Cass awoke on Day five in a better mood than he’d felt since first gaining his Calling. No Skreels haunted his dreams, nor were there any unseen murky portals, spitting monsters into Liora. He hadn’t talked to anyone about it, but ever since that fateful day when he’d tripped over the corpse of one of his Questors, he’d had a hard time staying asleep.
However, that seemed to have passed over and through him. With the simple act of selecting a location in the Depot and helping the people there move toward a brighter day, he had lightened the darkness of his own thoughts. It took him back to something his father had once said.
“There’s an old quote from the world, son. Far and away the best prize that life has to offer is the chance to work hard at work worth doing.”
Getting a move on, he quickly made his way to the stables. His time with Bella was pleasant, even if the personal Quest that followed wasn’t. The options had presented themselves with an almost punishing quality to them, but Cass was no stranger to that after all this time. When he finally put the wheelbarrow down, his shoulders and back aching and burning, he stepped into the Stalwart Way and selected the next unlock he’d been eyeballing for some time.
It was expensive.
[Pain is in the Proof]
-Function Unlock-
Unlocks an endurance tracker. Whenever you push your body past its normal limits while completing any physical Quest, you may earn additional Tokens.
Cost to Unlock: 13 Stalwart Tokens
It wouldn’t grant him any new Quest types within the Way, but it did have the potential for taking him to greater paths that followed. The key was in the wording. Additional Tokens, not Stalwart tokens. And he’d had just enough to get it.
Calling: QuestWright Initiate: Cassio Vale
Level: 7
Experience Accrued: 1385.79
Experience required for the next level: 364.21
Unspent experience: 193.29
Total Stalwart Tokens: 14
Total Survivor Tokens: 25
But more than that, it was a special selection as it led to one of his titles kicking in.
[SYSTEM NOTICE]
3/3 Steps have been taken in the Way of the Stalwart
Title: Blooded Survivor has activated…
One additional personal Daily Quest has been unlocked per day.
Cass smiled to himself. He could’ve gone a different direction, perhaps even for a less costly unlock. But so far, the Survivor path had always rewarded him for hard work and pushing limits. Every node that was reachable lit up on the Way as he considered which way to go next. The first was interesting, as was the second and third, but one line directly connecting to his last unlock seemed like a keeper.
[Adaptive Strain Response]
– Passive Function –
Your body begins to adjust more efficiently to new physical challenges. The first time you perform a new type of physical activity in a day, you gain a temporary resistance to injury for the next ten minutes.
Cost to Unlock: 10 Stalwart Tokens
Reading between the lines, Cass understood the greater value in the step. It didn’t specify when the physical activity was occurring. That meant the next time he was in a fight, the passive would activate all by itself the moment he did something non-standard. Plus, it wasn’t an ability; it was a function. That had all kinds of range, and the only reason he didn’t mentally lock in on it right away was because he was wise enough to read through all of the other options first.
The next Step he looked at would open up exercises specific to heavy weapons, and the one after spoke about wearing armor. Neither were things he was interested in at that point, but that didn’t mean he’d forget about them.
Then his eyes found one that had a long, blue, thin line to the only other path he’d ever unlocked.
[Stalwart Logistics]
-Unique Unlock-
Unlocks an escalating set of Daily Quests that reward increasing amounts of experience.
Cost to Unlock: 15 Stalwart Tokens
“What would happen if I unlocked both this one and the node in Logistics?” Cass said to himself. Would the two paths develop a solidifying connection? Would Stalwart and Logistics be permanently enmeshed? He didn’t know. It was like the more he learned, the more new things appeared. The only way he’d ever figure things out was by testing them.
Shaking his head, Cass considered doing his second Daily Quest of the right then, but knew he wouldn’t have time. Instead, he gave Bella her treat before heading back to his room and preparing for the day.
After breakfast and another handing out of Adya’s Quest, Cass made his way to the Registry with an odd thought on his mind. The week had gone by far too quickly compared to when he’d had scheduled classes. It was like time had decided to take a vacation, and speed had taken over. Not to mention, putting a plan into action and seeing it work as intended was a heady experience. But now that the initial stage of Pathfinder was working, it was time to begin the second stage, testing and handing out Guild passes.
Moore had told him that he was allowed to hand out ten passes as part of the pilot. It was not a large amount, but it was enough for him to get things started and identify the errors in the process before they spread.
As for who was in charge of the testing process, that naturally fell to Tier 2 Guild Trainer Kara Tullis and her crew of happy co-workers.
But when Cass got there, he realized nobody was happy. That included the few Company people standing by the boards, but keeping their eyes on the crowd of angry Guild members instead of their Quest options.
