Chương 6: The Tale of the Vaultkeeper

"Why are you backing away?" I asked, genuinely curious.

"Did I say something wrong?"

"Did you say something wrong?" the knight repeated, as if I'd said something truly absurd.

"You said you're a special grade… let me see."

"Sure," I replied, scratching my chin.

"Actually… This is all pretty new. I don't know how to share my system."

"Talk to the system and let it be known that you want your information given to me. Ah, you'll likely need my name. It's Sir Aldric Valehart."

"Got it." I did as the knight asked, and it apparently worked as words flashed before him, although I wasn't at an angle to read them myself. The glow of the system reflected faintly in his polished armor, pale and cold against the soot-stained night. As he read, his eyes widened.

"It's true… he's a special grade. I've—I've never seen one like you. Sorry, my apologies."

"Is special grade bad? It can't be worse than classless… right?" The knight gave me a soft, considering smile. The other two averted their eyes. … Shit.

"It's not bad per se, but… how do I put this? Do you really not know the stories?"

"I want to give Ebbin a proper burial. If you can help, I have a few pieces of copper I can spare. And if you help, we'll have more time to talk." Aldric waved the other two away.

"You two, round up the goblins and burn the bodies. No grave. After, head back into town and check on Seren. Wait for me. I'll help this lad and bring him to town." The elven woman stepped forward.

"But Sir… he's a special grade. What if—""I read what it said; it doesn't seem to be… well, it seems somewhat normal. I don't have anything to worry about. Besides—he's level one. If he tries anything, I'll bury him with his father." I swallowed hard. The man was so casually talking about killing me if I were to betray him. Were special grade classes really that feared? The other two did as asked and stepped away, gathering bodies and putting them into a pile.

The yard smelled of smoke, blood, trampled grass, and the sharp stink of dead goblins. The mage summoned a ball of fire and lit the group up. Flames caught quickly, crackling over the bodies as dark smoke curled into the moonlit sky. They took the horse, holding it by the reins, and led it away. Neither rode it. I grabbed a shovel.

"I'll start," I said.

"So you can talk." I found a suitable spot in the tilled land, where the dirt was already soft, and shoved the head of the shovel in, stepping on the back. The soil gave way with a wet, heavy crunch. I continued to dig. Sir Aldric crossed his arms and watched.

"You seem like a genuine guy… so let me be outright: you've got some bad luck."

"Yeah, I saw that. I only have 3. It's my lowest stat." Aldric chuckled.

"Doesn't quite work that way, but you've the right of it. Listen… a special grade class is any class that does not follow a regular growth path."

"Growth path?" I asked, sweat beading on my forehead as I continued to dig. The night air was cold, but the work warmed me quickly. The shovel handle rubbed against my palms, rough wood biting into skin already sore and caked in blood. Each scoop of dirt landed beside the growing hole with a soft thud.

"You don't know much, do you?"

"I uh…" Aldric held up a hand.

"No need to explain; this night has been strange enough already. All graded classes, except special, follow a path where if you do anything that pertains to your class via one of their skills, you earn a portion of the EXP to the overall class. For example, I have a skill in swordplay. Practicing and fighting increases my swordplay skill, and a portion of that increases my class. When your class levels up, you get stats. How much? That depends on the grade."

"And your class is?" Sir Aldric smiled.

"Knight of the Radiant Vow. It's an uncommon class; one that I earned by doing a special quest after receiving the knight class. I'm part of an order that… well, that's enough for now. You wanted to know about special classes and what makes them different. As you likely already know, as your skill Stat Eater stated, you do not gain stats after leveling, as a regular graded class would. You need to eat food made from recipes. It even said how you can find said recipes. Rather strange indeed."

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"Okay," I replied, taking a small break. My arms were heavy… far heavier than usual. The totality of the night was catching up with me. Smoke still drifted from the burned goblin pile on the far side of the yard, and the fire there snapped and hissed whenever it found something wet.

"And why are special classes feared then?"

"Because… what if instead of following recipes to increase stats, your stats were increased by doing something else?"

"Like what?"

"Like killing people," Aldric said flatly.

"Like robbery. Like manipulation… I've heard stories of special grade classes and the lengths that people went to grow." My heart caught, and I shuddered to ask, but I did.

"Like what stories?" Aldric caught the shovel by the handle, mid-drive. He gently pulled it away from me as he started to dig. The blade bit deeper under his weight, the dirt lifting easier in his hands than it had in mine.

"The story of Midus," he said.

"Midus?" I replied, racking my brain.

