Guardian Angel Chapter 15 (Patreon)

Sorry, as always, about the garbage tables. Patreon hates text formating, and my space-bar fu is weak.

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“Always nice to see an eager student,” Tor said with an easy smile. “What have you been doing?”

“Tried on some shields,” Ana said, gesturing with the buckler in her hand. “This one felt kind of right. Switched hands with the sword, too.”

“Alright, whatever feels good to you. Om, Irry, are you doing some shooting while we get started here?”

“I… I’ll just watch you two for a while,” Kaira said, glancing over at Brosden as he fired at the archery targets, and leaning her crossbow against one of the low fences that divided the yard into lanes. Omda looked at her, shrugged, and headed over to the archery range, taking his place next to Brosden with a nod. His bow was a massive thing, with arrows like small javelins. When he strung it and held it up, though, Ana saw that proportionally it was the same as Brosden’s, going from just above the knee to a few feet above his head.

Kaira just sat down on the fence next to her crossbow, forlorn and looking at Brosden for a moment before looking back at Ana with a sickly smile. “Alright,” she said. “Give me a show, why dontcha?”

“Right,” Tor said. “Let’s start with basic stances. We’ll stick with the buckler you picked and work on pure defence first, and depending on how that goes we may move on to basic offensive uses for the shield. Tomorrow we’ll combine attacking and defending. Now…”

Tor went through a lot of the same things that Brosden had, except he did it much more slowly, taking his time to make sure that she had each stance down and having her block a number of attacks before moving on to the next.

“Honestly, you’re not likely to be blocking a lot of sword strikes out there. If you come across a possessed corpse with a weapon, let Kaira and the more experienced delvers handle it, okay? It takes a pretty strong demon to possess a corpse, and going toe to toe with something that strong when you’re low level and inexperienced is a good way to make two possessed corpses. Just hang back and harrass it with your crossbow.”

“That’s probably best, yeah,” Ana agreed. She did not plan on getting injured if she could help it, magical healing or no.

“So what I want to focus on is not so much properly deflecting a sword or an axe, but getting your shield in between you and anything coming at you and keeping it there. It’s pretty hard to train defending against a possessed badger or something like that, but if you’re familiar with the weight and size of your shield you should be able to learn in the field, so to speak. And Irry… Kaira, I mean, won’t be taking you anywhere you’re likely to face anything you can’t handle with the others backing you up. Right, Kaira?”

“Right,” Kaira said, but she was looking over at the archers again and clearly not paying attention. She’d been sitting there for two hours at that point, without doing any training of her own, just looking back and forth between Brosden and Ana.

Ana looked at her, then turned to Tor. “Can we take a break?”

“Sure,” Tor said, glancing at Kaira and clearly taking the hint. Then, softly and stepping in close to Ana he said, “Just don’t push if she clams up, alright? She may not look like it, but she’s sensitive.”

“Right,” Ana said. She hadn’t been intending to. She wasn’t completely unsympathetic, although it was more of a learned thing than an instinct for her. More than anything else she curious. Kaira hadn’t seemed like the type to get lovesick, and Ana wanted to know about the history there.

“So, Brosden said that you two used to go out together,” Ana said, sitting down next to Kaira so that she blocked the latter’s view of the archery range.

“Oh, yeah,” Kaira said, looking down at her own feet. “Pick-up groups. We made some good money, got some good experience… it was fun. Why? Did he talk about me?”

“Yeah. Sounds like he likes you.”

“But I can be a bit much, right?” Kaira said, frowning weakly.

“He might have said something like that, yeah. So you two…?”

“Hah, oh, yeah. Little guy, big presence. We had a great couple of weeks.”

“So what happened?”

“I fucked it up, like usual,” Kaira sighed. “Probably not all my fault, but, I mean, I know that I’m impulsive. And you haven’t seen it, but I can maybe have, you know… a temper. Comes with the territory, you know? The Craft. And he likes his space and can get pretty fucking defensive. So things didn’t work out.”

“Anything you want to talk about?”

“Not really, no!” Kaira said, very nearly managing to appear her normal, cheerful self, and stood up. “I’ll go inside for a bit. Want some water?”

“Yeah, thanks,” Ana replied, and the words were barely out of her mouth before Kaira had walked away with a determination that showed that no follow-up questions were welcome. Ana turned to look at Tor, the question clear in her eyes, and when he saw her looking he shrugged.

“That went about as expected,” he said after closing the short distance. “Even left her crossbow.”

“Should I not have asked her?”

“It was worth a shot,” Tor said. “Om and me, we’ve given up on talking to her Brosden, but she needs to get over it, and him, sooner or later.”

