QuestWright BK2 C33: The Experiential QuestWright (Patreon)

Author's note:

Sorry for the long delay. Just had to, you know, get things right. I'm at an eSports tournament today, so I'm posting these chapters early. I have the next one all figured out, and it should be a good time with some experiments in the dungeon.

Hope you're enjoying everything, and beware a series of time skips coming forth (I always say this, then find more to write in the moment). Also, similar to the start of the book, we're going to have a big notification chapter.

Next chapter up soon.

Now, on to the ReaderQuest!

Quest ID: JDM-0003-S-EA

[Tier 1 Scouting Quest]

Assignment: Discover the Growth Mindset

Fixed limits are an illusion, as is intelligence.

There’s no such thing as “I’ll always be this bad at something.”

You’re going to prove it.

Your Task

Choose something you believe you are bad at.
Not terrible or impossible, just something you’ve written off.

Math. Drawing. Running. Cooking. Speaking. Fixing things. Anything.

Now test it.

Spend fifteen minutes attempting to improve at it.
Not researching. Not preparing. Doing.

You are not trying to get good.
You are trying to find the exact point where you say
“I can’t do this.”

Stay there for one more attempt.

Push your limit.

Rules

No quitting at the first failure.
No switching tasks.
No outside help during the attempt.

You are scouting your current boundary.

Completion Condition

One personal limit identified. One attempt made beyond it.

Timeframe: One Week

Reward: 13 XP

You are not as limited as you think.
You just haven’t walked far enough yet.

—
J D Mullenary Sr
The Original QuestWright

Chapter 33: The Experiential QuestWright

The ride from the tower to Caligula’s End pushed Cass into a mental corner. He did, in fact, enjoy combat. There was something about the thrill of fighting that had drawn him to it each time he’d found himself in the vicinity of monsters. 

Dev had called it "adrenaline", naming those who sought it "Battle Junkies." Cass just knew it made him feel alive in a way nothing else yet had.

Nothing wrong with that, right?

On the other hand, he had no active abilities that helped him fight. Enhanced senses, reflexes, and healing were good and all, but unlike his sister, he couldn’t eat and reform iron at will. Should they find themselves in real trouble or against an outstanding number of enemies, an Administrator was nothing but a liability.

It also meant that he and Adya likely wouldn’t be able to perform their nightly activities. Even though it had only been a few days, he’d looked forward to their walks with great relish. 

It felt like the true purpose of what a QuestWright was meant to do or be. Not assigning Quests for money, as his rules had long ago established and subsequently been placed on temporary hold. But just to help people in whatever way they could.

He let out a sigh as they passed through another gate.

“Nervous?” Adya asked, tapping one of the hands wrapped around her stomach.

“Yes-no…I don’t know. How about we go with maybe?”

Her hand squeezed over his, “I’m not going to let anything happen to you, Cass.”

“It doesn’t hurt that you just leveled up, either.” The moment they’d touched, his experience had siphoned to her with aplomb. “Did you purchase any new upgrades to your marks?”

“Nope, but I can tell you that if we kill enough monsters today, we’ll probably unlock the next choice for Profile.”

Just how many is she planning on killing?

In all the rush of his friends arriving, Cass hadn’t once looked at his status in the last several days. He’d just continued on in a fugue state, waiting for his daily work in the Scriptorium to end so he could live his real life outside of the Guildtower’s walls. 

What he saw amazed him. But the screen could do with an update, so he worked his magic while thinking.

Calling: Junior QuestWright: Cassio Vale

Level: 14

Experience Accrued: 7,145.34

Experience Required for Next Level: 654.66

Unspent Experience: 3195.24

Available System Reputation: 1284

Available Quests: 60/160

Total Stalwart/Tempered/Survivor Tokens: 112/5/103

How in the hell did this all build up so fast? I know I’ve been fairly busy since everyone arrived, but my experience…wait a second. There’s that one title.

He quickly pulled it up.

[Experiential Driver]

+20 bonus experience granted for every five completed Quests

Since Maggie helped me out, I’ve only been forced to create 100 Quests a day. If you include my nighttime activities, that still adds up. Every 100 Quests divided by five and multiplied by twenty is…

His eyes widened, “400 experience!”

“What’d you say? I didn’t hear you!” Adya called back.

“Don’t worry about it!”

Cass dove back into his most hated thing in the world with newfound joy. He looked over the numbers a second time, even though nothing could possibly change.

But why wasn’t it building up so much before? Oh! Oh! Every five completed Quests. Does that mean that if I get a failure in the middle of my Quests finishing up that it’ll reset? I have had a lot of Quests not fail lately. 

What a stupid rule.

