A stressful encounter

-15th day of AC, 15.04.1052-

-About 7:20-

*BA-THUM!*

Ringing sounded in his ears for a moment.

Cecilia's words made Travis's heart beat so strongly that it reverberated within his skull. He felt a chill run down his spine, and for a moment, time seemed to freeze. He didn't care about his surroundings anymore, as everything blurred out into nothingness. The only two people who mattered were the two women who were staring at him with ice-cold expressions. Despite their lack of emotion, he couldn't shake the eerie feeling they gave off. He wasn't sure if it was animosity, disgust, or neither. Or perhaps even both.

*BA-THUM!*

His mind raced. Adrenaline surged through his veins as his body was paralyzed with momentary fear and shock. What were his options? Run? Attack? Divert their attention? Beg for mercy? He wasn't sure. His hands trembled for a moment.

*BA-THUM!*

No. He didn't have much of a choice. There was no way he could run away from or overpower Cecilia on her own, and she also had a sidekick with herself. From the very moment that Travis stepped near her tent, he was already in a lost position. There was only one thing he could try to do.

"...Teacher... haha," he let out a small, nervous chuckle as he smiled a little. Closing his eyes, he did the best he could to relax his muscles. "I-I think you should w-warn me next time you'll be joking like th--!" he suddenly stopped and flinched slightly to his side, feeling something just barely graze the skin under his ear. As his eyes shot open, he looked at the two women and saw that Violet was looking at him with a stoic expression, her hand lowering from its throwing position.

"Do I look like I'm joking?" Cecilia asked, clearly rhetorically. "I know the truth. You of all people should know that I don't speak carelessly."

He looked down, trying to not show his expression to them. '...diffusing the situation won't be possible. If she were at least alone, maybe I could use <Suggestion> and <Hypnosis> to make my way out... how do I even try to tackle this?'

"In fact, I've known that for a while now. You're horrible at covering your tracks."

"...how?" he asked; he knew she was right. It was pointless to try and hide the nature of his class.

"Do you take me for a fool, Travis? It was obvious from the moment I learned you changed your class. We both know you wouldn't change to Classless without a plan. And knowing how enthusiastic you were about being a Rogue and doing that quest, you wouldn't have changed your class willingly. That meant that the class change happened to you abruptly without you noticing. Perhaps at night when you were sleeping, or in a moment when you were so unfocused that you didn't feel your own mana draining from your body."

"But that doesn't mean I changed into a forbidden class..." Travis said, trying to defend his case. 'I should at least try to use <Suggestion>... but I should make it a good one. My MP is limited.' he thought. Just what words would work? He wasn't sure.

"Indeed, it doesn't, until you factor in the next thing that happened. You got accused of having a counterfeit. How it happened, I don't know, but I can imagine a few scenarios. You checked your MID near a guard and you both noticed that your class started with a 'Ps'. You broke it out of desperation, but the guard already saw it and apprehended you."

"..."

"Later, you were questioned by an Inspector. Since you were able to get out without being hung, they didn't take you to a uniform class-checking machine and decided that an Orb of Truth was enough. I'm going to give you the benefit of the doubt and say that you were questioned by either an inexperienced or a tired Inspector, which made their Willpower weak enough to be swayed by you. I'm not sure how you managed to cheat the Orb, but that's a secondary issue," 'In the first place, those artifacts are unreliable.' she almost wanted to sigh at the thought.

'Shit... this is... very accurate. Of course, I have to exclude Penalty Zone on my end, but... How...?' he raised his eyes at Cecilia slowly.

"From your expression, I can tell that I'm not wrong."

'What do I even say... fuck it, let's try that. <Suggestion>.'

<Even if he is a forbidden class, Travis has always been diligent. He wouldn't use his class for wrong.>

<He's a good man. I shouldn't judge him by his class.>

From the depths of his mind, a few sentences came out, which were immediately formed into two <Suggestions> that shot toward Cecilia's mind. However, just before they would've reached it, Travis's spells bounced off of something. The man's heart skipped a beat.

'A psionic barrier?!'

However, he didn't get to ponder for long. Cecilia's expression immediately stiffened up when his mind **** ended in vain. Almost like she felt it. Her left hand immediately reached out to Violet's hips, and within a split second, she was holding a small knife, taken from a small pouch affixed to the woman's outer thigh. Before either Violet or Travis managed to react, Cecilia disappeared from their field of view, performing a <Blink Strike> toward Travis.

