The Classless Sorcerer's Self-Stealing System

The Hall Keeper's office was of a modest size, though well accentuated by the morning light pouring in through the row of tall, vaulted windows facing eastwardly. A series of strange but otherwise fascinating memorabilia lined the bookcases, shelves, and a few small display cases evenly placed throughout the office to the brim, and several intricate rugs lined the wooden floor leading up to the heavy-set desk on the far side of the room.

Blychert followed Jhannrick closely, doing well not to let his gaze drift too far afield, and together they crossed the office to where an older man stood in waiting behind the desk.

He wore simple clothing, but it was just colorful enough to suggest some degree of wealth or station. The man's long, dark-brown hair was greying around the ears and ends, and his beard had all-but lost its luster, but his eyes were piercing—calculating, even. He wasn't altogether tall, or particularly muscular looking, but he held himself to such a posture that Bly couldn't help but to correct his own, guessing that this man, presumably the Hall Keeper, had been through his fair share of toils.

Curiously, or perhaps not, Nelkaar stood on the right side of the desk, fully doffed from her usual armor, and she was looking out the nearest window with a somewhat casual expression. Though her longsword remained idle on her sword belt, it was ever within arm's reach.

"So, this is the young man I've heard so much about." said the Hall Keeper poignantly, as Jhannrick moved aside to allow Bly his own few steps forward. A bit awkwardly, Bly did approach the desk and bowed his head in gesture. A second later, the Hall Keeper added, "Ah—please, dispense with the formality, dear boy! Let us speak plainly to one another. Have a seat, should you like. Bauble, some water for our guest!"

Suddenly, the spherical, metal orb sitting at the end of the Hall Keeper's desk began to shift. A tiny pair of legs, then a tiny pair of arms, and something that vaguely resembled a face began to take shape. The small, mechanical creature then hoisted itself off the desk with an exaggerated leap, before jaunting across to the other side of the room.

Even as Bly took his seat, he couldn't help but watch the little metal creature with a sense of intrigue, as it lifted a pitcher nearly half the size of itself from the end table and began pouring with somewhat shaky hands. Blychert guessed it must have been powered by an energy crystal. In any case, it was certainly fascinating.

"I would just like to start off by apologizing to you, young man." the Hall Keeper began again, prompting Bly to turn back around. The Hall Keeper paced behind his high-backed chair for a few diligent moments, before looking back at Bly with an earnest expression, "Your serious injuries aside, I can only begin to imagine how traumatic this all must have been for you—mentally and emotionally draining, alongside all the physical effort. I am deeply regretful that you were put in such a position at all."

Blychert hadn't been expecting any of that, and it put him off-guard for a moment. However, he recovered his senses, and waved his hand in protest, "It's alright, really! I, uh—well, it wasn't that bad for me, you know…" Suddenly, a wave of sadness came over Bly, and his expression sunk, as he added more softly, "I'm just sorry for Taren and Hugo. They didn't deserve to die like that."

Maybe if Blychert hadn't been down in that dungeon at all, maybe none of it would have happened in the first place. Maybe, just maybe, those two would still be alive.

"Nobody deserves to die in the dungeon." The Hall Keeper nodded slowly, "But see here, our delvers know the risks inherent to this profession. Try that we might to take every precaution and preliminary analyses available, we must remember that there are some things in this world even beyond our own means of control. The dungeon gives in ample spades, but it may take at any moment."

Blychert understood what the Hall Keeper was trying to say, but somehow it didn't feel that comforting. Not when Kubranul had so clearly suggested that it was Bly who had awoken him. How could he not feel responsible for what had happened?

Those risks were completely unreasonable!

"Is there… any information about what happened?" Bly asked coldly, feeling the anger and frustration rise through his chest. He knew he was involved in all of this somehow, and yet the pieces were scattered and confusing on their own. Looking up to meet Nelkaar's gaze, and then the Hall Keeper's, he figured to ask, "I heard some people talking the other day, right when we came out of the dungeon and the crowd gathered. They said something about the ley lines? About the… the diviners?"

"That's… why we asked you here, Trelen." Jhannrick responded gingerly, moving in to view on Blychert's lefthand side, "More specifically, why we asked a member of Bold Arrow, more specifically."

