He made his way down the block before he stopped in front of a tall, multistoried stone building. It was made of sleek brick with smooth and perfectly aligned cuts of beige stone. Paned windows of glass went up each floor and life could already be seen in the shadows crossing by.

  He went through two large saloon-like doors and stepped into what looked like a massive bank. It was an open space with tables set up on the front half of the room. And taking up the back were lanes formed in carpets and rope, leading to booths and stalls where employees stood waiting.

  After leaving the library on his first day, Vincent realized that even in such a wondrous place, there was one thing he needed: Money. He had this odd sense of urgency fill his body. He had to find a way to eat and stay away from living on the street. He had already wasted a few hours and now he needed to get moving.

  Vincent tried to blend in with the locals, asking what he could, eventually finding a kind older woman named Maria down the road. She asked and he shared his stats with her, without showing his status screen. Apparently a ten was a pretty good start for any stat, so Maria suggested Vincent go down to the dungeoneering guild. She stopped flipping something on her stove pressed against traffic to direct him to this building.

  It had a rich interior, covered in dark wood and well lit walls. It was a clean, well kept establishment Vincent would not have imagined on the outer edge of this bustling city.

  And looking around Vincent could see there were others already here. A few of the tables were filled, scattering groups around the room, and there were a couple of lines already formed at the back.

  Everyone was dressed in armor and robes, with some sort of weapon on their person. Their odd helmets and caps, gloves and gauntlets and boots always made Vincent take a quick look out of the corner of his eye. There had always been someone else there each time he had come. Though he had been told by one of the guild employees that mostly low level dungeoneers came here. Apparently more locations were stationed around the city.

  He didn’t know how much of the city he had already explored, but he was coming to realize what he had seen was a much smaller portion than he expected.

  Vincent chose one of the red carpet lanes and walked to the back counter. It was empty but he could see some employees behind a shaded glass wall using scales to measure materials, while others were bent over desks filling out pages with ink. Vincent tapped a little bell on the counter.

  *Ding*

  Among the clatter, the bell didn’t make much sound, but Vincent knew someone would be with him in a moment. Standing there for a minute, waiting, Vincent spotted a man two lanes over from him. He was a lot bulkier than Vincent, and wore thick armor around his chest and waist, but nothing over his giant tanned arms.

  Vincent was less drawn to the man than what he was handing to the guild employee over the counter. A decapitated head. It was some sort of creature with mangled green skin loosely wrapped around a jagged skull and a set of mismatched teeth. Its milky yellow eyes sagged back into its head.

  A monster.

  Vincent had already read about them. Another core part of this world. They were a normal thing that no one batted an eye at, though surprisingly, Vincent had seen few since his arrival. But even as he stared at the bloody head, Vincent didn’t feel any way about it other than a sense of disgust. Its appearance was more shocking than the fact it was green, or had gnarled teeth, or was dead.

  Little blue screens, stats, skills, and even monsters. Vincent never took the time to really think back on his world, but he knew this one was far different. The employee calmly took the head and walked it into the back.

  “Good morning, sir.”

  Vincent returned to the counter, his attention ripped away from his thoughts and brought to the young man greeting him. He had light brown hair and fair blue eyes, and he wore a black suit and white undershirt. Vincent didn’t recognize him. There were too many people working here for him to keep track. But he was kind looking and had the same warm smile as the other employees who he had spoken with.

  “Is there anything I can help you with today, sir.” the man asked.

  “Uh, yes, I was wondering if you had any other collection quests today.” Vincent said, gesturing back behind the counter to a board covered in slips of paper on the wall.

  “No problem, sir. Any identification?”

  Vincent shook his head. “No, just anything available.”

  The young man smiled and nodded. “Of course, sir. If you would just give me one moment.”

  The young man turned around and went to the back wall next to the notice board, where he proceeded to pull up a large booklet. He started to sort through a written catalog instead of scouring the flapping pages with illustrations and big letters. The man flipped through the large pages, jotting down a few lines of notes whenever something caught his eye.

  This is how it went every morning for the past month. Since his first day he had been doing what they had called ‘available notices’. Without any prior information or registration, Vincent was given an empty burlap bag and asked to return it by the end of the day with as much herbs he was willing to go out to find and pick in the East field. Whatever he was able to collect he could profit from.

  These collection quests had varied day by day. He would find out if anything new came up when the employee gave him the options. But almost everyday was left to one or two choices.

  So that is what Vincent did. It was simple labor and didn’t require any upfront costs. Vincent only had to step a few feet outside the front gates of the city to collect from a large field. Surprisingly there was no danger and he could spend hours focusing on the task.

  When Vincent first started doing it, he noticed something had kicked in. He would start early and not stop until he felt his back ache from bending over or his head become light from staying in the sun too long.

  And almost no one was ever there, either. He had the whole field to work from. No one really seemed content with picking herbs and making just enough.

