"What are you doing?" Alarion asked.

Bergman looked up from the book in his hands, the whites of his eyes a telltale shade of blue. "I'm p-plotting."

Alarion raised an eyebrow.

"C-coordinates!" Bergman clarified, a slight blush coloring his cheeks as he realized what he'd said. He gestured from the book in his hands to another open on the ground in front of him. The lined paper was filled with information, written in a cartographic shorthand Alarion had seen in the past but was not familiar with. "I'm training S-sympathetic Sight and trying to track the location of as many revenants or dead as I can from all the documents left behind."

"Why? We have located the boil."

"We think we h-have."

"It is a safe assumption."

Alarion wasn't wrong. It had been the better part of a day since they had relayed the information to HQ, and in that time, they'd received significant corroboration. In the east, at least one patrol had gone missing in the Periai gulch. In the north, a seemingly normal subjugation was ongoing near Shae-Istol. Ashad was a large, mostly rural country. It wasn't unusual to have multiple infestations at one time, especially after a long winter, but this went beyond coincidence.

"I k-know," Bergman conceded without a fight.

They all knew it would be Carling Hills, but they'd been told to stay put. After days without sleep, they received permission to rest, followed by orders to investigate further. Kali and Dimov were out searching, looking for any trace of the villagers or any indication of their connection to the Bones of Ashad. Alarion and Bergman had been left behind, with Alarion instructed to review the documents for anything they might have missed, and Bergman ordered to rest.

Neither of them was doing an especially good job following instructions.

"How are your eyes?" Alarion asked in lieu of the question he wanted to ask, namely, 'Should you be doing that?'

"B-better." The round-faced boy dipped his head, massaging the bridge of his nose with thumb and forefinger before he added, "But still not good. Everything is b-blurry. The S-System lists it as both a condition and a flaw. It might be permanent."

"Spectacles would suit you."

Bergman snorted but couldn't smother his smile. "I feel stupid."

"Why?"

"Because I was w-warned about this!" Bergman said, tossing the book he was looking at onto a nearby desk as the blue faded from his eyes. "Always start slow, they t-told me. But d-do I listen? No. I can control the intensity. Ramp up safely to avoid exactly this. But I was in a h-hurry to prove that I was u-useful."

"You are useful. I might be dead without you," Alarion said.

"T-that is not what I-" Bergman frowned as he realized how that might sound. "I am glad I s-saved you. Really. But my first y-year was sitting around. This p-posting is important. A chance for me to make a name for myself and my f-family. To be noticed. I can't waste it."

"Mm," Alarion said after a moment of reflection. "You are not the only person I have seen make risky decisions because of family."

If you were… if things were different.

Do not make me do this!

He shook the intrusive memory away as quickly as it had come, but it had already done its work.

"Are you alright?"

"I will be," Alarion told him, the words falling from his lips like a mantra. "I just need to focus on something else. ZEKE?"

"Ah, young master finally wishes to discuss his new skills?" the construct asked without preamble.

"Wha... how did you?"

"Oh, Alarion. I don't get your notifications, but I see everything. You've been sitting on the cusp of your next milestones for an age. The only question I have is whether it is one class or both?"

"Both."

"Splendid! Young Master Ivor can assist in the discussion as well, but first, a breakdown, if you will?"

Level Up! Congratulations, your Stubborn Swordsman Class has advanced to Level 43! STR +20. AGI +20. VIT +20. INT +5. PER +15. WIL +15.

Level Up! Congratulations, your Unraveller Class has advanced to Level 22! STR +10. AGI +5. VIT +5. INT +15. PER +15. WIL +15.

Skill level increased. Self-Motivated is now Level MAX. LUK +48. Skill level increased. Stealth is now Level 9. AGI +4. WIL +4. Skill level increased. Dimensional Evasion is now Level 5. AGI +16. Skill level increased. Ebb and Flow is now Level 5. LUK +8.

"A modest increase. I'd hoped your stealth would reach MAX as well. When you are safe and secure, we need to put together a training regimen. Something to push those MAX skills-"

The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.

"I also h-hate you," Bergman told the holographic Steelborn. "Seven levels from a fight, hundreds of attributes, and you call it modest?"

"For him, it really is. I share your pain, however. His Aptitude is utterly unfair."

"Fine. I j-just hate him." Alarion looked between the pair as though asking if they were done. Bergman was not. "Do you want to know what my best level-up was?"

"Not especially."

"Less than a hundred attributes! I have one hundred and forty-two, and I'm considered a genius by most Ashadi, and here you are with..." Bergman trailed off with the words two-thirty-eight on his lips and a flush on his cheeks. "Anyway... your skills."

"Mm," Alarion agreed, before he rattled off his options.

One and Done [Exceptional]

Description: Some believe that the first hit is what determines the outcome of a battle; others believe it is the last hit that counts. Why not have it be both?

Requirements: Kill at least 50 opponents with a single attack.

Type: Passive

Effects: Increase the damage of the first hit against any opponent by a major amount. Reduce the damage of all subsequent hits against that opponent by a minor amount. This effect resets against all opponents after 24 hours.

Growths: STR +8.

--

Gigas Grip [Exceptional]

Description: Why use one ludicrously oversized weapon when you can use two?

Requirements: Oversized Weapon Mastery - MAX. Survive at least ten combat encounters while wielding two oversized weapons.