Just vaguely feeling something around change, the man flinched backward, just in time to see how Storm Rogue appeared in his field of view for a second, knife almost placed by his neck. Had he not reacted, she would probably be holding him at the knife's edge.

Her gray eyes stared into his yellow for a moment. While her stare didn't seem to emanate much aggression, there was definitely something else visible in them as well: surprise.

They stayed like this for a little more than half a second before the woman's skill expired, and she teleported back to her starting position, with the same crouching posture.

Meanwhile, reacting to the situation, Violet pulled out a second throwing knife, her two-colored eyes staring Travis down. Her hand tensed somewhat, prepared to bunt the sharp object should he make a false move.

Nevertheless, the two women's faces still showed barely any emotion. Cecilia's hand shook as she flinched out of her position, and her stare swept around the three of them. Quickly blinking, she handed the knife back to Violet. Then, the crouching woman let out a small sigh, sitting back down.

"...don't do that again," she said in a warning tone. "Next time won't be a warning," Cecilia continued, glancing at Travis. '...that was off...'

'Shit. Not only does she have a mental barrier, but she can feel it when it gets hit? I'm at a lost position.'

"Will you not answer me?" for the first time since the beginning of their talk, Storm Rogue's voice seemed to sound with a seedling of anger, not to say wrath.

"...yes. I apologize," he replied, lowering his head a little.

Cecilia placed a hand on Violet's and nodded, signaling that she could relax. Hesitantly, Violet obeyed, hiding her knife.

'Great... now she's mad.' Travis lamented within his spirit.

"...good," she sighed. "As long as you don't do that again, nothing will happen to you."

"..."

"Now that we have some grounds established, let's move on to the main topic I wanted to speak about with you."

"...?" he raised his head, looking back at her with a slightly questioning expression.

"You must be wondering why I even told you that I know. You're a forbidden class, after all. If I just killed you or snitched on you to the guards, I would definitely be rewarded, don't you think?" for some reason unknown to Travis, Cecilia's lips curved upward ever so much.

"...then why?" he asked, glancing over to Violet momentarily. The woman was sitting nigh-motionlessly, watching him carefully, as if she was anticipating his next move.

"I'm sure you already know. After all, you didn't get rid of it. If you didn't want that class, you would've changed it, even just to a Classless. But I'm sure you felt it. It wasn't a coincidence that you changed to a Psion. It's because it's a class that truly fits you. And that's something that I can't condemn. Discovering yourself is a part of life, and that is equal to all."

'...I don't believe that. There's something more to her words than she lets out.' Travis thought, doing his best to stabilize his heartbeat. It seemed that for now, he wasn't in as much danger as he initially thought. So long he didn't try anything, neither woman would hurt him. But he was aware he didn't know everything about the situation. Cecilia could as well be swaying him her way, for whatever reason. "...Teacher, there's something I don't get."

"...?" Cecilia raised an eyebrow. 'Hmm, he seems to be coping with the stress nicely.' "What is it?"

"Why did you even say all this? You know that I changed barely a month ago. Then you must surely know that my abilities are severely limited, especially without an MID to assist me. You could've just let me leave, and you likely wouldn't have ever heard from me again. Then why didn't you?"

Cecilia's smirk faded into an expressionless face as she took a few seconds to think. "That's an excellent question. And to answer it, I'll ask you: How do you plan on growing your class? How do you expect to gain new skills? How will you learn to conceal your abilities and mana?"

'RALS for the first two, and I'm pretty sure Leaf's advice covers the most common scenarios for the third one. But I can't just tell that.' he thought, looking to his side a little.

"I do not condemn you deciding to keep your class, forbidden or not. In fact, perhaps I would be willing to help you."

"...?" Travis blinked, unsure of how he should react. Truth be told, he wasn't even sure if he heard that right. "...what?"

"What I'm saying is simple, Travis," Cecilia's gaze seemed to sharpen again. "Since your class change was abrupt, I know you don't have a teacher in psionic arts. I want to offer you a chance to meet one."

'...This sounds too good to be true. This is too good to be true. She never seemed the type to lie, then it's likely there is some hook to this deal.' "...Teacher. We both know there's no such thing as a free meal in this world. What's the condition to meet that teacher?"

