Torchbearer - Chapter 6 (beta - early access)

A/N: As I said in the announcement, big thanks to those who read the beta and gave me feedback.

Here's the items I intend on addressing (and where)

• I'll work on Miles' characterization early: basically, show a little more of his ability/and the fact that he's been looping for a bit by have him exchange a few well practised hits with the boss, then have him take a moment to snack and have a break, introduce what he wants to do earlier. In general display him a little better. Most of the changes will be here, and his persona isn't changing, it's just going to be displayed a little better earlier. (chapter 1)

• The rogue (Lott): I intend on tuning down the nastiness a tiny bit, but he's still doing his job--aka, he noticed trainees skulking around while supposedly on patrol. Still will be violent, but not as gleeful about it. More an antagonistic interaction then a villainous one. I'll have to balance it right so Miles' reaction isn't just too crazy.

That's it. This is the last one before launch hopefully at the end of next week. See you all Monday for Undersea (if you read it)

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When Miles woke up, the sun was peeking over the horizon and for a few blinks, he was a little disoriented at where he was. But then he recalled he’d left the Dungeon, and so he immediately hopped out of his sleeping bag, had a big stretch, then filled up his favorite mug from his quickly dwindling personal stash of dark coffee. Next, he giddily squatted down to peer at the sugarcane cuttings and the small coffee plant, a stupid smile on his face as he looked for new tiny leaves or any other change.

“How are we doing, little buddies?” he asked the plants. He knew full well that a handful of hours weren’t enough to see any real growth, but now that he had some sleep and was sipping on some coffee, he felt amazing. It was like the first day at the start of a vacation, which, to be fair, he hadn’t experienced back on earth as he’d been too young to work back then. As for within the Dungeon, he’d done work, but vacations… were not that common compared to Earth. Only in the largest cities and settlements in the Dungeon were there good work standards. And if you were trying to impress a warrior or craftsman to learn for them, asking for how many days off he had was a great way to be shown out. Especially when he only had weeks to earn their trust.

He did take a few loops to rest here and there, but that just didn’t feel the same. It was hard to relax when he knew there was so much he could—and should—be doing.

“A new day outside of the loop,” he said peering around as he sipped his coffee. “Kinda quiet, though.”

The grass was swaying gently around him as he hummed and took a sip. “I could get some chickens. Some cows? But not in here. It’d have to be outside,” he mused. “Maybe a bit further away from the coffee shop. Or should I open that in the city?”

As soon as he said, he scrunched his face, shaking his head. “Nah. Not the city. I’m not that far anyway… if people are interested, they can make the trip in less than fifteen minutes. I’d rather do my own thing away from the rush and bustle. The coffee house could be the face of the property, and behind I can have my own space. Some poultry for the eggs. Cows for butter and milk. But I’ll need space. Loads of it. Especially if I want to have some crops out here. And if I want to have some people around to help…”

Miles scratched his head. He didn’t know so much about farming, and he was very much aware he was a little out of his depth, but he could probably ask around, right? Plus, this used to be a farming village.

“Actually, that leads me to another problem…”

Brows furrowed, he looked down at the grass under his feet. Who actually owned the village? Was it just abandoned? There had been no crops in the surroundings, and no animals had been grazing.

“Does the city owns the area, or is it one of the local nobles?” Miles rubbed the back of his neck. “Maybe I should have started by considering that before thinking of which farm animals I should have around,” he chuckled. He’d gotten so excited about the prospect of a farmstead café that he overlooked the fact that he had no actual land or property to even get started. Just this curious space he was standing within. Just a key and a door. And he didn’t want to really make its existence public.

I’ll need to ask around. And I while I’m not sitting on mountains of gold and mithril, I do have some valuable stuff stored away and I can always do some part-time refining. My elixirs and pills should sell pretty well to afford any loans I might need to take, he thought. “But I need to figure out what’s going on with the village and the farmlands behind it. And when that’s done…”

Miles could already picture it. A raised terrace with wood flooring. Some round tables here, some benches there for big groups. There’d be a few trees around the terrace and in summer evenings, there’d be fairy lights hung from above to light up the space. There’d be drinks, of course. This was no Earth and he didn’t need alcohol permits.

