As a group, they crowded around the large table in their private common room. Kaius sat at the centre, an envelope of thick yellow parchment in hand. It was crude, but sturdy — like everything else that came from the outskirts of the Frontier.

  “Well, go on then. What are you waiting for? Open it,” Porkchop said, nudging him by the shoulder.

  Kaius grinned and ran his thumb along the seal to pop it open. He couldn’t deny the glimmer of nerves crawling at the base of his spine. A faint worry, but present all the same: what if it was a cry for help that arrived late due to their absence? More than likely it would be a simple update, but who knew in turbulent times like these?

  Taking a breath, Kaius laid the letter flat on the table and started to read.

  Kaius,

  It is Yan Mi, now mayor of Dawn Town, as I mentioned in my last letter. First — since I know you are one to worry — know that we are doing well.

  I thank you for your previous correspondence, your ideas, and the secrets you shared. I must admit they came as a shock at first — that you would be so willing to suggest others put themselves in the same kind of danger you faced. Yet the more I thought about it with my fellow elders, the more it made sense. For an unclassed and a full team, the first layer is not anywhere near as deadly a threat as the second. And as you said, there would be no need for them to defeat a guardian as you did.

  Kaius blinked, surprised at the letter’s candour. He kept reading.

  I hope that we will prove your trust wisely placed. Already, great classes have sprung up among our new town, and everyone is learning as much as they can. Not all are combat-focused, of course. From the wide reach of the six villages that united into this small town, we found many hidden abilities for craft, farming, hunting, and more. Yet, for all that life has been hard in these woods, it has been harder still recently. The threat of beasts is ever-present, and our hunters must venture in groups. Never before have we seen so many levels so quickly, nor so many injuries and funerals.

  The dangerous air has rubbed off on the young, much as we have tried to insulate them — more than I expected. Many of them train in the arts of battle, and they train hard. Even those older, who had only a few slots left, have managed to cram in as many secrets as they possibly could. Of those who have grown to adulthood, none has received a class lower than Uncommon.

  Reading over his shoulder, Ianmus let out a low whistle, “Uncommon to the last — and this isn’t even the batch that’s been learning legacy skills in full. That’s big.”

  Was it really? Kaius knew most people had Common classes, but Uncommon ones couldn’t be that rare. And even if they were, it wasn’t that large an advantage — their skills would be a little better, as would their stats, but it didn’t feel like enough. Not for the kind of strength that would be needed in the days ahead.

  “Is it truly so important?” Kaius asked.

  Ianmus nodded emphatically, “Kaius, something like ninety to ninety-five percent of the population anywhere have Common classes. That level of uplift is insane.”

  “And it’s only going to get more dramatic,” Porkchop added.

  “That could be dangerous. People will notice,” Kenva said.

  Kaius frowned, wondering about unintended consequences. He didn’t second guess their course, but by its very nature it was very hard to tell where it would lead. At the very least, Dawntown was as isolated as it gets. With the insular and private folk in that stretch of the frontier, there would be few loose lips.

  It was no promise it would be enough to keep them hidden from prying eyes. He could only hope that sharing more with the Guild would provide a smokescreen, and that, in the future, when Dawntown grew into a powerhouse, it could be pointed to as a template for what was possible if more were shared.

  Still, the letter wasn’t done. Kaius went back to reading.

  Of those still growing — especially those who had only picked a couple, or no skills at all by the time we set this wheel in motion — some have proven extraordinarily diligent. We have three groups. They are teams I can already tell will go far — live bright and burn hot. Of the hunters and ex-delvers we have, they are hard at work mapping the reaches of the first-layer delve. Identifying zones, biomes, and Champions that fit the teams’ strengths. They will be escorted for an expedition in their last year, and our plan is for a rotation of higher-level squads to stay just a single biome over, where they can reach the young ones quickly if needed. We are wary of the risks of such steps, but those three teams are the most eager of us all. Each has taken the hodgepodge collection of skills we’ve gathered and forged builds they plan to pursue.

  This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.

  The brightest among them — four youths who joined the System only a few short weeks after Dawntown was founded a year ago — have already reached the point where the founding of the Dynasty… they, of course, immediately foisted the role of leadership onto me the second I accepted formal membership. I said yes, as is proper as mayor of our town. All of us who could, have joined the Dynasty of Rising Light, except for those who were more permanently bound by old oaths.

  I write to you to tell you this good news, but also to beg. These teams are ferocious and have eaten every scrap of information we have gathered from you and other sources. We ask: have you learned more of aspects and of honours? Share, so that we might better support their rise — and all future ones.

