Aaric

Running a dungeon in a balanced party was quite an experience for Aaric. Technically he'd done it before, a few times, early on in his growth, but this was different. They were only a few rooms into this dungeon, which featured an ongoing war between imps and rats of all things, and they'd only pulled trash packs so far. Still, it was rather exciting to work alongside others who were truly capable in their roles. There was no slacking here. Each of them knew their job and carried it out expeditiously.

The scout was acting in a purely advisory role, limiting his contributions severely once each combat began, but his insight and expertise were still useful.

Quinn, as the healer, had kept all of them fully topped-off on health the whole time. Of course, the shifter had basically just been spamming one big, inefficient heal the whole time, and totally shrugged off any discussion of it. The lack of effort bothered him, but Aaric chose to let it slide, as they were at least doing their job well.

Then there was the newly-hired tank, Rhett. Aaric was... torn when it came to the tall, red-skinned elementus. There was already no question that the man was capable, and he probably would prove to be worth every gold coin he'd charged. It was the way he went about it, though, that was unnerving.

"I'm going to engage the next pack in ten seconds," Rhett said, bringing Aaric back to the current moment.

The frost mage was nearly done casting his only AoE spell, [Blizzard], and it was doing a decent job of killing the trash packs before Rhett moved on, but only barely. The tank was setting a blistering pace overall.

"How many more packs before the first mini-boss?" Aaric asked.

"Just the next one," the scout replied as he strolled alongside Aaric. The man was as calm and imperturbable as ever, as if traversing the dungeon was a walk in the park. For him, it seemed equally relaxing. He never needed to dodge or avoid anything. It all just missed him. The more Aaric had observed the man, the more he realized that it was likely because he simply knew all there was to know about these enemies: their attacks, their cooldowns, and probably more besides. The scout didn't have to react to anything because he anticipated it all. Aaric wanted to be like that someday.

"Next pack incoming," the bulky tank said, turning toward the next group. His hand was then engulfed in fire, and a bolt of scorching crimson lanced toward each of the indicated targets, which immediately began rushing toward him.

When he'd first met Rhett, what had struck Aaric most had been his confidence. There had been a surety in his eyes, in the way he held himself, and in every word he spoke that had seemed to say that he knew exactly who he was and what he was capable of. He gave more than just the appearance of confidence, and that mattered.

Now, Aaric understood where that confidence came from.

Before the very first pull, Rhett had conducted some sort of short ritual that had seemingly summoned a bone-covered demon... and then merged with it. The tank's body had immediately expanded to three or four times its previous width, with arms that would have put even Hammerson's to shame. His fingers elongated into vicious-looking claws, which were currently set on fire as he swiped through some of the skeletal cultists surrounding them.

Fire burst out of Rhett's hands and engulfed all the mobs around him, not that the skeletons gave any sign of feeling the intense heat. Aaric made sure that they had nowhere to run by positioning a [Blizzard] right over the tank's head.

It was kind of odd to see his ice partnering with flames, but the results were undeniable. The skeletons dropped to the ground almost as one, leaving behind only their tattered robes on uneven piles of bones.

"Let me know when you're ready for the miniboss," Rhett said, anticipating Aaric's need to drink mana water before what would be a tougher fight.

"I'm good now," Quinn said, actually yawning.

Aaric, mid-sip, caught the subtle shake of the scout's head but he didn't see if the man had also rolled his eyes. Aaric wanted to, but he restrained himself. As party leader, even for such a contracted group, he had to maintain decorum.

A dimly flickering green light shone through the arch leading to the mini boss's chamber. He remembered from the scout's briefing that it was normally a ritual chamber containing anywhere from five to ten chanting skeletons, and of course they'd finish the ritual whenever anyone--or anything--passed through the arch. In an effort not to copy the sundried failures of those who came before him, Aaric had studied all the attempts others had made to disrupt the ritual prior to its completion. He'd been genuinely impressed with the vast creativity, despite the fact that nothing had worked.

His mana full at last, he stood up, stretched out his arms, and flexed his fingers. "Alright, let's go give the skeletal behemoth a bad time."

Rhett gave a nod and moved to the front, stopping just shy of the threshold. "Pulling in 5," he said, his taloned fingers already aflame.

