“Your talent does what?” Charles asked, flabbergasted.
“Dude shut up, it's not that good. I don't even have a skill to use it with yet.” Jenna protested. “And call me Jen, we are a team now, using my full name is annoying.”
“Im sorry, I didn't realise that an amazing talent wasn't that good because we are tier one and skill less, didn't you take the skill making course form Titan’s Torch?” Charles asked.
“I did, and the skill is almost ready, [Solar Flare] will mesh perfectly.”
Tier 1
Primary Effect: Skills cast gain in power with repeat casts,casting a different skill resets the boost. Boost will reset if skill is not cast within 5 minutes.
“Your talent is good too, free skills!” Jen protested.
“My talent has yet to do anything.”
“Well, its stress activated right? Lets stress you out and see what skills pop out!” Jen said, Jumping to her feet. “What stresses you out?”
“Well… not much.”
“Fair, the most stressed I've seen you was when you thought you got me drunk and…” An Evil grin spread across Jen’s face.
“Nope.” Charles said, seeing where this was going and trying to avoid it.
Jen walked up to him and sat on his lap, wrapping her arms around his neck. “Stressed yet?”
“Yes please get off.” Charles said, face red with a heavy blush.
“Ok.” Jen slid over and sat next to him. “There was like a 0.01% chance that would work, but honestly the look on your face was worth it.
“Maybe if we get lucky we can get a rift challenge and I can throw you at it?”
A spiritual pulse came from Charles’ core and Jen stopped and stared at him. “PLEASE tell me sitting on you didnt give you some weird sex skill.”
“I have no Idea what this skill does….. Training hall!” Charles was in a dead sprint to the door before he even finished speaking.”
Entering the training room, Charles setup a dummy and grabbed a practice sword, as he was getting ready Jen slid around the corner panting. “You are… too damn…. Fast….”
Pushing mana into the skill Charles struck the dummy… It was a normal strike. I thought for sure it was that kind of skill….
“Idiot use the scanner.” Jen said
“Oh… good call.” Charles stuck his arm in the scanner and it hummed for a second, he looked at the readout.
Unknown skill, Skill effect:
Channel mana for a minor boost to speed and proprioception.
“Its a dodge?” Both Jen and Charles asked the air simultaneously.
“You were dodging my advance there…” Jen said with a mock thoughtful tone.
“Are you sure your tier one wasn't ‘Makes you a giant perv’?” Charles shot back with a mock glare.
“Nah, for real tho, what kind of boost are we talking here, 20% 30%?” Jen asked
Scrolling down the skill readout Charles saw the relevant information.
“2%” he said. “But the mana drain is off the charts, well the bottom of the chart, its measured in mana per hour, 3 mana per hour.”
“What's your regen rate?” Jen asked.
“2.1 per hour, so i can't keep it on all the time, but basically during a delve it will always be on.”
“ well lets give it a test, lets see the speed difference, hop on the treadmill.”
A few hours of testing later. The duo were on their way back to Charles’ room, now their joint room, as it was much closer to everything than Jen’s old room.
“... And besides we will be sharing a tent and stuff in the wild, so ill need to get used to you snoring now.” Jen said
“From the moment i hit accept you have been a huge tease.” Charles mumbled under his breath
“Yep! Regrets?” Jen asked.
“Nah, I like you.” Charles said.
A few moments later…
“Not like that!” He blurted out, releasing what he had just said.
Stopping dead where he was walking he looked back to see Jen had not moved from where she was when he made his ill fated comment. She was shaking with murth, hand over her mouth.
“Oh dude you really need to check before you let your thoughts out.” Jen said through her no longer repressed laughter.
“Oh?” the now very flustered Charles said, “If i did that we wouldn't have taken that delve together.”
“That's fair, come on, lets get back to the room, I need a nap.”
“You nap a lot.” Charles shot back.
“Cat bloodline, its what we do.”
Charles froze, ”You didn't mention that, got any more secrets?”
“Its in my profile, you need to read more, and yes, I'm a mysterious woman.”
