All in Charisma (A LitRPG/Isekai Adventure)

When Justin woke up, it was full daylight. His muscles ached fiercely from the previous day's exertion. The surrounding forest was still, the air crisp and silent.

Justin almost jumped when the Voice entered his mind. In all the chaos, he had forgotten he was due for a level-up.

[You have reached Level 5. You're learning to navigate the complexities of Eyrth with grace and cunning. No longer content to be a mere spectator, you aim to become a key player, a beacon of influence.]

Justin found the words ironic. As a Socialite, he should have been leveling up with his charm and social skills, not out adventuring. Here in the cold forests of Northern Aranthia, the courts of Belmora seemed a world away.

Another notification flashed before him.

[You have one attribute point to distribute.]

Given the increasingly frail hope that one day he would be able to use the Amulet of Equilibrium, he allocated it to Charisma.

[Your Charisma is now 16.]

[As a Level 5 Socialite, you have unlocked your Party Tactic: Refined Aura.]

For this level, there would be no choice. But Justin looked forward to whatever his party tactic was, something that apparently all classes got at Level 5.

Refined Aura: Your mere presence inspires confidence and poise in those around you. You and all party members gain +1 to Charisma as long as you are present.

Justin smiled. It felt nice to get not just one attribute point, but two with this level. And not only that, every other party member would benefit from a +1 to Charisma.

[Remember, true presence isn't putting on a show. It is accepting who you truly are.]

As the Voice departed, he opened his interface.

Justin Talemaker

Class: Socialite

Level: 5

Experience to Level 6: 1,169/550 (Level-up available!)

Power: 10

Coordination: 11

Endurance: 11

Intellect: 11

Spirit: 10

Charisma: 18

"Not bad," Justin muttered, closing the screen.

Justin stood, and as he moved, his steps became more fluid, each motion carrying a subtle, almost imperceptible elegance. His Refined Aura seemed to ripple outward, casting an aura of quiet confidence around him.

Yes, something had definitely changed.

Justin looked around the campsite. Lila was still sleeping, utterly exhausted from yesterday's ordeal, while there was no sign of Eldrin at all. The emptiness left by the Ranger's absence made Justin uneasy. He had promised to be back in a quarter of an hour, and it had been at least eight hours, judging by the sun's position.

Justin didn't want to think about what could have possibly happened. It certainly had something to do with Lieutenant Gareth, but the fact that he and Lila were still alive suggested that Eldrin had been successful in covering their tracks.

He wasn't sure what to do, but they were on their own, at least for now. The Ranger had said not to wait for him, but the prospect of striking out in the wilds alone, with no guidance whatsoever and a high-level Shadowblade hunting them down, was nothing short of terrifying.

He felt torn between waking Lila and letting her rest longer. In the end, he shook her awake.

She stirred, blinking against the harsh morning light.

"Eldrin's gone," Justin whispered.

Lila suddenly became alert, sitting up. "Gone? What do you mean?"

"Process your level up first," Justin said. "We can talk about it in a few minutes."

Lila did so, apparently going through the motions quickly. "Done. So, what happened?"

"He left last night, saying it wouldn't be fifteen minutes."

Her face paled. "So, what do we do now? Go look for him?"

"Before leaving, he said that if he didn't come back, we should move on."

Lila shook her head. "I don't like that one bit. Did he leave us?"

Justin shook his head. "No way. After everything, you think he'd bail?"

"Well, the other option is worse. If he hasn't returned, that would mean he's…" She trailed off. "I'm sorry. With Alistair, and now Eldrin…the thought is too horrible to entertain."

That Eldrin, along with Alistair, was dead would make their situation beyond hopeless. Both men had sacrificed so much for him, and worse, Justin didn't understand the reason.

"He's a Ranger," Justin said. "Maybe he wanted to cover our tracks a bit more. Make sure we really couldn't be found."

"You'd think he would have returned, though," Lila said. "Something is definitely wrong."

"If he didn't come back, it was for one reason. It would endanger us in some way. Maybe Gareth and the rest were closer than we thought. Maybe he had to create a false trail or something. Lead them away."

