Monroe

Bob was once again sitting on the rock overlooking the waterfall while Monroe crouched on the bank, intently focused on a school of minnows that were dancing under the water, just out of reach.

It was easy to forget that Holmstead was primitive.

Miraculous healing and extended life spans tended to infer an advanced society, although Bob knew those were simply his prejudices from years of reading science fiction.

Still, when Jimmi had informed him that it would take two months to have the two hundred and one thousand sheets of paper that Bob was going to need...

The ink wouldn't take nearly as long, a mere three weeks.

Bob had handed Jimmi the two thousand and one crystals for the paper and asked him to just let Bob know when the paper was ready.

He'd needed to hand over another six hundred crystals for the ink, which went to the alchemist that the J's had introduced him to when he'd queried them about a brush for Monroe.

It had been an expensive morning.

Bob let himself relax under the midday sun.

He had a persistent effect UtahRaptor behind the rock, ready to handle any monsters that might spring up, although that seemed unlikely due to both the altitude and the close proximity of Holmstead's Dungeon.

The sun was warm, Monroe was happy, and Bob was watching the light scatter off the water.

He wouldn't mind having a little house out here, Bob mused.

Stilts, to avoid monsters spawning. A deck on the roof or off the roof, however that worked, which would allow for lazy afternoons in the sun.

Bob looked at the rock he was sitting on for a long moment.

It was a chunk of sandstone, sheared off at some point in the impossibly distant past by the glaciers that were constantly expanding and receding over this world.

Flat, and mostly level, it made an agreeable chair.

That being said...

Bob mentally projected an image of his favorite chair, a beat-up old Lay-Z-Boy that he'd scavenged from the curb near the lab. He'd repaired two broken struts, and stitched new covers for the cushions. In doing so, he'd become quite familiar with the chair's design.

He pushed mana into the pattern, wrapping it in a persistent effect, and it shimmered into existence.

Bob smiled and sat down in the chair carefully. It didn't seem quite as sturdy as the original, but then again, he was watering down his magic quite a bit in order to use persistent effect.

The seat was a little too soft, and the supports creaked, but Bob was able to engage the leg rest and kick back, settling in with a sigh.

He mentally set an alarm to wake him up after four hours, and then allowed himself to drift off to the sound of the stream babbling over the stones.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Bob woke up to the feeling of an uncomfortably full bladder.

This sensation was not aided by the presence of Monroe, who had decided that if his human-servant was going to lay still in one place with direct exposure to the sun, then surely he meant to perform his sacred duties as a stable and warm napping place.

Thirty pounds of Maine-coon was quite a bit of weight to have pressing down on your bladder.

Bob stretched, and then reached down to scritch Monroe's ears, attempting to judge the degree to which his feline overlord was awake.

It appeared that the answer was 'Not very'.

He carefully slid the sleeping kitty into his inventory before standing and dropping his persistent effect, causing his Lay-Z-Boy to disappear.

Casting his gaze around, he found his UtahRaptor beside the rock, resting on its rear legs.

Bob dropped that persistent effect as well.

Bob fed mana into a persistent effected flight spell, feeling the flows of mana settle into place, freeing him from the tyranny of gravity.

Another pattern, another tendril of mana, and a blue-black rectangle twisted into being in front of him.

Bob stepped through a pair of portals before arriving twenty feet above the entrance to the Adventurers Guild.

His flight spell lowered him carefully to the ground before he dismissed it.

Bob started to walk into the Adventurers Guild when Amber's voice stopped him.

"You can fucking fly?" Amber asked from behind him.

Bob tilted his head, cracking his neck as he grimaced, then turned to face her.

"Yes," Bob said, "The Magical School of Dimension, the flight spell. I'm given to understand that the price for its versatility is paid for by its slow speed and that the Divine School of Air offers a far faster flight skill."

Bob looked at Amber and blinked.

Gone was the orange jumpsuit, instead she wore simple clothing akin to what Kelli had purchased for Bob from what he mentally referred to as 'The General Store'.

Her hair, which she had always worn long, had been cut short, hanging barely to her chin.

She looked wildly different.

"How," Amber asked as she stepped in front of him and looked up, "do you know any of this?"

Bob shrugged uneasily, feeling an urge to step back, but refusing to do so.

"You've been here for less than three months," Amber said bitterly, "and you somehow know everything there is to know about this place."

