Chapter 12: Tipping the Scales

“You wouldn’t… I mean, could you? It… I just… But…” Astrid’s trail of thoughts trickled off as the possibility of a life incarcerated filled her mind.

“Go ahead and show me your Status, Astrid.” Grom spoke gently. She didn’t say anything as she willed it to appear in front of her so Grom could see it.

STATUS

Name: Astrid

Class: Warrior (Bronze)

Total Level: 1 (94/1,000)

Attributes

Current

Per level growth

Power

13

+5

Alacrity

10

+3

Fortitude

13

+5

Magical Potency

6

+1

Self-Mastery

7

+1

Acumen

7

+1

SKILL LIST

Blunt Weapon’s Mastery (Bronze)

Shield Wielding (Bronze)

Quick Recovery (Untiered)

“Your attributes are high.” Grom whistled as he read through everything that made Astrid who she was. Then, as he got to the Skill List, he saw her three Skills. “You weren’t lying about the two Bronze Skills. Even so, that…”

The sudden silence in the middle of his sentence put Astrid on edge. She looked at the Iron tier delver in front of her, and fought to keep herself from demanding that he speak to her. Instead, she nervously shifted from one foot to the next as Grom maintained eye contact with her. After he needed to think for a short time, he whispered, “You have a healing Skill?”

“Um. Kinda?” Astrid shrugged. “It lets me recover 10% of my health, stamina, and mana.”

“That’s not a kinda.” Grom shook his head. “It’s once an hour, right?”

“Yes, sir.” Astrid replied, not sure what this had to do with the trial she was currently in. Even so, answering his questions and not causing problems seemed like it was her best current option.

“It’s been a while since…” Grom’s voice trailed off. He mumbled to himself, and Astrid just stood there in silence. Eventually, he’d make his decision, and interrupting wouldn’t help. It was less than a minute, though Astrid felt her sweat dripping down her back as it passed. Eventually, Grom looked back at her.

“Look. There’s a couple things that’re working together on making this not as bad for you as it could be. Number one, I don’t think you could have killed Tobias even if you were trying. You don’t have an active Skill, and if you’d’ve been putting in real effort to kill him, then there’d be injuries on both sides. Going with that is number two, you didn’t actually hurt anyone. Number three, you’ve got too much potential and too little proof to show you had killing intent. I… dammit. I… Yeah. Here’s what’s going to happen. I’ll stop acting like you’re in deeper trouble than you really are and talk straight with you, as a fellow delver.

"That said, what I’m gonna offer is about as good as I can manage with you having swung a weapon on an unarmed Healer in your party. I’ll give you two official strikes. That sounds bad, but in reality, all that means is that you need to stay on the straight and narrow. Can’t engage with Tobias at all. You’ll be unable to party with anyone without my express permission, and, as a ‘punishment’, you’ll be under constant supervision by one of the highest level people in Schteld.”

Astrid’s heart dropped. He said the “punishment” with a strange emphasis, but it meant nothing. This was effectively a sentence to no more experience until she got permission to party up again. She pursed her lips and nodded once as her breath shuddered.

“Ok, you don’t get it.” Grom resumed speaking. “You are in an immensely unique position. At low levels, the main reason that parties exist is simply because there need to be delvers to kill the monsters, and other delvers to keep the killers from dying. It’s only in Iron or even Steel tier sections of the Dungeon that there’s actually a need for a breakdown of party balancing. With Quick Recovery and your Bronze Skills, you can fill both sides of the low level party. You can keep yourself from dying with your Skills, and have a heal in your back pocket just in case. You’ve shown you can kill plenty of wargs. As such, you don’t really need a party, especially with your attributes already being as high as they are. You can get all that experience and progress through the slowest, most dangerous first levels without any real trouble. When we get to the higher echelons of Bronze, then you can find a party that suits your capabilities instead of fitting in with the mediocre.

“If you’re wondering how I plan on you getting through here without too much trouble, here it is. You’re not in a party, but because you’re ‘trouble’, someone still needs to keep an eye on you. Other than Guild Representatives, the highest level we have is Lariche, and she’s a Healer. That means she’ll have at least one other person with her. When I’m available, I’ll be keeping an eye on you whenever you leave the inn. If I’m not, Lariche will. If not her, we’ll request that you stay here. That said, you won’t be partying with anyone right now. Do you understand the opportunity you’re being given here now?”

“I… won’t be sharing my experience, but I’ll have people supporting me?” Astrid couldn’t believe what she was being pushed to think.

“That’s right.” Grom nodded. “Look, you don’t really belong here. You’ve got a bit of a temper and you’re only level 1, but in every other way, you’re head and shoulders above everyone else I’ve observed around here. If I’m not mistaken, there are a total of seven Bronze Skills in this branch of the Guild. There are 37 delvers. I have three Bronze Skills. Lariche has one. Willem has one. You have the rest. Do you understand how impressive that is?”

Astrid’s mouth hung open as she attempted to understand everything that Grom was saying to her. He continued, uncaring if she was overwhelmed.

