When he got to the Trial arena, there was a note waiting from Instructor Ekari, asking him to come see her “after you’re done with your Trials for today”.
They’d decided to start giving people the option of a guided Athletic Trial instead of a Dungeon Trial, but Serenity was still relegated to Dungeon Trials. As far as the others were concerned, he was better there - and Serenity didn’t argue. He preferred them.
When the two hours were up, there were still a few groups waiting since the Athletic Trials took longer, and Serenity went ahead and gave an extra Trial. By the time that one was done, no groups were left and he and Sillon left for the last Dungeon Trial of the first set.
Sillon explained the Quest before they entered the Trial. “This Trial is another Dungeon Quest Trial. This one is a very different Quest, though - the Quest is to not kill anything in the Dungeon. How you do that is up to you. You can absolutely complete the Trial without completing the Quest; you will simply not get the Quest rewards.”
Serenity had had some time to think about the Quest, and he could think of several ways to manage it. The most obvious was simply sneaking by the enemies.
Unfortunately, that wouldn’t let him confirm if they had Cores or not. If they did, he was willing to lose the Quest to get Human Cores. It wasn’t like they were real people after all; dungeon monsters simply aren’t real - and chances were that if he approached them even slightly wrong, they’d attack him first.
Even if it did somehow feel wrong.
Serenity had come up with what he thought was a better idea, though: Mind magic. His Mind Concept was already unlocked - it had unlocked smoothly several days ago even though his Mind affinity was 30% - so he should have a decent chance to fool low-Tier opponents.
It was possible that they’d be gullible anyway, with that sort of quest attached.
Serenity pulled his Mind Concept to the forefront and went looking for people to fool.
The dungeon was another forest, but this one had significantly more brush under the trees. It was going to be much harder to travel off the established paths, though the high road through the branches might still work.
The very first person he saw was holding a bow. He seemed to be tracking something, but when Serenity deliberately made noise he turned and aimed his bow at Serenity.
“Hey, hey, calm down.” Serenity deliberately pushed waves of friendliness towards the man. “I’m a friend.”
He didn’t know what the scenario here was, but maybe if he did this right he could get information from the hunter.
“Oh, I thought you were a Tl!kot for a moment there. How did you get past them?”
“I didn’t see anyone - I must have just missed them? I’m here to see - “ Serenity deliberately trailed off, while trying to send a concept of leader/wise person/power. He was guessing that someone like that was most likely to be the “boss” he needed to get past.
The hunter relaxed. “Oh! I’ll take you to her.”
This was far easier than Serenity had expected. This hunter, at least, was so far past gullible it wasn’t funny.
He even let Serenity walk up behind him and casually brush his hand near the hunter’s head without noticing.
No core. Well, that made the decision on how to play this easy.
Serenity felt relieved. He hadn’t realized just how dirty the thought of killing other humans - even fake humans - for no reason other than power had made him feel.
It had been fine until the person was actually in front of him - and then it wasn’t fine at all.
He was definitely going to need to think more on his ethics.
As Serenity followed the hunter farther into the dungeon, they passed a number of other “humans” going about their daily lives. Most had weapons near them, but they were doing ordinary tasks - laundry, cooking, playing games, smoking meat. Eventually, they arrived at what was clearly meant to be the center of the village.
The hunter led Serenity to the largest hut. “Shaman Ekrittak! Someone is here to see you! I think he’s another shaman.”
So that was how the hunter had interpreted the Mind magic. Well, he wasn’t entirely wrong.
A middle-aged woman came out of the hut. She reached out to take Serenity’s hand. “I am Shaman Ekkrittak. What brings you here?”
She had a core. Serenity could smell it on her once she took his hand.
Shaking a little, he decided to answer her as honestly as he could. “I am Serenity. I am here for - I don’t know why. I just know I had to come.”
He’d made his decision.
Killing her for her core was wrong.
So he wouldn’t.
It hurt to give up the chance at power with no consequences to who or what he was. But … if he didn’t do what was right, how could he trust others to? Even if she was just a dungeon monster … she was still human. She was still in some sense someone he was trying to protect.
He hoped he’d have the strength to make the same choice again. Even if it still felt like a dumb choice.
