System Change

After making sure Silvi was okay staying alone in the room to practice her skills, Derek left. His day was free, and he was debating on what to do with it. He could explore the city more, or he could visit Bronson. Drinking and relaxing all day doesn’t seem like a bad idea. He thought.

After experiencing the dungeons, running a level 100 over and over to increase his level did not sound like a bad idea either. The only thing keeping him from doing that was Thomas, Rayna, and Mal. Those dungeons would be great to power level the bunch. Brandi would do just fine without the dungeons.

Derek predicted that Brandi would have an extremely fast leveling speed. The only thing that could slow the crafter’s leveling would be if she had a lack of imagination. She would benefit the most from Derek running solo dungeons. He did not need to sell any of the materials he gained for money because of his contracts with the Crown, so every material he gained would go to the girl to improve her craft.

Rayna could take care of herself. If she decided to step down from Chief, or if the Capital sends an Overseer for the Undying Dungeon, she could make a great adventurer. She was already level 50 and had a rare class. The way she was, Derek did not doubt that there would be some options at level 100 for her to change to an epic class. Of course, it would all depend on whether the skills she has ended up being compatible with the new class. It would be hit or miss, and only she could make that decision.

Malorie was the one he was most worried about. He knew she would want to be strong enough to protect Brandi, but the girl would be rapidly leveling. She did prove to be quite fierce with a blade staff.

Thomas… he would be fine. The kid was still a bit naïve, especially if he was already being duped by the first girl that talked to him. The way the kid had acted when they first met caused Derek to overestimate him. He seemed mature for his age, but disappointed him with his actions repeatedly. Since they arrived… no, since they left the village, other than the one skirmish with bandits, Thomas had been relegated to Silvi’s mount. It had gotten so bad that Silvi actually called him as such.

The boy had finally gotten the courage to talk to Derek without stuttering, and he would ask questions and comment without worrying that Derek would be offended. Then, he would go right back to letting Silvi drip grease on his head without saying anything. Derek did not know what to think about the boy.

Speaking of the boy. Derek thought as he came to the top of the stairs leading back down to the first floor of the inn.

He had been just in time to see the boy walking out of the inn beside a cutely dressed brunette girl that was slightly taller than him. She was at least a couple years older than the boy, and in the few seconds that Derek could see her before they vanished behind the door, she had taken a glance at Thomas’s right hand no less than twice. A quick Identify let him know that she was a level 40 female mage.

Derek chuckled to himself. I guess I know what I’m doing today. He thought as he glided down the stairs and left the inn. He looked around and caught sight of the duo walking down the street. Let’s see what this girl has in store for the boy.

***

Thomas was ecstatic being able to hang out with Alicia again. This time, he did not have to carry around Silvi all day either. Not only was that embarrassing, it was really hard to explain without giving away more details about Derek than he would like.

Their first stop of the day was the Adventurer’s Guild to pick up another unranked task to complete. They were not even classified as missions until they actually had rank. And he was not technically classified as a member of the guild until he had the official badge.

“No cute bunny today?” Alicia’s voice rang out from beside him, causing Thomas to abruptly end his daydreaming.

“N-no… She stayed back at the inn today with my friend. He made it back.” Thomas replied.

“Oh… Where did your friend go that he wasn’t able to make it back until today? I wouldn't want to leave such a cute pet alone… especially in a city.”

Thomas thought about how to answer for a moment. When he told Alicia that Silvi was the companion of a friend, she took it as him meaning that Silvi was a pet, so he never corrected her. He really did not like talking about Derek, and it was not entirely because of the oath he had to abide by. The oath actually made it easier to know what he could and could not say, though. If he touched on something covered by the oath, he would get a weird burning feeling in his chest, warning him to stop.

Technically, nothing other than what Derek specifically told him was a secret would break the oath. As long as he kept from talking about the man’s class, skills, and origins, he would be fine. “Apparently, he was doing what we were yesterday. He got his official badge from the guild, though.”

“Oh. Well, you aren’t too far behind him. Let’s hurry and get yours too.” Alicia said, and the duo quickly jogged to the Adventurer’s guild.