As the wizard approached, Bauble also appeared at the edge of Bly's chair and lifted a cup for him to take. The little creature made several strange noises, as if delighted to have finished its task, just as Bly took the tankard of water. Then, it climbed back up onto the desk, and converted itself into a small, spherical shape once more.

"Bold Arrow?" Bly furrowed his brow, "Xander's my party leader, shouldn't he—"

"We already spoken to mister Wolfe, many weeks ago." The Hall Keeper interjected plainly, patting Bauble on its smooth surface a few times, "In fact, your party mates gave their report about the incident at the Gleaming Caves long before your arrival in Frostwall. I figured that it was about time we received yours."

Oh, that's right. Bly thought to himself curiously.

Xander had mentioned in his letter that Bold Arrow was getting a lot of attention because of what had happened in Kelvalder. It made sense that the Adventuring Hall would want a full report of what had happened, especially when it involved one of their licensed parties, and especially if it was affecting the ley lines in some unusual way. But everyone except for Xander knew the truth, and Bly doubted Xander had spilled the beans about everything.

At least, he hoped.

You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.

"As it happens, our diviners have been carefully monitoring the ley lines of Calveriga for much of this year—more than usual, that is." The Hall Keeper continued, "You see, Trelen, the anomaly that took place in Kelvalder is not the first to have occurred in this land, though it was certainly among the most extraordinary. I'm sure you see where this is leading. Don't you?"

"The anomaly in the Silver Vault?" Bly murmured inquisitively. He glanced at Jhannrick, then at Nelkaar, then finally at the Hall Keeper, "So you do think they're connected?"

"Trelen, you must tell us everything." Nelkaar finally spoke. Her voice was softer than usual, "Everything you experienced in Kelvalder, to the best of your ability. Our course of action, and the actions of our entire Hall, depend on critical information; information that I believe you can help us understand."

Well, she certainly wasn't beating around the bush today. And she wasn't wrong either, which made it particularly unnerving. Blychert had information to share. It was just… how much of himself and his true nature would he be exposing by revealing all of that to them now? What did they even know about weird entities messing around with ley lines and system stuff anyway? And furthermore, would they even believe a single word he said?

He knew he wouldn't.

"Ugh…" Bly sighed.

Taking a deep breath, and a long drink of water, he prepared to begin recounting his side of the Kelvalder incident. With any luck, he would be able to omit some of the details, while still providing as much information as possible. He didn't want to leave himself exposed, but at the end of the day, he still had a promise to keep. Let this be another step towards showing the world what kind of person he was.

Otherwise, what was he doing any of this for?

***

"You did well in there." Nelkaar said suddenly, as she entered the room from the far side.

Blychert turned from the window, having been staring out aimlessly onto the street below for what must have been a candle mark or two.

He'd delivered his report as succinctly as possible, leaving out only the smallest of details that might otherwise get him in trouble, classless or otherwise. Once he'd concluded, the Hall Keeper had asked Bauble to escort Bly to the room across the hall, where he proceeded to await some kind of decision or verdict.

Frankly, he wasn't sure whether he was in trouble or not, but at least he had his cloak of instant vanishing if things went really south for whatever reason. Bartolo wasn't going to be happy if it came down to that, but it was still better than the alternative.

Blychert felt his heart sink a little bit at the sound of Nelkaar's voice, and a weight seemed to have been lifted from his shoulders in that moment, as both her expression and choice of words made it sound like he was going to be alright.

"I didn't mess things up, did I?" Bly asked awkwardly, still a bit confused as to his current standing with the Hall.

"Why would you think that?" Nelkaar smiled amusedly. Her black hair shimmered beneath the late morning sun, as she came to a halt in front of where Bly stood.

Looking up into the swordsman's crimson eyes, she seemed even paler than usual—like a corpse—but Blychert looked for any indication that Nelkaar was lying to him. He couldn't find anything, despite his best efforts, and shrugged, "I don't know, I'm pretty good at causing trouble."

