Splinter Angel Chapter 23 (Patreon)

This one's kinda long because there's a bunch of accounting in it.

----------------------------------------------

“Standard system, Ladies,” Kaira declared, looking at the women gathered around the small array of Crystals. “We’re selling the big boy and splitting the gold. Now, who wants a Greater?”

Mestendi's hand shot up while Sendra casually raised hers. Messy got some amused looks for it, to which she sheepishly said, “I need the coin, alright? For investments!”

“Finally buying out the shop?” Sendra asked placidly, and Messy grinned.

“Saving for it, at least. Master Renvi is talking about going back to the Primes at the end of this cycle.”

“That’s great!” Dilmik said. “I guess we’ll be the same level for a while, then.”

“Probably. But what can one do, sometimes?”

“Excuse me,” Ana said. “I don’t know if I should be wanting one of these or not, but it sounds like the sales value of a Crystal doesn’t exactly scale with the experience value?”

“Oh, not at all,” Sendra said. “You need Crystals to empower Engravings, and the more powerful the Engraving, the larger the Crystal you need. You can’t just use a couple of smaller ones to get the same result.”

“Yeah,” Kaira agreed. “Market value changes with supply, but usually you can expect the cost for each tier to go up by something like double and a half instead of just double. Could be triple, even. So that big beauty should sell for quite a bit. Like… 15, 16 gold. But with a big group it’s going to have an experience value higher than the average, right? So we sell it and split the coin. Then, to make it more fair, anyone who takes from the next tier down gets a lower experience total than the others, though they usually end up with a bigger value in coin. And then we work our way down. Honestly, there’s a lot of good will and honour involved here.”

“And that works?” Ana asked, a little incredulous. It sounded like some people could end up with a lot more money than the others in a system like that.

“I mean…” Kaira said, then started over. “Look. I don’t have a stake other than wanting everyone to have a good time, but this gang here? They, and a few others who couldn't make it, they’ve been out together enough times that they’re practically an official team. They don’t fuck each other over, right? They accommodate. If someone needs more coin, they work it out. With groups that don’t know each other that well, though, it isn't uncommon to just sell the whole take from the Delve and split it, so no one feels short changed.”

“Alright,” Ana said, thinking it over. “So… one of those Crystals up for grabs now, it would sell for, what? 6-ish gold? But I get less experience value if I take it?”

“That’s right,” Messy said, looking at Ana hopefully.

“And if three of us want one, then what?”

“Game of chance,” Kaira said. “Dice, usually.”

“Okay. No more questions. I’d rather have more experience. Messy and Sendra can have them, if no one else is interested.”

In the end, after a bit of hashing everything out, Ana ended up with 3 Medium, 3 Minor, 2 Lesser, and 4 Least Crystals, which if she had the numbers right should add up to 2200 experience points, on top of what she was already holding from the demons they’d killed. She would have had more, but the group unanimously agreed to give the Shards to Kaira. Apparently tipping existed in this world, too.

“That’s it,” Deni said after picking up her share, oddly calm, her voice faint. She was holding her Crystals carefully in her cupped hands, looking at them with the expression of someone who held the key to a better life and a brighter future. “With this I can reset, choose Evoker, and get to level 5. I can become a real Delver whenever I want. I could do it now.”

“So what are you waiting for?” Rayni asked. “Getting second thoughts?”

“No, it’s just… I thought I’d have more time, you know? I never expected to do it in one Delve! I was hoping, but I thought I’d have to wait until the next time you all go out to get enough. It’s so sudden, that’s all.”

“What will you do once you, uh, change Classes?” Ana asked. “Do you have a plan, or…?”

“Mhmm!” Deni said. The question woke her up from her trance and she nodded excitedly. “I’ve got some friends around my level who’ve been doing casual groups and who’ve already reset, a Fighter and an Archer, and we’re going to go out in the forest and start really learning how to be Delvers! Probably can’t do any Delves just the three of us at our levels but just wandering demons should be fine, and we can always do pick-up groups, right? It should be really good experience!”

Then she sighed. “But…” she said with a pout, “I’m going to be responsible. My parents rely on me to run the front. I’m going to have to find a replacement who can do my job before I reset and lose my Abilites.”

“Boo!” Kaira exclaimed. “Do it!” But no one paid her any attention.

Deni did not, in fact, reset at that very moment, but she cheered up a little when Dilmik pointed out that if she saved her Crystals and waited, they might have time for another Delve with the current group, and that way she could start her career as an Evoker with another level or two.

“Now, the bad news,” Kaira announced. “Since we were talking about the next Delve and all. Some or all of you have probably guessed already, but as much as I’d like to, Guild rules stop me from going for another Delve today. We’ve had too many injuries and are down to three healing pots, and we’ll need them in case something happens on the way home.”

There were some disappointed groans from the group, but no one was really surprised.

