He had been pretty sure the others would take his reveal well, but he had expected a few more questions. He even asked about it, with Rhonda acting like the only important point was that he’s their friend. Then Freddie threw her under the cart.
“She got it out of her system with Vieds already. He says he’s not very good at changing, but he knows how it works. So now she does, too.”
“Freddie!” the goblin protests, slapping his shoulder. He shrugs in response.
Rezlar smiles at the two as they bicker, before turning his attention to Pul. “It seems pretty obvious in hindsight. Are you going to keep your disguise, or be public about it now?”
“I… I should keep my disguise, I think. My parents don’t want to be known, so if I go public, it’d kinda force them to.”
The elf nods. “Fair enough.”
“Do you have any questions?” Pul asks, feeling like there should be at least a little friction at the reveal, and trying not to worry about anyone just keeping their problems secret. The young mayor shakes his head.
“...Do you know how many changelings are in Fourdock?”
“Yes, at least roughly. Census forms also refuse to record falsehoods. I’m sure there’s some way around them, but I don’t know them.” He smiles at Pul. “There’s more than you probably think, though it’d be rude to give out the number.”
“It still feels weird. You guys know, but Freddie and Rhonda are more concerned with bickering and teasing each other than about how long I’ve been… well, lying to you all.”
Rezlar snorts. “I wonder if it’d be egotistical to say I may have desensitized them to a friend revealing an important secret? I was lying to them about who I was for a while, too. I think the citizenry at large would react more like we have, than whatever you and your parents are worried about. But it’s your choice.”
Pul nods at that, not sure what to say, or if anything even needs to be said. For now, his friends know and are fine with it. He even joins in the ribbing and laughing as they all hang out in the guild together, happy to see they really don’t seem to mind.
All good things must come to an end, though, and eventually he has to return to the workhouse for the haulers at the hold. The atmosphere there is much more suspicious than in the guild, just another reason for him to side against the thieves. He gives his report on the delve to Bernuth, who looks like he wants to hold his nose as he gets the information. The thieves still hate the idea of delving, but in their eyes, better for Pul to do it than them.
He goes to sleep, and is awoken in the middle of the night by someone pressing his nose. He grunts and opens his eyes, only to see the form of Teemo on his straw pillow, a finger to his own lips. He motions for Pul to follow, and after he carefully looks around to see that nobody else seems to be stirring, he follows the Voice into a shortcut.
“Nothing bad,” assures Teemo. “The Boss just wants to give you some more pointers, if you’re willing to do the class he thinks will work for you.”
Pul slowly nods. “I am… I just don’t know how something like he promised can even exist.”
Teemo chuckles before moving to his shoulder, pointing the way for Pul to follow. “That’s how he is, pulling impossible things out of nowhere. I know what he’s going for, and it sure seems viable to me, but I’m not an expert in delver classes.”
“What does he want to teach me?”
“A lot. We’re going to be using the Lecture Hall so it’ll stick better. But it’s secret, so we’re probably going to be sneaking you out for some night courses pretty regularly.”
“...But what about sleep?”
Teemo waves him off. “Not every night. And you're young enough you can burn the midnight oil sometimes. Honey has some honey for you, too, to help with your focus. It’ll be difficult, but secrecy is kinda important for this one.”
“Is that why you’ve been having me try to practice stealth?”
“Partially, yeah. The whole class is a bit of a dichotomy, fusing a civilian class with a fighting one. I know it sounds weird, but there’s been other full crafting classes delving that are starting to learn their so-called ‘crafting’ skills can be used for more than just shaping wood or whatever.”
It doesn’t make much sense to Pul, but he steps into the Lecture Hall before he can ask about it. The chalkboards have many diagrams on them, ants skittering over the surfaces to continue to add detail. The buzzing of bees fills the air, the different bugs clearly working together to draw. At the lectern at the front of the room sits a living vine with a different flower than the one Rezlar has.
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“Tupul, I’d like to introduce you to Queen, Honey, and Poppy. They’re going to be teaching you anatomy.”
“Uh… just Pul,” he corrects. He’s still nervous about revealing himself, but if Thedeim is going to help him with a class, the least he can do is come clean. “I’m a changeling.”
Teemo considers that for a few moments before waving his hands in the air. “I know, Boss! Settle down!”
“Is he… is he mad?” Pul asks, worried he may have made a mistake.
Teemo sighs and shakes his head. “No. He’s excited. He thinks a changeling ninja will fit perfectly. Settle down, Boss! I need to be able to hear to be able to translate for him!”
Pul isn’t sure what to do in this situation, though that word is interesting. He can’t put his finger on what it is, but ninja speaks of a lot of potential to him. It feels like the comfort of home before all this happened, and also the excitement of delving.
“Anyway, let's get you up to the front so you can properly meet the others, and they can start teaching you.” Teemo urges him forward, and Pul does so, eyeing the diagrams as well as the denizens. And the scions, once he gets close enough.