The shaman nodded, then turned and stepped inside her hut. A moment later, she handed him a small crystal. It wasn’t a monster core. It looked more or less like a glass marble. He wasn’t sure what it was. “Keep this. You will want it later. Plant it once you are home.”
She smiled and pointed across from her entrance. “The way out is over there. You are a kind young man, but you have much to learn. I wish the best for you, and those you wish to protect.”
He just stared at her for a moment. After the extremely gullible hunter, he hadn’t expected someone who seemed so real.
“This place is not what you think it is. But now is not the time to talk. Go.” The woman pointed.
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Serenity went.
Tribal Dungeon 0.9 Complete
1 Participant
Rewards increased for reduced party size.
Dungeon Cleared: 500 XP, 500 Ev
Individual Dungeon Quest ‘Do Not Kill’ Complete
Custom Quest Reward received: Unknown Crystal from Shaman Ekkrittak
Bonus Quest Reward for Quest Completion on First Run - Quest Reward adjusted to fit Student: Quest Reward Hidden
Bonus Quest Reward for Following student’s chosen Path: Untyped True Crystal
Quest Rewards: 1000 XP, 1000 Ev
Serenity slipped both crystals into his bag. He wasn’t sure what one of them was, but the other - the Untyped True Crystal - he could barely stop himself from eating it immediately. It seemed similar to a monster core, but it seemed much more powerful and somehow cleaner.
He had a feeling that the Voice had just rewarded him for not killing the shaman … by giving him something better than what he’d have gotten off the shaman. He was definitely not strong enough to stand up against that kind of pressure for some ideal of not being a monster. So it was just as well he’d already decided not to.
But … perhaps the Voice was trying to tell him that being a monster was based on actions, not the Core?
Didn’t matter. Serenity shook himself.
“Congratulations! Will I be seeing you back at the break room for dinner, or are you going to celebrate with your student friends?” Sillon looked hopeful.
When had Sillon become a friend? He had, definitely, but Serenity wasn’t sure when.
“I’m supposed to meet Instructor Ekari next … how about I meet you at the break room after dinner? We can have coffee and dessert.”
“Perfect! I’ll see you then!”
Instructor Ekari was waiting for Serenity in the administration building when he arrived. “You’re earlier than I thought you’d be! Please, come in.”
“What did you need?”
“A few things. I heard you were starting your students on raising the dead?”
Serenity paused, nonplused. Somehow, he’d expected the other instructors to know better than that. “No - at least, I wouldn’t call it that. Basic skeletal reanimation … it’s a first step, but not even close to useful yet. There’s only so far you can go with an Affinity, especially a low one. Having some idea of the basics will help open actual necromantic Paths, though, so it’s worth teaching even though it’s never going to be useful without the Path. The same for laying the dead - well, that can work with just the Affinity, but not terribly well.”
“I plan to give them a chance to do some contested actions … probably tomorrow. That’s important to know regardless of what you’re trying to do with undead - “
Ekari put up a hand, as though pushing him away. “Enough, enough! I can tell you’re really into the subject.” She was smiling broadly. “No, I mean - most magic classes are heavy on theory with not so much application. Yours seems to be the other way around - and only about undead?”
Serenity looked down. “You were born well after your world’s integration, weren’t you?”
Ekari looked puzzled. “Yes? What does that have to do with -?”
“Theory’s great if you have time. Better, really. The thing is - it tells you not only what you can do but what you can’t. Everyone’s a little different, so what they can do is a little different. I don’t need a thousand people who can light a campfire. I need the one who can set fire to a stone building. Only it needs to be more than one. Others will be vital once we survive - slow growth will lead to power for the future - but … they won’t be the ones to get us there. Not fast enough. We have a world to save, and …” Serenity stopped. “You don’t need the lecture. You’re right, if I were teaching people under other circumstances it would be mostly theory. But - even if we manage to handle the invasions … we’ve only got ten years before - “
“Even if the Great Factions can invade after ten years, they usually don’t. It’s not a hard deadline.”
Serenity shook his head. “Earth is valuable. Different reasons for different factions, but - I’m expecting multiple invasions, and fairly close to the ten-year mark. I’m sure you’ll understand if I don’t tell you why.” There was a tense smile in his voice as he told her he wasn’t going to tell her anything.
