Bog Standard Isekai

Book 2. Chapter 17

Brin checked Marksi’s wound before he left the cave, but it didn’t look too bad. A scrape along his side, but it wasn’t too deep. He washed it out with clean water anyway, but that was all the doting Marksi would let him get away with.

Marksi hopped down to strut back and forth, proud of his new badge of courage. He marched on his stubby legs, long neck twisting around to see how his scratch interrupted the gleaming scales in the faint light.

“Yeah, it looks great. Very fierce. You look like a real [Warrior]!” said Brin.

Marksi nodded as if that was a given. He still had the little scar above his eye that he’d already had when they first met, the one that matched Brin’s own.

“We can’t stay down here. Hogg told us to get up top,” said Brin.

He didn’t leave right away, though. First he rooted around until he found a couple of sturdy sacks, which he filled all the way to bursting with stone. There was also a nice wooden bucket with a handle, and he filled that as well. Altogether it was probably two hundred pounds of stone, well within what he could carry.

At least that’s what he thought until he got to the tunnel. He’d forgotten how steep this thing was. Still, he wasn’t leaving without the rocks. He needed that glass. He was sick of working with little bits at a time. The slow pace had been good in the beginning when he’d needed lots of supervision to make sure he wouldn’t hurt himself or ruin his Ademir’s tools, but that time was past. When Brin stepped into the workshop with a month’s worth of materials, there was no way Ademir would tell him not to work after hours.

He huffed and puffed his way up the steep slope, careful to keep his feet from slipping. True, it would be smarter to just make two trips, but Hogg had told him to go up and not let anyone back down. This way, he was still technically doing what he was told.

Hopefully this would be a useless effort. Hopefully, they’d be able to get some more people down here to restart the mining and the town would be swimming with stone. But there was always the chance that Hogg would come back with an army on his heels and demand that they collapse the tunnel. Brin wasn’t going to risk it.

What was even the problem? Davi could knock out squats at this weight without breaking a sweat. Brin could at least do this much.

Step by heavy step, he made his way back up the slope and into Neptune’s workshop. He stepped outside and collapsed, letting his burden fall to the ground. He gulped in huge breaths of air, reveling in how fresh and clean it was. Compared to the stench in the cavern, this was paradise.

Above ground and safe as he’d ever be, he couldn’t resist another glance at his options. He’d gotten some Skill choices when they’d been ambushed.

Upgrade - Shape Glass Increased ability to transform glass. Increased ability to move glass. Improves mana efficiency. Upgrade - Heat Resistance

+50% increase to heat tolerance.

Summon Glass You can use your magic to call glass into being. This Skill grows with your understanding and experience working with glass.

Usually he didn’t choose a new Skill without consulting Hogg first, but this was probably an exception. They’d already decided that he’d pick it as soon as he got it and then evolve into [Illusionist].

It was crazy to him to think that today was the day that he’d be evolving into [Illusionist]. In all honesty, he liked making glass. It didn’t change his life goals; [Illusionist] was the better Class and the sooner he started learning how to use it the better. But the thought that he wouldn’t be able to gain any more levels by making glass with Ademir was bittersweet.

That wasn’t the whole story, though, he’d need to keep making glass by hand to keep [Shape Glass] and [Summon Glass] growing. His days making glass were far from over.

He selected [Summon Glass].

Nothing happened. It was good that nothing dramatic happened the way it had for [Memories of Glass]. He was supposed to be watching the mine, so he really shouldn’t go comatose right now, but shouldn’t something feel different?

He felt nothing, except residual nerves from the fight, the after-battle shakes.

He held out his hand, pulled on his magic, and concentrated on the thought of glass appearing there. Nothing happened.

Another thing didn’t happen: He didn’t get a notification alerting him about an optional Class change. Didn’t his inner-hims promise him that he’d get [Illusionist] at fifteen? The Illusionist had mentioned something about how he hadn’t earned it, but how could that be? He’d earned it at level one. Had he somehow unearned it?

