Chương 8: With A Core Comes Great Responsibility.

Nythera screamed and ran into the corner, looking for a way up the sheer rock face. Her hands merely slipped off cold rock, finding no purchase. I am not going to be eaten by some blasted fluxspawn! She brushed off the ever-insistent system notifications. She laid back against rock, as the giant bear closed in on her. No way, is it… is it smirking at me? Is it smug?

"If I get out of this alive, I will cook all of your relatives!" she shouted at the hulking terror.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA" Someone shouted, a man came charging out of the treeline, wielding a hoe in two hands, advancing straight for the bear. That's …. Lance? He's charging a fluxspawn?

"Lance, wait! That bear killed an outer guardian!" Nythera shouted. Lance ignored her, bringing the hoe down on the goliath's head, instantly killing it. Brain and blood was sent flying as the head turned into mushy pulp. He wore a wide grin "Fine beastie, that was". How is that possible? What strata is this man? He killed a dungeon guardian with a farming tool. Nythera's mind reeled and she stumbled backwards.

"Lance, what? How?"

"Well missy, it was a right pain in the ass to find you, you sent us on a good chase" Lance said with a chuckle, resting his battle hoe on his shoulder, blood dripping off the end.

"Yeah… uh about that…" She twiddled her thumbs. I can't run anymore, can I? They would be insane to let me flee with their domain core. A sheepish look painted her face.

"Youre coming back with me straight to Grandport missy, not another word on the matter, we have things to do discuss with our new rising star, come along" Lance said, gesturing for her to follow. He paused for a moment to stare at the door in the cliff face, his eyes wide with shock.

"Imagine, finding a brand new dungeon at your age, kids these days." Lance mumbled, shaking his head.

"I am frankly amazed you're even alive, these deep woods are dangerous and if I'm not mistaken you were actually stupid enough to set foot in a strata one dungeon?" he cocked an eyebrow in question. She didn't answer. He changed his line of questioning, "Is that a new pet? … Nevermind, I don't need to know." Lance asked. Then turned back "do not mention that cannon thing to anyone, an unclassed with a primary skill? Let alone one you can use? You'll reek of nobility." he cautioned. Nythera looked down and nodded.

Is it that bad? I suppose it is kinda strange…

"Wait a moment please, I want some of the pieces from that bastard!" Nythera ran back to the site of carnage and looted the fluxspawn corpses. Unfortunately most of it was simply too big to fit in the box opening and she didn't want to reveal it to Lance directly. Oh well, take what you can I suppose. She ended up having to haul around a giant purple core and a scattering of rubies and emeralds in her bag. As they went, she checked her notifications.. Notification: You are now eligible for class selection.

Title Achieved: Plucky Kid Kill a sub-guardian as an unclassed. +3 to all stats I am extremely powerful for an unclassed… but still a far cry from people like Lance. That bear could have killed me back there, Talvik is right, I need to prepare better. She let out a sigh. If they don't execute me on the spot maybe I'll actually have a way to use these stats.

The pair traveled through the forest until they found the river, and followed it back towards the lake, mostly in silence except for the occasional "Watch your step".

"Lance, are they going to kill me?" Nythera abruptly asked. Lance sighed, "Maybe, I suspect some will try, especially the mayor of Rustreach, he was always a sniveling coward. These lands have never had a true ruler before, and having some unclassed sea-sourced girl find what wasn't supposed to exist will shake people up", Lance admitted. Rustreach? I've heard that name before, something about iron shipments.

"So what are they going to do? execute me and then pick a new domain holder? Or just pretend it doesn't exist?" Nythera asked with trepidation. Kill me and they can just take the core, it'd be so easy. Shit.

"I don't know Nyth, but frankly, having a domain holder would do these lands good, we aren't winning, you know" Lance paused, "The damnable fluxspawn keep destroying fields, especially on the frontier where delvers can't watch every farm. Not to mention the blasted tyrants down south in Karaveth keep trying to sink their claws into this place, without a ruler, we simply can't fight back" He spat, kicking a rock in frustration. Fluxspawn overrunning sounds like a serious issue.

Just how many dungeons have to be overloading for that to be a major problem?

"We need to start winning for once." he said and continued. Nythera pondered in silence. I was about to run away, run away with the hope of these people in my pocket … All for a few extra stats? As they reached Mirrorwake, a familiar boat was there to greet them.

"Ah Lance, you found the brat? good job, hop on and we'll be off." Frank said with a snort. He paused and stared at her.

"She's the one with the core? Time to sell my organs, this island ain't got much longer" he cackled. Nythera and Lance hopped onto the overgrown bathtub and cast off from shore, making their way back down the river to Grandport. Nythera spent most of the time petting Henry; Talvik rested on her shoulder, looking like any good pet falcon should. She threw a piece of jerky towards Henry, the isopod twitched, jumped up and completely missed it.

