the minor health potion to kick in.

Ivor laughed, “You still think you have a chance. I crushed the head of a solid steel hammer. Then, when you tried to stab me, I don't even think that knife scratched my armor. What the hell do you think you're going to do?”

The man pulled another bottle out and threw it at Ivor. Ivor caught it. He could have dodged it easily, but there were people behind him.

The bottle shattered and a cloying liquid caught fire and stuck to the skin of his hand. Ivor watched as the flames did nothing to his armor. His entire hand was on fire, but it wasn't burning his skin and it only felt a little warm to Ivor.

Ivor held his hand up, “That's it? That's your big move? Well, then here's my counter move.”

Ivor flashed over to Wayne so fast, if it wasn't magic, he might have broken the sound barrier.

Grabbing Wayne by the back of his head, he stuck his flaming hand into Wayne's mouth. The man didn't have time to scream as the liquid started his mouth and throat on fire. Ivor pushed his hand in further, dislocating Wayne's jaw. Wayne grabbed Ivor's arm to pull the hand out, but it was like trying to move a mountain.

Ivor turned to the watching group as Wayne's flailing was slowing down,”Is that enough or do you want more? I can heal him up a little and keep going. You tell me when it's enough vengeance.”

Several people were dry heaving. It didn't look like many of them had eaten in a long time.

The older man that had called out to Tracy looked around, “I think that's enough, mister.”

Ivor pulled his hand out of Wayne's charred mouth. The man wasn't quite dead yet. Even now, his regeneration was trying to heal him. Ivor looked right into his eyes.

“You're lucky these people are merciful. I would spend days bringing you to the brink, then healing you up again to do it all over. Every day, a new pain, a brand new agony for you to experience. You would beg me to end it. Because that's how it always ends up. Blink twice and I'll give you their mercy.”

Wayne blinked twice. Ivor snapped his neck without any real effort. Ivor carried the body over to the barracks.

He looted the corpse, leaving the loot on the ground. He looted the two puddles. He wasn't sure that was going to work but it did. Ivor went into the barracks.

There was still a bit of lingering necrotic magic from the trap he had set off, but nothing that was going to hurt Ivor. He looted all the former men in the barracks.

Dropping all the loot on the ground, he looked at the group.

“There's a good village a few days from here. I can draw you a map. I suggest you all get cleaned up, rest up, and head that way. If you don't think you have enough credits to outfit everyone for a few days hike, let me know. Take the village crystal with you, it will go a long way,” Ivor said.

A man spoke up, “I'm a Hunter too. I think we can share maps.”

Ivor called the man over, and sure enough, he had Navigation at Intermediate and it let him share maps. Ivor noted that there was a dungeon nearby. He wasn't going to waste any more time though. Maybe on the way back with Marie's team.

The older man and a few others had taken charge of the group. They were heading over to the Admin building to get cleaned up and get some food. There were wounds to treat and a lot of people could use some rest.

Ivor saw the way some of the women flinched when someone touched them. Some things may or may not heal with time.

Shaking his head, a group was walking over to him. It was the three other young Fighters, the Hunter and Tracy.

“The others are likely to be back tomorrow,” Tracy said.

“Unless you know exactly where they went, I'd prefer to stay here and wait until they come back. None of you are at a level to take on five Level 10s,” Ivor said.

Tracy nodded, “Well, we are glad you'll stick around to handle that. You didn't say, and we weren't sure.”

One of the Fighters spoke up, “What do you want us to do?”

“Well, if you want to get your own revenge, that Trent guy is lying in the forest with his arms and legs broken. I doubt he's in any shape to fight back. Probably get some experience if you all stab him at the same time.” Ivor drew a quick map in the dirt showing the location.

The three men nodded and immediately headed that way.

Tracy looked at him, “Those three and the Hunter all have [Identify] you know. I asked what your name is, and none of them would tell me. They said any man wearing a mask doesn't want to be known. They won't give you up. They just said to call you The Hunter.”

“Seems to be the handle I'm stuck with. People can do what they want. I don't care if they tell you my name. I wear a mask because it's terribly comfortable. I think everyone will be wearing them in the future.”

Tracy snorted a laugh, “Maybe I should be calling you the Dread Pirate Roberts.”

“I have it on good authority that the real Dread Pirate Roberts had been retired 15 years and living like a king in Patagonia,” Ivor replied.

They both broke into laughter. For Tracy, that laughter quickly turned into sobbing as the emotional dam broke. Ivor wasn't much of a touchy-feely guy, but he didn't object as she sobbed against his shoulder.

Tracy recovered within a few moments. She wiped her eyes and apologized to Ivor. Brushing off the apology, the two made their way towards the Admin Building. Tracy went to talk to some of the people getting everyone organized. The three young Fighters showed back up with the Hunter Ivor had shared maps with.

They all stood silently until one of the organizers asked them to help out cleaning up the jail building. There wasn't enough space in the Admin building for everyone. They were going to have to sleep in the jail building, but it needed to be cleaned up. The Fighters quickly agreed.

Getting cleaning supplies, they headed to the jail building. Ivor followed them over.

“Before you get started, let me take care of something,” Ivor said.

He walked into the building, and the other men heard screeching metal and a loud popping sound. Ivor came out of the door carrying one of the cell doors. He had ripped it right off.

Tossing it to the side of the building, Ivor repeated this five more times. Even though they would have to stay in the jail building one more night, there would be no more cell doors. The men nodded to Ivor and got to work.

It took most of the day and part of the night for all the folks to cycle through the showers and get decent clothes and food. Ivor had given them additional funds to purchase supplies. Wayne's men didn't have much coin on them and most of their equipment was junk. Ivor offered to keep watch while everyone slept.

The next morning, everyone was getting packed up when the hunting party returned. Ivor had been searching for them sporadically since first light. He had found them about a kilometer out of the village.

The two Fighters looked to be in rough shape. They were carrying two deer that had been killed. It looked like they had been beaten recently.

The five higher level Fighters that were all that was left of Wayne's group were joking and laughing. Ivor waited until they were halfway through the clearing to act.

He had picked up a couple rocks. Hidden in the shadows of the trees, Ivor side-armed a rock into the leg of one of Wayne's men. A loud crack sounded as the rock hit and the leg broke. The screaming man fell to the ground.

The two young Fighters carrying the deer, immediately dropped to the ground hiding behind the carcasses. Good instincts, Ivor thought to himself. The other men looked wildly around. Ivor threw another stone and shattered another leg.

Ivor could tell the other three were about to panic. So, he stepped out into the clearing and started walking towards them. One of the men had a bow. He quickly knocked an arrow and let it fly at Ivor. Ivor casually shifted to the left. The arrow harmlessly flew past him.

A second man with a spear, fouled the archer's next shot as he tried to stab Ivor, Ivor turned his torso ever so slightly. The spear head missed him by a few centimeters. Ivor front kicked the man in the knee, bending it completely backwards with an audible snap of tendons and ligaments.

At this point, the archer had another arrow ready, Ivor flashed forward letting the arrow bounce off his armor. He slapped the man in the head, knocking him down and out. The last Fighter was running as fast as he could towards the village.

Ivor picked up the spear on the ground and impaled the running man through his thigh. Screaming, he fell to the ground.

Ivor looked at the two young Fighters still hiding behind the deer carcasses, “They won't stay down for long. You better get to it.”

The two men blinked at Ivor. It took a second for what he said to register. They both jumped up and pulled swords. With rage and determination clear on their faces, the two men quickly killed the four Fighters lying on the ground. Ivor walked over to the runner who was trying to drag himself away.

Ivor pulled the spear out of the man's leg and thrust it straight through his heart. He looted the man and left the loot on the ground.

The two young Fighters had made quick work of the other four on the ground. They were in the process of looting the corpses when Ivor came back up to them. He pulled out some rope and quickly tied the deer's legs together. He didn't think the spear would hold the weight of two adult deer on each end.

So Ivor pulled out his Mana Scribe and put the Reinforce rune on the spear. Tying the trussed up deer to each end of the spear, Ivor hoisted the spear across his shoulders. The now reinforced spear didn't even bend in the middle with the added weight.

“Let's get you back to the village. There are some people that will be happy to see you,” Ivor said and trudged off to the village with two stunned young Fighters in tow.

There was quite a bit of rejoicing as Ivor and the two young Fighters entered the village. The other Hunter used [Dismantle} on the deer as Ivor checked a notification. While the villagers were helping the two Fighters get healed, fed and cleaned up. The older man and Tracy approached Ivor.

The older man spoke, “I suppose you'll be leaving.”

“I have business elsewhere I need to get to,” Ivor said.

The old man held out his hand, “Well mister, we have you to thank. Take care of yourself.”

Ivor shook his hand, as Tracy chimed in, “We're going to head to that village Hunter's Rest you told us about. Seems by the name, you might have done some good there as well.”

“The situation wasn't as bad as this, but it wasn't conducive to long term survival. They are good people. They'll be happy to have you folks.” Ivor handed over a small pouch. “There's ten gold in there. A donation to the village fund until you all can make your own way. Between that and the village crystal, you'll be welcomed with open arms.”

Tracy took it and thanked him. The five young Fighters and the other Hunter approached him. They all thanked him and promised to get the remaining villagers to Hunter's Rest safely.

“These people see you as a hero. You have been doing quite a few good deeds lately,” Zed commented.

“I'm no hero, Zed. I know I can't save everyone, and I don't want to. I'll do what I can when I can. Now, we need to get moving.

Ivor took off at full speed before slowing down to a manageable pace. To the people in the village, Ivor moved so fast, he just disappeared. The legend of the Hunter would be reinforced when they reached Hunter's Rest to settle.

Chapter Seven

Ivor sped to the hill he had been on when he spotted the village the other day. He stopped before continuing his journey. He had a notification to look at.

Experience threshold reached…..

Level 8 achieved….

Ivor looked at his stats and allocated his 11 free points.

Ivor Kemble (Human)

Credits: 7,492,356

Level: 8

Class: [Null]

Profession: Hunter

Strength: 106 (159)

Agility: 108 (162)

Endurance: 108 (162)

Constitution: 106 (159)

Intelligence: 159

Wisdom: 159

Willpower: 106 (212)

Perception: 137

Health: 1593

Mana: 1568

Stamina: 1770

Free Stat Points: 0

Ivor traveled for the rest of the day without stopping. Using the Night Vision feature in his mask, he was able to continue through the night, albeit at a slow pace. It was still over a hundred kilometers per hour.

The farmland and forests gave way to a more rocky, hilly ground. There was a small mountain range in front of him. Ivor stopped for a few hours, hoping the daylight would help him identify a pass to take.

When the morning came he couldn't find an obvious pass, and he didn't want to search forever. Ivor started climbing the most likely route to the top. These mountains weren't Everest or even the Rockies, but they were still mountains. With his Strength and Agility, climbing up the mountain was no harder than climbing a ladder. He could dig handholds by just jabbing his fingers into the stone.

Ivor didn't climb all the way to the top. He just needed to get high enough to skirt around and get to the other side. A large, mutated eagle or other bird of prey attacked him at one point.

Ivor slapped it out of the air. He hit it a little harder than he intended. It rocketed down the side of the mountain so fast Ivor couldn't even use [Identify] on it.

Finally coming around to the other side, there was a small, flat ledge Ivor could stand on and look out over the landscape. It was stunning. There was a sea of tall yellow grass stretching out towards the horizon.

From his height, Ivor could see dozens of kilometers. Although the sea of grass was vast, Ivor could see something else at the limit of his vision. Butting up against the sea of yellow was a vast stretch of blue. Ivor wasn't sure if it was a vast sea or an ocean. He could just barely make out what he thought were buildings on the edge of the yellow and blue.

If those were buildings, then Ivor may have run into his first town or city. There were a lot of buildings and some much higher than he'd seen in villages. Looking left and right as far as he could, the blue stretched on and on. Ivor would need a map to find out how far this sea stretched. It might be faster to take a boat across.

“What do you think of the view, Zed?” Ivor asked.

“This is amazing. Seeing things from your eyes is just such an amazing departure for me. Do not get me wrong, human vision is limited for sure. However, I can see where some of your literary descriptions of landscapes came from.”

Ivor made his way down the mountain and onto the grasslands. The grass was over Ivor's head. Definitely a perfect environment for an ambush predator. Ivor sped straight in the direction of the settlement he had seen.

It wasn't too terribly far for him. He slowed to a stop when he noticed a cleared area ahead. Ivor peaked through the grass to see a completely cleared area of grass for about 50 meters. At the end of the clearing were walls.

They were really tall walls. If he had to guess, they were probably 20 meters high. You didn't build walls that high on a whim. Maybe this grass held something else in it.

It was clear there was no opening into the town from this side. Ivor stayed within the grass but following the contours of the wall. Eventually, the grass and the walls wrapped around to meet with the sea.

On the southern end of the wall, there was a large, double doored opening. The doors were currently open, and they were big enough to fit two wagons side by side.

“Zed, this place looks pretty prosperous and big. Is this common so soon after an Evaluation?” Ivor asked.

“It is not terribly common. However, whether by luck or skill, some are able to create towns easier than others. It is likely this group did quite well in the Evaluation. The System, as a reward, probably brought all their buildings and maybe even this sea with them. Give them nearly a month with that advantage, and you get what you see here.”

Coming out of the doors and running parallel to the sea was a road. It was just a dirt road, but it looked well maintained. As Ivor watched, a wagon came out of the town. It was drawn by some animal Ivor didn't recognize.

The wagon was in good shape. There was a man driving the wagon that looked like he spent a lot of time outdoors. Sitting beside him was a rougher looking man with a crossbow laying in his lap. The goods in the wagon had a tarp over them.

Ivor waited for the wagon to go by and get down the road. [Blend] kept him from being discovered by the observant passenger with the crossbow. When they had passed far enough, Ivor stepped out of the grass and onto the road. He pulled his mask and hood back. Ivor didn't see any guards on the outside of the walled town, but he had no doubt they were right inside those doors.

Sure enough, as Ivor walked past the massive doors, there were guards setback along the interior of the massive walls. The walls were nearly five meters thick. Ivor was approaching the other end when an officious looking man approached him.

“What brings you to Seaton?” The man asked.

“Just passing through looking for information,” Ivor replied.

“We like to know things about visitors to our fine town. In this new world, there are all sorts wishing to make trouble. It won't take but a few minutes. We'll collect some information from you and you can be on your way,” the man said with a practiced ease.

Ivor didn't really want to have a bunch of information collected about him or his movements. He didn't know if that information could be sold in the System Market.

“If I refuse?” Ivor asked.

“Well, then, that would make me suspicious and more prone to want to know why. You'd likely be detained,” the man said with a smile.

Ivor noticed several guards closing in on his position. For the first time, Ivor triggered the active version of [Blend].

Blend (Unique) - Passive/Active

Passive

You blend into your environment whether urban or rural. This skill makes you incredibly hard to detect at a distance. In a crowd, you are impossible to find. People won't notice you easily when you are standing still, even in plain sight. In any rural environment, you easily blend into the surroundings making you nearly invisible. Slow movement is very hard to detect by anyone equal to or below Epic level. Extreme movement and clashing colors can reduce this ability. This is an innate ability.

Active

You can trigger blend to create an aura of forgetfulness. Anyone within 15 meters that has seen you will forget your passage. This effect uses mana. The aura is undetectable to anyone below Epic level.

The man and any guards that had been looking at him got a glassy stare. It looked like they were daydreaming. Ivor didn't waste any time, and he casually walked through to the town.

He immediately took a right to get out of direct sight of the guards. He moved down a side street and then back into the main thoroughfare.

One thing that was always easy to find in any town, pre or post-System, was a bar. Ivor was still pretty close to the walls. This area seemed to be filled with warehouses and staging areas for wagons and a few of those beasts of burden. It was late afternoon, and he was certain there would be a bar around this area. It took him all of three minutes to find one.

It was a fairly large bar. It made sense as there were quite a few warehouse workers in the area. It was late afternoon and the place was doing a brisk business. The passive effects of [Blend] were kicking in.

Ivor had been standing at the end of the bar, out of the way, just observing folks. Nothing specific caught his eyes or ears. Just workers blowing off a little steam before heading home. The bartender happened to be near him when Ivor placed a silver coin on the bar. The bartender was startled at the sudden appearance of a silver.

“Jeez fella, 'bout scared the crap outta me. Must have just come in, yeah?” The bartender asked.

“Yeah, just got in here and in town. Wouldn't mind an ale and some food if you have it? Also, I'm looking for some information?” Ivor said

“Well, the ale is three coppers; the food, fish chowder, is another two. The information, well that depends,” the man said.

“Nothing crazy or illegal. I'm looking for a decent general goods store that might have maps of the local area, or a Hunter that might have maps to trade. I'm also looking for general information about the town, what's here, who runs it, all that jazz,” Ivor explained.

“Oh, sure, sure. I got a Laborer kid that works for me as a bar back and whatnot. He can show you all around tomorrow if it can wait.

There's a decent inn five buildings further up on the other side of the street. The kid doesn't have a ton of work in the morning for me. He sometimes makes a few coppers showing people around. That work for you?”

Ivor realized it was going to be dark soon. “Sure that would be fine.”

“Great. I'll grab your ale and the chowder. I'll bring the kid around so you can meet him.”

Ivor sat on the stool nearest him. This was familiar. He couldn't count how many times he blended himself into a local bar to get information.

It was almost nostalgic. The bartender came back with a pretty decent ale and a really good fish chowder. Ivor was just finishing up his meal when the bartender brought over the kid.

The “kid” was probably 20 years old and was easily over two meters tall and built like a brick shit house. He had one of those baby-faces. Probably couldn't grow a beard or mustache to save his life.

The kid stuck out his hand, “Hey mister, I'm Jamal. Jimmy said you might need a guide around town tomorrow. I'm happy to do it, but it will cost you. Not a lot. I just like to be upfront with folks.” The words spilled out of the kid's mouth in rapid fashion.

Ivor took the kid's hand and shook it, “Well met, Jamal. I'm Ivor. Yeah, I could use a guide around town. I'm happy to pay. No worries there.”

The kid rubbed his hand, “Wow, you got a strong grip Mr. Ivor. I'll meet you at Liz's tomorrow morning. It might be early. I like to get going when the bakeries open. I think you'll like it too. Most of the people I show around seem to like the bakeries first thing in the morning.”

Ivor chuckled, “I assume Liz's is the inn?” The kid nodded. “Ok, I'll be ready early. Thanks Jamal.”

The kid nodded and scurried off.

“He's a good kid, mister. Don't take advantage. Lot's of people wouldn't be happy,” the bartender warned Ivor.

“No worries here. I'll treat him right.”

The bartender just nodded and went back to serving customers.

Ivor got up and headed outside. Five buildings up and on the opposite side of the street was a building with a sign out front that had “Dew Drop” painted on it in some font Ivor couldn't name. He chuckled and walked inside.

The inside wasn't fancy, but it was well decorated. More to the point, it felt comfortable. There was a decent sized entry way bit of a half wall with a check-in type desk behind it. A woman was standing behind the desk looking at Ivor.

“Hi, Jimmy at the tavern down the street recommended this place. I'll need a room for the night if you have it,” Ivor said.

“I have various sized rooms that use a set of shared bathrooms, or I have a few “suites” that have their own bathroom with a bathtub. Rooms can run from 25 - 50 copper a night depending on size. The suites cost two silver a night,” she responded.

“I'll take a suite. I suppose. A bath actually sounds amazing. Can I put a deposit down to hold the room, in case I stay a couple extra days?” Ivor wasn't sure how long it would take to get the information he needed.

“It's a silver per day to hold the room. Remaining to be paid each day.”

“I'll just pay for a few nights up front, if that's ok?”

“Sure, but it's non-refundable.”

“That's fine,” Ivor handed her six silver to cover three days.

“Welcome to the Dew Drop, I'm Liz, the owner. Your suite is number 5 on the third floor. We don't serve food, but I have a few runners that work during the day and night if you want them to get you something to take to your room.” She handed Ivor a stone with the number 5 on it. Ivor used [Analyze].

Runic Key

Requirement: Paired lock, Dew Drop #5

“Thank you Liz. I'm Ivor. I don't need any food, but Jamal will be coming by early tomorrow morning to get me,” Ivor said.

“Oh, great, Jamal is sometimes a runner for me during the day,” she said. Then she got a stern look on her face, “He's a nice kid. Don't take advantage of him.”

Clearly something had happened to Jamal in the past, but Ivor wasn't one to pry. “No worries here Liz. I plan to pay him for showing me around town, that's it.”

“Well, ok then. I have a night guard that also doubles as a night clerk if you need anything late.”

Ivor nodded and made his way up to the room. The suite was actually a suite. It had a bedroom with a semi-separate area with a desk, a chair and a small table that could seat two. The bathroom was not huge, but functional.

There was an old claw-foot tub with two obvious enchantments for hot and cold water. There was an assortment of soaps, bath oils, salts and bubbles. The towels were soft and fluffy.

Liz had put effort in the comforts that mattered as far as Ivor was concerned. He stripped out of his armor and started a bath. He had to make the water nearly boiling before it felt warm enough to him.

He poured in some of the bubbles. Thankfully, it wasn't a flowery scent. It had a nice minty smell.

Ivor sank back in the hot water and just decompressed for an hour. He spent most of the evening working on the Vamhael Rune Codex. He wanted something to disguise his identity, possibly even his level and Profession. He definitely didn't want anyone knowing his highest stat or any other characteristic. He might have to push for Master level in Enchant Object. He would need some time to do that.

He actually slept a full four hours for the first time in a while. He woke up with plenty of time before Jamal would show up. He had headed down to the small sitting room that the inn had. He nodded to the night clerk.

Just after first light, the door of the inn opened and Jamal came in. Seeing Ivor sitting, Jamal waived. Ivor got up to meet the young man.

“The bakeries will be opening up soon Mr. Ivor,” Jamal said, clearly excited.

“Well, can't keep them waiting now can we?”

“No sir. So, about my pay…” Jamal began.

Ivor handed Jamal a silver, “Let me know if that covers it. I'll pay for all the food, meals or transportation we may need.”

Jamal stared at the coin with his mouth open, “Umm…, Mr. Ivor, that's too much.”

“Nonsense,” Ivor said. “Consider it a tip for a job well done, ahead of time.”

Jamal smiled a huge grin, “Thank you Mr. Ivor. I won't let you down. We can hit my favorite bakeries. By the time we're done, I know a couple shops that might have what you're looking for. They'll be open by then.”

Ivor nodded and motioned Jamal to take the lead. Jamal had a wealth of knowledge about the town. Apparently, he'd been part of the original village that the town became.

He seemed to know everyone as well. There had to be a few thousand people in this town, not including any travelers. They reached their first bakery. Jamal recommended the croissants.

They were delicious. Ivor had coffee, Jamal didn't like coffee. He just had water.

The second bakery was a decent walk away. Jamal pointed out one of the stores they would come back to later. The second bakery, Jamal recommended this interesting breakfast roll someone had come up with. It was delicious too. Jamal knew his bakeries.

As they walked to the first store Jamal had on his list, Ivor was amazed at all the people greeting Jamal with a hello and a wave. The bakers also knew the young man. Ivor was starting to see why everyone kept warning him to be good to Jamal. He was just a nice cheerful young man. A little bit of sanity in this crazy new existence.

People like to hold onto things like that. As far as Ivor was concerned, they were right to do it. Jamal was just a pleasant person to be around.

They got to the first store. It was a general goods store. All the goods were quality items, but no maps. Ivor thanked the store owner for his time.

They went to another general store, the one Jamal had pointed out earlier. Again, good items, just no maps. As they left, Jamal was tapping his front teeth with a finger nail. Seeming to come to a conclusion, he snapped his fingers.

“I know a place, Mr. Ivor. The owner is a little weird. Nice guy, but he has a funny way about him. Anyway, he's got a shop with all sorts of crazy things in it. I didn't have it on the list at first, but if anyone has what you're looking for it would be Mr. Richards. If he doesn't have it, he knows someone that does,” Jamal finished.

Ivor nodded and the two set off. They were moving into a wealthier part of town. Jamal was oddly quiet and his head was on a swivel. He had just mentioned that the shop they wanted was just up the street, when four young men about Jamal's age came around the corner.

They stopped when they saw Jamal. One of them spoke.

“Jamal, Jamal, Jamal, I thought I told you not to be in this part of town.” It was the tall, blond haired kid that spoke. The other three were smiling and nodding. Ivor shook his head. He'd seen these types before.

“I know what you said Brock, but I got a client here. He needs to get to Mr. Richards' store,” Jamal pleaded.

The four men laughed, “A client, he says. Like he's some kind of businessman.” They laughed even harder.

The blonde kid continued, “The store is right over there mister. You can keep walking. This doesn't concern you.

Jamal, let's head over to this alley over here. If you take your beating like a man, I'll go easy on you.”

Ivor hated assholes like this. “I'm pretty sure you don't own this town. Even if you did, no little shit stain like you is gonna tell me what to do or who I can do it with. How about you, me and those three turds following behind you go into that alley. Then I can give you all a beating you desperately need.”

The blonde kid turned three shades of red with rage, “Do you know who you're talking to?”

“My guess would be a self-important little prick who probably has a rich daddy. Well daddy ain't here to save you.”

The kid got even more mad, “Fine asshole. You want to go into the alley with the four of us. Your funeral.” Then he pointed at Jamal. “You'll be next”

Ivor turned to Jamal as the four others walked towards the alley. “Jamal, stand with your back to the alley. Don't turn around to look, ok?”

Jamal must have seen something in Ivor's eyes. The kid could read people.

“Ok, Mr. Ivor.”

Ivor walked to the alley. He turned his head to make sure Jamal wasn't looking. The four men were still walking further into the alley. Fucking amateurs, Ivor thought.

Flashing forward he knocked out the three turds. When the blonde kid thought he was far enough in, he turned. His jaw dropped open as he saw his three buddies lying unconscious on the ground.

“I thought it was a funeral?” Ivor said.

“I don't know what you did, but you're just a fucking Level 8 Hunter. If I can't take you I don't deserve to be a Level 10 Fighter.” The kid sneered.

“You willing to make a System Contract on that?” Ivor said.

“What the fuck are you talking about?”

“You sign a System Contract that says if I beat you, you don't deserve to be a Fighter anymore,” Ivor said.

“Why would I do that?”

Ivor pulled out a large bag and held it open. “250 gold.”

The greed in the kid's eyes was obvious. He was so taken with the gold, he didn't even ask where Ivor had pulled it from.

“Oh, you're on, asshole. I'll even do one better. If I can't take you, I'm only fit to be a Laborer like Jamal out there.”

“Deal,” Ivor smiled. With their intent obvious, and the words said. They both received a System Contract in their notifications. Ivor immediately signed it. The kid must have too. He smiled and started bouncing on his toes.

The kid rushed in, it was clear to Ivor he had no martial arts training. He was just juiced up on his Strength stat. Ivor ducked the first punch, and the second. The kid was getting frustrated.

Ivor laughed in his face. The kid got more pissed. He was taking wild swings. Ivor just dodged out of the way, watching the kid get more and more pissed.

“All right, I don't have all day. I'll stand here and you give me your best shot,” Ivor said.

The kid looked at him with plenty of skepticism.

“Fine. I'll close my eyes.” Ivor closed his eyes. Give the kid one thing, he didn't hesitate.

The instant Ivor's eyes closed, the kid threw a haymaker right at Ivor's chin. Unfortunately for the kid, Ivor's body had undergone a complete transformation in the Vamhael Inheritance on a planet with three times Earth's gravity. To say Ivor's body was dense would be an understatement. The kid's knuckles shattered on Ivor's unmoving jaw. The kid screamed in pain. Ivor quickly put his hand over the kid's mouth. He didn't need spectators.

Ivor held his hand over the kid's mouth until the screaming stopped.

“Now you fucking pathetic excuse for a human being. I'm going to beat you like the dog you are.” Ivor delivered crushing blows to the kid's body. Ivor heard ribs crack. Ivor dislocated the kid's jaw with a slap. Ivor looked up at the sky.

“Is that enough or do I keep going?” Ivor said to the air.

Ivor felt the weight of the System Contract lifting. A golden, nebulous haze surrounded the kid. When it dissipated. Ivor used [Identify].

Brock Nylund

Laborer (Level 1)

Highest stat: Strength

Immunities: None

Ivor laughed, then walked back towards Jamal. He walked past him and continued up the road.

“Come on Jamal. No need to look back there. Let's go check out this shop you told me about.”

To his credit, Jamal never did look back into that alley.

Chapter Eight

Asmall bell tinkled as Jamal and Ivor opened the door to the small shop and stepped inside. Ivor looked around the small shop to see tastefully arranged display cases and items hanging on the wall. Ivor immediately had a flashback to the enchanter's shop in the Bandit dungeon. Although, he had to admit, this shop was much nicer.

A small, slightly effeminate looking man stepped past a curtained off doorway behind the counter. The man was well dressed. Not ostentatious. The term 'dandy' popped into Ivor's mind. Seeing Jamal, a genuine smile lit up the man's face as he spoke.

“Jamal, my good man. What have you brought me today?” The man's voice was slightly high, but not annoying.

“Mr. Richards, this Mr. Ivor. He's looking for some things he can't find in the other stores. So, I thought of you,” Jamal said.

The man looked over at Ivor, and Ivor caught the slightly wider opening of his eyes. Something piqued this man's interest. Ivor had a good idea what it was. Ivor triggered [Identify].

Chauncey Richards

Enchanter (Level 15)

Highest Stat: Intelligence

Immunities: None

“Well, well, well, and what is Mr. Ivor looking for?” The man said in a slightly flirtatious fashion.

Before Ivor could respond, Jamal interrupted, “Mr. Ivor, I'm going to wait outside. I'm a little too big for this shop and I don't want to knock anything over.”

Ivor nodded to the large young man, and turned to Mr. Richards, “Well, I'm specifically looking for maps. I need to get beyond this sea, and I need to know the best way to go. I can accept maps from others as well, if you know of anyone well-traveled around here.”

“I have some maps of the local area I can sell you for a low price, perhaps I'll give them to you for a little exchange of information. I also know some folks that might be willing to share information. Let me just go in back and tell my apprentice to try and fetch them.” The man darted behind the curtain. Ivor could hear a muffled conversation.

A twenty-something young man came out from the curtained off area. He nodded to Ivor as he stepped past and went out the door.

Coming back into the shop floor, Mr. Richards was holding two rolled up parchments. He set them on the counter and walked out from behind it.

Looking Ivor up and down, the man said, “Your armor looks like old worn leather, but it's not. It's named, and named objects, armor or weapons aren't made by low level craftsmen. Furthermore, I can't tell the level.

I know it has at least three features. I also know it's part of a set, but I can't tell what the bonus is. How am I doing so far?”

The man's smile and excitement were contagious. Ivor chuckled, “What three features can you detect?”

“Color change, self-clean, and self-sizing,” Mr. Richards responded without hesitation.

It was Ivor's turn to show some surprise. “Your [Analyze] skill is Advanced?”

“It is indeed. What's even more surprising is you knowing that.”

“I'm full of surprises, Mr. Richards,” Ivor stated.

“Please, call me Chauncey,” The man held out a dainty hand.

Ivor lightly shook the man's hand, “Well then, Chauncey, it's just Ivor.”

Ivor walked along the display cases until he found what he was looking for. He turned to face Chauncey.

“I'll answer your questions in reverse order.” Pointing to a necklace in a display case, Ivor continued. “That necklace offers protection from Ice elemental damage.”

Chauncey's mouth actually dropped open.

“The armor is part of a set of two with the hood/mask. You're right about the three enchantments. There are others. It's Master level armor made by an Epic level armorer,” Ivor stated.

“How…. Wait…It's in the name.” Chauncey was lightly stroking his chin in thought. “From all the information I've gathered, all of us humans had roughly the same experience in the Evaluation. As harrowing as it was, I wouldn't call it Extreme. Somehow, you went somewhere others didn't. Or if they did, you're the only one that survived. Oh, dear boy, I can't imagine the dangers.”

“With great risk comes great reward,” Ivor said.

“Very well, you've certainly earned a look at my maps, as poor as they may be.” Chauncey led him over to the counter. The shopkeeper unrolled the maps. Ivor suppressed a grimace. They were not great.

They lacked detail, but there were a few landmarks noted. The two maps only differed a little bit and both only showed a small section of the surrounding area. A few villages were identified both north and south of the town.

Ivor of course, used his [Navigation] skill to copy the information onto his internal map.

Ivor had a thought, “Chauncey, can you enchant an object like a ring or necklace to allow me to obscure or change my name when people use [Identify] on me?”

“Don't tell me you are a scofflaw Ivor?” Chaucey genuinely looked affronted by the notion.

“No, but I have been in a few confrontations, and I would prefer my name not be so easily known,” Ivor explained.

“Ah, well that is different. I have actually been working on just such an enchantment. Always trying to push the envelope and get better. I feel like I am on the brink of working it out. If you can give me a day or two. Also, there is the question of payment. It will be quite expensive.” At that last statement, Chauncey's eyebrows rose in a slightly comical manner.

“Payment shouldn't be an issue. I can also trade goods. As you correctly surmised, my Evaluation was quite a bit different. I have quite a collection of enchanted goods I can offer. Or if you would prefer, I also have quite the collection of cores. I would need some time to head back to my inn for a true inventory, but if you can give me a list of what you think would sell the best, I might be able to accommodate,” Ivor said.

Ivor hesitated before deciding to go ahead with the next bit, “I also have a favor to ask. The payment for this favor will be to put you in touch with a Master Merchant.”

The man's eyes nearly bugged out of his head. “For the contact info of a Master Merchant, I would do nearly anything.” The man leaned in closer and whispered, “Anything.”

Before Ivor had a chance to say anything more, Jamal poked his head in, “Mr. Ivor, I think some trouble is coming.”

Ivor stepped out of the shop, as Jamal pointed down the street. A group of city guards were walking with two other men. One of the men was damn near as large as Jamal. He was wearing armor and carrying a shield and sword. The other man looked like an older version of the kid that tried to rough up Jamal. What was that kid's name….Brock, right.

Ivor triggered [Identify] on both men.

Francis Nylund

Merchant (Level 15)

Highest Stat: Intelligence

Immunities: None

Ivan Reznov

Fighter (Level 15)

Highest Stat: Agility

Immunities: None

Yep, that's the kid's dad. The bodyguard or whatever had an interesting build. He was a large man, but his highest stat is Agility. If Ivor wasn't so overpowered, he would have to take this guy seriously.

“That must be him. Detain him,” Nylund said to one of the guards.

“Hold on. We only have one side of this thing.” The guard gave Nylund an annoyed look. “Mr. Kemble is it? I have some questions for you.”

Ivor nodded. Ivor identified the guards. They were all between Levels 11 and 12. He could easily get out of this if it turned bad.

“Mr. Nylund here says you attacked his son.”

“I think Mr. Nylund got his facts mixed up,” Ivor said.

“There's no way my son lost a fight to some wanna be fighter two levels below him,” Nylund spat. “My son said this man attacked him and his friends for no reason. Then he did something to ruin my son's life.”

“That's not what happened!” Jamal yelled. “Mr. Ivor and me were just walking to Mr. Richards' store here when Brock and his friends stopped us. Brock asked if I remember he told me not to be in this part of town no more, but I told him I was showing my client, Mr. Ivor, to Mr. Richards' shop.”

“Jamal, did you see what happened to the men?” The guard asked.

Jamal shook his head no. “I didn't see anything, but Brock said Mr. Ivor could walk on, but I was gonna get another beatin' in the alley. Mr. Ivor said he'd go to the alley instead. Brock and his friends walked in, then Mr. Ivor told me not to look, so I didn't.”

Nylund butted in again, “See, he didn't see anything. I want this man detained.”

Jamal chimed in again, “I didn't see anything, but I heard Brock make his bet to the System.”

The guard frowned, “Wait, there was a System Contract involved.”

Ivor spoke up, “I asked the kid if he was willing to bet his Fighter Class on the outcome of the fight. He was the one that suggested he would be a Laborer if he lost. He lost. It's not real tough to figure out.”

“Mr. Nylund, you didn't mention your son making a System Contract. That can't be faked. In fact, if you want to press this further I'm going to have you all down to the guard house to swear testimony on a System Contract. It's up to you,” The guard said.

Nylund's face turned purple. He pointed at Ivor, “This isn't over.”

Having been watching the whole thing, Mr. Richards spoke up, “Francis, I really don't think you should antagonize Ivor. Your son made a mistake he has to live with. Don't make one yourself.”

Nylund turned to face Chauncey, “Are you doing business with him Chauncey? Well then, we'll see how you feel when I'm a full member of the Copper Talon Trading Company. Maybe I'll even let you stay in town after I ruin your business.”

Looking over at his bodyguard, Nylund nodded. The man stepped up to me, “I'm issuing a formal challenge.”

“What's this nonsense?” Ivor asked the guards.

“The town instituted a formal challenge system to keep people from killing each other in the streets and keep us from having to lock everyone up. He challenges you to combat. You don't have to accept it, but it is formal. An announcement will go out, it will be public. If you refuse, everyone will know. It's not perfect, but it keeps the killing down. It's not to the death,” the guard explained.

“I'm just a Level 8 Hunter. You just let combat Classers go around challenging Professions?” Ivor asked.

“No, but you claim you beat a Level 10 Fighter. I think it's a valid challenge. Or you're full of shit and you tricked the kid somehow. Seems fair to me.” The guard shrugged.

Ivor looked at Nylund, “Do you have anyone else?”

Nylund sneered, “Already trying to get out of it, coward?”

Ivor nodded, “No, just wondering if this is the best you've got.” Ivor looked Reznov in the eyes and smiled.

Nylund laughed, “Not going to be funny when you're spitting teeth in the circle.” The two men turned and walked away.

Ivor turned to the guards, “When does this thing go down? And is there betting?”

“It will be in two days. Need enough time to get the announcement out. There's sanctioned betting,” he said. The guard asked Ivor where he was staying, and then left.

“Well, aren't you just a fun bundle of chaos? Seems like you attract confrontations Ivor.” Chauncey laughed and did a little clap. “So, your favor?”

“Right, right. So, the World Guardian won't let me access the System Market. It's the only way I can communicate with my merchant friend. I need someone to deliver a few messages, and get the replies for me. You'll get introduced to my friend, and I'll get some info out to people that need to know,” Ivor said.

Chauncey agreed. He got Ivor to promise to tell him why the World Guardian wouldn't let him in the System Market at a later time. He and Ivor went back into his shop where Ivor wrote several notes. One for Esqin and Quanzul, one for Aza and one for Marie. Chauncey provided Ivor with a list of the top monster cores and item types he could sell.

Chauncy said he'd head off to the System Market as soon as he closed shop. His apprentice wasn't back yet. So, Chauncey would meet Ivor at the inn in the morning.

It was a little after noon before Ivor was done shopping around. Jamal headed out to start his shift at the tavern. With nothing else to do, Ivor headed back to the inn.

Ivor had a brief chat with Liz, then headed to his room to study the Vamhael Rune Codex and definitely take another bath. Even though he didn't need to sleep every night, Ivor still slept a few hours.

The next morning Jamal showed up not looking so good. His face was bruised and swollen. He had some cuts around his eye and mouth. He looked to be favoring the ribs on his left side.

Ivor shot up from the chair. Jamal insisted it was nothing. Ivor made him drink a healing potion.

It took a while, but he finally got the story out of Jamal. Brock's three buddies paid Jamal a little visit when he was walking home after his shift.

Ivor apologized to Jamal for getting him into this mess. Jamal said something that just warmed Ivor's heart.

“Mr. Ivor, I'll always do the right thing, even if it means I get hurt a little. Wasn't right, them lying about you.”

Ivor waited with Jamal until Chauncey showed up. He had sent the messages and would let Ivor know as soon as he had a reply. His apprentice had only tracked down one person that may have more map information. A boat captain down at the harbor.

Ivor hadn't spent any time down there. So, with Jamal's help, he went to find this, Captain Reyes.

The two took their time, hitting up another couple new bakeries. Jamal showed Ivor where the fish and other creatures from the sea were processed. They found the Captain's boat without any issue.

The first mate said the Captain had business in town, but he could probably be found later in a local bar around dinner time. Jamal showed Ivor around some more, then Ivor sent him off to his shift at the tavern. Ivor would be making a special trip there tonight.

First, Ivor needed to find the Captain. Ivor headed to the tavern to wait for him. The tavern was quite a bit rougher than the one Jamal worked at. Dock workers had always been a rough sort even before the System. There was an announcement posted outside the tavern about the challenge. It tried to hype up the challenge by pitting Ivan the Terrible versus Ivor the Hunter. Ivor just shook his head.

Ivor hung around chatting with the bartender. After a little extra coin, the bartender had some good information. It turned out the sea was too dangerous to cross with the boats they had now. Also, people would need to be at a higher level to navigate it properly. Apparently, towards the deeper parts of the sea, there were some tough monsters and magical storms that made crossing it now impossible.

That information made Ivor's choice of route easier. He was going around. He just didn't know if it was faster going north or south. Hopefully, this Captain Reyes would be able to shed some light on the route.

The bartender indicated that Reyes was one of the most experienced Captains on the sea. In this town at least.

After a couple of hours, the bartender nodded over to the door when Captain Reyes walked in. He must have stopped by his boat first, as he noticed Ivor and headed over.

The man stuck out a weathered hand, “I'm Reyes. Mr. Richards' apprentice mentioned you might be looking for map information about the sea.”

Ivor nodded, “I'm Ivor. I am looking for that, but what I really need to know is the scope of the sea. It seems like I won't be going across. So, I need to know which way is fastest for going around.”

“That information is worth a lot. I've been places others haven't. I know the other captains. They aren't as diligent as I am in updating and annotating their maps,” he said.

“Well, if it's coin, I have it. Otherwise, I can fight. You can find that out tomorrow at the challenge,” Ivor said.

Reyes looked at Ivor then busted out a huge belly laugh, “Oh, you're the fool that accepted a challenge from Resnov?”

Ivor chuckled, “Seems kind of silly, doesn't it.”

“Well, I'm not keen to give out my info to a dead man. Tell you what, if you survive tomorrow, come back around,” Reyes said.

“Wait, the guards said it's not to the death.” Ivor looked confused.

“Well, yeah, but that doesn't mean you're going to survive when he's done with you. There's no free healing in this town. Old Nylund has probably got all the healers and alchemists scared shitless so they won't help you.” Reyes laughed again.

Ivor dropped his eyes, “I see.” Then he looked up at Reyes, “How about, if I win, you give me the map info for free?”

Reyes stopped laughing and looked at Ivor for a good minute. Then he spoke, “Seems like a sure thing, but I don't believe in sure things. I also don't take bar bets. I'm not sure what your deal is, but no I don't think I'll take that bet.”

Ivor winked at the man, “Ah well, it was worth a try. We'll talk again when this whole challenge business is over.” Ivor got up to leave.

“I'll be around,” the Captain said.

Ivor headed back to the inn. As soon as he walked in, Liz confronted him. “You better be careful with Resnov. He's an expert at keeping you alive in that circle but inflicting damage you won't recover from. I'm just happy you paid up front. I just wish you'd talk with Jamal. He said he's betting everything he has on you.”

Ivor just laughed. She couldn't know. None of them knew what was coming. “If you were smart, you'd bet something on me too.”

Stepping past the innkeeper, Ivor made his way to his room. He had most of what Chauncey wanted in his [Null Storage]. He started filling a pack with the items. Ivor threw a few special monster cores in as well. Some higher level ones for Chauncey to work with.

Ivor waited until it was almost closing time for the tavern, and he slipped out of the inn. He triggered the active version of [Blend] just in case anyone was watching. He had his hood up and his night vision on. Ivor waited across from the tavern in a dark alley. Shadowed in an alley with his [Blend] skill and camouflage turned on his armor, you could be standing right next to Ivor and you wouldn't know he was there.

It wasn't long before Ivor saw Jamal leaving the tavern as Jimmy locked up behind him. Jamal had just passed the third building when three figures came out of an alley. They never noticed Ivor following behind them. Ivor identified the three just to make sure they were the same guys with Brock the other day.

It was the same three. Ivor was prepared to take them out, when one of them took a cloth and a bottle out of his pocket. He opened the bottle and seemed to dab something from inside it on the cloth.

Oh, ho, not a beating. A kidnapping. Ivor didn't want to see Jamal hurt, but he definitely wanted to see where this was going.

The one with the cloth rushed up and jumped on Jamal's back. Snaking the cloth around to cover Jamal's nose and mouth, the big young man hit the street, completely unconscious. They had timed it to be right next to another alley. One of the men got Jamal in a fireman's carry, and they took off down the alley. Ivor followed.

The men took a winding path through the alleyways. They would stop and make sure no one was coming at the streets they had to cross. They ended up at a warehouse that they quickly went inside. Ivor followed to the door.

Testing the knob, it wasn't locked. Damn amateurs. Ivor slipped into the warehouse.

He heard some talking as he slipped into the shadows created by various crates and covered goods. One voice was familiar.

“I don't know when he's going to wake up Brock,” the man complained.

“I don't have all damn night. I just want this nobody to see my face before he dies,” Brock sneered.

Ivor was done playing with these idiots. He let the camouflage go on his armor as he stepped out into the open.

“I usually don't have to teach a lesson more than once. However, I always make sure the second one is the last,” Ivor said.

Brock, still Level 1, yelled at his buddies, “He took you from behind last time. There's three of you, kill him.”

None of them even had swords. They just had daggers. Also, for Level 10s they were really bad.

Ivor batted the first dagger away and pushed one of the men's head into another crushing both skulls. The third man, Ivor front kicked in the chest hard enough that his whole body folded over. Ivor could hear the ribcage shatter.

It had been two seconds, and the three men lay dead on the ground. Brock hadn't even moved.

“Like father, like son. You two idiots should have known when to quit.” Ivor didn't even hit Brock. He just grabbed him and drew him into his [Null Storage]. Brock Nylund probably wouldn't survive. Ivor also pulled the three bodies into storage.

He could deal with the bodies later. He picked up the unconscious Jamal and headed back to the inn. The night clerk was on duty when Ivor entered.

“Somebody knocked him out. I don't know where he lives. So, I'm just going to let him sleep it off in my room,” Ivor said. The man nodded as Ivor carried Jamal up to his room and placed him in the bed. Ivor went back down to the small sitting area and pulled his Vamhael Rune Codex out. He might as well do some studying.

Chapter Nine

The morning of the challenge came. Jamal made his way down from Ivor's room early in the morning. The large young man had a pained look on his face.

After a little prodding, Jamal said he had a very bad headache. Ivor thought it must be due to whatever concoction he was drugged with. Ivor passed him a minor health potion. Ivor didn't have an endless supply, but he still had a lot of them.

Ivor suggested they get out and get some fresh air along with some fresh baked goods. Jamal perked right up at the suggestion. Ivor explained what had happened to Jamal last night.

