Enter a dungeon? I don’t think so. Ignoring the message about the dungeon, for now, Daemon focused on his level 2 instead. He was not sure why he suddenly got enough to get him to the next level, but he welcomed his first level up nonetheless. He figured the dungeon had to be the reason, but how or why was a mystery still. One he didn’t think his pesky gargoyle would help him solve.

Pulling up the level increase message, he noticed it provided him with some more information.

*You have reached lvl 2 - stat points increased

Gained 5 free stat points, no class stat points gained*

So apparently he got 5 free stat points, which seemed pretty good considering his starting amount. Being free to distribute as he wished was even better. But the no class stat points gained worried Daemon. As far as he knew, he hadn’t gotten the choice to get a class. And if he was losing stat points with each gained level because of him lacking a class…. Eating another one of the moon berries, he inspected every point of his status meticulously, finding only the 5 free points as a new addition. No matter what he did or tried, he couldn’t find an option to pick a class.

“Choose class, pick class, class selection, class,” He said, hoping to get an option, only earning him some laughter from Adelax. “You’re welcome to help me out at any time here, you know.” Sorry, I can’t, was all the reply he got. Deciding he couldn’t do anything about it, he changed his attention to the free points.

Five points to distribute, with no way of knowing what he would encounter. All he knew is that he needed to get to Silverhill as quickly as he could. And for that he needed stamina. He knew endurance dictated his total amount. Without any further indications or time for experimentation, he could only hope it would dictate regeneration as well. Making up his mind, he put all 5 points in endurance. And immediately he felt a bit better. Like he just had a particularly good stretch. Looking at his new status, he felt a bit better prepared for the rest of his journey.

Name: Daemon

Species: Humanoid-Daemon (lvl 2)

Class: -

Status

Health: 44/50

Stamina: 7/110

Mana: -

Free points: 0

Vitality: 5

Endurance: 11

Strength: 4

Agility: 4

Intelligence: 6

Wisdom: 5

Walking back to the pond, which he now realized must be some kind of gateway for the dungeon, he touched the water again. The message popped up again, asking if he wanted to enter. Refusing once more, he didn’t see anything else that provided him with information. He wasn’t planning on entering the dungeon now, but maybe he could at a later date. To do so, he would need information about the dungeon. Levels of enemies inside, the sort and amount of enemies, and most importantly if he could freely enter and exit it. The plains he was on now seemed fairly safe, seeing as the most threatening thing he had encountered were the flame creepers. But the same would probably not be true for whatever this dungeon was.

Turning to his only current source of information, he mentally prodded Adelax for some answers. And to his surprise got them, even being graced with his physical appearance instead of the usual mental remark.

“Since this is common knowledge in this world, I can share some information freely,” He said, picking up one of the fruits lying on the ground. Taking a bite, he immediately spat it out, looking at the fruit regretfully. “Dungeons are gateways to the shade Rifts, given form by the Ascended. They can appear anywhere, formed by the links of Aether connecting the Rifts. They can be entered and destroyed from within.”

Seeing the worried look on Daemon’s face, he reassured him. “Don’t worry though, once you destroy a dungeon, you will get back to your own Rift. As far as what you will find inside goes, it could be anything.”

Taking one last longing look at the moon berries, Adelax disappeared again, leaving Daemon alone in the clearing. Sighing, Daemon took a quick look at his stamina and decided to extend his rest for a little bit. This place seemed to be as good as any and the moon berries almost made up for being stranded in a different universe.

When his stamina hit 50, replenished by his rest and the moon berries, he exited the grove and continued his path towards Silverhill. Having a couple of hours walking ahead of him still, he played with his status a bit more before his eye fell on the two titles. He could probably guess what caused them, but their impact eluded him, even after reading the information his status gave him.

[Ascended Owed] - When one becomes as powerful enough to create and destroy universes, your truth is often reality. Whether true or not, an Ascended feels indebted to you. Whether this debt is a boon or a curse, only time will tell.

[Ascended Owned] - Bartered away for the secured position of an Ascended, there has been put a high price on your existence. Your life is no longer just your own.

