He did indeed feel stronger. Even before ranking up, Pi’ve felt some changes already taking hold. His body was feeling firmer, and his mind was sharper. The mana floating inside him started to feel stronger. If this was the change from level nine to ten, then what would the rank up do?

  He opened the notification scroll, and selected the new level up, and messages started popping up.

  Race [] has levelled up: lvl 9 -> lvl 10. +3 free points. Stat points from class [] has been allocated, +1 free point. Max health is increased with one (1) point.

  *DING*

  *Class rank-up criteria available:

  - Reach level 10 in your race [Human]: ()

  - Attain an average stat-point score of 16 or higher: ()

  - Obtain and use at least two skills in either Race, Class or both collectively: ()

  Rank up available. Do you wish to proceed? [] / []

  Pi’ve smiled, as he remembered seeing the rank-up criteria prompt when he had reached level nine. It seemed so long ago now. Pi’ve mentally chose the option, and the text in front of him vanished. The world around him slowed down, and he could see Dandrian move in the corner of his eye, slowing down for every passing moment. The sounds of the forest became deeper, and the chirps of the birds seemed to come from another room. New text popped up in his vision.

  Race [] has reached level 10. You are now eligible for a class rank up. You have accepted to rank up. Please wait…

  Mere seconds passed before the next text came.

  Class , has ranked up to: . Free points from race [] increased to 4.

  Bonus stats per level: +3 perception, +2 Intelligence, +2 wisdom, +1 willpower, +2 free points.

  *DING*

  Professions unlocked.

  As a , you have the ability to unlock professions. Professions are specialisations in your class, and are unlocked whenever you advance in the direction of a profession. Once unlocked, you may accept the available profession(s), or you may choose to ignore them in search for another profession. Once you choose a profession, you forfeit the right to choose another profession until you have reached level 10 in that profession. Once you have reached level 10, you may abandon the profession and chose another one.

  Once you have abandoned a profession for another, that profession’s skills are unavailable until the new profession reaches level 10. Once all professions currently held are level 10, all skills are available across the professions, and may all be levelled up simultaneously.

  NOTE: Limit for amount of professions set at three (3). You currently have 0/3 professions.

  Current professions available: N/A

  This was unquestionably an amazing rank-up. Pi’ve counted how many points he would get each level now that he had ranked up, and including the extra points he got from the title he had received. He would now get seven free points, three perception, two in intelligence, wisdom and strength, one in willpower and endurance each time he levelled up further. He would still be getting one health point additional each level. That was eighteen points each level, and seven of them he would be able to allocate as he pleased. That was the best part of the rank-up; the amount of free points, and the freedom to add them to wherever he would like to grow.

  He had also unlocked professions. He was unsure what they did, but he intuited that he could gain certain skills through professions, as the prompt had said. Perhaps he would gain additional stat points whenever he levelled up too. At the present, he had no professions available, but he hoped that he would be able to see what profession was available to him soon.

  Pi’ve theorised that to get professions, he had to do something pushing him towards some profession. Maybe levelling up would unlock them too, but he would not grow much if he kept levelling up as slow as he had since he left the tutorial. He had to grow. He had to show Gaudol that he had been working. He had to show Barna that he was taking his job serious. He had to prove to himself that he could do it. He had to kill the monster-crab that killed his father, and before then, he had to become strong. He looked at his status menu.

  StatusName: Pi’ve

  Age: 20

  Race: [Human - lvl 10]

  Class: [Wizard - Mage]

  Profession: N/A

  —

  Health - (98/99)

  Mana - (29/400)

  Stamina - (68/130)

  —

  StatsStrength - 24

  Toughness - 10

  Intelligence - 32

  Wisdom - 40

  Willpower - 22

  Perception - 26

  Endurance - 13

  Free points - 9

  —

  Race skills[Inspect (Unique)]

  [Manifest the Obscured (Superior)] (Use(s) 1/1)

  Class skills[Conjure Light (Common)]

  [Corporeal Manipulation (Uncommon)]

  Profession skillsN/A

  Titles[One and only (Unique)]

  [King Bringer (Rare)]

  Pi’ve thought the class looked very nice. It was something else, it was simple, and proof of him becoming stronger. Still, there was some things unchanged. He had no new skills, although that did not bother him much. He was feeling like the time to reunite with Gaudol was soon coming, and he would be gaining some new skills then, he was sure.

  He had nine free points. Four of them was unused since the last level up, and now he had received five more; four from race, and one extra from the title. He was lacking in toughness and endurance. He decided that he was going to add five points to toughness, making it 15 points, and two points to endurance, also making that 15 points. His stamina also rose to 150 because of the extra points to endurance. The last two points he placed on willpower, which was his third lowest stat, making it now on par with strength at 24 points.