Kaira clapped her hands and grinned. “That does not mean that we can’t have some fun! We have plenty of daylight left and all day tomorrow, and we are not taking the direct route back to the Outpost! Oh, no. We’ll do a final sweep of this area for any valuable plants, and then we’re taking the long way around home, looking for some big beasties along the way! Any objections?”

The groans turned to cheers and excited chatter, and Ana couldn’t help but join in. She’d been disappointed at the idea of not having any more opportunities to pick up more Crystals, but this would do. She’d enjoyed the others’ company, and the forest was quite calm and pleasant when nothing was trying to eat their souls. She did not mind at all taking another half day or whatever to get back to civilization, such as it was, especially if they could get into some trouble along the way.

They put away their Crystals and got their gear in order, and while those who lacked any skill at harvesting waited for those who had it, Missy came and sat next to Ana. “Isn’t that great?” she said, leaning in to bump Ana with her shoulder. “Another whole day out here? Maybe we’ll find another big bastard, like that bear! I’d love to watch you kick the crap out of it like you did with the elk.”

“I didn’t think anyone really saw that,” Ana said, smiling at the other woman. Everyone else had been so focused on the bear that she was pleased that someone had noticed. “You did pretty well yourself.”

Messy waved that off. “With the little ones, maybe. The ones I saw coming. I need some more training, I guess, but let’s forget that for now. I never did thank you, properly I mean, for saving me. Twice. What do you think about coming around to my shop once we’re back? I’ve got some beautiful ear studs, thunderstone that I set in silver, and I think they’d match your eyes perfectly. I’d like to give them to you, as a token of my gratitude.”

“Oh,” Ana said, taken aback, “you don’t have to–”

“But I want to,” Messy interrupted her. “I’m a Jeweller because I love jewellery. I love to make it, and I love to see it worn by the right person. Please?”

“Yeah,” Ana said, without really thinking about it. “Sure. If it’ll make you happy.”

“Great!” Messy said with a huge smile. She bumped Ana’s shoulder again, and walked off to join the harvesters.

Ana sat for a while, analysing what had just happened. She wasn’t sure why she’d agreed. Normally she would have refused the suggestion of a gift. She didn’t want to feel indebted to anyone, although here it might be more a case of Messy feeling indebted to her. Perhaps there was some high Charisma or Charm in play, or some kind of Ability?

Or perhaps, she thought, she really did just want to make Messy happy. She genuinely enjoyed the other woman’s company, and while she never really made emotional connections with other people, she did like some of them. She’d never had many friends, and that was something she hoped to change.

Of course, who could know if Messy would still like Ana when she actually got to know her? But that was a concern for another time. Daniela, a Portuguese colleague of Ana’s, often said not to take on tomorrow’s headache today, and this was definitely tomorrow’s headache.

Out of the corner of her eye Ana saw Kaira talk to Rayni, who nodded and took off among the trees. Soon they were all moving, following the Huntress through the rough forest, as the sun slowly sank and the shadows grew longer.

That night, as Ana was sitting by the fire, taking her watch with Rayni, she decided that there was no point in waiting. She’d put off levelling in case she decided she’d rather sell more of the Crystals, but who was she fooling? She wanted it. She wanted to be stronger, harder, more perceptive. She wanted to improve her earning potential. She wanted to be safe.

Well, perhaps not safe, as such. She didn’t mind taking risks if the potential reward was large enough, but she wanted it to be on her own terms. So she didn’t want to be safe, she admitted. She just wanted to be independent. Immune to outside influence, as completely in control of her own life as she could possibly be. And every level got her closer to achieving that.

“Rayni,” she whispered, so low that she knew that no one else could possibly hear.

“Yeah?”

“I’m going to level. Don’t be surprised if I… I don’t know. Twitch or something.”

There was a moment where only the crackling of the fire could be heard, and then, “...alright.”

Having done the responsible thing and warned her teammate, Ana focused and consumed 1800 points worth of Least, Lesser, and Minor Crystals. To her satisfaction she saw that she could use her bonus Crystals first, leaving her with only ones she could sell if she wanted to. She shuddered as the expected rush of the Attribute increases washed over her, even before she brought up and dismissed the notification. Then she quickly brought up her Summary, and the world came to a stop, as she’d known that it would.

6 Advancement Points. She could do a lot with those. She could increase her Strength – or less realistically, her Perception – and two other Attributes that she hadn’t invested in yet, or she could increase her Vitality and invest two steps in one or one step in three such Attributes. And then there were the other options, where she increased only her untouched Attributes: one of them three steps, two of them two steps, or just go wild and increase six of them a single step. The last option was oddly attractive. It would make her more well rounded, and she didn’t truly know which Attributes she’d need in the future.

