Chapter 71: Knowledge is Power

Chapter 71: Knowledge is Power

Tom found himself gasping for air as he awoke back in the physical realm. For a moment still, he imagined the heft of the spear grasped in his hands, expression solemn as he stared down Caldris Andiroh with determination in his gaze.

Only to realize that the weight of the weapon he had come to intimately understand could no longer be felt.

The echoes of the dream-like fugue he had just experienced faded away, the confusion in his gaze replaced by a growing clarity as he blinked in quick succession. The world ceased to be a liminal space existing between two incompatible psyches as Toms own sense of self won out.

Only then did he realize that he was panting. Physically, he knew himself to be in peak fighting condition, yet it took his mind a few long moments to accept that the rigorous training he had believed himself to have undergone was merely a mirage an illusion yet not necessarily untrue.

Hurriedly, Tom shifted his gaze towards Jayces receding figure.

Damn it, whispered words slipped his mouth as he confirmed his suspicions. Once again, the jester icon along with the numbers that were placed adjacent to it, were gone.

He silently watched Jayce and his squad mates until they rounded a corner, seemingly done with the revelry for today. For tomorrow, a new day would dawn and with it, there would be new adventures and challenges to accompany it.

At least until Jayce achieved the goal he had been building towards.

Tom couldnt help but wistfully sigh when he thought about the other Lunar Silver stars he had foregone to pick the Spear Art. Those were forever out of his reach now, secrets that would never likely become his.

Then he lowered his gaze and began to retreat inwards with deliberate, cautious steps; determined not to let any sound escape the wooden roof he tread on. Once he was certain that he was safely out of the line of sight of any dungeoneers, Tom relaxed.

His right hand gingerly swept across his visage, not surprised to find a facial structure that was completely different from his own. Mayas Active Shroud perfectly copied the appearance of his target for the next twenty four hours but Jayce was far from the ideal candidate for bluffing his way into the Nobles District.

The dungeoneers reputation preceded himself at this point and those in the know generally saw him as someone to be avoided, a man to be steered well clear of unless one was left with little other choice. Assuming Jayces identity was more trouble than it was worth and in all honesty, there was something about the mans methods that made his skin crawl.

[Are you sure that you wish to discard False Status and Active Shroud (Jayce Andiroh)? This action is irreversible.]

Yes.

He wasnt angry at the revelation, no. Past him would have been. Now? It was just a challenge that he had to surmount.

And he would, step by step.

Although he had failed to acquire any more Lunar Silver stars before running out of SP, he had still had some gains.

[Basic Lock Picking Proficiency] from Nyxine. Limited to non-magical locks, it wouldnt allow him to assist Aleph as of now but the foundational habits and tricks he had picked up on wouldnt, by any means, be going to waste.

[Basic Dagger Proficiency] from Valiar. Or atleast, what Valiar considered to be a basic understanding of wielding daggers. Tom found the Dagger Movements choppy and forced in places, especially when he compared it to Titans Sequitur, but then again he supposed that it wasnt really a fair comparison.

Then, there was Arenev. A man in his late twenties, he sported rugged brown hair that was roughly combed over. He was decently well muscled, yet the man only had a finely crafted metal hammer tied to his leather belt. There was no weapon to be seen on his person, yet the mans movements were as carefree as they were casual.

Then, it had clicked.

A blacksmith.

[Basic Weapon Repair Proficiency] all in all, was likely the most useful of the three memories he had recently obtained from his Maya Ability. More importantly, Arenevs guise would serve well enough for his purposes.

The twenty four hour limitation on Active Shroud meant that he couldnt use Arenevs disguise for the actual heist but he hadnt planned to. A blacksmith such as the man in question was highly valued in a cut-off area like the Nameless District, which meant that he was likely under the protection of one of the Districts old guard.

Only a fool would allow a weapons expert to roam around unprotected, especially considering how scarce they seemed to be in these parts.

Even more ideally, Arenev lived on the districts outskirts, the day spent hammering away on weapons both new and old, his hut placed a comfortable distance away from the nearest accommodation so as to not aggravate any neighbors. The night, very much like the one today, was for offering his services for good coin repairing a weapon, crafting a new hilt and even forging a blade, provided that he was supplied with decent quality ingots, was all within the realm of possibility.

He couldnt work with anything but common ranked weapon artifacts but as the saying went, Better a well-maintained common than a half-broken uncommon.

Tomorrow, Tom would venture onto the streets during the day and see just how far his acting prowess could take him.

A rehearsal, so to speak, before his big performance.