  As Pi’ve exited the status menu, time started to speed up again, and soon enough everything was going at normal speed. Pi’ve felt even stronger now after adding those extra free points to his stats. Pi’ve was not sure what he had been like while he had ranked up, but when he had put down all the prompts in front of his vision, he was greeted by Dandrian watching him.

  ’My friend Palomy— I don’t know if you know of him— says that there are some critical points in a wizard’s path to personal power… He says that at some point, a wizard reaches some inner strength, or progress, which propels him to ’the next level’. I have a feeling that just happened to you. Did you feel that? Even in myself I have at certain points in my life felt like something fundamental has happened to me; something radical, which made me stronger.’ Dandrian said, as if talking about something conspiratorial.

  The disappointment of Barna somewhat marred the feeling that Pi’ve had from ranking up. Although it felt like a triumph, he would have felt better had he still been on good terms with Barna. Dandrian’s words lifted his spirits tremendously, and he could not keep from smiling. He did not want to reveal to Dandrian that he knew with certainty what had happened.

  ’I felt it. Was it obvious?’ Pi’ve said.

  ’It is the first time I have felt it in another wizard, but yes. Not only did I see it; I felt it. There is something in the air, which wasn’t there before, around you.’ Dandrian said, and then he looked thoughtfully into the sky. Birds were flying overhead. It was a clear, cloud free day. ’Well… I must get back to work. I think perhaps you should too.’ He said, and he smiled. Pi’ve nodded, and he watched Dandrian leave through the portal. Pi’ve became adamant that he was going to finish this job, and he was going to do it with finesse and honour. He was going to show Barna that he could do it, and he hoped for Murgun’s part that it was all untrue, because Pi’ve was going to know the truth.

  Pi’ve opened the portal menu, and saw , which he selected. It was a strange thought that Vesen City was still called Vesen City after all these years. The portals were over 3000 years old, but the names still persisted. He walked through the portal, and the blue smoke from the portal vanished. Pi’ve believed he would become accustomed to travelling by portal rather fast. It had been dizzying at first, but now that he knew what to expect, it was not a problem using the portal.

  On the other side, he was greeted by a change in scenery. Outside Thergiam there was fir-tree forests, but near Vesen, it was a mix of spruce, birch and oak. The surrounding landscape of the portal was flat, and only when he turned around could he see some mountains in the distance. He did not know if those mountains were the Three Pike mountains. From the perspective of Thergiam, they would be North, but here they would be South-East.

  There was a trail going from the portal towards a long stretching flatland, with rolling mounds and small hills here and there. Trees were abundant even here, but they were not as tall as further south. There was not much difference, Pi’ve found, in the nature in Vesen county, save the trees, but it was just as beautiful.

  The distance to Vesen City from the portal was greater than the distance of the Thergiam portal, but even so, he managed to reach the edge of Vesen City before it got too dark. After some time, he could skim lights in the distance, exaggerated by the dimming light of the sun. The lights rose tall after a while, and Pi’ve wondered what he was looking at.

  This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.

  It was when he had come to a bridge going over a small stream that he saw what the lights came from. Watchtowers. Four watchtowers on the wall facing Pi’ve. The wall was almost impossibly long, being at least 500 feet between each of the towers. They had seemed so close as he had approached, but now, as he stood on the gravelled path leading to the city gates, he saw the towering size of the walls.

  The wall rose 200 feet, and on top there had to be a walkway, for there were people on top shouting and conversing loud. From time-to-time Pi’ve could see an armoured guard peaking over the railings, shouting ’Two P!’, ’Five P!’ and ’Zero P’. Pi’ve had no idea what they were counting.

  It was beginning to darken, so he absentmindedly turned his staff-light on. He did not think about there being people around him before he did it. Luckily, there was only one, and he was not squeamish. They moved closer to the large gate of Vesen City. ’Two P! Correction; One P, one mage!’ Pi’ve could hear from up above as he entered the bowed gates of the city.

  ’Registration.’ Was said from Pi’ve’s right, and in a hole in the wall, there sat a young man with a pamphlet and a pen. The man in front of Pi’ve went over to him and gave him a paper note. He then walked off.

  ’Hello.’ Pi’ve said.

  ’Hello. Name?’ The clerk said. It seemed like a repetitive job, although the voice of the clerk showed no sign of him being affected.

  ’Pi’ve.’ Pi’ve said. ’P-I apostrophe V-E. Oh, are we registered on a different parchment?’

