Ana stood facing a half-circle of women. Messy had somewhat reluctantly allowed her to stand up, and Ana had been perfectly comfortable where she was, but she needed to do this on her feet. She was already regretting some of her choices. Doing this at all, for one. She’d have to negotiate it carefully to not leave the other women with a lasting bad impression. And she’d unconsciously put herself with her back to the wall, which probably wasn’t a great look when surrounded by friends, but she felt like she was about to receive a scolding. Hopefully they wouldn’t notice.
There had been a lot of apprehension in the group, and a lot of curiosity. That only increased after Ana asked Mestendi to gather the others. But at least no one seemed angry yet, which was a good sign. They either hadn’t guessed what she was going to say, or they weren’t offended.
Ana looked at the assembled women. The longer she stood there silent, the higher the tension built.
“Right,” she said, and paused, looking at two particular women. “I owe you all an apology. Kaira, I was going to talk to you after we got back, but, well… And Rayni, you were right from the start.”
This shouldn’t be hard. She’d known these women for less than 24 hours, Kaira and Petra excluded. Their opinions shouldn’t matter. But in that time they’d laughed and bled and suffered together, and while she didn’t care what they thought of her on an emotional level, there was a nascent camaraderie there now. She’d laid the foundations of a number of potentially strong and useful relationships that she would hate to see damaged because of one, really quite small, lie.
She looked directly at Kaira, the one of the group that she could confidently call a friend. “Kaira, the reason that I haven’t — what do you call it, reset? — my Class is that I already have a combat Class.”
As the group exploded with questions and exclamations, Kaira’s face went through a kaleidoscope of emotion, from surprise to joy to anger, finally settling on a hurt expression that made even Ana’s heart ache a little.
“I’d like to talk to you once this is over. Privately.”
Kaira’s expression soured for a moment, but then she nodded. “Yeah,” she said, the hurt evident in her voice. “Right. Sure.”
Ana sighed. That wasn’t going to be fun. “But, yeah. I’m not a Companion, whatever that Class is. I have a hidden combat Class. The reason I didn’t tell you all is that two highly placed people in the Guild—” Dilmik and Sendra immediately started up some whispered speculation at that “—recommended, pretty much outright ordered me, to keep it secret. So, I’m not going to be sharing any details. Except with Kaira, later, if you’ll hear me out?”
Kaira''s expression turned a little less sour and a little more excited at that. That had been easy, Ana thought. Kaira wasn’t simple, but she clearly liked new, interesting things, and being let in on something that the Guild officers wanted to be kept secret? That seemed to go a long way towards repairing any damage done.
“What I can tell you is that it’s a Class focused on defense. Defending others, specifically. I have some Abilities—” she pulled on her bloody tunic “—that help me do that. The kid that I came here with, I, uh… I was his bodyguard. And he died. I fucked up, and I can’t go back.”
It wasn’t everything, not by a long shot. She’d left out the most important part, about how monstrously fast her Attributes were going to increase compared to everyone else, but she’d trust Touanne on that and keep it secret until it became obvious to everyone around her.
“That’s about it. That’s all I can tell you. I might have already said too much, based on what the Guild officers told me, but you all deserve an explanation for what happened. And while I’m not in a position to demand anything from any of you—” Which got a skeptical look from Rayni “—I ask that what I’ve told you stays between us.” With that, Ana stepped up to Kaira, making sure to put on her best “I know I fucked up and I’m sorry” face. “Kaira, can we talk?”
Kaira gave her a small frown, then relented. “Yeah. But this had better be good.” She turned to the others. “The rest of you, start harvesting those Crystals! Just… give us a shout before you grab the big one on top, all right?”
The others were taking Ana’s explanation well, overall. Rayni looked triumphant, Sendra contemplative, Deni awestruck, and Dilmik and Petra were chatting in hushed tones, probably trying to figure out which two Guild officers would know the details. Messy…
Messy had a smile on her face and an almost predatory gleam in her eyes that Ana wasn’t sure what to make of.
Kaira walked off up the passage, and Ana followed until her friend rounded on her. “Shit, Ana! I know we’ve only known each other for a few days, but that’s one hell of a thing to hide from me! I thought we were being honest with each other!”
Ana winced. “I know, Kaira. And I honestly was going to tell you after this. It just didn’t seem possible to hide it any longer after that fight.”
“You mean after a demon chomped down on Deni and you took it instead? Yeah. Hell of an Ability to explain away.”
“Yeah. Well. Couldn’t let her die, could I?”
Kaira looked away. “Thanks for that, I guess. I like the kid. I think she’ll make a good Evoker. Would’ve killed me to have her die like that, especially because I was too fucking slow. Good thing you’ve got some kind of super secret hidden Class, huh?”
“Good thing I do,” Ana agreed, not volunteering anything. She was going to hold as little as she could back, but it felt like Kaira needed to be in control of this conversation.
“So are you going to tell me, or what? You going to tell me what’s so special about this Class, that only Guild officers are allowed to know about it? Why you pretend to be some kind of glorified nanny, when you could kill any of us if you wanted to?”
