Cass woke up and immediately checked his notifications. Of the Testers who’d started yesterday, eight out of nine passed, with the ninth having given up halfway through.
That was a great boon to the Guild. Those Liorans could now take on any Transit Quests at will, as long as they fell under Tier 1. To reach the next level, Cass and crew would have to design a more rigorous test. But that was for later. For now, he was just happy that their initial steps had borne fruit.
Although he woke up with a bit of dry mouth from talking so much the other day, the fact that notifications were already waiting for him did wonders for his mood. With the minor node unlock he’d received from the Initiate Achievement, he had more than enough to finally activate the major node, plus a little extra.
Cass had been patient. He’d waited. Unlocking all of the minor nodes around it had taken time. Each choice granted a small bonus to routes, the movement of the Questor, or a reduction in penalties based on time. But he couldn’t wait anymore.
The experience screen came up, and with just a small amount of experience, sixty-seven to be exact, the last minor node surrounding Waypoint finalized.
[Major Node: Waypoint]
It glowed golden, lighting the way for all who need succor.
Cost to unlock: 200xp
Selection unlocks the Heatmap Overlay
Passive ability: The QuestWright’s System Map will now have a filtering option, presenting any logistical problems occurring in real-time.
Selection unlocks the Questor Waypoint
Active ability: Upon assignment, Questors will now have the option to activate a System-generated Waypoint marker visible on their personal screen. The marker identifies the primary location for quest fulfillment, but does not adjust if the objective is mobile.
All nodes surrounding Waypoint are active…
Here we go…With a deep breath, Cass selected it and watched as the Major node began to fill with gold. That experience came from effort. From helping Liora. From following the three rules he’d come up with what felt like a lifetime ago. And now, it would be used to activate something else that would go towards helping the city.
But then things changed. Once it reached halfway, the pale blue nodes around it began to deepen, taking on a light golden hue as Waypoint sank into the expansive field of choices. When it finished, several notifications sprang up.
[SYSTEM NOTICE]
Bonus granted for activating your first Major node:
1 free minor node unlock
Initiate QuestWright Achievement progress:
8/12
Waypoint will now be active for all Quests you create…
Due to the Heatmap Overlay addition, new functionality has been unlocked:
Your System Map has upgraded to Tier 2…
Your QuestWright Ledger has upgraded to Tier 2…
Cass smiled to himself, then blinked as changes to his experience screen had never stopped. The minor nodes continued to burnish a brighter glow until reaching an apex. Then, a golden wave flashed across the path as every Minor node surrounding Waypoint turned gold themselves.
[SYSTEM NOTICE]
As you have unlocked all Minor nodes that form a connection with a Major, you now have the option to sacrifice their bonuses for empowerment.
Would you like to do this now?
Cass considered what he was seeing. The notice was all the information he had. No mention of what it would do, or what would happen to the bonuses he already had. Just a notice that he had the option to sacrifice them for empowerment. What that would look like, he didn’t know.
It was a risk.
Cass weighed everything in his mind. The bonuses he’d gained were solid, small-ticket items that helped mitigate problems in his Quests or gave minor alterations to his map. If the sacrifice didn’t bring enough value to offset the loss, it would be a huge mistake.
He also had a clarifying moment as he stared at the depressed Major node, small golden lines connecting it to every Minor around it. He could’ve activated it sooner.
“So much for thinking I know what the System wants from me.”
All along, he could’ve dove headfirst into his first Major node, but he’d held off, thinking he knew what the System wanted. It was plain stupid.
Hubris, it turned out, was not just for the old or wealthy. He felt his cheeks heat at the self-immolating thought, but it was the truth, and he couldn’t spare himself from his own wrath. If Kara knew about this, she’d likely smack him upside the head.
Caution hadn’t helped. So, upon re-examining the prompt, Cass made his decision and agreed.
Immediately, all of the minor nodes lifted off the path and took on the same pure gold of Waypoint. Slow at first, they began to spark with golden energy as the first few launched themselves into the Major node. Faster and faster, each zipped in, leaving their former locations empty as the Major node lifted itself from its flattened state. This continued until every Minor node finished its work, and a large, gold hub now represented Cass’s newest ability.
