Touch of Fate

"There." Tal commented blandly from his side, indicating the speck of darkness on the horizon. "Land."

"I'm not really one to speak of auspicious events or anything, but I can't help but feel that this might be a good omen." Morris added relaxedly while leaning on the railing.

The weather was exquisite, with the warmth of a clear sunny day moderated by a cool breeze. Combined with the shockingly blue waters of the ocean, it almost felt like they were looking at a painting of some tropical paradise.

[All we need now is an island with white sand and a few palm trees.] Mike thought while savoring the sight.

The Huntsman was set to arrive in Gildusi by late afternoon, and he had to admit to feeling a little bit of cabin fever. The demi-realm was useful for its purposes, but it lacked a certain freedom that he'd come to take for granted. He was more than ready to get out and stretch his legs on some real ground.

"Excited?" Tal asked, perhaps sensing his mood.

"Of course. I've spent the entirety of my time in this world on the Central Continent, so I'm looking forward to seeing what else Ea has to offer."

"Speaking of seeing, I don't think I've seen the others for a while." Morris said while glancing down the length of the ship. "That's normal enough for Sera nowadays, but Lily…"

Briefly consulting his Aerosense, Mike located both party members. "Sera's practicing her foresight in the bilge at the moment, and Lily is currently in her cabin. By all appearances, she is only reading a book, but I suppose that doesn't entirely rule out the possibility of something more dangerous going on. If it makes you feel any better, William is nearby, mending one of her dresses."

The bard gave him a slightly sour look, but nevertheless relaxed. "I don't think I'll ever get used to you doing that...Anyway, it seems like Sera's training is coming along nicely. You must be proud."

"At this point, any progress she makes is the product of her own efforts. I'll pick up the training again once she's exhausted her current methods, but there is not much left for me to do until then." Mike replied with a shrug. The Oracle had been managing her own training for much of the last week, only relying on him to provide sufficiently difficult opponents.

He didn't mind, of course, since it gave him a chance to practice his Summoning Magic while simultaneously working on other things. Most recently, he'd improved his smithing skills to the point he was able to forge a few basic steel swords for his own personal use. This proved to be the breakthrough point he needed to move into Intermediate Blacksmithing, and subsequently unlocked another skill.

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- Intermediate Blacksmithing (Tier 2, Rank 2) -

The art of fashioning a variety of implements and items out of forged metal. Moderate system correction to practitioner's knowledge and ability in regards to smithing. Functions as the Prerequisite and Limiter for all other forms of smithing.

- Basic Weaponsmithing (Tier 2, Rank 1) -

Practiced smiths can learn the art of forging metal into weapons of war. Minor system correction to practitioner's knowledge and ability in regards to smithing. Minor enhancement to the durability and effect of weapons crafted by the practitioner.

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[It seems that it's a basic principle of crafting skills to stack enhancements from multiple abilities and titles in order to create stronger gear. I wonder if there are more specific skills, like Sword Smithing or something to that effect that I can eventually acquire. If that's the case, I'd better wait until my skills have improved before investing too heavily in the materials necessary for me to make a more permanent weapon.]

While lost in thought, he idly adjusted the weapon resting on his hip. The rest of his creations were currently sitting within his personal storage space, ready to be pulled free at a moment's notice. He suspected that he'd have an issue with his weapons breaking again, now that he'd gone back to using swords.

[While the Fang of the Primal has definitely served me well up to this point, it really has to be a sword for me. Nothing else quite fits as well.]contemporary romance

"We were just talking about you. All done with training?" Morris spoke up suddenly, breaking him out of his thoughts.

"As much as I can be." Sera grumbled. "I've hit another block and it doesn't feel like my skill is improving any more." She glanced over at Mike. "I might need your help again."

There was a slight hitch in her voice which suggested that she wasn't completely comfortable with asking for his help again, which seemed odd to him considering the events of the last couple weeks. Finally, though he dismissed it as yet another instance of her overthinking things.

"Let me guess, you are having a hard time making any progress just using rats as training partners?"

She nodded. "But even your summons haven't been helping as of late. I feel like there is some component of the skill that I'm missing."

[I guess it's time to move onto phase two.]

"Then I think I might have a solution for you. I was actually planning on taking the party to a dungeon at our first opportunity. It would give us a chance to practice our teamwork and skills simultaneously, and Audra could use some more mana cores to supplement her diet."

The little dragon had all but emptied his supply recently, and he would need to top up at the first opportunity. Thankfully, the expense had largely paid off, as his familiar was back to being the energetic ball of mischief she usually was.

"Oh? You're planning on taking all of us? That's interesting." Morris broke in. "While I don't mind the opportunity to train, I doubt I'll be able to keep up with the rest."

"Hmph. I'm sure you'll be fine. You fought in the war, after all." Sera replied with a shrug.

"You forget, I've been watching your training over the last few days, and I can safely say that I would have been dead many times over if I had to fight the things you faced. No amount of wartime experience could have prepared me for that."

Mike gave his friend a sidelong glance. It didn't appear that Morris was feeling jealous or discouraged. Rather it looked like he'd come to some kind of realization and resigned himself to his current situation.

[Is he trying to keep his distance? I don't think he's gotten a companion title yet, or at least he hasn't mentioned it. Could he maybe be feeling down about it? Or is it something else?]

Sera was a bit taken aback by the bard's comments. She'd obviously spent so long considering herself as the group's weak link that she didn't know what to do when confronted with someone that told her the opposite. So, unsurprisingly, she didn't know how to respond.