“I didn’t talk about it before because I wanted to keep you around for longer. You’d help this little neck of the Dungeon a lot if you stuck around for most of a year. That’s not an option any more. If that’s the case and you’re gonna end up being on probation for as long as you’re here, I’m going to hurry that up for you.”

“So… instead of having to deal with Tobias, I’m effectively going to be getting triple the experience while learning from the best delvers in Schteld?” Astrid clarified.

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“Yes.”

Astrid chuckled. “Then hurry up and put me on probation!”

“With pleasure. I’d appreciate you keeping off the smile while I get you in trouble, though.”

“If you insist, sir.” Astrid peeled the smile off her face as Grom commanded. The whirlwind of emotions that’d beaten her for the past evening was enough that she didn’t need to do anything more than relax herself. A scowl settled naturally over her face, and Grom nodded approvingly. He leaned over his desk and pushed on something Astrid couldn’t see before he raised his voice.

“Come back in here!”

Tobias entered so quickly that Astrid suspected he’d been listening at the door to see what he could glean.

“Don’t act as if you could hear anything.” Grom warned the Healer. “The door’s enchanted, and there’s nothing you can do about it. Now, I’ve come to my final conclusion. Astrid Warrior did attack Tobias Healer, but her intent wasn’t death or even maiming. As such, she’s spared from immediate expulsion and instead, Astrid Warrior has been given two strikes and placed on probation. She will be kept from partying with anyone except for under extenuating circumstances, and will be kept under strict supervision until she has reached level 6. At that point, one of her strikes will be removed from the record, and she will be allowed to attempt to rejoin a party once again.”

Tobias pursed his lips, obviously unhappy that she hadn’t been thrown out entirely, but even so, he wasn’t so unhappy that he couldn’t shoot a smug glance Astrid’s way. She had to work her jaw to keep from smiling, and the furious movement of her jaws seemed to make him happier. If the idiot thought she was suffering, then let him think it. As he thought her angry, he grinned more, seemingly pleased that she was miserable at this level of punishment.

“Now, Tobias Healer, you and your party’s punishment is that you cannot be in the same area as Astrid Warrior unless I too am present. The rules for this are that the first party to be somewhere has the right of continued occupancy, within the bounds of reason. If Astrid Warrior is in the dining area, then Tobias Healer and his party cannot be there. The same goes the opposite way. However, if someone begins maliciously staying certain places so as to prevent the other party from using basic facilities, it will count as an additional strike. Beyond that…”

Grom continued detailing the way that the parties would have to comport themselves. More and more, it seemed like rules that would further limit Tobias and Svana specifically from making Astrid’s life miserable. She fought to control her facial expressions, and finally, when Grom was finished, she bowed stiffly and stalked out of the office. SHe’d be the first to get the food, then go to wash off, then get some rest. Then, tomorrow would be a better day.

***

Grom

Grom chuckled to himself as the ugly Healer strutted out of his office. What a self-centered waste of a Class. He was so concerned with not having to work that he was actively harming the Guild’s interests. That Grom had been told to keep the Healer here as long as possible to ensure that the others he’d spurned would be able to be at least one Skill tier higher than Tobias before he moved on was an ask that he didn’t enjoy having to honor. Even so, that was the job, and Grom was a good Guild Representative.

Tomorrow, Grom would begin working in earnest on getting Astrid some more levels. With just one more level, she would be able to damage a level 5 warg, given her Power and Skills. He wouldn’t need to use Skills to keep her safe at that point. When she hit level 3, Grom was confident the girl would be able to take on a level 5 warg without assistance. When she got her fourth Skill… maybe she’d be able to take on the level 6 Boss by herself.

“The only question is if she’ll be able to upgrade Quick Recovery to Bronze at 6.” Grom mused aloud to himself as he settled into his chair and leaned back. “If she can, that’ll make it even easier for her to work alone. And even if she can’t, she’ll have it at Bronze at 16 at the latest. So, just a couple years at most?”

He chuckled to himself as he leaned forward, taking a quill in hand. As he wrote the explanation of Astrid’s potential, he couldn’t help but start his explanation with, “Astrid Warrior is Burning Brighid’s daughter, and I’m sure that the woman herself would sing her daughter’s praises. Since she’s not a member of the Guild, I will instead.”

***

Astrid

As she’d planned, Astrid outmaneuvered Tobias’s party at every step that night. Watching them stuck watching her eat another two servings of dinner while Grom announced the two parties’ punishments was the dessert she didn’t have to pay for. Then, Once they finally were permitted to eat, Astrid made her way to the baths and took her sweet time soaking in the cool water, scrubbing herself from head to toe and making sure that there were no remnants of her wounds. Then, after pumping another Quick Recovery just because she could, she continued soaking long enough for Svana to poke her head into the bath and glare at her. Then, she took another two minutes.

After dressing in casual clothing, Astrid rolled her shoulders and walked out into the hallway, where she pointedly ignored the fuming Scout. In the main room of the inn, she locked eyes with Lariche who smiled and crooked her finger over at Astrid for her to come. Astrid obliged, and when she arrived at Lariche’s party’s table, the Healer patted a chair nearby. As she settled into the chair, Lariche spoke.