“Anything you want to tell me? About what happened?”

“Eh…” Tor waffled a bit. “Look, Ana, most of it is my friend’s private business. You understand? If she wants you to know, she’ll tell you. What I can say is that I think that I know the whole story. Nothing terrible happened and neither of them is completely blameless, but Kaira herself will admit that it was more her fault than his. He was as bad as she was, a couple of months ago, but he’s over it and she’s not. And that’s about all you need to know from me.”

“Fair. Thanks.”

“Yeah,” Tor said, then brightened. “While we’re just sitting, I’ve got some good news!”

“Oh, yeah?” Ana said with interest.

“My parents had a look at your sword, and, hey, congratulations! Your short-term money problems are over!”

A weight dropped from Ana’s shoulders that she hadn’t even known that she was carrying. From the moment she started earning money, she’d always made sure to have a buffer, even if that meant eating noodles and turning down the heat in her apartment. Being down to her last few silver coins had been an unpleasant feeling.

“So,” she said carefully, “how much are we looking at? If they gave you a firm estimate, that is.”

“Even better. They gave me a signed note with their estimate of how much work the Engraving would be, and what that would cost in time and materials. It’s all technical language, but I’ll translate for you.”

“Thanks.”

“Sure. Now, the sword itself would probably cost three gold, maybe three-six, brand new. But it’s in great condition, so it should get you two gold at least. Now, the Engraving… Kaira was right about most of it being decorative by the way, maybe to make the blade look like it’s had more work put in than it has, but what is there is quality work. My dad, he estimates two day’s work, at the least. Add in materials and mom says you shouldn’t let it go for less than ten gold, and could probably hold out for twelve.”

Ana hadn’t known what to expect. She had no frame of reference. But she’d decided to trust Tor, and that by extension meant trusting those he trusted to some degree. And if he said ten gold… Ten gold was 120 silver. That was four months of room and board. With that kind of money she could justify getting some more essentials, maybe spend some money befriending a few more of the locals to make her position more secure, and she could equip herself better to be in a safer position to earn even more money, to the point where she might achieve something like a stable economy.

It was also, very importantly, enough that the entry fee for the baths was not only worth it but no longer a concern. She might even be able to justify some extras! Same for getting her laundry done. Not needing to choose between eating and being clean was a luxury she’d never thought she’d go without again, and she’d hated the experience. The thought of not being able to get properly clean made her skin crawl, which meant something very different to someone who could remember literally having fleas.

The lightness Ana had felt blossomed into the soothing warmth of actual relief. When she focused on Tor again, he was grinning. She wondered what he’d seen, but clearly he’d liked it.

“Ahem,” Kaira cleared her throat. “Give your parents my thanks. And once I’m a bit more presentable I’d be quite happy to give them my thanks in person. It’s a… a real comfort to have their expert opinion on this.”

“And a paper telling any buyer that they’d be a thief to offer less than ten gold and that you know it, that doesn’t hurt either, right?” Tor said.

“Not gonna lie, that feels pretty damned good, yeah. So how do I… do I just go to the Exchange?”

“Depends on a lot of things, really, but yeah, the Exchange is probably your best option. You can put a note on the board, in there,” Tor gestured to the guard house, “but that works best when you already have a reputation and you’re selling something people already know, and then people who are interested have to find you, and you have to show them the item and so on. At the exchange you don’t need to deal with all that. You either sell it directly to the exchange and they sell it on for a profit, or you let them sell it with a minimum price and they take a cut. Depends on how quickly you want your money, really.”

“What do you suggest?”

“In your situation? Just sell it tomorrow morning, together with your armour. Take the money and spend some of it on a shield and a new suit and anything else that’s urgent, then think about what you need while you’re out with Kaira. Most newbies learn a lot on their first outing, so I wouldn’t be surprised if you have a list when you come back.”

Ana already knew what else she needed to buy: at least one more set of clothes to replace the ones she’d taken from the dead man, and several pairs of socks. Maybe new boots, but the ones she had were surprisingly solid for what she’d paid. Socks, though… she’d done enough hiking to know the value of a clean, dry pair after a full day of walking. It would cost her at least one gold coin for what she wanted, if she could get the same prices as before, but it would be worth it. And maybe she could get a little back for the men’s clothes she was getting rid of…

“Hey, Ana! Are you still with me?”

Ana focused on Tor and realised that he’d been talking to her.

“Sorry, what?”

“I said, we should get back to it. Daylight’s burning, and all that.”

“Oh, right. Yeah.” Ana carefully flexed her blistered hands, the left worse than the right. This was going to suck. And she never got that water, either.

