Lenna sat on the ground with her back to the mushroom stalk, and I sat beside her.

A hunk of Harvester meat appeared in my hand, and I took a massive bite. Seconds later it was gone, and I had a second one waiting.

Lenna waited until the second hunk had settled in my stomach before she started talking.

"I've always wanted to travel the stars and see all the worlds. While this wasn't how I wanted to do it, now is as good a time as any."

"But what about your parents?" I asked. "They don't have a clue of what you're up to."

"Dengu knows I've ranked up, and he'll know I didn't choose the class we'd been planning on. He also knows I live." She wouldn't look at me, and instead started at the underside of the mushroom top. "I can sense where he is. I think it's the closest portal."

I jerked, looking at her in surprise.

She pointed off in a direction. Not the way we were headed.

"Pretty sure it's in the Rustlands, that the Forgers control." She pointed somewhere else. "There's another, that way. I think that's Steadfast, since Kabi's only mentioned those two portals."

"You've had some upgrades," I muttered.

"So have you."

"We're both growing."

Lenna chuckled. "Poor Kabi and Cekta don't understand how you've been gaining levels."

"I mean, you're no slouch either," I said, double checking her stats.

[Lenna De La Dengu, Pathfinder, Arcane Arrow, Level 58, Friend.]

"Level 58 already… We make quite a pair."

"Make sure you stay on top of your free stats. Everything we're fighting is over our level in this forest, and the lake will be worse, since it's closer to water." Her lips snapped shut, and she gazed north.

"What aren't you saying?"

"I've gained a skill to hear things when I rest, and something is coming. Something that's going to upset you."

I frowned, trying to think about anything on this world that'd upset me. "Not a clue, but whatever it is, I can take it. I'm lucky and tough." However, her note about allocated free stats reminded me to spend some of the ones I'd gained.

I opened my stat sheet and used some of them. Power flowed through my limbs as I hit another milestone. Or at least, it felt that way to me, hitting 400 in two of my stats.

Name: Alex

Level: 63

Race: Human

Traits: Survivability, Adaptation, Hangry

Class: Shadowstalker, level 61

Profession: Crystal Singer, level 38

Stats:

STR: 206(246)

QUICK: 245(400)

FLEX: 232(400)

TOUGH: 213(260)

INT: 218(375)

FORT: 232(389)

WILL: 228(290)

CHA: 161(201)

FREE: 0

Monstrosity: 6%

Titles & Achievements:

Jack-of-all-Trades

Lucky Stars

Giant Slayer

Songweaver

Citizen

Ahead of the Curve

The First

Skill: 8/10

Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

Fortified Adaptation

Crystal Singing and Attunement - II

Perceptive Awareness

Relentless Pursuit - II

Shadow Walking

Blades and Polearms - II

Venomous Chomp - II

Tensile Claw Strike

So much growth from level 50 to level 63; the rank-up changed everything.

"Lenna, what happens when my profession hits level 50?" I asked, since I hadn't a clue.

"Since it isn't your highest level, it will evolve, but not like you did for your rank-up. Everything you've done so far with it will factor in, but much less than your class."

"Oh, good. The stats I'm getting for it are very low compared to the new class." I thought about the 3 stat points per level, versus the 45 for Shadowstalker.

"The next rank up doesn't happen until both your class and profession are at level 200, so keep that in mind when your profession evolves."

I turned to look at her, meeting her eyes. "What?"

"It's why Rank 2 is where most people end up stuck. They can't level one or the other enough. Once you hit 200, that's where the best start to shine. After that, Rank 4 is at 400, and then it gets crazy if you reach 700 for Rank 5." She shivered. "Anything over level 700 is basically a god."

"Gods exist?"

"Yes, powerful beings exist who've reached the top."

I smiled. I wanted the power that Noseen had, and now I find out he's a god? I wanted it even more.

"Most people end at Rank 2, but we won't," said Lenna, her voice filled with passion. Her eyes sparkled with a silver color. "We'll reach the top."

"Of course we will. First, we gotta go save some people from the Forgers."

She nodded and stood up, offering me her hand.

Once on my feet I snagged another hunk of the not-chicken and downed it quickly before sipping some water.

Lenna drank some as well before I stashed it away.

We joined the others, who weren't so far away they couldn't have heard the conversation.

Shelli jumped to her feet, staring at our armor. "After this, I can outfit you both. Your clothes are a little lacking."

