Chapter 823 (2/2)

Then the two shut the tent flap and Rejt rubbed his neck. “I much preferred when it was not I who was so impressive that the crowds gather for me. The pressure of being influential… I shall soon buckle under its strain.”

“Don’t be dramatic,” Randidly quipped back. “What you are feeling is likely just old age.”

“Ha, coming from you?” Rejt shot back. “How ancient are you, anyway? To have seen the dawn of the world… it must have been quite a sight.”

Randidly shook his head helplessly, with the time difference, this debate would become largely semantic. Instead, he asked, “Are you really going to activate the obelisk now? I’d appreciate the chance to watch, but-”

“I am,” Rejt affirmed. “Not because of you, but because we must know what it does to the mist in the surrounding area when the obelisk is activated. We expect that it will drive the mist away, but that is just conjecture based upon the lack of mist around the first obelisk. The mist can be slowly driven away by careful exploration, but that process is very slow. Plus, the new Class option might draw more to join the Torchbearers. The addition area cleared of mist certainly will, if it happens.”

On cue, the tent flap opened and three figures walked through it. Of the three, Randidly recognized two: Talim was Allica’s brother and Grem was a dour Monster that Randidly had often eavesdropped on while he was staying in Carthak. The third was a Weaver with luminous chitin exterior that was really rather lovely in its cream color.

Rejt gestured lazily toward the three. “The choice is rather straightforward. Talim is a solid warrior. A battle focused Class would be useful, I feel. Allica leans more toward Grem. He is a craftsman and a carpenter, which would hopefully give us more capability to build cities and walls. The monster threat has proven to be more problematic than we anticipated.”

Randidly nodded. Both were understandable choices.

“Finally…” Rejt studied the Weaver, Eulia, for several long seconds. “This one is the follower of the Scarred Woman. She can use Mana to Engrave strange symbols into all manner of substances. It is… admittedly useful, but would not address either of our short term problems.”

Randidly’s heart rate increased and he raised an eyebrow. Had she truly lived…? “...the Scarred Woman?”

Rejt bared his teeth. “You have to admit, keeping the name Queen of Talons wasn’t really an option, was it? The number of people she has killed… well. Her small role now is enough for her. And it cannot be denied that she is useful.”

To his surprise, Randidly felt a flash of relief. Lucretia is alive. All the knowledge she had gathered with him about engraving and the System hadn’t been lost!

But then he focused and considered the three options in front of him. Talim regarded Randidly suspicious. Eulia’s Weaver face was rather mystifying to Randidly; he couldn’t make heads or tails of what she thought. And Grem just morosely looked straight ahead, as if all of this had nothing to do with him.

Scratching his neck, Randidly finally said. “...Grem is probably the best option. Anyone who already wanted to fight probably is already in the Torchbearers. A combat Class won’t sway people much. And I saw the city of hovels springing up; you need a cohort of people who can build. And it will give the people who want to help, but aren’t brave enough to fight, a way to contribute.”

Rejt nodded, and very quickly the ceremony was complete. Randidly wasn’t sure what he expected, but the activation of the obelisk was rather underwhelming. Grem trudged up to it and laid his hands upon the exterior. After a few seconds, the crystal at the top began to glow rust red. The exterior of the obelisk changed to a slate grey.

Grem announced he had obtained the Class “Stone Singer” and proceeded to demonstrate by singing in a jaw-droppingly impressive baritone to cause the stone beneath his feet to slowly rise into a low platform.

It was rather slow even by old world building standards, Randidly noticed, but he knew that this would improve with Skill Levels and Stats. These people were all so new to the System. They had so much room to grow.

Like predicted, about a two-kilometer circle of space was cleared of mist. What was revealed was a rather grim and inhospitable mountain range, but Randidly was incredibly amused to witness Grem’s reaction to the new surround land.

“Huh,” He said stiffly after he had clambered out of the tunnel into the ground and looked around. It wasn’t a smile that crossed his mouth, but it seemed for a second that the deep lines across his face disappeared. “Reminds me of home.”

Afterward, he immediately began constructing a Fortress of Solitude in which to spend his time learning about his new Skills.

Rejt sighed woefully, “He’s not going to just make houses for people, will he…”

Chuckling, Randidly shook his head. “I suppose not.”