“You’re so lucky.” Alicia pouted and patted Thomas’s shoulder with her hand. “I can’t believe they had a cleaning task to complete next door. I had to run from one end of the city to the other to complete all of my tasks.”

Thomas shivered at the contact and blushed. “I-I… I guess I’m… uh… lucky.” He finally managed to stammer out. It was already hard enough for him to talk to the girl dressed in the red frilly skirt and black blouse. Much less when she was teasing him.

“Hmmph.” Alicia snorted and turned her head. “Well, hurry up and go clean. I’ll wait here. I’m not helping you with this one.”

Thomas lowered his head to hide his face and walked over to the Alchemy Shop next door. There’s no way Alicia is a bad person. Derek doesn’t know what he’s talking about. He opened the door and spoke to the shopkeeper. “Maam, I’m here to clean.”

***

Derek had followed the duo through the merchant district and into the commoner district. He had to admit, from observing the whole time, the two looked like they were just friends hanging out. Well, the teasing and Thomas stumbling over his every word made it obvious that the girl was in complete control of the boy.

However, other than the occasional glance at his storage ring, the girl had not shown any other indication of nefarious actions. Maybe she’s just curious. Thomas is young and dresses like a farmer that found his grandpa’s old leather armor from ‘back in his day.’ No… Derek shook his head. I doubt Silvi would be wrong about the girl after spending most of the day with them yesterday.

Currently, Thomas was in an Alchemy Shop completing a mission for the Adventurer’s Guild. The girl was waiting outside the guild on a bench. Derek, on the other hand, was across the street getting a kabob of greasy food, feeling like a creep stalking a girl that could not be more than 16 years old.

Soon, a man… boy… an older teenager, level 45 warrior, sat on the bench next to the girl. He looked to be 18 or 19, but with the way Vitality worked with the systems, he could have been 40 for all Derek knew. But his level was low, and he was talking to Thomas’s ‘friend,’ so Derek guessed him to still be in his teens.

The boy was wearing some impressively clean plate armor and had flowing blonde hair that looked like it had never been dirtied. His entire presence, from his untouched boots to his self-important nose that only wants to breathe in ‘clean’ air, rubbed Derek the wrong way. If Derek had a dictionary, this boy’s picture would be next to the phrase ‘Spoiled Noble.’ Derek would not put it past the system if the boy had an Award obtained from being stuck up.

Derek moved a little closer to listen in on their conversation. He was not exactly dressed to be a spy, at least not in this world. Luckily, his enhanced skills, which increased his hearing and vision, made up for his lack of dress.

“You’re sure he has no backing? Not that it would really matter if he did.” The boy said.

“Yes, Clay. He came from a village with his friend. His friend has a pet bunny… a bunny. It’s odd looking, but it’s a bunny. And, his friend only finished his provisional Adventurer’s Guild missions yesterday.” The girl responded.

“And he hasn’t said where he got the storage ring?”

The girl shook her head. “No. It’s a sensitive subject. But, he also has a decent-looking spear too. I saw it while he was killing rats yesterday. I think they are most likely family heirlooms that were passed down to him so he could adventure.”

The boy nodded and stood. “Looks like he’s almost done.” He looked at the Alchemy Shop. “Keep close to him. I’m still busy for a while, but I’ll think of something soon.”

The girl nodded, and the boy walked away.

Clay… Derek thought to himself. He would have to ask Stella or Walter about the boy when he dropped off Silvi at her first day of sch… cooking class.

Thomas walked out of the shop and over to Alicia. The girl jumped up and ran her finger over the boy’s nose to wipe off the dust. “Did you use your face to mop the floors?” She giggled.

Thomas’s face turned a shade of red that Derek was not familiar with. “N-no.” The boy lowered his head. “L-let’s go turn in the task. I can’t wait to get a real badge.” He said.

The girl giggled and locked his arm with hers. “Let’s go!” She said as she practically dragged the poor boy into the guildhall.

Derek shook his head at the scene. At least I don’t have to worry about them for now. He sighed. Tommy, Tommy, Tommy… You are going to be devastated later. He almost could not blame the kid for this one… almost.

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