'Do I allow her to join?' Eir intended to get back to her book and read for the rest of the night until Bane returned, but the meeting with Liora had shaken her. Having a strong healer in their faction was an incredible asset. Eir just had to get past her own personal feelings toward others - and toward Bane.
Eir admitted Liora was beautiful, almost on par with herself. Since she had met and been saved by Bane in the dungeon, she might try to make a move. This was what made Eir hesitant, along with Bane's power and the System. You couldn't just make things like that known. So Eir was stuck between a rock and a hard place: deny her entry and lose out on a promising recruit, allowing her to be picked up by some predatory faction, or allow her to join and risk Bane's secrets being exposed.
There was no correct answer, or if there was, Eir couldn't figure it out. 'I'll just have to see what Bane says,' she thought, attempting to put an end to her thoughts on the topic, but was unable to truly move on.
"That was a good session, Bane. You're doing really well," Mr. Grey said, sheathing his katana and gathering his things. Bane thanked him for his time and the two returned to the weapon shop. After a short goodbye, Bane split off and checked his weapon mastery.
Bane was pleased with what he saw:
Katana Mastery: Experienced → Expert (0/100)
Bane had officially become an experienced katana wielder. 'So I get mastery XP for doing everything - slaying enemies, training, and my daily challenge,' he confirmed. He was also surprised by how quickly he gained mastery XP.
Nonetheless, Bane wasn't complaining. He could feel it in his soul. 'I will master the katana and wield the Blood Moon Katana...' he repeated in his mind.
While walking back, Bane opened his status. He had a few unassigned points from the urgent quest he received earlier that day.
[Bane of the Slums]: LV 38 (7,340/9,340)
[Title]: ... Shadowy Slayer LV 1 (22/100)
[Strength]: LV 14
[Dexterity]: LV 4
[Mind]: LV 4
[Agility]: LV 14
[Fortitude]: LV 6
[Magic]: LV 1
[Skills]: Appraisal LV 1, Threat Analysis LV 1, Danger Sense LV 2, Passive Healing LV 1, Magnetize LV 1, Night Vision, Feared Hunt, Proficient Reader LV 1, Reader's Insight, Speed Boost LV 1
Bane quickly noticed the change in how the system displayed information. All past titles were now simply replaced by an ellipsis and could be opened just by thinking about them. Bane assumed the skills would soon do the same.
He chose to invest the points into Mind, mainly because of his Speed Boost skill. Bane had heard horror stories of mages suffering from mana sickness, something that affected those who used all their mana. Running out meant getting fever-like symptoms and in the worst cases even passing out. Bane wanted to avoid that at all costs and chose to diversify.
Bane didn't know how much mana he had, nor if it was represented numerically. Even the system didn't share that information. The Speed Boost skill simply said:
Speed Boost: For a small amount of mana, gain a short-lasting speed boost. Can be upgraded through use. Leveling up makes the skill cost less and increases its effects.
With that, Bane erred on the side of caution and did his best to limit use of the skill while prioritizing the Mind attribute. All of that to say he hadn't used the skill much, even now on the way home. Bane ran through the back alleys with incredible speed and felt no drawbacks from the skill.
'Since it upgrades through use, might as well use it!' Bane thought. Like a flash, he was standing at the front door of the faction building. Coming down from the skill's effects, Bane started to tire out. 'Mana sickness is no joke.' He assumed that's what he was feeling - there was no other explanation.
With an exhausted sigh, Bane opened the door and walked in on a frazzled Eir who was speaking a mile a minute.
"Bane! Faction! Liora! Join!" Bane could only make out a few of the words she rattled off. He quickly put up his hands and signaled for her to calm down.
"What?" he asked, wanting to clarify what he thought he heard. It seemed Liora wanted to join their faction. Bane quickly ran through the implications in his head and came to the same conclusions Eir had.
While Bane was lost in thought, Eir calmed down and slowly repeated what she said earlier. "That girl you met in the dungeon, Liora, she wants to join the guild," she reiterated. Shaking her head slowly, Eir knew that regardless of her decision, there would always be some drawback.
"Okay? And? Did you allow her to join?" Bane asked.
"I sent her home so we could talk about it. I don't just let anyone join without consulting you. Besides, you would be most affected if we allow someone to join - you'd be slowed down if others accompany you," Eir reasoned, reaching deep in her mind for an answer.
"I see. You're right. Let's go sit and talk," Bane said, motioning to the back room. He felt this conversation could be lengthy and didn't want to stand for its entirety.
Bane watched hypnotically as Eir's hair bounced and swayed back and forth. "I'm tired..." he muttered, causing Eir to turn and look at him skeptically.
"I was going to say something - you look really tired. Did something happen?" Eir asked, looking concerned for her young recruit.
"Have you ever had mana sickness?" Bane asked.
"Ah, only when I was very young. But as a goddess, my mana pools are almost infinite. I'd have to use spells all day to run out," she explained. "Wait, what do you have that uses mana?"
"A new skill called Speed Boost. It trades mana for speed. The description said it levels up after use, so naively, I used it and overdid it a little," Bane explained, collapsing face first onto the bed. However, he forced himself up because there was an important topic at hand.
Eir sat in her chair while Bane lay on the bed as they discussed Liora.
"What do you think about Liora?" Eir asked. She meant it mostly as a question about her character but it could also be interpreted as asking about Bane's feelings for her. Eir would have been fine with either answer.
Bane thought back to his short time with the young healer. He disliked her ethical code of forgiveness, but aside from that, he'd enjoyed her presence. "I believe she's a respectable young woman. In the dungeon she acted confident once I arrived. She's a healer, so that's a big plus. What are your thoughts about her?"
Eir too had only positive interactions with her. She was gentle, respectful - Eir just couldn't get past letting another girl into the faction, along with letting someone else know about Bane's power. "I agree, she was really nice and respectful to me..." she trailed off.
"Well, what are your thoughts?" Bane asked. To him, there were ways around the inconvenience of another party member. Bane could just say he preferred hunting alone and keeping his power secret.
"I don't know," was all Eir said, almost pouting.
Bane shook his head and smiled. "Okay, well, I'm okay if she joins. We can't just go around being a two-person show - we'll never reach our full potential," Bane said, giving a good reason for accepting the healer. Even the smallest well-known factions had members in the hundreds.
It made Eir cringe as she spoke her next words. "Okay, she can join." There were still many reasons that made Eir hesitant, but only time could prove whether they were valid concerns. With that settled, Eir continued. "But we'll need more money for furniture and supplies."
"I know," Bane said, withdrawing another thirty thousand shill from his bank and handing it to Eir. "Money is no longer an issue. I've made it to floor six and have access to small crystals. Between that, quests, achievements, and such, we'll have plenty," Bane explained.
Eir took the coins from Bane and thought of what else to say. "Okay, well... with that settled, the remodel should start over the next few days and Liora will be back tomorrow. What are your plans for the dungeon if she joins?" Eir asked. Bane had already explained earlier, but it wasn't a satisfying answer.
"At first, I'll either continue adventuring alone or have her come along occasionally. After enough time has passed, I might tell her about some of my abilities," Bane said.
Eir shook her head skeptically but knew Bane wouldn't be careless in this matter.
The rest of the night passed with Bane reading while Eir fetched dinner, when she returned they enjoyed a light dinner and fell asleep in each others company.
Eir didn't say anything, but she knew that she would miss this once Liora joined.