Cless walked through town on the way back home with her guild in a tight group. She had a charter and all the 'monster' boys - she was growing reluctant to use that term for them - were clearly identified and wearing their collars visibly. The Association regarded them as her bounded and tame monsters, and attacking them was tantamount to attacking her. She felt safe enough to make a little detour and visit the barracks.

The guards at the entrance to the guard complex stood at attention when she approached. Cless felt warmth in knowing she had enough renown and reputation to earn that kind of treatment.

"Gentleman!" She greeted the guards, trying to set a friendly mood.

"Guild master. Constable George is not present at the moment. He is outside helping the visitors from the church organize themselves and settle down."

"I thought as much. But I came here for you today. Can I talk to the guard chief medic? I'd like to see if there are any of the guards that are in need of any healing. I got my third tier class today and thought to help you."

"Mighty generous of you, guild master. I..." The talkative guard was chastised by a glare from his companion.

"Please go inside, guild master," The stern guard said. "Since there are a lot of outsiders in town and they never gave us any trouble, please get your pets inside."

She beamed at the guards. "If any of you has an illness or any need of assistance, I can help you here. You don't even need to leave your stations."

The defenses of the stern guard broke. "Hopkins and I have... guard's feet."

Cless knew what that was. It was a malady that afflicted the flesh of the feet when it remained covered inside the smelly boots for too long.

"Stand still. It might Tickle!" She said in a singing voice.

She put all her magic from the House and Cleric categories to work. Purify, Cure, and Heal for the body, Clean, Repair, and Dry for their gear. She was sure the two guards were feeling like new.

"That feels awesome, guild master. Appreciated."

"Well, I thank you for letting me practice and also for your outstanding service for our town. Also for letting the boys shelter themselves inside the courtyard. I'll make sure they stay in a corner. We'll go now."

They went inside. Venaris asked, "Cless, what are we doing here exactly?"

She smiled at her sister gnome and explained, "It is a goodwill visit. I want the guards to see our tabards and associate it with us. They will react faster and more favorably to us and it will cost us only time. I hoped to meet George to fish for more Hero information but that can wait. What we need now is to keep the town on our side."

"I see. It is like a bribe but with magic." The gnome concluded.

"Totally not. A bribe is a bribe when you want them to do something they wouldn't do normally. I'm just making myself well-seen for a better service. It is like a bar tip then."

"I stand corrected, sister." Venaris smiled. "I'll stay here with the boys. You go and do your thing."

Cless went into the barracks and talked to the chief medic. She then healed everyone in the nursing station and then went through the barracks making the guards' feet and shoulders better. She got a lot of goodwill from the guards, as she expected. She even promised to return every week. An hour later she returned to where the rest of her guild was.

Cless checked her status and saw several spells raising in level. She decided to spend her free points. She smelled conflict ahead and unspent points were worth nothing. She rounded Health and Intellect to a hundred, Magic to a hundred-fifty, Wisdom to fifty and the two remaining points in Charisma.

She was sure that it was due to the latter Stat that the doors of the garrison opened for her.

"We are good to go. I want to stop by the Association next. I got a hunch that it will be important."

"As you will, guild master," Venaris saluted.

"Silverfang, I think it is better if you go as a wolf."

The lycan nodded and after retreating behind a building, removed his armor and shifted. Cless paid extra to make his armor faster to doff. The leather straps holding the pieces in place went through metal rings and were made of softer, cheaper leather. There was a bundle of spare straps in the saddlebags but the point was that he could shift and rip out of his armor if he needed. It was the same system as the saddlebags.

Cless stowed his armor and strapped the aforementioned bags on the wolf. They left the garrison and went to the Association. Or as its full name said, Delver & Adventurer's Association.

The building was under repairs. She saw Anders from the sawmill.

"Mornin, Mr. Anders." She greeted him.

"Ah. Guild master Cless! Just the person I was looking for!" Anders stopped what he was doing to greet her. "I was hoping to hire your guild. We are in dire need of wood to repair the Association building."

Cless looked at the building that Balthus and Karen almost demolished. She felt partially guilty. "Mr. Anders, winter is upon us, the first snow should fall the next days. The woods are crawling with orcs. I might be able to help, but my rate will be slightly higher. I can deliver the logs to the sawmill now if you help me build a pull wagon."

With all the boys' improved strength due to having classes now and the golem, not to mention her own strength worthy of an early second-tier warrior, Cless was sure they could cut and process the logs fast. She would only need a lot of thick flax rope.

"We have pull wagons ready at the sawmill. What do you need exactly?"

"I need a pull wagon that can be used as a backpack by a large creature. Thick leather straps like those used in horse-drawn wagons as shoulder straps."

"It can be done. We will need to drill holes into the cart and iron grommets to protect the wood. Doable. When can you depart?"

"Today if needed. I just have to ask about a friend here at the association and then buy flax rope at the market. Could we meet at the sawmill in an hour? We'll depart right away."

"That would be fantastic, guild master."