“Wait… three scions are going to be teaching me?” Pul uncertainly looks at the three unassuming scions before him, and he can’t help but think about Rhonda talking about her class and learning from Rocky. If her class is so powerful from one, just what is he getting into?
Teemo nods. “Yeah, they’re going to be teaching you anatomy. The diagrams on the chalkboards should look pretty familiar to you, even if the specific shapes aren’t.”
Pul looks at the closest one more intently, and doesn’t quite understand it at first. He can see muscles and tendons and bones, laid out within what looks like an elf. Why would he know what the insides of an elf looks like? But Teemo’s not wrong, something about it does seem familiar, though it takes him several minutes to realize what it is.
“It’s like the butcher diagrams at the shop, showing the different cuts of meat on animals.” He gets queasy at the implication, but Teemo quickly speaks up.
“Good, but these aren’t to show you what the tastiest parts of an elf are. It’s the muscles and tendons, the structure. It’s dangerous knowledge to have, to know how things are put together. Where a butcher uses that knowledge to take apart a carcass and make food, a fighter will need to use that knowledge to take apart a foe.”
Teemo pats Pul’s cheek, causing him to jump at the contact. “It sounds a bit morbid, I know. It’s another reason we’re doing this at night. Fewer prying eyes. A lot of people, if they see these sorts of things, they’ll think the worst. But Boss isn’t trying to give this knowledge to you to make a monster. Knowledge is power, so he’s careful about giving it out. How many of the thieves would misuse this kind of information?”
It takes Pul a moment to realise Teemo actually wants a response. “I… all of them. It’s just…” he trails off, unsure how to even put his thoughts into words.
Teemo smiles and nods. “It feels more visceral than just waving around a sword or something, doesn’t it?” Pul nods as Teemo continues, motioning at the diagrams and making Pul take them all in. Most are denizens, but some are… are people.
“Learning to fight, people focus on dealing with the enemy weapon, or on generic strikes. You attack the air or maybe a wooden dummy. It’s just movements. Maybe you imagine striking down monsters or other evil things that need to be removed. But in a real fight… this is what you’re facing. Maybe that’s the biggest difference between someone green and someone experienced. The green ones still see target dummies, but the experienced fighters know the consequences of crossing blades.”
Teemo sighs. “You’ll be the first offensive class he helps shape, Pul, and he wants to make sure you know what that’ll mean. Freddie is defense. Rhonda is versatility. Marle has utility. But a ninja, when it’s time for a fight, is all about removing a threat quickly and efficiently. You’ll be able to live your life normally, most of the time, but when danger comes, you’ll be the one tasked with removing it. Some things are done in the dark not because they shouldn’t be done, but to spare others from having to see it done. It’s not a glamorous thing, but on rare occasions, it’s a necessary thing.”
Pul’s eyes widen as the weight of the proposed class starts to settle on him. “It’s not just a rogue…”
Teemo nods. “It’s an assassin. Boss would love to tell you you’ll only ever fight denizens, maybe invaders, but there’s always a chance the threat will be something else… someone else. This knowledge will let you remove people like that… but it will also give you new options. You’ll have the skillset of an assassin, but you don’t have to be one. You can refuse, for one. You don’t have to be a ninja. But even if you walk the path the Boss is clearing for you, it’s still the path you get to walk. You choose how you use the skills and information Boss wants to give you, and don’t let anyone try to convince you otherwise. Heh, not even us.”
“But why tell me this?” asks Pul, one question standing out among all the others he wants to ask. “I don’t want that…”
Teemo smiles. “That’s why. Boss calls it a catch-22. The best people to give dangerous things to are the people who don’t want them. Because they know what could happen if it’s misused. It’s a big responsibility, and he’s not keen on giving those out without making sure people know that. So… do you want it? Or should I sneak you back and you can continue with some other kind of rogue class?”
Pul stands there, trying to sort out his jumbled thoughts. He wants to be a butcher, not an assassin! But he can feel the temptation to grab for the power that would let him remove the thieves guild. Surely they’re one of the rare exceptions Teemo was talking about?
But as he lets himself imagine it, imagine taking apart Boss Toja like a side of beef… he feels revulsion, not satisfaction. But if he hates the idea of being an assassin, why does the class feel so right?
“It’s…” he starts. “I don’t… It’s just…” He sighs. “It feels perfect, but I’m scared,” he admits.
“Good. If you weren't scared of what you’d be able to do, it wouldn’t be perfect.”
“Are… you sure it’s alright?”
Teemo chuckles and shakes his head. “No, not really, but Boss says we should teach you, if you want it.”
“I do,” he says, sounding a lot more confident than he feels.
“Then have a seat and we’ll get started.”
The next morning, he feels dead on his feet, but he doesn’t regret the decision. After having all night to not sleep on it, he feels better, at least a bit. A lot of classes can do terrible things, it doesn’t make them terrible classes. He just needs to make sure he keeps his head on straight. Easier said than done, but if the thieves guild hasn’t corrupted him after all this time, he has hope he’ll be able to handle being a ninja soon, too.