“My new class is called Jump Knight! Can you believe that? It sounds like a joke, but the skills are great! I’m not saying I could defeat someone like you in a duel, but I bet I could take on most fighters around my level in a one-on-one. Bigger jumps and bigger damage! Bam! I’ll land right on top of them before they even see me coming.”
Dys grinned with amusement as she listened to Villum, the youngest member of Fortune’s Favored B squad, ramble about his secondary class. He’d started talking almost the moment he sat down at the table and hadn’t stopped once except for the moments when he shoveled food into his mouth. Even then, he risked spilling out a few crumbs in his excitement to chat about his Jump Knight class. Jadis couldn’t blame the younger elf, not when he had gone from level one to level thirty in such a short span of time. He’d joined Fortune’s Favored in mid-winter, after unlocking his primary class during the cultist attack on Eldingholt. Now they were towards the end of spring and he’d gotten his secondary class. And he’d unlocked it by fighting Demons in a massive battle, including a brave and foolhardy leaping attack that had resulted in him slaying a Demon Matriarch. She was pretty sure the guy had every right to be thrilled with his progress.
The only small issue Jadis had was that Villum was present at the dining room at all. Not his fault, of course. Not at all. Nor was he the only one who was bugging Jadis on that account. Still, it was completely reasonable for her expanded mercenary group to be eating breakfast in the dining hall, no matter how much she wished they were elsewhere. Discussing her level twenty-one skill choice for her tertiary class wasn’t an option with the room so crowded. Mostly because Aila would probably kill her if she tried to. Furthermore, while Jadis was comfortable with sharing her class options with both her friends and lovers, she knew that Severina wasn’t going to discuss any of her skills and spells when Tegwyn’s team was in the room. To Jadis’ mind, that was the true downside to having a crowded and lively breakfast.
While she wanted to discuss the two new options she had been given as well as go over what Sev’s classes were all about, it seemed that wasn’t going to happen, at least not that morning. They’d just have to wait until their group was able to retreat to their bedchamber. Maybe after breakfast, but possibly not until that evening. Ultimately, it depended on what the schedule was for the rest of the day. At least there were other new levels and classes to distract her attention, and not just from Villum.
“Congratulations on reaching CLR one hundred,” Tegwyn’s words came with a strong hug and a clap on the back. “My father was right! He said you would race to the top like a wolf chasing its next meal.”
“And you didn’t believe him?” Syd teased as she gave the Dryad a squeeze before letting him go to sit back in his chair.
“My friend, how could you doubt me so? Of course I believed him! That is part of why I came along with you. I knew that if I followed behind such a blazing star, I might get the chance to bask in your glow and grow stronger by proximity.”
“How’s that working out for you?” Syd asked as she picked up a glass of tea a servant had just refilled for her. “You have to have gotten a few levels out of that bloodbath last night.”
“A few,” Tegwyn’s grin turned sly. He waited until Syd was drinking from the glass before continuing. “I can now say I am CLR one hundred and four.”
Syd inhaled sharply, choking on her gulp of tea for a few seconds, which prompted some concerned attention from Alex who was sitting on her other side. Once she cleared her airway, Syd lightly punched the laughing Dryad in the shoulder.
“You bastard! You didn’t tell me you were so close!”
“I did not think that it would matter for quite some time,” Tegwyn admitted. “I gained eighteen levels last night. That is quite a leap.”
Not as big as some people Jadis knew, including her own massive amount of progress, but Teg was right. Eighteen levels in one night was a huge increase, one that most people would never see from a single battle.
“Any exciting new skills or spells I should know about?” Syd questioned her tree-like friend.
“I have learned two new animal forms,” Tegwyn told her as he gazed into the distance, his eyes unfocused as he reviewed the system menus that only he could see. “Though I hesitate to call the fourth one an ‘animal’ exactly. I will need to experiment with these new spells soon.”
“Very cool,” Syd nodded in appreciation. “If they’re anything like your big goat form, then I’m sure you’ll be a terror on the battlefield. You never did tell me what your second animal form is, though.”
“Ah,” Tegwyn smiled, his expression almost sheepish. “Well, I find that one to be… somewhat embarrassing. I promise I will show you someday, my friend. However, I would rather focus on the more impressive of my new abilities for now, if you will allow me that dignity.”