As for insides… wood. Just comfy, cozy wood all over, and as soon as one steps through the door, the smell of baked goods should grip them by the nose and drag them to the counter.

He smiled at the imagery, taking another sip as he watched the sun pull itself up in the… fake sky? The sky was reflecting the outside world, as far as he could tell.

Eh. I’ll figure that some other time. But back to the shop. Once I actually figure who owns the land and all that, I’m gonna need an architect or a designer. I have no clue how to get much of this done. Aside from brewing the coffee and making the pastries. And frankly, even that last one might be done a little better by a Torchbearer with baking Skills, he mused.

Glancing around, Miles smiled, sipping some more of his coffee. “This’ll be fun. And I’d be able to have my breakfast at a coffee shop. Just like before.”

There was something comforting about the din of a coffee shop or a tavern. When he wanted to relax and unwind, that was. But he could certainly get some use of a quiet space like this.

Miles considered getting started on creating the elixir out of what he managed to recover out of Ashirruk, but the objections quickly fitted through his thoughts as he shook his head.

“Not enough raw materials,” he mumbled. “It’d be the most effective on the first use, so I better make the best one I can manage. For that, I need more reagents. And I need more mana around. For the boss of the thirtieth floor, the cauldron’s gonna need a heck of a lot more mana than what I have and what’s available around,” he listed, refilling his cup. Then considering it for a second, he shrugged and popped a still crunchy croissant out of his Vault.

He turned the pastry in his hand, mind buzzing with ideas. “I could start with just serving coffee and butter croissants. Then fill the menu with regular breakfast stuff. Omlets, eggs, and all that. Cheese might be tough. Then for lunch and dinner, I’d let the chef figure it out. Hmmm…” he muttered, taking a bite of his croissant. A groan escaped his throat, then he washed it all down with a sip of hot coffee. “Where was I? Right… Well, I could wait a little on the chef stuff. I’m still looking way too far ahead. I don’t even have the land yet,” he reminded himself. Then looked at the cuttings he’d planted the day prior, he grinned. “But I do have some land.”

Miles finished up his breakfast, summoned his hoe and got to work.

Over the next couple of hours, he just lost himself in the process, creating ten thirty-yard-wide squares of evenly-spaced, furrowed patches, and when he was done, he summoned a wooden table that only annoyed him a little with all of its tittering on the uneven ground, then began arraying some of the seeds he had at his disposal.

Surprisingly, this world had most of the things he knew from Earth, and a bunch more. Which was shocking. But considering Earth and this world had been connected through the cavern he’d got lost in back on Earth, that somehow made sense. Maybe Earth had been a floor. Or something. He didn’t know. He tried to find out about Earth, but he never learned much there, though he did learn of the guarded existence of parallel worlds. Apparently, on occasions an unknown sapient species would show up on a floor or another, and they’d often describe most of the same thing as them: A Dungeon, archetypes, delving for resources and power.

Miles had so far confirmed the existence of elves and goblins as inhabitants of this neighboring worlds. He’d bet there were more, but the knowledge was well guarded and hard to access, even through loops, though he’d bet there’d be more information deeper.

Shaking his head, he turned his attention back to the table and the seeds.

“I’ll make these small patches for smaller fruits,” he muttered as he pulled the little paper-wrapped and labeled bags from his storage. “Ten patches… so what do we got?… Emberdew, Nightsap, Froststraws, Glowberries, Raspberries, Blueberries, Blackberries, Elderberries, Cranberries, Strawberries. That’s ten. But…”

Miles grimaced. For a few of the fruits, he had alternative varieties, but while at first he’d considered keeping them for another time, the thought of having some strawberries in one patch then some other kind a hundred yards away bugged him.

Ah screw it, I still got time, he thought, picking back the hoe. Miles ended up prepping twelve more patches to account for the seeds of which he had more than one kind.

Once the plots were ready, he evenly distributed the seeds, saving whatever remained in storage, then used a large watering can to spray all of them. He had had to refill it multiple times, and he took note to figure how most farmers watered their crops. He’d seen some complicated setups deep in the Dungeon, but there must be something better than lugging around a large watering can.