“Please,” Ana said, rolling her eyes and waving her hand at the steaming carcass of the bear demon just outside the Crystal chamber. “Like you couldn’t paint the walls with me in two seconds flat. I’d have to sneak up on you, and you know it.”
Kaira stared, then snorted and actually smiled slightly before resuming her scowl. “So do I need eyes in the back of my head now? You going to get rid of us, now that we know your secret?”
“Nah, too much trouble.”
The smile came back. Kaira made an effort to scowl, making it look like she was having some sort of facial seizure before she gave up. “All right, spill. Super secret Class. I want the details.”
Kaira’s change of mood was a huge relief, and Ana couldn’t help but smile. Then she turned serious. “Kaira, I want you to know that I’m willing to tell you. But you have to swear that it stays between us. And I mean absolutely. You tell no one, not Tor, not Omda, no one. If you can’t do that, I can’t tell you. If you swear, and you break that trust, I will not forgive you. All right? If you can’t make that promise, I’ll walk away, no hard feelings on my part.”
Kaira’s nose twitched with annoyance, but after a moment’s consideration she said, “All right. I swear. If you give me the details, I’ll tell no one, on my honor and on our friendship. Even my Party mates. Even if one of the Captains demands to know I’ll tell them to sit and spin. Good enough?”
“Good enough,” Kaira confirmed. “So…”
<hr>
Ten minutes later, Kaira was sitting poleaxed against one of the passage’s diffuse walls. “Every level?” she asked for the tenth time. “And another point when you’re defending someone?”
“Yeah,” Ana said patiently. “Every level.”
“And that’s base.”
“Yeah.”Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.
“So your Strength is…”
“Rude. But in the interest of honesty: 22.”
Kaira yipped and covered her mouth with both hands.
“28 when I’m fighting.”
Kaira’s eyes nearly popped out of her head, and her feet kicked excitedly against the floor.
“How did you not kill Tor when you were grappling?” Kaira hissed from behind her hands.
Kaira shrugged. “I’m good at holding back. I’ve done lots of full-contact sparring. And I’ve gained two levels and a bunch of Strength since then.”
“You must have been 20 plus, though! That’s like… okay, both Tor and Omda are above that but still! You were level 3!”
“More like… 18, I think,” Ana mumbled.
“And you did that with 18 Strength?” Kaira squeaked, and then her eyes impossibly widened further. “What’s your Connection? No, don’t answer me, I don’t want to know, I’ll be jealous. What is it, though? No, don’t tell me. For real, don’t tell me. Shit. Shit. Shit, I can feel you! I never even bother trying with non-mages but I can feel you! You have a real aura! You must have… We need to learn you some magic!”
“So… we’re okay? You still want to be friends?”
“Want to be friends? I don’t want to let you out of my sight!”
“That’s not—”
“Yeah, I still want to be friends! I get to keep hanging out with you, and I get a front row seat to whatever you’re going to become, miss ‘Angel?’ Count me in!”
“So you just want me for my Class now, is that it?” Ana asked wryly.
“Shit, no! You’re a weirdo in the best way, and I love it! Now come on, let’s grab those Crystals and make you even more unfairly bullshit strong!”
“You don’t think I should keep them to sell?”
“Lady, I’ll support you if you promise to go out with me and the gang in a few levels! And you get extras anyway, you absolute bitch!” Kaira chuckled. “Oh, gods beyond! I’m so jealous! What does someone have to do to get a Class like that?”
Get forcibly dragged away from everything you know, and have the son of the most important person in your life die on your watch, Ana thought bitterly. But she didn’t say that. Instead, she lied. “Don’t know. It’s just always been my Class.”
“Blessed by the fucking Watcher or something,” Kaira muttered and started walking. “One day you’re going to have to tell me how the hell you were at such a low level when you got here. But telling me about this bullshit Class of yours has bought you a week at least before you’re obligated to spill that secret.”
One day, maybe, Ana thought. When I think you’re ready for it.
“Yeah, sure,” she said, and they joined the others.
On the way, Ana checked her notifications.
<table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%" border="1">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td style="width: 98.6508%">
[Congratulations! Your Skill Shields has improved to level 2! You have been awarded: Growth Crystal (Lesser).
Congratulations! Your Skill Unarmed Combat has improved to level 6! You have been awarded: Growth Crystal (Medium).
Congratulations! Your Party has defeated: Possessed Black Bear (Threat: Lethal), Revenant Elk (Threat: Considerable). Based on your contribution, you have been awarded: Growth Crystal (Minor), Growth Crystal (Lesser). For fighting in the defense of your object of devotion, you have been awarded: Growth Crystal (Lesser), Growth Crystal (Least) as a bonus.
Congratulations! Your Skill Charm has improved to level 2! You have been awarded: Growth Crystal (Lesser).]
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
That was one hell of a haul, she realized, even without her share of the Crystals in the chamber. The increased level in Charm was unexpected, but she supposed that she had been trying to make the others sympathize with her, so why the hell not?
