I Built This City Chapter 37: Chapter 37

Read chapter 37 of I Built This City by ThePudding on NovelPedia.

Apprentice Ellen The lantern cast its steady light across the all-too-familiar stones of the cave. Had it really been three lives ago since she had dared to enter this place? Ellen huffed softly and passed the light over the filthy tunnel. The smell wasn’t as bad as she remembered it, and this lantern was much better than the one she’d used when she’d fought the goblin the first time. Or second time, since the first time she’d used a torch. It had only been weeks, yet it felt like so much longer. “See anything?” Healer Ellen asked from behind her. She was patient, as always. She understood what Ellen was doing. That was what the others didn’t get. Every generation, each twin pair of Ellens approached their situation differently. Some, like Merchant, went off in a completely different direction and kept themselves distant from their twin. Others remained casually close, like Carpenter and Mason, who worked together well but left one another to their own devices. Those two were the closest match to how Ellen viewed her relationship with Healer. There was no point in pretending they were different people, no matter how much they acted like it in public. What person ever acts the same around others as they do when alone? Ellen didn’t actually know, since she’d never been with another person when they were alone—by definition—but the other Ellens should understand that. Maybe they will, someday. “No body, but it has been weeks,” Ellen answered, pulling herself from her thoughts. She readied her knife and sighed. “Would have been nice if Hunter had come with us. Tracking would have been nice about now.” Healer Ellen said nothing. She understood that Ellen was just grousing, and didn’t need a response. The idea that Hunter Ellen’s abilities could find anything in a dark cave weeks after the event in question was such a ridiculously slim chance that it didn’t need said. Her sister-self had taken a different path of learning, and a different path of expression, but behind it all they were the same. Ellen knew that the others viewed her as careless and silly, but she was okay with that. Ellen knew that deep down, they knew she was just doing what they all wanted to, but were too busy trying to be something else. She passed by the trickling stream and into the larger cavern, large enough that she could lift the lantern high to look about. The ceiling was about twice as high as her head, and though the cavern felt large compared to the tight tunnel, it was still claustrophobically snug. The ceiling was high, but the walls were narrow… And this was where her memories ended, from her time as Ellen Two. Just thinking about that made her tighten the grip on her knife. Her new Class was unique and—she hoped—powerful, but as a Level 11 caster-type she still didn’t have any actual spells. She hadn’t even managed to unlock a useful magic-based Skill Enhancer. That worried her a little bit, but she didn’t have much she could do about it. It still prompted her to glance at her Status reflexively. ATTRIBUTES Strength: 8 Agility: 8 Endurance: 8 Willpower: 9 Affinity: 10 Perception: 8 SKILL ENHANCERS Knife Fighting 1 STAMINA: 78/80 (+8/minute) MANA: 113/120 (+10/minute) CLASS: Spellstrider 11 EXPERIENCE: 197435/320000 PERKS Mana Manipulation Mana Well Thoughtless Move ABILITIES A magic-based Skill Enhancer would be much nicer, but Ellen would have to be happy with being better at stabbing things. At least she managed to pick up Mana Well to expand her mana capacity before she got her Class. And Thoughtless Move would be nice once she got spells. Casting while running without that Perk sounded like a nightmare. “It looks about… four yards high, and twice that long. About… three yards wide I think.” Ellen gave her brief description, knowing Healer was mentally committing it so she could write it down outside. “This seems almost beneath us with the dungeon here.” “Might as well finish the job, though.” Healer completed her thought, na