  But Vincent had nothing to his name and he needed to start somewhere. It wasn’t much coin but after picking all day and into the night it gave him enough to afford a cramped little room tucked alongside a back alley, a few modest meals, and at least one drink every morning at the cafe. He was able to afford another pair of simple looking clothes after a couple of days, a grey tunic and brown trousers. But after the basic necessities there was nothing left.

  Vincent now leaned against the counter, waiting for another daily task to be fished out for him. He was focusing on nothing in particular, simply watching other employees come and go with scales and charts.

  “Hey?” someone said behind him.

  Before Vincent could even move he felt a hand tap on his shoulder. He turned around and saw a young man around the same age, just the slightest bit taller with short crimson red hair, slicked and struck back in spikes. He was staring back with dark brown eyes and sharp features.

  Vincent felt the young man’s attention piercing him. There was an unsettling eagerness in his eyes.

  “Don’t mean to come up to you like this,” he said shrugging, the imposing image quickly leaving Vincent’s mind, “but do you mind sitting down with me for a moment? I have a proposition that could favor us both greatly.”

  Vincent was a little confused. He looked at the man and then back at the counter where he was waiting for the employee’s return. He looked back at the young man’s serious expression and wondered what this was about, his wording now sinking into Vincent’s mind.

  “Here you go, sir.”

  Vincent looked back at the counter and the guild employee had just returned, placing a burlap sack and a list of herbs on the counter.

  “Do you have any questions?” he asked.

  “No, um, I think I’m good, thank you.” Vincent replied, grabbing the supplies.

  Vincent turned around and saw the man still waiting for his reply.

  The young man smiled with his lips. “So, what do you say?”

  Chapter 2

  Vincent followed the young man to one of the benches in the guild's waiting area. They sat down across from one another, Vincent now noticing the young man’s long sword, with a worn down hilt, inside a cheap looking scabbard on his waist.

  Vincent couldn’t judge. He stuck to observing rather than insulting. After all, it was more metal than he himself owned. If anything, Vincent noticed the young man could walk well with it. Even when he sat down there was no interference with any of his movements, always keeping the blade snug against the thin set of leather armor he wore.

  The young man noticed Vincent’s stare and patted the handle. “Sadly it's all I’ve got for now, but hopefully I’ll be able to upgrade it soon.” he said with a nod of embarrassment.

  “Don’t worry, you can see all the money to my name.” Vincent said, opening his arms a little bit to show off the only real set of clothes he owned.

  The young man's face lightened and they both broke out into a chuckle, the same way anyone who struggled would understand.

  “I’m Jax, by the way.” he said, reaching out his hand.

  “Vincent.” he said, finishing the other half of the quick introduction.

  Jax leaned back into his seat, looking more relaxed. He slouched over the lip of the table and clasped his hands together in front of him. “Well, I guess I should get straight to why I wanted to speak with you.” His voice was deep but had a sharpness that made it clear.

  Vincent nodded as to say it was alright.

  “The thing is,” Jax said, “I’ve just begun dungeoneering myself, only a few months under my belt, and I was hoping to find a partner.” Jax kept eye contact as he slightly leaned forward, unclasping his hands. “Now, I understand most people don’t do this sort of thing, usually just going solo and then finding more conventional routes through the guild or with people they know, but, to tell you the truth I have a skill that would be beneficial for us to start working together.”

  Vincent’s interest was piqued. He still didn’t know much about skills. There was simply too much information in the library to get a firm grasp on what they entailed. And so far Vincent liked how hard Jax was trying for the sell.

  “What skill?” he asked.

  Jax relaxed a measure and sat back to his original position. “I was actually born with a skill, which I’m lucky for, but if you don’t mind keeping it a secret?”

  “That’s alright, I don’t know much about skills in the first place, just the basics.”

  “Well, my skill is actually a rare skill, one of the more uncommon ones that people can’t earn on their own.”

  “Wow.” Vincent couldn’t help himself in exclamation. This was the first time he was learning that there were levels of skills, some gained and others birthed into, creating rarity. He was learning as fast as Jax was speaking.

  “I agree, its not something to dismiss, but it has its own drawbacks as well. Because of that it doesn’t even compare to other rare skills.” Jax said.

  Was he trying to build up then undersell his ability, Vincent wondered?

  “What is it called?” he asked, realizing he was the one leaning in closer now.

  “[Xp Pair].” Jax said. “It allows for ten percent of experience to be shared with another person.”

  Vincent could already see the levels displayed on the status screen, but apparently there was a necessary amount of experience to reach the next one.

  “So we would split our experience? I don’t really understand.” Vincent said, arching his brow.

  “I know, it can be confusing. Basically, the skill works between two people so that we earn the experience we would have already earned on our own, you earn yours and I earn mine, but then ten percent of each person’s experience is also earned by the other person. It's not exactly sharing, more like we both stand taller when standing together, if that makes sense.” Jax said, shaking his head and shrugging his shoulders.

  “That is odd.” Vincent could barely imagine the idea of experience building up inside him and now there was the idea that a skill broke that logic to create even more experience. Maybe that was the nature of skills.