The number four-hundred jumped into his mind again, and it brought along a dark passenger. The System regularly showed that it was reading his mind, making Cass mentally cringe.

Never mind, System. Haha, I’m just kidding! It’s a great title. Thank you for all the experience! Loveee youuu!

He shook those embarrassing thoughts away. When I get back tonight, I have some serious unlocks to run through. One more step on the Stalwart Way opens up another free daily. Tempered needs only one, too. My mornings are going to be filled with just Survivor Quests for a long time. 

I’ll have to start focusing on Tempered more once Stalwart begins to reach 250. Way of the Cinder is only so far away. I just need to keep at it.

Then he groaned. Adya is level 13. There’s no way we get enough experience in the dungeon to balance us out so quickly.

But at least at Level 15, I get the new QuestWright Achievements. That’ll be nice.

Cass ruminated on that as they stopped off at the bar. Bella wasn’t happy being left behind, but Will took her reins in hand and assured them he’d keep an eye on her. Cass gave her a friendly pat as she nuzzled him, then he began the short walk to the back, even if it seemed like his steps grew longer the closer he got.

The way down the steps into the ‘real’ Caligula’s End felt like a tremor in his soul as he forgot all about tokens and experience. Each flat, wooden pane was a jump back in time. Johnny. The ambush near the schools. That terrible chase through Liora. Blood and burning.

He didn’t know what to expect from his first dungeon run, and the fear of the unknown was always a terrifying prospect. The mind could invent so many special horrors that reality had no chance of topping. Monsters or not.

But as he stepped upon the hardened ground, finding a smiling Alan beside a very big man in armor, the beat-up door waiting beyond them didn’t seem so large. Nor did the rents running across it seem so fearsome. 

Instead, it appeared as if a challenge to be taken down.

Orla, Pellin, and Gary were already waiting for them, so Cass and Adya crossed over to join up. On Pellin’s right hip was the weapon he’d commonly associated with Noah. On the left was something that looked almost the same, only slightly darker. And what’s more, Orla had another one in hand.

“Heya, Cass!” Pellin said with a big smile.

“Hey, yourself, Pell. You know I’ve been taking a lot of shit from Noah since you stole that,” He ended, pointing a finger at the raunchy man’s stolen item.

“Yeah, haha,” The engineer’s laugh was mirthless as he rubbed the back of his head, “I came to realize, after handling it for a time-”

“Bet that’s not all he handled,” Orla snickered.

“THAT’s not what happened, I-,” Pellin yelled, stopping himself and taking a breath with a weak smile. “She’s an idiot, don’t mind her. I took it because I needed more opportunities for testing. I figured I knew Noah well enough to know that he’d never willingly let me borrow it for any length of time. So, I chose the next best option.”

“I’m guessing you made a copy, then?” The perceptive Adya said with a pointed look at the two darker forms on him and the merchant.

“Yep! They take longer to recharge, as I haven’t figured that part out enough yet, but they’ll do the job. I got a ton of levels. I bet I’m higher-leveled than you now, Cass!”

If not, you will be soon.

“Plus!” He reached by his sides, cross-armed, pulling each from a small leather holster he’d outfitted. “I get to dual-wield! How cool is that!”

“What’s dual-wielding?” Gary asked as Allen clapped his hands together, silencing the answer before it could come.

Alan just as they began speaking to each other…

Joran’s the best Defender I’ve got. He’ll keep them safe. He’s not a talker, and even I have trouble seeing through his armor, but they’ll get used to him eventually. Should be safe enough with someone at his level.

He pinched his face into the half-frown everyone quickly grew accustomed to. 

Alright, time to be bitch-boss.

“Okay. Team.” Alan started out. Only, they continued talking. “Team…Team!” He clapped his hands to get their attention. The group of youngsters finally turned to look at them, “This is Joran. Joran, meet Team…” 

He paused, looking them over. 

The engineer and the QuestWright are of average height and weight, but neither of them looks like a fighter, even with those shoulders Cassio is lugging around.

Adya is clearly a combatant, full of lean muscle and with a sharp eye, but-” His took her in even more deeply. She’s in love with the boy, and that can be dangerous. Her priority has to be the whole team, not just the semi-handsome paper pusher with the map I need. The boy is the impetus for their foray into the Dungeon, though, so, deadweight or not, he needs to be there.

Orla…well, she’s a money gremlin, and this is her first mission into a dungeon. She’ll probably be a liability until her team can get a handle on her. Joran will know what to do.

It’s the big boy holding the large piece of bread who’s got me interested. Ah, smart. He’s using his Kneading Strength passive to increase the power he can bring to bear. That’s a smart use of his Calling. Shows real potential. No wonder that mace in his other hand looks light. 