“Sure,” she chuckled at the earnest request. “No rush.”
Jadis wasn’t sure what kind of animal form would cause Tegwyn embarrassment, but the admission held her interest. She would have to be sure to poke him about it later, though she was fine with letting him show off the new forms first. Besides, when she did ask about the apparently embarrassing form next, she wanted to make sure Thea’s mother, Vera, was in the room.
Aside from Villum and Tegwyn, the rest of Fortune’s Favored had seen some significant increases in level as well. Nevan and Orla and reached levels seventy-four and seventy-five, respectively, which included their tertiary classes. They had gone with options that boosted their power when fighting together, which were good on their own but extremely powerful so long as they could support each other in combat. Considering how the two lovebirds never left each other’s side, Jadis understood their reasoning.
Terrance had reached CLR fifty-two, so he was still a fair few levels away from unlocking his tertiary class, but his newest skills were more combat oriented, so his threat level had certainly improved. Humbert was in a similar position as the human runner, having reached CLR fifty. He had gone with more defensive attribute and skill selections, so he was hopefully going to unlock a class capable of tanking hits once he got to CLR sixty.
Cora, for her part, had gained the least number of levels of the B team. Likely due to the fact that her healing methods were slower than Eir’s and she had largely stayed away from the direct fighting. She was still CLR forty-seven once all was said and done though, so she had no reason to complain in her own words. Pure healing classes generally took longer to level up, so the fact that she was only thirteen levels away from unlocking her tertiary class after only being in Jadis’ service for a few months was a blessing in her opinion.
Speaking of leveling healing classes, Jadis had questioned Eir about how many levels she had gained from performing the sacrament ritual and was disappointed by the saint’s response.
“I did not gain any levels,” Eir said between dainty nibbles of toast and jam.
“Why not?” Dia asked with indignation. “You healed literally thousands of people! Tens of thousands of points of health! That must be worth a lot of experience!”
“From that perspective, I agree,” Eir nodded. Then, with a small smile, she shook her head. “From another perspective, all I did was perform one single ritual spell. Certainly, you would not expect to increase your level by performing Lewd Lover’s Bond once, would you? Even at level one.”
“Ah, no, I guess not,” Dia frowned. “But still…”
“I am certain that the effectiveness of my ritual had a large impact on the amount of experience performing the ritual granted my new class. However, it was still just one spell. If the gods granted me experience in proportion to the healing provided by my Restorative Sacrament, then I would never need to do anything else and would be CLR three hundred by the end of the year. I can’t truly be disappointed that they would not allow for such an abuse of the established system, especially since any other individual in possession of such rituals could do the same. Imagine a cultist with a far-reaching malediction gaining mountains of experience for every performance. No, that is nothing any of us would want.”
While Jadis would have preferred to see her sweet lover go up in level by leaps and bounds, she understood the wisdom of her explanation. Rituals were powerful enough as they were. If they granted so much more experience than skills or even regular spells, then those who could perform rituals would truly be too powerful.
“Did you gain any levels?” Sabina’s older brother, Crispus, asked Violetta elsewhere around the table. “What level are you, anyway? You help my sister with enchanting, correct? Do you have an apprentice class or an enchantment class or a smithing class? Or something else that is related? Or do you have something unrelated and are you unsatisfied with your primary class and are trying to get a smithing class at CLR twenty?”
“I haven’t unlocked my primary class yet,” Violetta calmly replied to the barrage of questions the handsome half-elf peppered her with. She had to be used to Sabina’s mode of speech after working with the talkative smith for so long, so she handled the rapid-fire queries with no issue. “My birthday is in two days, actually. I’m hoping I will get an enchantment class. Jadis has promised to help me level my class as soon as it is unlocked.”
“Really,” Crispus replied between shoveling heaps of scrambled eggs into his mouth. “I thought you were older. You’re very beautiful and self-assured, so I assumed you had more experience. Once you’ve unlocked your primary, you should work with us in the workshop. Practical experience is just as important as class experience. If you learn everything from our sister, you’ll probably miss out on some basics. Sabina can get ahead of herself sometimes.”