Once he was done, Miles stood over the worked soil with a satisfied smile on his lips. Somehow, he’d ended up working up a sweat, but as he looked up, he realized it wasn’t even noon.

I could take a dip in the river, he mused. He was about to get going when he sensed the key in his soul shudder, vibrating along the knocking on the door.

Brow raised, he popped the table and his tool back in storage and with a couple of jogs, he put some distance between him and the worked soil before waving his hand and bringing the door to him. He was about to reach for the handle when he paused, eyes squinted.

Wait… this is the perfect time for a test.

Closing his eyes, he focused on the key and latched on to the connection to the door and this time, the knocking nearly made him flinch back. But as much as he tried to see or hear through the door, he couldn’t.

Damn… how about the aura?

His brows furrowed. Pushing his aura toward the closed door five feet from him didn’t let it through. Which was fair, considering how… firm the door between the two dimensions had shown itself. But when he tried to project his aura through the key and the door as he would do with his other Soulbound items, it worked, but sensing anything was significantly tougher. It was like trying to hear with wax in his ears and mufflers on. Still, he could feel a little something, but by now, it had been nearly three minutes, and he was making whomever was out wait for too long.

I’ll work on this, he told himself as he reached for the handle. Miles cracked the door open and a wide genuine smile spread on his face when he saw who it was.

“Good morning, Thalia. Brie,” he said, smiling as the red-haired girl enthusiastically waved, and then he saw the third figure behind, and his eyes sharpened. “Lott.”

Thalia’s eyes flicked to the side as she spoke. Miles didn’t miss the slightly tense air in the corridor, which he intended to address. “He said you had him run an errand for you,” she explained as the Shadow gave him a little head bow. “He also apologized to us. And helped get through the gate. Security is still a little tight considering… yesterday’s incident.”

Miles raised a brow, turning his gaze back to the Shadow. “He did?”

“Mhmmm,” Thalia nodded. “As for us too, we were done with our shift and I wanted to come say hi. If you’re not busy, of course.”

Miles waved that off. “Nonsense. Come in, all of you,” he said. “Lott, go in first, I gotta say something to my sister.”

The rogue acquiesced. “Of course, sir.”

Miles moved aside and let the Shadow through, then closing the door behind him, he turned to Thalia to find her worried. As for Brie, she was hunched, a conspiratorial look in her eyes. “What is it,” Thalia asked.

Seeing her worry made him feel a little bit worse. “Nothing to worry about. I just have a couple of things to say. First, a heads up. He thinks I’m a Shadow,” Miles whispered. “I didn’t correct him, but don’t out me either.”

Brie nodded, grinning, while Thalia relaxed. “Oh. Yeah of course,” then blinking, she tilted her head. “Well… aren’t you kind of a Shadow, by this point? With the whole…” she trailed off, waiving at her face, which he interpreted meaning his mask.

“I thought he was a Torchbearer,” chimed in Brie.

Miles just shrugged. “Archetypes aren’t the end-all be-all, you know? You can start as anything then learn a bunch from the other archetypes. Anyways, we’ll talk about all that. Second thing I gotta say.”

Taking a quick breath, he asked. “Hey so, are you two okay with this guy being round? I’ve had him run some errands only Shadows can handle, but I would understand if you’re uncomfortable.”

Brie blinked, a bit taken back, while Thalia just smiled and shook her head. “I knew you were going to bring this up. You still worry too much. I thought of this one the way here, and here’s what I think: You have a high-ranking Shadow in your debt. It’s great. You honestly kinda need someone like him around right now. I’m not… about to become his friend, but… let’s not forget the fact that he was actually doing his job. I mean… we were sneaking around and disobeying orders. He was rough, but as far as he knew, we were up to no good. He could have been nicer about it, and he could have also been much nastier and just took one of us captive and left another for the rats. So. I’m good. We won’t be friends, but he’s useful.”

“I appreciate it,” Miles said. Turning to Brie, the red-haired woman just shrugged. “He’s just a reminder I need to get better at dealing with Shadows. They’re just so damn fast.”

Miles laughed, relieved. “They are, aren’t they? I can probably give you a hint or two there,” Miles said as he finally opened the door and let them through. Lott was already standing and waiting for him, holding up a wrapped piece of paper.

“Here’s what you requested, sir.”