Type: Passive

Effects: Gain a slight increase to all combat effectiveness while wielding two oversized weapons. Gain ambidexterity while wielding two oversized weapons.

Growths: STR +4. AGI +4.

--

Dedication [Rare]

Description: You know there are other things in life. You just don't care much.

Requirements: Single-Minded

Type: Passive/Training/Flaw

Effects: When choosing a skill or class to focus on for their flaw, [Single-Minded] user may select up to five skills or classes to be penalized. These skills/classes will gain no XP while chosen. For each class chosen, the user gains a minor bonus to XP to their [Single-Minded] focus. For each skill chosen, gain a slight bonus to XP to their [Single-Minded] focus. When a class skill is focused and that skill is at MAX, increase the chance of an Epiphany by an amount equal to the total XP bonus. When a non-class skill is chosen, increase the chance of an Epiphany by an amount equal to the total XP bonus. The chosen skills or classes reset as usual after 24 hours.

Growths: STR +2. AGI +2. VIT +2. PER +2. WIL +2.

There were only three of them, a record low for Alarion and the minimum the System would offer, according to ZEKE. That was disappointing but not shocking. Most of his experience between level 30 and level 40 had been in battles that were dangerous, but not difficult. The System rewarded challenges and achievements more than it rewarded grinding the same simple tasks over and over again.

Even so, they were incredible options, if somewhat lopsided.

"So I think-"

"Alarion, if you do not take Dedication immediately, I will lose all respect for you, and I will ask Master Ivor to strike you."

Alarion didn't argue and accepted the skill on the spot.

It wasn't that the other options were bad. They weren't. [One and Done] would be an interesting addition to his kit, even if the penalty wouldn't have made it his first choice. [Gigas Grip] was almost the quintessential example of the System recognizing a behavior, in this case Alarion's penchant for dual wielding, and rewarding it with a skill. As if to say, 'do more of that'. At any other time, a stackable 10% bonus to the thing he was best at would have been the obvious choice.

But [Dedication] was just that good.

"S-slight is up to 10%, right?" Bergman asked. "So that would be a bonus of up to 50%?"

"Up to 100%." ZEKE corrected.

"If he had five c-classes, sure. But-" Bergman frowned as the realization dawned on him.

With an Aptitude of two hundred and thirty-eight, it was comparatively easy for Alarion to gain classes; it was just inadvisable for him to gain more than he already had. Any combat class he gained would siphon XP from the others, and any time spent training in a non-combat class would provide little other than a slight increase in attributes that he'd quickly outgrow.

"There is n-no way that would actually w-work. Right?"

"That isn't the only reason to take it, either. Look at the name," ZEKE told them.

"Dedication," Alarion repeated the name. "What am I missing?"

"What were your other skill names? Even the name of the class. Stubborn. Pig-headed. Offense is a Good Offense. Most of them are insulting, no? Or at least childish.And now you have Dedication." ZEKE had the familiar tone of a well-trodden lecture as he spoke. "How do we break down classes within the System?"

Alarion gave him a blank look. They'd gone over this during one of ZEKE's lectures; he was sure of it, just as he was sure he had no earthly idea. It had been half a lifetime ago. Thankfully, Bergman came to his rescue.

"R-rote or non-rote. Then, by classification. Combat, Crafting, Service, or Alternate."

"Correct, though from the young master's expression, a bit of revision is warranted. Classification is straightforward and is evident in the name. A combat class fights, whether magically, physically, or otherwise. A crafting class creates anything from foodstuffs to Steelborn. A Service class provides a service, ranging from the various skills of an Ordinate to the unusual skills of a seer. Lastly, an Alternate is something that does not fit neatly into the other three categories. Your survivor class, for example, would have been considered an Alternate. Even if it had some minor combat capabilities, it isn't a true combat class, nor could it meaningfully create or serve."

"I knew that."

"Mhmm," ZEKE said with enough skepticism that it was a wonder he believed Alarion even existed. "Then the difference between rote and non-rote?"

"One is not rote. The other is."

ZEKE had made a point of keeping his holographic form as accurate to his original body as he could, but somehow that grinning face looked disappointed in him.

"A rote class is one with a proven path. It is a class you are trained toward from the start and where most permutations are well known. Sympathetic Wordsmith, for example, is a tried, tested, and true class, well-documented in the VISIT archives. And a good choice, if I say so myself, Young Master Ivor."

"T-thank you, ZEKE."

"I give credit where it is due." Sensing he was losing Alarion with the petty jabs, ZEKE returned to his lecture. "A non-Rote class lacks a formal path. It can be strictly unique to an individual, or one that is so rare that it has not been meaningfully studied. Orphan is one such class, as is your Stubborn Swordsman, though I am sure if I dug hard enough in the right archives, I could find some information on the latter."

"And?" Alarion asked.

"Names matter within the System, especially when it comes to non-Rote classes. They are often reflective of the person who is walking that path. When the System says you are Pig-headed, it could be describing you, but it can also show you what you think of yourself. If your skill names are becoming more positive, it is because the underlying negativity is changing. Single-minded underpins your entire class, but the System is suggesting it isn't quite the flaw it used to be."

Finally, Alarion perked up. "You think it is about to become a virtue?!"

"Nowhere near that yet, no," ZEKE told him. "But Dedication sounds quite a bit more virtuous, doesn't it?"

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