“What kind of secrets?” Charles asked.
“Wouldn't be secret if I told ya” Jen teased.
Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.
Two weeks later a wave of new delvers hit the playpen, this killed the mood at most of the delver parties with nobles waving their parents names around like a hammer, so Charles and Jen buckled down, honing their skills and hiring trainers instead of going out to parties.
During those two weeks Jen finished her [Solar Flare] , and had started incorporating it into their delves. Charles on the other hand had yet to start with the skill formation, and decided it would be worth it to start on a [Fury of the Blade], even knowing he wouldn't have it finished for years, and at least being tier 5. How Jen had managed to create her [Solar Flare] in a year was a mystery to Charles, but she claimed her Fire Cat bloodline made it easy. Charles doubted this as he could find nothing on the Empire net about Bloodlines affecting skill formation, and He was sure there would have been testing, after all Ascender Titan’s wife, Ascender legion, was a well known phenix, so they would know.
The Joint combat lesson with their Tutor Gabriel had been enlightening, and they were starting to form a rhythm, adapting on the fly to combat instead of needing concrete plans going in. in a week or so they would hit peak tier 1, then break into tier 2, that would boost them down the path, with the tier 2 rift giving more essence ,and greater rewards, even compared to other rifts of its tier, the golem rift was a well known gold mine. Exiting the training hall the two of them were headed to the food court, idly chatting.
“We need new blankets, you wore a hole in the last ones.” Jen said.
“Sorry, i was trying to get the stain out, we should have expected that when we were eating on them.” Charles said, “Its too comfy to not snack on the couch, I blame you.”
“Me??? How is it my fault it's comfortable to be on the couch?” Jen asked in mock horror.
“No you spilled the cheese dip.”
“Ohhh yeahhhhh, whoops.” Jen said.
“Dumb cats, always knocking stuff over.” Charles mock muttered under his breath, knowing it would get a rise from her.
“Dumb humans, putting things where they can be knocked over.” She said, elbowing Charles in the side.
“Hey, would you be interested in cooking tonight by chance?” Charles asked, shifting the topic.
“I can, why, in the mood for chicken tacos again?” Jen asked, knowing it was the only dish she could make worth eating.
“Yeah, and we can take extras for when we get out of the rift tomorrow. Pack a lunch as it were.” Charles suggested.
“Yeah why not.”
The next day as they entered the rift everything felt off.
“Bad vibes.” Jen stated flatly, pulling her staff to the ready.
“Yeah, this is weird, it feels off, should we back out?” Charles asked, even as he checked around the room looking for anything weird.
“Not just yet, lets see what's going on.” Jen said in a hushed tone.
The duo made their way to the first room and checked inside, seeing no goblins they looked at each other.
“Did we enter someone else’s instance?” Jen asked.
“Maybe, we could check by trying to catch up, they cant be past room 3 in 15 mins.”
They both walked through each room, every one empty, no signs of combat.
“I don't like this, Rifts are set, they don't do this.” Jen said
“Agreed, let's check the boss room, then we report this to the Playpen staff.”
The boss room was also empty, with only the reward distortion and exit there.
“Think its a weird rift challenge where the reward is trapped?” Charles asked.
“Maybe? I really wana see what's inside tho…” Jen said.
“Cover me?” Charles asked.
“Go ahead, carefully.” Jen said.
Charles slowly made his way into the boss room, edged closer to the reward distortion and dispelled it.
Out of the distortion popped a pair of bracelets.
A pulse of spiritual energy came from Charles’ core and he nearly yelped in surprise.
“Its safe, i think?” Charles called.
Just as Jen stepped into the room, reality warped around the pair and the rift instance collapsed.
Charles and Jen were on beds in a clean white room, around them were 5 others, tier ones that neither of them knew. All in beds, all passed out.
As Charles came to he started to sit up, but before he could a healer in white robes appeared next to him. “Please lay back down, your spirit was strained massively when the rift collapsed.”