Miles picked it up while Thalia and Brie gawked at their surroundings. Tearing the piece of paper, he found himself looking at what might be his fourth or fifth new identity. It was basically a thick, rectangular piece of silver, with his name engraved in the blocky letters of the Dungeon’s Common.

“I opted to procure a low-tier one. That way once you reach the tenth floor, you’d outgrow it and can get an authentic Delver’s Tag. It’s primed to receive your mana and register your signature, sir.”

“Good call,” mumbled Miles as he turned over the piece of identification. He hadn’t thought of this, but now as he was eying the enchanted item, he worried it might not hold up if he used his body enhancement Skill to transfer some to it. It was hard to regulate what he transferred with that Skill. On the other hand, his cauldron would be perfect to let in only a diluted, gentle stream of his own mana into the gem.

Lott blinked, worry creeping up his face. “Is there an issue, sir? I made sure it was well made. Our best enchanter worked on it all night.”

“Oh,” said Thalia, now peering over what they were doing. She looked up at Miles. “You haven’t found a solution for it?”

Lott’s brows lifted, while Miles shrugged. “It hasn’t been much of an issue. Aside from situations like these.”

The rogue’s eyes went down to the gem, then back to Miles who was still not channeling his mana into the item, then it clicked in Lott’s mind, and as he opened and closed his mouth, unsure of what to say, Brie just asked the question, having heard their conversation. “Hm? Oh….You’re um… you know… Corebound?” she asked, saying the last part a bit quieter, as if anyone could have heard her.

Miles chuckled. The people in this world looked at the condition as if it was some death sentence. But for him, it was an annoyance at most. Sure, back when had learned he’d never be able to cast grand spells like the mages and sorcerers of his favorite shows broke his heart. And sure, being unable to use regular enchanted items had been a huge hamper early on in his loops and it had forced him to get better at using what he had at his disposal. But in a way, the limitation had been one of the drivers that had propelled him forward. It was a limitation for some, but it had been a boon for him.

“I am Corebound, yes,” Miles said, throwing the card up before he let it drop in his storage. He’d activate it later with the cauldron. Turning up to the others, he pulled three cups out of his storage and handed them one each while they awkwardly stood there, as if they’d just been told he’d never walk again. “Relax. I’m doing just fine, aren’t I? Being Corebound only means I can use my mana in two ways instead of three. It’s not the end of the world. Now, what do you guys think of this as a breakfast menu?”

With saying so, he poured them each a full cup of coffee before he handed them all a still fresh butter croissant.

Lott politely accepted what he was offered, while Thalia seemed to hesitate for second, unsure how to proceed as she stared down at the clay cup and at the soft croissant. Brie, on the other hand, was already chewing, eyes closed as she groaned with pleasure, and she was already going for a second bite.

“This is amazing,” she said as she chewed, crumbs raining down on the grass. “And you say two ways of using your mana. But isn’t there just one? Aren’t Corebounds only able to use Skills?”

“Soulbound artifacts,” answered Lott. “And there’s some enchanted items they can use. Those that are precharged and that have a mechanical trigger,” he explained as he sniffed the cup. “This is coffee, right? You could make a killing selling this,” he said, taking a sip and closing his eyes. “Before the Cornvales come after you.”

Miles smiled as he saw the two girls freeze mid-bite before slowly resuming their chewing as their eyes flicked to him. Turning to Lott, he answered with a shrug. “The Cornvale House doesn’t care if you sell their coffee. So long as you’re not producing it yourself. That’s why they only sell it roasted or ground. And while I’m not ready to clash with a Great House, I have a few favors I could pull to keep them away.”

From over the rim of his cup, Lott looked him in the eyes, then his gaze drifted toward the freshly watered plots as a smile stretched on hi slips. “Right.”

Miles grinned. Turning his attention to the girls, he brought the conversation back to his Corebound issue and away from his plans that will eventually have him clashing with a Great House. “Soulbound items are like Skills. They’re right into your soul, right next to your core. There’s a direct connection, so it’s possible to channel mana through them. And their power grows with yours, so they’re pretty useful.”