He didn't go into details. Jamal was smart enough not to pry.

When the two came back to the inn. Liz was talking with Chauncey. Chauncey turned and with a large smile and wide open arms moved towards Ivor.

Ivor stuck his open palm on Chauncey's chest, stopping him cold, “Not a hugger Chauncey.”

Liz snorted a laugh, “He's been going on and on about how wonderful it was to meet you. Some new contact you introduced him to or something. Really, he talks quite fast when he's excited. I caught about every third word.”

Chauncey placed his hand on his heart, “You wound me madam.”

“I assume you have some responses for me?” Ivor asked.

“Yes, I do. Also some gifts.” Chauncey passed over a few sealed letters as well as two small packages.

Ivor took the items, and replied to the enchanter, “Let me head up to my room. I have some things for you as well.” Ivor turned and headed up to the room. He picked up the backpack with the items he was trading to Chauncey for the item he wanted to disguise his name.

They all moved to the small sitting area. Ivor read through his letters. Grinning several times while reading the missives.

“Good news, I take it,” Liz asked.

“Oh yes. My daughter and her team are doing well. I can read between the lines that something is going on. She isn't telling me because when it comes to her I can…overreact. However, they seem to be handling things. My merchant friend also gave me some good news, but that will wait until after the challenge.

The last one is from my armorer friend. I think I know what the two packages are.”

Ivor opened the smaller of the two packages. It was a set of gloves. They were very form fitting and the stitching was with what looked like a metallic thread with a purple sheen to it. In addition, the knuckles looked padded. They looked to some degree like fighting gloves, and that's exactly what they were designed for.

Ivor debated putting them on and bonding them immediately, but that would be overkill for the challenge. He put them aside.

He opened the next package. It was a pair of boots. They had similar stitching as the gloves, but it was hidden and not as obvious. He also set the boots aside. Quanzul's note simply said, “Can't wait to see what you do with these.” Ivor took the letters, gloves and boots up to his room.

When he came back down, Chauncey looked to be almost in tears.

“I..I can't accept this Ivor. This is far too much.” The man said with heavy emotion in his voice.

Ivor shook his head, “Nonsense. Just consider it a gift from me for trying to get Nylund to back down the other day.”

Liz was a bit confused by the whole exchange. So, Chauncey explained, “Ivor here has many talents Ms. Liz. He also has had the fortune, or maybe misfortune, of encountering things we have yet to experience. He has gifted me several items that should propel my Profession to new heights. I will be ever grateful.”

“I was wondering why you were all being so blasé about the challenge. Ivan Resnov is a dangerous man. I had thought that Jamal was being foolish to bet so much on Ivor. The odds are not in his favor,” Liz said.

“Ms. Liz, do yourself a favor. Put some money on Ivor. Even if it's only a little. I'm not a gambling man, but I know there is much more to Ivor than he's shown us,” the dandy little man said.

“Well, if you think so. I have some spare coins I'm willing to risk.”

They talked for a while longer until Liz had work to see to, and Chauncey needed to drop the backpack at his shop before he closed it up for the challenge. Apparently, about half the town shut down during big challenges. Jamal said Jimmy wasn't opening the tavern until after the challenge.

Ivor asked Jamal to show him where this “circle” was. He grabbed his two weakest bastons, put them in the sheaths on his back, and the two headed out. It was still a couple of hours before the challenge. So they took their time.

It turned out the “circle” was an outdoor area towards the north of town. There was a lot of open ground in this area. Apparently, this was a mustering point for the occasional attacks Ivor had suspected. There was a reason the walls were so high. The circle was large and surrounded by bleachers spectators could sit on. Some enterprising shopkeepers and merchants were setting up makeshift stalls to sell goods, including Jimmy. He had a couple of barrels of ale and some kind of paper cup he must have bought from the System Market.

Jimmy waved at them both, “Jamal, give me a hand.”

Jamal nodded, “Let me go place a bet, and I'll be right there.”

Jamal went to place a bet, and Ivor sat on the bleachers waiting. He chatted mentally with Zed. They had been conversing sporadically while Ivor was studying the Rune Codex, but Zed was content to observe most times. Eventually, the bleachers started to fill up, and the crowd was buzzing with excitement or ale. Probably both.

Eventually a group of town guards showed up. One man in particular stood out, he was tall, very tall. Well over two meters. Damn near two and a half meters. The man stepped up to Ivor as Ivor identified him.

Ethan Buchanan

Fighter (Level 15)

Highest Stat: Perception

Immunities: None

The man stuck out his hand, “Captain of the Guard, I'll be the referee for this challenge.”

“Well met, Captain,” Ivor replied.

“Since you're new here, I'll explain a few things,” he began. “I believe you've been told this is not a fight to the death.” Ivor nodded, as the Captain continued. “However, there is no conceding or tapping out. You will both fight until you can't fight anymore. I would suggest you have some healing readily available. Your opponent will likely leave you in very bad shape.”

Ignoring the fact that the referee considered this fight a foregone conclusion, Ivor asked, “So, just so I'm clear; you won't stop the fight as long as both of us can continue.”

The Captain nodded, “That is correct.”

Ivor smiled, “I'm going to hold you to that.”

The Captain frowned and then walked towards a group of his guards. The guards dispersed around the circle. There was a section that was being roped off. It looked like a quick attempt at a V.I.P section. Ivor was proved correct when he spied Chauncey and another man walking towards him.

“Ivor, meet my good friend Adam Corwin,” the enchanter said. “Adam is an esteemed city councilor in our humble town.”

Ivor shook the man's hand, “Well met, Mr. Corwin.”

“Please, call me Adam. Any friend of Chauncey's is a friend of mine. Chauncey has convinced me to put some money on you in the challenge. For the life of me, I don't know how you're going to pull it off,” the man said, looking over at his friend.

“Trust, Adam, trust.”

Ivor hadn't really delved into the details of the governance of this town. He saw a few more people head over to the roped off section. Ivor assumed they were other councilors. The bleachers were packed when Nylund and his goon showed up.

As the Guard Captain walked over to Resnov, Nylund approached Ivor.

“I'm going to enjoy watching you suffer today. I told Ivan to take special care to make it last.”

Ivor stared blankly at the man. Saying nothing.

After a full minute, the man stormed off. Clearly not getting the reaction he hoped for.

The circle was clear of everyone except the two combatants and the Guard Captain.

The Guard Captain raised his voice, “This is an official challenge given and accepted. When I tell you to fight, you may begin.”

Walking to the edge of the circle, the Guard Captain yelled out, Fight

Resnov, with sword and shield, moved towards Ivor at a casual pace. No doubt, Resnov was assuming Ivor knew nothing about his high Agility. Ivor pulled his bastons and moved to meet him.

The man sneered at Ivor, “You bring sticks to a sword fight, pathetic.”

Ivor just kept marching forward.

As the two closed the distance, Resnov must have gauged he was close enough and he shot forward with surprising speed. Of course, it was only surprising speed to someone his own level. To Ivor, the man was moving in slow motion.

Ivor stepped out of the way of the man's sword thrust and stuck his foot out. Resnov, not expecting the trick, went tumbling in the dirt. He quickly recovered and spun around. Ivor was calmly standing, waiting for Resnov to recover.

Resnov stalked forward again. This time he went for a shield bash, but Ivor slid to the side. This time, he tapped Resnov on the back of the head with a baston. The man pitched forward. Unsurprisingly, with a high Agility, he tucked into a roll and spun around once again.

“Too cowardly to fight?” Resnov spat.

“Oh, you want me to fight. Ok.” Ivor shrugged.

This time, when Resnov attacked, Ivor hit him in the knee with one of the bastons. Resnov dropped to the dirt with a grunt. Ivor waited for him to get back up. Resnov moved in with a little more caution. Trying feint with the shield the man was comically slow to Ivor; Ivor deflected the actual sword attack and lashed out with a baston at the other knee. Once again, Resnov hit the dirt.

Ivor let him get up again. This time Ivor came to him. The man was talented with the blade, but he just wasn't in Ivor's league. Ivor blocked the sword strike with one baston and shattered the elbow with his other. The sword fell to the ground. Ivor knocked the shield away as the man screamed. Grabbing Resnov by the hair, Ivor jerked his head back and produced a bottle. He poured the contents down Resnov's throat as the Guard Captain started approaching.

“You said you wouldn't intervene as long as both of us could still fight,” Ivor reminded him, pointing at Resnov.

Resnov's elbow visibly healed and popped back into place. The Guard Captain stopped as he watched Resnov get to his feet.

Resnov stared at Ivor with pure hatred in his eyes. The crowd was going wild. Resnov dropped all pretense at subtlety. He moved forward as fast as he could and lashed out at Ivor with a blistering sword attack.

Ivor casually blocked all the strikes with his baston. Lashing out with a front kick, Ivor shatters the man's knee. As he was pitching forward, Ivor hit him with a baston and dislocated his jaw.

Blood and teeth went flying out of his mouth. Trying to pick himself up, Ivor shattered the upper arm holding the shield. The man collapsed to the ground, unable to scream with his jaw in ruins. Ivor held his hand up to stave off the Guard Captain once again.

Flipping Resnov over with his foot, Ivor poured another healing potion into his mouth. Seconds later, Resnov was standing again. This time, there was fear in his eyes. Ivor stalked forward.

Ten times, Ivor put Resnov down. Ten times, he healed him. By the fifth time, the crowd was completely silent. The only sounds were the screams and grunts of Ivan Resnov being beaten and healed.

It was the start of the seventh round when the man started sobbing. It was quiet, but you could hear a pin drop in the circle. Ivor started forward once again. Ivor crushed his ribs with a punch. The man put up a token resistance.

Ivor let him lay there spitting up blood, choking on his own blood as the punctured lungs filled with his blood. Ivor poured another health potion down his throat.

After the tenth time, Resnov got back up, and he yelled at the Guard Captain, Stop him!!!” Then he broke down in tears, dropping to his knees. His sword and shield lay forgotten on the ground. In a quieter voice in between gasping sobs, “Please, stop him…somebody, please.”

Ivor looked around at the crowd with his hard, cold gaze. Spectators looked everywhere but into those eyes.

Ivor turned to the Guard Captain, “Am I done here?”

The man nodded and visibly swallowed twice before stating, “A combatant can't continue. This challenge is over.”

The silent crowd started filtering out of the area, stunned at the display they had just witnessed. Several guards were having a quiet conversation with their Guard Captain. Ivor could hear Nylund arguing with someone in the background. Ivor approached the sobbing man.

Ivor stood over Resnov for 30 seconds before the man looked up.

“You have two choices,” Ivor said. “Become a better person. Humanity needs strong givers, not takers, or…” Ivor trailed off.

Resnov stared up at Ivor, into those hard, cold eyes. He cleared his throat, “Or?”

“Or,” Ivor continued, “you tell me you can't or won't and we can end this. If I find out you're somewhere else and you haven't changed, this little exhibition will seem like a walk in the park. Do we understand each other?”

The man simply nodded. Ivor turned and walked over to where Nylund seemed to be waving a piece of paper in front of Chauncey's face.

“What did you do Chauncey? The Copper Talon Trading Company has rescinded all offers to trade. I've been blacklisted with all trading guilds. Something about attacking a V.I.P or something. What the hell are they talking about?” The man was nearly in tears.

Chauncey Richards had tried to warn the man. Chauncey looked over to see Ivor walking their way. Chauncey simply pointed towards Ivor.

Nylund looked at Ivor. Surprise was clear on his face. “You….you're the V.I.P?”

“I don't know about all that. I just asked a friend to look into a deal that was made with someone who couldn't let things lie. Your man back there found out what happens when you push me.” Ivor pointed over at Resnov who was picking himself up from the ground. Ivor took a step closer to Nylund. “Would you like to find out what happens to people that keep pushing me?”

Nylund swallowed, “I won't be intimidated by you. You've ruined this town. I had a deal with the Trading company that would have been a boon to all, and you've ruined it.”

“Actually,” Chauncey interjected, “it's only you that's ruined Francis. You have been blacklisted, not the town.”

The man sputtered and stormed off towards Resnov who was walking out of the area. “Come along Resnov,” Nylund called out.

Resnov turned to look at Nylund, then he looked at Ivor, “I don't think I will.”

Nylund stalked up to Resnov, “You do what I say when I say. I own you, you simpleton.”

Resnov looked up, fire was back in his eyes. He reached out and picked Nylund up by the front of his shirt. Nylund's feet were dangling 15 centimeters from the ground.

“Listen to me you prick. I Quit!” Resnov bellowed in Nylund's face. “If you're smart, you'll pull your head out of your ass. He was toying with me. The whole time.

You have no idea how powerful that man is. I don't think this whole town could stop him if he decided he wanted to wipe it off the map. What chance do you stand against that?”

Resnov let go of Nylund. Nylund fell on his ass. The Fighter looked down on his former employer.

“Take my advice Nylund. Stay as far away from The Hunter as possible. Haven't you lost enough?” Resnov shook his head and walked away.

Nylund was shocked. He just sat in the dirt watching his former bodyguard walk away. Eventually, he picked himself up and left.

Chapter Ten

Ivor watched both Resnov and Nylund walk away. Jamal came up to him with a huge smile on his face.

“Mr. Ivor, I won so much money,” the young man practically shouted.

“Keep it down Jamal,” Ivor said. “Some people might want to take what you have.”

Jamal looked around a bit. In a quieter voice, he said, “I'd like to buy you an ale Mr. Ivor. I never had enough to be able to buy someone an ale. But only one, Jimmy will need me back to work.”

Ivor chuckled, “Sure Jamal, you can buy me an ale.”

As the two walked off, Adam Corwin turned to his friend.

“So, Chauncey, since Nylund no longer has his contacts at the Trading Company, what does that mean for the town?” The councilman asked.

“Well, funny you should mention that guild. The man Ivor got me in touch with suggested we form our own merchant guild. It's a common tactic in developing worlds to help control prices to make sure we grow our own economy and don't rely on the System so much. Take the fish we get from the sea.

None of us, except maybe Ivor, have a high enough [Identify] to see that the fish we are currently getting have additional beneficial properties. Mr. Krix assured us that we could be selling much of our fish off world. He also suggested that there are probably other species and opportunities waiting for us in the deeper reaches of the sea,” Chauncey said with a gleam in his eyes.

“It's going to be a while before any of the towns or cities, if there are some, will be able to afford to get travel circles that go off world,” Adam lamented.

“That is true. However, I'm told one exists currently.”

“Really, where?” The councilman didn't have to fake his obvious surprise.

“Oh, this place, called Kemble Freehold.” The enchanter smiled at his friend.

“You don't mean?”

“Yes, Kemble Freehold. Population 1, a Mr. Ivor Kemble.”

“We need to find out where that is as soon as possible. If we can start getting roads out to the Freehold, that could be a huge boon for our town.” Plans within plans were already forming in Adam Corwin's mind.

“Funny you should mention that as well. Ivor is willing to trade map information about where he came from with anyone that has maps of what's on the other side of the sea as well as distance north and south. In fact, he's already had a conversation with Captain Reyes about a trade.”

Chauncey could see the wheels turning in his friend's head. Adam spoke, “No, no, no… Reyes won't be able or willing to do anything with that info. We need to strike while the iron is hot, as they say.

I'll talk with the other councilors today. We'll get Reyes a tax break and reduction in docking fees, if he shares his map with us. We can then share all of our maps with Ivor. Everyone benefits. Although, some of the other councilors are going to want something more from Ivor once they hear about this challenge.”

“Ah,” it came to Chauncey, “our town's little problem.”

“Yes, our 'little' problem,” the councilor replied.

“Ivor really wants to get going, but I think I can delay him another day or two. I'm almost finished with the item he requested. I'll go talk with him later today. If you can handle the council, I can explain the town's situation. It may be better to hear it from me.”

The councilor nodded, “Sounds good. I should be able to find them easily enough. They're probably already scheming on what to do about Ivor.”

The two men were the last ones at the circle. They left together and quickly split up.

Ivor was having an ale with Jamal. Half the crowd at the tavern were congratulating him and the other half were looking scared of him. Ivor sighed. The crowd was too much for him. He had never particularly cared for crowds, but he could tolerate them for a time. Finishing his ale, he thanked Jamal who was still smiling from ear to ear. Ivor headed back to the inn.

When he got back to the inn, Chauncey was talking animatedly with Liz. Liz excused herself as Ivor walked over. Ivor gave Chauncey a questioning look.

“Oh, that. She's a terrible gossip. I love it,” the man said without shame. “However, I was here waiting for you. You can get Reyes' map and more from the council, but…”

Ivor interrupted, “but they want me to do something for the town.” Ivor shook his head and sighed.

“Yes, but hear me out. First, I'm not done with your item. A day or two is all I need. Second, the town has an issue that we have struggled to solve. You may be able to help. If you can, I'm confident the council will give you access to all the maps they have. You are still open to sharing your map, yes?”

Ivor nodded, “Yeah, I'll share my map. What's the problem with the town?”

“Well, you may have noticed the rather large walls.” As Ivor nodded, Chauncey continued, “When we became a town in the Evaluation, the System sent us a notification that the challenges would get harder. The first thing we noticed was the dungeon rise in difficulty. The second thing was the monsters that were attacking us. They started getting larger. As the village kept growing, so did the dungeon and monsters.

The System said that as soon as we completed the dungeon, it would stop increasing the amount of monsters that were spawning. We were never able to complete it, and now we think there are too many monsters for us to hold back next time they attack.”

“Zed, is this something that is common?” Ivor asked.

“Common, no. In fact, it is pretty rare. Your species is incredibly adaptable, though. So, the System may be throwing in extra challenges.

“So, there may be other areas that get completely overrun.”

“Highly likely, Ivor.”

Ivor nodded to himself, which Chauncey took as a positive affirmation. “I'm sure the council will be asking to speak to you tomorrow.”

Ivor suppressed his annoyance as Chauncey got up and left. He was annoyed because he really wanted to get on the road to see Marie. At the same time, she seemed to be doing fine. He had time.

He had nearly a thousand years of time due to the extended lifespan the Inheritance had given him. He made his way to his room. There were some things he wanted to study, and a few items he wanted to enchant.

The next morning Jamal showed up and they went for some baked goods. Jamal was telling Ivor stories from the tavern. While he worked, he got to hear a lot of stories. He was telling tales of people that had won and lost betting on Ivor. The majority were losses. Nobody expected him to win.

When they got back to the inn, a message was waiting for Ivor. It had the town seal on it. Ivor opened it. It was very simple, but worded nicely. The council would appreciate a meeting sometime this morning. Ivor handed the note to Jamal.

“Jamal, do you know where this is?”

Jamal looked at the note and frowned, “Yeah, but that's not where the councilors usually meet. They usually meet in the Admin building.”

Ivor nodded, “Well, if you don't mind, can you show me where this is?”

Jamal agreed and they set out. It turned out the meeting place was a higher end restaurant. Jamal told him one of the councilors owned it. Ivor thanked Jamal and gave him a silver. Ivor wasn't sure how long it would take.

Walking through the door, a woman was waiting to escort Ivor to a back room. It looked like a large room for entertaining a group of people. There was a round table set up. Chauncey and Adam were present along with four others. Ivor assumed the other four were councilors as well. His assumption was quickly validated as introductions were made. Ivor declined the offer of breakfast, but did take a coffee.

Adam started, “We understand that you already are aware of our current problem. We don't need to go over it again. I don't see a reason to beat around the bush. Will you help us?”

Ivor had thought about this particular problem during the night.

“I'll clear out the monsters. That should give you enough time to finish the dungeon. I'll share my map, and if you have a different dungeon close by, I can run people through it to gain some levels, but I'm not staying longer than a week. I want all the map info when I'm done with the monsters,” Ivor explained.

One of the councilors chimed in, “We do have another dungeon that is close enough, but it's only level 10. How will that help our Fighters gain levels?”

“I have a title that allows me to change the level of a dungeon up to the maximum level of dungeon I've completed.”

“And what level would that be?” Another councilor asked. Ivor immediately disliked the woman.

“Level 60” Ivor replied.

There was a bit of an uproar at that. Three of the councilors gasped and two of them scoffed. The two disbelievers, Ivor noted.

Sure enough, as expected, “You expect us to believe you completed a Level 60 dungeon. Preposterous.”

Chauncey raised his hand for calm, “If I may,” Chauncey pulled a monster core out and put it on the table. “All of you know what monster cores are. Gerald, would you be so kind as to tell everyone what this is.”

The man that had called Ivor's claim preposterous answered, “That is a Superb Ice monster core.”

Chauncey smiled, “Correct. What level are Superb monster cores Gerald?”

The man continued, “Level 60, but that explains nothing. He could have purchased it or lucked onto it.”

Chauncey smiled, “Ivor gave me ten just like it.” Chauncey put nine more identical cores on the table.

This time, the man, Gerald, paled.

Adam interjected, “Look folks. There is an easy way to test it. Let's get a group of combat Classers together. People you trust, and have Ivor go to the dungeon.”

They really didn't have an argument to that plan. So they agreed. The problem was the dungeon was a couple of days away. Ivor still needed to get the monsters taken care of. He turned to Chauncey.

“It's going to take too damn long with as slow as your people move to get to that dungeon and back. Chauncey, can you enchant a wagon or something to carry people with the Reinforce rune? Also, find some tires that will ease the ride. Something rubber or rubber like. Or if you know a rune to absorb the bumps and shocks of the road, put them on. I'll be moving fast,” Ivor said as Chauncey nodded.

“Exactly how fast can you move,” The female Ivor disliked asked from across the table.

Before she finished the word “move,” Ivor was right beside her whispering in her ear, “Is that fast enough?”

The woman startled, spilling her coffee on the table. The rest of the table was silent.

Ivor stood up and addressed the councilors. “Look folks. It sounds like you could use my help. I would like the maps you have. However, don't believe for a single second that I need the maps. It sounds like you need me way more than I need you.

So, keep the politicking between yourselves. Treat me fair. I'll treat you fair. Try to get one over on me or take advantage, and you'll end up like Resnov or Nylund. Understood?”

All the councilors nodded.

“Excellent. How about someone tell me about these monsters and where they are at. I need to blow off some steam.” Ivor clapped his hands together.

The rest of the meeting went relatively fast. The monsters were somewhere to the north. The council believed that they were near a pass through the northern mountains.

If they could get rid of the monsters, they could open up trade and exploration north. The description of the monsters is what shocked Ivor. He should have suspected the possibility, but damn they were large. They were said to be around 10 meters tall.

They were described as resembling a bipedal bear/man hybrid. The one thing the councilors all agreed on was that he had to see it to believe it.

Ivor decided to head out as soon as possible. He went back to the inn to get his new gloves and boots on. Someone would meet him at the northern gate. Ivor analyzed both items before putting them on and bonding them.

Fists of the Extreme Sole Survivor

Level: Master

Requirements: Ivor Kemble, Armor of the Extreme Sole Survivor

Type: Bonded

Features:

- Self-sizing

- Self-cleaning

- Self-repairing

- Color changing (Limited)

- Camouflage (Limited)

- Structure changing (Limited)

- Retractable

- Upgradable

Part of a Set: 1/4

Set Features: When all set pieces are worn, armor effectiveness increased by 25%

Boots of the Extreme Sole Survivor

Level: Master

Requirements: Ivor Kemble, Armor of the Extreme Sole Survivor

Type: Bonded

Features:

- Self-sizing

- Self-cleaning

- Self-repairing

- Color changing (Limited)

- Camouflage (Limited)

- Structure changing (Limited)

- Surefooted

- Muffled

- Upgradable

Part of a Set: 1/4

Set Features: When all set pieces are worn, armor effectiveness increased by 25%

Ivor's [Analyze] skill was still only Advanced. So, he wasn't able to pull up the information on the Retractable and Surefooted features. He asked Zed.

“I believe Retractable should allow you to remove the gloves in some fashion with a thought. Similar to how your mask toggle works. I am not 100% positive about Surefooted. It is likely an effect that allows you to avoid slipping on surfaces like ice, oil, loose gravel, sand, etc…. You will have to ask Quanzul or experiment.”

Ivor really wanted to test out the gloves. Quanzul placed small plates of Esqin's alloy into the knuckles of the gloves, and somehow created a metallic thread out of it. In addition, Ivor could already tell there was a trace of Elemental force in the knuckles and flowing through the stitching. Quanzul must have used his own runes to create what Ivor did for his baston. Ivor smiled: he had Power Fists. He chuckled to himself.

Seriously though, weapons could break in a fight. It was good to have another option available for close combat. Also, there were times when the baston he liked so much wasn't the best weapon to use. It worked best when you had a lot of room to move around. Same with his short swords. This monster hunt would be a perfect opportunity to test out the new gloves.

Ivor quickly put on the gloves and boots. He bonded them and immediately thought about taking the gloves off. Instead of disappearing, the gloves flowed like oil up his arm and settled on his forearm like a thin bracer.

The integration with the armor was seamless. It was like those additions were meant to be there. Ivor kept them that way as he stepped out of his room.

When Ivor got downstairs, there was a visitor he wasn't expecting. Resnov sat in the small waiting area. Seeing Ivor he stood.

Ivor walked over to him, and the man spoke. “I'm a bit at a loss here. You owe me nothing, but I'd ask for your advice. Due to my past behavior, I'm not really welcome here. However, they don't want to give up my strength. There are only a handful of us that are this level in town. I'm not sure how to proceed. I'm willing to help, but nobody wants to stick around where they aren't wanted.”

Ivor nodded, “Sure, I get it. The councilors are putting together a team to run a dungeon with me. I'm going to get them leveled up over the next week. Then they are going to tackle the dungeon causing all the problems. Go talk to Chauncey Richards. Tell him I would appreciate you being Adam Corwin's representative on the team.”

“Why are you helping me?” The man finally had the courage to look Ivor in the eyes. That was good, Ivor was worried he had completely broken the man.

“Look, Ivan. For humanity to survive, we need strong people. Sooner or later, the wolves in the rest of the universe are going to come sniffing around. You and me, we understand this. I'm willing to give a second chance to those that take it.”

The man nodded, “Ok. What about after the dungeons? I don't think that's going to be enough to erase my past mistakes for a lot of people here.”

“I'll give you a map to a village close to my Freehold. There's a young man there who might turn into a great leader someday. He can always use strong support. His name is Austin. Tell him what happened here.

Don't lie to him.” Ivor handed the man 20 gold. “Take this to give to the village. If you don't like that idea, take the money to start a new life. Start an Adventurers Guild or something. “

The man nodded, “I will go talk to Mr. Richards now. I'll think on the other opportunities you offered. I'll figure out where I think I can do the most good.”

Ivor was slightly taken aback at the man's quick turn around. Maybe some people just needed the opportunity to feel like they could actually make the change.

As the man was walking to the door, Ivor stopped him, “Ivan, hold on a moment.”

The man turned around. Ivor pulled a sword, shield, armor, and boots out of his [Null Storage]. Resnov's eyes almost bugged out of his head. This was all stuff he had gotten out of the various dungeons he ran in the Evaluation. He had used a lot of it to practice his enchanting to get Mana Manipulation up to Expert. None of it was anywhere near as good as his armor, but for post Evaluation Earth, it was pretty good.

Ivor winked at the man, “Can't have you dying in the first dungeon you go in after I made an example of you. That would set the wrong tone.”

Resnov actually smirked, “I'll be sure to try not to die. Wouldn't want your example to be for naught.”

“I should be back later today. I think the councilors will want me to run the dungeon as early as tomorrow morning. So be ready.”

Resnov nodded and walked out the door.

It didn't take long for Ivor to make it to the north gate. This gate was much smaller than the southern gate. It was clear the town wanted to limit the openings in the wall at this location.

You could still fit a wagon through, but just barely. The Guard Captain was waiting at the gate for him along with several guards.

“Someone will be waiting for your return Mr. Kemble. We will have lookouts on the wall. I wish you luck, but I don't really think you will need it.”

Ivor stepped through the gate which was swiftly shut behind him. Pulling up his hood and mask, Ivor took off at a leisurely pace. On top of the walls, the guards saw Ivor streak into the distance.

The councilors had given him directions to where they thought the giant monsters were and where they thought the pass across the northern mountains were. I would have been a couple of days of hard, uphill travel for anyone else. Ivor made the trip in an hour.

His [Tracking] skill allowed him to see where something large had passed this way within the last day or so. Ivor wasn't sure he actually needed his [Tracking] skill to tell him that. The giant foot/paw prints were pretty obvious. There was also a smell. Really a stench. Ivor was pretty sure that was [Tracking] enhancing his sense of smell.

Ivor followed the trail as it led further into the mountains but at an angle to his current course. He had shifted his armor to camouflage mode and equipped his gloves. Ivor wasn't moving particularly fast, but he noticed when the tracks took a turn back to a more northerly direction.

He continued to follow the tracks until he saw what looked like the pass. He was not an expert, but the tracks took him directly across a large gap between the mountains.

The gap was heavily forested. Most of the foothills Ivor had been in or the base of the mountains had been more sporadically forested. Ivor caught a glimpse of something further along the forested section he was looking at. Moving a bit slower, he eventually got to an area where the trees in the pass were either knocked down or completely uprooted. It made a large trail into the forested pass.

Quick darting across the open ground to reach the forest, Ivor entered the forested pass just a few dozen meters away from the path leading further in. Letting [Blend] hide him, Ivor slowly made his way into the pass following the trail of destroyed trees.

The stench he had smelled before was getting stronger. It was a musky, wet fur smell. It wasn't terribly horrible, it was just strong to his senses. Ivor eventually felt the slight tremor of large footsteps as he moved further into the forest.

It was another kilometer of increasing ground tremors when Ivor found what he was looking for. He must be at the apex of the pass, or maybe just the first one. There was a large clearing up ahead. It was a bit more elevated than Ivory's current location.

On the other side of the clearing, he could see the top half of another forest. All throughout the clearing were very large bear/man things. Ivor now understood why they were hard to describe. They were bipedal, but sometimes got down on all fours. They had a shaggy kind of matted fur on their bodies.

The faces were the weird part. The faces looked, to Ivor, like a group of six year olds were told to make a bear face out of paper mache but going off of memory not a picture of an actual bear. The bear and humanoid-like features were all jumbled up. It was a little disconcerting to look at. Ivor triggered [Identify].

Vencak Bear

Level 20

Highest Stat: Strength

Immunities: Cold

It was the first time Ivor had seen a Level 20 monster with an immunity. There were a lot of animal and monster carcasses around. It seemed like the monster would decimate the area of food, then attack the town looking for food. They would always lose a few people before they drove off the giant monsters.

Ivor observed them for around an hour. They mostly stomped around, occasionally fought, ate, and stared off into the distance. They didn't look sapient at all. Ivor decided to move.

Ivor stepped out of the woods and began walking toward the impromptu monster camp. The first monster to see him was squatting down picking at something on the ground. It stood up and roared a challenge. It was a strange roar, like a man trying to imitate a bear. The monster picked up a portion of a tree that was lying on the ground.

Brandishing the tree like a club, the monster stomped over. As it got close to Ivor, it swung the tree down trying to crush him. The tree thudded loudly into the ground.

The monster looked down to see Ivor standing unharmed next to the tree. The monster roared again and quickly tried slamming the tree into Ivor three more times. Ivor slid to the side all three times. Finally giving up on the tree, the monster tried stomping on Ivor. Ivor avoided the foot coming down on him and lashed out with a side kick into the monster's ankle.

Ivor had to actually get out of the way as the kick took the legs right out from under the monster, and it hit the ground with a loud crash. Ivor quickly moved over to the monster's head and punched it in the forehead. As thick as the bone on these large monsters was, it was not able to handle Ivor's punch. The forehead caved in. Immediately the life in the monster's eyes dimmed.

At this point, the other four monsters in the clearing took an interest. Stomping over, they basically got into each other's way trying to kill this small creature. Ivor easily dodged their attacks. He used the same tactic as the first one. Once they were down on the ground, either by Ivor's efforts or tripping over each other, Ivor crushed their skulls.

With the last monster down, Ivor used [Loot] and the bodies evaporated. The loot was disappointing. It seemed the most valuable thing was in fact the thick bone of the monster. He did get a few decent earth type monster cores, but he actually had tons of those. Ivor wasn't convinced this was all of them. [Tracking] had clued him in to another set of tracks that seemed larger than any these monsters would have made.

Ivor pulled out the corpses of the three men that had kidnapped Jamal. They were still fresh and bleeding despite being in his [Null Storage] for a few days. Ivor deposited the corpses on the ground. Then he pulled out Brock Nylund. The man was clearly dead. However, he was alive when Ivor put him in [Null Storage]. Pulling him out, the man's eyes were wide open and his face had a look of abject terror on it. Seemed like a bad way to go.

Ivor had no remorse. He placed the body by the others. Ivor moved back into the trees. It was a different location than the one he had been in. He wanted a better view of the bodies.

It was about a half hour later that Ivor felt the slight tremors in the ground. The tremors started getting stronger when Ivor spied a head appear on the other side of the pass. It was too far away for Ivor to identify, but it was getting closer fast.

When the monster made it to the top of the clearing, it had its nose up in the air. It was sniffing. It eventually noticed the bodies laying on the ground and immediately lurched forward and picked up one in each hand. Ivor waited until the monster was finished with its meal when he stepped out of the woods off to the side.

The monster quickly shifted his way. Ivor triggered [Identify].

Vencak Bear

Level 25

Highest Stat: Constitution

Immunities: Cold

This one had a different higher stat. Ivor didn't know if it was because the level was higher or some other factor. The other Level 20 monster had all had Strength as their highest stat.

This one roared at Ivor as it stood up from its squatting position. Ivor activated and lobbed one of his fire grenades at it. His timing was a little off. The spherical metal ball hit the chest of the monster and dropped to the ground. As the monster looked down, the grenade exploded with fire.

The loud boom from the grenade was quickly outdone by the loud roar and subsequent high pitched shriek as the monster was set on fire. Oh, boy did that fur go up. Ivor picked up a large rock and threw it straight at the monster's head. The rock knocked the monster down and did some damage, but apparently, this monster was pretty sturdy. The rock wasn't enough to crack the thick bone skull.

Ivor shot over and punched the monster in the back of the head, adding a little elemental force to his glove. The bone on the back of the head liquified and the force pushed through the skull burst the eyes of the monster. The shrieking immediately cut off.

Ivor regretted the use of the fire grenade. That burning fur really stunk. He quickly looted the monster.

Ivor was tempted to look around the area. He was curious but not curious enough. He needed to get back to run the dungeon a few times before he took off.

Chapter Eleven

It was mid-afternoon when Ivor returned to the walled town. He had pulled his mask and hood back and retracted his gloves. He had also changed the armor to more resemble the beaten up dark brown leather. It took a few moments for a watch on the wall to signal down to the gate.

Once the gate opened, Ivor stepped inside. The gate was closed quickly. Ivor was asked to wait there while they got the Guard Captain and the councilors. It took a little over 30 minutes to round up everyone and get them to the location.

Councilor Corwin was the first to speak, “What did you find? I'm assuming you have news?”

Ivor nodded, “There were six of the monsters. Five were Level 20, but there was another that was on the other side of the pass that was large and Level 25.”

“Wait, were?” The councilwoman Ivor didn't like asked.

“Were,” Ivor responded, “past tense of was. No longer existing. Caput.”

Ivor heard a few of the guards quietly chuckle.

“I assume you have proof?” She asked.

“Yeah, but we'll probably need to go to an empty warehouse. The bones are large,” Ivor stated.

“You have nothing on you. What are you talking about?” The other asshole councilperson asked.

Ivor just shrugged, if they wanted a show, they would get one. He pulled a femur from the large monster out of his [Null Storage] and dropped it right in front of everyone.

“How do we know that's the real thing? Where did you get that from?” Again, with the questions.

Councilman Corwin glared at the man, “It's real. I just analyzed it. It's a Vencak femur bone. Same as the monsters identified by our fighters.”

“Now, unless you want me to dump a whole lot of this shit right here in front of your gate, how about we find a warehouse,” Ivor stated again.

There was a warehouse nearby that the town owned that would suffice. As the councilors trudged off in the direction of the warehouse. The Guard Captain looked at the huge femur then back at Ivor.

“Would you mind?” The Guard Captain pointed at the femur.

Ivor shrugged and reached down to touch the femur and it disappeared.

They made their way to the warehouse and were intercepted by Chauncey. He followed along. Once they got into the warehouse, Ivor asked everyone to stand back as he walked along depositing six sets of loot. The loot took up a bunch of space, but it was a big warehouse. There was space to spare.

Ivor stayed back with the Guard Captain and the guards while the councilors and Chauncey looked at all the loot.

“Why is there so much loot?” One of the guards asked the Captain.

“My guess is that Mr. Kemble's [Loot] skill is higher than ours,” The Captain replied, looking at Ivor.

Ivor winked at the man. Ivor thought he caught a slight smirk on the Captain's face, but even his high Perception couldn't be absolutely sure. Ivor wouldn't want to play poker with that guy. He gave nothing away.

The councilors came back with smiles on their faces, even the two doubters.

“Well, you've held up that part of the deal. Just one more thing to verify,” the councilwoman Ivor didn't like said. She held up her hand,”I know I've doubted the veracity of your claims.

However, it seems I owe you an apology. I have no doubt you can fulfill the other part of our deal. I'm just looking for verification.”

Ivor responded, “Well, if that's the case. Are the people and the cart ready?”

Chauncey responded, “Well the cart is ready, but isn't it a bit late to run a dungeon?”

“I can travel at night, and the team is just riding in the cart. What would it matter?” Ivor asked.

Agreeing with Ivor, the group left the warehouse where the Guard Captain left several guards. That loot was worth quite a bit of credits. It took another half hour to get the four fighters going with Ivor to the dungeon together. One was already present, the Guard Captain.

Ivan Resnov was the next to show up. A few minutes later two more showed up, both Mages. Ivor hadn't encountered too many mages in town. It turned out the Mages were starting something of a Mage Academy. There were going to be a lot of children appearing, and some of them would be getting the System overlay soon. This group wanted to be prepared to educate the new Mages. Ivor was actually pretty impressed. When he said as much, the Guard Captain chimed in that there were schools for all the combat Classers being formed. Most of the Professions had agreed to an apprenticeship system.

The five of them walked towards the southern gate. Ivor was pulling the cart behind him. Chauncey had rigged up two bars Ivor could grasp. One on each side, sort of like a rickshaw. It was a four wheeled cart though, and the outer diameter of the wheels was coated with a thick rubbery substance that made for a surprisingly smooth ride.

When they got outside the gates, the Mages were skeptical. Ivan and the Guard Captain assured them that if Ivor said it would be fast, it would indeed be fast.

Chauncey had assured him that every portion of the cart was reinforced with runes. Ivor had everyone get into the back of the cart.

“Ok, I'm going to increase my speed in increments. When I look back, I need a thumbs up from everyone if I can go faster. Show me a closed fist if I'm going too fast. We'll figure out the best speed pretty quickly,” Ivor instructed.

They all agreed and Ivor started out. It only took a couple minutes to find the limit. Ivor wasn't even going quarter speed, but they were flying down the road.

This road had been built specifically to get to this dungeon. At various points, smaller roads branched off towards the sea. There were quite a few small villages in the area.

Within an hour, they had arrived. As Ivor turned around to see disheveled hair all around, he noticed the huge grin on the Guard Captain's face. Ivor chuckled, damn speed junky. They all congregated around the dungeon entrance which was a simple wooden door inserted into a hill.

“Ok, I want all of you to access the dungeon interface. Talk amongst yourself to make sure you all agree on the information. Then I'll access it and tell you what I see,” Ivor stated.

One by one they stepped up to the dungeon. They moved off to confer and quickly came back. Ivor stepped up to the dungeon.

Dungeon environment: Coliseum, large sand and dirt floor

Temperature range: 15 to 24 C

Monster range: 5 - 15

Boss range: 15 - 20

Recommended party size: 4 to 5

Recommended party level: 10

Time dilation: 1 to 1

Cooldown: 2 days

Ivor told them what he saw. He also explained why he saw more information.

“Ok, two things about this ability my title gives me. First, we have to at least attempt the dungeon, or get locked out of all dungeons for seven days. We don't have to finish it, and I'm pretty sure we can just fight a few things and retreat. I've never had to do that. Second, experience is greater and the rewards are greater. So, I'm happy to let you all run a dungeon you're confident in, or a level 20 like the dungeon the town has to clear. It's up to you,” Ivor explained.

The group talked amongst themselves. They quickly came to a conclusion.

The Guard Captain became their spokesperson. “If it's ok with you, we'd like to run a Level 15. Since we're all Level 15, and… well, you're here. We think it's best to learn to work together on something that should challenge us enough to work out the kinks.”

It was a good plan. It showed they were at least taking this seriously.

Ivor walked over and raised the level of the dungeon to 15. He looked at the new description.

Dungeon environment: Forest, large trees, bushes with an uncluttered forest floor

Temperature range: 15 to 24 C

Monster range: 10 - 20

Boss range: 20 - 25

Recommended party size: 4 to 5

Recommended party level: 15

Time dilation: 1 to 1

Cooldown: 1 days

Nothing too unexpected changed. Ivor was glad it wasn't a frozen tundra. Ivor didn't have jackets in his [Null Storage]. Ivor stepped away and let each member of the group look at the new description.

They told him what they saw, and Ivor told them the extra info. They all looked pretty excited. So Ivor stepped into the dungeon.

The familiar quick flash of light happened, then Ivor was standing at the edge of a forest. A group of people were waiting nearby. As the rest of Ivor's group appeared behind him, one of the waiting people walked over to him.

“Thank goodness you're here. The Spider Queen has broken the truce for the last time. You need to eradicate her to stop her brood from destroying the countryside,” they explained.

Ivor pointed at the Guard Captain, “He's the one in charge. I just pull the cart.”

The man looked around and behind them for a cart. Then a confused look appeared on his face.

Resnov and the two Mages chuckled as the Guard Captain stepped forward, “You'll have to excuse our porter. He's had one too many blows to the head.”

Resnov and the Mages were holding back outright laughs now. Ivor smiled and faded into the background. The Guard Captain got as much information out of the people as he could. It was a basic seek-and-destroy mission. Although this group had never worked together before, they had all been in dungeons. They quickly outlined some basic formations, call signs and hand signals in case they needed to be sneaky.

They ended up following forest paths to clearings where the spiders had set up encampments. For the spiders that meant areas with eggs to hatch more spiders. The group was brutally efficient. With two Mages, the Guard Captain didn't even have to use his bow.

He was pretty damn good with a short sword. The group moved methodically through the clearings. There were a few hiccups here and there with the formations, but overall, the group worked well together.

The boss was a Level 25 Spider Queen. It gave them a bit of trouble, until the Guard Captain started laying into it from range with his bow. Given his height, the bow was huge, which added to the pull weight and subsequent power. What was more impressive was the accuracy. Ivor figured the man had high Agility along with high Perception. He could move and fire with deadly accuracy, hitting everything he aimed at. The Mages ended up blinding the Queen while the Guard Captain and Resnov systematically removed her legs.

The men didn't come out unscathed however. They were pretty banged up. The spider venom wasn't particularly fast acting, but it would sap a person's stamina. Luckily the only one that it affected was one of the Mages. Ivor tossed him a Stamina potion to handle it. All in all, Ivor thought they did a fantastic job.

Having let them loot all the monsters, the group was shocked when four chests appeared after the Spider Queen was looted. Each group member opened a chest and just stared for 30 seconds. Ivor knew they were being offered choices of reward.

They were all smiling when the notification came.

Forest of the Spider Queen Dungeon - completed

Time to dungeon reset: 60:00..

59:59…

59:58…

59:57…

An exit door appeared. At least they didn't have to trudge all the way back to the start.

The men were talking and joking. This had been a common scene once upon a time for Ivor. After a successful mission; combat buddies standing around chatting still high on the adrenaline from battle. Ivor smiled.

The Guard Captain walked over and the rest of them followed.

“Mr. Kemble, you've shown us some of your abilities. Your Agility is obviously high. We were wondering if you would tell us your stats. We're willing to sign a System Contract,” the man said.

Ivor thought about it for a bit. With a System Contract in place, he didn't really have anything to worry about. They were in a dungeon where the World Guardian couldn't overhear. He explained the contract, the one Mary helped him to perfect. They agreed and accepted the prompt from the System.

“I'm not going to give you specific numbers because, well, they won't really matter. You are all familiar with the four Body stats and the four Mind stats, correct?” They all nodded at Ivor's question. “Well, my Mind stats are all over 100.”

Shocked looks all around. A Basic Class or Profession could only hope to have one stat at double their level. It's just how the math worked out. Which meant, to get to 100 in any stat, they would need to be at level 50, at least. To have all of them at 100. Well, to them, that was just impossible to achieve.

“What about your Body stats?” The Guard Captain asked.

“All over 150,” Ivor replied.

Complete silence, until Resnov burst out laughing. He was laughing so hard, tears were leaking out of the corner of his eyes.

It took him a few moments to collect himself. He held up a hand, “I'm sorry. Truly. I'm not laughing in disbelief. Of everyone here, I probably know best what just a portion of those stats means. I'm laughing at myself. How arrogant was I? I knew after the first round you were toying with me, but I had no idea how much you had to suppress just to get down to that level.”

The others nodded at Resnov. They had been there to witness his humiliation, and to see a fraction of Ivor's power. That opened up the floodgates. Questions came fast and furious. They weren't the type of fan boy questions Ivor thought he would get, like: What's it like running at full speed? Can you punch through a mountain?

The questions were well thought out and mostly concerned their own advancement. The Mages were interested to know if he used Mana much. He seemed to be a physical fighter. When Ivor said he had Mana Manipulation at Expert, they almost fell over.

He told them about tools like the puzzle boxes he had. He was sure they could find something similar. If they couldn't, they could reach out to Chauncey Richards to see if he could find them. The Mages thanked him profusely.

Resnov and the Captain were both interested in his Agility and what it meant for fighting. He explained that focusing on a stat was fine up to a point. For Resnov, he explained that he might want to put some points in Perception. It would help with making his strikes accurate. For the Guard Captain, he said it looked like he was already putting points into Agility. Ivor suggested he look into a bow that could fire harder, but didn't have the insane Strength requirement of a large recurve bow. Something more like a compound bow or something with magical assistance.

Ivor asked them if anyone had gone up a level. They all said no. He was afraid that would be the case. They all piled into the cart. I was dark at this point.

So, Ivor pulled up his hood and mask. He took off, reaching the same pace as before. He had a quick chat with Zed.

“Zed, I think I need to run these folks through higher level dungeons to get them the experience they need,” Ivor said.

“I believe that might be necessary in the timeframe you imposed.”

“How will this work? Do they just have to be in my party or do they actually have to contribute?”

“They will get a small amount of experience from just being in your party. However, the experience will increase dramatically if they can contribute. The best strategy would be for you to disable opponents and let them finish them off.

