[STT] Chapter 92: Settling In (Patreon)

That was surprising. Ben had assumed Houses were just a social construct, and that being affiliated with them meant something to the people in power, but he had not expected it to be recognized by the system.

What does it even mean to join a House?

Would there be benefits?

He wondered, but he had no way of knowing until he accepted.

Ben met the old man's eyes, who was staring at him in amusement.

"What does it cost?" Ben asked.

"Nothing. You get the name, that's all there is to it. I guess there's the quest board and some system functionality you can gain access to as a noble, but that's it. That said, you won't be a noble. You will be a retainer, an official member, but not a noble. I do not give out titles easily, you see. If you wish to earn that, you will have to work for it."

Ben nodded.

That was fine by him.

He didn't want to be a noble, anyway.

Still, Ben had told Alice a long time ago that he didn't have a surname. His ancestors had been serfs who bought their freedom, and had never gotten around to picking a name. He was born with no family name, and he'd been fine with that.

But now, being offered a chance to join a House, he wondered if there was more to surnames than he thought.

"Why, though? You said I'm not worth it."

"Indeed, you're not worth investing in, that's a different thing." Gerald scratched his beard. "My daughter rarely writes to me, this time she wrote about you. I don't get many letters from her, so I read them. In her letter, she described you as a fascinating young man with a penchant for fighting and a rather... peculiar essence distribution. Now I see what she meant."

Before Ben could respond, though, mana hit the garden like a door being kicked in. Men rushed in, maybe a dozen, armed, in the House colors, and their gazes focused on Ben. They were tense, and he knew a fight would break out if he moved the wrong way. The one leading them skidded to a stop on a knee in front of the bench, head bowed.

"Lord Vane, I apologize for the intrusion. We picked up a surge of mana inside the wards just as Lady Alice teleported in. We thought it might have been an attempt on the House using the pathway Lady Alice used. I know you have no need of protection, but I'd rather look a fool in your garden than be sorry for it later."

The old man waved his hand, and the men seemed to relax a little. "Ah, no need to worry. Just a boy."

The man's gaze fell on Ben, and he narrowed his eyes. "My lord, with due respect, until this one is registered, he comes with me. I'll keep him somewhere comfortable."

The air changed, and Ben could feel the old man's mana flare, the very air bending to his will. It was a subtle thing, but Ben felt it, yet it did not touch Ben in the slightest. The guards shifted, nervously.

[Hunter] did not so much as flinch. 

"Am I not allowed a guest in my own garden?" Gerald said, and the man bowed his head again.

"Of course, my lord. My apologies. I shall take my leave."

"Accept it." Gerald gave Ben a glance.

Ben did so.

Congratulations! You have joined House Vane!

You may now access certain system features reserved for members of the House.

"What are the system features?" Ben asked.

"The library," Gerald said, pointing over the mansion, "is one. It's a good place to start. You may also accept quests from the board, but that's a bit advanced for you."

"Wait, wait, wait. Do I need this to access the library? Is it in the system?"

"No? Think of it like an access pass or identification. The guards would have stopped you from entering without it."

The guard in question stood up, gave Ben a look over, and then bowed to the old man. As he went away he gave Ben another look and Ben repressed a sigh. Great.

"I see." Ben said.

"Now, it seems my granddaughter is coming here. You have but a few moments."

Ben eyed the old man. "Why here?"

"Pardon?"

"Why did I get teleported here? Did Lady Eris do that?"

"Ah, no, unlikely. She is not so powerful to penetrate my domain so easily. It has to be that meddlesome dragon. It has a penchant of dropping people wherever mana is highest in concentration, and in my House, that is me."

"I see."

Ben was quiet for a moment.

"When do I start training?"

"Training?"

"I was told someone in the House would be willing to train me."

Gerald blinked, then laughed. It was a deep, booming laugh. "Oh, you meant me? Well, I don't know. I'm retired, you see. I don't take students anymore. Before you get ideas, you're in the House, not my student. I don't take students. I haven't in a long time. And I'm not starting with you. Are we clear?"

"Yes, sir." Ben said. "Then why let me in?"

"I told you, my daughter doesn't ask for things, so when she does, I pay attention."

"I see."

Gerald looked at the blood on his face. "Now, here's what I need you to do. My granddaughter will be here shortly, so you will be silent and go get cleaned. Your body is too small for what's in it. That dragon's domain nearly tore you open just passing through it, Tier 3 will do you worse. Once you're done cleaning, go to the hall and get some tempering pills. Third grade. Tell them I sent you."