"It's simple. The person who can teach you is part of a group to which I and Violet here belong," Cecilia said in a perfectly calm tone, gesturing lightly toward herself and the other woman. "If you join us, you will surely be taught the ways of a Psion."

As Travis wanted to say something in response, he suddenly felt something in the back of his mind cry quietly. A signal, an alarm of sorts, an instinctual sense saying that there was something wrong with what he heard. Almost immediately, he realized. 'She said they are part of a 'group', not a guild'.' Normally, he wouldn't notice. At the end of the day, some of the guilds that people belonged to were nothing more than groups with just a name. However, what was definitely more prominent was that the majority of society was more positively inclined toward guilds than just 'any group'.

In the first place, guilds were registered and bound officially, had to respect the law, answered to the authorities, and had authorized rankings. It was both a burden and a privilege, to be a part of such a gathering. If a guild prospered, so did the individuals that made it up. This also meant that if a guild did something wrong, the correct people would be punished more than 99% of the time.

On the other hand, parties formed without contacting authorities were loosely tied. There was no way to predict who was in one nor a way to control the groups altogether. While most of them still followed the law, they officially didn't exist, and sometimes that fact was exploited. Packs of bandits, highwaymen - there were many examples of such crowds. It was difficult to punish a group that could disband into nothingness within minutes, with barely any trace behind it.

On its own, such a simple change of a word wouldn't rouse suspicion. However, Travis was certain of one thing about Cecilia: she wasn't in a guild. This was one thing that was known about her from the very beginning. This was why she was able to take him as her student.

"This... group you are speaking of," he spoke, slowly. "What is it? Why would you accept me into it?"

"It's a group of people who happen to help forbidden classes. It's kind of a main purpose for them."

"...why would they help forbidden classes?"

"The reasoning is simple: classes such as Psions are rare. Because of how they are shunned by society, it's difficult to truly tell what they can do. The group we belong to researches forbidden classes, much like society learns on its own about the more mundane ones."

'Learning about forbidden classes? I'm not sure if I can believe that.'

"And as I said, if you join us, you will have a teacher to learn from. We'll also provide you with an MID so that you can utilize your abilities to their fullest. Maybe in a few years, you'll advance to a new class that hasn't yet been seen, who knows."

He didn't answer. The expression he wore showed Cecilia that he was mulling this over at his own pace.

"I won't impose the choice on you. However, you probably must've wondered about your options at least once. How can you go about your life, now that you are a Psion? Change your class? You'd have done this by now. Level up on your own? It is an option, but without an MID, it will be almost identical to just standing still. Risk going into a city? One mistake and you're dead. What I am giving you is a chance to take a step on the best road there is here. An opportunity to grow and learn about your class, experience all there is to it, and learn how to go about authorities. Tell me, Travis, isn't this a good deal?"

"It sounds... good," 'No doubt about it, she can definitely bargain with merchants on her own. That was a speech that really does sound like milk and honey. Too bad that I already heard something like this a few times.' "But what about the other side of this deal? If I join you, what will you get out of it? Because I don't believe you'll do something like this out of the goodness of your heart."

"Easy: We get a Psion. A new person who may one day teach us something new about forbidden classes, something that wouldn't otherwise be ever known."

'...or a new person to manipulate others.' he thought but didn't speak his mind.

"But I understand what you mean. In summary: Joining us means that you will be put under a leader, likely your teacher. You will be given assignments, works, and quests. And I can guarantee that this won't be easy for you, but... I know you, Travis. If anyone, you will definitely be able to push through the hardships. You've got what it takes."

"I see," he replied, his eyes shooting toward the other woman for a short moment. 'So, now she's trying to appeal to my sense of accomplishment and pride. Cunning, but I already know those techniques.' "And if I won't join?"

"Of course, I won't pressure you. And nothing will happen to you from our side. We don't snitch on others. But do know that rejecting my offer is no better than wasting your potential. The odds of finding yourself a teacher, you should know, are negligible if any."

"I know that. Though, there's still one thing that doesn't make sense here."

"What is it?"

"Why are you risking by telling me this? I could just change my class and snitch on you. Aren't you afraid of something like this?"

"...heh," Cecilia seemed to muffle a slight chuckle. "I see you are working with your head. Granted, there is no real way for me to guarantee that. But then again, what would you tell the authorities? You don't even know my name, Travis. You don't know where I come from, or if I'll still be here by tomorrow. All you'd have is hearsay. Is it a risk to tell you? Of course, it is. But I'm willing to take it."