Obviously, the higher the level disparity, the higher the experience. However, the higher the level disparity, the higher the danger to them. It will be a fine line you need to walk,” Zed explained.

An hour later, they were back at Seaton. The gates opened and the men went their separate ways. The Guard Captain allowed Ivor to park the cart near the gate.

When Ivor entered the inn, Chauncey and Councilor Corwin were there waiting.

“Did everything go well?” The councilor asked.

“Well enough,” Ivor replied. “I think I'm going to have to run them through higher level dungeons. They just aren't getting the experience fast enough. It's going to be dangerous. So, if you have other people you'll want to go through, let them know there is a real chance of death.”

They talked for a while. The councilors had found ten people total. Six more beyond what Ivor had already worked with. All were Level 15. It was a mix of combat classes, but only one was Support. When they asked how many times people could be run through, Ivor just said several.

Ivor's title halved dungeon cooldowns, but Ivor was pretty certain there was a loophole there. Changing the level generated a whole new dungeon. He was pretty sure he could run them continuously as long as it wasn't the same dungeon. He queried Zed about it.

“It is not really a loophole. The System is allowing it. You are being rewarded for accomplishing things that are very hard.”

Ivor mentioned that he wanted everyone down there tomorrow. They should plan on bringing things for an extended stay. He promised a week of dungeon runs.

Chauncey brought up a point,”I thought we couldn't camp out around dungeons?”

“It says we can't ambush people or prevent people from entering. We don't plan on doing any of that. So I think it's fine,” Ivor said with confidence.

They talked for a while longer. Chauncey and Councilor Corwin were going to work tonight to make sure all the supplies were available. They would meet Ivor and the rest at the south gate in the morning. Ivor bid them good night and decided to get some rest as well. It was going to be a long week.

Chapter Twelve

The next morning, Ivor was munching on some baked goods with Jamal when another cart pulled up loaded with supplies. Shortly after the group of ten combat classes showed up with the councilors.

Ivor spoke up, “Ok, I think the cart can hold all ten of you, though it might be tight. I'm going to have to make a trip back to get the supplies. I'd rather only make the two trips. If you have objections about the tight quarters on the ride out, let me know now. I won't be stopping on the road.”

Nobody objected. Ivor pulled the cart out of the gate, and the people climbed in. Once situated, Ivor took off. He was able to keep the same pace as the previous day. They arrived in an hour. Some of the new people were still a little shaken up at the speed. The Guard Captain could handle things.

“I'll be back in an hour or so,” Ivor said.

He picked the cart up over his head and shot off into the distance. He got back to the town in 10 minutes. Quickly getting the cart loaded and everything tied down, Ivor set off once again. He was able to go faster than with the people. It took him 45 minutes. He gave himself a little mental gold star.

Ivor got everyone's attention, “Listen up. I'm going to have to run you folks through some higher level dungeons to get your experience up fast enough. It's going to be dangerous. At the higher levels, some of these monsters can one shot you. I can't bring you back from the dead. So, listen when I tell you something.”

They all agreed. Ivor continued, “We also don't have enough time to figure out who works best together. I'm going to leave that up to the two groups to figure out when I'm gone. The higher level dungeons usually have a party size recommendation that is higher, like 4 to 6. If for some reason there is an odd man out, it will be Resnov. I'll take him solo with me to even things out.”

Resnov wasn't upset at being singled out. He knew Ivor was doing him a bit of a favor. Ivor was pretty sure he could trust Resnov solo, maybe the Captain. The others he wasn't sure of.

He let the groups form themselves. The first group he took in was all new folks. Ivor went through the same exercise of showing them that he could, in fact, change the level of the dungeon.

The first group he took through was in a Level 25 dungeon. It was clear they hadn't worked together before, but they quickly got their act together. Imminent death will do that. Ivor was only taking loot if it was something interesting to him. Otherwise, the others could have all this low level stuff. When that first group got to the boss room, Ivor took care of it. It was a bit too much for them at this point. He let them pick the reward though.

The next group was composed of the four he had run through the day before plus a Rogue who had a devastating sneak attack. The Rogue used both blades and a hand crossbow. Ivor pushed the dungeon up to Level 26, and sure enough, they were able to enter without the previous dungeon cool down affecting them.

Ivor expected a little more from this group, and he wasn't disappointed. The Rogue even managed to fit in very quickly. Ivor only had to step in when there were too many monsters or if the level disparity was just too high. Of course, he took the Boss on this one as well.

Ivor pushed them hard. Both teams ran four dungeons that day. They were beat.

The good news was that everyone went up a level. Ivor was happy that he proved his plan would work. That night, Ivor stood guard as the whole group went to sleep early. He chuckled to himself.

Ivor found that he could bounce back and forth between levels without exactly the same dungeon coming back up. There were definitely themes. For example, the coliseum type dungeon seemed to be common. Over the next five days, Ivor kept pushing them. He couldn't take them into anything above about Level 35. At that point, Ivor was just doing too much of the killing to provide enough experience. He kept them above level 25 however.

By the end of six days, the two groups were exhausted. Ivor had ended a little early because they had hit the goal Ivor had set for himself. They had all reached Level 18. Ivor himself had jumped to Level 12. Tomorrow, they were only going to be running Level 20 and 21 dungeons. Level 20 was the same level as the one the town needed to clear. Everyone ate a good meal, and went to sleep.

Ivor took the time to review his current stats.

Ivor Kemble (Human)

Credits: 7,492,356

Level: 12

Class: [Null]

Profession: Hunter

Strength: 114 (171)

Agility: 112 (168)

Endurance: 112 (168)

Constitution: 114 (171)

Intelligence: 167

Wisdom: 167

Willpower: 114 (228)

Perception: 112

Health: 1707

Mana: 1646

Stamina: 1860

Free Stat Points: 0

The next day, the two groups awoke with fire in their eyes. This was the real test. Ivor had mentally broken the groups into Group A and Group B. Group A was Resnov, the Guard Captain, the two Mages, and the new Rogue. Group B was all the new folks.

The first dungeon for both groups didn't go well. They had gotten a little reliant on Ivor to handle stuff. The second run was much better. Ivor still had to finish the boss, but it was a close thing.

The third run, Ivor only had to finish the boss off. They were so close.

On the last run, Ivor took Group B first. They were a well oiled machine at this point. The bonus effect of Ivor running different dungeons was that the teams were ready for anything. The last boss was tough, but the team took it down. Ivor had to quickly rush over with health potions to a couple team members, but they did it.

Group A was moving even better than Group B. They breezed through the dungeon. Although they took a beating, the team took down the boss without needing Ivor to heal them. The team was injured, but in good spirits when Zed spoke.

“Ivor, the Rogue just drank something. I am not sure what it is.”

As Ivor turned to look at the Rogue, an impact hit him in the lower part of his torso. Ivor looked down to see a crossbow bolt sticking out of his lower abdomen. Ivor flashed forward, despite the pain. Knocking the Rogue out, Ivor turned to the team who were just now reacting to the treachery.

“I need him alive, Resnov.” Ivor turned to the three others. “Captain, I don't think you're part of this, but best to come clean now.”

“Absolutely not Ivor. I'll swear my class on it if you need me to,” the man said with conviction.

Turning to the two Mages, “Well?”

Both of them denied knowing anything. Also agreeing to swear on their class with a System Contract if they are lying. Ivor was relieved. He was pretty sure he had won those two over.

Ivor reached down, grasping the small bolt, he ripped it out of his body. A small grunt escaped his lips. Immediately putting the bolt into his [Null Storage] Ivor got out a health potion. He drank it, but it wasn't doing much.

“Zed, what am I dealing with here,” Ivor asked.

“It seems to be an insidious poison. It looks like it slows natural and magical healing. Had you not turned, that bolt would likely have done much more damage. Ivor, I think whoever did this drastically underestimated your abilities.”

“Why do you say that?” Ivor was curious.

“That bolt barely made it through your armor and skin. It did not go in as far as it could have. This leads me to believe that they think you are only at most in the Master level for stats.

You are far, far above that in most of your stats. Also, they must not know your armor is Master level. Otherwise, they would have chosen an Epic level bolt. I believe that bolt is Master level which is the only reason it got through your armor. I bet there is an armor piercing effect or rune on it as well.”

Ivor nodded. He was healing, but much slower than normal. Until his body took care of the poison. He would have to live with it. His armor had already healed itself.

The other four had already stripped the Rogue and bound him. The Guard Captain was searching his mouth for loose teeth or hidden capsules. The Rogue woke up.

“What the hell? Get your fingers out of my mouth. Everything will be clear once he's dead. It won't be long now.” The man was saying.

Ivor stepped into his field of view,”Yeah, I won't be dying anytime soon.”

The man's eyes shot wide open, “How?….It…the poison. She told me….”

A golden light swirled around him. He was dead an instant later.

“What the hell?” Resnov asked.

“System Contract,” Ivor stated. “The same thing happened to that Nylund kid when he bet me.”

The Guard Captain spoke, “Who was the “she” he was referring to?”

One of the Mages cleared his throat. Everyone turned towards him as he spoke, “Ah, well…the councilwoman has been known to employ him from time to time. Nothing like this though. Spying mostly. I've heard people talk.”

“Hearsay is hardly evidence,” the Guard Captain said.

Ivor just nodded. It was time to go. They grabbed the body and left the dungeon.

Group A told Group B what happened. A couple of people on Group B's team also corroborated the Mage. It seemed the councilwoman worked with this Rogue often. Ivor could have taken them all back. Both groups insisted he take the night to recover. He didn't argue too much. This poison had his health regeneration working overtime.

“It is no doubt you were targeted. However, this was specific. I have been reviewing my memory of what happened.

I believe the Rogue took a specific potion. He was as fast as you, or very close to it, for approximately one second. It was fast enough to load and fire the crossbow with that bolt without anyone else noticing.

Nobody on this world would know of this potion or that it even existed or could afford it. That bolt would be incredibly expensive as well, although more common than the potion,” Zed commented.

“Would the World Guardian go that far?” Ivor asked.

“Only if it is going insane.”

Ivor couldn't sleep. He just sat and meditated. Slow is smooth, smooth is fast. Slow is smooth, smooth is fast. Over and over. In a blink, the sun was rising.

Ivor got everyone into the cart. They left the remaining supplies. Someone else could come gather them.

Ivor desperately wanted to go faster, but he once again calmed himself. After an hour they arrived at the gate. Because they ended up gathering so much loot.

Ivor had to store it in his [Null Storage]. Everything except what the teams agreed to keep for themselves. They earned their rewards.

Ivor stopped the Guard Captain before they headed to the warehouse to meet the councilors.

“I want to try something, if you'll participate,” he said.

The Guard Captain thought for a moment, “Good cop, bad cop?”

Ivor smiled, “Exactly. Are you up for it?”

Other than the first fast ride in the cart, this was the first genuine smile Ivor saw on the man's face, “I would bet I've had more experience doing it than you. Yeah, I'm up for it.”

Ivor always wondered if the Guard Captain was a former cop. He was just too good at it not to have been.

Ivor showed up a few minutes after the Captain. Exaggerating his injury and putting a wild look onto his face. The Captain was already explaining what happened.

Turning to the councilwoman he said, “Madam, numerous people have identified the assailant as someone that works for you.”

“You are accusing me. That's ridiculous,” she exclaimed.

Ivor stalked towards her, “Captain, the time for easy questioning is over.”

She visibly flinched.

The Guard Captain played his part, “Ivor, it's just hearsay. Let's let her tell her side of things.”

“No, no. I think it's time to hand her over to me. I'll take her somewhere away from here. I'll get answers out of her.” Ivor continued to move slowly towards her.

“We can't just allow you to take one of our citizens, Ivor,” the Guard Captain said, stepping next to the woman.

“Fine. Have it your way. I'm going to start destroying sections of town until you hand her over.”

Turning to the woman, the Guard Captain looked with concerned eyes, “Help me out here. I can't stop him. He's going to destroy the whole town.”

She was almost hyperventilating, she looked between the Guard Captain and the slowly advancing Ivor, “No, no….this isn't how it was supposed to go. It prom…….”

A golden glow swirled around her body, and she dropped dead on the ground.

“Zed?”

“Already on it,” Zed replied.

As the various people were exclaiming or talking or wondering what the hell was going on, Zed was showing Ivor some System Notifications.

System Adjudication requested…..

Earth World Guardian mental state in question….

….

….

System Adjudication granted…

Earth World Guardian mental state evaluation complete…

Earth World Guardian interference noted…..

Earth World Guardian quarantined for safety….

Ivor yelled for quiet. “Look, the World Guardian has had it out for me since I got back. It's a long story, but it probably crossed the line this time. I wouldn't be surprised if there is an announcement.”

Right after the words left Ivor's mouth, a world wide notification went out.

This is a world-wide announcement. Your World Guardian has been quarantined for your safety. It was found interfering in the natural development of your species under the System.

At this time, a replacement will not be selected. You will be able to utilize the Admin buildings, System Market and Communication Hub. Building of System buildings is halted until a decision is reached on a replacement World Guardian.

There was more exclamation and general hubbub.

“Ivor, the councilwoman was not the only one the World Guardian was working with. It was working with Joshua Perez as well.”

Time seemed to stop. Ivor's Will pulsed out.

Thump!!!

Everyone in the town felt it. Everyone in the warehouse took a step back from Ivor.

Ivor turned to Chauncey, his voice calm, cold, “Get a message to Aza as quickly as you can. My daughter is in danger. I'm leaving now.”

With that Ivor strode out of the warehouse, Chaucey quickly followed. Racing past him to get to the Admin building, Chauncey tossed something to Ivor.

Ivor caught it. It was a bracelet, a simple band.

'What about the maps?” Councilor Corwin asked.

“You have 30 minutes. Then I'm leaving,” Ivor said. Ivor took off a glove and put on the bracelet. Glove back on and sealed, you couldn't even see the bracelet.

The councilor rushed off. Ivor stood waiting. It was the longest minutes of his life. The councilor returned with a man.

“Ivor this man is a Cartographer. He can share the maps with you. Will you still share yours?” The Councilor asked.

Ivor looked at the Cartographer, “Done. Send me what you have?”

“I haven't had time to incorporate all of Captain Reyes' information?”

“Give me what you have,” Ivor said. The man visibly flinched back. He sent the maps.

Ivor accepted and flashed away down to the docks. Finding Reyes' boat, Ivor was standing on deck before the first mate in an instant.

“Is Reyes aboard?” Ivor asked.

“You can't just come on the boat, mate,” the man started to protest.

Ivor picked him up by his shirt. The man's feet were dangling 60 centimeters from the deck.

“Get Reyes now or I'm going to turn this boat into kindling.”

The man gulped and Ivor dropped him. He ran back to the Captain's cabin. Rushing out with the Captain.

“Reyes, I need the map. The Cartographer hasn't had time to integrate it. I need yours now,” Ivor said.

“Well that wasn't the deal,” the man said with a grin.

Ivor walked over to the railing on the side of the boat. He took the railing in one hand and squeezed. The wood exploded into saw dust.

“I can throw this boat into the mountains over there with you on it, or you can give me that map.”

“You provide a persuasive argument.” Reyes nodded.

Ivor accepted the map. He took a second to review everything. He stepped off the boat and onto the dock and jumped. He cleared the town, the walls and half a kilometer before his boots hit the southern road.

The Guard Captain had made it to the docks in time to hear the exchange. He was glaring at Captain Reyes who was standing with his mouth open.

“If that man's daughter dies because you wanted to play games. I'm going to personally offer you up as a sacrifice so that he doesn't destroy this whole town.” The Guard Captain was deadly serious.

Chapter Thirteen

Ivor had looked over the maps quickly. His best course of action was to head south. The sea was longer than it was wide, but there was a narrow area he could swim across.

It was the fastest route. It took him minutes to get to the narrow part of the sea. He couldn't swim as fast as he could run, but it was still fast.

“Zed, I'm going to need you to be my navigator. It's going to take all my concentration to move as fast as I can. You are faster at spotting things in my peripheral vision and on the map,” Ivor said.

“You will need to give me access to your map,” Zed replied.

“I will. While I'm swimming, look into rally racing. Review how their navigators give them directions. We can use a system like that.”

Ivor gave Zed access to the map while he concentrated on swimming. It only took him ten minutes to get through the 60 kilometer narrow point. His Stamina was tanking. He was going full blast.

It wasn't sustainable. He drank a stamina potion and streaked away into the distance. Ivor was going to quickly run out of both stamina potions and mapped areas. The councilors only had information relative to their area.

Ivor finally had to slow down to let his stamina regeneration catch up. Zed was doing a great job of helping him navigate. Ivor was getting frustrated with his pace. With Zed giving him navigation help, Ivor was able to split his attention.

He was thinking about how to go faster. His frustration was growing and growing. An idea formed, it was crazy, but what did he have to lose at this point. While he was running, Ivor started building his will.

As his will grew and grew, Ivor kept thinking about the distance between himself and Marie. When his will had built into an incredibly uncomfortable pressure, while still thinking about that vast distance, he said one word: Remove

Two things happened simultaneously, a notification appeared in his overlay, and Ivor lost his footing. He had been running on a rocky plain. At the speed he was moving when he tripped, his body skipped along the ground like a flat stone thrown across a pond. Giant divots of dirt were dug out of the ground every time his body hit.

Boulders were pulverized into powder when he smashed through them. It took five kilometers before his body came to a rest.

Ivor wasn't hurt, but he picked himself up and dusted himself off. He looked at the notification.

You have forcefully triggered a new skill without meeting the prerequisites: Null Step

Warning: Forcefully triggering skills in this manner can have negative side effects

That was ominous. Ivor looked at the new skill.

Null Step (Advanced) - Active

While active, each of your steps carry you further, the distance nullified.

Current Null Step distance = +3 meters

Ivor thought about this for a second.

“Zed, if I'm reading this correctly, when I activate [Null Step], every step I take will move me an additional three meters.”

“That is correct. Your current stride is about one meter. So with it active, you will move roughly four meters. In essence, you move three times farther.”

It took some getting used to. Ivor was ok with that. If he could move three times faster, he could make up the time. He got used to walking with it, then eventually jogging, and finally running.

It ate up the mana, nothing like his [Null Shield] though. Ivor started alternating between using [Null Step] and going full speed. When his stamina tanked, he switched to [Null Step] which used mana. His mana regeneration was nothing like his stamina, but he found a strategy that he felt he couldn't improve upon. This was the fastest he could go.

It took two days for Ivor to make it to Egara. Two forces were squared off against each other. There were about 150 people total. In the cleared area between the two forces was a semi-transparent bubble.

Ivor pushed his way to the front. He could see nine people in the bubble.

“What's going on here?” Ivor asked the person next to him.

“That sick fuck Perez trapped that group of adventurers in there. He said he just wanted to talk to avoid the bloodshed. When they got close, that bubble popped up. It's preventing anyone from going inside. He's been beating on those people most of the day. He'll feed them a health potion if it looks like they're going to die,” the man said.

Ivor felt a cold pit in his stomach. One of the men punched someone and they fell to the floor. It was a man. He looked to be in bad shape.

Another man backhanded another person. It was a woman, long hair flying back as she hit the ground. Rolling in his direction, Ivor saw her face. Marie.

A cold, calm, furry overtook Ivor, he stalked forward. As he got closer, he could hear the man, Perez, calling them names, asking them to submit to him. Ivor's gaze burned that man's face into his memory. Perez was wearing some kind of plate armor.

The face mask of the helmet was retracted. When Perez finally noticed Ivor walking up, he spoke.

“Come to enjoy the show?” He said, “Hmmmm, no name, just Hunter, Level 12. Well Mr. Hunter, how do you like my entertainment.”

Ivor looked at the man for a few seconds, “I think your entertainment just sealed your fate.”

Perez laughed, “and why would that be?”

Ivor disabled the bracelet's power that obscured his name.

Perez looked, then laughed even harder. “Oh man, this is priceless. The boogeyman comes and can't do a damn thing while I beat his little bitch daughter senseless. You know, I was really only looking to put the boots to the big guy here. But, nooooo, your daughter had to stick her nose in it. Well, you can stand there and watch while I slowly kill her.

This shield blocks all teleportation. Even if you could get inside, anyone not wearing one of these rings,” Perez pointed at one of his men holding up a ring, “well, all their magic and magic items don't work and they only have half their stats.”

He laughed some more, “So, Mr. Ivor Kemble, enjoy the show.”

Ivor pulled his two Dark Steel short swords out and used [Null Step], immediately appearing inside the bubble. Despite the loss of half his stats, Ivor was still insanely powerful. In under a second, the four men were dead, Ivor was pulling a ring off one of the men's fingers.

Perez stuttered, “That isn't possible. It doesn't matter. You can't beat me with this armor on.” Perez flipped down the face visor.

With the ring on, Ivor could now feel the mana pulsing through that armor. Ivor pulled a weapon out of his armor storage. It's a weapon he had never actually used.

It was the spear he'd received in the second dungeon he ever completed. There was one simple reason Ivor used this particular weapon.

The Inevitable Spear

Once per day can bypass any armor

Triggering the spear's special effect, Ivor flashed forward and stabbed the spear straight through the visor, Perez's head and out the back of the armor. The bubble immediately winked out. Ivor didn't even bother to retrieve his spear as he flashed over to Marie. He kneeled down with a health potion ready.

She shook her head, with tears in her eyes, she pointed at the big man on the ground, “Dad, help him, please.”

Ivor went immediately over to the man. He was fading fast. His one eye was completely swollen shut. Bloody bubbles were coming out with each raspy breath.

“I….I did my best, sir. You can take it from here…” the man weakly said with a smile.

“I guess they just don't make Seals as tough as they used to. The only easy day was yesterday, son.” Ivor pulled a potion out and poured it down the man's throat. To anyone watching, it wasn't the reddish color of a normal health potion. This was a golden color like honey.

It was an elixir that increased Chris Brewer's Constitution by two points. Immediately, Chris' total health increased enough to save him from death. Ivor pulled out another potion.

He dumped this one down the man's throat as well. It was a Superior health potion.

Ivor went back to Marie and gave her a potion. He went over to the two unconscious members of her party and gently fed them potions as well. Everyone was on the mend. Ivor noticed the man he had been talking to approach.

“Hey mister. We still have a big problem.” The man pointed to the 80 or so combat Classers standing about 50 meters away.

Ivor looked down at his daughter, “I'm sorry I never told you. You should have heard it from me. “ He sighed and continued, “Now, your dad needs to get to work.”

Ivor reactivated his bracelet as he walked toward the group. Ivor got close enough to be heard by the group.

“You've got one chance,” Ivor said, “walk away.”

One of the men in front snorted, “Or what?”

Ivor looked at the man. Ivor had no emotion, his eyes were cold. They only promised death.

“Or what?, or I kill all of you,” Ivor stated.

The man laughed, “You, kill all of us. Yeah, I'd love to see that.”

Ivor smiled at the man, and for the first time that man saw something that sent a chill down his spine. “Deal,” Ivor said and sped into action.

Ivor pulled out numerous low level spike traps he had prepared, throwing out dozens in a fraction of a second, he pulled out his bastons and waded into the group.

As Marie and her team got up and watched Ivor approach the men. The man that had been talking to Ivor said, “What's he going to do?”

Chris Brewer only knew part of Ivor's story, but it was enough, “Mister., my guess is you're going to see something you'll remember the rest of your life.”

From this distance, they couldn't hear what was said, but they did see one of Perez's guys laughing at Ivor. He said something else, then all hell broke loose. Ivor was moving too fast for any of them to see him. Instead they saw bodies spontaneously exploding with fire, ice, magma, air and earth.

Massive shockwaves traveled over to them when groups of men would just explode out in all directions. Their bodies cartwheeling through the air for hundreds of meters before landing in broken heaps.

In five seconds, there were only two people still standing, Ivor and the man that laughed at him.

“Well, I guess you're the last one,” Ivor said to the man.

“Wha…how…I don't understand,” the man was in shock.

“It's simple really. You thought you were stronger and you're not. Normally, I like to give people chances, but you are super unlucky. You sided with Perez, and Perez hurt my daughter. Now, there are two ways we can do this. You can tell me everything you know, quickly, about anyone else that might harm my daughter or tried to harm my daughter, or, I can start pulling pieces off of you.” Ivor smiled again.

“Uh, isn't there a way I come out of this alive,” the man asked.

“Sorry, you burned that bridge.” Ivor shook his head.

“Well, then fuck it. I ain't telling you shit.”

Ivor reached over with both hands and pulled the man's arms off.

It took a second for what happened to sink in, then the man started screaming.

“Wrong choice,” Ivor said as he threw the arms to the sides and went back to the group.

The screaming had stopped by the time Ivor got to Marie and her group.

“Sorry you had to see that folks,” Ivor said to a silent crowd. “I assume these folks didn't come from your town. So, I need to know right now, where this other town is and how much of it I need to destroy.”

Silence, for a full 30 seconds, “Um, that town isn't too bad,. Lots of those people Perez got hooked on some kind of drug. The only really bad thing is the Assassins guild he created. They're a nasty bunch.”

Marie nodded, “Perez had been sending assassins after Chris for a while now. We've been taking care of them without an issue, but they are probably still there.”

“Ok, somebody give me a map,” Ivor said. “Feel free to loot what's left of those assholes down there. I don't need any of that crap. Chris, take the spear.” Ivor thumbed over his shoulder to the spear still sticking out of Perez's head.

Most people were still in shock, but another hunter came over and transferred his map to Ivor. Ivor promised to reciprocate at a later date, he just wanted to get going.

Kissing his daughter's forehead, “I'll be right back, kiddo.”

With a blink, he was gone.

Chris looked at Marie, “I may have to re-evaluate our relationship.”

“I'm with my dad on this one. I guess they just don't make Seals as tough as they used to,” she said and punched him lightly on the arm.

Ivor had burned quite a bit of stamina, killing 80 men in five seconds. He used [Null Step], getting a better feel for the skill and how fast he could go without impacting his mana regeneration too much. He still got to the other town in under a half hour.

Ivor had his full mask and hood on. His armor was its natural full black color. The town was walled with a closed gate. There were guards with bows on either side of the gate on top of the walls.

“Nobody comes in or out until Perez is back,” one of the guards said.

“Perez ain't coming back. Could either of you point me to where this Assassin's Guild is? I want to speak to their manager.” With Marie safe, Ivor was in a bit of a playful mood.

The two guards looked at each other, “Quit spouting nonsense and fuck off before we come down there.”

“Well, you could come down here. That would make it easier. Or I could come up there,” Ivor said.

“You go, I'll keep watch,” one of the guards said.

It took the guard a minute to get down and open the gate. He slipped out, and approached Ivor. “Now that I came down here. I've got to teach you a lesson.” The man took a swing at Ivor. Ivor caught his hand and crushed the bones to powder.

As he started screaming, the other guard shot an arrow which Ivor caught. Ivor threw it back much faster. The arrow went right through the man's left eye. He toppled backward off the wall. There was a commotion and a few other guards came out of the gate.

“Look, fellas, I'm just looking for the Assassin's Guild. Can someone give me directions?”

They did not give him directions. They attacked and died. Someone had at least enough sense to close the gate.

Ivor powered up one of his gloves and punched it. The entire gate exploded into splinters. That was really bad news for the half dozen guards waiting five meters away. All of them dropped to the ground, impaled with various sizes of wooden gate splinters.

There was a long road directly leading into the middle of town straight from the gate. Ivor shrugged and started walking.

“I have noticed at least four people shadowing you. They are not very good at it.” Zed informed Ivor.

“Give me directions when they attack”

Ivor had passed a few alleys before one attacked. Zed had noticed the distorted shadow moving slightly and predicted an attack from that angle. Ivor paid attention.

When the assassin leaped to drive a dagger in Ivor's back, Ivor reached up and grabbed them by the neck and snapped it. Dropping the dead assassin to the ground, Ivor hadn't even adjusted his stride. There were two more attacks before they stopped.

When Ivor made it to what he assumed was a town square, there were twenty people in wanna-be ninja costumes waiting for him.

“Is this all of you? Because I really don't want to have to level this town to get to all the rats,” Ivor stated.

“We have no quarrel with you,” one of the assassins said.

“Oh, but you do. See, you worked with Perez. You went after my daughter and her friends. So, you very much have a quarrel with me,” Ivor replied.

“Very well, then die,” the man was fast, he flicked a dart at Ivor. Unfortunately, Ivor was much, much faster. He caught the dart between two fingers.

“Neat. Now it's my turn” Ten ball bearings rocketed into the heads of ten assassins. Ten heads turned to bloody mist. The instant the ball bearings hit, Ivor was among the other ten.

He didn't even use weapons. There was no doubt some of them had skills, but compared to Ivor's experience and stats. It was no contest.

There was silence when he was done.

“Somebody want to tell me if there is a Guild house or something? Also, where does Perez live?” Ivor raised his voice.

A door opened on a shop near the square. A woman peaked out. “There's no Assassin's Guild building, but Perez's place is just up the road. You can't miss it. It's bigger than anything else.”

After saying her piece, she shut the door. Ivor shrugged and walked up the road in the direction the woman had indicated. He was moving at a normal walking pace.

He noticed this wasn't a vibrant city. The people weren't out in the streets rushing from place to place. It had an air of despondency to it. Like the whole town was just beaten into submission. Ivor thought that probably wasn't far from the truth.

Ivor reached what he could only describe as a manor. It was large for sure, and gaudy. Well, at least to Ivor's simplistic eye. There were a couple of guards out front.

“Perez is gone. His fighters are gone. A lot of the assassins are gone. You can take off or be gone too,” Ivor stated.

Clearly not believing him, they drew swords and stepped forward. Ivor grabbed their swords by the blades, pulled them from their grip and stabbed them in the neck with their own swords. He kicked the large wrought iron gate completely off its hinges.

Marching into the courtyard, he was attacked by two more hidden assassins. It was pathetically easy for him to take them out. The front door opened.

An older man with greying hair stood in the doorway. He was dressed well, like a butler.

“I would ask that you let the servants leave the building before you do whatever it is you plan on doing,” the man said.

“Fair enough,” Ivor replied. “You have 10 minutes.”

While he was waiting, two archers popped up over the roof crenellations and tried to fire arrows down on Ivor. Zed had noticed them. Ivor was quicker. Two spike traps impaled the men in the chest and the air elemental magic detonated, reducing the men to piles of meat.

The butler had all the staff out of the building before ten minutes.

Ivor stopped him, “Did Perez have an office or particular place where he conducted his business?”

“Yes, there is a third floor office. Double doors opposite the staircase.” The man hesitated for a moment. “You may want to inspect the basement as well. The servants weren't allowed down there.”

Ivor nodded his thanks and walked into the manor. He headed straight up to the office. He pulled open the office doors and two crossbow bolts bounced off his armor. Two stunned assassins stood on opposite sides of the room.

“Come on folks. I don't have all day. I would like to limit the blood in that room,” Ivor quipped.

The two assassins pulled daggers out of some hidden location in their clothing and advanced on Ivor. These two had clearly been working together. They attacked from two different angles, one high, one low. Ivor used [Null Step] and appeared two meters behind them.

The assassins collided with each other instead of stabbing Ivor. Ivor moved quickly to the downed pair and punched both of them in the back of the neck. With their spines severed, the pair slowly died.

Ivor walked around the room. Inspecting everything before touching anything. He was letting Zed collect visual data.

Zed pointed out several potential hidden areas. The papers on the desk were standard business fare along with household lists and invoices to sign. The first hidden area was in a drawer. It wasn't trapped. Ivor was pretty certain of that. He managed to pry the drawer up. It was a small hiding spot with some gold and gems.

Ivor took those. There were also several small bags of powder. Ivor suspected this was the drug he had been told about. He took those for someone to analyze later.

Zed pointed out a particular book on one of the bookshelves. There was a little bit of a wear spot on the wood shelf where the spine of the book met the wood.

“I believe if you pull that book from the top towards you, it will trigger a hidden latch and this bookshelf will swing away from the wall,” Zed said.

Ivor pulled the top of the book towards him and heard a slight clicking sound. The bookshelf moved ever so slightly away from the wall. Ivor pulled on the bookshelf and it swung away from the wall on hidden hinges.

Ivor was now staring at a stone wall with a safe in it. This one was definitely trapped. Ivor's [Detect Trap] skill was lighting the whole safe up.

Ivor could see the runes of the trap all round the front of the safe. He was not familiar with these runes though. Thinking for a moment, he decided to try something.

He pulled up [Null Shield] and formed it using [Null Manipulation] to be an open box with a thin border. He made sure to cover all the runes, and then he moved the box to just intercept the metal of the safe door. As usual, anything that touched the [Null Shield] became nothing.

There was now a perfect square groove cut into the front door of the safe. That groove disabled all of the runes at once. Ivor's [Detect Trap] was no longer highlighting the safe.

“Very clever use of [Null Shield], Ivor. That is not something I anticipated,” Zed seemed almost proud.

Ivor punched his fingers into the safe door and ripped it off. The safe was pretty full. What looked like ledger books and journals, various papers and bags. Most of the bags contained coins. Ivor would hand everything off to those that were interested in what Perez was up to. There was one other spot, but it was a decoy with a trap.

Ivor headed downstairs and found the door to the basement. It was locked. Ivor pulled the door open, snapping the lock.

It was dark, too dark. Ivor pulled his mask and hood up and activated his dark vision. Ivor immediately saw several people hiding in darkened nooks.

He put his hand out like he couldn't see. He tried to make it look like he was searching for a torch. Two of the figures silently moved towards him. As they were about to strike, Ivor blurred into motion.

Punching both of them in the chest, Ivor felt their chests cave in as he rushed past them. Shifting slightly to the left, Ivor avoided a crossbow bolt, and slapped the assailant in the side of the head. The neck snapped and the body hit the floor.

Ivor looked around, noticing cages. He wasn't sure what they were doing down here, but it didn't look good. The underground of the manor was actually bigger than the upper part.

Ivor found enough signs that he was sure the Assassin's Guild was being run out of here. He found a tunnel leading away from the manor underground. Following it, he came to a ladder. Climbing it, Ivor reached a hatch. He gently pushed it up. It didn't make a sound. It was well cared for. Climbing through the hole, he found himself in a warehouse. The hatch was well hidden behind some crates.

Ivor walked around the crates to find ten people loading all manner of things into three large carts. Two of the people were dressed in the wanna-be ninja outfits. The others looked like the Fighters Perez had out on the battlefield.

“Hey, no need to rush,” Ivor said as he approached the group.

The two assassins were quicker than the rest. They both turned and threw daggers at Ivor. He caught them and threw them back much faster with much more force. Both assassins dropped.

The rest of the people attacked, but it was hard for them all to attack at once without getting in each other's way. Ivor used that to his advantage as he quickly killed them two at a time.

Looking over the carts, he didn't see anything valuable to him. It looked like these folks were trying to head off with some goods to start over. He did find a good stash of the drug. He put a small fire trap in that cart. It burned up in seconds.

He walked out of the warehouse and realized he was on the other side of town from where he entered. There was another gate, and it was open. A cart was rolling through it with two more assassins and a few guards on it. Ivor chucked a magma grenade at it. The two assassins jumped off in time. The guards and the cart weren't so lucky as magma burst out burning everything in a large area.

The two assassins raced back towards him. He had killed something like 30 of these dudes. They were like roaches.

Ivor fired two spiked wind traps. The spiked traps were moving too fast for the assassins to avoid. The traps impaled their chest and immediately detonated. The remaining pieces of the assassins rained onto the ground.

Ivor went back to the warehouse and opened up the trap door. He tossed a magma grenade down. It bounced and rolled further down the tunnel and exploded.

Magma filled up the hole and started spilling out of the hatch. It didn't get too far. Ivor moved the crates. He just wanted to seal the hole, not burn the place down.

Making his way back to Perez's manor, Ivor did not get attacked again. He couldn't be certain he got everyone. He felt like he probably got most of them. Pulling out his baston, he leaped up in the air charging his baston with elemental force, he unleashed a blast straight down on the center of the roof.

The ball of force expanded and blasted straight down, hollowing out the manor down to the basement. Two of the exterior walls caved in on top of the pulverized rubble. Ivor walked around to the two walls that formed a corner. He physically pushed the wall over. Where Perez's manor once stood, was now just a pile of rubble.

Statement made. Ivor calmly walked through the streets to the gate. Exiting the gate, he sped back to Egara. He had some catching up to do.

Chapter Fourteen

Ivor had been gone a little over an hour. The cleanup was still going on. Mostly due to arguments about the loot. Marie and her team were standing next to Perez's dead body. I was still in the armor.

A man was speaking to Marie and her team, “Ms. Kemble, you must understand what these magic items can potentially do for the town. I must insist you let us take them.”

There were a few tough looking guards behind the man, but as Ivor used [Identify] he realized Marie's team would have nothing to worry about.

The conversation broke off as Ivor walked up. He reached down and touched Perez's armor and it disappeared into his [Null Storage].

“Problem solved,” Ivor said.

“I think this needs further discussion. While I appreciate what you've done here. You can't just waltz in and take things,” the man said.

Ivor pulled back his mask and hood, “I really don't think you appreciate what I've done here. Furthermore, I can and will take this and anything else off of anyone or anything I killed. Do you think that's how things work now? That you are part of the town leadership and you get to take whatever you want, even though you took no part in the solution. Maybe there is a second town that needs its leadership taken care of.”

Ivor pulled out the books and ledgers from Perez's safe as well as the drugs and money. “Here's a consolation prize. All of Perez's ledgers and journals. Along with samples of the drug. Maybe you can get an Alchemist to make an antidote or something. Also, here's all the gold and gems he had on him.”

The man's eyes widened, “I…ah, I mean…”

Ivor held up a hand, “I'm pretty sure all the assassins are dead. Most of the guards in that town fled or are dead. Perez's manor is demolished. My suggestion is to get some people over to that town.

Pull the town crystal and bring as many people over here as possible. Consolidate your power. Or you can keep fucking around with me, and I'll show you a whole different game we can play.”

“I'm sure the other town councilors will want to talk with you. Marie's team has been a boon to this town, and someone with your obvious power would be most welcome.” The man smiled.

“No thanks. We won't be staying long,” Ivor replied.

“Won't be staying? Why?” The man sputtered.

“I have a quest to get Marie to a specific location. We need to get moving,” Ivor said.

“Well at least let us throw you a feast in your honor. Perez was a scourge we are happy to see gone,” the man continued.

“No. Thank you. We'll be staying the night and leaving in the morning. We appreciate the offer. If you send a Cartographer or someone that can exchange maps.

I'll give you everything I have. It stretches several thousand kilometers east. I didn't stop at any of the towns or villages, but you'll have the map.” Ivor was at least willing to throw him a bone.

“Yes, that is most gracious. We'll send the Cartographer to the inn, yes?” The last question was to Marie.

“That will be fine Councilor Jones,” Marie said.

The councilor walked away and Marie ran up to Ivor and grabbed him in a fierce hug. She was laughing and crying at the same time.

“I was so worried about you,” she said.

Ivor chuckled, “Worried about me? Kiddo, I know you weren't sending me the bad stuff. When I found out about Perez, I rushed right here. I'm sorry it took so long.”

“Dad, you look younger than me. I know there is a story there.”

“Yeah, there is a lot to go over. We should find someplace we can talk. But first, how about you actually introduce me to your team. Obviously, I know about them from your letters,” Ivor scolded her playfully.

“Sorry, just overwhelmed. The short, cute, dangerous one is Emily Riva.”

Ivor used [Identify]

Emily Riva

Rogue (Level 18)

Highest stat: None

Immunities: None

Ivor shook her hand, “Well met Emily. Thank you for having my daughter's back.”

Emily blushed, “It's good to meet you Mr. Kemble.”

Marie continued, “The handsome older gentleman is Dr. Lance Jacobs.”

Lance Jacobs

Support (Level 18)

Highest stat: None

Immunities: None

Ivor stepped up and took the Healer's hand, “Seems like I owe you twice doc. Pre and Post System.”

“You owe me nothing Mr. Kemble. It was my duty before, and my pleasure now,” Lance said, smooth as ever.

“And last but certainly not least, our resident thug Christopher Brewer.”

Christopher Brewer

Fighter (Level 18)

Highest stat: Constitution

Immunities: None

The man was big, no doubt about it. Ivor shook his hand, “You prefer Chris, right?” Ivor asked.

“Yes, sir,” Chris replied.

“You can knock that shit right off. Call me Ivor. That goes for all of you. Chris, thank you for helping my daughter survive in this crazy new world. I owe you.”

“No, sir… sorry, Ivor. I'm pretty sure you just saved my life back there. I think I owe you.”

Looking at the folks that had shared sweat and blood with his daughter, Ivor chuckled, “Well, I don't know if you all noticed, but I'm pretty damn powerful. I don't think you can stop me from showering gifts upon you if I so choose.”

“Gifts?!” Emily exclaimed with a little clap.

“Why don't we find someplace to sit, maybe eat. We can catch up. I do actually have a quest involving Marie, but there is no timeline. I want to get going because my Freehold is nearly 10,000 kilometers away. No offense, but you folks can't move as fast as me,” Ivor said.

The team had rooms at an inn that served food. It was a decent inn, but it had a large private room for weddings, meetings, etc… The owner of the inn was a friend. The team was sure they could rent it out.

They were stopped several times as people asked about Marie and her team. Most of the people didn't recognize Ivor. He had changed the look of his armor and he wasn't wearing the mask and hood. He also activated the bracelet As far as anyone knew, he was just some random Hunter.

They eventually made it to the inn where a large, curvy, red headed woman was talking to someone in the large entry way of the inn. When she saw Marie and team, she beamed a huge smile and excused herself from her conversation.

“Marie, oh my dear girl. You're all right. I'd been hearing dreadful things all day. I'm so happy.” The woman rushed over and swept Marie up in a huge hug, burying the rather thin Marie in her ample bosom.

The woman released Marie and looked over the rest of the team. She saw Ivor, and smiled. She immediately walked over and offered her hand, “I'm Jessica Chase, the owner of this establishment.” As Ivor took her hand, she looked at Marie, “You keep collecting handsome men Marie.”

She paused, then looked between Marie and Ivor, “Family?” She asked Marie.

“Ah, yes. Family.” Marie realized no one would believe Ivor was her father. “Cousin.”

Jessic eyed Ivor up and down like she was inspecting a particularly nice cut of meat, “Cousin, you say.”

“Cousin, Ivor,” Ivor said. “We are the only family we have left. I just arrived.”

“Well, it's been a horrible day. That dreadful Perez man capturing these fantastic people and doing horrible things to them. I'm glad someone put a stop to it. Now, what can I do for your Marie.” Jessica was the bubbly sort.

“Well, Jessica, we would like to rent out the private room, if we can. I'd like to catch up with Ivor. Also, do you have a room for him?”

“Of course my dear, after what you went through, no charge for the private room. I don't have another room near you folks, but I have a room. I'll bring the key after you're seated. Shall I put it on your bill?” Jessica said.

“That would be fantastic. Thank you, Jessica,” Marie replied.

The woman escorted them to the private room. She said one of the wait staff would be along shortly. Ivor had just asked them about recent events when a waiter came with water and some rather tasty bread rolls.

There were two choices for the meal, and everyone ordered. Ivor sat back as Marie and her team explained some of the recent events that led up to the confrontation with Perez. If the World Guardian hadn't intervened, they would have been able to handle it easily.

Ivor placed a metal disk on the table and activated it with mana. An invisible bubble of silence surrounded them. It was something he had been working on. He didn't want to have to go into the System Market or dungeon to hide things from the World Guardians. Even though the Earth World Guardian was in quarantine, he still wanted something for times like this. He was working on a more advanced version.

“Ok, no one can hear us now. I know you all probably have questions, but let me start. It's a long story that I will tell you on the road, but I have a Freehold here on Earth. It is a section of Earth that is completely mine. The creation of the Freehold pissed off the World Guardian. It was working behind the scenes doing things it shouldn't have to try to kill me. It was also working with Perez to get at Marie to try to hurt me. The System was apprised of the situation, and, well you saw the message,” Ivor explained.

“Someone tried to kill you?” Marie asked. The anger was clear in her eyes.

“Yeah, no worries kiddo. It didn't take,” Ivor shrugged.

Dr. Jacobs chimed in, “How was the System apprised of the situation?”

Smart man, Ivor thought. “I'm not willing to discuss that quite yet. You'll have to trust that there are things I'm going to have to wait for a more secure location to tell you. Preferably in a dungeon.”

The doctor nodded. Emily continued, “Several times I've seen you seemingly take and remove things from thin air. Do you have some kind of dimensional storage?”

“Yes, two actually. One is part of my armor. I can only store weapons in the armor, but it holds a lot of weapons. The other, I'll have to wait to tell you about,” Ivor replied.

“What did you give me before the healing potion?” Chris asked.

“That was a stat elixir. It raised your Constitution by two points. I figured elevating your overall health was probably a good bet to save you.” Ivor responded. The doctor nodded at Ivor's assessment. “Yeah, that probably screwed up your effort at an even spread of stat points. Don't worry, I'll help you fix it.”

“Wait, hold on,” Marie interjected, “you can see stat points?”

Ivor shook his head, “No, just what your highest is. None of you have a stat that's higher than any other. Except Chris after I gave him the elixir. It was pretty easy to figure out your team was using the same tactic you and I used on R.P.G's for lower level characters. Keep the spread even until you know which direction you want to go. I figure you're all waiting until your Level 20 Evolution.”

They all nodded. The questions stopped for a while as their food arrived. They chatted about more mundane things.

They had some humorous stories during the Evaluation and their travels. After a bit, Emily asked him to turn the silencing device on again.

“You said you can see what someone's highest stat is. What else can you see?”

“The only other thing I can see is if you have any immunities. I think that is really meant more for monsters. I've run into higher level monsters during my Evaluation that had immunities,” Ivor explained.

Chris was the next to ask, “You haven't told us much about your Evaluation. I'm not one to pry, but I'd like to know what you're comfortable talking about.”

The rest of the team nodded. They already knew a little that Aza had given away. They also knew about the World Guardian for his Evaluation. They didn't know Zed was still with him.

They also knew he had an opportunity to raise his base stats. He didn't go into detail about them. He also didn't say anything about his Null Class. He told them about the Inheritance. At that point he stopped and looked at Marie.

“I promised Culs you would be the keeper of their history. I haven't even looked at it. It's the complete history of the Vamhael.” Ivor pulled the book out of his storage and handed it to Marie. Her hands were trembling as she took the book and held it to her chest. Ivor knew what this meant to her. Someone who revered books and knowledge being asked to be the keeper of the history of an extinct species.

“Thank you, dad. I'll want you to hold onto it until I can secure it properly.”

“Yeah, now that I'm not banned from the System Market, I want Quanzul to make you proper armor. Also, I think he wants to upgrade mine. I have a feeling he wants to use all the dragon parts I gave him.” Ivor was half speaking to himself.

“Dragon what now?” Emily blurted out.