“I told you!” Kara said, waving a piece of paper under Chancey’s nose. “If you want to design a test for non-Calling-based skills, you need to consider every angle. All you have here is a wish for everybody to succeed with sunshine and rainbows. It’s a waste of paper and ink!”
“Ms. Tullis,” Moore droned from his desk, “Please hold back your anger when guiding your Trainees. That is rarely productive.”
Kara performed an odd movement as both her back went stiff and she continued trying to leer over the young Clerk. She finally settled on a half-crouch with her arms behind her back, “Sir, I’m only trying to create a basis for how the testing must proceed. If we don’t consider every ramification of what-”
“It’s Tier 1, Ms. Tullis,” Moore said deadpan, “The basic requirements are walk, carry, organize, and the odd bit of Construction here and there. We do not need to make the tests so laborious that nobody would be interested in completing them.”
Kara shook her head, “We need to be able to test them in every Quest Type. That means certifying them in Hunting, in Delivery, in” She threw her hands in the air, “everything. It’s not as simple as it sounds.”
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Moore tapped his chin, “No, I suppose not. But-”
Cass stopped listening as an idea struck him. Though he’d told himself just the other day that he wasn’t going to unlock any more Quest Types, he was now reconsidering that. There was one that he’d been thinking about, which hopefully could solve this problem.
Experimental Quests…
As for taking on another Quest type, while he was one book into understanding Construction, and no books into understanding Crafting, that didn’t matter. Eventually, he was going to unlock this Quest type, so why not now?
Cass was aware enough to recognize the flip-flopping nature of his mind, but like waiting on Waypoint, he had an odd feeling that this was the right choice. First, he double-checked his System Reputation.
Total System reputation accrued: 606
Current System reputation remaining: 406
Cass did a quiet whistle at that. It wasn’t a screen he often went to, as his life lately had been consumed with workouts, Pathfinder, and worrying about experience. However, with over four hundred System Reputation waiting to be used, it was quite a lot. If reputation were currency, he’d be rich.
Secondly, he reviewed the Quest type description to ensure it was what he thought it was.
(X) Experimental: A Quest type related to System-triggered, unpredictable, and abnormal Quests
Seeing that, Cass took a gamble, pushing his recent cautious approach to the side. With a wince he didn’t quite understand, one hundred System Reputation was spent as he unlocked his second Uncommon Quest type.
Quest type: (X) Experimental selected…
QuestWright Ledger updated…
Sneaking through the area as Moore expounded on what he thought the tests should involve, Cass made it over to the Annex and sat down. As soon as the map came up, he found a problem.
“Guild Master Hollis doesn’t have any Experimental Quests active?”
It was true. Nothing showed on the map for his new Quest type, and after he went through and turned every filter off except for Experimental, a blank map showed itself to him. There were only a few reasons for that. Either Guild Master Hollis didn’t have any active, or more likely, they just didn’t show up.
“Must be something that’s hidden.” Cass reasoned, “That means anything I make won’t be tracked by the System for other QuestWrights. I’ll have to ask him later in our meeting tomorrow.”
Tapping his chin, he pondered the ramifications of having a Quest type that was all but invisible. If it really was something others couldn’t see, that had to be a good thing. The System was a part of their daily lives in every which way. Having one thing he did with it that was hidden from the world wasn’t a setback. It was a bonus.
Pulling up the outliner, he selected Experimental Quests and immediately noticed that the locations where pre-determined options usually rested were empty. Instead, after clicking on a single, blank line, a cycle pulled up of every Quest type he’d already unlocked.
Clicking on one, he then chose Delivery and found all the usual options. Source, delivery location, Questor name. He tested it with Construction and found the flood of options that normally came with that as well. As a test, Cass selected Training and created a quick sprinting Quest. The moment it settled, he exited the option and found another blank line beneath it, showing similar results when it was selected.
“I can mix and match my Quests!” He said in excitement, and just a little too loudly. That meant, through Experimental Quests, he could create templates that allowed him to build in several options across different types. As he’d done with Adya once, he’d managed to create a Quest that fulfilled two objectives. However, once he’d input those two, it hadn’t let him add any more. With this, he could now create multi-step Quests that had as many options as he wanted. And with Waypoint soon to be unlocked, that created a gamut of new things he could do.
But what really interested him was the final option at the bottom.
-Free Create
Warning: System interpretation of created options and objectives often comes with mixed results
When he selected it, a second warning popped up.
Warning: You only have one Free Create Experimental Quest available.
Additional charges are added at higher reputational levels.
Rather than blank lines, Cass felt something else occur. Similar to when he was mentally drafting Quests, he felt a presence fill the area. Like the system was watching and waiting for him to speak. Exiting quickly and without speaking, he was relieved to see the charge hadn’t been spent.