I stared down at the leather armor covering my chest and shoulders, which had slices and holes in it. My poor pants were holding together, barely, but weren't the greatest, and the tread on my boots was almost gone.

"I will hold you to that," I said, bowing my head in her direction.

She bowed her head toward me and held herself that position.

Lenna motioned for me to tap her on the shoulder.

I quickly did and Shelli stood up, somehow taller than before. "Do you have a weapon? Anything to fight with?"

"We just spoke about that. Kabi only has one sword and could use another. Cekta and I both have nothing." She frowned and shook her head. "There is a place we could stop, but…"

"But it's cursed," said Cekta.

"The ones who came before would understand," argued Kabi. "It's there for when our people have lost hope and honor. Is this not the case?"

"Explain," I cut in.

Kabi turned to look at me, scooping up a handful of dirt. "We came from under the dirt, our people born in darkness. Of dirt and stone, but we evolved to stand upright. To see the sun."

The dirt fell from between his fingers. "The first who walked like we do had it rough. They were outcast, but were the best craftspeople. Then came the earthquake. It destroyed their city. Many barrows were flooded. So many died."

"But they have an armory," said Cekta, swallowing. He motioned to himself and Shelli. "One we can access with our magic."

"How far away is it?"

"On the way to the lake," said Kabi. "I know the way. My father took me when I was young, once I decided on the warrior path. He wanted me to know our family history."

Shelli's eyes widened as she glanced at him, but she said nothing.

"Then let's go. Before something else finds us."

Lenna nodded at me again, her eyes flickering with that strange light.

Kabi took the lead, and I followed.

Cekta and Shelli were behind me, with Lenna in the rear, though she kept her bow out.

Nothing moved within the forest, which bothered me. While bugs flew around, well, not around me but around the others, and birds flew through the trees, nothing else appeared.

The uneasy sense continued the more we hiked through the trees. Various plants also just stopped growing. The types of mushrooms changed from bright white and dark blue with purple, to deep purple with yellow.

At least the giant trees stayed the same, but only for a bit.

Suddenly, we topped a rise and could clearly see where the tree line ended. Kabi stopped well before that point.

With the increase in sunlight, the mushrooms also vanished, leaving fantastic sightlines.

A massive tree trunk cut through the forest on its side, the bright colors of blues gone from its bark, and in places it had started to decompose.

"The entrance is beyond the fallen one," said Kabi, drawing his sword. "Do you sense anything?"

"Nothing at all in this direction." My fingers tightened on my spear. "I'll go first."

Kabi's eyes widened, but he let me take the lead as I approached the massive trunk. It tilted from the right with the root ball somewhere in that direction. A gap toward the right would let us pass under it. Moss trailed down the side of it, and I carefully scooted under it. The shadows under the trunk actually made me feel safer than the bright sunlight I'd crossed to get here.

Some bugs crawled under the tree, but nothing worrisome. On the other side, bright sunlight highlighted bright green and blue ferns growing in an almost organized field. A few smaller trees, more the normal size from Earth, were spaced far apart.

Off to the right stood a large rock, along with the beginnings of a hill.

In the distance, I saw the sparkle of the light reflecting off water.

Kabi joined me under the tree and pointed toward the hill. "The entrance is that way."

"You're good to go."

He nodded and crossed in that direction. I waited for Cekta and Shelli to pass under the tree, but neither of them noticed me in the darkness.

Last came Lenna. She paused near me.

"I should probably keep watch outside."

"Good idea…"

"I'll find a place up on the hill," she said before heading out into the sunlight. Her skin blended in with the blue and green ferns much better than my own paleness did.

I darted across the bright space after her.

****

The whispers started as soon as I stepped into the sunlight.

Here was where it started, where whatever was coming for my friend, for Alex, began.

This place held many dead, and many who now walked about the stars. We needed to visit here, but I didn't know why. My new class told me this was on our path, though. The lake glimmered in the distance, and I hoped we'd make it on time to save those from Needlecrest. Yet, with two of our people weaponless our odds lowered. Getting them properly armed would help.

This would help.

At least, I hoped so. Cekta and Shelli stood in front of a rune on the stone. Magic flowed from both of them into the seal, which shimmered and then vanished.

Kabi turned to me. "Are you both coming?"

"I will watch from the hilltop," I said pointing upward. Then I leaped up to find a location to wait and watch the ferns.

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