Bob opened his mouth to speak, but Amber kept going.

"I know you're smarter than I am," she said sourly, "after all," she let out a slightly hysterical laugh, "I had to take your work because I couldn't manage on my own."

Amber shook her head and went on, "So here I am, stuck here on this world, and given the choice of either working for a pittance and living in squalor, or risking life and limb, fighting 'monsters'," she paused to air quote that word, "and giving in to this madness, and start either stabbing things or casting spells."

Bob held his tongue.

Amber shook herself and crossed her arms as she finished, "I don't want to grub around in the dirt for a pittance, and seems that in this tiny speck of 'civilization', being an Adventurer is the key to gaining respect and social standing, so I want to know, what is the most powerful path I can take?"

Bob blinked.

He wasn't sure what her rant had been leading up to, but this wasn't it.

"You," Bob grunted, "want to become an Adventurer?"

"I don't want to be an 'Adventurer'," she air quoted again, a habit that was starting to wear on Bob, "But I don't see any other way forward from here."

Bob let out a sigh and resisted the urge to pull Monroe out of his inventory for a good petting.

He took a deep breath and gestured towards the bench that ran along the front of the Adventurers Guild before turning and taking a seat himself.

Amber sat down a few feet away.

"Alright, if you want to be an Adventurer, the most powerful path, hands down, is the Curator," Bob said.

"It starts slow, so you'll need to understand the commitment," Bob warned, "but without an Affinity Crystal, Curator is by far the most powerful in terms of additional skills gained and bonuses."

Amber looked at him expectantly.

Bob pulled a sheet of paper out of his satchel.

Path of the Curator The Path of the Curator is obtained by having the following Skills : Divine School of Elemental Air, Divine School of Elemental Earth, Divine School of Elemental Fire, Divine School of Elemental Water, and Ritual Magic. The Path of the Curator provides a one percent increase in spell casting value per level of the user. Upon reaching levels six, seven, eight, and nine, the user may select an Elemental Control Skill from each of the four Elemental Schools required. Upon reaching level ten, the user is granted the Divine School of Plant. At each level between eleven and twenty, the users Elemental Control Skills are increased by ten percent, as well as one additional skill from the Elemental School's, Plant, or once granted at level fifteen, Animal. Upon reaching level twenty, the user is granted the Divine School of Shadowmancy. Each level from twenty to twenty-four grants the user an additional skill, without restriction. Upon reaching level twenty-five, the user receives the Skill Mana Shaping, regardless of prerequisites.

After glancing to confirm it was the correct one, he handed it over to Amber.

"That details the path and how to obtain it," Bob said.

"You should be aware that due to requirements you'll be very, very weak when you finally reach level six and are able to take an actual attack spell," He gestured toward the Dungeon and said, "you'll find that your attack spell won't do nearly as much damage as just swinging a stick, but if you put in the work you can level the skill and the school up to your own level, and then you can fight effectively."

Bob grimaced and said, "I recommend you get a stick and fight a beetle on the first level of the Dungeon for a few days before you decide to commit."

"Shouldn't I have a sword?" Amber asked.

Bob shook his head and let out a bark of laughter.

"No," Bob said, "Swords have been romanticized in our culture, while the truth is that swords are the best weapon only when fighting another human, and even then the skill it takes to wield one properly is hard-won."

"A club, a staff, or maybe a spear," Bob advised.

Bob stood, then hesitated as he turned to go.

He stuck his hand in his satchel and pulled out five potions which he offered to her.

"Healing potions," Bob grunted, "You can get them from Harv for five mana crystals each, they'll heal up a good chunk of health, although you'll want to take one within a few seconds of being hurt," Bob grimaced.

In for a penny, he decided.

He pulled his old armor out of his inventory by way of his satchel and dropped the folded garments next to her.

"Armor," Bob said, "if you need help figuring it out, you can talk to Gary at Nikki's."

"Suit up, see if Kelli can find you a stick, and beat the shit out of the first beetle on the first floor of the Dungeon over and over again - don't go in any deeper, the little bastard will respawn quickly enough to keep you fairly busy," Bob warned.

"You aren't level one yet, so you can gain crystals from the beetles," Bob gave an uneasy shrug, "take a few days to figure out if this is something you can do, and you'll gain crystals as well."