It circled around, bumping from wall to wall until it found and devoured the meat. It's actually kinda cute. As they pulled up to the dock, the sun was beginning to fall over the horizon. A huge crowd waited at the docks, a dull murmur could be heard from out on the river. Lance guided her off the gangplank and up into the town. Then the gossip started.

"She's just a girl" "What witchery did she do to find the core?"

"Finally, we have a system-recognized leader!"

"Thank Kronan, we are saved!" A mix of prayer, hope, fear and skepticism reached her ears, but no one stopped their advance nor bothered them. Lance was far too respected for that. They came out on a familiar plaza, the depot stone calling to her from the center. The government offices loomed ahead, beckoning her to her execution. Lance whispered as they entered "Whatever you do, do not tell them how or where you found that domain core". She nodded in acknowledgement. A deep breath in and a long exhale out.

This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. Okay Nythera, you got this, you're only carrying the single most valuable item this island has ever seen, surely they will just let me walk out and go on my merry way. They entered. the familiar papery domain of the townhall lobby greeting them, but this time it was filled with strange faces. Three guards stood on either side of the lobby, sheathed swords and chainmail clearly visible.

The little old secretary herself had her head down by the desk and vigorously processed paperwork, she didn't even look up when they entered. Papers floated up from piles to come before her, were stamped and then resorted themselves into new piles, gentle flux wove the path throughout the room. So she does actually do something other than gossip. Lance navigated them directly through a door behind the desk and into a large square room, at the center lay five chairs, and a table.

Four chairs, already occupied, sat on the opposite side, while just one, presumably hers, sat alone. An interrogation. Well I expected as much, does it come with lunch? The two men sat on either edge donned farming gear, browned tunics and simple pants, they were both middle-aged, one seemed to be nodding off. Are these seriously the mayors? The men in the center both wore elegant and expensive looking fine clothing, one was in dark blue robes, and the other black.

Those two look just like the mayors I saw back in Greymere… Nythera walked up and sat in her interrogation chair, coming face to face with all four mayors of the island. Lance moved off to the periphery of the room.

"So witch, where did you get the core, out with it now and I'll make your execution swift and painless" The man in black spat out with a snarl.

"And don't even think of trying to use authority on us, your head will be off your shoulders before you can blink".

"Now hold it, we haven't decided on what action we take yet, don't get ahead of yourself Reachman, she has to tell us her story first" The mayor in blue said.

"Aye let 'er speak 'er part first" Stated the mayor on his right, idly twirling a piece of Geldgrain. The mayor on the far left seemed content to be silent, he seemed to be drifting to sleep.

"Well… I went up to that lake, and then went a bit further, and found the domain core in a strange place" Nythera recalled her journey, obfuscating as many details as possible, perhaps too many. The mayor in black looked ready to blow a gasket "Damnable wench, we know you went up there, now where in Hel was the core!" he yelled.

"Now wait a minute Reachman, if she tells us where she found it could it not hold true for all the other islands? This could start something that we cannot stop" the blue mayor said with a collected look.

"Little girl, tell us why you sought the core and how you knew where it was, but not its actual location." the Blue mayor instructed, as if she was a child. Her heart raced in anger. I aint taking any more of this shit. I did not fight my way through the island to be interrogated like some fucking animal. Nythera stood up. The mayors leaned back in surprise. A man in black-leather armor appeared from the shadows by the wall, saber in hand. Talvik flapped his silver wings, shuffling on her shoulder.

Nythera held back her own skill, her flux itching to form into a bombard. Noah held up a flat hand. The guard hesitated.

"I am not a little girl, you will refer to me as Nythera or not at all. I have been through more than enough shit already." She said. Noah nodded. She sat back down. The guard disappeared back into the shadows. No matter how hard she squinted and searched she couldn't find him, the flux in the dark seemed to scatter from her glance. Give them enough, but not too much. They need to trust me and for that we need some understanding. I don't have enough firepower to kill them, sadly.

"Well, to be frank…" Nythera started on a long story of being pursued by Tianshiang inquisitors all the way from Ramalia to the eastern border of Greymere and how her father and Will had been executed.

"... They slaughtered several villages just trying to find us, before they finally caught up and killed Will and nearly finished me off…" Her voice trailed off as she held back a tear.

"We don't even know why, we never knew why they chased us." she grumbled. They'll perceive it as weakness, we cannot afford to be seen as weak right now. The country bumpkin mayors had become far more attentive during her tale. She then mentioned how she could read the strange runes that covered the structures here and how she believed she was pursued for her bloodline, but left out her heritage ability.

"You thought you would just waltz up and take the core…. For stats?" the blue mayor asked with an incredulous look and burst out laughing at her nod.

"Don't tell me your mad dungeon run was the same thing?" He practically lost his seat to an outburst of laughter at her subsequent nod.

"Well I think that settles it, this girl clearly has some kind of connection to this island and the ruins, and did not come here to lord over us, tell us girl, did you get your class yet? Did you get any skills that could be useful to the island folk?" The blue mayor asked.

