Chapter 11: [Classy] Revelations

Dax and Merril appeared to walk through an alley between buildings of unknown use, all such buildings in the area being very tightly packed together. Dax needed a key to get through some side door and eventually into a room of somewhat better quality than the area would otherwise indicate. There certainly wasn’t a mirror, though.

“Couldn’t trust inns,” Dax muttered. “Too many eyes and ears. But I know a few people here, still. Maybe they’re even trustworthy.”

The mirror was propped up on a simple washstand as Dax began collecting the rest of her things. Merril was already sifting through a backpack and pulling things out. A brace of throwing knives, various leather straps, a cloak. He'd also buckled on a thin-looking sword.

“My stuff better all be here,” Merril warned. Dax made a sound that was clearly just brushing him off.

“So you’re headed out immediately, then?” Sammy asked.

Dax nodded to her. “Not worth risking lingering animosity or, you know, revised judicial determinations. Or ‘just a few questions, ma’am.’ No, no, I prefer zero questions. Bye, now, and let’s never meet again.”

Merril eyed Dax suspiciously. “What exactly did you do to pull this off, anyway? A goddess of mirrors sounds as dangerous as a bunny.”

“Thanks for the vote of confidence,” Sammy commented in sarcasm.

“Does it matter?” Dax asked Merril. Soon she got an indifferent shrug in response, and Dax nodded in finality.

“Where will you go?”

“Back south. The Borderlands. Caneboro is pretty much as close to a home as we got. We came up this way as part of an overpaid escort. Could’ve made a little more but then this shit happened. It’s what I get, really. I was reluctant to, but the coin tempted me. The Dominion is just bad news for us, now. Bad luck.”

Merril’s ears twitched, though he said nothing.

While Sammy was somewhat curious about the incident, it didn’t seem like the right time to dredge it up and have the two arguing or the like. Instead, she asked, “So you’re a mercenary? Or both of you are?”

“Both. Merril is a level 3 Scout.”

“And a level 1 Warrior and a level 1 Wizard,” Merril corrected curtly. “Which anyone can obtain with a little effort.” The tone was critical as he eyed Dax.

Dax scoffed. “Way to undersell it. A lot of effort. Especially on the side. And money, and dedication, and so on. Brute — Warrior — is not worth the effort and time, not for me.”

The conversation was certainly piquing Sammy’s interest. “As a… transplant, I’m kind of clueless here. But I did just get 6 experience in either Wizard or Bard-”

Merril thrust a finger out at Sammy and said adamantly, “Take Wizard! You are level 0?”

“Yes, I-”

“Then take Wizard or you’re a fool! It simplifies your route to level 1 immensely. There are runebooks that automatically give a quest to study and meditate on the runes. Perhaps it takes a certain personality and interest since Dax is so worthlessly avoiding. But it doesn’t take much to have a bigger brain than hers.”

Dax glared at her brother balefully. “When you least expect it? You’ll be in a sleeper hold, boy.”

Merril visibly bristled. “Don’t call me that — I’m a grown adult, you overgrown pimple!”

“I’ll-take-Wizard, thanks-for-the-advice,” Sammy interjected in a breathless rush, hoping to avoid a sibling scuffle. “What about these books, then?”

Merril simmered down from the distraction as Dax rolled her eyes at his drama. He cleared his throat to answer, “Runebooks aren’t common or cheap, and the Dominion tries to control and hoard them, but in the free markets they get passed around for varying prices. When either someone completes one or gives up. If you can, use them. Completely useless after level 1.”

“And this allows… spells?”

“The potential and the power of them. Wizard is helpful to invoke and channel for any intellectual endeavors. Core spells — the rudimentary spells — can be learned through various means at level 1. The first two are easier to cement. They’re just patterns of the helper runes, codes of a sort strung together, but slightly unique to each person.

“After the first two, the helper runes are gone, and any spell takes runes cannibalized from the study of others’ runes into a personalized one. Like your own handwriting being different but with the same letters as everyone. Only, with magic, it has to be extremely precise instead of random shit. At low levels, anyway.”

“Well, that’s pretty damn fascinating! I definitely look forward to it. What are your spells?”

“Identify and Heighten Senses. I think just about anyone will take Identify because it covers any persistent magic on the target. The second is just to support my Scout class and has literally helped us get jobs by itself. But… I do want to learn an offensive spell next. I’m working on it.”

Briefly, Sammy drew up the selection screen for the choice available. She only thought about it a few moments more before tapping/acknowledging [Wizard]. It felt like Goddess itself had a lot of Bard-like aspects anyway.

Selection acknowledged: Wizard 0 [6/10]

So 4 more exp to level 1. Ugh, that really makes me want to do it! Those allocated points, just sitting there, waiting to complete…

“So, I take it that most don’t start with a class?” Sammy asked. “I’m not getting exp in Goddess, but I have a quest to take me to level 2.”

“No, we make our own way,” Dax replied. “Based on personality and will, though most of us have effects from past lives of reincarnation we have vague dreams and memories of. Considering the variety, well… that’s why we know other worlds exist.”

“Dax was an active mother of many,” Merril said in devilish, teasing tones. “In a past life, she had the equivalent of a large litter!”

“Shut it, you mangy mutt,” Dax said through clenched teeth as she possibly blushed a little.

Merril grinned in pleasure for once, and Sammy couldn’t help but smile.

“If there is a variety of worlds,” Sammy mused, “I’m surprised at the technology level. Does… do you know what guns are?”

Dax immediately nodded. “It’s under restriction by the System. Gunpowder was attempted before and found inert. It won’t blow, no matter the mixture. Just smokes. Same sort of thing with other big technologies people manage to remember and recreate. Just won’t work.”

