"Zig?"
"Jane?"
"Guys!"
"Hey! Reunion!"
"What are you doing, sneaking around at dawn Zig?"
"We just killed a bunch of guys. It was a whole thing. What are you guys doing?"
"Oh, same, I guess."
"Really?"
"Yea. Hot cocoa and talk about it?"
"That sounds amazing. I'm actually super freaked out and shaking right now."
"Ha! Same!"
There was a relieved laughter with a hint of deliriousness that came from suddenly being safe, after fighting for your life. It burst out, and everyone found themselves laughing with tears in their eyes. The laughter subsided, but the tears remained.
"Should we go back to the mine?" Gutters suggested.
"Oh, no, um, we destroyed it."
"Like the entrance collapsed?"
"Like the whole thing collapsed. Let's go to Liston."
"Ah," the half-troglodyte scratched the back of his head nervously. "I don't think I can be seen in Liston. I might have... killed half of the noblemen my age."
"...huh?"
"Like you said, it was a whole thing..."
Teeth was still sleeping in the woods, she needed time to recover. The Red Daggers also needed to prepare for a journey. It was becoming quite apparent that they needed to leave Liston, but they needed to get some supplies first. Gutters and Jane decided to go find Teeth and stay with her. Knob went with them. He'd never been a fan of Liston.
Zig, Jints, Hepp, and Gretta went back into town. The first thing they did was go to the bank. A bleary-eyed clerk was sitting at the front counter.
"Good morning, sir," Jints said, stepping forward.
"Is it?" The man replied groggily. "Couldn't sleep a wink last night. My wife has the most useless danger sense skill. Kept waking up saying 'everything is wrong' but nothing specific."
"My condolences, sir. I will be brief. I was hoping to make a large withdrawal from the Red Mining Company."
"Huh, how big?"
"All of it, sir, if that's possible."
The man's eyes narrowed and his composure sharpened a little bit.
"Not common to remove everything from a bank account. I might need to talk to my superiors to confirm everything. Could take a day."
"Ah, how much could we withdraw right now?"
The man frowned. This wasn't typical banking.
"I could give you 100 gold now."
The man went and fetched ten small bags from a vault.
"I'll need the seal of the owner of the account."
Jints handed him a fancy looking seal.
"And I'll need your names. It's all a bit suspicious you see, I'll need to—ow!"
Hepp had snuck up on the man, and hit him over the side of the head. The brilliant plan didn't work out. The clerk must have some kind of skill to endure the blow. Instead of sprawling unconscious on the ground, he stood there rubbing his head, looking very annoyed.
"Hepp!"
"Sorry Zig, I thought that would work. Come on!"
Hepp grabbed the money pouches and ran out the door. The others, after the smallest hesitation, ran after him. The clerk's cursing followed them onto the street.
"Why did you just steal our own money?"
"I thought he was gonna trap us, or alert the guards or something!"
"Well he sure is now!"
The four of them ran through the increasingly familiar streets of Liston. They didn't have a destination in mind, but they took paths that were familiar, and ended up in front of the Broken Leg. It was a wreck. Fire had consumed the entire inn.
"I wonder what Cleanse might do," Jints mused aloud.
"Jints, don't try it."
"Just wondering, mister Zig. I'm still rather taxed from the night's events. Shall we find another inn to rest in?"
"I've got a better idea, come on."
They went to the market, one last time. Zig bought a large wagon, and loaded it with supplies. Blankets, cooking gear, food, and some general equipment. The wagon was piled high, and looked very heavy. One merchant eyed it uncertainly.
"Where's your horse?"
"You're looking at him." Zig replied with a smile. They loaded the last of the goods, and Zig grabbed a handful of the leather straps designed to rig the wagon to a horse. He held them to his shoulder and began to walk, pulling the wagon behind him. It came easily, and all the stall owners paused setting up their shops to watch the sight.
"Zig! Hepp! You guys are alive!"
Zig turned to see Lucy, the weapons expert. She was walking with Lance the guard, an arm around his waist.
"Lucy! You made it!"
"Lucy?" Hepp turned around and started to run to her, but stopped when he saw how she and the guard were supporting each other. It didn't seem entirely medical.
"Hepp! Lance here was telling me all about how you helped him find me. Thank you so much!"
The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.
"No... no problem." Hepp stammered, staring. "Lance?"
"Ho, Hepp, glad to see you're ok."
"How did you—when did you—you guys already knew each other?"
Hepp was flustered.
"Nope! I was kidnapped by some sailors. They tied me up in one of their warehouses. I thought I was going to die, but then Lance kicked the door down and rescued me."
