Orrin stared sadly at his gift from Tony, the remnants of an epic battle splayed out before him.

  “Brandt, remind me to go ask Tony for the recipe. We’ll need more provisions like that to get us through the upcoming fight,” Madi grumbled.

  Brandt’s eyes were heavy-lidded as he savored the last cookie. “You still shudder every time we walk down his street.”

  Madi ignored Brandt and looked away.

  “I think we should vote on which power Orrin gets,” Daniel pouted, having lost in the race. “All in favor of more Quests, raise your hands.”

  Madi gave Orrin a sheepish look before raising her hand with Daniel. “It makes the most sense and even if you can’t give Daniel this [Demon Seal] spell, there are other things we could get from having a Quest-generator.”

  “That’s all I would become,” Orrin muttered darkly. “Your dad wouldn’t let me out of his sight if he learned I could give Quests.”

  Brandt shook his head. “Lord Catanzano isn’t that controlling. Madi still won’t tell him how she upgraded her class. She only told me about your Administrator abilities once she ran it by you.”

  After Orrin changed Madi’s class from [Prism Conjurer] to [Superior Prism Conjurer] using his Administrators powers, she left the party to return to Dey for a time. Her level reset to one and she needed the help of Brandt and her father’s guards to raise her level safely. When Daniel and Orrin completed the Stop the War in Odrana Quest, Madi received credit as well and saw her way back to almost level thirty. The massive changes were not lost on Brandt or her father. Lord Catanzano asked but didn’t push his daughter for answers. Brandt pestered her as well but Madi kept Orrin’s secret until she could ask for his permission. Something that Orrin was happy to grant to their party member and friendly [Knight].

  When Brandt learned of Orrin’s Administrator status, he asked Orrin how he unlocked the same. Orrin explained how he’d come to Asmea with Daniel, which Brandt was strangely unphased by. He muttered something about it being obvious in hindsight but was more interested in Orrin’s ability to upgrade classes.

  “While I appreciate Madi’s respect for my privacy, there is a big difference between someone getting an upgraded class change and the appearance of new Quests,” Orrin reasoned. He scratched the back of his neck. “It wouldn’t be only Silas I’d be worried about.”

  Brandt stuck his thumbs into the front of his metal chestpiece. His fingers drummed on the smooth metal. “I don’t think we should vote on something like this. It’s Orrin’s decision. It’s the same thing as asking him to buy a specific ability for his class. We don’t have the right to do that.”

  Orrin felt a flush of warmth for Brandt. The [Knight] was still recovering from his trauma in Odrana but the calming presence that he’d always had was growing into a deeper foundational point of his personality. Brandt’s higher level when they first arrived lent to his natural leadership in the dungeon they explored and against the monsters they fought. As Orrin and Daniel gained levels and became stronger, he gracefully side-stepped into a support role. His fighting prowess and knowledge were a major boon to their party but the new quieter attitude he had begun to show lately was adding a level of wisdom to the party they sorely missed.

  Daniel started to argue but Brandt held up a hand. “My vote is to let Orrin decide. That means unless he chooses your way, it’s a split vote. I’d argue that means it’s solely Orrin’s decision in either case.”

  Madi sighed. “I agree with Brandt. We can’t force Orrin to make the choice we want. I’ll make the argument that the Quest-giving option would help more in the long term. Resetting a person’s class, even if it works the way Orrin thinks it will, is situational at best. There isn’t a lot of demand for that kind of power, which might help Orrin’s powers stay unknown if that is the way you want to keep it.”

  Orrin nodded at her when she glanced his way for confirmation.

  “Daniel, what level are you now?” Brandt asked. “Would it even be worth resetting your class? You said the spell costs three hundred points? That’s more than I’ve had my entire life. You’d lose most of your spells and abilities, too.”

  “I get ten ability points a level and I’m at level thirty-three,” Daniel answered. “But when I first woke up, I had three hundred points.”