Crispus’ casual compliments were delivered with the same matter-of-fact tone as the rest of his speech, so Jadis had no doubt that he had not intended the words as a come-on. Likely, he hadn’t given the idea of what effect calling Violetta beautiful would have on the young woman any thought at all.
Affect her they did, though. Jay had to suppress a grin as she watched the purple-skinned girl flush a darker shade of violet as the seconds passed. Crispus simply continued to eat and talk, his mind having already switched tracks to types of metal alloys and how they were made. Violetta, meanwhile, was looking at the half-elf in a new light while trying very hard to hide how her eyes were travelling over his well-defined muscles.
Jadis smiled to herself and wished the young woman luck.
As discussions and conversations continued around the table, Jadis had her Ida self stand and switch seats. Not because she wasn’t enjoying the conversation being held between Bridget, her brother Alban, and Sabina’s other brother Valerius about the possibility of mounting a ballista to the airship, but because there was one person among their number who had stayed almost completely silent for the whole breakfast thus far. Sitting down at the other end of the table, Jadis put in an effort to change that state of affairs.
“Hey,” Ida said softly as she settled onto the overly large, cushioned seat that Aelius’ servants had brought into the room for her comfort. “Feeling alright?”
“I am well, thank you,” Meli replied, her accent heavily coloring her words. Hearing her next to Sabina’s father and brothers helped Jadis realize that they had very similar accents. Not the same, but close. “Why do you ask?”
“I guess you just look a little down to me,” Ida replied honestly. “We’re a long way from your grove. You aren’t feeling homesick, are you?”
“A little,” the thin Dryad woman replied with the same level of candor. “I haven’t left my grove in decades. Not since I planted the first seeds. I miss it.”
“I get it,” the Nephilim nodded. “I miss my old home sometimes too. Do you want to go back? I know you joined Fortune’s Favored with a solid goal in mind, but if you’re having second thoughts—”
“No,” Meli firmly shook her head. “I don’t want to sit on my roots. Honestly, I think I have been too lazy, staying in those pleasant little woods. I left my family’s grove so I could spread my leaves. I did. I know I did. But I… I may have hemmed myself in.”
“What makes you say that?”
Meli snorted before responding. The look on her face grew less distant for a moment as her expression made it clear just how silly she thought Ida’s question was. Reaching the small distance between them, Meli tapped a long finger against the middle of Ida’s chest.
“I have gained more levels travelling with you for a handful of days than I have in the decades I have spent wandering the woods around my grove. That is evidence enough of my stag-ration.”
“Stagnation,” Ida corrected Meli’s mispronunciation. “And to be fair, this trip to Glanum isn’t exactly typical for how our expeditions usually go.”
“Ah. So, you are saying you haven’t fought dragons and slain Demon armies on past expeditions?”
“…it was just one dragon, and we didn’t kill him.”
Meli didn’t say anything further on the matter. Her point was well proven. Instead, she poked idly at the plate of half-eaten fruits and bread in front of her.
“I was trimming myself. Stupidly so. I fled restraint yet I planted myself inside my own walls. Foolish. I should know better by now. Hiding from change never works.”
“I don’t think you should be so hard on yourself,” Ida commented as she took a piece of some red fruit from Meli’s plate and popped it into her mouth. “There’s nothing wrong with learning and growing at your own pace.”
“A sentiment my grandmother would share with you. If only the rest of my family felt the same.”
While Meli had never spoken to her about her past, from the current conversation and past comments made, Jadis was putting together a picture of what the Dryad’s life had been like. Some dispute had come up between her and her family when she was younger, and she had chosen to leave and start her own grove far, far away from their influence. What that disagreement was about, she had no idea, and Jadis wasn’t sure she should pry. Meli was in a talkative mood, though, and if she needed someone to confide in, Jadis was happy to be there for her. She hadn’t known the tree woman for very long, but Jadis liked and appreciated her now that they were past their initial misunderstanding. Especially since the Dryad had proven herself to be a strong and loyal ally on the battlefield. If Meli needed someone to talk to, Jadis would listen.
“Want to talk about them? Your family, I mean.”
“No,” Meli immediately rejected the suggestion. “I do not. I do not wish to be stuck in the mud thinking about them. There is a word. Sad. Depressed. It begins with an M.”
