Chapter 24 [Roles]

“Ya really let this bloke tote aroun’ a whole veranda?” Locke stared disbelievingly at the table and chairs Nathaniel had just dragged from his storage space. Nathaniel ignored the question, opting instead to arrange the seating.

Aurora’s Cards had already been removed from their slots and were neatly displayed in front of her. She sat patiently with a pen in hand, pad in front, and her copy of the Card Compendium—handed out to all students of the Academy on the first day of their final year—open in her lap.

The Academy’s Card Compendium—another benefit of joining the Academy. It wasn’t as extensive as the Advanced Compendiums that were only available to the top brass of many factions, but there were many more Cards documented within it than the basic rendition that all Wielders had access to.

I stood from my place by the fire and chose the seat opposite her. Nathaniel and I had scoured the area and David was keeping watch. Rosie sat on my shoulder kicking her legs back and forth, resting after having cast Nature’s Concealment across the campsite and into the woods beyond. Francis and Larry sat nearby, just within range of the Cube of Obscurity’s Effects.

It’s unlikely that any divination-focused Wielders powerful enough to pierce so many veils would bother with our group. I glanced at Nathaniel, who’d just taken one of the two empty seats and placed his shimmering silver Deck Box on the table. Even his presence wouldn’t warrant such treatment.

Locke plopped down in the chair opposite Nathaniel and pulled a simple leatherbound box from his side. Childish images of masks with different expressions decorated the sides, drawn with the ink meant to be used for his scribe work if I had to guess.

Using the Church of Liberation’s assets to draw characters on his Deck Box… Nabbing some important tome from right under their noses—in their capitol, no less… I’m unsure whether to be more impressed by the boy’s boldness or his fortune for still having both his hands. I can’t imagine what Nicholas had to do in order to protect him for so long.

“Is everyone settled?” Aurora tapped her pen lightly on the table, then turned to me after getting the others’ attention. “Where should we begin, Rowan?”

It’s much too early to reveal everything… I leaned back in the plush chair that Nathaniel had provided and stared at my cane’s pommel. “We’ll start with today’s yields before moving forward with some more… delicate matters. Locke, if you would.”

“You got it!” Locke pulled out the drawstring bag that he’d had resting under his tattered shirt and carefully dumped its contents onto the center of the table. Several dimly glowing shards tumbled out along with the five Cards that I’d looked over earlier.

No one had any interest in the Ability dropped by the Fallen Beast I’d slain, so I left it in my pocket and added the Essence I’d pulled from it to the pile. Nathaniel did the same.

“One thousand seven hundred sixty-three Essence. Divided four ways is four hundred forty Essence with three remaining.” I tossed a single Rank Three Essence from my pouch to Locke. His look of shock as the rock hit his forehead showed his lack of awareness. He blushed, coughed embarrassedly, then pocketed the small shard that fell in his lap. “We’ve yet to start sharing and I can already tell that your Perception needs work. Your eyes haven’t left that Summon since it left your pouch. Can I assume you’d like to roll for it?”

The boy’s eyes widened. “R-Really? I-I could… claim… tha’?”

“But the Essence…” Aurora started to speak but I cut her off with a pointed look at the eel that was wrapped around her forearm. She snapped her mouth closed and returned to whatever she’d been writing in her book.

“Tha’s too much…” Locke shook his head. “I ain’t been with ya but a day, Rowan. It jus’ wouldn’t feel right. Yer the one with the Blessin’ fer it! Why don’t you take it?”

“Mmm…” Nathaniel grunted and nodded toward the boy. “I’m in agreement. It hasn’t been Levelled but it’s sure to gain some of its toxic Skills. Wouldn’t they synergize with your over time Effects?”

I shook my head. “The thought to take either the Summon or the Blessed Spell did cross my mind, but neither are suitable for my end build. Am I to assume that you have no interest in it, Nathaniel?”

“No.” He reached over and spun the Card so that the image was facing him. Under his breath he added, “Though I must admit… it’s much more appealing than the eel.”

I turned to Aurora. Thankfully she hadn’t heard that comment, but the eel’s head had lifted, and its eyes were slitted toward Nathaniel.

“Aurora?” I asked.

“I already have my Ivy.” She smiled and stroked the slimy creature’s head. The eel turned toward Nathaniel and stuck out its second set of teeth like a child sticking out their tongue.

“And the other three?” I looked around to see everyone shaking their heads.