In the end, though, the rush was too hard to resist. She increased her Vitality and then, figuring it would help her in most parts of her life, increased her Endurance by two steps. When she closed her Summary the effects were immediate. What little pain she’d still had, as well as the fatigue from the afternoon’s march, were all but washed away. It left her feeling whole and refreshed and very, very good.

“Wayfarer’s arse, girl, you’re making me jealous over here,” Rayni muttered with an amused twist to her voice.

“Huh?” Ana managed.

“Well, clearly no one ever taught you to mind yourself when you increase your Vitality. You weren’t exactly quiet over there. Or, you were, but, you know. Perception.”

Ana felt her face heat. That was not something that happened often. “Oh.”

“Yeah. Just… I know it feels good, right? Vitality literally makes everything bad less bad, so what can you expect? Just, I don’t know, brace yourself next time.”

Ana turned to look at Rayni across the fire, then felt her mouth twist into a slight smile, completely unbidden. “Yeah, got it.”

There must have been something in her face or her tone, because Rayni relaxed, her own wry smile sliding into something more genuine. She turned away from Ana, muttering, “Figured you needed the help.”

Ana looked at her in silence for a while. It was true. She did need help, lots of it. The problem was finding people she could trust to supply that help without trying to take advantage of her. Even Mister Stamper hadn’t helped her entirely out of the goodness of his heart, such as it was, though the worst he’d done to exploit her was to offer her a job.

“Rayni,” she said, and the other woman turned back.

“Hmm?”

“You’re a Huntress. Do you actually do a lot of hunting?”

“Yeah. That, and I scout for pick-up groups sometimes. Not enough Rangers around, you know?”

Ana thought for a moment. “They’re good at tracking, stuff like that?”

“Yeah. Not as good as a Scout or a Hunter, though. So there’s good money and experience to be made if you’re okay with taking some risks. And fuck knows I need the money.”

“Not the experience?”

Rayni’s expression soured. “Yeah, sure. That would be great. But no. I need the money. I usually eat the Shards and the Leasts, and sell the rest.”

The beginning of something formed in Ana’s mind. Not a plan, as such, but an idea. “You go out a lot?”

“Heading out again the day after tomorrow. Once we’re back at the Outpost I’m selling my cut, stocking up on supplies, and hitting the baths. A night in an actual bed, and then I’m out again in the morning.”

“What do you hunt?”

“Eh, deer, mostly. Plenty of them out there, and everyone loves venison. But I’ll take anything. Boar, swinefowl, foxes and other critters for the pelts…”

“No demons?”

“Shit, no. Are you crazy? I can’t take on a demon on my own! Even if I killed it the cost in arrows and potions would leave my purse lighter every trip, and that’s with Touanne being a bleeding heart who undercharges. Nah, when you’re on your own it’s much safer and more profitable to just hunt game and sell that.”

“What if…” Ana said slowly, “you weren’t on your own?”

Rayni turned all the way around at that, her eyes locking intently onto Ana’s. “What exactly do you mean by that?”

“I don’t intend to sit on my ass back in town until another one of these groups gets together. But I don’t know how to track, I don’t know what to look for, and I don’t know what to avoid. You do.”

“You want to go out. Just the two of us.”

“That’s right.”

“Hunting demons, I assume.”

“Yeah.”

“You’re insane. Completely fucking mad. You go on one successful–”

“I could have killed that first badger on my own,” Ana said confidently. “Easily. You saw me in the last fight. The bear, no. But I could have taken the elk on my own, if I had to. And I have my party skill, so you’ll need less rest.”

“You’re…” Rayni began, but her voice faltered. Doubt began to creep in from the corners of her eyes. “Why me?”

“I want to learn. Stealth. Tracking. Harvesting. All things that you’re good at. Maybe how to use an axe like the one you carry around.” She smiled. “Besides, I saw you throwing yourself at that bear. You’ve got guts. I think we could work together.”

“I…” Rayni’s mouth worked silently, then she blinked and looked away. “Shit, you think I’ve got guts?”

“I was pretty sure that I’d be alright. I’m a lot tougher than you’d think, from my level. You? Sorry, but that bear would have probably torn you apart. You know it. And you still went for it. So, yeah. You’ve got guts.”

A notification popped up in the corner of Ana’s vision. She quickly checked it.

[Congratulations! Your Skill Charm has improved to level 3! You have been awarded: Growth Crystal (Minor)]

She dismissed it immediately, feeling vaguely annoyed. She was just being honest. Sure, she was trying to convince Rayni, but now she felt manipulative about it.

Rayni broke into a wide, genuine smile for just a fraction of a second before schooling her face, glancing towards Ana as though to see if she’d noticed.

“It doesn’t have to be immediately,” Ana went on. “I’ve got some things I need to take care of, some people to see. But when you’re back… I’m staying at Petra’s. I have breakfast and dinner there every day, sunrise and sunset. If you’re interested.”