Exactly on time, he stepped forward, and a second later hurled what Aaric had determined was a [Fire Bolt] at the newly-forming aberration before rushing into melee, and though he wielded no physical weapons otherwise, Aaric would concede that he probably didn't need any.

The demon-tank jumped around some attacks, blocked others, and struck back with a fluid grace that was nearly feline, despite his current bulk. Even before Aaric had slowed the miniboss with a single spell, Rhett already moved so much faster than it. So much so that, back beside Aaric, the blank-faced Quinn literally sat down cross-legged.

"Easiest healing gig ever," the shifter said.

Aaric didn't comment, and he definitely didn't let himself get distracted. He had a casting rotation to maximize, especially on a fight such as this that allowed him to stand still for long periods of time. He knew similar bosses would be few and far between as he climbed the tiers.

He knew from the scout's reports that the behemoth would grow stronger and faster the longer it was alive. So, unlike with a normal target dummy, he had a reason to give this fight his full focus.

Clearly that drive and effort was not shared by a certain other member of their party, who was still just spamming the same healing ability over and over, just now from his seat on the floor. The golden dome of warming light was so wasteful Aaric could barely stand it. As best Aaric could tell, it would have more than fully healed everyone in their group--had they taken any damage at all. But so far only Rhett had ever needed healing!

When the scout called out 66%, they were well ahead of the typical, projected pace based on the behemoth's size. He knew his rotation had been flawless thus far, but he also couldn't help but wonder how much damage the tank was putting out. The elementus was continuing to prove rather impressive, and Aaric didn't consider himself one to be easily impressed.

Regardless, At 50% Aaric finally had to start moving some, as the expected bone spikes started shooting out of the behemoth in a constant, spinning wave. Aaric found that he could cast [Frost Bolt] four times before needing to move if he maximized space when he did move. It wasn't nearly as problematic for his rotation as he'd thought it might be.

Within only another minute or two, the miniboss fell, becoming little more than a pile of oversized bones on the floor. Aaric ignored the kill notifications just as he planned to ignore the loot, taking only mana potions off the corpse.

More valuable was the crystal clear Ding!, which told everyone that he'd gained just enough experience to level up. That notification couldn't be ignored.

Congratulations! You've reached LEVEL 18! The frost mage Class has reached LEVEL 9!

Of course, he didn't earn any new skills from his duplicated Secondary; anything he earned now would just boost his percentages and durations. But he did notice that, this time, he'd also gained a small increase to the damage of all his ice spells in addition to the chance to apply chill debuffs and the length of those debuffs.

"Congratulations," both the scout and tank said.

"Thanks," Aaric replied, trying to estimate how much these small incremental improvements would impact his performance throughout the rest of the dungeon. He did so enjoy watching his numbers improve, though he wondered if he'd hit a breakpoint where he'd have to recalculate his most efficient rotation.

"Loot?" the elementus asked.

Aaric knew that there was nothing in this place's loot table that would really challenge any of the gear he had gotten from the Steelbloods. Better to just give it to Rhett as part of his profits, hopefully motivating the tank to keep moving and reaping experience as quickly as possible. "Toss me any mana potions; the rest you can keep and sell."

The scout's lips pursed slightly, causing Aaric to add, "Though if there is anything truly exceptional, please let me know."

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"Of course," Rhett replied.

The scout nodded, seemingly appeased.

Checking his [Clock] skill, Aaric couldn't help but smile. We're making good time. If we can keep this going, I could push through to Tier 3 in only another couple months. He really appreciated how Rhett had kept their progress steady and easy. It's definitely worth extending his contract. Quinn, on the other hand...

Aaric looked at the healer who hadn't bothered to rise from the seated position he'd taken when the encounter began. Even when that meant taking the damage from the bone blasts, Quinn had just cast another golden dome and healed through it. He motioned for the scout to come closer so they might have a private conversation.

"Has Quinn cast a single other spell in this dungeon?" he asked.

The scout's reply dripped with disdain. "No, just that very inefficient AoE heal."

Aaric appreciated the scorn in the scout's judgment, as it reflected his own.

"That was easy enough," Rhett commented, loudly enough for everyone to hear. "Hopefully the final boss offers more of a challenge."

As the scout moved away, Aaric pulled out a pad of notes and flipped through to the final page. "Definitely more challenging than this was. Possibly even enough to require some actual skill from our healer."