“Very good.” I stacked the Cards and placed them in one of my inner pockets. “Between these and the Lepus horns, the sales will be more than enough to get what we need on our return. Aurora, Locke, you’ll both be needing wardrobes more suited for spending months in the wilderness. We’ll make a trip to Mekelian’s as soon as the Summon sells—I’m sure it won’t take Crook long to find a buyer. Our first stop will be one of the Guilds… I have an acquaintance who can assist us in testing our Essence Limits without going through the Church. Once that’s done, we’ll have an idea of what’s required to improve our capacities. Ahh… and Nathaniel, of course I’ll provide compensation for what you’ve had to leave behind.”

He waved away my offer. “Consider it my own contribution for what’s been lost to my weapon.”

“Then we’ll call it even. Aside from a secondary weapon to keep that from being an issue in the future, is there anything else you need?” I asked him. “Relics? Cards you’ll need to fill out your build?”

“Nothing specific.” He gestured at the two stacks of Cards in front of him. The smaller of the two stacks contained his Foundations and Tame Creature while the other was full of Enhancements. “I’m comfortable with my role as the Party’s guardian unless someone more suitable happens along. The spots I have open were left in the hopes that I come across something unique in my ascension.”

“With any luck, you’ll regret not having left more openings.” I chuckled and faced Aurora, who had just finished dividing the Essence. She pushed a pile toward each of us, then scribbled something in her notebook. “And you? Though we’ve only scratched the surface of the Tower’s dangers, you’ve improved greatly since our first encounter. Tell me what you’ve learned.”

Aurora placed her pen on the table and folded her hands together. She remained silent for a full minute, staring at her Cards and twirling her thumbs with a thoughtful gaze. Locke opened his mouth to speak, and I tapped him on the arm with the butt of my cane then shook my head.

“I’m not strong.” Aurora’s answer came before the boy could blurt out whatever was on his mind. That didn’t keep his nature from getting the better of him.

“Eh?” Locke looked offended. “If ya ain’t strong then wha’s that make me? Some kind o’ wet noodle?”

Now this is unexpected. I replayed the emotions that had flicked across her face before she answered. I’ll have to keep an eye on her. Self-reflection is difficult at any age… but for one so young? Either she’s a prodigy at introspection or her confidence has been shattered. My own doing, I’m sure.

“Nathaniel. Rowan. You’ve both proven that to me time and again… A forty-percent survival rate.” She closed her eyes and sighed. “Over and over Miss Warren preached that fact. Of those who choose to ascend without the aid of one of the factions, less than half make it to the Tenth Floor. I never thought it possible that I could be on the wrong side of that statistic.”

“Hah! I thought I knew everything.” Tears fell from her eyes when she reopened them, and she quickly wiped them away. She smiled and started laughing. “I’m sorry. It’s just funny, you know? To graduate at the top of the Academy and then freeze up the first time I faced a Beast. If I’d ascended alone… well… the Academy’s top student wouldn’t have made it through the Second Floor.”

“A major flaw. Always has been.” I pointed my thumb at Nathaniel. “I can assure you that he faced worse before his tenth year. Those who fund the Academy provide more information and better combat training than can be found on the street, true. But what they offer pales in comparison to actual experience. The professors have never undergone combat outside of controlled environments. The Academy is nothing more than a front—a way for the Council to monitor and control Wielders as they ascend.”

Three sets of eyes turned in my direction, each of them displaying different emotions. I coughed and scratched my cheek. “All that to say… you shouldn’t feel down, Aurora. You just weren’t prepared.”

“And you were?” she asked quickly but never allowed me to answer. “No, never mind. It doesn’t matter. What matters is that you were right. I studied every affordable option and built my Deck in the way I thought would best allow me to achieve my goals alone. Weak blocks. Weak attacks. Weak utility. My research led me to Cards that fall under the mystic category.”

“Affordable. Available. Variety of different uses.” I stated simply, neither affirming nor belittling her choice.

“The practical exams only focused on skill, not power. Whether or not you could find and strike your target in a timely and accurate manner. There was nothing to measure the strength of your attacks or stability of your defences.” She sighed and shook her head. “Anyway, working with Locke today inspired me.”

“It did?” Locke asked, shocked.

Aurora ignored him.

“Rowan, you told me that I needed to decide exactly what sort of back line fighter I wanted to be…” She looked down at the Cards evenly spaced out before her. “I’ll have to replace most of these but… I don’t want to be a fighter at all. I think… what I’d like is to help guide the flow of our engagements.”

“Is that so?” I considered her actions in the day’s battle. It’s not an awful choice. Aurora is intelligent. Precise. Has no trouble dividing her attention. Her recent lack of confidence could be an issue, but she seems to be taking steps to remedy that…

“You’ll need to study more than just the basic Party tactics that were taught in the Academy,” I said seriously. “Though it’s not common since it tends to take away from a Party’s overall damage output or defensive capabilities, a good overseer can be a great asset.”

“Overseer?” Locke asked curiously.