Bob strode off, barely hearing Amber's voice tremble as she said "Thank you," to his retreating back.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Bob walked into the tavern fighting to keep his emotions in check.

Seeing and talking to Amber brought all the old anger and rage roaring to the surface.

Bob saw a hand waving from across the room, and he headed over to the table occupied by Harv and Elli.

Bob fell into the seat next to Harv with a thud, and then carefully slid a still drowsy Monroe onto the table.

"Evening Bob," Elli said as he eyed the big Maine-coon.

"Elli, Harv," Bob nodded to them.

"How have you been keeping?" Harv asked as Elli started scratching Monroe's ruff.

"Took another day off," Bob said, "spent the morning paying for the paper and the ink I'll need to print out my pamphlets."

"Ah," Harv nodded, "So you'll be ready for those plates soon?"

Bob grunted and gave a thumbs up to Theo who had shot him a wave before replying, "It turns out that two hundred and one thousand sheets of paper will require two months to have ready."

Elli nodded as he decided to try his luck with Monroe's toe tufts and said, "Stones, I don't think that the mill puts out that much paper over the course of a year."

Harv smiled and added, "I imagine not, given how much Thidwell detests paperwork."

"So what floor of the Dungeon are you delving on?" Harv asked.

"Twelfth," Bob replied as he shook off his cloak, storing it in his satchel.

"New armor is a bit heavier, and quite a bit warmer," Bob explained as Elli gave him a curious look.

"Yes, I noticed that you'd gotten a new set, it looks good," Harv said.

"Fully enhanced both professionally and magically," Bob said nodding towards Harv, "and you two were dead on, the difference is amazing."

Elli nodded, pulling his hand away from Monroe, who had decided that he'd allowed the human-slave to worship his feet for long enough.

"You'll notice it most on the attributes you aren't raising," Elli said as he slowly applied cautious petting to Monroe's back, wary of the toe bean defense mechanism that was Monroe's claws.

"Too true," Bob said.

"So how are you progressing on your skills?" Harv asked, "I'm a little worried about having to regain all my skill levels when I reincarnate."

Bob shrugged and said, "I've basically capped all my skills," he grimaced, "except for my Summoning spell."

Bob shook his head and continued, "Taking that spell past level twenty-five required three hundred and twenty thousand experience."

Harv blinked and Elli snorted.

"Exactly," Bob groused, "and while I've got it at level thirty now, the next threshold is going to be going from thirty-six to thirty-seven, and that's going to take over a million fucking experience to push through."

Elli winced in sympathy as he continued to pet Monroe.

"What is your current cap on that skill?" Harv asked with a frown.

"Thirty-five," Bob said with a sigh, "but I need to take a level as I've basically run out of spells to level, save for summon monster, and all I'm doing is leveling schools at this point."

Bob chuckled darkly and said, "Except for summoning, which has reached level nine."

Harv shook his head, "It's amazing that you're almost a Master Summoner already."

Bob shook his head as he leaned forward and said quietly, "It's the Affinity Crystals," he said, "it isn't just how much easier they make fighting at level, it's that they allow you to fight above your level."

"I spent four days on the twelfth floor of the Dungeon at level nine, and I was earning eight experience for each cockroach instead of the two I would have earned had I been level eleven," Bob said, "and to be fair, I was clearing them as quickly as they appeared, so it isn't as if I would have been killing them any faster at level eleven."

"I gained over four hundred thousand experience towards my Summoning school and spell, as well as almost seventy thousand experience towards my Shadowmancy School and spells," Bob sighed and finished, "all while in significantly less danger than when I had been on that floor previously when I was level eleven."

Elli and Harv exchanged a glance.

"You're still level nine?" Elli asked.

Bob nodded and then leaned back as Theo arrived with dinner plates for the human-servants, and a bowl heaped with steaming meat for Monroe.

"How is your maximum spell level that high?" Elli asked.

"If you don't mind us asking," Harv added.

Bob shrugged and said quietly, "I don't mind telling you guys. I have the ten level bonus from the Affinity Crystal of course," Harv nodded at this, "and then I pick up another five levels from my path," Elli raised his eyebrows, "Monroe has taken the Path of the Arcanist's Familiar, which is giving me another four levels," Bob gestured to Monroe who was daintily eating his dinner, "and finally I have a twenty-five percent bonus to the Summon Mana-Infused Creature spell from the first threshold bonus."

