(Zack)

"Hi!" I greet Adrian, who jumps, turning to face Gold and me. "Did we spook you?"

"No," he lies. "How may I help you, Zack?"

"Can you teach Gold how to use Heal and the Cures?" I ask, and Gold tilts his head to the side in curiosity. He heard me say that I can use them, so he's wondering why I'm asking for him instead of me. And why I want him to learn them. "That way, if he gets scraped up when he's running around, he can mend himself?"

"And the Cures?"

"Because why not?"

Adrian sighs, knowing I probably have some ulterior motive behind wanting Gold to learn so he can help himself. He's probably thinking it's so I can heal myself, even though I've deal with everything on my own so far.

Well, apart from a couple of issues, but Power Jump and the Blood Scar are two entirely different levels of 'issue'. And Power Jump's just passing out. And Blood Scar isn't exactly something they could help me with, anyway.

"Zack?" Adrian asks.

"Yes?"

"How did you get in here?"

"What do you mean?"

"You're three levels beneath the surface of the Temple," he says. "Through several sealed doors that you need a special kind of key to bypass, and you'd have needed to get past guards who prevent anyone from-you know what? Never mind."

It really wasn't that hard to get down here, especially since Gold seems to know Sneak and Conceal – he acquired the Skills for them immediately upon attempting, and after having him show me his Skills list, I could tell he'd done it a lot, before I freed him.

"To use Heal," Adrian says. "You focus on your inner light, and call upon it while invoking the Skill. You need to focus on healing as well, though it does require an injury. It's not something you can do, since you're a Dark Knight, but Gold probably can do it. What's his Crystal Affiliation?"

"Light of Water," I answer. "Because he aligns with the light side of the Crystals, it'll be easier for him to learn. If he'd been affiliated with Air, then it'd be even easier. Here, Gold – try it."

I roll up my sleeve, then swiftly draw my dagger and stab myself.

You Have Suffered Vital Damage! -98 Health! -18 Bleed Damage every second Health Regeneration is suspended

"Gavin!" Adrian exclaims as Gold stares at my wound with horror, and I pull my knife out, the blood sliding off easily. "Don't do that!"

"It works," I hold my arm out to Gold. "Go ahead, it won't kill me if you take awhile."

He gulps, and with trembling hands, reaches forward and focuses on my arm. Adrian starts to say something – probably about how Beastborn can't talk – but stops when I glare at him.

I return my gaze to Gold and watch as he focuses and reaching towards his inner light. I'm sure it usually takes meditation and stuff to achieve, but I have full confidence in Gold.

His ears twitch, and his tail flicks to the side, and he briefly glances up at me, and I smile at him. He can sense my confidence in him, and it's boosted his own confidence a little, though it's also made him a bit nervous.

He's scared of what will happen if he fails.

I doubt he will.

After nearly three minutes, with my Health and blood continuing to drain away, a small glow forms around my injury.

+2 Health!

"Good job," I smile at him, and he beams at me, realizing that I'd noticed the minute change to my Health. "Looks like it takes 20 Mana, which is your limit."

He nods, and I look at Adrian. I can't see his Stats, which means he's probably got a decent Appraisal Resistance. Well, that, or he's more than five Levels above my own. Considering he looks eighty-something, I'd say he's probably more than five Levels above my own.

Judging by the strength of his merged elements, he's probably older than Nik.

"How old are you?" I ask as Adrian promptly heals me and uses Cure Bleed.

"That's not really any of your business," he answers.

"Considering how strong your affiliation to Light and Air is," I say. "And how old you are, and compared to others I've seen, you're probably at least two centuries old, though from what I know, you're simply a powerful healer, but nowhere near on the level of Nathan Normar."

"I'm Level 157," he tells me. "And over four centuries old. Satisfied?"

"Yes," I answer. "So are the Cures learned the same way?"

"Yes," he answers. "Though they require 50 Mana to cast… and Heal should cost 25, not 20."

I look at Gold, who look confused, and I realize what happened.

"Zero Down?" I look at Adrian, who looks confused for a moment. "Gold 'borrowed' Mana, sort of like I did with the Meteor, right? But he's not affected by Zero Down, even though he should be, even if just for a few minutes."