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"Huh. Yeah, that could be it. I prefer that theory over anything else." She frowned in thought. "If that's the case, though, eventually they'll catch on that they've been fooled. And turn right back around."

"That has to be why. He intends to catch up with us later. He has Shadowflight. That means that once he shakes them, he can use his Pathfinder's Pace to catch up to us. It might take him a few days, but he'll manage it."

"Either way you cut it, we're on our own for a while. We need to put some ground between us and Gareth.

It was a terrifying proposition. Alistair and Eldrin had been the ones keeping them alive so far, and Justin couldn't imagine just the two of them—neither of them a combat class—surviving the wilds of this forest. Not with dire wolves and maybe even worse.

"Okay," Lila said. "So, the question is, what's our plan? Where do you think Eldrin planned to go?"

Justin shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe he didn't even have a plan. All we know is that eventually, he was going to turn east, which would lead to the Plainsway. Right?"

"I would suggest an alternate plan," Lila said. "The Plainsway plan happened way back in Highcliff, and I would argue that things have changed."

"Okay. I'm listening."

"The closest big city besides Highcliff, of course, is Windfall," Lila said. "But it's about a hundred miles to the northwest. Not exactly the way we want to be going. But leading out from Windfall is the Northway, a well-established road that runs just south of the Seraphims. Assuming we can reach Windfall, we can head east from there on the Northway. It's less expected by our enemies. We could take that road all the way to Draegor's Keep, and from there, head south to Mont Elea. Better yet, in Windfall we can resupply and blend in. Without Eldrin, we can't hope to live off the land. We have plenty of gold. Enough, perhaps, to buy a carriage the rest of the way. Disguise ourselves as nobles, maybe."

"That would be nice," Justin said. "Much faster."

"The distances are too great for just the two of us to walk all the way to Mont Elea without Pathfinder's Pace," Lila said. "But the downside is, the roads are going to be more dangerous. If we lose them in the forest, they know we'll pop out on a major highway eventually. Worse, if we're slogging in the wilds too long, they have time to set up a spy network in every major city we might think of going to. I say we try to make Windfall as quickly as we can, before anyone there is on the lookout for us. We're not truly safe until we reach Mont Elea."

Justin was quiet. Again, he couldn't help but wonder just what about him was so important. Alistair knew something, and for that matter, it seemed Eldrin did too.

What about Lila? Did she know something, too?

"Did either of them say why the Baron wants to get me so much?" Justin asked. "Why place his Death Mark on me in the first place?"

"If there's a reason, it was never said to me," Lila said. "Clearly, from the first, the Baron saw something useful in you. Maybe it has something to do with your past. This other world you're from."

"But how would the Baron even know about that?" Justin asked. "It doesn't make sense. And if he didn't want me to escape, he could have trapped us before we even walked out the door."

Lila thought for a moment. "Well, there's more to this than we understand, that's for certain. Perhaps he was content to let you leave and learn more first. He had no reason to suspect you'd ever discover the Death Mark, and Alistair's timely arrival put a major kink in his plan. Clearly, he had his eyes on you from the moment you left."

"Maybe," Justin said. "We should eat first. I'm starving."

They broke out a quick breakfast of hard cheese, dried fruit, and strips of salted meat. Justin tried to ignore how little food was left in the pack. Getting to Windfall on empty stomachs might prove a tricky proposition.

"So, what's your party tactic?" Justin asked.

"Unified Cadence," Lila replied. "It gives the party a 5% boost to damage and healing anytime I sing."

"That sounds like a nice bonus," Justin said. "And it makes a big difference when spread across a lot of party members."

"We should get going," Lila said. "We've been talking too much already. And…thanks for helping me out last night. Not my best moment."

"No problem. I was only saved by the Ring of Hygiene. Apparently, it dries you off as well."

"Supremely useful," Lila agreed, though her brow furrowed in concern. "Maybe that's why Eldrin never came back. Do you think it was the cold that did him in?"

"It's hard to imagine that," Justin said. "If that's the case, I think the Baron's men would have discovered us by now."

