The hours crept slowly by, and with each one that passed without Moby dying, Jake felt his hope rise slightly. That had been his worst fear, that Moby would be killed out of hand and their message ignored entirely.

  Of course, that didn’t remove the chance of the coming meeting turning into a trap, but Jake had taken what few steps he could to reduce that likelihood.

  Then it was time for them to leave.

  As hopeful as Jake was, he wasn’t foolish enough to do this unprepared. They would all be going, and they would all be armed to the teeth. If anything went wrong, then they’d fight their way clear.

  With four of them in the third tier, they would be a lot tougher than their enemies were expecting, and that was an advantage that Jake would exploit to its fullest.

  Slipping silently out of the safehouse, they set off into the woods, making their way to their chosen meeting point.

  Amusingly, Jake received a notification halfway through their journey, informing him that the Aptofir Veranis Dungeon had reached the next tier. That was the forest-based Dungeon here in Casthorpe, and would have been useful a few days ago to help their cause.

  Still, it was another Plexus Point, so Jake would take the increase in tier with a smile.

  Letting his mind wander somewhat, Jake considered what Boon he’d next upgrade. There were so many choices, and if he was going to start getting the occasional additional point from the Dungeons reaching their next tier, then it was worth considering.

  Dauhaust’s Root seemed like a solid choice to increase next, if for no other reason than the fact that Jake used it the most. The spear was a dependable weapon, and the leeching effect it carried was both powerful and incredibly useful. Any additional source of healing was valuable, and Jake hoped that its effect would increase as the Boon was strengthened.

  Jake mulled over the choices as he picked his way through the woods, making sure to keep at least some of his attention on their surroundings. They’d orchestrated this to make it impossible for the Triarchy to know where they’d be meeting, but then again, with classers, nothing felt truly impossible anymore.

  Going down that path would leave them indecisive and unable to do much of anything, however, which was why Jake was trying to change things around. If they were the driving force of what was happening, then it didn’t matter what odd powers or Abilities their enemies had, they would be reacting, not plotting.

  That was the idea, anyway.

  “We’re here,” Alan said, drawing Jake from his thoughts as they reached a small clearing in the woods. There was nothing particularly special about this spot, nothing that would make it easy to predict that they’d be here. In fact, the only reason they’d chosen it was that a large tree had been knocked over and had in turn uprooted several others.

  From their point of view, it was the same woodland scene they’d been walking through all along. From Moby’s point of view, however, it was a visible break in the canopy, and would let the duck take a somewhat random route to meet them.

  “Alright, let’s settle in then,” Jake said, perching on the trunk of a fallen tree as the others faded back into the woods. The first point of contact would just be with him. If things went badly, though, the others were mere moments ahead.

  Jake was confident that he could survive the thirty seconds needed for them to come to his aid, especially with his new rank strengthening him. Each rank might only be a subtle increase, but they very much added up over time, and he’d found that his own hard work seemed to be magnified by them.

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  A hint of nostalgia played through Jake’s mind as he remembered his early morning runs with Karl and Felix. He’d enjoyed that part of being a classer, the advancement and pushing of boundaries.

  Wings fluttered as Moby came out of the trees to land on Jake’s shoulder and his heart skipped a beat. This was it. This was the moment that would decide how everything else went.

  “So,” a man spoke out as he walked out from the treeline, his voice calm and measured. “You’re Jake Khesh, or perhaps you’d prefer Jake Chant?”

  “I am,” Jake said, working hard to keep his voice calm and clear. “And you are Kirn Valnacht, the Hunter.”

  Kirn was an unassuming, somewhat bland man. His watery brown eyes were soft, and he lacked an imposing physique, looking more like a simple woodsman than anything. A dagger rested in a sheath at his side, but he’d brought no other weapons, just as Jake had asked in his letter.

  “I’m glad we know each other,” Kirn said, walking calmly into the small clearing before coming to a stop about ten paces from Jake and clasping his hands behind his back. “You made a lot of bold statements in your letter. Do you think such baseless accusations will stay my hand?”

  “I think that you must at least harbour some suspicions, or else you wouldn’t be here.” Jake resisted the urge to swallow and ignored how dry his throat was. He could show no weakness, no apprehension, or else all this could be over in a heartbeat.

  “Perhaps,” Kirn said, something about his body language shifting as he seemed to give off an aura of barely-restrained violence. “Or perhaps I just wanted to get within stabbing distance of the man who killed my grandson.”

  Jake felt his throat tighten, and he froze in place, acutely aware of the fact that a fourth tier classer was barely ten paces from him. For all that Kirn didn’t look dangerous, Jake had no doubt that the other man was stronger and faster than him.

  “He was stationed at the outpost where your friend was taken,” Kirn said softly, his voice soft but unyielding as he took a step forward. “He was volunteering with the guards here to gain experience, to better understand the tenets of Manos and Dranys. He died, butchered at his post, on the same night that you rescued your friend.”

  Jake’s eyes were wide, and he could feel the change in the air as Kirn’s hand came down to rest on his dagger. Carefully, oh so carefully, he lifted his hands to show his empty palms.

  “I didn’t kill your grandson, and neither did any of my companions. I know this for a fact.”

  Jake felt every muscle tense in his body as Kirn took another step forward, somehow only three steps away now, despite Jake having only seen him move forward twice.

  “How?” Kirn asked roughly, gripping the hilt of his dagger. He didn’t draw it, though, and Jake took that as a good sign. Not much of one, but he’d take it all the same.

  “The only people we fought were the Fatesworne, and our allies only fought the Seeker who first caught Nepthys. The rest of the bloodshed was performed by the Fatesworne who were trying to kill Nepthys.” Jake paused, trying to think of how he could possibly convince the other man that he wasn’t just lying to save himself. “I swear this is true by my Patron, The Great Dungeon.”

  Kirn’s frown had grown as Jake spoke, but at that last statement he looked shocked for a moment. “The Great Dungeon is your Patron? I was told you were a rogue Dungeon Noble.”

  Eager to grasp the tentative path to understanding, Jake called on the System to show the bare basics of his Class and showed them to Kirn.

  Name - Jake Khesh

  Patron Deity - The Great Dungeon

  Class - Dungeon Noble - Baron

  Tier - III

  Rank - II

  “This is not at all what I was told,” Kirn said, his expression turning grave as he backed away to give Jake his space. “Your letter spoke of corruption within the Triarchy here in Strovia, and I admit I have seen elements of that. The Seeker taking your friend to the outpost my grandson was stationed at made no sense, for instance. This, though, this is something else entirely. Manos guide me, I can not believe that they have had me hunting one of your kind.”

  “Nepthys!” Jake shouted, glancing aside to roughly where she should be and waving for her to join them. She did so, if a little reluctantly, and after a brief discussion, shared her own status with Kirn.

  “An Inquisitor as well.” Kirn closed his eyes and took a deep breath before slowly letting it out and meeting Jake’s gaze with a much calmer expression. “Very well, it is clear to me now that the situation here is far worse than expected. I would like to hear more, if you’re willing to explain?”