"Oh yeah, the story of the man who turned anything they touched to gold. I thought his name was Midas—""The story of Midus is a cautionary tale told to kids about the dangers of special grade classes. Midus was once the son of a merchant; one who had a rare merchant class. His father was rich beyond measure, and the man showered all those around him with bounty and plenty. But Midus… he wished to become more than even his own father. Instead of a rare class, Midus awakened to a special grade. The Vaultkeeper.

His stats were tied directly to his personal wealth. And so he became a tyrant of commerce. He drove any and all out of business, hoarding it all for himself—his own father included, who died destitute. The Vaultkeeper became so powerful in fact that his stats rivaled those of elder dragons. None could touch him. He enslaved others and had them dig wealth from the mountains to satisfy his unending greed. But one day, he woke to a new power. A passive ability. All that he touched—""Turned to gold," I said.

Aldric nodded.

"Well, as you can imagine, such an ability is great for amassing wealth… but not so much for someone who needs to eat. Despite all his skills and stats, the man could not eat gold. And so, in the end, he starved to death, unable to even turn himself to gold to ward off the hunger." Aldric didn't need to ask… I now understood why people feared special grades. Sadly, I wondered if my own would eventually turn into something as sinister as that.

We sat in silence for a time, swapping back and forth until the hole was dug. The only sounds were the scrape of the shovel, the crackle of distant fire, and the soft whisper of night insects in the fields beyond the ruined house. Aldric helped me carry Ebbin. The knight had wrapped the old man in bedding to try to spare me, but it did little good. The cloth was smoke-stained and pulled tight around his form. I could still feel the stiffness and lack of life from the corpse. I tried not to feel sad.

Ebbin had lived a good, long life. He had told me so himself. Still… I couldn't completely shake the loss. Aldric and I lowered Ebbin into the hole with as much care as we could. The soil crumbled slightly beneath our boots, and the bedding brushed against the edge before settling into place.

"Should I say a few words?" I asked.

"If you wish," Aldric replied.

"Or I can speak the Vow of Last Light if you want. It's mostly ceremonial… but I've seen it bring peace to some. But lad… the body—we'll need to burn it."

"Burn it?" I asked.

"Why?"

"It'll attract monsters… even if buried. Do you wish for him to be dug up and—" I held up a hand.

"No, you're right. It's fine. I suppose I can—" I heard a familiar bell from a nearby hill. In the light of the moon, I saw a sight that I didn't think would bring me so much joy. Madam Moolisa stood in all her glory, grazing on some grass. Her broad shape was silvered by moonlight, her bell hanging crooked beneath her neck. As she saw me, she mooed softly and trotted toward us, hooves thudding gently over the damp ground. She stepped by Sir Aldric, sniffed him, and then licked his face. He laughed.

"Is this magnificent creature yours?"

"Ebbin's," I corrected.

"This is Madam Moolisa. She is quite the charmer, as you can see."

"That I can." Madam Moolisa stared down into the hole at Ebbin, and I could swear that in her eyes I saw both grief and acceptance. She slowly lowered herself and lay near the grave, staring inside. Her breath came out in soft clouds, and the little bell at her throat gave one final, quiet clink as she settled. I smiled, staring down.

"Ebbin," I said, "I've not the words to convey to you how much these last two years have meant to me. I'm from a place where most would not even give you the time of day, let alone bring you in and feed you—as terrible as the food was." Aldric chuckled, and Moolisa gave a soft moo.

"I'll miss you," I continued, "even though you'd tell me not to. I wish I got to share my class with you—I know you'd have been excited, even though it's a special grade. You always saw the best in people… me included. Go to your wife and rest easy." Aldric wiped away a tear.

"I couldn't have said it better myself. There is no need for my vow, for you have given him a proper sendoff. Now, Madam Moolisa, was it? Please step back." I patted the cow on her head and bade her follow. She did so reluctantly. Aldric snapped his fingers, and a small flame lit at the tip. It was no larger than a candle flame, but it burned clean and steady in the dark. He pointed down, and the flame gently fell into the grave. Moments later, Ebbin's body was consumed.

It didn't take long before he was nothing more than ash. I shoveled dirt back onto him while Aldric sharpened a long stick, placing it as a sort of headstone to let all know who was here. The soil was heavier going back in, damp and clumped together. When I reached town, I'd have them make him a proper burial stone. And after… Well, that was tomorrow's problem. Just then, the sun peeked over the distant mountains, casting the world in a new, cleansing light.

The fields brightened slowly, the blackened farmhouse turning from shadow to ruin, and the smoke above it thinned into the pale morning sky.

"Come on, Madam Moolisa," I said.

"It's time to head into town."