“Oh, right. I haven't told you about the titles yet. Hmmmmm, ok, first, you remember I was telling you about the speed runs to collect village crystals.” They all nodded. “Well, I was running dungeons every third or second day. I ran a lot of dungeons. Most of them were pretty low level for me. I wasn't staying still long enough for the System to increase the dungeon level in my area. During that run, I got a title for completing 100 dungeons.”

Jaws dropped.

Ivor continued, “I know it's insane. When we finally stopped collecting village crystals. I stayed put for a while. The local dungeon was Level 20 when I got there. A few days later it was Level 60”

Marie exclaimed, “Dad, don't tell me you ran a Level 60 dungeon by yourself?”

“I know it sounds crazy, but you'll understand once I can tell you more. It was in that dungeon where the Ice Dragon was the final boss.”

Marie pinched the bridge of her nose, “Do I want to ask what level the dragon was?”

“I'll ask,” and excited Emily leaned forward. “What level was the dragon?”

Ivor looked at his daughter who was giving him side eye, then back at Emily, “Uh, Level 80.”

The four team members erupted in four completely different ways. Emily clapped and squealed a little, Chris shouted “Hell yeah,” Dr. Jacobs just shook his head and said “Oh, my.” Marie looked at him with exasperated Dad

“Look, yeah it was dangerous, and the dragon got me really good, but the next two times it was a breeze,” Ivor explained.

That set off a whole new round of exclamation and condemnation.

When they calmed down, Ivor continued, “It was after the first run on that dungeon, that my dungeon title got updated with new features. It's for completing a dungeon 50 levels above your own.”

Ivor proceeded to explain his Dungeon Specialist title. He told them about using that title to get the folks in Seaton up to Level 18 to try and complete the dungeon they needed to clear.

“So, that's how we are going to get you to where you need to be for your Evolutions. That and the elixirs I have,” Ivor said.

“You have more of those? That would really shorten the amount of time we have to hold off the Level 20 Evolution.” Dr. Jacobs understood immediately.

“Exactly my plan. The only thing is, I don't know if there is a cool down after you take one. There isn't supposed to be one. I'm hoping Chris can be my guinea pig for this. I have more Constitution elixirs than others. Enough that I'd like to see if he can take one tomorrow.” Ivor was hoping the man was amenable.

“Of course, Ivor. Whatever you need me to do.” Chris didn't hesitate.

The group talked for a few more hours. Jessica brought Ivor the key to his room. The group was pretty exhausted.

They retired to their rooms. Ivor asked Jessica for directions to the Admin building. She provided the directions, and Ivor left the inn. I wasn't particularly late.

So, there were still plenty of people out and about. Ivor let [Blend] do its thing. In this type of urban setting, Ivor was like a ghost. If you questioned anyone on the street right after Ivor passed them, they would have no idea what you were talking about.

Ivor entered the Admin building. It was the first time he had been in one in a large town. There were multiple doors for the System Market. Ivor went up to one and stepped through. He spent some time sending messages to Esqin and Aza. He sent the armor Perez had to Quanzul. He was interested to find out who made it. The devices creating the bubble and stat reduction field, along with the rings he had gathered, he sent to Aza. He wanted to know more.

Ivor also queried Quanzul on when would be the best time to get Marie's team better armor, closer to his. Maybe Expert Level. He also wanted them to have storage, but not restricted to just weapons. He also asked about upgrading his.

With all of that done, Ivor headed back to the inn. He had some more studying to do with the Vamhael Rune Codex.

Chapter Fifteen

Ivor was already downstairs in the restaurant area of the inn having coffee when Marie and her team came down. He'd been up for a while. Although, after two straight days of full blast travel and some light fighting, he did sleep a full four hours.

While the group was having breakfast, a rather academic looking bespectacled, man walked in looking around. He spied Marie's group and headed over. With him was a young man wearing some kind of uniform.

It was the first time Ivor had seen anyone wearing glasses. He just assumed the System took care of minor things like that. Hell, it had healed his heart.

The man spoke to Marie, “Ah, Marie, good to see you again.”

“Albert, nice to see you. To what do we owe the pleasure?” Marie asked.

“I was told there was an individual with you that would be sharing a map with me.” He looked around at the others.

Ivor raised his hand, “That would be me.” Ivor sent the map to the man. The man got that unfocused look people got when they were accessing their overlay.

“Oh my. Oh, my goodness. That is a lot of area… oh, and the detail is amazing.” The man focused on Ivor. “If I might know, what level is your Navigation skill? I assume Navigation because you are a Hunter, yes?”

“I don't mind,” Ivor replied. “It's Advanced level.”

The man nodded, “Excellent. Yes, that makes sense. There are very few people that have that level at this point. I was a cartographer before the System. So, I'm now Advanced as well. Fantastic, thank you.” The man started walking away.

The young man with him presented Ivor a sealed note, “From the council.” Instead of leaving, he stayed standing. Clearly waiting for a reply.

Ivor opened the note and read it. He sighed. “Yeah, I'll be there.”

The young man nodded and took off.

Ivor was thinking to himself when Marie cleared her throat.

“Oh, sorry. I've been traveling alone for so long. My apologies,” Ivor explained. “The council is requesting a meeting.”

“Do you think it's still about the armor?” Marie asked.

“I'm afraid it is. I want to get you four far enough away to avoid any unpleasantness. I hope they don't try what I think they are going to try, but I'd rather you be safe than me be vengeful.” Ivor was really hoping it would go ok.

The four agreed and they headed out of the inn. Marie had already settled the bill. Ivor took them around to a warehouse area.

He walked around a while until he found what he was looking for. There was a warehouse close to the wall that didn't have much going on. There was a single small wagon being unloaded.

Ivor walked over to the two men, “Good morning.”

The two men had just finished emptying the cart. One of them returned the greeting, “Good morning to you.”

“I was wondering if I could rent your cart for a few minutes?” Ivor asked.

“What do you want to do with it?” The other man asked.

“Just take a short trip to the other side of the wall with these folks.” Ivor pointed back at the group.

“One of us will have to stay with the cart,” the first man said.

“Fine by me. How much?” Ivor asked.

“Let's say 20 copper,” he cocked an eyebrow at Ivor.

“I'll give you a silver for your troubles,” Ivor countered.

The man smiled as the other man stood next to the cart. This was a person propelled cart like the one he used in Seaton. Ivor told the team to get in, then looked at the man.

“You'll be needing to get in too,” Ivor motioned to the cart.

“Oh, I get it. Looking to get some exercise, gotcha,” the man crawled up into the cart as well.

Ivor grabbed the cart and pulled it over his head. The man in the cart yelled. The man still on the ground gasped.

Ivor jumped. He easily cleared the five meter wall. He set the cart down. As Marie and her team crawled out of the cart, the other man was damn near hyperventilating.

“Catch your breath and stay here, I'll be back,” Ivor grabbed Marie and Chris. He sped off into the distance. After a couple of kilometers, he stopped at a small clearing in the middle of some trees. He marked it on his map. He went back and repeated the process with Emily and Lance. He told them he'd be back no matter what happened.

When he got back to the cart, the man held up his hand, “Would it be ok if we just walked it back?”

Ivor chuckled, “Sure, let's walk it back.” Ivor had the time. The man told him a bit about the town. The council didn't seem bad.

They looked out for the town. They clamp down on crime. Overall, the man was happy. When Ivor asked him if he was going to tell anyone about what he saw Ivor do, the man had a great response.

“Despite all this magic, who the hell would believe me? I'd probably get cut off at the tavern.”

They both laughed. It took a bit longer to get back to the warehouse, but Ivor had a bit of time to kill. When they got back the other man was just shaking his head. Ivor thanked them and gave them each 10 silvers.

Ivor walked around the town for a while checking out stores. Nothing really caught his eye. He finally ended up at the council building a few hours later.

This council didn't use the admin building, it was more like a court house you'd find in pre-System Earth. He was on time, but they had him wait anyway. Ivor was starting to get annoyed. He wasn't sure it was a power play thing, but he feared it was.

There were seven councilors sitting in a row like the Supreme Court in the former United States of America. They were elevated. There wasn't a chair or table for him to sit at. However, with his Perception, he could see the scuff marks where they would be. Again, he feared this was a power play of some sort.

The councilor he had talked to was the first to speak, Councilor Jones. “The council has voted to bring you here to discuss the armor and other magic items in Mr. Perez's possession at the time of his death. I explained your reasoning to the rest of the councilors. This was the result.” The man didn't seem thrilled to be doing this. After all, he had seen Ivor at work.

“Well, I appreciate that the council votes on things, but those items are gone. So, there isn't really anything to talk about,” Ivor said.

One of the councilors stood up and pointed at Ivor, “You had no right to unilaterally make that decision.”

“Oh, I'm sorry. I forgot that you were there killing Perez in my place. Oh my, how could I forget such a thing?” Ivor taunted the man.

“The council decides the laws in this town. I vote to jail this man until he returns what belongs to us.”

Ivor shook his head. “Look, folks. Those items were given to Perez by the World Guardian. The same World Guardian that was just quarantined for interfering with things. Now you want to have those items? Those are way too powerful for anyone here.

Those items shouldn't even be on this planet. There are restrictions on what a planet like ours can trade for.”

The same man completely ignored Ivor, “Well anyone second my motion?”

A woman seconded it. Ivor looked at Councilor Jones, “Really man? You were out there. Do you think this ends well?”

“I tried to tell them. Some don't believe it,” the man said with a sigh.

The council voted. It was 4 to 3 to detain Ivor. The man yelled for the guards. Ten guards rushed in and surrounded Ivor.

“Look guys. I'm only going to knock you out. I know you're just doing your job,” Ivor said, looking at each of the guards in turn.

“Don't think I forgot about that adventuring team you were with. They'll be detained shortly. I sent guards ahead to that inn,” the man gloated.

Ivor slowly turned his head towards the man. The cold stare from Ivor made the man take a step back.

Ivor's voice was perfectly calm, “You would detain innocent people for your greed?”

The man barked a laugh, “Innocent. They were aiding and abetting a known criminal.”

Ivor looked at the three others that voted for the detainment, “And you three? Did you know about the plan to detain an innocent adventuring party?”

Two of them nodded no and looked decidedly uncomfortable. The woman that seconded the motion just smiled at Ivor.

Ivor just shook his head once again. “You two are about to learn one overarching lesson about the System.”

The man smirked, “And what might that be?”

“Your kind of power doesn't mean shit to someone with my kind of power,” Ivor said, then he moved. Before the councilors could blink, Ivor had incapacitated the guards. Ivor flashed up to the two councilors and pulled them back to the center of the room in a blink. He pushed them down to the ground.

“Tell me where your homes and businesses are, or I'll start breaking bones.”

“You can't do this to me, I run this town,” the man screeched. Ivor snapped his arm.

“Wrong answer,” Ivor looked at the woman.

“I'll tell you anything. I'll show you myself,” she begged.

Ivor knocked out the man. “If this man is moved from this spot, I'll systematically destroy this town and I'll take your crystal. I'll be back shortly.”

Ivor picked up the woman and sped off. The other councilors were too afraid to even move. More guards came in and the councilors ordered them to stay away from the unconscious councilor.

They heard several loud booms over the next minute. Suddenly, Ivor was back. The woman was weeping. He dropped her on her ass.

“Who knows where dipshit here has his house and businesses,” Ivor snarled.

“I do,” Councilor Jones said. Ivor grabbed him and sped off. Over the next minute they heard more loud booms in the town. Ivor came back with the councilor.

Ivor turned to the guards, “Get everyone out of this building. You have five minutes.”

The guards shot off in all directions. Some of the councilors went to help. One of the guards picked up the unconscious councilor and helped the woman towards the door.

“I want all the councilors in front of this building once everyone is out,” Ivor told the guard. He nodded, his expression grim.

Before the five minutes was up, everyone was out of the council building. The councilors were lined up in front of the council building. Ivor leaped to the top of the building. Amplifying his voice with Will, Ivor addressed the town:

People of Egara. I'm the Hunter. Yesterday, I stopped Joshua Perez and his band of thugs. I cleaned out the assassins from his town, making yours safer. My reward was for your town council to vote to detain me because I took the powerful items Joshua was using to hurt innocent people. They also schemed to detain an innocent group of adventurers that I saved from Perez. Some of you saw me at work yesterday.

Most of you didn't. Here is my statement to your councilors' greed.

Ivor leaped into the air, rising a hundred meters. He plummeted down, infusing his gloves with mana. He hit the roof and cratered the building.

He used [Null Step] to quickly move smashing in the walls. Within seconds, the council building was rubble. He raised his voice once again.

Do better

Ivor turned and walked away. He took his time walking through the streets. He wanted to make sure everyone got a good look.

They would have a harder time denying what they saw with their own eyes. Maybe it would help them select better councilors. Ivor had no plans on coming back.

The more he thought about it, the quicker he wanted to get back to the Freehold and get off world.

Ivor exited the gates and sped to the location where he left Marie and her team.

When he arrived, Marie asked him how things went. They had heard some noise coming from that direction.

“Unfortunately, it went exactly like I planned for.” Ivor continued, “They sent guards after you at the inn. They had already planned on capturing you. Then they tried to detain me. They wanted Perez's stuff.”

Emily snorted a laugh, “They tried to detain you?”

“Yeah, Councilor Jones had tried to warn them. Apparently only three took it seriously. Only two of the councilors were in on the plot to capture you though,” Ivor responded.

“Are they still alive?” Dr. Jacobs asked.

“Yeah doc. Contrary to my recent behavior, I don't prefer to kill people. I did, however, destroy their homes and places of business. Oh, and I leveled the Council building after telling the whole town to do better,” Ivor replied.

Before they set off, an announcement appeared to everyone.

This is a world-wide announcement. Analysis of your World Guardian has shown bias towards self destruction. This seems to be a common theme throughout your species' history.

A suitable replacement World Guardian has been found. However, each of you is being offered a vote. Do you want a new World Guardian or not? A simple majority will decide. You have two days to cast your vote.

The group paused as they read the message. They all turned to look at Ivor.

“Don't look at me. I'm not staying here. It's too hard for me to advance, and frankly, I want to see other planets, cultures and species. I've spent a lot of my life not being truly free.

That's over now. So, each of you needs to decide how you want to vote. Plus, I didn't get the option to vote,” Ivor said.

Chris picked up on what Ivor was implying, “You have a way off the world, right? The Freehold.”

Ivor nodded, “You don't have to follow me, and in some cases, you probably can't. I want to meet Esqin, Aza and Quanzul. I owe them a lot, and I have promises to keep.”

“Well, you have the quest to get me to the Freehold. So, we don't have to decide any long term goals right now. Personally, I think humanity could use all the help it can get. I'm voting for the new World Guardian,” Marie declared.

The rest of her team seemed to agree.

“Ok, the Freehold is nearly 10,000 kilometers away. It's going to take us around two months or more to get back to the Freehold. I'm making some assumptions, but we will be stopping at villages to rest and running high level dungeons to get you experience. Our goal is to get your stats to 20 and then do your Evolution. Speaking of stats,” Ivor handed Chris a Constitution elixir. “See if that raises your Constitution another two points.”

Chris immediately downed the potion then smiled. “Yep, looks like a day cooldown is good enough.”

“Zed, any reason to think the cooldown will increase as they take more of these?” Ivor asked.

“I do not think so. It should be pretty straight forward. Those are very rare as rewards. I am not sure you will even see them offered in higher level dungeons you run outside of the Evaluation. I think you will need to run much higher dungeons than you can currently or the elixirs as rewards will be much more rare,” Zed responded.

Ivor was getting quite a big extra bonus to rewards in the Evaluation. That bonus stacked with his other bonuses. He had to remember, his [Solo Contributor] skill wasn't triggering when he was in a group. That reduced his rewards and his overall damage.

Ivor handed out an elixir to each of the other team members based on their needs. These would go a long way to shortening the amount of time they need to wait after Level 20 to take the Evolution.

Next, they headed out at their best top speed. It was painfully slow for Ivor, but the team was pushing as hard as they could. They were heading east back along the path Ivor had already taken.

There were dungeons and villages Ivor had just bypassed, hundreds of them along the way. They weren't stopping at all of them, but Ivor wanted to be able to eat up the kilometers and stop occasionally to run dungeons for a full day. They would stay in villages when they could.

Ivor was desperately trying to stay out of the political nonsense he had been embroiled in lately. If he or any member of the team felt they were going to get pulled into something, they immediately left.

It was two days after they departed Egara when the notification came. Ivor just shook his head.

This is a world-wide announcement. The majority have voted to not have a new World Guardian. There were nearly as many abstentions as votes. A new World Guardian will not be installed.

As a species you have foregone the knowledge and help a World Guardian could provide. This will impact your species development as it will take you longer to develop compared to other newly integrated species.

System buildings are now unlocked at double the cost. System Market item options have been drastically reduced. You are restricted to only low level trading contracts.

No items beyond Advanced are allowed to be sold to your planet at this time. All protective fields around Admin buildings have been deactivated.

You have chosen to go it alone. Good luck. Your situation will be re-evaluated some time after children are reintegrated into your society.

The party stopped in their tracks. Ivor sighed.

“That's exactly what I was afraid of,” Ivor said. Disgust was clear in his tone.

“What does that mean for us?” Marie asked.

“Depends on if you stay on Earth,” Ivor replied. “The thing about the World Guardian is that it can request things from the Sector Administrator and the System. Things like increasing the dungeon levels in specific locations, upgrading the monster levels, etc… These are things you would want to do to keep growing and leveling. Without the World Guardian, it's unlikely the System will pay attention. Progression will be painfully slow.

I'm told that a lot of societies average out at about Level 50. It just seems to be a natural stopping point for most species. There will be outliers that are way under and way over that. My guess is humanity will barely reach Level 40. The outliers will be at Level 50 and 60, instead of 80 and 100.”

“Seems stupid to stay if we are putting all this effort in for our Class Evolution only to be slowed down afterwards,” Emily said.

“It's up to each of you to decide, but I'm pretty sure, the changes here don't affect the Freehold,” Ivor said.

“I can confirm that the protective shield is still up around the crystal in the Freehold, Ivor,” Zed told him.

Ivor continued, “It does mean that we should probably make a beeline for the Freehold. You won't be able to get any new armor or weapons beyond Advanced. It's up to you folks.”

They all agreed at the very least that getting closer was the goal while running dungeons to increase their experience. They had originally needed to get to Level 28 before all of their stats were 20. With Ivor's elixirs, they only needed to get to Level 24. However, it was a decent step up in the amount of experience needed for each level after 20. That shouldn't be an issue. He was going to run them through some tough dungeons.

Ivor wanted to do something for them before their level got too high. He wanted to see if the group would get a dungeon title if they completed a dungeon 25 levels higher than themselves. With Ivor at Level 12 and Marie's group at Level 18. Ivor needed to take them into a dungeon at least level 43. It should be doable for him. Level 43 was at least 8 levels higher than he had the two Groups at Seaton run. He was pretty sure they could do it. Their stats were pretty high for their level.

The first dungeon that came up was not ideal. It was a maze, and Ivor didn't want to take the chance of the party getting separated. They decided not to do that one. That locked them out of dungeons for 7 days. Ivor pushed the travel hard.

Their second attempt was much better. It was a 'defeat the waves of monsters' type battle. It couldn't have been much better for them.

The team could stay behind Ivor. He could mow down the monsters and leave several for the team to finish off. They ended up with a shit-ton of loot and experience. When they left the dungeon, the team got the notification.

Ivor got one that said he already had a better title. So, Marie had to read the title to him.

Dungeon Adept

You have completed a dungeon 25 levels above your own

You can raise the level or lower the level of a dungeon ten levels above or below your current level or the lowest level of your party

Note: Dungeon reverts to previous level after use or failure to attempt dungeon

Note: Failure to attempt the changed dungeon will result in all party members being locked out of dungeons for 7 days.

Note: Repeated failures to attempt changed dungeons will result in loss of title

That was pretty sweet. It gave her team flexibility, and they didn't have to rely on Ivor so much in the future. He didn't mind.

He was enjoying their company. It was clear they had been through a lot together. Ivor had always been more of a loner. So, he just enjoyed watching and listening to the group interact. He was happy for Marie.

Ivor had to spend a decent amount of money in the System Market on health potions. He still had some high level ones, but he was holding on to those. He didn't have time to farm dungeons himself. His focus was one getting the team to 20 in all stats before they took their first Class Evolution.

Ivor was gaining levels as well. It was around a month of travel when another notification appeared. He shouldn't have been surprised, but he was. He just wasn't fixated on himself. Even Zed was surprised when it popped up.

“Oh my. Ivor you will want to look at that latest notification,” Zed said.

Ivor had Zed pay closer attention as they were moving between villages. He pulled up the notification.

Title changed….

Dungeon Specialist - Dungeon Expert…

Dungeon Expert

You have completed 200 dungeons

You have completed a dungeon 50 levels above your own

Dungeon cooldowns are reduced to zero for you or your party

Even more information is available to you in the dungeon description

Experience earned by you or your party increased by 75%

The rarity of rewards available for dungeon completion increases

You can raise the level of a dungeon up to the highest recommended level of a dungeons you have completed

You can lower the level of a dungeon down to the lowest level of member in your party

Note: Dungeon reverts to previous level after use or failure to attempt dungeon

Note: Failure to attempt the changed dungeon will result in all party members being locked out of dungeons for 7 days.

Note: Repeated failures to attempt changed dungeons will result in loss of title

Well, that wasn't bad at all. No cooldowns were awesome. He didn't have to jump between levels to cheese the cooldown anymore. Each dungeon did still reset to the original after he was done, but that was fine. “Even more information…” whatever the hell that meant.

Ivor just shrugged. 75% experience and rewards versus 50% was a nice bump. That was great for Marie and the team. They would also be getting increased rarity of rewards instead of just new types of rewards. All in all, Ivor was pretty damn happy about that title.

Chapter Sixteen

After another two weeks, they veered away from the path Ivor took. They headed slightly north. The group was getting closer to the sea and Ivor had on his map that there was a town like Seaton, just on the opposite side of the sea. It was unimaginatively called Seatown. Yeah, Ivor was sure there was going to be a rivalry there, if one didn't exist already.

The reason Ivor wanted to get to the town was to catch a boat. Marie's team wasn't going to be able to swim the 60 or so kilometers Ivor did when he crossed. Well, they couldn't do it easily. Ivor was willing to take a boat to at least get to the other side of the sea, then take the overland route from there. They could move faster than the boat.

Ivor thought they were close enough now they could take a break from running dungeons. He didn't want to stick around Seatown for very long though. They got rooms at an inn. Ivor and Chris headed down to the docks.

Marie and Emily went looking at the shops. Dr. Jacobs went to find this clinic the innkeeper had told him about.

The docks in Seatown looked nearly identical to those in Seaton. Ivor wondered if they were a System building. That would make the most sense. Chris and Ivor were walking down the docks when a man yelped and started running away. Up the gangplank of a nearby boat and into the cabins he went. Chris looked oddly at Ivor. Ivor just chuckled and headed towards the boat.

Sure enough, it was Captain Reyes' boat. The first mate was staring at the door the Captain had just bolted through.

“Permission to come aboard?” Ivor asked.

The first mate looked over at Ivor, “Well, at least you asked this time. Permission granted. What can I do for you Hunter?”

“Well, I'm a bit concerned about your Captain. He seemed startled to see me, and then he yelped and ran off,” Ivor said.

“Aye, I noticed that myself.” The man scratched the back of his neck. “See the good Guard Captain happened to hear the discussion you had with the Captain before you so quickly departed last time. Said Guard Captain may have mentioned that he hoped your daughter was ok or maybe you'd come back here and some bad things might happen. The Captain has been a bit on edge, as you could imagine.” The man blinked at Ivor,“How is the lass?”

Ivor couldn't help but smile at the unflappable first mate.

“She's fine, but it was a close thing,” Ivor said.

The first mate went over to the door and yanked it open, “Captain, get your arse out here. The man ain't gonna do nothing to ya.”

It was a moment before the Captain came out. He did look rather frazzled.

“Ah, the Hunter returns. How is your lovely daughter? I assume she's lovely. Must be. Of course. I hope things are well.” The man was babbling.

“Captain, calm down. My daughter is fine. I need a boat to take us to the other side of the sea. It doesn't have to be all the way to Seaton, just another town or village, or hell, just get me close enough and I'll jump. It needs to be soon though. I don't want to wait long,” Ivor said.

The Captain visibly sighed, “Ah, well, I'm stuck here waiting on cargo for a few days. I do know another Captain that is leaving tomorrow. He can probably take passengers.”

“Fantastic. Where can I find him?” Ivor said.

“His boat is down the docks a ways. You can't miss him. Yellow hair. Has a strange fixation with silver buckles. Captain Bob Shafto.” Captain Reyes pointed down the docks.

The two men made their way down the docks and found a man fitting the description arguing with another man.

“Damn dock fees will kill the trade, man,” Captain Shafto yelled.

“I'm sorry Captain. I'm just doing my job,” the exasperated man explained.

Before the Captain could get up another head of steam, Ivor called out, “Captain, a word?”

The Captain looked over at Ivor and Chris. This gave the bureaucrat a chance to scurry off.

“Captain Reyes said you may be willing to take passengers and that you're leaving for the other side of the sea tomorrow. Is that so?” Ivor asked.

“Aye, to both. The accommodations are a bit sparse. How many in your party?” The Captain asked.

“Five. Three men, two women. The men can sleep on the deck or in the hold. I'd like to reserve a cabin, even a small one for the women.

I just need to get to a village or town on the other side. Or if you can get me close. I can get us ashore,” Ivor said.

“In a hurry? Well, we do have one stop to make on this side of the sea, but it's just a quick unload of goods. If that's amenable, I can take you,” the Captain said.

“Sounds like a deal, how much?” Ivor asked.

The Captain quoted him a price Ivor knew was high. Ivor didn't argue. He wanted the man in good spirits.

Perhaps it would help get them to the other side faster. Ivor paid the man half, then he and Chris headed back to the inn.

Dr. Jacobs was already back enjoying a meal. The two joined him and ordered a meal of their own. The Dr. had helped out a clinic. It was something he hadn't had enough time to do since the System takeover. It seemed to be a good thing for his soul. Despite being a former Marine, the man lived for healing people.

Marie and Emily came in a few minutes later, laughing so hard they had tears coming out of their eyes. There was a story there. It took them a good few minutes to stop laughing.

The ordered food and drink. Then told their story.

The two women were out looking in the various shops. It was a pretty decent sized town. Not as big as Egara, but it had some shops.

At some point, a young man had taken a liking to Emily. He tried hitting on her but she brushed him off. At some point, he got bold and grabbed her ass. Emily had him on the ground squealing like a pig in a second. The local shop keepers that had come out to see all the ruckus hid their laughter.

Emily let the man back up where he proceeded to dare her to try again now that he was ready. She had him on the ground even faster.

At that point, they figured they'd had their fun. So, they headed back. The group was chatting and eating when there was a disturbance at the front of the inn.

The innkeeper was yelling at someone outside the door. Not letting them in. Emily got up and went over to see what was going on.

“Well, I might have caused us some trouble. It's the kid I put in the dirt and some other men.” Chris, Marie, and Dr. Jacobs all got up to move to the door. That team stuck together..

Ivor called over the waiter to make sure their bill was paid. Just in case they needed to get out of town.

When Ivor finally made it to the front of the inn, he only caught the words 'dumb whore' directed at his daughter by an older man. Chris was about to step forward when Ivor used [Null Step] and appeared directly in front of the man. The man took an involuntary step back.

“You should be careful with your words mister,” Ivor growled.

“Why should I?” The man scoffed.

“Because if they are directed at either of these two women, or really any women, in my presence, I'm going to reach into your mouth and pull your tongue out of your head.” Ivor smiled at the man.

Before the man could react, one of his guards tapped him on the shoulder, “Boss, we need to go. Now.”

The older man looked at his guard with a perplexed look, “Why?”

The guard pointed at Ivor, “I know who that is. I saw him in Seaton. That's the Hunter.”

“What do I care if some hunter is running his mouth?” The older man spat.

“No, boss. Not “a” hunter, “The Hunter,” The guard emphasized.

“That's ridiculous, The Hunter wears a hood and mask with his armor,” the man exclaimed.

Ivor pulled his mask and hood onto his face, “You mean this mask and hood?”

The older man looked at Ivor and blinked. He looked at his guard who was visibly sweating. The man gulped, “Ah, my apologies, sir.

My humble apologies to the ladies. Huge mistake, big mistake. We'll be going now.” Grabbing his son by the arm, the man rushed off.

The guard mouthed “thank you” to Ivor and rushed off after his boss.

Ivor shrugged and pulled his mask and hood back. Turning around, there were stunned looks on all the bystanders' faces.

Marie laughed, “I guess you're famous. Literally the worst thing that could happen to you.”

Ivor shrugged and the group went back inside. The rest of the team gave Ivor and Marie some privacy. They hadn't had any time to really talk on the road.

It had been pretty hectic. Ivor apologized again for not telling her the truth. She waved it off. She was a big girl.

She understood he was trying to keep her away from all the unpleasantness of his work.

Now that Ivor didn't have any deep dark prison waiting for him if he talked about his work, he started from the beginning. He started all the way back in Buds and his other than honorable discharge. He went on from there.

It was broad strokes. Some of the details were pretty gruesome. He did get into a little detail about Kosovo. You had to know a little to understand why he went so far. He explained how he almost lost himself.

Chris had mentioned Garvey a number of times. Chris looked up to the man. Chris described him as a good man and a mentor. Ivor agreed with it. Garvey went to bat for him at two really big moments in his life.

They talked about Chris a little more. Ivor didn't pry, but said having someone you care for on your combat team can be a blessing and a curse. You needed to be clear with each other. Other than that, he just reiterated that she was her own woman and her relationships were up to her. Unless, of course, someone was hurting her. Then Ivor said he wouldn't hold back.

They talked a little about Marie's mother. Ivor did love the woman, but his job and the need for secrecy was just really hard on a relationship. They talked late into the night. Marie eventually went to bed. Ivor stayed up chatting with Zed.

“Why did the System say it would re-evaluate humans sometime after the kids arrive?” Ivor asked.

“One thing that is universal is that the System can figure out a lot based on how a species treats its young,” Zed explained.

“I don't think we've talked much about how the whole thing works with returning the kids. It doesn't really affect me,” Ivor stated.

“The System basically holds everyone under 18 in a form of stasis. It is 18 for your species, but it does vary for other species. It will only send back children that have family willing to take care of them. Yes, that means, when prompted, a mother or father or both can choose to not bring their child back into this new reality. It also does this so that it does not create a huge orphan problem.

“…and what happens to the kids? They get absorbed or whatever?” Ivor asked.

“Utilized for energy mostly. Like all the people over 60 when the System arrived.”

Ivor just nodded to himself. He understood, but it just seemed wrong on some level to him. I guess if you are a massive, emotionless, entity with a singular purpose, all other things are trivial. Ivor went up to his room to rest for a few hours.

The next morning, the group ate breakfast and made their way down to the docks. Captain Shafto's crew was just finishing up loading the boat with goods. The Captain showed the women where their cabin was.

To the men, he pointed out spots on the deck and in the hold where they could sleep. They departed rather quickly.

These boats stayed within sight of the shore which was still a couple of kilometers out. The Captain was explaining to Ivor that beyond the site of land, approximately four or five kilometers, the bottom of the sea dropped significantly.

“It reminds me of some areas of the pre-System oceans where you would have a gradually sloping shelf and then a precipitous drop off,” the Captain explained.

“So, you were a sailor before the System?” Ivor asked.

“Merchant Marine for the early part of my career. Then I worked on various merchant vessels all over the world. I'm hoping my experience here can help when someone eventually tells me where there is an ocean.”

Ivor nodded, “I spent most of my career traveling as well. It can be a lonely yet rewarding thing.”

“And exactly what career was that Mr. Hunter?” The Captain asked.

“Nothing important anymore,” Ivor responded.

“Well, I've heard the tales. From reputable sources, mind you. I'm just curious, as we may encounter some trouble on this voyage. I'd like to know how you feel about helping out,” the man said.

“What type of trouble?”

“Some enterprising villages have taken to piracy on this sea.” The Captain explained further, “I don't know if it's hard times, someone strong forcing others, or just natural greed. Either way, it's been happening a bit more recently.”

“If it's pirates, I can help. Just let me know what you need.”

The Captain nodded his thanks, “I appreciate it. We should know tomorrow. There's a promontory we'll come to tomorrow. It creates a natural spot for ambush. If it's going to happen, it's likely to be there.”

The Captain spent some time explaining the overall situation on the sea. He also told Ivor about their stop. It was a small town that traded goods with the other towns that were bigger.

There was a mine near the town that was a good source of income. However, most people still didn't want to be miners. So, the town didn't grow much. The Captain saw Chris heading over and excused himself.

“Ivor, can we chat privately?” Chris asked.

Ivor nodded and activated one of his silence disks.

Chris swallowed then dove right in, “Marie told me the two of you talked about our burgeoning relationship. I just wanted you to know that I understand both the pros and cons of that in this highly combative world we live in. I just wanted to assure you I have nothing but good intentions.”

Ivor chuckled, “Chris, you're both adults. Marie can make her own decisions. You seem like a good guy.

I know for a fact Garvey wouldn't have you as his number two if you weren't. To alleviate some of your concern, I'm not going to do anything if you two fight or break up. That's your business. The only time I would step in is if you were mentally or physically abusing her. I don't see you as the type.”

Chris nodded, “I completely understand.”

“Did Garvey tell you the whole Kosovo story? The details of what I did?” Ivor asked.

Chris nodded again, “He left out a lot of detail, but I've never seen that man scared of anything. Retelling that story, I could tell he was reliving something that scared him.”

“It was my darkest moment. I almost lost myself there,” Ivor said. “There was a reason the C.I.A kept me on a tight leash. That was pre-System. Now…well, no more leash.

It's a dangerous existence we live in now. Accidents happen. However, if someone were to take my daughter from me on purpose or be the cause of her demise. I would burn their world to a cinder with everyone on it.”

Chris gulped as he looked into Ivor's eyes where he saw nothing but certain death. There was a palpable thickness to the air around him at Ivor's statement. A certainty or truth that took on a physical and mental weight.

“I'll do everything in my power to protect her. Rest assured, if something happens to her, I'm going to be suffering the same fate,” Chris finally managed to speak.

“Good man,” Ivor reached out with a smile and patted the big man's shoulder.

As Chris walked away, Ivor took some time to look over his stats.

Ivor Kemble (Human)

Credits: 7,292,356

Level: 16

Class: [Null]

Profession: Hunter

Strength: 122 (183)

Agility: 116 (174)

Endurance: 116 (174)

Constitution: 122 (183)

Intelligence: 175

Wisdom: 175

Willpower: 122 (244)

Perception: 151

Health: 1821

Mana: 1723

Stamina: 1950

Free Stat Points: 0

Looking at his stats, Ivor had a thought.

“Hey, Zed, I received a title for having all stats at 100 before picking a Class/Profession. Marie and her group will get one for having all stats at or above 20 before taking their first Class Evolution. Is it possible that I could get another title for having my effective stats at or over 200 before I take my first Class/Profession Evolution?” Ivor asked.

“It is not something I am aware of. That is not to say one does not exist or that the System will not reward you for the achievement. There had to be trailblazers at some point for the System to create these titles. It is not like it would hurt you to put off your Evolution. Your stats and skills are so high as it is,” Zed replied.

“Yeah, I was thinking the same thing. Maybe I'll start pushing my Perception higher each level. It's the only one that's lagging a bit behind the others.”

“By the way, you might have missed the notification, but the Freehold Admin building is done, and the Tier 1 Shield should be done in the next day or so. I expect the Tier 1 Travel Circle will be completed in a week or two.”

“Great. Everything should be done by the time we arrive.”

The next morning the Captain was pointing out the promontory that they would be passing.

“We'll give it a wide berth, but I expect, if we are attacked, they will have a lookout up on those cliffs. They'll signal the pirates who will build up a good pace. We will struggle to outrun them as loaded down as we are.”

“Do you want me to just sink the boat or kill everyone as well?” Ivor said in a matter-of-fact tone.

The Captain looked at him for a long moment, “Sinking the boat is fine. Should send a message for a while at least. We've been trying to avoid an arms race, but I suppose we are beyond that at this point.”

As they rounded the spur of land, the lookout on the boat called out. There was another boat rapidly approaching them off their starboard side. Ivor walked over to get a look. Nothing looked out of the ordinary. They weren't flying the Jolly Roger or anything like that.

“You're sure this is a pirate thing and not just another boat coming up fast to get help or anything?” Ivor asked the Captain.

The Captain gave Ivor an annoyed look, “We have flags to show our intent in those situations. No flag is suspicious in the extreme. When they get closer, you'll see men preparing to board us. Don't let them get too close.”

Ivor just nodded. He wasn't an expert. After a few minutes the other boat was close enough for Ivor to pick out the grappling hooks being prepared to throw out and hook their boat. It was enough for Ivor. He pulled out a spike trap and gauged the distance.

Between his high Intelligence, Perception and Agility, his mind made all the calculations. He lobbed the spike trap high in the air. So high, it was lost to view.

“You sure that's going to hit it?” The Captain asked.

“Just keep watching,” Ivor replied.

The other boat was still well out of grappling hook range when the spike trap fell from the sky and impacted the deck of the other boat. It buried itself deep into the wood. When nothing happened, the pirates all laughed uproariously.

The Captain looked over at a smiling Ivor. Something was definitely up.

An explosion rocked the other boat. As it rocked from side to side, magma poured out of the trap onto the wood deck. Everything was on fire. The boat was clearly taking on water below decks as it began sliding deep into the water even as it moved forward.

Finally unable to keep its momentum with so much water inside, the ship foundered. What was left of the crew abandoned ship. A single row boat survived.

Many men were going to have to make the long swim back to shore. In minutes, the other boat sank beneath the sea.

“Any other pirates to worry about?” Ivor asked.

The Captain shook his head no. “We'll be stopping tomorrow. Then it's another day before we can cross over to the other side. I don't have another stop to make on that side.”

“No worries. You know the route better than I do. Just give me a heads up when you think you can get your closest to shore. We should be able to swim it without issue,” Ivor said.

Chapter Seventeen

The next few days on Captain Shafto's boat were uneventful. The Captain got as close as he could to the shore. Marie and her team had no trouble swimming such a short distance.

They were going to head for the road to try to make better time. At the pace Marie's team could maintain at this point, it should only take them another day to make it to Seaton.

Ivor had considered stopping at the dungeon he had run with the two groups from Seaton roughly two months ago. He decided against it. There were dungeons he had bypassed on the way to Seaton, and it was going to take a couple of weeks to get to Hunter's Rest. The team was a bit wary of travel. So, they would probably spend at least a couple days in Seaton.

The wall looked the same as Ivor remembered. However, there were new buildings growing up along the South Gate. The buildings were spreading around the wall to the north. The tall grass along the plain had been cut back even further to allow for the new buildings.

As they approached the large gates, Ivor remembered the first time he came to the town. He hoped there wouldn't be an issue this time. Marie's team marveled at the thickness and height of the walls. Ivor had of course told them the story of the giant bear/man monsters and the dungeon that had to be finished to slow or stop their spawning.

As they came to the end of the tunnel through the wall Ivor spotted a very tall man in a guards uniform waiting with a group of guards.

Ivor stopped in front of the absurdly tall man,”Guard Captain,” Ivor said.

“Hunter,” the Guard Captain, used Ivor's moniker. “Is one of these women your daughter?” The Guard Captain asked. Ivor pointed toward Marie.

All of the guards immediately stood at attention and bowed. The Guard Captain approached, “Ms. Kemble, the whole town has been hoping for your safety and safe return. Mostly out of respect and gratitude for your father's efforts in helping us save our town, and no small amount of fear of retribution if we were what caused his delay in reaching you. I can say with utmost certainty the town of Seaton expresses both celebration and relief at your arrival.”

Shocked and blushing, Marie stammered, “Uh, well….thank you. I guess.”

Turning to Ivor the Guard Captain spoke again, “The councilors will want to see you, of course. I have asked them to postpone that until tomorrow, if that is alright with you? I'm sure your journey has been exhausting. In addition, there will be several people wanting to see you, Hunter.”

“Of course. Thank you Captain,” Ivor said.

Ivor took the team to Liz's inn. Everyone chuckled at the name.

“Ivor, I'm glad you are safe. I heard dreadful rumors about your quick departure. For some reason, Captain Reyes was tearing his hair out after you left. He seemed very distraught.” Liz was still intimately tied to the town gossip it seemed.

“Yes, I'm fine. Captain Reyes may have been a little concerned about holding me up. Things worked out though,” Ivor replied. Then he introduced Marie and the team. Liz had rooms for them. Before Ivor could go to his room she stopped him.

“Oh, Ivor. I'd like you to meet my business partner when he gets here later. After you basically destroyed old Nylund's business, I ended up buying Nylund's inn, tavern and restaurant. It wouldn't have been possible without my business partner,” the woman said.

“Sure, Liz. I'll be back down in a bit.” Ivor said. He stopped off to make sure everyone was comfortable. They had suites. The girls shared a suite, as did the two men.

Ivor had his own. The girls wanted to take baths. It had been a long time.

The men wanted to relax with a drink. Ivor gave them direction to Jimmy's tavern just down the street. They passed it on the way here.

Ivor got settled and out of his armor. During their time on the road, the team had convinced him to pick up some regular clothes when in towns. He headed back down to the small lounge area. He was reading the Vamhael Rune Codex when a familiar voice rang out.

“Mr. Ivor, I'm so glad to see you.” Jamal was smiling ear to ear. It took a moment to realize what was different about Jamal. When Ivor was here last time, Jamal always wore rough, workman's clothes. His job as a Laborer was tough on clothes. This Jamal standing in front of him was wearing good quality business casual, if Ivor had to put a name to it.

“Good to see you Jamal. You are looking sharp,” Ivor said as Jamal smiled even wider at the compliment.

Liz came out from the back. “Ah good,” she said. “Ivor, I would like you to meet my business partner.”

“Jamal, my man, good for you,” Ivor said and clapped the man on the shoulder, nearly knocking him down. “How did this come about?”

“Mr. Ivor, I made so much coin from your fight with Resnov, I didn't know what to do with it. I went to Mr. Richards to get his advice. He's such a nice man, and you like him. So, I figured it would be safe to tell him.

He told me he had an idea. The next thing I know, Liz and I are buying Mr. Nylund's inn, tavern and restaurant. It's been so much work, but so much fun.”

Liz was shaking her head, “It wasn't just the funds. I don't know anything about running taverns or restaurants, but Jamal is a natural. He had picked up so much from working at Jimmy's. Also, I don't know if you know, but when he goes around to the bakeries and shops, he asks them questions. Everyone likes to talk about their business.

Literally everyone in town has been teaching Jamal how to run businesses. Since he reached Level 20, he's just been the most amazing business partner.”

“Wait, Jamal, you reached Level 20?” Ivor was surprised. After a moment of thought, he realized he had never used [Identify] on Jamal. He wasn't a threat to Ivor, and Ivor already knew his name. It made sense though, Jamal was as hard working as they come.

Jamal was nodding his head, “Yeah, Mr. Ivor. It was awesome. I had all these options. I guess because I've done all these different jobs for people. There was one that stood out because it was an Advanced Profession.”

“That's fantastic Jamal. What was your Evolution? If you don't mind telling me?”

“No problem at all Mr. Ivor. I was hesitant to take it at first because it sounds a little scary. I remember all the people talking about how powerful you were that you must have higher level skills and things. So, I thought, well, even if it's scary, it's Advanced. I want to do good things like Mr. Ivor. Make an impact on people's lives.” Jamal was obviously excited about his new Profession.

“You're killing me with suspense Jamal,” Ivor said.

“Ok, ok. It's called Shrewd Operator. It gave me all these great business related skills. My stats shifted more to the Mind than the Body, but that's fine by me. I don't need to be strong like you. I can make an impact in a different way.” Jamal was clearly proud of the choice, and Ivor couldn't blame him.

Marie and her team had come down shortly after Jamal came in. They stood back politely while Jamal, Liz and Ivor talked. Ivor motioned them over.

“Jamal, I'd like you to meet my daughter, Marie, and her team,” Ivor said.

“A true pleasure to meet you miss, and I'm happy to see you are safe,” Jamal said, shaking her hand.

“Thank you Jamal, this is Chris, Lance and Emily, my teammates and good friends,” Marie said as Jamal shook their hands.

When he got to Emily, his smile faltered for a moment as he blurted out, “You're so beautiful.” Realizing what he said, he quickly stammered, “Uh, nice to meet you, I mean.”

Emily smiled coyly at Jamal, “The first one was better.”

Ivor looked between Jamal and Emily. He had to smile. It seemed clear the two were a bit smitten with each other. He never really thought about it, but Jamal was a good looking guy. He was tall, built like a professional athlete and he was probably the nicest person most people would meet.

Jamal recovered quickly, “If you haven't eaten, I'd like to invite you to our restaurant. It's a little fancier than I'm used to, but the chef is amazing.”

The group quickly agreed. Liz passed as she had a bunch of work to do and some other plans. As they walked through the town, Jamal played tour guide once again to the delight of Marie and team. They were passing by Mr. Richards' shop when the man stepped out.

“Well, well, well, look what the cat dragged in. I suppose I can't be upset that I wasn't your first stop. Somehow, I'll manage to get over it,” The flamboyant enchanter playfully scolded Ivor.

“Chauncey Richards, good to see you. Come meet my daughter and her team. In fact, if Jamal is ok with it, how about you come have dinner with us,” Ivor offered.

Chauncey stepped up to Marie and took her hand, “How an obviously wonderful woman like you could come from a brute like this, will forever elude me. Very glad to see you safe and sound Ms. Kemble. Thank you for the offer, but I wouldn't want to impose.”

Marie laughed, “Well, Mr. Richards, it wouldn't be an imposition at all. You can only imagine my need for more urbane company after traveling with this brute for two months.”

Chauncey laughed lightly, “Well said my dear. Well, who am I to deny you my wit and grace.”

With that, Chaucey was introduced to the rest of the team. They made their way further into the more upscale area of town. Ivor hadn't spent any time in this area. He had been too busy to sight see much, and Jamal had stuck to the more mid to lower class areas of town.

They got to the restaurant, and Jamal led the way.

A maitre d' immediately recognized Jamal, “Mr. Wilkinson, what may I do for you?”

“Thomas, these are guests of mine. Special guests. Please have the Ivory room prepared for service immediately,” Jamal said.

“Right away Mr. Wilkinson,” and the man scurried off.

“It will just be a few minutes,” Jamal said. He then proceeded to talk about the take over of the restaurant. He and Liz didn't actually change much. The place catered to the more well off.

It made buckets of money. They only relaxed the dress code a little bit. The place had almost been a members only club under Nylund. It was barely breaking even when Liz and Jamal took over. Now, they were busy every night, and they had to hire more staff.