Options: Would you like to upgrade Questor’s Waypoint or the Heatmap Overlay?
Cass barely had to think about it. The Heatmap was going to be a big boon to understanding logistical issues in Liora, but Waypoint would help his people finish their Quests easier. It was a simple choice.
Questor’s Waypoint selected…
Questor’s Waypoint has been upgraded to Guiding Waypoint.
Guiding Waypoint:
Active ability: Upon assignment, Questors may activate a System-generated Guiding Waypoint, visible on their personal screen. Unlike the base marker, the Guiding Waypoint projects a suggested route from the Questor’s current position to the objective. The guiding route will adapt to the terrain, civic pathways, and known hazards as indicated on your System map. It will not track mobile objectives.
This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.
Logistics Major nodes upgraded:
1/2
I guess I won’t need to describe routes on Quests anymore, so that’s nice. Cass looked at the last line again. So I can upgrade one more major node in Logistics. Will something like this happen in the Survival path?
As he thought of it, he pulled it up. But everything in there were steps, not nodes. It worked in a different way. Still, it was good to know. Smiling at the upgrade, Cass received another notification.
[SYSTEM NOTICE]
Bonus granted for upgrading your first Major node:
1 free minor node unlock
Initiate QuestWright Achievement progress:
9/12
That left him with three Minor nodes he could unlock at no cost, and curiously, the number never went up. It was static.
“One, one, one,” Cass mumbled to himself.
But then he smiled again. Because it was easy to imagine anyone who took on his Quests today would be pretty surprised to find the entire route plotted for them. It wouldn’t work well for anything he couldn’t pinpoint during outlining, but for static locations? It was a massive improvement that would affect everything he did down the line.
Pulling up his System Map and Ledger, Cass got to see firsthand what Tier 2 meant.
All of the markers had more detail, as did the city itself. For instance, there was a collapsed building in the southern section of the Forge. He’d never have known that without the map upgrade, as he’d never visited it before. Even as he watched, two glowing people, young men, by the newly enhanced shape of them, were going about their Quests in the northern part of the Grounds.
It was all live. A living, updating map.
And there were lots of issues.
The Ledger’s change was far less drastic. Quests had reorganized themselves into categories, with many having their preset templates ready for his eager fingers. He’d always had to search for things in the past, but now with the change, it was set and waiting for him. A small upgrade, but still a valuable one regarding time.
Before getting bogged down with the hundreds of problematic areas he found, Cass lamented one large, new fact. The filter he’d previously had that told him when an area had received more Quests than another was now gone. It had been sacrificed to empower his new routing Waypoint.
“There’s always a downside,” He said to himself, lamenting the loss of a function that had allowed him to start Pathfinder in the first place. Like his inability to take on outside Quests after accepting the Survivor Path, this choice had taken something away from him. But it should be worth it, he hoped.
Shaking his head, Cass took one final glance at the issues, then pulled up his experience screen again. There were four more Major nodes within Logistics, and none of the two were alike.
[Major Node: Standard]
And it was planted in the ground, a monument for all to see.
Cost to unlock: 200xp
Selection unlocks Field Standard
Passive ability: The QuestWright may now place System flags on their map, marking areas of importance with a variety of options.
[Major Node: Recall]
The return of order begins with the return of its people.
Cost to unlock: 150xp
Selection unlocks Ledger Retention
Passive ability: Failed, abandoned, or expired Quests are no longer deleted. Instead, a new tab will appear in the QuestWright’s Ledger for review.
[Major Node: Quota]
It starts with one.
Cost to unlock: 200xp
Selection unlocks Expansion
Passive ability: Every day that the QuestWright incurs no penalties in their System Reputation, they will gain an increased Quest issuance limit.
[Major Node: Tiering]
Every record demands an accurate accounting.
Cost to unlock: 180xp
Selection unlocks Quest Tier Identification
Passive ability: All finalized Quest outlines will now show the expected Tier prior to drafting.
None of them had the oomph of Waypoint. It’s like the first Major node unlock was a large one, empowering everything else that came after it. It was also the only node in the entirety of the path to offer an active ability. He wouldn’t know if that was standard for a regular path or not until he unlocked Inspection.