The other option was that they were deliberately holding it back from him for some reason.

A short time later, an enormous mutant bull came charging across the fields. Brin had a moment of panic, thinking that Poco was here for him, but the bull planted himself firmly in front of the door to Neptune’s hut, taking a defensive posture. Right, he was making sure nothing came back up. Good thinking.

Marksi climbed up the bull’s leg and planted himself on Poco’s head, his tail wrapped around his neck to hold himself in place. He also stared at the entrance to Neptune’s mine with a look of determination. Marksi would protect them, too.

Bruna stepped around the tall fence around Neptune’s hole.

She stepped hesitantly, looking shamefaced. She should, considering how she’d just bolted and left Brin to die. Only, to be fair she’d left Brin with Hogg, which was the safest place a person could be, and he didn’t think [Witches] had much in the way of personal defense if their familiars weren’t around. He’d need to ask Hogg about that escape Skill, though.

He felt a little hurt that she’d run off on him, but he could sort that out later. He needed Bruna on his side. It wouldn’t be wise to let her think there was any bad blood between them.

He sighed in relief and said, “Oh, good, you’re alright! You had me worried. Good thinking about bringing Poco here. We don’t know what might come out of there. Hogg is investigating the cave, but he said not to let anyone in until he comes out. He’ll probably be gone awhile.”

“I also sent for the Prefit,” said Bruna.

“Smart,” said Brin.

Bruna nodded and looked down at the ground.

They waited in awkward silence for a bit, until Brin started to feel bad. He really didn’t blame her for running, he realized. She should have brought Poco along in the first place, but that was behind them now. He decided to change the subject.

“How’s Davi doing? With [Bard], I mean? I’ll be honest, I think that Class surprised everyone.”

Bruna’s reticence was immediately replaced by a warm smile as she thought of her son. “Not me. It didn’t surprise me at all.”

“Really? Do you have some [Bards] in the family? A grandparent?”

“Oh, heavens no. Although my great-grandmother was a [Dancer]. But no. I know the face Davi shows to the world, but he doesn’t hide who he is at home. That boy’s nose is never far from a book and he never misses a chance to hear a song. You see a boy who works an hour extra because that’s all he likes to do. I see a boy who’s mentally reciting an epic poem in his head and forgetting about everything else.”

“That… explains so much,” said Brin. “Why did he never tell us any of this?”

She crooked an eyebrow. “Maybe because the one time he tried to recite an epic you all laughed him to scorn.”

“Ok, no, that’s not what happened. We were all so impressed we didn’t know how to handle it, and that’s the truth. Dang, I should probably tell him that.”

She smiled and nodded. “You should. He sets great weight in your opinion. For whatever reason.”

Brin laughed. “Yeah, right. Come on.”

“I think you’d be surprised,” she said.

Bruna's head shot up, and Brin turned around to see what alarmed her. A man in full armor exited the town's gates. The Prefit. Normally the large man wore fine and formal clothes reflecting his station, so it became easy to forget his Class. Now he couldn't be confused for anything but a [Warrior]. The leather portions of his armor were stained white, and it was bolstered in place by plates of polished brass. He wore a thick crimson cape hooked around his neck with a clasp decorated like golden laurels.

"What's the situation?" he asked.

"We found out that Neptune had been killed and made into an undead," said Brin. "Our idea was to free him with a potion of Turn Undead. Did Hogg--"

"I was briefed," said the Prefit

"Ok, well, when we arrived Neptune saw us coming and retreated down into his cave. We pursued him down inside, and then captured him at the bottom. There's tons of stone down there. I brought some up..."

"Legally speaking, that stone still belongs to Neptune's family. His mother, I believe, is his only living relation."

Brni frowned at the two hundred pounds of stone he'd carried up. He'd practically killed himself hauling all that up the steep tunnel!

The Prefit noticed his look. "I believe we can work something out where you can keep the dragon's share. Please continue."