Wait a second.

Alan’s half-frown became full as he grandly announced, “Deadweight. I name you Team Deadweight.” He gestured at Gary, “Hey, boy. Who said you could take my stuff?”

“Uhh, it was just sitting there, sir.”

“But it’s my stuff?”

Gary looked like he was going to have a stroke trying to come up with an answer. Cassio, predictably to Alan’s cultured and advanced Calling, was about to come to his defense.

Ugh, if it keeps them alive, fine.

Before the QuestWright could open his mouth, Alan got there first, “Don’t lose it! It’s worth more than your life!”

“Is that name permanent?” Pellin said with a half-raised hand. 

“What? Deadweight? Yes. It fits. I could go with Coinflip, if you want?”

“Because we’ve got a 50% chance to survive, right?” The too-smart merchant called out. “Screw you, old man.”

Liking her. If only she were fifty years older.

“Now, listen up and shut up. Joran is a Defender. It’s a particular Calling that’s almost as old as Liberty. He’s close to my level,” By twenty, “and he’s going to be protecting you when you go inside as a favor to me. Don’t bother him too much, don’t ask him to take off his helmet either. His job is to get you in and out mostly in one piece, not be your goddamned nanny or solve every problem you have.”

He gestured at the big door and the Dungeon waiting behind it, “Your mission is to map out as much of the area as possible, get a little experience, then book it out of there in a hurry. We’ve set aside three hours for your first run. Now-” Alan paused to look each in the eye. “Do we have any questions?” 

As soon as he asked that, he spoke again in a clipped manner before they could say anything, “Great! Get out of here. Joran, show them how to open the door.”

They’ll be fine.

He walked toward the steps without looking back.

They just need to grow up some more.

Cass…

The trick to opening the door involved lifting a thick cylinder off two locations on the right side. Cass wasn’t strong enough to manage it, but Gary and Joran were. Afterwards, the large metal man gave Cass a treated, wide piece of paper and a pen, then they entered.

The first thing he noticed was the smell. Most of his life, Cass had been in one of two places. The great outdoors, though only for short periods, and the city. He’d come to learn that each city had its own unique smell.

With Liora, it often smelled of wood chips, and at the depot, of animal droppings. In the Guildtower, there was hardly a smell at all. Probably because it was filled to the roof with Servants cleaning it daily. But that didn’t apply to the Fifth Ring. Often, the most common smell his enhanced nose picked up was sweat. With a small dollop of desperation thrown in for fun.

The dungeon’s smell stung his nose.

Orla covered her face, “Is it always like this?”

Joran shrugged, the metal not making a sound as it clinked together. He limbered up his shoulders, then pulled a sword from his back…and kept pulling, and pulling. Eventually, he was holding a five-foot blade upright. It was almost comical in how long the thing was. 

Cass would’ve laughed had he not noticed from the glint on its edges that it was deadly sharp. The steady way the man held the gargantuan blade put stock in Alan’s comments about his level.

“A spatial sheath..that’s so smart.’ Pellin said with a smile. He walked over to the man, putting one of his weapons in a holster as he reached out for it. Adya’s hand reached his first, stopping him outright.

“Let’s not touch the big, dangerous man’s sensitive items. We may distract him from doing his job.”

“Right, of course.”

Joran nodded at her, then moved out in front. Every twenty feet, a small group of lights powered by System energy lit up the area. It wasn’t much to see with, but it kept the darkness back as they slowly went deeper. Once they’d gone a few hundred feet, the big man turned to look at Cass, pointing at his eyes.

What? Oh, yeah, that’s my job.

Cass pulled up Command Center on the stretched-out paper in front of him and got his first look inside a Dungeon. For what he guessed to be several hundred feet, nothing appeared except the rough approximation of walls and edges. But beyond that, an odd pulse ricocheted from the very edges of his vision back. 

Then he saw words appear on his screen that he’d only seen once before.

Warning: There are several corrupted items nearby

System note: Proximity brings clarity

He paused to sort the information, but the shock of it burst forth in a yell: “What!” 

Cass had naively thought that, when he’d made his bargain with the system, he’d rarely ever run into any corrupted items. And yet, here he was, deep beneath a city, and there were several of the things. Throw in the fact that they pretty much changed how the system worked, and the obvious conclusion was that something really bad was happening under Liberty City.

Then he heard his voice coming back to him, over and over again, as it echoed through the Dungeon. Looking up from the map, he met the steel-visor’d gaze of Joran.

The Defender spoke in a steady baritone, “You just had to yell in a dungeon.”

Cass looked back down at Command Center. Up ahead, several dozen red dots began to appear, and they weren’t holding still.