She hadn’t picked up anything like a Lying Skill, though, which might have been useful. She wondered why that was.
“So, what do we have?” Kaira called out as they got close. The other women were gathered around the central heap, with only the largest, single Crystal at the peak remaining to be removed. The dead demons had long since been dissected, anything of value removed and stored away.
“Good haul!” Petra replied and pointed to the last Crystal. “That one’s a Supreme.”
Kaira whistled a long note. “That is a good haul! What’s the factor?”
“Started at one, so besides the Supreme we’ve got — and I’ve counted them — two Greater, four Major, seven Medium, eleven Minor, sixteen Lesser, twenty-two Least, and twenty-nine Shards. Even split seven ways we’re each going to have a very nice cut.”
“Explanation, please,” Ana said, and Kaira turned back to her. “Right, sorry,” she said. “Deni, you listen up, too. So, the peak Crystal in this Delve is a Supreme. That’s… well, these two bastards were stronger than they should have been, so the mana concentration must have been higher than we thought. Anyway. There’s a Supreme at the peak. The ‘factor’, as we call it, was one. All that means is that there was one more Greater Crystal, so two of those in total. Then, remember the factor is one, there’s two more Majors, so four. Then three more of the next tier, four more of the next, and so on, until we’re down to Shards.”
“Is that normal?” Ana asked.
“Well, the tier of the peak Crystal depends on the concentration of mana in the locus. I’d expected a Greater Crystal as the peak. Then, the factor depends on how old the Delve is. This area of the splinter is cleared fairly often, so the Delve is very young. If we’d left it for another month the factor would have probably hit two, and then there would have been three Greaters, seven Majors, and so on. Of course, the place would be much larger by then, more complex, and crawling with demons. Richer pickings, sure, but try to convince a couple hundred Delvers to leave a nearby locus undisturbed for that long. Hah!”
“So it was better than expected, not as good as it could have been. Got it.”
“I mean…” Kaira trailed off and got serious for a moment. “Look. We had multiple injuries at the entrance as it was. If this was a factor two Delve…”
“You might have gotten Messy out,” Petra finished for her. “But there wouldn’t have been time for anyone to save me. We’re casuals. We’re not combat Classes, or, well, Ana is, I guess. Sendra technically is, though she’s focused on utility, and Rayni and me, we’re hybrids. But a Supreme factor two Delve? If we were all combat Classes and Kaira was with us as a regular Party member, sure. We’d have a shot. We’d take some bad injuries, probably, but we’d have a shot.”
“Listen to the woman,” Kaira said gravely. “She is aged and wise.”
Petra grinned and good-naturedly gave Kaira what was undoubtedly a rude gesture, much like the good old British V-sign held close to the face.
“In seriousness, though,” Kaira said, returning the salute. “I’m probably repeating myself, but she’s been on more Delves than I have, including some bad ones that I know of. She knows her shit. Now, Deni, you’re the youngest here. You do the honors.”
“Really?” Deni said, looking around excitedly as everyone urged her on. Then she reached out, grabbed the peak Crystal. For a moment she got a focused look on her face, and the Crystal vanished as though it had never been there.
Immediately there was a change. It was as though all the air in the place was suddenly rushing out in every direction at once. The walls, floor and ceiling, all the black glass boundaries, began pulsing in a strange way, growing less and less distinct, and where before they had been hard to focus on, now it became impossible.
“Circle up everybody!” Kaira called. “Packs and mages in the middle, and weapons ready!”
They did as she said, gathering their equipment in one place. Deni, Sendra and Kaira stood in a triangle around the packs, backs to the center, and the other women formed a loose circle around them, the melee fighters readying themselves and the archers nocking arrows.
“Do you feel it?” Kaira asked. “Deni? The shift in the mana? Do you feel it?”
“I do!” the girl said. “It’s all rushing out! It’s—”
They all dropped half an inch onto the forest floor, hard enough to jar them but not so hard that anyone fell. They were still in their formation, and there was a rustling spatter all around them as the dispersed gore of their battle popped into the forest with them and showered lightly onto the dry leaves.
A monstrous bird, a [Possessed Swinefowl (Threat: Weak)] which looked like a turkey of all things, gave them one surprised look before being obliterated by a bolt of plasma from Kaira, popping like a microwaved egg.
The woman giggled as the feathers settled. “Sorry all. Reflexes, you know?”
“Yeah, yeah,” Petra said in a long-suffering tone. “Like you don’t ‘accidentally’ pop at least one weak demon every time we go out. We love you anyway.”
“So, are we splitting these Crystals, or what?” The words burst out of Dilmik. The excitement that had been bubbling in the woman ever since Deni grabbed the last one had finally boiled over. “I’ve already eaten all my Crystals, and I’m so close to 13 I can taste it! Let’s do this!”
“Hells, yes!” Messy agreed, and one by one the rest of the group joined in. Kaira spread a thin, black sheet of some velvety textile on the ground. All the Crystals were brought out and ordered according to their tier by those who’d gathered them, with Deni finishing by placing down the Supreme Crystal.