Tars watched the Chief look at the rest of those in the tent. When everyone had read what their emergency quest said he began.
"First things first, has anybody here NOT gotten an emergency quest?" Silence answered his question.
"Paschot, ask those guarding us and see if anything stands out among the other villagers. Bring them here."
Paschot nodded and left the tent, leaving Feerestia alone at the entrance. That lasted no more than a minute before others trickled in. Umia, Allevia, Frint, Doster, Reppicio, Ponter, and Eston.
"All of us then, possibly a couple more," Kinton sighed.
"This is really happening, isn't it?" Jesta asked quietly.
"Don't you start worrying," the Chief answered. "We are being given everything we need. That means we can do it. We wouldn't be given the quest if we weren't able to."
Tars knew the Chief was just trying to keep them from panicking. He was being honest, but everyone knew it wouldn't be easy. This quest drove home how dangerous the days to come would be.
"Umia, Allevia, come here a moment," Kinton said. "Everyone else, give me a minute."
Tars watched everyone else talking in hushed tones. He could feel the tension in the air and see the beginnings of worry drawn on their faces.
Paschot then entered the tent with Miussa and a man he hadn't spoken with yet. His back was slightly hunched, and he was rubbing his knuckles in nervousness.
He was one of the people from the family that gave off no feeling to his 'Virtuous Soul' skill, immediately drawing Tars caution.
"The Chief said to give him a few minutes," Tars said as he approached Paschot.
Paschot nodded and pulled Tars aside. "Take it easy, with your skill," he said.
Tars looked at him in confusion, not knowing what he meant.
"I know you have a hard time trusting me," Paschot said with a chuckle. "It's annoying, but I knew what I was getting into going this class route."
Tars understood what skill he meant, now, but let him continue.
"You 'Honor' and 'Truth' types tend to have skills for it. And since you rely on them so much anyone with a skill for hiding is suspicious."
"Like I said, I asked for it with my class choices. Bremm over there, did not. He has some kind of 'Bloodline' ability that gives it to people in their family."
"Now, I'm not saying you should just trust them," Paschot said. "I'm just saying that having an ability to judge people doesn't mean you should rely on it for everything."
"And for Bremm," Paschot sighed with a shake of the head. "His ability already got him in trouble before. I'm not going to get into it, but for that one, give him some trust. Consider it a favor."
Tars stood in thought while Paschot went back to talk to Bremm and Ponter. He'd already known there were flaws in his skill. He'd known relying on it exclusively was not acceptable.
Was there no other way to know where a person stood? Even watching for years wasn't a guarantee. Maybe there were no guarantees.
He would use caution, for now, and withhold suspicion. And for Bremm, he could grant that favor.
But he wondered once again, what class did Paschot have and why take it?
A minute later the Chief faced the group again.
"There are some things you should all know," he began. "First, the quest isn't quite the same for everyone. There is a basic version for all of us."
"Certain parts are different, though." Kinton gestured at his wife and daughter. "My daughter will tell you her quest and Umia will write it down."
"Once it is complete," the Chief continued, "and NOT before, you can come to me, one by one, and tell me if yours is different."
The Chief's daughter began reading her quest to those in the tent. He expected her to be a bit nervous, but she didn't show it. She'd probably grown up being groomed to take over as Mayor before this chaos began.
Allevia's quest was similar to Tars', but simpler in some ways. There were less details, and it was more vague. Tars took that to mean the basic version didn't need something specific, like skills or knowledge.
For example, Allevia had no mention of proving her loyalty to Ospenielle like Tars did. 'Most likely because she has no way of proving it, where as I do.'
Looking around, Tars noticed a few people reacting a little differently. He assumed their quest was different for that part, but he was sure some were missed.
Tars wasn't worried, most of the people here trusted Tars, at least a little, and everyone seemed to trust the Chief. The Protector would let Kinton deal with it.
It ended up Tars had no special changes to finding and meeting the 'Loyal Knight'. But his quest was different for the rest.
Also, the rewards were the same for everyone, from what he could tell. This left him to wonder how the Blessing would work.
"Thank you, Allevia," Kinton said with a warm smile once she'd finished.