The room was ready quickly. Jamal made sure they were seated and being taken care of.

“Jamal, won't you join us?” Ivor asked.

“I didn't want to impose,” Jamal said.

“Nonsense,” Marie said, “we've all been together too long. We need new people to talk to. Plus I want to hear more about my father's time here, and about this bet. I have a feeling my father left much out of his version of events.”

Jamal went around the table asking everyone their likes and dislikes vis a vis food. When the waitress came, Jamal placed orders for everyone. He recommended appetizers and drinks along with the meal.

Once that was done, it was time for the stories. Oh boy, Chauncey and Jamal didn't hold back. They left out the more gory details of the fights they had witnessed, but they didn't hide what Ivor did to, and then for, Ivan Resnov.

“Speaking of Resnov, is he still here?” Ivor asked.

“Oh right, we should probably back up a step. Right after you left, one of the teams went to the dungeon and cleared it for the first time. They told the councilors it was almost easy compared to what you put them through. Resnov headed east a day later.

His participation in the clearing of the dungeon and subsequent saving of the town help people see him in a different light. He was grateful, but he said he had other things he wanted to do.”

“Yes, we are aware of how my father's tender ministrations can be when training with him,” Marie jabbed at Ivor.

“The rest of that team, minus the Guard Captain, plus a few others decided to go with him. He mentioned something about possibly starting some kind of adventurers guild,” Jamal said.

Chauncey continued, “The loss of such high level combat Classers was a bitter pill for the council to swallow. However, you may have noticed all the new growth.”

Ivor nodded and Chauncey continued, “Well, after all the announcements about the World Guardian and the results of the vote, many of the outlying villages decided the safety of the town would be better. It makes sense with the children coming in a few months.”

They moved on to lighter topics. Jamal had a wealth of stories to tell. His natural exuberance made for a fantastic dinner. Jamal had ordered perfectly for everyone.

Ivor wondered if it was a System skill or just Jamal's natural talent. It was a good relaxing time. Something Marie and the team really needed.

At the end of the night, Chauncey asked Ivor to stop by the shop when he had a chance tomorrow. Ivor said he would. Ivor insisted on paying for the meal, and he tipped the waitstaff and maitre d' generously. On their way out, a few patrons recognized Ivor and quietly approached him to thank him for his efforts. It felt good, and Marie seemed awfully proud of her father. Emily lingered for a while talking with Jamal. She finally left when the rest of the team started leaving.

It was a good evening. Everyone was full and tired. So they all retired to their rooms early. Some hours later, there was a knock on Ivor's door. It was Marie.

“Anything wrong, kiddo?” Ivor asked.

“Nope,” she said. “Just need to bunk with you tonight. Emily has a guest.”

Ivor laughed and held the door open for her.

“If it won't bother you, can I see the book?” Ivor knew exactly what book she was wanting. Due to their hectic schedule, Marie hadn't had a chance to look at the Complete History of the Vamhael. Ivor had promised himself to never look at it before Marie. This was her gift, and she was the best one to have it. Ivor passed over the book.

She held the book and smelled it. Ivor smiled. She touched the crystal embedded in the center. Her eyes took on that thousand meter stare people could get when looking at notifications.

“It's asking me to bond to the book,” She said.

“Should be safe. I'm bonded to my armor.”

She must have bonded with it. The next moment a figure appeared hovering above the crystal. The figure was about 40 centimeters tall. It was built like a Vamhael. The figure spoke.

“Well met, Marie Kemble. You have bonded with this book and are the official Keeper of the Vamhael History. Do you accept this role willingly and without malice?” There was something familiar about the voice.

Marie nodded, “Yes, absolutely.”

“Then let it be known under the System that no one may keep this book from you. It is part of you. It will always return to you at your will. As your connection to the history of the Vamhael deepens, it may impact your journey in the System. Opportunities may present themselves in advancement of Class, Profession or skills,” the figure stated.

A golden swirling light encompassed Marie for a moment, then dissipated.

She was smiling brightly,”I just got a title.”

The figure turned to look upon Ivor, “Oh, hey Ivor, didn't see you there. Might want to close your mouth, you look like an idiot.”

Ivor did not in fact close his mouth for a good 20 seconds, until, “Culs? What the hell.”

Culs laughed his deep gravely laugh, “What, you thought I would just fade away into nothingness. I spent countless millennia in that damned Inheritance. At least this way, I can get out and see things once in a while.”

Ivor laughed a full belly laugh, “Good on you mate.”

Culs turned back to Marie, “Well, little miss, are you going to share the good news?”

Marie blinked, “Oh, of course.” She then told Ivor about the title.

Keeper of the Vamhael

You are the bonded Keeper of the Vamhael History

Receive 15 points in all Mind stats

Mana regeneration increased by 50%

It was a fantastic boon for Marie. Marie did the same thing with Culs as she did with Jamal and Chauncey. She made him tell stories about Ivor. Although his time with Ivor was limited, he did have some great stories. He didn't go into detail about the challenges, but he did mention that Ivor talked quite a bit about Marie. Ivor left the room a bit later. Although he wanted to know more about the Vamhael, this was Marie's time. Ivor went down to the sitting room and read his Rune Codex. A few hours later, Marie came down.

She had a huge grin on her face. She leaned down and hugged him.

“This may be a seriously fucked up world we live in, but that was the best gift I've ever gotten. Thank you.”

They talked a bit, and Marie went back to his room to sleep. Ivor didn't need to. So he stayed up. He talked a bit with the night clerk, but mostly read the Rune Codex, preparing for when he had time to enchant again.

Chapter Eighteen

The morning came and Jamal saw Ivor as he was leaving.

A little embarrassed, Jamal spoke, “Uh, Mr. Ivor… I…uh…”

Ivor held up his hand to stop Jamal, “Jamal, you are two consenting adults. It's none of my business what you do. I have no concerns about you. You're a good man. You do know she will likely be leaving soon.”

“Of course, Mr. Ivor. This world is crazy, and you have to take the good when you can grab hold of it. That's all. I'll forever be grateful I met you and Emily, and the rest of the team. Even if I never see you again,” the big young man said.

“Can't argue with that Jamal,” Ivor said and Jamal left.

The next morning, Ivor took the group around to all the great bakeries Jamal had showed him. It was just as good as Ivor's last visit. While the rest of the group went off to do their own thing, Ivor headed to Chauncey's shop.

Ivor entered the shop. Chauncey's apprentice was cleaning the displays when Ivor walked in.

“I'll go get Mr. Richards,” the young man said.

A few minutes later Chauncey came out. He sent the apprentice off on an errand.

“I wanted to let you know that because of your introduction to Mr. Krix, several of us merchants have formed our own guild. Mr. Krix recommended this course of action, and it will help this community grow. Later today, you'll be given some accolades by the councilors.

Some minor tokens of their appreciation. Since meeting minutes are taken during official council sessions, they asked me to tell you of your true reward for all you've done for this town.” Chauncey was in a rare serious moment.

Ivor wasn't sure where he was going with this but he listened without interrupting.

“Normally, and currently, the town taxes merchants at a flat 5%. The council has agreed only to take half of that for guild transactions. The other half, they, along with all the merchants in the guild, want you to have the other 2.5%.” Chauncey concluded.

“I don't know what to say,” Ivor said. “This is unexpected.”

“Ivor, I know it's not much now, but as this guild grows, your percentage will be a lot of money,” Chauncey reassured Ivor.

“Oh, it's not the money. I'm actually pretty wealthy. I'm just surprised so many agreed to it.” Ivor was dumbfounded. “Most of the places I've been, the people only want to take.”

“I can assure you, most people here wanted to do more. You don't understand how much pressure you help relieve just by killing those monsters. Then to train the people that saved the town. Ivor, you're a bloody hero,” Chauncey said.

“Well, I'm not going to say no. What do we need to do?” Ivor asked.

“It's a simple System Contract. As head of the guild, I can send it to you.” Chauncey did just that.

It was a simple contact. The funds would be put in Ivor's System account as credits each month. Ivor accepted the contract.

“Oh, before I forget. I wanted to show you something the last time I was here. I'm not sure how useful it will be for you.” Ivor pulled out his spike traps, grenades and light disks that adhere to surfaces.

“I've used all of these extensively. I have other designs I'm working on, but for fighting monsters, these things are invaluable.” Ivor continued to show Chauncey where to put the runes, and which runes to place where to get the explosive effect you wanted.

“Ivor, these are weapons,” Chauncey looked concerned.

“Yes, but not until they are finished. I can only enchant objects. I can still make these.

So can you. Obviously, if you have a moral concern, don't make them. I just wanted you to know that you can make things like this even though they turn into weapons,” Ivor explained.

“I don't have a moral objection. It just never occurred to me. I'm not a fighter. I will definitely make the sticky lights. Some of the less explosive traps seem up my alley as well. Thank you Ivor. This does give me another potential revenue source. What other things might adventurers need?” Chauncey asked.

Ivor ran down a list of things he had purchased that Chauncey could probably make and sell cheaper than the System Market. With the System Market reducing the number of items, it was possible Chauncey would be the only person in the area selling this stuff. Before long, it was time to go to the council meeting.

Ivor went to the council building. It was a very plain looking building. There was a guard presence and quite a bit of activity. Ivor walked up the steps to see Councilor Corwin waiting. The man smiled and shook Ivor's hand.

“Our council sessions are open to the public, unless it's a really sensitive matter. We usually have a decent turn out, but today, it's crazy. Everyone that didn't see the things you did have heard. Enough of the stories were corroborated that people know you're not just a myth. Everyone wants to get a look at the town savior.

Ivor chuckled. He knew he didn't look like much. He was as average as you could get. Unforgettable even. The councilor took him through a guarded side door.

They entered a preparation chamber for the councilors. Ivor remembered all of them except two. There was a new councilor to replace the woman that had tried to have him killed, and the other councilor who seemed to oppose Ivor was convinced to step down. Ivor was introduced to the new councilors.

“Ivor,” Councilor Corwin said, “we are going to walk out and take our seats. There will be a table and a chair facing us you can sit at. We will ask you a few questions. Nothing to catch you off guard.

It's mostly for the crowd and the official record. Just answer honestly. Oh, and put your hood and mask on please.”

Ivor nodded and they all walked out. As the councilors all took their seats behind a slightly raised long curving desk, Ivor was directed to a table and chair set facing the councilors. The place was pretty large and had a balcony. It was standing room only.

When the door had opened, Ivor heard the expected buzz of a multitude of quiet conversations. When the councilors and Ivor walked out the room fell silent.

When Ivor took his seat, Councilor Corwin stood and addressed the audience.

“We are here today to discuss the events that led to the completion of the dungeon to save Seaton from the giant monsters.” Addressing Ivor he said, “For the record, sir, are you the person known as The Hunter.”

“I am,” Ivor replied. There was a buzz in the crowd.

“When you came to our town over two months ago, what was your purpose?”

“I was hoping to get maps so that I could get beyond the inland sea,” Ivor stated.

“Is it true that you struck a deal with the previous council?

“It is.”

“And what was that deal?”

“I agreed to trade my map information which goes several hundreds of kilometers east, kill the giant monsters plaguing your town, and train as many people as I could in a week to tackle your dungeon.”

“To the townsfolk of Seaton. You've just heard that this man was willing to trade his maps, killing monsters and training our people, all for just the simple map of our immediate area around the sea. It seems like a good deal, yes?” The man was a natural showman. Ivor could hear people in the crowd agree.

He continued, “For that great deal, do you know how members of this council, no longer present, repaid The Hunter?” He paused for effect, “By trying to kill him in the very dungeon he was training our people in.” There were audible gasps in the audience.

“We have sworn testimony of the members present including this town's very Guard Captain. The perpetrator was found to be working in conjunction with the former World Guardian.”

More gasps.

“That's right. That act of betrayal is what triggered the System intervention into the former World Guardian. But that's not all. The World Guardian had also endangered one of his family members.” Ivor appreciated the obfuscation.

The crowd was in an uproar at hearing this.

The councilor restored order, “Indeed, you have every right to be angry. As people often seem to do, they underestimated The Hunter. He was able to reach and save his family member.”

There was some minor applause and cheering.

“Now, we aren't a huge city with huge coffers overflowing with tax money.” Quite a few chuckles at that one. “So what do you think we can offer him?”

“My daughter,” one woman yelled out.

“My son,” another yelled out.

“Name the damn town after 'em,” someone else yelled.

The councilor laughed, “We can't name the town after him. There is already another place that has claimed that right. We certainly can't offer The Hunter any equipment that can compare to his own.

However, as town councilors, as townsfolk, we can honor The Hunter's service to our city in two ways. For now and evermore, The Hunter has free access to all maps the town possesses in perpetuity. In addition, as agreed upon by the other councilors and the group that cleared the dungeon, every year on the day of the dungeon clearing will be a town holiday known as Hunter's Day so that his legend lives on in Seaton.”

The cheering was deafening. It went on for some minutes.

Councilor Corwin addressed Ivor, “Hunter, do you accept our humble gifts?

Ivor stood. He projected his voice using his Willpower. Not like he did in Egara, but enough to be heard and felt.

“Councilor's,” Ivor turned to face the crowd, “Seaton townsfolk, I accept your gracious gifts. Thank you.”

The cheering was even louder. Ivor walked back to the preparation room with the councilors.

Ivor walked out the side door with Councilor Corwin. A man approached the two. Ivor almost didn't recognize him. It was Francis Nylund.

“Please, what happened to my son?” The man begged Ivor. Ivor was tempted to tell him the whole story, but this man was already broken.

“Nylund, your son made a bad choice. He paid the ultimate price. Don't make the same mistake.” Ivor looked into the man's eyes.

Nylund knew. Had known. He stared into the cold dead eyes of this Hunter, and he knew there was no point in pressing. He wouldn't like the answer. He nodded and walked away.

“Well, I'm sorry you had to see that. He's been going down hill since you left. People close to him have tried to intervene. I think he's given up.” Councilor Corwin shook his head.

Ivor just nodded. “Councilor, I'll be moving east in a couple days. I have maps west if you want them. I'm happy to share.”

“Oh wonderful. We won't say no to that. Oh, and you should take the road we're building. It will take a few more months to reach Hunter's Rest, but it's coming along.”

Ivor said that would be great. They found the cartographer and exchanged maps. With all the official nonsense out of the way. Ivor headed back to the inn.

The new road was on Ivor's map now. It was a bit further south from where they had come ashore from the sea. Ivor had previously come directly over the mountains to the east. Marie and her team wouldn't be able to take that route as easily as Ivor.

When Ivor got back to the inn, he waited for the team to arrive. After they all filtered in, Ivor expressed his desire to get back to the Freehold. He also knew they had pushed hard for a couple of months. If they wanted a couple more days of downtime, it was ok. They agreed they would like a couple of more days. Chris was sparing during the days with some of the guards that also used a spear. Lance was working with a group of healers and alchemists. Marie was working with some of the local mages. Emily had disappeared from time to time. Doing Rogue things, Ivor suspected.

The next two days went by too fast for Marie's team and too slow for Ivor. He filled his time with more work studying the Vamhael Rune Codex. He did some work with Chauncey, but for some of his newest ideas, he needs space where someone wouldn't get hurt if he experimented. One of the downsides to having this unknown rune codex was that he couldn't even help out the town by creating enchantments. If he wasn't around, no one else could fix them if something went wrong.

It was a frustrating two days for Ivor, but he knew the team needed the break. Eventually, they were back on the road. It took them almost a whole day to get to the new road heading east. This was new territory for Ivor. Ivor asked Zed to keep a look out for interesting landmarks or dungeons as they moved through a section of large hilly land.

The team set a pace Ivor was happy with. They started noticing the road curving north towards the path Ivor had originally taken. This kept the team in the large foothills of the mountains. It was during this northward trek, that Ivor and the team came into contact with the first sapient monsters Ivor had seen.

Always a lover of R.P.G games and Lit R.P.G books, Ivor at first glance thought “kobolds.” As they got closer, Ivor realized that wasn't true. They were bigger lizards rather than smaller dragons. They did walk upright and they carried weapons and armor.

“Zed, please, mark this area on my map for later investigation. Mark any other areas we see with groups of sapient monsters as well.”

“Of course, Ivor. Something to note, your planet is much, much larger than it was. There is likely a whole underground ecosystem, perhaps even several layers of that. It is possible these are the type that live closer to the surface. I would not be surprised to find tunnels in these hills closer to the mountains.”

“What do you want to do here?” Marie asked.

Ivor used [Identify]. The monsters were between Level 15 and 20.

Black Spotted Tokay

Level 15

Highest stat: Agility

Immunities: none

“Oh, it seems the system modified other species on your planet beyond just mutating some,” Zed exclaimed.

“You mean like uplifting a species?” Ivor asked.

“Yes. I suppose that is as good of a term as any. It is not like the true uplifting in your fiction books. These monsters are sapient but not to a level to match humans.”

“Let's try to skirt around them. If they attack, feel free to engage. I don't want us slowing down too much,” Ivor said.

The groups were equally numbered, but the monsters must have sensed something. They didn't attack. They brandished weapons and threatened.

The team ran into two more small groups that day. One of the groups they had to fight. It was probably a mistake on the part of the Tokay. Ivor and the team were moving pretty fast on the road and had just crested a hill when they literally ran into a group of the Tokay. It was a short battle.

After looting the monsters, the group took off again. They had started doing dungeons again. They were only a few days out from Hunter's Rest when Marie and her group got notifications.

Title changed….

Dungeon Adept - Dungeon Aficionado…

Marie read out the new title to Ivor.

Dungeon Aficionado

You have completed 100 dungeons

You have completed a dungeon 25 levels above your own

All dungeon cooldowns are halved

More information is available to you in the dungeon description

Experience earned by you or your party increased by 50%

New types of rewards available for dungeon completion

You can raise the level or lower the level of a dungeon ten levels above or below your current level or the lowest level of your team

Note: Dungeon reverts to previous level after use or failure to attempt dungeon

Note: Failure to attempt the changed dungeon will result in all party members being locked out of dungeons for 7 days.

Note: Repeated failures to attempt changed dungeons will result in loss of title

It sounded like the team got the same addition for completing 100 dungeons that Ivor did when he was in the Evaluation. It was a great bonus. They pushed on, eventually making it close to Hunter's Rest. Ivor wanted to go into the village during the day. So, he had the team stop that night to camp. They would enter town in the morning.

That night, Ivor told the team about meeting Austin. He even told them about Austin asking if Ivor was going to kill him because Austin had figured out Ivor was hiding his strength. He told them about the betrayal in the dungeon by Rick and his team. He told them about the village they helped save, and the second betrayal which almost cost Austin his life.

He told them about the village he had saved on his way west, and how they hoped to make it to Hunter's Rest. He didn't go into too much detail, as it was pretty gruesome. He was legitimately looking forward to seeing how the village was doing after nearly three months away.

Chapter Nineteen

The morning came and Ivor slowed their pace some. He wanted to get a feel for the immediate surroundings of Hunter's Rest. It was clear during their journey that like the Evaluation, things may be getting slightly more difficult. Ivor needed to send word back to Seaton about the Tokay on the road. It was up to them if they wanted to deal with it or move their road away from the foothills.

The first thing Ivor noticed as they got closer was the wall. It looked to be made of some sort of stone. It was pretty large. Not in height, although it was a good six meters tall.

No, it was really pretty large from the side he could see. The village, when he had left, was pretty small. This wall seemed much too large for that.

Unless, of course, the village had turned into a town. That was possible. Only one way to find out.

The team entered through the large double gate set into the wall. As they got closer, Ivor could see two men with bows making their rounds on this side of the wall. As they passed through the wall, there were several more guards watching them walk in. They didn't accost the group. They just nodded, and Ivor and company walked in.

The village was a town for sure. Previously the village had looked a bit dirty. Now, there were paved streets, there were people moving about.

This area directly inside the wall seemed to be mostly for carts and warehouses. Ivor saw a new kind of pack animal. A donkey-like four legged beast of burden.The buildings looked fairly recent.

As they moved further into town, Ivor realized the whole place had changed. Nothing looked familiar.

Ivor and the team were moving into a more commercial district. There were shops, some vendors with stalls set up. There was an inn, tavern, and a restaurant with some outdoor seating in the front. As Ivor got closer, he noticed someone. He waved Marie and her team over as he walked towards the man sitting at the table with four others.

The man was facing the direction of where Ivor was coming from. He was talking to the people at his table when he noticed Ivor and smiled. It was Ivan Resnov. Two of the men looked over, and Ivor recognized them as the two Mages that had been part of Ivan's team in the Seaton dungeon with the Guard Captain. Ivor didn't recognize the other two men.

“Well, well, well,” Resnov said. “Look what the cat dragged in.”

“Resnov,” Ivor nodded, “How are you doing?”

“Doing well. I need to thank you for setting me on the right path. I'm much happier doing this “adventuring” business than the thug life,” the man laughed.

“Who's your friend?” One of the men Ivor didn't know asked.

Resnov was about to answer when there was a loud shout behind Ivor.

“Hey, bro!!!!”

Resnov looked over Ivor's shoulder, “Well shit, Ivor, I think this idiot is talking to you.”

Ivor turned to see a young man and four others walking up to him. The young guy had a scowl on his face.

“Yeah, I'm talking to you, bro. What the hell are you doing running around this town trying to be something you're not?”

Ivor was baffled, “Not sure what you're talking about?”

“I identified you stupid. It just says Hunter. You're walking around here like The Hunter. Trying to pawn yourself off like you're the legend everyone keeps going on about. I should beat you down here and now just for the audacity,” the man snarled.

“Oh god, this can't be happening,” Resnov and the two Mages were turning red trying to hold in their laughter.

Ivor had discreetly waved off Marie and her team. They were just standing around like bystanders.

“They let you do that here? Beat people down in the streets?” Ivor asked.

“What? No, there's a sparring area the guards use to let people handle business.” The young man looked at Ivor and smiled, “Why, you think you got what it takes, bro?” The bro thing was really annoying.

Resnov was beet red, “Oh, it keeps getting better.” The Mages had their heads down on the table trying not to laugh out loud. Their bodies heaving with repressed laughter.

Putting on a dumb smile, Ivor said, “Sure, I don't mind a spar.”

“Yeah, we'll spar buddy,” the kid sneered. “Follow me to the sparring circle.”

Ivor nodded, then looked over at Resnov who just kept laughing.

Ivor followed, along with Marie and her team following a discreet distance behind. Resnov and his team quickly paid their bill and caught up to Ivor.

“You probably shouldn't kill them,” Resnov started. “Not that they don't deserve it. Hunter's Rest absorbed their village, and these guys plus another team were pretty high level. They helped out a bit with some of the problems the town has been having. After that, they started throwing their weight around. Usually when nobody important can see it.”

Ivor nodded, “Why's it always a circle?”

Resnov shrugged, “I don't know. Why do you attract trouble like shit does flies?”

Ivor looked at the man then chuckled, “Fair point.”

When they got to the sparring area there was a group already sparring with some of the town guards. It wasn't so much a spar as a beat down. The guards weren't learning anything but how to endure pain.

One of the men looked over to see the young man and his group coming.

“Chad, my boy. Looking to help the guards learn something as well?” The man smiled. Ivor saw a bit of resemblance.

“Hey pops. Nah, just need to teach some non-classer a lesson. Shouldn't take a moment.”

“Good man, good man. People should know their place,” the man said.

Marie's team had gone over to check on the guards. Dr. Jacobs was healing them up. Ivor saw the dark looks on Marie and her team's faces.

“So, my boy here needs to teach you a lesson. Good, good. Everyone should know their place in this new world.” The man walked up to Ivor.

“Well, I can't argue with you there. I'm not one to shy away from a beating if one needs to be taken or given. Although, I'm told this is a sparring ring. So, I would expect some pointers from the lad.” Ivor smiled dumbly.

“Oh, I'm sure he'll give you plenty.” The man smiled back.

“Hey,” Ivor said. “I saw you over there giving those guards some pointers. Could I get you to give me some too?”

“Oh, I don't think you'll be ready for pointers from me once my son trains you.”

Ivor continued, “Oh, well how about this. If I land three strikes on your boy. You and your team show me some pointers when I'm ready.”

The man smiled brightly, “That's a great idea. As soon as you're ready, me and my team will show you some pointers.”

Ivor frowned, “Well, I don't know you, mister. Would you agree to a System Contract?”

“Oh, of course, of course. I wouldn't skip out on someone needing pointers they deserve,” the man said with a malicious grin.

They agreed to the contract. Resnov was shaking his head at the stupidity of some people.

Ivor walked into the circle where the young man was standing. Ivor didn't even bother to use [Identify}.

“So, weapons, hand to hand, how do you want to do this?” Ivor noticed the man's team was standing off to the side. “Wait, ain't your whole team going to help spar. I'd like to get as much out of this as I can. Not everyday I get to spar with someone your level after all.”

The man guffawed, “You want to spar with me and my whole team?”

Ivor smiled and nodded dumbly.

A bit of a crowd had started to grow. Ivor was positive that some of the people knew who he was. It said a lot that they weren't warning these guys. Also, Ivor was a bit curious what was going on in town for these types of people to get away with this.

The man waved his team over. “Well, let's not use weapons. Wouldn't want you to get hurt too badly.”

Ivor nodded. The young man moved towards Ivor to land a punch. Ivor slid to the side and stuck his foot out. The man fell flat on his face. Growling he popped back up.

“Slippery bastard. Probably have good Agility. All right, I'll quit playing around,” the man said.

He did move faster this time, but it was pathetically slow, this time Ivor just moved out of the way of each punch the man threw. Finally, Ivor ducked under a punch and landed a hit into the man's stomach. He dropped to the ground gasping.

Ivor turned to the father standing on the sidelines and held up a finger, “That's one.”

The man picked himself up. Looking at his team, he said, “Get him. Don't go easy.”

The men rushed in. It was clear to Ivor these men had never fought a single man as a group before. On the other hand, Ivor had a lifetime of training fighting singles, groups and fighting with a group. With deft strikes, Ivor easily disabled the men. The young man that started the whole thing only saw red. If he had half a brain or control over his emotions, he would have been able to see what was starting to dawn on his father.

The young man reached out to grab Ivor, Ivor snapped his arm.

“Ahhhhhhhhh,” the man screamed as he backed away from Ivor cradling his arm.

Ivor looked at the father again, “That's two.” He held up two fingers.

The young man pulled a blade and rushed Ivor. Ivor knocked the flat of the blade away with the back of his right hand and front kicked the man in the chest. Bones cracked as the man flew back three meters and hit the ground hard.

The father was about to step into the circle when Ivor wagged his finger at the man, “Wouldn't want to break a System Contract, would you? I didn't say I was ready yet.

“Somebody should probably heal these sparring partners of mine.” Ivor looked around at the crowd. No one moved.

“Looks like your boy isn't too popular,” Ivor said, “I'll let you come into the circle to heal them if you have the health potions or a healer. Of course, you might need those potions yourself.”

“I have enough,” the man said.

Him and his team went to the other team and gave them health potions. They got back up glaring at Ivor. Some people just didn't learn.

When the man was done healing his son, he turned around pulling an axe off his back, “You're a dead man.”

Ivor shook his head. “Tell you what, I won't even pull my weapons.” Ivor turned to the crowd. “Don't blink. Otherwise you'll miss it.”

The man growled and took a step towards Ivor. Well, he tried to take a step forward. His leg snapped at the knee and he hit the ground hard. He looked over and all his men were down. All with broken legs.

“Seems I'm not the one that needs some pointers. Go ahead and heal yourselves up. I'll be happy to give you more. Much more,” Ivor said with that cold, cold look in his eyes.

A shout rang out, “Ivor, what the hell are you doing?”

Ivor turned to see Austin standing at the edge of the circle.

“Oh, these two teams of folks said I shouldn't be walking around like I'm this legendary Hunter they've heard about. So, they told me I needed to be taught a lesson. Well, a lesson has been learned today,” Ivor said. “However, what I want to know is why bullies like this have been allowed to prey on your people? When I got here, this dipshit,” Ivor pointed to the father, “was with his team putting a beat down on your guards.”

“Wait, what?” Austin looked confused. “Is this true?” Austin looked around at the crowd. No one would meet his eye.

“Please, anybody, if these men have been abusing their privileges in this town and bullying people I need to know,” Austin pleaded.

A few people started nodding and raising their hands. Then more. Then a good number of guards.

Ivor approached Austin quietly and said, “These men are a cancer in this town. You need to get rid of them.”

Austin looked shocked and a little ashamed.

“Folks, I'm sorry. I'm sorry this happened. I don't know why you didn't feel like you could come to me with this. I will try to do better. My only goal is to protect this town,” Austin said.

The father yelled at Austin, “You can't throw us out. You need us.”

“I don't need you that bad. You have five minutes to get out of town,” Austin said.

“You'll regret this,” the man countered.

Ivor, smiling, started walking over towards the man. “Time to go, or maybe you'd like to stay and spar with me some more. I can do this all day long.”

The men started moving out of the circle towards the main road. Ivor followed for a while to make sure they were actually heading out. Marie's team had followed behind Ivor along with Resnov's team. When the two groups of men had gathered their things and walked out the gate. Ivor leaned over to whisper to Emily.

“Follow them. Come back and let me know where they setup camp”

She nodded and disappeared into the shadows of a building.

Ivor turned to see Resnov frowning.

“What's with you?” Ivor asked.

“I'm a little upset you took it so easy on them,” the man looked at Ivor.

Ivor looked at the man and said nothing. He just stared into Resnov's eyes.

Resnov nodded, “I understand.”

Ivor introduced Marie and her team, minus Emily. Resnov introduced the two new members to his team. They agreed to meet later so Ivor could hear about Resnov and the team's travels. Ivor wanted the group to get set up at an inn. He was pretty sure the town council would want to talk to him. Apparently there was something going on.

Resnov told him about another inn further into town. The inn Resnov and team were staying in was on the cheaper side, which suited the men. Ivor had the funds for something a little better.

The team made their way to the inn and got rooms. This inn had a restaurant attached. Ivor and the team settled in for some food.

Austin must have found Resnov and found where they were. He showed up around the time Ivor and company were finishing their meal.

Ivor stood and shook the young man's hand. “Austin, this is my daughter and her team, minus one.”

Austin introduced himself and joined the group at the table. It was clear he had a lot on his mind.

“Sorry, Ivor, I just have a lot on my mind. I would like you and your daughter's team to join me tomorrow in the Admin building. The councilors want to speak with you about the troubles we've been having. You don't owe us anything, but we are hoping you'll help.”

“I'll do what I can, Austin,” Ivor said.

A huge weight seemed to come off the young man's shoulders. He thanked them and got up to do whatever it was Austin did these days.

It was still light out, and the group wanted to see the town. It had grown quite large. Not as big as Seaton, but it was on its way.

As they were walking around, Ivor saw someone he recognized. He was about to go over, but then he realized she wouldn't know him like this. It was Tracy from the village he had saved from the slaver group. She had only ever seen him with his mask and hood up. She also didn't have [Identify] which wouldn't help anyway with the item Chauncey gave him hiding his true identity.

He walked by with a slight pang of regret. At the same time, he was glad that the group made it to Hunter's Rest. He didn't need the recognition. It was enough to know he did some good. He smiled as the team walked around.

It was starting to get dark when they headed back to the inn. Emily was waiting for them. How she knew where to find them, Ivor didn't want to know. Sneaky Rogue shit.

She was just finishing up a meal.

“Where did you sneak off to?” Marie asked. It wasn't all that uncommon for Emily to disappear. She was a Rogue and needed to practice.

“I asked her to do something for me,” Ivor admitted. “I hope I didn't step on any toes. It was time sensitive.”

Marie waved him off, “No, no, it's fine. Do I want to know?” She cocked an eyebrow at him.

“Probably not.”

Marie shrugged, “Fair enough.”

They all went to a tavern nearby and had some really good mead. On their way back to the inn, Ivor said, “I'm going to borrow Emily for a while. We will be back later.”

Marie paused for a second, then nodded. The rest of the team shrugged. They didn't need to know Ivor's business. They trusted him.

Emily and Ivor headed towards the gate. The gate was closed at night, but that didn't bother Ivor. The patrols weren't heavy. He grabbed Emily around the waist and jumped over the wall. Once over, Emily led the way.

It took a couple hours due to the dark, but Emily led them without issue. She stopped at one point and drew close to Ivor.

“They are about half a kilometer in that direction. There is a small clearing. This area seems pretty safe. So they have a fire going. How do you want to do this?”

“You can head back if you want,” Ivor said.

Emily shook her head, “I always wanted to be a field operative. The Agency was never going to give me the chance. You know what I can do. I want to help.”

“Killing people is a lot different than killing monsters,” Ivor said.

“I understand. We had to kill plenty in the Evaluation,” Emily countered.

“I know, but this is cold blooded murder. It's different. I won't tell you not to join me. Just understand, we could've just let them go,” Ivor continued.

“You and I both know these types of men would be a problem. Maybe not for Hunter's Rest, but for somewhere else.” Ivor could hear the determination in her voice.

“Ok, let's discuss how this can best benefit you.” Ivor and Emily hashed out a plan. If it was just Ivor, he would have tossed a magma grenade and called it a day. Instead, Emily was going to get as many sneak attacks in as possible. Try whittling them down from the shadows. If she got overwhelmed or there was a runner. Ivor would handle it.

It was late in the night by the time they made it to the camp. Emily went to work. They took their time. She had taken out three that had gotten up to relieve themselves before someone realized something was wrong.

The remaining seven men roused themselves and circled around the fire. All of them facing outward.

Ivor stepped out of the shadows, “I wasn't done with the lesson.”

Two of the men facing away from Ivor on the opposite side of the fire turned to look at him. That was a mistake, they dropped to the ground with daggers protruding from their throats.

The father charged Ivor with the axe and took a huge overhand swing. Ivor casually reached up with one hand and caught the blade. The man nearly dislocated both of his shoulders with the abrupt stop.

“What the hell are you?,” the man looked at Ivor.

“Nothing good for you,” Ivor replied. He pulled on the axe head bringing the man closer to him. Grabbing the man by his throat with one hand, Ivor hurled the axe at another. As the father choked, feet off the ground and kicking, the axe hit the other man in the head with enough force to crack his skull.

Two more daggers had taken out the other two men. As Ivor held the father up by his throat. The man's son was trying to kill Emily. He was doing a very bad job.

He would dart in with a stab of his sword and come back with a slice from a dagger. The young man must have been bleeding from a dozen different wounds. Before long, the blood loss caught up with him and he started to slow down. Emily waited for the right moment, then buried a dagger in his eye. Ivor snapped the father's neck.

Ivor looked at Emily, “You want to loot these guys? They are almost your level. They might have some good stuff.”

Emily shook her head, “We have a rule as a team. We don't use stuff from people like this. We sell it and buy our own stuff. We don't want to be sullied with their shitty karma.”

Ivor chuckled, “Whatever you want.” Ivor looted the corpses. He would transfer the credits to Emily when he had a chance to hit the System Market. He didn't want any of this stuff in the town shops. Just in case they had friends lurking about that could identify it.

They took their time getting back to town. Over the wall once more, then they both got to the inn. Ivor stopped Emily.

“Tell the team whatever you want. I won't ever ask you to lie.”

Emily nodded and went to her room. Ivor slept a full two hours that night.

Chapter Twenty

The next morning, the team met Ivor down in the restaurant at the inn. They were eating breakfast when another familiar face walked in. Ivor smiled and got up from his seat to meet her.

Mary hugged Ivor warmly, “I'm glad to see you are doing well Ivor.” Her hand lingered on Ivor long enough for someone to notice.

Loudly clearing her throat, Marie looked at Ivor with one eyebrow raised, “Care to introduce us to your friend?”

Ivor had been divorced from Marie's mom for a long time, but he never talked about any other women in his life. That was mostly due to being too busy to have anyone in his life. He would have the occasional dalliance, but nothing more.

“Ah, yes, Mary, this is my daughter Marie and her team members Emily, Chris and Lance,” Ivor said.

“Lovely to meet you all. If you all wouldn't mind, the council is bringing together a bunch of the high level teams to discuss the current issue and plan for a solution. We'd like you and Marie's team to come, if you don't mind.” Mary said, switching to business mode fluently.

“Are you on the council?” Ivor asked.

“I am.”

“Just a heads up, we can't stay long. I have that mission to complete, as you should be aware of,” Ivor said.

“Yes, we are aware. I think our problem will be coming to a head very soon. I don't think things will wait. You'll understand more after the meeting,” She responded.

Ivor and the team agreed to attend the meeting. After Mary left, Marie tugged on Ivor's arm as he was watching Mary walk away.

“Anything I should know?” She asked.

“Not particularly. Just two people who shared some time together and remember it fondly,” Ivor said. Then with a mischievous grin, he continued, “Unless you want the details…”

“No, no, no, ewwwwww gross. Please no.” She shook her head and covered her ears. The team laughed at her.

“I could stand to hear the details,” Emily said unashamedly.

The team all looked at her like she was crazy.

“What? He's not my dad. I liked reading trashy romance novels. They don't exist anymore. This is the next best thing,” Emily explained.

Ivor laughed and shook his head, “Sorry Emily, I don't kiss and tell.”

Emily grumbled under her breath, “Slave driver pushing us through dungeons and can't even give me the juicy bits of his love life, bah.”

Marie and team were content to wander around town until the meeting. Ivor went to the somewhat large seating room off of the inn's restaurant to go over the Vamhael body cultivation manual and Culs' notes. Ivor didn't feel like he was going to reach Master Level in [Mana Manipulation] and [Enchant Object] by just creating new and exciting ways to blow monsters up.

It wasn't long before Marie and team made their way back to the inn. The group made their way to the meeting with the town councilors. The Admin building had expanded quite a bit from the last time he was here.

The System Market doors were on one side with the actual administration offices on the other. There was a large meeting room designed for open town meetings that currently had the councilors and a number of high level teams in it.

Mary got everyone's attention and started the meeting.

“Welcome everyone. Many of you already know the danger we are facing. For those that are new,” she nodded over to Ivor and Marie's team, “we can quickly go over our current issue.”

Austin took the lead next, “About a month ago, groups of Hunters as well as Classers like Mr. Resnov's group started running into small groups of centaur-like monsters. They are large bodied, like the centaurs of our mythology, but they are omnivorous. Worse than that, they are more like locusts in actuality. They strip everything from the land, including the people. At first it wasn't too much of an issue. The small groups were taken care of. However, about two weeks ago, our longer ranging scouts” Austin pointed to Kate, whom Ivor hadn't seen since getting back,”identified a large swarm following the smaller groups.”

“How large?” Ivor asked.

“Thousands. Too many for us to handle. We had originally planned on sending teams out, but with the identification of the large swarm, we think it's best to consolidate all of our forces within the town. Especially since we don't have shielding anymore,” Austin finished.

Austin, Mary, Marie and a few others that knew who Ivor really was looked over at him.

A man spoke up, “What's everyone doing looking at this guy? How is a Level 16 Hunter going to help?”

Mary spoke back up, “Ah, yes, my apologies. Everyone, let me introduce you to The Hunter. The one this town is named after. The one that personally saved not only this town when it was a village, but at least two others that I'm aware of. Do not let his meager level and Profession fool you. Those that know, well, knew at the time, his true strength are under System Contracts not to disclose it.”

Austin picked up Mary's thread, “I am one of those people. I can say without exaggeration that he is stronger than anyone on the planet by a very, very wide margin. I can't tell you specifics, but he is unique in his capabilities and his experience. He owes us nothing, but we hope he'll help us again.”

Ivor was in thought. He didn't plan on staying on Earth much longer. People needed to manage for themselves at some point. However, he did agree to himself that he would do what he could.

“Ok. I'll see what I can do about the swarm. I doubt I'm going to be able to contain thousands. I can do a lot of damage. Some monsters will get past me. The only thing I can think is that maybe they'll swarm me rather than taking off on their own.

Any idea how they operate and where they are coming from? How do they behave? Do they seem to have any resistances or vulnerabilities? Anything that can help me prepare.” Ivor needed information before just heading out.

Kate had been watching them the longest. Her story was corroborated by the teams that had fought them. It almost seemed like a hive. Some of the behavior seemed like ants in a way. No one had been able to get close enough to the swarm to see if individuals were bringing things back to a central location.

Ivor needed to slow down the swarm anyway. So he was going to head out tomorrow and scout them. He needed to figure out the best way to attack.

Kate and a few of the more Agility based groups offered to keep an eye on the swarm and report back to town as needed. The remainder of the teams would continue to roam the surrounding area killing groups when they found them. A rotating system was put in place to get all the teams out to roam and in town to make it fair to all involved.

The remainder of the day was spent making plans. They were able to show Ivor a map of everything they had scouted so far. Ivor used [Tactician] to help identify places they could close off routes to villages, ambush sites, etc… Ivor also made sure to point out places for runners and message collection. Ivor could move much, much faster than anyone else.

Once he took out as many of the swarm as he could, he could rush back and give updates. He could also help as needed. They bought some very basic signal flares in the System Market. The flares would be used to help Ivor know where he was needed, among other things.

The morning came quickly. Ivor told Marie and team to be careful as he set off out of the village. Once he got beyond the view of the village, Ivor poured on the speed.

It had been a few months since he could really go all out. It took him half a day to find the swarm. It would likely reach the town in a little over two weeks at the pace it was moving.

Ivor stopped on a large hill out of range of the swarm. The swarm was devouring the entire countryside. Grass, trees, bushes, everything disappeared.

It was spread out over a wide front. There was definitely some depth to it, but it was vastly wide. From his vantage point and Zed's estimation, the front of the swarm was several kilometers wide. This was going to be tricky.

Ivor scanned the area and consulted his map. Firmly fixing in his head what he wanted to accomplish, [Tactician] helped him identify the place he needed to go to set up his first attack. Prior to that, he needed to set up some traps. A whole lot of traps.

Based on the topography in front of the swarm, [Tactician] laid out the area and number of traps Ivor would need. It was going to use up most of his stockpile. Ivor's first attack was something new he had worked on. He would be able to affect approximately half of the swarm front.

The other half was what the traps were for. As the traps went off across one half of the swarm, Ivor's attack would land amongst the other half.

With a plan firmly in place, Ivor sped off to start placing traps. Even at his speed, placing nearly a thousand traps took time. He finished when the day was done.

He was glad he had planned for the swarm to keep moving at night because it did. It definitely slowed down, but it did keep moving. Ivor moved into his attack position. The swarm should hit the traps in their path just after first light. Ivor only had to wait.

First light came over the horizon and Ivor saw the swarm in the distance. He was close enough now to hear the sound of the swarm. The trees and bushes that were torn up and devoured sounded like a deep buzz saw.

It was almost time. Ivor pulled out ten of his newest creations.

Ivor held in his hand what looked like a bouquet of traps. In essence, that's exactly what it was. Ivor had modified his traps to have two flanges of metal on the side. These metal flanges were covered in runes to Adhere and Repulse along with a Trigger (Time) rune. Essentially, Ivor had twenty traps all lumped together. He would throw them and at the predetermined time, they would separate from one another.

The heavy head of the trap would point down as it fell. Another timer would detonate the trap towards the ground. Ivor had reinvented the cluster bomb.

With ten of these, he could cover half of the swarm front. Ivor put all ten on the ground. He mentally calculated how high and far he had to throw each one to have them detonate at nearly the same time.

The scouts should be in position to at least see the results. Ivor knew they pushed through the night. He had given them a number of stamina potions.

The swarm drew closer to the traps he had set. Ivor picked up the first cluster bombs. The instant the first magma traps went off, Ivor had all ten clusters in the air.

The swarm paused as the traps on one side went off. That was a huge mistake. The clusters spread apart and triggered sending massive fireballs into the other side of the swarm.

The massive fireball explosions threw the monsters and monster parts through the air. The sound and numerous shockwaves rushed past Ivor.

Ivor, on the high ground, waited for the dust and debris to settle. The swarm was decimated. There were perhaps a few hundred stragglers. Few of them were in good shape. Ivor rushed down to the ground and started dispatching the monsters still alive.

“You might want to check your notifications when you are in a safe spot,” Zed mentioned.

Ivor was certain some of the monsters would have scattered. They would have to pick those off when they could. Ivor headed to the first rendezvous with a scout. It wasn't far from where he had launched the cluster bombs from.

“I'll head back to the main message point and let them know about the success. I'm sure there are groups that will come back together. There might even be outlying groups that come to investigate. Be prepared to gather that intelligence and head back.” Ivor said, then sped off to the message area.

He got there to find both Marie's and Resnov's team.

“Hey, what are you all doing here?” Ivor asked.

“Turns out, we can move faster than most of the scouts,” Marie said. “So, Resnov convinced the council to let us act as the hunter/seeker teams. Once the scouts find the groups, we'll take them down.”

“How did it go with the swarm? We could hear the explosions from here.” Resnov chimed in.

“It's mostly gone. There will be stragglers, and I'm sure there were outlying groups like the ones that have been run into before. The main group is done.” Ivor paused. “Something about this is…..I don't know.

I just have a weird feeling. I'm going to follow their path back to the origin.”

“Well, be careful dad. I know nothing here can probably hurt you. Still…,” she said.

“I'm not sure how far these things have been moving. So, if I'm not back in a day or so, don't worry. If I feel I have to keep going, I'll try to find a village to send a message,” Ivor said.

Before leaving, Ivor checked his notifications. He had thousands of kill notifications. The vast amount of experience pushed him to Level 20.

You have reached Level 20….

Your first Class/Profession Evolution is available….

Would you like to Evolve your Class/Profession now: Yes/No

Ivor selected No.

He had a bunch of stat points to distribute, but he didn't want to take the time to decide. He could do that later. He sped off towards the path the swarm had taken.

A couple kilometer wide path of destruction was very easy to follow. Ivor ran throughout the day. He came across several villages that were completely empty. He kept going.

It was towards the end of the day that Ivor spotted a small mountain range in the distance. It was starting to get dark. He pulled his mask and hood up. As he got closer to the mountain range, the destruction seemed to range much wider.

“Ivor, you should take a look at your map. Zoom out so you can see Hunter's Rest.”

Ivor zoomed his map out.

“Well, shit. The path leads directly to Hunter's Rest. Something odd is happening here,” Ivor said.

“I find your species fascinating in your ability to subconsciously put things together. This “bad feeling” or “gut instinct” seems to be a sort of pattern recognition skill.”

“It doesn't always work,” Ivor reminded Zed

“True. However, it must be useful otherwise evolutionary changes would have forced it out long ago,” Zed countered.

Ivor shrugged. What the hell was going on with this swarm of monsters.

Ivor got closer to the mountain range and began looking more closely. He had Zed draw a straight line from Hunter's Rest all the way to the base of the mountains on his map. Ivor simply followed the line. As he got to the base of the mountain, he noticed a large cave.

“Zed, is that cave on a straight line with Hunter's Rest?” Ivor asked.

“Yes it is, Ivor.”