"Indeed," Adrian nods. "Borrowing Mana from the future occurs from strong emotions. If Gold wanted to heal you badly enough, it's possible that he did, indeed, borrow from the future. The reason he didn't enter Zero Down likely deals with this room, which has ancient enchantments on it that nullifies some of Zero Down. When you were wounded, I wanted you down here, though Nik had stated that Lord Dark of Fire wished for you-ow!"

"He prefers 'Big Flame'," I tell Adrian, who's holding his head. "He tends to do that if you call him anything different, though it's usually only for Dark Knights. I guess it's 'cause you're talking with us. Anyway, Gold got what we came here for! Later!"

Gold and I leave the underground sanctuary and make our way back to the surface, then head to Jackson's forge, because I want to ask him something. When we enter the shop, the bell rings, but it's not needed, since the smith's at the counter, speaking with a woman who looks to be in her thirties, but she's got a hella powerful merging of her Water affinity into the darker part of her Sacred Crystal.

She's dressed in blacks and dark blues, including the leather of her light armor, with various knives and potions strapped around her, some hidden from view. She's probably got smoke bombs and stuff, too. She's probably more of an assassin than a thief. With her brown hair tied into a high ponytail and brown eyes, she looks familiar.

"Hello, Zack, Gold," Jackson greets us briefly, then returns to talking with the customer, though her gaze remains fixed on me, her mouth turned downward slightly.

"Hi?" I say to her.

"My brother mentioned you," she said. "Though I didn't believe there really was a kid Dark Knight as powerful as he claimed. It seems you're even stronger, being a Dark One, now."

"Your brother?" I ask.

"Brandon Fuld," she says, and I raise an eyebrow. The name's unfamiliar. "I went the Assassin route, he went the Ranger route. You may not have seen him, he's quiet, and not much of a people-person. Has social anxiety."

"Ah," I say. "I think I met him, there was a guy who wasn't good with talking to people, looked maybe a year or two younger than you. You do remind me of him, a little."

"We're twins," she tells me. "Though he ages a little bit slower than me. He didn't mention you'd hit Dark One when I spoke to him earlier."

"I hit it earlier."

Jackson laughs, shaking his head.

"You can finish up," I tell her. "I just wanted to ask him something, and I'm not busy or in a hurry."

She nods her head once, then turns her gaze back to Jackson, resuming their conversation. She's commissioning a set of knives from him. I start looking around the equipment that's out here. Maybe I can get Gold to at least have a knife, even if he doesn't want to fight. It can be used for a lot of things, not just fighting.

"Do you have any leftover Spook Ore?" She asks. "You probably don't, since it's been a month and a half. Or did no one fight it?"

"It was killed," Jackson says. "There's some left, however, I'm only allowed to use the Spook Ore for certain people, as part of the agreement to selling it to me."

"Certain people?"

"People who actually train out here and fight against the monsters," I say, and she looks at me. "Not stay back in safety. Only people with serious effort given are allowed to use the rare, powerful metal that is the Spook Ore."

"Someone's hoarding it?" She asks.

"An annoyed thirteen-year-old," I nod. "He's not happy that people stay in the safety that rests to our east, rather than doing serious fighting against the monsters. They'd get a lot stronger much faster that way, than if they stayed behind. So only people with serious effort can access the legendary ingots he holds."

"An irritated thirteen-year-ol-" she cuts off. "You?

"Yes," I answer, holding out my hand, a Spook Ingot pulling out of my Inventory and resting on my palm. "Me. I actually wanted to ask some stuff relating to them, Jackson, if you don't mind answering, since we're on the topic of them."

"Go ahead," he says.

"One," I say. "Do you have enough left to make Gold here a knife? I like the ones you've got out here, but I think he could do with a quality knife."

"I don't," he tells me. "I was actually going to ask if I could buy another ingot or two from you. A few of the more serious Adventurers asked if I had any left and wanted something, mostly in the forms of amulets or other talismans, though a couple wanted weapons."

He probably means he'll need ten to sixteen of my remaining ingots.

"I can sell you three," I tell him. "But you have to make Gold a knife, too, and make sure to prioritize properly."