  Brandt blinked and shook his head. “I’m sorry, did you just say you started with three hundred points?”

  Daniel grinned sheepishly.

  “Blasted heroes and their stupid magic,” Brandt muttered. “How have you spent so many points?”

  “My space spells cost a lot,” Daniel protested. “The spell I used to get us back to Dey from Odrana cost a hundred points by itself.”

  “Daniel, you went up almost a dozen levels from the Odrana war Quest,” Orrin said slowly. “That’s over a hundred and twenty ability points at least. Did you spend those?”

  “Not all of them.”

  “Are you serious, D?”

  “How many points do you have?” Daniel asked accusatorily.

  “Twenty-one,” Orrin said quickly. “I used up most of my new points buying spells to keep us alive. [Spell Orb] costs twenty-five and my new spell [Increase Constitution] costs fifty.”

  Brandt whistled low. “That’s a hefty price. Is it worth it?”

  The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

  “I don’t know yet,” Orrin admitted. “I cast it on Madi this morning. It gives the target more constitution but at the cost of a lot of mana… well, a lot of mana if I don’t fully buff myself before.”

  “Broken cheater,” Daniel said with a smile.

  “Anyway,” Orrin said pointedly, “I think making us harder to take down is worth a few less points of mana to use. If it resets after I sleep like I hope it will.”

  “We’re getting away from the point,” Madi directed them back to the task at hand. “Orrin, you seem pretty sure that the Reset Class option will let you reset Daniel to have… what… six hundred points? What about all his Quest rewards? Would those be lost?”

  Orrin paused at the argument. Madi had kept her Quest rewards after changing her class but Daniel had a lot more riding on it than she did. Half of his weapon proficiency skills were from the leveling Quests he received every ten levels.

  “… I don’t know.”

  “What about his monicker?” Madi pointed out. “He’s the “Space Hero,” right? What if resetting his class makes him lose that? Some of his powers are based on space according to what you two say. I don’t know what a black hole is, but one of Daniel’s powers is called that. What if he can’t get it again? He’d have to retrain under an entire new power set.”

  Orrin began to doubt his preferred option more as she talked.

  “You said Unlock Spell was an option,” Brandt said. “Does that make the spell available to a class or purchase it for the person?”

  “Uhm, the second… I hope?”

  Brandt shook his head. “From what you’ve told me about Administrators, they were there to help people correct mistakes. I don’t think they could set a person’s entire path by giving certain powers from the beginning. Think about it. If an Administrator could give [Fireball] to a level one [Fire Mage] for no cost to them, why wouldn’t they do that for everyone? It would upset the balance of classes and builds. It would make it pointless to practice the underlying principles of sword fighting before taking [Perfect Thrust]. It’s more likely Unlock Spell will let you give me the ability to purchase [Fireball] with my class. Whether that would mean I have to split my focus and level up [Firebolt] or just make it possible to use the spell at a certain level, I don’t know.”

  Orrin rubbed his hair in confusion. “You guys are making this too hard. You’re basically arguing for the Quest option. Now I’m doubting whether Unlock Spell would even work.”

  “That’s why you waited to talk with us, though,” Madi said, comforting Orrin with her hand on his arm. She patted him gently. “You don’t have to make the decision right now. Brandt is right, though. You get to make the final decision and even if you pick something that doesn’t work, it’s okay. We don’t need Daniel’s ability to push the horde back. Dey has survived for thousands of years without him.”

  “Somehow,” Daniel joked.

  They continued to discuss the three options as the sun set in the distance. Orrin noticed other clumps of people sitting together, chatting and laughing before the long day came to an end. Friends amongst the defenders of Dey, taking a moment of respite to have a normal moment in the chaos of war.

  “Look at them all,” Orrin said softly, interrupting Daniel as he argued for more Quests. “Maybe a quarter of these people have classes suited for fighting. Most of them haven’t held a sword or spear in their lives and now they’re at the front line, ready to stand between their families and the demons. None of them will ever receive a Quest or meet the [Hero]. Most of them won’t know anyone in charge outside of their captain or group leader.”