Ivor was convinced that someone or something set this swarm on Hunter's Rest. He had a good idea who, but he wanted to see if he could find any evidence. Ivor looked around the cave entrance. It looked like something had dug its way out of the mountain. The ground was pushed up and out.

Ivor moved into the cave and activated his dark vision on the mask.

“Zed, call out anything you notice.”

“Of course, Ivor.”

There were more signs that the tunnel he was moving down was dug out. There were obvious marks on the walls. Another oddity was that it was a single tunnel. No branches at all. It gradually moved into the mountain with a slight downward slope.

Ivor finally reached an opening into a large cavern. Slowing down and activating his armor camouflage, Ivor peeked into the large cavern. A quick glance showed him that this cavern looked natural.

There was a slope to his left that looked like rough steps carved out of the side of the cavern. The steps were too large for a human, but they looked just right for the monsters Ivor had seen. There was nothing else in the cavern except for two different tunnels.

One was large enough for one of the monsters to fit through. The other was much smaller.

Ivor made his way down the steps. He decided to try the smaller tunnel entrance first. The smaller tunnel was large enough for a human to walk in and wide enough for two people to walk side by side. This tunnel was too smooth to be natural. It was shaped either by magic or something else.

The tunnel was 30 meters long. When Ivor exited, he stood completely still. Looking around, Ivor was searching for anyone here. There were work benches of an unfamiliar design and a runic circle on the ground in the middle of the large room.

“What am I looking at Zed?”

“This circle looks like a travel circle. I am unfamiliar with the runes. I would suggest we be careful.”

Ivor didn't need to be told to be careful. He looked around the room. His [Trap Detection] skill was not showing him anything. He moved slowly and quietly around the room. There wasn't much on the work benches, but Ivor grabbed anything that looked like it could be identified.

Ivor moved out of the room and back into the larger chamber. He took the other tunnel. Again, the walls were too smooth to be natural. This tunnel was only 20 meters long and ended in another natural cavern. However, what was in this chamber made him pause.

“Zed, what the hell is this?”

“It is an abomination, Ivor. A perversion of magic and alchemy. You must destroy this thing,” Zed said.

Ivor was looking at some kind of monster. Well, really two or three different monsters all grafted together. There were large barrels of liquid with tubes running out of them and into the monster. As Ivor watched, the monster writhed and screamed. Ivor heard something plop behind the monster and the contraption it was connected to.

Ivor edged along the room slowly. He made it behind the monster, and noticed a large hole below the back end of the monster. Getting closer Ivor looked into the hole.

It was another smaller cavern. It was filled with eggs. Eggs about the size of a watermelon. There were hundreds down there.

“Ivor, they are creating another swarm,” Zed commented.

“You mean whoever set this up. And they were specifically targeting Hunter's Rest. How?” Ivor asked.

“Psychic imprint, scent, simple instructions to head in whatever direction,” Zed explained.

“Alright, this will be over in a moment,” Ivor said.

Ivor took out a magma grenade. He armed it and dropped it into the hole. A muffled explosion sounded then the cavern filled up with magma.

Some of the magma came out of the hole and started to destroy the barrels. Ivor threw three smaller fire spike traps at the abomination. The monster screamed as it burned. Ivor darted out of the cavern. He didn't know if any of those chemicals were explosive.

Ivor waited in the large cavern until the fire and fumes died down. He wanted to make sure the eggs were all gone and everything was destroyed. He was standing watching both tunnels, when a figure came out of the smaller tunnel. Ivor used [Identify]

Gulshun Lal (Galtu)

Mage - Level 40

Highest stat: Intelligence

Immunities: none

“Ivor, the Galtu are, I think you would say, a cartel. They deal in drugs, slaves, all sorts of nefarious activities. They are likely behind this,” Zed said.

“Would the World Guardian have been involved in this?” Ivor asked.

“Likely, given that Hunter's Rest was seemingly the swarms' goal. Yet another thing to hurt you. However, they would have needed help to get that travel circle built. It was probably someone in a local village,” Zed said.

Ivor cleared his throat. The man startled and turned around. He was tall. Two meters. He looked like a description of a devil. Red skin, yellow eyes, horns on the head. No tail though.

“Who are you and what are you doing here?” Gulshun Lal said.

“Oh, I was told to come here to give you some information. The other guy didn't make it. The swarm, or whatever, moved faster than we expected. Overran the village,” Ivor said

“Oh, well. One of the monitoring runes on the alchemical barrels sent a warning signal. It might be leaking or something. What is the information you were supposed to give me?” The man asked.

“The World Guardian is gone. Went insane or something. The System had the world citizens vote. No more World Guardian apparently,” Ivor said.

The Galtuan looked at Ivor for a moment. “Well, that's unfortunate. That World Guardian was supposed to pay us for all of this. I supposed we can just start moving on this planet quicker. There is nothing really holding us back from taking everything we want.”

“Hey, that's a great idea. I'm sure with all the travel circles you got, it should be simple to bring all the high level people you need to take control, right?” Ivor said with a stupid grin on his face.

“What are you blabbering about? This circle was hard enough to get made on this stupid low level world,” the man said.

“Perfect,” Ivor said.

The man must have sensed the change in Ivor's voice, and he started raising his hands to cast a spell. Unfortunately, Level 40 wasn't nearly high enough to catch Ivor. Using [Null Step] Ivor appeared directly in front of the man and straight punched him in the chest. The Galtuan's chest and ribs caved in as he rocketed into the stone wall. Ivor looted the man and pulled the body into his [Null Storage]

“If I disable the travel circle, will they be able to rebuild it?”

“Not without help on this side. With the World Guardian gone, it is highly unlikely they have any more contacts. It should be safe,” Zed said.

Ivor moved quickly into the other room, just in case there was someone else in there. Nobody else was there so Ivor got to work. He formed a flat plane of [Null Shield] and pushed it into the large rune stones of the travel circle. He made sure to sever each rune, then he pulled up all the stones and threw them into his [Null Storage].

He checked the monster and egg caverns. Nothing lived. He made his way out of the tunnel. He started planting explosive spike traps all over the ceiling of the cave entrance.

He detonated them, collapsing 15 meters of the entrance. It looked like a simple rock slide instead of a cave. It was time to head back.

Chapter Twenty-One

On his way back to Hunter's Rest, Ivor stopped at the central messaging area that was set up. Marie and Resnov's teams were taking care of groups of the swarm that were still out there. Ivor made sure everyone there knew that the main source of monsters was taken care of.

He made it back to Hunter's Rest in time to catch the council. He explained the situation about what he found and his conclusions as to the perpetrator.

“It's unlikely the World Guardian gave access to anywhere else. It seemed it was intending to hurt me specifically through all of you and my daughter,” Ivor explained. He said nothing about the Galtuan corpse he had in his [Null Storage]. That skill was a closely guarded secret.

As the private council meeting broke up, Mary walked with Ivor out of the building.

“One of our local hunters found an area not far from here. She thinks there was a group of 8 to 10 people camping around a fire. Seems as though they were attacked as there were clear signs of fighting and blood, but no bodies. The hunter brought it to us in case it was a roaming group of monsters.”

“Ok,” Ivor responded.

“It occurred to me that the area was the same direction the guards said those two groups we exiled were headed.”

Ivor turned to look at her, “And?”

“Nothing, just thought you should know in case someone asks,” she smirked.

Ivor relaxed.

“Did you think I was going to object to what you did?”

“Allegedly,” Ivor reminded her.

She chuckled, “Of course, allegedly.”

“Well, I've had quite a few people betray me recently, and my former career didn't engender a lot of trust in people. Old habits, I guess,” Ivor explained.

“Given your service to the community, I'll let it pass. This time,” she said with a mock serious tone.

They walked together in silence for a while.

“What are your plans?” Mary asked.

“Get Marie and the team some more experience before they take their Evolution. I need some time, myself, in a dungeon or five before I take my Evolution. Then head to the Freehold and get things set up before I head off world,” he said.

“I meant tonight,” she asked seductively.

Ivor shook his head, “Wow, I can be dense sometimes.”

Mary let out a husky, throaty laugh that Ivor liked quite a bit, “Yeah, Mr. Hero. You can be.”

“Well, I suppose. You are pretty decent company,” Ivor mused.

Mary punched him in the arm, “Way to make a gal feel wanted.”

They both laughed. Ivor said, “In all seriousness, you have a life here. I'm sure now that I'm a little more known, there will be rumors.”

Mary scoffed, “So what? We are both single adults. I have nothing to be ashamed of, and fuck them anyway. Most of them are just jealous.”

Ivor shrugged. Who was he to turn down good company? They headed to the inn.

The next morning, Ivor was down in the restaurant deciding what to do with the four levels of free points. His Perception was the stat lagging if he wanted to get all his stats up to 200 before taking his first Evolution. He ended up not putting points into Strength, Constitution or Willpower. In fact, he could ignore Willpower going forward. He allocated the points then looked at his stats.

Ivor Kemble (Human)

Credits: 7,292,356

Level: 20

Class: [Null]

Profession: Hunter

Strength: 122 (183)

Agility: 124 (186)

Endurance: 124 (186)

Constitution: 122 (183)

Intelligence: 179

Wisdom: 179

Willpower: 122 (244)

Perception: 183

Health: 1833

Mana: 1794

Stamina: 2034

Free Stat Points: 0

Doing the math, it would take eight more levels before he could get everything over 200. He could shorten that if he was able to get more stat increasing elixirs in dungeons. He wasn't in a huge hurry to get the Evolution. He was more interested to see if there was a reward for having all effective stats over 200 before the Evolution. Of course, the System might only consider base stats without the 50% modifier he got from the Inheritance to his Body stats. If that was the case, Ivor would just go ahead and do the Evolution. His Perfect Start title guaranteed at least one Epic level Profession choice.

What Ivor really wanted was to get Marie and her team over 20 in all stats. He needed to run them through some more high level dungeons. However, the last building, the travel circle, will be done soon. He wanted to get back to the Freehold soon.

Mary came down early, gave him a quick peck on the cheek and headed out. Marie and team were still out hunting leftover swarm monsters. Ivor supposed he could run a higher level dungeon.

He hadn't run a dungeon solo in a while. He decided to run some Level 40 dungeons. He could blast through those pretty quickly and he was getting low on his lower level monster cores. He was hoping to find some higher level dungeons off world. Right now, he could only do up to Level 60 dungeons.

Ivor spent 20 hours doing back to back dungeons. Every time Ivor changed the dungeon level, he would get a new random dungeon. That was just the way his title worked.

Some ended up taking longer than others. He finished 15 dungeons in that 20 hours. Unfortunately, Ivor's skill didn't allow him to lock in a dungeon for a time period. There were a few he would have liked to farm. Specifically, there was one with constructs that gave him a load of Dark Steel, and another dungeon with a shadow creature that Ivor was sure the skin could be used for some fantastic armor.

When Ivor got back to Hunter's Rest, Marie and Resnov's team were returning. Ivor watched them as they walked up to the inn. The teams were joking and laughing. The two teams had definitely formed a camaraderie over the last couple of days.

They all took seats together at a large table in the restaurant. Both teams were ready for a good meal.

“There were definitely a lot of stragglers. Might be some more out there, but the other teams can clean them up,” Resnov said.

“For sure, I think we caught the groups that had been bunched up, but after dad destroyed the queen or whatever it was, they all operated like they didn't know what to do. Some of the groups just watched as we fought other groups. They only attacked when we attacked,” Marie added.

Ivor nodded, “Must have been decent for experience. I see all of you have gained a level.”

They all smiled. Experience and leveling could be like a drug for the right type of person.

“I want to get headed to the Freehold soon. Very soon,” Ivor said.

Resnov was the first one to reply. “Mr. Kemble. You've done plenty for me just setting me on the right path. So, you don't have to say yes to my request.” The man paused, a little nervous. “Marie has mentioned that you might be going off-world. I've been thinking about your advice of starting a mercenary guild or adventuring guild.

I've talked to the rest of the team, and we'd like to do it. Except, we don't really know how. We were hoping we could head off-world too and learn by joining a guild ourselves. If anything, we know we're going to outstrip most of what we can fight on Earth for the immediate future.”

Ivor listened to the man explain the situation. It was well thought out. Based on the choices the rest of humanity decided, it might be decades before they had off world travel circles.

“Ok, that doesn't sound like a bad idea. Do you want to accompany us or come by later?” Ivor asked.

“We'd like to come with you, if it's ok with you and Marie's team,” Resnov looked in Marie's direction.

“They are a good team, and we all get along. I'm not opposed to having them join us,” Marie said as the rest of her team nodded in agreement.

“Ok then. Can everyone wrap up everything they need to do by tomorrow?” Ivor asked both groups.

They all nodded.

“Perfect. I think at your speed, it might take us four days to get there. So pack accordingly.” Ivor got nods from everyone then he headed off to inform the council and Austin.

Ivor made his way to the council building. Not all the councilors were around, but Mary was. He told her he was heading to the Freehold tomorrow. He also explained that Resnov's team was coming with.

“Losing Resnov's team will be a bit of a loss for us. However, several other teams have gained some good levels hunting down the rest of the swarm monsters.”

“Glad to hear it. I'm not one for long goodbye's, but I would very much enjoy your company this evening for dinner,” Ivor said.

“Just dinner?” She asked.

“Well, after dinner would be nice too.” Ivor grinned.

She laughed, “Sure, sounds good.”

Ivor gave her the time for dinner then headed out to find Austin. Ivor found him talking to Kate. She was laughing at something Austin said. Austin looked much more comfortable around Kate.

“Austin, just the man I was looking for,” Ivor said

Austin and Kate turned. Kate gave a little wave.

“Ivor, what do you need?” The young man was all business.

“Just wanted to let you know that I'm heading back to the Freehold tomorrow. I'm planning on heading off-world after that. I might not be back for a while,” Ivor said.

The young man frowned. “I understand. It was good to have you here. Once again, you saved a lot of people.”

“Nothing you wouldn't have done yourself if you had my abilities. Of that I'm sure.” Ivor said. “Oh, you two should come by the inn for dinner later. I have some things I want to leave with you.”

The pair nodded, and Ivor left them to walk around the town.

Ivor was wandering around an open air market area when someone came up to him.

“It's you isn't it?” Tracy asked. Ivor wasn't wearing his mask and hood, but his current armor wasn't too different from what he was wearing.

“Hi, Tracy. I hope things are going well,” Ivor said.

She immediately hugged him. Ivor wasn't much of a hugger, but he could understand her feelings.

“Thank you so much, Hunter,” she said with a slight sob in her voice.

“Call me Ivor, Tracy. I don't think I'll be hiding my identity much anymore.”

“Ok, Ivor. Thank you again. Most of the people have integrated well. Some of the women are taking longer to adjust, but the council has been good at trying to work with them and one of the Support Classers was a psychologist previously.

The gold you gave us went a long way. After traveling here, most of us need time to recover. Those funds helped ease the burden on the town.”

“Glad to hear it,” Ivor said.

“Well, I won't keep you. I just wanted to thank you.” She patted his arm and walked away.

Ivor was in good spirits as he walked around the town. Before long, he headed back to the inn. He needed to prepare a few going away packages. It wouldn't do for him to be pulling stuff out of his [Null Storage] in front of everyone.

When it was dinner time, Mary, Austin and Kate showed up. They had a pretty large group with Marie and Resnov's team. The restaurant didn't mind. The group's money was good. They had a good meal then Ivor went up to his room to gather the gifts he had. Two large bags and one small one.

Everyone had after dinner drinks by the time Ivor came down.

“Well, I'm not one for long goodbye's, but I also try to leave my friends in a better place if I'm going to be gone for a while. The bag is for you Austin,” Ivor handed him the bag. “Kate, this one's for you.”

Kate took the bag, “Do we look now, or is this secret stuff?”

Ivor chuckled, “It's your stuff now. Share whatever you want.”

The two young people looked inside the rather large bags. Their eyes bugged out of their heads. Ivor smiled. It reminded him of giving a young Marie gifts. The shock and wonder on their faces was priceless.

“Well,” Resnov said, “are you going to hold out on us?”

The two started dumping gear out onto the tables. There were weapons and armor galore. There were rings, amulets and bracers.

Boots, gloves, hoods, masks. Ivor had sold most of the garbage he got in dungeons, but his last runs in the Level 40 dungeons had given him a lot of good gear along with all the monster cores he got.

Some of the stuff was on par with the gear Quanzul had made for Marie's team. Of course, Ivor was going to outfit them with even better stuff once they got their first Evolution. Ivor knew it wouldn't be cheap. His dungeon runs had helped boost his finances even more. That 100% increase in rewards from his [Sole Contributor] skill was no joke.

Austin was lost for words. Kate immediately came over and hugged him. Everyone was admiring all the gear when Ivor slid into a seat next to Mary.

“This is for you.” Ivor handed her the smaller bag.

She looked inside and her mouth dropped open. “Ivor…., I…. I don't think I can take this. It's too much.”

“Nonsense. Look, do what you want with the magic items and gold. Use it yourself, or use it for the town. You are a good woman, and this town will need strong leadership. Having the funds to do the things you want will go a long way to you staying in charge. You will likely be the richest person in town,” Ivor said.

“How did you get all this?” She asked.

“I ran 15 level 40 dungeons over a 20 hour period. I have a skill that gives me 100% increased rewards, plus a title that gives me rare rewards. I have plenty. I want to see what you can do with it.” Ivor smiled at her.

She looked up at Ivor, grabbed his face with both hands and kissed him. He heard a few catcalls and lewd comments from the table. He couldn't be sure, but he thought he heard Marie in there too.

The group was talking to Austin and Kate about their gear. Some of the stuff Ivor explained.

Ivor leaned over to Resnov, “Don't worry. I wouldn't let you go off-world looking like a scrub.”

Resnov looked at Ivor then burst out laughing.

It was a good evening, but like all good evenings, things eventually come to an end. Everyone retired to their rooms. After a nice evening together, Mary slipped out of Ivor's room late that night. Tomorrow it was time to head to the Freehold.

Chapter Twenty-Two

The group of ten moved as fast as they were able. Despite their higher levels now, some of the Mages still didn't have the highest Agility stat. This limited their speed overall. Ivor was just happy to be heading to the Freehold. The trip took them a little over four days, but it was largely uneventful.

They did encounter more mutated wolves. These were similar to the ones that Ivor had fought off with Austin, except higher level. Ivor wasn't sure if there was some mechanism increasing the monster level to match the humans, or if it was just natural growth from killing other animals and monsters.

The entrance was easy enough to find, if you knew where to look. It resembled nothing more than a slightly hidden cave entrance. Ivor and the group stepped through. That familiar flash of light, like entering a dungeon or the System Market, came and went.

The group was standing in a wooded area. Ivor immediately set off at a pace everyone could follow.

When they broke from the trees, the entire group gasped in shock. Ivor's eyes widened. In the place of his previous small cabin was a large manor house. It was damn near a mansion but without all the superfluous decoration.

It was still styled, but the styling was tasteful and subdued. There was another building that was some way off from the manor. That building was the travel circle.

A Tier 1 travel circle could be quite large. Ivor decided to move it half a kilometer away from the manor.

As they got closer, Ivor saw something lying on the covered porch of the manor. His heart skipped a beat. Rushing over, Ivor found Kitty, now a monster, lying down, barely breathing. She had huge gashes across her body.

Ivor immediately pulled out a health potion and poured it down the monster cat's throat. Ivor kept a close eye on the wounds. Some of them weren't healing as well as he expected.

The rest of the group caught up to Ivor.

“Umm, dad, why are you healing this monster?” Marie asked.

“She's not a monster,” Ivor stated. “Well, yes, she is, but the System transformed this old cat that had adopted me when I lived here before the System. We were just two old dying warriors…”

Ivor trailed off. Looking at Lance Jacobs, “I'd appreciate you looking after her. She's too low level for her to hurt you. Something is going on with these wounds. I'm guessing a poison of some sort.”

The former doctor nodded, “Of course Ivor.”

Resnov spoke up, “What can we do to help?”

Ivor looked at the teams. “Marie's team can stay here. Resnov, if you don't mind, do a spiral search outward from this location. I'm going to use [Tracking] to find out what did this.

When I left, there weren't many monsters here. Marie, if you can access the System Market to get a message to Esqin and Aza to finish off the quest. They can come here or we can go there.”

An image appeared on the porch of a slightly human looking entity.

“Welcome to Kemble Freehold, I am Zed,” Zed said.

Ivor facepalmed, “Zed, I'm sorry. I should have introduced you earlier.”

“It is understandable Ivor. Please carry on, I can help Marie and the team find their way around here.”

Ivor nodded and, in the blink of an eye, he was gone.

“Damn, he can move fast,” one of Resnov's teammates said as they also headed out to search.

Zed's image turned to Marie. “Ms. Kemble, it is a pleasure to finally meet you.”

“Thank you. My dad isn't very forthcoming with information. Obviously, we know about you and some of my dad's antics during the Evaluation. Why don't you show me to the System Market first,” Marie said.

“Of course. Your father had the System Market detached from the main manor house. You can find it just around the left side of the manor.” Zed pointed in the direction.

Marie and Emily walked over that direction while Lance and Chris kept an eye out front. They got to the side of the rather large manor and noticed a building that looked like an oversized, pre-System garage. They opened the side door and were in the System Market in a flash. Marie didn't spend long in the System Market. She sent the message to Esqin and quickly left. Marie and Emily returned to the front of the manor to wait with Lance and Chris.

Meanwhile, Ivor had found a blood trail. He put up his hood and mask. He activated the camouflage on his armor and slowed down.

Kitty's wounds had looked fairly fresh. The trail took him closer to the small lake and waterfall. The trail had him angling towards the mountains near the waterfall.

Ivor noticed a small clearing further ahead. As he paused, he could hear numerous clicking noises. Like someone clacking two wooden sticks together. Ivor slowed further as he got close to the noise in the clearing.

Ivor was close enough to use [Identify]

Mutated Earth Black Ant

Level 18

Highest stat: Strength

Immunities: none

Yeah, these ants were mutated for sure. They were well over a meter in height and at least four meters long. Their large heads had two vicious looking mandibles.

At the moment, three of the ants were devouring a monster corpse of some kind. As Ivor inspected the ground, it looked as though the ants had caught Kitty after she made a kill. Being higher level than her, it was clear they must have caught her, but she was able to escape.

Ivor blasted out from the surrounding trees and physically smashed the ants. In under a second, it was over. He looted the corpses.

Looking around, he used [Tracking] to get a sense of where the ants had come from. The area was pretty well churned up. Ivor eventually found a trail. It seemed the ants traveled mostly single file. Ivor kept following their trail.

It took him an hour, but he finally found the source. There was a large mound of disturbed earth. It was a large ant hill.

It was nestled up against the mountain. Ivor sped off to see if he could find more mounds. He didn't find any more, but he did run into another group of ants.

Ivor decided to head back to the manor. He could deal with this later. Kitty would have learned her lesson.

She was much faster than these ants. She would avoid them in the future. Both teams were in an uneasy standoff with Kitty when he returned.

The cat-turned-monster looked quickly at him as he approached then hung her head. Ivor pulled out the last of the Vamhael boar he had and held it in his hand. Kitty gradually approached and gently took the piece of meat out of his hand. She immediately started devouring it. After finishing off the meat, she looked up at Ivor.

“I don't have any more right now. You'll have to get your own. Stay away from the ants,” Ivor said.

The cat cocked its head. It seemed to come to a conclusion. It would wait. She pranced her way up to the large covered front patio of the manor and curled up into a very cat-like ball.

“Zed, are you able to get things from the System? I know you can reconfigure some things in the Admin building, but when I was in the Evaluation, there was soap and things,” Ivor asked.

“Yes, Ivor. If you provide a household fund, I should be able to get anything you need. You should notice an extensive list of settings for the Freehold in your overlay,” Zed said.

Ivor started looking through the settings. He found the area to transfer funds and sent 1.25 million credits, or 250 gold, into the household account. He allowed Zed to make purchases on behalf of the household.

He also found the area to delegate access. He gave Marie access to make decisions for the Freehold, including adding additional Tier 1 buildings in his absence.

Marie got that far away look of someone reading things in their overlay. It was probably a lot of text pertaining to the Freehold.

“Ivor, I should point out that both the travel circle and shield require an investment of mana to operate. They will function off of ambient mana after that. However, the initial amount is quite high. I suggest you start with the travel circle.

Given your large mana pool, but normal regeneration, it will likely take a couple days to charge just the circle. The shield will take longer,” Zed informed Ivor.

The two Mages on Resnov's team chimed in, “Can anyone contribute?”

“Yes, anyone can feed mana into the system,” Zed replied.

“We'd like to contribute.” One of the Mages said, “It's the least we can do.”

Marie followed that, “I'll help too. Dad, while you regenerate, we will feed in the mana.”

“That should shave half a day off the charging process,” Zed concluded.

Chris spoke up, “What about the rest of us?”

Ivor thought for a moment, “If the rest of you are up to investigating where I found the ants coming from, that would be helpful. Also, hunt down any more of them. I have a feeling they would strip this valley bare if given a chance.”

So, the newly formed team of two fighters, two rogues and two healers headed off.

“Marie, if you wouldn't mind, take a walk through the manor. Figure out where everyone is going to bed down. Get Zed a list of everything we will need for basic living. If you need more funds, just let me know. I'm going to start feeding mana into the travel circle,” Ivor said

Marie grabbed the two other Mages, and they went to investigate the manor.

Ivor quickly went to the travel circle building. The Tier 1 circle could handle about 30 people or two large carts at a time. There was a large double door entrance that was heavily reinforced. Zed had explained that there would be options for additional protection. It was unlikely anyone would be able to find this location without exact coordinates, but better to be safe than sorry.

Zed showed Ivor the control console. It was a setup similar to the System Market. Once powered up, the display hovered at eye height just like the System Market interface. Zed had Ivor select the settings tab. The tab itself was a step-by-step guide to initializing the travel circle. It was well done and similar in some respects to the Vamhael History book. It was both text as well as video/audio instructions and examples.

The building produced a chair for Ivor to sit at the console. He practiced feeding and saving the mana. This was necessary to hand off the process to someone else.

Ivor started feeding his mana in. The console gave him readouts to show his speed of mana transfer as well as total percentage charged. The speed of transfer was important. You could burn out the runes if you pushed too much too fast.

Ivor could dump a lot of mana quickly. In addition, his mana manipulation was fairly decent. It was easy for Ivor to keep up the pace.

It took him about 10 minutes to dump nearly 1800 mana into the travel circle. It took twice that long to top off his mana again.

Ivor had been feeding mana into the travel circle for a little over two hours before Marie and the Mages returned. Ivor went over the process with them. It wasn't long before they got into a rhythm. Given their smaller mana pools and higher mana regeneration rate, the three Mages could run two rounds each before Ivor was back up to full mana. They settled into a groove. The Mages were telling stories about their dungeon runs with Ivor. Marie subsequently commiserated with the Mages telling stories of their trip out here. The three agreed on one thing, Ivor was a slave driver.

They had been at it for hours when Ivor noticed how tired the Mages were. He decided they needed a break. He hadn't even been in the manor yet. When they got to the manor, the team he sent to look into the giant ant problem was back.

Chris commented, “Seems to be a steady stream coming out. They are exiting in intervals then spreading out. We killed all the groups that have exited, but you might need to do something about it pretty quickly.”

Zed reminded them all of something, “The shield would take care of this, but you won't have that up for several days.”

Ivor thought for a while. “Anybody have earth magic abilities? In order to take care of this, we would need to get into the tunnels. Someone would need to widen them. I can give you some of my spike traps to detonate and close off any tunnels you need to. I can also supply you with plenty of mana potions.”

One of the mages responded, “Yeah, I should be able to shape the tunnels so that we can move in them. It doesn't require a lot of mana, but I won't be able to contribute to a fight.”

“Ok, while everyone sleeps, I'll work on some more spike traps that might help you. I'll also enchant a bunch of light disks to help you see better.” Ivor tried to think of anything else they needed.

Marie also spoke, “Our team can help. We need the experience anyway. Maybe we can rotate out as we clear sections. It will slow down your travel circle charging though.”

The final Mage chimed in, “I can stay back and help charge it up. It might not be a lot, but maybe enough.”

Ivor nodded and thanked everyone. Marie went to show everyone where they could stay. In the meantime, Ivor made some sandwiches and soup.

Nobody here was a very good cook. It was something Ivor would have to look into when he got a chance.

While everyone else rested, Ivor pumped out a ton of light disks and packed a bunch of lower level spike traps into a bag. He filled another backpack with mana potions. He left a note with Zed to give to Marie when they woke. Ivor went back to the travel circle building and started pumping mana into it again.

Chapter Twenty-Three

Ivor had been pushing mana into the travel circle for several hours when the Mage from Resnov's team showed up. Already knowing what to do, the pair quickly got into a rhythm. Ivor had the man take more breaks, and eventually, they took a break for lunch.

When they headed back to the manor, Zed had information for Ivor. Marie had heard back from Esqin. Esqin, Aza and Quanzul would be ready to arrive at the Freehold in two days' time. Marie had let them know they were clearing out a monster infestation and they would get back to them when that was done.

The rest of the day went like the morning. At the end of the day, Ivor left the Mage at the Manor and quickly arrived at the ant mound. The team had set up a campsite. Currently, Marie's team was waiting around.

“How's it going?” Ivor asked.

“It's going well. It's a bit tedious, and we have to be really careful. We are gaining some good experience. It feels like I'm on the cusp of Level 24. Once we all hit that, our stat goals will be complete and we can take our Class Evolution,” Marie said. The rest of the team nodded in agreement.

“If you don't mind, I'd like you to wait until Aza and Quanzul are here to trigger your Evolution. They have a lot of knowledge we don't. Zed can help some as well, but I think those two will have good advice.”

Marie and the team agreed. Seeing that they had things under control, Ivor headed back to the manor. Kitty had run off somewhere, which was fine.

Ivor worked with Zed to set up a generic workshop in one of the basement rooms. He had used one to create the traps the two teams would need to deal with the ants. He realized that the area could be more comfortable to work in. Ivor had spent so much time on the road working in less than ideal conditions that he didn't think about comfort as much as he probably should.

He had Zed get several work benches that could be raised and lowered, storage, stools and chairs, etc…

It was mid-day the next day when Emily came bursting into the travel circle building.

“Ivor, we might need you.” She panted, clearly having pushed her Agility to get here fast. “We must have struck a nerve. The Queen and some much larger, tougher ants came blasting out of the hole. We might have a minute before they are here.”

Ivor flashed past Emily and out in the direction of the hole. He passed the two teams moving as fast as they could away from something he could hear crashing behind them.

“Get your teams set up at the manor outside the protective shield. I'll let some of these pass. When no more are coming, head towards me to help clean up the stragglers,” Ivor said as he rushed by them.

Ivor quickly reached the ants. These ants were definitely larger. Ivor used [Identify]

Mutated Earth Black Ant - Soldier

Level 22

Highest stat: Strength

Immunities: none

These Soldier Ants were higher level and physically larger. There were about 10 of them in this group. The Soldiers were about 5 meters tall and 15 long, but their chitin looked thicker and their mandibles were definitely larger.

Their joints looked sturdier and they moved a bit faster. Ivor was guessing their Strength was much higher than the normal ants.

Ivor pulled out his baston on the run and slammed into the ants like a runaway freight train. Several ants were thrown off their legs. Ivor quickly smashed seven of the ants into paste.

He used [Null Step] to disappear from their view and activated his armor camouflage. Sneaking back at an angle, he watched the disoriented ants pick up the scent of the teams and head towards the manor. The two teams should be able to take care of three.

Ivor kept up the same tactic. He encountered three more groups as he made his way to the ant mound. When Ivor got to the edge of the woods, he was glad the teams had retreated. There were 30 Soldier ants and a huge ant he proceeded to {Identify}

Mutated Earth Black Ant - Queen

Level 30

Highest stat: Willpower

Immunities: none

The queen being level 30 was interesting. The highest stat being Willpower was also interesting. The queen was physically very large. It was 10 meters tall and 30 long.

“Zed, ant queens normally use pheromones, correct?”

“Yes, Ivor. Normal Earth ant queens do not control a colony. They exude pheromones that direct the other ants how to behave. It is possible that the queen still uses pheromones, but the mutation may have also allowed some direct control through its Willpower. That may also explain why it became enraged and left the safety of the earth. It could tell its colony was being killed off. You could use your [Tracking] skill to try to smell the pheromones,” Zed explained.

The human sense of smell wasn't as keen as a dog. So, Ivor had never thought to use it in this manner. Ivor triggered [Tracking] and took a deep breath through his nose. Instantly he could smell something he had never smelled before.

He turned his head and sniffed in the direction of the manor, then back towards the clearing with the queen. These were the pheromones he was smelling. It looked like Zed might be correct. Pheromones plus direct control of the colony seemed likely.

That meant Ivor probably needed to be a little more careful with this group. The queen may have better control and tactics with this group.

“Regular ants are susceptible to cold, correct?”

“That is correct, Ivor. However, we do not know if that is true for these mutated ants,” Zed cautioned.

“Won't hurt to try some cold grenades. I haven't used these much.”

Ivor stored his baston and pulled out several cold grenades. They would essentially flash freeze anything in the area. He was curious to see what the queen would do when she saw him. Ivor stepped out of the woods and turned his camouflage off.

The queen screeched when she saw him. Immediately five of the soldiers ants broke off to attack him. Ivor lobbed a cold grenade at them. As it detonated, the five soldier ants froze in their tracks.

Screeching again, ten other soldier ants came at Ivor. Ivor tossed another grenade, but this time, several of the ants quickly broke away from the group. Another five ants froze while the other five moved towards Ivor quickly.

“Those that broke off seem to be directly controlled. Notice how they do not all bunch together as they come after you,” Zed commented.

Ivor nodded. He wasn't waiting for them to get to him. He leaped up into the air. His insane stats meant he moved faster than the ants could follow. With a resounding, Crack, Ivor punched the queen in the head. Chitin shattered and the queen tumbled backwards leaking fluids.

Ivor quickly pulled out an earth grenade and chucked it down the massive hole in the ground. Ivor didn't want anyone getting away.

The Soldier ants went crazy when he hit the queen. Their speed increased as they all rushed towards Ivor. Ivor flashed past them and started picking off ants around the periphery. He was hoping the two teams would get here soon. He wanted them to get some experience from the Level 30 queen.

Ivor dodged and disabled most of the ants by the time the teams showed up. He had to knock the queen back an additional time.

“Form up two teams and take out the injured ants,” Ivor yelled to the two teams.

Smooth as silk, the two teams broke apart and rushed the nearest disabled ant. The queen had managed to get up and it screeched again. Several members of each team grasped at their heads.

Oh ho, that screech was an actual attack. Ivor didn't even register it with a Willpower over 200.

Leaping up, Ivor smashed the queen in the head, knocking it over once again. Looking around, he noticed a few injuries, but the teams were cleaning up the Soldier ants. After the queen was down, the teams could go around and kill the frozen ants. Zed had informed Ivor they were just in some sort of dormant state. The cold would dissipate before it actually killed them.

“Go for the queen. I'll keep overwatch,” Ivor told the teams.

Without hesitation, the teams picked out some obvious weak points and went to work. Sure the queen was higher level than them, but it was ten against one with the ten being battle hardened monster killers. Ivor was proud.

As soon as the queen died, Emily shot both arms into the air, Hell Yeah!!!”

Ivor chuckled. He wasn't sure if it was for taking down the queen or that she finally hit Level 24 and had 20 in all stats.

The teams finished off the frozen ants and approached Ivor.

Ivor headed off the obvious first question from monster hunters, “Decide how you want to split the loot. I don't need it. When you're done, let's get that hole opened back up and see what was going on down there.” Ivor pointed towards the now sealed up mound.

Ivor was somewhat surprised at the looting process between the two teams. It wasn't that they were arguing over wanting something. No, they were arguing over giving things away to the other team.

The teams had grown close during their brief combat experience together. They didn't want to short change the other team. Once the loot was divided up, the Mage with the earth skill opened up the hole for Ivor. Instead of wasting more light disks, Ivor went down alone. With his mask on, he could see just fine.

The queen had really done a number on the tunnels. Ivor had no problem standing up. Previously, the tunnels were too small for a normal human to stand in. Ivor sped up a bit. Despite the rubble on the tunnel floor, the Surefooted feature of his boots seemed to keep him from tripping.

It appeared that the queen ant had made a mostly direct route out of the earth to the surface. There were a few long sweeping curves. However, the tunnel led gradually lower.

Ivor eventually came to a large cavern. Ivor was most interested in how the queen reached Level 30. It was possible if the colony had killed a lot of other monsters down here. Ivor was curious if there was some other reason.

The cavern was really large. It was roughly oval shaped with the longer end being about a half a kilometer long. The floor to ceiling was easily 100 meters. Ivor could see several openings at the bottom of the cavern.

One opening was large enough for the queen to fit through. The others were closer to the size of the regular ants.

Ivor made his way to the opening the queen could have used. It was a short tunnel that led to another cavern. This cavern was definitely different.

It was large, but not nearly as large as the previous cavern. There were two things that stood out to Ivor. The first was the large number of eggs in the room. That put Ivor a little on edge. The second thing was the slight glow he could see around the floor and walls.

On a hunch, Ivor activated [Mana Manipulation]. He was able to trace the mana by manipulating a little of it. It looked like veins in the rock. Ivor paused then walked over to a bare patch of wall where he had seen one of these veins. Rubbing his hand over the stone, he brushed away some dirt.

Nothing obvious stood out to him. Ivor punched the wall. Dirt and stone fell to the floor. Ivor didn't want to hit the wall too hard.

He could probably bring the whole cavern down. He kept punching until he was about 15 centimeters deep.

His fist bounced off something. Ivor brushed way more of the dirt and rock. It looked like a vein of metal. Ivor turned on his [Mana Manipulation] again. He was nearly blinded by the blue light coming off the metal.

Ivor wasn't sure what this was but clearly it was metal infused with a lot of mana. Ivor pulled out his Dark Steel knife and tried chipping some of the metal off. His knife didn't even scratch the other metal.

Well, Ivor wondered if the intense mana down here due to this metal was the reason the ant queen had such a high level. Ivor wasn't sure what to do about the eggs.

“Zed, what can you tell me about ant eggs.”

“Normal ant eggs hatch in a very short time within a week or two. They hatch as worm-like larvae. They are fed by workers and they molt several times before spinning a cocoon becoming pupae. They then emerge from the cocoon as adult ants. I believe if these do hatch, they will likely just die from malnutrition fairly quickly,” Zed explained.

“Do you think these are worth anything?” Ivor asked.

“It's possible. They are not, technically, monsters. They are a mutated animal from your planet. It is possible that they are novel enough to be worth something.”

Ivor gathered up all the eggs. It took up a huge amount of space in his [Null Storage]. Ivor couldn't fit down the smaller entrances. So, he settled on trapping them.

With that out of the way, he headed back to the surface. Reaching the surface, Ivor and the two teams headed back to the manor. It was time to finish charging the travel circle.

Chapter Twenty-Four

Ivor asked Marie to get a message to Esqin. In two days, Esqin, Aza and Quanzul would arrive. Ivor could finish his quest and Marie's team could choose their Evolution. There wasn't enough room for the new guests in the house along with the two teams. Resnov's team offered to stay outside in tents, but Ivor had a better idea.

Ivor spent 50,000 credits on a basic guest quarters for Resnov's team to stay in. This wasn't one of his pool of Tier 1 buildings, but it was a System building. Nobody at the Freehold had a construction skill. It was a nice building. It turned out a bit like a hotel with small one bedroom suites.

Ivor had Zed furnish it with the basics. Resnov's team didn't deserve to sleep in tents with all the help they had provided.

Ivor had finished charging up the travel circle and was working on the Tier 1 shield. It took quite a bit more mana to charge. Zed explained that most of the excess mana was used for restoring the shield or reinforcing it during an attack. The shield would absorb ambient mana as well. Ivor just needed to put in enough mana to make it function and give a little bit of a buffer until the mana storage was full.

Ivor had asked Zed to provide foods that were common on the planet his guests were from, Menevris. Esqin, Aza and Quanzul were a species called F'on. They were an avian species. Ivor asked Zed not to give him too many details. He wanted to be surprised. His guests already knew what the humans looked like as they had detailed pictures and scans from the System to make their armor.

It turned out that the Tier 1 travel circle had extensive security controls. Ivor could restrict access by sector, planet, city/town, species, material (in the case of cargo), and individual. There were a huge amount of other settings Ivor didn't need to get into.

Ivor simply had to provide his travel circle control display with the names and locations of the people traveling. Ivor could then allow them free access to his travel circle from any location once the initial transfer was complete.

Ivor's travel circle building was fairly large to accommodate a larger circle for transporting goods and people. It had two large doors that could be opened to get cargo out. Ivor had those doors opened up. It gave a nice view of the manor along with the lake and mountains in the background.

It was Ivor and Marie standing by the circle. Ivor had asked everyone else to stand outside the doors. This was a dangerous looking group, and Ivor didn't want to send the wrong first impression.

Ivor had given Zed permissions to access the travel circle controls. As the Freehold Guardian, he couldn't take any action to knowingly harm the Freehold. Not that Zed would anyway. Ivor was convinced of Zed's commitment to their partnership.

When the time came, the travel circle runes lit up. It was not dissimilar to how the Inheritance circles behaved. A bright light shot up into the air forming a cylinder from the runes. The light completely obscured what was inside for only a moment. When the cylinder of light dropped, three figures were standing in the travel circle.

With his high Perception and Intelligence, Ivor quickly processed what he was seeing. First, all three were clearly evolved avians. Although they were humanoid in shape, walking upright with two arms and legs, their heads leaned avian.

For starters, their heads were a bit narrow. The eyes were slightly wider than human. Due to the narrow head, the eyes could see well beyond the periphery of human sight.

The nose was more like a beak, but not. It was more flattened. The nose slits were there, but instead of a pronounced hard beak, there was a more flattened beak.

Their beak had evolved into something closer to hard lips. The mouth could obviously open wide, similar to an earth bird. From their smiles, it looked like they had evolved to be omnivores like humans.

The three were clothed. The heads showed off both small and large feathers. Ivor noted that the two males had striking colors to their feathers.

Likely an evolutionary hold over designed to attract a mate. One of the males' feathered features were much duller in color. Ivor assumed this was Quanzul as Ivor knew he was older than Aza. They all had hands with three fingers and an opposable thumb. The fingers were tipped with a nail that looked more like a bird's claw. They wore shoes or boots. Ivor could see their feet hadn't evolved as much. There were three large front toes and a large back toe, like a bird's clawed foot.

Ivor was broken from his split second investigation when a chirping laugh came from the smaller of the three.

“Marie!!!” Esqin exclaimed as she rushed off the travel circle and hugged Ivor's daughter. Marie was hugging her back laughing.

Ivor stepped forward addressing Aza and Quanzul, “Aza, Quanzul, welcome to my Freehold.”

Aza Krix stepped forward, “Ivor, well met. So happy to finally meet you in person.” Aza grasped Ivor's arm at the forearm in friendship.

Quanzul stepped forward, “It is good to finally meet you. Cheeky or not.” He put out his hand in a very human-like handshake. “I read up on how you humans tend to greet each other.”

Ivor took the man's hand. Being Epic level, Quanzul started to squeeze. Ivor just laughed and squeezed back.

Quanzul winced. Shaking his hand out in mock pain. “Damnit man, how damn strong are you.”

“Stronger than most. Not as strong as I want to be,” Ivor said and winked at the man.

Ha!! Cheeky as ever. Good man,” Quanzul said and slapped Ivor on the shoulder.

Ivor turned, “As Esqin already gave away, this is my daughter Marie.”

Aza moved forward and took both of Marie's hands in his. “Marie, I am so happy to see you safe and sound. We did what we could within the confines of your Evaluaton.”

“Your help was a huge boon for us. I'm not sure we could have pushed as hard without your help.” She replied. Turning to Quanzul, she continued, “We definitely would have had many more injuries without your fabulous armor, Quanzul. Thank you.”

The older man blushed a bit at the praise, “Ah, well… happy to help.”

Ivor turned to Esqin, “..and you young lady.” He swept her up in a hug. Whispering as he hugged her, “I owe you everything kid.”

He set Esqin down and proceeded out the building with his guests. Marie introduced the rest of her team. Ivor introduced Resnov's team. Given the location of the travel circle building, the three F'on had a wonderful view of the manor, the mountains and the lake.

“Oh my.” Aza took in a breath, “Ivor, your Freehold is wonderful. It's so peaceful here.”

Ivor thanked him and they made their way to the manor. Ivor apologized for the simple meal. His guest waved away the apology.

The groups spent the afternoon talking and relating stories to Resnov's group about their interactions over the System Market. Zed made his appearance early on and contributed to the conversation. Evening finally came as Aza made an announcement.

“Marie Kemble, I believe you were brought here for a reason. I am ready for my personal recital of The Craig-Y-Don Blacksmith.”

Marie stood and cleared her throat,

Once upon a time an old blacksmith lived in an old forge at Craig-y-don, and he used to drink a great deal, too much beer.

One night he was coming home from an alehouse very tipsy, and as he got near a small stream a lot of little men suddenly sprang up from the rocks, and one of them, who seemed to be older than the rest, came up to him, and said,

"If you don't alter your ways of living you'll die soon; but if you behave better and become a better man you'll find it will be to your benefit," and they all disappeared as quickly as they had come.

The old blacksmith thought a good deal about what the fairies had told him, and he left off drinking, and became a sober, steady man.

One day, a few months after meeting the little people, a strange man brought a horse to be shod. Nobody knew either the horse or the man.

The old blacksmith tied the horse to a hole in the lip of a cauldron (used for the purpose of cooling his hot iron) that he had built in some masonry.

When he had tied the horse up he went to shoe the off hind-leg, but directly he touched the horse the spirited animal started back with a bound, and dragged the cauldron from the masonry, and then it broke the halter and ran away out of the forge, and was never seen again: neither the horse nor its master.

When the old blacksmith came to pull down the masonry to rebuild it, he found three brass kettles full of money.

Marie had a good voice and was a good story teller. When she finished everyone applauded.

“Thank you, Marie. That was wonderful,” Aza said, turning to Ivor. “I believe this completes your quest.”

Ivor got a notification.

Quest: Deliver Marie Kemble to Kemble Freehold safely for an in-person reading of The Craig-Y-Don Blacksmith

Status: Complete

Reward: 50 gold coins

A small bag appeared on the table in front of Ivor. It was indeed 50 gold coins.

The groups talked into the night. As people wandered off to get sleep, Aza and Quanzul stayed behind. The three men retreated to Ivor's library. It wasn't filled with books, but Marie would likely take care of that before too long. It did have a bunch of comfortable seating.

“With your species voting to not have a World Guardian, advancement is likely to be slow here.” Aza started the conversation, “What are your plans? If you don't mind, of course”

“I don't mind at all. You're right about that vote and the result. That might not be a bad thing for humanity. We may need the extra time to get used to this new reality.