"Monroe gives you a bonus?" Elli said eagerly as he eyed the big cat.

"He does," Bob said happily as he rooted around in his satchel before pulling out a piece of parchment and handing it over to him.

Path of the Arcanist's Familiar The Path of the Arcanist's Familiar is obtained by the user being bound to a being of a higher tier as a familiar and having an Affinity for, and the Magical Schools of, any of the four following: The Magical School of Summoning, The Magical School of Conjuration, The Magical School of Abjuration, The Magical School of Transmutation, The Magical School of Dimension, The Magical School of Illusion, The Magical School of Charm, or The Magical School of Chronomancy.

The Path of the Arcanist's Familiar grants the user a one percent bonus each level to each of the four Magical Schools the user had obtained to qualify for the path. Schools purchased afterward are not affected. That same bonus is provided to the owner of the familiar. At each level the user may learn one additional skill known by the owner. At level four, and every four levels thereafter, the user may select one of the Four Magical Schools the user had obtained to qualify for the path, increasing the level of all spells from that Magical School by four. That same bonus is provided to the owner of the familiar. Upon reaching level sixteen, the user may cooperate with the owner in casting a spell known to both parties, adding the user's values and bonuses to the owners.

Harv and Elli both read through the paper in silence, their food forgotten and cooling on their plates.

"So," Elli said first as he rubbed his clean-shaven chin, "If I took the familiar skill, and managed to beg the Affinity Crystals from Thidwell, I could have a kitty that gave me a four level bonus to my Conjuration and Summoning spells?"

"I don't think it specifies a cat for the familiar," Bob said with a smile, "but I'm glad you recognize the inherent divinity of our feline overlords."

"And here we go," Harv muttered as he continued to study the sheet, "he's been talking about taking the familiar skill ever since you rescued Monroe."

Elli snorted and started cutting up his steak as he said, "You're a spell flinger as well, you ought to have one as well."

Harv sighed as he pushed the paper back over to Bob.

"One skill point, and a lifetime of service in exchange for an extra four levels to my spells," Harv shook his head.

Bob shrugged as he swallowed and pointed his fork at Harv, "You could always get a dog," Bob suggested.

Harv's expression brightened.

"My parents always had a dog on the farm," Harv said, his eyes distant, "and my grandparents raised and trained them. I'll bet I could get a puppy from them."

Harv refocused and said quietly, "You didn't mention the Familiar bit when you explained the class."

"Honestly," Bob said, "Until someone reaches the point where they can start pulling Summoning and Dimension Crystals from the Dungeon, I imagine whatever Affinity Crystals Thidwell as left are earmarked for people, not their pets."

He inclined his head towards them and finished, "Although you two have done so much shepherding that I imagine Thidwell wouldn't have any qualms about providing them to you."

Harv looked thoughtful, while Elli smiled widely as he scratched Monroe's ears.

"I imagine," Bob said, "That this is just one more piece of the puzzle, in terms of becoming powerful enough to laugh off waves and tides."

"Can Monroe use the crystals you've gathered to level up now that he has a path?" Harv asked.

Bob paused. He'd thought that Monroe would be able to, as Monroe was boosting the power of the Summon Mana-Infused Creature spell that was killing the monsters.

'Trebor,' Bob mentally projected, 'can Monroe use the mana crystals I've been gathering?'

'Yes,' Trebor replied, 'and for the exact reason you suspect, in that Monroe's ability is in use when you are fighting with your UtahRaptor.'

"He should be able to," Bob said, "although I haven't leveled him up any further yet."

Harv and Elli nodded in unison.

"Well, if you manage to reach the point where you're delving for those Affinity Crystals," Elli said, "We'll gladly take any extras you have."

Harv shook his head and said, "Elli probably has the right of it, Thidwell plans to have us shepherding another four groups before we're done, which is likely to take another three or four months."

Elli nodded and added, "It looks like we're going to have spent the entire time between waves shepherding."

Bob laid down his fork and moved his plate towards Monroe, having left his buddy a few choice bites of steak.

"You two are sort of fantastic at it though," Bob said with a grin.

"We have a saying where I come from," Bob's grin widened, "The reward for a job well done is more work."

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The next morning found Bob sitting outside of Thidwell's office watching Ali read a report of some sort.

Bob wanted to check in with Thidwell in regards to what he could expect to face on the next few floors of the Dungeon as he delved deeper.

Bob hadn't been waiting long when Ali looked up and said, "He'll see you now."

Bob stood up and nodded to her before stepping into Thidwell's office.

The big man was sitting at his desk, three uneven piles of paper sitting in front of him.

"Bob," Thidwell boomed as pushed his chair back from his desk and stood up to stretch, "what brings you to break the monotony of this infernal paperwork?"

"Two things," Bob said, "First, I'd like to know what I'm going to find on the thirteenth, fourteenth, and fifteenth levels of the Dungeon."

"Heh heh," Thidwell chuckled, "the fourteenth floor is another oasis, in the same manner as the fourth floor."

Bob groaned.

"Oh yes," Thidwell said, "the cost of having an oasis is that the floors above and below are especially nasty."

Bob continued to revise his opinion that Thidwell might just be evil, given the glee he was showing.

"On the thirteenth floor," Thidwell said with poorly hidden glee, "you'll find darkness, spider webs, and of course, spiders."

"And on the fifteenth floor, you'll find yet another swamp, this one with massive water serpents, explosive gas pockets, and giant mantis insects," he finished with a chuckle.

Bob shook his head.

"Sounds lovely," Bob said dryly.

Thidwell shrugged and replied, "You'll like the fourteenth level, everyone does."

"I'm sure," Bob muttered as he pulled out his Arcanist's Familiar sheet.

"So, I'm going to take level ten before I go down to level thirteen," Bob said, "as I'm sort of running out of spells and schools to level, what with earning eight experience per monster and all."

Thidwell grunted in acknowledgment and replied, "I'm quite familiar with that phenomenon," he said as he eyed the paper in Bob's hand, "I cap my skills long before I'm done testing each level."

Bob nodded, having suspected that Thidwell was just that much of a badass that fighting four floors below his actual level was the norm for him.

He handed the paper to Thidwell and said, "So, I know you can't have a lot of Affinity Crystals left, but I wanted to share this with you as well."

Thidwell skimmed the paper as Bob went on, "I shared it with Harv and Elli, as I feel pretty confident they won't spread it around, and I imagine you'd likely cut a few crystals loose for their benefit if you had them."

Thidwell nodded and let out a huge sigh.

"The truth is that although I complain about how glacially slow their progress is," Thidwell grunted, "I can't spare them from their shepherding duties."

He chuckled loudly, "The Adventurers that Harv and Elli train have a significantly higher survival rate than those who have been shepherded by anyone else."

Thidwell shook his head and said, "Sadly, I've given all of the Summoning crystals out now, and while I have a few Dimension crystals left, no one being interested in those, they won't help."

Bob nodded as he pulled another piece of paper from his inventory and handed it over.

Path of the Bountiful Step The Path of the Bountiful Step is obtained by having the following Skills : Magical School of Dimension, Teleport, and Portal. The user must also have an Affinity for the Magical School of Dimension The Path of the Bountiful Step provides a two percent bonus and mana cost reduction to the Skills Teleport and Portal at each level, and a one percent bonus to all other Skills within the Magical School of Dimension. Upon reaching level five the user gains the skill Effect over Time. Upon reaching level ten, the user gains the skill Persistent Effect. Upon reaching level fifteen, the user gains the skill Ritual Casting. At each tier threshold, the user may select one Skill from the Magical School of Dimension, and increase the maximum level of that skill by five. At the final tier threshhold the user gains a twenty-five percent bonus to all Skills from the Magical School of Dimension when used with Ritual Casting.

"I know it isn't exactly a combat powerhouse," Bob said, "But if you were to combine it with a Conjuration Affinity Crystal, taking the School and a blast spell, they'd still be able to be a heavy hitter, at least in comparison to those who pathed without Affinity Crystals," Bob finished.

Thidwell read over the paper carefully, before looking up and giving Bob a searching look that caused Bob to suppress an involuntary shiver.

"Every day I'm more and more glad that I didn't pull the Child's Protection and kick you down into the Dungeon," Thidwell muttered as he reviewed the sheet again.

"Which I'm sure you never really considered," Bob said hopefully, "after all, you're an Adventurer, which means you're a hero."

"So Kelli keeps reminding me," Thidwell muttered idly as carefully folded the paper.