"We captured him and fed him the potion, but it didn't work. That's when we realized. Neptune wasn't made into an undead against his will. He was already free, so the potion didn't do anything. He must've turned himself through a pre-undead Class. He started yelling about Arcaena, his support for Arcaena I mean. Then a bunch of undead burst out from the piles of stone. Hogg killed them all. Bruna and I went back up to the surface after that, and Hogg went deeper in. He said that no one should go down there until after he comes back up."

The Prefit frowned at Bruna with fear mixed with disgust when Brin mentioned her. He knew she was a [Witch]. She smiled back but didn't speak.

Prefit Elmon looked away. "Very well. We'll remain and guard the entrance. By that I mean that I will guard the entrance. Bruna, perhaps you could tell me the story again from your perspective, including any details Brin may have missed."

"Very well, Prefit," said Bruna."

She went through the story again, telling it in full with all the little details that Brin had summarized. She included the part where she fled at the first sign of trouble, but omitted the part where she turned into a shadow bat thing and flew away. "I returned as soon as I could with Poco, and found Brin already--"

A rumbling sound came from underground, drawing all of their eyes to the cave. The sound came again, almost like a low, deep grinding. Then it turned to a more rhythmic beating sound, rapid, like a lot of footsteps.

The sunlight only illuminated the first thirty feet of the tunnel. After that, the change of the slope obscured it from view. He found himself creeping closer to get a better look.

Undead, lots of them, clad in tight black and carrying black weapons, flew into view, charging up the tunnel. They were wet. From underwater? But that was impossible. They'd come from Hogg's direction.

He stumbled back in surprise, but Marksi and Poco put him to shame by stepping forward bravely. The Prefit stepped in front of both of them and drew a broadsword, also made of the shining metal of his armor that Brin decided probably wasn't simple bronze. [Inspect] called them "Bog Standard Armor" and "Bog Standard Sword".

Brin brought up his spear and took a position behind the Prefit.

He needn't have bothered. Prefit Elmon parked his heavy frame right in the entrance of the tunnel. The undead would have to go through him if they wanted to get out. The first few charged into him all at once, but the tunnel wasn't really big enough to go more than single file and they got in each other's way.

He cut the first one down easily, and the third got tangled up with them before they hit the floor. The undead behind him wanted to keep running, and crashed into each other in a big zombie traffic jam. They tried to back up, but the mass was disorganized and slow. The Prefit jumped in and took a few more casualties with a few quick stabs.

The undead regrouped out of sight, and then returned. This time, they left gaps between each other and came at the Prefit one-by-one. And one-by-one, he cut them down. Brin couldn't really compare it to the likes of Galan, who'd fought dozens of these things at once, but the Prefit had no trouble. He was more than a match for their unnatural strength, but he also fought with a skill that they lacked. The few times they managed to block, they were able to stop his blade, but more often than not his sword would snake around their guard and sever their vitals, while taking no wounds in return.

In a way, it was watching a [Baker] or [Carpenter] or even Ademir work. A master of his craft, perfunctorily performing a task he'd done a hundred times before.

When the last undead turned to run, the Prefit didn't pursue, which Brin was glad for. He didn't know what he'd do if the big [Warrior] tried to disobey Hogg's orders. He knew he sure didn't want to tell the Prefit that 'this is Hogg town’. It just didn't seem like it would sound the same, coming from him.

After that, nothing came up from the cave, and no one went down. They waited for an hour like that, with the Prefit standing in front of the cave, Brin standing behind, and Bruna sitting on the grass nearby. After an hour, the Prefit told them they could leave. Bruna left immediately, but Brin insisted on staying behind. He would wait until Hogg returned.

He was tempted to leave to go find Chamylla. She might have insight into how he could start using his [Summon Glass] Skill. That's what the Language was for, after all. It helped give shape to magic, to replace the wild chaos and complexity with structure and reliability. Most Commoners didn't learn it, relying on Skills for the few things their magic was good for, but the really powerful people all did. At least, that's what Hogg and Chamylla claimed, and they would know.