The only thing humans would like more than warring with each other is warring with someone else.” Ivor shook his head. He continued, “Other than the Freehold, there is nothing for me here. I'm going to need to leave to grow.”

Aza and Quanzul shared a look. Aza spoke again, “That could be good for us. The book I told you about has a lot of information about lost skills, titles, etc… as you know. The thing we didn't want to tell you over System Market channels was that it also has coordinates. In our younger days, Quanzul and I attempted to access some of these planets.”

“Attempted?” Ivor asked.

“Yes, we immediately left. The danger was too high,” Quanzul interjected. “We may be able to help each other. Your unique power could help us access these lost planets. We have no idea what's in these places, but these are some of the earliest locations from when the System started as far as we can tell.”

Aza continued, “I won't lie to you Ivor. There is likely a lot of wealth to be made from this. More wealth is not something either of us need. It's about the discovery of long lost knowledge, items and peoples.” Aza pointed to himself and Quanzul.

“We have been sitting on these potential discoveries for over a hundred years simply because we can't find anyone strong enough that we trust. Well, we trust you.” Quanzul said.

Aza nodded, “We would like to form a more formal partnership. Business partnership. You are in yet another unique position for this. Your Freehold allows you to enter into contracts with other business entities without you being a business yourself. Furthermore, Freeholds aren't required to belong to a guild or consortium to do widespread business.”

“Zed, would you mind being present,” Ivor asked.

Zed appeared in the room with the three men, “I can not help but be present, Ivor.”

Quanzul chirped a deep laugh, “Even your Guardian is cheeky. Which came first, I wonder? The F'on or the egg?”

Ivor chuckled. It seemed some idioms transcended species. “I think we're just two beings cut from the same cloth, as it were. What type of business partnership are you thinking of?”

Aza and Quanzul looked at each other again, “We would like you and any teams you designate to explore for us. We will sprinkle in these lost worlds for you to personally explore as well. One of our former colleagues ran an adventurers guild. However, with her passing, the guild is in the hands of someone we don't trust. Much of our combined wealth has come from discovery and negotiating in good faith with other world's denizens.

Not all merchants use this approach. Our desire to use more scrupulous methods can be a hindrance at times.”

“I'm fine working with you, but I don't know about Marie's team. Resnov's team will likely jump at the chance. He was talking to me about joining a guild to learn the ins and outs before forming one of his own,” Ivor mused.

“I would caution him against joining or forming one,” Aza said.

“Why is that?” Ivor was confused.

“Joining a guild is fraught with danger for a new species. You don't know the legal ins and outs. You don't know the politics.

It's more than likely they would have joined a guild only to be sent to their deaths testing some dangerous dungeon. In addition, guilds don't like letting members leave so easily. In addition, forming a guild comes with some restrictions and expectations among the other guilds and the country they are located within. Your status as a Freehold means you are truly independent.

Of course, that also means that Freeholds normally don't have the power to back themselves up. That point is moot with you around,” Aza explained.

“So, they'll have to be official citizens of the Freehold,” Ivor said.

“You have 99 available citizen slots, Ivor,” Zed reminded him.

“I assume that is one of your restrictions?” Aza asked.

Ivor explained his Freehold restrictions. The two men were shocked at the amount of Tier 1 buildings available to him.

“Just how many village crystals did you combine?” Quanzul asked.

“Exactly 400,” Zed responded.

The man nearly choked to death on his drink.

While he was recovering, Aza continued, “That is even better in a lot of ways. Your Tier 1 shield will easily keep out anyone or anything that manages to get to Earth and attack from outside. There is nearly no chance of someone taking over your travel circle. It will stop a lot of interested parties from testing your defenses.”

“You think that kind of thing will happen?” Ivor asked.

“Oh yes. Maybe not right away. However, the types of things we expect you'll find, well…. we won't be able to conceal our involvement forever. You will eventually be discovered. We just hope you are strong enough by then to manage any blow back.

It's not without its danger. I don't worry about you accepting that fact. I do worry about others that may choose to be part of your Freehold,” Aza said.

“Speaking of strength. Are you open to discussing things with us?” Quanzul said looking at the hand he used to shake with Ivor.

“In this setting, I have no problem telling you most things. Some things I will be evasive on. Just being honest,” Ivor said.

Quanzul nodded, “Very acceptable and shows you have a keen mind for keeping secrets.”

“We know you reached 100 in your stats in your Evaluation. How have your stats improved? I see you're over Level 20. Have you taken your Evolution?” Aza shot out some questions.

“Yeah, I didn't tell you much about my return. I lost the Artificer Profession when transferring back here. Something about the template being different. Anyway, I was allowed to retain some of the skills, including the choice of one enchanting skill.

I stuck with [Enchant Object] as it allows me to lean into my trap creation. I'm holding off on the Evolution. I'm curious to see if there will be a new title or any bonus if my effective stats are all at 200,” Ivor explained.

This time, Quanzul did choke on his drink, “Holy hell man. How close are you?”

“Half a dozen levels should do it,” Ivor said.

The two F'on men stared in shock. Aza was the first to recover.

“That is… I don't know… You have to be getting Master level stat points,” Aza said.

“Maybe a couple more. It's a unique situation. Also, one of things I won't talk about. I can show you some of my unique skills later, but I currently get 14 stat points per level,” Ivor explained.

“You are going to outpace that armor I made for you. Also, those weapons you made and the Dark Steel swords you use won't last much longer. The weapons just won't stand up to your strength. The armor, and I suppose the weapons as well, won't be enough for the level of monster you'll be able to fight,” Quanzul mused.

“Yeah, I figured that would be the case at some point. I've got the right armorer, but Esqin is too new for the level of weapons I need made.” Ivor said.

“Yes, despite her genius with alloys, she is just now getting into enchanting. It was part of her Evolution, but she's been so focused on this alloy you helped her with,” Aza said.

“I just wish she could have the Great Start title like Marie and team,” Ivor said.

“Oh, she does,” Aza stated.

Ivor's confused look must have looked amusing.

Aza chuckled, “Ivor, many species know about Good and Great Start. As far as we know, all species children can train their base stats before they get the System overlay. Admittedly, it is mostly wealthy people that can afford to get their children up to Great Start, due to using stat elixirs. However, any highly motivated individual child can make it work. Obviously, it's still a vast minority that has the title.”

Ivor had a thought, “Does she have the 100 dungeon title?”

“She does. Most families, when the child is motivated, will get them into dungeons as soon as possible. Yes, they are carried to some degree, but the lowest level dungeons are their training grounds. It's not difficult to get to 100 dungeons over the course of ten or so years,” Aza said.

“Would she be interested in the additional title for completing a dungeon 25 levels above her current level?” Ivor asked.

“Right, Marie had mentioned that in one of her letters to Esqin. I have no doubt she would like to. However, I'm a little nervous about it. She's Level 28. That means you'd be taking her into a Level 53 dungeon.”

Ivor nodded to the man, “I understand your concern. My stats are so much higher than they were when I did the Level 60 dungeon. I have no doubt I will be able to protect her. It's likely to get her a couple levels as well. We can split the loot 50/50.”

“Playing to my greedy merchant nature isn't fair,” Aza feigned mock outrage. “You're right of course. As much as I would like to protect her from all dangers. I know that will only stifle her growth. If she's up for it, feel free. Again, it seems like you bring nothing but benefit to my family Ivor. Thank you.”

Zed chimed in, “Ivor, perhaps Aza and Quanzul can help you identify what you found in the ant colony.”

The two men looked on curiously.

“Are you up for a night time stroll?” Ivor asked.

Both men nodded. They got up and followed Ivor out of the house. It was full dark by this time.

Ivor pulled up his mask and hood. Aza put on a small mask. Quanzul was suddenly decked out in full armor.

Ivor took off at a decent pace. These men were both high level. They could keep up.

It didn't take long to get to the hole. Ivor explained what happened here, then they entered the hole. Quickly getting to the main cavern, Ivor checked that none of his traps were tripped.

Ivor took the two F'on into the egg chamber. Immediately both men gasped. Quanzul rushed over to the area Ivor had been inspecting. Aza quickly followed.

“It sure looks and feels like Mana Steel to me,” Quanzul said.

“How though?” Aza asked. “This planet is newly brought into the System. I don't doubt your assessment, old friend, but there is definitely a mystery to solve.”

Quanzul pulled out some tools from some kind of storage. Probably storage in his own armor. He began testing the metal with various tools to try to extract a piece. It took some time and not a little swearing, but Quanzul managed to chip off a sliver of the metal.

“Aza, you'll need to get this tested. If this is Mana Steel…,” the man trailed off.

“Ok, new guy here. What's the deal with Mana Steel?” Ivor asked.

Aza looked at Quanzul and then at Ivor. “Mana Steel is not true steel. Obviously, steel is an alloy. Just like Dark Steel isn't really steel. It is the same for Mana Steel. Mana steel is very rare and prized for its innate mana capabilities.

The reason Esqin's alloy was so important to me as a businessman is that it partially fills the gap left by the very rare, very expensive Mana Steel. Even with its limited use, her alloy is far, far cheaper to produce. Mana Steel has inherent mana that has strengthened the metal to an absurd degree. It also has the same capability to absorb and store nearly unlimited amounts of mana like Esqin's alloy.”

“Ok, it's rare and expensive,” Ivor said.

“Yes, but why is it here? Usually, Mana Steel is only found on planets that have absorbed System mana for millions and millions of years. Your planet is too new to have this here. Hence, the mystery,” Aza continued.

“Ivor,” Zed interjected. “I may have a theory. It is possible the System was in this solar system before.”

“Really?” Ivor was unsure about where Zed was going with this.

“You know Earth is now much, much larger than before. Well, where do you think all that material came from? The System would not expend energy creating all that mass if it had a few perfectly good planets nearby.”

“Wait, which planets?”

“Specifically, Venus and Mars. It is possible that both had life on them at some point in time. Possibly hundreds of millions or a couple billion years ago,” Zed explained.

Ivor turned to Aza and Quanzul, “Zed thinks it's possible the System was here before. Not on Earth, but two other planets in our solar system.” Ivor quickly explained Zed's theory. Although they were skeptical, the two men didn't dismiss the theory outright.

“Well, that is possible. Regardless, you need to keep this quiet. We'll be happy to sign a System contract with you to not divulge this information. Entire planets have gone to war over a Mana Steel vein a fraction of this size. The hard part is going to be finding a way to unload some of it. Although, if you agree to our business proposal, maybe that solves this problem as well.”

Ivor nodded, “You're thinking my explorations can be a cover for me 'occasionally' finding a small amount of Mana Steel.”

“Precisely. At least that can give us some time to figure some other things out. Mining that Mana Steel takes special equipment and skills. That kind of thing leaves a trail,” Aza continued.

The three men headed back to the manor. Ivor took a break from charging the shield to get a couple hours of rest.

Chapter Twenty-Five

The next morning, Aza and Quanzul were up early. Due to their level and higher Constitution, they didn't need as much sleep, just like Ivor. They found Ivor sitting in the library seemingly meditating.

“Good morning, gentlemen,” Ivor said as his eyes opened. “I hope you slept well.”

“I slept very well, Ivor. Thank you,” Aza replied as Quanzul nodded.

“There is something I want to show you. It's better if I show you in the basement.”

Quanzul smirked, “This is the part where you take us to the basement to knock us off, or show us your dastardly plans, or some horrible abomination you created, or some horrible deed you've done…”

“Ah yes, the imagination of an artist. Stop reading those crime books you old fool,” Aza light heartedly admonished his friend.

“Actually,” Ivor scratched the back of his neck, “I'm hoping it's not the last one. I just don't want the teams to know. I've kept it from them. You'll understand when I tell you the story.”

The three went down into the basement. They went into Ivor's enchanting workshop. Ivor closed the door and activated a rune near the door.

“Nobody will hear us now.” Ivor said and he pulled the body of the Galtu out of his [Null Storage] along with all the things he took from the makeshift lab.

The two men stared at the body as Ivor related the story of the monster swarm, finding the travel circle, the abomination and egg chamber, followed by his encounter with the Galtu. He had made sketches of the travel circle runes and any note or paperwork in the travel circle room. They already knew most of the story of the former World Guardian. Ivor explained how this was another plot the World Guardian had enacted to try to punish Ivor for his Freehold. He explained that he destroyed the travel circle and buried the location.

It was Aza that spoke first, “Well, the Galtu are what you would call a sort of criminal guild. An enterprise that is largely focused on criminal activity on a large scale. Does that translate?”

Ivor nodded, “Yes. On Earth we called them cartels. Essentially, independent entities that agree to various rules to profit themselves while restricting normal trade for others. They were often involved in criminal activities.”

“Then you understand the difficulty that the more lawful components of society have in dismantling them.”

“I do. I was involved in dismantling a few.”

“That is definitely a story I want to hear,” Quanzul said.

“Anyway, the Galtu as a species are very involved in the cartels. It is highly likely the man, Perez, you told us about, got the drugs he was using from the Galtu. It's likely that's how the whole thing started. Once the World Guardian knew there was already a connection, it would be fairly easy to have someone else contact them for this monster swarm you spoke of,” Aza finished.

Quanzul continued, “The only real question is whether or not they have your name.”

Ivor thought about this for a moment. “It won't change any of my plans. I've had cartels come after me before. It usually doesn't end well for them.”

At that point, Quanzul just outright asked Ivor about his past. The two men had never pried. With these new developments, Ivor felt it was fair.

He gave them a more detailed rundown of his background and what he did for his home country's government as well as a few others. He left out nearly all of the gory details. The two men looked at Ivor slightly differently. Not unfriendly, more like they were seeing the real Ivor for the first time.

“It explains so much. Your ability to handle that Extreme Evaluation. Your nonchalance about certain things most people would be truly frightened about. Thank you for telling us Ivor,” Aza said.

“I still have a question,” Quanzul said, “well, two actually. First, where did you store the body? I only built weapon storage into that armor.

Second, how the hell did you ensure a travel circle was disabled. Those stones are pretty damn tough once they are in place and active.”

Ivor pulled out one half of a travel circle stone, “One of my unique skills is a spatial-like storage. The other skill I can show you.”

Setting the half of a travel circle stone on the ground, Ivor formed a small [Null Shield} and used it to split the half stone in half again.

“What the hell was that?” Quanzul exclaimed.

“It's a shield of nothingness,” Ivor said. “Anything that passes beyond the boundary of the shield ceases to exist. It does not discriminate and it uses a huge amount of mana to keep running.”

Zed appeared as Aza was thinking, “Some things are truly unique and should not be talked about openly.” Zed winked at the two men.

Aza and Quanzul's eyes widened in recognition.

“Winking is used in a similar fashion for the F'on,” Zed explained to Ivor.

Aza nodded and said, “On an unrelated topic, the book we found all those years ago. One of the parts talked about a time when species were offered both Classes and Professions. It also talked about Unique variants of both. Wouldn't it be wonderful if we could find more books explaining that concept when you explore the worlds we are interested in.” Aza finished by winking at Ivor.

Aza was sharp. Ivor winked back, “It definitely would be interesting. Imagine reading about a person that had both a Class and Profession. I mean, I could certainly imagine a scenario where a person had a Unique class that wasn't visible to others along with a Profession. It would make using [Identify] on them nearly useless.”

As both men nodded, Quanzul had wandered over to one of Ivor's workbenches.

“Ivor, are these blueprints for constructs?”

“Yes, I got them along with the tools in my first dungeon in the Evaluation.”

“You have the codex for these runes as well?” Quanzul continued.

“I do. The same one you want access to.”

“Hmmmm…. I know you said you can't create constructs anymore, but I may know someone who would pay a fortune for these blueprints and tools. He's both a construct creator and a collector. Very rich. Nearly as loaded as Mr. Money Bags here,“Quanzul said as he pointed towards Aza.

“Speaking of the Rune Codex, I feel a little bad just letting you look at it. Is there a way we can get it copied? Specifically, so that it can't be copied again and is only accessible by you,” Ivor asked.

Quanzul looked shocked, “You'd let me have a copy?”

It seemed, to Ivor, like the man was about to tear up. “Of course. I'm the inheritor of this entire extinct species rune codex. I feel confident in sharing it with those I trust.”

“That…Ivor, that is a priceless gift to a craftsman. I…thank you.” Quanzul finally got hold of his emotions.

“There was a ring on the man that I can't identify. “ Ivor handed the ring to Aza.

“Ah, yes. It's a spatial storage ring. Quite good size as well. Not bonded. So…” Aza started emptying the ring.

There were a lot of items that Ivor identified as being part of the contraption the abomination was being kept alive with. There was also clothing, armor, weapons and some coins. Unfortunately, there was no documentation of any sort to incriminate the man or his organization. Ivor hadn't really expected to find any of that. In his experience, only amateurs made that mistake.

Ivor had Aza and Quanzul toss everything the man owned into a larger {Null Shield] just in case anything was traceable.

“I've asked Marie and her team to wait on choosing their Class Evolution until you were here. If you have any insight or suggestions, I think it would be appreciated,” Ivor said.

Ivor told Quanzul to take the construct blueprints and tools. When he got around to it, he could contact his friend about them.

When they got back up stairs, most of the teams were awake and making some breakfast for themselves.

“Aza, do you know anyone that would like to be a caretaker for this place? Maybe someone that wants some peace and quiet but not quite retired?” Ivor asked while eating.

Aza thought for a moment, “I actually might know someone. If you'll allow me to send a message I will see if they can come today.”

Zed appeared and commented, “Ivor, a Tier 1 Admin building, such as your manor, has a Tier 1 messaging hub built in. If you allow me, I will give Aza the appropriate permissions.”

Ivor went into his overlay setting and gave Zed some limited administrator rights. He also had Zed add the two teams to the communication list as well as Esqin and Quanzul.

Aza returned shortly, “I should have a response soon. It's a little early on our planet, but he is an early riser.”

After breakfast, it was Evolution time.

“When you select Yes to your Evolution, you may see a very large list or a very small list or something in between. There doesn't seem to be a way to predict it. However, we do know that the System weights your prior actions with your Class/Profession and Skills along with a number of other factors we aren't completely sure of. Take your time. There is no time limit once you select Yes to the Evolution. Feel free to discuss with your team or myself and Quanzul. Zed may have its own unique perspective as well. This is your first step into a larger future. Treat it seriously,” Aza told the group.

It was only Marie's group doing their Evolution. Resnov's group had already done theirs in Hunter's Rest. They were a little upset that they didn't know about the titles, but they didn't have a mathematical chance of making it happen.

While Marie's team was going through their options. Ivor was talking with Aza and Resnov's team about their possible use as an adventuring team.

Ivor cautioned the group, “Understand, you will need to become citizens of my Freehold. What you do out there will reflect on the Freehold and on me personally. With that said, you will have my full support and strength behind you as well. I can see the upsides and down sides to choosing this route. So, think seriously about it. Nobody is forcing anyone to do anything. I don't want to hear about anyone pressuring anyone either.”

As the two groups took their time thinking about their various futures, Ivor retired to the library to continue feeding the Tier 1 Shield. It was going to take him at least today and possibly the following day. That included time out to take Esqin to a dungeon to get her another dungeon title. Aza and Quanzul were talking about it with her now.

It was about an hour later when Marie's team asked for some advice. Their lists were huge. Aza and Zed surmised it was due to their excess activity during their Evaluation coupled with the 100+ dungeons they had been in. Marie and her team had already received the Great Start title after finishing off all the ants.

They all had numerous Expert level Classes to choose from. Ivor found each of the final choices interesting.

Marie only had one Expert Class she was interested in - Pure Mage. It gave a huge one time boost to Intelligence and a 25% increase to mana regeneration, in addition to her 50% regeneration bonus from the Keeper of the Vamhael title. The big draw for this Class in Marie's opinion was the [Quick Learner] skill. It was a passive skill that allowed her to learn anything magic related 50% faster. Ivor wanted to get her a copy of the Rune Codex as well. She could use runes in ritual magic. She also no longer needed a wand or staff to direct her magic. It was still beneficial to have such a tool as many would allow the carrying of additional spells or mana. Aza pointed out the important bit.

“This Class is well known but rarely taken. Unlike other Mage Classes that will force you down a path to use a certain type of magic, Pure Mage allows you to learn any type of magic. It's not for the faint of heart. If you are willing to put in the work, which I believe you are, it could lead to a Master level Class called Arch Magus. Those are truly powerful magic users even at the lower personal levels. Given your background and ambition, I believe it is a fantastic choice,” Aza commented.

Emily also only had one Expert Class she was interested in - Shadow Operative. This class worked well for her as it allowed her to be a generalist rather than a Thief or Assassin. In addition, there were some powerful skills. One of her skills allowed her to disappear in even the slightest shadow. Another skill allowed her to essentially teleport between shadows.

That one used a lot of mana. However, the [Shadow Jump] skill, as it was called, paired nicely with her insane boost in sneak attack damage. She picked up the [Analyze] skill as well.

Dr. Lance Jacobs was deciding over two Expert level Classes - Battlefield Surgeon and Blood Mage. Battlefield Surgeon was a more active combatant role. It allowed Lance to inflict devastating wounds on enemies while being able to quickly stabilize members of the party. It also had some buffs for the team.

Blood Mage was more along the lines of a traditional Support Class. With his blood magic, he could apply a lot of buffs on the team and debuffs on the enemy. It also had some good skills related to controlling poison and disease, both removing and applying. The main issue he had with Battlefield Surgeon was it required him to give up his mace for a short blade of some kind.

The issue he had with Blood Mage was a bit of a moral quandary of inflicting disease and poison. He was still holding on to his Hippocratic oath a bit too much in Ivor's opinion.

Zed and Esqin were the ones that swayed him.

“Remember Dr. Jacobs, you don't have to use those skills if you don't want to. That choice of not using them could set you up for something more palatable during your Level 40 Evolution,” Zed commented.

“Also, I'm planning on making you a kick ass mace with my alloy. Ivor can attest to the damage a blunt weapon like your mace can do with a couple basic enchantments,” Esqin added.

In the end, Dr. Lance Jacobs became the Blood Mage. He got a slight boost to all of his body stats due to his affinity with blood. Some of the buffs were fantastic for his group. He would be a little limited in offense if the enemy had no blood, like a construct. That's what his mace was for.

Chris was also struggling with two Expert level Classes - Spear Prodigy and Warlord. Spear Prodigy was exactly what you would think. It was a bunch of skills related to using the spear. It had skills to allow Chris to quickly close the distance with enemies.

It had a skill he could use with a bonded weapon to recall it back to his hand if he used it for a ranged attack. It was an excellent class for a spear user. Warlord, on the other hand, was similar to Marie's Pure Mage class. It offered increases to stamina regeneration and an upgrade to body stats.

It also gave him the [Weapon Master] skill. This skill allowed him to pick up anything that could be used as a weapon and wield it at the same skill level as his class level. It had a few other skills, both for personal use and generic buffs on the team during combat. It also gave him the [Tactician] skill that Ivor had.

“Ivor, I'm a little torn here,” Chris said.

“The way I see it, it's a choice between choosing a neesh, which you can change at your next Evolution, or sticking to what your training and career have made you into. You are fantastic at warfare. That [Tactician] skill will be more useful to you than it is to me. I tend to fight alone. With a team, you have many more options. [Tactician] will take your already honed mind in squad tactics and amplify it to absurd degrees,” Ivor said

Chris thought for a moment then made his choice.

“You chose Warlord, didn't you?” Marie said with a smile.

Chris gave her a bow, “Of course, my princess.”

As he stood back up, a glazed over look came across Chris' face as a golden glow showed around him briefly. Everyone looked on in surprise.

“Chris, are you ok?” Marie rushed up to him.

With a shell-shocked look Chris nodded, “Uh…yeah…. I'm… uh… Ivor what can you tell me about when you received your Inheritance notification?”

Ivor looked at the man, “It was out of the blue. Only later I found out I had met certain criteria to trigger the quest for the Inheritance. Did you just get an Inheritance quest?”

Chris nodded again, “Yeah, let me read it to you.”

Quest (optional) - Obtain the Warlord's Inheritance

The Martians are no more. The Warlord has left an Inheritance for those that are worthy. Find the location of the Inheritance. Take the challenges. Obtain your reward(s). Your party should contain exactly five members.

Do you accept this Quest: Yes/No?

Chris, Marie and Ivor all looked at one another.

“It can't be true, right?” Marie asked Ivor.

“Zed, about that theory you had. I think you might have been correct,” Ivor said.

Esqin was confused, “What theory?”

“Zed has a theory that the System may have been in our solar system before. There are two planets that may have had life on them billions of years ago. Venus and Mars. Zed believes the System used those planets to create this new larger Earth. How that relates to Chris' quest is a little more far fetched.

There was an author named Edgar Rice Burroughs. He wrote a series of books where he included himself as the story teller for his uncle, John Carter. In our time, Mars is a dead world. The books describe John Carter being transported to a dying Mars that still had life on it. Being under the System now, that sounds like either a dungeon scenario or some sort of time travel shenanigans. Either way, Chris' quest seems to be pointing to it being real somehow.

John Carter, in the stories, was given the title Warlord of Barsoom. Barsoom is what the Martians called their planet,” Ivor completed his story.

Marie turned to Esqin, “Come with us.”

“What? You don't even know if Chris is going to accept,” Esqin said.

“Already done,” Chris commented. “We'd love to have you along.”

Turning to her father, “Father, this is… I don't know…”

Aza grabbed her hands, “Esqin, I've perhaps sheltered you too much. I can't make this decision for you. I will say that if it were any other group, I would strongly protest.

An Inheritance is beyond rare and usually very dangerous. I won't pressure you in any way, and I will accept any decision you make. With that said, I would seriously consider going with them. I don't think you will regret it.”

Esqin looked at Marie who was smiling and nodding her head. The rest of Marie's group was smiling as well. Esqin had never had a lot of friends, and it seemed harder to keep them with her focus on smithing.

“Can I still go into the dungeon with Ivor?” She asked.

Her father laughed, “Of course. Although, I would ask that Ivor run you through a dungeon on our planet. You have much to prepare. Quanzul needs to make you new armor.”

Quanzul interjected, “I have to make new armor for the lot of them. Ivor needs to come with us anyway. There is no one here that can copy the Rune Codex.”

“Oh, and I can make Lance his new mace,” Esqin seemed excited at the prospect.

“So, you're coming with us?” Marie asked.

“Yes,” Esqin said.

Esqin, Marie and the rest of the two groups went off to talk about the upcoming quest. They had a long way to travel just to get to the Inheritance based on what Chris had told him.

Quanzul rubbed his chin, “All the armor won't be cheap.”

Ivor tossed him a platinum coin, “Will that cover it?”

Quanzul nodded, “Should. I'm assuming you want the best this buys.”

Ivor nodded, “Yeah, if you can't build general spatial storage into their armor, I'll want to get them something.”

Aza replied, “I'll take care of that along with Esqin's needs. It's my gift to the team for providing her this opportunity.”

“What do I need to know about your culture, or at least the culture of your planet?” Ivor asked.

Aza sighed, “Just be prepared for people to treat me a bit different than you do.”

Quanzul barked out a laugh, Ha!!! Yeah, I'm not telling you. It's much better if you experience it yourself.”

“Am I going to stand out much?” Ivor asked.

“No. There are many humanoid type races. There are quite a few descended from primates like your species. Our planet has been in the System for a long time.

Our government is an extended monarchy. The area my house and business are in is a principality. Other than that, you run into the same type of bureaucracy everywhere. Laws are pretty standard. Don't be a jerk,” Aza said.

“I'm going to go talk to the teams to find out if they want anything special. I probably have some existing stuff for Resnov's team if that's ok with you,” Quanzul said.

“Yeah, they aren't going to advance quite as fast as Marie's team, but I want them outfitted at least a level higher than they are fighting. I still have quite a bit of weapons stored that they can go through tonight. All of it should be Advanced or Expert. If they want something specific I don't have, I'm sure we can pick it up on your planet,” Ivor said.

“I'll take you to meet a friend of mine. He's the one I think would appreciate being a caretaker of a place like this. We'll also get your registered as a Freeholder with the government. It will provide you with System verified credentials when dealing with merchants, guilds or the government. It's something we need to do before we solidify the business arrangement,” Aza explained.

“You've talked before about these lost worlds. Assuming the coordinates are correct, how would I get back?” Ivor asked.

Zed chimed in, “There are several ways. If the World Guardian is still around, whether or not there is a population present, you should be able to use a travel circle. If one does not exist or the World Guardian is gone, you can take a portable one like the one you destroyed that the Galtu were running. It should be no problem for you to charge one up in a day.”

“I can co-opt a village crystal if no World Guardian exists as well. Assuming a travel circle is in place. I would suggest you always return to the Freehold after a lost world,” Zed said privately.

Quanzul had returned, “I'll need your armor too. I have a plan for your upgrades. It's going to be Epic level armor.

If you need something higher, and you will eventually, we'll need to seek out someone. That may be an adventure in itself.”

Quanzul handed him a backup set.

“That set isn't bonded, has a smaller weapons storage, none of the fancy camouflage, no structure changing or color changing. It does have self-sizing and cleaning, but no self-repair. It's still Master level, and it's got the good boots and mask/hood combo features, minus the other stuff I already said.”

Ivor pulled stuff out of his weapon storage and immediately it disappeared in his [Null Storage]. He had a lot of stuff.

“Zed, how hard would it be to add an armory?” Ivor asked.

“Would you like it in the manor or external?” Zed replied.

“Let's keep it in the manor for now.”

“Very well, I will add an armory to the basement. I'll keep it basic for now. We can upgrade later. It should be ready in an hour,” Zed concluded.

Ivor went to talk to the two groups.

“Alright folks. I'm heading out to Menevris tomorrow with Esqin, Aza and Quanzul. I'll be running Esqin through a dungeon to get the title. Anyone else that wants to tag along, I'm happy to bring you. Also, if you just want to get out of here for a while, that works too. We do have to decide who wants to become full members of the Freehold. You all know the pros and cons,” Ivor said.

“What if we want to become citizens of some other place?” One of Resnov's Mages asked.

“Great question. I won't keep anyone, but I will require you to sign a System contract restricting you from telling anyone about the Freehold or anything you've seen here including its location.”

There were a few more good questions about how to handle family, if it came to that. They all knew they had to make their own way. If they wanted their own house in the Freehold, they would have to pay for it. Ivor had final say on where things were located. The valley was plenty big enough for 100 people even if they each had a decently large home. In the end, Kemble Freehold grew from 1 to 10 members. At Resnov's request, they all signed the System contract ahead of time.

When the armory was complete, Ivor went down and emptied his [Null Storage] of all the weapons except his personal ones. He even left out a bunch of spike traps and grenades along with light disks. The groups shouldn't need them with their new armor, but it was better to have them available. Thinking on that, Ivor probably needed someone that knew enchanting.

Ivor went back upstairs and had Resnov's guys go down to pick out weapons. Aza followed them down. Being the merchant he was, he had a better eye than Ivor for quality.

In the end, the whole group was coming to Menevris. When Ivor expressed his concern at the group's size and not wanting to impose on Aza's family, Aza and Quanzul burst out laughing. Even Esqin had a cute little grin on her face.

Ivor spent the evening finishing off charging the Tier 1 Shield. Zed explained the controls to Ivor and they got all the appropriate permissions set up.

“Sleep well, Ivor. This is literally the best protected place on your planet,” Zed said.

Ivor did indeed sleep well that night.

Chapter Twenty-Six

The next morning thirteen people stood on the large travel circle. Ten of them would be going off planet for the very first time. All of those ten were excited.

“Hold down the fort while we're gone, Zed,” Ivor said.

“Of course, Ivor,” Zed said and activated the travel circle.

The experience was different to Ivor than entering the System Market or a dungeon. It was also similar. It was a flash of light, but that flash seemed to slow like it was stretched out. It was hard for Ivor to describe. He didn't feel anything in his body, but he felt something in his mind.

Perhaps it was due to his high Mind stats. It wasn't unpleasant. It was just strange.

Suddenly, their vision returned and they were in a large building with multiple large travel circles. Aza had already briefed everyone on travel circle protocol. They all quickly stepped off the platform and into the waiting line to be processed. After only a moment, a man hurried up to them.

“Master Krix, please, right this way,” the man indicated a separate area that was roped off.

“Ah, these people are with me,” Aza said.

“Very well, happy to process them as well,” the man started walking over to the processing area.

It was clear these folks did this a lot. Even with the new people. There were a slew of questions to answer. A basic System contract was presented to you with the questions and your answers, along with a packet of information on the laws and customs of the principality. You agreed to the contract or they sent you back. Very simple. Ivor was impressed.

Once processed they were informed it would go much smoother next time. They wouldn't have to answer the questions again. They stepped out of the large travel circle building into an area that reminded Ivor of an airport arrivals and departures road for cars.

Except there were no cars, but various forms of carriage and cart transportation. There were even rickshaws. A man in rather nice clothes was waiting near two large ornate carriages. He stepped forward when he saw Aza and Esqin.

“Master Krix, Mistress Krix, welcome home,” the man said and ensured everyone was comfortably seated in a carriage. Quanzul took his own transportation. He wasn't wasting any time. He told them it would take at least a week to complete all the armor, probably two.

The carriages were covered, but had large windows. They weren't exposed to the elements, but they could still see all around them. Ivor marveled at how little difference there was in any major city including one on another planet. There were run down areas, there were decent areas, there were nice areas, and then there was where they ended up.

At first Ivor didn't think the entrance to Aza's home was really any different from the large manors he had already looked at on the way. Oh how wrong he was. What he initially took for the entrance and manor was just the guard gatehouse. It was massive.

Once through, they crossed a kilometer of varied landscapes before coming to a large wall. The carriages stopped and they were searched by, Ivor assumed, Mages of some sort. They were quickly let through.

Once through the wall that rivaled the thickness of Seaton, Ivor saw what he could only describe as a palace. It was massive. It reminded him of the old French palaces with quite a bit less decoration. It was still lovely architecture.

The carriages pulled up to the large manor along a wide looping driveway. There were a number of people out front, servants likely. There were also a number of guards. There was a female F'on standing on the step landing at the door smiling. She looked like an older version of Esqin. Aza had told Ivor his wife was an interesting personality and left it at that.

When the carriages stopped, servants hustled forth to open doors. The group got out as Esqin rushed up the steps.

“Mother, the Freehold was lovely. I can't wait to tell you about it,” Esqin beamed at her mother.

“Yes, dear. There are many things that need to be discussed. However, first I must know the truth,” she said, looking right at Ivor.

“Told you,” Aza whispered to him.

“Mr. Emmi,” the woman raised her voice.

One of the guards near here stepped forward, “Yes Mistress.”

“I would like to know what you think of Mr. Kemble,” she said, never taking her eyes off Ivor.

“As you wish, Mistress,” the man nodded.

He was a F'on as well, although not all the servants or guards were. He came down the steps as Ivor observed him. He moved like a fighter. He had a short sword at his side, a long hunting knife, not unlike Ivor's own on his other side.

There was a small shield strapped to his back. His armor was clean, but worn. This man saw action, often. He approached Ivor.

“If you will Mr. Kemble, a test,” the man said. Ivor could detect no malice.

“Mr. Emmi, is it?” Ivor asked. The man nodded. “Mr. Emmi, would you tell me which of your stats is the highest before we begin? Not the number, of course, just which one. My [Identify] is not quite up to the task of reading you.”

The man smiled, “Of course Mr. Kemble. My highest stat is Agility. So, whenever you are ready.”

Ivor smiled at the man. He triggered [Null Step] twice in quick succession.

“Well, Mr. Kemble. Whenever you are ready,” Alipha Kris said.

Mr. Emmi cleared his throat, “Ah, Mistress, if you will note, Mr. Kemble is holding my sword.”

“But, he didn't move…..,” she trailed off. “Oh. Oh my, Mr. Kemble, I apologize for my rudeness.”

“Not at all ma'am. I wouldn't trust what was said about me either. From one parent to another, I applaud your tact in the matter.” Ivor walked over and handed Mr. Emmi back his sword hilt first.

“Sir, the guards would be honored to spar with you if you have the time. We don't often get to challenge ourselves with someone of your caliber,” Mr. Emmi said.

“Sure thing. I've got some stuff to do, but I'll make time. If you have any dual short sword wielders, I'm particularly well trained in a fighting style that is probably dying out on my planet. I'd be happy to pass on what I know,” Ivor said.

“Absolutely sir, thank you.”

Ivor walked up the steps to greet the matriarch of the house. Esqin was introducing Marie and the two teams. Alipha Krix walked over to take Ivor's hand.

“Mr. Kemble, again my apologies. It's just the things these two were saying couldn't possibly be true.”.

“Please, call me Ivor. Trust me, I understand,“ he said as he shook her hand.

They all went inside and were shown their rooms. Esqin was going to show the teams around the estate for a while. Ivor was going to be meeting with Aza and Alipha. It was a good thing there were servants. Ivor might have gotten lost.

Ivor was escorted into a comfortable sitting room. Aza and Alipha were already talking.

“Darling, I told you. I suppose it does sound insane, but you saw it for yourself. Agility isn't even his highest stat,” Aza was saying.

“Right now it's tied with Endurance for number two,” Ivor said

“May I ask what is highest and what it is?” Alipha asked.

“Willpower. It's well over 200.”

Her mouth dropped open. “Aza has stuck to your System contract and has told me very little. I would like to know more if you don't mind.”

“I'm happy to tell you on two conditions. One, you'll need to agree to a System contract. Two, it will have to be in a dungeon or the System Market,” Ivor said.

She thought for a mere moment before Ivor saw a telltale sign of understanding, “Very well. I will need to order some special things from the System Market anyway. You'll have to endure a partial day of shopping. We are going to be having a going away banquet for Esqin. Since we don't know how long she will be off-world. In addition, it helps my husband to show off his new teams. It's good for business.”

This woman was shrewd. Ivor saw why Aza married her. They chatted mostly about the next two weeks.

Schedules and such. Ivor was largely free to do what he needed to do. Aza was going to find the appropriate dungeon for Ivor to take Resnov's team and Esqin. He wanted something a bit out of the way. Ivor wanted to get that done as soon as possible. Aza knew of his cooldown if they rolled a bad dungeon.

There were six total with Resnov's team and Esqin. Ivor was going to take two at a time. It would be easier for him to protect two. Eventually, Aza and Alipha went off to take care of their plans.

Esqin and company would be gone for quite a long time. So, Ivor asked a servant to show him to Mr. Emmi. Ivor was taken to a hidden barracks tucked away in a small wooded area near the manor. It was hidden but close enough for the higher level guards to react if they needed to.

Despite the outward appearance, the inside looked like every military installation Ivor had ever been on. It was almost familiar. He was quickly taken to Mr. Emmi

“Mr. Kemble, what can I do for you?”

“I have quite a bit of time to kill today. Does anybody need a sparring partner?” He asked.

The man laughed, “I'm sure we can gather up a few brave souls.”

There was a nice sparring ground further behind the guard housing. It was heavily enchanted to limit the noise of the training escaping outside the sparring ground. Several of the guards that were with Mr. Emmi were there as well. Ivor could see them talking to a number of their fellow guards.

One man, a huge species Ivor didn't know, came up to them.

“Mr. Emmi, I hear this man is fast. Faster than you apparently. I'm wondering if he is strong as well,” the man said.

“Well, Mr. Occiks, why don't you ask him.”

“Very well. Mr. Kemble, I would like to test your Strength,” Mr. Occiks said with complete politeness.

“Well met, Mr. Occiks. How would you like to perform this test of Strength?” Ivor asked.

“We have a magical contraption that allows us to train our strength in various ways. If you would, follow me, I will show it to you.” Ivor nodded and followed the man to a corner area of the training grounds.

In the corner area was set up with a large metal block of some kind. There were several attachments to the block that allowed any physique to perform movements. As it was explained to Ivor, the mechanism applied force to the block in a direction opposite of how you were trying to lift it. The mechanism had a simple dial that went from 1 to 25. There were five of these blocks and contraptions in a row to allow more than one person to workout. Ivor was seeing his first magic gym.

Mr. Occiks spoke,”Since we are both humanoid, I suggest a lift we call the Simple Pickup.”

Ivor asked him to demonstrate. It was a deadlift. Ivor said he was familiar.

Mr. Occiks set the contraption at 15 and knocked out several reps with amazing form. Ivor stepped up without adjusting the force and knocked out the same number of deadlifts. Mr. Occiks smiled. He turned it up to 18. This time, Mr. Occiks seemed to struggle on his fifth one. Ivor took them nice and slow, then he reached over and turned the dial to 25. He started doing reps and didn't stop until he hit 20.

Ivor turned to see two dozen jaws dropped open. Mr. Occiks was the first to recover. His laughter was loud enough to knock down poorly constructed buildings. He slapped Ivor on the back.

“Well done, Mr. Kemble. Well done,” the man said.

Ivor spent a good part of the day sparring as a high level antagonist. He wasn't able to really critique anyone's style as he wasn't an expert in how they fought or even in some of the weapons. However, it was a great opportunity for the guards to critique each other and offer advice on how to improve and counter a stronger opponent.

He had his most fun sparring with the three duel wielders in the group. Ivor could easily overpower all of them, but their style was so different from his. He dialed his power back and really learned how they were moving and striking. Likewise, when Ivor did something they didn't understand, he took the time to show them the move.

After sparring with the dual wielders for a while, he had casually mentioned that short swords weren't usually his primary weapon. When asked, he pulled out his baston, not the main ones, just the decoys. He put on a little show by taking on the three dual wielders all at once. Ivor wished he had a recording. By the way the rest of the guards were reacting, it must have been fantastic to watch.

Eventually one of them noted the damage to his baston. Ivor admitted these were not his true weapons. When asked he produced the actual baston he used.

“Mr. Kemble, is that the alloy the young mistress was working so hard on?” One of the dual wielders asked. Mr. Daqrel was his name. Ivor was kind of digging the formality with these guys.

“Indeed it is. I spent a lot of time helping her test that alloy. She may have improved it, but this was the final product for me,” Ivor said.

“Are there specific lengths and diameters? I'm interested in seeing if I can convert our shortsword style to a baston style. It's clear when I watch you fight with baston versus sword where things are similar and where they are different. I think I can work it out with our style,” Mr. Daqrel said.

The other dual wielders nodded as well. Ivor was happy to explain the history and traditional materials for baston. He explained why he had to go with a metal with his new strength. He even told them what enchantments to get added if they decided to use them as weapons in the future.

Eventually a servant came to fetch him. He said his goodbyes to a very thankful group of guards. Ivor was smiling as they neared the palace. He had actually had a lot of fun. These were good men Aza had around him.

Aza was waiting for Ivor in front of the palace. There was a carriage ready to go.

“We are going to meet that old friend of mine about the potential caretaker position,” Aza said as they climbed into the carriage.

The ride didn't take them too long. The man they were going to meet, Radus Eephel, used to be in charge of managing the Prince's palace complex. He was the facility manager, basically.

The house was in one of the better neighborhoods. It wasn't overly large or elaborate, but it was in a very nice area.

Aza led Ivor through a well manicured front yard area. Aza knocked on the door. Within a few moments, an older woman opened the door and smiled.

“Aza, oh my. It's wonderful to see you. What brings you today?” The woman seemed to be in her later years, best Ivor could tell, but she had bright eyes and seemed to carry herself without any obvious signs of old age.

“Good to see you as well, Iken. I'd like to speak to Radus if he is available.” Aza said. “Oh, and this is a new good friend, Mr. Ivor Kemble.”

“Well met, Mr. Kemble,” the woman nodded to Ivor.

“To you as well, ma'am,”

“Well, come on in. Old mopey is back in the garden,” she said with a hint of a sigh. “I swear, Aza, it's only been a year and the man gets more insufferable with each day.”

They walked through the tastefully decorated home. It felt comfortable and lived in, unlike so many higher end homes Ivor had been in. They passed through a back door and onto a covered porch. There was a nice sized back yard with a garden taking up half of it. In the garden, a man was pulling weeds and grumbling to himself.

“Radus, you old curmudgeon, we have guests.” Iken raised her voice to get the man's attention.

The man looked up, stood up and brushed the dirt off of his hands onto his work pants. Carefully making his way through the garden. He grasped Aza's forearm in the traditional F'on greeting.

“I've told you a hundred times, Aza, I don't need your charity,” the gruff man said.

Aza chuckled, “No, no. You've made that quite clear. I'm not here to talk to you today. Radus Eephel, I'd like you to meet a new friend of mine. Mr. Ivor Kemble. He's from a newly integrated world…. Well, I'll let him tell it.”

Ivor stuck his hand out, “Mr. Eephel, well met.”

The man took Ivor's arm in greeting.

“As Aza said, I'm from a newly integrated world. To keep my story short, I've been granted a Freehold on my planet by the System,” Ivor started.

The man's eyes shot open slightly at the mention of the Freehold.

“It consists of a large valley, nearly completely undeveloped. I now have a manor as my Administration building, a travel circle building and a shield. We are currently at 10 citizens, composed of myself, my daughter's adventuring team and another adventuring team. All of us will be working with Aza here for the foreseeable future. When I mentioned I might need a caretaker, Aza brought me to you. I would like to at least show you the place if you have an interest in handling something a little bigger than that garden over there.” Ivor smiled at that last statement.

Radus cracked a slight grin. If Ivor's Perception was any lower, he might have missed it.

“I'm not looking to work in some big damn sprawling monstrosity like that Prince's palace again,” the man said with a huff.

“No sir. My Freehold is limited in both size of land and number of people. It's quite secluded and surrounded by mountains. I'll be honest, sir. I've spent most of my life moving from one place to another. I don't have the slightest idea how to manage a property. Before the System came I had a three meter by five meter cabin on some land,” Ivor said.

“Well, at least you admit you don't know what you don't know,” the man said.

“Oh, Radus, a mountain valley sounds lovely. We never did take the vacation, you keep telling me you will take me on,” Iken said.

“Tell you what. Why don't you and Iken take a vacation at my Freehold. I have quite a few things to do here. My Freehold Guardian can meet you and answer any questions. He can order anything you need. Consider it my way of saying thank you for considering the position,” Ivor said.

Radus looked at Aza, “You trust him?”

“I trust him with Esqin's life,” Aza stated.

The man's eyes shot open. He turned to inspect Ivor much closer.

Aza continued, “You'll find, like I did, that Mr. Kemble is much, much more than he seems on the surface. There is no pressure. I just think you'll enjoy his Freehold and working with Ivor.”

“You've been there, then?” Iken asked Aza.

Aza nodded and he began telling Iken of the things he had seen that didn't conflict with his System contract.

“What would my role be?” Radus asked.

“You go take a look, then you tell me,” Ivor said.

The man smirked, “Well, you're no dummy that's for sure. What about protection? Newly integrated worlds are dangerous.”

“I have a Tier 1 shield,” Ivor said.

