"I can't believe a goblin saved us," says one of the former captives.

"I can't believe a goblin made Legendary!" adds another.

A teenager with the aura of a reincarnator turns to me and asks, "Why does my [Aura Sight] think you're a fungus?"

"Oh…" I say. "[Chameleon Aura]. I forgot I had that up."

"Huh, cool skill."

"Alright, everyone, let's get out of here," Uncle Falcon says. "This is not the place for a party of the celebratory rather than adventuring sort. The monsters probably won't respawn immediately, but we'd best not linger. You all probably want hot food, a safe place to sleep, and new equipment."

We usher everyone out into the tunnels, gratitude rippling off their auras as we leave the Mushroom Garden behind.

Some of the adventurers make for the ramp leading up to the surface, but Uncle Falcon interrupts them with, "Wait! Not that way. That leads right to the Halkyns' back yard. Are you are prepared to deal with that just yet? We have another way out."

We lead them out through the hole we made in the tunnel the Halkyns bricked off. The Daring Edgewalkers take point, while I, Griza, and Kestrel take up the rear and make sure no one gets separated from the group along the way. Some of them are not moving very fast.

The trek is slow and rough, as we skirt around the territory of the sneaky Mold goblins, but we reach Splott without losing anyone along the way. Thanks to Tosko providing protective potions to everyone and having an actual Legendary Witch along, there's nothing in the Underswamps that can seriously threaten us.

There isn't enough space in the Splott Lakeside Inn for everyone, but the Splotts rush to provide bedrolls and food for everyone to welcome them in. Many of the former captives are too exhausted to go further, but still look suspiciously at the goblins.

"We're going to push on to Nefern, along with the lost Heroic party," Uncle Falcon says. "The rest of you should get a good night's sleep. The Splotts may be goblins, but they're extremely friendly. Don't you worry about that."

I want to keep going and get back there myself, but my Stamina meter is tanking. I pop a pillow out of my bag of holding and sit down on it to catch my breath.

Skills increased: Survival (Caving), Athletics (Take a Breather)

Kestrel chuckles. "Relax, they've got this in hand. You don't have the skills or stamina yet to keep walking forever."

I mutter, "Curse my kid body."

The formerly missing Heroic adventuring party, along with the Daring Edgewalkers, head out to Nefern.

Griza settles in by the campfire next to me as we help ourselves to some Splottfish stew. "And now that we're somewhere safe, I can consider my class options. To think I actually made Legendary by helping humans. These are interesting times we live in."

"What are your options?" I ask. "If you don't mind me asking."

"You, I do not mind," Griza says. "You were the one who set this chain of events into motion. Where might we be had you not decided to be Milo's friend instead of his enemy?" She shakes her head. "Best to look forward and not to dwell on what might have been. My class is currently [Elder Witch], which I acquired when I reached Epic rank at age 31. My previous class was [Elder Invoker]."

"Do Elder tier classes all have Elder has an adjective like Apprentice classes have Apprentice?" I wonder.

Griza shakes her head. "It is, so far as I know, always an option, but I had two other classes available that did not include Elder. I choose Elder for the lifespan bonuses. Now that I am Legendary, that is no longer a consideration. My class options now reflect both my skills and recent actions. [Fungal Druid], [Supportive Cursebreaker], and [Mystic Guardian]. Three paths lie before me. I may never reach Mythical, but there is one more class upgrade at Ancient tier, age 54 for goblins. This will be my class for the next decade, and it is likely to be an eventful one."

"It's never an easy choice," I say. "There were only 16 possible classes I could have gotten and I still agonized between [Creative Child], [Tranquil Child], and [Psychic Child]."

"It is not always clear when they are an upgrade, either," Griza says. "A Witch is less specialized than an Invoker, but I felt that expanding my versatility was worth more than stronger Invocations."

"I feel like broader classes can become stronger than more specialized classes, given unlimited time to work on them," I say.

Griza nods. "I agree. I will dismiss [Supportive Cursebreaker] right away. Too narrow. Likewise, I believe I shall also dismiss [Fungal Druid]. Although the mushroom-based spells I have learned have proven very useful, given my new potential lifespan, I wish to expand beyond them. [Mystic Guardian], on the other hand, will aid me whenever I am doing magic or protecting something. As I do not intend to become a solo adventurer, that should be all the time."