  “Yes, but it only works with two people, hence why I want to team up with someone else.”

  Vincent leaned back and looked Jax in the eyes. “But still, your skill sounds really useful. If you were to find someone stronger, a higher level or something, then you could earn more experience and level up faster.”

  “Sure, but I am asking to work with you for an investment. If I chose a high level dungeoneer then they could just use me as they wish. I’d be powerless to fight back against what they wanted to use my skill for. But, you and I are even, equals, a couple of low levels. I need to work with someone I trust, someone I can keep working with in the future, or at least someone who can’t take advantage of me.”

  “Smart thinking.” Vincent said, nodding.

  Jax’s logic did fit. There was no point in telling your secret to someone who could easily sell you out with no consequences.

  “I do say so myself.” Jax said with a chuckle. “But like I said, this is not one of the best rare skills. If you look at how it works, then it is made for two people around the same level. A high level would not have any use for it so I would need to pay them in something else for their help, and as we both know, money is not an option right now.”

  Vincent could tell by how each of them dressed that neither had a lot of money. That was probably how Jax knew he was at such a low level. Image in this world mattered even more so. How you looked went hand in hand with how much skill you had and how much money you could make.

  “So we would be helping each other?” Vincent asked.

  “Exactly,” Jax said, “and most people would scoff at this skill from a level two like me. They’re more interested in [Skill Share] or [Xp Divide].”

  “What are those?”

  “You really don’t know much, do you?” Jax said.

  “Never thought I was going to become a dungeoneer, so I have a bit of a learning curve ahead of me.” Vincent said, seeing it as the most truthful response.

  “I get it.” Jax said, nodding while looking down at the table for a moment, then returning back with a smile. “Well, both are the cream of the crop in terms of rare skills. [Xp Divide] is very sought after, especially for big raid parties. It allows for everyone’s experience in a large group to be divided equally. Guilds trying to level people up on expeditions or many nobles who have private parties find it very useful. But it’s [Skill Share] that I think people can’t stop trying to find. You can make huge money and become extremely strong if you have it. The skill allows the owner of [Skill Share] to share one of their skills with another person.”

  Wow

  Vincent tried to internalize his excitement this time, but his eyes and mouth were still left wide open. He started thinking of the potential. What was possible if he was able to get his hands on one of those?

  “I know, right.” Jax sat up a little straighter as well. “The ability to share something like a skill, and any skill at that, is immeasurably useful. But the thing is, you can even share [Skill Share]. This allows for someone to then share a skill with the original owner or to someone else entirely.

  Vincent was amazed, staring at Jax with wide eyes. A world filled with skills, where life could be maneuvered and understood through limits that constantly changed.

  “But, the owner of [Skill Share] can cancel the use at any time, so it has to be used by someone you trust. And I guess that’s why it's not classified as an ultra rare skill, because rare skills are based on how you use them, not how powerful they are right away. If we’re talking ultra rare skills or unique skills, then most are not even known, let alone how powerful they could be.”

  “Really? If we don’t even know what the skills do then how do we know they are useful skills to have?”

  “Well, if being able to use something properly determines how much power it has, then understanding is power. But then how powerful is something that can’t be fully understood?” said Jax.

  They sat for a moment, Vincent appreciating how little he knew. The world seemed so grand, and more so when its edges were unimaginable. Even Jax stared off and sighed.

  After the moment passed, Jax and Vincent were left sitting across from each other.

  “May I ask a question?” Vincent said.

  “Of course.”

  “I just want to know, why?

  Jax smirked with his mouth closed. “Well, you may think this a little odd, but I saw a guy around my age and I just had a good feeling. I get those every now and then. And I saw you come in yesterday too. You brought in a bag of herbs you had picked, doing a job that most would not take the time to do. You look like someone I want to work with.”

  Vincent chuckled to himself. “Thank you for the compliment, but I didn’t mean why you chose me to work with?”

  Jax wrinkled his brow.

  “I meant why are you doing this, trying to find someone to use your skill with?”

  Jax looked confused. “I thought I already told you. I need someone around my same level and I saw you-”

  “No, sorry, that's not what I mean.” Vincent stopped for a second and thought about it. He didn’t know why he was asking, but he needed to ask. Something was telling him in his chest that this would decide it for him. He chose the right words and said, “What do you want?”

  Jax was a little taken aback. He didn’t look confused at the question anymore. He leaned away from the bench as if pushing himself from Vincent.

  “I just need a partner, that’s all.” he said.

  “Why do you need a partner?” Vincent quickly followed.

  Jax pushed some air through his nose and looked past Vincent towards the wall. He waved his hand lazily in the air like he was pushing the question away from him. But Vincent kept his gaze. Jax shifted himself in his seat, antsy, to the point Vincent thought he might suddenly run off. But Jax seemed to catch himself. He settled back in and slouched over the bench. He looked Vincent in the eye and his sharp voice softened as if he didn’t want anyone to hear. “I can’t do it alone.” he said.

 

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