"Maybe," Lila said, a hint of uncertainty in her voice.

"Eldrin will find us, you'll see. For now, our only goal is to head north. Are we sure we don't want to backtrack to the road after a few days? This forest looks like rough going."

"We can discuss it later. To be honest, I'm not sure what the country is like between here and Windfall. I know it's a lot of hills and a lot of forests. Hopefully, nothing too scary lives in them. Right now, the important thing is getting some distance."

"One thing at a time," Justin said. "Shall we?"

They packed up quickly, burying the ashes of their fire, which were already cold. He felt a pang of anxiety as they left their shelter, but there was no avoiding it. The forest awaited.

The trees loomed tall and dense, their branches forming a thick canopy overhead. The air was still, the only sound being the crunch of leaves underfoot. Justin took out his map. Though they were far outside its range, the enchantment would still point them north.

They kept walking, the underbrush thick with ferns and brambles. The ground was uneven, littered with rocks and fallen branches, making their progress slow and arduous. The lack of Pathfinder's Pace was all too clear. They were working twice as hard for half the miles.

The sun climbed higher in the sky. From time to time, Justin glanced backward, seeing no signs of pursuit. The River Marin flowed off to their right, perhaps a couple of miles away. There was nothing but trees and hills in all directions, and no sign of the Plainsway.

The forest seemed to close in around them. Without Eldrin and Alistair's comforting presence, the woods felt more sinister. Justin couldn't shake the feeling of being exposed, with no one to guide or protect them.

"Damn," Justin muttered. "This is rough. Would it be a bad idea to sing a song to give us a bit more Endurance?"

"Yes," Lila said firmly. "Absolutely."

They kept plodding on through the afternoon. It seemed too quiet, as if the world itself were holding its breath.

"Probably time to think about shelter," Lila suggested, as the sun neared the top of the western mountains. "Before it gets too dark."

As they crested the next hill, Justin scanned the landscape to the north. About half a mile away stood what appeared to be a decrepit watchtower. The stone structure was weathered and crumbling, with ivy creeping up its sides. The roof had partially collapsed, leaving jagged edges silhouetted against the sky.

"Is that too obvious a hiding spot?"

"Looks like a sure shelter to me," Lila said. "Either way, I don't think they know we've gone this way and we're a whole day ahead at this point."

"Someone else might think it's a good place to shelter," Justin said.

"No smoke," Lila said. "We can sit here for a few minutes and see if anything is moving."

It was good enough for Justin. He was certain Eldrin would have discouraged it, but with Eldrin absent, they had to do what they thought was best. They weren't covering their tracks effectively, anyway. They just wouldn't go to the top of the tower, where their movements might be visible from a distance.

They watched for a while, and it seemed the place was empty, at least from the outside. Nothing moved around it. It was the best they could hope for as the sun started sinking closer to the top of the Umber Range in the west.

It took another thirty minutes to reach the tower's base. The surrounding terrain was uneven, with stones and rubble scattered about. The air was cooler, and the shadows lengthened. A broken path led out north from the tower, accompanied by crumbling stone fences. That path quickly became lost in the northern forest. At least the journey tomorrow might not be so bad, assuming the path continued in the same direction. Justin assumed this place must have once been part of the Kingdom of Highcliff, having since fallen into ruin. Perhaps there would be a town or hamlet to the north where they could resupply.

"Nothing but to go in," Lila said. "We should be careful. Make sure we're the only ones here."

The tower was especially quiet. If it were a bandit's hideout, they would have made their presence obvious by now. Or so Justin's thinking went.

Justin gave his cane a twirl; the movement was fluid and confident.

"Show-off," Lila said with a smirk.

Her smile vanished when, as soon as they breached the open threshold of the tower, a sudden explosion of crimson light sent them sprawling back. Justin was momentarily stunned, and it took a couple of seconds before he could come to his senses.

Whatever this attack had been, Gentleman's Rebuff hadn't blocked it.

"Stay where you are," a gruff voice commanded. "Or the next blast won't be a warning."

Justin looked up, his eyes widening. The figure before them was definitely not what he expected.