"Yes, sir."

"Gerald."

"Okay, sir."

Gerald didn't bother correcting again, letting out a sigh.

They waited for Alice to come, and Ben opened his status to see what had changed. Not much had, though there were a few new things he'd never seen before.

Name: Benjamin Vane

Title: [Hunter]

Tier: 2

Skills (8/11):

Focus (Parallel Focus) (Rare) - Lvl 17

Mana Sonar (Uncommon) - Lvl 19

Ignition Step (Rare) - Lvl 8

Warforged (Rare) - Lvl 14

Mana Cannon (Uncommon) - Lvl 14

Regeneration (Uncommon) - Lvl 19

Mana Manipulation (Uncommon) - Lvl 18

Mana Shaping (Uncommon) - Lvl 4

Constructs (2/10):

Learning Model

Healing Mark

Titles (3/3):

- [Hunter] - Equipped

- [Lurker] (40/100)

- [Hound] (7/100)

[Quest Board]

Benjamin Vane, eh?

He didn't dislike it.

It was weird, but it was his now.

The quest board was new. It was grayed out and unclickable. Maybe it had to do with his tier? Was it locked until he was of a higher tier? Ben didn't know, and he didn't have time to dwell on it because Alice rushed into the garden, her eyes locking onto him, then her grandfather.

"Grandpa!" She said, her tone accusatory. "Why did you do that? Do you know how long I looked for him? He just vanished!"

"He didn't vanish, he's right here."

"That's not the point!"

"Also, I didn't do it."

"Who else would do it?" Alice said, stomping her foot.

Gerald sighed. "Why don't you take your friend to the guest house, Alice. He's a Vane now. Your father will have been alerted, so be ready to deal with him. I'm going back to my nap."

"But—"

"Off you go."

Alice stared at her grandfather as he laid back on the bench and closed his eyes.

"Yes, grandpa." She said, turning to Ben and grabbing his arm. "Come on, let's go. You look terrible. Wait, is that blood?"

"Take the bird with you." Gerald spoke up, eyes still closed.

###

"This is the guest house," Alice said, opening the door and walking in.

Ben followed her inside, and the little bird sat on his shoulder, looking around with curiosity. The guest house was a separate little building across the lawn from the main mansion, and it was quite nice. It had many rooms, and he was led to one of them.

It was luxurious, with a big bed, a large window with a view of the garden, a desk with a chair, and a bathroom attached to it. There were also things like a wardrobe, a chest of drawers, and a few other things he didn't recognize.

"You can stay here for the time being, until we figure out where to put you," Alice said. "There are clothes in the closet, so take a shower, change, and I'll come to get you for lunch. I have to talk to my father. The moment you joined, he was notified. You can explore the mansion if you want, but don't go into any of the restricted areas. You'll know them when you see them."

"Okay," Ben said.

"So what did my grandfather say? Anything interesting?"

Ben shrugged. "Not much. He sent me to get pills for my body."

"Yeah, he would." She looked at him. "Still, my father should know by now. The steward should've gone straight to him. A commoner's name on the register, in my grandfather's hand no less. That's not a small thing here."

"Is it bad?"

"Eh, not really. But expect some attention, not all of it the good kind." She looked at him again. " "You okay? You look a bit shaken."

"I just met a dragon. I think I'm fine."

Alice stared, and he could see she had no idea what he was talking about. "A... what?"

"It's nothing. Don't worry about it. I'll see you for lunch."

"Right. Uh, see you then."

She left him alone, and he shut the door, taking a deep breath.

Now that he was alone, he could relax.

The room was comfortable, and he wanted to just fall on the bed and sleep for a while, but he needed to clean up first. He was covered in blood, and he didn't want to ruin the bed.

So, he walked into the bathroom, and the bird chirped and flew onto the counter.

The bathroom was large, and the tub was big enough for him to lay in it. There was also a shower, and he decided to use that instead. He stripped off his clothes, and the water felt nice on his skin.

He looked at his body in the mirror.

It was as he remembered, thin and frail, yet there was a hint of strength beneath the surface now, and visible muscle. His skin was pale, and he had scars from abusing [Regeneration] so much.

He sighed, and let the water run over him.

He had a lot of work to do.

It would take a while for him to reach Tier 3, but he was determined to get there.

Before that, though, he needed to fix his body. Because he didn't even know how many people had told him he would explode if he didn't.

Tempering pills were a good start.

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