"So, I've noticed." Nelkaar nodded with a smile. Her expression sobered quickly though, and she murmured, "Though perhaps you might give yourself more credit. Consider this… if you were to step out of time for but a single moment, the threads of fate wrapped carefully around your fingers, would you have the same resolve to carry yourself as you do when you believe that no one else can see? That is to say, would you let the weight of your ambition crush the qualities of your heart? In defiance of this world? In spite of the truth you keep buried deep down inside you?"

Blychert's eyes widened.

Step out of time? Buried truth?

A sense of fear coursed through him, practically paralyzing him where he stood. His breath felt heavy all of a sudden, and a flash of heat passed over him. The sudden urge to scramble—to run away jumped to the front of Bly's mind. And yet, he was locked in Nelkaar's scrutinizing gaze. There was no question about it now, he was in serious trouble.

Blychert's eyes sunk to the floor, and he murmured, "You know? I mean… you saw? What I did down in the dungeon?"

If she was going to strike, he hoped he would at least be fast enough to activate his cloak and get the hell out of here. His legs were shaking though. How far could he really hope to get from someone like her?

"I see many things, Trelen Veil." Nelkaar spoke softly. Suddenly, Bly felt a finger on his chin, and it directed his attention upwards. He looked at her intently, as she pointed towards her eyes for a moment. Both changed color slowly, one blue and one yellow, "In my left eye, I see your past, fraught with peril… and grief. In my right, I see your future, riddled with uncertainty, and yet possessing undeniable bearing. These things I reconcile in the present. Just as all the watchers who came before me, protectors of our ancestral land."

"Uh…" Bly gasped, not even remotely sure how to respond to that.

"I say this to you, Trelen, not from a place of ill-will or deception." Nelkaar shook her head. She then stepped back, and placed a hand over her heart, "But from one of immense sincerity, and in no shortage of concern for my city, or my people. Please, Trelen, answer me truthfully… you do not have a class, do you?"

Blychert shook his head very slowly.

"I see… thank you." Nelkaar smiled. Putting a warm hand on Bly's shoulder, she said, "By my life or death, I will protect your secret."

"You're… sure?" Bly stammered somewhat, "I can leave, Frostwall. Never come back—"

Nelkaar chuckled, "I would not wish for you to leave any more than I would wish to leave myself. Now please, think nothing of it. My only request is that you continue your journey, in the hope that it might bring you closer to knowing Calvergia better."

Bly nodded wordlessly.

"Then you are free to go; the Hall Keeper has no further questions. Please take this time to recover your strength." Nelkaar said, as she turned to leave. However, she stopped and murmured over her shoulder in a more cryptic tone of voice, "Keep your friends close, Trelen. I fear the omens of winter will consume us all before long. And we would all be better off in the company of loved ones, when that day arrives."

A small chill ran down Bly's spine as the swordsman took her leave.

Frankly, he didn't know whether to be terrified or relieved that someone as powerful as her seemed content to keep his secret to herself. And what did she mean exactly by that whole winter line? She couldn't have been referring to the winter? Not the same one that seemed to be haunting Bly ever since the Gleaming Caves?

Could she be?

He hadn't mentioned anything about winter or the stuff with sage to them, only the pale lady.

Bly groaned under his breath, resigning himself from the task of even trying to understand Nelkaar or her motives. She was the champion of Frostwall: one of, if not, the highest leveled individuals in all of Calvergia, and she was unusually kind to him. If anything, she was exactly the kind of ally Blychert needed at a time like this. Although, the whole past and future talk seemed a bit weird. And what was that about watchers?

Seriously, who was she?

The sun was just about to reach its midday point, as Blychert leaned over and glanced out the window, looking down onto the crowded street below. Nobody down there would have ever guessed that strange things were afoot in Calvergia. Evidently, a lot of people did know exactly that, if his conversation with the Hall Keeper was anything to go by.

Still, there were a lot of things he needed to get straight as of now, and a lot more questions he needed answers to. But at least he had some new information, and certainly some ideas about what he needed to do next.

Well, Nelkaar was right about one thing: it was time to learn more about Calvergia, its history and myths, and anything he could find on the Pale Lady. Fortunately, Blychert knew exactly where he wanted to begin.