  ’Yes.’ The clerk said, scribbling down his name. ’Wizards are not counted amongst the common folk. I don’t think people look at them as folk at all, to be honest.’

  ’Hm.’ Pi’ve scoffed. I am just as human as you, Pi’ve thought. ’Is there a wizard named Murgun on that pamphlet?’ Pi’ve asked.

  ’Uuh. Let me see— No. Or, when did he arrive would you say? I can check earlier lists if—’

  ’An hour or so ago.’ Pi’ve said. Maybe there are other ways in.

  ’Ah. No. I was here then. Wizards only use this entrance, as there is a rather long walk to the Northern one, but no, he has not been registered.’

  ’Not registered, or not entered.’

  ’Both, I assume…’

  ’Thank you.’ Pi’ve said. ’Is that all? Oh, do you know where the pub is?’

  ’That’s all. Well, if it’s a wizard-affiliated establishment, then I would think it is either close to the docks— you take the main street going to the left— or if it is by the main square, then that is straight forward for half an hour.’

  ’Yep— Thank you.’

  He did not know which way to go, but fortunately, there was still two days until the meeting, so even if the pub was in the other wizard square of Vesen City, he had time to reach the other one before then.

  Pi’ve made a decision, and he was going to check out the dock first, because it would be interesting to see if the dock in Vesen City was similar to where he lived in Thergiam. The wizard square he had frequented was also near the dock in Thergiam. In Thergiam there were several wizard hubs— the one with not the largest by a long shot— and most of them were located in the middle of the city. Vesen City was similar in that fashion.

  Pi’ve walked along the main street towards the dock, and to his surprise, there were more people out than in Thergiam. Maybe he should have expected that, due to Vesen City being the largest and most populated city in all of Soilar, but there you go. On the way there, he saw that the streets looked much alike to Thergiam, but there was one major difference. While the buildings in Thergiam were made out of a stone base usually, and wood for the rest of the building, most buildings in Vesen City were made out of pure stone. Stone bricks, stone tiles, chiselled and unchiselled rock. Some buildings were made of pure rock, big and large, piled up to form walls. It was a grey city, but that did not mean that it was uninteresting, nor plain. It gave the city its own signature style. Even if some people could criticise it for its lack of colour, it was distinct and enhanced the character of the city.

  Soon enough, Pi’ve noticed the familiar smell of salt water. Seagulls could be heard in the distance, and he knew where he was. It was so intuitive for Pi’ve to walk this road, knowing how a dock was made up. When he entered the dock, he was greeted by the most impressive view a sailor could imagine. He saw the dock stretch for miles, curving to the West. If he had a small boat, he could row for an hour before reaching the farthest side of the dock.

  This late at night, with lampposts lining the docks, it made it possible to see the great ships lining the pier, with people bustling in and out of the ships. They had come from the ocean earlier that day. They were now restocking the ships, getting ready for departure the next day. Crates, barrels, boxes. Tools, ropes and fabrics. Food and drink. It was so familiar to him. It brought a smile to his face. And then a dark memory. Pi’ve was looking at the many vast ships when someone in his periphery came walking towards him.

  ’Welcome to Vesen City. The city of Kings, and ships.’ The man said, and Pi’ve turned to see that it was not a man, but a wizard, judging by the staff, robe and old look. He had not seen him before, but then he had only seen wizards from Thergiam, save Teligion.

  ’Thank you. I was a sailor prior to becoming a wizard, you see. Some things does not leave you.’ Pi’ve said. ’Pi’ve. Nice to meet you.’

  ’Indeed. Ask.’ Ask said, and they shook hands. They were standing close to the buildings lining the dock, and Pi’ve could smell the sweet fragrance of fresh bread. He was quite hungry. ’So what is your purpose in Vesen City? I hope you are not here to cause trouble.’

  Pi’ve looked at Ask, and saw that he was smiling. ’Ah. Funny.’ Pi’ve said, and laughed. ’I am not sure I will be able to leave without trouble. But I am not here for nefarious reasons.’ He said.

  ’I see. Well, seeing that you are doing a good job being obtuse, as most wizards are, I wish to extend an invitation to join me at the . There are lodgings, food and drink.’

  ’Is it far?’ Pi’ve asked. He needed to know where was too, but he could not ask openly, he felt, as he was not invited to the meeting, and he did not know who was connected to Murgun. ’I have somewhere I need to be soon, but I do not know where it is.’

  ’I know where everything is. Is there you are looking for specifically?’ Ask said, and they began walking along the dock, Pi’ve following.

