The Path of Ascension 2: A LitRPG Adventure

7

Their plans to adjust [Endurance] were fairly simple as the first two days were just getting the skill into the spirit. Then when it first entered his core spirit, he had to use his spirit to expand the skill structure in specific ways to get the desired modifications.

While training with Aunt Helen he also learned that Tier increases acted as a multiplier for proficiency in moving the skill structures in his spirit around. At Tier 5, it was 3.6 hours faster than it had been at Tier 1. And considering they both wanted to time the skill reaching their core spirits for noon two days from now it was useful information.

When they reached their suite on the train, they found one of the doors shut, so they set themselves up in the remaining room.

Matt took more time, since he had to set Aster up in a new cold reflecting bed he had bought. What had once hurt for him to buy then resell at a loss was now a casual purchase for him. Aunt Helen said that it would help Aster bolster her body while she wasn’t feeling well and would limit the effects to the mind from her breakthrough to Tier 5. It would also help mitigate the physical aftereffects of her mind expanding.

After tucking the fox into a chilling blanket, he exited his room to the larger common room, and paused at the sight of their new companion. Not because she was attractive, though she was, but because she briefly froze at the sight of him.

Instead of walking forward and proffering a hand to shake he just waved awkwardly and said, “Hello. I’m Matt. I take it you are Cammie. Duke Waters said good things about you.”

The woman shook her head, breaking out of the spell she had been under, before nodding. “My name’s Camilla, not Cammie. But yes, that’s me.”

Before the situation could get any more awkward Liz came out of her room and moved forward to shake Camilla’s hand. An action that Matt noticed she didn’t resist at all.

Camilla nodded to Liz before introducing herself once again. “My name is Camilla. Nice to meet you, but I don’t think this was a good idea.”

Liz pulled back slightly and asked, “Wait what? Why? Uncle Waters sent you here, right?”

The dark-haired woman nodded slightly. “Yes but…” She shot a look at Matt before saying, “I don’t think it will work out. You remind me of someone I know, and I have had enough of his type.”

Matt c****d his head but inwardly shrugged. Her issues weren’t his to deal with.

She then asked Liz, “Is he part of the team proper?”

Liz nodded. “Yes, we joined up as a team for The Path of Ascension.”

Camilla looked at Matt before shaking her head. “Then I think I need to back out of this deal. Sorry, but I can’t trust him.”

Matt finally spoke up, “You don’t even know me? How can you instantly not like me?”

She ignored his question and asked Liz, “And what are you two dating as well? How could you—?”

She cut herself off and stormed into her room, her door sealing behind her.

He looked at Liz and questioned, “What just happened?”

She shook her head. “I have no idea, but I’m not super happy right now. Who is she to judge you like that? If she wants to leave. Good riddance.”

Liz entered her room, and Matt joined her. He was still pondering the other women off behavior when Liz asked, “Are we being dumb?”

The odd question threw Matt for a loop as he tried to figure out how they were the odd ones in that situation, but Liz clarified, “Are we dating?”

With the sudden twist in the topic, Matt paused to consider her words.

She wasn’t wrong but it seemed like such an odd question considering they had decided to not date so they didn’t ruin their working relationship.

After mulling over his words for a few seconds while Liz started to unpack. “I mean we do work and live together twenty-four seven but…”

He let his words trail off as he wasn’t sure how to finish.

Liz thankfully did. “We really just didn’t want to date because it might ruin the team, but if we are already practically dating, why don’t we just date and see how it works out?”

As Liz plopped down next to him, Matt asked, “I guess we can just take it slow and learn together? We have time.”

“That’s right. We both have Concepts, so our next bottleneck is Tier 24. Nothing wrong with waiting until Tier 15.”

After they sat there in silence for a while Matt had a thought and voiced it. “So what? We have a ten Tier dating period?”

He had no idea how this dating, waiting thing was supposed to work but he was excited about the prospect. He liked Liz and making things official was a step in the right direction in his book.

Liz laughed and said, “We can still do everything a normal couple can do. We just don’t have s*x, so if we do break up there are less hard feelings. If it’s worth doing, it’s worth doing right.”

The Empire didn’t have large s****l taboos, but he understood what she was saying. “That seems incredibly arbitrary.”

Liz shrugged. “Think of it as a courtship instead of dating.”

Matt looked at her and cracked a joke, “What, do you think you’re some kind of princess?”

With that, the tension broke, and they laughed until they cried. The awkwardness between them banished.

Camilla looked at the message Aiden sent her once again before screaming into a pillow.