Unfortunately, as far as experience went, he was broke.
“Barely any free experience to my name,” Cass said with a chagrined expression. “And I’m not unlocking a damn thing until Inspection rolls around the corner.”
Getting dressed, Cass made his way over to Bella and did his morning routine. His daily personal Quests focused on his back, and he could feel the robe around his body stretching as he performed at his best efforts.
Wrapping up, he mentally nodded at the tokens, including the two extra Stalwarts that dropped in from the double intermediate workout, patted his friend on the rump, then headed out to a shower and breakfast.
Orla was practically frothing at the mouth after Adya told Cass about one particular area that could really use some help. A School.
After explaining where they’d be that day to Moore, the crew headed out, passing by two Company parties and a silently nodding Holt on their way out. Adya was right to send them that way. When Cass got there, he could only shake his head at the few boarded-up and broken windows he saw.
“Don’t think Orla has any glassmakers in Common Solutions,” He said to himself. Shrugging, he walked up and knocked on the door.
It turned out that the school was run by a man named Headmaster Waleska. He was a nice fellow who’d been short of funds due to a recent population explosion in the Depot that hadn’t come with any extra funding. Promising to be as quiet as possible, Cass discussed what help the man needed and wrote it all down. After pulling Brendan and Chancey away from a game of kickball, the four made their way to Moore with a list of needed materials.
Then ran into Orla.
“Hah!” She screamed after he gave a breakdown of what they needed. “We have most of that!” The flustered merchant seemed to count something on her fingers before throwing her arms in the air. “Yes! We have most of that!”
Cass gave her a look as she took several quick breaths, then dropped off the list of necessary materials with Moore and went off to the Annex for his daily Quest creations.
His first time drafting a Quest with the new active ability was interesting. In each outline, a checkbox was now available on the side for Waypoint. Somehow, just by clicking on it, the System would add it to every Quest he drafted.
It didn’t appear on the Vellum, but after some quick questioning with Adya, he knew they’d now have the option of activating the function whenever they pleased. It was a new addition to his repertoire. An extra bit of help in their completions.
Cass fulfilled his Guild quota, punched out ten new Common Solutions Quests, then spent his time studying Construction. In particular, how to put a desk together.
Moore hadn’t been a great help in finding him a Construction tutor. Cass seemed to recall the dour man saying, “Learn by doing.” But he wasn’t much for crafting. If he recalled correctly, the few times his father had asked him to slap any furniture together, several pieces had gone missing during its creation. That’s why his bed at his old house still leaned just a little bit too far to one side. But if he wanted to excel in his Calling, excuses wouldn’t do.
Orla returned after a few hours with wild-eyed intensity. “We got the contract!” She yelled, catching Cass studying the new heat map’s functions.
“What?” He asked, his brain in a fog as he was still trying to piece together the problems he was seeing.
“It’s true!” Orla said, a bit of spittle dripping out of one corner of her mouth. “Common Solutions got the contract to supply all the basic materials for the school! We’re finally going to have an income!”
“Yayy,” Cass said sarcastically. The woman’s fervor for money was insane. He’d sent a letter to Rina just yesterday, and had received a reply that Common Solutions was making a profit. Orla had managed to finagle several local shops into using them for supplies. But that hadn’t been enough for the tradeswoman, as world domination had seemed to be on her mind. At least, according to Rina.
The woman barely noticed his sarcasm as she said, “Aren’t you excited!”
“Indubitably,” Cass replied with a nod, having looked up the word after one of his readings. “But it’s only going to be for something like twe-”
“Twenty desks! Two overhangs! Posts for a new garden! It’s a lot, Cass. It’s moneyyy!” She dragged the last word out, her eyes lighting up even brighter than before.
“And it’s for the kids, right?” Cass asked with a look.
She waved him off, “The munchkins will be fine. But money, Cass. Money!”
He sighed.
That night, as he was completing his standard evening workout, a knock came at his door. When he opened it, a grim Kara stood there.
Without any preamble, she said, “There’s been a new incursion in Liora.”
it), and now, I can't stop listening to this song and thinking of QuestWright. He's absolutely on point, this song "feels" like QuestWright. Take a listen:
