The Way Ahead

Chapter 13: Pretentious Neighbors

Chapter 13: Pretentious Neighbors

Edwin and Rashin rambled on for a few more hours, mostly about their respective worlds. Rashin, for his part, seemed quite entranced at the sorts of materials Earth had on hand, especially various types of steel and concrete. He was really, really obsessed with concrete for whatever reason, and kept steering the conversation back to it. Edwin partially understood, but they clearly had something similar enough or Skills were capable of managing a lot of the benefits of the stuff, if the citadel was any indication. Eh, whatever. Maybe he was just curious about the possibility of doing it nonmagically? Probably wasnt important.

Still, all that paled in contrast to learning about Joriah! There were apparently two major landmasses, or two and a half depending on how you counted it, and he was on Korizan, the and a half, a big Greenland-like subcontinent that just barely touched the much larger Tarneis continent up near the arctic circle. The other continent, which Rashin literally called Enigma, was an almost complete mystery, and other than it being mostly covered in jungles, not much was known about it. Most of Korizan, along with a good portion of Tarneis, was ruled by the Pretentious Empire, which had Edwin nearly spitting out his drink in surprise. He could only presume it wasnt what the Empire called itself, and that name was just a result of Polyglots translation effect being overly literal. The Highpeak Kingdoms were, naturally, in the Highpeak Mountains (Rashin didnt know which was named first), located near the southern tip of Korizan in the middle of what was apparently called The Verdant, which proved that even on a fantasy world, people werent immune to boring names. There was supposedly an elven city somewhere in the Verdant as well, though nobody knew where exactly, allegedly not even the elves themselves. Edwin wasnt sure how much he believed that, nor how it might work, but just shrugged and nodded at all the right points in the conversation.

Magic was a thing, too. While that wasnt much of a surprise, it seemed like pretty much everyone had some level of potential for magic, though given the difficulty of actually developing it into something usable, it was generally left unexplored. Every once in a while you might have someone who had an innate connection with fire, shadow, or some other kind of magic, but other than the handful with a natural talent and whatever you might get from the System via a Skill, there wasnt any dedicated study of the arcane. Apparently the gods- who were real and once in a blue moon even showed up in avatar form- also blessed a few followers with magical power, but Rashin hadnt personally met any, so couldnt speak much about them. Once you got to a high enough level in your skills, the result was hard to distinguish from magic anyway, but those whose skills were magic from the start grew into abilities with truly spectacular capabilities.

Which actually reminded Edwin to ask, Oh, right. What exactly does completing a Path do, anyway?

Ah, but of course. I forgot you were not raised with such knowledge. Completing a Path will either improve an existing Skill or give you a new Attribute, which are a bit like a skill, save that they are always passive and can only improve by following Paths related to the Path you first unlocked it with. There are rumors of other rewards, naturally, though I have never seen one myself nor know someone who has.

Is there any pattern to what reward you get, then? Edwin inquired, intrigued. Actual information about magic! Sure, they might be an absolute failure of a magical world if they didnt have magical schools, but hey! Rashin had admitted he didnt know for certain that there wasnt some secret school somewhere, not to mention the entire continent of Enigma. There was still hope, Or is it random?

Its not random. If it were, the Legacies would be hopeless. That said, it is highly complex and difficult to replicate. A Path will target whatever Skill has been upgraded the fewest times, defaulting to whatever Skill is most compatible in case of a tie. How exactly it will upgrade the Skill has been debated by Legacy scholars for centuries, but it seems to be primarily influenced by the Skill, the Path, and your Class, Rashin took a sip of his tea, Though there are some patterns which are blatantly obvious. If you complete the Linguist path and have the Language skill, it will upgrade to Polyglot practically every time. Trophy paths- like the one you should have gotten for killing that Stonehide bear. Oh, wipe that look off your face. Anyone you tell that story to will know you got one. Regardless, Trophy paths nearly always yield a Trophy skill, one which takes a physical form. I believe the Dragonslayer path, when completed by someone with an Armor skill, tends to grant Dragonscale or Dragonhide Armor, which conjures a suit of armor made of the stuff. Very useful, as said equipment is usually of a high quality, which only improves with its level, cannot be lost, and if its damaged or destroyed, it is simple to re-summon the item.Updated from

Edwin sat back, processing the information he had gotten. There was a lot to unpack there, and he was really keen on figuring out more complex interactions between the Skills, Paths, and Classes. From what he had heard, the Scientific Method just wasnt a thing on Joriah, and experimentation was essentially just trial and error without any systematization, hypothesis, or anything else. There was probably all sorts of information to be gleaned if you used proper experimental procedure.