  Daniel and Madi paused in their talk to see what Orrin pointed out. Brandt had a strange look of pride on his face as Orrin continued to talk.

  “The only thing that matters is protecting as many people as possible. If the fighting starts tomorrow, we are going to see a lot of death. Not every demon was high level but there were enough that I’m positive we will see areas of the defense wiped out to the man. Our orders are to protect a small stretch of the Wall but I think we can do more if we [Teleport] up and down to find the weakest areas. We help save lives and give these people hope that the [Hero] might show up in their moment of need. Daniel, I’m sure you’re wiped but do you think you have it in you to do some rounds? Shake a few babies and kiss a few hands?”

  “Why would you shake a—”

  “Madi, that’s just Orrin being weird,” Daniel said with a grin. “That is a good idea, O. I’m sure talking with the mythical [Hero] for a few minutes will give them something to talk about besides fighting tomorrow.”

  Daniel stood up and stretched his arms high above his head. “Don’t you think for a minute that this means I’m not going to keep pushing for the Quest option. We need to decide tonight. If the Demon Lord shows up on the field, I don’t know if I can defeat him without the seal. I like the idea of running around to the areas being hit hardest. Other than the elite squads, I think we might be one of the strongest groups around. Madi, can you check with your dad and make sure it’s okay for us to do that?”

  Madi brushed her foot over the magical circle isolating sound from others and broke the spell. She, too, stood and arched her back side to side with her hands on her hips. “I can ask but I don’t know if they’ll want us somewhere dangerous. If we lose the [Hero], it’ll be over before the demons breach the first Wall. But don’t worry about the Demon Lord, Daniel. We’ll fight him together. No rushing in alone this time, though. We fight as a unit.”

  Madi and Daniel moved towards the nearest group of fighters. Daniel waved his hand and introduced himself as he sat down amongst them. Orrin watched as his friend turned on the charm. He was joking with the small group of three within two minutes.

  Brandt sighed and smiled as they watched from a distance. “You did good there.”

  “What?” Orrin asked, jolted from his own thoughts. “Did good where?”

  The [Knight] kept his fingers hooked in his breastplate as they watched Daniel and Madi bolster the spirits of the troops. They were only spending a few minutes with each cluster of men and women standing guard on the Wall but the atmosphere change was immediate. The cooks, clerks, and workers of Dey were hard-working folk who were scared and in a dangerous situation. Most of them held spears or bows but only a few weeks of training with the weapons. Their nerves were shot after waiting around for days as the Dark Horde approached. Being granted a few minutes to talk with an actual [Hero] would be a talking point for them at parties and social gatherings for months to come… if they survived. For now, their thoughts turned from the unimagined horrors of the next day to their bright, if uncertain, future. A future where they could brag about meeting Daniel and Lady Catanzano before they defended their city.

  “You distanced Daniel from the problem he’s fixating on and gave him a task that not only makes him feel in control but also helps make everyone else more at peace. Multiple goals accomplished with minimal effort.”

  Orrin frowned. “That’s not why I did this. I thought these people could use a bit of good fortune and everyone loves Daniel. He’s good with people.”

  Brandt looked down at Orrin and smiled. “I know you didn’t mean to do it. That’s why I said you did good. You do things like this without thinking about what you get in return. You came to rescue me in Odrana because you felt it was right. You had us pull resources to help that woman selling spell orbs because you felt she needed help. Daniel might be good with people but you are good for people. I’m proud to fight beside the [Hero] and Madi. They save lives and move others with their words. But Orrin, I’m proud to walk by your side because you make everyone around you a little better.”

  Orrin’s face turned red. Brandt complimenting him out of the blue was flustering. “I… I’m not trying—”

  “Learn to take a compliment,” Brandt chuckled, slapping his back. “Come on, keep up. They’re moving to the next group.”

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