'So, because she believes I don't know her name, she's more brazen than she'd normally be, is that what she's telling me...?' Travis thought, lowering his gaze to the ground for a long moment. 'But I won't accept a deal like this. To grow to my fullest, I can't be tied to a group. RALS is my teacher, and it's always with me.' "...Teacher. This proposition is... mighty generous. And knowing it's coming from you, I'm sure what you said is true. However... I won't accept it."

"...hmm," Cecilia hummed momentarily. "Are you sure about that?"

"Yes," he replied, no hesitation in his voice. Still, he was carefully observing the two women in front of him, preparing himself for their reaction.

"...you truly can be stubborn," Storm Rogue let out a small sigh. "Very well. If that's what you want, I'll respect that choice. But before we all go our separate ways, let's ensure we all understand each other."

"...?"

"We no longer have a relationship of student and master. From now on, we are strangers to each other. And the contents of this talk are to not be spoken about anywhere, at any time. Understood?"

"...yes."

"Good," she nodded. "Then, if I may ask, what are you going to do now?"

"Grow stronger."

"...I see. But I'm sure you are aware that despite being a fighter previously, your abilities are now severely limited, right?"

"I am well aware of my limits, Tea-- Storm Rogue."

"Alright. Then, I have one last selfish request of you."

"...what is it?" 'Selfish request...?'

"I'll be honest. Things are happening around quickly. Just a few days ago, there were some monks of the Church going around, checking people's mana. One even came here. I have an inkling that they may be preparing for something. You probably don't know that, do you?"

"Well, I did happen to hear that on the way once. Didn't get much of what is happening, though."

"I don't wish to scare you, Travis, but to me, it looks like they're searching for forbidden classes. You should be very wary."

"I understand."

"And that's why Violet will accompany you for a short while."

"...what?" he asked with a shocked expression. Looking at the younger woman, he noticed how her expression also seemed to betray surprise, as her gaze for the first time during the talk was directed away from him, and toward Cecilia. "Why?"

"You have received no schooling in how a forbidden class should hide, and you should know, normal techniques won't cut it. There needs to be someone who can keep you in check until you learn that. You can't go into the world without that knowledge. You'd be caught immediately."

'I did receive such schooling from Leaf. But it's better not to say that...'

"Someone has to watch over you until you learn some basics. Violet happens to be here, so she'll do it."

'It sounds like I really can't argue out of it... but I do understand why it's like that.' He thought, and a slight grimace entered his face.

"I know what it sounds like," Cecilia replied, seemingly reacting to his expression. "But believe me when I say that Violet is a very discrete person. She will watch and teach you, and only step in when it's absolutely necessary."

'Why do I feel like this was staged...?'

[Rulebreaker nods in approval.]

A sudden notification sprung in his field of view. Surprised, Travis flinched backward a little, which immediately prompted Violet to jerk as well, reaching to her waist, seemingly for a knife. However, as the two froze in their movements, Travis slowly retreated back to his previous position. 'Huh, so Rulebreaker seems to agree with me...? Or are they saying that this deal is good? Can they respond to my thoughts? Or only my actions?' he pondered for a moment before deciding to push the issue for later. Right now, he had to deal with this situation on his own.

...

"I understand what you're thinking," Cecilia said. "This must seem unnecessary to you."

"No, I... I understand it. It's fine by me."

"...Alright," 'Huh... he accepted it much easier than expected. Most Psions I met had lashed out by now, and he seems... very calm about the situation.' Cecilia thought. 'His will is stronger than other initiates. It's almost like I'm dealing with a trained student of Joseph's.' "Then, if you will, I'd like a minute with Violet before you're free to set off."

"...yes," Travis answered, albeit with a hint of hesitation. Getting up from his position, he walked roughly 20 meters away.

Turning away from them, he faced the direction of Silvana. 'So, it seems like I'm getting a temporary companion. Well, normally, I'd object, but in this situation, there's little that I have to lose. If they wanted me dead, we wouldn't have talked. Since we did talk, Cecilia wants to make sure that I won't speak of this conversation. I guess Violet will try to convince me again to join their group...'

...

But he knew he wouldn't join them. There were two reasons for that exact thing.

Number one he had already stated to himself was that joining a group would impede his growth. At least, that was true for a group that he had to listen to. If he were to control said gathering, things would be different for him. But he wasn't yet thinking about that. First, he had to grow stronger.