So then, how many skills do most people have? he asked.

Well now, thats a bit personal. Truly, it depends on what Legacy you follow. Twelve is the most common amount- I have head it is actually illegal in the Pretentious Empire to have more- fewer, and you do not have enough Skill Points to complete Paths in a timely manner, more and you simply do not have the time to maintain all of them, meaning it is harder to upgrade all of your skills to a higher tier, Rashin counted off the points on his fingers, to just a shrug in response from Edwin.

What are these Legacies you keep mentioning, anyway?

Well, Edwin, Legacies are following a route to power established by those who came before. Do it adequately, and you will find Paths which actually allow you to follow the Paths of your forerunners directly, the dwarf explained patiently, as though instructing a child, prompting Edwin to furrow his brow in annoyance.

So like a build? Take this skill, complete that path, make sure you end up with a specific Class? Rashin nodded, which only caused Edwin to feel more annoyed for some reason, Yeah? Well, what about just doing your own thing without following what someone else told you to follow?

Those people exist. I do not understand them, so often they simply cripple their potential for no gain. Once in a rare while, one manages to find a new Legacy for others to follow along, though most simply attempt minor variations to perfect their Legacies.

Speak more clearly

Enhanced pronunciation per level

By the time he called it a night, Edwin had reached level 4 in the Skill and was quite ready for rest. As he drifted off, he realized he hadnt done anything to figure out his longer-term plans, but there was always tomorrow.

One fresh level of Sleeping later, Edwin found himself dragged out to meet Lord (he had been very emphatically informed he was not to call this person a King) Sfashkchlil Blackstone, which Edwin had tried and majorly failed to pronounce. He couldnt even sound it out properly in his mind. Rashin functioned as an interpreter, repeating what Edwin said pretty much verbatim and presumably doing the same for the Ki-Lord, sorry, allowing them to each understand what was being said. Edwin gave a slightly awkward bow as he entered.

You wished to see me, your Lordship? No harm in trying to use a bit of charm for the person indirectly responsible for saving him.

Indeed, little wanderer, Oi now, what kind of dwarf calls someone else little? Edwin wasnt even slightly short! Oh, he was talking again, -heard my servant Rashin tell some marvelous stories about the land you hail from. Magical mirrors, horses powered by fire, and strange oils as hard as stone yet as transparent as water?

Well, thats not entirely-

And you know how to make these wonders? the dwarf asked, voice getting more demanding as the lord leaned forward on his chair, You are one of the crafters who know their secrets?

I mean, I studied material physics, but thats hardly- Edwin defended himself, not sure he liked where this was going.

Then as my right as Lord Sfashkchlil of Clan Blackstone, I declare the Outsider Edwin Maxlin to have been found in abuse of Hospitality Rights-

Hey! Edwin interjected, You cant do that!

Rashin continued repeating the proclamation undeterred, - and with what little property he has on him insufficient to pay off the debt, I seize his person to pay off the debt of his stay through labor, until such a time the debt is equalized, The lord narrowed his eyes at Edwin as two guards previously standing at his sides moved forward and locked his wrists in an ironclad grip, So I claim in the name of King Shoroshal of Highpoint as my gods-given responsibility.

Edwins struggles were utterly fruitless as his new captors dragged him out of the room. Before he left, they paused to let him hear one last statement from the person he thought he trusted,

Sfashkchlil leaning back on his throne with an avaricious look in his eye, Make me Blackstone, Outsider, and I will set you free.