You have successfully advised a Legendary being. Skills increased: Discipline (Long-Term Planning), Clairvoyance (Empathy) Skill acquired: Tending (Guidance) Description: The ability to provide insightful counsel that shapes decisions. Your Charisma has increased.

I got a skill and a stat point for that? I only even said like three sentences! Man, I forgot how much experience you get for interacting with Legendaries. A two minute discussion might have just changed the course of history. Again.

Griza had outright said that Grubwick had given her a quest to help us. How much did it know? Was it aware of what was in the Mushroom Garden? Did Griza learn that spell because Grubwick metagamed? It's a funny thought, but I dismiss it. Aether cores are just Real Time Strategy game players, and I honestly don't begrudge them that.

You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

I love every one of my past lives, even the crappy ones, because something different happened in each one. That's why I block out the memories. It feels like the first time every single time. Fuelling wonder and novelty rather than embracing cumulative growth. It's why we haven't ascended more often. Liu Xing could have ascended but did not make it. The Divine Apocalypse of the Age of the Indigo Fox may or may not have destroyed Songara and he has no way of finding out yet. Or does he?

"Grandma Kestrel, have you ever heard of a skymote named Songara?" I ask.

"Huh?" Grandma Kestrel says. "Songara, Songara… ugh, Aunt Heather was always getting on my case about my low Intelligence and how useful Enhanced Mind skills are. I'm not stupid, just… forgetful. Um… What day is it? I haven't missed Juniper's naming day running around down here, have I?"

"It is March 13th," Griza says.

"You haven't missed it," I say.

"Oh, good. Hey, did we get any good trophies from that delve I could give her as a present?"

"Hopefully the Daring Edgewalkers get back soon," I say. "Belladonna ran off without splitting the loot."

"Rogues," Kestrel says with a snort. "Remind her if you see her. I did this for my grandson but I still expect a cut. I kept him from getting turned into a mushroom or eaten by giant swamp newts."

"Thank you, Grandma," I say.

"You can just call me Kestrel. The grandma thing still feels weird. Reminds me that I haven't ranked up yet. Unfortunately, I can't stay in Tempest for longer than a month in a decade without losing class bonuses.

"Right, you're a [Peregrine Wizard]," I say.

"You can just see that?" Kestrel says. "But yes. My Peregrine Mystic Aspect gives its best bonuses when I don't stay in one domain for longer than a month out of a year."

"I have a skyboat and a key to a flat in Flux," I say.

"You want to rob the dead pirate?" Kestrel laughs. "Okay, I'm in. After Juniper's naming day, let's follow up that quest."

Kestrel doesn't realize I don't get quests. I don't really talk about it much anymore. Everyone just acts like whatever I want to do is a quest and that Corwen expects me to do those things. I'm not sure how to feel about having magic-influenced support on anything I want to do. On the other hand, what's the difference between that and simply having a good family? Corwen has been shaping their expectations all their lives, by reinforcing what it considers to be good behavior. Is that mind control, or just good parenting?

And on the other hand, Farlow was cruel, if what Jade told us about her quests was accurate, and I have no reason to believe she was being deceptive. If she meant harm, I would have noticed before she ever got close to the core room. And yet what is the difference between [Empathy] and simply being good at reading body language and facial expressions?

Farlow probably didn't intend to spawn a soul that it thought would defy its wishes. That would be counterproductive. But they can't predict every possible combination of circumstances. Sometimes, something different happens. Or their spawn wasn't a perfect match, only a good match fitting one specific category. I can imagine what the soul search function must look like.

Uncle Falcon and his party return the next morning and we remind Belladonna to split the loot. None of the equipment is actually useful to me, being too high level to use effectively.

Belladonna spreads out the small haul of artifacts found in the dungeon. "Here's what we've got to work with. Drake, you're good at identifying objects, right?"