“Similar to a guardian, rogue, healer, or any other generalization of a Party member’s specific duties,” Nathaniel answered. “The current heir of the York Family is an overseer. Emelia. I’ve heard that she’s a conductor.”

“Now I jus’ feel like yer makin’ up words,” Locke complained.

“What did they teach you at the Church?” Aurora asked with a hint of pity in her tone.

He shrugged. “Only our letters. The Priest talked an’ we wrote whatever he said an’ then we ate before scrubbin’ the halls.”

The rest of us exchanged glances before Aurora explained, “There are two types of overseers. Conductors and manipulators. Both use Cards that help them see the battlefield and make plans based on what they believe the enemy will do next. Conductors use this information to guide their fellow Party members while manipulators alter the battlefield or limit their opponents’ options to force them into compromising positions.”

“I… think I get it.” Locke scratched his head. “An’ which one are you gonna be?”

“I’m not sure.” Aurora turned to me. “What are your thoughts?”

“There’s no need to devote yourself to a single role.” I smiled and tapped the top of my unopened Deck Box. “While it may be true that history’s most renowned Wielders have such builds… it also happens to be true that they had very little to do with pushing humanity forward. Why don’t you jot down a list of the roles that resonate with you, then we can go over their synergies and the pros and cons of each?”

Without responding, Aurora lifted her pen and resumed writing in her notebook. I shifted my chair slightly and gave my full attention to the newest member of our Party.

“I know that you admire Nick. I know that most of the Cards in your Deck are what he was able to remove before you fled the First Floor.” I recalled my own past and how I’d refused to remove the Cards that had belonged to my father—a decision that placed me on the path of a dueller from a young age. “Wielding a supporting build is indeed a noble aspiration… but tell me, Locke. Are you sure that’s what you want? You’ve seen it for yourself. Should we find a reliable method to overcome your Origin Card… with the diversity it can give you… well, your potential as a spellcaster is boundless.”

“Ye think so...?” Locke’s eyes glazed over, and I could only imagine the visions of grandeur the boy was dreaming up. I’d seen much throughout my years and could safely say that whatever he imagined… it wasn’t close to the pinnacle of what humanity had reached.

I wonder if any who’d reached those heights survived in the end… Still, that’s not enough. We’ll have to surpass even that should we hope to save anyone but ourselves.

“The lot o’ you said more than one role is doable, yeah?” Locke pointed his thumb toward Aurora.

“That’s right.” I smiled and patted him on the shoulder. “It’s all in the Cards, lad. Every role has synergy with every other role… At the same time, taking two or more roles and throwing random Cards from each into your build can leave you weak and damn near useless. A warrior with Spells that enhance his shield and sword can hold off a wave while his Party picks off larger threats. If that same swordsman chose long-range Spells or Abilities that didn’t augment his choice of weapon, the swarm would storm by him, and his allies would be overrun. None of the tomes you copied for the Church covered this…?”

“Hahahaha! That ol’ codger only had us copyin’ the Word an’ the silly songs. you want me to sit by the fire an’ whistle a tune? I’m the right man for it! I’ll quote ya the first half o’ the Word front an’ back if ya like. Can’t do the second half seein’ as another temple did that. May be why none o’ that mess made any sense to me.” Locke hung his head after his rant and released a heavy sigh. “I only wanted to know, Rowan. I didn’t want ol’ Nick to be tossed out. He loved helpin’ those folks that came in from the forest. Even treated some for free when that other bastard weren’t lookin’.”

I gently squeezed his shoulder before settling back into my chair. “Nicholas doesn’t regret a thing, Locke. Take my word for it.”

“Yeah. Ol’ Nick is the good sort. When I was dumped on ‘em by the hooded fella he treated me like I was his own. Now he’s gone an’ dumped me on another. Ha!” Locke lifted his head and grinned.

So… he knows.

“Thanks for havin’ me on, Rowan. An’ don’t tell ol’ Nick if you see him again… he still thinks I don’t know nothin’ about me folks.” The boy waggled his eyebrows. “I been readin’ his letters for years. Jus’ my luck none o’ the damned things talked about this build business, so I hope steerin’ me right won’t bring ya any trouble.”

“Ha. Not at all.” I returned the boy’s smile. “I’ll do my utmost to ensure you have what you need to reach your goals… as soon as you tell us what those goals are.”

“That’s an easy one!” Locke declared. “I don’t wanna lose what ol’ Nick gave me. As for the rest… I wanna expose the dirties of the Church. The lot of you help me with that an’ I’ll do anythin’ you ask. Now how’s about we get to the fun stuff?”

“In a hurry, are we?” I chuckled. “Alright. Let’s get started, then.”