Groups of three were formed for protecting the caravan during the day's journey. The teams were divided into one experienced hunter, lumberjack, or adventurer and two others with less experience. This left enough people to keep guard during the day and still have a few remaining for the watch at night. It also gave those in tier one, or unclassed in Tars' case, a chance to gain a few levels along with some skills.
Tars was partnered up with a young Archer a year or two younger than Allevia named Frint and a seasoned adventurer named Paschot. Frint was nervous and excited, hoping to gain a level or two as well as learn from the savior. Tars hoped the kid wasn't too disappointed when he learned the Protector didn't have much to teach.
Paschot was a man a bit on the smaller side, slightly thin, with dark hair and sharp eyes. Tars had the feeling that this man was very aware of everything around him. He didn't seem quite as strong as Feerestia, but he was close, making him one of the strongest people in the village. Tars was under the impression that Kino assigned Tars to Pashot's group because he'd be best able to keep the Protector safe. Tars saw the irony, but he consoled himself with that fact that he was at this point essentially a two-day old person.
Paschot also had Tars' 'Virtuous Soul' skill confused. It was telling him that Paschot was trustworthy and unreliable at the same time. And when Paschot spoke, in his smooth and friendly voice, the skill didn't react. It was as if he hadn't said anything at all.
Originally, Tars thought it was due to Paschot being stronger than him. But since that wasn't the case with Feerestia, Tars wrote off that assumption. Then, most likely, this man had a skill to thwart his 'Virtuous Soul'. Tars didn't like the thought of not being able to tell who could be trusted and who he needed to be wary of.
He would have to find other ways of learning about this man. Maybe even learn another skill that would work similarly but bypass whatever Paschot had.
Tars' group was given a shift watching over the back of the caravan. It would be two hours on, two hours off, and finally two more hours on watch.
Everyone knew Tars was unclassed, that rumor had spread the day before well enough. Frint was a level five Archer, hoping to become a Hunter on the trip. Paschot said he was a tier two rogue, with skills for hiding and for finding others who hid, but he wouldn't say more than that.
The first patrol didn't involve more than walking and Paschot teaching his new pupils how to watch for creatures in the tall grasses around them. Tars was able to move without getting too tired and his two-hour rest more than made up for his exertions. If there was some kind of battle, he might not hold up well, but he was fine for now.
Before the second patrol started, Tars asked around for Chief Kinton, wanting to ask about his hunting quest. The Chief then called Kino over and they discussed what was needed. Tars simply wanted to fight an opponent, as the daily quest asked, but that meant possibly revealing that he had quests to begin with.
The Chief decided the best way to proceed was to get Paschot and Frint into a Vow, along with any others Tars might have to interact with, as time went on.
Tars also asked Chief Kinton about his ability to give personal quests and whether he should be giving them to anyone in particular or anyone he should avoid giving them to.
The only downside to using the Blessing to give these quests, currently the only way he knew how, was the use of Divine Energy. The Oath was the only other thing that used Divine Energy, so there wasn't a reason not to use it. It regenerated on its own at a rate of about one point every four hours and with his new point from the quest completion and the new stat dedicated to keeping track of Divine Energy Tars had 3/3 points to use.
Chief Kinton asked him to give a personal quest to his daughter as a favor and otherwise he was free to use it as he wished. The Chief also warned him that assigning quests was the ability of the Gods and if he did this most people would determine he has a connection somehow.
Tars wasn't too worried. Helping his people get stronger was more important than hiding a Blessing. He did agree to not reveal that he was Twice-Blessed, that seemed far more dangerous.
Allevia arrived a few minutes later and she looked at her father in confusion and some small amount of irritation. She then fell into step with Tars and the Chief.
"You know my situation better than most, Allevia," Tars said. "If I said I could help you get stronger faster would you be interested?"
"Of course!" she said excitedly before calming down a moment later. "What would I have to do?" she asked with suspicion.
Tars only laughed. "Nothing, it's a favor for you and your father, that is why you are one of the first ones."
Tars led the other two off to the side of the caravan so they wouldn't stop the other people from moving. Kino stood guard nearby, allowing Tars to focus on his skill.