  But most importantly, Kaius, I write because I miss you. It is not the first time you have gone a year without stepping foot in Threefields, but it is the first time events have been so energetic, and I wish you well. You are always welcome, and I do so hope that you will visit sometime — you and Porkchop, and anyone else you have managed to drag into your firebrand lifestyle.

  Yours with love, Yan Mi — Mayor of Dawntown and Seneschal of Rising Light.

  Kaius leaned back in his chair, breathing out long and slow. A Dynasty — Rising Light. He’d known it was inevitable, he and Porkchop alone had given them enough legacy skills to make it happen.

  With additions from the others in Threefields and the villagers who backed his gambit, it sounded like they had a veritable plethora of skills — something that was a struggle to discover outside of noble courts, grand institutions like the Mystral Mage Spires, and long-established ancient dynasties.

  “Kenva is right. People are going to notice,” he said aloud.

  Next to him, Ianmus nodded. “They definitely will. You can’t hide an entire city of people toting that many legacy skills, no matter how remote it is.”

  Kaius winced. They’d learned firsthand the dangers a legacy could represent. There was perhaps less threat of Dawntown’s people being captured — spread that widely, such knowledge would be easier to steal through covert observation than anything else — but the politics were real. Power left to grow could become grand and dominating, especially given the shake-ups of recent changes. Hopefully, Dawntown’s remoteness would keep them from stepping on the toes of those who might try to squash a would-be competitor.

  “I wouldn’t worry too much about it,” Porkchop said. “If you share Uncanny Dodge and Lesser Regeneration, and I share my Primal Senses and one or two others, there’ll be so much hubbub spread across Vaastivar via the Guild that it’ll be trivial for Dawntown to slip beneath notice.”

  Ianmus frowned, rubbing his chin. “You might be right. There are a few more ‘intuitive’ legacy skills — Mana Manipulation, Identify, and the like — that are widely enough known. But even then, they’re open secrets. If legacy skills are spread publicly by the Guild, I can’t fathom the general reaction — especially now, when almost everyone is clamouring for safety and power.”

  “All the more reason to do it,” Kaius said.

  Hells, maybe they could leverage their skills to press the Guild to spread those very ‘known’ legacy skills to the commons as well.

  “Well, if we go that route — on top of honours and everything else — we’d better be ready to defend ourselves,” Kenva said. “Even if our growth and levels will be slow, and we have advantages others lack, if we’re planning these moves, we shouldn’t just relax. If word gets out we’re the source of this, we’ll have more than a few pissed off nobles clamouring for our head. We need training, to get used to our strengths and be sure of the changes in our skills, at the very least.”

  It was true. He and Porkchop alone had half their skill lists to break through, and each of them had levels they could gain through practice, something that was always valuable.

  “I suppose we’ll be making use of the training rooms in our weeks off. A shame. I was looking forward to sleeping in every day.” Kenva sighed.

  Porkchop snorted. “Please. If we went more than a week without exercise, we’d be clawing at each other’s throats.”

  “Kaius and I both have new magic to explore, as well.” Ianmus added.

  “I did wonder,” Kenva said after a moment's pause. “I doubt we’ll be in Deadacre for more than half a year before we leave the Frontier for greener pastures. Did you want to visit Dawntown before we head to Baanswell? Perhaps on the way?”

  Kaius hummed. A final visit before distances and times grew vast enough to make it inaccessible. He couldn’t deny it was tempting. Still, for all that Dawn Town was close to Deadacre, it lay in the opposite direction — north-west rather than east.

  “Are you sure?” Kaius said. “It could easily add a month to our journey, on top of however long we stay.”

  Kenva shrugged. “I don’t see why not, as long as you’re comfortable with the delay in pursuing your father’s killers.”

  “I’m of the same opinion,” Ianmus said. “It’ll be nice to finally see the Archive in person, but a few extra weeks is no skin off my back.”

  Kaius gave a thoughtful hum, then looked to Porkchop. “What about you?”

  “I’d enjoy it if you’re up for it. It was nice to meet Yan Mi, and I’m interested to see the changes. Plus, seeing some real trees would be good.”

  Kaius grinned. He had to admit he’d enjoy the visit, at least as a final farewell and to see the changes that open sharing had wrought in person. Hells, perhaps he could even spread the blade skill he’d discovered — an Unusual that would be a valued addition for any new team of delvers they had.

  “Well then, I suppose we’ll take a little diversion at some point.”

  As Kaius folded the letter as a knock sounded at the door. It opened a moment later to reveal Hensch, standing there with a platter of meals.

  “Dinner?” he asked.

  Some mad lore drops happening on Patreon if you want to check it out!

  https://discord.gg/NjsqGKHHaY