“Maybe. I’ll think about it,” Rayni said, in an actually thoughtful tone that said that she wasn’t just brushing Ana off.

And Ana could be satisfied with that.

*****

“One big bastard,” Rayni said. It was early in the morning. They had broken camp an hour before, and Rayni had just returned to the group to report. “I would normally say we avoid it, but I found boot prints and traces of blood. It’s tracking someone, and they’re moving slow.”

“Then we go,” Kaira said matter-of-factly. “Lead the way. Just let me get a look at what we’re facing before we engage. If this thing is a Considerable threat to me, I won’t be holding back. This is a rescue, not a hunt.”

Nobody argued.

Ten minutes later they found the demon. It was some kind of bovine, Ana thought. Shouldn’t be too much of a problem. When they got close enough for her Inspect Skill to work, though, it showed as a Possessed Aurochs (Threat: Extreme). The thing was pacing around the base of a relatively thin but massively tall tree, the ground churned to mud and the bark and outer layers of wood smashed to splinters from the attacks the demon launched at it with horns and hooves.

“Shit,” Kaira hissed. “Lethal to me. Petra?”

“Considerable,” Petra answered.

“High end of Lethal, then. 21 or 22. Don’t know what in all the hells that thing is doing this far north. We should—”

“In the tree!” Rayna said urgently, interrupting her.

Everyone looked up. High up, slumped over some branches and looking like she was barely hanging on, was a figure, unidentifiable and covered in a draping, white cloak. Every time the demon struck the tree the entire trunk shuddered, and the figure tightened its grip on its perch.

Kaira’s mouth formed a straight, firm line for a second before she spoke. “I won’t judge any of you who want to pull out. If you don’t want to risk fighting this thing, go. Now. Put as much distance between us as you can, as fast as you can. But the more of us there are, the more likely we’ll be able to take it down without anyone getting hurt.”

No one spoke, and no one moved.

A feral grin split her face. “No? Then, Petra?”

Petra nodded and a moment later there was a notification.

[Kaira, Evoker (12), has joined your Party.]

“Right. Petra, Messy, Ana. You go in first. Spread out, give us room to fire between you. Defensive, yeah? Joints and tendons if you get a safe shot. No heroics. Just distract it while we wear it down, and if it charges, try like hell to buy us time to get out of the way. Archers, go for the face if you can, and hope for a lucky shot on the eyes. Deni, joints. Sendra, try to mess with its movement. Everyone ready?”

There was a soft chorus of nervous “Ayes” and “Yeahs”. Deni just swallowed thickly and nodded.

“Right. Melee fighters, when I cast, move in.”

Kaira didn’t wait for an acknowledgement. She immediately stood and started moving her lips soundlessly, her hands held out low and to her sides, and Ana could feel something happening. A stirring in the air around her, as though an invisible current were moving towards Kaira. At the same time Sendra also began to cast, eyes closed in focus and one hand held out towards their enemy.

Everyone gave them plenty of room, watching with everything from awe to curiosity as the two finished their spells almost simultaneously. Kaira whipped her hands forward, two blindingly bright bolts of energy shooting towards the demon. At the same time, Sendra exclaimed one unintelligible word and brought her hand down in a sweeping motion, and a wide patch of the churned soil around the tree turned dark and soft.

Kaira’s attacks flew true. They slammed into one hip of the thing with twin Whomps, but while they left deep, scorched craters in the thing they didn’t have the explosive, penetrating impact that Ana was used to from Kaira’s attacks. But there was no time to think about that. The aurochs rounded on them, and as Petra and Messy began to move a familiar, welcome, wonderful surge of power filled Ana.

Half drunk and with a sense of near invincibility, with a wordless yell Ana effortlessly pulled ahead of the others, covering the hundred feet between them at Olympic speed. Grab the thing’s attention, she thought, that was what Kaira wanted, right? Distract it? Here’s a fucking distraction for it!

As the demon began a charge, aborted as its feet sank and slipped in the muddy quagmire around it, Ana stepped, twisted, and brought her buckler around in a lightning quick haymaker, the bronze boss in the centre smashing into the demon’s snout. There was a squelching crunch as foul flesh was pulped and bone broke, but Ana had miscalculated.

Oh, shit, was all she had time to think as her action was met by an inevitable reaction. The auroch’s head moved to the side, and it almost, almost, stumbled. The much lighter Ana, however, hadn’t anchored herself. When her buckler connected she not only stopped but was thrown backwards slightly as she spun clockwise, doing a quarter turn before hitting the ground. Even in the confusion, her boosted stats gave her the wherewithal to end in a clumsy three-point landing instead of crashing down, which was something, at least. She immediately had to roll out of the way as the demon roared and stomped the ground where she’d landed, hooves sinking half a foot into the soft ground.

“No fucking heroics, you damned maniac!” Kaira screamed furiously, and then the fight was truly on.