*******

[Congratulations! You have learned the Skill Shields! You have been awarded: Growth Crystal (Lesser)]

[Congratulations! You have learned the Skill Defence! You have been awarded: Growth Crystal (Lesser)]

Finally! Ana thought as she got a notification, and the messages popped up. She had broken blisters on her left hand, and her right was burning, but it had been worth it.

“Got ‘em!” she told the assembled party. Omda had finished for the day, as had Kaira, who’d gotten some practice in once Brosden left. The last fifteen minutes they’d been watching Tor and Ana.

At the end Tor had Ana incorporate what were basically punches with the shield, and it felt surprisingly natural. Treating the shield as an oversized knuckle duster just made intuitive sense. And it was amusing in a way that it had been smashing Tor in the chest that put her over the threshold.

“Them?” Tor asked in between catching his breath.

“I got Defence, too. Didn’t know that was a thing.”

“You parry well,” Omda offered by way of explanation, waving to Ana’s sword.

“Oh. Cool. And thanks. So… how much is a Lesser Crystal worth?”

“Points or gold?” Kaira asked. “It’s a hundred exp, but we’d have to check the rate today for gold. Or silver, really. Don’t want to get your hopes up.”

Omda listened patiently, then said, “20 copper, normally.”

“How many do you have?” Tor asked.

“Four.”

“That would get you half way to level three!” Kaira exclaimed excitedly.

“Huh?” That threw Ana for a loop. They could see her level. “I’m already level three. I could get to level four with this.”

“Oh, yeah, sure,” Kaira said, and Ana was pretty sure that she heard disappointment in her voice, and that she was trying to hide it. “Of course. It’s just that I thought you would want to reset, you know. Switch to a combat class, now that you have a couple of fighting skills. That's what I did.”

Right, Ana thought. They had no idea what her real class was. As far as they knew she was some kind of nanny who’d picked up some self-defence skills. Why wouldn’t they expect her to want to change that, if she was going to be fighting a bunch for the next several months?

“You weren't always an Evoker?” Ana asked, deflecting while she thought about how to handle this. She wasn’t ready for just how hard Kaira started laughing. Tor was chuckling, too, and even Omda pulled a smile.

“Shit no!” Kaira said after she calmed down a little. “I’m common as dirt! I had to scrape and save to be able to afford testing for affinities and lessons to pick up the skills to qualify for a magic class. I was a Ranch Hand until a few years ago! Level fucking seven when I reset, and I haven’t regretted it for a second!”

“That’s why Irry's so scrappy,” Tor said. “Because she wasted seven levels of advancement points in strength and endurance.”

“Fuck you,” Kaira told him with a big grin, then turned back to Ana. “He’s right, though. That’s how I picked up Crossbow, too. Lots of predators on the plains, so you better be able to protect the herd. And yourself, too. I used to have a smaller crossbow, kind of like yours, and being strong enough to reload it one-handed was basically necessary. And it’s not such a big deal! Sure, it sucked to have a low Connection for the first seven levels, but once I hit eight in Evoker I got eight points, right? Getting a three point boost in Connection all at once was a fucking rush, believe me!”

“That’s why you should reset early, if you’re doing it,” Tor said. “And to be clear, I think you should.”

“I could just put my points in Strength or something anyway,” Ana pointed out.

“You could, but then you’re missing out on strengthening your current class’ abilities. I’m not familiar with Companion, but I’d be surprised if it weren't Charisma focused.”

“I’ll take that chance,” Ana said. She wasn’t ready to let them know about her real class, and if they really wanted her to switch they’d just have to be disappointed. Too bad, but she got so much per level that there was no way she wasn't getting to four before going out with Kaira. “Um… How do I use the crystals? I always just had them auto-consume, until I turned it off. No one ever told me how to use them manually.”

“Oh, shit. That’s right!” Kaira blurted. “Someone farmed you or something, didn’t they?”

That felt very bluntly insulting. ‘Farmed.’ Like cattle. Ana really didn’t see any other way to take a comment like that, and she couldn't keep her normally careful mask from cracking, a slight scowl twisting her face.

Kaira seemed to agree. She caught herself, wincing at her own words even before Ana’s reaction, but when she saw Ana’s scowl she blanched, covering her mouth with her hand in horror. “I’m sorry,” Kaira said, her muffled voice tight. “Oh, gods, I’m so sorry! I wasn't thinking, I… my fucking mouth!”

Ana looked at Tor and Omda. They both looked very uncomfortable with the whole situation, as if Kaira had accused her of something deeply shameful. She decided not to press it, despite her curiosity.