Still, it felt disloyal to go do his own thing while Hogg was still underground. He should be here when he came back. As the minutes ticked by and no new dangers arrived, the Prefit broke the silence. "Tell me. Did you ever wish to receive the [Warrior] Class?"

Brin nodded, then realized the Prefit's back was still tuned. "Like most boys, I hoped I would get [Warrior]. Actually, I wanted [Mage], but decided I would be fine with [Warrior]."

Prefit Elmon laughed. "How practical. A nice back-up plan. You are correct, though. I think every little boy and most little girls dream of becoming a [Warrior]. Not many dream of [Mage], believe it or not, but I think that's because they've never really seen a [Mage]. They're the things of stories. [Warriors] aren't so uncommon. Everyone in Hammon's Bog has seen at least one [Warrior]."

"You," said Brin.

"Just so," the Prefit nodded. "But even without me, there are [Warrior's] in Oud's Bog, and a few come by with caravans now and again."

"Makes sense."

"[Warrior] is the standard combat Class. Everyone has seen one, and it's the standard, really. If you have a different Class and get it into your head to become an adventurer, that's the mark you'd set for yourself. Could I beat a [Warrior]? If so, then maybe I could really do it. What's your plan for killing a [Warrior] should you ever need to?"

"I'd run away," said Brin. "And then sneak around again and stab him in the back."

The Prefit snorted. "You see? That's the downside. Everyone has a plan for taking on a [Warrior]. A [Warrior] is a standard-bearer, but more than anything they're a target. If you met a bandit with the [Basketeer] Class, what would you do? You don't know. They must've done something very creative to make their Class combat-ready, so you have no idea what to expect. What if, say, you met a female [Warrior]? What can you assume about their build?"

Ah. So this was about Zilly. "I mean, I can't really say for sure without more information."

The Prefit answered his own question. "You would assume that she'll give up on overpowering everyone with Strength, and that instead she's put everything into Dexterity. You'll focus on tactics that decrease her movement and maneuverability."

"And that's exactly what Zilly did. She's a Bog Standard Dexterity-main [Warrior]." Brin finished. "They're going to see her coming from a mile away."

"Make no mistake, she's talented. A prodigy, even," said the Prefit. "But that's the baseline for the [Warrior] Class."

"They're going to eat her alive."

"I would prefer that didn't happen. She could do well here in Hammon's Bog. She could hunt in the forest and gain levels that way, perhaps not as quickly as out in the world, but much more dependably. A [Warrior] can live a slow and quiet life. It's a fantastic Class for a wife and mother. I would prefer she stayed."

"That's not really our choice, though," said Brin.

"No, but we can nudge her along. Your duel next week. I want you to win."

"Honestly, I wasn't even sure if I should go through with that. Zilly is my friend. You should find someone else."

"It's because you are her friend that you should do this. Zilly challenged you, and even if she hadn't I would've asked you. No one else can do what needs to be done, because it isn’t enough to simply win. I need you to obliterate her."

"She's a [Warrior] and I'm a [Glasser]. How are you sure I can even beat her at all?"

"You can." Normally Brin would find this vote of confidence flattering, but from the Prefit, it was sort of annoying. “Zilly is determined, skilled, and motivated, but she lacks… grit. She’s never been desperate before. When she fights, she fights as if she knows everything will be fine even if she loses. She lacks cunning. She doesn’t expect the unexpected because she trains against me.”

It killed him, but he knew the Prefit was right. "You're wrong," he said. "One loss isn't going to break her spirit."

"A loss against me, or Hogg, or someone else with forty years and thirty levels on her? No, of course not. But a loss to you? A Common Class, who's younger than her? It will shatter her. Not forever. But by the time she rebuilds her confidence she will be comfortable and happy and here."

Brin felt a lump in his throat. "I'll win. I'll make it look easy, too. But it's not going to turn out the way you think it is."

The Prefit shrugged. "Perhaps not. Just be sure to win. The last thing Zilly needs right now is another win."