The second reason, while not stated, was even more important than the first. 'If there is even the slightest chance that the Psion Cecilia spoke about is the one who did something to Crystal's mind, I can't meet them yet. Not until I'm strong enough to overpower that barrier and find out what they did to her. Strong Psions can read minds, that much is commonly known. If that person finds out that I know about their work, they'll likely try to control me... or may even kill me.'

Right now, what was important was the fact that Violet joining him meant he could likely hunt for longer. 'Since she supposedly finished her training, I'm assuming her level to be around Leaf's.'

In the training under a teacher, most talented students could reach as high as level 40, maybe 50. A year of training on her own would elevate Violet's abilities to roughly fit the level of the Necromancer he knew. And even if he were wrong, he still had the equivalent of 5 levels not yet spent. Violet had no control over her stats, but Travis did over his. That meant...

'If, by any chance, I will have to fight her, I have a much better chance of winning than her. Not only do I have control over my abilities, but I also have 2 spells that can heal me to full HP and stamina from near ****. Normally, that'd be overconfidence to say I can win, but... not in this case.'

-Meanwhile-

As Travis gave the two women some space to talk, Cecilia turned to Violet, "There you have it. You wanted some time with that man, you got it."

"Thank you, miss Cecilia."

"Just to be clear: by the 1st of May, I want you back in here. Then we'll proceed with retreating to Odilar, as per Cedric's orders."

"Of course. I won't be late," Violet bowed her head. After a short second, she stood up.

"One more thing," Storm Rogue said, also rising from her position. "Be careful. There's something... off about him."

"...off?"

"I can't put my finger exactly on what is amiss, but... he just feels different. Much different from when he was a Rogue, and even different from what I'd expect of a Psion. At first, he seemed shocked, scared, even, but his demeanor changed quickly. I'm sure you felt it too. I'm past my 1st advancement, you will soon have yours. We both should dwarf his presence, but he does emanate some pressure of his own. It's not something a level 10 or 20 could exert. If I didn't know any better, I'd say he has been training under Joseph for a year at least."

"..."

"I understand that you have decided to spend time with him, and I won't interfere with that. I merely want to emphasize the importance of prioritizing your safety and well-being. Be cautious of him. But when you're traveling, do try to find out how to convince him to join our cause. Am I clear?"

"Yes, Captain."

"Well then, go. Inform me or Joseph if anything happens."

"Yes, ma'am," Violet bowed her head deeply before straightening up and turning toward Travis.

As her two ex-students went on their way, Cecilia couldn't help but feel... uneasy, even if just a little bit. As she thought about the situation, it really didn't make sense to her.

'The way he dodged my <Blink Strike> was... weird. I'm not sure if he would be able to do it as a Rogue, even. And that makes it weird. I'm certain that he is a Psion, and yet... his abilities seem elevated from his Rogue position. That feels off. A Psion with such senses... just doesn't exist. Even Joseph would have a problem responding to that, and he's a past his 2nd advancement. Normally, I'd say it was just luck, but he did react to it. I saw it clearly.'

Seeing the two of them set off toward the south, she sighed. She didn't doubt Violet's abilities. After all, she was the person who in just a year grew to almost level 70, which was far greater than her peers. She was barely an adult, and yet, she was likely to be choosing her class advancement in just a few weeks, if everything went well for her. Then why... why did it seem like that man's pressure almost equaled hers?

Bloodlust, pressure, presence - this phenomenon had a few names, but they all meant the same thing. At its base, it could be seen as a way for a living being to express its innate power as a way of intimidation. Instinctually, almost anything would exert its pressure to its fullest when faced with a stronger opponent. This was a way for lower-leveled beasts to survive: by detecting those more powerful. Humans, orcs, elves, and most other sapient beings also had this ability, but its uses were a bit different. With a bit of refinement, it was possible to conceal one's bloodlust, or even use it to gauge the opponent's level, at least vaguely. And here was the biggest mind-boggle for Cecilia.

'The pressure he emanated in response was too great for his level. At best, his level should be 15 if he hunted a lot with some support, but that seemed near level 50, from my position at least. How is that possible?' she pondered, seeing the two figures become smaller and smaller on the horizon. Eventually, she let out a sigh of defeat.

'Joseph was right. Travis is definitely not a normal Psion. I hope Violet knows what she's doing.'

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