For the next half an hour, everyone spoke with Kinton about any differences in their quests. Some were longer than others, but it was still fairly quick. Umia was there beside the Chief, writing down any differences to be compared later.
"This short meeting went on far longer than intended," Chief Kinton complained when he finished speaking with Ennira. For now, we'll discuss one more thing before we return to whatever else we have to do."
After a moment of suspense Kinton said, "We need a name for our tribe. It tried to name us 'New Immica', I may have called us that when we became a tribe, but that name is too dangerous."
"So, we need a new one. Any ideas?"
Most of the ideas were boring or funny, in Tars' opinion. Though, he was partial to 'The Gut Bomb Tribe'.
"Why not name it after Tars? We're all here because of him, right?" Allevia's voice broke the debate with a few people nodding in agreement.
Tars was going to argue the point when a feeling of nostalgia struck him. He couldn't remember what it was, but he had a feeling this wasn't the first time a group of people used him as their source of pride.
"I'm honored," Tars said instead, not wanting to deny them as much. "But don't just say 'Tars' People' or something."
A few people laughed along with Tars. Only Bremm was still tense.
"Very well," the Chief said. "Go back to doing what you were. If you have any ideas, come find me in the morning before we break camp."
Umia took the papers, the original basic one, as well as the notes containing different parts for different people, and handed them to the Chief. Tars was amazed to see him taking the stack of papers in one hand and touching them to a ring he was wearing on his other hand.
The instant the ring and papers touched the papers disappeared as if they never existed.
Tars couldn't sense anything from where he was. Whether that was because there was nothing to sense or because he was too far away, the Protector didn't know.
When the Chief saw him staring at his ring, a silver band with a black gemstone on it, he laughed. "Suppose I should be thanking you for this. This was a quest reward I got from the last emergency quest we had the morning you showed up."
"Uses spacial magic to store items," Kinton explained. "I'll admit, worried as I am, I'm also excited to see this Blessing of Light."
"Go get some rest Tars, you look like you're about to fall over."
"Any idea where I'm supposed to sleep?" Tars asked, not knowing who set up his tent or where they did it.
Kinton looked to his wife. "Think you can show him, Umia?"
"I'll handle it," she answered with a smile, rising from the seat she was using.
"Follow me Tars, I'll get you taken care of."
Tars' tent was set up near Miussa's wagon, which would make it easy to find, even in the dark. Which was good, because he had a few more things to do before he would end his day. First, to check his current stats and skills.
Name- Tars*****
Titles- Light Shard, Blessed One of Arthaesis, Blessed One of Ospenielle, Protector of Immica, Elder
Status- Normal
Race- Human
Class- Unclassed
Level- 5/10
Exp- 300/500
-Stats-
Strength- 126
Agility- 101
Vitality- 122
Mind- 110
Soul- 113
Magic- 160
Charisma- 145
Mana- 66/161
Divine- 3/3
Status Points Available-
-Skills-
-General-
Tier 1- Honor Sense, Mana Manipulation, Mana Sense, Minor Vow, Dodge
Tier 2- Knight's Vow
Tier 3- Virtuous Soul
Tier 4- Bestow Oath
-Weapons-
-Sword- Proficiency- Novice2/5
Tier 1- Lunge, Power Slice
-Magic-
-Neutral-
Tier 1- Mana Explosion
-Wind- Proficiency- Novice 1/5
Tier 1- Propel Object, Wind Blade
-Light- Proficiency- Novice 2/5
Tier- 3- Radiant Beam
-Divine-
Tier 1- Grant Blessing of Arthaesis
The new skill Tars had learned when sparring with Feerestia was 'Dodge', which was a passive that would help you react slightly faster to threats. The effects were minor, but sometimes the difference between life and death was a matter of inches.
Now, it was time to use the Divine Energy he'd accumulated. He would use two points for now, saving the last one. The question was, who would he grant the Personal Quests to?
A trip back to speak with the Chief was in order.
The Chief was going around visiting the tribe members, making sure he addressed any problems and giving encouragement to them.
"Tars, wasn't expecting you so soon," Kinton commented.
"Chief, I had something to get your opinion on, if I could have a moment."
"Of course," the Chief replied, making his way a bit away from any listeners.