“Morose?”
“Yes,” Meli nodded emphatically. “Morose. I do not want to be morose anymore. Would you have sex with me?”
The question was so unexpected, Jadis could almost literally hear the neurons in her brains snap like whips as they struggled to switch tracks.
“Uh… why do you ask?”
“Not right now,” Meli hurried to say once she saw the look on Ida’s face. “I meant in the future. Does the possibility exist?”
Suddenly, Jadis was reminded of the comments Meli had made previously. The one where she admitted to liking being held by Jadis during the previous night’s battle stood out in particular.
“Before I say anything, I think I need an answer to my question, first. Why are you asking?” Ida reiterated while Jadis’ other selves made sure that their conversation wasn’t being observed by the rest of the room. She didn’t want Meli to be embarrassed by others joining the unexpected discussion. “Are you attracted to me?”
“Yes,” Meli stated with no hesitation. “You are gorgeous. I am not usually attracted to other women as I prefer strongly muscled bodies, but your body is intensely attractive. I am often distracted when I look at you. I want to touch your stomach.”
“My stomach?” Ida repeated as she continued to grapple with the abrupt change in topic.
“Yes. The muscles there. Abdomen? Is that the word? I want to touch your abdomen. I think they would feel very good.”
“My abs,” Ida replied. “I do have a pretty defined six pack.”
“Six pack?”
“Ah, never mind,” Ida shook her head as she leaned a little closer to the Dryad to make sure her words wouldn’t be overheard. “I think we’re getting off track. Just so I’m understanding what you’re asking, let me rephrase. You are asking if I’m interested in having sex with you, because you’re physically attracted to me. Right?”
“Yes.”
“Then, to be bluntly honest, the answer is no. I don’t know you that well yet. I feel like we’ve barely talked. I’m not exactly slow to jump into bed if I’m attracted to someone, but I’m not easy either.”
“Does that mean you don’t find me attractive?”
There was no sign of offense or reproach in Meli’s words or expression. She looked genuinely curious, as though the question was just about some particularly interesting topic and not something intensely personal. However, as Ida gazed at the Dryad for a few seconds, not answering immediately, she noticed the way her clawed fingers were fidgeting with the strands of her long, willow branch hair. The answer mattered, perhaps more than Meli was willing to admit to herself.
“I do find you attractive,” Ida replied.
Her answer was not spoken out of pity or an attempt to avoid friction or offense. Jadis truly did find the Dryad to be a very pretty woman, in an alien sort of way. Meli had a wild look about her, almost primal and inhuman despite the obvious similarities between her and most other humanoid races. Her arms and legs were a little too long to look natural and her strange, woodgrain patterned skin looked like it should be solid, not flexible like flesh. Still, her face was beautiful, made only more so by how intense her orange gaze was. And while her body had little in the way of curves, Jadis didn’t see that as a flaw. A woman certainly did not have to be curvy to be goodlooking, and Jadis felt Meli’s looks were proof positive of that fact. No, Jadis wasn’t lying about her physical attraction to the Dryad. Meli was indeed very pleasing to her eyes.
“You do?” Meli pressed, leaning slightly more forward, close enough that she was nearly touching Ida. “I am not too thin? Your lovers have far larger breasts than me, and wider hips generally.”
“Their beautiful breasts and hips are not the only reasons why I’m attracted to them,” Ida smirked. “And I think I’ve proven I can like more than one thing at a time.”
“I see,” the Dryad said. After a lingering pause, she leaned back in her seat, a small smile playing across her lips. “Then there is a chance.”
“Yeah,” Ida agreed, her own smile growing brighter. “There’s a chance. Let’s see what happens.”
Reaching out with a bit more pep showing than had been visible before, Meli took a piece of fruit from her plate and happily took a bite. As she chewed, she casually revealed another small detail about herself that Jadis had no previous knowledge of.
“I unlocked my tertiary class.”
“Really? Get anything good?”
“I think so,” Meli nodded. Picking up another morsel of fruit, she thrust it into Ida’s mouth instead of her own. “We will see what happens.”
“Not going to tell me what you picked out?”
Meli smirked, her orange eyes twinkling.
“There is a chance.”
254