Lucy looked up at the guard with a look of pure adoration.
"He's my hero."
"Your hero," Hepp repeated unconsciously. Lucy giggled and kissed Lance on the cheek. Lance himself looked mighty pleased with how things were panning out.
"I was just doing my duty, Lulu. Any guard would have done the same."
"Lulu," Hepp whispered.
"Come on, Hepp," Zig patted his friend on the back. "We need to get going, remember?"
"Oh yes," Lance said, "I need to get going too. There's been a summons for all guards in Liston. Something big went down, apparently. I just..." The man looked at Lucy. "I just need to make sure you're doing alright."
Lucy sighed with happiness, and Zig loaded a lifeless Hepp onto the wagon. He said goodbye to the new couple, and pulled the wagon out of Liston.
When all members of the Red Daggers assembled together again, blankets were spread on the ground. Food was passed around, mostly cheese, bread, and dipping oils. Jints started a small fire and boiled up some hot cocoa for everyone.
Jane and Jints were both mana starved. Jane had finished what Jints had started, clearing up any poison from the horse and healing her wounds. They both took extra helpings of cocoa, letting the warm liquid replenish their energy.
"So Jane, you can heal now?"
Zig tried to sound casual, but he was beyond excited. No more Beefcake situations. No more bandit healers. The gang had a real chance with a healer among them.
"Can you heal this?" He lifted his stabbed arm. He'd already taken the knife out, and wrapped the arm in some cloth. Underneath was a nasty wound that had barely stopped bleeding. Jane glanced at it and nodded.
"When I get some strength back." she took another sip of the cocoa.
"Right, right." Zig replied. He looked over at the very healthy horse, snoozing away. It made sense to heal Teeth first. Of course it did.
It still stung, just a little bit.
"And Gutters, did you learn any magic at the academy? Or how to be a noble?"
"Not magic like Jane's, Zig, but I learned a few things," Gutters said with a smile. "I'm not sure I want to be a noble anymore, though. They aren't that great. Still, I picked up something." He flicked his cape, just a tiny bit, and everyone's eyes were drawn to it.
"That's quite the cape," Jints said from his spot by the fire.
"Really catches the eye," Gretta agreed.
"Come on, Gutters, tell them the whole story." Jane said with a laugh, giving the boy a friendly shove. He smiled, a bit bashful, and began to tell them.
"So you're Advanced now?"
"Yep."
"And you didn't lock everyone in a room and set it on fire?"
"Nope."
"You didn't collapse the building, killing everyone at once."
"Nope, just fought them one by one."
"Except for the end."
"Yea, except for the end, that was like eight on one."
Everyone stared at Gutters like he was an alien.
"You mean to say," Gretta said with a frown, "that you actually leveled properly? No cheat, no clever tricks? You actually earned your class and skills?"
"I guess I did. I was almost dying, like, the entire night."
"Huh."
Jane and Jints were born in high society. Their childhood was filled with hired men bringing half-dead monsters for the children to finish off in a safe environment. Zig owed his class to a landslide that did all the killing. Hepp and Gretta had set a forest on fire. Not one of them had actually fought their way up the ranks.
"Gutters," Hepp said slowly, "you might be the most noble person among us."
"Thanks, Hepp."
They settled into the blankets, eating snacks, drinking cocoa, and staring up at the sky. The sun was high, but they were in the shade of the trees, in a grassy glade of the forest. The blankets were warm, there was a soft wind on their faces. None of them had slept that night. They all drifted off to the sound of the leaves rustling on the trees. Occasionally a predator passed by, seeing the sleeping party. But they caught sight of Teeth, and kept walking.
Zig was dreaming of being chased by angry sailors. Only, he didn't feel afraid. It was peaceful. He looked down and realized he wasn't running. He was being piggybacked by Gretta. His friends were all there, running with him. The lead sailor, a man with a glowing blue eye, dashed forward and finally placed a scroll of paper in Zig's hand. Confused, Zig looked down at the paper.
Hey, is this working? Can you hear me? It's Erica. I'm not sure if I can get a two way chat on this thing. I'll just have to hope you're listening. It's been a couple months, so I hope you guys have figured things out. I'm in Northsong, of the Selwyn Empire. It's on the West Continent, on the north east coast. Umm, what else do I say...
It's probably a bit late to say, but this world is kinda crazy. There's magic, and skills, and classes. Try to fight monsters, that's the fastest way to level up. Make sure you have an escape plan, and try to find a healer you can trust, they are absolute vultures. If you can come to Northsong, ask for Erica at the Black Tower. I can keep you safe. I think.