"I wouldn't worry too much about keeping up." Mike answered for her. "I was intending on making this a multi-day process done in phases. You know how dungeon progress is determined based on the majority of the party? I'm thinking that if I take a group of two in with me, we can clear it multiple times in order to maximize the benefits."

Morris blinked, and then rubbed his chin. "That could work. It runs against the Guild's recommendations, since you usually want to bring as much firepower as possible to the dungeon in the event that you run into a dangerous situation, but if we have a Tier 4 to escort all of the groups…That should work."

Mike waved dismissively. After all, having a high level character escorting newbies through challenging content was a basic powerleveling strategy. To be completely honest, the idea seemed so fundamental to him that he was a little confused as to why it would be considered unusual in this world.

"Can't explore together." Tal muttered too quietly for anyone but Mike with his Tier 4 senses to hear. It sounded like she was a bit disappointed.

"Well, this is all hypothetical at the moment. I don't even know if there is a dungeon anywhere close by." He replied with a shrug.

"Hm?" Morris looked surprised. "Isn't there two right near the city?"

"Is there?"

"Yeah. Haven't you heard about the Screaming Dark? The high difficulty dungeon where the entrance looks like a bottomless pit. It is said to be particularly deadly, but the rewards are commensurately quite high." He explained, briefly falling into his lecture mode.

[...The hell? That sounds like an optional endgame dungeon from an RPG.]

"As to the other, I believe it was called the Seaside Citadel or something to that effect, a rare ascending dungeon that features large open rooms filled with a mix of aquatic and flying monsters. It's considered on the lower end of the mid tier difficulty, so we should have no problem with it.��

"Ah, is that so?" Mike asked absent mindedly while mentally planning.

[Based purely on their names, I'm guessing the Citadel should come first, but I bet Sera will do quite well in the Screaming Dark. We should definitely hit it up, if we have the time.]

"Anyway, I wasn't intending on spending the entire day in the dungeon. What's the point of traveling if we don't take some time to see the sights? The way I figure it, we can delve for several hours at a time, and then come back out to enjoy the city."

"Sounds good to me." Morris commented. "Gildusi is supposed to be a major cultural center. I'd love to get the chance to check out a few of their museums and libraries."

"Ah! I nearly forgot!" Sera suddenly exclaimed.

"What?"

"Gildusi's famous desserts! I need to try them all!" She replied fiercely, more determination in her eyes than he'd ever seen before.

"...Okay? That shouldn't be too hard. I've got the money for it, after all."

"Alright!" She cheered.

[Despite everything else, I guess she's still a girl at heart.]

They spent the remainder of the journey chatting amicably about what they planned on doing once they arrived. Morris in his usual fashion was able to provide complex details about the many attractions and points of interest in the city and its surrounding areas, despite never having been there.

Gildusi itself proved to be quite fascinating, even from a distance. Built into the side of a seacliff surrounding a natural harbor, the city had an unusual tiered appearance, with five layers stretching from the water to the top of the cliff in a manner that reminded him of stadiums from earth. As they got closer, it became apparent that these different layers were connected to one another by an intricate system of pulleys and lifts. These were constantly in motion, giving the city a bustling and dynamic appearance.

Careful examination told them that each layer had different styles of buildings, with the ones closer to the water looking more industrial while those higher up appearing more residential. The highest layer seemed to be reserved for a series of large buildings that were either elaborate mansions or some kind of religious structures, with one notable exception.

On the northernmost section of the top layer was an elaborate and sprawling building with seven massive spires of varying heights rising from its imposing bulk. Mike was staring at it, trying to work out its purpose when Morris broke in to explain.

"That's Skyreach University, the foremost educational institution in the Riverlands. While they can't exactly compete with the University of Almir in terms of the breadth of subject matter, they are among the best when it comes to training fighters. The graduates of this university have successfully protected their homelands from several Mirithian invasions, decades of Dovistani expansionism, and centuries of raiding from the people of the western steppes. It is said that the Inland Sea Region's greatest generals all spent some time studying here, including the Serpent of Almir himself."

Morris's face turned a bit grim at that last tidbit, and he spent the rest of the trip silently regarding the imposing building. Thankfully, the currents proved cooperative, and they were docking within the hour.

Mike took a few moments to thank the crew of the Huntsman, passing the captain a stack of gold for their 'troubles.' At first they were disinclined to accept it, but he eventually succeeded in pressuring them to take it.

Thus they bid farewell to the ship that had been their home for a few weeks and stepped out onto the Gildusi docks, fully prepared for the next phase in their grand adventure.

"Oh my gods! It's really him! I can't believe it!" A voice suddenly screamed out from the crowded streets lining the harbor, causing a general commotion.

"Crap!" Mike exclaimed, ducking behind Lily, who happened to be the largest member of the group. "I knew I should have worn a disguise."

"I don't think you need to worry." Sera commented, obviously amused. "They're not talking about you."

"Huh?"

Glancing around, he realized that the crowd was focusing its attention on someone else entirely.

A skinny man stopped to catch his breath nearby, not even bothering to look in their direction. As soon as he was able to, he exclaimed. "It's really him! The legendary Mythril Chef, Korgan Hammerfist himself! I need to get him to autograph my copy of his cookbook!"

[Convenient exposition aside, what the hell is going on here?] He found himself thinking as he watched the growing crowd of people.

done.co