He channeled that energy he'd felt a couple times before out from the center of his body and upwards. The Divine Energy flowed through his chest and neck before forming a small ball of light that was hard to see in the daylight. It began floating towards the Archer.
Allevia flinched when the ball struck her but the only thing that happened was a new quest pulsing through her mind.
Tars saw her eyes focus on words he couldn't see as she read through her new quest. Her smile got bigger and bigger until she dashed at Tars and gave him a hug. He was curious about what her quest asked for, but decided to check it later. It was her quest, after all.
"Thank you, thank you, thank you!" she said in excitement.
Then she blushed slightly before letting go and charging her father for a hug too. "I'm gonna go tell Mother! I'm gonna learn Wind Magic!" Then she squealed in an effort to hold in a shout before running off.
Tars smile dimmed when he saw the serious look on Kinton's face. "You don't seem as happy as I thought you would be, Chief."
The middle-aged man sighed, "Sorry, Tars. I appreciate what you've done for Allevia, I just underestimated how big of a deal this would be. If you choose to give anyone this quest make sure they make a Vow for the betterment of our people first. Just send them to me, if you want."
He clapped Tars on the shoulder than started in the direction his daughter went. "I better make sure she doesn't forget the Vow she made."
Tars walked along the side of the caravan in thought. He decided he would start slowly with these quests, for now he'd only give one to Frint and save the last point of Divine Energy. He couldn't be sure he wouldn't learn another skill that used it and didn't know the consequences for running out were.
The plan to hunt was put on hold for now while Tars got Frint his quest. Kino went to the rear of the caravan to start the shift that Paschot, Tars, and Frint were going to be late for. Kino was told to send Paschot to meet the Chief when he got there.
Only half an hour later and Frint, along with his mother, father, and older brother were along the side of the moving wagons with Paschot, a Lumberjack named Reppicio, and a Hunter named Eston that Tars had just met. They had all taken a Vow to do nothing to reveal what was to happen now or what would come of it until such a time as it was announced publicly, until The Chief or the one recognized as leader of the people formerly of Immica allowed their release, or one year and a day had passed.
For the Chief, and anyone who has been under or seen a Vow made by the nobility or a high end merchant, this Vow was simple and hardly worth mentioning. For Frint's family they had never been under a Vow before, so this was a big deal.
Eventually they agreed and the group, with the exception of the Chief and Tars, of course, were placed under a Vow for keeping Tars' secrets. Once that was done, they watched as the one they called Savior used an unknown skill on Frint.
-Personal Quest- Always have a friend you can trust to fight and grow alongside you!
-Monitor the Map of Liastra for places of interest to find and retrieve a monster that will be easy to befriend.- 0/1
-Learn the Tame Monster skill.- 0/1.
-Improve Mind stat by 2.- 0/2.
-Help your Tamed Monster gain a level.- 0/1.
-Rewards- Ferocity Skill, unlock the Monster Tamer class at Tier 2.
Tars decided to read Frint's quest, since there was a good chance they would be in a group together for a while and the Protector would probably be able to help Frint complete some of it. But he never expected the map to work that way so he told Kinton he'd be right back as he jogged to go get it.
When Frint finished explaining what the quest was and what the rewards would be, his family was very excited. Frint had always liked animals, they'd said, and he was always feeding some of the more daring squirrels that lived near the village, he'd even earned the 'Beast Friend' title.
When Tars returned, he caught the last portion of what the title did and finally learned of a way to determine what titles do. For many, they are commonly known and can be figured out by asking some of the more knowledgeable people in a city.
The more reliable way was to use 'God's Tears', an enchanted item that lets people see what the system does to a person. This will let others be able to see the stats, skills, quests, and any other information the system has. It is usually used by Adventurer's Guilds to determine ranks, but also by anyone who needs to see qualifications, such as for joining the city guard, a noble's household, or to prove innocence of crimes.
Unfortunately, God's Tears aren't easy to get. They are granted to a city by the King to be used for its people and that of the surrounding towns and villages. There is also another method. Before the creation of this item, the churches would have people within them that could do it for those that shared their faith. Considering his connection to the God's, Tars wondered if he could do it himself, at some point. Another possible use of the Blessings or just Divine Energy, perhaps?