"What? don't be absurd, you're not actually entertaining the idea of letting her live? She has a core, our core, she could control us with authority!" The mayor in black demanded and slammed his fist on the table. The bumpkin mayor on the right replied "Wellllll… if she's useful, why not let 'er keep it, ain't doin' no harm, you get anythin' interesting girl? Oswin's gonna love this, someone who can actually read that gibberish".

"She has no skills you buffoon, she's still unclassed, the Assessor already confirmed it …" the angry mayor rambled on. Nythera nodded and pulled up her stats, selected the new skill to display and then nudged the system to make it visible to all in the room. Grand Administrator: Controlled domain crop and ore yields increase by 1% for every level of this skill. Increase all yields by 1%. The black mayor continued rambling on "are you daft, its completely impossible…" but all three other mayors turned to face her.

The mayor in blue whistled appreciatively and the bumpkin on the right went "now ain't that somethin'". The blue mayor looked smugly at the black mayor "With a skill like that, she can drastically improve our living standards, we can start pushing against the island instead of living by its whim" Blue mayor said while stroking his beard.

"Aye, Them farms could sure use it. And that ol' dungeon she stumbled upon could help rustle up more delvers." The amicable bumpkin on the right said, reaching his hand across the table. Nythera shook his hand.

"They call me Ollie, reckon it's a pleasure to meet ya, miss.". The mayor in blue, likewise reached across the table for a handshake "I am Noah, mayor of Grandport, your welcome here Miss Nythera, I look forward to seeing what you'll accomplish" He said with the smile of a seasoned politician.

"Sorry Reachman, but we need that skill". The bumpkin on the far left reached his hand across the table for a shake.

"Names Felix, come down to Amplewoods sometime, we'll show you a good time". He muttered "Shit, I'm gonna have to tell the blasted Stormbridges', they ain't gonna be too happy about this" under his breath, a grimace painting his face. Wait… I'm going to live? I was almost certain after my outburst they would mark me as uncontrollable and haul me off to the gallows. She swallowed.

"Fine. Fine. I guess she's living, but what about her knowledge? I want to know exactly where and how she found the core" Reachman said with a half snarl. Nythera straightened her back and stared straight into his eyes.

"Over my dead body" Revealing all my secrets is a good way to get killed in an alleyway.

"Look Reach, if its so much of an issue, lets just sick Leo on her. You ain't getting that info." Felix said, leaning back. Talvik's voice whispered in her mind "For humans, these people appear to be surprisingly well-reasoned, except that man in black." he remarked. Noah nodded.

"No, not today Reachman, that knowledge is far too dangerous, last thing we need is a mad core rush and a bunch of tyrants to spring up on these isles" Noah shut him down.

"Now Nythera, you do have to tell us when you get your class, your awakening has now become the concern of the whole island as our ruler." Ollie said, both Felix and Noad nodded their heads in agreement. Reachman sat back in his chair, sulking.

"Well, if I'm correct, I should have my awakening in two days" Nythera sheepishly said.

"Two days? You cut it awfully close, hopefully you get a good authority class with more useful skills… alright last thing miss, open up and share the domain interface please" Noah said.

"Domain interface…?" Nythera asked.

"You should have it… did you never check your System interface after getting the domain core?" Noah said and started laughing. Nythera panned through the interface and found she could expand her Myrraval core entry. Myrraval (Crown)(Mythic) Authority Level: Knight Population: 2, 358 Dungeons: T0: 2, T1: 1, T2: 1, T10: 1 Domain Edicts: Cascading Fire (lvl 1) Domain Merit: 5 Tax rate: 0%"We'll I'll be damned, I didn't even know dungeons went that high" Noah said, with a look of pure confusion.

"In all my years delving, I never saw so much as a hair nor hint of such a thing".

"Tier 10? There's an uncontrolled tier 10 dungeon on this island? That would make it what? Abyssal stratum? It's a wonder we haven't been wiped out by overloads yet" Reachman said. Ollie shrugged "Tier 10 or tier 100 makes no difference".

"Very well, you may leave Miss, for now we will have Leo watch you, don't go getting in anymore trouble." Noah said, waving her out and turning to face the other mayors for deliberation. Lance led Nythera out of the room, "Now that wasn't so bad, looks like you got responsibilities now" Lance said, chuckling.

"What, responsibilities? It sounded like all they wanted were the skills I got!" Nythera asked.

"They're testing you, if you prove yourself competent, it's likely that Noah and Ollie will support you as a unifying power on Myrraval. Once they have you enforcing Authority contracts, that'll basically be set in stone" Lance said. Nythera rested and recovered in the townhall for two days, she was mostly left to her own devices and given meals three times a day by the nice secretary. As she woke up on the second day, she was greeted by a system message.

Class & Profession Selection Unlocked: Please pick a class within 24 hours. You have 27 options: Please pick a profession, there is no time limit. You have 18 options.