Cless felt a shudder. Was this the effect of the charisma stat? She felt more confident and the way of talking to people came easier to her now. She waved Anders goodbye and found a clerk. The one that sold her the spellbooks.

"I came to ask about Shane's guild. They departed to retrieve some weapons caches in the woods, but it has been almost two weeks already."

"Guild master... Welcome. We are sorry for the state of our building... Well, it was your employer and your master that did it, so... How may I help you?"

"Shane's guild. The Orc Slayers, Orc Smashers, Orc something."

"Oh. They are still out in the field. We have no news of them."

"Thanks. I made an arrangement with Mr. Anders to get more logs. It will speed up repairs."

The clerk was friendly but wary, "Appreciated, guild master."

Cless left the association in a hurry and went to the market buy rope. She got the sturdiest rope she could find, it was thicker than two of her fingers together. She bought more than three hundred meters of rope for fifteen ducats. The fibers used to make this kind of rope were the ones considered unfit for clothing or even burlap so it was cheap.

She couldn't summon the golem in town so she carried the heavy bundles of rope with the help of Vic and Kurt. She could swear she heard Silverfang snicker.

She growled - literally growled at Silverfang.

The wolf whimpered.

She answered and petted the wolf's head.

They arrived at the sawmill, right next to the west gate. Past that there were fewer farms than the east side and then the woods. Somewhere in there Shane, Arnold, Lawrence and many others were probably fighting for their lives.

"Guild master! Is this wagon adequate?" Anders pointed a small wagon. It was a meter long by about sixty centimeters across.

"No. I want a bigger one. Maybe saying it was going to be carried by hand was wrong. How about a cart able to be pulled by a single mule or donkey?" She proposed.

"Come over here." He showed her a cart that was a meter wide and a meter and a half long. "Something like this one?"

"Yes. Now about the straps, it might be better if we can measure. I'll summon a golem here."

Anders said nothing. Cless brushed it off on her eccentric party composition. She focused and summoned a golem from the rock beneath the courtyard of the sawmill, reminding herself to later fix the hole. The three-meter-tall animated statue stood tall, towering over the sawmill's walls. She waved at the startled guards by the gate but after seeing the golem immobile they calmed down. She focused and shaped the stone to engrave the guild's symbol on the shoulders and chest of the golem. Maybe make a golem-sized tabard.

The owner of the sawmill whistled. "Now that is a porter if I ever saw one. How long can you maintain him?"

"All day. I don't keep him summoned at all times because he is too big."

"I'll modify the wagon for you. It'll take a third of an hour."

"That's fine. I'll move the golem away and fix the hole in your courtyard while you work."

Cless couldn't create dirt or stone out of nothing. What she could do was to shape... She got an idea. She left the hole where it was and approached Anders. He was instructing the workers to drill the holes and install the grommets. Another was climbing a ladder to measure the golem with a rope.

"Mr. Anders. I got an idea. Would you like a basement?"

"A basement?" He asked.

"Yes. I could dig a small room underneath the sawmill, reinforce the walls and make a basement. You can use it as an office, larder or even a vault. Then I could use that earth and stone to fill the hole left by the golem. As a token of friendship, free of charge."

"I'll accept it then. In the same spirit it is offered." He smiled and slightly bowed his head.

Cless got to work. She borrowed the pull wagon from before and started digging a three by three by two room linked by a side staircase underneath Mr. Anders' office. both Vic and Kurt were strong enough to pull the wagon full of dirt and loose rocks. They would do one trip each, resting while the wagon was away. They did fifteen trips each to haul the debris.

Cless used one-third of the loose soil to condense and reinforce the walls and especially the roof of the room all the way to the ground underneath the floorboards of the office. She placed a light spell at the maximum duration next to the roof of the new basement and returned to the courtyard. She was drained but not flat out of magic.

At the front they were with the wagon, some big grommets going through the top and bottom of the frame along a side with an extra square structure reinforcing it. The wheel was actually squeezed between the original frame and the reinforcement, making the sides uneven. The wagon was going to be used more like a backpack than a vehicle anyway. A heavy leather harness in the shape of a loose H and some metal hoops at the ends was lying next to the vehicle.

"Finished?" Cless asked.

"We only need to see how we are going to put this wagon on his back," Anders answered.

"I think Kurt and Vic can do it. I'll make the golem kneel and extend the arms forward."

Vic's snake tail was a bit more than three meters long. Cless saw him reach the windowsill of a second story window with his hands once. Kurt could fly and land on the golem's arms. She gave the harness to the mawarpy and the empty wagon to the Lamiak. They worked in tandem and soon the wagon was strapped across the golem's back.

"It is done," Cless announced after Vic finished loading the wagon with the spools or rope. Please discount the wagon and service cost from the amount owed."

"Before that, let's see that basement," Anders replied.

They walked into the sawmill and down the stairs going down between the walls of the office and the warehouse next to it. A set of twenty-two steps led into the room. The walls were packed granite with a limestone floor and roof, the veins scrambled because Cless softened and reshaped the stone.