“How in the hell do you have a Tier 1 shield?” The man exclaimed.

“That's a bit of a long story, which I'll be happy to tell you if you accept the job. I also have a Tier 1 Admin building, the manor, and a Tier 1 travel circle,” Ivor continued.

The man's eyes kept opening wider and wider as his jaw dropped further and further.

“Like I said, feel free to visit and get back to me. No pressure whatsoever. I would just ask that you and Iken sign a simple System contract to not disclose the location of my Freehold or provide any descriptions of what you see there,” Ivor said.

The man nodded, “That's fair. I'll talk to my wife. Sounds like she's willing. Can we come and go anytime?”

“Sure, let me send you both the System contract. I'll make sure the two of you have access to my travel circle anytime in the next two weeks. I'll reach back out to you before I leave Menevris,” Ivor said.

He explained to Aza what they had agreed upon and the two took their leave.

Chapter Twenty-Seven

Aza and Ivor didn't head right back to Ava's palace. They stopped to pick up Quanzul. He was going to take them to this Epic level scribe he said they could trust. They arrived at a shop that was on the edge of what would be considered middle-class and upper-class areas to Ivor. There was nothing flashy about the shop. It reminded Ivor of Marie's book store. You didn't really notice it unless you were looking for it.

As they walked in, the person behind the counter spoke, “What do you want, bird brain?”

The individual speaking was a large, hybrid, humanoid reptile with a ridged head, two human eyes, multiple ear holes, no nose, and a protruding jaw filled with serrated teeth. Their head was covered in delicate scales, while the rest of its body was covered in rigid feathers. The face is mostly slate grey with ochre speckles, with light green highlights, while the rest of its body is dark gray.

Quanzul replied, “Surprised you're not slinking away to hide you stupid lizard.”

The reptilian walked around the counter and approached Quanzul. The two paused for a moment then laughed and gave each other a quick hug.

“What brings you to my shop, old friend.”

“You already know Aza,” Quanzul said.

“Of course. A pleasure Master Merchant.” The reptilian gave a slight bow of his head.

“This other misfit is Mr. Ivor Kemble, and I think he has a project worthy of your skill.” Quanzul introduced Ivor.

“Well met, Mr. Kemble. I'm Ixail Denkaet, Scribe.”

“To you as well Mr. Denkaet,” Ivor said.

Looking at Ivor, “A project worthy of my skill, as my friend so graciously claimed, sounds very interesting.”

Ivor had already placed the Vamhael Rune Codex in a backpack he was carrying to avoid using his [Null Storage]. He pulled the book out.

“I was lucky enough to survive an Inheritance. Part of that Inheritance was this Rune Codex. I would like four copies made. Three will be bonded to specific individuals whose names I can give you. The fourth, I don't know if you can do. I would like to bond it to me, but be able to transfer that bond at a later date. I assume you have a non-discloser contract or something similar,” Ivor explained.

Ixail nodded, “Yes, System level non-disclosures are standard for Scribes. Otherwise, no one would trust us. May I look at the codex?”

Ivor handed over the book. Ixail closed his eyes and held a hand over the crystal embedded in the book. He held that pose for a good two minutes. When he finally opened his eyes, he smiled.

“It would be an honor to work on this codex Mr. Kemble. It is a rarity for me to work with something this old and in this good of shape. I might actually gain a level or two.” Ixail's laugh had a hissing quality to it.

“No issue with my fourth copy then?” Ivor asked.

“Not at all. In fact, you could already turn over the bond in your master copy right now. No, more important is making sure your copies can not change hands or be copied themselves. However, I must warn you, this will not be cheap. Who are the three that will get the copies?”

“Marie Kemble, my daughter. Esqin Krix, daughter of Aza Kris, and Quanzul here. Sorry man, never got more of your name than that.” Ivor shrugged.

Aza and Quanzul stood in shock. Ixail laughed once again.

“Oh the look on their faces. For that alone, Mr. Kemble, I will give you a reduced price. I will do the copies as you outlined for 1 million credits,” Ixail stated.

Ivor agreed without bargaining. You never know with these high level craftsmen if they will take offense.

Quanzul was still in shock as Aza helped him go over the System contract with Ixail. True to Quanzul's word, Ixail seemed trustworthy. There were no loopholes or gotchas in the contract. Ixail said it would take just over a week to complete the work. Ivor transferred half of the funds for materials with half to be paid on completion.

They dropped Quanzul back off at his shop. The man hadn't spoken a word during the whole carriage ride back. Aza even commented that Ivor may have broken him, then laughed. When they got back to the Aza's estate, Esqin and the two teams were waiting.

“There are two dungeons fairly close to one another,” Marie said. “One of them is a Level 20, which my team can do while you take the others through to get their dungeon title.”

Esqin told her father about the dungeons. He thought for a moment, “Those are good choices. You can take the faster carriage tomorrow. Get an early start, and you should be able to make it back by the evening.”

Ivor and the teams went off to spar with the guards before dinner. Most of the guards were much higher level than the two teams, but they worked with the teams like Ivor worked with the guards. It was good for both teams to get some practice fighting higher level opponents.

Everyone had a nice dinner with the Krix family. Ivor once again was sitting with Aza and Alipha as he reassured them that it wouldn't be too much for him to protect Esqin in a Level 53 dungeon. He would be taking Resnov as well. Even though Resnov was a lower level, he was a dedicated fighter with his Evolution being Skirmisher. It was an Advanced Class.

The next morning, a new kind of carriage was waiting for the group. It was larger than the ones Aza used in town. It was also pulled by four large, flightless, birds. They were roughly shaped like an emu but their necks weren't quite as long and much thicker.

Their legs were also much more muscled and thicker. The carriage itself had numerous enchantments on it. Ivor wasn't familiar with the runes, but based on their placement, he assumed they dealt with comfort, speed and reinforcement.

They left early in the morning. It took several hours at a fast pace to get to the first dungeon. This was the dungeon that Ivor would run Esqin and Resnov's team through. It was already a Level 40 dungeon. So there were no people waiting to run it. Just like on other planets, most people on Menevris stopped at Level 50 or below. Many stopped right after Level 40.

Ivor quickly went up to the dungeon and adjusted it to Level 53. It was a desert environment. The temperature was pretty hot, but not ridiculously so. Ivor handed Esqin and Resnov rings that resisted heat by 25%. That should help. Esqin already had some climate control options on her armor, but Resnov didn't, yet.

The team was well provisioned. They entered the dungeon.

The safe zone was a half buried ruin followed by endless sand. There was something that looked like a mountain in the distance. It was hard to tell with the heat shimmering.

This reminded him of the Ice Dragon dungeon. Ivor had Resnov set the pace while Ivor scanned around them. Ivor had them moving next to each other. That way, if something happened, it was easy for Ivor to grab them and move out of the way.

It was about an hour into their travels when the first monster struck. Ivor had been pinging [Tactician] repeatedly when it highlighted a small shimmy in the sand just ahead of them. Ivor called a halt and moved forward. A large scorpion burst from the sand.

Ivor smashed it with a baston. He quickly looted the monster and they headed off again. They were ambushed several more times when Ivor called a stop at the top of a large sand dune.

Ivor started throwing grenades in a staggered line out in front of them. The explosions definitely stirred up the monsters. Several kilometers in front of them was teaming with scorpions of all sizes, most of them large. Ivor handed the two tagalongs sacks as he quickly rushed down the dune and started slaughtering the Level 40 to 45 scorpions. Esqin and Resnov killed the stragglers left behind and looted all the monsters.

It took a few hours to get to what Ivor thought was a small mountain, but turned out to be a ruined city. Inside the city, they encountered both scorpions and a jackal-like animal. As they cleared their way through the outskirts of the ruined city, they started encountering constructs.

The constructs were made from packed sand, and they could regenerate their body parts from all the sand around them. Ivor found that he just had to be fast enough to crush their core. At this point, Ivor couldn't let stragglers loose.

They were level 50 and would easily take out Esqin and Resnov even as they were dying.

There were a couple different variants of construct, but overall, Ivor just needed to use the same tactics. Eventually they came to the boss room. It was a room with all manner of construct creation tools and work benches.

There were drawings and tools scattered all over work bench surfaces. The boss was a shriveled mummy type mage. Ivor used [Identify]

Desert Lich

Level 55

Highest Stat: Intelligence

Immunities: Disease, Fear, Heat, Poison, Necrotic, Charm

It was a pretty good list of immunities. Ivor had a hunch and focused his Willpower while activating [Tactician]. His hunch was correct. A normal looking clay jar was glowing to his vision on a work bench not far from the lich. Ivor pulled out a handy-dandy ball bearing and side-armed it at the jar.

There was a crack as the ball bearing broke the speed of sound followed by a horrendous wailing coming from the rich. Ivor rushed forward, empowering his right glove. The force of his hit disintegrated the lich and half the work bench behind it.

The loot was a rare book with several desert themed spells that could be learned. Esqin and Resnov both agreed this would be best used by Marie. With her new Pure Mage Class, she could learn any spells and learn them quickly.

Ivor ran dungeons two more times with the four remaining members of Resnov's group. The only real issue came during an arena style dungeon when one of the Mages didn't get out of the way of a javelin throw quick enough. Luckily, Ivor had a Superior health potion. That was a little bit on Ivor as he was sandbagging it a bit to give the Mages an opportunity to get some kills in. After the close call, Ivor just decimated the enemies.

All in all, they accumulated nearly two platinum coins between the three dungeons. Ivor agreed to split the monster cores and coin with everyone. For the rest of the loot, he let the group and Esqin figure it out.

It had taken about 10 hours total to run the dungeons. They had barely finished the last dungeon when the carriage returned with Marie's group. The group looked pretty happy. They ended up deciding to run a Level 25 dungeon. Just one level higher than the group.

It turned out to be a town murder mystery type dungeon. It was a 10 to 1 ratio dungeon. So, for every 10 hours in the dungeon, only 1 hour elapsed outside the dungeon.

Emily's new Shadow Operative Class allowed them to cheese the dungeon and figure out the killer in one night. They spent the rest of the time gathering evidence and having Chris stomp around creating distractions and keeping eyes off Emily and Marie as they got what they needed to solve the murder. They spent a day being pampered by the grateful Prince. They made a bit of coin as well. The rewards included a few armor pieces and weapons, but they were just going to sell those.

Emily and Resnov's team compared titles with Marie's team. It looked as though, regardless of the order you did them in, you would get the same result. With the Dungeon Adept title, Resnov was certain they would hit 100 dungeons on their own. They could drop some of the dungeon levels and run through them quickly.

Privately, Resnov confided in Ivor that although he appreciated the help, his team wanted to try to achieve things on their own. Ivor could respect that.

The ride back was uneventful and everyone talked at dinner about their dungeons and their titles. Being able to adjust dungeon levels was a huge boon. A person didn't have to search for or travel too far for the right dungeon.

The next day was mostly filled with Ivor getting registered with the government as a Freeholder. This would allow him and the Freehold greater flexibility when dealing with certain entities. It also formally recognized Ivor as a sort of diplomat in a way. He now had access to certain parts and people in the government the average citizen didn't have. It took most of the day, but it was well worth it.

During all his interviews and paperwork with various principality functionaries, Ivor got a message that Radus and his wife had traveled to the Freehold. Ivor was hoping they could come to an arrangement. He wouldn't mind having someone look after the place. Ivor made sure that Zed knew to let them know about Kitty, just in case she came around.

The next week was a whirlwind of training with the guards and meeting people Aza thought Ivor should know. Marie's team started incorporating Esqin by hitting up some dungeons they set at a lower level. It was a change for Marie's team to be working with five full members.

Even when Ivor was traveling with them, he was either watching them or carrying them. He didn't really get incorporated into their team dynamic. Esqin had a high Strength stat and great armor.

She fit well as a frontline fighter with Chris or as a protector for Marie and Lance.

It was the ninth day when Ivor got two messages. One from Ixail and one from Radus. Ivor took a carriage to Ixail's shop. The reptilian was in a good mood. He had gained a couple of levels from the work copying the Vamhael Rune Codex. The copies looked different, but Ivor expected that.

The material was different and the crystals in the cover were smaller. Ixail explained that he had crystals that could handle the transfer of information that were more dense and smaller than the original. It wasn't uncommon with works as old as these. The same materials weren't available or had been improved since it was created.

Ivor thanked the Scribe and put the books into a backpack after he had finished paying. Ixail offered to help with any further work. Ivor thanked him, then entered the carriage.

He immediately put the backpack in his [Null Storage]. Traveling from Ixail's shop to Radus' house took them through an intervening warehouse district. The carriage suddenly stopped.

The carriage driver slid a cover aside from a grate that let him talk with passengers, “Mr. Kemble, I think you need to deal with this obstruction.”

Ivor frowned, opened the carriage door and stepped out of the carriage. There were ten men standing in the road blocking the carriage's path.

“There's a good lad,” an older grizzled man in armor said. “Just hand over whatever Ixail made for you and we'll be on our way.”

“What makes you think Ixail made something for me?” Ivor asked.

“Old Ixail likes to get into his cups from time to time. He was bragging to the wrong crowd about going up a couple of levels. Nobody at his stage does that without that thing being very expensive. So, again, hand it over and we'll be on our way,” the man said.

“Or what?” Ivor asked.

“Or we take it,” the man said.

Ivor triggered [Null Step] ten times in rapid succession. It was a hit to his mana, but he was back in front of the man in less than the blink of an eye. Nine unconscious bodies hit the ground.

“Who's we?” Ivor asked.

The man looked around him and blinked, “Uh….”

Ivor didn't let him finish. He used [Null Step] again, and knocked the man out. Tossing the unconscious man into the carriage.

Ivor stripped the rest of the men of everything they had on them including their clothes and left them naked in the street. Moving the bodies out of the way, Ivor hopped back into the carriage and told the driver to carry on. Ivor proceeded to strip the old thief as well. It wasn't long before they got to Radus' house.

Iken opened the door when Ivor knocked and led him into a sitting room. Ivor hoped it was good news. She seemed to have a smile on her face.

“I trust your stay at my Freehold was relaxing.”

“Oh, it was lovely. Zed is such a character… and Kitty, my goodness. I didn't know a monster could be so tame without a Monster Tamer Professional,” Iken said.

Radus was more reserved, “It is a very nice place. Worth the trip.”

Ivor stayed silent. It was clear Radus had more to say.

“Tell me about yourself, Ivor. I've asked Aza, and he'll talk you up about all the good things you've done for him and Esqin. I want to know the not so good things. Every man has them.” Radus looked into Ivor's eyes.

“The amount of not so good things I've done would take too long to explain, but let me try by telling you what I did for a living before the System came to my world,” Ivor said.

Ivor proceeded to explain the rough political situation on Earth. How his government operated and where he fit in the scheme of things. In broad strokes, he told them of some of the things he was asked to do. Yes, he did bad things, but ultimately it was for the greater good. Ivor was just finishing up when there was a knock on the door. It was the carriage driver.

“Mr. Kemble,” the man said, “I think your guest is waking up.”

“Guest?” Radus asked.

“Oh yeah, some idiots tried to rob me on the way here. I'll be right back.”

Ivor stepped out to the carriage and swiftly knocked the man out again.

Stepping back inside, Ivor continued, ”Obviously those are broad strokes and some of the detail is a bit disgusting.”

Radus looked at him, “Not many men would admit to doing the things you did.”

Ivor nodded, “The secrecy doesn't mean much now.”

“I meant most men wouldn't admit to doing bad things in general. Specifically, leaders tend to want to be seen in a certain light. Hide the dirty things, much like your government hid the work you did.” Radus was thoughtful.

“I don't see any reason not to be honest. I am finally free to live my life the way I want and to help those I care about live the life they want. I won't hurt those that don't try to hurt me or mine first. I know I will travel, explore and probably make some enemies. I'm hoping my Freehold can be that place for people to stay away from all the turmoil of civilization,” Ivor said.

Radus stood and stuck out his hand, “Well, Mr. Kemble, I'd like to help you do that.”

Ivor stood and grasped Radus' arm in the F'on greeting.

“Fantastic. I'm assuming Iken will be accompanying you.”

“Try to keep me away, Mr. Kemble,” she said with a smile.

“Excellent. Now I just need to find someone that has the [Enchant Object] skill,” Ivor said.

Radus and Iken burst out in quiet laughter.

A confused Ivor waited until Radus was able to speak, “I'm sorry Mr. Kemble. It's just that I'm an Epic level Facility Engineer Profession. I have Epic level [Enchant Object]. I thought Aza would have told you.”

Ivor chuckled, “Nope. He just said you worked for the Prince. I trust Aza. I didn't even try using [Identify] on you.”

“Well then, you'll be happy to note, Iken is a Master level Chamberlain with several high level cooking skills,” Radus continued.

“Give me one moment and we can talk about payment,” Ivor said and stepped outside to the carriage. He made a pantomime of pulling something out of a backpack. He returned with a copy of the Vamhael Rune Codex.

He handed the book to Radus, “Consider this a signing bonus. I was fortunate enough to encounter an Inheritance. That is the copy of Rune Codex of the extinct species the Vamhael. I would like any and all runes in my Freehold to come from that. That is your copy to keep.”

Ivor got a prompt asking if he wanted to transfer the bond to Radus. He selected Yes. Radus' head shot up from the book. He had that far away look telling Ivor he was reading the prompt. When he was done, he looked at Ivor.

“Mr. Kemble, sir. This is a treasure. You have my gratitude,” Radus said.

Ivor asked them to work out the employment contract details with Aza. He told them they could move over to the Freehold whenever they wanted. He got back in the carriage and asked the driver to take them someplace semi-secluded. The driver took them to another warehouse area and parked the carriage in the shadow of one of the large buildings. Ivor pulled the naked man out of the carriage.

Ivor poured a small amount of health potion down the man's throat. He came around, eyes blinking in confusion.

Looking down at his naked form, “Are the others dead?”

“Tell me about your group. How many are there? Where do you hang out?

Are you the boss? If you hold out on me, you die.” Ivor said. Ivor was somewhat impressed that the man had asked about his colleagues. However, Ivor wasn't going to give him the upper hand in this conversation.

He was pretty sure these were just petty thieves. They got brave thinking they could get a quick score off some soft rich guy.

“Uh, there are about 30 of us. We're strictly small time. Our boss said this was our chance at a big score. The boss operates out of a brothel. It's a little more upscale. Not like super high upscale, but enough to get good info for jobs.” The man seemed forthcoming.

Ivor nodded. He looked at the carriage driver, “You can head back. I'll come back to the estate later. Tell Aza that I have some business to attend to.”

Ivor pulled the man's clothes out of a backpack he had prepared before the man woke up. He threw the clothes to the man.

“Your buddies are unconscious, naked, but only unconscious. I'll return their gear and yours if you take me to your boss, now,” Ivor said.

The man nodded. He got dressed and Ivor followed him. It took a while to get to a brothel that wasn't all that far from Ixail's shop. It was tucked back among some more industrial looking buildings. The man stepped up to the door and turned around.

'Play it cool. There will be guards. I'll go let the boss know he should talk to you. Just don't hurt the girls,” the man said.

Ivor just stared at the man. The man sighed and trudged off to a staircase that wound up beside the bar. The place was lively but in a subdued way.

Ivor sat in a chair near where two guards watched the front door. Before long, the man came back and waved Ivor up the stairs. Ivor followed the man up the stairs and down a hallway to double doors.

He knocked, then turned the knob and motioned Ivor in. Ivor stepped in and the man closed the door.

Two huge guards were in the room along with a large wood desk. Ivor wasn't sure what species they were, but they were both Level 50. The man behind the desk was a new species to Ivor as well. He was a thin pale humanoid with a long neck and extremely long arms. The man was also Level 50.

“Ortan said you took out his men faster than he could blink,” the man said in a slightly high pitched nasally voice. “They're pretty low level though.”

Ivor nodded. He used [Null Step] forward and back. He held up the writing instrument the man had on the desk.

“Ok, you're fast,” the man said.

Ivor triggered [Null Step] twice again. This time he was holding one of the guards' swords. He placed it between two fingers on each hand and snapped it in half.

“You can send me the bill for that,” Ivor said.

The man nodded, “…and where would I send this bill?”

“Aza Krix can get a hold of me.”

The man reached up with his overly long arms and his absurdly long fingers rubbed his temples.

“Oh, lovely. This night keeps getting better.” He sighed. “What do you need me to do to make this right? It's clear you're not really a Level 24 Hunter.”

“Actually, I was hoping you could help me,” Ivor said.

The man quit rubbing his temples and looked at Ivor.

Ivor continued, “I need information. You want to move up in the pecking order. I'm willing to finance your efforts to a degree. However, there will need to be some changes.”

“Oh, what changes?” The man asked.

“No more of that stupid robbery shit. At the very least, get into smuggling, it's easier to bribe guards and generally it's more lucrative. Also, I need you to expand your information network.

Start working on lower level staff that have the most access, but aren't seen. Janitors, maids, construction workers, laborers. You know what estates and industries will produce the best information much better than I. Use leverage if they have a habit, although that has its downsides.

Preferably, earn their loyalty. Don't just throw around money. There should be a purpose to everything you spend,” Ivor said.

“What information do you need and how much are you willing to finance?” The man asked.

Ivor tossed the man a platinum coin, “Should take you a while to get through that. As for information, anything you normally get, plus any rumors you hear about the Galtu operating in the area. Specifically, if they start looking for me.”

The guards and the man stood in shock at the amount of money Ivor had just casually thrown around.

The man stood, “Scindair Zedha, at your service, Mr. Kemble.”

“I'll talk with Mr. Krix to figure out a communication plan. He should only be contacted by a cutout. No one should ever be able to link you two together,” Ivor said.

“Why are the Galtu looking for you?” Scindair asked.

“I'm not sure they are. However, it's possible they might be. I just want to be proactive. Send a message if anyone starts to try to muscle you out. You should be able to build this quiet, but sometimes shit happens.

Contact me, and I'll take care of it. In the meantime, as soon as you have the communication channels set up, I'd like summary reports. Most likely a lot of it won't interest me, but I bet a bit of it becomes important later.”

Ivor dumped all the gear and other men's clothes on the floor then walked out.

When several minutes had passed, one of the guards spoke, “You gonna do what he says or just take the money?”

Scindair looked up, “Oh, we're going to do what he said. This is a good learning experience for you two. That man walked in here with no fear and basically told me how I could become the best information broker in this city, and he financed the effort. He's done this before. Probably lots of times. What do you think that man does to people who cross him?”

Scindair didn't pick guards that were stupid. Their eyes widened.

“Exactly, gentlemen,” he said. “Mr. Kemble just handed us a gift. A gift of life and money. It's a gift we will be paying back with gratitude.”

Chapter Twenty-Eight

As Ivor made his way back to Aza's estate, he looked at his stats. The push through the three Level 53 dungeons had pushed his Level up to 24

Ivor Kemble (Human)

Credits: 5,044,356

Level: 24

Class: [Null]

Profession: Hunter

Strength: 134 (201)

Agility: 130 (195)

Endurance: 130 (195)

Constitution: 134 (201)

Intelligence: 195

Wisdom: 179

Willpower: 122 (244)

Perception: 187

Health: 2004

Mana: 1894

Stamina: 2097

Free Stat Points: 0

Ivor had worked out the details with Zed. He would hit 200 effective stats at Level 28. However, if he could find a couple more stat elixirs, he could get there at Level 27. He would probably have to hit some high level dungeons to get those rewards, if at all.

Ivor quickly made his way back to the estate. The guards let him in without issue. At this point, Ivor had sparred with all of them multiple times. When he arrived at the palatial house, a servant directed him to a study with Aza and Alipha.

“I trust your business went well?” Aza asked.

“Yes. You'll be hearing from Scindair Zedha or likely one of his cutouts. I have the man setting up an information network for me. I'm just letting you know in case they need to get a hold of me. You shouldn't have any involvement,” Ivor said.

“You've done this kind of thing before?” Alipha asked.

“Many times. Some became long running projects. I'm not sure about this one. I mostly have them keeping an ear out for any whispers of Galtu looking for me. It's harder and harder to hide my power. I expect that will cause problems at some point,” Ivor replied.

“Well, you don't become the head of a sprawling consortium without making some enemies. As you'll be, nominally, working with me, that should dissuade most from trying direct attacks,” Aza said.

“Oh, if you don't mind, I'd like your help figuring out a pay structure for Radus and Iken. They both want to work at the Freehold,” Ivor said.

Aza nodded, “I'll get them set up to be paid through one of my companies. I'll have my organization bill your Freehold directly. It cements your status as an active business partner without interfering with your own personal wealth. Speaking of wealth, I'm looking into how we can get the Mana Steel mined. I have a few of my most trusted people working on it. I'm hoping to have something soon. You'll want that revenue sooner rather than later.

In the meantime, you might want to run some of those high level dungeons. They sounded like they were very lucrative for you.”

“Lucrative and dangerous. Yeah, I do need to build up some more wealth. I may need your help identifying some high level dungeons.

My title only allows me to raise a dungeon to the highest level of any I have completed. Currently, that's Level 60. I should be able to handle a Level 80 dungeon easily at this point. Of course, that assumes Quanzul upgrades my armor.”

Aza chuckled, “I checked in on him the other day. He chased me off. I haven't seen that man this manic in decades. I expect we will hear from him in a day or so.”

Ivor thought for a moment before speaking again, “If you don't mind, I'm probably going to need an Epic level weapon smith fairly soon. I'm looking to have that Mana Steel made into short swords and bastons to replace my current set.”

Aza hesitated for a moment, “I know someone, but they might want to trade. Likely, they will want you to go to some dangerous place to get them materials.”

Ivor shrugged, “If it's suicidal, I'll decline. In the meantime, it's worth the discussion. I'm not in a hurry with this, but it's better to have someone lined up now. I'm going to see the Eephel's settled in the Freehold, and I'll see the kids off on their Inheritance adventure. After that, I think I'm ready for some of your special trips.”

Aza smiled, ”That would be fantastic. We will finally get some answers and maybe find things to help translate more of the book.”

The three of them talked about a number of things and eventually everyone retired for the evening.

It was two days later when Aza gathered everyone together. Quanzul was on his way with the armor. Marie and the team had been doing some shopping.

Aza had given them spatial rings a few days back. He had also given Resnov's team storage rings, but they would be using those mostly for work Aza's guilds needed done. Aza explained that it was likely, after the team had shown their value, the rings would be gifted to them. Ivor thought that was fair.

Resnov's team had been working with the guards and introducing themselves to the various guild leaders that Aza employed. Aza was treating them as a sort of Quick Reaction Force Q.R.F. Instead of hiring mercenaries or adventuring guild members, Aza could contract directly with the Freeholders. Ivor didn't have the overhead that a guild did. So, ultimately, Aza got some quality cheap labor.

Esqin had been furiously working on weapons for those that requested them, including a mace for Lance. She hadn't had enough time to study the new Vamhael runes, but she was able to get a colleague to put the enchantments on the mace that Lance needed to store and use the force mana. Ivor had donated the initial burst of mana, as his mana pool was massive compared to Lance.

Radus and Iken had already moved into the Freehold. Aza was offsetting some of their pay by renting their home in the city out. He owned a large number of properties in a large number of cities. He had a whole business dedicated to property management.

When Quanzul finally showed up, the man looked frazzled. Ivor was fairly certain he was missing some feathers.

Aza looked a bit concerned, “Are you alright old friend?”

Quanzul looked at him with a dazed look, “Alright? Alright!!! I'm damn fantastic.” Then he laughed a great big belly laugh.

“Well, it just seems you are a bit….manic, is the word,” Aza said.

Quanzul stopped laughing and looked at Aza, really looked. “Aza, my friend. I've gained five levels, Five!!!”

Aza looked shocked. For an Epic level armorer to gain five levels in such a short time. Well, it was simply unheard of.

“That rune codex. It's amazing. They broke down the runes so much more than we do. The amount of flexibility in the approach. It's genius. I've only scratched the surface. I just couldn't let that knowledge go to waste,” Quanzul was nearly ranting.

“How so?” Aza asked.

“Well, I was going to just give Resnov's team some of my existing stock. Good Expert level stuff. But…but after digging into the rune codex, I had to put it into practice.

I created custom armor for the whole team. It's still expert, but much more customized. It was that work that catapulted my levels,” Quanzul said.

He handed out the custom armor to Resnov's team. Everyone was in shock. Resnov's team couldn't thank Quanzul enough. This was a huge boon for the team.

Quanzul looked at Ivor. “I was planning on using all those Ice Dragon skins and scales for your armor, but that just wouldn't do. Instead, I used all that material to make Marie and team their armor. I was able to use some of the new runes and old runes. Their armor is Master level. It has many of the functions of Ivor's old armor, but tailored to each person. Here, go ahead. Take a look.”

Quanzul handed the team their armor. They looked at the notifications, and their jaws dropped. Their armor had a 50% armor bonus for wearing the full set.

That was even better than Ivor's original set. It was bonded. The hoods had the same mask and features Ivor's did. It was amazing stuff.

It was a combination of dragon skin and scales. The scales were smaller, but covered sensitive or vulnerable areas. They overlapped seamlessly to allow perfect freedom of movement.

“So, if you didn't use the dragon skin and scales for Ivor's armor, what did you do?” Aza was interested.

Quanzul looked at his friend, “You remember Eriar.”

Aza winced, “How could I forget? That was the worst day of our lives. What we gained was not worth the loss.”

“Of course. You remember what caused that loss,” Quanzul said suggestively to his friend.

Aza paused for a moment, “No…You didn't….You said you would never use that until you made it to Legendary.”

“I had to. I couldn't use any other material. Not for what Ivor has given me. It is my best work. As it should be.” Quanzul looked at Ivor and approached.

“You can't understand what it means that I've gained five levels in such a short time. I had completely given up reaching Legendary. It's been decades since I leveled at all. I just hope this armor I've created for you all can begin to pay back what you've given me. Thank you.” Quanzul handed over Ivor's armor.

The upgraded armor was different. There were dragon scales, but they weren't in vulnerable areas like Marie's team. They were running down the outside of the legs, on the top of the boots, running down the torso and arms, and running along both sides of the hood.

“Ivor, if you please, put it on,” Quanzul said.

Ivor stepped into another room and quickly donned the armor. It felt the same. Meaning it felt fantastic. Ivor looked at his notifications of his new armor.

Armor of the Extreme Sole Survivor

Level: Epic

Requirements: Ivor Kemble

Type: Bonded

Features:

- Self-sizing

- Self-cleaning

- Self-repairing

- Color changing (Limited)

- Camouflage (Maximized)

- Structure changing (Limited)

- Dimensional weapon storage

- Comfortable

- Dragon Skin (+Retractable)

Part of a Set: 1/4

Set Features: When all set pieces are worn, armor effectiveness increased by 75%

Dragon Skin: Increases armor effectiveness by 150%

Hooded Mask of the Extreme Sole Survivor

Level: Epic

Requirements: Ivor Kemble, Armor of the Extreme Sole Survivor

Type: Bonded

Features:

- Self-sizing

- Self-cleaning

- Self-repairing

- Color changing (Limited)

- Camouflage (Maximized)

- Structure changing (Limited)

- Vision enhancement (Night, Dark, Bright, Mana, Heat)

- One-Way view (+ Mask toggle)

- Comfortable

- Filter

- Dragon Skin (+Retractable)

Part of a Set: 1/4

Set Features: When all set pieces are worn, armor effectiveness increased by 75%.

Dragon Skin: Increases armor effectiveness by 150%

Fists of the Extreme Sole Survivor

Level: Epic

Requirements: Ivor Kemble, Armor of the Extreme Sole Survivor

Type: Bonded

Features:

- Self-sizing

- Self-cleaning

- Self-repairing

- Color changing (Limited)

- Camouflage (Maximized)

- Structure changing (Limited)

- Retractable

- Comfortable

- Dragon Skin (+Retractable)

Part of a Set: 1/4

Set Features: When all set pieces are worn, armor effectiveness increased by 75%

Dragon Skin: Increases armor effectiveness by 150%

Boots of the Extreme Sole Survivor

Level: Epic

Requirements: Ivor Kemble, Armor of the Extreme Sole Survivor

Type: Bonded

Features:

- Self-sizing

- Self-cleaning

- Self-repairing

- Color changing (Limited)

- Camouflage (Maximized)

- Structure changing (Limited)

- Surefooted

- Muffled

- Comfortable

- Dragon Skin (+Retractable)

Part of a Set: 1/4

Set Features: When all set pieces are worn, armor effectiveness increased by 75%

Dragon Skin: Increases armor effectiveness by 150%

It was Epic level now. The Set feature increased the armor's effectiveness from 25% to 75%. Dragon skin increased that to 150%. Ivor would have to ask Quanzul what that was. There was a new feature called Comfortable. Ivor hoped that was climate control.

He was pretty impervious to temperature change since the Vamhael Inheritance, but extreme heat and cold could be annoying. His mask had gained Mana and Heat vision enhancements as well as some kind of Filter. That was handy. His camouflage went from Limited to Maximized. Ivor could see why Quanzul was excited.

While Ivor was putting on his armor and looking at the stats of the armor in the other room. Marie asked Aza and Quanzul a question.

“What happened at Eriar?”

Aza looked at Quanzul who nodded, “Well, it was our last adventure. It's where we found the old book in the ruins and where all our other team members died.”

There were somber looks all around.

Quanzul picked up the tale, “It was a nearly dead world. The species on it was old and nearly extinct. We got a rumor that there was a high level monster somewhere in some ruins that had a valuable hoard of treasure. There were seven of us that went.

It took months to find the hoard. The monsters on the planet were no joke. By the time we got to the hoard, we were nearly out of consumables. We waited around to see where this supposed monster was. For two days we waited. Finally, we moved in for the prize.”

Aza continued, “We were rapidly shoving tons of platinum into our spatial rings along with anything else nearby. We all made a mistake. A terrible mistake. The monster had been there the whole time.

The ruins were shrouded in darkness. Two giant blazing green eyes opened up. We all stopped. Then it roared and charged us from the shadows.”

“Hohmi and Anzuin nearly died immediately as the monster tried to snap its jaws on them. We put up a fight, and finally managed to kill it. Hohmi and Anzuin were fighting in close the whole time. They ended up getting crushed under its claws towards the end. Melze had got caught by its fire breath and died instantly.

Oholl and Te'val died because we didn't have enough consumable potions to save them. They refused to take any until Aza and I were healed enough to get us all out of there,” Quanzul said.

“What was it?” Chris asked.

“An Epic Level Black Dragon. We stripped everything we could from it. We even left some of the hoard there in lieu of taking the dragon parts. When we got back and the shock wore off, we couldn't bring ourselves to sell the parts. It seemed like a betrayal of our comrades to just gain money from the thing that took their lives,” Aza said.

“Ivor's armor was a worthy use of that material. Not just for what he's done for me with the Rune Codex, but for what he stands for and how he is. Hohmi, Anzuin, Melze, Oholl and Te'val would have loved to meet him.” Quanzul wiped a small tear from the corner of his eye.

Aza patted his friend on the shoulder. His own eyes misting up.

At that moment, Ivor walked out of the room he was changing in. Marie had seen her father in armor before, but something was different. It could be a bias because of the story, but Ivor looked more dangerous than ever.

“Quanzul, what's Dragon Skin?” Ivor asked.

“Focus on the dragon scales and use your Willpower like you do for the mask or gloves. Think about expanding the scales.” Quanzul coached Ivor.

Ivor followed Quanzul's advice. The scales expanded rapidly covering his feet, legs, torso, arm hands and, finally, his head was encased in a dragon scale helmet.

The two groups gasped aloud. Ivor was completely clad in overlapping dragon scales. The scales were a deep black and moved with him like they were the supplest leather.

The scales formed a helmet on his head. The helmet was fairly form fitting and had a faceplate that resembled a human face. Whether it was on purpose or not, the face was expressionless, emotionless, cold. Frankly, it was terrifying.

Ivor made the faceplate on the helmet disappear.

“That bad?” He asked slightly confused.

Marie was the one to speak, “Not bad, just shocking. It's intimidating and terrifying… just like a dragon, I guess.”

“That's what I was going for,” Quanzul said. “How does it feel?”

“It feels great. No real difference from before. What are the Comfortable and Filter features?” Ivor asked.

“Comfortable will do its best to keep you comfortable in extreme environments. Filter will allow you to filter the air you breathe. You can also send more mana into the armor to counteract any really extreme effects.

With that said, those scales should repel most elemental attacks. You'll notice a slight drain on your mana and stamina while having the Dragon Skin deployed.”

“..and Camouflage is Maximized?”

“Ah, yes, that is a byproduct of using the parts of that particular dragon. Those parts seem to have some innate magic specific to older dragons. It's not invisibility, but you will blend into your surroundings much better.

In the shadows, you might as well be invisible. The scales do limit your color options even more than usual. You'll be stuck with dark browns, greens and blacks, mostly,” Quanzul explained

The color options weren't a big deal to Ivor. It was good enough.

With all the equipment passed out, there wasn't much reason to stick around for Marie's group. Aza wanted to have a quiet dinner tonight with his daughter and wife. Ivor and Marie planned on heading back to the Freehold in the morning. Resnov's team was heading out to one of Aza's mines on another planet. There was some kind of monster problem they could help with.

Ivor, Marie and her team went out to dinner in town. Aza recommended a place that was comfortable with good food. He was right, the food was good. Towards the end of the dinner, a waiter approached the table.

Looking at Ivor, the waiter said, “Sir, a message for you.”

Ivor took the message. It was sealed in an envelope. Ivor took out the message and read it.

Mr. Kemble,

Meet me in my office at your earliest convenience.

Scindair

Ivor finished the meal with Marie and the team. Marie was already aware of what he had set up and who with. Ivor headed to the brothel. On arrival, the two guards inside the door directed him upstairs to Scindair's office. Ivor knocked and entered when he heard a reply.

“Ah, Mr. Kemble. I wanted to let you know that your money is bearing fruit. It seems that a certain Galtu organization does indeed have your name. They are currently offering a modest sum for anyone that knows your whereabouts. How would you like me to proceed?” Scindair asked.

“First, excellent work. Second, let me know if the amount starts going up or they get more aggressive. I'll be heading off-world for a while. You can relay information through Mr. Krix's contact if things escalate,” Ivor said.

“Your armor looks different,” Scindair commented.

“It is.”

“It's beyond my [Analyze] skill. Do you mind telling me what level?” Scindair asked.

Ivor knew this was Scindair's way of politely asking what Ivor's true level was. It would be helpful for the man to know in his line of work. Scindair would be able to convince certain people not to bother with Ivor, and he could tell Ivor when a real threat was evident. Ivor didn't mind telling him.

“It's Epic level.”

“Thank you for trusting me with that information. I'll use my contact with Mr. Krix when I learn more.”

Ivor nodded and left.

One of the guards commented, “Now I understand why you were cautious with him. If he truly needs Epic level armor, his own level must be at least Master level. Despite what my [Identify] is telling me.”

Scindair nodded, “Now you understand. It may not be how I envisioned this organization growing, but with his backing, we will grow. I want you two to make sure over the next couple of weeks that we get rid of all of the troublesome elements in our organization. No one dealing drugs, slaves, robbery, protection rackets.. none of that. We stick to information and smuggling.”

The other guard chimed in, “Do you want them gone from the organization or permanently gone?”

“Make it permanent. We are riding Mr. Kemble's coat tails, and I don't want anyone out there to start talking because they are disgruntled.”

Both guards nodded and left the room.

It was time Scindair put Ivor's money to work. There were several businesses he could buy that would extend his information gathering range. Once he knew which Galtu organization was looking for Ivor, he could establish himself on that planet as well. Things were looking up. Scindair smiled at the turn of events. Now he just had to show his usefulness so Ivor would keep him around.

Ivor made it back to the Aza's estate before Quanzul had left.

“Ah, Ivor. I wanted to let you know that I'm still trying to track down that armor you gave me. It may take some time, and I can't guarantee anything. I'll keep trying,” Quanzul said.

Ivor was confused at first, but then remembered he had sent the armor Perez was wearing to Quanzul to see if he could identify who the maker was.

“You might focus on people who frequently work with Galtu organizations. It seems they are asking around about me. It's possible that they were working with Perez. He was getting that drug from somewhere, and they seem like the likely suspect,” Ivor said.

Quanzul nodded, “That will narrow things down a bit. Well, I'm off. Good luck.”

As Quanzul left, Aza turned to Ivor, “Anything I need to do?”

“No. I have Scindair looking into it. If he's as savvy as I think he is, he will want to show his usefulness so that I keep him around. Time will tell if he's doing it because he legitimately wants to be an information broker or if he's doing it solely for himself,” Ivor said.

“How will you know if he's only doing it for himself?”

Ivor chuckled, “He'll sell me out at some point for more money. It happens every time.”

Aza thought for a moment, “I'm guessing that doesn't turn out well for the other party.”

“No. No it really doesn't.”

Aza was really glad Ivor was a friend. With his power and background, he could be ruling worlds rather than exploring them.

“When you come back, I'll have a short list of potential places for you to explore.” Aza said.

Ivor nodded, and bid Aza a good night.

The next morning was a whirlwind of activity as everyone got their stuff together and boarded the carriages to the travel circle. Resnov's group was the first to leave Menevris as they went off to handle the monster problem for Aza. There were quite a few hugs and handshakes. Ivor told Aza he should be back in a day or two. He wanted to make sure Marie and team, with Esqin, were off and that the Freehold had everything it needed. Finally, their time came, and with a brief flash of light they were back on the travel circle in the Freehold.

Zed had projected himself into the travel circle building.

“Welcome back. Radus and Iken are tending to the manor,” Zed said.

“Now that you all have spatial storage rings, I want you to go down to the armory and make sure you have a backup weapon or two. Same goes for armor, although I can't imagine anything you run into will damage your armor so much it can't repair itself,” Ivor said.

Ivor was planning on spending most of the day making new spike traps and light disks.

Everyone headed to the manor where they were met by Radus and Iken.

“Mr. Kemble, welcome home,” Radus said.

“Good to be here, albeit for a short time. How are things?” Ivor asked.

“Very good. Zed has been a wonderful help in getting us up to speed on things about your planet and specifically this environment. I've planted a garden. I'm planting vegetables that are native to both planets. It's an interesting experiment.

Also, Zed showed me this thing called a greenhouse. Fantastic what your people achieved without magic. With your permission, I'd like to get one setup.”

Ivor nodded, “Great idea. I approve wholeheartedly.”

Ivor wanted to spend some time with Marie before they all parted for their respective adventures. Marie's team to find Chris' Inheritance, and Ivor to explore a world that hadn't been visited in who knows how many millennia.

The day and night went by too fast for Ivor. He enjoyed spending time with his daughter. She had grown to be a wonderful person. Even with all the magic nonsense that had intruded on their lives, she adapted and kept a positive attitude. He was glad she was surrounded by good people.

As the next day came, the group ate a wonderful breakfast prepared by Iken. Marie's team wanted to get an early start. Ivor went with them just out past the entrance to the Freehold.

“Make sure you spread the word in any villages or towns about the kids being able to earn stats. Also make sure they know about the Good Start and Great Start titles as well as the 100 dungeons title. Without a World Guardian, this information won't be disseminated. I'll send messages to the people I already have contacts for,” Ivor reminded them.

Marie rolled her eyes, “Yes dad.” She gave him a hug, and the team took off.

Ivor watched them go, then headed back into the Freehold. When he got back to the manor, Kitty was sitting on the porch eating something Iken had clearly left for her. Ivor patted the monster on the head.

Ivor made more traps throughout the rest of the day. He had unloaded quite a bit of stuff from his [Null Storage] in the armory. He transferred another million credits to the house account.

Ivor isn't sure how long he will be gone. The Eephels could get a loan from Aza if necessary while he was gone. It shouldn't come to that though.

The next morning he bid the Eephels goodbye and took the travel circle back to Menevris. His passage through was much quicker this time. He rented a carriage to take him to the Krix estate. The ride was uneventful until he got to the palatial manor house. There were several carriages and men with a uniform Ivor didn't recognize. Aza was talking to one man who seemed to be in charge.

Ivor got out of the carriage and approached the two men. Ivor didn't miss the slight movement of hands towards weapons on the guards.

Aza immediately started speaking, “Ivor there has been a terrible mistake. Don't do anything rash. Please trust me and do what these men say. They are guards with the Principality. I'll work on getting everything cleared up.”

Ivor looked at Aza and nodded. The lead guard spoke, “Ivor Kemble, you are under arrest by order of the Seneschal for the murder of Ixial Denkaet. Please remove your armor and come with me.”

Ivor looked at the man for a moment. He could hear movement of weapons behind him. “May I remove my armor inside or would you like me to strip down right here.”

“He's not going anywhere. Let the man have some dignity. I'll sign a System contract if you want. I'll make sure he comes right back out,” Aza said.

“Of course, Mr. Krix. No need for something so formal. I trust your word,” the man said.

Ivor followed Aza inside.

“Something is going on, but I'm not sure what. Ixail is dead though. It couldn't possibly be you. However, this whole thing stinks of Galtu involvement,” Aza said.

Ivor transferred all of his weapon storage into his [Null Storage]. He already had a backup set of armor in there. I was nothing compared to his Epic set. Ivor left his armor with Aza and put on some sturdy boots, pants and shirt. He had a feeling he shouldn't be wearing his finest.

As they stepped outside, Aza spoke, “I expect Mr. Kemble will be treated with the utmost respect he is due as both a Freeholder and my personal friend.”

The leader guard nodded, “Of course Mr. Krix. We will get him processed and try to get to the bottom of all this. You should be able to visit him in the jail tomorrow.”

The man led Ivor to the last of the carriages. Ivor crawled inside. There were several men dressed in the Principality guard uniform already inside.

The door closed and it was quite dark. There were no windows, just slits to let the air and a bit of light in. Ivor leaned back against the seat and closed his eyes as the carriage rumbled into motion.

Sometime, during the journey, the carriage took an abrupt turn. Then sped up. The sound of the carriage wheels on the paved streets eventually changed.

“I guess I'm not going to make it to the jail,” Ivor stated with his eyes still closed.

“Oh, ho. The boss was right. This one is smart. I owe the boss a silver. Sit there and keep being calm and me and the boys won't have to beat on ya,” a guard said in a rough gravelly voice.

“I wouldn't dream of it. Wake me up when we get… wherever we are going.” Ivor relaxed and nodded off. He didn't know how long this was going to take. In his experience, and he had a lot of it, he should get his rest while he could. The next day or two were bound to be interesting.

Afterword

I knew about half way through writing the first book that there would be more than just a second book. The first book was, in a way, a setup for the whole series. I had toyed around with writing about other character's experiences in the Evaluation, rather than just Ivor's. However, the more I wrote the first book, the more I wanted to focus on Ivor's journey. The arrival of the System is changing things for everyone, even Ivor. How will Ivor change? You will find out in the later books.

Reviews on Amazon really help independent authors like me get our work promoted on the platform. Please consider leaving a review.

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