Since he had an answer to that question but no way of resolving it, he put the matter aside and focused on those he was granting Personal Quests to.
After asking the Chief, he learned that Allevia's greatest wish was to be able to fly. She'd flown on a riding eagle once when Kinton took her and Umia to a nearby city to get tested for magic. That was another thing the God's Tears could do, identify Magical talents. She'd wanted Wind but it wasn't an option for her.
Tars quests seemed to be 'Personal Quests' that helped them find their ideal class or skills. This would go a long way to not only empowering his people but also earning their favor as he could help them achieve their greatest wish.
Since the new group had finished taking the Vow and the matter with Frint's quest was done, they all gathered around the Map of Liastra to see if it showed anything new. Indeed, there were several glowing symbols on the map. Most prominently, a blue wagon in the exact center.
There was a symbol of a blue water drop in several places which Kino said were two small lakes and a natural spring. There were also several symbols of what appeared to be the fanged mouth a wolf, each of different colors. One of those, a green wolf, was just ahead of the caravan and the group would reach it in under an hour. Kino formed a party of the strongest hunters as well as a few of the new recruits to find out what the situation was.
Tars walked at the front of the caravan along with several hunters and Reppicio. It turned out Reppicio was the only tier two Lumberjack in the village, with the 'Iron-Bark Splitter' class. He was also the former owner of the lumbermill, before the village became a Wandering Tribe.
Looking down into the map in his hands, Tars saw a blue bow symbol nearing the wolf head. The bow had appeared as soon as Kino led the group ahead of the caravan, meaning the bow symbolized Kino's group. The Map of Liastra seemed to identify people by their class. The colors probably represented levels, but he wasn't sure what they meant yet.
After a few minutes the wolf head disappeared and the bow symbol started coming back towards the caravan. Tars told those around him that the group was coming back. Several people leaned over to see what the map was showing before waiting impatiently for news. Tars was slightly more patient and he also radiated calm which a few people noticed. Tars was unsure if that was a part of him or because of his Virtuous Soul.
As the group returned people noticed something slung over a few shoulders. They were giant lizards with bodies that were the size of children, their tails extending another three or four feet on top of that. Along their backs and on the tails that were dragging on the ground behind the hunters, were spikes made of a brownish gray metal.
The people at the front of the caravan who saw the returning Hunters gasped in fright then cheered in triumph. Only one person was injured, his shoulder wrapped in bloodied cloth.
"We found a nest of these just off the road," Kino whispered, as he usually did, when he approached Kinton, Tars, and Reppicio. "Iron Spined Lizards. They are only tier one, but it would still be dangerous for the group. I'll take Sten to Miussa for a heal."
"Wait," Tars said. "Chief, we should have Miussa under a Vow." Tars was thinking that having a higher leveled, dedicated healer would be a great help on this journey. Plus, he remembered the woman mentioning that she wanted to be a healer when she was younger, before she became a Tailor instead. She could have a new class option like Frint's quest gave.
When Kino brought Miussa over, she agreed to the Vow and Tars used a Divine Energy point to assign her a personal quest. Her options were a little different than expected. She was given a choice of class options. The first, which she was nearly done with, would let her drop from a tier two Tailor to a tier one Life Mage, which was apparently her original goal as a child, but she'd missed a step. Now, she would lose too many stats to want to back track.
Her second class was one none of them had heard of, which meant little for Tars, but even the more knowledgeable people in the group had never heard of it. She was able to be a Clothier of Life, a tier two Life Magic Tailor, which Kinton guessed was similar to an Enchanter.
It allowed Miussa to stay a Tailor but to bring her Life Magic skills to better use. Also, unlike Frint, where the quest said it would unlock a tier two option, this said it would upgrade her class. No one new if she would return to level one or if she would stay her current level.
Miussa healed the wounded Sten before thanking Tars and slowly making her way towards her wagon. She seemed to have a lot on her mind.
Tars watched her for a moment longer then refocused on the map. He then asked a question that had been in mind since he'd given Frint his quest. "Chief, do you know who Liastra is?"