“You’re forgiven,” Ana said bluntly, then softened her tone a little. “Don't worry about it. Really. But without involving what may or may not have happened in my past, what do I do? Come on,” she added more cheerfully. “I want to level, here!”

“You just do it,” Kaira mumbled. “Like everything else, really. Just focus on which Crystals you want to eat, and how many.” She looked up from her feet and met Ana’s eyes. “Really, we’re good? Nobody should be ashamed if they’ve been trapped in one of those places, but…”

“We’re good,” Ana confirmed, meaning it. Then she focused. She needed 250 experience. That meant three Lesser Crystals, so she willed the System to consume just that. And it did!

[Growth Crystal (Lesser) (3) consumed. You have been awarded 300 experience points.]

[Congratulations! You have reached Guardian Angel, level 4. 4 Advancement Points awarded.]

Ana gasped as the effect of all her attributes increasing at once hit her like a shot of liquid power right into her veins. She hadn’t been prepared. She’d known, but she hadn’t known. It hadn’t been like this that first night, when she’d been riding an adrenaline high after killing three men.

There was no gradual increase. Instead, every sensation was suddenly sharper. She felt stronger, steadier, sturdier, each effect minor on its own but together… Ana felt the sudden urge to giggle, but managed to bargain it down to a grin. What a rush! And there might be more! She quickly brought up her numbers.

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INDIVIDUAL SUMMARY

Name: Anastasia Cole

Race: Outsider, Summoned (Human aspect)

Age: 26

Classes: Guardian Angel (4) (Hidden, shown as Companion (4))

Experience: 110/1250

Storage: 1 Shard, 1 Growth Crystal, Lesser

Attributes: Base               Multiplier     Effective

Strength:       15                1                     15

Endurance:   19                 1                    19

Vitality:          16                 1                    16

Agility:           19                 1                    19

Dexterity:     16                  1                   16

Perception:  14                  1.3                18

Acuity:           14                  1                   14

Willpower:    16                  1                   16

Charisma:     19                  1                  19

Connection: 14                  1                   14

Advancement Points: 4

Abilities:

Hidden Class (Guardian Angel)

Guardian Angel

Devotion

Danger Sense (Special)

Skills:                          Level

Acting                         3

Charm                          1

Command                  2         

Crossbows                1

Defence                     1

Inspect                       1

Intimidate                  4

Long Blades               1

Sense Motive            2

Shields                        1

Small Blades              3

Unarmed Combat     4

[Note: Skills only partially calibrated. Please use known skills to continue calibration.]

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… And the world stopped.

[You have 4 Advancement Points available. Please spend Advancement Points now!]

She’d forgotten that part, but it wasn’t a big deal. It gave her a moment to think. To her annoyance, though, thinking about anything except how to spend the points was hard! It was like her mind just slid around any subject not directly related to how she could best use them.

After an indefinable length of time she gave up on trying to defy the system and just went with it. Fine, she thought. How should I do this?

She could increase her perception again, she could get a ten percent increase to three attributes, or she could get twenty percent to one and ten to another. The effective increase only used the whole part of the bonus, so the third option felt best to her. It meant that she could get a 3 point boost to her Strength, which was… considerable. And when she was fighting it would increase by even more!

Too good to pass up, was her conclusion. She put 3 points into her Strength multiplier, and the last one into Vitality, on the basis that being less likely to die was a good thing. This gave her a new effective Strength of 18, and an effective Vitality of 17 which was, if she understood things correctly, pretty badass.

When the world started moving again, Ana was somewhere in a corner of her mind, disappointed that she hadn’t received a new ability. But that almost completely vanished in a second surge of power.

Ana giggled. She was a twenty-six year-old woman who took herself pretty seriously, but this time she couldn’t help herself. She felt so light, and in a very real, if relative, way, she was. In a few seconds she had gone from 14 to 18 Strength, and if everything was linear that made her… somewhere between a third and a quarter stronger. Two sevenths. On an impulse she took a standing jump, straight up, and found her feet clearing Tor’s head, and he was a fairly tall guy!

She came back down, landing lightly, knees bent, and came back to her senses. A last, rogue giggle escaped her before she schooled her face, leaving only the faintest smile on her lips. The others, she saw, were looking at each other with knowing grins.

“So…” Kaira drew out the vowel knowingly, every trace of her previous mortification gone. “Increased your Strength mult, did you?”

“I feel like I could wrestle an elk,” Ana said, still riding the high even if she wasn’t showing it anymore. She finally understood, really understood, what Nic had loved about his games.

The numbers went up, and it felt good.