It had taken two months of work to get here. I fidget with my ring as I approach the notice board within the adventurers guild hall.

  Having decided I try to be healer, among my concerns was taking up one of my hands with staff or wand. Thankfully among the witches loot was a meteor steel ring, like a wearable wand! Unfortunately it had a bright pink gemstone but oh well.

  In my other hand, my heavily modified adventurers card. My forger had pulled off something spectacular! A fully functioning, deceptive overlay.

  I maxed out skill point potions and even sought out a couple folk that can reward skill points. They were super easy quests, even solo.

  Certain rare items or locations granted skill points, apart from a hard to reach fountain, I didn't think it worthwhile seeking out others... yet.

  Months of grinding too. Something I'd have to repeat every so often to keep up the guise.

  At my true level, I gained more skill points, but leveled up less often due to higher experience points needed per level. I had some skill points left over, combined with the extra, I took the plunge and committed.

  Dual classing is not popular, most people end up mediocre at two things, master of neither. It's strictly, max two classes.

  My true adventurer card would now say dark magic master assassin and novice healer. The only example of that dual class I'd ever heard of. Novice healer is all most people would see on my card.

  Coming home tired from grinding/solo questing. I'd flip an hourglass, eat and rest. When the final grain fell, time to study. I'd got through healing for beginners volumes one to three and volume one of healing for intermediaries.

  My healer skill tree was complete up to level 10, and that's the level my card stated I was at. I'd just unlocked revive skill level one. I had enough skill points hidden to cover me for a few of the level ups that would be expected to occur were I actually lv10.

  My photo was also updated.

  A notice catches my eye. Fighter and Ranger seek other party members, especially magic users, level seven and up. I search the hall and find the faces matching the sketches on the post.

  A higher level healer, a novice or perhaps even full on cleric was already at the table, I could tell by her staff, special headpiece and overall demeanor. She spots me approaching.

  "I think he'd be more suitable, I'll pass this time. See you guys."

  What a relief, I couldn't compete with her if I had to!?

  "Pink. A bold choice. May I see it?" The cleric says, eyeing up my meteor ring.

  "It's just the way I got it." I shrug.

  I lift my hand expecting her to lean in, just look at it. I had to fight the instinct to pull my hand back and slap her as she takes a gentle hold of my hand and thumbs the ring.

  "Hm?... You know you can change the color right?"

  Her hands are soft and warm though...

  "Err... I clearly didn't know. If it's not too much—"

  "So formal! Just focus on the ring and tell it your it's master! It should then change to suit you. Plus you've probably been using it very inefficiently. That little ritual binds it to you, not to mention makes it fit whatever finger you want, so you don't have to have it on your pinky hahaha. Go on— do it— as long as you didn't steal it?"

  She chuckles and pulls the ring off my little finger. She just about gets it on the tip of my index. I shot her smile before staring down at the ring.

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  I didn't feel like I'd stolen it, the owner long dead and hard/impossible to find relatives. No, I was its rightful master, and I was going to put it to good use— to do good! A moment later the magic kicks in. Whew! I don't let my relief show externally.

  It slides down my finger as it changes. The gem darkens to near black blue and the lacy looking wiring either side changes to two small spikes/pyramids.

  "Wow gnarly for a healer... See you around."

  "Thank you. Very kind of you to share that knowledge."

  Damn, hope no one reads too much into my ring now.

  The fighter at the table to my left taps my arm. "Let me see... Yo nice, that's like a wand right?"

  "Yep, keeps my hand free."

  "Let's see your card my man. How old are you Harvey?" Asks the fighter.

  "Fifteen, going on sixteen."

  "Nice, great age to be starting out. I'm twenty, only starting now as I was actually alright just being a guard for a local lord. But he got mixed up in a scandal or two... So yeh, figured I'd give adventuring a try. Izzy is my sister. Introduce yourself."

  Audovald seemed nice. A level nine fighter who used a shield and one handed battle axe. A little taller than me but much broader. His sister's eyes meet mine. She was a cold young woman with a resting bitch face.

  "Isabelle. I've been adventuring for a while now, longer than my brother. I'm a level eleven ranger, bow and dual short swords." States Isabelle.

  I would guess she was a couple years older than I looked, seventeen maybe. Audovald leans toward her apologetically waving both his palms.

  "She warms up when you get to know her, I promise! HaHa. She didn't fall out with her previous party or anything, just wanted to help me. Plus differences over the types of quests they wanted to do."

  "All they cared about was money, it was boring. Why are you adventuring Harvey?" Says Isabelle.

  Her stare cuts through my light padded armour and straight to my soul. I keep my aloof poker face strong.

  "I want to help people. I've seen some bad things and want to heal this god forsaken world, make it a bit better. Kinda lame I know, but I mean it."

  Did I catch a hint of a blush?

  "I too want to make this world better, I particularly want to fight against slavery, trading of women especially." She proclaims.

  "Wow, that sounds great, well I hope I can be the one to heal any injuries and support you as you get that done. People should never be sold as objects."

  She stares into my eyes for a moment, I hadn't used deception. Should I have? Her eyes fleet away.

  "Hey so you haven't asked about the quest we're planning on undertaking."

  Audovald leans in grinning. I didn't care, I could tell this was a decent party.

  "Oh, I figured we were waiting on a spellcaster of some kind?"

  "Ah yeah, you're right, I can save my breath till the parties complete."

  I'd unintentionally made it awkward. I look around the hall and catch the eye of a petite young woman by the notice board. She glances down and starts fidgeting. Her cloak hood falling lower over her head, she seems to disappear.

  "Excuse me for a moment."

  I get up and walk around the hall. No need for any fancy assassin skills, it was moderately busy and there were pillars and other things to hide my approach.

  "Thinking of joining us?" I ask.

  "Wah!?"

  Up close her cloak had been made to resemble an animal's fur, specifically I'd guess a black puma or jaguar? Her hood falls back as she whips round and looks up at me.

  "Um yes... but I'm only level six." Responds the girl.

  "What are you? Class I mean?"

  "I'm a summoner. I summon the spirits of big cats into myself or as ghosts that can fight— But I also fight! I have claws see... I can summon other animals, but I like cats."

  She turns to me and opens one side of her cloak, she had flexible medium armour mostly beige (lion maybe) but with accents of leopard print. At her hip was a clawed gauntlet.

  "Hmm, level six... Can I see your card?"

  "Um... yes. Ok, Please consider my adventurer card, please."

  She thrusts it forward while bowing, holding out with two hands. I could now see the matching gauntlet on her other side. I accept her card with two hands and look it over. Not much XP off level seven, decent stats too for a petite girl the same age I am now. Summoner is an interesting, specialised class, much like assassin, it's not a class available to just anyone.

  "Thank you very much Layla, my name's Harvey by the way. May I show your card to the two that posted the notice?"

  "Yes please, I would appreciate their consideration, thank you Mr Harvey sir... thank you."

  "Relax. We're all quite low level you know."

  Keen to get started, and there being enough of a journey that Layla could do some grinding, she was accepted and we set off.

  The quest didn't have the highest reward but it was close the Issabelle's heart. Increased numbers of orc slavers were pouring into the area. Some tremors had caused a new mountain path to form a few months back, this had been found to be the likely reason for the uptake. The quest came with explosive bundles, the objective was to blow up adjacent mountain sides, and block the new path.

  Audovald sheepishly apologizes and realises he needed to ask something important, something that should have been on the posting. Luckily both Layla and I are OK with climbing. Layla being able to take in the spirits of animals, gleefully exclaims she could borrow the skills of a mountain lion.