Understanding dawned on Brie, and like everyone who had heard of Souldbound items—Miles included—her eyes nearly shone with greed. But Thalia frowned, sipping from her cup. “But aren’t those like… impossible to buy and find?”

“They can be bought,” Lott said. “But you’re not going to find anyone who’s willing to sell, unless they had absolutely no use for what they got. Because once a Soulbound item is bonded to its owner, its part of their soul. It can’t be taken away, and when they die, it goes with them. They can’t be destroyed, and their power scales with the user. They’re treasures. You could sell everything in Rivergate and you might not have enough for an average Soulbound weapon. If tomorrow an auction house announced the sale of a Soulbound artifact, You’d have monsters no one had heard anything from in hundreds of years coming out of the woodwork to bid. It’d be mayhem,” the rogue said, whispering that last part, a smile on his lips.

Thalia’s gaze shifted to Miles, brow raised, but Miles just dodge whatever it was she was about to ask. “So? What do you guys think of this as a menu item?”

“I love the pastry, but I don’t care for the drink,” said Brie, scrunching her nose.

“I kinda like both,” said Thalia as she reached into her satchel for her waterskin while Miles turned to Lott.

“The pastry is a bit rich for my taste, but the coffee will absolutely sell. Especially if you get your hand on some of the enhanced varieties.”

Miles grinned, happy to get some validation for his ideas. “That’s nice to hear. Well. Thank you all for participating,” he said as he took the mugs from them and chucked them in storage to be washed later.

They all mumbled some thank-yous in response, while Miles turned to Lott. “I’d like to spend some time with my sister and catchup, Lott. I appreciate you apologizing as I requested, and I appreciate the identification. I’ll remember it. Before you head back, what’s going on with the investigation? Any leads?”

Lott lowered his cup and nodded, standing straighter. “No leads, aside from the rumors of the… fugitive potentially having captured the spell of Seeker Zerith. They’re not trusting the testimony on a trainee but they’re entertaining the possibility of it being the Wanderer. Otherwise the main theory is that the spell was dispelled. But nothing is solid. They’re estimating Master or Grandmaster threat, and I know that a Shadow courier has been dispatched to the Spiregate. “

Miles frowned. “The Spire. They’re sending a message down?”

Lott nodded. “They might be calling for more muscle to come look into what happened. Rivergate’s Governor and the Branchmaster of the Registry are fuming, and it’s creating some tension with Seeker Zenith and his guild. It’s… a mess. They stopped with mosts of the patrols, but there are a few high Shadow on the lookout, as well as some Seekers with Identification rings.”

Miles winced. It was getting a little spicy, so he should really lay low. The Seekers shouldn’t be able to see through his veil, but he didn’t like the attention. “Let’s… setup a drop spot. I’ll head to the city in a day or two, and if there’s something pass me a message. Don’t come here, just in case that attracts attention. That goes for you two as well,” he said to Brie and Thalia,” Miles said, thoughts whirling. Then blinking, he recalled that this space could be invoked anywhere, as long as he had a spare gate to use his Custodial key on.

Huh. Or Maybe I go now? he wondered. Get a room at an inn in the city and just wait until this all blows over?

That’d be the best spot to hide. Right under their noses.

Miles nodded, looking up at the others. “Yeah, change of plans. Any issue with me going in now, Lott? There’s no reason for me to stay here, really. It might be better to just blend in with everyone else.”

Lott nodded. “That might be for the best, sir. We could…” he trailed off, looking at the three of them in thought, then his eyes lit up as he nodded. “They’re equipped for a fight and they left with me. I could say I took them out on training for their upcoming exam,” he said, pointing at the two girls who just looked at the man, alarmed. “Sorry, I looked into who you were yesterday after… everything,” the rogue added, apologetic, then he pointed at Miles. “And we met you on the road, you were coming from Willowrun, and you were being chased by a river bear and were calling for help.”

A little elaborate. But that should work, Miles thought, nodding along. “It sounds good to me. Any objections?”

Brie raised her hand a little sheepish smile on her lips. “If we went our for training, then we should actually do some training, right? It’s barely been thirty minutes since we left the city.”

Miles blinked, and seeing Thalia perking up and noting Lott’s thoughtful nod, he smiled. “Yeah. Alright. But let’s do it in here. An hour should do.”