"Don't worry about paying for the wagon, guild master," Anders concluded. "Deliver to me here as much wood as you brought in that day at the agreed rate and we are even."

"Then we are off into the woods today." Cless shook hands with Anders returned to her guild. "Vic and Kurt, you two stay here, rest, and wait for us. I'm going with Venaris and Silverfang back to the inn to get our gear."

"Aye, guild master." Vic slithered up the golem and ducked under the rope. Kurt just landed and perched on the statue's shoulder.

Cless took the other two and made good time back to the inn. When she reached the front door, the closed sign was hung inside but the door was slightly ajar. She knocked and entered. Inside, she found Josefine serving a table of five. Karen, Balthus, Olson, George and the Priest were sitting and staring at her.

"Hey, everyone." She waved at them. Turning to Venaris, she quipped, "See? Five of them."

Karen opened a wide smile. Josefine almost jumped in joy. The four men groaned and begrudgingly took a bunch of white metal coins Cless never saw before and gave each two coins to Karen and one to Josefine.

Cless remembered Balthus saying that Karen won the bet. But why was Josefine getting those fancy coins too?

"Karen! You didn't bet I'd get them right, you bet that you could fool me!" She pouted and glared at her aunt. "Shame on you!"

Name: Cless (no surname)

Race: Human.

Level: 50 ( 1,003,681 / 1,275,000 Exp )

Class: — Dabbler 11 (56,542 / 66,000 Exp ) — Priestess 25 (975,000 Exp / ** ) — Vicar 1 (0 / 51,000 Exp)

Profession — Veteran Warmaster 18 (158,689 / 171,000 Exp) — Crafter 16 (Skill) — Farmer 16 (Skill)

Base Stats — Strength: 63 — Agility: 85 [136] — Health: 100 — Intellect: 100 — Wisdom: 50 — Charisma: 49 — Magic: 150

Available Status Points: 0

Skills:

S-rank: [ Absolute Contract ]

B-rank: [ Succubus’ Kiss ]

C-rank: [ Crafter ], [ Dangersense ], [ Elven Longevity ], [ Eat Anything ], [ Earth Magic ], [ Master Miner ]

D-Rank: [ Trick Shot ], [ Nimble Step ], [ Tinker ], [ Grounding ], [ Dancer’s Grace ], [ Great Leap ], [ Druidwalk ],

— [ Tremorsense ], [ Gemsense ], [ Ore sense ], [ Brownie Magic ], [ Courtier’s Charm ], [ Curmudgeon crafter ]

— [ Singers’ Talent ], [ Poison Resistance ], [ Merchant sense ], [Steelshine], [ Heavy Handed ], [ Farmer ], [ Twin Strike ],

E-Rank: [ Gravebreath ], [ Architectural Ingenuity ], [ Coin Sense ], [ Weavertouch ], [ Silk Hair ], [ Wanderlust ],

— [ Giant's Stamina ], [ Hearth’s warmth ], [ Seamstress Talent ], [ Lady’s Countenance ], [Enhanced Touch],

— [ Howl], [ Air Sailing], [ Splinters ]

F-rank: [ Gardener’s touch ], [ Florist’s Wonder ]. [ Cheat ], [ Inner Compass ]

Spells (spells under 20 hidden):

Cleric: — Mending: 50 — Detoxify: 50 (+4) — Light: 50 — Turn Undead: 34 — Blessing: 46 — Holy Bolt: 50 — Purify: 50 — Protection: 50

— — — Hallow: 50 — Flametongue: 40 — Cure: 50 (+10) — Uncurse: 40 — Banish: 40 — Heal: 50 — Warding: 40 — Revivify*: 30

Mage: — Detect Magic: 35 — Armor: 41 — Shield: 45 — Resistance: 34 — Deeppockets*: 25 — Blink*: 25

Priestess: Censure: 42 — Bulwark: 45 — Mass Mending: 50 — Sacred Dance: 41 — Judgement: 47 — Song of the Accord*: 44

House: — Detect Dust: 32 — Doorwatch: 26 — Prestidigitation: 32 — Never Overdone!: 35 — Touch Up: 27

— — — Dry: 34 (+10) — Repair: 46 (+5) — Clean: 50 — Bloom: 45 — Hearth Recall*: 24

Earth: — Soften: 36 (+10) — Earth Armor: 40 — Stone Shape: 47 (+6) — Terrakinesis: 36 (+5) — Golem*: 50

Proficiencies (values under 10 hidden):

Appraise: Status: 50 — Resistance: 40

General: Prayer: 50 — Reading: 16 — Skinning: 11

Social: Negotiation: 36 (+5) — Persuasion: 16 — Bluff: 17

Martial: Leadership: 42 (+4) — Intimidation: 44 — Tactics: 34

Weapon: Long Blades: 27 — Unarmed: 27 — Archery: 34 — Maces: 32