"We have a deal," Jackson says, so I walk up to the counter and place the ingot, followed by two more, on the counter. Jackson hands me the seventy-five gold as payment. "And Zack?"

"Jackson?"

"Samantha here," he gestures to the assassin-chick. "Was out here until a few years ago."

He wants to know if he can use some of the Spook Ore for her.

"Why'd she leave?" I ask.

"Samantha!" A high-pitched voice fills the air as a familiar presence enters the shop. "You're back!"

The fuck you doing out of your Trading Post, Jesse?

I turn to face Jesse, who's still dressed in his usual attire, and he looks as enthusiastic as always.

"Oh!" He exclaims, seeing me. "Zacky! You're here!"

Did she leave to get away from you?

I look at Samantha, who looks at Jesse with amusement.

"Hello, Jesse," she says. "I just arrived an hour ago. I brought my students with me."

Her students? She was teaching? What was she teaching?

"Good, good," Jesse smiles. "All of them, or just the two who have proven exceptional?"

"All of them," she answers. "The other three can work the monsters in Praevar. Also, another six Dark Knights came with us, so I'd be a bit… careful."

There are six more Dark Knights here? There are ten of us here, now?

"Eleven Dark Knights in one town?" Jesse squeals. "Things are going to be interesting!"

Eleven?

There's someone I don't know about? Who is it?

"You're a teacher?" I ask Samantha, deciding to settle on something I can focus on at the moment. I'll ask Nik who the eleventh is some other time. "What do you teach?"

"The art of the night," she answers, and I raise an eyebrow. "Stealth and assassination techniques, just as Master Jesse here taught me and four others, I've taken on a group of students, to train them up. I've had them practicing in the mines, caves, and forests around Night Valley."

"You should let her use some of your Spook Ore!" Jesse tells me.

Jesse knows my requirements. If he's telling me this, then it probably means that he considers her to be making a serious effort. Was her training others part of her attempt to help prepare for the war, then?

And Jesse taught her… does that mean that she knows it's all an act, then?

"Alright," I say. "But I want a pair of knives for myself, too."

"Will do," Jackson nods. "You can pay when you pick them and Gold's knife up."

"Okay," I say. "Have a good day."

"Before you go," Jackson says. "You said you had several questions?"

"What?" I ask. "Oh! Right! Is it possible for you to forge together several of the Special Ores without losing their special properties? Such as making an amulet of Spook Ore, Turkey Ore, and Frost Ore, and having the effects of all three without them losing their special-ore-resiliency and the natural clean-thingy?"

"Yes and no," he answers. "I'd need Primordial Essence to do that."

"What's Primordial Essence?" I ask.

"No one's entirely sure," he answers. "And it's exceptionally rare – every monster has a chance of performing an Automatic Loot of it, but in the last thousand years, probably only two hundred have been looted. Only Subclass Masters can work it, but it's versatile – alchemy, smithing, carving, cooking, it can be used in them."

"The last time it was looted," Samantha tells me. "Was around sixty years ago, just after Jesse took me under his wing and began teaching me. A sixteen year-old Boundary native had gone out to hunt, was killing some Slimes and Rats, and it dropped, marking the fourth recorded time it dropped from a low-class monster. A few days later, he was found dead, and while everyone knows who used the Primordial Essence, no one can really do anything about it. He had a potion made that greatly boosted his defensive stats. Even a team of Dark Knights can probably only barely touch him."

I bet if I became a Demon, the Rank 3 version of this line of Classes, I could easily kill him with my might alone.

At least, I'm pretty sure Demon is the Rank 3 darkness Class, since Angel is the Rank 3 holy Class.

"Alright," I say. "If I find some Primordial Essence, I'll make sure to drop it off. Also, I wanted to commission another sword."

I place three Frost Ingots onto the counter.

"Can you make it so the sword works extra-effectively against ice-type things?" I ask.

"With Primordial Essence."

"Damn," I say. "Oh, well. In that case, I just want a sword, and probably a pair of knives."

"Come back in three days," he tells me. "And I can have everything done."

"Thanks," I say. "Come on, Gold, and don't freak out when we get home. I'm stabbing myself a lot so I can learn and train Heal and Bleed Cure."