The thought of not being in control of his own life scared Daemon. He had always valued a certain amount of freedom in his choices. His parents had given him ample opportunity and freedom to determine what he wanted at every point in his life, often only providing guidance and encouragement. Now, by some weird twist of fate in a previously unimaginable circumstance, that choice was taken away. Or at least heavily limited. Daemon didn’t know in which ways Ankhoner would influence his life. Apart from viewing it as some sort of extreme version of reality tv. For now, though, Ankhoner had just given him extra potential and an occasionally helpful and equally annoying companion. It could be worse.

While walking, the terrain around him slowly started to get more hilly. He kept to the river, being the only real landmark he had. Keeping close to the river had the added advantage of being relatively flat, having carved out its path through the hills. The first signs he saw of habitation were planks washed up on the shore of the river. Daemon knew he should be close to the town by now, already seeing the first rays of sunshine on the horizon. Deciding to find a better vantage point, in case Silverhill was not directly on the river, he started climbing the next hill. Having long since had his fill of the moon berries, however delicious they were, meant he was running out of stamina. He had kept an eye on his status after finding the dungeon, and by now he had a fairly good idea how long he could do with his stamina. So he decided if he couldn’t see Silverhill when he reached the top of the hill, he would need to rest.

Catching his breath when he finally reached the top, he knew where Silverhill had gotten its name. The town was located on a cliff above a massive waterfall, which was the origin of the river. The water glistened in the sun, bathing the area in a silver, almost ethereal light. The town itself was rather underwhelming. Many wooden huts, with a few big buildings in between. A low, wooden palisade surrounded the half that was not on the cliff, with a watchtower standing next to the gate. As soon as Daemon saw the watchtower, he knew someone was watching him as well. He couldn’t explain how, but he just knew. Squinting his eyes, he saw movement on top of the watchtower. A couple of moments later, someone jumped over the wall and came running at him at high speeds. Far faster than Daemon ever could, even if he had had all his stamina. So, realizing he could not run, he sat on the ground and waited.

After it arrived at the top of the hill, it stopped a few meters from Daemon. The two of them just stared at each other. Daemon was frankly underwhelmed. He now knew that humans were not the only sentient species in existence. The two Ascended had even told him they were not even the only sentient species in this Rift. So he had hoped for something outlandish. Maybe a sentient dragon or a walking tree. But looking at the being before him, it didn’t appear that different from a human. It was slightly taller than Daemon, having the same bipedal build. The immediately most noticeable difference was its skin. It was covered in what looked like bark, having a greenish color. Two piercing blue eyes, looking at Daemon, studying him. It was wearing some sort of sleeveless brown dress. Studying it more closely, Daemon noticed faint lines across its entire body, weaving together to form intricate symbols.

Having totally forgotten about Identify, he was helped by a gentle nudge from Adelax. During the last part of his trek, it had sat on his shoulder, enjoying the sunrise. But for now, he had ordered the gargoyle to stay hidden until they knew what they were dealing with.

[Donidh - Fihmos (lvl 37)]

Seeing its high level, quashed any admittingly far-fetched dreams of being able to force it to help him. Focusing on identifying, he instinctively knew it was a Donidh, whatever that was, and it was called Fihmos. Knowing its name would make communication easier. Daemon could only hope that [All-Speaking Tongue] would allow him to communicate.

The silence between the two endured for a while longer before the Donidh was the first to speak. “The accords forbid you from entering these lands, human. Leave now, and we will grant you leniency.” It said, its face not showing any sort of emotion. With those words, it turned around and started walking back towards the wall of the town.

Daemon knew he had to do something. He was tired, and not just low on stamina. He had no idea where he was and lacked the most basic understanding of this world. He had successfully fought his first enemy, but he didn’t fancy his chances against something slightly more dangerous than the fiery housecat. If the inhabitant of Silverhill would chase him away… he didn’t have anywhere else to go. He had a feeling Adelax wouldn’t help either, and he had seen no other signs of civilization so far. Whatever these accords were, they needed to make an exception.

“Wait, I need your help”. Daemon yelled after Fihmos, hoping, praying that it would react. Open negotiations at least. It did, but not how Daemon expected. It turned around and stretched his arm towards Daemon. Before he could react, the lines on the Donidh’s arm lit up and Daemon was suddenly flying through the air. Making a hard landing a couple of meters back, Daemon groaned. Diplomacy was going great.