Sammy marveled. “Why?”

The siblings exchanged a glance, both shaking their heads.

Merril sneered sourly. “Because the System wants it that way. Magic or bust.”

“No one knows,” Dax said airily. “Theories go that it’s like a challenge, and different worlds have different challenges. Or it's for the sake of a variety of experiences. As I said, past life memories are vague and there’s nothing directly of the System, so it’s a puzzle, but some have accounts of noticing circumstantial evidence of differing restrictions.”

“The Dominion,” Merril added, “once believed restrictions could be lifted upon the domination of a world by one empire, ushering in a whole new, higher dimension of multi-world interactions. It probably changed when the original leadership finally began dying off. Same time their expansion floundered.” He scoffed. “I don’t believe that individual ascension bullshit for one second.”

“That’s the position the Southlands takes, anyway. The Dominion technically has it on the books but as part of its secondary goals, along with eradicating all gods and spirits. Personal ‘enlightenment’ is the primary, and the heart of the greater body is in maintaining control, power, and wealth.”

Sammy certainly didn’t know what to believe — it was a whirlwind of information to absorb, and a puzzle even Calr… Calwhatever’s people hadn’t unraveled.

Long-term goal: figure out what the hell the System’s deal is. Maybe there are other conditions to change the world. Alliance? Peace? World council? I hope so, but it would just be a bonus. I don’t really want to paint the land red with blood for the blood god or whatever. I mean, blood’s not even on my domain list!

“So, how do you… know… so…” Sammy began, but saw them both kind of up close to the mirror, in a very ‘we’re ready to leave now’ kind of aura. “Oh. Right, you gotta go now.”

Dax grinned a bit and nodded. “Raincheck on the long story, eh? I want to get us way, way, way down the road, then off the road with the rest of the daylight available.”

“I probably need time just to digest the information I have anyway. Raincheck it is. Safe travels. Just holler if there’s trouble, alright? Not that I can do much yet…”

“I will. And I know we’ll end up discussing how I’ll serve you, too. I just can’t do it at all if I’m dead in a ditch, so it can’t be in this shitbag city. I got more connections than you can shake a mirror at in Caneboro, though, and few have even a sliver of regard for the Dominion except publicly.”

“Shake a mirror at — really?” Merril asked in exasperation.

“Sounds good, Dax. Merril. Until next time.”

Sammy disconnected and took a deep breath. There was always so much to consider, yet so much to do at the same time. Wizard. Just having the class at level 1 seemed very useful, and then there was the very idea of being able to cast spells.

And I don’t even need a wand! Suck it, Potter! Although… hmm.

“System, can I cast spells into the world?”

You may cast informational spells and detection spells as desired, but affecting matter directly is not possible with your current abilities. A physical avatar, invested Holy Relic, or advanced powers are required.

“Holy Relic? Oh! So, like, melting people's faces off with the Ark of the Covenant.”

[Based on your childhood memory of the film “Raiders of the Lost Ark”] This is a mid-level or high-level example, depending on the targets.

Sammy laughed. “I bet. Anyway… Identify sounds like a pretty obvious choice. I may hold off on that second ‘easy’ pick, though…”

Her thoughts were interrupted by sudden bitter laughter preceding a deep voice saying, “This old antique. One last look, eh, old boy? Death at the door…”

Quickly, Sammy shifted perspective, aware it was well to the southwest but not much else.

From the wall of a bedroom was seen a blood-splattered, armored man leaning against a table, looking across to the mirror with the visor of a helmet up. What of his face that could be seen through caked blood was age-lined though he was shy of white-haired. He had a dark brown mustache and somehow seemed to be scowling and grinning at the same time. Leaning against him was a halberd.

There was shouting from somewhere, and then a thunking sound, then splitting wood.

“And I look like hell. Perfect for this.” The man leaned back, as the thunking, splitting, and shouting sounds continued. He was simply waiting.

Someone’s coming to kill him, aren’t they?

Sammy pushed the connection fully to two-way and called out, “Sir or Lord. I’ve heard your cry. What has happened here?”

He stared over for a few moments, then picked up what looked like a wineskin and poured a bit on the table, inspecting it. He sniffed the top as well, then finally shrugged and took a long drink, all while some unseen individuals were obviously trying to hack through a thick, barred door.

Sammy cleared her throat and raised her chin. “You are not seeing things, sir. I am Samantha, Goddess of Mirrors. You are at death’s door. Please.” But she was unsure exactly what she was even asking for…

The man eyed her again, shaking his head slightly. “The gods have forsaken mortals in these forgotten lands. Only demons can gain blessing from their curses.”

“Yet here I am.”

“Do you wish for my soul, spirit? It will be freed shortly, and reborn anew, as is taught.”

“No. I want to understand. And perhaps to… help.”

He made a mild sniff.

A nasty crack resounded, and a muffled voice called, “Open the door, coward!”

The man called back viciously, “Work for it, mercenary slime! I’m no bloody easy meat!”

Sammy tried to keep her voice calm as she said, “So, mercenaries. War came to your land?”

He scowled and spat on the floor. “Made to look like a raid. Ridiculous false costumes. Yet they fight with discipline. And too many. Had a battering ram, too… all for my little keep. What a wasted effort. What a waste…”

He looked tired all of a sudden, as if he could just lay down and sleep right there. Sammy spoke urgently, “My Lord, can you just surrender? Surely it is some benefit?”

He shook himself out of the malaise and shook his head firmly. Adjusted his gauntlets. “No. Now, what can you possibly do to help me, here, spirit? And what is the price? I’d love to give them a run for their money on my way to the beyond.”

And Sammy truly wondered at that question. Can I help him?

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