“Heh. Well. In that case. I still have to ask, why only undead?”
Serenity was actually smiling now. “Not just undead. Dead things. I can see where you’d think that, but there’s a whole series of Paths that use bone or the essence of Death to do things that aren’t raising undead. Bone Knights, for example - they cover themselves in armor and use weapons made of enchanted bone, but aren’t undead and don’t raise undead.”
“Even so, yes, I’m going to be teaching some of the healing aspects soon. I’ll be heading to talk to the healers soon - probably should have already. I’ll need their help, and … you really want a healer on hand when you’re teaching someone how to kill things in their own body. Or someone else’s.” Serenity shook his head. “It’s really not a good use of Affinity. Not precise enough. But it’s something they need to try before the Paths will be available - the Paths that will actually let them do it the right way. The same with Death-based direct attacks. Control is … hard. At least most of their Affinities are low enough that they probably can’t kill someone quickly, even on purpose. The healers will have time to fix mistakes.”
There was a long pause before Ekari spoke. “It sounds like you have things planned out.”
“More or less. Once we’re through that … I can teach whatever. There’s always more. Maybe I’ll cover more theory. That should get the most Paths possible available.”
“Do you have similar plans for teaching Void affinity?”
Serenity snorted. “That was your real question, wasn’t it?”
Ekari didn’t deny his accusation.
“I’m not going to teach Void to students right now. It’s a horrible starting affinity. Doesn’t line up well with humans at all, so it’s rare and weak, yet incredibly dangerous to use. If you have instructors who want to learn about it, I’ll talk theory.” Serenity smiled. “After all, there’s no hurry for instructors in the Tutorial.”
“True. I also promised you some classes. Do you want to take the time out of your morning or your afternoons?”
“Mornings. I don’t really need all morning for the class - people are beat after a couple hours of practice, whether it’s with their affinity or with runes. We can take some afternoons as well. I - it looks like I’ll have more time than most, after all.” Serenity tapped his instructor’s badge. “Even the minimum I need to be here is a lot of time.”
“Late mornings and - hm. Half of the late afternoons ... I can make this work. Probably won’t have that many for you this Tutorial, but next time there will be more. You ready for dinner?” Ekari invited.
“Nah. I’m going to meet up with my group in the students’ hall. I’m pretty sure they want to celebrate my catching up with them in the Trials.” Ekari tilted her head, so Serenity elaborated. “Finished the last one of the first set today.”
"Did you do the quest?”
“Yeah. It was interesting.” Serenity still wasn’t sure what to think about the shaman. Were the people there actually real? The others hadn’t seemed real. But the shaman had …
“Good.” Ekari smiled. “I don’t know what your reward was - it varies - but all of the ones I know of are useful. Available elsewhere, but - useful. It also sounds like the quest fit your Path?”
“I’m not sure,” Serenity admitted. “Maybe? Probably?”
Ekari took a deep breath, then seemed to come to a decision. “So … which of your parents isn’t from Earth?”
Serenity froze for a moment. The question didn’t make sense, both of his parents were from Earth. “What?”
Ekari shrugged. “Too much doesn’t add up. You know we talk about you, right? You know a lot about some things and not enough about others. We’ve all seen it before.”
Serenity waited. He was pretty sure there was a misunderstanding somewhere.
“It’s pretty typical, really. There are a few on most planets. You’re more blatant than most, and it looks like whoever you know was higher Tier than most. It can’t be comfortable for them to be on an unTiered world.”
Definitely a misunderstanding. Possibly a convenient one, though.
She was correct that it wouldn’t be comfortable. Serenity wasn’t confident it would have been possible for the Final Reaper to survive on an unTiered world, never mind be comfortable.
“It’s not that big a secret. At least, it’s nothing those of us who’ve been on a few Tutorials can’t guess.” Ekari was watching him closely. Serenity wasn't sure what she was looking for.
Serenity thought for a moment. Looked at the right way, she was correct. After all, he wasn’t the Final Reaper. If anything, the Final Reaper was closer to being - “My father.”
It wasn’t a lie, exactly, and it was certainly a safer story than the full truth.
“Who is he?” Ekari probed.
Serenity shook his head. “That’s not a question I’m going to answer. Is that all you needed?”
When Ekari nodded, Serenity left.