Quinn's face remained blank, other than the mouth that formed to reply, "I'm not here to be overly skilled; I'm here to fulfill my contract."

Aaric gave a polite smile. "I suppose you're hitting that mark precisely then." He turned his attention back to the demon-tank. "Though you, Rhett, are proving that your initial claims were no boast at all. You've more than lived up to my expectations. Would you be willing to negotiate an extension to our agreement?"

The elementus smiled, revealing pointed fangs that definitely hadn't been there prior to his demonic merger. "If the pay remains the same, then I'll gladly consider it. But, no offense, I have a policy of always finishing one contract before I sign onto another."

"Admirable, but not exactly the soundest idea in all cases," the scout said. "It might cause you to miss some opportunities. Besides, extensions technically aren't new contracts."

Rhett waved a dismissive hand. "I just like to keep things simple whenever possible."

"You and me both," Quinn added.

Aaric ignored the shifter. "Would it be safe to assume, then, that you don't have immediately pressing engagements after our run ends?"

The tank's eyes glossed over briefly, showing that he was checking something in his displays. "My [Calendar] verifies that I'm open for the foreseeable future. Though once we hit Tier 3, I may request a leave, if not outright assistance, if I were to receive a Path quest right away, for example."

"Understandable," Aaric said with a nod. "I plan to enter the Tier 3 Tournament myself after tiering up."

Quinn scoffed. "You mean to enter at 20?"

Aaric gave the healer an icy glare. "I do, though I will not merely enter it. I plan to win it all."

"Right. At level 20, a fresh T3, potentially up against level 39s! I wouldn't put money on that!" Quinn outright laughed, but Aaric's face did not soften at all.

Rhett was also giving Aaric a long, measuring look. "You're serious, aren't you, about all of that? Even the part about winning."

Aaric stood straighter and lifted his chin confidently. "Of course I am."

"Of course you are. The level 18 is already planning on winning the Tier 3 Tournament. Hah! Though, of course, you'll need two more levels before you can truly enter that contest, since you're not yet level 20. More than that, and correct me if I'm wrong: you still haven't even taken your final Secondary yet! So it's more than two levels you need to grind. You've actually got twelve levels left to earn before you can rise to Tier 3. At least your duplicate Secondary will level alongside your Primary, or you'd have thirteen."

"Your ability to do math is astounding," the scout said dryly.

"I'm not worried," Aaric replied, "and it shouldn't take that long. I just haven't yet decided upon the next step of my Path. I've been too busy perfecting what it already is.

"'Perfecting,'" Quinn mimicked, sounding disturbingly similar to Aaric.

The frost mage didn't like that one bit. "Yes, some of us actually work hard and give our abilities proper training. We don't just spam AoE heals; we consider efficiency, casting time, and contextual circumstances. We work to better ourselves with every spell we cast."

"That sounds kind of exhausting," the shifter replied. "I suppose I view efficiency differently. I cast one spell, and it does everything I want it to do: it keeps you alive and earns me money. That's efficient enough for this dungeon."

Aaric thumped his staff on the floor in disgust, but he didn't wish to debate the purpose of internal motivation with someone who clearly had long since given up on it. "Regardless, no matter what Secondary Class I end up taking, it will supplement my Path, and I'm going to work just as hard on it as I have everything else so far, exactly like I did to earn this title."

Again the faceless shifter scoffed. "You can make whatever claim you want, since you're not remotely close to tier-up yet, and by the time you get there, who'll even remember?" The shifter pointed at the scout. "Other than this guy. He seems to never forget anything."

The scout smiled. "I've found that remembering things is better than the alternative, because you never know what will eventually be important... or valuable."

Aaric kept his mouth closed, letting the scout's reply distract the healer. Aaric was still in charge here, so he had to tame his temper. But that did not mean he would forget the shifter's lack of faith.

Rhett moved to the other side of the chamber, moving his hand toward the big door that currently blocked the second exit. "Shall we?"

"Please," Aaric said. "We've wasted enough time. The next hall should be swarms of imps."

The tank touched the door, which immediately swung open. "So, more easy AoE pulls then."

On the other side they could now see several clusters of the small, winged, angular creatures standing around campfires where oversized, skinned rats were being turned on spits. They were exactly as Aaric had imagined after the scout's briefing.