Nodding Charles laid back down, he felt like he had been wrung out, his spirit ached and he had a headache.
“Is Jen ok?” He said.
“Ms. Price is fine, in about the same shape as you. Now rest, I'm sure Ki will be along shortly with questions.” the healer said, pulling the blankets up and tucking Charles in.
Close to an hour passed before Ki showed up, and all of the others had woken up, Jen and Charles were having a whispered conversation when Ki stormed into the medical ward like a tornado set loose on a cabbage patch.
“Who is responsible for this!” She shouted, holding up a small black cube about 5 inches long on a side. “Who had a tier 20 device for altering low tier rift drop tables! Everyone in that rift was on the path, meaning none should have had anything of the sort!” Ki’s voice was loud and the wind in the room was starting to pick up, making Charles believe she just might be a tornado.
Ki’s body morphed , her face growing scales and taking on a more draconic shape, the rest of her followed and soon there was a full dragon in the room, with blue scales and pearl white horns.
“WHOM DARES FUCK WITH ME!!! IF YOU MAKE ME WAIT FOR THE SECURITY FOOTAGE I WILL EAT YOU!
One of the delvers on the bed farthest from Charles raised a hand.
“It was mine… my dad had it and… I stole it.”
Both the dragon and delver vanished like they were never there.
Standing in the middle of the room was a man in a clean pressed suit, neatly kept black hair and piercing grey eyes, he looked around the room. “My name is Lance, I run the Playpen, Normally I never need to leave my office, I prefer it that way, however my right hand woman… dragon, is dealing with Mr. Barns and the path officials who just came calling to my island. As you all saw, Mr. Barns admitted to using the device that destabilized our tier one rift, that alone will mean he is off the path and going to jail for a long while. Aside from that he damaged imperial property and committed assault against each of you. While you may, and are encouraged to press charges, he is likely going to be serving the max sentence already. Now Each of you will need to submit for a few questions from the path investigators, then you will be free to go.” With that Lance vanished.
“Ki nearly made me piss my self.” Jen said.
“I need new pants.” another guy a few beds over said.
“Remind me not to piss her off.” Charles added to general nods and agreement from the others.
Two Hours later Jen and Charles were curled up on the couch watching “Where sons and daughters bleed” a story about a vassal war that the Ascenders were part of, but the movie had apparently been made before their identities went public.
“Today sucked.” Jen said around a mouth full of ice cream.
“Agreed, and its expected to be a week before the rift is remade, so we have down time. Oh, it got two skills! I forgot to tall you!.” Charles said.
“I felt the one in the rift, when did you get the second?” Jen asked, perking up.
“When Ki scared the piss out of everyone. That one is another copy of the dodge skill, I can feel it's identical.
“Can you use both at the same time?” Jen asked hopefully.
“Nope.” Charles said, shattering his friend’s hopes.
“That's too bad. Should we go check out the one from the rift in the morning?” She asked.
“I don't think I need to, I can see it.” Charles said, staring off into space.
“See it?” Jen probed her annoyingly vague friend.
“Have you ever heard of [H.U.D.]?”
“Yeah, its a tier 26 skill that pairs with [AI].”
“Its that, kinda.”
“Please explain to me how you got a tier 26 skill?” Jen asked, incredulity practically smeared across her face.
“It's Not Hud, it's more of a… it tells me about things i focus on? I'm not even sure.” He said, turning and looking at Jen he squinted.
–Jenna Price–
Human Tier 1
Fire Cat Bloodline Rank1
“I'm almost sure its because I was stressed about not knowing what's happening.” Charles said.
“Oh this is BS.” Jen said, “I want free skills”
“You can shoot fire out of your hands, i can see your name, its not exactly going to help me delve. ”Charles said, but even he knew how good this skill was.
“Besides, it cant tell me everything, like these bracelets.” He held up the rift reward they had gotten for their troubles.
–Item/Items–
N/A
“It just says N/A, that's not useful.”
“Shure, I need a nap.” Jen said, curling up against Charles.