“I’ve gotten a briefing. None of the juicy details, but it’s obvious you’ve caught Grom’s eye, and in a good way, so I’m not going to believe the worst of the rumors that’ll sprout about you.” Lariche leaned forward and scooted her stool closer with a grin. The petite woman shrugged as she wiggled her eyebrows. “So, tell me. Why are we boosting you until we leave?”

“Can’t I keep it a secret?” Astrid hoped.

“Well, yes. Of course.” Lariche huffed. “I wouldn’t force you to give me information when the Guild’s told me to do something. Right, guys?”

Her party echoed the sentiment, two laughing ruefully as Lariche continued, “But I really wanna know. So tell me!”

“I…” Astrid hesitated, nearly saying it. In the end, though, she decided not to, and sighed. “Grom think’s I’ve got good potential. Says I have potential to get a blessing from the Great One.”

Lariche sat up, excitedly dancing in her seat. “You already have a Bronze Skill? Wow. What is it? Is it your Active? Oh, that’s so exciting! Good for you!”

The enthusiastic Healer made Astrid smile, thinking of the girl who should have been there beside her. Ahna… was she just baking away her days now? Getting visits from Jan when he wasn’t training or patrolling? Maybe, now that they were both Classed, they’d get engaged. Ahna’s father didn’t like Jan, but he hadn’t been able to get rid of him so far, so…

Astrid shook the thoughts from her head. “It’s my weapon Skill.”

“Good for you!” Lariche repeated, clapping her hands just once or twice. “You must have practiced so much to get that. I bet your parents are proud. You worked hard and were blessed with the Class you wanted and a great Skill!”

Astrid shook her head, unable to agree with Lariche’s guesses. When Lariche cocked her head, it was mirrored by most of the party around her. Astrid sighed as she smiled.

“Well, I’m about to owe you a whole lot more than just a story. I suppose I can start this off with my history. It started when I was a girl, and I heard the stories of my mom’s service on the southern Bulwark. You see, she was born there, just a few kilometers north of the border. At her Bestowal…”

Astrid continued her explanation of how she came to want to be a delver, and serve as one of the Duchess’s chosen protectors. For their part, Lariche and her party were good listeners, oohing and aahing at all the right moments. When she explained how her plans for a perfect party fell perfectly apart, commiserating voices filled the space, and most faces looked at one of their members, who pursed his lips and shrugged. When she finally explained what happened with Tobias, Lariche nodded slowly. There wasn’t anything else that Astrid wanted to explain, so she left off. As the silence fell over them, Lariche spoke, a much more severe look than before on her face.

“There’s one thing I don’t get.”

“And what’s that?” Astrid asked.

“Why are you so sensitive about being called a Barbarian? Sure, they’re people who were twisted by the first surges and we’re always fighting over the southern borders, but… there’s no reason to get so angry about it, is there?”

Astrid fought to keep herself from bristling at the question. Of course Lariche, the petite, pretty Healer who looked just like the ideal woman should didn’t get it. Instead of snapping at her, Astrid calmed herself before speaking. “There’s a couple reasons. The first is I hate having little kids run away from me in fear. They would scream and sprint away just as soon as I hit puberty, because I shot up to 180 cm real quick. A tall dark skinned redhead in a small town was a monster…”

She sighed, bitter memories filling her mind. Thoughts of how she’d been mistreated, treated like an adult who knew better than to take it personally. But she was just a girl, and her peers treated her like that…

“The other big one is that my father is an escaped human slave from the Hordes. I haven’t heard many of his stories about his life until he ‘stole’ a Class and ran away, but I’ve heard enough. I don’t want to be associated with them and everything they’ve done in the past 300 years.”

Lariche patted Astrid’s hand. “Of course. That makes sense. I’m sorry, I didn’t know.”

Astrid shrugged and stood. “I need some rest. I think I’ll stick to earlier mornings from now on, given how Tobias seems to hate mornings.”

“Good plan.”

“Oh, and before I forget, what are your names?” Astrid asked as she held out her hand to shake. Lariche, she already knew, and Matthias was easy to remember as a frontliner with an easy smile and shoulders that seemed to be nearly as wide as he was tall. Willem was their finisher and secondary frontliner, a Soldier with a buckler and shield at his feet. The other two were their Ranger, a lightly tanned woman called Calliope, and a Class Astrid hadn’t ever heard of: Mage-Errant. Thomas, the man with the Class, described it as, “the perfect Class for a delving mage!” She supposed she’d have to agree, and retreated to her room as soon as she’d gotten everyone’s introductions.

There, in the privacy of a single room, Astrid took care to place each part of her armor on the chair she’d set aside for that express purpose, and cleaned every part of the armor until it was entirely clean. Then, she inspected every part to ensure that there was no lasting damage she’d need to get repaired. Fortunately, there was none, and she threw herself into bed, unable to truly understand what’d happened today. From highs to lows to even greater highs. Would she truly be able to hit level 5 or even 6 before Matthias did? The only way to know was to test it out, and she would do that in the morning.

Sleep came, though it took longer than Astrid would have liked.