"I'm wondering if you have any advice or recommendations for who I can help along," Tars asked, keeping his question vague. Despite there being no one very close, Tars knew there were skills that could make whispering a poor defense.
"Ah, I see." Kinton only took a couple seconds to understand Tars' meaning. "Considering what we discussed in the meeting, I believe Kino should be a priority. He will be leading a small group tomorrow away from the caravan and your skill could be helpful for him."
Tars nodded in agreement. Kino was a very valuable member of the tribe and his abilities would keep everyone safe. "Anyone else? I think two tonight and two in the morning would be best."
Kinton looked at the night sky as he thought. "I'd say to start with your party, and then start going through the Elders," he finally spoke after a minute. "They will be our foundation, so helping them build strength will help us during this journey and after we arrive at our destination."
"An also, keeping them happy will make both of our lives easier."
Tars grimaced at the thought. The last thing Tars wanted was a grumpy elder making poor decisions out of jealousy or some other equally annoying emotion. Fortunately, these Elders were unlikely to do something so rash, but there was no reason to tempt fate.
"What did you mean about a 'Party'?" Tars asked, not having heard that mentioned before.
"They aren't mentioned too much, outside of adventurers," Kinton explained. "The system recognizes groups of up to six people as a party. It allows certain spells to function better, divides treasure and experience points, and a few other things."
"We can't make official, system recognized parties without a God's Tear," the Chief said, "but I want us to get into the habit of working in groups like that. It will keep us safer and promote much needed teamwork once we enter the wildlands."
"I see," Tars replied. "Who will be in my team then?"
"I'll double up the group sizes, so for now stay with Paschot and Frint. I'll need to shuffle some groups around, but plan on Allevia, Doster, and either Reppicio or Eston."
"Understood. Then, I'll let you get back to what you were doing. I'll find Paschot and Kino tonight, and tomorrow I'll add in Doster and whoever our sixth member is."
It took Tars longer than expected to find Paschot. He was spending some time with Bremm and his family. Paschot noticed him almost immediately and made a motion for Tars to wait.
Tars wasn't sure of his reasoning but did as the man asked.
"Sorry, Tars" Paschot said when he walked over a minute later. "The Corrmins aren't very good with strangers and Bremm is having a rough night."
The rogue shook his head in apparent frustration before turning back to Tars. "So, what can I help you with?"
Tars decided to forget about the Corrmins for tonight. "I've come to help you like I did Frint this afternoon. Then Kino afterwards. Chief is expanding our groups to six people instead of three, so I want to get our Party first."
"Really? You're just giving those away?" Paschot asked in shock.
"Should I not? It's not like sleeping with full energy is going to help anyone."
"Well, yeah," Paschot conceded. "You know those are valuable, right? Are you sure you want to give me this?"
Tars hadn't noticed it before, but Paschot gave off a carefree attitude that he didn't really feel. It took surprising him to get a genuine response. Maybe he was unaccustomed to gifts or even kind treatment. Or perhaps it was a mindset that nothing is free.
Tars explained that he was sure and that there would be nothing extra to do for this favor. Nothing that wasn't a part of the quest itself, anyway. He also explained that it was the Chief's advice to help my party first, and that meant Paschot.
Taking a walk away from the camp, the two were near the edge of it already, they made sure they would be hidden from others. The glow the skill created would attract too much attention if they stayed nearby.
"Ready?" Tars asked after they were a few minutes away.
Paschot nodded and Tars used his Blessing of Arthaesis.
-You have granted a Personal Quest to Paschot Mandau, the Child of Night.
-Teach Tars, the Light Shard, Darkness Elemental Proficiency – Novice 0/1.
-Improve your Darkness Elemental Proficiency by 1 level - 0/1.
-Improve your Dagger Proficiency by 1 level - 0/1.
-Teach Tars, the Light Shard, the 'Identify' skill – 0/1.
-Rewards-
-Earn a new title.
-Gain 2500 exp.
-Receive +5 to your Magic stat and +5 to your Mind stat.
-Gain Water Elemental Proficiency – Novice 1/5.
-Upgrade your tier 2 class to the Child of the Depths.
'What kind of classes are those?' Tars wondered.