  ’Well…’ He was about to ask about Murgun. Pi’ve was quick to trust, but he knew he should be more careful, being that he was actively investigating someone. ’No, just somewhere.’ There was something off about this chance meeting, but Pi’ve was not sure if it was Ask, or if it was something else. He was hyper aware of something in the vicinity, but he did not know what it was. It made him uneasy.

  ’It is just around here.’ Ask said, and they turned to enter an alleyway. Pi’ve could swear he saw someone walk past him in the alleyway, like an outline of a silhouette, but in the darkness he could not be sure. Ask pushed open the door to a shabby looking establishment, and held the door for Pi’ve. Pi’ve looked back into the alleyway.

  ’Something troubling you?’ Ask said.

  ’No. ’Twas nothing.’ Pi’ve said, and he entered.

  The inn was quite empty. There was a man standing behind the counter, polishing a cup with a cloth, nodding to them as they entered.

  ’What can I do for you?’ The clerk said.

  ’Today’s soup, bread and some tea.’ Ask said.

  ’Sounds lovely.’ Pi’ve said, and he sat down. His back was turned towards the entrance, and for some reason, that made him feel a bit queasy. He did not bother to ask to switch places, but he wished he sat at the other end.

  After a while, the food and drink came, and while they ate and talked, Pi’ve saw that Ask was looking over at the door a lot. The door was opening and shutting slightly all the time. A slight wind was passing him, and he saw that a window was open at the other end of the inn. On the outside was the stone wall of the next building. Pi’ve frowned.

  ’It’s drafty in here. Hey, Kam, can’t you tighten up that door. It’s quite annoying.’ Ask said, and the clerk looked at them like he did not know what they were talking about. Indeed, that did make Pi’ve wonder. How did all that wind get in here. They were totally shielded by wind, being deep in an alleyway surrounded by buildings.

  It somehow dawned on him that Ask was not being friendly because he was a nice guy. He was being friendly because he tried to figure out why Pi’ve was here. There was something off about the way he had acted too, and even now, Pi’ve knew that Ask had used magic in front of him. He had barely felt it, and indeed mistaken it for a slight wind, but now he knew that it was he who had made the door open and shut.

  Did Ask have bad intentions against him. It was made clear to Pi’ve that Ask had taken him here for some reason he did not know… Or was it Murgun who stood behind this? Had Murgun become suspicious of him? Was it not normal for wizards to learn how to use portals so early? Surely Murgun had no idea that he was being investigated. Pi’ve could understand if Murgun may have thought that Pi’ve was having thoughts of revenge in some way, but that was not why he was doing it. Not the main reason at least. Pi’ve wished no harm on Murgun.

  ’What are you thinking about?’ Ask asked.

  ’What?’ Pi’ve answered. He had not touched his soup at all.

  ’You seem to be contemplating something.’

  ’My thoughts are my own, Ask.’

  ’You can share with me...’

  ’We are not friends— did you know that? We only met. Why are you being so friendly with me?’

  Ask stared at Pi’ve. The kind face he had paraded slowly vanishing. ’Well, I find it curious that once you have a wizard make you own up to your own mistakes, you sneak your way over to the city he is in the second he goes there.’ Ask said. There was a long silence. ’Are you here to take revenge on Murgun?’

  ’No— I did not know Murgun was here.’ Pi’ve said. That was the truth. He could not have been sure that Murgun had really come here. ’Is that what this is? Are you interrogating me on Murgun’s behalf?’ Pi’ve said, but Ask did not answer. ’Well, you can tell him that I am not here to take revenge on him. I meant what I said; I deserved punishment for what I did, and I do not blame him for reporting me.’ It was good that Ask had confirmed that Murgun actually did come here, though, as that made it more plausible that he was actually going to try to listen in on the meeting.

  ’I don’t need to tell him that.’ Ask said. Pi’ve felt mana swirl past him and about the room like wind. Maybe it actually was wind. Maybe he was a wizard who dealt in wind magic. The door slammed behind Pi’ve a couple times, and Pi’ve turned around. He had a certain feeling that somehow, they were less people in the room now. His suspicion only rose… Murgun had vanished before entering the portal… could he become invisible? Had he been in the room just a moment ago?

  ’I want you to leave me alone, now.’ Pi’ve said flatly. His head was forming ideas and theories in rapid pace, but he could not make them make sense. Surely, invisibility was impossible.

  ’I might.’

  ’Good. Though I will take you up on your hospitality. I will stay here for the night.’ Pi’ve said. Hopefully, knowing where Pi’ve was would lessen their suspicion of him.

  ’You may. That is not up to me. You pay at the desk.’ Ask said, and then he rose and left out the door.

  This made his job harder. He was going to be followed and watched. He could not ask where was neither. He could not trust anyone in Vesen City for the moment.