I hope to see you guys soon.
The Red Daggers woke to find Zig up and packing everything animatedly.
"Everything ok, Zig?" Gretta asked.
"Yes!" Zig was smiling. "I've found them! My friends. At least Erica. She figured out a communication spell. Let's go!"
"Where to?"
"North! To Northsong!"
Jane yawned loudly and sat up.
"Before we get going," she said, "there's something I have for you guys. A little present from the academy."
She stretched, and got up, fetching something from her backpack. It was a stack of thick paper. Zig stopped his hurried packing and stared at the papers.
"Is that what I think it is?"
Jane waved the papers tauntingly at the group.
"Water magic, fresh from the academy. I've already taken the ones I need, so go nuts."
After the initial fighting, with everybody trying to steal as many spells as they could, each member settled down with a spell to learn. Nobody had black eyes, because Jane healed them all. Friendships were restored, and everybody patted each other on the back. They each grabbed one spell and found a little spot for their meditation. The forest was a perfect place for it. There was a peaceful atmosphere, with no distractions. Each member read their spell, and fell into the trance of reliving the memories of whoever had created that scroll.
Zig blinked, suddenly an old man sailing on a very stormy sea. Huge waves were crashing down on the vessel, and dark shadows could be seen in the waters. Glowing lights, too. This wasn't an ordinary storm. Zig was a fierce spellcaster, throwing lightning at the waters, howling at the ship to stay whole, and conjuring winds to drive him away from this area. At one point, in a fit of anger, Zig reached toward the crest of a wave and ripped out of it a humanoid creature made entirely of water. The elemental landed on the deck of the ship, and instead of attacking Zig, it stood there waiting for a command. Zig frowned, unable to give it much attention with the storm and monsters all around. A giant serpent lunged out of the sea, crashing down onto the deck. It opened it's jaw wide, and Zig could see the fangs dripping green as the creature—
Zig blinked and shook himself. He looked around. He was in the forest, not the ocean. On some grass, not a ship. He was 18, not an old man. He was also Zig, not some archmage of another time. Pity. But Zig did remember it. Not the lightning and wind spells, unfortunately. They were in his memory but only that he did it, not the how. But summoning the water elemental was different. He remembered what it felt like. He looked around for some water. There was a stream nearby. Zig ran to it, excited. The stream was kinda small, but it was all that was available.
"Here goes nothing."
Zig reached toward the flowing water, where it was most turbulent. His fingers clutched at the air, and he pulled back. With a plop, a little water element flew out of the stream, landing with a wet 'pat' on the forest floor. It was as tall as Zig's knees. Zig stared at it with so much love, so much wonder that he had this little creature standing next to him.
"Hey there, little guy."
The elemental spat a little spout of water in response. Zig was feeling a weird tugging sensation deep in his gut. Like there was some kind of strain. He ignored it though, distracted by the cutest little water element he'd ever seen.
"You're so tiny. Like a little baby."
The water elemental gurgled. The feeling in Zig's stomach intensified.
"Huh, feels weird. Still, if that's what it takes to summon my little water baby, I'll do it in a heartbeat."
He bent down to pick up the creature. It was a weird sensation, holding something that was so wet. He scooped it up and carried it back to the others.
"Behold!" Zig announced to the Red Daggers. "My child!"
The feeling of wrongness, deep within Zig, reached a tipping point. Something snapped, and something else got stretched in ways that it shouldn't. Zig stumbled, almost falling over, and the little water elemental in his hands exploded. Zig stared in disbelief as all the water fell to the ground, each splash forming a separate water elemental. Zig was so confused. Instead of one elemental, there was now... Zig started counting.
"Thirty two. There are thirty two of you guys."
The Red Daggers stared at the army of mini water elementals, all clustered around Zig.
"Zig, you broke it." Gretta said eventually.
"What did I do?"
"Do you have some kind of skill?" Jane asked. "Usually the base of any spell is quite weak, and it's the relevant skills that make it strong."
"Uh, I don't think I have any skills... It's not a rock. It's not related to eating anything. What else have I got? It's..."
A memory rose, unbidden, from the depths of Zig's consciousness. A skill he'd earned on his very first day in this world. A skill he buried deep, refusing to think about it. Until now. It made sense. That feeling, of the skill being stretched the wrong way. It was when he saw and spoke of the elemental like it was a child. His child. There was one legacy skill, one he'd earned from bringing down a mountainside full of rabbits... He said the answer in a whisper.
"Multiplied Progeny."