The smell, however, was awful, and he suspected it would only get worse as they got closer to the end boss room, where the rats would finally summon their queen to fight off the invading imps. He couldn't wait to cleanse the halls of both sides.

Rhett gave his now-familiar pull warning, and Aaric counted to three before he began casting his [Blizzard].

He wasn't expecting the scout to appear beside him and quietly ask, "So, with regard to your final Secondary, what's something you want to do that isn't related to beating Tristan?"

Aaric had expected the question, just not immediately. Their conversation had stirred up some uncomfortable questions in his mind, like why he hadn't yet chosen his final Secondary. The first one was easy enough, since doubling down on frost mage had just made sense. But his next Secondary had to be different. No one tripled their starting Class, at least not successfully.

"I don't really know," he eventually admitted to the scout. "I know I need one, but it has to fit well."

"What have you been considering?"

Licking his lips, Aaric went back through the loop of thoughts he'd been struggling with lately. It began with revisiting the many recent memories where his skills had proven insufficient and how his failings in those trials seemed to overlap. He'd been unable to stop Tristan in their duel. He'd been unable to stop the oozes from advancing at Sharing Cross. He'd been unable to help Jacques, and worse than that, he'd made a bad decision in that moment instead.

Too many moments where he'd felt rushed, with not enough time to think. The scout had been drilling into him that proper planning could circumvent such situations, but there hadn't truly been any planning for most of those moments. He'd just needed more time in the moment. With more time to think, more time to analyze--even just a second longer--he could have done more, done better. He could have saved Jacques.

He decided to let out a glimmer of the ideas he'd been considering, and what he was starting to see as an eventual goal: "How cool would it be to be able to freeze time itself?"

The scout chuckled. "You would aim that big, wouldn't you? I approve. Better still, the idea has merit, and it would make for both a meaningful and effective pairing. Time magic partners well with many mage disciplines."

Aaric cast another perfectly timed [Frost Bolt], triggering a full freeze. A part of him wondered if he could also use time magic to maximize all those little moments in between casts, or during vulnerability windows. He wondered just how much time could be slowed in Tier 2 or 3.

"Could you find me a great teacher for Time Mage?" he asked the scout.

"I could," came the reply, "but I won't. What I will do is build a list of suitable prospects for you to consider and ultimately select one from."

Another blessed test, Aaric thought. "I'd expect nothing less."

"Then you're learning," the scout acknowledged.

They four of them moved to the next pack of imps, which this time seemed to be huddled around a pair of live rats. It reminded Aaric of a fighting ring.

"Ooh, ten gold on the gray one!" Quinn said, suddenly very attentive and looking expectantly at the scout.

The scout gazed the shifter's way. "You have a problem."

"So? Are you taking the action?"

A quiet moment followed as the scout and the healer made eye contact.

Rhett eventually broke the silence by coughing and asking, "Should I pull them now or wait for the... rat fight to end?"

"You have to wait!" Quinn said.

"Pull now," Aaric replied at practically the same time.

The tank was smart enough to listen to the one holding the purse strings. Bright red flames sprang up around his fist and then shot toward the group. Aaric couldn't help but notice that they struck the very rat Quinn had tried to bet on.

"Oof, looks like you lose," the scout noted.

"He interfered!" the healer objected.

The scout shrugged, then reached out and took a bag from midair. "And yet your gold is still in my purse. You shouldn't engage in Path-backed betting if you're not willing to lose."

The shifter formed eyes beneath big bushy brows, and the crafted face pinched in clear anger. That only lasted a moment, however, as he quickly asked, "Want to go double or nothing on the boss?"

The scout chuckled. "Sure. I'll bet we kill it in under two minutes, which is half the expected time. You just keep spamming that precious AoE heal of yours."

Meanwhile, Rhett had charged into the pack of imps and was already spreading fire among them. Aaric, not one to slack, especially after what he'd said to Quinn earlier, was considering ways to improve the damage output of his [Blizzard], perhaps by shortening the spell's duration in an effort to upgrade its damage per second.

If only there was more time, he thought as his cast completed and he struggled to trim even the slightest fraction of another second off his next cast. Soon. Soon, I'll be able to do something about that.

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