Then he smiled. Now, they had a way to consolidate all the tests into a few Quests that he could assign using templates.
With that firmly in his mind, he stepped out of the Annex and approached the still-arguing group. Moore approved and signed off on the Company party’s Quest, then looked at him expectantly.
“Did you have a nice time in the Annex?”
Cass leaned against the desk, “You really see everything, don’t you?”
“Not everything, just enough,” Moore said with a raised eyebrow. “Now, what finally brought you out here?”
Calling over the others so he could speak quietly, Cass went over what he’d learned of Experimental Quests. It didn’t take long, as he hadn’t truly tested it yet, but they still bombarded him with questions.
Kara started it out, “How much experience do they give?”
“Can people take multiple?” Branden asked with a smile.
“Does it hurt?”
Cass looked at Chancey’s scared expression and snorted, “I have no idea. I only just unlocked the Quest type, but I’m sure it doesn’t hurt, Chancey.”
Gathering all the information they had, and with Moore keeping a tight rein on Kara whenever she was about to explode, the group worked together to categorize the Quest types into specific groups.
Escort, Retrieval, Delivery, and Message would be grouped into one. They all had the same premise, and creating a trial where the candidate would complete each was a three-step process. Drop off the fake message, find an item in a field, and bring it to another location, then bring a living creature from A to B. All told, it would take a few hours if they were efficient, and Moore was adamant that they set timers on everything, as that would simulate a real Quest.
They spent another hour working out where the supplies and materials would come from, with Moore saying he’d call in a few favors for the Escort portion of the Quest. When it was all done, Cass asked the group to follow him.
Together, they stepped back to the Annex, where Brendan and Chancey got to see the Annex live and in action for the first time. To say they had questions would be a great reduction in how they acted, but as humanity had done since the Reshaping, Cass persevered.
He’d intentionally given it a new name to match what they were doing, and the System surprisingly acceded when he finished inputting options. After tweaking it a few times on Kara and Moore’s advice, Cass saved it as a template. Then, as the cramped room held its breath, the first Experimental Quest came out while Cass drafted it with a focused look on his face.
[Tier 1 Transit Test]
To the Testee. Complete the following:
Take the message from Clerk/Maestro Moore to Kara Tullis in the Depot near 7th Street.
Time for completion: 30 minutes
After delivering the message, take three bags of raw ore to Clerk Brendan near the Liora Guildhall stables.
Time for completion: 45 minutes
Once the ore has been delivered, find the goat, Clarence, and bring it to Clerk Chancey in Deli-row.
Time for completion: 60 minutes
Once every step is complete, report to Clerk/Maestro Moore for a review.
Expected experience: 10
Good luck!
Cassio Vale
Liora Guildhall
QuestWright
“It lacks…directions.” Moore said as he stared at the glowing vellum, “And you shouldn’t have to wish them luck.”
“I think it’s nice.” Brendan said with a smile, “Good luck testee! Good luck!”
Cass gave the excitable man a wan smile before looking at the Maestro, “The lack of directions is intentional. I gave them an extra few minutes for each assignment so they would have time to ask people where things are, but I don’t need to tell them that. If they want to be signed off on these four types, they need to be able to prove they can think on their feet.”
Plus, Waypoint’s going to help them out soon enough, Cass thought, but didn’t say. But Kara and Moore didn’t need to know that.
Obviously, Kara liked it.
“I like it, but we’re going to have specific days where people can take these on. I don’t plan on setting up shop and living on 7th street.”
“Sundays would be best,” Chancey piped in, a nervous expression on her face when Kara looked her way. “It’s the free day, so most people, especially low-tiers, will have it off.”
“But that means sacrificing your own Free Day for the needs of Pathfinder,” Cass pointed out. He leaned back in the chair, “I’m willing to do it, as I believe in this, but you all would have to sign off on it as well.”
They each looked at one another, with the exception of Moore, who agreed right away. Then, each signed off on it, starting with Brendan. And just like that, the testing program was created.
It wouldn’t kick off until ten a.m., which still gave him time for Bella, his Quest, and a little bit in the Rings, but Cass’s Free Days would be taken up for the foreseeable future. Turning back around in the chair, he brought up the Experimental screen again when he found his notifications blinking at him. Cass clicked on it.
[SYSTEM NOTICE]
In the creation of an Experimental Quest, you’ve lost experience…
-5 xp
Bonus granted for creating your first Uncommon Quest:
1 free minor node unlock
Initiate QuestWright Achievement progress:
7/12
[Tier 2 Administrative Quest]
Assignment: Issue a Policy