I nod, and identify each of the items and share the system windows with them. The frog boss dropped a weird green poisoned dagger with legs on the hilt, which Belladonna claims immediately. She tosses it at a nearby rock, shattering it, and the dagger hops back to her hand.

"Weird but neat," Belladonna says.

The final fungal boss dropped two artifacts. One of them is shield shaped like a flat mushroom cap that protects against poison, sleep, and possibly other things I can't identify. The other is a hat also shaped like a mushroom cap (the Mushroom Garden really leans into its theme) that I have no idea what it does. The other items are Heroic rank but the cap is Epic.

Skills increased: Clairvoyance (Aspect Analysis), Crafting (Appraisal)

"Well, none of us uses shields and the hat is too weird to wear," Belladonna says.

"I'm still collecting items for the dwarf spawner," I say. "That shield might be good for the warrior we haven't spawned yet."

"The sacrificial spawner might be a great way to get rid of artifacts too weird or awkward to actually use," Uncle Falcon says. "Any other calls?"

"I got plenty of mushroom samples," Tosko says.

"I'm happy with the gold," Wonder says.

"None of them interest me, either," Kestrel says.

"What about you, Griza?" Uncle Falcon asks.

"I?" Griza says in confusion.

"Yes, you," Uncle Falcon says with a grin. "You were a member of the party for this. You came with us and helped protect us and saved those people where we could not. Do you want this weird hat we don't know what it does?"

Griza chuckles. "I should have gone adventuring years ago. To think there are all these treasures just waiting to be claimed. Very well. I shall take the hat. I did not choose the [Fungal Druid] class offered to me, but I do still understand mushrooms and believe I know what its properties are."

"Right, you got a class change," Uncle Falcon says. "You were an [Elder Witch] before, weren't you?"

"I was," Griza says. "I am now a [Mystic Guardian]. I shall keep this land safe. And my… friends?" She chuckles. "What a strange thought."

With the formality of loot distribution taken care of, Uncle Falcon turns to me.

"Alright, kid," Uncle Falcon says. "I have to admit, you were useful to have along. We might not have made it without the information you gathered for us. We definitely wouldn't have realized there were people under those mushrooms. We might not have even found the dungeon at all without your ability to sense aether."

"I'm glad I could help," I say. "My [Aether Sense] is maxed now, though. Five years or Elite rank until I can level it up any more."

"Well, get as many skills maxed as you can before your advancement," Uncle Falcon says. "Just don't take so long at it that you wind up in our position. I have a lot of skills maxed, so I should get a good Elder class even if an Epic goblin took most of the experience for this little adventure."

"No regrets for bringing her along, though," Belladonna says. "Tosko might have eventually developed a potion to cure them, but none of us are specialized in mushrooms and curses like her."

"We're coming along with you," Uncle Falcon says.

"Weren't you trying to push to rank up?" I ask.

"You keep accidentally making high level enemies," Belladonna says. "I don't want to miss the experience."

"Fair enough."

Not receiving quests means that I will apparently accidentally sequence break what should have been higher level quest chains.

"I'm bowing out for the moment," Tosko says. "I have some very interesting mushroom samples I want to experiment with. You can find me in Amroth if something big is going down."

"We already missed out on an Epic fight by hanging around Amroth, but suit yourself," Uncle Falcon says.

"Things in Amroth are pretty interesting at the moment, too," Belladonna adds.

"I suggest you guys stick in Amroth for now unless you want to go back to Corwen for my sister's naming day," I say. "And I want to make some repairs to the boat before trying to fly it anywhere dangerous. That's what I'm going to be working on for the next couple weeks. After that, Grandma Kestrel wants to take a trip to Flux with me. You'll probably want in on that."

Belladonna nods. "Sounds like a plan. We'll see how things shake out in Amroth over the next couple weeks."

"Alright, I'll head back to Corwen for the party," Uncle Falcon says.

"I will also remain in Amroth," Wonder says.

"Tosko, do you know potions that might help with plants?" I say. "I'm growing an oak tree that I plan to turn into a living skyship."

The halfling Alchemist's eyes widen. "Cool! I'll see what I can come up with for my hopeful future mode of transportation. Some of these mushroom samples might be good for that."

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